[HN Gopher] Mary Schmich's "Wear Sunscreen", which turned into a...
       ___________________________________________________________________
        
       Mary Schmich's "Wear Sunscreen", which turned into an unlikely 90s
       hit (2019)
        
       Author : smartmic
       Score  : 234 points
       Date   : 2022-07-31 21:05 UTC (3 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (news.medill.northwestern.edu)
 (TXT) w3m dump (news.medill.northwestern.edu)
        
       | dang wrote:
       | The original submitted URL was
       | https://switchedonpop.com/episodes/everybodys-free-to-wear-s....
       | Since this is a podcast without a transcript, it probably makes
       | sense to change it to the most informative text article on the
       | topic. So far, that looks to be the URL mentioned by neogodless
       | here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32330624.
       | 
       | Those interested can still listen to the podcast!
        
         | whycombinetor wrote:
         | The comments here feel weird now, after changing the target
         | link of the post to an article not focusing on the song, when
         | the majority of the top level comments are about the song. The
         | new link barely mentions the song twice.
        
           | dang wrote:
           | We trust readers to be smart enough to figure things out.
           | Anyone interested enough in the comments to read through them
           | will soon put the pieces together.
           | 
           | Eventually we'll have better software support for this, so
           | related links won't need to be scattered across various
           | comments, possibly pinned.
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | shagie wrote:
       | Poppyfields filk version of it - Everyone's Free (to document
       | their system) http://www.poppyfields.net/filks/00281.html
       | 
       | > If I could offer you one tip for the future, documentation
       | would be it. The long term benefits of a well documented system,
       | with FAQs, RFCs, and man pages, have been proven time and again
       | by systems administrators everywhere, whereas the rest of my
       | advice has no basis more reliable than my own miserable
       | experience... I will dispense this advice now
       | 
       | > Enjoy and appreciate the well behaved and polite users. Oh,
       | nevermind, by the time you figure out who the well behaved and
       | polite users are, you'll have wasted all of your available time
       | on the ones who are not. But believe me, in 20 years you'll look
       | back at photos of some users and recall in a way you can't grasp
       | now, how much time and energy you wasted on those other whiners.
       | 
       | > ...
        
         | edmcnulty101 wrote:
         | Code IS documentation!
        
           | EvanAnderson wrote:
           | Like how a recording of a performance is the same as the
           | sheet music.
        
             | edmcnulty101 wrote:
             | Haha that's a great analogy. I'm going to use that when
             | someone gives me that BS line that code is documentation.
        
               | dwringer wrote:
               | Lots of music is performed first, and only later
               | transcribed (often from a recording). In all cases, a
               | music performance contains more data than sheet music
               | (although there's no guarantee that the performer played
               | their sheet music accurately to the page, if they had
               | any). However, in _many_ cases it 's much more productive
               | to learn a song by listening to a recording. Paul
               | McCartney famously didn't use sheet music at all.
               | 
               | I guess sheet music is like documentation, but just like
               | documentation it's often incomplete, wrong, confusing,
               | misleading, or worse than nothing at all. Sometimes it's
               | the only ground truth we have, such as with classical
               | music where we can't know what the composer truly had in
               | mind, so in cases like that I'd say the sheet music is
               | effectively the source code.
        
             | biofox wrote:
             | Development is like a one-way hash function: a line of code
             | may have been added and structured a particular way for any
             | one of an infinite number of reasons.
             | 
             | Without the documentation (the forward mapping) there's no
             | way to exactly predict its intended function, leading to
             | all sorts of misunderstandings further down the line when
             | someone tries to reverse it.
        
               | throwaway821909 wrote:
               | Doesn't need re-explaining but makes me realise we often
               | talk about comments explaining what code does, which
               | leads to "your code should be well-written so it's easy
               | to understand what it does" or "I'm a good developer, I
               | can understand that easily by reading it".
               | 
               | But as you say the question is why - people will often be
               | reading existing code because of a bug, so clearly the
               | thought process that created it had a faulty step
               | somewhere.
        
               | bobthepanda wrote:
               | Really, what people think should go in comments should
               | instead go to commits, which is _actually_ a snapshot of
               | what the author was trying to achieve during a point in
               | time.
               | 
               | Inline comments just become out of date or mangled.
               | Commit revisions are the source of truth.
        
             | RajT88 wrote:
             | Playing by ear is an amazing skill you can develop. Some
             | people (to name drop a musician: Joe Stump) can hear
             | something once and just play it, note-for-note.
             | 
             | But it's a ton easier when you're young, and your brain is
             | malleable.
        
       | gilleain wrote:
       | Brings back memories, but also reminds me of the more recent
       | 'Ring' by Mint Royale:
       | 
       | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziRaY2FJR_0
        
       | dosman33 wrote:
       | Lol, I never knew this song but I knew a similar song by Sean
       | Kennedy called Wear Body Armour:
       | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUq6YotwOIo
        
       | guender wrote:
        
       | kristiandupont wrote:
       | The words "do something every day that scares you" had a
       | tremendous impact on my life.
       | 
       | After a bad breakup, I decided that those were important words
       | and that I needed to make an effort to get out of my comfort
       | zone. So I wrote down a long list of things that scared me, all
       | from eating weird foods, talking to strangers to traveling to new
       | places and starting companies, and I started deliberately doing
       | them.
       | 
       | That became the start of a 7 year digital nomad adventure with
       | several experiences that I feel could be movies. It came at a
       | cost as well, but nothing that I regret.
        
         | Jordanpomeroy wrote:
         | Where did you roam? What was the best place to be a digital
         | nomad? How sustainable is that lifestyle?
        
           | kristiandupont wrote:
           | I spent most of my time in Barcelona, but I was in NYC,
           | London, Bangkok, Shenzhen and various small spots throughout
           | Southeast Asia, mostly in Bali and Thailand. I never changed
           | residency officially. I am Danish so I could certainly have
           | saved a lot in taxes, but I just didn't bother.
           | 
           | These days there is a lot more infrastructure (like
           | https://nomadlist.com/) which is great but I imagine also
           | takes some of the excitement out of it. If you are able to
           | work remotely, it's quite easy to make it work in cheap
           | places, depending on your expectations. There is a certain
           | type of loneliness associated with it in that you make lots
           | of temporary connections. There were times where that got to
           | me. On the other hand, I made many true friends that I still
           | speak to frequently. Today I am happy to have an
           | international network of people that always offer me a place
           | to stay when I am in their region.
        
             | Cockbrand wrote:
             | I haven't been aware of nomadlist.com before - is it worth
             | the fee? I'm somewhat hesitant to sign up. The signup
             | starts with some bullshit 50% discount from $218 to $109,
             | while apparently $99 is the regular price anyway. Looks a
             | bit sketchy in my eyes, but I might be too critical.
        
