All videos should be this good...

Björk - All Is Full Of Love
by Bjork

Hell to the yes.

Random Robot Content Hour!

It's the anthem of the summer. It's the video of the year. It's the cutest robot ever.

Lupe Fiasco has been quietly ruling for a while, so stop sleeping and bear witness:


Praise due also to Jill Scott, who brings the vocals.

And this... is the weirdest commercial of the year. It's extremely disturbing and creepy, but hey - when you're trying to sell Slurpee's to kids, you do what you can. Noting, of course, that one of the more successful Slurpee flavours/promos in recent history was the Bloody Zit. Yeah. Maybe this works.


What, exactly, is he supposed to be drinking?

Philip K. Droid

Now this project is dead and gone, but I keep meaning to blog about it anyways.

Philip K. Dick (1928 -1982), as many of you know, wrote dark, paranoid science fiction that's been the source for many of your favourite sci-fi movies [Blade Runner, Minority Report, Total Recall, A Scanner Darkly], and possibly some of your favourite sci-fi literature as well [The Three Stigmata of Palmer Elddrich, Ubik, The Man in the High Castle, Flow my Tears the Policeman Said, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?].

One thing I love about his work is its handling of robots and computers. Deeply concerned with the nature of consciousness, PKD's world is one where manipulation of memories, moods and personalities, and androids exhibiting emotion, inspiration and free will, blur the lines between man and machine.

So what better tribute to Philip K. than an android in his likeness?


Aw, don't you just want to go cuddle up and discuss the nature of reality?


Android head with stoned-looking kid.

From the FedEx Institute of Technology, Hanson Robotics, and the Automation and Robotics Research Institute, the project seems to have been pretty active back in 2005, but now has died out. No news as to why.

Here is the PKD android interacting with someone at 2005 NextFest in Chicago:



And here are some more links if you want to learn more about Philip K. Dick. Hey! Check out my major blogger journalistic diligence!

The Relationship Between Humans and Machines: Through the Eyes of Philip K. Dick - An analysis by Eli Eisenberger.

Official Site - if for no other reason alone, visit to see the cover art gallery, including the Japanese 'Do Androids Dream...' cover on the right.

The Most Brilliant Sci-Fi Mind on Any Planet - a Rolling Stone article from 1975, this was the first major article about the author.

Avian Bird Bots!

So you're a town in England. You've got a problem with massive, freakish, bloated pigeons ranking up your streets with shit, and generally making a hideous nuisance of themselves.

You have a choice.

You can either:

a) Do nothing, and let your city degenerate into a vile, festering pigeon paradise (Venice anyone?)

b) Contnue spending $320,000 a year on employing 8 full-time workers solely dedicated to washing pigeon shit off your streets

or...

c) INSTALL TEN ROBOTIC PEREGRINE FALCONS TO SCARE THOSE PARASITES THE FUCK AWAY (into the neighbouring towns presumably, but let's keep that to ourselves).


Fear the falcon's robot gaze! FEAR IT!!!

Yes, Liverpool is doing exactly that, and it couldn't happen soon enough, considering their status next year as European Capital of Culture.

These little birdbots, titled strangely as Robops by the company that invented them, sit in static locations (which will change to ensure that the birds don't get used to their presence) and engage in a series of behaviours that imitate Peregrine Falcons - one of the species that preys on pigeons.


The range of motion/behaviour of the Robop.

The website for the Robops is as inexplicable as their names, and is a labrynthian garbage pile twelve-thousand bytes deep, but let's ignore that and give mad props to a great idea.

Y'all know the Beckstar loves to see robots helping their organic earthmates. Just another harbinger of an awesome, awesome future, where robots help man, man builds more robots, and we realize that the Raelians were right all along. I for one am looking forward to it.

Chicago Robot Attack!

The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago is a fantastic storehouse of all kinds of awesome.

But let's skip the handshakes and get right to the robot exhibit!

Robots Like Us is a fantastic collection of twentieth century toy robots, mainly retrofuturistic ones from Japan in the 1960's!


Way more amazing photos in my album. I don't know why it's okay to take photographs in museums but not galleries, but hey - don't mind if I do!

Yes. Yes. Yes. Dancing Robot Baby Love.

I'll post more on this amazing robot, designed for non-verbal interaction and play with infants and children, later.

In the meantime... I can't stop watching this incredible, wonderful video:

Three. Point. One. Four. One. Five. Nine. Two. Six. Five...

Ooookay, so could this be any more awesome? A music video about the number pi, with a singing robot, done in the style of a PBS kids show and dropping the amazing line: '514 was the area code / Quebec, Canada my winter abode'.

What's the name of that emotion again? The one where, upon realizing other people think exactly the same way you do, you're torn between traumatic identity crisis and jubillant excitement?


Extra nerdy bonuses: 1. The second verse weaves the first nine digits of pi forwards and backwards; 2. This song is as close to pi minutes in length - 3 minutes 14 seconds... although actually pi minutes would be more like 3 min. 8 sec.

Why, oh why, are all things nerdcore so amazing?

Do androids dream of electric scotch?

Well, I don't really get the connection between Johnny Walker and a robot with flesh-envy, but I'm really glad this spot got pushed through. It's pretty lovely, especially to a robot-fetishist such as myself.


What is this thing you humans call... love?

Robot Dance Break!

Check check it out. This is from a project called What Moves You Miami, a cultural blitzkrieg where artists/innovators were asked to respond to the question in their respective media.

This video was made by Leo Bridle, a fantastic U.K. microcinema artist.

I found him through another of his pieces - a collaboration which won the First Post viral competition.

It rules pretty hard too. Check it out on his site.

Blog, meet World. World, meet Blog.

Ten important things to briefly note, as I begin this foray into the blogosphere:

1. R Kelly's 'Trapped in the Closet' film is the most important cultural artifact of the new millenium.
2. Well-programmed robots would solve many of humanity's problems.
3. SuperMario3 is the best video game of all time. Period.
4. Pop culture is not the enemy.
5. Really long hair is super gross.
6. Cats are also pretty gross.
7. Reggae music should not be judged by its fans alone.
8. Hip hop music should not be judged by its lyrics alone.
9. In the universe as a whole, Earth is likely best known for its cola.
10. Good dance skills can make up for many shortcomings - in oneself, and in a relationship

I will be expanding on these, and other related or un-related topics, in this blog. Enjoy!