As I sit in my kitchen tapping away at my laptop all I can hear is my Dad arguing (apparently with himself) as to why two seemingly identical tin openers are completely different. By different I mean that one works, and one just does not. This is an ongoing dilemma and spreads far beyond the 'why don't two identical products work the same?' question, to the 'why do none of these f*****g tin openers work?' and the curious fact that seemingly however much money you spend on a rotary version of this type of product, they all fundamentally fail to impress.
It would appear, that as designers have created more 'user friendly', 'easy-grip' and complex versions of the original tin opener that manufacturers have lost the ability to successfully reproduce an accurate rendition of the original product that actually did, at some point in the last thirty years, work perfectly well!Some may argue 'why would you even need a standard tin opener when you can buy an automatic or 
electric or magnetic version?' Well in all honesty some (such as those influenced by my family's technophobe genetics) prefer something that won't fail in a power-cut, doesn't threaten to take out the entire surrounding county's power when used by the wrong person and doesn't require you to read the instructions. Furthermore, if companies are going to continue to manufacture and sell the tradtional styles of tin opener, they should at least ensure that they work and are fit for purpose. This is basic quality management and product testing that even I understand! As said by my parents, 'this country is so fat they need the exercise of a manual tin opener!' and, 'if we have satellites in space how are we still struggling with the concept of a simple tin opener that even the Victorians had a working version of?'
If there is one weakness in my shopping habits (and I think there are several flaws in my technique) it is the need to repeat purchase lamp after lamp only interrupted by the odd lamp-shade and lightbulb. I could criticise myself for this need to buy every lamp in the consumer market right now, but when I consider the choices and joy of novelty designs and eye-catching patterns and colour matching everything with my bedroom, kitchen and (quite possibly at some point) my underwear I just can't help myself!
However sad this may be, I now have a large selection of lamps in every colour, pattern, style, base and shade design. I love being able to find a different style and bulb type for whatever kind of lighting and atmosphere I would like in particular spaces. 
Furthermore, with the current popularity of eco-friendly, environmentally conscious and sustainably sourced materials and products there is an interesting range of lamps and shades manufactured using recycled and re-used materials and utilising used products for various parts of the lamps. These can be both striking and aesthetically pleasing and are often used as a focal point in a room, restaurant, shop or even an exhibition.
