INDIA PLANS FIRST REUSABLE SPACECRAFT BY 2010. I wish them success.
Archive for 2007
August 15, 2007
FACT-CHECKING THE A.P.’S NEDRA PICKLER.
NO, I HAVEN’T BEEN BLOGGING ABOUT the Space Shuttle’s problems. Sorry — I wish ’em well, but I just don’t have much to say.
SHE’S STILL FAMOUS FOR HER CUPCAKES: “Dolley Madison had a decent rack.”
BAD SUICIDE BOMBING IN IRAQ, targeting the Yazidis. That last is kind of interesting, as it doesn’t fit into the general political picture. Alas, this kind of thing will continue for a while no matter what — it’s just too easy to make bombs, and too hard to root out the people who do it, and once started it tends to feed on itself.
UPDATE: Michael Yon, who’s currently vacationing in Bali, posts some thoughts. And he emails: “The people here in Bali, Indonesia are very warm and friendly. The island is stunningly beautiful. Bali even gives Hawaii a run for its money on beauty, and that is saying a lot. Americans are very welcome here, but the terrorists are not. I ate in a restaurant last night because I saw a waiter wearing a shirt that said Fxxx Terrorists. Not a class act, but still I voted with my feet and had dinner there.”
August 14, 2007
SUITCASES OF VENEZUELAN CASH: Just keep scrolling.
READER ROBERT RUDDIGER EMAILS: “I’m curious what others had to say in response to your knife query.”
In fact, the response was so large I was swamped — I still haven’t read all the emails. Forget politics and Iraq — when you post about kitchenware, the mail pours in. But here are some high points:
Reader Scott Canty emails: “Forget the Wusthof or Henckels. The best you can get are Global. A nice three piece set is really all you need. 8†Chefs, 5.5†veggie, and 3†paring. Make sure to get the ceramic water sharpener.”
Cookware expert Brian Erst emails:
Some years back I was your “cookware guy” when the discussion turned to pans (Emerilware vs. All-Clad), so, being the kitchen geek that I am, I thought I’d weigh in on the subject.
I have the Wusthof Classics, and they are very good knives. They hold an edge reasonably well and fit my hands nicely (I’m 6’0″, but have small-for-my-height hands). Balance is perfect, and the heft is good – the chef’s knife will go thru a butternut squash pretty easily without a hint of bending. You have to like what I call the “mold your hand to the handle, not the other way around” handles (they are flat and hardish) – they look very nice, but some people prefer a more contoured handle. Wusthof makes a line of knives with a cushier/more ergonomic handle (the Grand Prix/Grand Prix 2) that are otherwise identical to the Classics.
The Gourmets are a bit of a different beast. They straddle the line between a stamped and a forged knife – instead of hand cut and forged, they are laser cut and machine-forged/sharpened. Generally, stamped or laser-cut knives are made with thinner metal (as are the Gourmet’s). This can be a good thing in some cases (they bend more, which is preferable in a filetting knife, not so much in a chef’s knife). As the Classics are on the thick end (some people think they’re too thick), this may not be an issue.
I have also used a couple of other brands. The Shun knives are very nice (I have a Shun Santoku that I love). They have a unique handle which you either love or hate – it’s VERY nice looking and quite comfortable for me. Instead of being flat or perfectly round, it is a sort of flattened D shape (slightly bulgy on one side, flatter on the other). I find it keeps the knife from slipping. The Shun Classics (and especially the Pros) are beautiful – if aesthetics as well as performance is you thing, you won’t find a prettier knife. The Shun “Ken Onion” knives are so pretty they make you want to cry (especially once you see the price). Ken Onion is a famous knife maker (as famous as a knife maker can be) and designed special, super-ergonomic handles for one of their lines.
