TomD
There is a rule in shooting that you should determine when you are working on form, gear, whatever, and when you are actually shooting for score. There is a lack of discipline that comes from switching back and forth in a day at the range, without any real accountability to results. Maybe a better example would be the golf course and the driving range. One is for swing practice, the other is not normally where you go to practice your swing. I'm a big believer that in woodworking you make the most rapid progress when you do some actual practice, and try to do projects in a different frame of mind.

In woodworking we would benefit from knowing or considering when something is just for the pursuit of knowledge, and when it has some output purpose. But it is far too complex an activity to really set out the parameters. Guys like Derek are great examples because he has a huge inquisitiveness, but also a considerable output. Somehow he has it all together.

I only get annoyed when the research leads to an attitude that one must have whatever the latest or greatest is, which is almost always nonsense.