Duct Tape Goes Minature 293
metal_llama writes "There is a story in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about a man, Christopher Blummel, who "has a vision for a better world - one where every man would carry in his wallet a small cellophane packet containing a product that can come in handy in an emergency. Duct tape." This is exactly what I've always wanted: an ever-handy supply of duct tape."
Would they carry the duct tape... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Would they carry the duct tape... (Score:2)
Re:Would they carry the duct tape... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Would they carry the duct tape... (Score:2)
Re:Would they carry the duct tape... (Score:2)
The only problem is that the adhesive gets on credit cards or what have you, but it's easily removed.
Duct Tape (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Duct Tape (Score:2)
Time to buy insurance, the world is definitely gonna end. Props.
Macguyver envy? (Score:4, Funny)
That being said i'll bet Richard Dean Anderson's ex-mullet is turning in his grave.
I've done it (Score:2, Interesting)
When I saw Macguyver use duct tapes to fix things and tie bad guys' hands, I said, "hey, that's pretty useful." Throughout jr. high and high school, I carried duct tape wrapped around a poker card in my wallet. And I used it, too, and had to refill now and then, and the pesky part was trying to figure out whether I wanted to empty out the card before refilling or just refill right over it. I can't believe some guy is gonna get a patent for commercializing such a simple idea.
don't knock the idea... (Score:5, Funny)
Wait a minute. (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm not sure what I'm more speechless about. That this guy got a patent, or that this made Slashdot.
Re:Wait a minute. (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Wait a minute. (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Wait a minute. (Score:2)
Re:Wait a minute. (Score:2)
Re:Wait a minute. (Score:2)
Honestly, if you see something that says "Patent Pending" on a product, or a real honest-to-goodness "Patent Number!", it just screams out QUALITY doesn't it (snicker snicker).
Obviously only BIG, IMPORTANT companies who take PRIDE in their products and take the TIME to engineer them properly are going to go to all of the trouble to get the
Re:Wait a minute. (Score:2)
No! You must phrase it differently, like this: "A method for inducing a state change in fresh water through the creation of a strong temperature gradient".
Although, duct tape would also cover those dings in your wall. ;-)
Re:Wait a minute. (Score:2)
Re:Wait a minute. (Score:2)
Re:Wait a minute. (Score:5, Funny)
This is a pretty interesting story (what geek doesn't splooge for duct tape?)
This is new news... I haven't even read it before
The summary was pretty well written without typos
People seem to be reading the article before posting... i'ts just another day at slashdot
wait...
Re:Wait a minute. (Score:2)
Gosh, does anybody read the Slashdot manual before spouting off these days?
Re:Wait a minute. (Score:3, Informative)
exactly what I was thinking (Score:2)
In a slightly related subject, I *used* to carry a duct tape wallet around in highschool (a dual fold with space for 6 credit cards), and even made about a dozen for friends and family. But nowadays I've switched to Manco's neon gaff tape. It holds up about 4x as long, doesn't get nearly as sticky, and its neon bright orange! I've also switched to a t
Re:he stole the idea! (Score:2)
Well there's your innovation then! Patent accepted.
Duct Tape (Score:4, Funny)
I can't remember who said that but man is it funny.
-Skrud
Re:Duct Tape (Score:4, Informative)
Very cool idea, but WAYY too expensive... (Score:5, Insightful)
Of course, provided he wasn't granted a patent for it, 3-rd parties should be imitating it in no time, and selling it for a fraction of the cost.
Re:Very cool idea, but WAYY too expensive... (Score:3, Interesting)
Of course, provided he wasn't granted a patent for it, 3-rd parties should be imitating it in no time, and selling it for a fraction of the cost.
From the article: "Biggest risk factor: Imitators. Patent pending now with U.S. Patent Office."
This cannot seriously get a patent. I mean, a small role of duct tape is that fricken innovative??? Props for being first to market, but we've got small tape and we've got big duct tape, so this is hardly the work of genius.
Re:Very cool idea, but WAYY too expensive... (Score:2)
Another great thing about duct tape (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Very cool idea, but WAYY too expensive... (Score:2)
You misunderstood my point. I am not refering to the strength of the backing material, I am refering to the strength of the glue. It bonds much stronger than any other reasonably priced tape.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Duct tape is like industrial 'skin'. (Score:5, Informative)
If you ever watch a 100K marathon, you'll see that, by 1/4 through, just about everyone has duct tape covering their feet. This is due to the blisters that have formed on their feet after rubbing against their shoes for so long.
