1
00:00:00,140 --> 00:00:03,050
This is a story about innovation.

2
00:00:03,050 --> 00:00:07,266
And how sometimes an innovation can occur
that to one person seems

3
00:00:07,266 --> 00:00:09,965
obviously better than the status quo,

4
00:00:09,965 --> 00:00:13,494
but others might view as frivolous and unnecessary -

5
00:00:13,494 --> 00:00:16,408
to the point that it goes completely unnoticed.

6
00:00:16,775 --> 00:00:20,772
Much of navigating life is an analysis of pros and cons,

7
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,

8
00:00:28,147 --> 00:00:29,178
different!

9
00:00:29,178 --> 00:00:31,821
Something you think is a pro I might think is a con.

10
00:00:31,821 --> 00:00:34,392
Or maybe we both think something’s a con,

11
00:00:34,392 --> 00:00:37,148
but we put different weights on the same con

12
00:00:37,148 --> 00:00:40,372
which another agreed upon pro might outweigh for only one us!

13
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.

14
00:00:47,253 --> 00:00:50,816
With that in mind, today we're going to look at a can opener.

15
00:00:50,816 --> 00:00:55,613
Yes, what better way to start 2022 than with a can opener.

16
00:00:55,613 --> 00:00:58,193
I certainly can't think of anything more ideal.

17
00:00:58,193 --> 00:01:01,106
Fun fact!
Ever since I was a small child

18
00:01:01,106 --> 00:01:06,270
my parents had a Black & Becker electric can opener in the kitchen which was called

19
00:01:06,270 --> 00:01:08,509
“Grand Openings.”

20
00:01:09,102 --> 00:01:10,940
Maybe that's why I'm like this.

21
00:01:10,940 --> 00:01:15,501
Anyway, there has been a new kind of can opener since the 1980s which,

22
00:01:15,501 --> 00:01:19,161
while I know has found its way into pop culture at least one time

23
00:01:19,161 --> 00:01:21,903
(in an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond, for the record),

24
00:01:21,903 --> 00:01:27,577
seems to have largely languished
away in the kitchen drawer of mild obscurities.

25
00:01:27,577 --> 00:01:29,304
This is what it looks like.

26
00:01:29,869 --> 00:01:32,786
Actually, yeah if you just handed, like,

27
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…

28
00:01:39,511 --> 00:01:42,383
well I don't expect it would go over very well -

29
00:01:42,383 --> 00:01:45,451
even if they had prior can opener experience.

30
00:01:45,897 --> 00:01:48,080
I mean, there's no lever.

31
00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:49,450
There's no blade.

32
00:01:49,450 --> 00:01:54,200
It's just a handle with a twisty bit and a
metal loop.

33
00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:56,580
Plus this weird little wheel thing.

34
00:01:56,975 --> 00:01:59,551
This does not seem helpful, but in fact,

35
00:01:59,551 --> 00:02:05,762
this can opener opens cans in a fundamentally different way than a typical can opener and,

36
00:02:05,762 --> 00:02:07,393
having used it for a while,

37
00:02:07,393 --> 00:02:13,935
I am surprised these haven't largely displaced the ordinary kind
for several reasons.

38
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.

39
00:02:19,908 --> 00:02:21,638
Let me show you how to use one.

40
00:02:21,638 --> 00:02:25,377
A very basic can opener might look something like this.

41
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,

42
00:02:30,626 --> 00:02:34,846
and a toothed wheel which is rotated
by this grip.

43
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.

44
00:02:42,171 --> 00:02:44,793
When you rest the blade on the edge of a can,

45
00:02:44,793 --> 00:02:49,307
squeezing the handles together brings that wheel up against the can’s rim,

46
00:02:49,307 --> 00:02:53,002
and if you squeeze hard enough, the blade will puncture the lid.

47
00:02:53,002 --> 00:02:56,262
And now, since the wheel has those sharp teeth on it,

48
00:02:56,262 --> 00:03:01,527
turning the grip while still squeezing the handles pulls the can back towards the blade,

49
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,

50
00:03:07,384 --> 00:03:11,201
and the lid can be bent out of the way or removed entirely.

