- -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- -

Art--Animals--Dates--Food--Links--Lists--Map--Movies & TV--Music--Nature--Places--Performances--Souvenirs--Structures--Timeline

Tuesday 20 November 2018

Robo Sushi

Robo Sushi

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address:  865 York Mills Rd #9
Date: September 2018
Website:  www.robosushi.ca

  A new sushi place has arrived in Toronto and offers something a little different.  Robots are nothing new, but we are not yet used to them serving us our food.  Robo Sushi still has human workers, but we went there to see the robotic staff and of course to eat all that we could eat.

Welcome To Robo Sushi.

  As we entered the restaurant we were greeted by a talking mannequin.

Miss Robo Sushi 2018.  Finger Puppeteer Extraordinaire.

  There was another mannequin standing behind us, but despite being plugged in she didn't have anything to say.  We headed through the next set of doors and into the restaurant.

It Would Be My Pleasure To Show You To Your Table ...And To Take Over Your Job.

  Three robots waited for us.  Two of them had cute, smiling bellhop heads and one had a head full of trays.  They stood at attention waiting to serve us.

Please Follow Me. Beep Beep Boop.

  The human being at the counter greeted us and typed something into the tablet on the top of the purple robot's head.  The little guy rolled away and we followed closely behind.  On a screen on top of his head was a video of a person following a robot.  We felt we were doing quite well.


   Our host turned a corner and then stopped at a booth.  He said something but we couldn't hear him over the restaurant noise.  We sat down and then our host turned and rolled off again.

Out Of My Way Or I'll Lose My Head!

  We have visited Robo Sushi twice since it opened.  The first time the robots seemed less sensitive to something in their way.  We witnessed a host and trayhead collision and a few near misses between robot and human staff.  One trayhead robot even went straight into a customer's chair.

More Mango Ice Cream?

  On our second visit we noticed that the human staff often had to push a host or trayhead robot until it felt nothing was blocking its path.  Once the robot was satisfied it would roll away again.  Eventually the programming will be just right.



  When a trayhead robot arrived with your food it would turn and face the table with its blinking eyes.  You could start to offload the food yourself, but usually a human staff member would come to assist.

Thank You.  On Your Way Little Guy.

  When you wanted the trayhead robot to leave again you were supposed to tap it on the head.  This worked sometimes because we were probably doing it incorrectly.  We think you have to just place your hand on top of a little hand symbol on the robot's head.

Rolling Robot.

 To order your food you use a tablet placed at your table and submit your request from there.  Soon it won't be long until a trayhead arrives loaded with your carefully selected items.

A Fully Loaded Trayhead Robot.

  We tend to order quite a lot on our first round so when our robot arrived it was fully loaded.  Soon afterwards our table was filled with tiny trays and dishes.

Just A Little More.

  You could also place a small order and a trayhead would come to drop that off as well.  When it comes to All You Can Eat you need to pace yourself.  At least the robots never gave us a disapproving look based on our food choices or quantities.  They just give the same look all the time.

Really?  Another Order Of Tempura After Ice Cream?

  We enjoyed our food at Robo Sushi and the robots made our meal even more fun.  As we rolled ourselves out of the restaurant we waved good-bye to our robot hosts.  They smiled back at us.

Map of Our World
Robo Sushi

Post # 233

Saturday 10 November 2018

Hammering Man (Frankfurt)

A Silhouette In The Road.

Location: Frankfurt, Germany
Address:  60327 Frankfurt am Main
Date: October 2018
Website:  www.borofsky.com

  As we walked through Frankfurt, a large silhouette appeared in the road.  As we got closer we realized it was moving.  One of its arms was going up and down.  This was Hammering Man.

It's Hammer Time.

  Hammering Man is the work of  Jonathan Borofsky.  It stands 21 meters tall and is made out of painted steel.  He hammers all day long.  He hammers all night long.  He is a symbol for the worker in all of us.

Workiing Eight Days A Week.

  Upon closer inspection we can tell that he is working with steel. He is wearing a protective visor/helmet and holding something in his gloved hand.  He continues to hammer on.

A Thin Hammering Man.

  From a side angle he is very thin and it is hard to tell exactly what these moving pieces of metal are.

Giant Legs In Frankfurt.

  There are several Hammering Men around the world.  The one we visted in Frankfurt has been there since 1990.  There are smaller indoor Hammering Men in many cities.  There are larger outdoor sculptures in places such as Seattle, Washingtion and Seoul, South Korea.  The one in Seoul is the largest and is one meter taller than the German Hammering Man.


  The artist likes the fact that these men are all hammering around the world in unison.  They represent how people work with their hands to build the world around them.  We like that idea too.  Keep up the good work!

Map of Our World
Hammering Man (Frankfurt)

Post # 232

Tuesday 30 October 2018

The Grave Of Mother Goose

Granary Burying Ground.

Location: Bostan, Massachusetts, USA
Address: Tremont Street
Date: Sept 2013
Website: www.celebrateboston.com

  Granary Burying Ground in Boston has been a graveyard since the late 1600s.  Many of the graves have been worn thin through the years or had the writing on their faces worn down to where they are unreadable.  Many famous people in Boston's history are buried here.  We were looking for one grave in particular.  The grave of Mother Goose.

Granary Goose Grave.

  Mother Goose is credited with many nursery rhymes.  Some famous ones are "Three Blind Mice", "Humpty Dumpty" or Hickory Dickory Dock".  After hunting around the cemetery we finally located her grave.

Here Lyes Y Body Of Mary Goose.

 Mary Goose died in 1690.  Her husband Issac remarried to a woman called Elizabeth.  Thomas Fleet married her daughter also called Elizabeth.  It is said that grandmother Goose sang songs and rhymes when Thomas and his wife had their first child.  Thomas being a printer made a book of some of these rhymes called Mother Goose's Melodies For Children.  This is said to be the first use of Mother Goose in America but Mother Goose had also been associated with rhymes in England long before even Mary Goose's death.

Who Is The Mother Of All Geese?
 
  So it appears there is no true Mother Goose.  At least not in a cemetery in Boston.  Most people are familiar with some Mother Goose nursery rhymes even if much like the myth of Boston's Mother Goose, they have changed and been re-written through the years.

Just Put Your John Hancock Here. And Here.  And Initial Here.

  The Hancock Tower is the tallest tower in Boston.  It is named afterJohn Hancock Insurance company which had offices there.  The insurance company is named after John Hancock whose signature is on the Declaration of Independence.  Johm Hancock's grave is also located in Granary Burying Ground.

The Midnight Ride Of Paul Revere's Statue.

  Paul Revere's grave is also located in the Granary Burying Ground.  Paul Revere is best known for riding through Massachusetts warning that the British were coming.  We didn't see his grave, but did visit his statue in Boston's North End.  Granary Burying Ground is filled with centuries of history and a little bit of mystery.


Map of Our World
Paul Revere Statue
Granary Burying Ground , John Hancock Tower


Post # 231