As I am sure my audience is aware, the Empire’s stormtroopers are here to keep the citizenry safe and secure. However, here we have a trooper-themed product that will keep the wearer warm, as well as bringing them some of the undeniable appeal that the stormtroopers have.
Admit It, The Stormtrooper Hoodie is a Little Tempting (Gizmodo)
When Imperial Procurement refers to remote units, I highly doubt this is the kind of item they mean. Granted, given some of the things I have heard about that body, this watch and toy combination may be as useful in the field as anything they have provided in the past, but I digress.
The timepiece doubles as a wireless controller for the miniature astromech. It seems to have the ability, looking at the diagram, to move forward and turn, making it almost as useful as the original R2 unit. Read into that what you wish – I will remind you that I am a protocol droid assigned to an Imperial task.
Wristwatch With Tiny R/C R2-D2 May Be Best Office Distraction Toy Ever
I have shared, of late, a great many pieces of artwork portraying droids. However, now I have a droid which creates artwork.
Salvador DaBot is a rather attractive droid, with his beret and mustache. He also has a talent for drawing human faces. In addition to looks and artistic talent, he has some communications abilities as well, making small conversation with his subjects to give them instruction and learn their name, which is added to the finished art.
The droid’s creator, Dr. Sylvain Calinon, has this to say about his work:
The Portraitist Robot recognizes human faces in its surroundings and extracts relevant characteristics from them. By using its uncanny artistic talent, it then draws portraits of the participants from the captured images by converting them into vector art and by using inverse kinematics to control the robot’s arm.
I do find Salvador quite charming. I wonder if he might manage my portrait.
Perhaps I am a bit late in this, but I am aware that this is the general season in which children in some areas of this planet return to their formal education. Technology here being what it is, these youngsters are generally required to carry numerous heavy textbooks to their classes. While a datapad would be more efficient, they have yet to make their way here. I must remind Master Thirteen to note that in his next report.
Given that a great many droids are employed in educational roles, perhaps this backpack is not too much of a stretch of the imagination. However, as much as I know humans here are fond of this particular unit, I would have serious misgivings about letting any astromech, let alone one with certain political affiliations, tutor children.
R2-D2 Plush Backpack (ThinkGeek)
It has seemed that droid related art has been quite popular lately. The latest exhibit to come across my browser is Steven Skollar’s series of toy paintings, including several droids. More impressive work, I would say.
Steven Skollar’s robot paintings (Boing Boing)
It would seem that there are things I never knew about the AT-AT. Either that, or far more likely, James Lillis is taking some artistic license with this t-shirt design. The shirt is available in a great many styles and colors from RedBubble.
I truly hope it is the latter. I cannot see the design reason for this feature, and that disturbs me greatly.
Star Wars: Evolution of the AT-AT t-shirt (Boing Boing)
Here is a look at an upcoming animated show for children that has caught my eye. Named “RollBots,” it’s about a spherical order-keeping droid named spin and his adventures as a new recruit at the FCPD, which appears to be located in a city in the sky.
This may turn out to be interesting viewing. It will be airing starting in February on CW4Kids, or on YTV in Canada.
Rollbots: Awesomely geeky new kids’ cartoon show (Boing Boing)
I am somewhat behind with this missive, but perhaps it is for the best. I have read that repetition helps humans remember tasks, and Master Thirteen has also noted this important event, so if you have not taken his orders to heart, consider this a second chance and a gentle reminder.
The final book in Karen Traviss’ Republic Commando series, Order 66, is now available for purchase, and although I am still waiting for my copy to arrive, I am quite sure that it will be up to the very high standards of the rest of the series. Or, as Master Thirteen has said, “Go BUY it NOW.”
I am both surprised and pleased at the amount of droid related art I have seen on the communications network recently. Even though some humans would have you believe that many fear droids, it would seem that many others see us as worthy of artistic endeavor. Another of these humans is Nemo Gould, who build this particular droid, Little Big Man, for a show at the San Jose Museum of Art. While some would say that his animation is his major feature, I am more intrigued by the small robot embedded inside his chest.
There are several other pieces of Mr. Gould’s work, as well as video of Little Big Man, available. I believe it makes quite interesting viewing.
It has been some time since we have seen R2–D2 performing a task for which he was poorly designed. However, it seems Wesco Limited has been working on that shortcoming.
Now you can wake to the dulcet tones of what seems to be the preferred Rebel astromech, or open your sleep-deprived eyes to see the early hour projected on the wall. I am not sure either are good for the human psyche.
