When my son was about 5 I told him that if he went to sleep right now he could get up and open the presents as early as he wanted. So he did, and we opened the presents at 4:00 a.m.
Washers are useful -- there is strong friction between the washer's soft metal and the nut's hard metal, the assembly will not work loose nearly as fast as it would without the washer in place.
An Icelandic friend of mine told a story about when Iceland introduced a 5-penny (or the equivalent monetary unit) piece made of aluminum, which was not worth as much as the metal in it -- because an equivalently-sized washer cost more than 5 whatevers. So Icelandic carpenters started drilling holes in the middle of the coins and using them as washers. Bob's tollbooth thing in reverse.
To interrupt this thread, I have a gift-giving request to make. Jeanne of Body and Soul was threatening to drop her blog when her computer died. She reluctantly put up a tip jar so that she could buy a new computer. It appears that she's gotten a bunch of donations already--enough she said to cover her typepad hosting fees for the next year--but I think it would be awesome if she could afford to splurge on a Mac, since she considers herself computer illiterate. The Mac Mini is pretty cheap, if the computer and keyboard from her old machine are working; but she might really like a laptop.
And it sounds liek she could stand to pay herself a bit for the important work she's doing. I think she's a real treasure. In her own way, she's as important as hilzoy.
I put one of those together last month- be glad you didn't get the seatbelt. It seems like it should be an easy thing to attach three straps to a piece of plastic, but it was entirely unclear where you could attach the straps using the pieces you were provided.
The Kettler Kettrike Jumbo with Pushbar is aptly named
Ah -- I see now you were referring to this text. They seem to be saying it's aptly named "Jumbo" because it is indeed large. "With Pushbar" also seems to be an accurate description but I don't think that was the point.
17- You've never seen this toy or the number of pieces it comes in. Or appreciated the fact that the instructions have no words because the toy is from some European socialist state. It's a transcendent experience to open the box.
I dunno, in my experience most people have kids and most people are not humble. I don't think I have ever seen a correlation between not having children and being espescially arrogant.
But shouldn't it follow that those who have had this humbling experience in common, would be as a class less arrogant than those who had not? And i don't see that as being the case. I mean unless there is some factor on the other side, a humbling experience the childless have in common that is foreign to parents.
Or it could just be that "a humbling experience" does not tend to actually make one humbler. Also -- is "arrogant" the best antonym for "humble" in this context? It was the second or third word to come to mind but I'm not sure it is quite the one I wanted.
But shouldn't it follow that those who have had this humbling experience in common, would be as a class less arrogant than those who had not?
Maybe they all started out more arrogant. Anyway, if you want to talk about things at that level of generality, your anecdotal experience looks less and less convincing.
Back to FL's toy (I mean his nephew's toy...forget it). My family had a Kettler push trike that rusted out in an alarmingly short time. For being fancy Germany engineering, it was underwhelming.
I think that (at least some of) the people who go childless are so scared of screwing up the job and are already terribly aware of their limitations. They don't need the extra humbling experience.
It's the time-honored tradition of avuncular holiday duty! Parents and parental stand-ins everywhere are thrilled to welcome you to the club.
We stayed up 'til 2 am waiting for PK to *fall asleep* so that we could get the goddamn mice up from the basement.
Posted by bitchphd | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 1:39 AM
"...so that we could get the goddamn mice up from the basement."
I can safely say I've never heard that euphemism before.
Posted by Gary Farber | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 2:34 AM
oh, i do love these tricycles: with that big handle on the back end to fuel any parent or (ahem) aunt's sense of omniscience...
Posted by mmf! | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 3:18 AM
oops, "omnipotence"
omniscience taking a beating in that post...
Posted by mmf! | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 3:36 AM
When my son was about 5 I told him that if he went to sleep right now he could get up and open the presents as early as he wanted. So he did, and we opened the presents at 4:00 a.m.
Posted by John Emerson | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 5:29 AM
I have never understood washers and on principle just throw away any that won't fool the tollbooths.
Posted by bob mcmanus | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 6:10 AM
Washers are useful -- there is strong friction between the washer's soft metal and the nut's hard metal, the assembly will not work loose nearly as fast as it would without the washer in place.
An Icelandic friend of mine told a story about when Iceland introduced a 5-penny (or the equivalent monetary unit) piece made of aluminum, which was not worth as much as the metal in it -- because an equivalently-sized washer cost more than 5 whatevers. So Icelandic carpenters started drilling holes in the middle of the coins and using them as washers. Bob's tollbooth thing in reverse.
Posted by Jeremy Osner | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 7:10 AM
So why exactly is that tricycle aptly named?
Posted by washerdreyer | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 7:43 AM
Because it did indeed have three wheels?
Posted by Jeremy Osner | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 7:45 AM
To interrupt this thread, I have a gift-giving request to make. Jeanne of Body and Soul was threatening to drop her blog when her computer died. She reluctantly put up a tip jar so that she could buy a new computer. It appears that she's gotten a bunch of donations already--enough she said to cover her typepad hosting fees for the next year--but I think it would be awesome if she could afford to splurge on a Mac, since she considers herself computer illiterate. The Mac Mini is pretty cheap, if the computer and keyboard from her old machine are working; but she might really like a laptop.
