FEEL THE FIZZ

I know it’s hard to believe, but for those of us who were kids in the 1970s, a tin of Coke or lemonade was a special treat. I’m talking birthdays and Christmas here. And then along came the Sodastream – a household machine that turned tap water into fizzy drinks.

The secret to this alchemy was the CO2 cartridge. Simply pop one in, press a button, add the syrupy gloop of your choice and hey presto – carbonated water became whatever you wanted it to be. My best friend had one. As a result, he became everyone’s best friend.

Of course, market dynamics changed and the once miraculous Sodastream is now largely consigned to history as an almost superfluous piece of technology.

Fortunately though, the CO2 capsule has gone on to enable all kinds of important innovations, like the air rifle. The pandemic made us realise how dependent we are on our local dive shop for compressed air and when they were forced to close, sales of stirrup pumps, compressors and spring rifles