Warning: You may fall a tinsy winsy bit in love with the Robot!
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Every now and then, I read a book that can only be described as 'special'. This is one of those books.

Not my usual genre of choice. Not a book that I would even have considered had I not won it. This book has been sitting on my TBR pile for well over a year. It's not the best written book, nor is it the most realistic. It's just simply a heart-warming, delightful and utterly charming book that I would urge everyone to read.

Warning: You may fall a tinsy winsy bit in love with the Robot!

Many thanks to TBC and Penguin Random House publishers for a proof-copy of this book.
3739503
UPDATE: After a not so helpful email and phone call the Customer Service, I just ordered a Meccabrain part from Spinmaster. The Meccabrain has finally arrived. Meccanoid is an awesome toy! I performed the upgrade to the brain without it being attached to the robot or its components and it was quick and easy. It appears that, in the android app, they took away the ability to have the robot mimic your movement. And added the drag and drop programming feature. (Maybe mimicking is a feature we have to unlock with use?) We were looking forward to the mimicking. The kiddo loves it, but with all the trouble weve had I'll give it 3 stars for now.

Meccanoid 2.0 brain is not recognized by my computer when trying to do the update. It tells me that my meccanoid is not connected and then states "Please turn Meccabrain's power switch on when connecting the Meccabrain to your computer."  Website states it may take a minute to update, waited ten and nothing changed.
I can at least say that it was pretty cool, even if it only said to upgrade the latest firmware. Meccanoid at least turned on before trying to do the dreaded upgrade. (The two seconds it works it came on it was so rewarding.)...Waiting to hear back from customer service. I guess this is a hit or miss issue, it's very frustrating for the purchasers that do not get to write a positive review.
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I'm another fan: I love my Roomba. Five stars. Six, even.
That said, I thought I'd offer a couple of caveats and one response to the customers who've had trouble losing power.
1. Roomba isn't a panacea for those of us with extremely cluttered floors (i.e. those of us with small children and/or those of us who have a home office **without** a home secretary to put stuff away). You pretty much have to pick everything up off the floor before you unleash Roomba, which means if you're staring at a Lego- and/or paper-and-book-strewn floor covered with a visible layer of dog hair and food crumbs AND you're exhausted, you're probably not going to think to yourself, "Gee, once the entire family spends 45 minutes digging out, Roomba will make short work of this mess!" You're going to forget the whole thing, and the fact that Roomba is a robot will not have solved the problem.
I figured this out by reading dozens of glowing reviews of Roomba, all of which, I realized, had been written by childless pet owners. If I were a childless pet owner, I would never touch a normal vacuum cleaner again. Not that I touch my own normal vacuum cleaner much as it is.
That  said, I still love the thing, and I've had it since it came out. I've ended up using it mostly for the kitchen and foyer, because those rooms are small and don't get insanely cluttered with toys or paper. It does a terrific job, certainly as good as anything I could accomplish with a broom and dustpan, and just about as good as anything I could accomplish with a real vacuum cleaner. And honest to God: you can be vacuuming the kitchen while you're off doing something completely different, like, say, the laundry. It really is a gas turning on your robot, leaving the room, and returning to find the floor swept and clean and Roomba waiting patiently to have its dust-catcher-thingy emptied (easy) and be plugged back into its charging station (also easy). Amazing.
Side note: technically Roomba is a carpet sweeper, not a true vacuum cleaner, so if I were a childless pet owner who was serious about housecleaning I would still own and, conceivably, use a real vacuum cleaner in addition to Roomba.
2. Power woes. My Roomba's power also began to ebb, with the charge giving out more and more quickly as one reviewer describes. I discovered that the problem had nothing to do with the battery or the charge. The problem was dog hair wrapped around the brush. You have to clean every tiny bit of dog hair (& anything else) off of the various mechanisms, because the Roomba's power is very limited. Any drag on the motor will slow it down and stop it.
Cleaning off the hairs was extremely simple, and restored the power completely.
