[Coco] Radio Shack's next big thing Was: goodie!

[John Guin]

For what it's worth,  I think Radio Shack has it's "next big thing" already 
in stock:  the Vex Robot kits.

Really, if you think back to the 70s, the most common refrain I heard was 
"What do you need a computer for?"  And looking back, those early computers 
were incredibly anemic by today's standards.  These two lines of thought 
closely parallel robotics today.  The devices don't do much (I have the 
Roomba floor cleaner, which is the most useful of the current lot of 
robots), are hard to use and need a whole lot of planning if you plan to get 
any use from them.

I really look forward to the next 20 years of robots.  I'd be happy with a 
robot to fold clothes, put clean dishes back after cleaning or wash my car.  
They all seem doable, but not until some brainiac can get the right tools to 
develop the methodology.  That's what RS is selling now:  the beginnings of 
the next revolution.

John


----Original Message Follows----
From: PaulH96636 at aol.com
Reply-To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts <coco at maltedmedia.com>
To: coco at maltedmedia.com
Subject: Re: [Coco] Re: goodie!
Date: Tue, 12 Jul 2005 15:39:48 EDT

Yep, but Radio Shack is just trying to find the 'big new thing' to keep in
business.
I refer to the decline of interest in hobby electronics these days.  Many
formerly
busy stores are now closed or sharply reduced in outlets, cf Gem 
Electronics,
Route Stores here in north Jersey, and most notably perhaps, Heathkit.

RS has also disco'd their famous yearly catalog and even flyers seem to have
a rare
appearance (in my area at least);  this may be in large part due to their
reliance on
high expense tv advertising featuring Hollywood actors doing the 'product
pitch'.

-ph

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