More newsfeed fun
Here's an article about a robot that's shaped like a ball and chases after people.

It resembles a large, black bowling ball, and moves by rolling along the ground.

In future, it could patrol factories and warehouses in place of human security guards.

If an intruder is spotted, the robot could sound an alarm, summon help – or roll in pursuit, taking pictures.

Why do I suspect its designers grew up watching this show? (Although that one is white and maybe a little bigger, so I could be wrong!)

Another one from the Google news feed

I love reading articles about at-risk kids building robots.

One of the nice aspects of the competition is the “gracious professionalism,” Stites said. Under that credo, participants agree, “I want to win, but I cannot, shall not, will not annihilate you.” In other words, people help each other outside the competition.

Isn't that nice? Let's all start treating each other as if we're competing in a polite robotics competition, okay?

I'm feeling jealous of technology

I must be using the computer too much. I've written before about why I love electricity, and how I suspect that my computer is changing my brain. Lately, I've noticed a new technology-related frustration. On the computer, I can do a few things at once -- if I have ten windows open (which isn't a high number), I can be checking my email, searching for a file, checking the playlist for an online radio station, keeping up with a few websites, and organizing my notes for a work project all at the same time. Even if I'm not actually focused on each of those things simultaneously, I switch between them so quickly that I feel like I am.

The new problem I'm having is that I want to do too many things at once when I'm away from the computer. I keep wishing for the real world equivalent of clicking (or Alt-Tabbing) between windows. But if I'm washing dishes I can't just click over to a new window and be on the phone. I have to dry my hands and go get the phone. It's like I'm an old, slow computer that can't run two programs at once. I can't be typing a blog post while I'm making dinner. I can't put on my shoes at the same moment that I'm finishing an email (unless maybe they're just flip-flops and they're right under the desk, but even that would probably be too much for my one-track human brain to handle). Arrggh.

Robot valentine

This little robot thinks you're special.




p.s. I don't necessarily agree. I probably don't even know you. But the robot thinks you're cool.

If Google could talk

Okay, I have no real use for this site, but it's fun to play with. Speegle reads your Google search results out loud. You can pick which robotic voice you want, but the monotone voices all sound vaguely condescending. It's like they're trying to say your search results really aren't worth reading out loud.

Now that's a cool Valentine

I got an email from iRobot about their Valentine's Day Special. The email was cutesier than the web page. It had little pink hearts and stuff. Who wants chocolate or flowers when they could have a helpful little robot vacuum? I mean, it's the only gift that says "I don't want you to waste your time cleaning, so I bought a robot to do it for you."

Craft projects



Okay, these aren't very futuristic at all, but here are photos of some recent projects (all of which were made as gifts):



Crocheted owl pellet

Here's what it looks like with all the pieces inside. As the tag says, "It looks gross, but it is good clean fun."






And here is what the owl pellet looks like after it has been dissected:







How often do you get the chance to crochet a tiny bird skull? Not nearly often enough, if you ask me. I made that for my dad, because he likes outdoorsy stuff like owl puke. I thought it would be nice for him to have a crafty toy that resembled something an owl might vomit up.



Snow people

A long time ago I bought some blank Russian nesting dolls, because I thought they'd be fun to paint on. I finally got around to painting the first set. These are some snowpeople I made for my mom. If you can't tell, the snowlady is carrying a basket of snowballs. The big one is supposed to be wearing a top hat, but it didn't really work on his flat rounded head, so it mostly just looks like he's Jewish. Someday soon (so, um, in a year or so), I'll paint another set of nesting dolls as little robots or spaceships.







Cat-stronaut magnets

I made these for my friend who had a really great cat, but then it got sick and so now cat decorations in her apartment might just make her sad. I hope not. Maybe these catstronauts can wave hello to her cat if they pass by kitty heaven on their next mission.







I saw the glass magnet idea in a few places, but here's one set of instructions in case you want to make some at home. (I like her idea of giving them to people in a little Altoids tin).