WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:00.140 --> 00:00:03.050 This is a story about innovation. 00:00:03.050 --> 00:00:07.266 And how sometimes an innovation can occur that to one person seems 00:00:07.266 --> 00:00:09.965 obviously better than the status quo, 00:00:09.965 --> 00:00:13.494 but others might view as frivolous and unnecessary - 00:00:13.494 --> 00:00:16.408 to the point that it goes completely unnoticed. 00:00:16.775 --> 00:00:20.772 Much of navigating life is an analysis of pros and cons, 00:00:20.772 --> 00:00:27.865 and part of what makes us unique as individuals is that our personal pros and cons lists are all, like, 00:00:28.147 --> 00:00:29.178 different! 00:00:29.178 --> 00:00:31.821 Something you think is a pro I might think is a con. 00:00:31.821 --> 00:00:34.392 Or maybe we both think something’s a con, 00:00:34.392 --> 00:00:37.148 but we put different weights on the same con 00:00:37.148 --> 00:00:40.372 which another agreed upon pro might outweigh for only one us! 00:00:40.372 --> 00:00:45.418 And maybe we don’t even know there’s something out there with a pro to the con. 00:00:47.253 --> 00:00:50.816 With that in mind, today we're going to look at a can opener. 00:00:50.816 --> 00:00:55.613 Yes, what better way to start 2022 than with a can opener. 00:00:55.613 --> 00:00:58.193 I certainly can't think of anything more ideal. 00:00:58.193 --> 00:01:01.106 Fun fact! Ever since I was a small child 00:01:01.106 --> 00:01:06.270 my parents had a Black & Becker electric can opener in the kitchen which was called 00:01:06.270 --> 00:01:08.509 “Grand Openings.” 00:01:09.102 --> 00:01:10.940 Maybe that's why I'm like this. 00:01:10.940 --> 00:01:15.501 Anyway, there has been a new kind of can opener since the 1980s which, 00:01:15.501 --> 00:01:19.161 while I know has found its way into pop culture at least one time 00:01:19.161 --> 00:01:21.903 (in an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond, for the record), 00:01:21.903 --> 00:01:27.577 seems to have largely languished away in the kitchen drawer of mild obscurities. 00:01:27.577 --> 00:01:29.304 This is what it looks like. 00:01:29.869 --> 00:01:32.786 Actually, yeah if you just handed, like, 00:01:32.786 --> 00:01:39.511 a can of beans over to someone and expected them, without instruction, to figure out how to open it with this thing… 00:01:39.511 --> 00:01:42.383 well I don't expect it would go over very well - 00:01:42.383 --> 00:01:45.451 even if they had prior can opener experience. 00:01:45.897 --> 00:01:48.080 I mean, there's no lever. 00:01:48.080 --> 00:01:49.450 There's no blade. 00:01:49.450 --> 00:01:54.200 It's just a handle with a twisty bit and a metal loop. 00:01:54.200 --> 00:01:56.580 Plus this weird little wheel thing. 00:01:56.975 --> 00:01:59.551 This does not seem helpful, but in fact, 00:01:59.551 --> 00:02:05.762 this can opener opens cans in a fundamentally different way than a typical can opener and, 00:02:05.762 --> 00:02:07.393 having used it for a while, 00:02:07.393 --> 00:02:13.935 I am surprised these haven't largely displaced the ordinary kind for several reasons. 00:02:13.935 --> 00:02:19.908 See, an ordinary can opener works by piercing the lid of a can and cutting through it. 00:02:19.908 --> 00:02:21.638 Let me show you how to use one. 00:02:21.638 --> 00:02:25.377 A very basic can opener might look something like this. 00:02:25.377 --> 00:02:30.626 It’s made of three basic parts - two metal handles which pivot against each other like pliers, 00:02:30.626 --> 00:02:34.846 and a toothed wheel which is rotated by this grip. 00:02:34.846 --> 00:02:42.171 The lower handle carries a blade with it that wraps around the other handle and slides just past the wheel. 