" I find your lack of faith disturbing..." - GPS with STAR WARS voices now in a galaxy not so far away....

This is where the tech goodies we have become fun.

I would want to have OBI WAN guiding me on a GPS as when you rolled into some place like Las Vegas, the GPS would say, " Mos Eisley Spaceport. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious."

NOW that would be cool.


Lost? May Yoda and Darth Vader guide you
August 2, 2011 LA TIMES

To the closest Starbucks you wish to go? Let Yoda be your master.

This week Garmin, maker of the popular line of personal navigation devices, adds the Jedi master and Darth Vader to its voice lineup.

The voices of Yoda and Darth Vader are available for download on Garmin's website, and will cost users $12.99 apiece. Yoda delivers his directions in his own unique grammatical style, saying things like, "Proceed to the highlighted route, your destiny, it is" and "Right you should turn, then sharp left . . . control, control, if a Jedi you wish to be."

When Yoda's froggy voice starts getting on your nerves, you can download Darth Vader's low, half-robot voice with just a hint of an English accent. He'll give you directions with a dose of evil attitude.

"Proceed as indicated," he says. "Don't make me destroy you." And "You have reached your destination. Impressive. Most impressive."

Both voices feature fully randomized dialogue, so you'll get to hear a variety of fun phrases from the "Star Wars" movies. The Darth Vader version also includes heavy breathing, the sounds of TIE fighters and light sabers, and John Williams' "Imperial March." The Yoda voice includes occasional sage interjections from Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Garmin released two videos that preview the new voices. May the Force be with you on your drive to your next destination.

Welcome to Mos Eisley Spaceport

Hello to all back in the states -

I'm sitting at a computer in the hotel at 1:25 AM Tuesday Kuwait time because I've napped and I'm unable to force myself to sleep anymore....still dealing with the effects of jet lag and a body clock that won't get off East Coast time....

My wayward bag finally made it to my hotel this evening - quite a bit of luck and persistence on my part made it get here - the bag went with me to Wash DC but was then shipped back to DFW - United Airlines then had to ship it BACK to WASH DC & then on to me in Kuwait. This bag has all my extra gear (gloves, hat, extra sox, etc.) Losing this bag would have started things off on a bad foot....I would have been an unhappy camper to say the least.

We will head out to our destination Tuesday AM. A 5 hour plane ride and then some more hurry up & wait likely....nothing gets done easy on this side of the world....

I have spoken with a number of the managers who i will be working with and the job will be a challenge - lots of work and not much else to do but work...no worries as I have been sitting on the bench for the past 5 months so working long hours will even things out.....

The landscape where I will be somehow invites comparison to Tatoonie in Star Wars ( I apologize in advance to all non-Star Wars Geeks for this portion of the message)

Take a read of this description of Tatooine & substitute "Afghanistan" instead

Tatooine rests in the distant Outer Rim, beyond the reaches of Republic and Imperial law. Even the Trade Federation lacked a presence on the desert planet. Poor, with very little industry to boast, Tatooine is a mixture of hard-working locals attempting to extract a living from the unforgiving environment and transients visiting the world for illegal ventures. Tatooine is controlled by the Hutts, and their shady operations bring many spacers, bounty hunters, thieves and other malcontents to the planet's few port cities.

Tatooine has a seemingly endless desert environment cooked by the intense energy of twin yellow suns. Rocky mesas, canyons and arroyos break up the monotony of kilometers of shifting dunes. The days are hot and the nights are frigid. The air is dry and the soil is parched. Yet life persists on Tatooine, in varied, hardy forms.

Not too far off eh? I think I will place a small sign near my work area that says " Welcome to Mos Eisley Spaceport " and see how many make the connection.


Hope all is well back there - seems the media is fixated on Tiger Woods & the Dubai Mess....meanwhile American Soldiers, Marines, Sailors & Airmen (and some civilian contractors) are attempting to make an effort on the far side of the world to assist the Afghan people.....President JAFO will make a speech Tuesday evening.....Looks like he took the "Go Heavy" advice & tweaked it....we will see where that leads....I am glad to see that there will be more military in my neck of the woods soon.....no complaints from me - I LIKE having them around.....Like the AMEX Card, don't leave home without them.....

All for now from "Middleboro Jones"....Thanks for reading....send me a note - You can't imagine how cool it is to read about the regular things going on back home.....it really makes my day