               | virgildotcodes wrote:
               | Eh, depending on what you want to get out of it, I'm not
               | so sure it's worth it.
               | 
               | A lot of the information I've come across on things like
               | cost of living and average internet speed I've found to
               | be pretty inaccurate.
               | 
               | Like, it's saying $64 a month for a 1 br studio in the
               | city center in Buenos Aires right now. That's nowhere
               | close to what you'll be paying and it's not useful
               | information. It's similar to some of the stuff you find
               | on Numbeo, which makes you think "where are they getting
               | these numbers??"
               | 
               | It does seem like it would be pretty good for meeting
               | people though. I happened to note in my profile that I
               | was currently in Bali and had nearly half a dozen people
               | DM me over the span of a couple months just looking to
               | make friends or connections in the area.
               | 
               | It does also offer access to some pretty active chat
               | rooms where you get to share information with other
               | digital nomads which can be pretty useful.
               | 
               | ~$100 for access to what could essentially be a free
               | discord server, or be replaced by the countless free
               | expat Facebook groups you'll find based in any
               | destination you'd like? Eh.
        
               | Cockbrand wrote:
               | Thank you for the reply! Being an introvert, I don't care
               | much about the people :) but rather about the
               | information. If it's not accurate, it's probably not
               | worth the $$.
        
           | iso1631 wrote:
           | While an EU citizen can at least roam in the EU fine, and a
           | US citizen can roam the 50 states, seems that roaming outside
           | of that would be exceedingly difficult and expensive to get
           | appropiate visa (if they exist)
        
             | glenngillen wrote:
             | What makes you say that? Admittedly most of my backpacking-
             | like travel days are long behind me, but border crossings
             | typically aren't that difficult or expensive. EU is
             | probably the hardest (almost certainly needed the visas
             | before you arrived). Most of SE Asia and Africa you'd just
             | hand over a few USD at the border, get a stamp, and keep
             | moving.
        
               | presentation wrote:
               | Probably depends a lot on your citizenship. As an
               | American it's easy to get at least a 3-6 month visa
               | basically anywhere except for embargo nations; many other
               | countries that have visa holiday systems make 6 month
               | stays pretty easy too. not so for my Indian friends for
               | instance.
        
               | hef19898 wrote:
               | It does, German passport rate apparently under the most
               | visa friendly ones. Not that I will ever have the luxury
               | to actually try that... Never say never, I hope!
        
               | iso1631 wrote:
               | Sure, for a visit or for business meetings.
               | 
               | I as a UK citizen can temporarily visit the US, or Japan,
               | or Thailand on holiday.
               | 
               | I could also go to meet my colleagues there, go and sell
               | something, go and buy something, go to a convention, etc.
               | That's counted as "doing business"
               | 
               | I can't work there though, unless I have an appropriate
               | visa. Doesn't matter if I'm working remotely for a remote
               | company that doesn't even have a presence in the country,
               | it is still doing work.
        
               | [deleted]
        
             | anonu wrote:
             | A bit of an anti-globalist perspective IMO. With an EU or
             | US [1] passport you can freely visit 100s of countries with
             | no visa - or "visa on arrival" which is usually still
             | relatively cheap for most countries.
             | 
             | [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_Uni
             | ted_S...
        
               | patrec wrote:
               | Now try "^F work".
        
               | agileAlligator wrote:
               | according to another comment, you pretend you are a
               | tourist and don't actually get a work visa
        
               | patrec wrote:
               | I other words, you are willing to commit insurance fraud
               | (or shoulder the risks of being uninsured) and violate
               | visa laws and hope nobody finds out. But at least no one
               | will accuse you of being of an "anti-globalist
               | perspective".
               | 
               | (For what it's worth, I think it would probably be a win
               | for many countries to make it feasible to get some short-
               | term-ish remote work visa if you are unlikely to burden
               | them or drive down local wages).
        
               | shagie wrote:
               | There are a number of Caribbean countries that have a
               | digital nomad visa with just that in mind. (
               | https://www.caribbeanandco.com/caribbean-digital-nomad-
               | visa-... )
               | 
               | The tricky bit with all of this is the company that you
               | work for and if your presence in that country while
               | working establishes a tax nexus there.
               | 
               | Kansas is the _anti_ digital nomad place.
               | https://kansaspolicy.org/rethinking-taxes-around-remote-
               | work...
               | 
               | > Kansas has policies that could deter remote work and
               | are deterring greater interstate work with our neighbors.
               | Kansas requires employer withholding for people working
               | in the state just for one day, which creates an annoying
               | hurdle for companies trying to operate even in a small
               | capacity in Kansas. In 2020, the Kansas legislature
               | considered a bill that would have extended the
               | withholding requirement period to 30 days, but the
               | proposal died.
        
             | brabel wrote:
             | You can easily get year-long visas to Australia and New
             | Zealand if you're young enough and from an "approved"
             | country (look for working holliday visa).
             | 
             | I think countries like Thailand and Indonesia (Bali) also
             | allow foreigners to stay quite a generous amount of time...
             | South America is also an option for up to 6 months, I
             | believe, without much hassle... if you fancy China, they
             | also have not-so-difficult-to-get student visas from what
             | I've seen (lots of Europeans were going to study there for
             | some reason when I was a "traveller" myself, around a
             | decade ago... and it can be to study silly things like
             | dance or a language, nothing too serious) so that's pretty
             | much most of the world already?
        
             | bombcar wrote:
             | The "quiet part" you don't say out loud is you don't get
             | work visas - you pretend you're a tourist and survive on
             | those.
             | 
             | However, an American could spend _years_ just traveling the
             | United States, and that doesn 't even cover the possibility
             | of the territories, etc.
        
               | metacritic12 wrote:
               | Also it's an open secret that enforcement is poor to nil
               | on the above setup.
               | 
               | The major checkpoint is at custom control, where choosing
               | your words carefully will be important. I'm sure Google
               | offers some good advice on this.
        
               | patrec wrote:
               | > Also it's an open secret that enforcement is poor to
               | nil on the above setup.
               | 
               | OK, but what happens if you have a medical emergency?
               | Googling suggests there are dedicated "digital nomad"
               | insurance plans, but does a sizable fraction of digital
               | nomads actually have insurance that provides cover for
               | people who are doing illegal remote work?
        
               | hombre_fatal wrote:
               | Traveling the US misses out on different cultural
               | experiences though which are the most interesting parts
               | of traveling I think, esp making friends and dating.
        
               | yardstick wrote:
               | What about the tax aspect of it? Or do you simply pay tax
               | as resident of the place you last properly lived?
               | 
               | Maybe this is a more relevant question for non-Americans,
               | since most other countries don't tax their citizens on
               | their worldwide income. Eg UK definitely doesn't. But
               | often it requires the employer to be comfortable with the
               | HR situation you put them in. Often easier to contract
               | via a company (intermediary HR entity or your own).
        
               | bombcar wrote:
               | Many people just keep "working" for wherever they
               | "officially" live and stay on the down-low. You get a lot
               | of cash/barter happening also, and try to stay out of the
               | attention of the authorities.
        
