If you check out the video below, you'll learn how you can utilize that ever-present cell phone battery to ignite a fire when you happen to be in the middle of the woods without a lighter or match in sight. In a nutshell, you will use the steel wool to short-circuit your battery temporarily, creating a small spark and a whole lot of smoke. This spark, in turn, can be used to ignite your kindling and start your fire. This is probably a little easier than rubbing two sticks together, but it's still very much a trial-and-error process.