Tag: robot

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Day 103: Food, Love and Robots

stuntrabbit

I’m on breakfast duty this morning, so it’s cinnamon french toast. Christine’s got some strawberries, which don’t hurt the situation at all. The name of our home on the Playa is Open Kitchen Camp. The plan is to make a lot of very excellent food, and share it with anyone who wants to stop by. This is a lot like what these two do at home, so they’re natural at it. No one ever turns down Christine’s cooking. We’ve got extra french toast, so we bring it around to our neighbors. It’s so easy to make friends here. Shannon’s actually … Continue reading Day 103: Food, Love and Robots

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Day 101: Baskets of Glass

stuntrabbit

So you already know some of what happens today, but not all. I wake up to her eyes, but also to the realization that the fire wasn’t a dream, and even if I could repair the damage to the robot, I’d never have time to troubleshoot the problem today. About half an hour later, she had done what a muse does. I still can’t remember exactly what she said, but without even looking at it I knew the cause of the failure, and how to fix it. Geek Details: The drive power circuit is basically an H-bridge, with power transistors … Continue reading Day 101: Baskets of Glass

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Day 100: Day One Hundred!

stuntrabbit

Speaking of the Castro Theatre, check this out. West Side Story, The Godfather, and sing-along The Little Mermaid. All on one marquee. How awesome is that? I’m leaving town tomorrow afternoon, and my muse can’t come with me this time, so we’re spending today and tomorrow playing in museums and working on fun projects. This is SFMOMA, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. They’ve got an exhibit of Frieda Kahlo‘s work currently. We spend a long time enjoying that, as well as some fantastic Chinese contemporary art. There’s one piece by Sui Jianguo of Chairman Mao sleeping on a … Continue reading Day 100: Day One Hundred!

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Day 99: Fupfupfupfup

stuntrabbit

After picking up the car from the shop, I stop to get the rest of the parts for SP187. On the way back from the electronic component shop is a small airport. Right next to it, there’s a Burger King with a real (non-operational) helicopter instead of a jungle gym. You can actually sit inside it and eat your lunch. I would never do such a thing, of course. And if I did, I certainly would not make “fupfupfupfup” noises and mess around with the controls. The warning sign is important, though. About 300 feet away, I see what it’s … Continue reading Day 99: Fupfupfupfup

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Day 98: Fog and Sparks

stuntrabbit

I’m back in town and oh, there’s so much to catch up on. Spending time with good friends, disabling a smoke detector, crashing face-first in a blinding sandstorm, giving the robot its first test run, and acquiring a fuzzy pink hat. So here we go. Let’s wind the clock back a few days. Woke up to crazy-thick fog. The car’s in the shop, so it’s a good day to wander out without one. I’ve got a few stops to make, and one of them is to get some parts for Secret Plan 187. First, there’s time to kick the day … Continue reading Day 98: Fog and Sparks

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Day 97: Placeholder

stuntrabbit

Note: I’m packing in a hurry, so this entry will get significantly expanded when I have time. Here’s the 10-minute version of what’s going on: Secret Plan 187 is well underway. I put everything else on hold for a couple of days in order to give it a try: Found parts in the garage, including an old (broken) radio controlled toy, and bought some parts I couldn’t find. Built a small yellow robot, and programmed it with a jumpy paranoid personality. Took it apart, threw out some parts, built it again. Used pliers to carefully crack the circuit board, removing … Continue reading Day 97: Placeholder