Monthly Archives: March 2011

One monkey down…

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The end of the month is always CRAZY busy for me at work.

Sooo…  with varied interests I start lots of projects, join lots of groups, and end up with lots of commitments.  I took on a rather big commitment (basically to edit a reference text related to my area of work) about six months ago.  This project had been weighing on me since then and finally came due very recently.  However, yesterday I completed it my obligation, turned it in, and am done!

I can’t tell you how good this feels!

Kaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhn!

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Now, picture me yelling the words, “Google Groups” like that.

Just what the holy hell do I need to do to be able to view Google Groups?  I can’t view them when I’m logged in.  I can’t view them when I’m logged out.  I can’t view it with ANY of my Google accounts.  WHY would you do this???  Google, whose entire business model is built on convenience has decided to essentially create a wall around Google Groups.

I’m seriously serious – do you know?  What do I have to do?  Sign up for another account???

Skeinosaur – I choose you!

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A printable knitting machine?!  Awesome.  Everything about this is just plain awesome.

3/9/2008:  “Homemade knitting machine using old printer parts, two servos and a Picaxe-18x microcontroller”

2/7/2009: “Faster machine with new carriage, needle and wool drive designs.”

4/30/2009: “Semi automatic machine where the needles are fixed.”

11/7/2009:  “Simple to construct and use knitting gadget”

Dang.  I have zero desire to knit – but I really kinda want to build these…

Also, obligatory reference to evidence of my evil lazzor dinosaur army defeating Team Buser.  Also, thanks to one Tony Buser for the above info and links!

Your mamma was so rusty

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I recently watched this bit from Doctor Who.  Cybermen and Daleks insulting one another?  Heck yes!

  • Our species are similar, though your design is inelegant.
  • Daleks have no concept of eh-leh-gance.
  • This is obvious.  But, consider – our technologies are compatible.  Cybermen plus Daleks.  Together we could upgrade the universe.
  • Request denied.
  • Hostile elements will be deleted.
  • Exterminate.
  • Open visual link.  Daleks be warned.  You have declared war upon the Cybermen.
  • This is not war.  This is pest control.
  • We have five million Cybermen.  How many are you?
  • Four.
  • You would destroy the Cybermen with four Daleks?
  • We would destroy the Cybermen with one Dalek.  You are superior in only one respect.
  • What is that?
  • You are better at dying.

Men just don’t understand…

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So, let’s say I was a tinkerer1 and you told me that you could show me a robot that could make things out of plastic that I would normally have to cobble together out of junk.  I would say that is awesome.

During the most recent Ask An Engineer Woz was2 talking about her knitting machine.  LIGHT BULB.

Honey!  Honey!  Guess what?!   Did you know there are such things as KNITTING MACHINES!?!  I mean, ROBOTS that would do all that tedious knitting FOR you!  We could just program it and it would just make stuff for us!  Isn’t this awesome?!  <Wait for squeals of glee>

.

..

…

Apparently there’s something about the act of knitting that is considered productive.  I don’t know.  I’m not convinced.

Isn’t humankind just all leading up to the point that we’re all like the Jetsons and I have a robot at work that pushes the single button for me.3 And jetpacks.  Can’t forget the jetpacks.

Where was I?

Oh, knitting robots.  Okay, here’s the thing – I may not be interested in knitting, but a knitting robot interests me. 4 5  I am not interested in knitting something myself any more than I am interested in actually building something layer by layer with a hot glue gun that shoots molten ABS. 6  But, I am interested in having plastic stuff just as I’m interested in having clothing.

Heck, if I had a super big and super fast knitting robot, I’d probably try to weave paper or cardboard into clothing and then wear it and then try to recycle it into something else. 789 1011

Also, this is what I believe a knitting robot would look like:

  1. which I am [↩]
  2. Was she? [↩]
  3. Reminds me of an old joke about a man and a dog and a data center.  Supposedly you only need one of each to run a data center.  The man to feed the dog and the dog to make sure the man doesn’t touch any buttons. [↩]
  4. Then again, a robot anything interest me. [↩]
  5. A robot carrot, you say?  Tell me more! [↩]
  6. I take that back.  Now that I think about it, a molten plastic gun might be kinda cool.  Bad analogy.  That’s not the point. [↩]
  7. And, I’d be all, *clap* *clap* Knitting Robot!  OoooooooooHHHhhhhhh Knitting Roooooobot!  Knit me a pony Knitting Robot. [↩]
  8. That pony doesn’t look happy enough.  Destroy that pony Knitting Robot.  Make me a HAPPY pony! [↩]
  9. Oh, this one is too happy.  Destroy this pony Knitting Robot.  Knitting Robot…  destroy all ponies. [↩]
  10. Knitting Robot, are you crying? [↩]
  11. Thanks to Dna for the link! [↩]