Posted on 01/28/2016 12:40:13 PM PST by TBP
Like my daddy used to say; A short pencil is better than a long memory.
“Simple? Yet, not a single person on the face of this earth knows how to make me.”
This statement can be applied to any number of products today and also to any number of academic, intellectual fields.
Thanks for the post, it is a warning about the dangers of technology, imo.
and some of us used
http://www.pencilpages.com/articles/carpentr.htm
A carpenter pencil (carpentry pencil, carpenter’s pencil) is a pencil that has a body with a rectangular or elliptical cross-section to prevent it from rolling away.[1] Carpenter pencils are easier to grip than standard pencils, because they have a larger surface area. The non-round core allows thick or thin lines to be drawn by rotating the pencil. Thin lines are required for high precision markings and are easy to erase, but thick markings are needed to mark on rough surfaces.[2] The lead is strong to withstand the stress of marking on such surfaces.[2] The pencil is robust to survive in a construction environment, for example when placed in a bag together with heavy tools. The core is often stronger than in other pencils. Carpenter pencils are also used by builders, because they are suitable for marking on rough surfaces, such as concrete or stone. This shape and lead density aid in marking legible lines with a straight edge that are clear and easy to follow with a saw blade.
Carpenter pencils are typically manually sharpened with a knife, since sharpeners for round pencils do not work.
Notching the middle of the lead with the corner of a file makes it possible to draw two parallel lines at once.[3]
The flat pencil is one of the oldest pencil types. The first versions were made by hollowing out sticks of juniper wood. A superior technique was discovered: two wooden halves were carved with a groove running down them, a plumbago stick placed in one of the grooves, and the two halves then glued together—essentially the same method in use to this day.
Similar pencils (called ‘jumbo pencils’) are sometimes used by children. A pencil that is designed for a child rather than a carpenter would have a softer core, enabling the user to draw with less physical effort.
Fascinating. Bookmarking for later read.
Friedman is riffing on Read’s essay. He’s paraphrasing it, in order to make the same point.
Dr. Read wrote this in 1958. Friedman’s piece is somewhat later — and uses some of the essay.
“This is a rip off of Milton Friedman’s “I Pencil.” “
Too bad more emphasis is not placed on educating citizens about the reasons for “conservative” economic principles.
Thx. I stand corrected.
I, BronzePencil.
A production filmed at and released by the “Massachusetts State Home for the Mentally Bewildered”. Credit to Tom Lehrer. A number 2 pencil? Really? 8:57 to sharpen a number 2 pencil which will dull to the point of illegibility in :30 of actual use?
I have sharpened and stropped my straight razor in less time.
What a great essay. It’s a shame such quality of thought seems a thing of the past.
.
More a warning against central planners telling us what we can sell our goods for. No central planner in the world can put a price on a good for which he has no part of creating without the full force of a government to enforce those prices.
Sorry.
I thought Apple had something new.
Bookmark
Your comment was very interesting! Thank you.
Mongol good; Dixon bad.
I love Mongols, especially the round black ones. They tend to roll around on the floor, but maybe the exercise of retrieving them is good for you. Every Dixon Ticonderoga I ever used lodged a piece of grit that eventually funneled down to the tip and clawed the page.
Anybody know how to keep the pencil behind your ear once you have to wear glasses in order to keep using it?
Pockets?—forget it: they either fall out or break depending on which pocket you use.
This is not fair, but surely someone has a remedy.
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