2025-07-17

How to Brush Teeth

As a result of reevaluating my dental ablutions I have adopted the modified Bass brushing technique. With this technique one grips the toothbrush similar to a pen, places the brush head such that it is half on the tooth and half on the gum, and tilts the brush to about a 45 degree angle. Then it’s your standard circular movement with very little pressure. Other variants use short horizontal strokes instead of circles, or add a sweep away from the gumline when finishing a section. I’m told that some version of this is the most effective technique. It requires fine motor control, which probably explains why none of us were taught it as small children. But, better late that never.

One of the nice side effects of this technique is that doing it right takes about two minutes. Previously, when just mindlessly brushing without attempting to apply a specific technique, I would divide the mouth into quadrants and try to spend about 30 seconds in each so that I’d reach that 2 minute target that everybody says should be the goal. But that does not necessarily result in an even distribution of the work. Trying to target a specific time is dumb. Timers, whether standalone or integrated into the toothbrush, are dumb. No magic results from simply having the brush in your mouth for 2 minutes. Instead, adopt the correct technique, apply it properly, and let the time take care of itself.

Useful demonstrations, which helped me as I was trying to figure out the motion and its variants (while the “Bass technique” is a specific thing, the “modified” in “modified Bass technique” seems to mean different things to different people), are here and here and here.

The guide published by Curaprox is a helpful summary of how to brush one’s teeth. I first used their toothbrush last year and could not figure out why the handle was shaped the way it is. Then this year I learned how to properly brush my teeth. Turns out their design is actually pretty good. But I haven’t come across anything that makes me think one particular model of toothbrush is any better than the other. It just needs to have soft bristles and fit in your mouth. Since moving to this technique, I have found myself preferring a smaller head than I did previously. The Curaprox CS 5460 and Nimbus Compact both check those boxes for me, but I’m sure there’s about a billion other models out there that do as well.

2025-07-16

media

The Future Without Future

I listen to 65daysofstatic and their generative noise program Wreckage Systems. My favorite advertisement for Wreckage Systems is on the Debris album (a blind stumbling through the cratered landscape of the musical-industrial complex):

The future without future. The ceaseless turmoil of now. A world of fog and foreboding. Wreckage Systems are the lamp by your side. The stranger who walks beside you. The hand in the dark. Wreckage Systems is the scaffolding that we erect to stop the crushing wave of the heavy sky falling down and around us, dissolving into the ocean that is already lapping around our ankles. Join us and help the dedicated team over at 65LABS expand their noise as together we strive towards utopia.

No future.

2025-07-15

ablution

Titanium Tongue Tool

One of my recent projects has been to reevaluate my dental ablutions. As it turns out, mankind’s knowledge has progressed since I was first taught to brush my teeth as a toddler, and some of my practices wanted updating.

I bought my first tongue scraper back in 2018. It was one of those U-shaped copper ones from India. I used it occasionally, but did not incorporate it into my daily ritual until I began this reevaluation at the end of last year. I have decided that I do like using tongue scrapers, and want to do so daily, but I always found the two-handed nature of this style vaguely annoying. I had previously come across the one-handed models that are more spooned shaped, and had even seen that Tongue Sweeper makes a titanium version. As an addict for anything titanium, I immediately wanted this for no other reason than it was titanium. But at $42 I could not justify the cost.

Then last month I happened to see the Tongue Sweeper Titanium Pro on eBay for only $27. Obviously I bought it.

Given the price discrepancy, I assumed this was going to be a knock-off, or a unit from a box that fell off a truck somewhere. But it shipped direct from Tongue Sweeper Actual, is serialized, and included a certificate of authenticity in the box.

So now I clean my tongue with titanium every morning, and I feel like a million bucks doing it.

That old copper U-shaped one weighs 30 grams. I have never travelled with it, and would never travel with it. The new titanium one? 7 grams (including the colored silicone ring). I bought this after returning from my recent 3-week bicycle tour this Spring, so I haven’t actually travelled with it yet. But at 7 grams, I probably will.

2025-07-14

health

Up-Armoring My Face

In January 2024 I decided that I was going to start to wear sunscreen on my face every day. Ambient radiation is no good. Helios wants to kill you. These are truly the last days. Et cetera.

What holds one back from wearing sunscreen every day is that American sunscreens are shit. They do the job, but they feel heavy, leave a white cast, and are generally not the sort of thing you can throw on and forget about. As such, connoisseurs of anti-radiation face-armor opt for products from Asia. I have spent the past 19 months purchasing a number of different bottles, tossing something on my face every day, and spelunking the depths of /r/AsianBeauty and the related corners of the blog-o-sphere for data on previous engagements.

First, Asian sunscreens generally come in one of three types: Essence, Milk, or Gel. Milk is so-called because it comes out similar to milk: white and runny. Essence is squeezed out of the tube with a viscosity and consistency reminiscent of the typical American product. (If we were sticking with the diary analogy, I’d call this one Greek yogurt). Gel is somewhere in between the two (low-fat yogurt?). Milk tends to be the most durable. Essence is more moisturizing. I like both Milk and Essence, and have no time for Gel.