               | bonestamp2 wrote:
               | Many places have tax treaties that allow you to pay taxes
               | to your "home" nation (and/or state/province) as long as
               | you don't stay there/away more than a certain number of
               | days each year. That also assumes you have the right visa
               | to work there legally, and I don't mean work for a local
               | company... I mean do any work that you get paid for such
               | as remote work.
        
               | iso1631 wrote:
               | So you're an illegal immigration bouncing from country to
               | country?
        
               | scarface74 wrote:
               | Just like "illegal immigration" in the US, you probably
               | add more to the country economically than you cost. If
               | you're working remotely, it's not like you're taking a
               | job away from the locals.
        
               | failTide wrote:
               | > an American could spend years just traveling the United
               | States
               | 
               | Yup. I actually imagine a Californian could probably
               | spend a LIFETIME roaming California and still not see
               | everything that's worth seeing. The late Huell Howser did
               | just that, but he only scratched the surface of the
               | amazing places to visit in CA.
        
               | patrec wrote:
               | There are a couple of countries that let you do it above-
               | board:
               | 
               | https://www.investopedia.com/countries-offering-digital-
               | noma...
        
             | scarface_74 wrote:
             | I can attest to that, my wife and I are planning the
             | digital nomad lifestyle later this year. But we are doing
             | it only in the US, staying in one brand of hotels (Hilton
             | brands -- Homewood and Embassy's mostly) to take advantage
             | of loyalty programs for free nights, the consistency over
             | trying to stay at an AirBnb and just for comfort, and
             | flying everywhere.
             | 
             | It's going to take us at least 3 years to hit all of the
             | places we want to stay. Depending on hotel prices, we plan
             | to stay at each place from 7-21 days. It's definitely on
             | the "expensive" side. But we are renting out our house and
             | selling our cars to make it more affordable.
             | 
             | Of course The whole credit card churning and earning points
             | won't hurt.
        
               | beastman82 wrote:
               | What kind of Hilton perks come with this kind of lengthy
               | stays?
        
               | scarface_74 wrote:
               | For context: A "point" can be worth from $0.005 to $0.009
               | depending on how you use them.
               | 
               | When I stay at a Hilton, I get points per dollar spent
               | not including taxes. But including hotel restaurants.:
               | 
               | - 10x - base points everyone gets
               | 
               | - 10x - Diamond status for having the Amex Hilton Aspire
               | card
               | 
               | - 14x - every dollar spent at a Hilton including taxes
               | and fees..
               | 
               | So that's 34 points per dollar that I usually would say
               | is worth $0.17 to $0.23 per dollar in points.
               | 
               | Also with Hilton, if you pay for four nights with all
               | points, you get the fifth night free. You also don't pay
               | taxes and fees when you pay with points. We are planning
               | to stay for free at least 40 days next year in various
               | big cities across the US.
               | 
               | You also get 10K points for each 10 days you stay over 30
               | and an additional 30K points after you stay over 60 days.
               | Hilton is usually running some kind of special. For
               | instance from May through September, you get an
               | additional 20 points per dollar when you stay more than 3
               | days. That's 54 points per dollar or almost 38 cents per
               | dollar toward future stays.
               | 
               | Airlines aren't nearly as generous - ever.
               | 
               | I travel maybe 6 times a year for business and collect
               | points using "other people's money"
        
               | bonestamp2 wrote:
               | A few tips from my years of traveling for work:
               | 
               | Every hotel has mini fridges they can put in your room.
               | These are for people who have medicine that needs to be
               | refrigerated. You can request one of these fridges if
               | your room doesn't have a fridge. I always let them know
               | that I don't need it for medicine and that they can have
               | it back if they need it. I did this every week and only
               | once was a hotel ever out of fridges; never did they
               | request to have it back.
               | 
               | Bring your own router and network cables. Sometimes, I
               | should say often, the wifi signal is weak in your room.
               | If there's an ethernet jack then you can setup your own
               | access point. If you can only get one connection, then
               | the router can help share that connection. A nice router
               | will also have multiple ethernet ports of course, so you
               | can both be wired in when you have important calls, etc.
               | 
               | Bring your own streaming media device. If you like roku,
               | or firetv, or whatever, bring your own and plug it into
               | the hotel TV when you want video entertainment. If you
               | bring your own router it also makes for easy setup on
               | their network. Roku, Amazon, Apple and Google all have
               | models with ethernet support if you want extra stability.
               | 
               | Bring a small toolkit with basic tools and a flashlight.
               | Sometimes your things or the hotel's things are broken
               | and it's so much faster to get up and running with a
               | couple turns of a screwdriver than waiting for a
               | maintenance guy who may never show up.
               | 
               | The flashlight is also very useful if you're renting
               | cars. They're often parked in dark airport garages and
               | it's nice to walk around the car first so you can
               | properly report damage before you take responsibility of
               | the car. Never rent from low priced local car rental
               | agencies, they are known to milk the same damages for
               | money from every customer.
               | 
               | Bring a good bluetooth speaker. If you enjoy music,
               | decent sound is a simple luxury that punches above its
               | weight. In a jam, you can cut a rectangular hole in the
               | bottom of a hotel paper cup to make your phone speaker a
               | little more directional. Having that toolkit is helpful
               | here.
               | 
               | Check the tax laws. If you stay in any one place too
               | long, you'll owe income taxes there. 21 days shouldn't be
               | a problem, but probably good to check.
        
               | scarface74 wrote:
               | All Hiltons at least have mini fridges. Homewood Suites
               | and Home2Suites have full refrigerators. Homewood suites
               | has full kitchens with stoves. Home2Suites allows you to
               | check out "burners".
               | 
               | I have a Roku stick for traveling. It has a feature that
               | lets it log in to captured networks where you have to
               | login. Some hotels have remotes that don't allow you to
               | change the source. I travel with a couple of "universal"
               | brand specific remotes
               | 
               | TMobile has a "secret plan" called Global 15 that gives
               | you unlimited high speed hot spot data in the US (not 3G)
               | for $50 a month. I signed up for that.
               | 
               | I travel as a consultant occasionally and I visit my
               | parents decently often and work from there. I've
               | optimized my travel setup:
               | 
               | - I have a portable USB C powered display for a second
               | display
               | 
               | - I use my iPad as a third display using Duet (the native
               | Mac screen sharing doesn't work on my corporate laptop)
               | 
               | - I have a Roost 3 laptop stand
               | 
               | - I have the largest airplane legal Anker battery pack
               | that can charge a laptop and other devices
               | 
               | - I have a few truly "universal cords"
               | 
               | https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093YVRHMB
               | 
               | BTW: I locked myself out of this account (typo in the
               | noprocast setting). I'm the original commenter.
        
       | bombcar wrote:
       | Somewhat reminds me of Deteriorata - also filled with useful
       | advice - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey6ugTmCYMk
        
       | dbbk wrote:
       | I first heard this on Radio 1 when they were playing it next to a
       | similar modern song, Self Esteem's I Do This All The Time. Both
       | of them are incredible.
       | 
       | "Getting married isn't the biggest day of your life, all the days
       | that you get to have are big."
        
