News - DRM applied to furniture manufacture

[HEXUS]

Also why your next desk should have a treadmill rather than a chair.

Read more.

[Andeh13]

Sometimes I wonder if the human race even deserves to exist. All that we face as a species and there are Highly educated Trogladites working on projects like this.

[crossy]

DRM chair? Like the idea lots ... not, I hasten to add, as a product in itself, but as a clear man-in-the-street example of why a lot of current DRM schemes are ridiculous. Presumably - like other DRM schemes - some nasty "pirate" promptly 'hacked' the chair by removing the power from the Arduino.

At the weekend TechCrunch published an interesting article singing the praises of “walking desks”. I’ve spent time on a regular treadmill and found the experience extremely boring so I’m sure a computer workstation at the end of it would make time upon the treadmill much more engaging.

Please someone, send TechCrunch a link to that episode of World's Craziest Fools that dealt with treadmills. Looking at that picture conjures up an image of class action suits being bought in the States by folks who have destroyed their dental work while slipping on the treadmill.

Plus, that'll cost money to run - far better to make the poor human-hamster power their PC by treadmill generator and fire them if they can't get their work done.

Perhaps Marissa Mayer could have equipped Yahoo homeworkers with treadmills sensing their presence at the computer, rather than simply banning teleworking?

As you say - "perhaps". But then again, it might have been more productive (and easier) to hold the teleworker's managers responsible for ensuring their staff are actually getting the work done. You know ... that thing called "people management".

If my boss wants to check on me all he has to do is phone/IM me - if I answer then I'm working, otherwise not. Simple! With a double check of "giving me stuff to do" and if I do it then I'm definitely working.

[cjs150]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7QxK3-pANw

May sum up why using a treadmill is a bad idea at work!

"Presumably - like other DRM schemes - some nasty "pirate" promptly 'hacked' the chair by removing the power from the Arduino": Brilliant!!!

[Kirano]

Sometimes I wonder if the human race even deserves to exist. All that we face as a species and there are Highly educated Trogladites working on projects like this.

I think the fact that someone even thought to do something like this is what makes us amazing as a species. Our inquisitive nature, our creativity, our willingness to try new things just for the hell of it. Those are the qualities that, ultimately, will save us from extinction.

Okay fine, it's not curing cancer or saving starving children or solving globla warming. But it's cool and interesting and put a smile on my face and probably on the faces of most of the people who read this article. Personally, I think that alone makes it worthwhile!

[3dcandy]

Polar bear on treadmill is much funnier - and yes sometimes I also despair of the world till I see some of the yummy mummies on the school run!

[ik9000]

isn't the point of this that they are trying to point out how ridiculously limiting and unfair DRM is? Wtf should someone be happy paying for a chair that can only be used 8 times - they wouldn't! And that's their point - if you pay for a game or whatever it is unreasonable for some err "tool" to limit it to only 2 installs etc. EA and ubisoft etc take note.

[mozzer51]

How much more is it over the chair mk. 1? £80 extra for more limited use?