00:02:42.171 --> 00:02:44.793 When you rest the blade on the edge of a can, 00:02:44.793 --> 00:02:49.307 squeezing the handles together brings that wheel up against the can’s rim, 00:02:49.307 --> 00:02:53.002 and if you squeeze hard enough, the blade will puncture the lid. 00:02:53.002 --> 00:02:56.262 And now, since the wheel has those sharp teeth on it, 00:02:56.262 --> 00:03:01.527 turning the grip while still squeezing the handles pulls the can back towards the blade, 00:03:01.527 --> 00:03:07.384 making a continuous cut around the edge of the lid until finally it returns to where it started, 00:03:07.384 --> 00:03:11.201 and the lid can be bent out of the way or removed entirely. 00:03:12.205 --> 00:03:13.830 [deahhh!] 00:03:13.830 --> 00:03:16.665 This design isn’t that easy to use, though, 00:03:16.665 --> 00:03:22.500 because you’re effectively plowing your way through a piece of sheet steel. 00:03:22.500 --> 00:03:25.405 An improved design uses a round cutting wheel 00:03:25.405 --> 00:03:30.510 which is turned along with the toothed friction wheel with these gears. 00:03:30.510 --> 00:03:34.869 This cuts through the lid with much less effort because the cutting wheel in effect 00:03:34.869 --> 00:03:41.350 works like a continual puncturing rather than just dragging a knife through the lid. 00:03:41.350 --> 00:03:47.047 However, the end result is pretty much the same - you end up with a hole in the can’s lid, 00:03:47.047 --> 00:03:51.982 and now what used to fill that hole presents a nice little bit of danger for you to deal with 00:03:51.982 --> 00:03:54.433 thanks to its sharp edges. 00:03:54.433 --> 00:03:58.061 That’s one of the primary things this design purports to fix. 00:03:58.061 --> 00:04:04.946 These are often sold as “safety can openers” because they can open a can without leaving sharp edges. 00:04:04.946 --> 00:04:09.980 And they do that by not attacking the lid itself, but its seam. 00:04:10.517 --> 00:04:16.251 Now, unsurprisingly, there are many deep rabbit holes you can choose to go down here if you like. 00:04:16.251 --> 00:04:20.530 The evolution of the can itself is its own fascinating story - 00:04:20.530 --> 00:04:24.703 did you know the can was invented decades before the can opener? 00:04:25.550 --> 00:04:29.972 Yeah, the earliest merchants of food sold in cans basically said 00:04:29.972 --> 00:04:31.511 “you figure it out!” 00:04:31.511 --> 00:04:36.459 and the first thing you might call a can opener actually came included with every can - 00:04:36.459 --> 00:04:43.464 often in the form of a key welded to the can which would then be used to aid in peeling away a section of it. 00:04:43.464 --> 00:04:47.945 Also there are many interesting and noteworthy can opener designs through the years, 00:04:47.945 --> 00:04:52.038 such as the pocket can openers used to open field rations. 00:04:52.038 --> 00:04:54.887 But aside from the prior few sentences, 00:04:54.887 --> 00:04:57.115 this video’s not addressing that history. 00:04:57.115 --> 00:05:01.160 From now on, assume a standard can in a frictionless vacuum. 00:05:01.160 --> 00:05:04.709 Modern cans are sealed not by welding or with solder 00:05:04.709 --> 00:05:07.242 (or "soulder" if you think the L is important). 