Straightening Paperclips

Does anyone else do this?

On my desk right now are several bits of wire. These bits used to be shaped in a useful way. Now they just look like tiny silver chopsticks.

Although it's kindof fun to stick one under my wedding ring and pretend I have a pokey claw thing on my left hand.

One Saturday morning when I was in college, I woke up and straightened a paperclip out "German Straight". (A friend of mine coined that term. As I am half of German heritage I like it.) I then carefully pierced a pink eraser right through the middle with the straightened paperclip and proceeded to wrap the eraser in wire. I bent up some other paperclips into brackets and attached them to a block of wood. Then I rode my bicycle down to the local Radio Shack and bought a small magnet. When I got back my roommate was still asleep. I put the magnet under the eraser wrapped in wire spinning on the German Straight paperclip and hooked a battery up to it.

It started spinning. The clicking noise of the wires contacting the paperclip commutators woke up my roommate, who wandered over to my side of the room, saw what I'd done, shook his head, and went back to bed.

OMG... this is my life every day at work. Engineers are... engineers.

I'm on the phone a lot and also straighten clips on boring calls. If really bored on conference calls I organize my wallet - I put my money in order with print dates and serial numbers in order.

I have one shaped like a weld callout that I can wedge into unwelded corners to get a message across.

oh. oh yeah. me too.

I have to have something to mess with when I'm on the phone. I'll spin a nut up and down a bolt, or play with the Shiruken Ninja Tool on my desk (that's going to end badly someday) or play with a Rubik's cube. Hands get bored. Haven't constructed anything, umm, useful like Volvo though.

Another odd thing is my company is known for never using standard clips. These aren't as fun to destroy.

In reply to Keith Tanner:

Sharpen marshmallow sticks?

Sort of related topic, I'm convinced that the guy who writes Attack on Titan was playing with an action figure, 2 box cutters, and 2 badge reels one day.

If you put one in each side of an electrical outlet then drop a third across those two, you get to disrupt your Jr. high math class for a while.

Don't you guys have jobs?

Pink pencil eraser + straightened paperclip + stripped out mechanical pencil = chincy blowgun that used to get me in trouble in school.

I'm a pacer when I'm on the phone, old habits from when reception didn't really exist by my house.

I have more fun playing with binder clips. Using them almost like a barrel full of monkeys by hooking them together in various ways.

I also tend to stand up and pace around when on the phone. Best part of a height adjustable desk - just raise it to standing height when needed.

Keith Tanner wrote: I have to have something to mess with when I'm on the phone. I'll spin a nut up and down a bolt, or play with the Shiruken Ninja Tool on my desk (that's going to end badly someday) or play with a Rubik's cube. Hands get bored. Haven't constructed anything, umm, useful like Volvo though.

Later I cut a small propeller out of cardboard and attached it to the end of the shaft, to make a desk fan. It didn't move much air, but the rhythmic clicking of the brushes was oddly soothing.

I call it "CDO," that way the letters are in order.

Alternatively, it could be "COD," which would be in order of pen stroke, or ink volume.

How about this one?

https://www.youtube.com/embed/gzW5rAoioiI

I thought this would be about finding the fast way around Martinsville Speedway.

Not exactly a paper clip, but these are cool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94RpbYopUdI

In reply to David S. Wallens:

Oh yeah. I've built countless numbers of those- all before the internet showed me how.

I'm not sure if this makes me glad I don't work in an office or not. I get very fidgety but if I have nothing going on I can walk around, talk to random people ect. Am I missing something by not having toys to play with?

In reply to Wall-e:

I have to get up every 20 or 30 minutes and walk around. I cannot sit still at work. After I eat my lunch I go for a 30 minute walk in the park across the street, even if it's 95 degrees or 25 degrees out. Then when i get home it's at least 30 minutes in the garage every night.

Office work keeps toilet paper on the rolls and the baby in clean diapers, but it's no way to stay sane.

There's a reason why many office jobs pay more than many hands on jobs. Because if the pay was the same no sane person would choose the office job.

dculberson wrote: There's a reason why many office jobs pay more than many hands on jobs. Because if the pay was the same no sane person would choose the office job.

Won't let me upvote more than once

In reply to akamcfly:

But I can upvote yours!

In reply to David S. Wallens:

Trick in grade school was put the 'loaded' clip in a small envelope like 2x4" and hand it to the unsuspecting to open it. When they put their finger in or dumped it out the clip would jump. Good trick at work too.