Shiny silver robots

	punk-rock robot girl	robot with a robot puppet

Ugly futuristic jewelry

In 2004, Nokia plans to release this oversized electronic necklace. The technology aspects make me want to like it (you can upload digital photos to its little screen), but I just can't get past the fact that it resembles a stethoscope. It's so big it seems to look bad on everyone -- and this is in the company's promotional photos, which have the added benefit of nice lighting and a professional photographer. Imagine how dumb it would look in real life! From the FAQ:

Nokia Medallion I is designed for fashion-oriented, design-driven people who are interested in complementing their outfit with a new kind of fashion accessory.

Ah, so maybe that's the problem. I am more of a fashion-driven, design-oriented person. So it's not for me at all.

Robot paintings for people I don't know

Here are the two robots I made for total strangers. If nothing else, these were a chance to practice outlining stuff in ink using a brush. I looked at PostcardX again to write down the addresses and realized just about everyone using the site is a pre-teen or teenage girl. So now I feel a little funny for joining, but what the heck. I have known for a long time that mentally I stopped aging at around 13, so on some (hopefully un-creepy) level, I fit right in.

	am i robot dancing?	my antenna freaks me out

Soundtrack for robots: I listened to Add N to X: Avant Hard tonight while I painted. It was just right. I should work on finding more music that has little electronic sounds without too many lyrics.

Art for strangers

Today I am going to paint a few little robots for total strangers who put their mailing addresses on PostcardX.net. The site was created so random people can send each other stuff in the mail. I like the idea, I think. It's like having a temporary penpal, without any commitment. I added a listing, but didn't include my last name, because I'm curious to see if signing up for this gets me on any mailing lists. I don't like mailing lists. Most of the time I love futuristic technology, but when I open my mailbox, I like to see stuff created by real people, not machines.



[UPDATE: I have been thinking more about that site, and now I'm not sure it's such a great idea. I like the idea of painting little robots and sending them to people I like, but through PostcardX, I might accidentally send one to somebody annoying! Or someone who spends their life supporting causes I despise! I think I will send one or two to people who specifically mentioned liking robots. But mostly, I like sending bits of art to people I care about, or people who are working on cool projects. Sending them to total strangers takes a lot of the fun out of it. ]

two robots for friends
The cat was for Lisa because the guy in her deli said if he had his cats spayed then there would be no more kittens in the world. And I was thinking that if he were right, people in the future would have to have robot cats instead. (The circle on the cat is a speaker so users can hear its mechanical purring.) The grocery-carrying robot was for Emily because she lives on the 6th floor of a building that doesn't have an elevator. I lived there one summer, so I know that a robot like this is good to have around.

Battle bots

Even when I don't have time to read the news, my Google alert keeps me up to date on cool robot stories. This week I read about some scary war robots and a friendly environmental robot. That recycling robot and I would totally get along, don't you think? Except that sometimes I don't have enough patience for children.

A few more robots
(I made them on different days but they have similar robot teeth.)

	i have 7 legs	i will help you store your stuff

When good snacks go bad

From this Wired News article on genetically modified foods:

The Pew study found that although up to 75 percent of processed foods in grocery stores contain genetically altered foods, only 24 percent of Americans believe they have eaten them and 58 percent say they have not.

The article talks about how the FDA just takes the biotech companies' word that the new foods are safe for people to eat. I love technology, but not when it's in my food. If you think you haven't eaten anything biotech-licious lately, check out Greenpeace's True Food Shopping List for a list of brand name products with genetically engineered ingredients. (Unless you buy them at the health food store, your favorite potato chips and candy are probably on it.)

I'm used to magazines that are $12 a year.

I just stumbled across the website for a technical journal called Industrial Robot. I liked the name, so I figured I'd check out the site. It seemed strange that none of the articles were available online until I realized it costs $5539.00 for a one-year subscription. Six issues. If I added up all the money I've spent on magazines in my entire life, I still would not have enough to buy one issue. I am sad that I can't read Industrial Robot. I think robots should be free.