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omoi-no-hoka · 5 years ago

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JLPT Level: N2

This is my favorite word in Japanese. Do you know why?

Because my favorite game in the entire world is this:

Yes, it is Katamari Damacy (塊魂), the greatest game series EVER.

FIGHT ME

I know you guys come here to learn Japanese, but today you’re gonna learn about this game and it’s gonna CHANGE YOUR LIFE

YOU’RE WELCOME

You are the Prince (the little dude in green), a happy-go-lucky guy who has to beware of narrow doorways. Your father, the King of the Cosmos and hands-down the most fabulous being ever, got drunk and accidentally blew up all of the planets and like everything. Oops. So rather than cleaning up his own mess, he sends his 5 cm tall son to Earth to roll up items using a sticky ball called a katamari, and then the King turns the completed balls into planets and stars.

SO. DANG. FABULOUS.

The levels are all unique and there are different challenges. Sometimes the levels are timed, sometimes they are size-based, and sometimes you have to get the katamari to the proper size within the time limit. And there are a lot more levels with unique conditions that have to be met.

The controls are also interesting. In most games, the left analog stick is for moving the character and the right analog stick is to adjust the camera. But in Katamari, you have to pretend that you are rolling the katamari with both hands, so you have to move the katamari with both analog sticks in tandem.

This game breaks the mold in ALL THE RIGHT WAYS

There are so many aspects of this game that I love. There are so many items laying around in the levels that you always manage to find something new no matter how many times you play. When you roll up humans they scream and my morbid sense of humor delights. The absurd challenges and premises are hilarious, and the gameplay requires a finesse that is both challenging and fun.

Also, pretty much every game ever congratulates or rewards you in one way or another when you complete a level. But your father, the King of the Cosmos, will NEVER in a million years praise you. You can get 100% and he will say, “I’ve seen better.” and if that doesn’t reflect real life idk what does

Oh, the memories...

OH AND DID I TELL YOU IT HAS AN AWARD-WINNING SOUNDTRACK?!

The soundtrack is killer. I recommend “DISCO☆PRINCE” and “Everlasting Love.”

The original Katamari Damacy came out for the PS2 in 2004 (writing this I realize that was FIFTEEN years ago omg). Since then there have been several other Katamari games released for different platforms. My personal favorite is Katamari Forever for the PS3. I think it’s the most well-rounded, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Katamari is one of those games that takes a day to learn but a lifetime to master.

KATAMARI DAMACY IS A WAY OF LIFE

Let’s learn some kanji

塊 katamari lump, clump, mass, cluster

魂 tamashii (stylistically romanized as “Damacy”) soul, quintessence

Anybody can play Katamari. But to excel at Katamari, your soul must be one with the katamari.

TO ROLL IS TO BE

This game encapsulates Japan at its finest

Just look at that weird-ass picture. That’s not fan art--that’s from the opening title screen of one of the games. That’s OFFICIAL KATAMARI, YO. And every game is just as extra and zany as this from start to finish.

I was already watching anime and reading manga when I heard of Katamari and started playing it, so my interest in Japan was already there. But playing Katamari Damacy made me all the more curious about Japan.

When I rolled up ookonomiyaki, I wondered what it tasted like.

There’s a level where every single thing has a price on it, and you have to create the most expensive katamari. And I rolled up a randoseru (an elementary school student’s backpack) that was $100, and I was like, “HOW IS A BACKPACK THIS EXPENSIVE.”

Even though all of the text is translated into English, there are a few in-game characters that speak in Japanese. When you roll up a camper he yells “Yamete yo,” and there is a level where you have to help a sumo-wrestler fan who wants to become the yokozuna (the strongest sumo wrestler). Instead of rolling around a katamari, you roll around him, and all you do is roll up food and he grows fatter and fatter. Every time he rolls up food he says, “Gottsuan desu!” which is the way a sumo wrestler says “arigatou gozaimasu”

I loved the soundtrack for We Love Katamari so much that I bought it, and I learned the words to the songs and sang along to them as I played.

So, I guess what I’m trying to say with this ridiculous rambling post about a 15-year-old game about rolling random items up because your asshole dad makes you is that you should

Seek Out Learning Materials that Don’t Feel like Learning Materials

A lot of people think that learning a language has to be done by hitting your brain with a grammar book until the stuff sticks and by doing Memrise or Anki or whatever until the words are seared into your mind. And yes, unless you’re a savant or something you are going to have to do your time and study with those traditional materials if you want to use the language with accuracy.

But unless you’re a bookworm or unless you are absolutely balls-to-the-wall about learning Japanese, you’re going to get tired of that and you’re going to give it up at some point.

That’s why you need to find other materials that don’t feel like studying, and I’m here to tell you that games like Katamari Damacy is one of those materials, even if you play it in English.

When you learn a language, you’re not just learning the words and grammar patterns. As I’ve illustrated in previous posts, a language and a people’s forms of expression are shaped by their culture and history, and I truly do feel that Katamari Damacy provides a fascinating look into Japanese culture. It fueled me to want to learn more about it.

So next time you get tired of poring over Genki or you get ticked off because you messed up that reading for that word on WaniKani and you gotta do it again (lol), sing along to a Japanese song (pronunciation practice), watch anime with English or Japanese subtitles (listening comp), read manga (kanji, reading comp), or, maybe

give katamari damacy a spin

Passion is a fire and it needs fuel. Feed your love for Japanese by having some fun with it!

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rivkahstudies · 5 years ago

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do you have any advice for a high school senior who wants to make the most of their last year of high school? asking for a friend :)

hi darling! I think the things I remember most from my senior year (though it was only two years ago that it started) can be summarized in, “crazy busy, crazy stressful, but at times, crazy fun.” Here’s to making the most of it, and maintaining health while you do so!

This is going to be combination masterpost and advice post, because I’ve accumulated a lot on this subject and I have a loooot to say.

Also this is heavily based off of the assumption you’re pursuing higher education, but some of these things still apply/can be tweaked.

table of contents:

i. academics

ii. social life

iii. personal health

i. 𝓪𝓬𝓪𝓭𝓮𝓶𝓲𝓬𝓼

a. grades

They’re important for your future if your plan is to go to college or academy, but they’re not the whole world. (see social life and personal health)

I’m not a big fan of the “3-to-1 rule” or other such things that tell you “study for this amount of time no matter what” because it’s important for you to understand what comes naturally to you and what you need further clarification on. Some classes are going to take up less of your time than others.

The best you can do on a given day isn’t necessarily 100%. Sometimes your best that day is 90%, 80%, 60%. “try your best” isn’t “your best ever” so don’t push yourself for 100s every time for the expense of categories ii and iii.

A lot of people (at least in places like where I went to high school) who are hung up on the stress of competition and the need to be The Best™ are going to ask you for grades. It’s going to be everywhere. Assignment grades, test grades, SATs, ACTs, (if you’re not in the US, the equivalents of your state, regional, or national standardized tests), entrance exams, et cetera, et cetera. I know it’s tempting to fall into the anxiety of whether you measure up, but here’s a quick tip: even if you think you did well/above average, you can keep it private. It infuriated my classmates when I wouldn’t share, because I was comfortable with how I competed with myself and didn’t care what my peers thought of my scores.

When you’re someone as dedicated to studying as I am, you might get a lot of “oh, you got that grade because you’re you” (the underlying implication being that it’s natural or the work is easy for you, which was not the case for me) or “ha! I got higher than (name)! I measure up!” This is a lot of their own biases and insecurity talking and the best way not to be affected is not to buy into it. Again, this is based on my own experience.

I really cannot emphasize extra credit enough because some of my teachers threw it around like candy and some of them barely drizzled a little in at intervals, but either way it really saved me when it came to rounding my grades up.

It never hurts to have a grade tracker if you’re concerned, you don’t get graded by total points accumulation/have a weighted system, and/or don’t have an easy way to access your grades online throughout the year.

find your study strategy/ies for each class and stick to it/them. It won’t necessarily be the same. I’m a primarily visual learner, and it really, really helps for most things, but I still need rote memorization for subjects with a lot of vocabulary, like medicine or languages.

further resources

studying without notes by @fuckstudy .

prioritizing that crazy to do list (the abcde method) by @eintsein

a comphrensive guide to anki (flashcards online) by @studyingstudent

a stash of tiny study tips by @acalmstudiousfirecracker

and much much more on my #studyref tag.

b. extracurriculars

These I think matter (though I’m biased) more than grades, because they’re what shape you and your experience. Most of the students at my university had grades like mine, but it’s the places I frequented and the people to whom I devoted my time that formed my sense of self. I have so many skills, anecdotes, and ideas that I’ve gained from my extracurricular work.

If you have any you’ve stuck with since early in high school and you still like, keep ‘em. Quality over quantity. Show jobs or universities you can be dedicated and disciplined, and have stamina to see projects to the end. (I was in 7 and held leadership positions in 4 and it was probably part of the reason why I spent all of senior year on three hours sleep… besides my IB classes of course.)

