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Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Knives for complete idiots

This kind of mentality is the exact opposite of what this blog is all about.
It’s scary to know that there’s people like that in the world.
Some people are SO stupid, they simply deserve to lose their freedom.
Don’t think so? Read the following article.


FerFAL




New Point Knives
http://www.newpointknives.co.uk/index.php?pr=Background



Background
In May 2005, my wife Liz watched a BBC TV news feature regarding a report produced by three UK doctors calling for a ban on long pointed kitchen knives. The report, written by Mike Beckett, Emma Hern and Will Glazebrook, cited long kitchen knives as the 'weapon of choice in a high proportion of serious stabbings.' The research they carried out in to the justification of a potentially lethal sharp point, led him to one conclusion - a ban was needed on all long pointed kitchen knives.
I wouldn't advocate a complete ban though their observations made perfect sense - remove the lethal weapons from our kitchen drawers and you will undoubtedly witness a drop in serious knife injuries. However, this raises a pivotal question; what else do we use? Introducing an outright ban would create an immediate knee-jerk reaction, therefore the solution must be more considered.
Being keen home cooks, Liz and I considered how many times we needed a long pointed knife when preparing and serving a meal. After much thought, we realized that in the home, we could see virtually no justification for this type of knife point. Liz then gave me a completely novel idea - why not design a knife point which can be used for everyday cooking but without the dangerous long sharp point?
As a degree qualified Industrial Designer, I set about the task. The following designs were created in May and June 2005 and have been refined over the subsequent years. During that time, none of my ongoing research and development has detracted from the original design ethos. It is now our firm belief that the common kitchen knife is not in fact a necessary evil and a new, more intelligent knife design can replace it.
The ultimate goal:
1. Produce a range of everyday kitchen knives which are accessible to the widest possible spectrum of society.
2. Significantly reduce incidences of serious knife injuries, whether accidental or intentional.

Comments

During the project I have been privileged to meet and work with a number of highly skilled specialists.

Dr Mike Beckett and Detective Inspector Mark Clarkson are such individuals and have the following to say about New Point Knives;
- Dr Mike Beckett. Clinical Tutor. West Middlesex Hospital -
'All manufactured products should be designed so that they combine efficiency in their intended purpose with the greatest possible degree of safety. This is especially true of household products which are freely available to the very young and very old, and used by people who may be clumsy, short tempered, drunk or mentally or physically unwell. Most people fit into one or more of these categories at some time in their lives. The humble kitchen knife can be a lethal weapon in the wrong hands, and thousands of people are killed or injured by them every year. Most knife wounds are caused by kitchen knives. Until now nothing much could be done about this, apart from some legislation of limited effectiveness. This new design of a safety kitchen knife is therefore very welcome. It deserves to gain widespread acceptance. Perhaps in time the long pointed kitchen knife will be relegated to the history books, together with the cut-throat razor, toxic coal gas and arsenic insecticides: all outdated, dangerous products that may have some specialist uses, but have no place in the domestic environment.'

- Detective Inspector Mark Clarkson. MPS Anti - Knife Crime Unit "Operation Blunt" Violent Crime Directorate. TPHQ -
'Speaking from a personal point of view, after having had the opportunity to personally test this “Safety Knife” on various joints of meat, I am convinced that this design will greatly reduce the ability of it to be used to puncture or unlawfully cause stab-like injuries. I would like to encourage the designer to press forward with this product, as I genuinely believe it can reduce both accidental harm within the kitchen and stab-like injuries in general.'

15 comments:

DaShui said...

Its nothing new. Originally the chinese used knives to eat with but the government made them change to chopsticks. Also this is why normal dinner knives are dull and blunt

Anonymous said...

What a bunch of f'ing idiots. How could these people have been on the winning side of two world wars? What a pussified country...

I'll bet cars take a lot more lives than kitchen knives, what's next? Maybe wrapping all cars, passengers, roadsigns, curbs, etc. in bubble wrap?

- Jack

Anonymous said...

Jack back in the day jolly old England kicked ass. They ruled with an iron fist.