       | devmunchies wrote:
       | Maybe don't take this advice. Been a few recent discoveries of
       | chemicals in sunscreen causing cancer.
       | 
       | - https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1553488459855167491?s=20&t...
       | 
       | - https://www.axios.com/2021/10/02/coppertone-sunscreen-recall...
       | 
       | coppertone and banana boat issuing recalls.
       | 
       | The advice of protecting skin is still valid, don't get burned.
        
       | jonathanbull wrote:
       | The song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTJ7AzBIJoI
        
       | 2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote:
       | Keep old love letters
        
         | rr888 wrote:
         | Print out your text messages...
        
         | pnut wrote:
         | I followed this advice, thinking it was great, and then my wife
         | found the box.
        
         | jgrahamc wrote:
         | I think this is very good advice. I have boxes of love letters
         | from long since lost lovers and although I never read them I
         | know they are filled with happiness.
        
           | iso1631 wrote:
           | > although I never read them
           | 
           | I love the ambiguity of the tense there. "I never {red} them"
           | vs "I never {reed} them"
           | 
           | Significantly changes the implications of the sentence!
        
             | jgrahamc wrote:
             | And yet I read them.
        
       | madeofpalk wrote:
       | I've never heard the original, but i remember my had occasionally
       | listening to the (Australian) parody Not the Sunscreen Song
       | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YwqFz14xY4 when i was a kid. The
       | line "never go to Adelaide - it's a hole" is stuck in my brain.
        
         | badcppdev wrote:
         | You just beat me to posting a link to Safran's song.
         | But most of all, don't aim too high,        You're probably
         | only suited to an office or factory job
        
         | dmitriid wrote:
         | There's also "No Sex (In the Champagne Room)"
         | https://youtu.be/j9yBPcn8IqU
        
           | nailer wrote:
           | Uncensored: https://open.spotify.com/track/4f7i5mGkpmjORhoN77
           | kSch?si=0f3...
        
         | jacksonkmarley wrote:
         | > never go to Adelaide - it's a hole
         | 
         | It's funny because it's true.
        
         | nailer wrote:
         | Adelaide isn't a hole but don't tell anyone before I buy a
         | house there.
        
           | taneq wrote:
           | Clearly you listened to the Adam and Wil segment "Adelaide:
           | It's OK" back in the day. :P
        
       | sailfast wrote:
       | Everybody always forgets the last line:
       | 
       | "Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing
       | the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly
       | parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
       | 
       | But trust me on the sunscreen"
        
         | xbar wrote:
         | Actually, that's the line I most often reference when giving
         | advice to my adult children.
        
       | andruby wrote:
       | I almost always tear up when I hear this song. I was 13 when it
       | came out. It brings out a mix of nostalgia and "wisdom of life",
       | if that's a thing.
       | 
       | Every decade the lyrics have new meaning.
       | 
       | I believe our generation genuinely wears more sunscreen :)
        
       | aidenn0 wrote:
       | I graduated high school the year this was most popular, so the
       | graduation speaker at my high school made a reference to it. The
       | closest thing I can think of to a hit as a precedent for it is
       | maybe _I 'm too sexy_ by Right Said Fred. It was a gimmick song
       | and everybody knew it was one, but it was fun.
        
       | codeptualize wrote:
       | Added to my playlist!
       | 
       | I love this song. It has had tremendous impact on me. It somehow
       | just takes the pressure off, especially in moments where you are
       | stressed, depressed, or anxious.
        
         | codeptualize wrote:
         | Listened to it. Great podcast. I was positively surprised that
         | they got Baz Luhrman and Mary Schmich to tell their story about
         | the song and how it came to be, really cool story as well.
         | 
         | From the podcast as well as the reactions here it seems this
         | song/speech touched if not changed a lot of lives for the
         | better. How powerful music and words can be is astounding.
         | 
         | And how wonderful that this song with so much impact has such a
         | history of random events and lucky moments.
        
       | lysergia wrote:
       | Reminds me of 'Fitter Happier' by Radiohead. Some loose guide on
       | how to succeed in life, although the Radiohead lyrics are more
       | cynical. Here's the lyrics:
       | 
       | "Fitter Happier"
       | 
       | Fitter, happier, more productive Comfortable (Not drinking too
       | much) Regular exercise at the gym (Three days a week) Getting on
       | better with your associate employee contemporaries At ease Eating
       | well (No more microwave dinners and saturated fats) A patient,
       | better driver A safer car (Baby smiling in back seat) Sleeping
       | well (No bad dreams) No paranoia Careful to all animals (Never
       | washing spiders down the plughole) Keep in contact with old
       | friends (Enjoy a drink now and then) Will frequently check credit
       | at (Moral) bank (hole in wall) Favours for favours Fond but not
       | in love Charity standing orders On Sundays ring road supermarket
       | (No killing moths or putting boiling water on the ants) Car wash
       | (Also on Sundays) No longer afraid of the dark Or midday shadows
       | Nothing so ridiculously teenage and desperate Nothing so childish
       | At a better pace Slower and more calculated No chance of escape
       | Now self-employed Concerned (But powerless) An empowered and
       | informed member of society (Pragmatism not idealism) Will not cry
       | in public Less chance of illness Tires that grip in the wet (Shot
       | of baby strapped in back seat) A good memory Still cries at a
       | good film Still kisses with saliva No longer empty and frantic
       | Like a cat Tied to a stick That's driven into Frozen winter shit
       | (The ability to laugh at weakness) Calm Fitter, healthier and
       | more productive A pig In a cage On antibiotics
        
         | anotheruser092 wrote:
         | I get the message, and I strongly disagree with it, as someone
         | who hasn't achieved stability yet.
         | 
         | When you don't have a stable career, or work for long hours for
         | low pay with family to take care of, you wish you had this
         | life. The message can also be taken in a bad way by young
         | people, who then neglect to develop useful skills early on, and
         | ultimately struggle hard to find work. There is so much
         | messaging against good choices in life, that people overlook
         | why they are good choices anyways. I'd rather be at least
         | middle class with the money and freedom to change my
         | circumstances, than struggling with little freedom due to lack
         | of resources.
         | 
         | I don't deny that this is a work of art, and one crafted well,
         | but I just disagree with the sentiment.
        
           | mikkergp wrote:
           | It's very rockstar live fast die young mentality. (at least
           | half of it, the other half I agree with) Assuming they value
           | art, I find in my own life that stability gives me more time
           | to work on and finish art. Drinking less, exercising three
           | times a week etc, for me it allows me to be more deeply
           | transgressive or unconventional, not less so.
        
         | CPLX wrote:
         | Noting that a typical middle class lifestyle is comparable to a
         | pig being held in a cage for a meaningless life and eventual
         | slaughter probably does in fact meet the full definition of
         | cynical.
        
         | widdershins wrote:
         | Doesn't the final sentence suggest that the list is more than
         | slightly cynical? To me it seems like Radiohead are sneering at
         | this safe middle-road existence.
        
