The Handler, or why Captain Hook doesn't have cold sores

Via Boing Boing, here's news of an exciting product for germophobes. The Handler is a little plastic hook that's supposedly strong enough to open doors, punch numbers on ATM machines, scratch behind the ears of kittens, etc. The website explains why you will die without it:

As you go through your day, think of all of the places that you touch -- door handles, sink faucets, hand rails, counter tops, car doors, light switches etc…. People leave their germs behind after sneezing, coughing, blowing their nose and touching their mouth and other more private parts.

But there's a solution: "The best way to prevent problems, of course, is to never touch these 'problem surfaces.'" I think they mean door handles, not private parts, but shouldn't we treat both the same for safety's sake?

And what about other "problem surfaces," such as hands giving us change at the supermarket, or every piece of furniture at your best friend's house? I'm sure strangers and co-workers will understand if you retract your hands into your long sleeves and instead offer your claws in friendship.

Haven't the these guys ever heard of using your knuckles to push buttons and using your elbows to turn door handles?

Comments

[Chris VanHaight]

As a former biology major, I am impelled to point out that one does not absorb cold-producing viruses through the skin. One either inhales them or ingests them. Hence, washing one's hands before one eats should fix the contact/ingestion issue (of course you still have to get out of the bathroom, but the elbow trick should work).