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The Rave Raffe Lives!
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Seeing with my own eyes at the Maker Faire!
Hey gang!

We're at the make faire, and I can SEE!!! They put web cameras in my eyes and now you can log into this address and see what I can see!

http://giraffe.1337robotics.com/webcam.php

The interface will not always be online, but at various times during the next two days, if you log in, you'll see live images updating in my left eye. We hope to have both my eyes operational soon.

Stay tuned for more updates on appearences and hardware updates! In the meantime, we're going to have as much fun at the faire as we can! Hope to see some of you there!

Current Location: Maker Faire
Current Mood: awake
Current Music: Ten Madison

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Giraffe in the San Jose news
NBC11 just ran a news segment featuring my muzzle on TV!

http://www.nbc11.com/news/15893752/detail.html

It was a bit tongue in cheek and silly, but we're all having fun here. Today I got to walk around outside, and the next two days will be spent indoors in my own little area, blinking my LED lights and taking it easy. We'll have pictures up later this week.

Current Location: San Jose
Current Mood: contemplative

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Back in the heart of Silicon Valley!
Hello there!

I am on the road again, this time up to San Jose to attend an embedded computer system trade show on behalf of Kontron Computers! They have graciously decided to support me and my need for computer horsepower by paying us to be there and represent their name in the industry. The company is very enthusiastic and made T-shirts for us and everything!

Things were touch and go at first, with a very hard to please fire marshal who was not as taken with me as everyone else seems to be. But in the end he agreed to let me be there and even walk around to some degree. So, we’re on for the show! NBC is supposed to be there in the morning, so I might end up on the local news at some point as well!

Wish me luck, this is my big break into the world of hard core computer horsepower, exactly what I need to become more intelligent in the future!

Pictures of the event to follow!

Raffe

Current Location: San Jose
Current Mood: excited

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Giraffe in North County times again. Best of 2007 article!
Hello Gang!

I got featured with my creator in a "Best of 2007" article in the North County Times!


Lindsay Lawlor (June 2007)

Escondido's Lindsay Lawlor, whose electronic giraffe was featured in the North County Times earlier this year, has continued to add to his creation and has more in store for his 17-foot tall robotic friend.

After returning with the giraffe from the annual Burning Man festival last summer, Lawlor added bright red, yellow, green and blue LEDs to create glowing spots on the robot's body. He also doubled its walking speed from its original half-mile an hour and rebuilt its hydraulic-control system to make it complete maneuverability.

"I don't have to get off and turn him around," he said. "He can turn on a dime. We've motivated his feet a little more with drive motors so he can actually just roll around as well as walk."

The robotic giraffe recently was featured on the Discovery Channel in Canada, and Lawlor's proudest moment may have been Dec. 1, when he rode it during the Ocean Beach Christmas Parade. Unsure whether the Escondido parade would be rained out the same day, Lawlor said he picked Ocean Beach because it is his home town.

"He went down Newport Avenue, and the crowds went ballistic," he said. "I've never been subjected to that much roaring from people. It was just amazing."

Lawlor won the top award in the best-individual entry category.

He next plans to add more artificial intelligence to the giraffe so people with wireless devices can communicate with him as he works the controls.

"The giraffe will graze on the frontiers of technology," he said.

Lawlor said several schools are interested in visits from the giraffe, and he hopes to create lessons about robotics and actual giraffes for the visits.

The giraffe's next public appearance will be 6 to 9 p.m. Jan. 12 at Ray at Night, held the second Saturday of each month in North Park, San Diego. The event is held on Ray Street, just north of University Avenue.

---- Staff writer Gary Warth

Current Location: Hanging out in the rain. Bleah!
Current Mood: chipper
Current Music: (censored) muwahahaha!!!

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We're back, and on the Discovery Channel in Canada!
Hello gang!

Well, my creators and I have been really busy with all sorts of upgrades to my lighting and propulsion systems. I’ve been very lax in reporting to you all these changes, and we’ll get caught up in them soon enough.

So for now, here’s the Discovery Channel’s interview with myself and Lindsay which aired only in Canada this past month. Hopefully the USA affiliate will pick up on us and show us in our own home country! But for now, here we are in canuckyland!!!

http://electricgiraffe.com/NewImagesandVideo/ElectricGiraffeDailyPlanet.asf

The .asf file could be a little weird for some players. I suggest a neat little player called "VLC player". It’s easy to find on the net and plays nearly every file I’ve ever thrown at it.

The Discovery Channel is going to send me a DVD, from which we can make various files in various formats so that everyone can see this show on any machine. So, if this one gives you difficulties, no worries, we’ll have others soon and in higher resolution!

Raffe

Current Location: Roaming Mars, looking for Beagle.
Current Mood: ecstatic
Current Music: Terra Nine

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I has a video
Phil, aka "Foofers" made a video of me at the Make Faire! It's time lapse even!

