I’m not there yet, but let’s chalk this one up as a step towards the end goal…which would be the title of this post. A Damned Arduino Robot! Granted, this is basically just my hello world (hola mundo) program with the addition of a solderlss breadboard into the fray. But, it is awesome and, I am going to be the coolest dude on the block when I come rolling out with a bad-ass robot. I had better get back to work.

I might have to move to Japan. First, they have that food thing down. Secondly, and more importantly, they are BUILDING A DAMN HUMANOID ROBOT TO GO TO AND RETURN FROM THE MOON BY 2015. That happens, and we have officially lost, my friends. FTA:

Looking largely to inspire dreams of space among the Japanese, a manufacturing cooperative named Astro-Technology SOHLA announced on April 27th that they are planning to create and send a two-legged humanoid robot to the moon, have it draw the Japanese flag on the surface, and then hopefully get it back to the Earth, all by the year 2015. Making inspirational ideas about space technology a reality is not new to the Osaka-based cooperative of six small and medium sized enterprises. SOHLA had previously built a small-scale satellite, named Maido-1, as a demonstration of the ability of SMEs to research and create short-term, low-cost space technology which could help improve local economic activity. Maido-1 was sent into orbit aboard a Japanese H-IIA rocket in January of 2009. Following that successful launch, the group asked people to start forgetting about the word “recession.” SOHLA believes that there is a growing passion in Japan about space technology and exploration with recent national successes, such as two Japanese astronauts meeting on the International Space Station for the first time. However, the group also feels that the ISS’ highly visible robotic arms not being Japanese-made is a real letdown for a nation well-known for its robotic technology prowess.

Robotic prowess indeed. First the Gundham statue, now this. Fuck you Washington…we need MORE federal funding for space science. It will take a lot more than some accelerator problems on imports to spin this story into oblivion. Come on…robotic astronauts…I am in awe.

Trying to spice things up around the breakfast table? Here is something new and interesting: breakfast burgers! Boy Howdy! Not only are these breakfast burgers nutricious and delicious, they are uber easy to make. Follow these easy steps:

1. Make two too many bacon turkey burgers for dinner
2. Place said bonus burgers in a Rubbermaid container (here, I went for a 1L with rounded square edges)
3. Bring to work
4. Open container
5. Eat breakfast burgers at work, in the morning

Note: breakfast burgers are best when enjoyed with multi-vitamin and coffee

How times change. I can remember a time in the not-so-distant past where AOL disks would show up in the mail on a daily basis. Flash forward less than a decade, and here we are with a bevy of internet service provider options. You name it, DSL…cable…satellite, mobile wireless, and even ol’ clunky, dial-up can be tracked down in 2010. The question is: where to start? How about right here at this link about internet providers. ISPcompared.com has a bunch of slick content on their site. Here is the one that jumped out at me. They have a tool with which you can gauge your internet speed. Here is the result of my test. Oh snaps! I’m closer to the T2 than to the T1, you Bresnan suckaz! Note: I don’t care for Bresnan much…between the spotty cable “reception” and the broken HDMI out on my DVR, I am not a proponent of Bresnan. The internet connection is screaming fast, however. Moreover, venting about Bresnan is good times Anyhow, the above link has some other good material. Using the Broadband Internet Service Lookup Tool, I managed to plug my info for Bozeman in and see my options. Unfortunately, looks like the Verizon deal might be worth a second look. Unfortunate, since Verizon’s customer service is actually worse than that of Bresnan. Tech support FTL. On a lighter note, check this out… It is completely Martian to me when I see or hear about somebody using dial-up. But…a ton of people do. God only knows why…with prices like those. Also, I assumed my parents were the only people left in the world not using webmail. That list made me laugh…I wonder if swantron@juno.platinum.com is taken? I couldn’t be that fortunate…I’d probably end up with robot_ninjaaa69@juno.platinum.com. Which is very awesome.

Guess who hasn’t been smoking? This guy.

