KWY wants me to design a shindogu for him...and build it, no less! KWY is a big EverQuest player, and pointed out to me that developing your character's skills in the game requires a lot of KB sitting time, pressing keys over and over, until the skill you're wanting gets developed to a particular level...He wants a device that will press keys for him. Shades of "The Simpsons"...
Now, since I want KWY's help on a little harebrained scheme of my OWN, I have agreed to build him his automatic keyboard presser. I envision the prototype as a kludge built out of erector set and plywood, with 5 bucks of radio shack goodness thrown in. I have a couple of old CD-ROM drives taken apart that should provide the gears and whatnot I'll need. I think I'll have the gizmo press two keys initially, and mebbe leave room for up to six armatures...Anyway, KWY claims that if we can build a working prototype and get it produced, we could make money if only a narrow percentage of EverQuest players bought one. Or we could just sell the blueprints online for a couple of bucks each.

My own scheme requires the services of a software designer. As KWY is the only software designer I know who will work for free (50% cut of future profits, if any), he gets the tap. If we can get a working package together, we shop it around to whomever will listen to us, and sell it to the highest bidding interested party. Plus, I want to build it because I WANT one. Money to be made, folks...more bulletins as events warrant.

In other news, I got all the spare parts together that I will need to build 3 bikes out of the collection of parts I have. I will be selling the Kodiak because Its frame is just too small for me. The Schwinn get's the Kodiak's wheels (granny geared), and I have built a new set of QR wheels for the Kodiak. I should have no trouble unloading it CHEAP. The hardtail TJ gave me will get a decent set of alloy wheels, and I have decided to leave it's brakes and other hardware alone. I MAY swap the cantilever brakes on the HT for the mismatched set on the Schwinn, or I may just wait 'till Spring Cleaning and see if I can heist another set of brake levers that match either one of the sets I now have on the Schwinn. I could also head 'round to my local junkman and see if I can work a trade. Would like a suspended fork for the Schwinn, but the sus forks on the HT are too tall to install on the Schwinn's frame...that's another reason to sell the HT: it's just too darn big for me.