[=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=]
[<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>]
[=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=]

Stardate: 20181222.17h41
Last Modified: 20190107.14h43 (updated URL)
Location: Hotel lobby
Input Device: Gemini PDA
Audio: Xmas Muzak, sounds from the lobby
Visual: Hotel office cubicle, conference room doors
Energy: 80%
Mental: 75%
Emotional: Nothing noteworthy

[=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=]

The fam and I are away this weekend spending some time with 
friends at a hotel that overlooks the ocean.  The sunsets 
have been nice to experience here with the moon rising 
beforehand.  I think it might be almost full, if not full 
already.  I don't get to experience this that much these 
days since I don't live as close to where sunsets are 
visible.  So when I do have a chance, I try to make the most 
of the opportunity.

The hotel is not too far from where I live, but it's nice to 
get away for the weekend and not have to think about the 
chores at home.  It also helps when the rooms are at a 
discount.

The conference room area has these chairs/workspaces that are 
pretty neat (I am seated in one right now.)  They have this 
cushioned seat with a desk arm and a plastic translucent 
shield wrapped around you to block some of the distractions.  
It has power outlets, USB charging, and even a docked tablet 
to order food or drinks, hotel info, etc.  There is also an 
ottoman that you can pull out to rest your feet.  I think it 
would be a cool thing to have at home...but probably kinda 
strange.  I could see the kids using this kind of workspace 
for their studies.

Stardate: 20181223.15h35 (cont.)

Had to continue the entry afterwards since I was 
interrupted.  I took a picture of the workspace I wrote about 
earlier for posterity. [1]  It is giving me some ideas, but 
nothing concrete.

So yesterday, the fam and I were walking around the hotel 
and there is this downtown area close by.  There are many 
small shops and restaurants, along with a number of thrift 
shops and antique stores.  There was a Goodwill there that 
seemed to have an inventory of nicer used items than what I 
am used to seeing by my house.  In there, I found a couple of 
Furbys that they were selling 1/2 off @ $4.00US each.  These 
things were making a bunch of racket on the shelves.  I asked 
my daughter if she wanted one, but she thought they 
were creepy.  I always thought they were creepy too, but that 
was part of the appeal for me.  I noticed that these were 
different from the other ones I have seen...these have LCD 
eyes, not the animatronic analog eyes that I am used to 
seeing.   Well, I grabbed both of them, nonetheless, and 
continued checking out the other shops.

While we were walking, these Furbies kept making noise inside 
the bag.  I took them out and tried to look for a switch, 
but could not find one.  We kept walking while I carried 
these blabber-mouthed Furbies, getting looks and smiles from 
people on the street.  I felt like I was taking home a pair 
of Mogwai...being the Xmas season and all.  Some passerby 
even said, "hey, Gremlins!"  I smiled and said, "Only if I 
feed them after midnight."  We both shared a chuckle and 
carried on.  

After awhile the Furby's got annoying to the point where I 
had to take out my cell phone to find out how to turn them 
off.  I basically had to pull the battery, which required 
unscrewing 2 Philips screws.  Not a problem since the boy 
scout in me had a Philips screwdriver on my keys 
(Utili-key.)  So I pulled one of the AA batteries and all was 
good.

Of course, after we got back to the room, I had to do some 
research on these things.  It turns out that these are called 
Furby Boom or the 2012 model (not really sure if there is a 
difference.)  The model is discontinued, but it looks like 
they talk to each other and have all kinds of features.  It 
even has a smartphone app.  Hackability seems pretty high 
with this one as well.  I will have to spend more time 
researching them.

I have a few, "smart toys" that I have acquired  over the 
years.  Some I have taken apart, some I have disassembled 
and threw in a shoe box without re-assembling, some I 
have tinkered with (mostly circuit bending,) and some I have 
kept intact and use as designed.  There are also others that 
I have repurposed various parts into other projects.  I don't 
know what it is, but I usually get these things used and 
intend to dissect and repurpose or hack, but I end up 
treating some of these things like I paid full price, brand 
new or something.  Maybe because they are still functional.  
Perhaps I should set that aside and just start hacking away, 
for the sake of hacking and discovery!  

[1] gopher://sdf.org/1/users/xiled/phlog/2018/files/20181222_workspace.jpg 
[=x=-=x=-=x"=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=-=x=]