I love cheap computers
There are only 5 of these at the time I write this.
Renewed Dell, quad core i5, 8GB RAM, 500GB storage, two 22-inch LCD monitors, Windows 10...
...under $170.
That's my kind of computer.
I don't know if the storage is HDD or SSD, but even if it's HDD, SSD is real cheap now.
If I needed a tower PC right now, oh yeah, I'd buy this. Most people would keep the Windows 10 installation, but I'd just dump that and install Linux (which I'm still using daily by the way). Linux loves Dell business PCs because if it's a distro like Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Xubuntu, EVERYTHING is detected easily on first install with no fuss whatsoever. That's actually a really good reason to get a cheap business Dell tower box.
This is not the kind of PC you game on. Yeah, technically it can do it with some upgrades, but it's better suited for people that just want a reliable cheap computer box. Again, the only thing I'd upgrade is a bump from HDD to SSD if that's the storage media it comes with. Okay, and maybe a bump to 16GB RAM since it comes with 8GB (also dirt cheap).
Cheap PCs are awesome. This thing is ready-to-run and would easily last 5 to 7 years if not 10 or more.
The search for cotton
The hunt was successful.
What I mean by that is that I had to hunt around just to find cotton t-shirts, as in 100% cotton. The clothing industry likes to sneak in other fabric materials sometimes.
This is yet another example of Read The Label and Read The Fine Print at the same time. If you don't, you could easily be suckered into buying something you didn't want.
First, a question answered:
Why 100% cotton?
When it comes to shirts, jeans, hoodies, linings (meaning the inside of a coat) and so on, I've learned my skin absolutely does not like two very specific synthetic fabrics, that being polyester and acrylic. If my skin is touching either of those - especially if I start to sweat - I start itching.
For example, take beanies. Yes, 100% cotton beanies do exist and they're cheap, but don't try finding one at a Walmart or Target store because they don't have them. Every single beanie those stores sell is made of polyester. If I wear one of those, you guessed it, my head starts itching.
When cotton is not cotton
There's a reason I term it as "100% cotton" and not just "cotton". If the cotton content is not explicitly stated as 100%, there will be synthetic fabrics present.
A common example of this are with t-shirts where it will be 65% polyester, 35% cotton. Another example are jeans. Sometimes the waistband area will have synthetic fabric present that allows it to stretch, and the label will say something like 98% cotton, 2% spandex.
Back to the t-shirts, yes it's true the 65/35 blend does allow the shirt to hold its shape better and be more stain resistant. But I can't wear those because itch, itch, itch.
Poly poly everywhere in bedding
Like with the beanie example, yes, 100% cotton bedding does exist. It's easy enough to find a sheet set and blanket like that.
But again, unless you're specifically reading the labels and looking for cotton, everything will be polyester.
Another option for a non-synthetic is 100% silk bedding, but I never cared for the feel of silk. Some people really like it, but I'm not one of them. I'm a cotton guy.
Does silk cost more? It depends what you get. Yes, you can easily spend 500 bucks on a silk sheet set, but there are other options that are much, much less in price.
Are polyester and acrylic fabrics BAD for you?
No.
But if you get itches from those fabrics such as I do, then yeah, you'll use cotton instead.
It would be nice if Walmart and Target stocked more 100% cotton clothes - with clear labeling.
Until then, I'll just keep ordering my 100% cotton stuff online.
1970s things I'm glad don't exist anymore
Some things from the '70s need to stay there and I hope they never come back.
The bulk of my childhood was in the '80s but a lot of what was around me during that time was from the '70s. Whenever a new decade starts, that doesn't mean everybody throws out what they bought the previous decade.
These are some of the things I remember that were very-'70s and am happy they're not being sold new anymore.
Console television sets
This is a tube-type television in a large wooden box that's meant to also act as furniture. Very heavy things. This is not something invented in the '70s, but that is the decade when most people could afford one and when there was the most choice. Some of these were stereo but most were single-speaker mono sound only.
