Desktop Patrolling K-9

I have come across this news and must share.  In September a desktop patrolling K-9 is due for release.  Here is some info on them:

Source: http://www.ikoncollectables.com.au/p8166/Doctor_Who_-_Desktop_Patrol_K-9/product_info.html

Set K-9 loose on a flat surface and he'll navigate his way around. Anytime K-9 senses a nearby object, he'll say, "Access denies, recalculating route. If he happens to bump into something, he'll apologise and move on. With 3 settings (OFF, Master for male owners, Mistress for females), K-9 will defend you and your desktop by warning you with "Danger Master/Mistress" when going near an edge, then backing away, as well as warning you of any deadly Desktop Patrol Daleks that may be nearby, even going as far as engaging them in battle!

I am rather excited by the release.  It shouldn't be over priced too, with a current RRP of ￡11.99.

Make a Mini K-9

This is a cute little K-9 project.

Source: http://www.dadcando.com/default_MAKING.asp?project=K9

Make a K9

Make a cardboard K9 to go with your TARDIS When the BBC decided to bring back Dr. Who, they even brought back faithful old K9, and a whole new generation of kids got bitten by the Time Lord bug. . . . My kids were no different, and so we decided to make a K9 to go with our TARDIS. For anyone who doesn’t know what this is, K9 was Dr. Who’s robot dog from way back when, although he did make a brief re-appearance in the recent series. Dr. Who first came to TV in 1963, over 40 years ago. But then 40 years is just a blink of an eye to an immortal from another galaxy, and so the magic of Dr. Who is the same now as it ever was. . . . If you haven’t seen the show, I recommend the series on DVD as almost essential viewing for anyone aged 8 and over (some scenes may be a bit scary for younger viewers). . . . To make your K9 you really need to use foamboard, and to finish it off a hyper-bright red LED for the eyes, but these are not big hurdles, because you can easily and cheaply buy both on-line from various merchants. . . . This model was made extra tricky because my son wanted it to be the same scale as the TARDIS. Even though the TARDIS was quite big, K9 is still a small model, and a whole lot of new issues come with making a small model. If you build a bigger one, why not build it over the base of a cheap remote control car. Foamboard is very light and most remote control cars have their rechargeable battery compartment door on their underside anyway. All you need to do is build your body to replace the car’s body and hey presto, you have rejuvenated an old toy and made something really cool, a radio controlled K9.

Dr.Who vs Star Wars

This fantastic picture of a Cyber3PO & R2Dalek is by Kari Fry and Jason Novak for TeeFury.com.

 

Source: http://www.teefury.com/archive/1199/Cyber3PO___R2Dalek/

This here design is a collaboration between Kari Fry and Jason Novak. Since Jason is an awesome writer, and Kari not good at making words, Jason's doing the interview solo:

Tell us about this design.

Well, Kari wanted me to come up with ideas for T-shirts. One thing that has always interested me is the idea of a mash-up, like in music. You know, taking two ideas and making something new from them. In fact, the blog I write for, To Eleven (at http://toeleven.net) posts mash-up music we find on the internet. So, this shirt is an extension of that.

Where are you from?

I'm originally from Canton, Ohio, the Hall of Fame City. But I hate football, so I don't talk about that. Now, I live in Shaker Heights, Ohio.

How would you describe your style?

Well, the idea's style is the mash-up thing I was talking about. I was the brains, but Kari's the talent. Not that she doesn't have brains. I assume she does, actually.

If you could collaborate with anyone, who would you pick?

Kari Fry! If not her, then a graphic designer I know, Jayson Shenk. He cowrites the blog with me, and he does great design work, too!

What historical figure do you most admire?

Probably someone like F. Scott Fitzgerald or J. D. Salinger. Really anyone with a letter for their first name. No, seriously, I'm a writer, and those are two authors I love.

If you weren't designing shirts, what would you be doing?

Writing, listening to music, gaining super powers through high doses or radiation and spider venom. You know...keeping it real.

Would you rather guest star on a cartoon or a sitcom?