           | drewzero1 wrote:
           | I've never caught the full lyrics before, but I've never
           | thought it was meant as a guide in any way. Rather, it's a
           | condemnation of mass modern life and complacency, people
           | getting older and more boring and going through their lives
           | like cattle until they die. It's mocking all the life advice
           | our boring parents gave us when we were growing up. This is
           | all delivered in a monotone, almost robotic text-to-speech
           | voice with Radiohead's typical eerie music backing it.
           | 
           | (As a longtime fan I'm a bit biased, but I think it's worth a
           | listen to understand the tone:
           | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4SzvsMFaek . The rest of the
           | album also adds some context, as others have noted.)
        
           | f38zf5vdt wrote:
           | It is absolutely cynical. There's another song in the album
           | about getting fed up with modern life and committing suicide
           | (No Surprises).
        
           | lysergia wrote:
           | Yeah I guess you could say this is full blown cynicism
        
         | biohax2015 wrote:
         | I grew up loving Radiohead, and they are still my favorite
         | band. Recently I realized that my life is resembling this song
         | more and more. It was a depressing discovery.
        
         | collinmanderson wrote:
         | Also, right stereo channel: "This is The Panic Office. Section
         | 917 may have been hit. Activate following procedure."
         | 
         | https://www.reddit.com/r/radiohead/comments/mhpv3/we_need_to...
         | 
         | (You can hear this clearly if you isolate stereo differences
         | with Audacity: Effect -> Vocal Reduction and Isolation ->
         | Remove Center. Strength 100%.)
         | 
         | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPjQ-I4Tu24
        
       | filmgirlcw wrote:
       | I was in high school when this came out so I can recite this song
       | word-for-word because in 1999, it was all over MTV, the radio,
       | and most importantly, on Napster. I remember the original 1997
       | edit (even though I first heard it in 1999), because that was the
       | version I downloaded off of Napster as a 15 year old.
       | 
       | Even back then, there were all sorts of weird attributions to it
       | (I think that my Napster copy had a Kurt Vonnegut credits, though
       | the author was Baz Luhrmann in the meta data) and conspiracies
       | about it. But I remember learning fairly early that it was some
       | newspaper column.
       | 
       | The other part of this is that the 7:10 version has the
       | "Everybody's Free" sample from Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet" --
       | which like every other 13 year old girl in 1997, was a soundtrack
       | I knew backwards/forwards/upside down/verbatim.
       | 
       | Like the people on the podcast, this has remained a weird earworm
       | that I can just recall instantly in weird places.
       | 
       | What a weird but great song. And as I am now in my late 30s, the
       | advice is good!
        
         | sircastor wrote:
         | I was also inundated with this song late in highschool. It was
         | one of the songs that made it from whatever illicit file-
         | sharing system into my personal library as "Baz Luhrman -
         | Everybody's Free (to wear sunscreen)." I also remember the
         | discovery process of learning that he didn't write the words.
         | Learning that he didn't speak the text either. Learning that it
         | was speech given to a graduating class. And learning that it
         | _wasn 't_ a speech to a graduating class, but a column written.
         | 
         | We still have a library full of mislabeled music like that.
         | 
         | I'm in my early 40s, "Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them
         | when they're gone" comes to mind not infrequently.
        
         | NonNefarious wrote:
         | The misattribution to Vonnegut was indeed pervasive, and
         | stupid.
         | 
         | You have to be a maladjusted no-lifer to get your jollies from
         | "pranks" like that.
        
           | tomrod wrote:
           | I mean, you just described 99.99999% of the population,
           | especially those that participate in a discussion of a 25
           | year old pop song on a technical community board, or more
           | broadly, teenagers.
           | 
           | More jollies and harmless pranks, I say!
           | 
           | But on a serious note, I reflect a lot on that song and
           | empathize with being kinds to knees (I broke mine at 18 and
           | decades later still feel it).
        
         | FascistDonut wrote:
         | I was in highschool when I first heard it too - class of 2000.
         | I loved the song and Kurt Vonnegut. I have even played it for
         | some friends within the last year.
         | 
         | I had absolutely no idea about the true origin until today.
        
         | kelnos wrote:
         | I remember first hearing it in college, a few years after it
         | came out. It was around the time I'd first heard of Baz
         | Luhrmann for other reasons (Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet,
         | and Moulin Rouge, all of which I loved at the time), so I feel
         | like he was in the collective consciousness of my social
         | circles, and that increased its popularity. I remember not
         | finding out the true origins of the prose until quite a few
         | years later.
         | 
         | I hadn't known about the sampling from "Everybody's Free" from
         | R+J! Always something new to learn.
         | 
         | Listening to it again today... the parts about getting to know
         | your parents before they're gone for good (mine have both
         | passed since I first heard the song), and being kind to your
         | knees (I'm still recovering from a knee injury from back in
         | January), really resonated with me. One major thing I am
         | pleased about is that I have managed to hold on to those
         | "precious few" close friends over the years; my life would be
         | very different without them.
        
         | nonameiguess wrote:
         | Ha, amusing to see a fan of this song. I'm class of '99 and
         | definitely remember that this song exists now that I see this
         | thread, but had forgotten up until today and do not remember a
         | single word. Still love Romeo+Juliet, though, and make my wife
         | watch Quindon Tarver (RIP) singing _When Doves Cry_ on YouTube
         | every few months when I think about him.
        
       | blowski wrote:
       | It's amazing how every so often, I gain new insight into a line
       | from this song. I recently hit 40, and "be kind to your knees,
       | you'll miss them when they're gone" is starting to make sense in
       | a way that used to be more abstract.
        
         | sircastor wrote:
         | I was just writing a comment about this. I am in my early 40s
         | and that line comes to my mind all the time.
        
         | dsego wrote:
         | 38 here, things just don't heal as fast and tend to ache for
         | weeks or months.
        
           | purpleblue wrote:
           | Almost 50 here. 40+ is not just an age. It sucks being in
           | your 40s. Things really don't work the same. My brain is
           | slower, I get confused a little bit more, I struggle to find
           | the right words at least 3 times a day. Even worse, your
           | parents get sick and you have to start worrying about them
           | and taking care of them.
           | 
           | Enjoy your 30s to the fullest, because it gets worse and it's
           | completely out of your control to make it better. The best
           | you can expect in your 40s is to slow down the decline.
        
           | magicalhippo wrote:
           | "Banged my knee, guess I'll get used to that pain"
           | 
           | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jhNRDygjvg
        
           | tclancy wrote:
           | Was around the time I started doing yoga semi-regularly
           | (which reminds me I haven't done it in weeks). I have a
           | couple of YouTube videos starred that I use depending on
           | where things ache, though I've found the bulk of what I need
           | is for tight hips; takes care of hips, legs and back pain.
        
             | jrussino wrote:
             | I could use some help with hip flexibility - would you be
             | willing to post some links?
        
