tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21153442026-11-02T18:42:06.076+10:30The lifestyle blog of South Australian Artist, Writer, Video Producer and Animator, David Arandle working under the pseudonym 'The Extraordinary Tourist' or 'TET' for short. Writings about Art, Life, Social Issues, humor, Internet/Technology, Movies, Entertainment, World Issues, Business, People/Places and more.TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.comBlogger1027125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-49194362442215134082026-10-27T10:30:00.000+10:302026-10-27T10:30:00.130+10:30

Tiny Software Engineer is a DIY desktop robot that physically represents an AI coding agent. It reads, thinks, types, and reacts to what the agent is doing.Created by jmrlab. Video Here.As interesting as the commercial robot race is, in particular humanoid robots. Chances are, you're not getting anything much more elaborate than a robot vacumm, internet connected fridge/TV, or an always listening

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-5341959254151640172026-10-20T10:30:00.000+10:302026-10-20T10:30:00.170+10:30

The New Tesla Roadster.Image: TeslaOctober 15th, 2026 is the day we finally got a first look at a flying car, that actually looks like a car first, but can also fly without any fancy transformations. It's just ready to fly, presumably 'at the push of a button and you're flying', ready to fly? I don't know the actual control system.Elon Musk launched the new electric Tesla Roadster with a live

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-10412636093364276472026-10-13T10:30:00.000+10:302026-10-13T10:30:00.119+10:30

1x1m Pressed Plastic Sheet made from recycled, shredded plastic waste.Photo: Precious Plastic website.As much as plastic is bad for the planet it's also an extremely useful raw material for thousands of products. There in lies the problem. Plastic product waste.Precious Plastics Foundation is based in the Netherlands and is a non-profit organisation that is working to solve the plastic problem by

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-83540949236686179292026-10-06T10:30:00.000+10:302026-10-06T10:30:00.121+10:30

New Leader of the Australian Greens,David Shoebridge.When I first heard Larissa Waters was resigning as leader of the Australian Greens party I cynically thought 'f**k, what scandal is she caught up in?' because I'm just so used to leaders from all sides of politics resigning amid scandal or being metaphorically knifed in the back by some impatient or disgruntled successor.Thankfully Larissa is

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-46202971990637908612026-09-29T10:30:00.000+09:302026-09-29T10:30:00.131+09:30

Lanterns - HBOmax Personally I think the new DC Studios, Lanterns series is one of the best DC shows in quite some time. It even edges out The Penguin for me (just barely) because it has likeable characters.Don't get me wrong, The Penguin is a standout drama series for sure, but I prefer heroes to villains (or anti-heroes for that matter) even if villains get the better monologues. It's nice to

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-53936109780930960612026-09-22T10:30:00.000+09:302026-09-22T10:30:00.116+09:30

Thumbnail from Australian Greens, Tax the 1% Campaign Video.Long time readers of this blog may know that I'm a woke liberal who isn't on the extreme left by any means but, thanks to Australian Labor being so much in the center these days, supporting the Greens will make anyone seem like they're on the 'radical' left.I point this out up front because the Greens recently launched their Tax the 1%

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-76567694823533111152026-09-15T10:30:00.000+09:302026-09-15T10:30:00.112+09:30

Writing this blog is largely both a labor of love and a discipline. Since about 2006 (the blog started in 2004) I have written a minimum of two posts per month. Sometimes I've posted more, particularly in the last 4-5 years, where I've tried to write and post at least one article a week without fail.Unfortunately it's not a niche blog, unless the niche is things that interest me. Which means my

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-15958695704966164822026-09-08T10:30:00.000+09:302026-09-08T10:30:00.119+09:30

From the moment it was announced, I knew I was probably not going to see Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu in cinemas.The Mandalorian Disney+ Series finished it's story with no real pointers towards where a future story might go, beyond 'the further adventures of...' There was nothing to really hook me in.I did enjoy the series but it never got me invested in the title character or his cute

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-17520064789180658512026-09-01T10:30:00.000+09:302026-09-01T10:30:00.249+09:30

Mattias playing the Ukulele that turns into a guitar in ukulele mode.YouTuber, Mattias Krantz, set out to solve one of the biggest problems with ukuleles, and that is, they are ukuleles. As he points out in his video they're one of the only instruments that people respect you less for the better you get at playing them.As someone who bought a ukulele because I wanted to learn an instrument,

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-70326560979634452222026-08-25T10:30:00.000+09:302026-08-25T10:30:00.328+09:30

Back in the 1990s I was a big fan of the Tomb Raider computer games. Aside from the obvious drawcard of the games female lead, Lara Croft, it was the only game back in the day that was a true 3D, third person shooter/adventure game.I wasn't a fan of first person shooters (though I played Dark Forces a lot at the time), I've always preferred computer games where you control a character on screen.

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-21288189634441772282026-08-18T10:30:00.000+09:302026-08-18T10:30:00.309+09:30

My skateboarding time is often limited to shortsolo sessions in my driveway and I wanted tomake that a little more fun.One thing I've wanted for a long time is a solo version of Game of S.K.A.T.E. As someone who mostly skateboards in my driveway, by myself, it can be a bit tedious to run through the tricks you know every session, then maybe spend time learning something new.I've often

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-89895131154952789452026-08-11T10:30:00.000+09:302026-08-11T10:30:00.139+09:30

This is the first time in quite a while we've seen a live action Spider-Man that is, essentially, a fully formed, grown up superhero, fighting crime on his own terms rather than looking to mentors to guide him. In Spider-Man: Brand New Day it's four years after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. No one knows who Peter Parker is but Spider-Man has become a local legend, helping

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-5576612801187699842026-08-04T10:30:00.000+09:302026-09-09T19:10:28.082+09:30

