How to open a can.

[carlbara]

Without a can opener.

I think communicating on this question over IRC via reading the logs was weird, but this topic is too spammy for the Lemmings forum, I put this here now.

<geoo> Do you have any suggestion how to open a can without a can opener?
<ccx_> not sure, nothing from google?
<ccx_> actually, I remember watching a cooking show where the chef use a big cleaver to open cans
<ccx_> but I doubt that will work for you
<geoo> I don't think I have one of these anyway
<ccx_> exactly
<geoo> well, I just ate my noodles with salsa, the tomato sauce has to wait
<ccx_> I guess another question is, you never owned a can opener? what did you do back in Germany?
<ccx_> besides ramen
<geoo> The few cans I bought there had an opening mechanism integrated
<geoo> I also got my pocket knife with an alleged can opener, but that one doesn't seem too useful
<ccx_> too bad mobius isn't around, for some reason it feels like he might actually have an answer to your dilemma
<geoo> hmm yeah. I could look in the kitchen for one, but I doubt I'll find one there
<ccx_> any neighbors you might be able to borrow one from?
<geoo> I found a cleaver and a screwdriver
<ccx_> to be clear, the cleaver thing is just the chef making a big whack at the top of the can, which somehow made enough of a crack to dump out the contents inside. And he has a big cleaver. Not sure I'd want to recommend that approach for safety of both human and tool
<geoo> I might try that tomorrow if I'm desperate enough

<geoo> to ccx, if he reads this: I managed to open the can with the cleaver, sort of. There's a slit in it now which I tried to expand, so if I massage the can a bit I can get some tomato sauce out of it
<geoo> well, massaging isn't quite correct, but if I hit its bottom some sauce splashes out of it all over the place

<ccx> @geoo (for the logs): in addition to expanding the slit you now have, maybe try making another slit on the can halfway around, to improve the airflow so that the sauce comes out easier?

That's actually a good idea. To late though, I expanded the slit by hitting and pushing with the cleaver, and then tried making a slit orthogonal to the original (which didn't work very well), and used that to peel up a bit of the metal, so I got a somewhat larger opening now. I can pour it out, but afterwards most of the top of the can is covered with tomato sauce.

[ccexplore]

Okay, I actually managed to track down the video on youtube, with the help of livedash.com (apparently some transcription and caption indexing service of US TV shows available for public use). Here's the part where the can was opened with a cleaver:

www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=3Nf4ds2vi14#t=253s

To be fair I kinda remembered the details all wrong. The cleaver looks more like a chef's knife and not quite as big as my memory would have it, and also it looks like the can opener actually already made somewhat of an opening on the can before he gave up on it in the interest of time (the show was a timed cooking competition). Finally, my mental picture was a little wrong but fortunately I wasn't too specific in what I described to geoo anyway, so that probably helped--for some reason I thought the crack went along the edge of the can's top, which actually makes little sense now I think about it, since the center part of the can's top is obviously structurally weaker compare to the edge.

I guess I also don't know for sure what geoo's can size was. I imagine it might be less effective if we're talking about much larger can sizes than the basic standard Campbell Soups can.

[carlbara]

He makes it look way too easy, I doubt the can is even remotely as resilient as mine.

As you seem so interested, here's a picture of the can (I actually have a second one, meaning I'll have to go through this ordeal another time at some point.)

[Insane Steve]

"sans nom" has to be the worst description of any foodstuff ever

although, considering how hard a time you had opening the can, it's oddly appropriate in this instance

[carlbara]

Brilliant. Never thought about the name like that.

[carlbara]

Can you believe that (manual) can openers are more expensive than rice cookers? yeah.

I think I'll stick with the cleaver, or try something else in(s)ane if someone comes up with a different idea.

[Insane Steve]

[carlbara]

This is awesome, perfect to ensure no-one gets perfect score.

But the difficulty should be harrrrrrrrd.

[Insane Steve]

Sept 28, 2012 17:21:53 GMT -5 carlbara said:

This is awesome, perfect to ensure no-one gets perfect score.

But the difficulty should be harrrrrrrrd.

[carlbara]

Solved.



Where's the metapuzzle?


Only a couple more hours until the next batch, I think...

[Insane Steve]

Sept 30, 2012 17:53:57 GMT -5 carlbara said:

Solved.



Where's the metapuzzle?


Only a couple more hours until the next batch, I think...

Yea, 2 hours to be exact. I'm going to be busy for the first couple hours after they are released but I'll have some some hours to look them over after.

I don't think they made a Meta 1E because they probably didn't expect anyone to solve it. Things look good for us!

[carlbara]

So guess what, I bought myself again some can without an opening mechanism, after giving back the can opener I borrowed.
If I'm not even able to solve simple real life problems like this, it's no surprise I suck at these puzzles.

But being an expert with the cleaver by now, and the can not being quite as solid, it wasn't even remotely as hard as sans nom.

[mobius]

Sept 27, 2012 22:16:10 GMT -5 carlbara said:

He makes it look way too easy, I doubt the can is even remotely as resilient as mine.

As you seem so interested, here's a picture of the can (I actually have a second one, meaning I'll have to go through this ordeal another time at some point.)

how did you get such a good picture where the wall blends with the table on the right side? I've been trying and failing for a while now to take photos and make good white/clean backgrounds.
---------
I should tell my grandfather to make and give you one of his can-openers. He made one himself [from parts of a submersible pump and a bycicle I think or a drill]. It sits on top of the can and rotates all by itself and shuts off automatically when it's done.

[carlbara]

I honestly don't know, I placed the can on my bed, and the light was pretty dim and the angle probably right, so it's almost indistinguishable.

Haha, that sounds like a really neat can opener your grandfather made. I finally got myself one now, a mechanical one though.