Everyone wishes they could have an ASIMO or a PaPeRo robot, right? But what about those of us who don't live in Japan or aren't Daddy Warbucks?

The future is now!

The French company Violet has released v.2 of their clever Wi-Fi bunny "Nabaztag" (= rabbit in Armenian), which sells for under $200.

Here's what he can do:
E-mail alerts, talking clock, weather, vocal reading of internet RSS feeds/written messages, reception of spoken messages or musical greetings sent via the internet, communication through colored lights and ear movements, and coming soon: object and person recognition. Friends can send you messages through the main website even if they don't have their own bionic bunny.

Personally, here is what I enjoy most:
+ the subculture of the Nabaztag worldwide community: User profiles, pics of dressed-up rabbits, meet-ups, etc. There's even a Google Earth NabazWorld community where you can see all the Nabaztags as white rabbit icons across the globe. France is especially full of them!
+ the robotic motion of the magnetized (and customizable) ears is fully choreographed and beautifully smooth (like ASIMO).
+ the open API means that new applications can be written by the user community.
+ the ability to receive podcasts and "Nabcasts" from different users. My radio station of cute Toytronic-style IDM is called Electronic.Leporidae

My only complaints are:
- the tracks you upload get clipped to under a minute (well-suited for those brief Skanfrom, Plaid, and "micromusic" tracks, but not so good for anything longer).
- the spoken voices (in UK or US English, French, German, with more to come) attempt to be too "human" and realistic, which can be frustrating for those of us who like our robots to sound like robots (though they still have a decent "SimpleTalk" vibe, and the whole Kraftwerk-esque idea of a multi-lingual robot is pretty irresistible).
- there are still a few bugs, but there are forums for discussing them.

So, fellow robots, it's time to welcome this new species of cute robotic rabbit into our dwelling-units. If you want to say hello to mine, his name is "Duplo"...

Avoid Excessive Listening
Use Only In Moderation
Use With Caution: May Be Habit-Forming
May Cause Sleeplessness
Energy Drinks/Caffeine May Intesify This Effect

Coco Electrik - Sex Shooter
(We Are) Performance - Free Fallin'
Datashat - Don't You Want SID + How Does It Feel
Boys of Scandinavia - Bela Lugosi's Dead
Overproof Soundsystem - The Model
Busy P - It's More Fun To Compute

There are some purists who like their robots to be totally devoid of emotion. Then there are those, like me, who like the full range of robot "emotion" in their music (call me sentimental). So, let's imagine some sort of robotic "emotion chip" and consider some musical examples...

MELANCHOLY
Let's face it: robots go through existential crises too, whether it be from loneliness, heartbreak, or doubts about their purpose in the world. And humans can sympathize with robots: when the robot sings in Kraftwerk's Radioland, I get a lump in my throat...

= mr_hopkinson's computer™ does a haunting cover of The Smiths song Asleep on the album Mr_Hopkinson's Computer Sings, available here.
= Solvent does a lovely, bittersweet version of Slowdive's When The Sun Hits from Blue Skied An' Clear: A Morr Music Compilation.
= Memory Boy as a broken-hearted "emo" robot in There Is No Electricity from Ghostly International presents Tangent 2002: Disco Nouveau.
= Wolfgang the robot has a touching back story behind Not In Love Not True.
= Microvax - Robarthes is a pensive French robot. Je pense donc je suis.

SWEET
Robots are cute: just look at Astroboy, or real life robots ASIMO and PaPeRo, they're adorable.

= Tobiah's epic chiptune I Love Your Music from the Glitter & Bleep (Joystick Pop) compilation, also available at Micromusic.
= ISAN - Iron Eyes, from the album Meet Next Life.
= Plastik Kettle - Green Travel, from the album Our Toys Are Better Than Yours (a great title). Fans of the Suction Records robots will like this.
= Plone - Plock, from the album For Beginner Piano. Shame on WARP for never releasing Plone's still unreleased 2nd LP.
= Mikron64 - Ikea, from the Etwas Zeit EP.

HOSTILE
Obey these sinister robots or they will crush you. Translation: "Destroy All Humans!"

= Industrial Bass Machine - Devastate The Planet from the excellent album, A Taste of Armageddon.
= Datathief - Night Raid from the SKAM compilation Skam 0161.
= Tinfoil Teakettle - Think Like Us, from the Suction Records compilation Snow Robots Volume 3.
= Datassette - Run Human!, from the Maintenance Werk EP available for download here.
= Mr. Velcro Fastener - Real Robots Don't Die from the album Lucky Bastards Living Up North.

ARROGANT
You have to love a robot with an ego: Pushin' more power than a Duracell. These are "funky" robots, here to give you what you need, and what you need is bass!

= Plaid's fantastic remix of Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five's Scorpio on their remix album Parts In The Post.
= Man Parrish - Boogie Down Bronx. Just a 'bot from the block. On the real.
= Exzact - Sub.Sonic. Base from the Second Wave EP.
= Solenoid - The Narcissist from the album The Narcissist.
= Multiplex - Rock Robot, from the Pinghaus Frequencies LP.

ROBOTIC
Sometimes robots just sing about being robots, okay? Whether it be data, hard disks, calculations, or being made of metal...or "making circuits" with pleasure bots.

= Console - 14 Zero Zero, from Rocket In The Pocket is one of the best robot songs ever.
= Bochum Welt - Feelings On A Screen. Yes, the title of this article is taken from this song.
= Abfahrt Hinwil - Syntax Data, from the Toytronic compilation, Neurokinetic.
= Hong Kong Counterfeit - Metal Disco [Legowelt vs. Orgue Electronique RMX].
= Gimmik does math in Rc Units from Slow Motion Process.

More YouTube vids for your enjoyment! A couple uploaded personally.
Dirty Princess - Tampax [I tried uploading Jugaral Reves (NSFW) but got rejected mighty quick]
I Am Spoonbender - Replaced By Toys
Cursor Miner - Suicide Bomber
Goudron - Art School F*ckheads [live]
Mr. T - Treat Your Mother Right (Remix)
Laid Back - White Horse [Three cheers for White Boy Funk!]
Kraftwerk - Elektro Kardiogramm [live]
Kirlian Camera - K-Pax [Not an official video, but I love this song]
Digital Emotion - Go Go Yellow Screen [Even better than the song they ripped off]

Now that I'm anticipating next month's Kraftwerk tribute album, it got me thinking about Kraftwerk covers of the past. One of my favorites, and definitely one of the more interesting takes on the music of the Original Man-Machines was done by Japanese sludgemonsters, Zeni Geva. This interpratation of Sex Object may make you feel like you're watching some twisted Takashi Miike film. Released on a 1998 Toshiba Japan compilation called Musique Non Stop, it manages to be both funky and apocalyptic [if that is indeed possible]. When I mentioned this track to my Oak-town contact, he pointed me to the MySpace page of Death Disco Citizens G/L/A/S/S/C/A/N/D/Y where they've posted a new demo - that classic ode to microchip fornication, Computer Love. The thought of Ida No performing this song is soooo much more preferable than that "inadvertant" rip-off by those Coldplay wankers.

On that note, I think you should share some love with your computer today.