Scott's Web Log

Science News May 26, 2007 has a note about increased incidence of nail-gun injuries. It reports that between 2001 and 2005 roughly 37,000 people annually were treated for injuries from pneumatic nail-guns. "Nails driven into hands or fingers accounted for two-thirds of the wounds."

Figures for "weekend carpenters" increased from 4,200 in 1991 to nearly 15,000 in this latest period. The article notes that most such accidents occur among professionals but that "their mishap rate has held steady since such data on workers' injuries were first collected in 1998".

Science News cites:
Lipscomb, H.J., and L.L. Jackson. 2007. Nail-gun injuries treated in emergency departments—United States, 2001–2005. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 56(April 13):329-332. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5614a2.htm

I can well believe this as I spend a fair amount of time working in the "tool corral" at my local Home Depot and I've sold alot of nail guns and compressors. More than a few customers don't know what nails to load the guns with let alone have experience using them. They just want to put that molding on as fast as possible. I guess it's quicker to shoot your thumb with a nail gun than it is to hit it with a hammer.

Herein is a most impressive production of The War Prayer, Mark Twain's perceptive and poignant take on invoking God to aid in war.

This is an excellent album of acoustic Neil, guitar and piano, with his voice the clearest and most poignant I've ever heard. I got the CD as part of a package from Rhino records that included a poster and a DVD. My suggestion is that only the CD is necessary. The DVD is interesting but it is not a concert film. Apparently concert footage existed for only some of the songs. Much of the DVD consists of home movies from his ranch and quite a bit of the DVD is of a tape recorder sitting in a chair.

Included with the package wrapping is a note from Neil mentioning that this album was one David Briggs wanted release before the Harvest album. Personally I prefer these acoustic tracks, especially A Man Needs A Maid, to Harvest. I never really liked the orchestral arrangement found on Harvest. The only bootleg album I've ever purchased was Neil Young in Los Angeles, February 1, 1971. I believe the show was at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion less than two weeks after the Massey Hall concert.

The LA concert recording is of very poor quality, someone in the audience with a tape recorder, but Neil's delivery is very much like that at Massey Hall. He does not play the harmonica on the Massey Hall release but does in LA. Also his arrangement for A Man Needs a Maid is different. The Massey Hall release contains A Man Needs a Maid/Heart of Gold Suite. In LA, he sings the songs separately.

Almost immediately after starting work at The Home Depot, I developed Plantar Fasciitis. This is a very painful foot pain. Upon getting up after resting, sleep or just a short break, my foot would cramp up so severly I could barely walk. The arch loosened up after about 5 minutes and I could walk around normally again. Before taking the job at Home Depot I would regularly walk 5 or more miles a day (the 10000 step regime). The painful cramps showed up on occasion but I could deal with it with stretching exercises. The exercises didn't help when I was dealing with eight hours a day on a concrete floor.

I then rediscovered negative heel shoes. I had owned a pair in the early '70's but thought they had disappeared. I found that Earth Shoes still existed. I've worn a pair that look like suede running shoes for two years now. I have not had any more symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis in that period. Recently my shoes have begun to show signs of wear so I went looking for another pair. I found them at Zappos.com. They arrived the day after I ordered them on-line. Best delivery time of anything (outside of downloads) I've order on the internet.

I'm trying these new "boots" now. I just went out for a mile walk in them and am now going off to work. We'll see how they (I) stand up to eight hours on concrete.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007 SF: The LA Times reports the theft of the Maltese Falcon. What a beautiful example of life imitating art. I have this vision of whomever did it sitting at a table with a pen knife cursing "it's a fake, it's plaster..." just as Sidney Greenstreet, as Gasper Gutman, gasping out "..it's lead...". These days, the lead version(s) are worth more than a quarter million (one sold in 1994 for $398,500.00). The article doesn't give a value for the plastic models used in the movie. Apparently gift shop plaster copies are available for $60.

The model that was stolen is reported to have been a gift from Elisha Cooke Jr., Wilmer Cook in the movie. The article doesn't say but I suspect that this copy was one actually created for the movie.

This film remains one of my all-time favorites. I admit to being a fan of both Humphrey Bogart and John Huston and I consider this is to be one of the best, or should I say most enjoyable films, from either of them. Perhaps because it is the birth place of so many surviving cliches.