Yes, duct tape is a quick, strong, and painless skin graft.
Re:Duct tape is like industrial 'skin'. (Score:2)
Goblin
while being quite geeky... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:while being quite geeky... (Score:5, Funny)
No, but it sounds like you need a new car.
I was really, really, really, geeky. (Score:5, Funny)
It was stretchy, self-sealing, could form sterility-preserving seals. It was acid/base/alcohol/corrosive-resistant, we used it to wrap bottletops before placing them in the autoclave, and god knows how hot it got in there. Heck, we used it to seal unfinished beers.
I actually took to carrying around a few sheets of it with me everywhere, and I undoubtedly found uses for them. I took a few sheets with me to summer camp, and on the night of the big bonfire, the bigger (and less geeky) children swooped down upon the field and managed to snag all of the long sticks for marshmallow-toasting. After 20 minutes of scavenging, all I could find were a small pile of 6-inch-ish twigs. Parafilm to the rescue! I bound these twigs together into a trifurcated, flame-resistant monstrosity that noone could argue with. Sadly enough, my popularity was not much improved by this feat.
Unlike a condom... (Score:2)
I think he'll do better if (Score:5, Funny)
If you can't duck it, f..k it.
Re:I think he'll do better if (Score:3, Funny)
My high school sex-ed class got strictly and specifically lectured that WD-40 was never to be used as a sexual lubricant unless we really really wanted to court chemical burns in places that would be really fun to explain in the emergency room.
Re:I think he'll do better if (Score:2)
Duct tape --- of course! (Score:3, Funny)
I sat down for a while and contemplated how I might make up an adapter flange to join the old ducting (4 inch diameter) to the new dryer (3.5" diameter).
After several hours walking around the workshop checking to see if I had enough metal and gas to weld up a flange, I spied the obvious -- my roll of duct tape.
Suffice to say that's the first (and it'll probably be the last) time I've ever used duct tape for taping up ducting.
Most of the time I use it to hold the gaping wounds together so they don't bleed to bad after a day in teh workshop. (Why are so many tools so sharp?
Re:Duct tape --- of course! (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Duct tape --- of course! (Score:2, Informative)
Instead a flexible plastic hose with metal ring clamps should be used.
Incorrect. Plastic hose for a dryer vent is a fire hazard; the modern standard is flexible metal hose and hose clamps.
Re:Duct tape --- of course! (Score:2)
Mind Boggling, really... (Score:5, Insightful)
Duct tape admiration. (Score:2, Funny)
They forgot, however, to include in the instruction manual that it should NOT be used in conjunction with transmission fluid. You need the optional "baling wire add-on kit" to pull that off.
Re:Duct and Duct Work (Score:2)
BTW, there are better tapes for fixing small things...and they already come in small rolls, but this is not about using the right tools for the right job.
Re:Duct and Duct Work (Score:2, Informative)
In general when something has been repaired with duct tape, it indicates an amateur has been at work maintaining it. Equipment at yard sales, etc. which have anything resembling duct tape attached should be avoided at all cost.
Black electrical tape is much the same. No
If the women don't find you handsome, (Score:5, Funny)
*GRIN*
Re:If the women don't find you handsome, (Score:2)
Now all we need is some miniature plastic sheeting (Score:5, Funny)
-a
for thos unexpected biological attacks.. (Score:4, Funny)
Re:for thos unexpected biological attacks.. (Score:2)
"whala" means to whip somebody with lashes.
Pet peeve #27
Re:for thos unexpected biological attacks.. (Score:2)
Re:for thos unexpected biological attacks.. (Score:2)
too wrapped up in a corrective frenzy?
Re:for thos unexpected biological attacks.. (Score:2)
As a handyman, you only need two tools. (Score:5, Funny)
If it does move, but it shouldn't, you use the duct tape. If it doesn't move, but it should, you use the WD-40.
What's this guy going to come up with next, a miniature spray can of WD-40?
Re:As a handyman, you only need two tools. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:As a handyman, you only need two tools. (Score:2)
A physician told me that it is also a folk remedy for arthritis. Don't know if it works (although he seemed to think it did).
