I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

  • nixiebunny

    I’m a little sad that the video never shows the product making a clomping sound that we get to hear.  That’s all I wanted from the video. A little clomp-clomp sound.

    Edit: Here it is!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRaFo8pRQSY

    • http://twitter.com/Moriash Nathan

      That really is kind of sad. They designed a fancy logo, made tote bags and T-shirts, and clearly had a GOOD camera for making the overblown (albeit amusing) promo video.  But they couldn’t be bothered to point said camera at the actual, functioning product performing as intended (with sound)?  Hiding the link to the above video in the FAQ, then apologetically pointing to a shoddy plastic prototype filmed by their iphone… Yeah. Not the way to sell 1,000 products at 25 pounds a pop, guys.  It leaves me wondering if there is some fundamental flaw in the product that keeps it from doing its basic job (reliably making the referenced Monty Python coconut clopping sound), and they’re flailing about trying to fix it now that they’re committed.

      EDIT: Okay, I’m being a bit harsh. They’ve only had this whole thing live for ~2 days now. But that for their sake, I hope the actual, functioning, final production product goes to video soon.

      • http://www.facebook.com/edsaperia Edward Saperia

        The sound came out bad on the video, and we didn’t want to delay launch. We sort of imagined that people knew what coconuts sounded like, but apparently not! We’re going to making a video with sound ASAP :)

        • tacochuck

           I know what coconut shells sound like. I do not know what your product using coconut shells sounds like.

          • Vaughn Marlowe

            But now at least they know what a lousy commercial looks and sounds like.

        • cakeface1

          Ahhh sarcasm, the fool proof response to a reasonable point raised by a potential consumer of your product. 

        • nachoproblem

          I sort of imagined that promoters knew they should demonstrate the primary feature of the product in their presentation, but apparently not. (I’ve had my ass kicked enough over presentation, and I’m not even an advertiser.)

        • http://twitter.com/Moriash Nathan

          Fair enough. 

          Y’know, that brings up a point.  Barring Monty Python cosplayers, how many people have, in fact, gone to the trouble of sawing a coconut in half and cleaning it out for the express purpose of clopping the halves together to make horse sounds?  Perhaps I led a deprived childhood, but I know I’ve never done so.  My only experience is from the classic Holy Grail scenes- produced on a sound stage by special effects artists, overlaid on the scene (presumably) and played through the comparatively optimal conditions of a decent sound system in a quiet room-  setting the bar pretty high in terms of the sound effects. People *think* they know what coconuts sound like, based on exactly one post-processed video source.  *shrug*

          Does that matter? Not really, as long as it’s in the general ballpark of expectations.  The concept is pretty nifty, and technically well implemented (cam-work is inspired- most would’ve gone with a simple unsyncopated clop-clop-clop) and would no doubt draw puzzled and delighted smiles from passing pedestrians (the primary design goal, I assume).  As long as there is (eventually) some assurance that every observation isn’t followed by “…shame it doesn’t sound like Quest for the Holy Grail.” it’ll do well.  I know I have a friend who desperately needs one, whether he knows it or not.  Hope there’s some way to eventually get it Stateside.

          Good luck to you guys!

      • http://www.linkedin.com/in/kenahoo Ken Williams

        Assuming you mean 1′s compliment, that’s 18446744073709551613 days, right?

    • http://twitter.com/incarnedine_v Dan Hibiki

       oh wow! they actually got the clip clop rhythm.

  • Kirby_G

    Wow.  Someone needs to learn how to make a point a little better. 

    1:54 of commercial for a product THAT DOES NOTHING BUT MAKE A SINGLE SOUND and there is not one single instance OF THE DEVICE ACTUALLY MAKING THAT SOUND.

    • millie fink

      ^ ^ ^ read ^  ^ ^

  • http://www.facebook.com/edsaperia Edward Saperia

    I assuming you mean “…like you’re riding a horse” :D

  • avraamov

    …i have the weirdest boner right now…

    • Donald Petersen

      …weirder than your, uh, usual boners…?

    • matchosan

      LOLBAH!!! LOL-Boners Are Hilarious!!!

  • http://twitter.com/TheNewsIsBroken TheNewsIsBroken

    That video is definitely at a 10 and needs to be around a 2. 

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_TSIAOMEFCV3XGICK2S2NHXHHCY alexs

    With benefit of doubt firmly in place, I think impatience to release & sarcasm aimed at potential buyers is a bit of a hard sell.
    I do however think it a great video & an awesome product nonetheless. I must share this with fellow Portlanders.

  • SomeGuyNamedMark

    I think the video took longer to make then the clomper device.

  • freemoore

    That really threw me. I used to be in Orkestra Del Sol, the brass band whose music kicks in at 0:43. In fact, I’m pretty sure that’s my trumpeting right there. Wahey! Totally snuck into boingboing! Hee.

    • http://www.facebook.com/edsaperia Edward Saperia

      Hello! I met you guys in Edinburgh a few times, hope you don’t mind we borrowed the sample!

      • tubacat

         Pay’em

      • cakeface1

        Borrowed/stole it’s all the same right? 

  • http://www.ikaink.net Itsumishi

    But when I ride my bike it already sounds like I’m riding my bike!

  • cakeface1

    This kind of seems like a lot of padding for not a lot of substance. 

  • Bottle Imp

    Finally, a product that answers a genuine need in my life.

  • jaytkay

    So I watched the video.

    Now what is the product and what does it do?

    TIA!

  • Halloween_Jack

    I like to ride my bike a lot, and have purchased any number of accessories and gadgets for it–many of them not 100% strictly necessary–and I wouldn’t give you 25p for this, never mind £25, and if there were another cyclist pacing me with this gadget attached to their wheel, I’d find it mildly amusing for maybe a minute maximum, barely tolerable for another two, and then I’d throw their bike into a ditch and possibly them as well. Sorry.

  • pjcamp

    It makes your bike sound like a bike? I think I already have one of those. Call me when you have one that makes my bike sound like a banana.

  • alex4point0

    http://youtubedoubler.com/5Q4o

    fixed … just mute the second one eh … sheesh, all this kvetching

  • http://geekwordofmouth.blogspot.com Jon Jones

    I love Zooey Deschanel. She’s just so inventive!

  • DXMachina

    The one true bicycle noisemaker is a baseball card clipped to the frame with a clothespin so it clatters in the spokes. Cheap, even in these days of designer cards, and mechanically simple.