Get ahead

Shopping for millennium party gear? Try out a new idea from Randall Flann of
Milwaukee, whose new hat will appeal to anyone who hates queueing at bars (WO
99/39598). Flann’s hat is made of plastic and looks just like a miniature beer
barrel, with a tap on the front. The barrel has a space in the bottom which fits
over the wearer’s head. This, says the inventor, “maintains the container in the
freestanding condition during hands-free ambulation of the individual”. In plain
English, anyone wearing the hat can always have a drink on tap.