In the real world, the lever was invented around 5000BC in what is now the Middle East. It consists of a rigid beam balanced at a central point, known as the “fulcrum”, and can amplify a force by providing “leverage”. The longer the lever, the more leverage it gives you. “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world,” promised ancient Greek smartypants Archimedes. No-one took him up on the offer.
What Minecraft calls a lever, though, is more like a real-world “switch” — an electrical component that turns a circuit on or off. It can interrupt the current in the circuit, or perhaps divert it from one place to another. You use them many times a day. To turn on a light, most commonly, or perhaps to activate a kettle or to put your phone in silent mode. You did put your phone on silent mode before reading so you could enjoy my article uninterrupted, right? You didn’t? Unbelievable.
But humans aren’t the only ones using switches. These days, most machines do their own switching in response to timers or sensors. These electrically-operated switches are called “relays”, and modern life relies on hundreds if not millions of them quietly doing their thing in the background. Which is nice, because otherwise we’d have to do it ourselves and we’d never get anything else done.
So, in recognition of the hard work they do to allow us to eat, drink, play Minecraft, and accomplish all the other essentials of human life with minimal effort, I’d like to extend immense gratitude to switches on behalf of the entire human race. Thanks switches!
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