What do Roboteers like?

Robot likes to learn.

OK. What do you need to teach a robot things?

   Robot takes over World

   Sincerely...

OK. Robot must need parts to effectively take over the world, especilly
if there is to be menacing blinking and whirring while it does so. Do
you like Radio Shack for the various bits and pieces, or is there a
robotics components shop that you like ot order form?

[snip]

Mostly, Roboteers don't like to be called "Roboteers".

--
(Replies: cleanse my address of the Mark of the Beast!)

Teleoperate a roving mobile robot from the web:
http://www.swampgas.com/robotics/rover.html

Coauthor with Dennis Clark of "Building Robot Drive Trains".
Buy several copies today!

I'm sorry. What is the correct term?

Never mind. Maybe design your Web page so you don't have to worry about
it. What do WE know what other people want? Let the users of your site
decide that. Think Wiki.

Roboteering is not a traditional man-of-the-house thing. Some of us are
dads or granddads, but it's more common for a parent to support a young
adult's interest in this hobby than any "spousal sponsorship" thing. I
found this aspect of your otherwise well-written Web site a bit lacking.
You might want to consider ways to recast the concept so it applies to
all relationships, not just Spousal Units. There is certainly a need for
a place where gift-buyers can go to learn enough (but not too much)
about a subject to purchase a well-meaning goodie, but I'd never think
to look at spousalsponsorship.org for roboracketeering.

-- Gordon

Roboticist: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roboticist

Roboteer sounds too much like Mouseketeer.

-jso

Ah!  Thank you. My apologies for guessing poorly.

*Mister* Roboteer.

--
(Replies: cleanse my address of the Mark of the Beast!)

Teleoperate a roving mobile robot from the web:
http://www.swampgas.com/robotics/rover.html

Coauthor with Dennis Clark of "Building Robot Drive Trains".
Buy several copies today!

Sounds like an interesting project.


Most of us are typical nerds.  We like computers, gadgets,
tools, etc.  But when non-nerds have buy those things for
me, they usually buy something inappropriate.

Like other nerds, most of us have no fashion sense.  So
it is better to buy us a nice shirt, or some other item of
clothing, than to try to buy a geek oriented gift.  We also
like home made chocolate chip cookies.  You can't go
wrong there.


A gift certificate for Amazon, B&N, Borders, or other bookstore
would be a great gift.


I subscribe to Servo, Embedded Systems Design, Dr Dobbs,
Circuit Cellar, Science News, Scientific American, and The
Economist.  I also receive Spectrum and Mechanical Engineering
via my membership in IEEE and ASME respectively.


I have never received a book from a non-nerd that I actually
read.  A gift certificate is much better.


If your spouse talks shop at the dinner table, you should
get a divorce.

I agree. The trick is figuring out *where* the gift certificate should
be for. For example, marketing hype tells me roboracketeers would shop
at Radio Shack. Only people who actually do this can confirm or deny.
That's why I'm here. Thank you very much for your list of shops and
magazines. It's exactly what I need. Keep it coming!

Gordon:
I've noticed the parent-child team aspect to this particular hobby. I'm
hoping to find suggestions that help support that.
BTW, if you read the recommendations, you'll find that non-spousal
fallbacks like gift certificates are always present. It really is for
everybody. It's Spousal Sponsorship because this started with
non-mechanical me being married to a tractor puller and constantly
being asked by other family members what he wants. I figured I wasn't
alone. :-)

Anyway, I appreciate the input and would welcome anyplace you want to
point me.

One thing that would be awesome would be a pricerunner.com/kelkoo type
of site for electrical parts. I know it would be quite difficult but I
would find it so usefull

Where *do* you like to shop for electrical parts? I know one guy who
loved to dig through the boxes at computer scrapyards looking for (and
finding) boxes of components. I know another who would only order from
big electrical supply houses. Where do you folks like to get
pieces-parts?

generally mail order places.  radio shack is only good if you're in a
bind and need something immediately (if that something happens to a
common resistor, piece of wire, or piece of prototyping board..)

if i'm designing a circuit i generally look at mouser.com and
digikey.com, between the both of them I can generally put together a
decent order.  jameco.com is another good bigger mail order place,
though they don't have as much a selection (they're cheaper for wires,
prototyping supplies, etc though) if i only need a part or two I'll
order it from one of the smaller mail order / internet places (whoever
has it w/out a lot of shipping)

so in summary:
mail order for selection
actual store only when in a bind, and not picky

-Andrew
reconnsworld

NiceToRoboteers wrote:

Good stuff. Thank you!

I just finished up with the acoustic guitarists, so I'll be starting
putting your page together within the next couple of days.

I'd like some more material. What about your work areas? What kind of
things do you need there? Tools, tables, computers?

When it comes to robot specific sensors, I tend to like www.junun.org
for price, and www.acroname.com for depth of line and sometimes
availability.

After the computer, the sensors are the next most interesting thing on a
robot, with an eye to what can be done with them, of course.

Would anybody here turn down a new Devantec compass or sonar? How about
a new bump switch or IRPD? Or an Hbridge with current and voltage sense?
A mount for a scanning sonar? A CMUCam?  An acclerometer or gyro?

--
Randy M. Dumse
www.newmicros.com
Caution: Objects in mirror are more confused than they appear.

There you will find very short new bits of things roboticists would find
intriguing. A loving spouse could educate themselves, and perhaps even
flatter, intrigue and likely suprise their mate with mention of a recent
news item gleaned there.

--
Randy M. Dumse
www.newmicros.com
Caution: Objects in mirror are more confused than they appear.

First a general comment about your effort. I am a fan of Nathaniel
Brandon's views on romantic love. What people want to see is a
recognition of themselves in others. There is no mirror of the soul,
other than what you can see when others react to you. So we feel
endeared by someone seeing us as we wish to be seen, and somewhat as we
are anyway, and in the healthy individual those two images will
hopefully be the same.

Consequently actions or gifts that reflect a vision of our internal self
image are considered most complimentary, and those that show a lack of
understanding of who we are inside are considered most insulting.

So while your site is an interesting idea, can you really hope to help
someone get past "trite" aquaintence with generalities and arrive at a
deep understanding?

That said, the most univerally welcome item I can think of for someone
into robotics is rechargeable batteries. I think NiHM AA's are as close
to universally appreciated an item as possible, and a rapid charger with
batteries would be widely welcomed as a gift. But here is where the
trite vs. the deep understanding comes in. Those who have robots with
extreme needs will chose Li-Ion or other special
chemistry/weights/packs/voltage batteries and chargers, and these can be
very expensive. If a spouse were to take the time to learn exactly what
batteries the partner uses, and buy him spares or chargers of that exact
kind, I think that would be showing an interest beyond the ordinary, and
be a reflection of true caring. But missing the mark will have the
opposite effect, so caution is advised. Sometimes to do something nice
for someone, its the effort that counts, and not just that you thought
of them, but you took the time to "know" them and hit the mark, instead
of came close.

--
Randy M. Dumse
www.newmicros.com
Caution: Objects in mirror are more confused than they appear.