Category: Random Nonsense

Sometimes I just feel compelled to share nonsense, random thoughts, and sometimes just stuff I want to save

Halloween costume

My WordPress/gravatar avatar is basically a small picture of David Tennant as Doctor Who.  I started using that picture because I’m a big fan of Doctor Who and have been for a long time. 1  In actually, no one with any visual degree of acuity would ever confuse me with David Tennant. 2 That’s why I thought Bre’s drawing of MakerBlock as a posterized black-and-red rendering of David Tennant was particularly hilarious.  When my wife saw that she couldn’t stop laughing – that picture is just so much cooler than I really am.

That said, I think it would be really cool to dress up as MakerBlock for Halloween.  The idea really only occurred to me today, otherwise I would give it an actual shot.  I don’t think I have time between now and Sunday to source a red and black suit with matching black and red shirt and tie.

  1. I liked Doctor Who before it was cool, man.  Oh, wait, it’s still not cool?  Crap. [↩]
  2. Our only similarity is that he wears glasses sometimes and neither one of us can properly coordinate shoes with suits.  I’m sure his manner of dress is more of a fashion statement.  My inability is better described as a crippling form of fashion Tourette’s syndrome. [↩]

Glowing Logo Cube by Domonoky

Red glowing logo box!
Red glowing logo box!

Domonoky uploaded his “Glowing Logo Cube.”  I’m loving this thing.  The second I saw it, I thought of The Pandorica from the season finale of this last season of Doctor Who.  Here’s a papercraft version of the Pandorica from AFT Downloads, a website devoted to Doctor Who papercraft:

Papercraft Pandorica
Papercraft Pandorica

That image below is from Peter McKinstry’s online gallery of amazing work he’s done for Doctor Who and other super cool things.

The Pandorica
The Pandorica

All I would need to do in order to create a printable Pandorica would be to make a 3D printable version of the Pandorica faces, slot them into the glowing logo cube frame, and drop it into the base.

Would you be interested in some free MakerBot prints?

I have this pile of printed PLA pawns I’m not going to be using any time soon.  They’re of varying quality and interesting-ness.  If you’ve always wanted a MakerBot printed part but thought they were just too unattainable, now’s your chance!

I’m going to be at the East Bay Mini-MakerFaire this Sunday just walking around with my family.  If you’re going to be there too, drop me a line or leave a comment and I’ll bring a spare piece for you.  I’ll have at least nine pieces to give away.  (More if I try a few new settings.)  If you’re the only one to respond, you get all nine.  :)

MakerBlock, he’s just this guy, you know?

So, I am just a guy.  Prior to assembling my Cupcake 3D printer I had never fiddled much with electronics, let alone attempted something as audacious as building a robot.  I don’t have a tech degree, I don’t work in a tech field, basically I’m a glorified cubicle plant.  With what little spare time I get, I spend it fiddling with my robot making awesome things and writing about the awesome things people do with their robots.

But, it occurred to me today…  By virtue of building one robot from a kit and writing about robots…  and given my total and complete lack of knowledge and training1 is it fair to call myself a roboticist?

  1. As well as my ample surplus of ignorance and chutzpah [↩]

WordPress developer job posting

A friend of mine is a small business owner in the Sacramento area.  He has seen the light and is finally developing his stuff in WordPress.  (Sorry Drupal guys, he gave that a whirl)  However, he needs a good WordPress developer to help him out.  I’m not positive, but I’m pretty sure he’d be okay with telecommuting.  He’s got several online publications and website based businesses, so he’ll definitely keep you busy.  If you’re interested, shoot me an e-mail through the contact form and I’ll forward your e-mail to him.

I will never ever use MS Office again, unless forced to at gunpoint

MS just released this video bashing open source tech. There are some really amusing points about it. The testimonials describe how wonderful MS Office 2007 is – but MS wants you to buy the 2010 version. Guys, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. This is a word processor – for most people they just need a version of Notepad with grammar and spellcheck.1 This isn’t rocket science. I can’t imagine a business model that requires you to sell your software to your customers every 2-3 years – when the original package TEN YEARS AGO was good enough. Let alone a business model founded on a product that peaked ten years ago with XP. Seriously, the best thing about WinXP was that I never really noticed it. If I notice my OS, it’s because something is horribly horribly wrong.

The testimonials also include people who say their IT support costs soared with questions from users – and that people were used to their old MS interface. Increased support costs? Yeah, that can happen. People resistant to IT changes? Yeah, that happens too. But, the software is free, remember? Each and every license is several hundred dollars. And it needs to be effectively renewed every few years. How’s this for a new MS slogan: “Drink the kool-aid”

Several years ago I bought a pair of brand new Dell laptops with XP. Just before the warranty expired they started to go nutty, shipped them to Dell, Dell lost them, and Dell eventually replaced them – with new models that had Vista. My copies of MS Office 2000 I had bought with my original Dells refused to work with Vista. There was some “bug” that caused any MS Office component to take 10 minutes to load, operate super slowly, and crash. The fix? Oh, just buy 2003. No thank you.

I have used OpenOffice for the last several years and convinced many friends to do the same. I just cannot see spending several hundred dollars for a product the company looks at with an eye towards planned obsolescence.

No, MS, I’m not coming back. And, as soon as I can get Ubuntu to work on my computers and network, you can have my copies of XP as well.

OSS/OSH FTW!

  1. Some more than others. [↩]

I am ambivalent about this photo

Ambivalence
Ambivalence

On the one hand, I support marine research and head-mounted sensors for all aquatic mammals.

On the other hand, just look at this poor bastard.  That’s pretty messed up.  Just look at his right eye – there’s a reflection of the photographer.  This seal looks completely resigned to his fate.  I have a hard time believing the scientists who superglued this thing there are shocked that seals who wear these contraptions are hanging around on the antarctic floor.  If you glued one of these things to my head I’d be tempted to sit at the bottom of the ocean too.  I bet they were just as astounded when they discovered that seals who wear these things never reproduce. 1

Thanks be to clothbot for this find.

And, yes, I agree.  This seal would be so much more awesome with a freakin’ laser on its head.

  1. I’m sorry, which eye should I be looking into? [↩]
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