I'm kind of a walking cartoon as it is, but I'd like to guest star on an episode of How I Met Your Mother. I think Ted Mosby's from Shaker Heights, so we'd have something to talk about!

Cats vs. Star Wars: which would win the battle?

Star Wars, because cats don't have the Death Star. Cats would totally PWN Star Trek, though.

What is your favorite t-shirt color?

Black or Grey.

What has been your favorite vacation or travel experience?

I have visited Pittsburgh a few times, and I really liked it. Lots of independent music stores there.

Any shout outs?

I'd like to give a shout out to my girlfriend, Adele, and to my brother and my sister-in-law, Ryan Novak and Kari Fry! What up?!?

K-9's Nose

I have been working on K-9’s head recently. To make him look more like the Hero prop, I have added a little nose addition from 3mm Foamex then sanded it down to the right shape.

The nose of my K-9.

Nose of the Hero prop.  Please note that the upper part of the nose was only filled in later.  In earlier versions that part is not there.

Ali Spagnola - K-9 Painting

Ali Spagnola has an interesting site that allows you to request free paintings.  The topics are varied, but she does some super cute robots!

Source: http://www.alispagnola.com/blog/archives/1521

K-9 Plushie Pattern

I stumbled across this most adorable pattern and thought I would share it. It is for a K-9 soft toy. The pattern and description can be found here.

It is SO cute, I am very tempted to sew one myself. :)

K-9 Pisanki

Every Easter I make pisanki, Polish traditional Easter eggs. They are dyed in onion peals then an image is scratched into the egg using a sharp object like a pin. Usually images are of chickens, bunnies, ducks, bazie (pussy willow), wheat, and other imagery depicting new life and happiness.

This year I thought I would make one slightly different, but an object that does bring me lots of joy, K-9. Here is the result...

The beautiful bunny and bazie (on the dark egg) were done by Sarah.

K-9 in Dork Tower

A very good image from Dork Tower 19/4/11.  Very touching.

Source: http://www.dorktower.com/2011/04/19/

Dedication

With the most recent passing of Elisabeth Sladen, I have decided to dedicate my K-9 build to Elisabeth's memory.

Fairwell Sarah Jane Smith

I have just learned that Elisabeth Sladen has passed away after loosing her battle with cancer.  I must admit that this news has made me very sad, and even brought quite a few tears to my eyes.  I remembered watching her as a teenager on Dr.Who repeats on the ABC, enjoying how she was good friends with the Doctor as they traveled through time and space.  I also loved her recent role reprisal in the Sarah Jane Smith Adventures, her fine acting keeping me entertained.

Liz, I will miss you.

Here is what the media are saying on her passing...

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/04/20/3196291.htm

Doctor Who star Sladen dies

Updated 2 hours 48 minutes ago

 

Cult role: Elisabeth Sladen with Tom Baker as Dr Who (handmadelife.blogspot.com)

British actress Elisabeth Sladen, best known for her role in cult science fiction television series Doctor Who, has died after a battle with cancer.

Liverpool-born Sladen, who was 63, first appeared on the BBC show in 1973, playing the Doctor's assistant, Sarah Jane Smith.
Sladen went on to star in her own spin-off children's show, The Sarah Jane Adventures, the latest series of which was aired late last year.
She made several guest appearances in the revived Doctor Who series with David Tennant.
"I absolutely loved Lis," former Doctor Who writer Russell T Davies, who created The Sarah Jane Adventures, said.
"She was funny and cheeky and clever and just simply wonderful."
Doctor Who's lead writer and executive producer, Steven Moffat, has also paid tribute.
"'Never meet your heroes', wise people say. They weren't thinking of Lis Sladen," said Moffat.
"Sarah Jane Smith was everybody's hero when I was younger, and as brave and funny and brilliant as people only ever are in stories.
"She was exactly as any child would ever have wanted her to be. Kind and gentle and clever; and a ferociously talented actress but in that perfectly English unassuming way."
Sladen leaves behind actor husband Brian Miller and daughter Sadie.
- AFP

Wheel Hubs

Trying to get a set of wheel hubs (Lynxmotion, HUB-02) has been a problem for me fot over three months now. If you go an try to do a direct purchase from the Lynxmotion website then for one tiny part they quote US$106.70 for shipping!!! Astronomical for a US$8.00 part! I tried to contact them directly not only to confirm if this shipping price is indeed correct, but also what the outer dimeter of the part as they did not list it any where on their site.