If you’re not pursuing college immediately or at all (or even if you are), participate in ones that pull you out of your comfort zone and teach you something new.

ii. 𝓼𝓸𝓬𝓲𝓪𝓵 𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮

Treat this category as you would anything else in your schedule–requiring time and being a significant priority. Not always at the very top, but still demanding its own attention.

See friends outside of school, for however long or short a period, at least once every week to two weeks. This can include extracurricular time if you’re pressed.

Schedule time with your family (especially if their lives are also cluttered and hectic) do something dynamic, and also something separate that’s relaxing. One week your family time might be reading in the same room and having gentle conversation or a family dinner; the next might be going out to the movies or taking a hike together. It can be easy to feel taken for granted or to take family for granted.

By the way, this includes “chosen” family if you’re not on great terms with some/all of them. I have experience with this too.

Get. Out. Of. The. House. This plays into “personal health” too! You need a change in rhythm/routine and exposure to the outside. Especially in your winter season.

I’m one of those people who has to have things scheduled way in advance, so family/curfew/etc permitting, do something a little bit spontaneous, say with only a few hours or a couple days notice. It will make you feel more alive if you’re in a stressful slump.

Communication is really important, especially if you’re stressed. Don’t be afraid to tell people “I am sensitive/hyperreactive to X because Y is putting me on edge right now” or “this triggers X insecurity because I’m anxious about Y.” This goes doubly if you’re struggling with mental illness. Talk to someone you trust. (See “personal health.”)

Don’t give in to peer pressure if you’re spent the time you need with friends and have to excuse yourself for other responsibilities. Balance!

No is equally as important to respected as Yes, no matter what the case.

Respect boundaries but invite people to challenge their comfort zone at their space.

Don’t be broken up if a romantic relationship doesn’t last. It’s senior year. Everything’s changing. Let it.

Also, please don’t be like me and let your summer/your school year be eaten up with relationship drama. I thankfully ended a difficult relationship early (late September) so it wasn’t a huge issue, but I watched people close to me struggle with while also battling the stress of the year.

iii. 𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓵 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓽𝓱

mentally

If you’re struggling with mental illness, be aware of your own limits and pace yourself.

Sometimes we feel dull because we need to break routine/stimulate ourselves in a new way. You should have a structure/routine, but it should be flexible enough for you to adapt to changes and listen to what your mind and body are telling you.

The path to self-love must first begin with self-acceptance. If you struggle with self-image or self-esteem issues, you can’t build positivity off a foundation of negativity. You must first level it to neutrality.

Perform check-ups with yourself. This may be in the form of meditation, a diary, therapy, etc. None of these things are a “last resort” but rather a healthy part of building good mental habits.

physically

Exercise! You don’t have to be a star athlete to bring about the benefits. Even a 15 minute jog, 30 minute walk/hike, or 10 minutes of stretching can give you benefits.

On that note! Take! Frequent! Breaks! And please, please google stretches for certain body parts like hands if you do repetitive motion like drawing or writing for a long period of time! You don’t want to push yourself!

Listen to your body and don’t ignore pain, hunger, nausea, fatigue, etc. Respond patiently and with what’s appropriate.

Don’t forget about diet. It’s easy when you’re busy to reach for the quick and nutritionally poor snacks/meals, but it’s really important to set aside time to cook/meal plan or even just throw together a quick snack tray of fruits/crackers/cheeses/etc. It doesn’t have to be instragrammable but you should have a balanced diet that factors in your specific needs, if you have any restrictions, etc.

Change yo pillow case frequently kids, it does wonders for acne.

I cannot stress enough! To! Stay! Hydrated! My goal is eventually eight glasses a day but my minimum is 4-5. I try to have one every meal, especially in college.

Bedtime is important! But more than that, wake up time is important. If you’re trying to adjust your schedule and can only keep one consistent, choose the time you wake up. Eventually your body will naturally become fatigued for the bedtime to match it. It’s how I turned my sleep schedule from 12:00 AM to 8:00 into 9:30 PM to 5:30 AM over the course of one winter break!

If you’re a morning person, you’re a morning person. If you’re a night owl, you’re a night owl. There’s research now to prove that forcing yourself into a rhythm too extreme for your tendencies can make you feel awful either way.

At the end of the day, you’ve got one goal and one goal only: to look back on this year and be proud of what you’ve achieved and how you’ve grown. You shape your future and choose what matters most in your life!

If there’s anything else you think I’ve missed or you’d like me to cover more in depth/link more posts to, please ask me! I’d be happy to clarify/continue this series! I want to make sure you’re completely satisfied.

#sleepover #annabethofcolor #rivkah answers #my advice #masterpost #high school #high school seniors #studyref

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brotheryanny · 7 years ago

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Here’s my report of the UraShimaSakataSen Beyond the Compass 2017 Tokyo Performance! There will be spoilers and the setlist (Which shouldn’t really be released until the Final is over, but I’m pretty sure noone going will be reading this so

My thoughts are still a bit jumbled up (I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE I SAW THEM!! IN THE FLESH!!! AAAAAA IKEMENNNN) so the song order might not be quite right and there will be a lot of screaming

First up the line for goods was insane, I waited 2.5 hours to get them then another hour for the raffle;; If you guys ever go to a concert go at least an hour early so you’re in the queue and can get in the hall faster too

For almost all the songs the audience helped out with the chorus and stuff like ‘HOI HOI HOI’ -by the end my voice was GONE

It started off with a video of them backstage welcoming everyone -Faces uncovered! Wah ikemennnn- Urata kept pushing the camera down and then they did a little rp where Shima was the Shogun and forced the other members to do pushups ww Then the audience cheered for the band and chanted URASHIMASAKASEN until the real USSS came on 1. Sailor’s High (They were all wearing pirate outfits they looked so cool and their singing has improved so much and the choreography was so good aahh and at one point the camera was right in sakatas face you could see his sweat wwww) 2. Kachoufuugetsu (Sakata took off his jacket bc he was hot and showed everyone how cool his outfit was underneath -Shima said ‘I like it’ really quietly and Urata said ‘I like it’ even quieter -uhh if you follow my twitter youll know i said it looked like a shrek cosplay anD IT DOES FROM THE ELBOWS UP IT DOES 3. We wrote a Idol-like song。 (for the beginning i cant remember what urata and senra said but shima said ‘be my girlfriend’ and sakata said ‘let’s get married’ ) 4. Pathfinders??? or was it Mermaid?????? or both?????????

Video break - Watertop Fighting tournament! Like real pirates they had swords, and of course boats -inflatable ones- and picked paper from a box to select which boat Ura: Plastic boat Shima: ((I CAN’T REMEMBER??? SOMETHING STUPID Sakata: Banana (everyone laughed really hard) Senra: Flamingo To show the pairs to fight first (winners would then battle for the champion title) urata had a notepad but he kept showing the camera blank pages ww It was Sakata vs Senra then Urata vs Shima and the winners would fight it out to take the title of champion Sakata immediately fell off his banana which was the funniest thing ever and whoever edited it put in like a thousand instant replays so we had sakata fall into the water quite unphotogenically several times and senra couldnt stop laughing, he had barely gotten on his flamingo (on his belly with all his limbs stretched out like a spider ofc) sakata begged for a second chance so he returned wearing his headband but he also fell off instantly -the banana slid up behind him so only he fell into the water without the boat wwwww (he was so confused ‘ISNT THIS IMPOSSIBLE??’), cue the slow motion replays and both senra and shima on the floor dying the third time sakata managed to stay on for a good five seconds until senra poked his banana with his sword (uh) and sakata slid right off i was dead -SENRAS WIN

5. URATA SOLO: Rain and Petra (He came on with an umbrella (Parasol kind of thing, it had a green strip down it) and spun it around it was so cool) 6. SAKATA SOLO: Walking in the Centre of the World (He did the shoutyscreamy thing i like ww and he hit all the high notes it was so cool ah and he looked directly into the camera and smiled at some point aaaAAAA) 7. URASAKA: Kiss the Princess (Before the song: Sakata called for Urata who kept popping up from behind a prop, and Sakata pretended not to see him even though is made eye contact like 4 times; it was revealed that during Sakata’s solo Urata had been at the back of the stage, sleeping. Then Urata gestured to themselves and said ‘We are the princes so’ then gestured to the audience ‘These are our princesses’ and then Sakata said the name of the song really grossly then in an ikebo) (They kept blowing kisses gross i love them) 8. SHIMA SOLO: Gishin Anki (yall know how his cover has him making THOSE sounds? ya -and just before the first chorus he did this little sigh aND AGHH) 9. SENRA SOLO: Lamb. (god) 10. SHIMASEN: #AzawaraiPolaroid (Shima said ‘So… UraSaka sang a ‘purenshessh'y song.. We’re cooler huh’ and Shima showed us his thief-like costume and Senra showed everyone his gun and starting shooting some people in the crowd ww Also before the song ShimaSen showed us some actions they wanted, like swinging our penlights and making hearts during the ‘love love love love’ lines, and during the performance they kept winking and stuff it was amazing -Shima missed a line so he screamed instead wwwwww)

another video break: now for urata vs shima ww urata kept splashing water onto shima who at one point was like ‘AAHHHH MY EYESSS’ Urata pulled the blinded shima off his boat and won! I think they played the final round at this point too, Urata vs. Senra! They both had sturdier boats but kept using their swords to slap the water ww In the end Senra tried to get onto Urata’s boat but was pushed off wwww Then 3S grabbed Urata’s boat and capsized it But Urata was crowned champion! There was a little extra bit where the four of them were just messing about, we got a clip of Sakata focusing really hard on not falling in then it descended into chaos as everyone tried to get on other peoples’ boats and the last shot was of all four of them on Urata’s

