Making them up as I go (2)

1. Tell the truth.
2. Entice, or fail.
3. To emphasize, summarize.
4. If it ain't short, it don't work.
5. Be clear.


And so I don't forget:
Don't explain. Just tell a story.
Don't argue. Just say things that make sense.
Expect people to be bored by the writing, and shorten it.
Make the wording easy to take.

Remove Loose Ends -- the interesting one-liners that go nowhere.

Monday, November 26, 2018

Matters of focus

So I'm reading an article about garden hoses: Which are the best for my needs? and all that. And the first part is really interesting: They "review the features to consider" when buying a hose. But then we get past that part and come to Types of Garden Hoses. Here's the first type they consider:
Lightweight / Light Duty Hoses

These hoses are generally made from vinyl (sometimes with a reinforcing mesh or multiple plies (layers)) so can kink more easily, often have plastic fittings, and tend to come in thinner diameters but prices are in the lower range.

If you’re gardening on a budget, won’t be using it often, don’t need a long hose (over 50 feet), and have lower water pressure or don’t use a sprinkler or hose nozzle, then a lightweight hose will probably meet your needs.

While you can find light duty hoses online, your best bet is to visit your local home improvement store or garden center. You’ll find some of the heavier duty hoses there as well, but many of them are perfect for light duty use.
Skip over that first paragraph. Get to the second. We have four deciding conditions... Five, really:
  1. budget,
  2. usage,
  3. length,
  4. water pressure, and
  5. what you have on the end of the hose
Yeah, all that. And whether you use "Quick Connect" fittings on your hoses. If you do use these "Cuke" fittings, you don't really need anything better than plastic fittings on the hoses. Because your Cuke fittings will be permanently attached to the hose, so you're not threatening to damage the plastic fittings on a regular basis.

Yeah, this comes up because my wife found a bargain on Amazon, and asked if I'd rather have four fifty-foot shrinkys with plastic end fittings, or one with brass.

Brass, I said without any hesitation. But then there was a second thought, and the second thought was that I always put brass QCs on both ends of those hoses, so who gives a shit if the GHT ends are plastic? Really. But it was too late. She pressed one button and the thing was bought.

I mean, I coulda had four fifties. But I got one instead, just so I could have some brass ass that I'll never connect to a second time. Dumn motherfuhhhhhh...

Oh, well. If it comes around on the guitar again I'll be ready.

//

So, okay. That's all well and good, but their third parag says
While you can find light duty hoses online, your best bet is to visit your local home improvement store or garden center. You’ll find some of the heavier duty hoses there as well, but many of them are perfect for light duty use.
So... after all that... it seems that some of the "heavier duty hoses" are just as good as the light duties for some applications...

2 comments:

Michael Leddy said...

That third paragraph reminds me of how a larger, more expensive bag of pretzels works just as well when I can't find a small bag.

The Arthurian said...

Thank you Michael. I sometimes forget to look at the world as if it was a bag of pretzels.

Took the car in for service today. Because there was a recall on the passenger-side airbag inflator, and Honda said we shouldn't let anybody sit in the front passenger seat until the thing was replaced. So I had that done, and an oil change, and the recall thing was free, and the oil change cost me 50 cents less than $50 -- a price that should be recognized as outrageous, even at Honda.

But no. Instead, the guy gave me a list of other things that should be taken care of before the yellow premonition turns to a red warning. One of these problems is that the seals are leaking on the rack-and-pinion steering.

I asked the guy to write up an estimate.

Between $1600 and $1700 for the rack & pinion thing.

"To change the seals?" I said.

"To change the whole unit," he said. "you can't change just the seals."

That's gotta be a lie.

They pull the same shit every time I bring the car in for an oil change.