Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Shaving the old fashioned way

Inspired by a post on ZenHabits on wet-shaving, I decided to take the plunge myself. I figured that the cost of a double-edge handle on ebay, and a pack of blades, I would have made my money back if I managed to spare myself only three Gillette Fusion blades. You know, the five-blade wonders.
My previous approach was using a gel from a tube, in the shower, and the five-blade cartridges, in the shower. This included shaving not only my face, but my head, as well.


Now, I'm using a Gillette Super-Speed. It was rough at first. I don't know whether it was a matter of habituating my skin, or developing the technique, but there were a few cuts, and it felt a bit rough. This was working with a boar-hair shaving brush and some old-fashioned shaving soap. After a few times, I find I can get a very smooth shave, without hacking myself up, and without feeling roughed up, in a reasonable amount of time. This includes shaving in and out of the shower. I even ventured to shave my head over the sink. That was a bit touchy. I shave my head by feel, and I was worried about hacking my scalp up. Came out OK, though.


I have yet to do a side by side comparison. At some point, I have to shave either side of my face with the five-blade and the double-edge, and get an independent opinion (my wife) of the quality of the shave.


The likely scenario now is that I will use up my supply of Fusion cartridges, but keep a supply of twin blades on hand for travel (I don't want to try to get double-edged blades past the TSA), and use the double-edge for every day shaving (maybe even my head, if I get more proficient). 15 cents a blade versus $3.50 is a very compelling argument.

Getting things done with...

On a recommendation from some blogger or other (this was some time ago, and forgetting them protects their reputation), I downloaded ThinkingRock. This is software tool for implementing David Allen's Getting Things Done As far as interface goes, and usability, I think it's very nice. One big problem for me: it is very slow on my system, so I'm abandoning it, now trying to use wikidpad, and so far, so good.

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

The Power (or lack thereof) of Networking

Just got through reading a Discover Magazine Article
on an examination of the "six degrees of separation" meme. I've had the power of networking brought home to me in recent months, in terms of what a motivated connection can do for you. I also has a cousin that refuses to use such connections, at the cost of good opportunities.
It's easier to get opportunities if you have take advantage of connections. It doesn't mean you are getting something you don't deserve, because often these opportunities will only become available if trust is established. And trust is often transitive (even if it shouldn't be).