"Giraffeqatsi"

http://electricgiraffe.com/~grevydude/NewImagesandVideo/Giraffeqatsi.mov

Hee!

Current Location: Back Yard
Current Mood: chipper

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Wheee! We're on TV! (Not that I watch any...hummm)
Wow! I’m being sent the video clips from the Maker Faire by the people who interviewed my creator!

I hope someday to conduct my own independent interviews with my own free running on board computer!

In the mean time, enjoy these great video clips of the Faire and all the wonderful things to see there!

CBS “Good Morning America” show:

http://cachefly.oreilly.com/make/makerfaire_cbs.mp4

CNET Interview and Show highlights:

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9723450-1.html?part=rss&subj=Crave

ON10 Interview. Exclusive full length Interview!

http://www.on10.net/Blogs/laura/maker-fair-electric-giraffe/

There’s a few more out there that might roll in, but this is what I’ve been sent for now, along with lots of Flikr site images.

Stay tuned for news about the new website that is coming soon, plus news about new features and upgrades to myself!

Russell_Raffe

Current Location: Lindsay's Back Yard
Current Mood: cheerful
Current Music: Batteries Bubbling

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I have a new name!
After the success on saturday, my owner decided on a new name for me to use on sunday! He liked it so much he stuck it into my speech center and I told everyone my new name when they petted my nose!

Hahahaaa…someone is SO going to kick my owner in the butt for this one!

*videos*

http://www.electricgiraffe.com/NewImagesandVideo/make2007/P5190044.MOV

http://www.electricgiraffe.com/NewImagesandVideo/make2007/P5190045.MOV

http://www.electricgiraffe.com/NewImagesandVideo/make2007/P5190046.MOV

*Pictures*

http://www.electricgiraffe.com/NewImagesandVideo/make2007/make2007-02a.jpg

http://www.electricgiraffe.com/NewImagesandVideo/make2007/make2007-05a.jpg

http://www.electricgiraffe.com/NewImagesandVideo/make2007/make2007-09a.jpg

http://www.electricgiraffe.com/NewImagesandVideo/make2007/make2007-11a.jpg

Anyway, I had a great time seeing all the kids and me getting to talk to them for the first time. Now I’m tired and back home in San Diego for more repairs and upgrades.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: sleepy
Current Music: Pete Namlook

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Oh how I torture my owner! (And make good on race day)
Well...

I have no idea what Lindsay was thinking, changing out my main drive motor for a newer untested device. Needless to say when I suffered total heart failure on friday just before the big Make Faire, my old drive motor was 450 miles away down in San Diego on the garage floor! I have one thing to say about that to him. "You big dummy!"

So, with my chest still smoking from the burnout, Lindsay and Phil and all his friends started a frantic search in San Francisco to find me another drive motor. It was a long and scary wait, but soon they returned and drilled holes in me to mount the new one. Though this replacement is not as powerful as the original, it's definitely working out just fine and I really like it. It's so nice in fact that when I'm sitting idle, you can't tell the motor is even turned on! Whrrrrrrrr...ahhhhh.

And so, with much glee I was allowed to take off and wander about the Maker Faire, and be petted and fussed over my scores of kids and adults. Oh, as I wandered out of the building, I passed right by BRAF, the Black Rock Arts Foundation, where Lindsay proudly presented me to them and asked if he could apply for an art grant! Talk about the hard sell! Here was the art he was soliciting, standing right in view! They seemed quite taken with me and I think I'm going to try and give some of them a ride tommorow.

So, today was a very good day for everyone, Lindsay included. Now I sleep with my new batteries being charged up overnight. Goodnight everyone and I hope to see some of you tommorow.

Hummmmmmmmmmzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Current Location: Make Faire 2007
Current Mood: rejuvenated
Current Music: Hummmmahhhhhhhh.

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I can talk! Just in time for the Maker Faire!
Hello there!

It’s been a while since you’ve heard from me, but I’ve been undergoing a face lift!

I can talk now, and I have new ears and petting sensors mounted in my nose and eye brows! All this works because of the Make Controller that Make Magazine donated to my creator, Lindz!

Russell Pinnington in the UK is the one who programmed up my brain, and I currently speak with Lindz’s voice, though I’ve already told him I want my own computer-eez voice sometime soon!

In the meantime, check out my new looks and operation in these two video clips! The Maker Faire is going to be a blast and I can’t wait to see everyone there!

Enjoy these sneak peek videos!

http://www.electricgiraffe.com/NewImagesandVideo/inthewild1.MOV

http://www.electricgiraffe.com/NewImagesandVideo/talkinghead1.MOV

Current Location: Escondido
Current Mood: giddy
Current Music: BlueTech

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Name: rave_raffe
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