           | gonzo41 wrote:
           | Don't let age slow you down.
           | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9iuSVnfisI
        
             | dsego wrote:
             | Christoph Strasser (born 1982) just won the
             | Transcontinental, a bicycle race of 4000km across Europe.
             | 
             | https://dotwatcher.cc/race/tcr-
             | no8?post=34p4cOKwoPRSffwYwnBw...
        
               | brabel wrote:
               | Thanks for posting something positive here... the other
               | comments are really depressing for someone who's in their
               | early 40's :(
        
               | [deleted]
        
         | harrylove wrote:
         | Hopefully this helps someone else. I'm approaching 50. I just
         | took up mountain biking after moving to an area that has lots
         | of trails. I have seen gains in my health and my mood that I
         | worried might not return. I ride with a guy who's 60 and he
         | regularly smokes the rest of us. My wife and I started kayaking
         | together recently and that's done wonders for mood, health, and
         | our marriage. So, here's my advice:
         | 
         | 1) Don't stress about your age. And don't stress about
         | approaching an age. Enjoy whatever age you are. Instead,
         | consider your condition. Should you improve it? Can you improve
         | it?
         | 
         | 2) To help with #1, find a hobby that gets your heart rate up
         | and uses a good portion of your body. Better yet, find multiple
         | hobbies that exercise different areas of your body.
         | 
         | 3) For me, the key to #2 was finding a hobby that actively
         | engages my mind at the same time. I needed the rush and
         | challenge of riding on trails that mountain biking offers. But
         | for kayaking, I thrive on the opposite. The tranquility of the
         | water and being out on a date with my wife is a sort of
         | meditation. In both hobbies, I come home refreshed and
         | energized. If you haven't found such a hobby yet, keep trying
         | different things until something clicks. You'll probably know
         | it when you get there.
        
           | wsinks wrote:
           | As someone who just started mountain biking for health two
           | days ago (mid-30s now, always been athletic but decided to
           | take the pandemic off...)
           | 
           | I agree with all this! Great list. I'm considering taking
           | today off from doing hills on the mountain bike, but maybe
           | I'll still go out and ride some flats, not sure it's more
           | healthy to take a day off from it right now. I felt great for
           | hours after both rides.
        
           | johnla wrote:
           | This is so funny. I started mountain biking last year and
           | it's been fun but I wanted to do something with my wife as a
           | hobby. I'll look into Kayaking. LOL.
           | 
           | Do you do a 2 person kayak or 2 separate 1 person kayaks?
        
         | jsjohnst wrote:
         | Very much agree re: the aging advice in the song, my gosh the
         | difference past 40!
         | 
         | I sorta followed the advice of the song and spent around 10
         | years in California (LA + Bay Area). Have spent the following
         | 10 years living in the NYC area (mostly, there was a short
         | break in the middle). Wish the song gave a suggestion after you
         | leave both! I tried the "live in a large RV" life in 2021
         | traveling all over and it was great, but it isn't something
         | that would be a multi-year thing for me I don't think.
        
           | Damogran6 wrote:
           | We have a trailer, and use it a half-dozen times a year and I
           | could NOT full time. Too much decision fatigue.
           | 
           | And the number of people trying to self-fund their full time
           | lifestyle on Youtube...holy smokes.
        
         | skerit wrote:
         | Omg, I just got that line. I never really heard it correctly, I
         | thought he was referencing family.
         | 
         | "Be kind to your niece", what?
        
         | kelnos wrote:
         | Ooof, yeah. I injured one of my knees back in January, and at
         | 41... well, it's still recovering, and the physical therapy is
         | slow. I'm otherwise in good health, but it's just frustrating
         | to see how we don't heal as well as we get older.
        
         | ipqk wrote:
         | I'm not even 38 and I'm doing PT for my knee right now.
        
         | jedberg wrote:
         | Protip from someone who is 45 and has had bad knees since he
         | was 15: Strengthen the muscles around the knee as much as
         | possible. The stronger your quads and calves are, the better
         | your knees will be.
         | 
         | The best way to do this is squats with either no weights or
         | just a couple of pounds. You may need to wear knee braces when
         | you do this (in my case I was able to skip the braces after
         | about 10 years)
         | 
         | This is actually true for most any joint in your body -- the
         | stronger the muscles surrounding the joint are, the better that
         | joint will perform.
        
           | wwweston wrote:
           | Any recommendations for people already finding they have
           | trouble doing squats (other than going to PT)?
        
           | kelnos wrote:
           | Agreed! I injured my knee back in January, and my physical
           | therapist's main focus has been on strengthening my all the
           | muscles _around_ the knee in addition to the knee itself. It
           | 's been a slow recovery, but I can definitely see how it
           | works better this way.
           | 
           | My sister has been having foot and hip problems, and her PT
           | has been taking a whole-musculature approach to healing those
           | issues. It's really nice to see these kind of thoughtful
           | interventions, rather than immediately getting prescribed a
           | steroid shot, or, worse, surgery.
        
           | AmericanChopper wrote:
           | I decided to try sled pulls after seeing a YouTuber
           | KneesOverToesGuy, who claimed it was great for knee strength.
           | I do sets of sled pulls at least a couple of times a week
           | now, and imo it's been great for my knees. I can do 3-4 6+
           | mile runs a week without ever getting sore knees.
        
           | dleslie wrote:
           | This is why I do squats: chronic knee and back pain melted
           | away after taking on weighted squats for a few months.
        
           | japanuspus wrote:
           | The surgeon who fixed my first knee injury advised me to do
           | single legged squads if in any way possible: the balancing
           | aspect is good for activating many small muscles around the
           | knee, and the weight is high enough to maintain muscle mass
           | even after age 50.
        
             | nazgulnarsil wrote:
             | pulling a sled also strengthens the acl which are a
             | weakpoint for many.
        
       | wodenokoto wrote:
       | I recently watched "Elvis" in cinema, and was constantly reminded
       | of this music video.
       | 
       | That movie has a lot of unnecessary swipes and camera fly-
       | arounds, picture in picture and mosaics, and somehow is a better
       | movie for it.
        
       | happyopossum wrote:
       | I remember listening to this song over and over as they played it
       | in heavy rotation on KROQ when I was in my 20s. Some of those
       | words I wish I'd taken to heart.
       | 
       | Laying in bed the day after ACL reconstruction, the advice about
       | your knees is particularly poignant.
        
       | jader201 wrote:
       | Title should include "(2019)".
        
       | hwestiii wrote:
       | Mary Schmich was the speaker at my graduation from North Central
       | College in Naperville IL in June 2000. She gently prefaced her
       | remarks with the clarification that she, and not Vonnegut was the
       | source is the song's text.
        
