What are these little knobs on my house, and will I die if I touch them?

I’m painting my house, and I found some little knobs with wires attached to them. I’m wondering if I can remove them before I paint and whether they will zap me if I touch them. This is an 80-year-old house, but the electrical system has been upgraded to a breaker box (circa 1985). When I bought the house, the inspector mentioned that one live wire remained in the old fuse box. If these knobs are related to the electrical system and if they could be live, how do I kill them?
Photo showing here:
http://sites.google.com/a/trahelyk.com/trahelyk/cabinet/P1010457.JPG?attredirects=0