51
00:03:12,205 --> 00:03:13,830
[deahhh!]

52
00:03:13,830 --> 00:03:16,665
This design isn’t that easy to use, though,

53
00:03:16,665 --> 00:03:22,500
because you’re effectively plowing your way through a piece of sheet steel.

54
00:03:22,500 --> 00:03:25,405
An improved design uses a round cutting wheel

55
00:03:25,405 --> 00:03:30,510
which is turned along with the toothed friction wheel with these gears.

56
00:03:30,510 --> 00:03:34,869
This cuts through the lid with much less effort
because the cutting wheel in effect

57
00:03:34,869 --> 00:03:41,350
works like a continual puncturing rather than just dragging a knife through the lid.

58
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,

59
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

60
00:03:51,982 --> 00:03:54,433
thanks to its sharp edges.

61
00:03:54,433 --> 00:03:58,061
That’s one of the primary things this design purports to fix.

62
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.

63
00:04:04,946 --> 00:04:09,980
And they do that by not attacking the lid itself, 
but its seam.

64
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.

65
00:04:16,251 --> 00:04:20,530
The evolution of the can itself is its own
fascinating story -

66
00:04:20,530 --> 00:04:24,703
did you know the can was invented 
decades before the can opener?

67
00:04:25,550 --> 00:04:29,972
Yeah, the earliest merchants of food sold in cans basically said

68
00:04:29,972 --> 00:04:31,511
“you figure it out!”

69
00:04:31,511 --> 00:04:36,459
and the first thing you might call a can opener actually came included with every can -

70
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.

71
00:04:43,464 --> 00:04:47,945
Also there are many interesting and noteworthy
can opener designs through the years,

72
00:04:47,945 --> 00:04:52,038
such as the pocket can openers used to open field rations.

73
00:04:52,038 --> 00:04:54,887
But aside from the prior few sentences,

74
00:04:54,887 --> 00:04:57,115
this video’s not addressing that history.

75
00:04:57,115 --> 00:05:01,160
From now on, assume a standard can in a frictionless vacuum.

76
00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:04,709
Modern cans are sealed not by welding or with solder

77
00:05:04,709 --> 00:05:07,242
(or "soulder" if you think the L is important).

78
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.

79
00:05:14,543 --> 00:05:20,280
The ends of the can’s sides are folded over creating an upside down U-shape,

80
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.

81
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,

82
00:05:34,269 --> 00:05:37,454
creating the double seam that we know and love.

83
00:05:38,234 --> 00:05:42,912
This works very well, and has been the standard can-sealing arrangement for many decades,

84
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,

85
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,

86
00:05:55,696 --> 00:06:00,165
with an inverted-dome shaped stamped into the bottom to give it strength.

87
00:06:00,165 --> 00:06:01,892
Sneaky little trick, that is.

88
00:06:01,892 --> 00:06:07,040
Anyway, for the most part, 
this seam is left intact when cans are opened -

89
00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:11,872
ordinary can openers do use the seam for the leverage necessary to puncture the can

90
00:06:11,872 --> 00:06:15,535
and for traction when pulling the can towards the cutting blade,

91
00:06:15,535 --> 00:06:16,812
but that’s about it.

92
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.

93
00:06:23,372 --> 00:06:27,115
This can opener, though, cuts not through the lid’s top

94
00:06:27,115 --> 00:06:29,893
but through the can’s double seam.

95
00:06:29,893 --> 00:06:34,092
This allows you to entirely remove the lid intact.

96
00:06:34,092 --> 00:06:36,934
And that’s why this thing looks so…

97
00:06:36,934 --> 00:06:38,003
odd.

98
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,

99
00:06:44,690 --> 00:06:50,166
and the knurled wheel sitting above
and perpendicular to it turns with the crank handle.

100
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,

101
00:06:55,677 --> 00:07:00,757
cleverly pulling the knurled wheel
into the cutting wheel as the handle is turned.

102
00:07:00,757 --> 00:07:04,873
That creates continuous inward pressure against the cutting blade.

