This is not about fancy telemetry or virtualization or about any technology innovation. But it is about what innovation should do - delight. Especially if you are a 6 year old. Or a 60 year old who loves toy trains.
I am in Kansas City, MO for a chess tournament with the kids. My son, 14 ignores the barbecue the city is famous for and a bunch of other choices and heads to Fritz's. I groan, but then discover this little piece of Americana, where you order your food on a phone at your table and a miniature train delivers it to a tray, operated with pneumatics and sensors, which lowers the food to the table. There's an element of suspense - is your food on the "Skat-Kat" steaming by? You can see why kids love it. Then are a variety of other trains zooming around. (wonder if Paula Abdul's MC Skat Kat was inspired by this)
Manager Dan Lillis proudly showed me the software which runs the trains - and marveled how low maintenance the designer Jim DeDert had made it. Trains do break down. Little trains even more so. Especially after days and months of delighting young ones - and not so young ones.
the designer Jim DeDert had made it!
Posted by: Team Fortress 2 | April 16, 2007 at 10:49 PM