On the other hand, my neighbor also bought the Roomba when it first came out, and hers simply does not seem to work as well as mine does. Neither of us has any idea why. We can put the two machines on the same carpet in her living room, and mine will pick everything up while hers does not. Again, I'm writing about the first iteration of Roomba, but still, whenever I need to replace the one I have I'll use the new one often enough up front to be able to exchange it if I think I've got a lemon. (I had the same story myself with the second wall unit I ordered, which did not work at all. The exchange unit was fine.)
3. Last but not least, my house has almost all hardwood floors, except for one oriental in the living room. The Roomba has trouble with the fringe on the oriental, and I'm not sure I'd find Roomba as brilliant with wall-to-wall carpeting, although I might. On hardwood it's a miracle.
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In a Time when Realistic, self aware, machines walk the Earth in numbers rivaling that of the Humans, an old story is brought to life through the eyes of a Robot Child.  Science had made Robots, or "Mechas", to do everything, from workers "mechas" like Miners and Nannys to ones that can provide a plethora of pleasure.  To fulfill a certain emptiness though, one mecha was made...A child, one who can give love, genuine unconditional love...David.  David is put in a home situation with a family whose child is terminally sick and in stasis.  The "Mom" dances around the idea of replacing her son with a mecha until David touches her heart and gives in.  To accept the child and personalize it to a particular family, Specific commands have to be read to it.  Once this is done, the Mecha is imprinted with the family and the brain is sealed to lock it in.  This makes the mechas non-returnable.  Because of this non-reprogrammable brain, if it is rejected by some means and can't stay, it has to be destroyed.  When Monica imprints David to her, he is loyal as a puppy and a wonderful son........All in all a Good movie on a bizarre rollercoaster of scenery and emotions.  Teddy is adorable.  Excellent Digital visuals by ILM, with Puppets and animitronics by Stan Winston.  Other mentionable names were Dennis Mueren and Skywalker Sound.
1034996
It you are a sci-fi dork, you will love this. If you loved Eureka, you will lose your mind... We have some cross-over! There's also a possible Maybe cross-over? Enjoy!
1855469
Cinematic Perfection!!!! This is the tale of when man's love affair with technology goes violently wrong. The acting  and quality of the film is unsurpassed. The robot in the film is the most terrifying in movie history. It makes the terminator look like the tin man. The movie will chill your bones and make you beg for mercy. How this did not sweep the Oscars, I'll never know. Watch only if you dare!
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I think that pretty much sums it up.  Sure, it's not the easiest Transformer to transform, and some of the parts (the rotor blades, for instance) aren't terribly good at staying *on*, but it's still an MH-65 that turns into an Autobot, so I'm not sure why you're not reading this review *after* you instinctively purchased this plastic rendering of pure awesome.  Unless you are reading it after having purchased it, in which case, well done, sir!  Or ma'am.  I don't discriminate, and neither does this ridiculously cool toy.
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I really enjoyed The Life Engineered.  The future world created by JF Dubeau with sentient robots at war over the fate of humanity locked in suspended animation, while fantastical, bares enough resemblance to recent progress in artificial intelligence and robotics to make the plot believable.  The unique personalities of each robot, or capek as they are called in the story, are clearly defined and make latching on to a favorite quite easy.  When these unique characters face a threat that might lead to its demise there is a surprisingly emotional reaction.  I'm hoping the sequel is coming soon!
100513
Pretty interesting device, ordered from Karlsson Robotics and received promptly!  Will probably purchase a few more to play with
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Let me begin by saying that I approached my viewing of this film without knowing much about the Autobot world of Transformers. I was well past the age of interest in such things when the Hasbro toys hit the market and to be honest I probably wouldn't have been interested even if I had been a young adolescent at the time. I happen to be one of those aberrant males who never developed an interest in things mechanical, especially cars. Hence you can imagine how uninspiring the thought of a feature film about a robotic alien race that can shapeshift into cars, trucks and planes must have sounded to me.

Having given my disclaimer I must now admit that I loved the film! The special effects were mind-boggling and the storyline fast and furious, with a infectious comedic flavoring spread throughout thanks to the immensely talented Shia Lebeouf. Add to the mix Megan Fox, one of the most attractive young women I've seen in quite a while and you're in for a great adventure that can be enjoyed by all (well maybe not so enjoyable for girls).

