Usually when we retire a product, it is done without much fanfare - a simple "this item has been discontinued" is added to the product description (sometimes with a link to a new rev) and the sad product rides off into the sunset alone. This time around, however, we are changing things up a bit.
On October 5th, at 6 PM come by SparkFun headquarters for our first-ever Viking Funeral. This is being planned as a fairly low-key event. It is certainly not intended to rival the scale of an AVC or the upcoming Open House, but we do think it will be an entertaining and weird way to celebrate the "Circle of Product Life" in a very SparkFun way. Why are we doing this, you ask? The idea of an honorary burial came about to encourage the production department to identify the pain points that we were experiencing every time we built specific board designs and to, consequently, gently force the hand of our engineers or test designers to help us redesign the board or test procedure to remove the identified pain points. After first coming up with 13 designs that needed obvious improvements, we elected to narrow down our list to a top 5. Included in that list are the:
Viking attire is encouraged and there will be live music and fun to be had! It is worth noting that this is a small-scale event - all are welcome to attend, but we have a feeling if you buy a ticket to fly out here for it, you might be a little disappointed. It will definitely be a good time though and we hope to see you there!
Perhaps you should also invite the Minnesota Vikings and bury them at the same time...
[and yes, I live in MN]
Mind putting up a livestream for this?
Will there be an ceremonial (actual?)slaughtering of interns to accompany these products into the after life?
Those unable to attend should acquire an appropriate Viking-themed DVD and watch it. I recommend either The Thirteenth Warrior or The Vikings (1958, Tony Curtis)
Recommend "The Vikings" --- saw it in the theatre when it came out. Excellent scene of Vikings running up to the closed drawbridge and throwing their axes at it then being shot down by the English archers. When they had enough axes stuck in the wood, the rest of the horde used them for a ladder to invade the keep.
For anyone attending the Sparkfun event, give that one a try! And if you do, remember to pillage first, burn afterwards!
BTW: Love the graphic of what happens when a saxophone tries to play itself.
Pfft... Hrafninn Flygur is where it's at!
edit: had to fix the Icelandic y due to ASCII problems :-/
Grr... I really picked the wrong time to swear off pillaging and honoring the old gods.
You pray to the Old Gods? Does that mean you're of the Stark clan?
It might be interesting to see... I'll wear a viking metal shirt (only thing I own that is viking-related and if I can find it).
Would it be safe to assume that the group is going to a pub afterwards? I mean, what kind of viking funeral is it when there is no drinking involved?
Blast chemistry all to hell! ;)
Would drop by, except for the whole "I've got an exam that night" thing.
Have fun, don't start any fires Ullr can't eventually put out.
Are you going to burn the deceased, viking style?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0qEpKmtaXM&feature=player_detailpage
/R
I wont be able to make it but if you put it up on Livestream I will watch it.
I dunno about the Viking funeral - but that dragon's head saxophone looks AWESOME!!!
How about you burn an effigy and make the obsolete boards available first-come-first-served at a discount? Obsolete parts are still useful, as any Maker knows!