First Robotics Competition in SF

April 9, 2025April 7, 2025 Lutin

We had a lot of fun at the First Robotics Competition at St Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco CA. We cannot think of a better way to spend the weekend than watching teams of highly skills robotics engineers compete for fame and glory!

Above is a photo the entrance to St Ignatius located in the heart of the Sunset district in San Francisco.

Below is a video showing one set of the robotic competition.

The goal is for your team to finish as many tasks as possible before the time runs out. Each team has three robots: two that are focused on competing tasks and one that tries to disrupt the other team’s robots. The court is divided in two with each team having one side as their home where they perform their tasks. The tasks are placing the tubes in a slot, throwing a ball and lifting themselves up at the end of the round.

Here is a close up of one of the robots, number 6822. It is amazing to see how many different and creative designs the teams come up with. For example, some receive the tubes from feeding machine while others scoop them up from the floor.

Here is another robot, 7667, waiting to be serviced.

Above is a photo of a typical repair station. Like with the robots, each team has their own layout and collection of tools optimized for their robot’s design. We had serious tool envy as we walked through the pit.

While none of our photos have people, the event was crazy crowded. We made sure to exclude people when taking photos, so missed about half of the teams at the events. Below is a sample of some of the teams there.

The Otter Bots.

The Aztechs from Alameda, California.

And team 846 with the absolute coolest pin dispenser ever!

The Breaker Bots.

The Pirate Robolution!

The Bot-Provoking.

Bora Robotics from Türkiye!

Blue Magpies from Taiwan!

Find your inspiration!

Paxton Gate

March 17, 2025March 12, 2025 Lutin

Whenever we go to Valencia Street in San Francisco, we always go to one of our favorite stores called Paxton Gate. An eye catching store that is full of interesting natural wonders and oddities.

When we go in Paxton Gate we always will stay there for a very long time, because there is so much to see and explore!

Here are some interesting rocks and minerals, including opal, aragonite, and bismuth! We love to pick out some new and interesting rocks to add to our rock collection.

Here are some more rocks! We love looking at and picking up all of the different rocks. One particular favorite is a desert rose crystal. We like then because they are very beautiful and remind us of a rose. We also love bismuth because it reminds us of Gunnerkrigg Court.

Here are some animals and other random curiosities that are preserved in glass. There is even a human brain in a jar!

These are animals displays and animal figurines. We love to look through all of the animal figurines to try and find our favorite animals.

These are some cool skeletons and bones of different animals, including the skull of a muskrat.

Paxton Gate also has a variety of plants. We love to hang out in the plant section to try and find a new addition for the yard.

More plants! The weirder the plant the better. We love to have odd looking plants in our garden.

Here are some fossil trilobites, ancient creatures that lived in the ocean. There are a variety of sizes. We are especially interested in them because trilobites are the family sign for the Heterodyne family in Girl Genius.

Here are some glass eyes used for taxidermy which we find creepy but cool.

These strange stones are actually owl pellets! Owl pellets are undigested food that an owl would regurgitate.

And a friendly skeleton watches over the store while you explore!

We hope you find you inspiration!

Star Wars at Fan Expo San Francisco 2024

February 13, 2025February 23, 2025 Lutin

As we are getting for ready for this year’s SF Fan Expo, we wanted to post about last year’s fun! We enjoyed all the fandom at the expo (Doctor Who, Star Trek and more) but given our Star Wars cosplay theme this year, we decided to highlight Star Wars.

First, a special call out to the 501st Legion who very quickly recognized one of the HipMonster’s crew cosplaying as Doctor Aphra (one of out all time favorite characters).

The 501 Legion gives advice on how build you own weapons, helmets, and even toys using 3d printers. If you want to print your own Storm Trouper helmet, they will set you on your way!

Here are a few of their 3-D printed toys. The 501 Legion is not only about cosplay and 3-D printing, they also do charity work across the Bay Area.

Here are some of the 3-D printed kits. If you are a Star Wars fan make sure to swing by their booth this year!

If you want your own droid, the Droid Builder Bay Area is the best place to get started. They create life-size droids that look exactly like in the movies. This club of like-minded droid makers are always open to a new member.

This cute little robot can easily be 3D printed at home!

The star of the show was the R2D2s which all looked identical to the one in the movies. We would love to put our AI in one of those machines!

A C1-10P (aka Chopper) from Star Wars Rebels.

There is even a mouse droid!

If the Force is in you, then it is about time you picked up a lightsaber. The FanExpo had several vendors ready to equip Jedi and Sith alike! We loved HookedOnSabers, who lets us examine and try a few of the lightsabers out, even when we were not going to buy one.

As huge Doctor Aphra fans, we were thrilled that Heather Antos was attending! She was an editor on the first Doctor Aphra series and helped bring her to life! Heather Antos was a lot of fun and we even got some inside information from her about the making of Doctor Aphra, and recommendations of other great series!

Drawing of Star Wars character Doctor Aphra. — Here is how I feel thinking how long I have to wait to this year’s Fan Expo.

We also want to give a shout out to comic book writer Jody Houser who signed every scrap of paper we shoved in front of her.

Senecio Stellata (Cineraria) Flowers

April 24, 2023October 15, 2024 Lutin

Gardening season has started and we want to talk about one of our favorite flowers, Senecio Stellata (Cineraria). They add a wonderful splash of color, and also attract pollinators to make gardens healthier.