In any case what I don't understand is how the hell is this supped to prevent knife crime. It does not take a genius to learn how to sharpen a knife. A pointy stick would do...

What about chefs who need to stab the meat they cook or to clean it. Do they now need permits?

It is fair to say that when it gets to this point there will be a major cultural backlash.

FerFAL said...

Motivated enough, I’m sure you can still stab that thing into someone, specially the smaller models. And you still can slash or chop with the bigger one, so that knife achieves nothing, only that the maker thinks he can somehow control how people finally end up using the tool, which he cannot.
It’s pathetic. Like safety scissors, but for adults. Adults that arent responsible enough to own pointy objects, yet they cant find a way to avoid using sharp ones.
I think the solution is crystal clear:
The government should cut the food for them and deliver it to each home, and the citizen can use a spoon ( only eating implement he’s allowed to own) to shove the pieces into his mouth.
That in my opinion, would be the perfect solution for UK’s crime problem.

FerFAL

Unknown said...

Ladies and gentlemen....the FAIL Knife!

Bones said...

A device cleverly designed to separate idiots from their money.

George Donnelly said...

At least he used his own ingenuity and time to design it, and is selling it freely instead of forcing it on people.

I can understand why some people might like this. I have a child and this has some appeal for safety reasons.

But yes my first reaction was similar. How nanny-ish.

Subby said...

Well I reckon the idea has some merit. It is a form of 'safety knife', could be handy for disabled or mentally ill people. (Or people afraid of pointy knives)

But the idea that somehow these knives would reduce SERIOUS injuries is rather fanciful. Instead of a stabbing motion, someone can simply saw someones neck, shoulders and arms. Or just stab someone REALLY hard and just start opening them up like a can of tuna.

Don Williams said...

1) Britain's society has wealth and power tightly concentrated -- and the aristos are afraid of the mob. In part because the aristos are driving the standard of living for the common citizen down.

2) That is why the common citizen can be arrested for carrying a small pocketknife whereas MPs can carry off great loads of plunder on their expense accounts (current scandal du jour.)

Why crooks in the City can carry off Billions in financial scams while Tony the Poodle sends Tommy the Soldier off to Iraq.

3) Meanwhile, you have a government funded propaganda apparatus to con the common citizen while that citizen is being turned into a slave. Much the same is happening here in the USA -- just has not been going on for as long as in Britain. Plus Britain conveniently forgot to write down all those "Rights of an Englishman".

Anonymous said...

So the impetus behind this design was somebody calling for the banning of sharp pointed kitchen knives, and him wondering what would replace them....
he has a design that i would assume he is seeking patent on.
I'm sure he would be a great supporter of ban legislation....
there's money to be made here!

Anonymous said...

What happened to the hearty and hale Englishmen who went out to conquer the world ? Did they all leave England to the girley-men ?
Must be a shortage of testosterone in England. And competent, capable women.

Anonymous said...

Actually Don, the English were one of the first to write down the rights of the people, the Magna Carta, also called Magna Carta Libertatum (the Great Charter of Freedoms), originally issued in the year 1215. The Magna Carta required King John of England to proclaim certain rights, respect certain legal procedures, and accept that his will could be bound by the law. It explicitly protected certain rights of the King's subjects, whether free or fettered — and implicitly supported what became the writ of habeas corpus, allowing appeal against unlawful imprisonment.

Much of our Contitution and legal system was based on the Magna Carta and English Common Law. That's why it's such a shame to see the Brits fall to such depths that they can't even own a pocket knife.

- Jack

Anonymous said...

Last I checked England still has a free market economy. If an entrepreneur found a niche market with this design and want to market as a safer knife so be it. There is no reason to brew a storm in a cup of water over this.

Anonymous said...

All of the above just goes to prove the point "there ain't a gimmick in the world millions of brain dead people won't fall for".
Not to mention the adage "there isn't a complete brain in England".

Mark in Ark said...

The UK is a loathsome country, fit only for scum. And the inventor is not relying on the free market; he wants (and needs) a law banning pointed knives to sell his idiotic invention. At the end of the article he mentions the thugs with badges who support him.