Re:As a handyman, you only need two tools. (Score:2, Interesting)
You are one step up from women, who see a wing-nut lying next to a un-adorned bolt, and have the natural reaction of throwing the wing-nut away, and forgetting about it completely...
And the worst thing is, people like me are the ones who end up having to do more work to repair that damage caused when you "fixed" it.
You wouldn't b
Re:As a handyman, you only need two tools. (Score:2)
Nah, actually I think that there are good and bad handymen. The definition really is similar to "Jack of All Trades" except that some of them are Jills. Heh.
SB (who *is* a handyman, *and* a carpen
Handyperson's convenience (Score:3, Interesting)
I wouldn't mind having a wallet-sized strip of duct tape
But i'd save it for events when i can't bring my Backpack, which has the full roll in it.
No, duct tape is not suitable for every job. However, I'm in Boston and was there for the fireworks last night with 2 plastic chairs, 2 ordinary (small) umbrellas, one roll of duct tape, and a 6'x4' piece of cloth, and we were one of the only groups not gettin
It ain't broke... (Score:2, Funny)
Sorry!
Terrorist (Score:2)
not (intentionally) to be cynical (Score:3, Funny)
I thought they just eat some donuts, laugh with eachother how stupid it is (if they actually read it, anyway), stamp approval, and collect the application fee?
for fuck's sakes man, just bring some bandaids if you need tape - at least you can use them on yourself, aside from posting presentations on the wall.
urgh. products designed by sales people. sigh...
Re:not (intentionally) to be cynical (Score:2)
Useful things for the interstellar hitchhiker (Score:3, Funny)
Homemade instructions (Score:3, Interesting)
If anyone claims a patent on this, I've got witnesses that I've been doing this for years.
First Duck Tape... Then the Internet... (Score:4, Informative)
Thanks for the Duck Tape Uncle Sam! [ideafinder.com]
Not a new idea.... (Score:2)
Am I the only one? (Score:5, Insightful)
I just don't go for the cludgy/temporary fix; I'd rather take a few extra minutes and do it right. Duct tape is sticky, leaves a resudue, fails in high heat, deteriorates quickly and smells funky.
I still don't understand why it's called "duct tape" when ducting is the one thing you DON'T want to use it for.
Re:Am I the only one? (Score:2, Informative)
It didn't start getting used to seal duct work until well after WW II. And, as you pointed out, it's a poor choice for that task. On the other hand, it is great to have around in the pits at the track (where it is often referred to as 100-mile-an-hour tape).
Re:Am I the only one? (Score:3, Interesting)
Yes, duct tape is a cludge. In fact, it generally fits into the "it's not pretty but it works" category of quick fixes. If it can be used immediately to save you from certain doom (or perhaps just getti
Re:Am I the only one? (Score:2)
Oh and to remain on topic, anyone else laughed reading that comment on how the patent office checks for prior art? Milwaukee is in the US right?
You're right. Duct tape is very kludgy. (Score:2)
It also looks much more attractive than duct tape. I should know: in our VERY professional office, we have it holding the telephone to the wall, the chandelier in the meeting room from crashing down (well, just on the side near the door -- the other side is strong enough), and reinforcing the customer's chair, which is right below the chandelier.
Oh, and did I tell y
Re:Am I the only one? (Score:3, Interesting)
Gaffer's tape tends to be black or at least matt finish so it doesn't reflect light, it's rough so you don't slip on it when it's on the floor; the glue is much less likely to leave a residue when you remove the tape, gaffer's tape tends to be easier to tear from the roll without a cutting impliment, and gaffer's tape is more tolerant of high temperatures (such as under hot stage lights).
While sold in the same width as standard duct tape and
I don't understand (Score:2)
How can this guy get a patent for something that already exists and is sold?
Or will his patent just be denied?
Re:I don't understand (Score:2)
It even had a picture of a duck on the package.
Re:I don't understand (Score:2)
I thought you were joking, but you're right: it isn't there! As of 1998 it's been removed. Pick up a recent dictionary and take a look.
This is not a new idea (Score:2)
Re:This is not a new idea (Score:3, Informative)
Duct Tape is no longer funny or interesting (Score:2)
Okay, for a long time it was cool to point out how Duct Tape, the cheap old standby from when you were a kid, was so technically helpful and reliable and cheap and easy and etc.
I think we all get the point. Duct Tape is now very well established as a useful item. We all know it is useful. We don't have to keep on pointing out that something that we thought was a little useful was a lot useful.
