Echo Delta 3000 Advanced Pencil Recovery System

The Echo Delta 3000 pencil is designed for the "power" pencil user. Business executives who fly in private aircraft over the oceans are the primary market. Picture the following scenario:

As a multimillionaire executive is cruising over the Atlantic Ocean in his Learjet at 35,000 feet, a bird strikes the aircraft in mid-flight, fracturing one of the windows. Due to the immense pressure differences internally and externally, the window breaks and air is sucked out of the pressurized aircraft. The executive, sitting next to the window, grabs an emergency oxygen mask and suffers no injury. Meanwhile, the wind blowing out of the aircraft has sucked the executive's pencil and papers out the window. Under normal circumstances, the pencil would be a complete loss and unrecoverable. However, this executive was using an Echo Delta 3000 pencil. As the pencil flies out of the window, the onboard parachute has automatically deployed and slows down the pencil's decent rate. Back in the aircraft, the pilot has executed an emergency decent and is preparing to land. Using his mobile GPS system, the executive notes the approximate location of the pencil for future search-and-rescue attempts. Meanwhile, the pencil is descending at a controlled rate through the atmosphere. About halfway to the ocean below, it encounters a thunderstorm and narrowly misses being struck by lightning, however the nearby bolt has inducted several hundred volts of electricity into the pencil's exterior. The 600-volt rated electrical tape external layer on the pencil protects it from harm. Later, the pencil splashes into the ocean. The coating of polyurethane substance on the pencil maintains the pencils' waterproofness while it floats in the ocean awaiting retrieval.

Having diverted to an emergency landing at a nearby airport, the sophisticated businessman rents a helicopter to recover his pencil. Having a relatively high IQ, he has memorized the current strength and direction for the nearby area and thus can calculate almost precisely where the pencil is floating. Fifteen minutes later, he spots the pencil floating among choppy waves, thanks to the pencil's orange cone which was designed for high visibility and contrast against the ocean. The executive gives orders to the pilot, and climbs down a rope ladder hanging one hundred feet below the helicopter to retrieve the pencil. With agile motions, he grabs the pencil and signals to the pilot to fly back to shore while he ascends the ladder.

Thanks to the Echo Delta 3000 pencil, this fictitious businessman was able to avoid losing his favorite pencil. He now flies to his original destination, and uses his saved pencil to sign a multimillion-dollar contract. Using the proceeds by investing in the stock market, he retires to Hawaii extremely wealthy and preserves his pencil in an expensive vault system.

The Echo Delta 3000 is a waterproof survival pencil. It theoretically can withstand being dropped out of an airplane flying at over 50,000 feet over a large ocean and floating there for years. In many other areas, special elite versions of normal objects have been produced for those people who require the best available. Examples are Swiss Army Knives which provide many specialty features, and NASA space pens which write upside-down and underwater. It is only logical to continue these high-end products into other aspects of utility utensils, such as pencils. By buying the Echo Delta 3000, you will be assuring yourself of a pencil that is ready to tackle the toughest challenges you can pose to it. The same quality and confidence you acquire from other high-end products you will receive from the Echo Delta 3000. It is the premier pencil available in the world today. The Echo Delta 3000's design has been subjected to rigorous testing for stress limits and parachute functionality. For once, the pencil will keep up with your demanding lifestyle and serve you better than any other pencil. Features of the Echo Delta 3000:

• Waterproof polyurethane coating
• Orange cone for high visibility and soft landing
• Electrical shock resistant to 600 volts.
• Weighs only 1 ounce!
• Affordable pricing
• Easy-to-use

The Echo Delta 3000 is a #2 compliant pencil, so you can use it on Scantron tests at school. It features an auto-deploying parachute, and a bright orange cone mounted on the side for air resistance and visibility. The pencil frame has a high-quality polyurethane coating for waterproofness as well as an external covering of electrical tape to insulate against possible electrical shocks. Near the tip of the pencil, superglue is under the polyurethane coating to reinforce the structural integrity of the pencil's tip. Note that the cone creates unequal air resistance on the sides of the pencil therefore causing the pencil to not land on the tip in the event of a ground landing. The pencil has a very strong frame due to the waterproof coating and other modifications. This insures that the Echo Delta 3000 is significantly stronger than standard pencils in resisting shear, compression, buffeting, wind gusts, and other unwelcome resultants of atmospheric flight.