And it sounds liek she could stand to pay herself a bit for the important work she's doing. I think she's a real treasure. In her own way, she's as important as hilzoy.
So head on over, if you feel inclined.
Posted by bostoniangirl | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 7:45 AM
I put one of those together last month- be glad you didn't get the seatbelt. It seems like it should be an easy thing to attach three straps to a piece of plastic, but it was entirely unclear where you could attach the straps using the pieces you were provided.
Posted by SP | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 8:02 AM
The Kettler Kettrike Jumbo with Pushbar is aptly named
Ah -- I see now you were referring to this text. They seem to be saying it's aptly named "Jumbo" because it is indeed large. "With Pushbar" also seems to be an accurate description but I don't think that was the point.
Posted by Jeremy Osner | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 8:08 AM
Oh and, "with Pushbar" will only be an accurate description if the tricycle is properly assembled. Presumably it is "Jumbo" even in pieces.
Posted by Jeremy Osner | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 8:09 AM
I liked this part of the description:
"and can hold up to 400 pounds"
At some point you have to admit that the catering to obese American kids has gotten out of control.
Posted by SP | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 8:12 AM
On the contrary -- this is excellent insurance against drunken uncles taking liberties with their nephews' presents on Xmas Day.
Posted by Jeremy Osner | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 8:33 AM
[redacted]
Posted by [redacted] | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 8:53 AM
I can't believe "philosopher stumped by assembly of child's toy" has been milked for 16 comments already.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 9:15 AM
17- You've never seen this toy or the number of pieces it comes in. Or appreciated the fact that the instructions have no words because the toy is from some European socialist state. It's a transcendent experience to open the box.
Posted by SP | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 10:12 AM
It's a transcendent experience to open the box.
Words for the ages.
Posted by Jeremy Osner | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 10:14 AM
I had such high hopes for a post by Labs entitled "Some assembly, my ass".
Posted by Joe Drymala | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 10:45 AM
#17: Ogged, there is great wisdom in the conventional belief that having kids is a real lesson in humility.
Posted by bitchphd | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 11:18 AM
I dunno, in my experience most people have kids and most people are not humble. I don't think I have ever seen a correlation between not having children and being espescially arrogant.
Posted by Jeremy Osner | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 11:37 AM
It doesn't follow that b/c children are a humbling experience, that those without are arrogant.
Posted by bitchphd | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 11:41 AM
But shouldn't it follow that those who have had this humbling experience in common, would be as a class less arrogant than those who had not? And i don't see that as being the case. I mean unless there is some factor on the other side, a humbling experience the childless have in common that is foreign to parents.
Or it could just be that "a humbling experience" does not tend to actually make one humbler. Also -- is "arrogant" the best antonym for "humble" in this context? It was the second or third word to come to mind but I'm not sure it is quite the one I wanted.
Posted by Jeremy Osner | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 11:48 AM
But shouldn't it follow that those who have had this humbling experience in common, would be as a class less arrogant than those who had not?
Maybe they all started out more arrogant. Anyway, if you want to talk about things at that level of generality, your anecdotal experience looks less and less convincing.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 11:53 AM
And popping up to refute by counter-example my notion that parents are just as arrogant as the childless...
Posted by Jeremy Osner | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 12:01 PM
In my experience, anecdotes are sometimes convincing, sometimes not.
Posted by eb | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 12:02 PM
I'm here to say that Ben's mother is not arrogant, but neither is she shy.
Posted by Joe Drymala | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 12:04 PM
Back to FL's toy (I mean his nephew's toy...forget it). My family had a Kettler push trike that rusted out in an alarmingly short time. For being fancy Germany engineering, it was underwhelming.
Posted by bill | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 3:18 PM
I have never constructed bikes for my own kids, only fixed them.
I have, however constructed them for:
my neice
my nephew
my neighbor's grandneice
my other neighbor's kid
Most of these were before I had kids of my own!
and done troubleshooting/bike tools/consulting for many others in an Xmaspanic!
Many of these beasts had gears and derailleurs too!
Moral: if everybody knows that you have bike tools and can fix bikes, you might get less Xmas Eve sleep than you expect.
Posted by Ms Kate | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 3:20 PM
This is more like it.
Posted by radio flyer (innovating play since 1917 TM) | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 3:30 PM
For being fancy Germany engineering, it was underwhelming.
Everyone thinks the undercoating is just a scam...
Posted by tom | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 3:54 PM
I think that (at least some of) the people who go childless are so scared of screwing up the job and are already terribly aware of their limitations. They don't need the extra humbling experience.
Posted by bostoniangirl | Link to this comment | 12-27-05 4:06 PM
Yes, but we're so jealous of their free time that we'll never give them credit for anything but self-indulgence.
Posted by cw | Link to this comment | 12-28-05 7:14 AM