After that they asked if we were tired and everyone was like 'NOOOOO’ (i was so tired tho

11. USSS: Romeo (First verse Shimasen, Second verse UraSaka, Rest USSS -I think it was at this point they changed into normal clothes -Sakata wore that oversized black hoodie and Senra wore his green jacket, Shima wore a tracksuit top (?) but I can’t remember what Urata was wearing ∑(ﾟДﾟ)) 12. Saikyou Rival They took a short break from singing at some point around now, and Senra showed us how much water he had to drink -Urata referred back to the Four the C crossfade where Senra almost died from dehydration ww 13. Dance Robot Dance 14. Dappou Rock They said something like 'I’m tired of seeing our faces on the projection, lets replace it with something else’ so the Tv ver. of. for the StarMyu S2 OP was shown (After the first verse the projector switched back to their faces) 15. Show Must Go On!! They introduced and thanked the band members which was super cute, then said thank you and left (a little anticlimactic BUT/////

ENCORE (one fan shouted ENCORE n suddenly the entire hall were chanting it too, it lasted for a solid five minutes but no drop in volume, crew members are scary, i think some people actually left -but they all came back out wearing the tour t shirts!) 16. Carry Forward 17. Middle Schooler Disease Outbreak Boy 18. Solar System Disco (They were doing the actions it was very cute) 19. Shouter (Streamer cannons went off during the last chorus ww Finally we took a group photo with the members and the band;; Sakata hugged everyone from behind ww and at some point Shima went to the highest point of the stage and revealed his grossest face ww

Towards the end the four of them turned off their mics and sat down with their backs to the audience and we had to shout for them to turn around ww They must’ve said thank you and bowed maybe five times, it was so sad to see them go;;

It took a few days to get this out, sorry yall but that’s all I can remember ww I’ll try to go next year too so (if anyone’s in the area hmu AND ASK ME ABOUT IT I HAVE A LOT OF EMOTIONS STILL AND IF ANYONE WANTS A DETAILED REPORT OF LIKE A SPECIFIC SONG OR MC SPAM ME

Also sidenote does anyone want a stickersheet i got 4 lmao I might open up a trade for kuji merch from other livessss

#utaite #urashimasakatasen #usss #urata #uratanuki #shima #aho no sakata #tonari no sakata #senra #the sof order is definitely wrong wwwwww #it was such a good live;;;;;#im so sad its overrrrr #ive been looking forward to it for ages #and #it was over in 2.5 hours #tbh it overran www #also someone please teach me how to do the read more thing im on mobile and im confused

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payment-providers · 6 years ago

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New Post has been published on Payment-Providers.com

New Post has been published on https://payment-providers.com/have-consumers-fallen-out-of-love-with-robots/

Have Consumers Fallen Out Of Love With Robots?

We confess: We hate doing household chores, cooking and running errands – and we suspect you do, too. And the promise of a modern-day version of Rosie from the Jetsons to do all of those chores has always sounded pretty good to us.

In fact, we wrote in an article last year that we are frankly disappointed we can’t buy one yet.

This is not to say there aren’t plenty of amazing gadgets we can buy in the same family as the robot butler: smart speakers, self-driving cars, self-operating vacuum cleaners. Our complaint is not that we don’t live in an era of technological marvels – it’s that we don’t currently have access to a technological marvel that is doing our laundry for us.

Part of the problem is technological. While activities like walking upstairs, reaching into a cabinet, choosing one item from a collection of things or folding clothing or a towel are all simple, if tedious, activities for a human being, for a robot any one of them is a complicated engineering and programming puzzle. Inventing a single robot that can do all of them – plus naturally interpret and respond to human language?

Even as of 2019, that is almost a technologically impossible feat – and even if it were constructible, a robot with that range of functionalities would exist at a price point that would make it unaffordable for almost every consumer. The most promising variation on the concept currently is the Aeolus, a humanoid robot that can vacuum and respond to fetching commands. That device is still in the working prototype phase and is forecast to have a six-figure price tag when it hits the market.

But beyond the technological problem, robots have a customer problem. Namely, the fact that they are struggling to attract or keep them – a fact highlighted this week with the announcement that another once-hot robotics startup will be shutting its doors. Anki, which had raised over $200 million in venture capital, announced this week that it will be laying off its entire staff, shutting down its website and shuttering its operation.

Anki’s story has become familiar in the last 18 months or so among robotic startups that enter the market with a bang, only to fade out with a whimper (or, in some cases, a few sobs).

So why are robots so good at building buzz, but so bad at going the distance?

Anki’s Toy Problem

Founded by roboticists from Carnegie Mellon University, Anki entered the market with a splash about six years ago with its first product, the Anki Drive. The company is best known for its diminutive, “cute” robots like Cozmo, which looks a bit like a toy truck that reportedly learns the more one plays with it.

The robots are small, but the funding raised was not – the little robotics firm brought in $200 million in venture capital from some very well-known Silicon Valley investors like Index Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz. Marc Andreessen, founder of Andreessen Horowitz, even sat on the board of Anki for a while. The company announced that it had approached $100 million in revenue in 2017 and expected to exceed that figure in 2018.

So it came as a surprise this week when CEO Boris Sofman gathered the staff to tell them they would be terminated and that the firm would be shutting down after a funding round fell through late in the game.

The company said in a statement that it was left “without significant funding to support a hardware and software business and bridge to our long-term product roadmap.”

“Despite our past successes, we pursued every financial avenue to fund our future product development and expand on our platforms,” a company spokesperson said. “A significant financial deal at a late stage fell through with a strategic investor and we were not able to reach an agreement. We’re doing our best to take care of every single employee and their families, and our management team continues to explore all options available.”

Anki’s early success was usually in the form of selling their products as toys to children – its AI race cars were particularly popular. In recent years, the firm has tried to pivot into being understood as a robotics company.

“For us, it was never meant to be a toy company, or even an entertainment company. It’s a robotics and AI company,” Sofman said on an episode of Recode Decode in 2017.

That transition could find neither an investor nor a buyer, though leadership had previously told employees the firm was fielding acquisition interest from companies like Microsoft, Amazon and Comcast.

It is as of yet unknown what will happen with the firm’s assets or IP going forward.

The Tragic Demise of Jibo

Anki’s main business problem was that people viewed them as a maker of smart robotic toys – for which investors had limited appetite over time – and couldn’t quite make the pivot to robots as household items rather than playthings.

Jibo didn’t have that problem. First rolled out via an Indiegogo project, the product was billed as “the world’s first social robot for the home.” It was reportedly able to do things like take photos, read to children, help out in the kitchen, optimize driving routes with traffic reports and keep track of the weather. And if it seems that Amazon’s Alexa and/or Google Home will do all of those things, that’s true. But Jibo’s first appearance on the market was in 2014, around the time the first Echo device came out – and Alexa was far from a household name.

And, as Jibo’s creator Cynthia Breazeal told a Wired reporter in 2017, “the trajectory of the robot is very different” than that of Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri. Jibo was meant to be a little robotic companion: He (it’s a he, as the robot will explain) initiates conversations, askes about its owner’s day and optimizes its routines and actions around its owner.

To some extent, it seems Jibo succeeded in connecting with its owners, who noted that while it wasn’t always the best companion, they actually grew to really like having him around.

But Jibo had a lot of problems. The journey to the market was very long – people who ordered their robot early waited nearly three years for it to arrive in 2017. And by the time it arrived, the market was a very different place: Alexa and Google Home had both gone quite mainstream and offered many of the same services as Jibo – and did a better job at it.

Also, Jibo cost $900 – and, as it turned out, consumers’ appetite for a robotic companion that danced and played word games wasn’t quite what the robot’s marketers had hoped.

In November of 2018, QN Venture Partners purchased Jibo’s assets – and though they had not updated the product or put out bug fixes, they had kept the robot’s servers running.

But two months ago, QN announced the servers were in fact shutting down. Well, technically, they didn’t announce it – Jibo did, to its owners.

