‘Best’ is context bound. If you can’t use it properly, it simply isn’t the best choice and shouldn’t be used
Like a hammer is better than a spoon for driving a screw but neither of them are the tool for the job
I’ve heard this comparison so many times I ran some experiments. A number 8 1.5" coated decking screw inserted into two one by pine boards through the grain by a hammer holds about half as well as one inserted using a screwdriver. One hit to drive the screw is better than several, but a two hit approach (one to set the angle of the screw tip, the second to send it home) was most reliable. Drilling a pilot hole before hammering improves things pretty significantly, up towards 3/4 of the holding power of a driver driven screw.
On the other hand, even very slight misalignment between the hammer swing and the screw can result in failure, and the board was always more damaged by a hammer inserted screw.
A spoon is not a screwdriver though. It will function as one for a flathead, but if it’s a phillips or robbie you’re shit out of luck, a hammer will still drive those (poorly)
Depends on the drive of the screw; if it’s a flathead, the spoon is probably better
You could use them together by using the spoon to put torque on the screw while hammering it in
I’m amazed and delighted that Ukrainian troops have managed to occupy a part of Russia for so long. I thought they would be driven out in a day or two. This is pathetic (and hilarious). It reminds me of the early days of the war, when Russia thought they would take Kyiv in less than a week.
It just drives the point more that the Russian military is nowhere near the level the rest of the world thought it was.
Russia should have easily had air superiority within a day and been able to run through to Kyiv in a week. Especially with the build up on the border leading up to the invasion.
It also brings into question their overall nuclear capability. Like whether they’re capable of MAD-level deterrence anymore. Even though it only takes a few nukes to destroy everything anyway, their massive stockpiles have likely deteriorated irreparably over the last 30-40 years and they’ve been lying to themselves in reports so no one had to take any blame.
If I was a corrupt Russian general, embezzling funds meant for nuclear deterrence upkeep would be a pretty safe bet since they are the weapons least likely to ever be used and thus least likely to be found out.
Add to that the old KBG mentality of separate realities. Official reports list X for propaganda purposes and for spies to get misinformation, and when the real numbers are needed it goes through a different process so they can make actual military plans.
It’s my opinion that this historical Soviet system is why Russia’s planned invasion of Ukraine was so far from reality. Topped with the personal corruption from oligarchs and generals as the cherry on top.
Non paywall linky:
Dude, my brother did this to me all the time. “Don’t hit yourself!” while he’d make me slap myself. I’m glad Ukraine can do the same.