103
00:07:04,873 --> 00:07:06,149
Here’s how it works.

104
00:07:06,149 --> 00:07:09,786
It’s recommended that you first rotate the crank handle counterclockwise

105
00:07:09,786 --> 00:07:12,849
to ensure the turning wheel is extended outward.

106
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,

107
00:07:19,519 --> 00:07:23,431
and with the can’s rim landing between the two wheels.

108
00:07:24,476 --> 00:07:27,504
Then you simply start turning the crank.

109
00:07:27,504 --> 00:07:30,836
As you start, the turning wheel is pulled inward,

110
00:07:30,836 --> 00:07:33,871
clamping the can opener to the can’s seam.

111
00:07:33,871 --> 00:07:35,537
As you continue turning,

112
00:07:35,537 --> 00:07:37,715
the can is pulled through the opener

113
00:07:37,715 --> 00:07:40,019
while the cutting wheel makes a hallow cut

114
00:07:40,019 --> 00:07:42,436
into the seam near the top.

115
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,

116
00:07:47,452 --> 00:07:50,909
however once you’ve made it back
to where you started,

117
00:07:50,909 --> 00:07:55,403
you can simply remove the opener and the lid simply comes right off

118
00:07:55,403 --> 00:07:58,368
without any drama at all.

119
00:07:58,368 --> 00:08:04,134
I don’t know about you, but to me this seems obviously and dramatically better!

120
00:08:04,134 --> 00:08:07,999
There is no squeezing force necessary to puncture the lid,

121
00:08:07,999 --> 00:08:11,032
the lid comes off intact and much more cleanly

122
00:08:11,032 --> 00:08:13,227
with no risk of falling into the can,

123
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.

124
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

125
00:08:25,423 --> 00:08:27,385
you’re not likely to be hurt by it.

126
00:08:27,385 --> 00:08:29,952
Same deal for the cut edge on the can.

127
00:08:29,952 --> 00:08:33,936
Additionally, because the cutting blade
 doesn’t ever enter the can,

128
00:08:33,936 --> 00:08:37,744
you never get bits of food juices anywhere on the can opener.

129
00:08:37,744 --> 00:08:39,671
It stays completely clean.

130
00:08:39,671 --> 00:08:43,104
You can also put the lid back on the can if you like,

131
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.

132
00:08:48,218 --> 00:08:52,305
However, probably my most appreciated benefit of this can opener

133
00:08:52,305 --> 00:08:58,376
is that de-lidding the can also makes getting its contents out much easier.

134
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.

135
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.

136
00:09:10,628 --> 00:09:15,623
Like, for instance, when my inner six-year-old wants his 
Chef Boyardee.

137
00:09:16,357 --> 00:09:17,691
Seriously, the ravioli?

138
00:09:17,691 --> 00:09:19,137
It just slides out!

139
00:09:19,137 --> 00:09:20,652
It doesn’t get stuck at the edge of the -

140
00:09:21,471 --> 00:09:24,090
oh right, like you don’t know exactly what I’m talking about,

141
00:09:24,090 --> 00:09:25,359
don’t kid yourselves.

142
00:09:25,359 --> 00:09:31,470
Anyway, I’ve also been opening cans of particularly chunky soups despite having pull-tops,

143
00:09:31,470 --> 00:09:36,280
though with these particular cans you actually have to open them from the bottom

144
00:09:36,280 --> 00:09:39,857
because they have a very tapered top for whatever reason

145
00:09:39,857 --> 00:09:43,019
and that interferes with this little guide piece.

146
00:09:43,019 --> 00:09:45,995
Though it also interferes with ordinary can openers, too.

147
00:09:45,995 --> 00:09:47,572
Maybe that’s intentional, but

148
00:09:47,572 --> 00:09:49,900
my boy Ardee didn’t feel the need.

149
00:09:49,900 --> 00:09:53,527
So what’s the downside of this design?

150
00:09:53,527 --> 00:09:55,665
Well, of course there is one.

151
00:09:55,665 --> 00:09:56,872
Perhaps two...

152
00:09:57,916 --> 00:09:58,860
Maybe three.

