(256) Smooth Operator

A few months ago I decided to add to my collection of Ryobi power tools by purchasing an electric planer and taking advantage of a big discount. For me it's a bit of an underused piece of kit but when there is a job for it I'm very impressed by the results. Today was such a day and I was happy to help out and trim down a new door which required 3mm taken off both sides. With the depth cut set to 1mm and the workpiece suitably clamped and stable it was a very straightforward process, requiring three passes on each edge to achieve the desired result.

Tonight's music isn't by Sade but by an English prog band, Big Big Train. The songwriter, the late David Longdon, was inspired to write the lyrics after reading about the conditions experienced by children working in 19th century mines. The extent to which technological advances have now eliminated the need for people to undertake such arduous and hazardous labour is admirable but, despite the wonders of our 'modern' world, it saddens me that what passes for progress now seems to be for the benefit of the privileged few and to the detriment of the many.