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Jinhao Fountain Pens

Phil — Mon, 04 Sep 2023 17:41:12 +0000

Jinhao is a Chinese maker of inexpensive fountain pens. I have dozens of them. They are of remarkably high quality given the price. They are beautiful pens that often work well right out of the box. If not, a full disassembly, deep cleaning, and careful reassembly will usually fix them. Unlike most nibs, Jinhao nibs […]

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Lithium Battery Hazard

Phil — Fri, 09 Jun 2023 06:08:11 +0000

Lithium batteries are more dangerous and more delicate than I or my friends thought. It’s good to be aware of the dangers and treat them properly to minimize the danger. For years now we’ve seen occasional reports of electric vehicles, cellphones, and notebook computers catching fire and sometimes burning spectacularly. It’s not common but it […]

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Masks After May 11th, 2023?

Phil — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 21:23:12 +0000

At the beginning of the Covid pandemic I remember the utterly surreal experience of walking into a bank wearing a mask. It was surreal because no one reacted, I was not immediately confronted by an armed guard, and no one called the police. Why did it feel surreal to me? Some states and cities in […]

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Major Price Increase for Natural Gas

Phil — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 06:44:30 +0000

Most everyone who uses natural gas in the U.S.A. is probably noticing or about to notice a shocking increase in cost. The story is that reserves are low and gas producers haven’t been able to drill because of Wall Street profit-taking, so supplies are short. Well, I don’t believe it and here’s a why. For […]

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Canned Food is Fine

Phil — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 17:21:26 +0000

When I was a kid in the 1950s and 60s, my mother had the opinion that canned food was of low-quality and best avoided. I was young and took her word for it. I maintained this opinion myself into adulthood and sometimes shared it with others. But occasionally I wondered because my own observations and […]

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General Sherman’s Prophetic Letter

Phil — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 19:10:51 +0000

General William Tecumseh Sherman is an important name from the U.S. Civil War. He was a distinguished military man and master of military strategy. Sherman was also a successful author, teacher, and businessman. When General Grant became president in 1869, Sherman succeeded him as Commanding General of the U.S. Army. Sherman was born and raised […]

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Drought Affects the Whole Country

Phil — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 18:36:55 +0000

When drought in the U.S. is mentioned, the first thing that comes to most people’s minds is the West, Southwest, and California in particular. There’s good reason for this. It’s been in the news every year. The rampant wildfires are terrible and spectacular. But the main threat of drought is to agriculture. California is the […]

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The Specious Appeal to Fairness

Phil — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 22:04:01 +0000

There are many kinds of fallacious arguments and logical fallacies. There’s one I see from time to time that doesn’t appear to have a name. At least I haven’t found it in any list of fallacious arguments. I call it the Specious Appeal to Fairness or SAF for short. I want to spotlight it for […]

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Waterproof Lipstick is Forever

Phil — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 17:10:42 +0000

Ever more frequently one sees “forever chemicals” mentioned in the news. They’ve become so pervasive they’re found in most water supplies, in the rainfall over Antarctica, and in the bloodstream of every person. The forever chemicals being talked about are members of a large family of manmade chemicals called PFAS, PFOS, and PFOAS. The archtype […]

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The IRS Expansion

Phil — Sat, 22 Oct 2022 16:44:59 +0000

The organizations paying for ads opposing the IRS expansion and the hiring of more IRS agents are telling on themselves. They’re calling it a “shakedown”. Let’s think about this for a minute. The IRS doesn’t take any more than they are legally allowed to, which in the U.S. these days is very little. This is […]

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