Atomic Perception

Not sure if this is an exact fit, but check out this link:
https://forums.odforce.net/topic/31788-orient-along-organic-surface/#comment-175716 [forums.odforce.net]

One thing to remember is that when inside a loop, there is only one point, point #0. Every single point presents itself as point #0 while inside the loop. So your first attribute wrangle is always true. Don't forget to leverage the Single Pass feature located on the Block End node of your loop. Activate the checkbox to step through each iteration of your loop.

Yep, old tutorials can lead to a dead end. Try visiting the tutorials on this site under the Learn menu up top. You can filter by Houdini version to find guidance that matches your install. Don't give up. At the start, the learning curve is a little steep, but once you climb that hill, you'll see a blooming meadow of visual effects.

It takes about a year for Houdini to sink in, at least for me, it did.