I have just been hit with how much I am going to really, really, truly miss Enmar.
He is the center and core of our Robotics team, and I can't imagine this family without him. I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do. I know he's leaving off to "far, far away" to go to college. So this is really the end.
There will never be another FIRST season with Enmar by our side.
The only reason I'm not in happy-sad-sentimental tears is because he is still a part of my Moonbots team. I don't have to say "Goodbye" quite yet. But we're so close to it. And part of it is already older.
He's like a big brother and a good friend at the same time. I will miss the random and rather odd moments of Enmar Affection. Including, but not limited to, rubbing my head or hugging me from behind while yelling "RAPE!".
He had a great sense of humor, a weird laugh, and I wish he hadn't felt so put-upon during his last year here. I really hope he remembers this as a good thing, and not a stressful hunk of yuck.
I'm going to miss all of the seniors next year, and it's looking like there's going to be quite a bit of member changing going on to form a different team... but Enmar still seems to be the major loss for me, because I'm missing him already.
Showing posts with label robotics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label robotics. Show all posts
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Build Season is OVER!
I begin writing this with three minutes until midnight.
Today marks the end of build season.
Today is the end of late nights, the end of excused chores and late homework. Today is the end of Mountain Dew and Pizza being the staples of life. Today is the end of bad programming and physics jokes, endless That’s-What-She-Said puns, and the joking questioning of everyone’s sexuality. Today is the end of abusing the label maker at three in the morning to put “Gullible” on the ceiling. Today is the end of massive pool noodle fights because the “code is compiling”. Today is the end of “I hope this works” after you have checked it for weeks, to see it finally does. Today is the end of build season.
While this moment is not the end of FIRST Robotics, as the competition is yet to come, it is the end of many pieces that we will miss from our lives. The all-absorbing obsession of robotics is coming to a close. For many it is coming to a final close, as they are seniors and will never have this experience again. It’s sad to think about.
As my team scrambles around at the last minute to pack our crate, bickering like crazy, I finally realize why I am going to miss this so much. Over the past six weeks Roboteknix has built more than a Robot.
We have built a family.
A horribly corrupt, ill-fitting, dysfunctional family that will never cease arguing, but it is a family none the less.
As Thomas has been reminded merely minutes ago, this is not a club. This is far more then any little school extracurricular, this is a FIRST Robotics Team. There is so much more that comes with that package when you sign up. For better or for worse, you are stuck with these guys to live with and problem solve for the next six weeks.
These six weeks have been some of the most productive, most intense, most enjoyable, and yes, probably the most stressful, I can say I have experienced. It was well worth it.
Better still, it’s not over yet.
The competition lays ahead – regionals and championships, prizes to be taken, teams to meat, collaborations to be made, friends to acquire. This is not the most important part, by far, but it’s going to be FUN.
See you there,
Team 2865 Roboteknix,
Claire
(You can see the post HERE. I do not see posting this as my blog post as cheating, as I did start this FOR my blog, but decided I wanted to share.)
Today marks the end of build season.
Today is the end of late nights, the end of excused chores and late homework. Today is the end of Mountain Dew and Pizza being the staples of life. Today is the end of bad programming and physics jokes, endless That’s-What-She-Said puns, and the joking questioning of everyone’s sexuality. Today is the end of abusing the label maker at three in the morning to put “Gullible” on the ceiling. Today is the end of massive pool noodle fights because the “code is compiling”. Today is the end of “I hope this works” after you have checked it for weeks, to see it finally does. Today is the end of build season.
While this moment is not the end of FIRST Robotics, as the competition is yet to come, it is the end of many pieces that we will miss from our lives. The all-absorbing obsession of robotics is coming to a close. For many it is coming to a final close, as they are seniors and will never have this experience again. It’s sad to think about.
As my team scrambles around at the last minute to pack our crate, bickering like crazy, I finally realize why I am going to miss this so much. Over the past six weeks Roboteknix has built more than a Robot.
We have built a family.
A horribly corrupt, ill-fitting, dysfunctional family that will never cease arguing, but it is a family none the less.
As Thomas has been reminded merely minutes ago, this is not a club. This is far more then any little school extracurricular, this is a FIRST Robotics Team. There is so much more that comes with that package when you sign up. For better or for worse, you are stuck with these guys to live with and problem solve for the next six weeks.
These six weeks have been some of the most productive, most intense, most enjoyable, and yes, probably the most stressful, I can say I have experienced. It was well worth it.
Better still, it’s not over yet.
The competition lays ahead – regionals and championships, prizes to be taken, teams to meat, collaborations to be made, friends to acquire. This is not the most important part, by far, but it’s going to be FUN.
See you there,
Team 2865 Roboteknix,
Claire
(You can see the post HERE. I do not see posting this as my blog post as cheating, as I did start this FOR my blog, but decided I wanted to share.)
Saturday, February 13, 2010
FTC is Awesome
I just got back from the FTC competition.
IT WAS AWESOME.
I mean, not nearly the same level of awesome one would find at FRC - it's a smaller scale competition. But still awesome all the same. These types of events fill my heart with nerdy joy. <3
The team I was with ended up with 11th place over all out of 21. We were 9th place through most of the qualification rounds, but then got knocked down to 11 after match six.
We got to meet and play with two particularly awesome teams, 295 and 417. These teams took first and second respectively, and playing with them was both an honor and a joy. Team 417 is also participating in FRC (FIRST Robotics Challenge) this year, and we've planned to meet up in Portland at the Regional some time.
They had awesome hats. AWESOME hats. They said "You lost the game". BUT IN BINARY.
After this I'm feeling like next year it would be tons of fun to join FTC instead of just tagging along. I hope Sal decides to continue the team.
IT WAS AWESOME.
