Because he talks to the part of us which insists on drawing profiles on prison walls

I was gifted a rare treat today. A copy of The Times. A Saturday edition, not as good as The Sunday Times but not bad. I await the day when my finances can handle the £6 a week annual subscription.
Whilst scoffing at the overinflated prices of the recommended "capes", (a coat that appears to have no arms, in case you're interested, but I'm certainly not), I came across an advert in the Magazine. (page 37 if you happen to have a copy at this present time).

The limited edition Dyson Ball machine celebrates the fascination of engineering. Dyson spent three years questioning, testing and developing the advanced cyclones and a vacuum cleaner riding on a ball. The result is an entirely new type of steering mechanism.

Yes. A limited edition vacuum cleaner.
Now, I don't really agree with the whole 'limited edition' thing anyway. I think it's just a money-making scheme for musicians and film-makers in that last, often fruitful, attempt to extort even more money out of you. However, at least in games and CDs, it makes sense: you get your hands on something that not many others have and, in a few years, you might own something that will contribute towards your pension. If you're lucky. They're the perfect gift for a geek: give them a limited edition of their latest obsession, and they'll be there for you next time your computer breaks down. In my case, anything Star Trek related will do.

However, what exactly are you supposed to do with a L.E. vacuum cleaner? They're not really that collectable. I suppose someone collects them, but it'd be a little difficult once you'd collected more than 15 if you don't live in a Cowell style mansion.

I'm not anti-Dyson, in fact I wouldn't have any other vacuum cleaner, but this idea just seems ridiculous. Household appliances perform a function. Whilst some people think that AGAs show their sophistication and yummy-mummy status, to the rest of us it appears as a step forward rather than a step back. One cannot brag about the fact that only 2,000 other people in the world own their particular brand of Dyson at a dinner party, because, quite frankly, nobody cares. At least with physics (my favourite subject) you are likely to meet a fellow geek who also wants to avoid everyone else and talk about the latest developments in G.U.T.

So, please Dyson and anybody else who wishes to attempt this, forget this ridiculous plan and go back to what you do best: great design and engineering.

~Malia