Scissors. They are one of the greatest inventions of all time. I mean, where would our quaffs be without them? How would we ever cut along the dotted line? And the game? What about the game? If it were just “Rock, Paper,” — Paper would always win unchallenged. There’d be no happy day for the Rock.
Scissors. I got to thinking about them the other day because I recently learned about a “scissors hack” that seems to work. But I’ll get to that in a minute.
Those good scissors have been with us for a long time. The earliest scissor-like tools come from Mesopotamia. The time frame for this was astonishing: 3,000 to 4,000 BC. Those first scissor-type tools resembled single U-shaped pieces of metal for rough cutting.
But it was the ancient Egyptians who get credit for the first true scissors. This came around 1500 BC. Those tools were crafted from bronze with two blades joined by a springy metal strip. These would squeeze shut and open when released.
And then, a thousand years later, the Romans made a major design upgrade with the invention of the pivot point. This is the basic design of most modern scissors, with two blades joined by a screw or rivet at a central point. Around 100 AD.
Around here, we just have your basic scissors. But there are all sorts of different types that are designed for specific tasks, such as fabric scissors, kitchen scissors, medical scissors (like surgical scissors), and craft scissors. I’m sure they all have their strengths.
Although the actual inventor of scissors is hard to identify, way back there in Egypt, we have another fellow of note. His name was Robert Hinchliffe, of Sheffield, England. He probably should be acknowledged as the father of modern scissors. He was the first to use steel to manufacture and mass-produce them in 1761.
So there you have a look at scissors.
Now for the hack.
If those old scissors are getting too dull to use, there’s an easy aluminum foil-based fix. Tear a sheet of aluminum foil off. Fold it into four quarters. This should result in four foil layers. Then, all you have to do is cut the foil repeatedly. The act of doing this will result in shiny, sharp scissor blades. I’ve tried it on a couple of pairs. It seems to work pretty well.
And one more thing.
I will cut you in on something.
You can cut loose when you hear it.
And you won’t have to cut through the red tape to do so.
You can cut your losses. And not feel like you’ve been cut off from the rest of the world.
I know. The tension here is so thick you could cut right through it.
So I’ll cut the crap.
Here it is.
I think you are a cut above the rest.
“””””””””
“With scissors and paste a man can change the world.” — Arnold Roth
“””””””””
“In every cutting edge there’s a different kind of power.” — Mallory Hopkins
“””””””””
The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul.” — Dieter F. Uchtdorf
“””””””””
I’ll cut to the chase. Cuttingly.