00:05:07.242 --> 00:05:14.543 Rather, a fascinating little bit of engineering is done with the interface between the lid and the sides of the can. 00:05:14.543 --> 00:05:20.280 The ends of the can’s sides are folded over creating an upside down U-shape, 00:05:20.280 --> 00:05:26.677 and then the lid of the can is folded over that fold and then back up into it. 00:05:26.677 --> 00:05:34.269 This interlocking shape composed of five total layers is then clamped together in a special press called a can seamer, 00:05:34.269 --> 00:05:37.454 creating the double seam that we know and love. 00:05:38.234 --> 00:05:42.912 This works very well, and has been the standard can-sealing arrangement for many decades, 00:05:42.912 --> 00:05:48.470 not just in cans like these but also in beverage cans - although, in its own little bit of cleverness, 00:05:48.470 --> 00:05:55.696 the aluminum beverage can forgoes a second lid on the bottom for a single sides-and-bottom piece, 00:05:55.696 --> 00:06:00.165 with an inverted-dome shaped stamped into the bottom to give it strength. 00:06:00.165 --> 00:06:01.892 Sneaky little trick, that is. 00:06:01.892 --> 00:06:07.040 Anyway, for the most part, this seam is left intact when cans are opened - 00:06:07.040 --> 00:06:11.872 ordinary can openers do use the seam for the leverage necessary to puncture the can 00:06:11.872 --> 00:06:15.535 and for traction when pulling the can towards the cutting blade, 00:06:15.535 --> 00:06:16.812 but that’s about it. 00:06:16.812 --> 00:06:23.372 The seam remains in place, and you’re left with a can that has had a large hole made in its lid. 00:06:23.372 --> 00:06:27.115 This can opener, though, cuts not through the lid’s top 00:06:27.115 --> 00:06:29.893 but through the can’s double seam. 00:06:29.893 --> 00:06:34.092 This allows you to entirely remove the lid intact. 00:06:34.092 --> 00:06:36.934 And that’s why this thing looks so… 00:06:36.934 --> 00:06:38.003 odd. 00:06:38.003 --> 00:06:44.690 The actual cutting surface is part of this small wheel which rides around the edge of the can, 00:06:44.690 --> 00:06:50.166 and the knurled wheel sitting above and perpendicular to it turns with the crank handle. 00:06:50.166 --> 00:06:55.677 That wheel has threads on its insides and is attached to the crank handle through those threads, 00:06:55.677 --> 00:07:00.757 cleverly pulling the knurled wheel into the cutting wheel as the handle is turned. 00:07:00.757 --> 00:07:04.873 That creates continuous inward pressure against the cutting blade. 00:07:04.873 --> 00:07:06.149 Here’s how it works. 00:07:06.149 --> 00:07:09.786 It’s recommended that you first rotate the crank handle counterclockwise 00:07:09.786 --> 00:07:12.849 to ensure the turning wheel is extended outward. 00:07:12.849 --> 00:07:19.519 Once that’s done, you place the can opener on top of the can using the metal loop here as a guide to keep it level, 00:07:19.519 --> 00:07:23.431 and with the can’s rim landing between the two wheels. 00:07:24.476 --> 00:07:27.504 Then you simply start turning the crank. 00:07:27.504 --> 00:07:30.836 As you start, the turning wheel is pulled inward, 00:07:30.836 --> 00:07:33.871 clamping the can opener to the can’s seam. 00:07:33.871 --> 00:07:35.537 As you continue turning, 00:07:35.537 --> 00:07:37.715 the can is pulled through the opener 00:07:37.715 --> 00:07:40.019 while the cutting wheel makes a hallow cut 00:07:40.019 --> 00:07:42.436 into the seam near the top. 00:07:42.436 --> 00:07:47.452 A strange thing about this is that it doesn’t really look like you’re accomplishing anything at all, 00:07:47.452 --> 00:07:50.909 however once you’ve made it back to where you started, 00:07:50.909 --> 00:07:55.403 you can simply remove the opener and the lid simply comes right off 00:07:55.403 --> 00:07:58.368 without any drama at all. 00:07:58.368 --> 00:08:04.134 I don’t know about you, but to me this seems obviously and dramatically better! 