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The Parrot

Where am I, Coco?
  (+10, -3)
(+10, -3)
  [vote for,
against]

In an age when gadgets have become de rigeur I have noticed many of us yearn for simpler times.

Help is to hand: The Parrot evokes memories of an earlier time, when men (and women) of the world were bolder and dressed in a much more dashing fashion.

The Parrot sits on your shoulder and performs a number of tasks.
Digital, tri-band mobile telephone with remote speaker unit inserted in the ear canal
Wireless (Bluebeard?) connectivity for VOIP and email
Optional GPS for use when hiking or trying to find your way around an unfamiliar city
Personal organiser and diary...

"The Parrot" uses some pretty high tech voice recognition software, to take commands from the wearer and process requests for information. Able to recall entire telephone directories, this is one impressive unit, especially if you select the Hyacinthine model.

"Shiver Me Timbers" option available, for silent notifications during metings, etc.

As a bonus, you can get away with wearing billowy, white linen shirts; tight black breeches; eyepatches and funny hats in public.

UnaBubba, Nov 16 2003

[link]






       I don't want to stroke your ego or anything but this does make me laugh. We both know it has nothing to do with the parrot.
Tiger Lily, Nov 16 2003
  

       "Aark! You've got mail! You've got mail!"
hippo, Nov 16 2003
  

       That's kinda what I had in mind, [hippo].
UnaBubba, Nov 16 2003
  

       The PDA of choice of software pirates everywhere.
RayfordSteele, Nov 16 2003
  

       HaHaHarRR!
UnaBubba, Nov 16 2003
  

       "nothing to do with the parrot"
...not that there's anything wrong with that.
half, Nov 16 2003
  

       //...not that there's anything wrong with that//   

       Scuttlebutt!   

       <squawk>"Suck the monkey"<squawk>
Tiger Lily, Nov 16 2003
  

       (my interpretation of [TL]'s comment):
This is just a ploy to legitimize your habitual wearing of billowy, white linen shirts; tight black breeches; eyepatches and funny hats in public. 'fess up.
half, Nov 16 2003
  

       Possibly.
UnaBubba, Nov 16 2003
  

       Possibly that's what she was saying, or possibly she was right?
half, Nov 16 2003
  

       SwashBubba
po, Nov 16 2003
  

       That would Polly-phonic ring tones.   

       Yes, the keys go where the sun don't reach.
UnaBubba, Nov 16 2003
  

       The shade?
Overpanic, Nov 16 2003
  

       Under the parrot. The batteries go in the other spot.
UnaBubba, Nov 16 2003
  

       Dear Diary...   

       <squawk> My seventh day at sea living life by the turn of the screw. Such life parodies the art of sport.   

       This crew of swashbuckling men at work on the open sea are a silly lot. The further away from land we sail, the tighter they wear their breeches. Now and again one of us will have a go "walking the plank". It's not what you think. These impromptu events amount to 'wagging the dog' on a 'cat walk'. It helps the time pass while keeping the barbs sharp though occassionally one will lodge in one's 'shade'   

       Overall these rum sucking farts are an amicable gang, --even behind my back. I'm intrigued by the effects of their long term diet of buns and bones. This has made scurvy the new fashion. Everywhere I look someone is flaunting a hook. </squawk!>
Tiger Lily, Nov 16 2003
  

       Do you still get telephone reception out there, [TL]?
UnaBubba, Nov 16 2003
  

       "Please hold...That will be one schilling for the parrot please..."
Tiger Lily, Nov 16 2003
  

       It won't sell without wenches.
Detly, Nov 16 2003
  

       Would it be able to establish personal, secure connections between you and your bunch of swarthy sailor pals using a virtual pirate network?
dobtabulous, Nov 17 2003
  

       R !
UnaBubba, Nov 17 2003
  

       BlueTooth the Pirate
Letsbuildafort, Nov 17 2003
  

       I thought Bluetooth was a Viking?
DrCurry, Nov 17 2003
  

       I will buy this for 300 USD. +
sartep, Nov 18 2003
  

       VoIP... voice over irritating parrot.   

       Could you put your parrot on 'shiver me timbers' vibrating quiet mode for when you were in a meeting?
waugsqueke, Nov 18 2003
  

       Yes, [waugs]. I guess the big benefit is that this won't shit down your back.
UnaBubba, Nov 18 2003
  

       /Optional GPS for use when hiking or trying to find your way around an unfamiliar city/   

       How about LCD "wings" with routefinder software... X marks the spot? Or just have the Parrot direct you...   

