WurdBendur

So I'm finally getting some things together to sell on Etsy. I've got one print already nicely framed and ready to go, and I will be doing a series of other steampunk-inspired framed prints. Some other things may appear as well. When I get some things done, I'm going to put them all up at once.

I've been pretty much obsessed with robots for as long as I can remember. As a kid I used to draw designs for more utilitarian bots, mostly treaded. But now I'm thinking androids. I've been working on a design inspired by ball jointed dolls. You may have seen my sketch (or not because it's a scrap).

I've improved a lot on that drawing. My goal is to create something that moves as naturally and humanly as possible. To that end I've been examining photos of real people moving the way people do, and I have a few observations to make, which may benifit other dolls and poseable figures:

• Almost all dolls, figures and robots are unable to lift their shoulders. If humans could not do this, we would not be able to reach over our head. Making a fixed shoulder that is flexible enough to do this produces unnatural positions. My solution is to make a large ball joint for the shoulder with the arm set into a smaller joint inside that. Take a look at Asimo to get the idea if you can't picture it. Rotation of the larger ball moves the shoulder, and the smaller moves the arm.
• Most of us are used to thinking of the spine as a long flexible chord. While this is partly true, I have noticed that almost all of the bending in the spine occurs in a very small range just under the rib cage. Most of the subtle curve there is seen mainly in the soft tissues of the abdomen. A soft rubber cover over this space will create the same effect.
• The opposite is true of the neck. Most figures have a rigid neck with a single joint at the base of the skull, or even a neck that's integrated into to the head (as on many action figures). I won't make it too complicated, but I think two joints will suffice, one at the base of the skull and the other at the base of the neck itself. A flexible cover will create the natural-looking curve as with the abdomen.

Since I plan to actually build this figure (I'm not sure whether to call it a doll, but that's essentially what it will be), I do have to consider materials.  I want it to look like a real industrial design, so I will be using appropirate materials and avoiding unnecessary fiddly bits that most robots have just to make them look robotic. And any good robot is easy to produce with durable and affordable materials. It turns out my first thought is also looking like the best option: PVC. Polyvinyl Chloride is a very durable plastic that also happens to be heat formable and, most importantly, really cheap. And it's easy to find in the form of pipes, which are already close to the shape I need.

The only other thing to worry about is the ball joints. I'm not sure whether I can make a ball out of PVC, but I will definitely try. If not, I'll have to find some alternative. If ball valves are cheap enough, I may just get some of those and break them open. They already have a convenient hole for stringing.

I'm going to start with a 60cm prototype, but I think in the future I might want to try a life size version. It may even be possible to put some simple actuators inside the shell, such as air muscles, which are easy to make.

Well, I've got a number of things going on at once. A while back I started on a skull. I've finished that, but I haven't submitted the finished image yet. After that was done, I started on my hargen, which still needs some work, but at least it's got a coat of paint on it finally.

I had also started sculpting a ball-jointed robot doll, but I ended up taking that apart because it just wasn't working the way I had planned. The plan is still the same, but I'm going to try again. I've found some balls to sculpt the joints around, so it should get moving soon.

And of course I still have to do the third part of Alexa's dream (see Part I and Part II)

Right now I feel like going to work on all of these things at once. But I'm tired, so I think I'll go to bed instead.

I wasn't tagged, but I thought this would be fun anyway. I got it from JunoDagger

1. Do you snore?
Sometimes, but mostly if I'm congested or super tired. I'm also told  I grind my teeth when I sleep. I've tried wearing a mouthpiece, but I bit a piece of it off...

2. Are you a lover or a fighter?
Both! Just not at the same time. Maybe more lover.

3. What’s your worst fear?
I'm really not sure.

4. As a kid, where you a lego maniac?
You bet! I built robots. Well, I tried.

5. What do you think of “reality” tv?
Needs more reality, less TV

6. Do you chew on your straws?
Not usually.

7. Were you a cute baby?
I was a blob, but I think I was a cute one.

8. Is the single life for you?
For the longest time, it definitely was. Now I'm not sure.

9. What colour is your keyboard?
Metallic paint on clear keys, with laser-etched lettering. That's right, it's a PowerBook.

