Sandwich Idea: Package Bot

It's been a while since the actual premise of this blog has been used, but I had one just now and this is the most appropriate venue. Here it is:

Package Robot!

Combines the following technologies:

Shipping alerts (like, an alert that tells you when an item has arrived, USPS offers this (what I was perusing when this came to me), I'm sure other do.

Doorbell cameras.

Automatic doggie doors.

Frickin' Robots, not much more complicated than a roomba.

Surely you see where I'm going with this. You get a notice that your packaged has arrived but you're not home. Cool. Check the doorbell camera, there's that little bastard. SEND IN THE ROBOT! A pusher/grabber style robot is then deployed, the bottom half of the door opens for the robot, not big enough for a person but for a package, also only open while something is going through it. The robot comes out, grabs and pushes the package into your house closes up and you're done!

Since I don't have any idea how complex the problem solving software would need to be to make the robot figure out how to get the box through the door nor any idea how complex the robot itself would be to build, I don't have to burden myself with practicalities, I can just go, "Wouldn't that be cool?" The joy of a sandwich idea. Anyway. Sandwich idea. If someone reads this and makes it, send me a sandwich. Or a package robot and I'll order sandwiches and the package robot will get them for me!

X Minus One "There Will Come Soft Rains/Zero Hour"

This might not even be a real episode. It contains both the regular X Minus One intro and half of the Dimension X intro. I can't remember where I read about it but these might be hobbled together...I can't find it so I can't really explain it. Anyway, in some collections this mishmash exists and we reviewed it. Richard staged his usual effort to redeem Bradbury in defending the ultimately pointless House of the Future death story "There Will Come a Soft Rain" and we loved the basis for the series "The Whisperers" "Zero Hour," the story of aliens using kids to stage an invasion of Earth mostly for it's well constructed and creepy ending. Richard gave it an 8, Ryan gave it a 7.

X Minus One: "The Outer Limits"

While testing an experimental rocket in the outer limit of the atmosphere a test pilot encounters aliens who give him an ultimatum regarding nuclear bombs, but can he convince the people in time? We ultimately felt it was a flawed story with typical Ernest Kinoy enjoyable characters. Ryan was a little tired of it and gave it a 5, Richard had not heard it as much and gave it a 6.

Special Bonus Mini-Episode--Who Wore it Best: X-1 vs Escape "Mars is Heaven"

In a special episode we compare the adaptation of the Ray Bradbury story Mars is Heaven from X Minus One and Escape. We find the characters more vibrant and the story telling more efficient in the X Minus One version and ultimately heaping more praise on Ernest Kinoy.

X Minus One: "Dwellers in Silence"

After 20 years on Mars avoiding a deadly nuclear war on Earth a small contingent returns to find someone alive, a famous brain surgeon with his strangely ageless family. We ultimately found it kind of goofy and the were as frustrated as the family members that the main characters didn't catch on. Richard gave it a 4.75, Ryan a 4. Ted joined us and gave it a tepid version of his rating system.

X Minus One: "Hello, Tomorrow"

Two thousand some years in the future we all live underground and our genetic pairings are strictly monitored and 'mu-taints' are isolated or destroyed...until, love. A decidedly goofy story, one Ryan thinks is goofy enough to make worth listening to but Richard disagreed.

X Minus One: "Requiem"

The man who invented space travel isn't allowed to go to the moon and has to enlist a down on his luck astronaut to make that final trip. We ultimately found it charming but lacking a little bit of depth, Ryan gave it an 8 and Richard gave it a rounded up 7.