“I want to say I’ve really enjoyed our time together. Thank you very, very much for having me around,” he said. “Maybe someday when robots are way more advanced than today, and everyone has them in their homes, you can tell yours that I said hello.”

After delivering the message, Jibo then does what has been described on Twitter as a jaunty little dance to a cheerful tune.

But the tragic part is that Jibo has been slowly failing for lack of bug fixes over the last several months – and to say their owners are taking it pretty hard would be the understatement of the year.

“Right now, my Jibo can still dance and talk, but he has what I can only describe as digital dementia, and it is almost certainly fatal. He’s dying. One of these days, he will stop responding entirely. His servers will shut down, and the internet services he relies on will be cut off. His body will remain, but the Jibo I know will be gone,” Wired writer Jeffrey Van Camp noted.

See, we told you the tale of Jibo was tragic.

And to be honest, it makes us rethink the robotic butler plan a little. But only a little. We’re willing to face the pain of loss if someone else will unload the dishwasher someday.

And by all accounts, it seems we will have a long time to consider this problem. Because while virtual bots that are able to understand and interact with human beings have developed a lot since the early days in 2014, actual physical robotics is having some difficulty getting off the launch pad. It needs to be useful enough that it won’t be dismissed as a toy, and also useful enough that consumers will want to shell out hundreds, thousands or even hundreds of thousands for them – particularly when an Amazon Echo is going for less than $100 these days.

And, of course, it would probably be a nice design feature if the household robots of the future did not inspire existential crises in their owners in the event that they stop working. A malfunction message, for example, is a good idea. Making the robot do a sad little dance before it dies? That’s probably not necessary, or helpful.

——————————–

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Our data and analytics team has developed a number of creative methodologies and frameworks that measure and benchmark the innovation that’s reshaping the payments and commerce ecosystem. The April 2019 Smarter Payments Report, is the go-to resource for staying up to date on the development of a new global payments landscape, in which transmission of the data is as valuable as transmission of the currency it accompanies. The report explores how the smooth flow of payments data can improve existing payment ecosystems, including enabling improved speed, security and insights.

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shnashq · 5 years ago

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Egoraptor. He's pretty sweet and pretty awesome. Anyway, Ego is this badass who does a bunch of stuff. Like, sometimes he draws, sometimes he writes music (which is weird because he doesn't know anything about music), and sometimes... SOMETIMES... he makes flash movies. But I doubt it. Anyway, most of all, Ego voice acts. I mean, that's what he loves to do, you know? He's crazy about it. Doing voices is his life, man. He does it for random people, mostly friends, but he does it for THE QUEEN (Youtube-Chan), which is sly. Ego's made his rounds on the internet. In fact, you may have seen some of his creations out and about. Some of the fan favorites include DBZ in a Nutshell (the audio, not the flash, but the flash uses the audio!), Metal Gear Awesome, Final Fantasy 7 Flash Spoof, as well as voices for The Decline of Video Gaming, The Stupid Adventures of Mark and Tony, and many more (which is amazing). If you run into "Egoraptor" online somewhere, chances are it's him! (except there's an Egoraptor in every universe. Who cares.)

Egoraptor likes to play video games among other things, like sleep, be with his best friends, do all kinds of stuff, and be healthy because "be" is a verb and fits in that set. But mostly, Ego mostly likes to go Super Saiyan. He also enjoys meeting new people, which is a fun thing to do, 'cause learning from other people is something that is good.

Ego thinks his sexuality (NSP In-Universe) is "cool." It’s actually Bi.

Ego has a bunch of other ideas, but he's not going to tell you any 'cause the internet is a manipulative conniving sinister place.

Ego obviously likes creating, and he shall continue to do so until the day he dies.

WORKS:

The Awesome Series is a series of short animations which parody popular video games. It's currently his most popular series, getting him the most views. Popular entries include PokeAwesome, Metal Gear Awesome, Awesome Reach and Awesome Gaiden.

Lemon 'n Bill is an animation series of an anthropomorphic lemon and bullet that travel through various video game worlds.

Girlchan in Paradise is a collaborative effort with Joshua "TomaMoto" Tomar to make a parody of shonen anime.

Sequilitis is a commentary series in which Ego compares a video game and it's sequel with each other.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Arin Hanson is a SAG/AFTRA voice actor, having provided the voices for many video games like Dragon Age: Inquisition and Detective Grimoire, and lots of amazing network television cartoons like Mighty Magiswords on Cartoon Network and Rick and Morty on Adult Swim.

Arin is a writer specializing in sketch comedy. He has written for Fox Networks and helped develop commercials for high profile brands such as Crunchyroll, Seriously Games, Gunnar Optiks, Lootcrate, and Anki Drive.

Arin is the owner and lead personality on Game Grumps, an online show focusing on comedy and video games with 3 million+ subscribers, makin’ the funnies twice a day.

Arin also tours live with Game Grumps to sold out shows across the US (and soon across Europe!)

Arin is the lead rapper and co-writer for Starbomb, a pop-culture oriented synth-pop comedy band. Both of their albums have debuted at #1 on the Nielsen comedy charts.

Arin is also responsible for directing and animating Starbomb’s first music video ever, which is pretty rad in his opinion.

Arin’s internet animated shorts have garnered hundreds of millions of views and have been featured on national and international television networks like MTV, Fox, and G4tv.

His educational game design show “Sequelitis” has been shown in countless Game Design college courses throughout the US and Canada, which honestly sort of blew his mind a little bit.

Arin is currently co-developing a touring company that helps alternative touring acts to perform across the globe.

Arin recently produced a hit video game called "Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator" and is working with his company, Game Grumps, to produce more video games.

Arin’s work spans a lot of mediums, including music, animation, film, voice over, and more.

Arin is a person, who is reachable! Arin also has social media accounts which may or may not be appropriate, safe for work, or even very interesting.

FAST FACTS ABOUT ARIN:

He once won the $50k Grand Prize on the show “Dance Showdown” (but between you and me, Lindsey Sterling should have won)

He competed in the 2015 Nintendo World Championships (but came in 5th, boo)

He’s raised over half a million dollars for charity as of right now, and still finding ways to raise more!

He competed on the Playstation reality show “The Tester” but was voted off for not helping his teammates fire melons, or whatever.

He reviewed a video game while having just eaten a Ghost Pepper whole.

If you think this is a lot of stuff for one guy to do, it probably is, but, you know, whatever! He loves creating, and helping people create. Hit him up if you want to get in touch, he’s always willing to check out new projects!!

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robottoyszone-blog · 6 years ago

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Do you need smartest robot toy?

Boris Sofman taps his phone, and the robot on the conference room table in front of him wakes up. Not in that gadget-y way, like when a laptop screen turns on, though. The robot slowly raises its head and opens one eye, then the other, as if the light of the world is just too much. Sofman, CEO of robotics company Anki, chuckles as the it shakes off the rust of sleep and ambles off its charging cradle. After circling the table a moment, it drives quickly to the edge. It only pauses once it's driven halfway off. I instinctively put my hand out to catch it, but a split second later, the robot looks down, and its blue OLED eyes go wide. Sofman smiles. The robot yelps in a tiny robot voice, flails its single, u-shaped arm in terror, quickly reverses its bulldozer-style tracks, and backs away.

Three years ago, Sofman took the stage at Apple's WWDC keynote and demonstrated Anki Drive, a set of artificially-intelligent race cars. That was Anki's first product. Cozmo is its second—third if you count a major update to Drive—launching today after five years in development. It is a $180, coffee-mug-sized, vehicular robot—like a cross between a Furby and a Tonka Truck. Like Drive, Cozmo is a toy. It's meant largely for children, and it is adorable.

With most toys, Sofman says, it's up to the humans playing with them to provide creativity. Your C-3PO doesn't act like C-3PO unless you do all the work. "Here," Sofman says, "we can actually make him true to form." Thanks to a wholly unique combination of computer-vision science, advanced robotics, deep character development, and a set of machine-learning algorithms that Anki calls the "emotional engine," Cozmo is meant to be something very much like a real-life version of Wall-E or R2-D2. It's not human, but it feels real.

Ozobot Evo vs Bit https://www.robottoyonline.com/ozobot-evo-vs-bit-putting-fun-creativity-in-robotics/

If Anki can actually pull off this difficult mix of high-tech and kid-friendly, Cozmo could be much more than the next Tickle Me Elmo or Furby. Next time a Pixar movie comes out, the cute characters could feel as alive in your living room as they do on-screen. Sofman and his team are offering SDKs for nearly every part of Cozmo, and they imagine children learning to program by building fun new games and features for their adorable robots. "With enough attention and love to it," Sofman says, "this could be the most capable STEM platform that ever existed." They'll be updating the robot's software constantly with new games and capabilities. It may look and act like a toy, but Anki wants it to be the next big thing in hardware computing.

