These lamps are not bombs...

[Mr. Analog]

An interesting electronics project mixes artistic spirit and a humorous subverted side:
http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/10/talking-lamp-declares-i-am-not-a-bomb/

[Darren Dirt]

video overview of The Project: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MSGPfqI5L8

rofl I love the image at 0:23 seconds "All that we say and do is right." classic line! (20 seconds is of course also very funny -- "never forget" -- but 23 is The Best.)



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on the subject of fear and electronics... I found this within seconds of almost-closing that particular browser tab:

http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/05/solar-powered-beambots-scurry-about-shun-batteries/


While we wouldn't expect you to create your own city-powering solar tower ( http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/04/spanish-solar-tower-could-eventually-power-an-entire-city/ ) in just 72 hours, the folks at MAKE have unveiled a sweet weekend project to get the frightened DIY novices in the crowd involved in robotics. The cleverly-dubbed beambot can be created from spare parts junking up your garage (or for the hardcore, your silverware drawer) as well as pre-packaged kits, and best of all, the energy required to bring these machines to life is available for free during standard daylight hours.

The solar-powered bots don't do much besides walk around, explore the terrain, and become gradually less active as dawn approaches, but we're sure the more highly trained robotics engineers could bolt on a slingshot and quickly devise an underground beambot fighting championship.



crystalsinger @ May 6th 2007 9:17AM

What, no "I for one..." posts yet?

You're slipping guys... :-P



grjohnston @ May 6th 2007 1:20PM

I for one, welcome the oncoming prevalence of solar power.



Tim @ May 7th 2007 8:01AM

Hopefully this isn't the first step in us blotting out the skies.

These look like they'd be a blast to make, especially a whole hoard of them.



blackfeather @ May 7th 2007 1:10PM

Mark Tilden is the kind of mad scientist that just might bring on that revolution. Read about his revised laws of robotics that favor robotic self-preservation. There is also an old paper somewhere of his that raises questions of what constitues self-awareness. He pioneered the idea of sending out thousands of cheap, simple bots to do a better job than one very expensive, very complex bot. Anyone interested in robotics should learn about the BEAM concept and Mark Tilden:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Tilden
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BEAM_robotics


Engadget frickin' RULES.



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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilden%27s_Law_of_Robotics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavior_based_robotics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nv_network

Okay anyone else having scary flashbacks of certain 1980s cheescifi?

[Mr. Analog]

Awesome links bud, 'specially the one at the end.