10. Do you sing in the shower?
Sometimes.

11. Have you ever sky-dived before?
Nope.

12. Any secret talents?
If I tell, then they're not secret anymore!

13. What’s your ideal vacation spot?
Any place that's cool, but not too cold and not hot, and far enough from everything to be devoid of the noise and lights of other people. So... another planet?

14. Can you swim?
I'm not a bad swimmer, if I do say so myself. I used to scissor-kick really well, but I'm out of practice. Now I just corkscrew if I really need to move

16. Have you seen the movie "Donnie Darko”?
Yes, and it's amazing. Screwed up and confusing as hell, but quite amazing.

17. Do you give a damn about the ozone?
Eww, O3 is bad for you.
Oh, you mean the ozone layer. I don't like UV radiation. Please don't destroy the ozone layer.

18. How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?
MOAR

19. Can you sing the alphabet backwards?
I can barely recite it backwards. No way am I singing it.

20. Have you ever been on an airplane?
Yes, a Cessna. But I didn't go anywhere. We just went in a circle and came back down as part of the Aviation merit badge. Yay scouts.

21. Are you a single child?
Nope, I'm a middle child with two brothers.

22. Do you prefer electronic or manual pencil sharpeners?
I appreciate electronic sharpeners for their ease of use, but when it comes to quality pencil sharpening, only a blade will do. I mean the one mounted on the manual pencil sharpener. Electric ones don't have those...

23. What’s your stand on hunting?
I'm sure it's great fun, but I'm no hunter-gatherer. I buy my animal products at a store, and I'd rather not shoot animals for no reason.

24. Is marriage in your future?
This depends on a lot of factors, like whether I meed the right person, whether that person wants to marry, their gender and therefor the legality of the marriage, etc.

25. Do you like your handwriting?
I used to hate my handwriting. I tried to print, but it all ran together into scribbles. So I changed it. Now I have two handwritings. I like the new one, but not so much the old one unless I write very carefully.

26. What are you allergic to?
Nothing really.

27. When was the last time you said 'I love you'?
It's ... not something I really say. It's been a long time. I'll leave it at that.

28. Is Tupac still alive?
I wish. And it's not because I like Tupac that much. It's just that it would make all the symbolism and hidden messages real, whereas in this reality, it's just hooey. Tupac is totally lame unless he comes back. CONSIDER THIS A CHALLENGE.

29. Do you cry at weddings?
If I cry at a wedding, it's because it's such a painful thing sitting there and waiting for all the foolishness to come to an end, only watching and being powerless to escape.

30. How do you like your eggs?
Fried, scrambled, in cookie dough, whatever.

31. Are blondes dumb?
As a general rule, people are dumb. In most cases, blondes are people. So for the most part, yes. I suspect the frequency of intelligence in blondes is roughly the same as the frequency of intelligence in people in general.

32. Where does the other sock end up?
On the floor where I dropped it while carrying my laundry to the washer.

33. What time is it?
5:07

4. Do you have a nickname?
Most people call me Joe. Online, people know me as WurdBendur or AllegroX. I've been called other names, but not all of theme were nice.

35. Is McDonald's disgusting?
Yes, but their food is (sometimes) okay!

36. When was the last time you were in a car?
Saturday. It was my brother's Camry.

37. Do you prefer baths or showers?
Usually showers, but sometimes I wouldn't mind a soak. Too bad I don't have a tub.

38. Is Santa Claus real?
I wish! Insert similar explanation as the Tupac answer. Also, presents.

39. Do you like having you neck kissed?
I can't remember if I've ever had it kissed before. I think once or twice between other kisses, but I don't think I'd really enjoy it much.

40. Are you afraid of the dark?
I love the dark, but I sometimes get the chilling feeling that there's something there that I can't see.

41. What are you addicted to?
The Interweb, IRC, breathing. Really, I just can't stop.

42. Crunchy or creamy peanut butter?
Creamy

43. Can you crack your neck?
Yes, and I often do.

44. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?
Thankfully not.

45. How many times have you brushed your teeth today?
I slept in and ran out in a hurry, so once less than I should have! *chews Orbitz gum* I'm sure this stuff is just as good, because it says so.

