The self-closing jam bottle lid
Aohata is a popular brand of jam in Japan.
But what they've done with the lid of their bottles is magic.
Just keep the lid back on top of the bottle and it turns by itself, sealing the contents.
You can see the video in the link and you won't believe it's happening.
There are no marks on the lid, from what is visible. The threads on the side of the bottle slope downwards but otherwise, it looks like any ordinary jam bottle
The jam manufacturer does not seem to have highlighted the feature in the advertising - which is mystifying. A magic jam jar lid seems precisely the kind of thing that moves customers to remember.
Apparently, the lid does not move at the same speed all the time. It could be slow, or fast. But the sealing happens because the lid needs to be turned manually for the bottle to be reopened.
In India, Hettich has made self-locking furniture the centerpiece of the advertising. Making it all about superior workmanship and shelves that smoothly move into place.
So a jam lid that does some magical moves should be cause for celebration. At the very least, it should have been the closing shot.
But it took a post on social media to get the surprise going - and there have been several customers of the brand who never noticed this happening.
The 'magic' is probably in the way the threads around the lid have been designed - grooves that propel the lid to move.
And it could well be worth emulating by all jam brands - if nothing else, to keep the ants away from the feast!
Will the Battery overlords be different from the Fossil fuel overlords?
Oliver Zipse is the CEO of BMW.
And he's not too enamored by the world going gaga over electric vehicles.
His point is that we're simply exchanging one set of fiefdoms for another.
And it's well-worth pondering over.
We're moving from fossil fuels because they are bad for the environment. Plus they're tools of power.
The countries with large oil reserves rule the roost. And they have a stranglehold on supplies that have a cascading impact on politics and the entire economies of other countries in the world.
You only have to read the lessons from the oil shocks of the 70s to see the rollercoaster the whole world has to ride on. There is no getting off, even if it seems exciting at certain points and unnerving at others.
Right now, all the countries with Lithium reserves are quietly waiting and watching. As demand increases, the prices will rise. There will be a fevered search for new sources. The economies which have the highest reserves will rule the roost - and right now, it's China.
The world will not see a renewable future. It will simply switch dependence to another set of masters.
Zipse's solution is that we should curb our dependencies on fossil fuel but not do away with it altogether.
That's a truly long-term view. Make energy sources compete with each other to keep prices in check. Fossil fuel vs solar vs wind vs electric.
The problem today is the dominance of fossil fuels - and if that can be curbed with other technologies, the leverage is reduced.
It's not the majority view - and the energy industries are all capital intensive. Which means that bets will be placed on fewer technologies.
And again, the winner will take all. We will be back to where we were!
Going back to being another face in the crowd
ou'll hardly find anyone willing to admit that their primetime is over.
Even when they have obviously faded from the heights of fame they once attained.
Or else, they'll lament about a world they no longer understand. It has moved on and left them behind.
Film stars, sports stars and pop stars experience the kind of adulation most of us never will.
Fans can get highly emotional and charged when they meet the star in person. They hold on to little scraps of the experience - a cap or a keepsake presented to them. And now, the selfie.
For the stars themselves, it is a difficult path. Fading into gentle obscurity, going back to being a nobody is hard enough for normal people.
Most people cling to their designations after they retire. They continue to wish they had the same power over their minions.
For all those who proclaim that they wish to retire at 40, there's only one part of it that's true. They want to be so financially secure that it won't matter how much they spend to keep up appearances.
But being financially secure and being sought after are two completely different things.
Retirement is fading into obscurity. It means moving away from the limelight and into the shadows.
That's not a pleasant thought.
There's a book that explores this in detail. The author has interviewed several pop stars at the peak of their fame and on the way down.
Some of the names are familiar in India. Some may not be. But what unites them is the fight to stay in the reckoning. Do they keep their fans and build communities around them?
It's a hard thing to accept but there is grace in letting go.