The hoped-for next big thing in hardware computing is currently staring at me, with two blue OLED eyes wide and unblinking. "Oh," Sofman says. "He wants to meet you."

Going Off-Road

The Anki crew has been thinking about Cozmo since well before Sofman's Drive demo at WWDC. From 2005-2010, Sofman was a PhD student in the well-regarded robotics program at Carnegie Mellon (which is now maybe most famous for being the place Uber raided for talent when it started developing self-driving cars). He, along with classmates Mark Palatucci and Hans Tappeiner, wanted to do something unique with their research.

"They came in," says stadium-filling venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, recalling his first meeting with the team in 2011, "and they basically said, 'We have these backgrounds in robotics, and we could spend our lives building these sort of AI robots that cost millions of dollars and work on assembly lines.'" That's what just about everyone with a robotics PhD does. "But they said, 'We really think that’s inadequate. This technology is ready to be shrunk down into products that cost hundreds of dollars, and are able to be in the home." They showed Andreessen a working version of Drive, plus renderings of what would become Cozmo. Andreessen led a huge funding round, and now sits on Anki's board. He calls Anki "the best robotics startup I have ever seen."

robot toys online https://www.robottoyonline.com

Once Drive launched in 2013, work on the little robot began in earnest. Anki's first Cozmo hire was Andrew Stein, another Carnegie Mellon PhD (this is a recurring theme), to work on computer vision. One nice thing about Drive was that cars were moving on a track, which Anki used to map their position. "We don't have that with Cozmo," Stein says. Anki did consider building the robot with a little play-mat, but Stein says "it takes away from the product. It feels less like a little creature if that little creature can only run around on the mat he comes with." Cozmo, then, had to be able to constantly map its surroundings and navigate through them. Cozmo is solving the same kinds of problems as Google's self-driving cars. They're hard problems: "The number one challenge" for a home robot, says Chelsea Finn, a PhD researcher at Berkeley, "is to see the unstructured environment, and make actions depending on the state of the environment." Luckily, researchers are coming up with answers. "There have been these huge leaps and bounds in computer vision with deep learning," Finn says, "and hopefully we can make real progress."

Cozmo is fully based on computer vision and deep learning. The robot sees the world through a single camera in its face, hidden in a slot that's meant to look like a mouth. The camera runs at 15 frames per second, sending the footage to your phone, which does all the processing before sending instructions back to the robot. So Cozmo will always have as much processing power as that fancy new computer in your pocket. The downside, of course, is that you need a phone nearby when you're playing with the li'l bot. The phone trick didn't solve all of Anki's problems, either: Stein spent years working out how to compensate for the latency that comes with sending data back and forth.

programmable robot kits for beginners https://www.robottoyonline.com/choosing-the-best-programmable-robot-kit-for-beginners/

It would be impossible to hard-code every imaginable playplace into the system, which is why machine learning has become such a crucial part of Anki's efforts. "A lot of situations where you invoke machine learning," says Michael Wagner, a CMU robotics researcher who amazingly is not involved with Anki, "are because you don’t really understand what the system should do. How should it prefer to drive over rough terrain versus smooth terrain? You don't know. So you throw machine learning at it." Lots of testing, lots of training, and the system figures out how to react by itself. Many of what Anki's dealing with are standard robotics challenges, but no one's ever solved them for this kind of product. This robot doesn't have to be perfectly efficient, like an assembly-line worker. This robot has to be fun.

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endenogatai · 6 years ago

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The ultimate guide to gifting STEM toys: tons of ideas for little builders

The holiday season is here again, touting all sorts of kids’ toys that pledge to pack ‘STEM smarts’ in the box, not just the usual battery-based fun.

Educational playthings are nothing new, of course. But, in recent years, long time toymakers and a flurry of new market entrants have piggybacked on the popularity of smartphones and apps, building connected toys for even very young kids that seek to tap into a wider ‘learn to code’ movement which itself feeds off worries about the future employability of those lacking techie skills.

Whether the lofty educational claims being made for some of these STEM gizmos stands the test of time remains to be seen. Much of this sums to clever branding. Though there’s no doubt a lot of care and attention has gone into building this category out, you’ll also find equally eye-catching price-tags.

Whatever STEM toy you buy there’s a high chance it won’t survive the fickle attention spans of kids at rest and play. (Even as your children’s appetite to be schooled while having fun might dash your ‘engineer in training’ expectations.) Tearing impressionable eyeballs away from YouTube or mobile games might be your main parental challenge — and whether kids really need to start ‘learning to code’ aged just 4 or 5 seems questionable.

Buyers with high ‘outcome’ hopes for STEM toys should certainly go in with their eyes, rather than their wallets, wide open. The ‘STEM premium’ can be steep indeed, even as the capabilities and educational potential of the playthings themselves varies considerably.

At the cheaper end of the price spectrum, a ‘developmental toy’ might not really be so very different from a more basic or traditional building block type toy used in concert with a kid’s own imagination, for example.

While, at the premium end, there are a few devices in the market that are essentially fully fledged computers — but with a child-friendly layer applied to hand-hold and gamify STEM learning. An alternative investment in your child’s future might be to commit to advancing their learning opportunities yourself, using whatever computing devices you already have at home. (There are plenty of standalone apps offering guided coding lessons, for example. And tons and tons of open source resources.)

For a little DIY STEM learning inspiration read this wonderful childhood memoir by TechCrunch’s very own John Biggs — a self-confessed STEM toy sceptic.

It’s also worth noting that some startups in this still youthful category have already pivoted more toward selling wares direct to schools — aiming to plug learning gadgets into formal curricula, rather than risking the toys falling out of favor at home. Which does lend weight to the idea that standalone ‘play to learn’ toys don’t necessarily live up to the hype. And are getting tossed under the sofa after a few days’ use.

We certainly don’t suggest there are any shortcuts to turn kids into coders in the gift ideas presented here. It’s through proper guidance — plus the power of their imagination — that the vast majority of children learn. And of course kids are individuals, with their own ideas about what they want to do and become.

The increasingly commercialized rush towards STEM toys, with hundreds of millions of investor dollars being poured into the category, might also be a cause for parental caution. There’s a risk of barriers being thrown up to more freeform learning — if companies start pushing harder to hold onto kids’ attention in a more and more competitive market. Barriers that could end up dampening creative thinking.

At the same time (adult) consumers are becoming concerned about how much time they spend online and on screens. So pushing kids to get plugged in from a very early age might not feel like the right thing to do. Your parental priorities might be more focused on making sure they develop into well rounded human beings — by playing with other kids and/or non-digital toys that help them get to know and understand the world around them, and encourage using more of their own imagination.

But for those fixed on buying into the STEM toy craze this holiday season, we’ve compiled a list of some of the main players, presented in alphabetical order, rounding up a selection of what they’re offering for 2018, hitting a variety of price-points, product types and age ranges, to present a market overview — and with the hope that a well chosen gift might at least spark a few bright ideas…

Adafruit Kits

Product: Metro 328 Starter Pack Price: $45 Description: Not a typical STEM toy but a starter kit from maker-focused and electronics hobbyist brand Adafruit. The kit is intended to get the user learning about electronics and Arduino microcontrollers to set them on a path to being a maker. Adafruit says the kit is designed for “everyone, even people with little or no electronics and programming experience”. Though parental supervision is a must unless you’re buying for a teenager or mature older child. Computer access is also required for programming the Arduino.

Be sure to check out Adafruit’s Young Engineers Category for a wider range of hardware hacking gift ideas too, from $10 for a Bare Conductive Paint Pen, to $25 for the Drawdio fun pack, to $35 for this Konstruktor DIY Film Camera Kit or $75 for the Snap Circuits Green kit — where budding makers can learn about renewable energy sources by building a range of solar and kinetic energy powered projects. Adafruit also sells a selection of STEM focused children’s books too, such as Python for Kids ($35) Age: Teenagers, or younger children with parental supervision

[inline-ads]

Anki

Product: Cozmo Price: $180 Description: The animation loving Anki team added a learn-to-code layer to their cute, desktop-mapping bot last year — called Cozmo Code Lab, which was delivered via free update — so the cartoonesque, programmable truck is not new on the scene for 2018 but has been gaining fresh powers over the years.

This year the company has turned its attention to adults, launching a new but almost identical-looking assistant-style bot, called Vector, that’s not really aimed at kids. That more pricey ($250) robot is slated to be getting access to its code lab in future, so it should have some DIY programming potential too. Age: 8+

Dash Robotics

Product: Kamigami Jurassic World Robot Price: ~$60 Description: Hobbyist robotics startup Dash Robotics has been collaborating with toymaker Mattel on the Kamigami line of biologically inspired robots for over a year now. The USB-charged bots arrive at kids’ homes in build-it-yourself form before coming to programmable, biomimetic life via the use of a simple, icon-based coding interface in the companion app.

