The Bald Beetle

Some know-nothings call this the "bald" version of The Beetle, but others will call it "scalped" instead. Not only because these mouth machines are only available second-hand, but also because they are products of crude dismemberment. Drifters lacking commitment to gastronomical delights might prefer losing the heavy "extras" on top, which does make the Beetle considerably lighter and more comfortable. No one questions that. You still get those hefty mandibles, they say. But at what cost? Consider the loss of the data gelatin banks and voice cartridges. Gone, all the works of Dorty Dorty! Gone, the analytic components designed by the finest engineers in the Fringe! Gone, the lifetime warranty! Dorty Dorty might have thought of these abominations when she wrote, "There will always - always, my friends - be parasites who profit from the labor of others."