Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

Hmm. I guess it was a little long for the "walking stick" label in hindsight, so yes, 'staff" would be a better description (though a somewhat shortish one, about shoulder-height, so probably still a bit short for a proper longbow). The one in my dream had a really complicated multiple bowstring, kind of like some modern composite designs with pulleys but more confusing, sort of spiderweb-like, and with a geometry that wouldn't have actually worked in the waking world. And when the bowstring was relaxed, all the strings completely vanished until they were needed again. (No reassembly involved, just pluck at a particular spot on the walking stick and *poof* it's a bow.) I didn't get as far (in the dream) as figuring out how incredibly awkward the ice cream scoop would be to use, but I did wonder why it was there.

As for violins in walking sticks, I find that interesting. I probably shouldn't be as startled by it as I am, given how small a "pocket fiddle" can be, and considering the walking sticks I've seen that incorporate flutes. In any case, my world feels a tad more nifty knowing they exist.

Ooh! Cleaner solution than some of the ones I've been designing in my head lately, though potential for rats-nest types of untidiness abound. (And that page led me to this (http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/7657/), which I now want.)

I'd been thinking of thingies that'd make an existing straight-line power strip more useable with wall warts: like a short, rigid "extension cord" as long as the thickness of most wall warts, so another wall wart could loom over the first. Or ones with right-angle bends, so you'd plug a wall wart into the "bottom" outlet on the strip, use right-angle extenderthingies to have the next two wall warts hanging left and right of the strip, a straight one to have a fourth wall wart perched parallel to the first but a wall-wart-width out from the strip, and that'd probably make enough space to put right-angle extendifiers in the next two sockets and not even have a wall wart pressing on the power strip's on/off switch. The rigidity would keep everything in a tidy package (though somewhat fatter than a power strip with just ordinary cords plugged into it instead of six transformers). But the thingies would have to be really, really cheap (at retail) for my idea to make any sense.

Then again, the power-squid costs about twice what I pay for a power strip (admittedly one without a light or a circuit breaker). About right when (as it often will) it means buying half as many power strips, but it also suggests that the price point for my idea would be about $1/outlet. (Similar price for equipping a brand new power strip from scratch, but cheaper than replacing an already-on-hand power strip with a squid, and if a mix of wall warts and straight cords is used, fewer than a full complement of extenda-plugs is needed.)

Of course, there are also the power strips with outlets spaced farther apart and turned sideways to be more wall wart friendly. The ones I've seen have cost more than the squid though. (And I've seen better-quality normal power strips than the ones I buy for about the same price as the squid from ThinkGeek, so for anyone already buying a better grade of equipment, the unit you linked to would be the way to go.)

Of course, I'm still wondering about the numbers ... (I wonder whether anyone's actually conducted a scientifically meaningful study/survey of outlet and wall wart usage. Somebody must have my curiosity but more resources and a lot of free time, right?)