Thursday, April 30, 2009

Odd Things That Capture My Interest...

I wanted to make a blog entry this evening, but I was staring at a blank screen and the little blinking curser and I couldn't think of a single interesting thing to say. First I thought I would tell the story of my trip to the DMV today, but it actually wasn't unpleasant, and my friend Rebecca had a much better story about her visit today over at her blog. Then I thought I would write about what the Hubs and I did on his day off yesterday (and today), but we really didn't do much and my big purchase of the day yesterday was Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi which was finally out in paperback... but, I haven't read it yet and just buying it wasn't really all that exciting......

Now What? AHA! I know! I'll fall back on the bookmarks in Firefox in the little folder called... Wait for it.... Possible Blog Entries. Yeah, I'm kind of boring like that. Sigh! So, What have I thrown in there recently. Hmmmm...

You can sendyournameMSL_thGo Here and enter your name and it will be included with others on a microchip on the Mars Science Laboratory rover heading to Mars in 2011! I'm such a geek, I did this one. It would be a great way to get the kiddos interested in the space program. After you enter your name, be sure to look around. There are a lot of cool things. Like being able to talk to the virtual Dr C. about Mars. You type in the questions and he answers them. Yes, I am a space geek. This was neat, and would be a great jumping off place for a study of the universe, the space program, or anything else you or your children might be interested in. It's part of the Nasa main site.

dogtagimage2 This link just amuses me. Dog Tags with the location of Earth on them.... just in case the little green - uh, I mean gray guys -stop by, pick you up, and accidentally drop you on the wrong planet. These dog tags will be all you need for some one (or thing) to be able to locate Earth and hopefully drop you back off here. A real bargain at $12.99 + 2.50 shipping and packaging. The perfect insurance against being left wandering around the universe like Arthur Dent......

peopleBotWeb O.k.... How about one more.... Tweenbots. How cute is that name? What is a Tweenbot?

Tweenbots are human-dependent robots that navigate the city with the help of pedestrians they encounter. Rolling at a constant speed, in a straight line, Tweenbots have a destination displayed on a flag, and rely on people they meet to read this flag and to aim them in the right direction to reach their goal.

Go to the link and see how some friendly New Yorkers help the little robots get to their destination. In the creators own words:

Given their extreme vulnerability, the vastness of city space, the dangers posed by traffic, suspicion of terrorism, and the possibility that no one would be interested in helping a lost little robot, I initially conceived the Tweenbots as disposable creatures which were more likely to struggle and die in the city than to reach their destination.

The results were unexpected. Over the course of the following months, throughout numerous missions, the Tweenbots were successful in rolling from their start point to their far-away destination assisted only by strangers.

Pretty Cool, Huh? People can be kind and helpful, even in New York and even when they can't expect anything in return. Gives you hope for the human race!

There you go, three links to odd things. Just goes to show you some of the really weird things that I find amusing/interesting. Hope you enjoyed them!

6 comments:

krissy knox said...

The first one is oh so cool -- the Mars Rover one. I'm going to have to tell him -- as he is a good geek like you! I think both John and I will do it.

BTW, this is a really interesting post, and that's great that you have a folder of blog ideas. I do too. I just haven't had time to do a post in ages. Sigh. I must get on it!
krissy knox :)
visit my main blog: Sometimes I ThinkHey! Former AOL Journalers -- please add your blogs to our directory of blogs: from jland to bloggerfollow me on twitter:
www.twitter.com/iamkrissy

Traci said...

Cool stuff you found! I love the idea of the Tweenbot!

Rebecca Anne said...

I can't believe you got away with a 15 minute stop at the DMV....and you're pic is good and you didn't mind and you weren't tortured!!!
Soooooo unfair~
Some people have all the luck (grin)
ok, I'm off to check some links~ I hope you have a beautiful weekend and flash your drivers license around a few times.
Rebecca

Sage Ravenwood said...

Rebecca seemed to have a rough time of it didn't she. I loved the whole concept behind the Tweenbots. (Hugs)Indigo

Sage Ravenwood said...

Rebecca seemed to have a rough time of it didn't she. I loved the whole concept behind the Tweenbots. (Hugs)Indigo

Anonymous said...

Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!