153
00:09:58,860 --> 00:10:03,664
Firstly and most definitely, while this is
a lot easier to get started

154
00:10:03,664 --> 00:10:05,330
(at least in my opinion)

155
00:10:05,330 --> 00:10:10,912
the small wheel means you need to
turn the crank… kind of a lot.

156
00:10:10,912 --> 00:10:14,019
It’s not very hard to turn, but it’s on
the harder side.

157
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

158
00:10:19,335 --> 00:10:22,540
and so it definitely feels like it takes
more effort.

159
00:10:22,540 --> 00:10:27,981
However, because it doesn't require squeezing force while you turn,

160
00:10:27,981 --> 00:10:31,576
I think it might be easier for many people,
especially those with disabilities,

161
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

162
00:10:36,599 --> 00:10:41,158
like the aforementioned electric openers, which are available in no-sharp-edges form.

163
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

164
00:10:46,586 --> 00:10:50,799
or you just are aware of and so keep in
the back of your head.

165
00:10:50,799 --> 00:10:56,819
Occasionally, the cutting action leaves teeny tiny… 
almost, like, threads of metal

166
00:10:56,819 --> 00:11:00,715
hanging off either the lid or the can itself.

167
00:11:00,715 --> 00:11:05,531
I’ve seen this happen, 
but frankly it doesn’t bother me in the slightest because,

168
00:11:05,531 --> 00:11:09,641
well, first of all, whatever little shreds might be left by the cutting wheel

169
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.

170
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

171
00:11:20,330 --> 00:11:24,267
but looking at some reviews people have left for similar can openers

172
00:11:24,267 --> 00:11:28,516
that does freak some folks out so there’s your fair warning.

173
00:11:28,516 --> 00:11:32,642
Again, to me it seems like a non-issue, 
especially because if you want,

174
00:11:32,642 --> 00:11:37,194
you can just look for them and rub them off
before you empty the can.

175
00:11:37,194 --> 00:11:43,696
The third downside is purely theoretical and that would be potentially spotty can compatibility.

176
00:11:43,696 --> 00:11:45,661
Or canpatibility.

177
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,

178
00:11:50,866 --> 00:11:56,130
but since these Chunky cans are foiling the opener on their top side,

179
00:11:56,130 --> 00:11:57,801
I thought I’d point it out.

180
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

181
00:12:03,356 --> 00:12:05,434
so long as they have rounded corners,

182
00:12:05,434 --> 00:12:10,046
and since practically all cans are made using a double-seam

183
00:12:10,046 --> 00:12:14,110
I don’t think there are many
cases where this wouldn’t open a can,

184
00:12:14,110 --> 00:12:15,048
but ya know.

185
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.

186
00:12:20,333 --> 00:12:21,636
I don’t know.

187
00:12:21,636 --> 00:12:25,646
Now, despite the appearance that I’m pivoting the channel hard into the

188
00:12:25,646 --> 00:12:29,630
incredibly lucrative can opener review market…

189
00:12:29,630 --> 00:12:31,943
that’s not the point of the video.

190
00:12:31,943 --> 00:12:33,644
The point …

191
00:12:33,644 --> 00:12:36,158
well ok, it’s pretty esoteric,

192
00:12:36,158 --> 00:12:39,509
but why are these still so obscure?

193
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

194
00:12:44,977 --> 00:12:48,670
among the sea of other can opener 
options available in the store.

195
00:12:48,670 --> 00:12:52,972
You can tell this is still obscure because the packaging
had printed instructions on it.

196
00:12:53,198 --> 00:12:55,535
None of the other can openers bother with that,

197
00:12:55,535 --> 00:12:59,323
they just expect someone 
to have taught you how to use a can opener.

198
00:12:59,323 --> 00:13:02,919
This one, though, it’s like 
“I'm gonna blow your mind!”

199
00:13:02,919 --> 00:13:07,221
Now, I can imagine that when it was first released 
and patent protected,

200
00:13:07,221 --> 00:13:10,766
maybe they were pretty expensive
but now they can be had for less than $10.