By purchasing the Echo Delta 3000, you will be assuring yourself that your pencil will survive rigorous torture under virtually any conditions. Your pencil will be prepared for the real world, not a peaceful school environment as envisioned by the manufacturers of normal pencils. Pencils are not just used by students in education, but rather are a powerful tool wielded by those who know the advantages of them. If you perform any of the following tasks, you should purchase the Echo Delta 3000:

• Write notes about cloud formations while skydiving
• Fly over large bodies of water
• Fly over land
• Work or live in a high-rise building near windows
• Require complete confidence in your pencil's ability
• Work with high-voltage electricity
• Work near water

To purchase an Echo Delta 3000, contact Michael Vincent by e-mail at michael@radicalsoft.org. The price is $15 in quantities below 10. For bulk orders, negotiable discounts apply.

Look for the upcoming Echo Gamma 4000 pencil within a few years after research and development funding has been secured. It will include all the features of the Echo Delta 3000, with the tantalizing additions of dual rocket engines, remote control, and a radio transponder. This will allow the owner to fly their pencil back to them in midair, as well as turn their pencil into a powerful signal device. The expected price is $80-$90. Here is a sample fictitious story of a practical application of the Echo Gamma 4000:

A frequent skydiver takes pleasure in observing cloud observations as he falls through them. He has been using standard pencils and pens, however thrice he has lost them due to the enormous wind velocity around him. They have been yanked out of his grasp by the wind, and he cannot locate them after his jump.

To solve his problem, the skydiver has purchased an Echo Gamma 4000 pencil from Vincent Pencil Technologies. On his next jump, he notes some unusual cumulonimbus clouds that he wishes to record in his notebook, which is attached to his suit with rope. While still free falling at approximately one hundred miles per hour, he removes his Echo Gamma 4000 from his front pocket and starts to furiously scribble notes in his notebook. Soon, a violent updraft causes him to eliminate his grip on his pencil and it flies out of his hand. Due to the lower air resistance of the pencil as compared to the skydiver, the pencil falls faster than the skydiver, even though its parachute is deployed, because the skydiver's parachute is also deployed. Acting quickly without hesitation, the skydiver opens a pocket and removes his miniature remote control for the Echo Gamma 4000. Pressing the button, he activates the dual rocket engines installed on the pencil.

Immediately, the rocket engines ignite, and the pencil now flies upward exceedingly fast and towards the skydiver. He had too much wine to drink last night however, and his slow reflexes miss the pencil. There is no need to worry, after the pencil climbs about 5,000 feet upwards, the parachute will regain control and the Echo Gamma 4000 will make a gentle landing on the Nevada plain where the skydiver is landing.

Luckily for the skydiver however, the aircraft that he jumped from has descended approximately 4,000 feet above the skydiver. The skydiver uses his two-way radio to communicate with the crew of the airplane and informs them of the situation. The pilot performs some quick mental calculations, and with the aid of a GPS, positions the aircraft to perfectly be in the path of the pencil. One of the skydiver's friends aboard the aircraft opens the door at a precisely timed moment and catches the pencil. He wishes to return the pencil to his friend, allowing him to complete his cloud observations before he reaches the ground, so he ignites a large rocket pack strapped over his parachute, and accelerates downward very rapidly to meet his friend. They encounter each other approximately 4,000 feet above the ground, and the skydiver is handed his pencil back. He has just enough time to record a few observations before he lands.

As you can see, the Echo Gamma 4000 has many practical applications. This example was one demonstration of the many possibilities. Another useful application for the Echo Gamma 4000 is below:

A person is called on his wireless phone by his best friend, an infamous procrastinator who has only 7 minutes remaining to complete his income tax return before midnight. His pencil has spontaneously combusted and he needs another one fast. By coincidence, the person happens to be walking right by his tall apartment building in which he lives on the 98th floor. He extracts his Echo Gamma 4000 from his pocket and sets it on the pavement. He presses the remote control's button, and the pencil is soon skyrocketing towards the window of the friend, who is waiting to grab it when it passes. The friend snatches the pencil out of the air and uses it to complete his income tax return. He submits it to the IRS on time, and avoids paying many hefty penalties for filing a late return.