Strangely enough, this reminds me of Johnny Cash. When Johnny Cash first hooked up with Rick Rubin, it was
Duct tape can be very useful (Score:5, Funny)
I mean some people, just talk and talk and they can't shut up. It's not like everybody has the time and patience to listen to someone just rumble about something or other of no interest. It's even worse when they start detouring from the subject of the whole thing like some 1950's valvule computer with one too many holes in the punch-card, i mean those things must have been a pain to program and all. Not to mention they were big. And hot. Which reminds me of that time i is was driving my van on the highway and *shraaap* *oooo* *oooo*
Re:Duct tape can be very useful (Score:2)
Duck Tape Creative Uses [duckproducts.com]
Re:Duct tape can be very useful (Score:2)
hmm (Score:3, Insightful)
But I guess some duct tape is better than no duct tape, right?
The origin of Duck (Duct) Tape (Score:4, Informative)
I had a very similar idea once (Score:2)
I don't know if technology has improved or if maybe I'm just hardened to it, but I no longer have to do something that we ALL did back then: put a big piece of duct tape over the vent. On a cold day, it would keep your foot warmer. On a rainy day, it would keep water from seeping into your boot.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Transparent Duct Tape (Score:3, Informative)
This stuff is better than Transparent Aluminum! [slashdot.org]
Here's a link to 3M's website: http://www.3m.com/us/office/scotch/transducttape/ [3m.com]
The difference between Geeks and Swingers... (Score:4, Funny)
why not just carry a roll? (Score:4, Interesting)
"...a radiator leak on Highway 80 heading out to Moline..."
He should have a roll of tape in his trunk to begin with.
"...presentations where I needed to put something on a wall."
Briefcase or backpack. A roll of tape is just another piece of equipment you should be toting around with the rest of your presentation materials and hardware.
Really, for the price, it's a waste of money. If you really want to carry miniscule amounts of tape around then buy a roll and put a few strips on some wax paper.
I am HORRIFIED! You call yourselves'geeks'? (Score:5, Informative)
Appreciating the merits of duct tape may have been a clever observation once (e.g. in the 70's, it wasn't carried in all hardware stores, much less every retail store, pharmacy and gas station) but now it's cliche - the stuff of stand-up comedy routines that *everyone* understands, even if they are completely 'tape incompetent' (We've all seen it). I see a wide array of uselessly cheap shiny grey plastic (or even paper) so-called duct tapes, because manufacturers know that most people are aware of its reputation, but not its properties and use, and will buy anything that looks similar.
Too many of the posts sound like "Level 1 geek wannabes" Top quality gaffer tape (for example) may run up to $20 a roll, but it's still pennies per job and it'll handle jobs the plastic stuff won't (including things you wouldn't expect - it's often better for sealing leaks than duct tape, which studies have shown to be the worst option for sealing ducts [consumerenergycenter.org]) I carry top notch gaffer tape in my house and car, not duct tape. I also keep countless other plastic tapes (packing tapes, stranded tapes, etc.) that have greater strength and other properties. Nowadays 'moving' and packing supplies are widely stocked.
Every geek should be able to improvise, true, but they should also have a fine understanding of the fine points of common tapes. It's the difference between success and failure for those who actually improvise instead of imagining doing it. 95% of the time, a top quality gaffer tape will beat the pacts off duct tape, but the guy in the article knows the duct tape mystique will sell where genuine gaffer tape quality won't.
The one true advantage of duct tape is that it is somewhat more widely available, in the stores and in your friend's closets. In the 70s, masking tape was everywhere and the duct tape crowd knew masking tape would quickly fail, if it worked at all, for most jobs where duct tape works great- but geek-wannabes and kids used masking tape for every job, and considered themselves clever. A slight edge in availability does not make it any better or less ignorant a default choice. Today, duct tape occupies the place in the market that masking tape once did: a passable cure-all for those who don't know better options exist or can't be bothered to think ahead and stock them.
Already got some, thanbks... (Score:4, Funny)
Forget duct tape what is needed is racer's tape (Score:3, Interesting)
Now what NASA needs is 600+ mph racers tape, for the shuttles.
Re:I also have a vision... (Score:2, Informative)
Re:So far nobody has noticed (Score:2)
Someone noticed; you were modded down "redundant" like everyone else who commented on it (how long will it take before this disappears?)
ot: army values card (Score:2)