Life's Puzzles - Page 4

danielf · 08-07-2003, 00:10

Quote:

Originally posted by Martin
The man has a point. To be honest I have never given it much thought how lefties go on with things like this. You learn something new everyday.

There's the obvious ones: Scissors, normal ones just don't work. Fountain pens, writing left to right, and having your trailing left hand to smudge it all up isn't nice.

Then there's the inconspicuous ones: screws, coffeemakers (pot on the right usually), saucepans: I'm the lucky owner of one that has 2 pouring thingies (one on each side). Most have one, on the left hand side when used by a right hander. On the left hand side for a left hander. Impossible to use. Try pouring to the 'outside' from a full pot. (that's clockwise for northpaws)

But, worst of all: Stringed instruments... I had to get myself a left handed guitar. Not only did it cost approximately twice what the right handed version cost, but try to learn playing guitar, when virtually every manual out there shows the mirror image of what you're supposed to do. I'm not a very good guitar player...

But then again, that's just me, not me being a lefty...

Martin · 08-07-2003, 00:29

Quote:

Originally posted by Xaccers
Your belly button eats them during the night, this is what belly button fluff is.

Why is it whenever I plan on eating or having a snack someone tells me something gross. Put me right off.

Quote:

Originally posted by danielf
But then again, that's just me, not me being a lefty...

Blimey it shows how little I know about left handers.

Consider myself educated.

Xaccers · 08-07-2003, 01:17

I'm sort of ambidextrous, sort of cross lateral.
I use my left hand for writing and eating with a spoon, and my right hand for everything else (chopsticks I can use in both hands)
I'm left eyed too.
Also, a basic test at school showed that when it comes to thinking my left side is extremely dominent, which apparently explains my liking for science and maths and dislike for writing!
My 9 year old daughter is left handed, and our handwriting is so similar (must hide my credit cards!) but then I hardly ever write, choosing a computer because that way the letters can keep up with my brain.
With writing I generally use block caps to make it clear, but I tend to start some words with the second letter, then have to add the first.

A lot of left handers are the surviving embryos of mirror twins (where the embryo splits past the time you get identical twins, but before the time you get co-joined twins) so I could have had a brother!

PS - I can play a normal guitar (not very well but at least it wasn't expensive!)
PPS - Dad's totally left handed, and I have no idea how he manages to play a right handed clarinet!

Martin · 08-07-2003, 01:49

Quote:

Originally posted by Xaccers
I'm left eyed too.

Left Eyed? You mean its stronger than the other? There's a lot to this left hand malarkey.

Xaccers · 08-07-2003, 02:47

with both hands, put your finger and thumb toghether like you would if picking something small up off the desk.
Then put your finger and thumbtips from one hand against the tips of your other hand so you get a <> in between.
Hold this at arms length away from your body and find a spot on the wall or some small object to focus on through the <> so it looks like <->
Close one eye, the <-> will still be visible, swap closed eyes and you'll get - <> or <> - ie the - will move out of the space between your fingertips
The eye you had open where the <-> didn't move (ie you could still see it between your fingertips) is your dominant eye.
If it's opposite to your dominant hand, you are cross lateral.
People who are severely cross lateral tend to be very clumsy.
Think about picking up a mug of tea, you automatically know which hand to use, severly cross lateral people don't, both hands are equal so they have to choose every time

Stuart · 08-07-2003, 03:36

Quote:

Originally posted by Dave Stones
yup left-handed screwdrivers arent made so engines dont overheat

yeh seriously heaters are on to stop the engines overheating... ive never understood why though. any bus engineers care to enlighten me? why is he engine heating system piped into the busheating system? seems silly... maybe im just naive...

You'll probably find that there is no seperate heating system in a bus. The heat from the engine would be blown over the passengers when the driver turns the heating on. At least, it is done this way in most cars (apart from the luxury ones). If this is wrong, maybe any bus engineers/drivers will tell me?

One thing I would like to know. Why did the thermostat in the 1.8 litre Sierra my family had two years ago die in a traffic jam on the hottest day of that year? We had to have the heating on to stop the engine overheating, and even with all the windows open, we still didn't get much of a breeze as we were stuck in a traffic jame. I think I must have lost 1/2 stone in wieght in about 10 minutes..

Hang on, that could be Murphy's law (if it can go wrong, it will).

Why am I still up at 2:30am?

ntluser · 08-07-2003, 10:08

Quote:

Originally posted by Xaccers
with both hands, put your finger and thumb toghether like you would if picking something small up off the desk.
Then put your finger and thumbtips from one hand against the tips of your other hand so you get a <> in between.
Hold this at arms length away from your body and find a spot on the wall or some small object to focus on through the <> so it looks like <->
Close one eye, the <-> will still be visible, swap closed eyes and you'll get - <> or <> - ie the - will move out of the space between your fingertips
The eye you had open where the <-> didn't move (ie you could still see it between your fingertips) is your dominant eye.
If it's opposite to your dominant hand, you are cross lateral.
People who are severely cross lateral tend to be very clumsy.
Think about picking up a mug of tea, you automatically know which hand to use, severly cross lateral people don't, both hands are equal so they have to choose every time

Cross-laterality, which is part of the cerebral dominance theory, also affects a person's ability to read particularly if the person is right-eye dominant. It's sometimes said that a person has a lazy left eye, which is the significant eye when it comes to reading.

