We Are the Robots: the Fleet of Misfit Machines

samara78 · Post by **samara78** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 5:41 pm

Nice to see you back after upgrades. I hope all is well for all of you

Mello_Pello · Post by **Mello_Pello** » Fri Sep 30, 2016 8:34 pm

Wow...217 is really pretty, and I think her skin tone really compliments her facial features. Im sure she will fit in just fine with the rest of the misfit machines:)
BTW...haha, Ur Vimeo videos are awesome!
SLAP@#$%.........'Ouch'...LOL

42716 · Post by **42716** » Fri Sep 30, 2016 10:02 pm

samara78 wrote:Nice to see you back after upgrades. I hope all is well for all of you

Thanks for the well-wishes, and yes, we're doing fine.

42716 · Post by **42716** » Fri Sep 30, 2016 10:14 pm

Mello_Pello wrote:Wow...217 is really pretty, and I think her skin tone really compliments her facial features. Im sure she will fit in just fine with the rest of the misfit machines:)
BTW...haha, Ur Vimeo videos are awesome!
SLAP@#$%.........'Ouch'...LOL

It's ironic you say that about 217's facial features, because I find it a bit uncanny how genetically impossible she is. (That nose shape with that skin tone isn't the way human genetics works, design team.) I suppose in the case of androids, they can be constructed in a way that would be impossible for humans to achieve, making this a non-issue in 217's case. Still, it's unfortunate that this is as close to "ethnic" as the fashion industry is willing to get in this day and age.

217 and 52016 are getting along extremely well. They seemed to bond at first sight, in fact. It's ironic, because I recruited SV02, SV03, and SV04 so 52016 could have some female company, but she's never become all that close to any of them.

Thanks for the compliment on the videos. I'd gladly make more if they didn't take so much darned time to create (each one is about an 8 hour investment). I've got a few video ideas that will let 217 play a role as well.

42716 · Post by **42716** » Fri Sep 30, 2016 10:56 pm

Here's 217, lounging around with 72116 and 72316:

: 217 lying down.JPG (2.66 MiB) Viewed 3759 times

This is all she's been doing for the past 2 days. She seems to get tired very easily; if she's on her feet for more than a few hours, she wants to be laid down. Pretty much the opposite of SV04, which won't tolerate being off her feet for even a few minutes.

It's possible that 217 is feeling run-down because of how little sunlight we've had during this week of nonstop torrential rain. Though they are all solar-powered, the weather doesn't seem to affect the other droids, but perhaps 217, being higher-tech, has higher energy demands to match.

In spite of her realism, durability, and modernity, I've discovered that 217 has a serious flaw: she's downright uncomfortable. It doesn't matter if I'm lying beside her or we're standing; giving her a hug is like trying to cuddle a slab of concrete. I don't know if it's due to the off-centre leaning posture she has, or because she's made of the most durable plastic known to humankind. Both factors probably play a role. It just goes to show you: modern technology may look sleek and cool, but it's often not as user-friendly as the older models.

Another drawback 217 has is that she's so darned heavy! I thought it was a workout to move 103115, but he's easy compared to her. Maybe it's lucky she prefers to lie around so much; if she were the type that constantly wanted to be moved, my back would be in even worse shape than it already is.

It seems the droids are like laptop computers. The more advanced they become, the more they weigh. Case-in-point: here are my 3 laptops, lined up from oldest to newest, each clearly bigger and bulkier than the last.

