You’re floating down a river in a
sinking raft approaching a 976 foot tall waterfall. All you have at your
disposal is a roll of duct tape… what do you do?
If you answered “die” then you have
absolutely no imagination. That one roll of duct tape provides you with endless
possibilities. Heck even if you did answer “die” you could still use it to your
advantage. The beauty of this wonderful tool is its versatility. In regards to
my earlier question, the tape could be used for just about any escape
imaginable. You could craft it into a paddle, create an anchor to stop the
raft, or even make a parachute for your daring descent.
While regular adhesive tape was
invented in the early 1920s, common duct tape came to be around twenty years
later during World War II. Its original purpose was to waterproof ammunition
for the U.S. soldiers, but when they figured out how many different ways it
could be used, it “stuck” around. Hooray puns!
Duct tape is a tool of opportunity.
It can be used for a quick fix around the home, but it is also a powerful
weapon in the war against boredom. Some of mankind’s greatest creations have
been made out of it. From wallets to prom dresses, it can be used to produce
just about anything that the human mind can imagine. New duct tape masterpieces
are being thought of everyday that are changing the world as we know it. Soon,
most things in our world could be made out of this wonderful substance. Entire
cities would be made out of the shiny grey tape, glistening in the sun like
some sort of futuristic utopia. Whether or not you think the world is a bright
place, it would certainly be brighter if it were covered in duct tape.
- Eric Richard
- Eric Richard
I am a big fan of the whole improvising with duct tape technique. One of my most watched shows was "Survivor Man" on Discovery Channel. If you give that man a role of duct tape on a deserted island, he could build you a luxury cruise liner to get home. I agree the possibilities are endless with this product. My good friend from home used to have a small business while we were in middle school. He would make ties, wallets, key chains, and other miscellaneous goods out of this magical material. Whether or not your prediction of where this product goes is true or not, duct tape will continue to be a very useful and diverse household item.
ReplyDeleteMike Reed
While Les Stroud is no Bear Grylls, its safe to assume that either one of them could survive in any situation with duck tape in their arsenal. I love the idea of getting into the duck tape business because it certainly does allow for some creativity.
DeleteMy first response was to die. I'm not that creative when it comes to saving my life in a "possible" scenario. Your blog post's have caught my eye and are very interesting. You have an effortless humor that exposes itself through each sentence you type. This one in particular I found quite hilarious, since you even included when duct tape came about. However, I am creative in my own way and unfortunately it doesn't include these nifty duct tape skills. Also, you gotta love a good pun, right? Well done.
ReplyDeleteI answered die.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI'm so sorry.
DeleteI've always been a fan of all the uses of duct tape. Did you know that there's a scholarship available to students who make their prom attire completely from duct tape? It's always been mind boggling to me all of the hundreds of uses that there are. From practical uses to fashion forward uses, duct tape can always come in handy.
ReplyDeleteYou know the biggest question that came to my mind after reading this? Why inspired you to write this? Were you fixing something in your room? Anyway, I really agree with you that duct tape is useful! I can't really "MacGyver" any uses out of duct tape but I use it creatively. I used to make duct tape wallets in my free time. I have always thought it was interesting that people could use one item in multiple ways.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I was sitting in my room trying to think of a topic when I saw the largest roll of duck tape known to man on my suite-mate's shelf. I just stared at it for a while thinking of all the wonderful things it could be used for, and thirty minutes later I was done with the article! Thanks for the comment!
DeleteYou, good sir, have done it again. Like I told you in the stairway, you are hilarious."Die" wasn't the first thing to come to my mind but as soon as you said it I suddenly agreed. There was a contest that I heard about in Roswell, a store was offering a cash prize to whomever could make the best duct tape dress. The reason I know this? One of the girls in my prom group sophomore year was wearing the dress she made. She put fabric over it (THANK GOD) and it wasn't the ugliest thing I've ever seen. However I believe that duct tape should be used for one purpose and one alone: to bind things together. But thats just me.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very creative topic! I never would have even thought to use duck tape for some of the things that you mentioned, but why not? Duck tape is a very powerful tool and I hope if stays around for many years to come. If not, I don't know what I'm going to do when I break things!
ReplyDeleteI also believe duck tape is one of the finer things in life. I often spend my weekends camping. Duck tape has helped me a number of times. It has patched a tarp,hung a flashlight, and its even covered an open cut! I don't know that it will one day rule the world, but I do know it is not appreciated nearly as much as it should be!
ReplyDeleteThe inspiration for me talking about a raft floating towards a waterfall came from the last time I went canamping (canoe camping) with my friends. We only brought three paddles for two canoes, so my friend fashioned a stick that looked like a slingshot into a paddle using exclusively duck tape. It was a sight to behold.
DeleteI really enjoyed reading this short post, because I think duct tape is pretty great, too. While I'm not one who has the talent, time, or guts to make a prom dress out of it and then actually wear it to prom, I do enjoy its many uses. I am interested in what made you want to write about this subject!
ReplyDeleteAlso, what I liked about this blog post is how effortless your sense of humor flows into your writing. It's not difficult to see how your funny quality is transpired into this entry, so it was very easy to follow along while also staying interested. It's definitely amusing, and I can almost hear you saying the pun out loud! Nice job, Eric!
so we should use the tool make things good. Instead of Evil. Warren Buffett say things he worry in the future it is people are going to be too smart. So some bad smart people might can get to hurt us. For example: nuclear weapon.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely correct. Duck tape is a powerful tool, and if it fell into the wrong hands the entire world could be endangered. I don't know if duck tape technology has advanced to the point where it could make nuclear weapons, but then again the government would probably hide that from us if it was... (cue dramatic music).
DeleteEric, you have done it once again! This post is not only informative (I didn't know duck tape was invented around WWII) but it was wonderfully sarcastic. The opening caught my eye and once the story progressed I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud. I think that it was extremely imaginative of you to create an entire post on Duck Tape. I myself have made a duck tape wallet! I think the duck tape messenger bags are really cool! Again keep up the good work! -Jenna
ReplyDeleteEric, post after post exemplifies your hilarious way with words. You take such a simple topic and leaving the reader laughing out loud! You have a great writing style, one that is creative, light and fun to read. Can't wait to see what you write about next week!
ReplyDeleteEric,
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting post. I love duct tape and often buy the duct tape with cool colors or patterns from michael's even when I don't need it. It's crazy to think of all the different things we can do with duct tape. I love looking at all the prom dresses made out of duct tape. And I remember in high school using a duct tape wallet for quite some time. I worked at a horse farm in high school and we would use duct tape to tape a wrap to the horses legs, the wrap was used as an extra cushion (kind of like a sock) for horses with weak ankles. Keep up the good posts, because they're all funny and well written.
-Anna