Go to Making Light's front page.
Forward to next post: If the President Does It It Isn’t Illegal
Subscribe (via RSS) to this post's comment thread. (What does this mean? Here's a quick introduction.)
I'll see your Roomba costumes and raise you a dozen cats with stuff on them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n23_IsU4Uic Shamu on the kayak.
That's something my mother would do, make a slipcover for a roomba...
Roomba costumes are probably the subject of fetish porn in Japan.
When my old roommate and I introduced our new kittens to the Roomba, we used to say that you should be able to get little kitty costumes for Roombas with a ball on a spring for the tail, to excercise the cats while cleaning the floor. It still sounds like a good idea to me, possible Roomba-breaking accidents involving overly enthusiastic cats aside.
I want a roomba! In fact I wanted one for christmas. *glares at santa claus*
I just sent that to three Roomba owners. Therefore I may laugh, but if I sneer, I deserve to be slapped.
Dang. That was supposed to be a Particle. Oh well.
Bwahahahaha! That's hysterical. As if our Roomba wasn't already frightening enough to our cat AND our parrot... ;D Thank you for the giggle!
I think all particles should have their own threads.
hm....
Come to think of it, I think all wavelets should have their own yarn.
What? No dalek costume? I am a bit disapointed.
I second the call for a Dalek costume. If one existed I'd probably even buy a Roomba, simply for the nerd fun value.
I am a roomba. Exterminate. Exterminate.
I've wanted a roomba for some time. Now. I want one even more.
Since the Roomba needs to go under furniture (if it doesn't, it comes to believe that it is failing in its task and becomes despondent) either you would need very high furniture or a very short Dalek suit. Though if you could get the deadly plunger to work, it would be a Boon to Mankind, when it wasn't trying to conquer the universe.
The Short Squat Dalek's* voice chip would of course contain such phrases as "We represent the Exterminating Guild," "One more jelly baby and I hurl," and "Oh [bleep,] stairs again."
One would think there would be a ladybug costume for the critter. One of the Martian war machines from the Gene Barry movie (possibly with a waggling heatray arm) would also be dandy, especially with green LED wingtip lights.
Roomba: because your cat doesn't vacuum.
*Not, so far as I know, a children's book, I'm not sure why not, though. Like The Velveteen Shoggoth.
Since the Roomba needs to go under furniture (if it doesn't, it comes to believe that it is failing in its task and becomes despondent) either you would need very high furniture or a very short Dalek suit.
I'd put up with un-vacuumed-under furniture.
Either that, or I'd put the sofa on blocks...
"I'd put the sofa on blocks..."
What the heck, a hydraulic lift sounds good, like in that television commercial for some product I can't think of, but which has chairs that fold up and sink below (or flush with) the floor.
Roomba costumes are probably the subject of fetish porn in Japan.
Only for the very hippest people; the rest are still reading about dinosaur sodomy....
I would Google on "hot Roomba on Dyson action," but I might find something.
I'm no luddite, but this makes me kind of sad.
completely unrelated, but i thought this would be of interest to you (and your readers):
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/05/books/review/05itzkoff.html?_r=1&8hpib&oref=slogin
Finally! A topic I know something about. I'm a Roomba owner. My Roomba is in charge of keeping the cat hair situation in the living room under (some) control between serious vacuuming events. I've collected a few Roomba related links.
A site all about Roomba - with reviews, hacks and a chat forum: http://roombareview.com/
Then there's the Roomba cam: http://www.vacuumcleanerlive.com/
Finally, Roomba on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtB3dqALtkM
Dawno's Roomba: http://tinyurl.com/mjc8j
I have a friend who has a Roomba. She's very attached to it. I must go and see if they have Star Trek uniforms for Roombas, now.
Title: "Roomba costumes." My first thought: people dressing up as Roombas. And it ain't even Halloween.
Dawno -- how could you have missed the ultimate Roomba story? (Caution: swallow and put drink down \before/ clicking this link.)
Up until this morning I'd been unaware that Roombas even existed.
That's what comes of living in the sticks.
Matt:
I'm no luddite, but this makes me kind of sad.
But why? It gets dust off floors. It keeps cat hair under control. The chip inside it is lower-tech, lower-powered, and stupider than the chip in the My Real Baby.
I mean, I believe in preserving old technology and crafts, which is why I spin and knit and bake bread (in a wood stove when I can), but I also appreciate the tech. that means I don't have to spin my own yarn, knit my own stockings, or build a fire before I can bake the bread.