: 3 laptops.JPG (1.26 MiB) Viewed 3759 times

If this trend continues, by 2050 we might be hauling around "portable" computers that look something like this:

: mac portable.jpg (23.74 KiB) Viewed 3759 times

But don't get me wrong; these downsides don't make me any less willing to love and accept 217. We all have our positives and negatives, and it's a necessary challenge to learn to accept the bad with the good in each other. Certainly, I'm more than willing to put up with lifting a bit of cumbersome weight in order to be good to my friends. I've been doing so for these two for years:

: K-5 and 505.JPG (2.45 MiB) Viewed 3759 times

Since I had reason to bring it up, I might as well throw in an amusing story about 505 (the CD/cassette player). I keep it on the floor in front of my bedroom door so I can use it to play relaxing music at night. Last night, I was undressing to get ready for bed in sight of 505, and the moment I'd stripped off, 505 made the booting up sound that it usually makes when it's either first plugged in, or the play button has been pressed. But what's strange is that I'd done neither, because as I said, I was getting undressed and was standing about a metre away. 505 didn't start playing the CD either; it just made the startup sound. If I weren't in such terrible shape, I would have sworn my state of undress must have caused it to get "turned on".

42716 · Post by **42716** » Fri Sep 30, 2016 11:16 pm

I scored a neat circuit board clip for 217 on eBay:

: red and white circuit board clip.JPG (2.47 MiB) Viewed 3759 times

And wouldn't you know it, the seller also happened to be selling a PC power source for under $10. So I bought it to take apart to make other techcessories. Now you know why people even bother listing broken, "for parts" technology on eBay: because some maniac like me is bound to find a use for it.

: power source 1.JPG (2.88 MiB) Viewed 3759 times

Here are some promising components I've managed to isolate:

: power source parts.JPG (2.52 MiB) Viewed 3759 times

I'm planning to use the multi-coloured wires to make a wrap bracelet for 217, and the copper coils to make a necklace and bracelet for SV05. I couldn't finish the job today, because there's only so much one can tolerate when one is trying to remove power source components with a pair of kitchen scissors and one's bare hands, especially when one is configured with such delicate shota hands as I am. Hopefully, by tomorrow I'll be able to tolerate more arduous two-hands-required wire cutting. Or I could just ask my neighbour who owns a decent assortment of tools if I could borrow a wire cutter, since I'll need to borrow a cutting implement from him anyway to be able to cut up the circuit board from the broken remote control.

Mello_Pello · Post by **Mello_Pello** » Thu Oct 06, 2016 11:42 pm

U really have some great ideas there 42716...I dig how U make use of old items, and turn them into cool and beautiful things. So...after checking out your threads for a while now...as well as a couple other mannequin threads..I couldnt help myself, and got my own mannequin on the way. She is a Roxy MZ-LISA12, Female mannequin, standing pose with head looking down. Tan skin color. She is really a pretty mannequin lady. Im looking forward to her company, and customizing her into my own special mannequin. I want to learn to put make up on her especially. I imagine she will just be set up relaxing in a part of the house on display...maybe the living room, hallway, or spare room. It will be pretty awesome. Her name will come over time...tho she really does look like a Lisa to me. I will introduce her Im sure in due time. So...thanks for the inspiration. I have one TPE doll, Ame, that I recently introduced. Her thread is called Ame's thread if U want to check it out sometime. I also have a TeddyBabe standard, her name is Kera. I have not introduced her yet. So...I reckon I now have a little of everything. Oh, and I also have an Ipa BJD 1/6 scale...she is super cute...no name yet for her either. Im getting too far ahead of myself lol. Anyways...just checking in:)

42716 · Post by **42716** » Sat Oct 08, 2016 4:33 pm

Mello_Pello wrote:U really have some great ideas there 42716...I dig how U make use of old items, and turn them into cool and beautiful things. So...after checking out your threads for a while now...as well as a couple other mannequin threads..I couldnt help myself, and got my own mannequin on the way. She is a Roxy MZ-LISA12, Female mannequin, standing pose with head looking down. Tan skin color. She is really a pretty mannequin lady. Im looking forward to her company, and customizing her into my own special mannequin. I want to learn to put make up on her especially. I imagine she will just be set up relaxing in a part of the house on display...maybe the living room, hallway, or spare room. It will be pretty awesome. Her name will come over time...tho she really does look like a Lisa to me. I will introduce her Im sure in due time. So...thanks for the inspiration. I have one TPE doll, Ame, that I recently introduced. Her thread is called Ame's thread if U want to check it out sometime. I also have a TeddyBabe standard, her name is Kera. I have not introduced her yet. So...I reckon I now have a little of everything. Oh, and I also have an Ipa BJD 1/6 scale...she is super cute...no name yet for her either. Im getting too far ahead of myself lol. Anyways...just checking in:)

