well, i feel about this desk of von's what probably some non-academia parents might feel about their child's dissertation: i don't understand it, nor can i pretend to appreciate it, but i know a lot of blood and sweat had been shed in its making, and it is said to be something impressive in the particular world von inhabits, and completed with all the special skills and inspiration requisite therein, and so i'm prepared to advertise it without personally recommending it. the bowls are another story: i recommend them enthusiastically and without the slightest sense of what it takes for him to make one, and if you wish to commission one while his beginner's luck still holds you can send him a lavish cheque at the usual address.