Draft – never published
This is an old favorite of mine that I’m glad to see survives in some form on the web. Close to 20 years ago, The Economist ran an article where they noted an interesting trend: https://web.archive.org/web/20181120231744/https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2006/03/16/the-cutting-edge
They noted that in it was over 70 years after King Gillette invented the disposable safety razor before marketing geniuses invented the Trac II, with two blades. Only slightly more than 20 years later, the triple-blade Mach3 debuted, followed shortly by the four-blade Quattro and even sooner by the 5-blade Fusion.
Where their analysis departs from the more pedestrian studies of the subject is the rigor with which they analyzed the trend. By two different curve-fitting methodologies, they found that at the very least, by a simple power law curve, by 2100 we’ll be shaving with 14-blade razors. However, by the best curve-fitting, the data appears to be hyperbolic, which proves we are actually approaching a singularity—meaning within just a handful of years [actually 4 years ago, as I post this in 2023 on my new site —Mike] we will all be shaving with the Infinity Razor.
I hope by then they make a styptic pencil big enough, because I tend to fuck up big time.
