The Three Day Rule

I have a similar "3 day rule".. If I can't find a tool, I know I have, I must wait at least 3 days before declaring it lost or buying a new one.

Steve

That seems like a pretty good rule but how to you get your work done. We have just moved and the garage/shop is not set up; can't find anything. Some days I don't even have a hammer and have to borrow SWMBO's princess hammer. Yes, It does have little bits of glitter all throught the transparent handle grip. Today the missing item was a cannon. I finally found it sitting on the desk in garage when I went looking for some scissors. Couldn't find any scissors though. Leigh at MarMachne

wrote

I finally found it sitting on the desk in garage when I went

Don't get me started on SO's tape measure, scissors, or box cutter. I would rather use knotted string, a piece of broken glass, or just go and buy another no matter how long it took, but not disturb those pink glitter covered tools of YouKnowWho.

Steve

I believe that is sub-paragraph 1 to the three day rule and it reads"you will not find anything that you are looking for but you will find everything else that you have looked for at any time in the past 6 months and couldn't find it when you absolutely needed it and now when you do not need it you will find it" And sub-paragraph 2 reads "when you were single you will not put nothing away but at anytime you need something you will find it among the "disorganized"mess within 30 seconds but now that your life is "organized" you will not find anything you need when you need it(refer to sub-paragraph 1) :-)

Sub-paragraph 2 (below) has a rational basis. Namely, that the items you use most will sort themselves near the top of the heap, being most often dropped there. So, by the law of averages, most times you go to the heap for something, what you want is now near the top. Now, how can I make a gazillion $$$ peddling that notion to database people? :-)

Seas> I believe that is sub-paragraph 1 to the three day rule and it reads"you

This has a similar rule associated with it, if you toss out *any* piece of stock that you've been tripping over for the past three years, you will need exactly that kind of material in that exact shape, inside of - you guessed it - three days!

jim

It's been done and is done all the time, just not in simple RDBs and pseudo-RDB products. Refer to Papa Knuth Vol. 3 Section 5.3.3 in which he gives some amusing and relevant quotes from the Rev. C. L. Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) in 1883. It describes an approach for finding the most-winning tennis player in a tournament, since talking about computers then would have been considered cheeky.

The "secret" to finding tools is simple: If you can't find the one(s) you need for the job at hand, simply start getting set up for a different job that doesn't require those "missing" [aka "hiding"] tools.

You won't find the second set of tools but you WILL find the first set!

Forget the knotted string. Just remember that a crisp dollar bill is about 6-1/8" long and a well wrinkled one shrinks down to damn close to 6".

Happy Holidays,

Jeff

Sure would be fun measuring 20 feet. Which brings me to an aside. Anyone use those laser tapes? I have one that I fool with, mostly when I don't need an accurate measurement. Have not tried them yet to see how accurate they REALLY are.

Will advise.

Steve

When I was much younger (and had much better memory), I would think back to where I was and what I was doing the last time I used an item, then resume the position and put my hand down onto the item in question. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

Final foolproof method for locating lost tool: buy another one. When done using it, put it away in a safe place so that you can find it next time. The original tool will be there waiting for you when you go to put the new one away.

The gospel truth.

I threw out a bunch of old tires after 10 years, and within weeks had to go to the dump to retrieve them for an odd project. Really spooky.

Yep. Know that one. And they all look pretty similar. Wrecked one trying to change a 9 inch angle grinder blade - not even sure if it was for that particular grinder, but it fitted. Solved the problem by buying a decent adjustable pin wrench, keep it in its orginal packet (so its nice and BIG) and problem solved......but your right, have a drawer full of other ones for gawd know what - besides, its a mortal sin to throw away a tool anyway....... still got a wrench that came with my Grandfathers Model T......

Andrew VK3BFA.

Similar experience.

I had an old camper that I had been using for storage for many years. Finally cleaned it out, saving everything I "thought" I might need.

I loaded the camper on my trailer, hauled it to the salvage yard and paid $20 to drop it off (seems the aluminum value of the siding wasn't enough).

A month later, I realized I needed a microwave for my work shop (just to warm yesterdays coffee). Went back to the salvage yard, the camper was still sitting were we unloaded it, microwave still sitting on the counter. Cost of salvaged microwave, $20.

Steve

That can make ya go blind ya know?

Snarl... typing on a brail keyboard

Cannon?? You misplaced a cannon?? Reminds me of the line from Tremors,

Earl Bassett: What kind of fuse is that? Burt Gummer: Cannon fuse Earl Bassett: What the hell do you use it for? Burt Gummer: My cannon!

I just had an air pump grow legs with as a wheelbarrow tire deflated and of course its not convenineint near an air line either

revenge of the 3 day rule

Gee, I'd try not to move into a neighborhood requiring a cannon in the first few days... Maybe that's getting hard in California.

:)