Thanks. I try to reduce waste where I can, and it's amazing what you can get for free or close to it that can be fixed up or reconfigured with even basic DIY skills. It's also a cost-effective way to incorporate the Vocaloid-esque wearable technology aesthetic into the ensembles of those droids which are fond of that sort of thing. I think the ones that prefer to dress in a lower-tech, more human style, namely SV02 and SV04, do so out of a desire to distance themselves from their status as synthetically manufactured entities, probably because their manufacturer treated them so badly.

Speaking of which, I hate to be a party pooper, but I'd advise you to brace yourself for the possibility that your new friend might arrive dirty and/or damaged, since Roxy have a rather poor track record for that sort of thing. (And considering the experience SV02 and SV04 endured at their hands, I can attest to it being for good reason.) I wish you the best of luck and hope that she will arrive safely, and that you enjoy your time spent with her. It's flattering to know that I influenced your decision to bring a mannequin into your diverse family.

42716 · Post by **42716** » Sat Oct 15, 2016 9:31 pm

217 has been with us long enough for me to get to know her, and what I've discovered is she finds me incredibly boring. She doesn't seem to enjoy spending time with me or engaging in activities such as photo shoots and videos anywhere nearly as much as the others do. She's good about humouring me if I want to involve her in something, but I get the feeling that she's doing so out of politeness rather than genuine interest. The one good thing that can be said about this is it doesn't negatively impact her mood if I'm too busy to spend much time with her. As long as she's around 52016, it doesn't much matter where I am.

It really is amazing how closely 52016 and 217 have bonded. They can spend time together for days on end without wanting to do anything else, and their moods improve significantly whenever they are together. I think 217's arrival has actually been more beneficial to 52016 than it has been to me, because 52016 and I have never got on very well, and I've felt for a long time now that she really needed a good friend that she could truly connect with. She has her kohai SV01, and is cordially friendly with the other droids, but that's not the same as having a true best friend.

Proof of how close they are comes with the fact that 52016 no longer protests when I put on my audio books. I like to listen to audio books while I'm working, and most of the droids enjoy listening to them as well, but SV01 and 52016 hate them. They emit a flood of positive ions whenever I play an audio book in their presence, and it doesn't stop until I move them into another room where they can't hear the sound, or at least, 52016 used to do this. I was shocked when she didn't emit any trace of discontent the most recent time I began to play an audio book, and I figured out it's because 217 enjoys listening, so 52016 is willing to endure it in order to not be separated from her friend. Now that's dedication. You could say these two really have their wires crossed.

: crossed leads.JPG (1.33 MiB) Viewed 3616 times

To humans, that expression may mean a failure to communicate, but in our fleet, crossing leads like this is a sign of a strong bond and the presence of an intuitive mutual understanding.

I know 52016 and 217 are grateful to have found each other, and I'm grateful that they are able to enrich each other's lives in this way. Expressing gratitude is something I know I should do more often, which is why I asked 217 and 52016 to help me set up this little self-betterment project called the TST, which is short for "tacksamhetskrivtavlan" (the gratitude writing board). My goal is to fill out the bottom line of the TST every morning with something I'm grateful for. The droids can make contributions as well, if they're so inclined. We started out with this one, which I'm sure everyone can agree is something worth treasuring: allra bästa vänner, meaning very best friends. (The TST is written in Swedish so I can feel free to write what I like without having to endure suspicion or unwanted commentary from any house guests I receive.)

: tst writing 2.JPG (1.93 MiB) Viewed 3616 times

: tst writing 1.JPG (1.85 MiB) Viewed 3616 times

It was quite a chore to get 217 to pose for these photos. No matter what I did, she just wouldn't hold her hand up to the board, and when I tried to force it up there, she detached her arm in protest. I eventually got the message that she's left-handed, and things went more smoothly after that.