After several emails and no reply I tried looking for local distributors. After the third one I tried... I had success! And what service too! Not only did they have the item in stock, they could ship it right away, and at a reasonable AUD$6.50 postage. The hubs were AUD$10.40 (ex GST) a pair. Within days my parcel arrived. So if you are looking for Lynxmotion products or parts I seriously recommend going to the following chap:

Milan
Sedonia Technologies
34 Cyclamen Avenue,
Altona North, Vic, 3025
Phone: 04 1580 2157
info@sedoniatech.com.au
http://www.sedoniatech.com.au/

2 pirs of Lynxmotion HUB-02 hubs (one pair is for another bot)

There is only a 0.5mm difference in the inner dimeter of the wheel (scooter wheel) and the outer dimeter of the hubs, so a little sanding will mean a perfect fit.

Armageddon Expo Tasmania Cancelled for 2011

Very sad news!

Event update – Hobart Postponed, Melbourne initial Line-up announced
Friday 18 Mar 3:08 PM

After the success of the Sydney and Adelaide events, plans were well underway for the Hobart and Melbourne events planned for June and October.

Unfortunately Armageddon’s head office which is located in Christchurch NZ has been affected by the recent earthquake. This has forced us to postpone the planned Christchurch Event and we have had to make the painful decision to postpone the Hobart event as well.

This is due to logistical difficulties which have arisen from the natural disaster which has been hard on all concerned. This was not an easy decision, as we know that our fans in Hobart were looking forward to the event. However, unless we could provide the incredible expo that we were planning we did not want to bring something that was not up to expectations.

We will be working to re-confirm a date for 2012 and hope to have an announcement post Melbourne.

Changes to Armageddon Expo Tasmania

I have noticed that they changed the ticket sale dates, and also dropped a few of the guests. For Gold and Silver passes, this is the link that works:

For Gold & Silver Passes

Gold is $463.50 and Silver is $103.00. Ouch. Pricey for a small con.  I have yet to find out the regular ticket prices are.

Source: http://armageddonexpo.com/au/tasmania-general-info/

Tasmania General Info

June 11/12^th 2011

Doors open 10am to 6pm both days
Wrest Point, Hobart, Tasmania
General Tickets will be on sale through TICKETEK from March 18^th 2011

VIP tickets will be on sale through http://www.cultureshockevents.com

The event guest line-up is subject to change, so please check back for updates.

Animation guest – Signing free
Rachel Lillis - Pokémon

Comic guest – Signing free
Bill Sienkiewicz - Artist Legend of Electra Assassin

Celebrity guests
Fee applies for tv & movie star guests autographs and photos
Louise Jameson - Doctor Who

All guests attend work and health commitments pending
Fee applies for guest autographs and photos

More to be announced soon!

Armageddon Expo Tasmania

Yes, Armageddon Expo is coming to Tassi!  For all you Doctor Who fans, Louise Jameson is listed as one of the guests.  Can you guess where I will be that weekend?

Source: http://armageddonexpo.com/au/tasmania-general-info/

Tasmania General Info

Hobart expo general details
June 11/12^th 2011
Doors open 10am to 6pm both days
Wrest Point, Hobart, Tasmania
General Tickets will be on sale through TICKETEK from March 15^th 2011

VIP tickets will be on sale through http://www.cultureshockevents.com

The event guest line-up is subject to change, so please check back for updates.
As at 17^th December 2010, Event guests include:

Animation guest – Signing free
Rachel Lillis - Pokémon

Comic guest – Signing free
Bill Sienkiewicz - Artist Legend of Electra Assassin

Celebrity guests
Fee applies for TV & Movie star guests autographs and photos
Paul McGillion – Stargate Atlantis
Amber Benson – Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Louise Jameson - Doctor Who

All guests attend work and health commitments pending
Fee applies for guest autographs and photos

More to be announced soon!