Salvaging Old Coats Science Project

Some time back, I got a letter
from a high school student who
wanted to salvage old winter
coats as a science project.

I wrote back and made a suggestion.
I'm not sure that my suggestion
was all that good, quite frankly.

However here is what the student
wrote and here is how I replied:

How Does Insulation Work?

Perhaps someone out there has
a better idea than mine. Maybe
I should have suggested needle
and thread and left it at that.

It's not always clear to me what
the right trade-off is between the
pursuit of an ideal and practical
do-ability.

Ed Abbott

Stay Warm Withthe Right Winter Clothes

This is a new blog.

Got the following email
from someone in France.
The author of the email
was responding to this
article that I wrote some
time ago:

12 Tips to Help
You Choose Warm Clothes

Here's the email sent
to me from the man in France:

When I get up in the morning I would
like to slip into a warm multi
layered one piece tracksuit - a good
looking piece of house clothing -
so that I can mooch about having
my first early morning mug of tea
and sit at my computer for an hour
or so before thinking about getting
washed and dressed.

My house is too cold in the morning
during 6 months of winter for an
ordinary dressing gown, which is OK
for the summer. I put on several
layers - thermal vest (ski underwear),
tee-shirt and woolly jumper, tracksuit
bottoms, and then a dressing gown socks
and and slippers, which is ok - but
I'd prefer a well designed warm one-piece
jump suit - don't know what to call it -
which would be more practical.

Have you any idea if such garments
exist - a well designed tracksuit
piece of house clothing.- not
for outside use. It could be used
as well in the evening after a
bath or shower to relax during the
evening.

Closed around the neck, the wrists and
the ankles, with the option of a woolly
hood!

Anyone have any ideas? If so, you might
post below.

Kind regards,

Ed Abbott