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.…