Classic table gutter "life hack" of absurdity - video and photo

[Jon]

The "life hacks" culture on the net is a classic. Just search around for "best life hacks" or some such - stuff like "10 Crazy Hacks You Can Make With a Rubber Band!"

Some of them are genuinely clever, but the vast majority are...still clever. Until you stop and think about them for a few seconds. I fell into that trap this week with a life hack for turning a sandwich ziploc bag inside out so that you can zip it to another similar bag. Kinda didn't really work with the corners of the bags. Then I wondered what I would ever use this for, and why I wouldn't try another solution. Because the novelty (whoa! joining two ziploc bags into one!) outshines the utility.

Life hacks do expose non-technical people to physical ingenuity, which is a societal bonus. But they engender this weird DIY culture, in which the novelty of a physical alteration is prized above all else.

I can sum this all up in one photo:



Is this...a joke? Perhaps, but I don't believe so. I think it's a VERY kludgy, painfully cringe-worthy attempt by a mainstream tool manufacturer to hop onto a viral internet craze.

2:05 video:

Previously:

Garage organization madness