Douglas Alpenstock

Tough call. I find that leaving the long sprouts intact actually slows down the plant -- it then has to decide what parts it should abandon. I snip them down to one or two "leafing out bits" (highly technical term) and make sure those are mostly buried. It seems to work out okay, though there may be better methods.

Cody Hahn wrote: To tell you the truth I struggle to ever stumble back upon some of the articles, tutorials, how-to sequences, etc that I once worked through just a decade or decade and a half ago. It just seemingly isn't there anymore (and some of it may literally not be on the regular internet any longer, if a server went down or websites expired, etc).  

Me too. I get this weird feeling that the amount of readily available knowledge online is actually decreasing.

Christopher Weeks wrote:What counts as knowledge?

Does it include all thoughts people have? If so, including people who are dead?

Phew, thorny question. But fair. If you don't ask the right question you don't get the right answer.

I rather like the definition of knowledge at oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com: "the information, understanding and skills that you gain through education or experience."

I like to think of knowledge as curated information and skills that expand and enhance understanding and inform useful or meaningful actions.

Knowledge has more "signal" than "noise." A snarky Reddit post that does not add value or advance human understanding qualifies as "noise" to me.

Raw data is not knowledge, but rather is raw material that can be converted into knowledge.

Dead people still speak wisdom and insight. The entirety of gutenberg.org surely has more signal than noise.

How's that?

For me, that's a seasonal choice.

In summer, my guitars are open to the house air, drinking in the humidity.

In winter, the air is dangerously dry for wooden instruments. Most are in cases with humidifiers.

Still, I keep one or two out so I can grab them for a quick strum. I've learned which ones are tougher than others and can take a bit more of the humidity swings without injury.

I figure it's about 2%. This is an astonishing number to me -- meaning knowledge available right now to any human with an internet connection.

Though my estimate was a complete shock to a young nephew who believed that ALL human knowledge was available on the Internet.

What's your estimate?

Judith Browning wrote:I had thought it would need to be slicing sharp in order to çut the plants off?

... This looks like it would cut off the plants and lay it down nicely, even tuck it under the soil a little.....maybe?

I certainly keep mine slicing sharp. It takes so much less effort and time.

If you tackle the weeds when they're very small, they get cut up and churned right into the soil. As a bonus it also scuffs up the surface so rain soaks in better.

Nice find!

I sharpen mine with a file or coarse grit stone on the *inside* of the "stirrup." It's a bit awkward but I find it works better that way. Single bevel only. As mentioned, sharpen both of the inside edges for push and pull cutting.

I don't *need* the java hit, in the way that an addict needs a hit, but it certainly jump-starts my day. It's the punch in the face, and in the metabolism, that gets me rocking on task.

I suppose I could drink tea and punch myself in the face a few times to get the same effect (see: Fight Club). Not my first choice though. Open to options.

thomas rubino wrote:Mom passed in 2017, that was the last time I flew.
I have been considering a trip back east to see family, while most are still with us.
I am seriously considering driving the 2500 miles rather than dealing with air travel.

Tough call. But then again, is the time spent driving better spent with family? Unless you have "bucket list" stops along the way, which is what I would absolutely do. Surely there is *something* worth seeing along the way.

I agree with the "several cuts" approach mentioned above. If you can take off chunks of the branch before working close to the trunk, you also take off the weight and the "torque" of a long branch that's twisted or leaning or growing toward the sun. These factors can be hard to see from the ground.