201
00:13:11,246 --> 00:13:16,204
And, yeah they’re not super hard to find but they sure aren’t the default.

202
00:13:16,204 --> 00:13:20,964
Perhaps this just design doesn’t last as long as an ordinary can opener.

203
00:13:20,964 --> 00:13:24,981
But I gotta say that its cutting action seems, at least to me,

204
00:13:24,981 --> 00:13:29,338
far more gentle and less likely to wear down with each use

205
00:13:29,338 --> 00:13:32,564
so I kinda doubt that but I won’t rule it out.

206
00:13:32,564 --> 00:13:35,401
I think that mainly it’s just…

207
00:13:35,401 --> 00:13:40,685
can opener disruption isn’t a thing that
crosses people’s minds all that much.

208
00:13:40,685 --> 00:13:43,962
For one thing, with the advent of pull-top cans,

209
00:13:43,962 --> 00:13:48,752
can openers are objectively less necessary than they used to be.

210
00:13:48,752 --> 00:13:52,327
I mean, I still need to use one perhaps weekly

211
00:13:52,327 --> 00:13:55,061
but I don’t think it’s the kitchen staple it once was,

212
00:13:55,061 --> 00:14:01,136
especially since there seems
to be an ongoing cultural shunning of canned foods in general.

213
00:14:01,136 --> 00:14:05,003
Which your host thinks smells pretty classist, for the record.

214
00:14:05,003 --> 00:14:11,380
Food’s food, and non-perishable low-cost options are important to millions of people.

215
00:14:11,380 --> 00:14:13,552
Plus, two words -

216
00:14:13,552 --> 00:14:15,716
baked beans.

217
00:14:15,716 --> 00:14:19,353
Anyway, my judgmental feelings
towards judgmental people aside,

218
00:14:19,353 --> 00:14:24,009
if I were to guess why this isn’t the default can opener by now,

219
00:14:24,009 --> 00:14:30,246
I would say that the can opener exists in most people’s imagination as a…

220
00:14:30,246 --> 00:14:31,798
fact of life.

221
00:14:31,798 --> 00:14:35,322
I mean, most things come with some sort of instructions

222
00:14:35,322 --> 00:14:39,655
but your typical manual can opener just doesn’t.

223
00:14:39,655 --> 00:14:41,076
It’s a can opener.

224
00:14:41,076 --> 00:14:44,818
Someone is supposed to have taught you how to use this at some point.

225
00:14:44,818 --> 00:14:49,057
And when you’ve lived your life knowing that cans get opened with one of these,

226
00:14:49,057 --> 00:14:51,433
and that the lid is gonna be sharp so be careful,

227
00:14:51,433 --> 00:14:54,276
and that while it might fall into can if you’re not paying attention

228
00:14:54,276 --> 00:14:56,473
you can always just choose
to pay attention,

229
00:14:56,473 --> 00:15:00,753
a new-and-improved version may seem entirely superfluous.

230
00:15:00,753 --> 00:15:04,102
Especially when you probably already have a can opener.

231
00:15:04,102 --> 00:15:06,486
They’re not exactly a frequent purchase.

232
00:15:06,486 --> 00:15:11,951
Side-note, I often tout my Midwesternness
because, having grown up here,

233
00:15:11,951 --> 00:15:16,436
I smugly think that the values imparted on me of making do with what you have

234
00:15:16,436 --> 00:15:20,242
and striving not for perfection but for adequacy

235
00:15:20,242 --> 00:15:22,373
are better than whatever your values are.

236
00:15:23,587 --> 00:15:24,876
I kid.

237
00:15:25,215 --> 00:15:25,715
Mostly.

238
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.

239
00:15:32,222 --> 00:15:36,000
The general aversion towards spending time, effort, and

240
00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:40,463
especially money on things which could materially improve your life

241
00:15:40,463 --> 00:15:46,374
often causes folks like me to just accept 
a clearly sub-optimal situation as...

242
00:15:46,374 --> 00:15:47,545
Fine™.

243
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

244
00:15:53,975 --> 00:15:57,766
to be trusted at this point, especially as
one is getting on in years.