And I hate, loathe, and revile vacuuming. I'll be happy to see the vacuum become an outmoded tool of interest only to old-tech preservationists and vacuum fetishists.
Viva la Roomba!
Mac - the SO won't let me dress Rudy up or I'd already have posted the pic of him in his ensign uniform.
CHip - Thank you so much! That link goes in my blog.
Jim - the robot revolution is at hand.
jennie - viva!
Rudy the Roomba is jealous today, I'll be bringing in the Dyson Animal for the weekly cleaning. He always sulks when I do that.
*headsmack* Dawno...you were the friend I was talking about.
I might have known you'd already have it covered.
Once again, I'm forced to note that I'm not a good enough housekeeper to have a Roomba. Although the costume thing makes me want one. Perhaps dressed up as a quarter. Or the bubble-head of Robbie the Robot. :-(
Where can I find a CGI model of a Roomba?
You can, incidentally, get a radio-controlled Dalek. Whi I was a kid, you had to make do with cardboard.
The ultimate reply to Cats in Costumes.
Would these costumes also work on curling stones?
Otto, the Roomba is about 14" in diameter - is that the size of a curling stone? Somehow, I just can't imagine anyone curling with a stone covered in a green felt frog or Jersey cow costume.
What impressed me is that the company is run by kids. When I was that age, I think a paper route was still some years in my future.
I dunno, I still prefer this cats-vs-Roomba epic, which was later illustrated in several installments.
Julie, that's a fun story. Thanks for the link. Makes me wonder though, doesn't anyone with a dog own a Roomba? Maybe they just don't blog about it. Seems all Roomba vs. Pet stories are about cats. In the spirit of full disclosure, I, too, am a cat owner and it's cat hair control that I primarily bought it for. I wonder if iRobot has done a survey.
Cripes, our dog goes nuts with the regular vacuum (tries to bite it, including the hose). I can't imagine what it would do to one that wasn't attached to a human...
Between that and the cats who have to bolt around the room to escape the evil sucking-machine-o-death, I think we'll have to pass on the Roomba idea. (All that being said, I do know a Roomba owner personally...and it's not you, Dawno)
iRobot's newest product is the Scooba. It washes floors.
Try this one on your cats.
Roomba -- vacuums floors
Scooba -- washes floors
Loomba -- reweaves carpeting
Doomba -- eats dropped rings and other jewelry
Voomba -- cleans everything really fast, but requires a Cat in a Hat
Looba -- cleans bathrooms
Grooba -- creates mass havoc among other furniture
Mooba -- milks cows
Rooba -- carries a small version itself in a pouch
Pooba -- cleans up after Fido
Poo-Bah -- sings Gilbert & Sullivan while trying to intimidate the rug
Doobieba -- hides your stash
Hugoba - cleans Connie Willis' house
Cooba -- Cleans up your cigars.
Stewba: Makes supper.
Oompahba: Plays German music while scaring the cats.
Oomba Loomba: cleans up your candy factory.
Wooba: steals your boy/girlfriend.
Zooba: cleans your animals.
Magooba: bumps into everything repeatedly.
Up until this morning I'd been unaware that Roombas even existed.
Same here, and I don't live in the sticks. I don't know how I missed this. I'm thinking it might be worth buying one of these just to see my dog go insane.
Sueba: serves your cat with court papers.
SNL already did "Woomba".
i refuse to provide a definition for "Goomba".
Nooba: accesses the Internet and behaves like an idiot.
Shooba: herds cats.
I don't need Pooba, or a Peeba, but a Pukeba would come in handy, because while she doesn't "go" in the house, my dog has no compunctions about hurling on the carpet.
* * *
Roomba is sold by "Bed, Bath, and Beyond" and similar outlets. If you live near one of these joins, wait long enough and you'll get a 20% the price of anything coupon.
it's like those costumes for the concrete lawn geese. moronic.
Foobah: a Roomba that can't tolerate the Boston winter.
I'm not sure..that stuff on my cats website might just be cooler than roomba outfits. I kind of feel bad for the cats though.
iRobot released an API for the Roomba, so it is now possible to make it whistle songs while it cleans. I'm working on getting mine to sing "Happy Workers" from Toys.
I'm with Bunny, Roomba costumes are better than cat ones, since roombas don't feel chafed, confined, choked or humiliated.
Please, cats prize their dignity.
Would I be wrong in assuming that the default included melody for tuneful roombas (Roombas) is Whistle While You Work?
BTW, when I first looked at the heading of this entry it was close to Shrove Tuesday, and I first assumed that Roomba costumes applied to something like the Mardi Gras Samba costumes.
