Product Spotlight: Happy not-quite-Hanukkah!

Hi everybody! It's me, The Other Amy (also known as Amywilson). I'll be guiding you through the wonderful world of the Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair while Amy Sumerton takes care of The Other Baby (also known as Violet, a real baby).

Today, I'm here to share with you some delightful products and amusing videos. But first, let me reveal a truth some would prefer to hide. Are you constantly confused by the fact that Hanukkah seems to jump around the calendar like a hyped-up frog (perhaps one who croaks for eight nights with only one gulp of pond water?) SECRET: Jewish people are too. I myself am what I like to call "arguably Jewish", and every year I have to Google "when does Hanukkah start?"

If you try it, you will surmise that is a VERY commonly Googled query. They say that Hanukkah, like all other Jewish holidays, is reckoned by the lunar calendar, hence the crazy jumps-around. But who knows what a lunar calendar is? Sounds fishy to me.

In any case, whenever Hanukkah happens to fall, I personally find it a delightful holiday. Some notable musicians agree. If you like to smile, please check out the following videos.

1. The Maccabeats, the a capella group from Yeshiva University, sing a Hanukkah-themed version of the pop song "Dynamite":


2. Matisyahu, the best observantly-Jewish reggae-influenced musician in the biz today, joins the Hanukkah music fray with this brilliantly weird video:


Watched them? Good. Now that you are in a festive mood (because you ARE in a festive mood, right?), lay your eyeballs on THIS festival of lights:


Oh yes, friends, your eyes do not deceive you. Never let it be said that Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair is not all-inclusive in its vending of robot-themed holiday items! The LED Menorah is one of my personal favorite products in the robot store, simply because it rides a very charming line between Actually Kind Of Practical (there are situations in which lighting Hanukkah candles is ill-advised -- for instance, in a car? Or whilst touring your friend's carpentry workshop?) and Totally Wacky (LED. MENORAH.)

Come on down to Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair to get your very own LED Menorah! Get it while it's. . .not hot!

(While writing this post I totally forgot when Hanukkah starts and had to Google it AGAIN. I will save you the trouble: sundown on Tuesday, December 20.)

(Also, if anyone wants to start a Judaica a capella group of our very own here at 826michigan, let me know. I'm thinking: The Macca-Bots.)

Product Spotlight: Create-Your-Own Robot Soul!

What do you get for the bot who has everything? The Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair has made it so easy to keep your robot updated, upgraded, and fully functional, that's a question more and more robot owners are asking.

Ask no more; we've got just the thing! Get your robot a SOUL. At the robot shop, we've got a number of souls to choose from, each with its own tune, from "Imagine" to "What a Wonderful World" to "Let it Be" to "Stairway to Heaven," "Hava Nagila," and more.

But perhaps that's not enough for YOUR bot. You have a very special bot, and you want to give it a very special soul. Allow us to offer: the Liberty Brand Create-Your-Own Robot Soul:

This clever kit contains everything you'll need to create the perfect, custom-made soul your robot so desperately needs!

Stop into the robot shop today and pick one up! Or, if you don't live near the Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair, order one ONLINE in our new online store by clicking here. ($5 flat-rate shipping!)

And, as ever, all proceeds benefit the free student programs at 826michigan! It really is the gift that keeps on giving. Support a small, independently owned business and fund an educational non-profit at the same time!

Third-Annual BotChoir!

Here's an event that really SELLS ITSELF. To prove our point, we'll just describe it to you:

1. People dress up in robot costumes.
2. The same people come up with robot-themed versions of holiday carols.
3. These people in the costumes with the carols practice until they sound good and robotic.
4. BotChoir is born.

You're intrigued, right? You actively want to see it. And all we had to do was just explain the concept!

Every year, for downtown Ann Arbor's Midnight Madness event, BotChoir performs in front of the robot shop, every hour on the hour between 7 and 10pm. As with MANY things that only happen once a year (your birthday, New Year's Eve), it's a super-special event not to be missed. This year, Midnight Madness happens on Friday, December 2.

So stop by! BotChoir performs at 7pm, 8pm, 9pm, and 10pm on the sidewalk in front of the Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair. We do a stunning binary version of "Carol of the Bells." We really drag out the "Fa. La. La. La." part of "Deck the Halls" to make it sound more robotic. We delight humans of all ages!

And after you watch BotChoir, pop into the robot shop and finish off your holiday gift purchases. In addition to all the clever and unique gifts you've come to expect from the Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair, we'll have 20 percent off all of our student publications (an AWESOME gift for anyone!).

Hope to see you there!

Wake Up, Humans!

Robots are generally not classified as "morning bots" or "not morning bots." They turn on when you program them to, and they work steadily until you program them to stop.

Not so with humans. Humans need alarm clocks and all manner of other accoutrements to help them rise and shine in the morning. As you have come to know and trust the Liberty Brand for a variety of products that fit under the category "helpful to humans" (for example...ROBOTS), it should come as no surprise that, in addition to alarm clocks, we now have an item in stock certain to rewire your brain instantly to "morning person."

We present to you today: Roos Robot Roast. It's more than just something to put into your Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair mug! It's a delicious and strong brew that will get your engines humming, day or night! Brewed locally by our good friends at Roos Roast, this one-of-a-kind coffee is the only one we know of that:

• Wakes you and turns you into a fully functioning human, and
• Helps to provide free tutoring, workshops, in-class support, and more to area students aged 6-18 at 826michigan.