       | Joeboy wrote:
       | As far as I know it's unrelated, but William Burroughs did a
       | similarly themed but much more cynical thing called "Words of
       | Advice for Young People".
       | 
       | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS_X1Y_X8sg
        
       | flerp wrote:
       | I love Avery Truffleman
        
       | VyseofArcadia wrote:
       | Interesting! I am the age when I should have come across this
       | song, but I never did. Never saw the music video, never heard it
       | on the radio, never heard anyone talk about it at school.
       | 
       | The advice is timeless, but I don't know that the song has aged
       | particularly well. If you can call it that. It's less a song and
       | more an essay read over a very 90s beat, and not 90s in a way
       | that makes me nostalgic either.
        
         | kcarter80 wrote:
         | I'm 41. I just asked 6 friends who are my contemporaries and
         | each of them knew this song well. It was also, of course,
         | extremely popular, as the link points out.
         | 
         | Can you introspect a bit about what may be unusual about you so
         | that you were never exposed to this song?
        
           | VyseofArcadia wrote:
           | For starters, at 35 I am a bit younger than you. That's
           | certainly a factor, but I still should have been exposed.
           | 
           | For radio play, I was living in rural Alabama at the time.
           | Wouldn't shock me if the local station never played it
           | because someone's church had some kind of issue with it.
           | (Famously my mother once called in to request a Billy Idol
           | song and was refused because the DJ claimed that Idol was a
           | satanist.)
           | 
           | For the music video, my dad was the unrelenting Master of the
           | Remote Control, and he didn't care for music videos (although
           | he loved rock music. I have his record collection. Go
           | figure.) My brother and I did get to watch stuff, but my
           | brother is younger still. At the time, we would have been
           | watching programs suitable for both of us, which was mostly
           | cartoons, as he was the right age range and I wasn't quite
           | too old.
           | 
           | I definitely had friends and classmates who were watching
           | music videos and talking about them at school. I remember
           | that much, but don't remember any details. I probably tuned
           | them out since I wasn't paying attention to music videos
           | anyway.
        
             | kcarter80 wrote:
             | Thanks for replying!
        
             | pavon wrote:
             | Early forties, grew up in NM, never heard the song until
             | today. I wasn't personally into hip hop but I seemed to
             | have been exposed to most of the other hip hop songs on the
             | Billboard top 100 in 1999 when the song peaked.
        
           | fezfight wrote:
           | I'm 40 and I've never heard it, nor have the 4 people sitting
           | around me.
           | 
           | We were all in Ontario when this song was apparently popular.
           | We were all massively into music at the time.
        
             | kcarter80 wrote:
             | > We were all massively into music at the time.
             | 
             | There was something consistent and unusual about your lack
             | of exposure to this song.
        
             | [deleted]
        
         | skerit wrote:
         | I never put it on, but it's in my library and I never skip it
         | if it starts playing. I also still hear it every now and then
         | on the radio.
        
       | TheChaplain wrote:
       | Had totally forgotten about that one, what a nostalgia trip.
       | 
       | Now 20 years older (and wiser?), I can say it is shock-full of
       | good advice.
        
         | celticninja wrote:
         | Chock-full
        
         | bitexploder wrote:
         | Mostly it makes me think about high school and how difficult
         | and uncertain my life was at that point. I didn't even really
         | know my life was all that difficult and uncertain, but I really
         | disliked high school :)
        
         | bertil wrote:
         | There's something endearing about someone famous saying that
         | their talent isn't fit for what people want them to do, and
         | still, somehow, nail it anyway.
        
       | justinzollars wrote:
       | I remember this song.
        
       | nailer wrote:
       | Oooh good timing. Born in 81, this came out when I was 18-ish,
       | I'm 41 now.
       | 
       | I got married, got divorced, did a bunch of things, some worked
       | out, some didn't, but I know myself, I'm healthy and I'm thankful
       | for what I have.
        
       | iancmceachern wrote:
       | This song has the best advise I've ever heard. Every single line.
       | I remember hearing it when it first came out, and I remember
       | thinking of it many times throughout my life.
        
         | DubiousPusher wrote:
         | Critically missing though, never get under a vehicle which is
         | supported only by a jack.
        
           | kbelder wrote:
           | Had a car drop off the jack five seconds after I rolled out
           | from underneath it. Jesus Christ that was frightening. Gave
           | me the shakes. Now I never work on them without stands.
        
           | iancmceachern wrote:
           | This is also very, very good advice!
        
       | neogodless wrote:
       | Also useful history on the column and misattribution.
       | 
       | https://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/mary-schmich-is...
        
         | dang wrote:
         | Thanks! I've changed the URL to that from
         | https://switchedonpop.com/episodes/everybodys-free-to-
         | wear-s.... More here:
         | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32334595.
        
       | purpleblue wrote:
       | I had not heard this song (or the original column) until my 30s,
       | after my divorce. My close friend sent me this song, and it was
       | the anthem for my next couple of years, regardless of how cheesy
       | that sounds. It really did help me out of a bad place, and it's
       | filled with absolute wisdom and actually did change the
       | trajectory of my life.
        
       | codeptualize wrote:
       | Original column by Mary Schmich:
       | https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/chi-schmich-sunscreen...
        
       | papandada wrote:
       | Every graduation at the time had to either reference or parody
       | this song.
        
         | aidenn0 wrote:
         | Can confirm; I graduated '99 and the speaker led with "A
         | graduation speaker is like the body at an Irish wake; you can't
         | have the party without him, but nobody really expects him to
         | say anything important" then segued into "So what should I say;
         | should I tell you to wear sunscreen?"
         | 
         | Less than a decade later he won the Nobel Peace prize. Probably
         | not for those jokes
        
       | wizofaus wrote:
       | Meant to ask this earlier, but how odd does the accent of the
       | narrator sound to native-US ears? (when I first listened at very
       | low volume I just assumed he was an American, but listening
       | carefully at full volume it's fairly obvious he's not)
        
         | djur wrote:
         | Nothing about it jumps out to me as obviously "not American".
         | It's not a distinct regional accent to me but that's very
         | common. It sounds mannered, like a TV presenter who has worked
         | on developing a recognizable voice. What stands out to you?
         | 
         | EDIT: The voice actor who performed it is Australian. I'm not
         | hugely surprised to learn that. Australians seem to be pretty
         | good at credible American accents.
        
           | wizofaus wrote:
           | Nothing "stands out", but as an aussie myself I could hear
           | particular vowel sounds (especially the 'ee' in sunscreen,
           | after "One tip for the future") that were a giveaway.
        
       | patwolf wrote:
       | In high school before I had even heard the song on the radio, we
       | went on a field trip to local pharmaceutical lab. One of the
       | chemists there had printed out copies of the lyrics for us from
       | an email that had it mislabeled as being from Kurt Vonnegut.
       | 
       | That was during the era where people of a certain age, even a
       | scientist in a chemistry lab, would believe anything sent to them
       | in an email.
        
         | pavon wrote:
         | Hah, according to Wikipedia[1] Luhrmann himself got the lyrics
         | from that misattributed Vonnegut chain email, and only when
         | trying to secure rights discovered it was actually from a Mary
         | Schmich article.
         | 
         | [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everybody%27s_Free_(To_Feel_Go
         | ...
        
