I write! Ordinarily I write using my laptop, but last week it died. No more access to the World Wide Web, the source of much of my information. My thousands of images that I downloaded over the years are inaccessible. Handwritten text cannot easily be corrected. Gone are the days when people were comfortable shifting four speed, four-on-the-floor. Right now I’m trapped in a hospital bed thanks to a painful hip operation. How do I reach for my cellphone, camera, ice water and facial tissues? I take my cue from the CanadArm, a fantastic development for use in grasping onto objects that have arrived for use in the Space Station.
Another land-based operation is the tree-grooming boom that can extend itself, firmly grasping a branch to be cut, swivel its head to use the chain saw attached to it, cut the limb, then carefully lower it onto the haul-away truck.
My Grip ‘n Grab does the same thing to the otherwise inaccessible camera, cellphone and box of tissues. Every hospital room, long-term care facility and home should have one. When I get out of here I’m going to become a Grip ‘n Grab salesman – and become a millionaire.
