How much demand can there be for a machine that's utterly useless?
Believe it or not, more than you might ever have thought, because Brett Coulthard, the hobbyist who devised the contraption depicted in the video above, is making the leap into entrepreneurship by launching the Frivolous Engineering Company (HT: Core77).
And like many entrepreneurs, he's encountering many challenges as he gets set to introduce a new, improved version of the original useless device, the "Ultimate Useless Machine":
The good news is that all the parts have arrived and production of Version 2 of the Useless Machine has begun, and our on-line store should be up and running in the next few days.
Bad news: Now that production has started we're getting a better idea of the actual labor costs for making the machines and we've had to bump up the price for the 'pre-soldered' Machines from $40 to $45.
The big problem Frivolous Engineering has right now is a shortage of qualified labor. I'm trying to hire someone who is good at soldering but until then (and depending on demand) the pre-soldered machines will most likely be produced only in limited quantities.
Hopefully, he'll get those problems straightened out soon - keep your eyes posted on the new company's website for more details on how to buy the ultimate useless machine for that special someone this holiday season!