           | kelnos wrote:
           | I assume you meant to link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wear
           | _Sunscreen#Baz_Luhrmann_ve...
        
         | aceazzameen wrote:
         | Ah yes. Chain emails were where meme-like disinformation used
         | to spread before Facebook made it even easier. At least I don't
         | have people forwarding garbage into my inbox anymore.
        
           | subpixel wrote:
           | Count yourself lucky. FWIW these are still a thing in older
           | crowds.
        
             | geerlingguy wrote:
             | But they're often disseminated through Facebook and
             | Instagram now.
        
       | fritztastic wrote:
       | This song has a special place in my memory, very specifically we
       | used to listen to that exact CD in the first years when we came
       | to America. I remember feeling something very deep and profound
       | from the words, even when I didn't at first understand the words
       | or what the song was really saying- I could tell from how it
       | sounded, even as a child, that it came from a place of sincere
       | caring. In contrast with much of everything else in music before
       | and since, it really stands out. Knowing the story behind it is
       | really nice, it's whimsical, heartwarming, and unlike most things
       | inspired by internet culture... genuinely wholesome. Thanks for
       | sharing this!
        
       | nimphoenix wrote:
       | This song gives me goosebumps every time. Not a lot of people I
       | know appreciate it's meaning.
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | gadders wrote:
       | I just went down a rabbit hole and ended on the wikipedia page
       | when I saw this:
       | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Schmich#'Wear_Sunscreen'
       | 
       | >>The column was circulated around the Internet, with an
       | erroneous claim that it was a commencement address by Kurt
       | Vonnegut, usually at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
       | and the misattribution became a news item when Vonnegut was
       | contacted by reporters to comment. He told The New York Times,
       | "What she wrote was funny, wise and charming, so I would have
       | been proud had the words been mine."[15]
       | 
       | What a mensch Kurt Vonnegut was.
        
       | strmchsr wrote:
       | Is this really Baz Luhrmann singing or is it someone else?
        
         | kelnos wrote:
         | According to [0], it's Australian voice actor Lee Perry.
         | 
         | [0]
         | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wear_Sunscreen#Baz_Luhrmann_ve...
        
       | marban wrote:
       | _The race is long and in the end it is only with yourself_
        
       | Overtonwindow wrote:
       | Mary Schmich is awesome. I enjoyed her columns in the Chicago
       | tribune
        
       | rr888 wrote:
       | Ironically wearing sunscreen is advice that isn't always agreed
       | by scientists in 2022.
        
         | jessaustin wrote:
         | I am a pasty Scots-Irish hillbilly from a long line of same. I
         | lived on the equator for years, and have also lived elsewhere
         | in the tropics. At all times, I have enjoyed a variety of
         | outdoor activities and performed a variety of outdoor tasks. I
         | have applied sunscreen perhaps twice as an adult? I wear a hat
         | when I think I need to, a shirt when I think I need to, and I
         | stand in the shade when it makes sense. I've gotten a mild
         | sunburn maybe a half dozen times.
         | 
         | In my late forties, I conclude that the leathery oldsters who
         | insist on the sunscreen advice were _crazy_ about sunbathing.
         | Don 't be like that, but rubbing random cheaply-acquired
         | chemical potions over one's skin on a regular basis also
         | doesn't seem wise. The portion of the spectrum that gives us
         | skin cancer is not the one that causes sunburns. The primary
         | defense against covid infection is vitamin D. Humans lived
         | outside for tens of millennia. _This week_ a bunch of this
         | sunscreen crap has been recalled for containing _benzene_. Good
         | grief.
        
           | kelnos wrote:
           | Strange that your experience is so different. I'm light-
           | skinned, but by no means pasty. If I'm out walking in the sun
           | or doing work outside for a couple hours without sunscreen
           | I'll end up burned. Sure, wearing a hat helps, but there's
           | always something that gets exposed.
           | 
           | I do know a couple red-haired folks with Irish ancestry and
           | very light skin, and they burn even more easily if they don't
           | wear sunscreen.
           | 
           | I agree that sunbathing is pretty bad for you, even with
           | sunscreen. Unless you are ridiculously fastidious, you are
           | always going to miss some spots, and re-apply a bit later
           | than you should.
           | 
           | > _rubbing random cheaply-acquired chemical potions over one
           | 's skin on a regular basis also doesn't seem wise._
           | 
           | Do you use soap and shampoo? Shaving cream or after-shave?
           | Hand cream or another moisturizer? Anything like that? Have
           | you examined the ingredients of all those as well, and chosen
           | ones that have ingredients you deem safe? If so, there's
           | nothing stopping anyone from doing the same with sunscreen;
           | it need not be "random" or "cheaply-acquired".
           | 
           | > _Humans lived outside for tens of millennia._
           | 
           | Human skin adapted over millennia based on local conditions.
           | It shouldn't be surprising that places with more and stronger
           | sun tend to have more native darker-skinned people. We of the
           | light skin have outpaced evolution by moving all over the
           | globe, including places with strong sun.
           | 
           | Then we have more recent issues like ozone layer damage,
           | climate change, etc. Can't really compare today's situation
           | with that of a thousand years ago.
           | 
           | > _The primary defense against covid infection is vitamin D._
           | 
           | At best there's a correlation, and it's possible that people
           | with a vitamin D _deficiency_ are more susceptible (which
           | does _not_ mean that  "more vitamin D" meaningfully helps),
           | but "primary defense" is an unsupported overstatement.
        
       | mhd wrote:
       | I agree, and it's not like the 90s weren't full of unlikely
       | novelty hits... Peaches, Blue, How Bizarre, Mambo No. 5 etc.
        
       | littlecranky67 wrote:
       | _Do not ready beauty magazines, they will only make you feel
       | ugly._
       | 
       | More true than ever in an Instagram world.
        
         | sideshowb wrote:
         | "Do not use Strava, it will only make you feel slow"
        
           | fuzzylightbulb wrote:
           | "The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself"
        
         | [deleted]
        
       | silisili wrote:
       | Wow, what a blast from the past. I haven't heard this song in 20
       | years, when it was on the radio, and mostly just ignored it then
       | - when I was young and powerful, to quote the song.
       | 
       | Hearing it now was oddly relieving. It's like every line
       | tells/assures you of things you think about, realize, or worry
       | about - suddenly making it all just seem perfectly normal and OK.
       | Especially for someone without parents or mentors to give you
       | such advice. I guess I was just too young and 'allknowing' to
       | relate to it or appreciate it when it came out.
        
       | s_Hogg wrote:
       | Played this at my wedding, wonderful song that manages to be
       | sentimental but not cheesy
        
       | throwaway98797 wrote:
       | but is it good advice?
       | 
       | how can it be tested?
       | 
       | it sounds nice, but i struggle with knowing if it's actually good
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | rel2thr wrote:
       | The first of 'meaningwave'! if you like this song I can't
       | recommend Akira the Don enough
        
       | [deleted]
        
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       (page generated 2022-08-03 23:01 UTC)