/Matt:
/I'm no luddite, but this makes me kind of sad.
But why? It gets dust off floors. It keeps cat hair under control. The chip inside it is lower-tech, lower-powered, and stupider than the chip in the My Real Baby.
I don't know ... maybe because people are fetishing inanimate objects, and treating them as pets, which weirds me out. Maybe because the world would be better off if those clothes were donated to a needy baby instead. Maybe because the Roomba represents another step away from authenticy. Maybe because a mop and bucket costs $9, and a Roomba costs $399.
The mop and bucket costs $9....and your time and effort using them are free?
Er...
Eebagoomba - cleans Yorkshire.
Fitba' - cleans Ibrox Stadium.
Goomba - takes care of things. Just charge it up, turn it on and fuggedaboutit.
Timba - cuts down trees.
Rhuba - moves around your room making a noise like a crowd scene. Very useful for creating party atmosphere.
Ramba - cleans Vietnam.
Honourablememba - cleans the House of Commons.
Rememba - cleans out unwanted memories. As seen in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind".
KayGeeBeeBa - In Soviet Union, room cleans YOU!
I don't know ... maybe because people are fetishing inanimate objects, and treating them as pets, which weirds me out. Maybe because the world would be better off if those clothes were donated to a needy baby instead. Maybe because the Roomba represents another step away from authenticy. Maybe because a mop and bucket costs $9, and a Roomba costs $399.
If my grandmother decides not to move in with us, I'm going to convince the family to get her one of these. She can't lift the vacuum anymore, nor can she lift a full bucket. The Roomba and Scooba are perfect for people in her situation.
If my grandmother decides not to move in with us, I'm going to convince the family to get her one of these. She can't lift the vacuum anymore, nor can she lift a full bucket. The Roomba and Scooba are perfect for people in her situation.
Pulling out the Grandma Card, eh? I know better than to argue with that!
Ta-roomba-roomba-rom -- cleans Fangorn Forest.
Who needs a Grandma card? I don't have any kids and I can't lift a bucket or deal with a vacuum. I decided years ago that when I finally save enough to put laminate in, I'd get a Roomba to control cat hair, if nothing else.
Maybe because the Roomba represents another step away from authenticy.Authentic what? Drudge work? Not everything is worth preserving.
Dawno
Makes me wonder though, doesn't anyone with a dog own a Roomba?
If you have a dog, a Roomba would be redundant technology. My dog will eat anything on the floor and get the newspaper from the driveway. Try that with a Roomba.
The dog won't eat microwave popcorn. Kind of unnerving if I think about it too much.
Letsgetreadytoroomba - wipes the floor. With people!
Sisboomba - cleans your cheerleader's pom poms
Dagoba -your swamp hut it cleans, hmmm?
Corba - takes you to the cleaners because this barbaric country doesn't have single-payer state health insurance
Vavavoomba -- cleans strip clubs
Leopoldbloomba -- cleans Dublin every 16 June
Mollybloomba -- yes yes yes clean yes yes
Bazoomba -- cleans while singing Dolly Parton tunes
If I can get it to sing the Marseillaise while it cleans my house, I am so buying one. (Well, probably not really; we believe in the "teens are cheap labor" philosophy, so a weekly vacuuming is part of the chores for the allowance.)
sue - thank you - I've never owned a dog so I didn't realize that's why dog owners don't need Roombas.
Have you tried "natural" microwave popcorn? Maybe your dog doesn't like the imitation butter stuff.
Ok I got here looking for Dalek costumes on google, find Roombas and am reminded of an eeire combination of the two some might even say a dalek/roomba love child
EXTERMINATE WASTE!
Dave Bell wrote: Where can I find a CGI model of a Roomba?
I'll make one for you, if you'll send me a Roomba
( for reference, and as payment for the project ).
To establish modeling cred,
here are links to some renderings from modeling projects:
a 49 Ford, a business phone, and a keyboard.
Getting a CGI Roomba to clean up your CGI house would be a project, however;
making the CGI dust and hair would be the difficult part.
A CSI model of a Roomba might be useful for gathering evidence.
A Philip K. Dick story ( The Unreconstructed M )
had something similar for planting evidence.
Sorry if someone already mentioned this, but it so belongs here:
my best friend's husband is obsessed with vacuums. he loves to vacuum and they keep upgrading. right now they have some wacky bot of a dyson.
anyway, they want a pet but they're both allergic to cats, so i suggested they get a roomba.
Sods.
Correct me if am wrong, I don't think it's such a good idea to put a costume on the roomba it may over heat!
Syntax is sadly lacking.
