A One-Hundred Percent Inorganic Holiday Meal with the Gearbots: Our New Window!

See it in person for all the charming robotic details!

It's the "most" "wonderful" "time" of the year and here at the Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair we're in high gear for the holidays. Come see our wide variety of new robot supplies, novelties, and necessities! Come interface with our Staff-Bots, newly upgraded with "holiday cheer"! 

And while you're here spend some time feasting your eyes on our new window display. The  scene features our great friends and holiday favorites, the Gearbots, sitting down to a holiday meal with their family and friends (and our new product line, FOOD*).

FOOD* is a full range of sustenance, created with the discerning robot owner in mind.  Conscientious bot owners want only the crudest, most synthetic ingredients for their bots. It's the taste* they crave**, the nutrition*** they need****!

*Not actually flavored
*Only if your robot is programmed to crave.
***Not actually nutritious
****Robots do not have needs. 

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LSRS&R sat down with the mastermind behind our new display, designer Oliver Uberti. (Oliver was capably assisted by Store Intern Cecilia Latiolais [VotM October 2012].)

LSRS&R: The window display is a peek into the life of the Gearbots. How did you become acquainted with Ann Arbor's leading robot family? What should a human audience know about the Gearbots?

Oliver Uberti: I've long considered the Gearbots to be close family friends of mine, but they had no idea who I was. When I moved back to town recently, I thought I'd try to connect with them again, and this year the Gearbots invited me to help prepare a grand holiday feast.

Everybody knows that robots consume oil. What people don't know is that the Gearbots are very conscientious eaters. They don't just put any oil into their bodies. They're very committed to a diet that is one-hundred percent inorganic, nothing "natural" or "chemical-free". 

Of course the younger generation of Gearbots love sweets -- which is why they feed on sweet, clean electricity  provided by the family dog, Sol.

LSRS&R: Our new line has been called* "a welcome addition to the range of feeding options for a robot owner looking for a nutrition** system as attractive as it is wholesome***. What considerations went into the label and product design?

*By us. 

**Not actually nutritious; see above.

***For a certain definition of wholesome.

OU: It started with the window itself. Since LSRS&R is a store catering to robots and the people who love them, I was itching to see more metal and shiny chrome. For the labels of the FOOD* line, I chose a high-key color palette that offsets that neutral metallic theme -- screamin' orange, screamin' green.

I was also thinking of an owner's relationship to a robot as something similar to her relationship to her car or her pet. People who love their cars buy great stuff for their cars; people who love their pets buy high-quality pet food. FOOD* is an option for robot owners who want to give their bots nothing but the best.

In addition to FOOD*'s main line of sustenance, it also includes a variety of power boosts like Horsepower, Torque, and Velocity. These are similar to something like whey protein powder a human would put in a smoothie -- they're qualities every busy robot needs. 

The compelling* copy for FOOD* was written by Amy Sumerton and C. Jason DePasquale.

*Actually, in fact, compelling.

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Thank you, Oliver! The Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair is honored to be an exclusive purveyor of the FOOD line, endorsed by the Gearbots themselves. 

Bring the whole humanoid family down to LSRS&R this season or visit www.onwardrobots.com, where you'll find everything you need to make this the "jolliest" robot holiday yet.

SHOP LOCAL.

SHOP LIBERTY.

Product Spotlight: Nose SO Bright!

Today is a day for some light.

It's the beginning of Hanukkah (saved you having to Google that AGAIN; you're welcome), very nearly the winter solstice, and the countdown to Christmas is getting VERY real.

We at Liberty Street Robot Supply and Repair know that today's busy consumer has many illumination options. BUT as the Midwest's finest purveyor of robot supplies -- one might say a leading light in the industry -- we believe that we can offer something unique in this field.


With our Nose-So-Bright Seasonal Attachment, you can count on your robot to guide the way through even the darkest of nights. Here's our Staff Robot, Catherine, modelling the Nose-So-Bright:


(Staff Robot Catherine recently received the "chagrined" Emotion Upgrade! Look how well it interfaces with Nose-So-Bright!)

Stop into Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair TODAY for your very own Nose-So-Bright! Or visit www.onwardrobots.com to browse our wares. And from all of the Staff Robots here at 826michigan, may you have a very warm and festive holiday season!

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.