00:08:04.134 --> 00:08:07.999 There is no squeezing force necessary to puncture the lid, 00:08:07.999 --> 00:08:11.032 the lid comes off intact and much more cleanly 00:08:11.032 --> 00:08:13.227 with no risk of falling into the can, 00:08:13.227 --> 00:08:20.835 and of course it is much safer to handle because the cut and thus sharp surface isn’t on its edge. 00:08:20.835 --> 00:08:25.423 It’s there, but because of the fact that it’s on the underside of the lid 00:08:25.423 --> 00:08:27.385 you’re not likely to be hurt by it. 00:08:27.385 --> 00:08:29.952 Same deal for the cut edge on the can. 00:08:29.952 --> 00:08:33.936 Additionally, because the cutting blade doesn’t ever enter the can, 00:08:33.936 --> 00:08:37.744 you never get bits of food juices anywhere on the can opener. 00:08:37.744 --> 00:08:39.671 It stays completely clean. 00:08:39.671 --> 00:08:43.104 You can also put the lid back on the can if you like, 00:08:43.104 --> 00:08:48.218 though of course not with any sort of positive seal so I suppose that’s not much of a benefit. 00:08:48.218 --> 00:08:52.305 However, probably my most appreciated benefit of this can opener 00:08:52.305 --> 00:08:58.376 is that de-lidding the can also makes getting its contents out much easier. 00:08:58.376 --> 00:09:05.169 Taking the lid off entirely means you aren’t fighting that little rim left by ordinary can openers. 00:09:05.169 --> 00:09:10.628 In fact, I’ve started using this to open certain cans with pull-tops for this reason. 00:09:10.628 --> 00:09:15.623 Like, for instance, when my inner six-year-old wants his Chef Boyardee. 00:09:16.357 --> 00:09:17.691 Seriously, the ravioli? 00:09:17.691 --> 00:09:19.137 It just slides out! 00:09:19.137 --> 00:09:20.652 It doesn’t get stuck at the edge of the - 00:09:21.471 --> 00:09:24.090 oh right, like you don’t know exactly what I’m talking about, 00:09:24.090 --> 00:09:25.359 don’t kid yourselves. 00:09:25.359 --> 00:09:31.470 Anyway, I’ve also been opening cans of particularly chunky soups despite having pull-tops, 00:09:31.470 --> 00:09:36.280 though with these particular cans you actually have to open them from the bottom 00:09:36.280 --> 00:09:39.857 because they have a very tapered top for whatever reason 00:09:39.857 --> 00:09:43.019 and that interferes with this little guide piece. 00:09:43.019 --> 00:09:45.995 Though it also interferes with ordinary can openers, too. 00:09:45.995 --> 00:09:47.572 Maybe that’s intentional, but 00:09:47.572 --> 00:09:49.900 my boy Ardee didn’t feel the need. 00:09:49.900 --> 00:09:53.527 So what’s the downside of this design? 00:09:53.527 --> 00:09:55.665 Well, of course there is one. 00:09:55.665 --> 00:09:56.872 Perhaps two... 00:09:57.916 --> 00:09:58.860 Maybe three. 00:09:58.860 --> 00:10:03.664 Firstly and most definitely, while this is a lot easier to get started 00:10:03.664 --> 00:10:05.330 (at least in my opinion) 00:10:05.330 --> 00:10:10.912 the small wheel means you need to turn the crank… kind of a lot. 00:10:10.912 --> 00:10:14.019 It’s not very hard to turn, but it’s on the harder side. 00:10:14.019 --> 00:10:19.335 I think it’s easier than some can openers but progress is slower than you might be used to 00:10:19.335 --> 00:10:22.540 and so it definitely feels like it takes more effort. 00:10:22.540 --> 00:10:27.981 However, because it doesn't require squeezing force while you turn, 00:10:27.981 --> 00:10:31.576 I think it might be easier for many people, especially those with disabilities, 00:10:31.576 --> 00:10:36.599 but I also don’t want to speak for anyone and of course there are far more accessible options out there 00:10:36.599 --> 00:10:41.158 like the aforementioned electric openers, which are available in no-sharp-edges form. 00:10:41.525 --> 00:10:46.586 The second downside is gonna to be one of those things that either really matters to you 00:10:46.586 --> 00:10:50.799 or you just are aware of and so keep in the back of your head. 00:10:50.799 --> 00:10:56.819 Occasionally, the cutting action leaves teeny tiny… almost, like, threads of metal 00:10:56.819 --> 00:11:00.715 hanging off either the lid or the can itself. 