Friday 20 February 2009

Bye Bye bristle...



I just can't wait to get one!

It'll be a bit of a bugger to get upstairs, but I'm sure that there'll soon be a way to do this if our boffins aren't stamped on by the bureaucratic dinosaurs which infest Whitehall...

I went to a presentation by the marvellous Trevor Baylis once. He was showing everyone how his wind-up torch was brought to the market despite the tedious time-wasting by officials, and was explaining how the UK Government stifles any innovation, by letting civil servants 'examine' inventions, write lots of reports, waste months of valuable time and eventually cause the inventor to give up and wander off (usually to America).

In one ecstatic moment, he showed everyone a letter he'd received from 'an expert' pen-pusher, who dismissed almost everything he'd worked on for the last few years, and stated loftily that 'It probably won't work', without having a shred of evidence.

These are the types who are now drafting our financial futures, so beware!

And I also want a mower attachment on this fantastic machine...

And a hedge cutter...

19 comments:

Old BE said...

"Officials" had no way of stopping him making his invention, he was no doubt asking them to stop others from copying him. This is obviously not the same thing. Baylis is a bit of a hypocrite when it comes to intellectual property - he says he wants to bring the system crashing down but is quite happy to get rich on the back of it while it exists.

Typical leftie, I'm afraid.

Anonymous said...

Could it incorporate a drain cleaning element at all?

Anonymous said...

Trevor's wind-up radios, made in a small factory in Cape Town, were a great success in many places in Africa. However, he was unpopular with certain governments there as his infernal gadgets enabled the natives to learn what was really going on in their countries.


(Made a small typo earlier by typing naives instead of natives. That struck me as somehow appropriate!)

Sen. C.R.O'Blene said...

I think he was after grant support Blues. You can't really blame anyone who has a bright idea, and wants to get moving and make a few quid, only to be kicked back by the dead hand (or foot!), of bureaucracy.

I'm afraid I have a very painful personal experience of how small town hall/government minds have effectively killed of at least three of our schemes by dilatory inaction, excessive box-ticking, and downright laziness.

Sen. C.R.O'Blene said...

Mutters - now that is a thought!

I reckon if you could attach the pipe to the inlet here ...

http://www.ppsonline.co.uk/sewage_treatment_plants.htm

...there's a good chance that the waxed jacket syndrome could well be alleviated (see previous blog - helpful comments from Pips and Iders)!

Sen. C.R.O'Blene said...

Reevers that's interesting! I always thought the wind up torch was a good idea too.

Very unfairly, I used to think that as each wind up gave one two hours electricity, was the owner bright enough to realise that he could actually start winding up again at 1 hour 55 mins?

Electro-Kevin said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pbSvsIVTwQ&feature=channel

Philipa said...

I can't stand Dysons. Just hate them. They are far too heavy and aren't very good. The upright hoover my mum had in the 60's was better and I've only just thrown it away. It still worked and worked fine. It even had a little light on the front that worked. But the thing about Dysons is.. men love them. My Dad's just bought a new one. He does the hoovering. Only he can lift it.

The Old Tarf said...

where is the beer fridge attachment.

Sen. C.R.O'Blene said...

Elecs - that is fantastic!

Have you ever tried taking a wooden spoon, and holding it around where the knobs on an electric guitar would be i.e. with just your forefinger and thumb, and just whacking the strings...?

Also I'll try and explain the Sellotape tin lid machine next...

Sen. C.R.O'Blene said...

Pips - an admission...We don't have a Dyson and probably never will!

We bought one of those 'stick' Hoovers last year and it just died, so I got a G-Tech sweeper which is fantastic, but there has to be an Electrolux to get the crap from the crannies, so we got one of those again for serious deep cleaning...

How can a Late Middle Aged Rocker discuss vacuum cleaners with someone as iconic as the real Pips?

Somehow, I feel in need of some advice on how to answer questions from very attractve people like Pips...

Sen. C.R.O'Blene said...

Tarfers - look in the compartment behind the seat!

There's room for four large cans of Stella Beater, and two miniatures of Glenbastard...

Philipa said...

Ahh don't write that down, Scrobs (but please think it :-) as Idlers can disabuse you of that notion - he has evidence. I think he must have spent his pre-marital youth being shaken and not shtirred by buxom young things in white bikinis but can't possibly comment or he'd have to kill us.

Sadly I'm like those red birds that used to dip their beak in your drink. Remember those? Just me then. Dyson's suck. Great link from EK, I agree.

Sen. C.R.O'Blene said...

Just have to post the wv - and nothing else!

'Berdwear'.

Long night ahead...

Sen. C.R.O'Blene said...

Pips - do you mean those dipping birds that went back and forth into the Scotch?

Yup I remember them...


If not I'm at a bit of a loss...

idle said...

Pip, Scrobs - I can neither confirm nor deny what I might have seen. Let's say that my memory has never been the same since South East Asia in the early 80s.

Anonymous said...

Idle, didn't your globe trotting granny teach you to keep well away from Singapore Slings?

wv; adultre - whatever can that mean?

Philipa said...

Yup, been updated now tho.

Philipa said...
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