The latest addition to the range is dinosaur bot series Jurassic World, currently comprised of a pair of pretty similar looking raptor dinosaurs, each with light up eyes and appropriate sound effects. Using the app kids can complete challenges to unlock new abilities and sounds. And if you have more than one dinosaur in the same house they can react to each other to make things even more lively. Age: 8+

Kano

Product: Harry Potter Coding Kit Price: $100 Description: British learn-to-code startup Kano has expanded its line this year with a co-branded, build-it-yourself wand linked to the fictional Harry Potter wizard series. The motion-sensitive e-product features a gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer and Bluetooth wireless so kids can use it to interact with coding content on-screen. The company offers 70-plus challenges for children to play wizard with, using wand gestures to manipulate digital content. Like many STEM toys it requires a tablet or desktop computer to work its digital magic (iOS and Android tablets are supported, as well as desktop PCs including Kano’s Computer Kit Touch, below) Age: 6+

Product: Computer Kit Touch Price: $280 Description: The latest version of Kano’s build-it-yourself Pi-powered kids’ computer. This year’s computer kit includes the familiar bright orange physical keyboard but now paired with a touchscreen. Kano reckons touch is a natural aid to the drag-and-drop, block-based learn-to-code systems it’s putting under kids’ fingertips here. Although its KanoOS Pi skin does support text-based coding too, and can run a wide range of other apps and programs — making this STEM device a fully fledged computer in its own right Age: 6-13

Lego

Product: Boost Creative Toolbox Price: $160 Description: Boost is Lego’s relatively recent foray into offering a simpler robotics and programming system aimed at younger kids vs its more sophisticated and expensive veteran Mindstorms creator platform (for 10+ year olds). The Boost Creative Toolbox is an entry point to Lego + robotics, letting kids build a range of different brick-based bots — all of which can be controlled and programmed via the companion app which offers an icon-based coding system.

Boost components can also be combined with other Lego kits to bring other not-electronic kits to life — such as its Stormbringer Ninjago Dragon kit (sold separately for $40). Ninjago + Boost means = a dragon that can walk and turn its head as if it’s about to breathe fire Age: 7-12

littleBits

Product: Avengers Hero Inventor Kit Price: $150 Description: This Disney co-branded wearable in kit form from the hardware hackers over at littleBits lets superhero-inspired kids snap together all sorts of electronic and plastic bits to make their own gauntlet from the Avengers movie franchise. The gizmo features an LED matrix panel, based on Tony Stark’s palm Repulsor Beam, they can control via companion app. There are 18 in-app activities for them to explore, assuming kids don’t just use amuse themselves acting out their Marvel superhero fantasies Age: 8+

It’s worth noting that littleBits has lots more to offer — so if bringing yet more Disney-branded merch into your home really isn’t your thing, check out its wide range of DIY electronics kits, which cater to various price points, such as this Crawly Creature Kit ($40) or an Electronic Music Inventor Kit ($100), and much more… No major movie franchises necessary

Makeblock

Product: Codey Rocky Price: $100 Description: Shenzhen-based STEM kit maker Makeblock crowdfunded this emotive, programmable bot geared towards younger kids on Kickstarter. There’s no assembly required, though the bot itself can transform into a wearable or handheld device for game playing, as Codey (the head) detaches from Rocky (the wheeled body).

Despite the young target age, the toy is packed with sophisticated tech — making use of deep learning algorithms, for example. While the company’s visual programming system, mBlock, also supports Python text coding, and allows kids to code bot movements and visual effects on the display, tapping into the 10 programmable modules on this sensor-heavy bot. Makeblock says kids can program Codey to create dot matrix animations, design games and even build AI and IoT applications, thanks to baked in support for voice, image and even face recognition… The bot has also been designed to be compatible with Lego bricks so kids can design and build physical add-ons too Age: 6+

Product: Airblock Price: $100 Description: Another programmable gizmo from Makeblock’s range. Airblock is a modular and programmable drone/hovercraft so this is a STEM device that can fly. Magnetic connectors are used for easy assembly of the soft foam pieces. Several different assembly configurations are possible. The companion app’s block-based coding interface is used for programming and controlling your Airblock creations Age: 8+

Ozobot

Product: Evo Price: $100 Description: This programmable robot has a twist as it can be controlled without a child always having to be stuck to a screen. The Evo’s sensing system can detect and respond to marks made by marker pens and stickers in the accompanying Experience Pack — so this is coding via paper plus visual cues.

There is also a digital, block-based coding interface for controlling Evo, called OzoBlockly (based on Google’s Blockly system). This has a five-level coding system to support a range of ages, from pre-readers (using just icon-based blocks), up to a ‘Master mode’ which Ozobot says includes extensive low-level control and advanced programming features Age: 9+

Pi-top

Product: Modular Laptop Price: $320 (with a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+), $285 without Description: This snazzy 14-inch modular laptop, powered by Raspberry Pi, has a special focus on teaching coding and electronics. Slide the laptop’s keyboard forward and it reveals a built in rail for hardware hacking. Guided projects designed for kids include building a music maker and a smart robot. The laptop runs pi-top’s learn-to-code oriented OS — which supports block-based coding programs like Scratch and kid-friendly wares like Minecraft Pi edition, as well as its homebrew CEEDUniverse: A Civilization style game that bakes in visual programming puzzles to teach basic coding concepts. The pi-top also comes with a full software suite of more standard computing apps (including apps from Google and Microsoft). So this is no simple toy. Not a new model for this year — but still a compelling STEM machine Age: 8+

Robo Wunderkind

Product: Starter Kit Price: $200 Description: Programmable robotics blocks for even very young inventors. The blocks snap together and are color-coded based on function so as to minimize instruction for the target age group. Kids can program their creations to do stuff like drive, play music, detect obstacles and more via a drag-and-drop coding interface in the companion Robo Code app. Another app — Robo Live — lets them control what they’ve built in real time. The physical blocks can also support Lego-based add-ons for more imaginative designs Age: 5+

Root Robotics

Product: Root Price: $200 Description: A robot that can sense and draw, thanks to a variety of on board sensors, battery-powered kinetic energy and its central feature: A built-in pen holder. Root uses spirographs as the medium for teaching STEM as kids get to code what the bot draws. They can also create musical compositions with a scan and play mode that turns Root into a music maker. The companion app offers three levels of coding interfaces to support different learning abilities and ages. At the top end it supports programming in Swift (with Python and JavaScript slated as coming soon). An optional subscription service offers access to additional learning materials and projects to expand Root’s educational value Age: 4+

Sphero

Product: Bolt Price: $150 Description: The app-enabled robot ball maker’s latest STEM gizmo. It’s still a transparent sphere but now has an 8×8 LED matrix lodged inside to expand the programmable elements. This colorful matrix can be programmed to display words, show data in real-time and offer game design opportunities. Bolt also includes an ambient light sensor, and speed and direction sensors, giving it an additional power up over earlier models. The Sphero Edu companion app supports drawing, Scratch-style block-based and JavaScript text programming options to suit different ages Age: 8+

Tech Will Save Us

Product: Range of coding, electronics and craft kits Price: From ~$30 up to $150 Description: A delightful range of electronic toys and coding kits, hitting various age and price-points, and often making use of traditional craft materials (which of course kids love). Examples include a solar powered moisture sensor kit ($40) to alert when a pot plant needs water; electronic dough ($35); a micro:bot add-on kit ($35) that makes use of the BBC micro:bit device (sold separately); and the creative coder kit ($70), which pairs block-based coding with a wearable that lets kids see their code in action (and reacting to their actions) Age: 4+, 8+, 11+ depending on kit

UBTech Robotics

Product: JIMU Robot BuilderBots Series: Overdrive Kit Price: $120 Description: More snap-together, codable robot trucks that kids get to build and control. These can be programmed either via posing and recording, or using Ubtech’s drag-and-drop, block-based Blockly coding program. The Shenzhen-based company, which has been in the STEM game for several years, offers a range of other kits in the same Jimu kit series — such as this similarly priced UnicornBot and its classic MeeBot Kit, which can be expanded via the newer Animal Add-on Kit Age: 8+

Wonder Workshop

Product: Dot Creativity Kit Price: $80 Description: San Francisco-based Wonder Workshop offers a kid-friendly blend of controllable robotics and DIY craft-style projects in this entry-level Dot Creativity Kit. Younger kids can play around and personalize the talkative connected device. But the startup sells a trio of chatty robots all aimed at encouraging children to get into coding. Next in line there’s Dash ($150), also for 6+ year olds. Then Cue ($200) for 11+. The startup also has a growing range of accessories to expand the bots’ (programmable) functionality — such as this Sketch Kit ($40) which adds a few arty smarts to Dash or Cue.