It was typical for people to put a VCR on top of this (almost like it was made for it), and maybe some kind of plant for decoration.
I question the ergonomics of a TV like this because you're always looking down at the screen from the couch.
Really slow small cars
While true there aren't that many small cars for sale in America these days (hopefully they'll make a comeback), the ones still around are light years better compared to what the '70s had to offer.
Small cars of the '70s weren't just slow but really slow. Slow enough to where you put the gas pedal to the floor routinely trying to get the thing to move along.
In the '70s where the national speed limit in the United States was 55 miles per hour for most of the decade, a small car of the time could barely keep up. In today's world where 65, 70 and 75mph speed limits are common, no way could one of these things work.
Personal luxury cars
This type of car was at its peak in the '70s. These things are long, low, ridiculously comfortable and easy to drive. They also look fantastic...
...but everything goes downhill after that because it's a "big for the sake of being big" car with two doors.
It's the two doors that make this car ridiculous more than anything else. Having something this long and this wide with two giant heavy doors is just plain dumb.
True, there are modern large SUVs that are the same length (if not longer) than the car seen above. However, they all have four doors, a rear hatch area that lifts and fold-down rear seats to make use of nearly all the space behind the driver's seat. Can't do that in a personal luxury car.
Bear in mind I hate large SUVs, but it is the better vehicle compared to the '70s personal luxury car simply because it's better for carrying passengers and hauling stuff.
Four-door barge size sedans and wagons of the '70s made more sense, but not the two-door. A two-door coupe is supposed to be small, nimble, quick and sporty. A personal luxury car is huge, has vague driving feel, isn't fast and has nothing sporty about it at all.
Overpriced digital watches as your only option
If you regularly read my articles, you know I like watches. I especially like Casio digitals...
...but the digitals of the '70s are terrible. They worked fine, but it was the price of them that was insane.
The tried-and-true cheap Casio F-91W didn't exist in the '70s, so if you wanted an LCD panel quartz digital, you had to pay full whack to get a Seiko.
Polyester-everything
Polyester is still made today, but a '70s thing for men's fashion (and women's) was to have your clothes made from polyester. Not just some of your clothes. ALL of them.
A man's suit made all from polyester results in looking shiny. If you're thinking, "Isn't a shiny suit good?" No, it's not. A classic black men's suit as far as I'm concerned is not supposed to shine, and that's probably the reason so many polyester suits are in brighter colors.
What qualifies as a thin watch?
It's winter, so it's time for a thin watch that slides under the cuff easily. What's a good thin? The answer to this question is a range.
What I consider to be the standard for what a good thin watch is the Casio A158. Not just because it's thin, but the right thin.
I'll explain.
Where thin watches are concerned you have thin, thin-ish and too thin.
Generally speaking, the range you're looking for when it comes to a thin watch is something between 8mm and 10mm thick.
The reason the A158 works so well is because it's 8.2mm thick with rounded edges. True, its shape has angles, but the edges are all rounded over. Absolutely nothing about the A158 is sharp, which for a thin watch is exactly what you want.
A thin-ish watch is a Seiko Recraft, which is 12mm thick, but does have the nice rounded edges with nothing sharp going on. The compact lug-to-lug of about 45.6mm is also quite nice. Also bear in mind the Recraft does have a mechanical automatic movement, so to get something not quartz in a case under 13mm thick is really good.
Too thin would be the Casio A700W, which is just 6mm thick. I actually own one of these, and can confirm that is an accurate figure. It's more angular than the A158 is but there's still nothing sharp going on to the touch. The problem with a watch this thin is that it never really fits correctly even if you get the bracelet sized just right. There's just not enough watch there for it to ever feel truly comfortable.
To put this in perspective, Casio AQ230 (I own two) is a small watch, but the 8.1mm thickness makes it wear so much nicer compared to the A700W.
Or, take the Casio CA53W calculator watch. We in the 8 territory again at 8.2mm thick. Feels fantastic for a thin watch.
Going a little thicker is the Casio A500WA at 9.6mm thick. Once again, wears very nicely for a thin watch.
