The Beauty of Simplicity

My Second-Favorite Razor

My favorite razor is this one...

Harry's Maple Leaf handle

When you visit the Harry's website, you'll notice that the standard Truman Set handle isn't available for purchase in red. What happened was, I purchased my first Truman Set (blue handle) back in March 2014, and not long afterward the company came out with a special package celebrating Canada, called the Maple Leaf Set, with the red handle. I wrote to the company asking if it would be possible for me to exchange my blue set for the red one, as red was my favorite color. Know what they did? Sent the entire Maple Leaf Set (which wasn't for sale outside of Canada) to me for free. How do you make someone a customer for life? Like that. Just like that.

I buy Harry's blade refills regularly, as well as their other products as needed. I am also in on special promotions the company does like their collaboration with the Movember foundation. Harry's does capitalism right.

"You have an odd sense of humor, Irishman."

My second-favorite "razor" is Ockham's Razor, named for 14th century scholar and philosopher William of Ockham.

It is one of philosophy's little ironies that the concept William is best remembered for is named for the town he lived in, not him (and which, in its most common iterations, doesn't even spell the town's name correctly).

"William, you have NO IDEA how right you are."

Careful...

Anyway, William never actually referred to his idea as a "razor" (that tag didn't 

show up until the 19th century). He simply argued that, when trying to explain a phenomenon, we should prefer the explanation which requires the fewest assumptions. It was William's contention that each additional assumption necessary for an explanation to make sense increased the chance of error. And above all else, William was opposed to error. It was this belief that led him to oppose St. Thomas Aquinas's argument that man could come to know God by reason alone. I think Aquinas's argument survives William's challenge to it, but it is an interesting criticism nonetheless, and well worth a read.

I have William and his "razor" on my mind today because I've spent much of the morning reading analysis of why Donald Trump is running for president, what he hopes to accomplish, etc.

All you have to do, really, is apply Ockham's Razor: Trump is running for president because he wants Hillary Clinton to win the 2016 election. It's the simplest explanation for his behavior (the misogyny, the ugly nativist rhetoric, the constant boasting about how rich he is, the boorish insulting of everyone who displeases him). Even if he isn't the nominee (and I can't conceive of him being the GOP's choice), he hopes to damage the Republican cause sufficiently to drive independents (and even some Republicans) away from the party's ticket in 2016. That's how Hillary wins. QED.

Things That Make Me Happy: Finish What Ya Start Edition

Last night recently-acquired pitcher Johnny Cueto made his Kauffman Stadium debut for my beloved Kansas City Royals, and what a debut it was! Johnny picked up his first win in a Royals uniform with a masterful 4-hit, complete-game 4-0 shutout of the Detroit Tigers.

"I look good in the home whites, don't I?"

Yes, you do. Love the old-school way you wear your uniform pants...

"If I'm not mistaken, didn't your favorite Royal used to wear his pants that way?"

Yes, yes he did...

The Royals are now 4-0 on the homestand, and are back in action tonight with Yordano Ventura (6-7, 5.29 ERA) hoping to bounce back from a couple of shaky outings. He'll be opposed by the Tigers' Anibal Sanchez (10-9, 4.82).

Happy Belated Birthday, Leo!

Yesterday's post was a bit of a struggle to write, and so I didn't do my due diligence about this kind of thing. I completely overlooked that yesterday was the birthday of a great American, Leo Fender.

Follow the link to read his remarkable life story. And keep Leo (and other great Americans like him) in mind every time you hear some progressive idiot
(a redundancy, I know) ranting about "evil capitalists."

I'm a fan of Fender products, of course. Karla, my Baja Telecaster (whom I wrote about here), and Lila, my Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster (whom I wrote about here) were two of the first three guitars I acquired when I got back into playing in 2010 (after a 25-year hiatus). And I'm hoping that's not the end of my Fender acquisitions.

I still hope to add this beauty to my harem someday...

2008 Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster

...and this one...

2014 Fender American Deluxe Telecaster

...and if I am fortunate, I'll be able to own a Fender amplifier someday, too...as soon as I can figure out which one I like the best! At the moment, the leading contender is the '68 Deluxe Reverb Reissue, but it changes constantly.

Until Next Time...

Today's send-off is by the instrumental group The Ventures, who had many wonderful hits that enriched my formative years, and who I still enjoy listening to today. "Walk Don't Run" was the recording that brought the group to national prominence when it went to No. 2 on the charts. This performance, captured at the peak of the song's popularity nearly 55 years ago, features three of Leo Fender's most popular guitars: the Stratocaster, the Jazzmaster, and the Precision Bass. Enjoy...