245
00:15:57,766 --> 00:16:01,561
Perhaps the purchase of a new step ladder is obviously warranted,

246
00:16:01,561 --> 00:16:06,827
but Toxic Midwesterninity will keep you from buying a new one because you already have a

247
00:16:06,827 --> 00:16:11,390
“perfectly good” step ladder 
but really it’s clearly dangerous at this point.

248
00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:14,836
That’s right, I’m calling you out Mr. C.

249
00:16:14,836 --> 00:16:16,569
Throw that thing away!

250
00:16:16,935 --> 00:16:18,941
Uh, why am I bringing this up?

251
00:16:18,941 --> 00:16:23,023
*snaps fingers* 
Right, because this feels adjacent to that phenomenon.

252
00:16:23,023 --> 00:16:28,657
Having lived my whole life 
expecting can openers to be a certain way,

253
00:16:28,657 --> 00:16:32,058
well I’ve simply never questioned their issues.

254
00:16:32,058 --> 00:16:36,126
And even though I knew a can opener existed which didn’t leave sharp edges

255
00:16:36,126 --> 00:16:38,627
(I did indeed see that episode of Raymond)

256
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.

257
00:16:43,524 --> 00:16:46,431
And I’m a big boy, I know how to handle
sharp edges.

258
00:16:46,431 --> 00:16:52,259
I only got this because my cheap can opener has started getting really difficult to use,

259
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

260
00:16:58,479 --> 00:17:01,084
and actually requested a video on it.

261
00:17:01,084 --> 00:17:05,948
Regretfully I have no idea who that was or even when that happened at this point,

262
00:17:05,948 --> 00:17:08,576
but it lodged in my brain enough to make me look for one

263
00:17:08,576 --> 00:17:09,579
and here we are!

264
00:17:10,003 --> 00:17:11,855
Wow, this video took a weird turn.

265
00:17:12,392 --> 00:17:15,213
Is there a technology connection to be found here?

266
00:17:16,286 --> 00:17:19,400
Well… I suppose it’s more of a social commentary connection,

267
00:17:19,400 --> 00:17:23,753
but this can opener has led me to ask a pretty deep question;

268
00:17:24,600 --> 00:17:28,224
What else might we be using or doing in day-to-day life

269
00:17:28,224 --> 00:17:32,872
which we just assume is how things are and never question?

270
00:17:34,199 --> 00:17:36,060
That’s a deep line of inquiry, isn’t it?

271
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

272
00:17:39,419 --> 00:17:41,619
and focus on technologies.

273
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.

274
00:17:48,372 --> 00:17:53,616
There are plenty of instances where tried-and-true, simple techniques are, frankly,

275
00:17:53,616 --> 00:17:56,279
Fine™ if not superior.

276
00:17:56,279 --> 00:17:59,112
And a lot of what we’re sold as new and exciting

277
00:17:59,112 --> 00:18:02,170
turns out to be a gimmick if we’re lucky.

278
00:18:02,170 --> 00:18:06,337
It’s very easy to overcomplicate things
in the name of the new,

279
00:18:06,337 --> 00:18:11,244
and understandably that can make us skeptical of innovation full stop.

280
00:18:11,244 --> 00:18:12,523
The trouble is, though,

281
00:18:12,523 --> 00:18:16,334
if you make the assumption that there aren’t improvements to be made,

282
00:18:16,334 --> 00:18:18,406
you may not ever look for them

283
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.

284
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,

285
00:18:30,429 --> 00:18:33,741
to me, has improved my life in a surprising

286
00:18:33,741 --> 00:18:37,597
(if admittedly small in the grand scheme)
way.

287
00:18:37,597 --> 00:18:41,386
Yet… not a lot of people seem to have noticed it.

288
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.

289
00:18:45,404 --> 00:18:49,720
But seeing how there was just this one option in the store

290
00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:54,478
among well over a dozen standard designs
of various quality and colors,

291
00:18:55,438 --> 00:18:57,681
I’m thinking this remains pretty obscure.