HOWEVER...
Even when a watch is within the range of 8mm to 10mm thickness, there is such a thing as thin and truly bad. Fossil Minimalist is like this. Too thin and too big at the same time, resulting in a "pie plate" on your wrist that can result in lug overhang very easily. Even large-wristed guys would have a problem making this watch look decent. This piece desperately needs to be a 38mm, but it's unfortunately much larger than that. If you look at the customer photos on that link, you'll see what I mean. In every single wrist photo, the watch looks way too large and the thinness absolutely doesn't save it.
When thin is done right, you get something like the small (and gold) quartz analog Citizen BH1673. That one is 9mm thick, and when you look at the customer photos for that one, we're doing much better.
Thin is good for watch, but the case shape also must be good for it to truly be comfortable and look decent.
Adventures in Shaving: The Safety Razor
Am I the last guy in the world to find out about this?
No, because most people are barely aware these things even exist.
First there was the open blade, as in the straight edge razor. Yes, you can still buy one new. Many are listed as a barber razor, because professional barbers are the people who use them most.
After that came the safety razor. It's called as such because it has a guard on it. This is a shaving technology that is literally centuries old. The first safety razors required the blade to be stropped (you cleaned and sharpened the blade yourself).
It's the second incarnation of the safety razor popularized in the early 1900s that most are familiar with.
When you search for a safety razor, what you're going to find is the type that uses disposable double-edged blades...
...and that's the one I'll be talking about. But before I do that, I have to talk about the dominant razor people use now, the cartridge razor.
Several attempts were made at making a cartridge razor that people would actually like, and the one that worked was the Gillette Trac II, introduced 1971. There was never a Trac I. The whole point of Trac II was to promote the fact it had twin blades.
Things got even better later in the '70s with the Gillette Atra introduced in 1977, the first to feature a pivoting head. The Atra also had a lubrication strip. You can still get replacement cartridges to this day for the Atra.
Obviously, the cartridge razor was wildly successful and still is.
Schick has the flexible blades.
Gillette has the Fusion ProGlide with the "Flexball" technology (the ball is on the handle and not the blades themselves, you'll see it in plain sight).
Gillette also has a very thoughtful product, the Gillette Treo that's specifically made for caregivers that shave other people.
But then there's the old school safety razor, so let's get into that.
Why did I get a safety razor?
At this stage of my life (middle age) I wanted to "class up" my shaving experience.
All the Gillette Fusion stuff looks modern and futuristic as you'd expect. The handle is dark and menacing with curves and swooping lines, and the head has shiny blades flanked by the bright colors of the lubrication strip and microfins...
...which kind of looks video game-ish.
This is totally my age talking here, but seeing that when I go to shave makes me think yeah, that's a razor for a younger guy.
Gillette isn't the only one doing this. BiC Flex 5 more or less has the same appearance.
There are other cartridge razors out there, including the ridiculous 7 blade, but nah, I needed something different.
What about the electric shaver?
I know some are going to ask about this, so here are a few notes on the electric options just to get it out of the way.
There are many electric shavers available, but the two main types are rotating head (Norelco is the go-to brand for that) and foil. Some are dry shave only, some are wet-or-dry.
In the past I have tried both the rotating head and foil electric shavers and even owned a Panasonic cordless wet-or-dry one once (which they still make)...
...and nope, my face does not like the electric. Even with a light touch, my skin burns after using an electric shaver regardless of what type it is. Wet or dry, doesn't matter, I still get the burn.
And yeah, I know, some guys swear by the electric. Heck, my dad used a 3-head Norelco forever. But my face just doesn't agree with that kind of shaver.
Okay, not true. There is one exception that would work. Norelco OneBlade. However, that shaver is specifically designed not to shave as close as a razor and says so in its instruction booklet. For guys with sensitive faces that prefer electric, that's as good as it gets because it's very highly unlikely any skin irritation would happen from using it.