The result is that the person has to be helped to make the left eye more dominant so that they can read from left to right more easily. I think that this generally tends to be more prevalent in boys/men.

08-07-2003, 11:00

Quote:

Originally posted by danielf
But, worst of all: Stringed instruments... I had to get myself a left handed guitar. Not only did it cost approximately twice what the right handed version cost, but try to learn playing guitar, when virtually every manual out there shows the mirror image of what you're supposed to do. I'm not a very good guitar player...

But then again, that's just me, not me being a lefty...

Hey you know I have a friend thats left handed, he learnt to play right handed. If you dont know how to play an instrument how can it feel wrong to play right handed if your left?
I'm right handed, and I could play better if I fretted the strings with my right hand, especially for solos as I can move my right fingers faster than my left.
And to keep on topic.....
Why is it that when I snap a guitar string its always the one I need most/the most noticiable missing one?

danielf · 08-07-2003, 11:07

Quote:

Originally posted by timewarrior2001
Hey you know I have a friend thats left handed, he learnt to play right handed. If you dont know how to play an instrument how can it feel wrong to play right handed if your left?
I'm right handed, and I could play better if I fretted the strings with my right hand, especially for solos as I can move my right fingers faster than my left.

Well, there is degrees of left/right handedness. Some people are ambidextrous, some have a slight preference for one hand, and some have a strong preference. You're right there's loads of left handers who play right handedly. It just wasn't for me. apparently, I'm an extremist.

danielf · 08-07-2003, 11:10

Quote:

Originally posted by ntluser
Cross-laterality, which is part of the cerebral dominance theory, also affects a person's ability to read particularly if the person is right-eye dominant. It's sometimes said that a person has a lazy left eye, which is the significant eye when it comes to reading.

The result is that the person has to be helped to make the left eye more dominant so that they can read from left to right more easily. I think that this generally tends to be more prevalent in boys/men.

Why the left eye be would be more significant when it comes to reading?

ntluser · 08-07-2003, 12:36

Quote:

Originally posted by danielf
Why the left eye be would be more significant when it comes to reading?

It's significant because we read from left to right and when you look at the page of a book the left eye is naturally facing the correct starting point i.e. the left hand side whereas if the right eye is dominant it has to move across to look at the start of the line which slows down reading.

Efffective readers read in smooth eye movements from left to right pausing for brief intervals (microseconds) at 2 or 3 points along the line to take in groups of words and derive meaning from what they are reading. Children who are right eye dominant (as I was) are fighting a natural urge to read from right to left and have to be trained to use their left eye as the dominant eye. I wore a patch over my right eye which forced my lazy left eye to be more dominant. When I left primary school I had a reading age of about 14 but then I did start reading at 3.

danielf · 08-07-2003, 12:52

Quote:

Originally posted by ntluser
It's significant because we read from left to right and when you look at the page of a book the left eye is naturally facing the correct starting point i.e. the left hand side whereas if the right eye is dominant it has to move across to look at the start of the line which slows down reading.

i'm afraid that sounds like pop psychology (as opposed to science) to me.

ntluser · 08-07-2003, 13:10

Quote:

Originally posted by danielf
i'm afraid that sounds like pop psychology (as opposed to science) to me.

Fair enough.

Stuart · 08-07-2003, 14:00

Quote:

Originally posted by ntluser
It's significant because we read from left to right and when you look at the page of a book the left eye is naturally facing the correct starting point i.e. the left hand side whereas if the right eye is dominant it has to move across to look at the start of the line which slows down reading.

Efffective readers read in smooth eye movements from left to right pausing for brief intervals (microseconds) at 2 or 3 points along the line to take in groups of words and derive meaning from what they are reading. Children who are right eye dominant (as I was) are fighting a natural urge to read from right to left and have to be trained to use their left eye as the dominant eye. I wore a patch over my right eye which forced my lazy left eye to be more dominant. When I left primary school I had a reading age of about 14 but then I did start reading at 3.

But what about those races who read from right to left?

Martin · 08-07-2003, 14:06

Well this thread has been an education

Using the test by Xaccers my right eye is the nominate one. Also right handed.

I have always hear about left hand scissors, clocks but never given any thought on the reading left to right, just natural to me. I remember when i was at school one or two the teachers used to impose writing with the right hand on the lefties, luckily this changed when new younger teachers came along.