292
00:18:57,681 --> 00:19:00,316
And as I’ve said (and hopefully demonstrated),

293
00:19:00,316 --> 00:19:05,855
I find this far superior in nearly all aspects as a can opener.

294
00:19:05,855 --> 00:19:09,973
I opened this video by saying that part of what makes us individuals

295
00:19:09,973 --> 00:19:13,959
is that our own pros and cons lists are unique.

296
00:19:13,959 --> 00:19:15,517
I still think that’s true -

297
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.

298
00:19:22,846 --> 00:19:25,288
I mean it is just a can opener after all.

299
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,

300
00:19:31,335 --> 00:19:33,366
well, pretty much anything.

301
00:19:33,366 --> 00:19:37,249
I have routinely run into people who, for instance,

302
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.

303
00:19:44,510 --> 00:19:47,234
But… 20 years have passed!

304
00:19:47,234 --> 00:19:50,403
They’ve gotten better in that time, I promise you.

305
00:19:50,403 --> 00:19:53,728
But unless you actively take a look,

306
00:19:53,728 --> 00:19:55,459
you may have never realized it.

307
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.

308
00:20:00,634 --> 00:20:03,549
That’s just one example, but the idea remains the same.

309
00:20:03,549 --> 00:20:05,091
Be it a can opener.

310
00:20:05,091 --> 00:20:05,990
A heat pump.

311
00:20:05,990 --> 00:20:07,026
A software package.

312
00:20:07,026 --> 00:20:08,750
A washing machine.

313
00:20:08,750 --> 00:20:13,372
We seem to really struggle with the notion of 
“well that’s just how things are”

314
00:20:13,372 --> 00:20:17,112
or sometimes worse 
“that’s just how things SHOULD be”

315
00:20:17,112 --> 00:20:20,868
and rarely question whether that’s true, or right.

316
00:20:20,868 --> 00:20:25,680
If I can find myself baffled by my ignorance
of a simple can opener,

317
00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:30,356
imagine what else in this world is actually worthy of disruption.

318
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,

319
00:20:37,076 --> 00:20:39,602
but the ways we think about it.

320
00:20:39,602 --> 00:20:41,434
Thanks for watching.

321
00:20:42,198 --> 00:20:44,808
♫ piercingly smooth jazz ♫

322
00:20:46,234 --> 00:20:50,400
…but we put different weights on the same con which another agreed apron pro…

323
00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:51,406
eugh

324
00:20:51,406 --> 00:20:55,137
Ever since I was as small child, my parents had a black and white…

325
00:20:55,137 --> 00:20:56,294
noeu neugh.

326
00:20:56,294 --> 00:20:58,022
Black and decker.

327
00:20:58,022 --> 00:20:59,976
...my parents had a black and w…

328
00:20:59,976 --> 00:21:01,511
I did it again!

329
00:21:01,511 --> 00:21:04,503
These are often sold as safe…

330
00:21:04,503 --> 00:21:07,252
[intense thoughts of disappointment]

331
00:21:07,252 --> 00:21:08,050
Argh!

332
00:21:08,050 --> 00:21:12,785
And they do that by not attacking the c… 
[more disappointment]

333
00:21:12,785 --> 00:21:15,931
Because the cutting wheel is in effect… oops!

334
00:21:16,157 --> 00:21:22,847
Lately I’ve been discovering what I call
“toxic midwesternininin…" sigh

335
00:21:22,847 --> 00:21:26,732
Such as the pocket can openers used to open field rations.

336
00:21:26,732 --> 00:21:28,120
But es *belch*.

337
00:21:28,120 --> 00:21:30,573
Well, that takes care of that!

338
00:21:34,188 --> 00:21:37,108
This video really opens up a can of worms, doesn't it?

339
00:21:37,108 --> 00:21:39,315
I mean, it's poking some holes in my thought processes.

340
00:21:39,315 --> 00:21:42,234
It seams like a good idea to reflect on this stuff more stuff more often.

341
00:21:44,013 --> 00:21:45,973
Baked beans.

342
00:21:45,973 --> 00:21:47,702
Oh crap I forgot to do the audio fade-out!