Why don't I use it? I like a shave that gets my face totally smooth, and OneBlade by its own admission doesn't do that. Yes, it absolutely works and you will look properly shaven (which is the whole point), but I know if I used it I'd always feel that I didn't finish the shave properly. That would drive me nuts.
Enter the safety razor - how does it even work?
Generally speaking, you're either going to have a safety razor handle that has a screw top or a butterfly top.
The screw top requires holding the shaving head at either side and then unscrewing the handle from it to get to the blade.
The butterfly top has its turning mechanism at the bottom of the handle. Turn that, and the head opens up in a way that looks like wings ("butterfly"-like), and you get to the blade from there.
Some safety razors are adjustable. The adjustment is just below the head where you can turn the top of the handle to set the blade exposure level.
What I have is just a plain, non-adjustable screw top safety razor. Very old school.
Blades, blades, blades
The great thing about the safety razor is the many blades to choose from. Some are sharper, some smoother, some made in Japan, some made in Germany, some are coated, some have platinum, and so on.
What's even better is that sampler packs of blades are available. If you don't know which blade you like best, no problem. Buy a sampler pack of blades for cheap and find out. Most sampler packs have sixteen different types to choose from. Not bad, eh?
Did I have to relearn how to shave when I switched to a safety razor?
Yes, I did have to relearn shaving with the safety razor. And I know I'm far from the only man who has had to admit that.
I was absolutely and totally used to lightweight multi-blade cartridge razors with lubrication strip and pivoting head.
A safety razor is heavy, has one blade, no strip and the head doesn't move. No pivoting, no side-to-side motion, none of that.
The first thing I had to learn: Angling the blade.
Cartridge razor blades are already angled within the cartridge while a safety razor blade isn't. I had to learn both the proper angle to hold the blade and accommodate for the angles of my face just to get the razor to work. It did take a few tries before I got the hang of it.
The second thing I had to learn: "Let the blade do the work".
A safety razor has real weight to it, meaning only minimal pressure needs to be applied for the blade to do its job. This is the polar opposite of the cartridge razor where some decent pressure needs to be applied since the handle has almost no weight to it.
What I really had to get used to is feeling less razor pressure and trusting the blade. I was completely used to pressing a cartridge razor to my face. You don't do that with a safety razor. Use minimal pressure, get the correct angle and the blade will glide across the face and work like it's supposed to.
The third thing I had to learn: Shave slower.
The single biggest advantage of the cartridge razor is that you can get your face shaven clean fast.
Not so with the safety razor.
The best way I can describe a safety razor shave is that it has to be done much more deliberately. Short strokes, minimal pressure, don't rush.
This doesn't mean I shave at crawl speed. But it does mean I spend more time with the whole process.
It is possible to shave the face quick with a safety razor if not going for closeness. You can one-pass it and that's good enough for most situations. But when going for the super smooth feel, yes that will take time.
So will I stick with the safety razor?
This may be the way I shave for the rest of my life
I'm not a master at using the safety razor yet. Far from it. But I'm liking the experience. It's new to me, interesting, I like the old world appearance of it, so yeah, I'm sticking with it.
This does mean I will most likely be buying more safety razors, with the next being an adjustable type with a butterfly head.
Believe me, you can go totally nuts with safety razor stuff. There are many handles, many blades, and you can even go all-vintage if you want. One such example is the Gillette "Executive" gold safety razor from the late 1950s and early '60s. It's a safety razor like any other, so yeah, you can still use it today with a fresh blade if it's in good working order.
I have to admit it's cool you can buy something made over 60 years ago that still works now.
(Note to Gillette: Bring back the gold "Executive", even if just as a limited edition special run. Definitely one of the swankiest things you ever made.)
Lastly, I'll say it feels much more correct to shave with a heavy steel handle when compared to plastic. Remember the Gillette Atra I mentioned a moment ago? A heavyweight solid steel handle version of that exists. It's not made by Gillette, but is compatible with Atra replacement heads that are made new now. People care enough about the heavy steel handles to where there is a legitimate market for it.