       "North four-score paces from the Dead Man's Rock... follow the trail of skulls to the White Palms... face ye to the setting sun... five and twenty paces more and there ye'll see the Old Man's Pub."
Guy Fox, Nov 18 2003
  

       Would that be a Palm Pirate then?
On second thoughts, more likely to be made by a phone manufacturer - the Siemen's Friend?
Standby for the competition to catchup though - the Nokiatoo and the Sony Squawkman to follow....
Also, could he be preprogrammed to fly off an get help if you got into trouble? This would eliminate the need to also include an avalanche transceiver.
goff, Nov 18 2003
  

       <Squawk>"Phone call for Mr Bluebeard!!"<Squawk>
"Thanks, Polly, but would you mind not shouting in my bucaneer?"
goff, Nov 18 2003
  

       This idea made me think of Teddy in 'AI'. Teddy was cool. He'd've been even cooler if he were a parrot.
DrBob, Nov 18 2003
  

       I’m voting against this...I’ve never liked puffy shirts or parrots on my shoulder.
ldischler, Nov 18 2003
  

       And I'm voting for it ... I have always loved puffy shirts and parrots on the shoulder. +
k_sra, Nov 18 2003
  

       Yar! I be given ya a gold crescent doubloon fer yer ingenuiddy. An' I always reckon'd ye fer a land Bubba too...
Jinbish, Nov 18 2003
  

       Cap'n Bluetooth please hold while Jolly Rogers AT&T wireless completes your call.   

       (expanding on humanbean's idea)
Oh the Norwegian BlueTooth? Lovely bandwidth, i'n'it?

Nevermind that, my good man, it's dead.

Oh no, it's in sleep mode.

Sleep mode? Then how come his eyes aren't glowing?

Battery saver setting.

Alright then, I'll wake him up. Hello Mr.Polyphonic Parrot, I've got some lovely new e-mails I'd like to check! Hello! Testing!

There! See? He just uploaded a file!

No he didn't that was you pinging the parrot!

I never!

Matey, I know a dead parrot when I see one and this definitely a dead parrot.
sartep, Nov 18 2003
  

       I used to have the coolest parrot. A real one, by the way. He was an answering machine (would go off yelling "hello? hello?" when the phone rang), an alarm clock (flew to my bed every morning to wake me up lovingly) and even a doorbell (he would fly to wherever I was in the house yelling "knocking! knowcking!" when somebody waited outside).   

       I would vote for this idea if it was about training parrots to do tasks that people usually dont like to do.
Pericles, Nov 18 2003
  

       + And when it had nothing better to do it could just shout "Wossname! Wossname Wossname!"
gnomethang, Nov 18 2003
  

       Bun just for [sartep]'s last comment...good idea too!
silverstormer, Nov 18 2003
  

       I mentioned this to my wife. She wants one, to use in place of her handbag.
UnaBubba, Nov 21 2003
  

       I'd get her one, if I were you. Probably won't hurt as much as a fully laden handbag.
egbert, Nov 21 2003
  

       Sounds like a great way to meet women. But, I think a koala bear wrapped around your neck sporting a litany of cute pick-up lines would be superior.
murpee, Nov 21 2003
  

       It occurs to me this would be the ideal blog recorder, if you wanted.
UnaBubba, Nov 25 2003
  

       Great product for target marketing vis-a-vis Jimmy Buffet fans. This surely would become a staple of beer-guzzling mariners. The directory feature instantly locates the nearest shoreline pub. Now docking at Margaritaville.
UrineForATreat, Nov 25 2003
  

       For the deluxe version, I'd want the following feature to be available for when you are using the phone to talk to annoying people like telemarketers:   

       The parrot should have his own tiny little cell phone on his wing, and the ability to hold it up to his ear as if he was talking. He should also have a voice filter that can echo any spoken voice back filtered into a parrot-like squawky voice. Then in this mode he would act as your intermediary, repeating what you said to the caller and repeating what the caller said to you, always in the most annoying parrot voice possible.   

       Trigger phrase: "You talk to them".
krelnik, Dec 12 2003
  

       I saw a kids' toy mobile 'phone today, in the shape of a parrot.
UnaBubba, Feb 13 2005
  

       ARrrGH! Throw in a shoulder bib and I'll take two!
spacer, Feb 13 2005
  

       I wonder whether pirates ever had shoulder bibs?
UnaBubba, Feb 13 2005
  

       Camera in one eye, projector in the other? Can be trained to gawk (and squawk) at attractive women.
st3f, May 04 2005
  

       Shameless churn. I just spotted this one when I was looking for an idea that must have evaporated in the '04 crash.
UnaBubba, Dec 23 2007
  

       Pieces of '04, pieces of '04.
Ian Tindale, Dec 23 2007
  

       Hah! Now my Tutu is a FourFour, what with middle-aged spread.
UnaBubba, Dec 23 2007
  
      
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