*You Heard It Here First Section:  Mark my words, with his innocent, boy-next-door looks and his ability to run non-stop for long distances Shia Lebeouf is destined to become the next Tom Cruise in the not-too-distant future.
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This was recommended to me to show in class by one of my high school students. I didn't like the cover--the robot looked corny to me. But the movie won me over completely--and every student in my class (all six classes, actually). Absolutely one of the best animated movies of the year--Baymax is one of the most lovable robots ever. My favorite robot, for certain!
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This is so cool that I want to sprinkle them into all my Arduino projects. I have already integrated it into my first robot (meet Rover). I want to add another... and another... Lots of fun!
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Book was fun, prescient and realistic (from one possible outcome).

I loved the dynamic between the humanoid robots and both the humans and enemy-robots. You'll enjoy that part.

Wilson shows his skill set when describing the look/feel of technologies.

Anymore and I'd need to issue a spoiler alert
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In Robopocalypse, Daniel H. Wilson tells the story of a future in which the robots, controlled by a central super-intellegent artificial intelligence, kill almost all humans and take over the world.  Robopocalypse ended with the humans victorious and the robot army defeated--or so we thought.  In Robogenesis, we follow the survivors of the New War, including humans, humans who have been modified by robot technology, robots who are independent and autonomous (having been disconnected from the central AI), and the bodies of humans who were killed but who host parasitic robot-like structures.  I know, this last one sounds weird.  It is.

The defeated AI from Robopocalypse now is rallying the troops against another powerful AI.  Are the humans and autonomous robots to believe it when it says it was fighting on the right side all along, plotting not to exterminate the humans but to save them?  The new AI power, after all, has designs to obliterate all life on earth.

The story of Robogenesis jumps around from group to group, ultimately bringing them together.  The vignettes of robot life, and of the lives of advanced humans and their interactions are what really make Robogenesis interesting.  As one of the narrators observes, "The line between man and machine is blurring."  Wilson's imagination runs wild as he creates this new world of robot-driven creation.  Not only do the humans adapt robot tech, but some of the high-functioning robot intelligences actual create new, autonomous creations.

Unfortunately, the story starts to feel disjointed and overlong amid these vignettes and explorations of rob tech.  Still, Robogenesis is a fun read with interesting tech, exciting action, and continues the story from Robopocalypse nicely.  Fans who enjoyed Robopocalypse will love Robogenesis, and will be eager for the inevitable sequel.

Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
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I love this robot it does so much however I would suggest for parents to be aware and watch around children. my son wanted to grab it (he's 8 months) and when the robot was moving his head my sons finger got caught under the neck and really scared him because his finger was stuck for a couple seconds.
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Looks great in a classic space-age sort of way. I can imagine my father owning this and feeling like he was living in the future. Duct tape some fins on, and this thing could go to the moon. Open it up and it might hold the radioactive core that will defeat those red commies. The final piece of the robot which will destroy us unless we remember the phrase, Klaatu barada nikto"

And even with that historic perspective, *I* feel like Im living in the future. Water I heated yesterday can sit on my desk all day and still make a hot cup of tea, without a glowing LED or USB cable. Thats vacuum tube technology that outlasts my laptop, phone and TV remote. If it saves me from leaving my aeron chair and riding the segway down to the micro kitchen, it might as well be magic.
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You are Chibi Robo: a cute little robot. Your mission: bring happiness to the Sandersons. I don't understand what all the fuss is about, this game is fun, cute (Chibi and his manager, Telly Vision are awesome), and the creators of this game were very creative. Who would've thought of a robot that does things to make a family happy? And the plug thing's cool too, where, if your battery runs out, Chibi has to pick up his plug and plug into an outlet. There are outlets everywhere, but sometimes you'll hear yourself saying, "Where's a freakin plug?!?" There's also a little Chibi-House Chibi Robo came from and that's like his little headquarters. The rooms are bigger than I imagined (so far I only found the kitchen, the backyard, and the foyer) and the living room is the room you start from. You also get happy points if you make someone happy. The more happy points you have, the more upgrades (I'm talking about battery upgrades) you'll get. I'm a hardcore gamer, I've played a lot of video games before. But none like this. A great game!

EDIT: I just beat the game, and damn is it awesome! I don't want to spoil it, though, so yeah. Now I'm on my way to finishing the sidequests! If you've played this game for 2 minutes, then returned it, you're missing out!