46. Is drug free the way to be?
I want to say yes, but my resolve is anything but absolute. I have no real desire to use illegal drugs, but I don't think it's wrong.

47. Are you a heavy sleeper?
VERY. I can sleep through trains and thunder storms and even Ragnarök going on outside my door (ie a normal morning at home).

48. What colour are your eyes?
Everybody says they're blue, but they don't look blue to me. They used to. Then when I was about 11, I started to notice yellow-orange specks that increased in number and eventually turned my eyes greenish. Now I think they look blue-green with an orange ring near the pupil. I call them green. But everybody still calls them blue. Is there something I'm not getting?

50. Do you like your life?
Parts

51. Who’s better: Stone Cold or The Rock?
That's like asking "Which is better: AIDS or getting shot in the face?"

52. Are you psychic??
I don't think so.

53. Have you read "Catcher in the Rye"?
Nope! I kinda want to.

54. Do you play any instruments?
I used to play the violin. Then we couldn't afford to keep renting it, and I wasn't allowed to take home the one I was borrowing from school. So I got out of practice and fell so far behind everyone else I had to quit.

55. Have you ever stolen money?
I think taking unclaimed money does not count as stealing.

56. Can you snowboard?
I've never tried, so no.

57. Do you like camping?
It can be quite fun! But I haven't done it in so long...

58. Do you snort when you laugh?
Yes, because I'm a dorkosaurus. RAWR-snort

59. Do you believe in magic?
Maybe?

60. Are dogs a man’s best friend?
No. A man's best friend is himself.

61. You believe in divorce?
I believe it exists, and I don't see any reason it shouldn't. I mean, I want marriages to work out just as much as the next guy, and I suggest trying to work through problems. But when that doesn't work, you've got to do something.

62. Can you do the moonwalk?
Maybe if I were on the Moon...

63. Do you make a lot of mistakes?
What kind of mistakes? I make little mistakes all the tmie. I probably don't notice all of them.

64. Is it cold outside today?
Yup.

65. What was the last thing you ate?
Chicken nuggets.

66. Do you wear nail polish?
No, but people have asked me this before because my nails are naturally really shiny. I didn't realize this was unusual.

67. Have you ever been kissed?
Yes. The first time was weird, but I got to like it

68. What's the most annoying TV commercial?
That's such a hard question. There are just so many annoying commercials.

69. Do you shop at American Eagle?
Nope.

70. Favourite song at the moment?
I'll have to say "Da Zeuhl Wortz Mekanïk" by Magma. Because it's actually one track of the album Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh, which they consider the third movement of Theusz Hamttaahk, it's somewhat questionable to call it a "song". But hey, it's good enough for me.

71. When was the last time you had sex?
I haven't had real sex!

72. Do you like your job?
I'm still looking for one.

73. Do you like your classes in school?
Some of them

74. How do you like your meat cooked?
I guess it depends on what kind of meat. Steak I like medium-rare.

75. Do you like these surveys?
I like this one.

A little while back, I posted my new font, Lumaro, which I was motivated to polish up and release by chemoelectric's Prociono. For the sample text, I used an excerpt from my <a href="www.nanowrimo.org>NaNoWriMo story. It's a dream scene that I kind of liked, but it's only the beginning, so I decided to continue the scene with another typographical deviation, Alexa's Dream Part II. Perhaps I'll finish it up with a third deviation soon. In the mean time, here's the full dream scene:

All was dark. Alexa found herself alone in this void, but she was not herself. She found herself borne by wings but did not need them to float through this space. The color around her turned from black to blue and red and a multitude of other colors. Then a distant buzz could be heard, a noise like a thousand hornets in her ears, or an endless sea of people.

Suddenly a number of strange, dark shapes swirled and arose out of the void and began to swirl around her, and she began to feel very heavy.
Then she fell. For a long time she fell, and the shapes followed, sometimes moving closer as if to strike at her, but only coming very close and always retreating again to swarm with the others.

Then below her, a haze arose and turned into a plane of black and white checkers, which extended forever into the distance of the void around her. This, she knew, is where she would land. But then—

(then I break into the next scene)

Alexa finally awoke. She was lying on a rigid platform like a bench. Her body ached as she lifted herself.