Friday fun: BigDog Beta

I thought I would finish off my binge of BigDog robot videos with this video from pantlessknights showing an early BigDog prototype (read parody)



I wonder what the BigDog left on that beach in Thailand?

Have a great weekend ~ Jim

BigDog Beach'n

Here's another video from BostonDynamics featuring the BigDog robot. This time the BigDog is strutting his stuff on a beach in Thailand:



Imagine working on a robot such as BigDog and then going to some exotic beach to test it out. Talk about dream jobs! Cheers ~ Jim

Friday fun: Boston Dynamics BIGDOG Robot

If you are in any way interested in robotics then you have to check out this video from boingboingvideo of Boston Dynamics BIGDOG Robot:



The BIGDOG is designed for military use and is one of the most advanced quadruped robots out there. It's a pretty interesting concept, and the Boston Dynamics and BIGDOG links provide a lot more information.

Have a great weekend ~ Jim

Friday fun: Portable computer commercial from 1977

This week's Friday Fun may be a little redundant in that I already posted this video on my 8-Bit Retro Computing blog, but I just get a kick out of this classic commercial for the IBM 5100 Portable Computer courtesy of MrClassicAds:



The commercial is from 1977 which happens to be the same year that I graduated from high school. I guess back then that a computer weighing about 50 pounds really could be considered a portable. By comparison my netbook is about 1/50th of the weight of the 5100, and orders of magnitude more powerful. It's incredible to see how technology has progressed over the years.

Have a great weekend ~ Jim

Friday fun: Evasive Beeping Thing

Here is another weekend project from makemagazine. I am quite certain that those of you who enjoy playing pranks on your coworkers will enjoy building the Evasive Beeping Thing:



If you plan to build this little beastie then you should check out this link at the makemagazine site which includes errata, user comments, and further links including one for the updated schematic.

And if you have a moment please check out the Geeks Who Care blog, and drop me a line or leave a comment if you have any suggestions.

Have a great weekend ~ Jim