Ron Schenone

Is Hard Plastic Packaging Necessary?

Posted by on Nov 17, 2008 | 11 Comments

During the past few weeks, I have been working with a youth group, and we have been building a computer system. The main purpose is to give the students, 8th and 9th graders, practical hands on experience in building a system from scratch. Once the system is completed, we will be donating the computer to a local charity that provides food and clothing to people in need.

Some of the parts, hard drive, DVD rom, cpu container and heatsink/fan came in hard plastic packaging. You know the type of packaging I am talking about. The type of packaging that you need a table saw or hatchet to open. The hard plastic stuff that becomes razor sharp when cut with scissors and can take off a chunk of flesh if you are not careful.

So now here is a question. What is the purpose of hard plastic packaging? It is some type of a test to see if we can open the package to get to the product? Is it to see how many people we can get into the emergency room? :-)

Comments welcome.

  • http://www.ace-on-tech.com Ace

    I guess it’s mainly to fend off shoplifting, since it’s so immensely difficult to open, petty-thieves will most likely not even make the effort of jacking a hard-plastic package open in the store.

    For the rest of us it’s just a nuisance. I’ve heard it sometimes helps to use a can-opener. Haven’t tried it myself yet, but it seems logical.

  • Jeff

    besides the Horrible agony it is to open them, I actually know why this is – you use the heavy plastic because cardboard is too feeble to peg it. It hangs on pegs, and that plastic is the fastest, easiest, and best lasting method to stock it that way.

    Things you learn from a medical warehouse >.>

  • Hal Gottfried

    I gave this to you on Twitter too about 10 minutes after you asked. Damn it, I thought I had it first.

  • http://twitter.com/jobb3 MortenJakobsen Jobbe

    Thanks! – Made my day!

    (e)JAKOBSENS

  • http://twitter.com/jobb3 MortenJakobsen Jobbe

    Thanks! – Made my day!
    (e)JAKOBSENS #EAv

  • http://www.facebook.com/inverseflux Brian Hartshorne

    If you fullscreen mail, the message still does the overlay and flies up and off the screen even after running this… sadface. No Lion, I want sadface to be once word please.

    • http://chris.pirillo.com/ Chris Pirillo

      It seems you’re correct. Full-screen Mail adheres to the way the iPad works. I’m guessing there’s an additional switch to toggle for this mode. Maybe I’m the only Mac user on the planet who doesn’t really use full screen mode even when its advantageous?

      • Anonymous

        Or maybe it would annoy you that when you put Mail into full screen mode, it won’t allow you to do anything on your other 30″ monitor!

  • http://www.facebook.com/joeferrante Joe Ferrante

    defaults write com.apple.Mail DisableSendAnimations -bool YES

  • D Lowrey

    I’ve got an even better idea…quit using tax dollars being given away as corporate welfare and/or being given tax breaks. There is no reason to give any business any taxes or incentives. If this would have happened in the past and doing this now/in the future…many of these local governments wouldn’t be throwing their futures away for businesses who are getting a free ride. When everyone pays their share…everyone benefits. When the businesses use individuals to pay their share…everyone loses.

  • Anonymous

    Here is the BEST idea of all. STRIKE AT THE ROOT of the problem. Elect Ron Paul president 2012, replace the majority of congress people with LIBERTARIANS ( the REAL americans that actually understand a simple concept of respect for civil liberties, living off LESS than what ya making and paying yourself by saving, and STOP SCREWING WITH OTHER COUNTRIES!)..which is something america has NEVER had since the days of our founding fathers.

    We balance the stupid budget, we ” stop the financial bleeding so that we can FINALLY heal the damn wound”, and guess what else..bye bye IRS..BYE BYE STUPID FED RESERVE ( which is an unconsitutional group of private bankers that have one main goal. ONE WORLD CURRENCY ONE WORLD NATION and to devalue the american dollar the same ways a credit card can bankrupt ANYONE * myself included. that already happened so i SPEAK FROM EXPERIENCE*) ..and guess what..then? All these businesses in the USA and KEEP their employees..HERE IN THE DAMN USA..no more outsourcing..WE START MAKING OUR OWN CRAP AGAIN!, We become SELF SUFFICIENT. sAY IT WITH ME NOW.” Self sufficient…meaning WE DONT NEED TO RELY ON ANOTHER COUNTRY EVER AGAIN.. HMM…Brazil did the same thing back in the early 1970′s regarding importing oil. LET’S TAKE A FREAKING LESSON!!

    In the end doing all of this WILL make it to where all businesses in teh USA WONT EVER have to worry about balancing their budgets or pointless stupid taxes to report..THUS EVERYONE benefits equally because the customers also WONT have to pay pointless stupid hidden taxes..thus MORE buying power for EVERYONE…prices drop and/or stabilize=HAPPY ENDING FOR THE REST OF AMERICA’S ETERNITY. PLAIN AND SIMPLE PEOPLE. doesn’t take a masters in education to know this.

    This PROVES my point about Experience versus a freaking degree and which person is more qualified for a job. EXPERIENCE ALWAYS WINS IN THE END!. LEARN YOUR HISTORY PEOPLE!