The Perfection of the Paper Clip (2012) | Hacker News Reader

The Perfection of the Paper Clip (2012)

slate.com

39 pointslxm17 comments

An often forgotten use for paper clips: when one needs to reset that darn router/access point/whatever, and the pen (a pen? ...what's a pen?!?:^) just doesn't fit the reset button hole.

Also, pens tend to get ink over everything (which, to be fair, they're designed to do, but...)

I like the reset buttons that have a little dimple in the center.

Also ejecting SIM card trays on most modern phones, which is probably my most common use for paper clips.

I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever in my entire life used a paper clip for actually clipping paper. I suppose I must have done at some point, but it’s rare enough that I can’t remember a single incident.

Meanwhile I’ve used them for a whole lot of things that require un-bending them first.

I either staple papers, or use a binder clip. Paperclips may be perfect for their ductile wire design, but they're not perfect for clipping paper if you allow spring steel.

For some reasons I am always fascinated/hypnotized by the actual machines making "simple things" (like paper clips) in slow motion, see this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsDdmDFDYHA

around 2:00

Cheers! That's damn near magical.

Thanks, only seeing the video I understood the line from the article: “the key to the success of the Gem clip can be found in the fact that it was patented first as a mechanism: the shape, which took only three gentle bends and a snip to produce, was easy to automate cheap to produce”

Brilliant.

> With cubbyholes no longer necessary, the flat-top desk, with more access to light and air but less privacy, became the standard.

So the takeaway here is that we can blame the paperclip for open office layouts.

Come to think of it, the paper clip also ushered the digital assistant era [1]. It would be safe to assume that the paperclip is not yet done!

[1] https://3er1viui9wo30pkxh1v2nh4w-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-...

Have to say that the binder clip is a good deal of an advancement on the paperclip....and it only has three parts, two identical.

They have so many off-label uses.

Binder clips, ziploc bags, twisty ties, a letter opener, post-its, sharpie, scissors, wire cutters, ... life's problem solvers.

Binder clips are much bulkier.

I've always kept a paper clip on my key chain. Handy for resetting things!

Paper clips have been perfected? That's hard to believe, as there are so many problems with them.

TIL there is a documentary called Paper Clips (2004) - an inspiring story of a small town middle school who collected 6 million paper clips to represent the people killed during the Holocaust: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0380615/. Thanks for posting.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com