I, however, am busily engineering new ideas in metal clay, and the process of iteration applies perfectly. What it means to me is TIME! If only I executed in gigaflops, I'd have this all behind me. Instead, I have days' worth of work invested.

First, I drew designs in my sketchbook, brainstorming mechanics in my head. Can I do it?? Will it work? How will I do this aspect? The structure was pretty basic to test the hidden functionality. Then I made the first iteration: functional, true, but that simple structure was a bit (lot!) less than my artistic inner critic requires. Hmmm. Holding a piece in hand is definitely more helpful than sketches or mental visualizations.
Next, I sketched again, modifying the design to alter the issues with the first design. To remove the "clunky" feel and add a bit of bling with a jewel. This version was quite a step up from the first in complexity, but had a nice finish to it. Unfortunately, technical issues hindered perfection in function.
Howl! First, I was functional, but not artistic. Now I'm artistic, but non-functional. Can't I be both???
So, a third iteration is on my workbench, pretty much a duplicate of version two, but with a few minor tweaks to fix the technical issues. The results you ask? Why, that's a super secret! Look for a BIG announcement next week and details of this project a few more weeks down the road.
And please let the third time be the charm!!