iShopsmith

[alpine_joy]

Hi Shopsmith friends. Hope you are all well and as happy with your Shopsmiths as I am with mine.

I would like to pose this question. Since Apple is now coming out with its new iPhone 3G, isn't it about time for Shopsmith to add a new model, the iShopsmith?

I love my retro-mechanical Shopsmith, which was made in the 1980's, but really, wouldn't it be good to have a new, sleek "iShopsmith", which could, I don't know, be programmed by spreading your first two fingers in a Vee, and closing them back again?

I hope to see a prototype in the Hands Online workshop soon! Discuss!

[dusty]

I would love to see Shopsmith release its new iShopsmith but I doubt it will happen during my time.

Companies just don't invest money into R and D unless there is promise of payback. Usually, they look for payback in a relatively short period of time like 3 to 5 years.

I don't think sales numbers are plotting anything like iPhones.

However, I'd give up my cell phone quicker than I would give up my Shopsmith.

[Nick]

The new Galaxy Class version of the Shopsmith Mark V is called the iSS by Marketing. Trips off the tongue a little better than "iShopsmith" and the "SS" has subliminal ties to "Star Ship." Gone is the mechanical speed changer; we have replaced that with a standard warp drive. If you crank this up to Warp Z -- a few notches above "Rout" -- you can actually finish a project before you start it. Neat feature.

We also hope to introduce two new SPTs, a Wood Replicator and a Transporter Attachment. The replicator works reasonably well, although we will have to overhaul the standard list of hazardous woods. A few weeks ago, Drew turned a bowl from Betelguese Bubinga and broke out with Klingon Toe Rot. Nasty. The transporter is still in the earliest prototype stage and very buggy. The stuff that we beam out doesn't always come back. Some of us are convinced that the amount of material being lost in research by Engineering is contributing to our backorder situation.

However, we are aware of the problem and will keep you posted.

With all good wishes,

[dusty]

Wow. Was I ever wrong! I hope we get to see introductory versions of these during the session on Saturday.

Maybe Drew would consider canceling one interlude to create a time slot for the "introduction".

I'm sure glad I already have my ticket for the Saturday premier.

Norm - you are in real trouble now.

[fturner]

Wow Nick, that is an astonishing tool. I'm pretty sure that the wood products that don't come back when transported end up in some heads in Washington DC.

[charlese]

I love that word-smithing along with imagination!

[sandyj]

Ahoy captain Nick - Engineering here - The head stock was never designed to handle that kind of stress - can we introduce the undo button ssometime soon?

Regards
ex-Scotty

[paul heller]

Keep up the good work, Nick and Drew!

Paul

[RobertTaylor]

giggle, giggle

[BigSky]

Holy Klingon, Beam me out of here, scotty - quick.