00:11:00.715 --> 00:11:05.531 I’ve seen this happen, but frankly it doesn’t bother me in the slightest because, 00:11:05.531 --> 00:11:09.641 well, first of all, whatever little shreds might be left by the cutting wheel 00:11:09.641 --> 00:11:14.496 are on the outside of the can - they don’t actually make it into the tomato paste or whatever. 00:11:14.496 --> 00:11:20.330 But frankly, even if they did, well that doesn’t really feel like a catastrophe to me 00:11:20.330 --> 00:11:24.267 but looking at some reviews people have left for similar can openers 00:11:24.267 --> 00:11:28.516 that does freak some folks out so there’s your fair warning. 00:11:28.516 --> 00:11:32.642 Again, to me it seems like a non-issue, especially because if you want, 00:11:32.642 --> 00:11:37.194 you can just look for them and rub them off before you empty the can. 00:11:37.194 --> 00:11:43.696 The third downside is purely theoretical and that would be potentially spotty can compatibility. 00:11:43.696 --> 00:11:45.661 Or canpatibility. 00:11:45.661 --> 00:11:50.866 I didn’t even think this was an issue, and still kind of doubt it really is, frankly, 00:11:50.866 --> 00:11:56.130 but since these Chunky cans are foiling the opener on their top side, 00:11:56.130 --> 00:11:57.801 I thought I’d point it out. 00:11:57.801 --> 00:12:03.356 It’s worth noting that the patent for this design claims it can work even on square cans 00:12:03.356 --> 00:12:05.434 so long as they have rounded corners, 00:12:05.434 --> 00:12:10.046 and since practically all cans are made using a double-seam 00:12:10.046 --> 00:12:14.110 I don’t think there are many cases where this wouldn’t open a can, 00:12:14.110 --> 00:12:15.048 but ya know. 00:12:15.048 --> 00:12:20.333 Maybe your favorite tin of crushed pineapple from that boutique grocer you like will foil this thing. 00:12:20.333 --> 00:12:21.636 I don’t know. 00:12:21.636 --> 00:12:25.646 Now, despite the appearance that I’m pivoting the channel hard into the 00:12:25.646 --> 00:12:29.630 incredibly lucrative can opener review market… 00:12:29.630 --> 00:12:31.943 that’s not the point of the video. 00:12:31.943 --> 00:12:33.644 The point … 00:12:33.644 --> 00:12:36.158 well ok, it’s pretty esoteric, 00:12:36.158 --> 00:12:39.509 but why are these still so obscure? 00:12:39.509 --> 00:12:44.977 I mean, they were invented in the 1980’s and yet I had to make an effort to find this 00:12:44.977 --> 00:12:48.670 among the sea of other can opener options available in the store. 00:12:48.670 --> 00:12:52.972 You can tell this is still obscure because the packaging had printed instructions on it. 00:12:53.198 --> 00:12:55.535 None of the other can openers bother with that, 00:12:55.535 --> 00:12:59.323 they just expect someone to have taught you how to use a can opener. 00:12:59.323 --> 00:13:02.919 This one, though, it’s like “I'm gonna blow your mind!” 00:13:02.919 --> 00:13:07.221 Now, I can imagine that when it was first released and patent protected, 00:13:07.221 --> 00:13:10.766 maybe they were pretty expensive but now they can be had for less than $10. 00:13:11.246 --> 00:13:16.204 And, yeah they’re not super hard to find but they sure aren’t the default. 00:13:16.204 --> 00:13:20.964 Perhaps this just design doesn’t last as long as an ordinary can opener. 