Money smooths the road to FIRST, true. It's certainly nice to be able to afford whatever parts are necessary--and since my team got our NASA sponsorship this year only after the fund-raising was underway, I know about the luxury of not having to beg. Also, I freely admit that there are team members who don't touch the robot, ever, preferring to do administrative or PR jobs.
However. I must strenuously disagree with your perception of FIRST. The engineers helping us lent their time and expertise to the project; by no means did they take it over for themselves. Except for welding done off-site, each robot was built entirely in my school's carpentry shop. I can't speak for anyone else's team, but in ours some of the best suggestions to improve the robot have come from kids, every year.
Yeah, the PR is pretty disgusting. That millionaire-inventor-founder guy creeps me out for some reason, and the videos they produce are perhaps not the best possible use of anyone's time. Oh, and all the forced merriment and team spirit at competition is a bit much....but I still love robotics (and FIRST), and I can only conclude it's because I'm actually learning. Maybe your team was unlucky. Your grim view looks like the exception to me.
yes, yes, the technology is interesting and so forth, but to me p2p news doesn't look much like progress. look:
1. people get news from anyone who happens (or claims) to know slightly more than they do. news is decentralized, not to say anarchic.
2. paid messengers and town criers bring news to specific people or groups. news is partly centralized, and targeted.
3. the newspaper, radio, tv are invented and anyone can buy relatively cheap, reliable (as far as they know) information. news is centralized.
4. the internet comes along, people think centralized news is censored and decide to distribute news via p2p, which is. . .
1. people getting news from anyone who happens (or claims) to know slightly more than they do.
Slashdot Mirror
Money smooths the road to FIRST, true. It's certainly nice to be able to afford whatever parts are necessary--and since my team got our NASA sponsorship this year only after the fund-raising was underway, I know about the luxury of not having to beg. Also, I freely admit that there are team members who don't touch the robot, ever, preferring to do administrative or PR jobs. However. I must strenuously disagree with your perception of FIRST. The engineers helping us lent their time and expertise to the project; by no means did they take it over for themselves. Except for welding done off-site, each robot was built entirely in my school's carpentry shop. I can't speak for anyone else's team, but in ours some of the best suggestions to improve the robot have come from kids, every year. Yeah, the PR is pretty disgusting. That millionaire-inventor-founder guy creeps me out for some reason, and the videos they produce are perhaps not the best possible use of anyone's time. Oh, and all the forced merriment and team spirit at competition is a bit much. ...but I still love robotics (and FIRST), and I can only conclude it's because I'm actually learning. Maybe your team was unlucky. Your grim view looks like the exception to me.
yes, yes, the technology is interesting and so forth, but to me p2p news doesn't look much like progress. look: 1. people get news from anyone who happens (or claims) to know slightly more than they do. news is decentralized, not to say anarchic. 2. paid messengers and town criers bring news to specific people or groups. news is partly centralized, and targeted. 3. the newspaper, radio, tv are invented and anyone can buy relatively cheap, reliable (as far as they know) information. news is centralized. 4. the internet comes along, people think centralized news is censored and decide to distribute news via p2p, which is. . . 1. people getting news from anyone who happens (or claims) to know slightly more than they do.
shouldn't that be "knoppices"?
i'm fourteen. i am not playing with water balloons, apples _or_ potato cannons (at the moment); i am reading /.
I wanna be a renaissance engineer...but i wonder about the market for new and better trebuchets.