Shun’s are actually another stamped-like knife, but they use a special annealing process to fabricate a knife that looks and feels exactly like a forged knife. Part of the reason it’s stamped is that they use a Damascus-style steel that really can’t be forged without screwing up the aesthetics of the knife blade. It has these opalescent waves on the side that are very cool – and REALLY hard…
Finally, if you’re just looking for high-function knives at a low price, skip all of the above and head out to by some Forschner Fibrox or Forscher Victorinox knives. They are stamped, but they are laser sharp, super tough and dirt cheap. The folks at Cook’s Illustrated repeatedly choose them over the others (Wusthof and Shun generally come in second and third). You can get pretty much every knife Forschner makes for the cost of a single Wusthof Chef’s knife. Non-slip plastic handles too. Aesthetics… ah, not so much, but if they’re sitting in a drawer…
Even if you pick up the Wusthofs or Shuns, you might want to pick up a Forschner filetting knife (if you ever filet things). It’s about the perfect filetting knife – strong, supple and bendy in all the right ways.
Thanks, Brian. Quite a few other readers recommend the Forschner knives: Reader Kristian Holvoet emails: “They are nice, good steel, fit my hand well, easy to clean and are cheap. (They are common commercial knives for that reason). They are stamped, not forged, but really, if you aren’t a master of the knife, the extra money may not be worth it.
Reader Karl Davis writes: “I highly recommend Shun knives, especially the “Alton’s Angle” series. I thought the angle was a gimmick, but they are far more comfortable to use over extended periods. The construction is second to none in all of the Shun knives I have, and the handles are amazingly comfortable and never slip (combination of D-shape and pakkawood material). This is my favorite knife.”
Jason Swartz emails: “I love my Henckels Twin Cuisine set: The grip feels fantastic, and the knife is one piece of steel from end to end, through the handle.” They look cool, too.
Literally hundreds of other emails — I’ll try to post more when I get a chance. I didn’t expect such a flood!
LOOK WHO’S EDITING WIKIPEDIA! Various people, from Ace, to Charles Johnson, to Dan Riehl, are having fun tracking what’s going on. Turning Bill Frist into an African-American? Nice to see the New York Times’ fierce commitment to truth.
UPDATE: More fun here.
MORE: A “farcical moment.”
OBAMA BOMBS OUT: A.P. to the rescue.
UPDATE: Ouch: “AP joins Obama in slander of US troops.â€
HILLARY’S NEW IOWA AD, somehow obtained by Frank J.
MARK STEYN: “Being gay isn’t exactly one of those jobs Canadians won’t do.”
MORE EVIDENCE FOR PANSPERMIA.
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND: “A spokesperson for the Food Collective says, ‘no one should have to have contact with people whose views they find hurtful.'”
YAHOO! BEATS GOOGLE, in customer satisfaction.
FRED THOMPSON: Real Earmark Reform Needed.
REPORT: Academics’ donations go overwhelmingly to Democrats. Kind of a dog-bites-man story, but I guess it does add up: “On a related note, employees of the University of California, which has nine campuses, contributed more to 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry’s campaign than any other employer, including corporations.” The report also says that academics donated more than employees of oil companies and drug makers.
LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEER STATE COORDINATORS, at The Victory Caucus.
WHERE’S YALE? “Amidst the dozens of university presidents declaring their opposition to the academic boycott of Israeli professors and universities, the absence of Yale president Richard Levin and Duke president Richard Brodhead is curious.” Duke, I’ve given up on.
UPDATE: Apparently, the part about Brodhead is wrong.
A ROUNDUP ON VERY LIGHT JETS, from James Fallows.
PORK HYPOCRISY: “10 months later and Dr. Fiscal Crisis has become Mr. Hide The Earmark. He has gone from blasting that $26 million in pet projects for his district to grabbing $27 million for pet projects for his home district. Yee-haw!” Meet the new boss, yada yada.
DEMOCRATS IN BLACKFACE: Thoughts from LaShawn Barber.
ROGER VAN OECHS GETS A PATENT on his highly popular Ball of Whacks.
A FOREIGN POLICY ARTICLE BY RUDY GIULIANI, in Foreign Affairs.
And another by John Edwards.
OOPS. But read this, too. Ed Morrissey adds: “Obama started this primary campaign looking like a man with a future in the Democratic Party. His asinine pronouncements on military affairs and foreign policy now make him look like someone drowning in two feet of water.”
Not ready for prime time.
UPDATE: Video.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Bob Krumm: “Half a year ago I bemoaned the dreadfully early start to the 2008 presidential election. Perhaps I was in error. ”