Jul 12 2015
This post is a throwback to March, 2006 when I purchased the original Vex Robotics Design System v0.5. I had originally posted these pictures and their respective comments on Flickr. I had forgotten all about them when I happened to stumble upon them today. Although I think I was more surprised to find that Flickr …
Jun 30 2015
I admit it. I’ve spent the last 30 minutes trying to figure out how to get a “Rock You Like a Hurricane” reference into the title of the post. As you can see I have failed. Regardless, it’s still worth writing about today’s AP report regarding the ongoing clean up efforts at the Fukushima Nuclear Power …
Jun 23 2015
Hackday had a post today referencing an article about the state of drone racing in Australia originally published on DroneWatchDogs.com earlier this month. With so much of the news about drones dedicated to their darker uses: law enforcement, military action, surveillance, etc., it’s pretty easy to forget that majority of the UAVs in the air today are piloted …
Jun 20 2015
Announced as a prototype in 1998 and made available to the general public in May of 1999, Sony’s AIBO line of “entertainment robots” were called “the most sophisticated product ever offered in the consumer robot marketplace,” at their induction into the Robot Hall of Fame in 2006. While many people associate the AIBO name with …
May 29 2015
Check out what I got today! Who (besides my wife) still thinks that all men’s pinky rings are awkward and/or gaudy?
Oct 24 2014
It’s been a long time coming, but I finally built a robot using the 14-in-1 Educational Solar Robot Kit by OWI. I’m not sure I will make my way through all 14, but I decided to start with what looked to be the simplest one first: the Wheel-bot. (Note: I now also realize that I …
Oct 16 2014
I finally found time to dig into that big cardboard box we hauled back with us after a visit to my parent’s house earlier this year. I had some difficulty convincing my wife that it was worth the valuable space in Carson McSteem, our trusty Tucson. However, I knew that it was full of toys from a …
Oct 08 2014
So I am going it alone again today. School has been back in session for several weeks now. With evenings and weekends consumed with homework, friends, karate, and Minecraft, I am lucky to even get my daughter’s attention let alone hold it for any appreciable length of time. Her life is full of friendship, creativity, …
Sep 24 2014
After coming out of the gate hard and fast on day 1, my pint-sized, assistant robot builder seemed to have entirely lost interest in this kit. I can’t say as though I blame her. For an intellectually curious eight year-old with an attention span attenuated by Angry Birds, Youtube, and Kidz Bop, the monotony of preparing …
