INTERVIEW with Creator of iFaraday Capacitive Stylus .Rustle Laidman

BECAUSE WE ARE DEDICATED TO NOT JUST BLOWING OUR OWN HORN AND SHOWING OFF OUR OWN CARICATURE WORK, WE ARE PRESENTING AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE CREATOR OF THE WORLD FAMOUS I FARADAY STYLUS, RUSTLE LAIDMAN.

INTERVIEW : Elgin 'Subwaysurfer' Bolling interviews Rustle Laidman, inventor of the iFaraday Capacitive Stylus.

Oh. Hello, Elgin. First let me say what a handsome and charming fellow you are. Well, enough about you, let's get right to my interview. Shall we?

HOW LONG HAS THE IFARADAY BEEN AROUND?

The iFaraday website was started Aug 2, 2010, which is 4 months ago

THE NAME IFARADAY IS KIND OF UNUSUAL. HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT CHOOSING IT?

Well, like all my ideas, they come to me like a flash from above. But if I were to break it down, I would do so thusly...

The 'Farad', unit of 'capacitance' is named in honor of Michael Faraday, a preeminent scientist in the field of electricity. These new multi-touch devices -  iPhone, iPads, etc use capacitance as the basis for their touch screens. Naturally I had to have an "i" as the first letter, et voilà!

For many digital artists, myself included, the iFaraday is the stylus of choice. What is the reason for its phenomenal success?

I will tell you the very auspicious beginning of the iFaraday. I sent a stylus to my wife's knitting friend and blogger, Anne Hansen. Within a few days I had several dozen orders. Next I randomly chose to contact two iPhone artists - David Hockney, and Angie Jordan. Needless to say Hockney never wrote back (I don't blame him in the slightest) Angie Jordan was incredibly receptive. It was disarming really, because here is this talented artist corresponding with me and the next thing I know she includes my product in one of her videos. Now the orders, really started coming in. Recently, I'm searching the internet for words about myself (as I am wont to do) when I find a  glowing review by Elgin the Subway Surfer. But you knew that already didn't you Elgin? I am definitely off to a good start. I've had to shut down the website several times to catch up on orders.

DID YOU ENVISION THE PRODUCT WOULD BECOME AS IN DEMAND AS IT IS, TODAY?

Well yes and no. I made it for my wife with no intention of selling it. But I found that there was more than meets the eye to such a deceptively simple product. It took me several iterations before before my wife would even use it. By watching her I learned where improvements were needed. I won't bore you with details, but suffice it to say that by the time I was finished I knew this stylus was superior to anything I had seen.

I READ THAT YOUR WIFE WAS THE INSPIRATION FOR THE CREATION OF THE IFARADAY STYLUS. CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THAT?

First, I must explain that my wife has a knack for technology. Here are a few examples, going way back...

Wife: Let's get a Macintosh.  Me: What's wrong with the Amiga?

Wife: Let's sell on eBay         Me: What's wrong with the pawn shop?

Wife: I'm getting an iPhone   Me: What's wrong with the Palm Pilot?

So you see Elgin, my wife is the forward thinker in the family. (If only I had listened when she told me to buy stock.)

She bought that iPhone, despite my protests and she spends countless hours playing 'Bejewelled'. So, I set about to make a stylus for her. I didn't own an iPhone; I had to borrow hers in the beginning for testing, but she stopped letting me use it.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOU. DID YOU ALWAYS HAVE AN ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET?

When you say 'ENTREPRENEURIAL' the first thing that comes to mind is one of those 'As Seen On TV' gadgets. No, I don't think like that. I make things for for myself, as the need arises, and by the time I'm finished, I've usually learned something valuable that I can pass along. (I'm a slow learner but a good teacher.) During the process, I invariably hit some obstacle that makes my original idea extremely difficult, and I want to give up, but that's exactly what keeps me going. And that's what separates me from the pack. I have several products, and they all have this commonality - they took a lot of painstaking effort. I'm good at that.

WERE YOU ALWAYS ONE OF THOSE GUYS WHO TINKERED WITH THINGS, TRYING TO BUILD A BETTER MOUSETRAP, TO USE AN OLD CLICHE?

Yes. I'm a tinkerer. Starting with my dad's Twistoflex(TM) watch. The commercial on TV showed somebody twisting this amazing watchband, exactly how I did, before it broke. I left it in his shoe, so he would step on it and think he broke it.  How's that for creativity?!

Tinkering on the iFaraday stylus involved experimenting with materials. You probably would not believe the number of materials I tested. Did you know that some of the most exotic materials can be found in a toy store? Exotic materials tend to show up first as playtoys.

ARE YOU PLANNING ON EXPANDING/ DIVERSIFYING YOUR PRODUCT LINE? I THINK ITS FINE AS IS, BUT WHATS IN STORE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE IFARADAY?

Yes, in fact. By the time you read this, there should be some new developments on the iFaraday.com website.

HOW HAS THE INTERNET IMPACTED YOUR BUSINESS? COULD YOU HAVE ACHIEVED YOUR CURRENT LEVEL OF SUCCESS WITHOUT IT?

Once upon a time I was a computer programmer, and one of my first offerings  pre-dates the internet. In those days, one would distribute 'Shareware' on diskettes, which would circulate, somehow, and if you were lucky people sent you money in the mail, as a thank you. I still have the check I received from Steve Wozniak (co-founder of Apple)  A check for $5 for my program, 'Rosarium', which you've never heard of.

I've always had an abundance of ideas. The only problem was marketing them. But with the advent of the internet, this problem has been solved. It's really so easy if you have something decent to offer. I don't know what I would do without the internet. Work a regular job, I guess. Maybe I would invent the internet!!

WHAT WORDS OF WISDOM FOR SELF-ERS?

Be yourself.

What More NEEDS to be said?? Make sure you BUY this great product folks. It's affordable priced, and will MORE than pay for itself, I guarantee it! 


The Subwaysurfer uses the IFaraday exclusively  to create his digital gift caricature work. if you would like a digital caricature of yourself,or your love ones,etc. drop me a line, and lets talk ! prices are reasonable, and you wont regret it!

cartoons4u2@aol.com