We woke up at Harstine this morning to pouring rain and it was evident that it was going to be parked there for quite a while. So…we decided to head home early so I could hook up my Roomba! Yes! Did I mention I ordered me one? My old vacuum cleaner is on its last legs so I’ve been in the market for something to replace it. The Roomba was on sale and the cost was comparable to any decent vacuum cleaner, so I decided to go for it. I’ll use it for the main floor of the house, which is mostly hardwood, and keep the on-its-last-legs ol’ canister upstairs so I don’t have to lug it. That is, until it dies its death.
I’ve done quite a lot of research about these Roombas over the years, and it’s apparent that they’ve made many improvements since they first came out. They get high marks in the reviews I’ve read. The idea of them has always intrigued me! A robot vacuum cleaner! If we can’t have flying cars, this has got to be the next best thing, right? Several of my Twitter and Facebook friends have been MOST curious about how the critters would respond to it, and asked me to take video. Well…after charging it up and setting it for its first cleaning session, I grabbed my Flip camcorder and prepared for hysterical camcording. Uhm. The dogs bee-lined it to another room to hide and Mojo climbed up on the cat tree and eyeballed its seemingly random trek around the living room like a slow, lobbing tennis match. Not a bit fazed. I do have my doubts that he’ll ever actually ride the thing (like I’ve seen some YouTube video of cats doing). He’s more of a passive observer. (He’s not even fazed with the screaming regular vacuum cleaner).
So here’s a test! I don’t believe I’ve ever uploaded a video to my blog before (embedded stuff from YouTube, but never my own video). Let’s just see if it works… Aha! I had to upload it to YouTube first. Weird. Well, now I have YouTube account! I rock. (Note: You’ll probably appreciate that the video is quick).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U35t8F3O7uI
OK. So, after that yawner, how do I like the Roomba? I’m so impressed! It cleaned the living room in about a half hour, and even though it’s trajectory is a little odd, it goes over (and under) everything numerous times, so it does a bang-up job. It’s a persistent little thang, checking out all that it can fit beneath, and wedging itself (herself? himself?) into nooks and crannies — but always able to escape! It’s so much quieter than a regular vacuum cleaner, and yet its suction definitely has some ponies working in there. (Ponies? Maybe aardvarks?) It behaved perfectly and headed back to the docking station when it was finished. Just before I use it to clean the dining area and kitchen tomorrow, I’ll clean out the bin and the brushes. I have read that it’s important to be diligent about cleaning it after each use, which isn’t supposed to be a big deal at all. (Also important to pick up the clutter, like the doggie beds, and also pull out the chairs before setting it to go. Which is what you have to do when you vacuum anyway.)
So, this little thing seems to have a personality (or at least a mind of its own), so I’ve thought about naming it. “Rosie” certainly fits (you know, Rosie the Robot from “The Jetsons.”) But I have a hunch 99% of all the Roombas out there are named Rosie. Plus, this seems like a guy for some reason. (About time a guy vacuumed, right?) Ralph? I’ll have to think on it.
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Still having to publish via Typepad composer and I'm NOT a happy camper about it.
