Category: Geekitude

Someone made an AI version of the first episode of Robotech.

It’s interesting to see, but sometimes feels a little too “uncanny valley” for me. What I would really like is if they could do for Robotech what Space Battleship Yamato 2199 did for the original. Better animation and deeper story.

This little gadget came in a couple of weeks ago. Why did I want it? Because I write on my phone while we’re out and about, and the touch keyboard on my phone blocks a good third of the screen. I’d like to have more real estate when I’m writing. Plus, this was a spare battery pack.

So, it arrives.

It looks nifty. It’s thinner than I expected. It fits on the back of the phone using the mag charger and the keyboard slides down for me to use it.

Okay, let’s start with the biggest drawbacks. It’s a bit unwieldy with the keyboard slid out. The keys are small and can be difficult to type. It doesn’t automatically charge the phone – you have to “engage” the battery.

All that being said, after a couple of weeks, I do like having it. It does what I want it to do, but I’m still getting used to tapping away with it. It’s thin enough to slip in my pocket.

Would I recommend it after a couple of weeks? Well, that depends. I wouldn’t recommend it for someone who just wants physical keys over touch keys. I would recommend it for someone like me who needs use of as much of the screen as possible.

And I’ll try to check back in March to see how it’s been after six months.

First it was Dolly Parton. Or as I remarked to a coworker, Saint Dolly, patron saint of Appalachia.

Then it was Tim Curry.

And then Peter Cullen. Which is going to put a different spin on watching Optimus die when I go see the 40th anniversary of the ’86 movie.

Just damn. What a week.

Best comment, which I heartily endorse: “I was there in ’86, I will be there in ’26.”

A trio of videos that came across my transom and felt the need to share.

First, Hasbro is continuing their marketing push for the 40th anniversary of Transformers: The Movie with a revamped soundtrack. And they released the updated version of “The Touch.” Honestly, it’s not bad, but I prefer the original.

Second is a very funny song for my D&D/Pathfinder friends.

You have that friend that’s gone on to do some very nifty things? Yeah, Ben McSweeney is that friend for me. Here’s a good talk with Ben and his boss, Brandon Sanderson.

Last weekend, The Wife, BIL, and me went to go see the new Star Wars film. Of course, there was the slew of social media posts about how bad this Star Wars film was going to be, yadda, yadda, yadda.

The TLDR is that I enjoyed myself. It was definitely a damn good action flick with decent fight choreography with comedy interspersed to relieve the tension. Plenty of Easter eggs for those of us who have followed the movies and television series. I’m sure there were some that even slipped past me.

It really felt like the Disney folks took the next season of The Mandalorian and condensed it down to 140 minutes. Which meant certain parts felt draggy where if we had full episodes, it would be more satisfying.

I will admit that I am not a great movie critic, but I know what I like. And I liked The Mandalorian and Grogu.

Last fall, I found out that Takara Tomy was releasing a “re-imagined” version of the Legioss fighter from Genesis Climber Mospeada – which was one of the series that made up Robotech. The Legioss was renamed the Alpha fighter in Robotech, and I was always partial to it. The re-imagined one is pretty close to the original with enough updates to make it look like the next version.

Then, they came out with an ELINT version. Which I’ve always liked the veritechs converted to ELINT versions.

The Wife and I discussed, and we agreed that I could order the ELINT. So, I went to my dealer of choice and found out they just released a heavy weapons version. Yeah, The Wife encouraged me to get both. So, this fall should be interesting.