Author: Роман Петров — 786
Environment Beats Character
Motivation is usually looked for inside the person and its presence explained by strength of character. It is periodically absent there without explanation, while the surrounding environment votes daily for…
First aid before help arrives
Basic first aid is a practical skill, and it is better learned on a certified in-person course. The history of medicine is full of rules that became obvious only after…
This Is Not a Hotel, Meneer
I. The Leash While the police conducted their inquiries at the scene, I sat on the warm asphalt in a patch of shade, with the dog, waiting for the whole…
Someone Else’s Happiness, Left Unrepaired
A caring culture easily passes control off as love: if you know what would be better for a person, you are obliged to make him do the right thing. But…
The 440 series and 420HC: what hides behind a cheap stamp
A “440” stamp on a blade is not a grade but a family, and the spread inside it is wider than the distance between the family and its neighbours. Knowing…
People and Logos
The ability to recognise people and remember how they behave transfers easily to symbols. A brand acquires a character: reliable, prestigious, bold, green. A politician becomes a familiar face, though…
N690 and Its Shelf Neighbours
N690 is a martensitic stainless steel with cobalt, made by Böhler-Uddeholm. In the kitchen world it is less well known than the Japanese grades with the word “gold” in their…
Discomfort without the cult
Some public voices declare any discomfort a trauma, others a necessary price of growth. Both formulas economise on distinctions: not all discomfort is harmful and not all suffering is useful.…
An Expert Is Not an Oracle
Society swings between blind trust in anyone with a diploma and proud faith in its own research. An expert is not an oracle, but that does not make a random…
Stop Before the Last Drop
A first strong impression is hard to repeat. A new taste, a trip, a purchase, a game or falling in love delivers pleasure and novelty at once. On repetition the…
The reputation bubble
We can’t study every person from scratch each time. So we keep shortened models: reliable; funny; dangerous; competent; always late; a good listener. Reputation saves time. It helps you pick…
The Unfamiliar Without a Verdict
Public fear easily turns the unfamiliar into a threat, and then calls that reaction common sense or instinct. Not knowing someone else’s culture is normal; a confident verdict passed with…
M390, Elmax and the Other Austrians
Böhler-Uddeholm AG is a steel group, one of the world’s leading suppliers of high-grade tool steel. Sheet steel, tubes, wire, forging equipment, gas turbine components, FOX welding electrodes. Plants in…
Do Not Regret, Investigate
Motivational culture offers two equally simple extremes: regret nothing, or judge yourself for the past forever. The first sounds cheerful and is almost useless; the second produces punishment without new…
A Home That Does Not Hold You Hostage
Basic household skills give you freedom. It is worth being able to: do laundry and read clothing labels; keep a normal level of cleanliness; sew on a button; cook a…
A Gift Without a Receipt
From an economic point of view, money gives the recipient the maximum freedom of choice. A gift, however, does more than transfer value. It says: I thought about you. I…
Dignity Without a Rank Table
Hierarchy is useful for some tasks. On a ship, in an operating theatre and at an emergency site you cannot put every decision to a general vote. You need authority,…
Sandvik 12C27, 14C28N and Nitro-V
Sweden does not make knife steel for knives. Sandvik rolls thin strip, and the grades the knife world knows as 12C27 and 13C26 started life as a product for razor…
The Old Address
Returning to a familiar place often promises a meeting not with the place but with your former self. We remember the street before the redevelopment, the job before the change…
Sex: Consent, Protection and a Plan for When It Fails
Sex requires voluntary and ongoing consent. A person can refuse before it starts or stop partway through. Earlier consent, a relationship, a gift or coming home together create no obligation.…