tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9045565.post111718878950539133..comments2023-09-30T03:57:11.799-05:00Comments on ahistoricality: Vestigialities, and two predictionsAhistoricalityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04004964192885891003noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9045565.post-1117605057365671462005-06-01T00:50:00.000-05:002005-06-01T00:50:00.000-05:00Again, if you read the linked article (or my post)...Again, if you read the linked article (or my post) you'll see that the knives in question are <B>kitchen</B> knives, and that neither of your examples are affected. Letter openers, though, do not have to have <I>sharp</I> points to be effective, and most letter openers (as opposed to knives) manage just fine without being terribly lethal. <BR/><BR/>And, for the remaining reading-impaired, I will point out that I'm not <I>advocating</I> this, merely <I>suggesting the likelihood</I> that this argument and call for greater safety will play a role in product-liability law and decisions. It's called "analysis"; try it sometime.Ahistoricalityhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04004964192885891003noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9045565.post-1117553174027656912005-05-31T10:26:00.000-05:002005-05-31T10:26:00.000-05:00You know, I carry a pocket-knife. It's most commo...You know, I carry a pocket-knife. It's most common use is as a letter-opener.<BR/><BR/>But it's awfully hard to open an envelope with a blade unless there is a sharp point somewhere on the blade that I can use to slice into the fold of the flap on the envelope.<BR/><BR/>Same for opening some plastic-wrapped items, whether culinary or not--the sharp tip of the knife blade is the most useful part.<BR/><BR/>I live in an area that is known for becoming deer-hunting paradise every November. None of those hunters could gut a deer without a knife that has a sharp point.<BR/><BR/>Since I don't keep my pocket-knife honed to a razor's edge, I don't worry about using the tip (with its slightly-sharp point) as a straight-blade screwdriver.<BR/><BR/>In short, a bladed tool loses most of its usefulness without a sharp tip.<BR/><BR/>Vestigial? In what sense of the word?karrdehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00205160745963596856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9045565.post-1117437119048789672005-05-30T02:11:00.000-05:002005-05-30T02:11:00.000-05:00Well, if you'd read the linked article, you'd know...Well, if you'd read the linked article, you'd know that the proposed changes affect the <B>point</B>, not the blade, though I suppose a quick reading of this post in isolation could result in a misunderstanding. I don't think stupid is the issue here: hastily written, hastily read....<BR/><BR/>Nobody, as far as I know, is suggesting that scissors and knives be entirely done away with, merely that vestigial features that seem to do more harm than good be modified.Ahistoricalityhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04004964192885891003noreply@blogger.com