The Internet will tell you that the best (or “HG” in Youth-speak – eventually I learned that this is an abbreviation for “holy grail”) sunscreen is Shiseido Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen Milk from Nippon. This is the one I bought first. I did not like it initially, but I tried it again after a few months and decided that The Internet was correct. The problem I first had was that I was not applying enough. A lifetime of shitty American sunscreens had trained me to apply as little sunscreen as possible. After a few months of playing around with products that are actually good, I figured out the proper amount (the two finger thing is a good guide, but the runniness of Milk-variants require a little more), and, lo, when applied properly and in the correct amount, Shiseido Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen Milk does work great. It is one of the few that stands up well to sweat and Extreme Activity™. Unfortunately, it is expensive. So I save this for when I know I’m going to be out all day, sack deep in ball sweat.

For every other day of the year, I have settled on Rohto Mentholatum Skin Aqua Super Moisture UV Essence. I can toss this one on in the morning, forget about it a few minutes later, and – as long as I don’t get wet – it works all day. (All of these things say you’re supposed to reapply every couple hours, but I rarely think to do that.) This one is cheaper than the Anessa, so I can apply it everyday without feeling like I’m breaking the bank.

One of these two products goes on my face every morning, as well as my neck and ears. It covers the whole face. If I’m outside in the sun, I probably have a hat covering my forehead and sunglasses covering my eyes, but I still up-armor the whole face. It doesn’t matter what the weather is, or what my plans for the days are. Developing the habit is the key to preparedness. On sunny days, the same product goes on my arms. I don’t believe in body-part-specific sunscreen, though my extensive research has shown that some Beauty Bloggers disagree with me.

I order this stuff from both YesStyle and Stylevana, and have had good experiences with both. I gather that Jeff Bezos will sell you some of these products, but I don’t trust his store for anything I’m going to put on or in my body.

My notes on all the products I’ve tried are as follows.

Shiseido Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen Milk

Gold bottle.
Minor scent, but fairly unoffensive.
No sting.
Great sweat resistance, if applied properly.
Forget its on a couple minutes after application.
Great daily wear, but expensive.
Great for high exertion.

Rohto Mentholatum Skin Aqua Super Moisture UV Essence

Blue bottle.
No scent.
No sting.
Great daily wear.
Forget its on a couple minutes after application.
Does not hold up to sweat. Not appropriate for high exertion.

Rohto Mentholatum Skin Aqua Super Moisture UV Milk

No scent.
No sting.
Great daily wear.
Forget its on a couple minutes after application.
Minor resistance to sweat. Not appropriate for high exertion.
Small bottle and milk-type requires higher volume for coverage, so more expensive than Essence-type equivalent.

Rohto Mentholatum Skin Aqua Super Moisture UV Gel

Blue bottle.
No scent.
Minor sting.
Does not hold up to sweat. Not appropriate for high exertion.
Slight sheen.
Slightly inferior to Essence variant.

Rohto Mentholatum Skin Aqua Super Moisture Barrier UV Essence

Gold bottle.
No scent.
No sting.
Great daily wear.
Goes on a little thicker than the non-Barrier blue bottle one.
A little more “dewy”, but not shiny.
Requires more scrubbing to remove.
Minor resistance to sweat. Not appropriate for high exertion.

Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence

Blue bottle.
No scent.
Stings around eyes.
Would be good for daily wear, but for sting.
This + wind = tears
Minor resistance to sweat. Not appropriate for high exertion.

SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water Fit Sun Serum

No scent.
No sting.
Goes on super light, immediately disappears.
Vanishes at the first hint of sweat or moisture.
Would be great for daily wear, but for complete lack of water resistance.

Purito SEOUL Daily Soft Touch Sunscreen

No scent.
Goes on a little thicker than others.
Dewy. A bit of a shine.
Not great for daily wear due to shine.
Very slight tackiness when I touch my face throughout the day.

2025-07-09

micro, books

I needed a break from all the death and violence in The Iliad.

So I read Fight Club.

2025-07-08

physical training

Further Fingering

Since jumping on the variable resistance train a few years ago, the number of bodyweight exercises I do has steadily diminished. One thing I do still practice – pretty much daily – are pull-ups.

I’ve never owned one of those pull-up bar contraptions you install in a doorway. But I live in San Francisco, where we more-or-less stopped building housing after the reign of King George V. This means I have crown moulding along my walls and above my doorways. I just hop up there, hang from my fingers, and do pull-ups from that. Another application of finger strength.

The first time I tried this, the sharp edge of the moulding was rather painful on my fingers. A bit of padding was wanted. I remembered I had some old pot handle covers that I never use. I put those between my finger tips and the wood, and it worked great. It gives a little padding, and increases the surface area I’m gripping on just a skosh. These have since lived near my bathroom door. My morning routine after getting out of bed is: piss, pull-ups, ablutions.

I can’t remember the last time I did a pull-up from a bar, so I’m not sure how the difficulty of my practice compares. But pulling myself up using a small ledge is a better analogue for any sort of real world activity.

2025-07-07

physical training

Fingering

I may have given the impression that the Harambe System is the only muscle building equipment I use, but there are two exceptions to that. I’ve been using a Gripmaster Pro for the past 10 years, and a Captains of Crush Gripper for a bit longer.

Back in 2015, shortly after I first met Ed Calderon, he was using my body to demonstrate for Mark Denny a selection of the BDSM techniques he had learned from Japanese prostitutes.¹ In the moments of clarity between pain, I was impressed by the strength of his individual fingers. Later, when we were decent, I asked him about it and he pointed me to the Gripmaster Pro. I bought one.

I keep the Gripmaster at my desk at work, and the Captains of Crush Gripper at my desk at home, and use both the way The Youth use their so-called “fidget spinners”, rather than as part of any sort of purposeful program.