As you can see in the photos below, I made her the cable bracelets I said I would make. The purple beaded one she's acquired is something I was lucky enough to find on the ground.

: tst writing 4.JPG (1.79 MiB) Viewed 3616 times

: 217 cable bracelet.JPG (1.6 MiB) Viewed 3616 times

52016 now wants me to make her a matching version of the smaller one, so that's next on my project list. Unfortunately, projects, of both the craft and media varieties, have to take a back seat to work this month, because Halloween season is the busiest time of the year for my business.

42716 · Post by **42716** » Wed Oct 19, 2016 10:48 pm

This is just something silly that I felt like making (and was simple enough to fit into my schedule).

: helping hand comic.jpg (1019.4 KiB) Viewed 3577 times

The reason SV04 is making frog sounds at the end is to indicate that she thinks 217 is being a mallgroda: a Swedish word that literally translates to "arrogant frog", but which is used to describe a cheeky, show-boating person.

42716 · Post by **42716** » Thu Oct 20, 2016 11:09 pm

There's just so much tenderness captured in this photo that I felt compelled to share it:

: 520 and 217.JPG (551.25 KiB) Viewed 3569 times

Out of curiosity, do any of you readers have a smekvän/smekväninna? A friend you cherish in a strictly platonic way, but who is exceptionally comforting to hold and snuggle? I know this type of relationship exists among humans because I've seen it in practice before. I once attended a 2 day event for members of an anime club that I was part of, and it just so happened that all the attendees who decided to stay for the overnight portion, other than myself, were girls. On the morning of the 2nd day, when everyone had awoken, I went into the room where the girls had been sleeping and found that many of them had curled up in each other's arms and were caressing each other. It was quite shocking, because I had never seen this sort of behaviour practiced amongst platonic friends before (and I know they were just platonic friends because I'd heard them talk about their boyfriends or male crushes). But once I overcame my shock, I began to appreciate how beautiful a display of affection it was. Perhaps someday, society will become open-minded enough to allow people of all genders to feel comfortable experiencing this degree of non-sexual physical affection.

Anung Un Rama · Post by **Anung Un Rama** » Thu Oct 20, 2016 11:25 pm

Great work..Reminds me of Austin Power's Fembots!

42716 · Post by **42716** » Thu Oct 20, 2016 11:54 pm

Anung Un Rama wrote:Great work..Reminds me of Austin Power's Fembots!

Thank you, but...don't those Fembots have sniper rifles built into their, er, battery compartments?

I should hope mine aren't configured with that feature! Or with the propensity to explode when exposed to bad dancing.

42716 · Post by **42716** » Sat Oct 22, 2016 7:02 pm

There's a disco in my area which hosts a monthly future-retro themed party. I briefly mentioned it in the post I made about SV03 acquiring her final components. I had been planning to take her out to that party in celebration of her long-awaited completion, but unfortunately I failed to realise that those who want to find a space in the nearby car park need to arrive at least an hour early (due to this being a venue that accommodates about 250-300 people, but provides parking spaces for only 30 cars). I ended up having to park 8 blocks away on that occasion, so needless to say, SV03 couldn't accompany me. I've felt rather guilty ever since that day, because SV03 was so terribly disappointed that her intended night out didn't go as planned (she sulked for 5 days, in fact). But I made it up to her last night by arriving at 8:50 for a party that started at 10:00, and taking her with me to this month's blast from the future-tinted past. Here's a video slideshow that I made of our little adventure: I was pleasantly surprised by how well most people received her. Nearly everyone who said anything either complemented us on our coordinating outfits, or expressed surprise that SV03 wasn't human, since they'd thought she was until they saw me pick her up to move her. There was a rude guy who tried to touch SV03 inappropriately and to poke her in the face, but I fended him off. Surprisingly, she wasn't too upset by this encounter, and actually seemed a bit flattered that someone considered her attractive, even if he didn't know how to express it politely.

