Gadgets and societal evolution (1 Viewer)

The_Doc_Man

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I'm going to switch discussions to cover a low-tech gadget that was ubiquitous when I was a kid, but modern times have left it as a distant memory. I refer to that simplest and most useful of tools ... the "church key." You know it as the bar of metal with a bottle-cap opener at one end and pointed canned-drink opener at the other end.

Now, you have twist-off bottle caps and pull-tab cans, leaving that simple but eminently practical and popular tool to rust away to nothing in the back of the kitchen "junk" drawer.

I miss simpler times. :eek:
 

pbaldy

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I used one last night! Not all beer bottles are twist-offs. ;)
 

Galaxiom

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I refer to that simplest and most useful of tools ... the "church key." You know it as the bar of metal with a bottle-cap opener at one end and pointed canned-drink opener at the other end.:eek:

Here is a link to the history of the Church Key with pictures. William Painter invented it two years after he invented the bottle cap. Must have been a frustrating couple of years. :rolleyes:

After such a glorious start to his career Painter went on to patent an ejector seat for passenger trains.:confused:

Aside from the bottle and can opener all built into the same end, one of ours also has prongs that hook onto the edge of a jar lid to lift it and break the vacuum seal. Can't find a photo online.

It is so simple and effective. I really wonder about all those silly jar tools that try to grip the edges of the lid to apply extra twist.

The thing is a family heirloom from the 1960s or earlier. It originally had a colourful painted wooden handle but all the paint has long gone.
 

AlanWeb

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I understand you very well because I also miss when everything was easy. But now is a different time and there is no place for simple technology. Unless you live in the woods of course. As for me, I prefer to use modern technology and I want to understand that I have the opportunity to work at home with , on the couch or if I want I can call at any time a friend on the other continent. You know what I mean?
 
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The_Doc_Man

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I used to be interested in archery. Not that I ever wanted to be "the great big-game hunter" or anything like that. But it was a fun activity. These days, with all of the new bows with compounding, pulleys, and counter-weight balancing, all I can say is "Holy Moley." The English bowmen at the battle of Agincourt (think Henry V) just had a simple long bow and long, straight arrows. That was all that was needed to make the place a bloody mess and turn the tide on that battle.
 

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