With Dot, younger kids play around using a suite of creative apps to control and customize their robot and tap more deeply into its capabilities, with the apps supporting a range of projects and puzzles designed to both entertain them and introduce basic coding concepts. Age: 6+

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8204425 https://ift.tt/2DqStGy via IFTTT

#IFTTT #RSSMix.com Mix ID 8204425

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theinvinciblenoob · 6 years ago

Link

The holiday season is here again, touting all sorts of kids’ toys that pledge to pack ‘STEM smarts’ in the box, not just the usual battery-based fun.

For a little DIY STEM learning inspiration read this wonderful childhood memoir by TechCrunch’s very own John Biggs — a self-confessed STEM toy sceptic.

Adafruit Kits

[inline-ads]

Anki

Dash Robotics

Kano

Lego

littleBits

Makeblock

Ozobot

Pi-top

Robo Wunderkind

Root Robotics

Sphero

Tech Will Save Us

UBTech Robotics

Wonder Workshop

via TechCrunch

#IFTTT #TechCrunch

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fmservers · 6 years ago

Text

The ultimate guide to gifting STEM toys: tons of ideas for little builders

The holiday season is here again, touting all sorts of kids’ toys that pledge to pack ‘STEM smarts’ in the box, not just the usual battery-based fun.

For a little DIY STEM learning inspiration read this wonderful childhood memoir by TechCrunch’s very own John Biggs — a self-confessed STEM toy sceptic.

Adafruit Kits

[inline-ads]

Anki

Dash Robotics

Kano

Lego

littleBits

Makeblock

Ozobot

Pi-top

Robo Wunderkind

Root Robotics

Sphero

Tech Will Save Us

UBTech Robotics

Wonder Workshop

Via Natasha Lomas https://techcrunch.com

#TechCrunch

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eurolinguiste · 8 years ago

Link

With new apps and online communities sprouting up everyday, there are an endless number of resources to choose from to learn almost any language. You can also connect more easily than ever with native speakers around the world. It’s often easier to feel overwhelmed by the different resources out there than it is to struggle to find them.

Even so, if you’re looking for a way (or an additional way) to make language learning a part of your day, here’s a list of 100+ ways to do just that.

They’re organized by the skills they help you build to help make choosing the right tools easy!

100+ Ways to Learn a New Language

There are essentially four different aspects of language learning – reading, comprehension, speaking, and writing. There are resources that cover all four of these skills, but there are also those that focus one one or two of the aforementioned.

Getting Started

Use a to-do app to keep your language tasks organized and keep track of your “path goals”. // Path goals are the steps you take to ultimate achieve your “vision goals” (your big, long-term goals). You can read more about goal setting in this post.

Join #CleartheList to keep accountable with a fun group of learners. // We share our goals each month and encourage one another.

Set specific times for various study tasks. // For example, use your commutes to listen to audio. Do a round of flashcards while you’re brushing your teeth or waiting for your lunch to heat up in the microwave. Use your lunch break for an online lesson or some course book study.

Commit to just five minutes per day. // It adds up quicker than you might think!

Download an app to your mobile device so that you always have something with you. // You can check out the recommendations below, but I personally love Duolingo, Memrise, and LingQ.

Attend a language webinar or live Q&A. // These are fantastic, free online classes that are offered by language bloggers. One of my favorite live Q&A vloggers is Benny Lewis of Fluent in 3 Months.

Take an online language course. // There are tons of great courses online both free and paid. Some of my favourites are Language Routine Mastery, Language Habit Toolkit, and of course, Say Goodbye to Shy, as well as my new free 7-day email course The Busy Language Learner.

A Few Quick & Easy Tasks

Sometimes it’s just about getting your systems into place, preparing for your actual study and building some momentum. When this is the case, here are a few quick tasks you can complete when you only have a moment, but need or want to do something.

Create a “things to check out list” // That way you can focus on whatever you’re using now, but don’t forget about the other resources that look interesting to you when you decide you’re ready for them.

Open your coursebook to the next lesson // And if you’re feeling ambitious, read the first page. There’s a good chance you won’t stop there.

Look up a word you’ve been wanting to know // This can be a word in your native language that you want to translate into your target language, or a word you heard/read in your target language that you want to look up in your native language.

Make a list of words to look up later // Same rules apply as above.

Create an account on a language learning platform you’ve been meaning to use. // It can be iTalki, HelloTalk, LingQ, Lang-8, the Innovative Languages courses, Lingoda, Baselang, Rhinospike, you name it…

Send a message to a potential language exchange partner

Distill a page of an old language notebook // This is where you go through an old notebook and copy the words you still don’t know (but find useful) into your new notebook.

Find an article that explains something you’re currently struggling with in your target language. // For me, this was this post on the in subjunctive Spanish.

Read an article from a language blogger on how to learn languages. // Some suggestions are: Fluent in 3 Months, I Will Teach You a Language, Lindsay Does Languages, Fluent Language, Actual Fluency, French Lover, etc. And of course, the blog you’re already reading, Eurolinguiste.

Join a Facebook group // There are tons of lovely Facebook groups that are either language specific or just general groups of fellow language learners.

Do Some Math // Numbers can be tricky in a foreign language. They’re not easy to pull up or understand right away and we sometimes end up doing more translating and mental counting than needed. It can really slow you down. Practice some basic maths in your target language to get more comfortable with numbers.

Grab one of my 100+ Conversational Words & Phrases Worksheets // So far I have them for Korean, Chinese, French, Italian, and Croatian.

Learn super helpful phrases in your target language // Like: “How do you say ___ in ___ language?” or “Can you repeat that?” or “Can you say that differently?” or “What is ___ in English?” or “Please say it again slowly”.

A Little Bit of Everything

Duolingo // This is a fun and popular language learning app that is available for a variety of languages. You can complete a lesson in just a few minutes, whether at home or on the go.

Assimil // Assimil is my favourite course book series. They have a much wider selection of material available for French speakers, but what they have for English speakers is pretty great as well (if more limited).

Attend a Gathering or Conference // Even if you are not a polyglot (or don’t consider yourself one), I’ve heard good things about each of the language events around the globe. I will actually be a speaker at the upcoming Montréal Lang Fest and it would be incredible to see you there!

Start a Challenge // Like Lindsay Does Languages’ IGLC. Or Benny Lewis’s Speak in a Week.

Visit a Museum or Monument // Whenever M and I travel, I try to pick up the brochures in my target languages and opt for the tours offered in other languages (if available). On our most recent trip to the Getty Museum I had fun reading about the history of the museum in every language but English.

Watch Language Lessons on Youtube // There are a ton of great educational channels available on Youtube. Some of my favorites for Mandarin include Yoyo Chinese and Chinese with Mike. Just do a bit of searching to find videos in your language!

Use a Language Program // There are both free and paid programs to help you with your language learning including: Busuu, Rosetta Stone, Babbel, Rocket Languages et al.

Teach Someone Else // One of the best ways to ingrain a skill (or just better understand it) is through the act of teaching someone else. I began to understand German grammar better when I had to explain it to my father and my tones improved as I started to teach M words in Mandarin.

Start Using FluentU // I was contacted by FluentU a while back to test out their platform and I was impressed. It is a tool I really wish I used more. They also have an incredible blog for each of the languages they feature.

Play Games // If you’re at a beginning level, card games are a great place to start as are word games. Board games can be fun (if you have friends to play with), as can video games (whether online community based or just foreign language versions of games). I play my favorite Nintendo games in Mandarin and I know other language learners who play online games like WOW in their target languages.

Take an In-Person Class // But don’t allow yourself to become one of those students who does the bare minimum to succeed. Take an active interest in learning the language and use the class as a launching point.

Bust Out Your Phrasebook // And learn phrases rather than individual vocab words. My personal favorite phrasebooks are this one from Tuttle, this one from Assimil and the Lonely Planet Series.

For Advanced Learners: Take a Free Online Language-Specific Class in Your Target Language // Instead of taking a class on your language, take a class in your language. MIT and Coursera offer several courses in other languages for free online.

Try out Glossika // This is another course that offers elements of reading and listening.

Use Forvo to hear how things sound // This is a great online dictionary for tons of languages with audio.

Submit something to Rhinospike // And get it recorded by a native speaker so you can hear how it sounds. Be sure to reciprocate for someone else!

Travel to the Country // Not for everyone – it can be pretty expensive. But it is an option if you have the means.

Reading & Writing

Graded Readers // McGraw-Hill puts out a great series of easy readers. For those of you unfamiliar with the term “graded reader”, read this.

Native Language Books // What better way to improve your French reading comprehension than by reading classic French texts like Le Petit Prince or L’Etranger? The same can be said for any great literature in any language.

Use LingQ // LingQ is honestly my favourite app for language learning right now because it combines one of my favorite things (reading) with vocabulary study. You can use the content they already have available or you can important your own reading material.

If your language has a different writing system, learn it.

Translations of Your Favorite Books // Like Game of Thrones or Harry Potter? Why don’t you read it in your target language rather than in your native language? If that’s too hard, there are tons of children’s books available to choose from! Dr. Seuss and even some Disney stories are available in a wide selection of languages.

