Service begins after payment
Most companies are courteous until you buy. The real quality of the relationship becomes clear after a problem appears. So when choosing a complicated service or a piece of equipment,…
Punish or prevent
A law forbidding an act does not accept that the act is normal. It accepts that the prohibition on its own is not enough. People know they must not steal…
AUS-8, AUS-10 and Other Japanese Workhorses
Between a knife from a twenty-euro block and a Hattori at 600 euros lies the range that covers roughly everything people actually cut with. Japanese metallurgy fills it densely, but…
Lawyer for Yesterday’s Self
Once a decision is made, the brain quickly hires itself out to us as a defence lawyer. The purchase turns out to have been sensible. The job we took was…
Heat, Sun and the Road
In a hot climate, light covered clothing often protects better than maximally bare skin. It reduces exposure to sun, dust and insects. You also need shade, water, a hat and…
Food and water on the road
Travel folklore sorts places into safe and dangerous by the sign over the door, the number of local customers or how familiar the dish is. Food risk is decided by…