Accessories and features...

The first few weeks of the Eleanor's life in the hands of the public have been fantastic - we've gotten some great feedback from the hands-on testing that's been performed so far.

The enclosure, codenamed "Cradle"

The crack design team at Dad B's Workshop put together an amazing enclosure for our little treasure. It's got several great features:

• Stylish wood finish ('cause it's wood)
• Full-circle protection to keep the Eleanor protected while in Standby mode - no falling off of counters or getting lost in dresser drawers here!
• Slatted modular design to allow for add-ons to be installed (see the hanging giraffe in the photo for an example)
• Frame mounted on a pivot to allow a good range of motion and shock absorption

Shot of the "Cradle" in action

We've gotten to test this enclosure out with the Eleanor a few times so far, and I have to say, it's working out great!

One thing we have noticed in our post-launch testing is that the Eleanor seems to have issues going into Standby mode between the hours of 12 and 4 AM. We've spent several hours attempting to diagnose the cause of this issue, and have come to the conclusion that this is not a bug, but rather a 'feature' programmed into the Eleanor's design. Why, we aren't sure, but it's definitely something we're working through. We hope to resolve this through one of our future software updates.

Aside from the Standby issue, we've had the expected amount of core dumps and leaks to clean up, and are working through those one at a time. More news as news is available.

Are you going?

By the way, for anyone stumbling across this space that doesn't already know, I perform weekends at the Scarborough Renaissance Festival in Waxahachie, TX. If you're in the neighborhood and stop on by, look up my group, Traveller Song, in the program and stop by to say hi - I'd love to see you!

So true...

The Bean and I are huge fans of Castle, and make great efforts to watch episodes together as they come out on Hulu.

Recent developments in the Castleverse have left me wanting to scream at the TV, specifically things like "It's because she's as scared as you are, you big dip! Get your act together before she finds something else, and this entire bloody cycle repeats for another four seasons!"

So yeah, this Scenes from a Multiverse comic pretty well made me fall out of my chair laughing.

Ridiculous excitement

Okay, so many many years ago, when I was just a wee geekling sprog, I played a game. A game which sparked my imagination and kept me laughing for days on end. That game, my friends, was Space Quest.

I was pointed this direction as a result of my love for Sierra's (remember them?) other Quest titles*, and loved the quirky sense of humor, the concept of a space janitor (the existence thereof - such a one being the savior of the universe was just icing), and the challenge of navigating such a compelling game world and solving such brilliantly-crafted puzzles. I can't recall specifically which adventure of Roger Wilco's was my first in the series, but I can remember many a delighted hour spent in the world created by the Two Guys from Andromeda.

I've just read that they've gotten back together, and are planning a new game! I'm all sorts of eager to see what they'll come up with. Sadly, I doubt it'll be the same kind of adventure game that made the series a huge hit from 1986 to 1995 - there doesn't seem to be as much of a market for that style of gameplay anymore.

So long as they don't release it for Facebook, I think I'll play it, though. These guys have invested - in the form of chuckles, memories, and fun - in my interest in their products.


* - King's Quest and Quest for Glory, specifically. I played Police Quest, but just didn't get as into it.

Launch day!

We've all been anxiously awaiting the release of our much-anticipated and groundbreaking Freckle 1.0, the first release milestone for the Freckle product family. As many of you already know, we had to push back our initial release timeline by a few days in order to ensure full product readiness at launch. But, after a 20-hour final production push to bring the Freckle to market, I'm glad to say that the wait is over.

We are now pleased to announce that the Gold Release Candidate of the Freckle 1.0 product has passed final approval and is in full production! In our previous announcement, we promised to reveal the final naming decision at launch, so allow me to introduce to you our pride and joy: Eleanor Quinn Welch

Fresh off the production line

We've been working on the Eleanor for quite some time, and we're quite pleased with the specifications of the final product:

• Length: 20 inches
• Weight: 8 pounds 7 ounces
• Hands 2
• Feet: 2
• Fingers: 10
• Toes: 10

But what, you may ask, differentiates the Eleanor from any other similar product on the market? Take a look at some of these advanced features we've included:

• Blue eyes
• Sandy hair
• Nommable toes
• Pinchable cheeks
• Enhanced lung capacity
• And a face like Winston Churchill himself!

Not only that, but we already have a series of updates planned and in development, which will be released over time. Features such as crawling, walking, and talking will be added over time, and those are only a few of the surprises in store.

Of course, as with any new product release, we're anticipating our fair share of core dumps, memory leaks, debugging, and other post-launch activity which will lead to many late hours and sleepless nights, but we will remain committed to making the Eleanor the absolute best product in her class.

We know you're all just as excited to get your hands on the Eleanor as we have been, but supplies are very limited. One thing's for certain - when the Eleanor is available in your area, don't miss your chance to experience how awesome she is.