"Got any tips for before I move down? I hear women are bitchy."
In response, I was more than a little offended. I love this city, and more than that, I love New Yorkers. I felt an innate reaction to protect our reputation and set this lady straight!
"Who told you that?" I demanded. "They've clearly never lived here before. That's just f***ing stupid," I declared... perhaps a bit forceful, but someone was talking smack about my town! I don't really understand why people carry this negative perception of New Yorkers. I think every city, town, and village commune has it's share of less than pleasant characters, but the people - and women in particular - of NYC are some of the nicest, most fashionably clad city dwellers out there.
I am lucky enough to know this from personal experience, but for anyone who has concerns about visiting or living in NYC, I share Kacie Kinzer's story of the Tweenbots with you.
Kacie Kinzer is a New Yorker who pondered the willingness of other New Yorkers to help a vulnerable, primitive, nondescript robot reach its predetermined destination. To answer her own question, she came up with the Tweenbot. Tweenbots are human-dependent robots that navigate the city with the help of pedestrians they encounter. Rolling at a constant speed, in a straight line, Tweenbots have a destination displayed on a flag, and rely on people they meet to read this flag and to aim them in the right direction to reach their goal.
image courtesy of tweenbots.com
Given their extreme vulnerability, the vastness of city space, the dangers posed by traffic, suspicion of terrorism, and the possibility that no one would be interested in helping a lost little robot, Kacie initially conceived the Tweenbots as disposable creatures which were more likely to struggle and die in the city than to reach their destination. The results however, surprised Kacie, and I confess, even myself. Over the course of the following months, throughout numerous missions, the Tweenbots were successful in rolling from their start point to their far-away destination assisted only by strangers. Every time the robot got caught under a park bench, ground futilely against a curb, or became trapped in a pothole, some passerby would always rescue it and send it toward its goal. Never once was a Tweenbot lost or damaged!
Kacie is conducting the Tweenbots experiment for her thesis at ITP. She and the Tweenbots rely solely on the involvement and kindness of New Yorkers to make their excursions a success. You can get involved by sending an email to this address to receive updates on future Tweenbot missions!
If we are willing to help out little lost robots, just imagine what New Yorkers will do for you!
"Who told you that?" I demanded. "They've clearly never lived here before. That's just f***ing stupid," I declared... perhaps a bit forceful, but someone was talking smack about my town! I don't really understand why people carry this negative perception of New Yorkers. I think every city, town, and village commune has it's share of less than pleasant characters, but the people - and women in particular - of NYC are some of the nicest, most fashionably clad city dwellers out there.
I am lucky enough to know this from personal experience, but for anyone who has concerns about visiting or living in NYC, I share Kacie Kinzer's story of the Tweenbots with you.
Kacie Kinzer is a New Yorker who pondered the willingness of other New Yorkers to help a vulnerable, primitive, nondescript robot reach its predetermined destination. To answer her own question, she came up with the Tweenbot. Tweenbots are human-dependent robots that navigate the city with the help of pedestrians they encounter. Rolling at a constant speed, in a straight line, Tweenbots have a destination displayed on a flag, and rely on people they meet to read this flag and to aim them in the right direction to reach their goal.
image courtesy of tweenbots.comGiven their extreme vulnerability, the vastness of city space, the dangers posed by traffic, suspicion of terrorism, and the possibility that no one would be interested in helping a lost little robot, Kacie initially conceived the Tweenbots as disposable creatures which were more likely to struggle and die in the city than to reach their destination. The results however, surprised Kacie, and I confess, even myself. Over the course of the following months, throughout numerous missions, the Tweenbots were successful in rolling from their start point to their far-away destination assisted only by strangers. Every time the robot got caught under a park bench, ground futilely against a curb, or became trapped in a pothole, some passerby would always rescue it and send it toward its goal. Never once was a Tweenbot lost or damaged!
Kacie is conducting the Tweenbots experiment for her thesis at ITP. She and the Tweenbots rely solely on the involvement and kindness of New Yorkers to make their excursions a success. You can get involved by sending an email to this address to receive updates on future Tweenbot missions!
If we are willing to help out little lost robots, just imagine what New Yorkers will do for you!
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