The Ultimate Earmuffs

[Elwood Dowd]

[Jay Pique]

I would like to have a pair of earmuffs that do all of the following functions:

1. Reduce excessive noise to a safe level.
2. Allow normal conversation and sounds to be heard.
3. Tie into the phone system. This would require a microphone to be included. When the phone rang you'd hear it in the headphones, and via a voice recognition command you could answer it and speak - all handsfree. Employees, vendors, emergency service providers - they'd all be a word away.
4. Tie into my computer system so that I could digitally record memos, notes, emails etc... Again this would be accomplished via VR. Since my pc is my stereo these days, I'd control the shop music via voice command as well. This way I could swap out the foxtrot music for some Yankee Hotel Foxtrot when the geezers leave the building. All without stepping out from behind the bench.
5. Since I envision DreamShop 1.x to have a computerized power management system, I might as well have remote control over the lights, air conditioning and security system - and maybe even tools themselves. "Griggio, ON!" would give me great satisfaction. (Safer yet, "Griggio, [passsword], ON!"
6. Clear and instant communication between employees would also be excellent to have - why not throw in an intercom system. Our shop is an acoustical disaster, so it's sometimes hard to understand people even when the machinery isn't screaming.

The technology exists today. Maybe I'll see it at the IWF '04 in Atlanta...

JP

************** "Beer me."

[Joe_Stein]

Just what ( or whom?) do you consider a geezer? What age group? :-) Joe

[J. Clarke]

I suspect that if you stuck a bluetooth headset under a pair of your favorite earmuffs you'd be able to do all that. Be a pain in the butt to set up though.

[Swingman]

I finally gave up on all that and just plug in my iPod.

[NoOne N Particular]

Develope it, Patent it. Market it. Retire yourself.

Wayne

P.S. Don't forget to tie it into your home entertainment center so you can change channels on the Plasma TV over in the corner of the shop, or play a CD, or tape Nahmie. Oh. and tie it into your cars computer system to you can get diagnostics and maybe even have the car start itself and turn on the a/c on hot days. Oh oh, And tie it into your automated house controls so you can have the lights on when you come in and the temp all nice and comfy, etc. Oh oh oh. . . and tie it into your wife so you can. . .uh . . .Maybe you better leave this one out. :-)

[J. Clarke]

Just use it to control the stasis box where you keep her when you're not using her.

[Brian]

You're a guy I'd like to hang out with. ;-) "Beer me."

Brian.

[Charlie Self]

Elwood Dowd responds:

I hope not. It sounds like a wonderful way to slice off some fingers while paying attention to everyting but the tool.

Charlie Self "Give me golf clubs, fresh air and a beautiful partner, and you can keep the clubs and the fresh air." Jack Benny

[Jay Pique]

The packaged product may not exist, but each of the individual traits I discussed is available in some form or another already. If indeed the product were to become available, it wouldn't be a difficult fix to have a lockout on all functions save for the noise supression while using machinery. It could even be automatic - "Griggio, ON" simlutaneously fires up the saw and temporarily blocks any other incoming signal.

JP

[igor]

[Jay Pique]

It's tough to say, as I believe the IT consulting fee would far outweigh the actual hardware costs. For just the ear protection/microphone combo I'd guess around $500 for a single unit, but that's not the "product" in which I'm interested. If you could provide all of the below in a (very) dependable and durable format - and it was OSHA compliant - I would think that a cost benefit analysis might show it to be worth quite a bit. For me if I were to open DreamShop? How about $10k and support for one year after it's fully operational, then a reasonable fee going forward for the addition of new machinery, etc...

JP

**************** Noise cancelling tech would be nice too - even on a shopwide basis.

[igor]

[J T]

Mon, Aug 2, 2004, 9:04pm [e-mail] (Jay=A0Pique) claims: I would like to have a pair of earmuffs that do all of the following functions:

I'll take a pair that can do 1 and 6.

JOAT The highway of fear is the road to defeat.

- Bazooka Joe JERUSALEM RIDGE

[NoOne N Particular]

I don't know about a helicopter setup from DOD. I can just se it now. Your are cutting a piece of hardwood on your table saw and then turn your head. . .

Wayne

[M Wingett]

"igor" asked

$39.99 for the Harbor Freight edition. 8^)

[Jay Pique]

LOL. I actually got to put one of those on at the Paris Air Show (Le Bourget?) a bunch of years ago. Tres cool.

JP

[Jay Pique]

Now *where* did I put my Idiot's Guide to Writing a Business Plan?

JP

************* Planning. Dreaming.

[Swingman]

Look for where you left the Idiot's Guide to Staying Organized and you'll probably find it. LOL.

[J T]

Thu, Aug 5, 2004, 8:58am [e-mail] (Jay=A0Pique) says: Now *where* did I put my Idiot's Guide to Writing a Business Plan?

Went waaaay over your head. We are talking about two different things. But, think on it for awhile. And, don't think "business". LOL

JOAT The highway of fear is the road to defeat.

- Bazooka Joe JERUSALEM RIDGE