Sometimes Robots Can Be Scary: A Link Round-Up!

The title says it all after I saw this in my regular Robot News. A robot which controls a robot army to explore new worlds? What kind of implications can be made about robots that command other robots? Soon they will be self-sufficient, I'll bet you on that.

And that is the day when we'll be completely boned. Speaking of robot-boning, this year was the Matrix's 10th Anniversary. I was unaware of this because the sequels ruined the franchise for me, but I caught the first film halfway through yesterday on G4's Movies That Don't Suck feature. It was good to see how well that movie withstood time, and comparatively how awful the other two movies still remain. 

G4's other feature, Attack of the Show, also announced a remake of Short Circuit, which isn't scary in the sense of robots wanting to rip you into pieces and use you as a battery (spoiler for the Matrix, even though it's been ten years since the movie came out, get with the times) but it is scary because movie producers nowadays love to destroy their precious intellectual properties in order to make a quick buck.

One last scary thing: this one doesn't have to deal with robots specifically, but instead technology. The late Chris Farley was used in a commercial for DirecTV. By having supporting actor David Spade break the fourth wall, this blog post asks whether is resurrects the late comedian into something macabre.

My vote? Creepy but fascinating. I think Chris Farley's passing was one of the most tragic of celebrity deaths, right up there with Bernie Mac.

Also, Happy Halloween (soon). Expect a post of some Halloween shenanigans (and the Max Brooks footage once I can edit the film).

Zombie Survival Guide author Max Brooks at Sage College

Let us wax philosophical for a bit. There is one question which should burden every human's mind, and in this question you have to understand what kind of person you are, and clearly understand your interpretation of the world. There is no room for second doubting your beliefs with this difficult, if not maddening, issue.

What is your zombie plan?

I know I know. This is a blog about giant fighting robots but humor me for a minute! 

Max Brooks, author of the Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z, has dedicated much of his time to help those who want to prepare for the zombiepocalypse understand how to cope with all of the issues which will arise once the shit hits the fan. Transportation, weaponry, health- he's got you the bases covered in his two bestselling novels, and if you want to take Z-Day seriously, I'd recommend getting his books.

Albany, New York has been honored by Brooks by going to Sage College to lecture and tackling the questions of zombie enthusiasts with definitive answers. The event all together was fun and relatively calm; even though I expected a larger turnout for a superstar in horror literature, only half of the bleachers in the gymnasium which housed the event were filled.

And even though his public service was hilarious and well executed, the night of zombie mirth was hindered by the fact that I was the only person that dressed up as a zombie (a zombie clown to be exact).

Overall, it was a blast to see Max Brooks live and have him laugh at my costume. Check out the youtube clip below to see some of the show!

update: I will be editing the footage of the show for time, since Youtube removed the video from their website which took all night to upload because it was too long (it was thirty seconds over guys. thanks you tools).

Manventures: Karaoke Makes Me Feel Like a Beatle!

I think the lesson I learned over this weekend is that I should bring my own camera and take awesome pictures of the events I attend.

To keep it short and sweet, like Gary Coleman on Different Strokes:



I went to Daniel Nester's book release and karaoke party. The day after that I saw Dan  and his friend Chris Connelly again and stole their umbrellas. That same day, I went to the zombie march of Albany and didn't take pictures. And then Sunday I was supposed to go to the Mastodon/Dethklok show, but funds have been short and I really needed to go to the Grocery show, so me and my apartment dwelling buddies watched The Thing (spoiler in youtube clip. watch out!) while enjoying hummus.

The issue I have is whether to take a camera with me during these moments or not. All I know is that I missed out on some excellent photo opportunities this weekend, and now my blog is found wanting.

Sure is some crazy fun life experience though. Cheers!

Skiing Robots... Think of the Possibilities!

Why? Because robots need recreational hobbies too.

Speaking of Robot Dancing

To those who wanted to skip my more serious toned post, I suggested that you watch this video.

And in so many ways is this video more entertaining than my dreams and aspirations for this blog (one day it wants to be a firefighter). What I need you all to do is check out these videos because they will make you smile.

Battle of the Robot Dance Moves

From the film Eurotrip, this clip raises the question of what makes the weird robot impersonator. Is it their tenacity? Or is it the ability to make cool robot noises with their mouths?

Funky Robot Dance

I really don’t know what to say about this clip besides it has an awesome audio track. Also, it’s hard to turn away from the robot toy’s gyrating crotch. Why did I watch three minutes of this?!

Citroen Robot Dance

Basically it’s a car that transforms into a robot and then dances. Michael Bay ain’t got shit on this commercial. It’s awesome.

Michael Jackson Robot Dancer

You have to admit that Michael had some pretty sick moves. You also have to admit that he had an unfair advantage of actually being a robot.

I'm thinking I'll have to come back to the subject of robot dancing. Perhaps a study, because there might be a direct correlation between dancing like a robot and happiness.

Not really Manventures, but still: Deadliest Cans Haiku Epilogue

Deadliest Cans ends.

I donated the money

to fight world hunger.

And that's that. Moving on!

(DISCLAIMER: This post is about the blog itself, not robots. If you don't care, skip this post or click this link to see robot dancing.)

Manventures: Deadliest Cans Part Tres

I've got myself in quite the mental pickle. The whole collecting cans for profit thing never sat right on my chest (akin to a recyclable cat trying to breathe out my soul!) so I've decided in good spirits to donate the money I've earned.

Also, it was hard to justify the gambling portion of this competition because both Frank and I were supposed to publicly address how much we each earned, but that didn't happen. Instead, I have decided to extend an olive branch to my opponent and call Deadliest Cans in.

So here are the final numbers:
$4.50 from cans
$2.15 from bottles
no bottles were refunded because that return machine was broken. The bottles will be donated*

And below is photo evidence

I want to thank everybody for their support in Deadliest Cans. Special thanks goes out to ENG315, and I want them all to know that if they want to compete on the blogs, let me know! 

Damn I'm a nerd. But I love it! Look forward to one more installment of Deadliest Cans and find out where I donate the money.

*left outside of Price Chopper for someone else to turn in.