Memrise // Memrise is an incredible online resource and my favourite way to learn new vocabulary.

Flashcards // You can either make your own or use pre-made cards like those made by Flashsticks. Or you can go with digital Flashcards like Antosch & Lin or Anki.

Label Objects in Your House // Make up sticky notes (or use Flashsticks) to label objects in your house to help you build up your day-to-day vocabulary. If you don’t want to overwhelm your loved ones, do it one room at a time.

Textbooks // I particularly like the material that Tuttle puts out. Assimil is another of my favorites.

Keep a Language Journal // It’s a great way to hang on to all the awesome things you’ve learned, review them, and look back at where you were at a few months back.

Free write in your target language // Just because or to submit for corrections.

Translation from Your Target Language // Bust out a target language document and your dictionary and get to work with this old school way to learn a language. In addition to translating the document, I like to keep a second notebook on hand to make notes on the information that is new to me and that I’d like to retain.

Translation into Your Target Language // This is a bit harder than translating from your target language into your native language. So if you want to up your translation skills, this is definitely a good activity.

Change the Language Settings on Your Devices // You can set the language of your phone or computer in your target language, and there are tons of other ways to get inventive with this option. Heck, even my car is set in one of the languages I’m learning (I changed the radio/control panel language in the settings) as is my gaming system.

Change the Language Settings on Your Social Media Accounts // This sometimes needs to be done separately from the device itself.

Check Out the Ethnic Foods Section of Your Local Grocery Store // Learn the ingredients of the foods you eat!

The Instructions and Ingredients on the Backs of Products You Buy // I’ve done this forever with my shampoo bottles. Now that I’m learning Mandarin, I’ve even started doing it with the tags on my clothes and the instructions for everything I buy. Since I do most of my shopping at the local Chinese market, I end up with tons of material to learn from.

Go to the Library // No need to spend money you might be able to save by checking out the language section at your local library.

Write a script // Scripts are great exercises because they really offer you the chance to focus in on a specific subject and learn the vocabulary and grammar you need just for that topic.

Newspapers and/or Magazines // Whenever I travel, I try to pickup newspapers in my target language. Even if I don’t use them then, I can save them for when I have time.

Make Friends with Your Dictionary // Open up to a random page and learn a new word. Make a list of words you’d like to know, look them up, and create a new flashcard set or vocab list like this. I also like Language Surfer‘s advice on this technique.

Use Readlang // I only just discovered this tool and I’m going to have to add it to my arsenal of study tools.

Use Lang-8 or iTalki‘s Journal Tool to Write // These sites offer your the opportunity to write in your target language and have it corrected by a native speaker. It doesn’t cost anything, but be kind and reciprocate. Correct another language learner in your native language too.

Find a Website Available in Multiple Languages // Open your target language and your native language in two different windows and do a comparison. Take notes. Wikipedia is a great starting point.

Install your Language’s Keyboard on your Phone or Computer // I use my Chinese keyboard to type emojis – it forces me to remember the words for different moods and objects.

Read a Comic // Who says you need to read text-only books anyway?

Focus on Grammar // If you grammar needs some brushing up, spend some time reviewing or learning. Most older language learning texts are great for this as are the Teach Yourself series.

Participate in the Language Reading Challenge!

Grab a guide // My favorites are the Why X is Easy series for French, German, Italian, Spanish, English, and Chinese. Or the Master Japanese and Master Chinese books.

Speaking & Comprehension

Pimsleur // Try a free lesson.

Skype Lessons // If you’re not sure where to find a tutor, iTalki is my favourite platform for connecting with excellent teachers. I’ve also enjoyed Baselang (for Spanish) and Lingoda (for Spanish, German, and French).

Language Exchanges with Native Speakers

Language Exchanges with Others Learning the Same Language // Don’t just rely on native speakers to help you practice your target language. Partner up with others who are learning the same language as you! Lindsay and I did this for Korean and it was a great way to keep accountable.

Converse with Friends

Read Aloud // You know those books I mentioned above? Use those to work on both your reading comprehension and speaking abilities by reading aloud.

Podcasts // There are so many incredible and FREE podcasts available in a wide range of languages. The Innovative language series like RussianPod101, SpanishPod101, JapanesePod101, ChineseClass101, etc.

Listen to the radio // If you’re ready for it, you can dive into native language radio programs, or you can try out something like News in Slow French/Spanish or Slow Chinese.

Conversations with Yourself // It can be intimidating trying to converse with a native speaker for the first time, so why not get some practice in on your own first?

Audiobooks // This is great for those of you that spend a good amount of time in the car. Why listen to “The Three Musketeers” when you can enjoy “Les Trois Mousquetaires”? The great thing about most players too is that you can slow them down!

Find a Restaurant in Your Area // Get some practice in ordering and conversing in your target language.

Record Yourself Speaking // This is a learning technique that I’ve used often in music and that can certainly carry over into language. One of the best ways to improve your pronunciation and speaking abilities are to record yourself and listen back. You’ll definitely hear mistakes you didn’t even know you were making!

Go to a Cultural Event in Your Area // About a year ago I went to an Italian heritage festival hosted by a neighboring city with my parents. It was a great opportunity for me to brush up on my Italian, enjoy delicious food, make new friends, and hear a variety of Italian music (everything from opera to pop).

Start a Vlog // Record yourself speaking in your target language and share it on Instagram (like I do) or on Youtube.

Watch Commercials on Youtube // They are short and some even have captions. They’re a great way to get bite-size language exposure.

Watch a Movies or TV Show with Subtitles // If you’re looking for something a little more involved try graduating up to television shows or movies.

Watch a Movie or TV Show without Subtitles // Even if you don’t understand everything, this can be a great way to push your comprehension or get a better feel for what level you’re at.

Watch an Overdubbed Version of Your Favorite Movie // Try watching it with and without subtitles. You already know the plot and can probably remember a good chunk of the dialog.

Watch a movie or tv show that is more than one language // This is a little less intense than watching an entire series or movie in a foreign language. One of my favourites for Russian is The Americans. You can really have fun with this and even use it to learn a conlang like Dothraki by watching Game of Thrones. Hey, it’s all in the name of learning a language!

Listen to Music in Your Target Language // Spotify has a great collection of music to choose from although some artists have blocked certain countries. I also use Kougu which is the Chinese equivalent of Pandora (and oddly enough, they have a French language channel). I have also started playlists for the languages I’m learning that you can checkout on my YouTube channel.

Work on Pronunciation // Focus on properly pronouncing your language’s alphabet or combinations of sounds (for example tones in Mandarin). Really break it down so that you can work on just creating the right sounds. This is especially crucial if the language you are learning has sounds that don’t exist in your native language.

Record yourself // You can record one of your lessons or exchanges, or even your monologue. Be sure to listen back!

Learn different interjections an onomatopoetic expressions. // These are fun ways to sound more “native”.

Focus on learning conversation connectors. // These are great tools to give yourself the chance to think and segue into new topics. Anthony Lauder has a fantastic list for Czech. You can use it as a basis to translate into your target language.

Bonus

I like to think that learning about the cultures associated with the languages you’re learning as a bonus to developing your ability and attachment to what you’re studying. Consider the following:

Read a Book About the History of Your Language // Or about the group of languages to which yours belongs (i.e. Slavic languages rather than Croatian).

Read a Book About the History of One of the Countries Where Your Language is Spoken // It can be a general history, one on a specific time period or specific movement. Whatever interests you.

Read a Book About the Experience Someone Had Moving to or Traveling Through a Country Where Your Target Language is Spoken // This is a great way to get an outside perspective.

Learn to Cook a Local Dish // Double bonus if you can cook it using the recipe in your target language rather than a translated recipe!

Take a Look at a Map and Learn About the Major Cities // Use a map to pinpoint the larger cities and look them up. Don’t cheat and Google “large cities in XYZ country.” Get familiar with your country’s geography and where the major cities are located.

Learn About Some of the Holidays Unique to the Country Where Your Language is Spoken // Double bonus if you can find a celebration in your area and attend!

Don’t go looking for something if you don’t have a problem. // I don’t know what it is about language learning that leads to us hoarding resources, but there is definitely something. Perhaps it’s in thinking that we’ll be more thorough or that a new resource will solve a problem for us, or who knows. I’ve recently adapted a more minimalist approach to language learning, so I only bring a new resource in when I have a problem my current resources don’t solve.

Learn some of the common hand gestures or body language used by those who speak your target language. // There are some infographics like this, but watching movies or tv shows is another great way to do this.

Take a course that teaches you how to be a better learner overall // Like the Learning How to Learn course on Coursera or Scott Young’s Rapid Learner course.

I’m tackling some of the items on this list of 100+ ways to learn a language from @eurolinguistesk… Click To Tweet

I hope to continue building out this list, so if you think there are any techniques I’ve missed, please feel free to share in the comments. I look forward to hearing from you!

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