Times are tough. Tougher than stale beef jerky…and believe you me, homie, that is some tough stuff. Last year saw nearly 4 million foreclosure filings. December 2009 showed a 15 percent increase in filings from December 2008…which itself was no ‘smooth sailing’ time in the ‘being able to pay the bills’ game. What’s a guy to do? What is the alternative to throwing in the towel? Write paid blog posts like this? Hardly. Introducing Home Loan Modification. Well, the government has made it easier to stay in your house. Say what you will about them, but they did something correctly here. The Making Home Affordable program, oddly refered to as HAMP, might be your answer. Meet some criteria (primary residence, under $729,750 mortgage, and at least a year old) and you are ready to roll. How do you do this? With the help of American Residential Law Group. That’s how. Getting an attorney is going to be key in this process. Said attorney will act as the negotiator between the lender agent and the holder of the loan. Speedier process, better results. Plus, an attorney can help you whip out the hardship letter, and advise you how to hit the 31% of gross mark that a healthy mortgage targets. Don’t foreclose…hit one of those links and save yourself some trouble.

Kate and I went to Billngs last weekend to grab the wedding dress. The Olive Garden was, in fact, breath-taking…after we were able to eat. As it happened, my sister, cousin Keri, Katie, and I attempted to drink all of the beers in Billings. As it also turns out, Billings has a large population. Billings also has a lot of beer to quench that collective thirst. For the loss. Anyhow, early-ish-ish in the night…we found out about these three elegant gentlemen: Uncle Jeff’s favourite urinals in the world. Mine too, now. We Swansons have great taste.

Hola Mundo! See that blue LED? Pretty hard to miss. That is essentially the Arduino version a ‘hello world’ program. In other words…I’m live, suckaz. For what it is worth, that is my Mini 9, on Linux, talking to that microprocessor…no easy task. No hard task either, because our nerd-ass community is awesome. So is the command prompt. Open source ninja. For the EE win.

watcha wanna do wanna be a ballah shot calla balla who be dipppin in tha benz wit tha spoila on an off with tha… Uncle Sam just channeled Diddy. It’s all about the Benjamins, baby…and the Benjamins are all about the security, baby. Hit the Treasury Department’s site and check them out. I’ll leave that url for the reader to dig up. The last thing I want is the damn govmint seeing this site on their damn backlinks. Freedom of damn speech, for the damn loss. FTDL. Meme fail.

I can speak with some gusto here. Gangster 101: LED Taillights. Break that down…Gangster, 3 digit number, (coincidentally, binary…for the math win) electrical engineering, and automotive. Step up! Better yet, Step Up 2, to the Streets! We’re getting all sorts of math gangster whip on this mamma jamma… Silverados are sick…Silverados with led tail lights are far sicker. Far, far sicker. I would know. As an owner of two GMC/Chevy vehicles, I know a thing of two about ill rides. My SS…ill as a polio victim. My Yukon…ill as a malaria victim. Poor analogies, but required to get my point across. It seems like only yesterday that I bought the Silverado SS. Twenty inch rims, before twenty inch rims were cool. Well, maybe not before they were cool, but most definately before twenties were common. Oh…the good ol’ days. On a side note, also the days of car loans. Don’t miss those days at all. In a round about way, let me say that I started rocking the second gangster whip after rolling around in a whip with some gangster potential. Some gangter potential, to say the very least. The Yukon became very, very gangster after buying new rims and tires on craigslist, for less cost than tires themselves. Gangser, a la ballin on a mamma jammin budget! Once I magaged to get the rim situation squared away, lights were the next to go. Why go bulb, incandescent stee-lo? Nope. LED is the way to go. Light emitting diode. Like the Arduino. For what it is worth, LEDs are the only thing I have mastered on the Arduino…save that thought for a different post, however. LEDs suck far less juice, look far better, and last far longer. Pretty much a win win win situation. That would be FTWWW, if anyone is keeping count.