00:13:20.964 --> 00:13:24.981 But I gotta say that its cutting action seems, at least to me, 00:13:24.981 --> 00:13:29.338 far more gentle and less likely to wear down with each use 00:13:29.338 --> 00:13:32.564 so I kinda doubt that but I won’t rule it out. 00:13:32.564 --> 00:13:35.401 I think that mainly it’s just… 00:13:35.401 --> 00:13:40.685 can opener disruption isn’t a thing that crosses people’s minds all that much. 00:13:40.685 --> 00:13:43.962 For one thing, with the advent of pull-top cans, 00:13:43.962 --> 00:13:48.752 can openers are objectively less necessary than they used to be. 00:13:48.752 --> 00:13:52.327 I mean, I still need to use one perhaps weekly 00:13:52.327 --> 00:13:55.061 but I don’t think it’s the kitchen staple it once was, 00:13:55.061 --> 00:14:01.136 especially since there seems to be an ongoing cultural shunning of canned foods in general. 00:14:01.136 --> 00:14:05.003 Which your host thinks smells pretty classist, for the record. 00:14:05.003 --> 00:14:11.380 Food’s food, and non-perishable low-cost options are important to millions of people. 00:14:11.380 --> 00:14:13.552 Plus, two words - 00:14:13.552 --> 00:14:15.716 baked beans. 00:14:15.716 --> 00:14:19.353 Anyway, my judgmental feelings towards judgmental people aside, 00:14:19.353 --> 00:14:24.009 if I were to guess why this isn’t the default can opener by now, 00:14:24.009 --> 00:14:30.246 I would say that the can opener exists in most people’s imagination as a… 00:14:30.246 --> 00:14:31.798 fact of life. 00:14:31.798 --> 00:14:35.322 I mean, most things come with some sort of instructions 00:14:35.322 --> 00:14:39.655 but your typical manual can opener just doesn’t. 00:14:39.655 --> 00:14:41.076 It’s a can opener. 00:14:41.076 --> 00:14:44.818 Someone is supposed to have taught you how to use this at some point. 00:14:44.818 --> 00:14:49.057 And when you’ve lived your life knowing that cans get opened with one of these, 00:14:49.057 --> 00:14:51.433 and that the lid is gonna be sharp so be careful, 00:14:51.433 --> 00:14:54.276 and that while it might fall into can if you’re not paying attention 00:14:54.276 --> 00:14:56.473 you can always just choose to pay attention, 00:14:56.473 --> 00:15:00.753 a new-and-improved version may seem entirely superfluous. 00:15:00.753 --> 00:15:04.102 Especially when you probably already have a can opener. 00:15:04.102 --> 00:15:06.486 They’re not exactly a frequent purchase. 00:15:06.486 --> 00:15:11.951 Side-note, I often tout my Midwesternness because, having grown up here, 00:15:11.951 --> 00:15:16.436 I smugly think that the values imparted on me of making do with what you have 00:15:16.436 --> 00:15:20.242 and striving not for perfection but for adequacy 00:15:20.242 --> 00:15:22.373 are better than whatever your values are. 00:15:23.587 --> 00:15:24.876 I kid. 00:15:25.215 --> 00:15:25.715 Mostly. 00:15:25.715 --> 00:15:32.222 But, lately I’ve been discovering what I call "Toxic Midwesternininty" in myself and some of my friends. 00:15:32.222 --> 00:15:36.000 The general aversion towards spending time, effort, and 00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:40.463 especially money on things which could materially improve your life 00:15:40.463 --> 00:15:46.374 often causes folks like me to just accept a clearly sub-optimal situation as... 00:15:46.374 --> 00:15:47.545 Fine™. 00:15:47.545 --> 00:15:53.975 Like, for instance, a 60 year old wooden step ladder that’s way too old, rickety and wobbly 00:15:53.975 --> 00:15:57.766 to be trusted at this point, especially as one is getting on in years. 00:15:57.766 --> 00:16:01.561 Perhaps the purchase of a new step ladder is obviously warranted, 00:16:01.561 --> 00:16:06.827 but Toxic Midwesterninity will keep you from buying a new one because you already have a 00:16:06.827 --> 00:16:11.390 “perfectly good” step ladder but really it’s clearly dangerous at this point. 00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:14.836 That’s right, I’m calling you out Mr. C. 00:16:14.836 --> 00:16:16.569 Throw that thing away! 00:16:16.935 --> 00:16:18.941 Uh, why am I bringing this up? 00:16:18.941 --> 00:16:23.023 *snaps fingers* Right, because this feels adjacent to that phenomenon. 