. . . cut once. It works so much better than the opposite. Similarly, assembly with the newish HurriQuake nail is best when done right the first time. [via Instapundit -> Volokh Conspiracy]

The company is selling every HurriQuake nail it produces and has been doubling production capacity every month. Although the nail is currently available only in the Gulf region (it adds about $15 to the cost of an average 2,000-square-foot house), the company is adding new production lines to meet nationwide demand. Meanwhile, the nail is getting rave reviews from building-technology experts.

“This is a major innovation,” says Tim Reinhold, director of engineering for the Institute for Business and Home Safety, an insurance-industry research group. “And in places that are affected by high winds and earthquakes, it looks like it’s going to make a big difference.”

Before I leave Clemson, I ask Schiff if he sees any downside to his protege’s invention. “Homeowners and insurance companies are going to love these nails,” he says. “But contractors are going to hate them, because when they make mistakes, it’s not a trivial thing to remove them. Once you nail something together, it’s going to stay together.

For an extra $15 bucks it seems that you get a structure far less likely to come apart under stress. This reminds me of some recent arguments by economists that we do not now measure economic well being correctly since innovations of this sort are ignored. Such innovations are also usually ignored by those doing projections of future damages and such.

The time, energy and resources being squandered by activists of various sorts seeking to use threats as wedges to advance their political agendas would be so much better spent if directed instead at the often homely details of our behaviors. That won't happen of course since they aren't actually interested in progress or improvement, just power. No matter. The innovations will happen anyway so long as our society is not stifled.