The glue that holds everything together... or not. (3M Post-it Note Pads)

Member Name: LadyAudley

Product:	3M Post-it Note Pads
Date:	14/01/08 (46 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easily customizable

Disadvantages: Easily customizable

Once upon a time, there was a scientist called Spencer Silver (I kid you not). He was employed by a lab who were trying to make a really, epically strong glue, a glue strong enough to make Spiderman's webs a real possibility. Unfortunately, Spencer Silver was away when they did glue at school, so he only managed to making a completely rubbish adhesive that could stick two piece of paper together for about two minutes before they fell apart again.

However, rather than despairing, hanging himself, or resigning, he talked to a mate of his who just happened to need an adhesive page marker that would stick to a book without damaging it. From these inauspicious beginnings, one of the great inventions of the twentieth century was born. Yes, we sent a man to the moon, yes we unravelled the genetic code, but can these really compare to our achievement in creating non-sticky sticky notes? Post-its have conquered the earth, littering waste-paper baskets and falling off computer monitors by their thousands on a daily basis. What is more, this little story provided generations of schoolchildren like me with the salutary and heartwarming message that being crap at science isn't that bad really, and can actually be quite useful in the end.

I am an obsessive list-maker with a memory like a sieve, so post-it notes are my daily salvation, reminding me of minutiae like who I need to call and why, what I am supposed to be writing about, what I need to buy from the shops, what my name is etc. etc. etc. Honestly, I couldn't manage without them, though it does infuriate me when I realize I have them stuck on my clothing and have been walking around the town in my lunch hour with "BUY TAMPONS" written on my back. Nowadays, they're also endlessly customizable, coming in all kinds of shapes and sizes to suit any taste, including recycled paper versions for all the eco-warriors out there. They're also cheap, starting at just £1 or so a pack for cheaper, generic notes.

However, this customizability is actually a major disadvantage too. Companies have realized that they can get special packs printed up with their logo on for next to nothing, and they send these things out by the thousand. For some reason unknown to me, medical companies are especially prone to doing this. They know you can't chuck them away, because they're post-its, and they're useful, and you can never have enough of them. So you end up leaving them on your desk until they become part of the furniture. They know that one day, the phone will rings and you will have to take a message. You will forget that you're writing on a promotional post it. And you will pass your male boss a phone message on a piece of paper that says "Sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise! Make sure you get tested for Chlamydia'.

Summary: I couldn't live without these annoying yellow things.