Death Of A God

Well, that may be stretching the case just a bit, but...

Some years back, D'wife bought an iTouchless 13 gallon trashcan, which, oddly enough, is not an Apple product.
Very mundane looking, but it has in the lid, sensors that react to anything getting close to it by opening the lid with a small motor. It was kind of pricey, MSRP being about $100, but with some shopping around, it can be had for around $75. Still sounds pricey? This thing has become my second favorite piece of kitchen automatia behind only the coffee pot. I liked it so well I fitted ours with teeth:
And named it Offler, after Terry Pratchett's crocodile god. If you set it too close to a walk path, the maw gapes open every time you pass. When the machines come after us, this thing will be at the forefront. Those teeth should be a factory option. On second thought, they should be standard. You should have to remove them yourself if they make you nervous.

Last week, Offler died. The little plastic gear, cast into the lid, snapped off, and while the sensor and motor still work fine, the lid remains shut. Replacement lids are available, and I got one, and I still have the old lid. That old lid is destined to become Something. What I'm not sure. A flag-raising B.S. alarm perhaps. D'wife is afraid it will become a rising pair of luminescent eyes, awaiting a trip to the loo in the dark. The mind races frantically, evincing the sound of stripped gears and dry bearings from inside the skull.

And best yet...Offler lives!

Disclaimer: No one ever gave me anything except my little dog Checkers.... No, wait, people have given me free stuff, including dogs, but never a carnivorous trashcan. If you get one, tell them I sent you. Maybe they'll give me one of their other widgets to test.