A while back, I bought some new kitchen knives - the kind of knives you've seen advertised on tv late at night. A blade that cuts a rusty soda can in half, then carves a turkey without mutilating it, then slices a loaf of dry, crusty bread without leaving a crumb of...

"How long did it take you to learn that song?" my dad asked, referring to the piano piece I'd played that morning at church.  I was just visiting, but when the pastor saw me, he called on me to do what I have done thousands of times before - play the piano. I was...