Mellotronists

<<.....The eight-second temper tantrums. Child-proofing the electrical 
outlets. Wanting to play when it's raining outside. Taking the top off during 
feedings. "changing" them. Carseats when traveling--and then later on- acne, peer 
pressure, staying out late, first job in a recording studio at minimum wage, 
etc. etc. etc.>>

I think we may be onto something here. 
as a broadcast engineer, I frequently come across this sort of 
anthropomorphising, and there are many machines- for the most part, complex 
electromechanical assemblies like sony betacarts, odetics or storagetek tape-libraries- to 
which a certain spirit is attributed, especially during spells of misbehaviour.  
all the physics degrees and prosaic scientific reasoning in the world aren't 
going to reverse this trend amongst engineers, but now I see it for what it 
is- womb-envy. 
I've just got back home from a week away- gigging in holland, sans 'tron 
sadly, and my first instinct when I got home was to go and look in what I now 
believe to be a surrogate nursery, to see if 1098 was still there. along with a 
memorymoog and some guitars, and a few 1/4" decks....
and it certainly helps explain the nappy-hamper anecdote of old.

but 1098 is nearly 30 years old- will it ever learn to change it's own frames?

as for coupling and procreation- I think all 400s are the same sex, so that's 
out. 
and mine definitely isn't a batty-tron.

d.