So, essentially, you can FEEL GOOD about the fact that you are FEELING SO GOOD. (Doesn't coffee make you feel SO GOOD? What about enriching the lives of young people? SO GOOD!)


Stop by today and pick up a bag; amaze yourself tomorrow with how much you are able to accomplish. A bag of Roos Robot Roast is just $9, and if you need a stylish robot shop mug to put it in, we'll be happy to supply you with one of those as well for the reasonable price of $7.

Hope to see you soon!
ONWARD ROBOTS.

You Really Have to SEE It in Person!

We're, well, basically kinda famous for our holiday windows around here.

From our first, featuring spinning, ice-skating bots in a "Robot Winter Wonderland":


To the award-winning "The Gearbots":


And last year's "Better Bot's Workshop":


We are sort of getting a reputation.

There are several facts about our windows:

• They are always very clever.
• They can be described as "visually arresting."
• They have a high nose-pressed-to-glass factor.
• They tend to stop people in their tracks.
• They can be very, very difficult to photograph.

Our new holiday window falls into all of the above categories, particularly the last one. Turns out five hundred holiday lights, thirty yards of felt, one roll of chicken wire, and one robot very slowly making a snow angel is not an easy thing to capture on film.

We've tried our best, here:


But please stop by the Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair and see it for yourself, in action! It looks particularly arresting after dark.

And while you're here, you can stock up on robot cord wrappers, robot key covers, robot tea infusers, robot zipper pulls, robot socks, robot hats, robot lunchboxes, robot umbrellas, robot hands, robot backpacks, robot water bottles, and more OH MY SO MUCH MORE.

The Robot Takeover is Scheduled for Monday, November 21.

We are thrilled to announce that just yesterday we dropped off the disc with our first-ever holiday catalog at the printer! We are even more thrilled to announce that we are hard at work on a matching website that will make it so easy for people from ANYWHERE to do their holiday shopping at the robot shop.

Reasons Why You Should Do Your Holiday Shopping at the Robot Shop
(or the Robot Shop Website)

1. First and foremost, always: Because ALL PROCEEDS from the Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair benefit the free student programming at 826michigan. It is -- literally -- the gift that keeps on giving, providing young people in southeastern Michigan with free tutoring, writing workshops, and more!
2. Where else can you find one-of-a-kind gifts like our Create-Your-Own Robot Soul, Better Bot's Head Massaging Attachment, or Robot Tears? (Answer: Nowhere else. Literally.)
   
3. Where else can you find unique and unusual and clever gifts for everyone on your list, like Robot Measuring Cups, Robot Monkey Tissues, a Talking Friend Watch, an Electric Plane Launcher Kit, or a Twirling Spaghetti Fork? (Answer: Honestly, probably a couple of different places. But certainly not all in the same place, and certainly not with all proceeds going to a literacy-based non-profit that offers in-class support every week to thirteen teachers in six local schools.)

Other Things to Know about our Holiday Catalog and Website

1. The website launches on Monday, November 21.
2. It will be located at www.onwardrobots.com.
3. It features about seventy of our best, most popular, cutest, coolest, most innovative products. Surely something for just about everyone on your list.
4. 826michigan's super-famous and widely-loved student publications are, of course, included.
5. It's quick! It's easy! You can knock out most or all of your holiday shopping in a few mouse clicks!
   
6. We have flat-rate shipping: Just $5 to anywhere in the continental US!

If we haven't convinced you by now, we don't know what to say. Oh! We'll also have a slew of logo apparel for sale, featuring our beloved logo, including t-shirts, hoodies, onesies, tote bags, and stickers! Now you are convinced!


So mark your calendars: The Robot Takeover (or some version of it) will take place on Monday, November 21. Hope to see you there.

Cold Weather -- It's On the Way!

It may not seem like cold weather is on the way. It's sunny and 70 degrees AGAIN today in southeastern Michigan. However, our ForeCasterBot 3000 has told us that fall-like weather is indeed coming, and it will absolutely be followed by winter-like weather that will last for "what 'feels like' 1.5 million days." Or so says ForeCasterBot 3000's print out.

Robots have it easy enough. Grease them up with Better Bot's Bot Blubber and send them on their way. But what is a human to do?

As ever, the Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair has the answer, delivered today in the way of our very stylish, newly-in-stock robot shop hoodies. These pullover, kangaroo-pocketed sweatshirts are as soft and warm as can be, as well as being rakishly adorned with the robot shop logo. Take a look:

826michigan's Program Coordinator Catherine Calabro and Communications Coordinator Amy Wilson wear them well, of course, but extensive robotic studies have shown that it's impossible NOT to!

These sweatshirts come in gray with navy ink and navy with silver ink, as pictured, and can be yours today for just $30 each. Stop by the Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair and pick one up today! (Or, if you live far away, give us a ring! We'll send one to your very door.)

And be on the lookout for our holiday catalog, coming soon to a robot shop website near you! Hoodies, t-shirts, tote bags, stickers, and more will be available for purchase with a few simple clicks of your mouse.

ONWARD ROBOTS.