Belgica in the ice. 1897.Photo: Adrien de Gerlache You wouldn't ordinarily think of cats and penguins together in the same image but that's what I found myself creating when thinking of an idea for my next painting.I have painted penguins before as part of my Australian Animals series from the early 2000's, and I have a couple of cartoon  penguins (that you can see in a very old post,

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-48648444093858521162026-07-28T10:30:00.000+09:302026-07-28T10:30:00.111+09:30

This was a movie that I was always interested in but was never going to see in theatres. I think that's the same for a lot of people judging by how well Masters of the Universe didn't do at the box office, while, as I write this, it is the number two most popular new release on Amazon Prime Video in Australia.In cinemas the reception seemed mixed but generally positive. The movie didn't seem to

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-73151616446039870312026-07-21T10:30:00.000+09:302026-07-21T10:30:00.138+09:30

Australian PM, Anthony Albanese.Amidst growing concerns by Australian artists, specifically musicians most recently, about AI being trained on their work, on July 15 the world's most boring PM, Anthony Albanese delivered a keynote address from the University of Sydney on AI in Australia.I'm not going to pick apart the entire speech. Generally, it focused on the opportunities AI and its continued

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-37860341055233700842026-07-14T10:30:00.000+09:302026-07-14T10:30:00.114+09:30

This wasn't a movie I particularly wanted to see even though it's right in my wheelhouse, realistic Sci-fi. However, after Project Hail Mary did so well in theatres it became a movie I wanted to check out once it reached streaming. In this case I watched it on Amazon Prime Video.It wasn't really on my radar because, on the surface, it's not anything I haven't seen before, even quite recently.

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-56288881833117214152026-07-07T10:30:00.000+09:302026-07-07T10:30:00.109+09:30

LEO Coupe Flying Car. Fully electric jet lift system.Image: LeoFlight website.Of the things we were promised for the future by movies, the dream of real flying cars, is right up there for me with autonomous humanoid robots. I've actually written several articles about the development of flying cars concluding, most notably, that most working prototypes, and proof of concept flying cars, are

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-56221330960615771822026-06-30T10:30:00.000+09:302026-06-30T10:30:00.113+09:30

I've never read 'Woman of Tomorrow', the Tom King comic book miniseries that Supergirl is supposed to be inspired by. In fact I've never read a Supergirl comic at all.Which means I have no expectations for this movie to live up to. Much like all the comic book characters I love on the big and small screens - I've barely read any of their comics (even when I was in my prime comic book

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-35625026757126549762026-06-23T10:30:00.000+09:302026-06-23T10:30:00.120+09:30

Darwin commercial pilot, James Greenberger,  has fulfilled a childhood dream by building his own hovercraft in his carport. Most people are familiar with the concept of a hovercraft. Usually it's a vehicle of some kind that sits on a pocket of air, held underneath it via some kind of 'skirt', allowing it to travel on land or water. Typically they're mostly used on water. 

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-57588147196874515382026-06-16T10:30:00.000+09:302026-06-16T10:30:00.112+09:30

"Who's the GOAT?" by TET 2026 Original Acrylic Painting on Canvas (40 x 50cm). Buy My Original Artwork or High Quality Prints (ArtPal Store)Prints Available here. (RedBubble Store)About a month and a half ago I first wrote about the inspiration for my latest whimsical art cat, Who is the GOAT?, in my post, TET Artwork Diary: Cats, Goats, and Battlestar Galactica's Cylon, Number Six. That

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-38750678470403788752026-06-09T10:30:00.000+09:302026-06-09T10:30:00.185+09:30

I'm like a lot of people whose first experience of Spider-Noir was in 2018's, Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse animated feature film, where the character was voiced by Nicolas Cage. Prior to that I'd never heard of Spider-Noir.While the character was good in that movie I wasn't so impressed that I was clamoring for any kind of movie or TV series featuring the character.However, the moment I

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-23650153466699306542026-06-02T10:30:00.000+09:302026-06-02T10:30:00.180+09:30

Federal Liberal Party Leader, Angus Taylor, andDeputy Leader, Jane Hume.Image: Gemini and TET.Generally I try to keep one eye on Australian politics, mainly at the Federal level because that affects the whole country. State based politics really only become interesting at state election time, as they're something of an indicator of how the various parties might fare in a Federal election.As

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-81186579273592196092026-05-26T10:30:00.000+09:302026-05-26T10:30:00.129+09:30

This is another movie that I've finally got around to seeing. Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die (2025) caught my attention because Sam Rockwell is in it, and it is a time travel movie.Despite not being particularly successful upon release, it's not a bad movie by any means. It can be somewhat confusing and a little disjointed with it's frequent flashbacks, but there are definitely some

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-16128780001189961662026-05-19T10:30:00.000+09:302026-05-19T10:30:00.110+09:30

Top: MQ-9 Reaper UAVPhoto (Public Domain) by Lt. Col. Leslie PrattBottom: Sypaq Corvo Cardboard DroneWhat do you think of when you hear the term 'drone warfare'? Chances are those Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) used by the United States Military come to mind because, of course, right? Drone warfare is high tech, it's the future.I'm probably one of the last people to know but Australian

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2115344.post-83684199696072109332026-05-12T10:30:00.000+09:302026-05-12T10:30:00.118+09:30

Dave Filoni continues to mine his one idea for Star Wars animation with his latest ten part series, Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord. Not that I have a big problem with that. At this point I'm hooked on all his Star Wars animated shows, but I do wish he would try something different with the basic story structure every now and then.However, young, inexperienced apprentice, either already teamed

TET (David Arandle)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10017963548130964043noreply@blogger.com0