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[fluppet]

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Harsh, but fair. :-) Is team Napalm still going? (Theyre local to me, so I should be supportive.)

Youve lost me on the sunscreen. (Other than that we should wear it, according to a popular beat combo.)

Ive got my pet theories on beating things (mostly posted elsewhere on this forum, in Typhoon2s case), but given that my first robot is unlikely to be the design Id build if I felt I knew what I was doing, losing is kind of a designed-in feature, and Ill settle for not trashed.

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Fluppet

[jdwacken]

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Youre saying that to beat Typhoon 2 you build Storm 2, and to beat Storm 2 you build Typhoon 2.

Is it just me or is that a bit of a circular argument?

[jamesb]

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exactly.... its the immovable object meets unstopable force arguement.

in otherword a witty addaption of the chicken and egg quandry.

to make sure you do not get damaged by a TAN, use sunscreen.... ah, nevermind.

(mental note, do not become a comedian)

[fluppet]

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Eugh. I got the Storm/Typhoon2 circular reference (having decided it wasnt a spoiler :-) ) but the TaN thing is just painful.

Does this mean that TaN is particularly weak when Storm, Typhoon or Tornado are in the arena?

(Unless the LED is very bright, of course. Wow - back on topic!)

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[jamesb]

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lol.

from another direction, I saw TAN and storm 2 in the arena together at Brighton, excellent stuff.

It was very interesting to see the number of robots with activation lights too, didnt realize there were so many already.

[roger_plant]

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From the point of view of the lecturer, a pub room is not the ideal venue, too many potential distractions.
Trying to explain things to about 40 people using sketches drawn on a note book is not good.

A high school lecture room is much better proposition, and probably not too expensive.

It has the right environment in which to give a lecture, quiet and with the right lighting and space to lay out components to look at, plus a blackboard for diagrams.

I would be much happier using a college or school room somewhere not too far away from me on a weekend afternoon than in a pub some evening with background disco music or a football match on the big TV in the next room.

I feel that the roboteers would learn much more in the right venue and get their moneys worth.

We could arrange that the various lecturers could give regional talks.
This would save them a lot of travelling time and expense.

[fluppet]

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Sounds good. The only reason Id really been thinking in terms of a pub is to fit it in around a fighting event - fights both days over the weekend, do a talk on the Saturday night. However Id been thinking of fewer people (perhaps ten or so at most) and a sufficiently quiet pub (which relies on local knowledge and luck) - and its been suggested that roboteers might be too busy on the night in the middle of a tournament anyway.

Its true that if someone is willing to prepare stuff to show off, and is happy to take separate time out of their schedule during non-competing time, then a proper teaching room or similar should allow a talk to be less interrupted. If held in the evening after the event, it might be possible to re-use a fighting venue; if someone could provide an easel and blackboard or drawing pad, Debenhams sports hall for example - with the seating set up - would work pretty well so long as no-one was hammering away in the pits. RAF hangars might be a bit nippy though.

So, yes; I was only thinking of an informal chat to few people in a quiet corner of an establishment where other roboteers were already meeting post-event, so as to detract from the volunteers schedule as little as possible. If someones on for giving a longer, better prepared talk to more people than I was anticipating, somewhere non-publike *would* be better.

If someone arranges it, Ill certainly come along - although I cant deny that it would be slightly more appealing if it *can* be fitted in with a day or two of fights. (Incidentally, Im not going to be able to make Enginuity should lectures happen there.)

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[babeth]

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In Belgium so far we have had our socials-lectures-information exchanges in local pubs where there is no music being played, in the Netherlands we have had different locations and some were horrific and some were ideal.
But Rogers suggestion is the best one: get a location where there is nothing else to distract people, bring on some refreshments that are not distracting either (alcohol-free and foodstuff that everyone would tolerate) and start the talks.
Having this get-together in a school or in another clubs rooms or building could also guarantee parking space, loading space and room enough for displays and such for better explanations and maybe some hands-on examinations. Portable computers with pictures and movies may be added, and a large drawingboard would be nice. Call it a seminar and you can do it in a seperate room at an event.
Speaking of safety (always my concern): a crowded pub with lots of inbibed persons is not exactly safe in my opinion. Spaceous rooms with big windows and clear exit ways in combination with lots of sober persons are favorable.

(Yes, it seems to become popular to out oneselfs physical problems: due to health issues I cannot drink alcohol, should not eat certain foodstuffs and can not tolerate tobacco smoke and loud music/shouting but that does not keep me out of pubs and having a great time anyway... I just suffer and endure. When it gets too late in the evening (or too early in the morning) I faint. Im also half-deaf, half-blind, morhpologically challenged, have no sense of balance whatsoever (which does not keep me off a horse or a motor bike for very long in any case) and am a hopeless nitpicker.)

[fluppet]

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Well said - although re. the safety, if we *were* going to do this in a pub I was presuming that either the robot wouldnt be somewhere where the public can trip over it (as Roger suggested, space to set it out in a schoolroom would be better). Either that or that the robot(s) could be hauled out of cars at the end of the talk and people could decamp to the outside of the establishment - which wouldnt require so much organisation with a landlord, and mightnt be antisocial for a pub with outside tables. Getting beer spilt inside a robot isnt my idea of fun either, although I understood that some social meets took this risk.

Does rely on local knowledge of a quiet pub with a sympathetic landlord and small chance of rabble autodarwinating themselves on the machines. Im presuming that someone organising would know somewhere (I can name some suitable pubs, but not anywhere obvious for an event...); but just turning up at a pub without prior knowledge is a recipe for disaster.

I agree about the smoke/noise and enduring, but right now what Im enduring is mostly still being at work. :-)

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[typhoon_driver]

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well i have personnally already given talks to my school mates with typhoon 2 sitting at the front of the class

true it was mostly about the robot and how strong things were etc however it did give them an insight into the robot.

Its really not that hard, if you can go on national tv with your robot then a room full of people should be easy (thats my way of looking at it)

I agree that a classroom type environment is the best place for people to actually take in what is being said as there are no distractions. How about it being on the last day of competition at an event (should it go over a few days), in the evening so that the interested parties have seen the robots in action and then they get to see what makes em work and how things are put together?

what about having a smallish room with chairs set up in a semi circle around the robot, the speaker gives a quick run around the robot and then anyone can then ask questions about how certain things were done etc? this could probably accomodate around 15 people max if it was to be worthwhile.

sorry im just giving random ideas as they come into my head (it might not be so good to post just after 2 hours of rugby training, but there you go)

[fwsorg]

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Lol- having received about 5 concussion in the last 2 years from that bloody sport, I completely agree.

[Guest]

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quote:

From the point of view of the lecturer, a pub room is not the ideal venue, too many potential distractions.

Especcially if the Lincs FRA socials go back to that place near Retford.... Damn nice scenary :wink:

Joking aside, the FRA meetings weve had over this way have been rather subdued affairs, not a lot of drinking as most people have to drive, and Kevs good at picking quiet corners in quiet pubs.

[jas]

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Just a safety issue. My feather InX 2 now requires a power light. One problem, its a Full Body Spinner! there is no physical piece which isnt moving around the chassis. The only place I can think of is on the chassis and if i get a strong enough LED it hopefully will shine under the body but im not 100% sure that would work.

Any ideas??

[jamesb]

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cut a line of holes around a radius on the body. as it spins itll tell everyone what the robots doing, and should still be visable when it stops.

feathers need leds now?

[jamesb]

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yes I am joking.....

what next? cradles links and failsafes?