The Obsessions Page

The Letter Opener Collection
I've been collecting letter openers since I was 12. I knew decades ago they 'd be obsolete by the millennium.

It began with two I personally selected from the United Nations Gift Shop- one from Kenya, one from Tanzania. (They'll show up sometime.) I had wandered in for a break from a week-long search, a tough trek trying to locate Del Floria's Tailor Shop. Hey, I was 12-- I didn't realize I was on the wrong coast.

This month's opener: gift of composer Don Wilkins and Sharon Wilkins- it's an Irish thing, and like many things Irish, it's soaked in poetry. Interesting vernacular-- it's called a "paperknife."

In the fullness of time the entire collection will be digitized and viewable here.


Rants


If Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and Cisco had any spine in the Chinese market, when asked to filter data, they would display a notice:

"We have been asked by your government to exclude certain results from your search request."

When asked to play Nazi collaborator and reveal search attempts which result in journalists jailed for decades, they would also notify the journalist they were sending information to Big Brother, and then notify Amnesty International.

In my view, that's the very least evil they can do and still make money honorably.


Other Obsessions
There will be other obsessions celebrated as time goes by,, mostly positive, about stuff that really works. For instance, the new canoopener sold Amway-style, which doesn't create a sharp edge. Rasberry Whippets. Empire Deluxe. Land's End All-Weather Mocs. Dremel anything.