NYC Hosts First Robot Film Festival by Michelle -  You read correctly.  Saturday, July 16th starting at noon marks the beginning of the first Robot Film Festival at the 3LD Art and Technology Center.  The festival was founded by Heather Knight, a PhD student in social robotics, of Marilyn Monrobot to “inject a sense of playfulness into traditional science and engineering and explore frontiers before technically feasible. ” (source)  It will open with a screening of Spike Jonze’s “I’m Here.”  HUH.   The only criteria to enter this film festival is that the storytelling had to involve robots in some capacity.  WHERE WAS I WHEN SUBMISSIONS ROLLED AROUND?  Under a rock it seems.  There promises to be really neat performers at the award ceremony - among them is Reggie Watts.  The one I’m most excited about, though, is:

 DOUBLE RAINBOW: Guitarist meets fluorescent percussive robot characters, blending prehistoric with hipster futuristic.  

AMIRITE???

This festival combines two things I really dig: film and robotics.  What used to be a little known fact about me but has been racing to the forefront of people’s knowledge is that I was on a FIRST Robotics team in high school.  Granted I was really only there because I was a girl and they needed more girls on the team.  I still managed to make pretty sweet flyers and buttons, though, while the guys built competitive robots.  I also was part of the effort that raffled off a car.  That’s right, a CAR.

Anyway, I hope one of the readers out there can attend this festival because I will be attending a wedding in Boston this weekend.  The best I can do to support is to do the robot dance at the wedding reception.  Sorry in advance, Vicky.