Klarinet Archive - Posting 000386.txt from 2002/01

From: "Franklin Kercher" <kranwli@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Just a little fun FYI
Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 15:20:51 -0500

----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert" <LetsReason@-----.com>
Subject: [kl] Just a little fun FYI

Actually you were right on, all except the Phillips screw driver. There
are about 5 types of "cross head" screw drivers and "Phillips" is the name
of one type. It has to do with angle off the cut and sharpness of the point.
Phillips, though is the most popular. If you look at the points of some of
the cheapo ones at a store and then compare them with a quality one, say a
Snap-on, you will see the cheap ones are usually of one of the other types
with a different angle and are more pointed. They too have names but they
escape me at the momment. Another product miss labeled is the "freeze plug"
on your car. They have nothing to do with relief of pressure during
freezing. It has to do with a casting process and are really called Morgan
plugs. But walk into a parts store and ask for a Morgan plug.

> From Dee Hays, <<"Saran Wrap" is a specific brand of plastic wrap and thus
> should be
> capitalized to indicate that. However, like many other names, it often
gets
> applied in a generic sense.>>
>
> We had an interesting week back in 1988 when I was a manager of the
> Lynnhaven 8 Theaters in Virginia Beach, Virginia (USA) when the General
> Manager asked us in a manager's meeting how many name trademarked items
that
> had become so popular that their brand name had become the commonly used
> name of the generic item. Here are some we came up with: (please keep
in
> mind, they are subjective because one person may suggest an item and
another
> insists that "they" never call it by that name)
>
> Kleenex (facial tissue), Q-Tips (cotton swabs), Vaseline (petroleum
jelly),
> Vise-grips (adjustable locking pliers), Phillips screwdriver (?-sorry,
> drawing a blank), and I believe Crescent Wrench was a trademark name
> (adjustable wrench) but am in no way sure on that one, Jell-o (gelatin),
> Jeep (jeep? LOL), Band-aid (plastic [adhesive?] bandage), Kool-aid (this
> one may have gone the wayside but was surely the rage in 1988--flavored
> instant drink), Walkman (pocket-sized cassette-tape player, now including
> various other devices), Saran Wrap (plastic wrap), for a relatively brief
> while IBM was synonomous with PCs as well ("Do you have an Apple or IBM?"
> where IBM could be any brand of personal computer not Apple.) For just an
> instant, it seemed that "Bic" (or was it Bik?) was trying to replace
> "lighter" when their ad campaign was in full swing.
>
> There are actually many more. Can you think of any?
>
> Robert
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>

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