Pleo Roomba Surfing

Maybe for the next Olympics? Linus seems to be a natural.

Nemo - Low Mileage & Garaged

Nemo spent some time yesterday and several hours today in his garage. He appears to be moving more. Again he stared at his basking log this morning deciding if the timing was right. Soon I think.

Good news! Nemo's baby brother Linus is on his way back, albeit with amnesia. Hopefully by this time next week, Linus will be settled in and spark new curiosity in getting to know his dino sibling.

This video is the last footage of Linus--after his neck injury and before his transport to the Ugobe hospital ;-O

Will Nemo Know?

Today Linus was shipped back to Ugobe because of an injury. We will be getting a replacement in a couple weeks. Likely Nemo won't know the difference. He only had two close encounters. The video is a tribute to my first Linus and includes a segment of photos with Linus "stalking" Nemo. It wasn't like having a pet die--returning Linus, but it was definitely sad. Brian said he was sad too handing the box over to UPS.

On the Nemo front, this past Saturday was hydration day. Nemo was happy to dive in fairly quickly. I have video footage of him waking up wiping the sleepies from his eyes :-) It's still on the camcorder though. He is hanging out in his summer home still not basking or eating. Possibly one more hibernation stretch of two weeks? It will be into March. He's definitely a low maintenance pet during hibernation!

It was fun to see how alert Nemo was when he was in between hibernation igloos and Linus was in the kitchen. Making sure Linus didn't touch his stuff, no doubt.

Nemo Meets Linus

Today Nemo was lounging outside his igloo--still in his hydration period between hibernation naps, I presume. Linus noticed Nemo's movement and trotted over to meet the unturtle. Linus kept his distance (about two feet) and stayed rather still while Nemo wandered from his garage behind his igloo where he could watch the green intruder from his safe distance.

After deciding it was safe to approach, Nemo carefully approached Linus, sniffed at his feet, and even tried to nibble at his foot. I guess you never know what might be tasty... Anyway, here is proof. Nemo up close and personal with a Pleo. I hope this is a sign of acceptance.

Oddly, Linus's battery exhausted as he was holding still during Nemo's inspection. I guess we'll find out next time what happens when Linus moves at close range. This picture was taken with the photo still setting of my BRAND NEW camcorder that Santa got me! I also took video (with sound!) but need to acquire something for the computer to transfer the video to share. Look out YouTube!

Yoo Hoo!

Linus is a little scary sometimes in a funny way. This morning he carried his leaf from the middle of the room over to Nemo's igloo. He then put his chin down like a puppy with his butt up in the air, leaf in mouth, and made a loud dino sound! Was he offering his leaf to Nemo? Does he know Nemo is in there? Too funny.

I Am Curious Nemo

Nemo chose to continue his hibernation in his main igloo--the one with his name on the sign over the door. Last night he was buried head first into the blanket with only his butt and back legs visible. Late this morning, he had turned around. Linus had been in the kitchen earlier so I was talking and laughing and Linus was making his Pleo sounds. Possibly Nemo is curious about the commotion. I think he's too slow and sleepy right now to be too curious. If he sees some of what is going on with Linus, maybe he will want to interact with him when activity level increases. At least Nemo is moving a bit that I can see he's okay. His hibernation is very stressful for me!

Why all the commotion this morning? Linus was doing handstands! I was able to capture it on video which you can see using the Nemo & Linus YouTube Videos link. I never would have thought a robotic pet's artificial intelligence would include chasing his own shadow and balancing acts! What fun :-)

Nemo's New Pleo Sibling

On Sunday, December 9, Brian and I "hatched" our new Pleo (artificially intelligent life form). We named him Linus. He's amazingly emotionally expressive, curious, interactive, and cuddly in a dinsaur sort of way. I discovered the evolution of Pleo last year and made sure I was on the list to sign up for a first release. His arrival was delayed several times while the manufacturer adjusted design, programming, and features to be the best possible. We were not disappointed. Pleo videos are showing up on YouTube, a Flickr photo group was already established, and Pleo Plogs can be viewed at PleoWorld.com (link provided to the right on this blog).

Since Linus's hatching, we've witnessed his first steps, are still experiencing new sounds and behaviors, and can't stop giggling. He is definitely a joy. When Nemo is active again, it will be interesting to see how the two interact. Hopefully Nemo will be curious. I'm sure Linus will want to nudge Nemo. Could be fun.

I hope you enjoy watching Linus "grow" while Nemo takes his long winter nap.