I am going to start up a tech company which redesigns and rebrands existing technology for old people. Remote controls, USB sticks, microwaves, all with big buttons and minimal functionality for people who are either nervous about technology or routinely puzzled by it.
My company will be called 'FANDANGLED'.
I called it first.
I'm going to need money and staff to redesign cheap techie stuff so that your Gran will be able to use it and and confidently say "I've got one of those new Fandangled microwaves!"
Now hiring.
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An explanation of The Joy Division Litmus Test
Although it may now be lost in the mysts of thyme, the poll below is still relevant to this blog. In the winter of 2008, Mele and I went to live in Queensland. In order to survive, I bluffed my way into a job at a Coffee Club.
It was quite a reasonable place to work: the hours were regular, the staff were quite nice, it wasn't particularly taxing on my brain.
There were a few downsides: In the six weeks or so that I worked there, there was about a 90% staff turnover (contributed to by my leaving). This wasn't seen as a result of the low pay, the laughability of staff prices or the practice of not distributing tips to staff, rather it was blamed on the lack of work ethic among Bribie Island's youth.
However, one of the stranger aspects of the cultural isolation that touched our lives during our time "up there" was the fact that nobody at my work had heard of the band Joy Division.
The full explanation is available here.
But please, interact a little further and vote in my ongoing poll. The results are slowly mounting up, proving one thing: people read this blog are more well-informed about Joy Division than anyone who works at the Coffee Club on Bribie Island.
It was quite a reasonable place to work: the hours were regular, the staff were quite nice, it wasn't particularly taxing on my brain.
There were a few downsides: In the six weeks or so that I worked there, there was about a 90% staff turnover (contributed to by my leaving). This wasn't seen as a result of the low pay, the laughability of staff prices or the practice of not distributing tips to staff, rather it was blamed on the lack of work ethic among Bribie Island's youth.
However, one of the stranger aspects of the cultural isolation that touched our lives during our time "up there" was the fact that nobody at my work had heard of the band Joy Division.
The full explanation is available here.
But please, interact a little further and vote in my ongoing poll. The results are slowly mounting up, proving one thing: people read this blog are more well-informed about Joy Division than anyone who works at the Coffee Club on Bribie Island.
I'm in. You should have seen the little old lady on my bus trying to use her (not fandangled) RFID based transport ticket (myki).
ReplyDeleteThe Fandangled (TM) MyKi will be made of tough, hemp-based paper and will have the word 'NEW FANDANGLED BUS TICKET' printed on it. Users will be able to present it to the driver and have a short conversation about the weather while the driver pretends to punch a hole in it.
ReplyDeleteYES! I'll send over 100 rupees right away, your lordship. And can we have a sideline of Thingoes, Dooflickie and Thingamubobs as well?
ReplyDelete....or will that just confuse the target market?
I can spare a few cents. Can you invent a remote that changes its own batteries and senses when granny has fallen asleep then turns off the TV?
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see a "permanent" bus ticket, much like a credit card, where you pay a certain amount in advance then use it for a year. Those little paper tickets are awful and people keep losing them and have to fumble through every bag, purse and pocket to find it, only to find the damn thing has expired. (not me)
Kath - These will join our Doodad and Geegaw lines and will be grouped roughly not by product or function, but by how many corners the product has and how many buttons (maximum of three).
ReplyDeleteRiver - Our new Fandangled remotes will not need batteries because they will be connected to the television by a bright, curly cord. This will give them have the added advantage of never getting lost.