Slashdot Mirror
Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race
YetAnotherName writes "Both Wired Magazine and Tom Jones have coverage of the East Coast Championship Kinetic Sculpture Race 2003. Contestants plant tongue firmly into cheek, construct, and race bizarre human-powered vehicles across a variety of terrains. Notable vehicles included a 13-foot high pink poodle and a giant eyeball. Special rules this year required contestants to carry a sock-puppet on board. The winner this year? RTFA."
It's not unusual to be human propelled by anyone.....
im sorry....i couldnt help it.
xao
xao
http://TheHillforum.hopto.org
Tying a wagon to the back of a bike does not a kinetic sculpture make.
I have been pwned because my
...without mention of the Boulder Kinetics race, which has been run every year since 1979. While not the original according to this page, it still predates Baltimore's by 19 years.
I was just curious as to what everyone would choose as their "Homemade Sock Creature". (Required at all times). I personally would probably choose one that could beat up on the other puppets, thus claiming a puppet victory.
The judges don't have to perform any complicated calculations to figure out who the winner is -- the rules suggest that they can simply give the title to whomever hands out the best bribes.
had been wondering what figure skating judges do in the off season...I'm making a giant bike sculpture powered by a dog.
Could you put bumper stickers on your vehicle? Like "My sock puppet slept with your honor student?" or "Pets.com on board"
- gtaluvit (prnc. GOT-tuh-LUV-it)
You know it's bad when you find out about this on Slashdot and it went right past your house...
Me wonders what I did Friday night...
BTW, the sock puppet is NOT a new rule. Infact we have won for best sock puppet I believe 3 of the years.. (don't quote me on that.)
For more information on the Dumpster Divers, and related project(s) you can check http://www.pleasetake.org/
Infact I'm going down there in May for a party with some of the other kinetic racers and friends.
I had the pleasure of being on the pit crew for team Bumpo - the big Indian elephant. Let me tell you, the Gandhi on top was a huge hit with the folks on the street! The participants all have great attitudes - I recommend everyone to check it out next year (or your own local Kinetic Sculpture Race). Some teams spend months building these things. Of course, others only spend days... relying only on the fact that wheels turn and styrafoam floats. But hey, whatever works!
Actually, the first time was an accident. I was driving up 101 for fun, heard the coverage on the radio, and made sure to drive through town. I saw a giant warthog driving across a bridge. Quite neat! But the hotels were all booked and I didn't know where to go to spectate.
I went for "real" a couple of years back. Booked a hotel, got the schedule and map. The race started in Arcata (famed for its on-line police blotter), up the highway a bit. The racers assembled around the town square for inspection and brake trials. I took a lot of pictures. The floats^H^H^H^H^H^H Kinetic Sculptures ranged from barely modified bicycles to WILD, elaborate machines with teams in matching uniforms. Best were a giant dinosaur skeleton (with cavemen drivers armed with clubs) and a pink rabid poodle with a beer stine.
The Burned Out Hippy ethic of the race first became evident here. Very entertaining and charming, if you're into vague non-competitive niceness.
After leaving town, the racers headed for the beach, for a five-mile or so drag over the dunes overlooking the Pacific. I was going to follow on foot, but my ill-footing gumshoes tore up my toes. I ended up taking a lift to the next exciting spot, a hill that the races had to crawl up. There was a CLIFF on the other side. Most of the machines made it, but rarely gracefully. After another few miles through sand and brush the racers crossed a bridge into town for the night.
I decided another full day of this wasn't in the cards, but I stayed long enough in the morning to watch the racers go into water mode at the foot of a bridge. Very neat. Some racers were water-ready as is. Others had to deploy pontoons. Some were paddled, others had pedal-operated paddle wheels or even propellors.
The least well designed craft had to be rescued by the harbor patrol. (According to the Burned Out Hippy Ethic, the foundering craft were "pushing the coast guard cutters with stiff ropes.") The best really tore along. The best, as I recall, was "Rolling Blackout," which was made from black PVC barrels and had rotary paddles.
Anyway, I'd recommend this event, especially for families, but make sure you have other activities lined up.
Stefan
Others have mentioned Arcata, Eureka, and Ferndale as all being home to the original KSR. It should be noted for those not familiar with California geography that these are all the same race. As mentioned above, it started in Ferndale in 1969 but eventually the starting line moved north, so that now the three-day race starts in Arcata, crosses Eureka Bay, and eventually ends (after climbing the Slippery Slimy Slope) in the Victorian/hillbilly town of Ferndale.
It really is an amazing sight to see (especially the Sculptures trying to get up the Slope in the rain!) and I highly recommend that anyone who can manage to be six hours from the nearest major airport over Memorial Day weekend make an effort to attend.
For a good laugh, the rules are available online.
*******
"What good is science if no one gets hurt?!" - Professor Chromedome