00:16:23.023 --> 00:16:28.657 Having lived my whole life expecting can openers to be a certain way, 00:16:28.657 --> 00:16:32.058 well I’ve simply never questioned their issues. 00:16:32.058 --> 00:16:36.126 And even though I knew a can opener existed which didn’t leave sharp edges 00:16:36.126 --> 00:16:38.627 (I did indeed see that episode of Raymond) 00:16:38.627 --> 00:16:43.524 never did I try to seek it out because, well, a can opener is a can opener. 00:16:43.524 --> 00:16:46.431 And I’m a big boy, I know how to handle sharp edges. 00:16:46.431 --> 00:16:52.259 I only got this because my cheap can opener has started getting really difficult to use, 00:16:52.259 --> 00:16:58.479 and when looking for a replacement I remembered that someone reminded me about the safety can opener 00:16:58.479 --> 00:17:01.084 and actually requested a video on it. 00:17:01.084 --> 00:17:05.948 Regretfully I have no idea who that was or even when that happened at this point, 00:17:05.948 --> 00:17:08.576 but it lodged in my brain enough to make me look for one 00:17:08.576 --> 00:17:09.579 and here we are! 00:17:10.003 --> 00:17:11.855 Wow, this video took a weird turn. 00:17:12.392 --> 00:17:15.213 Is there a technology connection to be found here? 00:17:16.286 --> 00:17:19.400 Well… I suppose it’s more of a social commentary connection, 00:17:19.400 --> 00:17:23.753 but this can opener has led me to ask a pretty deep question; 00:17:24.600 --> 00:17:28.224 What else might we be using or doing in day-to-day life 00:17:28.224 --> 00:17:32.872 which we just assume is how things are and never question? 00:17:34.199 --> 00:17:36.060 That’s a deep line of inquiry, isn’t it? 00:17:36.060 --> 00:17:39.419 You can choose to go as deep as you’d like but I’ll just pull us back from that precipice 00:17:39.419 --> 00:17:41.619 and focus on technologies. 00:17:41.619 --> 00:17:48.372 I think it’s very normal and useful to be cynical towards what purports to be technological progress. 00:17:48.372 --> 00:17:53.616 There are plenty of instances where tried-and-true, simple techniques are, frankly, 00:17:53.616 --> 00:17:56.279 Fine™ if not superior. 00:17:56.279 --> 00:17:59.112 And a lot of what we’re sold as new and exciting 00:17:59.112 --> 00:18:02.170 turns out to be a gimmick if we’re lucky. 00:18:02.170 --> 00:18:06.337 It’s very easy to overcomplicate things in the name of the new, 00:18:06.337 --> 00:18:11.244 and understandably that can make us skeptical of innovation full stop. 00:18:11.244 --> 00:18:12.523 The trouble is, though, 00:18:12.523 --> 00:18:16.334 if you make the assumption that there aren’t improvements to be made, 00:18:16.334 --> 00:18:18.406 you may not ever look for them 00:18:18.406 --> 00:18:24.741 and indeed can miss a lot of progress that is happening around you while you aren't paying attention. 00:18:24.741 --> 00:18:30.429 Even something as simple as a can opener has had a profound change made to its design that, 00:18:30.429 --> 00:18:33.741 to me, has improved my life in a surprising 00:18:33.741 --> 00:18:37.597 (if admittedly small in the grand scheme) way. 00:18:37.597 --> 00:18:41.386 Yet… not a lot of people seem to have noticed it. 00:18:41.386 --> 00:18:45.404 Perhaps I’m wrong and many of you have used these and you can’t stand them. 00:18:45.404 --> 00:18:49.720 But seeing how there was just this one option in the store 00:18:49.720 --> 00:18:54.478 among well over a dozen standard designs of various quality and colors, 00:18:55.438 --> 00:18:57.681 I’m thinking this remains pretty obscure. 00:18:57.681 --> 00:19:00.316 And as I’ve said (and hopefully demonstrated), 00:19:00.316 --> 00:19:05.855 I find this far superior in nearly all aspects as a can opener. 