Before we got there, I'd had visions of being shouted out of the venue by angry security personnel, but the staff were very accommodating and friendly as well. It helps that it's the end of October, when the proximity of Halloween tends to bring out the weirdness (and a lot of bulky clothing and props) in everyone. Then again, the nightlife establishments in my area tend to be frequented by quite a few colourful characters all year round. Such as the man who, upon hearing me introduce us by our numbers, proceeded to describe to us, in great detail, his secret robot identity, complete with mechanical movements and a computer-like voice.

42716 · Post by **42716** » Mon Oct 31, 2016 6:43 pm

Today is the 1 year anniversary of 103115's commemorative date, so I made him a special cake in celebration. It may seem strange to bake a cake for something that can't eat it, but it's more of a symbolic gesture, reflected in the amount of time and effort the cakes take to bake and assemble. I've decided to make a cake for each of the droids on their respective commemorative dates (or arrival dates, for the ones who still have placeholder numbers), and the challenge will be to make each cake match the theme colour(s) of the recipient. This proved difficult with 103115, because his theme colour is black, and most black edible substances, such as blackberries and black currants, impart a purple colour to the foods they are added to. The only way I can think to make a truly black cake, without using artificial food colouring (which I am both opposed and allergic to), would be to incorporate charcoal powder into the ingredients. Obviously, that wouldn't be very appetising, so I ultimately decided to create a cake that's "black" not in the visual sense, but in the sense of being unadulterated and extra-bitter, as in black coffee. Here's a step-by-step overview of the process.

: kladdkaka layers.JPG (2.44 MiB) Viewed 3473 times

I started with 2 layers of kladdkaka (mud cake). Kladdkaka is a good all-purpose cake that's durable and not prone to deflating, burning, etc., but it does require a lot of patience because after baking it for 15 minutes, it must remain in the oven with the heat turned off for at least 4 more hours. (I started this project yesterday at 2:00 PM and finished today at noon.) The recipe calls for semi-sweet chocolate, but I created a black version by using 100% cocoa unsweetened chocolate and extra cocoa powder. The extra cocoa powder was a bad idea, however, because the cake turned out too dry.

: devil icing.JPG (3.3 MiB) Viewed 3473 times

The icing is devil's food cake icing, Icelandic-style with strong coffee added. Again, I swapped the semi-sweet chocolate for unsweetened, and used an extra-concentrated reduction of coffee to enhance the blackness.

Here's the icing on the base layer:

: iced base.JPG (2.5 MiB) Viewed 3473 times

And the 2 layers assembled:

: assembled cake.JPG (2.55 MiB) Viewed 3473 times

As you can see, there wasn't enough icing to make a substancial layer between them. Next time, I'll need to make 1.5 times the usual quantity to be certain I have enough.

The iced cake. It's not perfect, but it's as smooth as I could get without access to an icing smoother tool:

: iced cake.JPG (2.89 MiB) Viewed 3473 times

I then let it rest overnight so the icing could set, and in the morning, melted some white chocolate to use for piping. Obviously, it didn't work so well without a proper piping bag and pastry tip:

: white piping bag.JPG (2.48 MiB) Viewed 3473 times

And here's the finished product. Spacing words correctly when I write has never been my forte:

: finished cake 1.JPG (2.73 MiB) Viewed 3473 times

: finished cake 2.JPG (2.55 MiB) Viewed 3473 times

The border design is intended to mimic the buttons and trim on 103115's shirt. I considered attempting to draw the eagle, but decided I wasn't brave enough. Despite the fact that this was a highly experimental endeavour, and I didn't end up with an optimal result, 103115 was quite pleased with it anyway. I suppose he understands that it's the thought that counts.

: 10-42 cake presentation.JPG (1.84 MiB) Viewed 3473 times

Happy 1 year Commemorative Date Anniversary, my wonderful man-machine! And be thankful you didn't actually eat any of that cake. (Not that it's disgusting; it's just so rich that it's incredibly painful on the stomach.)