If you have eight hours to cut down a tree, it is best to spend six hours sharpening your axe and then two hours cutting down the tree.
Anonymous, on the benefits of having good tools
I digitize physical books. There are many advantages, including saving storage space (not to mention having it easier to move), having the books available all the time (thanks iPhone and iPad), and search functionality (where did I read … ah, there).
Usually this works without a hitch. Just cut off the spine, then send the pages through my document scanner, run OCR, that’s it.
Unless you don’t find the metal ruler and decide to replace it with a thick plastic clipboard. And use a dull cutter. (Seriously, any campaign to blunt knives — really bad idea.)
It worked the first few strokes, but then the knife jumped over the edge of the clipboard — right into my left thumb. And it bit fairly deep (luckily, there’s a nail and other more robust stuff within the thumb). Still, did bleed a lot, and wasn’t exactly comfortable.
Lesson learned: If you want to do something, don’t use shitty tools. Not even for a fairly thin book.
Outch.
(And yeah, fuck, fuck, fuck!)