00:19:05.855 --> 00:19:09.973 I opened this video by saying that part of what makes us individuals 00:19:09.973 --> 00:19:13.959 is that our own pros and cons lists are unique. 00:19:13.959 --> 00:19:15.517 I still think that’s true - 00:19:15.517 --> 00:19:22.067 and maybe many of you will have watched this video and found this can opener to be entirely unextraordinary. 00:19:22.846 --> 00:19:25.288 I mean it is just a can opener after all. 00:19:25.288 --> 00:19:31.335 But I think we also owe it to ourselves to at least periodically reassess our thoughts on, 00:19:31.335 --> 00:19:33.366 well, pretty much anything. 00:19:33.366 --> 00:19:37.249 I have routinely run into people who, for instance, 00:19:37.249 --> 00:19:44.510 had a bad experience with a heat pump 20 years ago and dread the push for them now based on that fact. 00:19:44.510 --> 00:19:47.234 But… 20 years have passed! 00:19:47.234 --> 00:19:50.403 They’ve gotten better in that time, I promise you. 00:19:50.403 --> 00:19:53.728 But unless you actively take a look, 00:19:53.728 --> 00:19:55.459 you may have never realized it. 00:19:55.459 --> 00:20:00.254 And if you didn’t like what you saw 20 years ago, you probably stopped caring to look. 00:20:00.634 --> 00:20:03.549 That’s just one example, but the idea remains the same. 00:20:03.549 --> 00:20:05.091 Be it a can opener. 00:20:05.091 --> 00:20:05.990 A heat pump. 00:20:05.990 --> 00:20:07.026 A software package. 00:20:07.026 --> 00:20:08.750 A washing machine. 00:20:08.750 --> 00:20:13.372 We seem to really struggle with the notion of “well that’s just how things are” 00:20:13.372 --> 00:20:17.112 or sometimes worse “that’s just how things SHOULD be” 00:20:17.112 --> 00:20:20.868 and rarely question whether that’s true, or right. 00:20:20.868 --> 00:20:25.680 If I can find myself baffled by my ignorance of a simple can opener, 00:20:25.680 --> 00:20:30.356 imagine what else in this world is actually worthy of disruption. 00:20:30.356 --> 00:20:37.076 But I think equally important is that sometimes it’s not actually the thing itself that needs disrupting, 00:20:37.076 --> 00:20:39.602 but the ways we think about it. 00:20:39.602 --> 00:20:41.434 Thanks for watching. 00:20:42.198 --> 00:20:44.808 ♫ piercingly smooth jazz ♫ 00:20:46.234 --> 00:20:50.400 …but we put different weights on the same con which another agreed apron pro… 00:20:50.400 --> 00:20:51.406 eugh 00:20:51.406 --> 00:20:55.137 Ever since I was as small child, my parents had a black and white… 00:20:55.137 --> 00:20:56.294 noeu neugh. 00:20:56.294 --> 00:20:58.022 Black and decker. 00:20:58.022 --> 00:20:59.976 ...my parents had a black and w… 00:20:59.976 --> 00:21:01.511 I did it again! 00:21:01.511 --> 00:21:04.503 These are often sold as safe… 00:21:04.503 --> 00:21:07.252 [intense thoughts of disappointment] 00:21:07.252 --> 00:21:08.050 Argh! 00:21:08.050 --> 00:21:12.785 And they do that by not attacking the c… [more disappointment] 00:21:12.785 --> 00:21:15.931 Because the cutting wheel is in effect… oops! 00:21:16.157 --> 00:21:22.847 Lately I’ve been discovering what I call “toxic midwesternininin…" sigh 00:21:22.847 --> 00:21:26.732 Such as the pocket can openers used to open field rations. 00:21:26.732 --> 00:21:28.120 But es *belch*. 00:21:28.120 --> 00:21:30.573 Well, that takes care of that! 00:21:34.188 --> 00:21:37.108 This video really opens up a can of worms, doesn't it? 00:21:37.108 --> 00:21:39.315 I mean, it's poking some holes in my thought processes. 00:21:39.315 --> 00:21:42.234 It seams like a good idea to reflect on this stuff more stuff more often. 00:21:44.013 --> 00:21:45.973 Baked beans. 00:21:45.973 --> 00:21:47.702 Oh crap I forgot to do the audio fade-out!