Mousetrap Trivia

Things you might not know about the common mousetrap:

Thing Number One: Legend has it that the traditional Whack It Over The Neck With a Metal Bar mousetrap was invented by Hiram Maxim, creator of the Maxim machine gun. Not a particularly sweet fellow, it seems. That said, the US Patent Office awarded patent 661,068 on November 6, 1900 to C.F. Nelson for a mighty familiar looking "Animal Trap."

Thing Number Two: Mice don't like cheese. You'll have far more luck baiting the trap with a morsel of meat or even chocolate.

You might be wondering why I'm telling you this. Well, it's bait. Ralph Waldo Emerson is famously quoted as saying, "Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door." If that's the case, why isn't there some incredibly wealthy inventor living in the Cayman Islands off the proceeds from her invention of The Better Universal Remote Control?

My plea: Can any of you recommend a good programmable remote that doesn't cost an arm and three legs, yet controls a VCR, DVD player or two, TV, stereo, and cassette deck? Every one I've tried so far manages to misconfigure an essential function or two.

Comments

[Daniel Rutter]

Maxim did invent a mousetrap, but it was a fancy auto-resetting version, and I don't believe he patented it. The current Wikipedia entries for the mousetrap, and for Maxim, are probably wrong on this point.

This other Wikipedia page...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trapping
... mentions James Henry Atkinson, who apparently did invent and patent the standard modern spring mousetrap. More info here:
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blmousetrap.htm

[donald dunklee]

Best "ammo" around these parts is simple peanut butter. Gets em every time.
later, trap just went off, got another one.......

[aaa]

universal remotes have always been a pain but the only one i've ever encountered that programmed easy and reliably are the remotes that come with dish network satellite systems. 4 functions only, but they will control 1 (or 2 ) tvs, vcr, dvd player, stereo system. good little remotes!

[Kyle]

Buy a Logitech/Harmony remote. Get an extended warrenty; and if you call for tech support; talk to second level.

[Anonymous]

I do not know how useful this will be to you now, as you yourself posted this a long time ago and may have already resolved this issue, but there is a good universal remote which costs only $8, but unless you live in Australia you cant purchase it, if by chance you do live in Australia, you can purchase it from the reject shop

[boobs]

Oh god yes. boobs movie dome She was still in front condo the spectacle.

[ffilgyt]

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