We love this...
But please don't worry kids (& concerned adults), this is all just a theory - we all know that Santa uses magic, so the laws of physics don't really apply!
"KMel Robotics presents a team of flying robots that have taken up new instruments to play some fresh songs. The hexrotors create music in ways never seen before, like playing a custom single string guitar hooked up to an electric guitar amp. Drums are hit using a deconstructed piano action. And there are bells. Lots of bells". I bet the miniature bearings in the rotors had to work extra hard! What's not to like?!
We are very proud of our Will & delighted to share with you his MOVEMBER efforts...
During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of millions of moustaches around the world. With their “Mo’s” men raise vital funds and awareness for prostate and testicular cancer and mental health. As an independent global charity, Movember’s vision is to have an everlasting impact on the face of men’s health.
Well done Will for contributing to Movember with some Mexican drug lord face fuzz & letting us laugh at your expense throughout November, all in the name of charity!
Whilst rummaging through some old bits and bobs, we found this newsletter from 2002 - we also found some highly entertaining photos, but we can't show those - we're still blackmailing the subjects...
All our technical information is now on our website & we now have a blog rather than a newsletter, but our passion for bearings & happy customers is just as strong today as it was in 2002!
& one of our longest serving staff members - Nelly has been keeping us entertained for 12 years, popping into the office for biscuits, sandwiches & a chat...
...pictured here with her personal back scratcher Will Johnson. Will is also our resident web-designer & we'll be launching his new site shortly. In the meantime, if you call us at the office you may well hear Nelly chatting away in the background!
This is awesome! When Jordan Correa and his wife both started working full time, they found themselves away from their home much more often, leaving their dog, Darwin, alone all day. Most people would have just had to leave the problem as is, or maybe get a part time pet sitter. But Correa, being a test developer for the Microsoft Robotics Team, came up with a solution right in line with his talents and built a dog-sitting robot, so he could play and speak with his pet over the internet while he's at work
Correa constructed a robot that can interact with his dog much like he would himself, which he named the "DarwinBot." A Slate PC on the front lets the owner speak to his dog over Skype, while a dispenser on the side can distribute treats on his command. The DarwinBot can also play fetch, thanks to a ball launcher on top and a robotic arm that can retrieve the ball after the dog drops it in front of it. This is just what every pampered pooch needs on their shopping list :0)
Also this week, LA County Museum of Art have the great honour of unveiling the work of artist Chris Burden...
Art installation "Metropolis II" includes 1200 toy cars racing around an enormous indoor city at over 200 miles an hour - this noisy but astounding kinetic sculpture took 4 years to build. Cool!
Rail passengers and car drivers were today outraged by the unfairness of the transport system, as it was annouced that cycling fares would rise by a paltry 0% in 2012, remaining at £0.00. Rail fares are to rise by 5.9% in January, while petrol prices remain as high as drivers’ stress levels.
M. Iserable, a spokesperson for People Who Don’t Cycle, told Cycle Lifestyle magazine: “I don’t see why cyclists should get such a good deal. Cycling already costs nothing, and now prices have been frozen at nothing. When you consider the fact that cyclists also benefit from getting fitter, healthier and happier, the 0% fare rise is a real slap in the face for other transport users. With average commuting distances only 8.5 miles in Britain, it seems that just about everything is geared towards helping cyclists.”
No cyclists were available to comment – because they were all too busy pedalling joyfully through the streets for free.
Have a few minutes to spare at work? Things a bit quiet at the moment? Never at SMB, but I image there must be a parallel universe where these things occur... :0)
Check out Instructables Christmas list of things to make and do... snowflakes, pop-up cards, christmas trees - they tell you how to make it all!
Every now and again, somebody comes up with an idea that makes every fibre of your childish-being tingle with excitement... as someone who spent many a childhood (& adult) hour in the manufacture of paper aeroplanes, this is just such a gadget :0)
The kit (available from Amazon.com) consists of a capacitor that clips onto the plane's nose, which is connected to a rear-mounted propeller via a carbon fiber shaft. The capacitor takes a 20 second-long charge from a separate battery pack, which contains three AA batteries. One charge provides enough power for 90 seconds of flight. That's probably plenty of time, considering that users presumably have to chase after their powered paper planes in order to get them back! Visit the manufacturer's website for more details on how to best-use your flight pack.
We are very proud to announce that the Tweed Run, a truly British cycling romp through the streets of our fair capital, is this year being exported to the USA - our cousins across the Atlantic can now share in the joys of dressing up in as much expensive wool as they can muster & cycling across New York - jolly good show chaps!!!