Senecio Stellata (Cineraria)

When we moved into our home it already had flowers growing everywhere, though we did not know how much until the next spring, when the whole yard came to life. Cineraria flowers were by far the dominant species but we also have a variety of other local species to help our local bee population. We have several hives maintained by our neighbors including this one.

Senecio Stellata (Cineraria)

Cineraria grows out of every bit of bare soil in our yard – even in cracks in the cement walkways just like weeds!

Senecio Stellata (Cineraria) San Francisco, CA

The cineraria flowers range in color from a deep purple to an almost white blue and grow up to 4 feet tall! The leaves can get almost as big as your hand and are bright, cheerful green.

Senecio Stellata (Cineraria) San Francisco, CA

They grow in large clumps creating a sea of flowers when in full bloom! The seeds look like little pompoms and blow all over the yard. Sadly, they wilt really quickly if you cut the flowers, so we do not recommend making bouquets out of them, otherwise you will find flower petals and seeds everywhere.

Senecio Stellata (Cineraria) San Francisco, CA

Cineraria, like our native species, does not require a lot of water or fertilizer but does need some special care. The most important thing, if you want to grow native wildflowers in your yard, is not to rip out the plants when they stop blooming but let them reseed. This does make the yard look less formal and more natural for most of the year but in Spring you will be rewarded. In the Bay Area, Cineraria can grow year-round so after it seeds you can trim it down and it may bloom again next year!

Senecio Stellata (Cineraria) San Francisco, CA

Weeding is essential as grass and other weeds will crowd out Cineraria early in the season but with care and patients your yard can become a sea of flowers like ours!

Happy growing!

Little Skillet SF

November 18, 2019February 2, 2025 Lutin

Is it so wrong I keep thinking about chicken and waffles after just one random encounter at Little Skillets? The chicken was so tender they must have been raised in some beautiful land where a hug is given out for free, waffles so sweet I strongly suspect they did something unnatural, not to mention illegal in most states, with donuts and drinks so stiff years of yoga would still make their downward dogs look like a plank. I sit in bed conjuring up the memory of piles of food before me with a burning drinking making it ways down my throat and wonder again and again, “Is this wrong?”

Grub San Francisco

November 9, 2014July 9, 2023 Lutin

Grub is the foodie hub in Mission. Causal with home style meals it is a special start to the day. Proportions are large so perfect for sharing. The endless mimosa are refreshing.

Crab cakes.

Breakfasts hamburger

Chicken sandwich

Mini pancakes

Web site: http://grubsf.com

Anthony’s Cookies

September 30, 2012October 15, 2024 Lutin

Want to bring out the inner monster within? Just go to Anthony’s Cookies and your inner cookie monster will spring to life in no time. Hidden near where Cesar Chavez street meets Valencia street in San Francisco, Anthony’s Cookies is one of the best a boutique cookie stores we have found.

With a wonderful menu of cookies to choose from you are sure to find a favorite. We love to get a mixed box (which is lovingly secured with neatly tied twine) but always make sure to get at least two cookies and cream.

Anthony’s Cookies are cooked to perfection with high quality ingredients, elegant recipes and care. They have traditional flavors as well as seasonal specials like banana walnut. The chocolate chip cookie (the measure of any cookie maker) is exactly what one would expect – wonderful chocolate chip goodness wrapped in a well balanced cookie dough.

Its decor is clean and simple with seating up front to watch people stroll down Valencia Street showing off the latest fashion. Just get some cookies and milk then sit back and enjoy the City.

1417 Valencia St
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-425-2822
http://www.anthonyscookies.com/

Mon-Sat 10 AM to 8 PM
Sun 10 AM to 6 PM

Mission Pie

October 19, 2011October 15, 2024 Lutin

We just purchased a wonderful walnut pie from Mission Pie in San Francisco.

This pie shop has shut down.

Mission Pie is our favorite pie shop ever! Right on the path of our commute to and from school we have purchased way too much from them!

Revolver SF

January 1, 2010July 15, 2023 T'ien Kou

Revolver SF Store A store with a Hip Monster in mind, Revolver SF (now closed) has the latest fashion and wears. Want a black leather jacket that will make your friends jealous? Need that trendy little cat to fend off the cold night San Francisco wind? Revolver SF is the place to go. Before daring the fashion police in the Mission District it is a must to at least window shop at.

Revolver SF Cloths
Designs are modern and perfect for a night out on the town. Typical of their style is the Denham Spy Plus – Womens’ Biker Jacket shown left.

Address

Revolver San Francisco
136 Fillmore St.
San Francisco, CA 94117
Store Hours: 12 to 8pm

Dorklandia

January 1, 2010July 15, 2023 T'ien Kou

Dorklandia Design Cute, quirky and fun Dorkland is a monster’s favorite. They have lots of crocheted creatures and monsters sure to be the favorite toys in the lair. Colorful and soft they warm a monsters heart. One problem is keeping the tempting creations away from your cat.

Dorklandia Designs
The merchandise changes frequently so be sure to check Dorklandia out on a regular biases. Their scarfs are a must to venture out on a cold San Francisco night.

Recommended for Cute Crocheted Creatures
Web site
Store site