I mean, not nearly the same level of awesome one would find at FRC - it's a smaller scale competition. But still awesome all the same. These types of events fill my heart with nerdy joy. <3
The team I was with ended up with 11th place over all out of 21. We were 9th place through most of the qualification rounds, but then got knocked down to 11 after match six.
We got to meet and play with two particularly awesome teams, 295 and 417. These teams took first and second respectively, and playing with them was both an honor and a joy. Team 417 is also participating in FRC (FIRST Robotics Challenge) this year, and we've planned to meet up in Portland at the Regional some time.
They had awesome hats. AWESOME hats. They said "You lost the game". BUT IN BINARY.
After this I'm feeling like next year it would be tons of fun to join FTC instead of just tagging along. I hope Sal decides to continue the team.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
WHEELZ PLZ
DUDE. DUDE. DUDE.
CHECK.
THIS.
OUT.
Aren't they amazing!? Those, right there, those beautiful things are the teaser pictures for the wheels our Robotics team has spent the last three weeks making. Even if the rest of our robot completely sucks, we will still have the most awesome wheels at competition. At least at regional. I'm not sure about the Atlanta game (internationals), as those will be the top robots in all of FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition).
Making the wheels has been way too much fun. For example, the other day Mike (one of our mentors) was playing with the wax we were using to duplicate molds, stuck his thumb in, and when we went to poor the molds he created a silicon recreation of his thumb - complete with fingerprint. He even dipped the end in the red rubber so it would look like it got chopped off bloody, and as the silicon is a light pink color and a semi-squishy, it's pretty convincing at a glance. It's pretty kick ass.
Besides our wheels, though... We're still behind. The chassis JUST got welded. As in, today. It's week five. Out of six. ...It's going to be close, to say the least.
CHECK.
THIS.
OUT.
Aren't they amazing!? Those, right there, those beautiful things are the teaser pictures for the wheels our Robotics team has spent the last three weeks making. Even if the rest of our robot completely sucks, we will still have the most awesome wheels at competition. At least at regional. I'm not sure about the Atlanta game (internationals), as those will be the top robots in all of FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition).
Making the wheels has been way too much fun. For example, the other day Mike (one of our mentors) was playing with the wax we were using to duplicate molds, stuck his thumb in, and when we went to poor the molds he created a silicon recreation of his thumb - complete with fingerprint. He even dipped the end in the red rubber so it would look like it got chopped off bloody, and as the silicon is a light pink color and a semi-squishy, it's pretty convincing at a glance. It's pretty kick ass.
Besides our wheels, though... We're still behind. The chassis JUST got welded. As in, today. It's week five. Out of six. ...It's going to be close, to say the least.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Matt the Photographer
Matt randomly picked up the pink block of Styrofoam the camera was ducktaped to, fiddling objectively, as his hands felt empty without the normal professional style camera slung around his neck. He pointed the camera up at at Claire, as she was the one standing nearest, and twisted his head back to see the display on the netbook behind them. He jittered it around a few times, but to no avail.
"Aw. The camera's not working." He stated, a slight note of disappointment audible in his voice.
"As you have that pointed at my boobs right now," Claire responded with fake hostility, "It better not!"
Matt dropped the camera like a hot coal, blushing slightly, and the room burst out into laughter. The moment was made all the more hilarious, as Matt had been stating mere moments earlier that even if the rest of the team made constant sex jokes with no regard towards her, at the very least he respected Claire.
"We see what you do." Enmar laughed from the other side of the table, looking up from the robot.
"So that's your kind of photography!" James added a little bit too loudly.
Claire just rolled back on her stool, laughing and gasping for breath.
---
Best. Moment. Ever. I felt the need to share.
The exact words are slightly tweaked, as this happened over an hour ago and I can't remember them perfectly. But you get the general idea.
"Aw. The camera's not working." He stated, a slight note of disappointment audible in his voice.
"As you have that pointed at my boobs right now," Claire responded with fake hostility, "It better not!"
Matt dropped the camera like a hot coal, blushing slightly, and the room burst out into laughter. The moment was made all the more hilarious, as Matt had been stating mere moments earlier that even if the rest of the team made constant sex jokes with no regard towards her, at the very least he respected Claire.
"We see what you do." Enmar laughed from the other side of the table, looking up from the robot.
"So that's your kind of photography!" James added a little bit too loudly.
Claire just rolled back on her stool, laughing and gasping for breath.
---
Best. Moment. Ever. I felt the need to share.
The exact words are slightly tweaked, as this happened over an hour ago and I can't remember them perfectly. But you get the general idea.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
The Honors Student
You've all heard the phrase, or your schools equivalent, before: "Honors Student". How the teachers separate the smart, fast thinkers from the rest of the bunch. They stereotype us as "Perfect" and "Smarter".
It's time to tell the truth. We're not.
The Honors Student is simply a person with the way of thinking that academics come easily to them. That doesn't make them better. In fact, in many cases, that makes them much, much worse.
My Robotics Mentor, who we'll call "Sal", made a bit of a distinction today in reference to how we were building a 1:1 scale kicking prototype. The Honors Student spends freaking forever working on the mathematics and "Theoretically..." parts of design, trying to make the mechanism perfect on paper before building it. They usually run out of time, and their 'bot's "theoretically" doesn't work out completely as planned. The rest of them just charge ahead and make something that doesn't work, then tweak it until it does. This tactic works much better.
An Honors student...
* Gets good grades, and tests very well.
* Tends to either finish the project light years ahead of time, or forget about it. Then remember about said project three days before the due date and BS'es something together during a last minute all-nighter, getting a decent-to-above-average grade.
* Thinks book work is easy.
* Talks during class more often then not.
* Often uses the phrase, "I'll do it at home", and truthfully. It is not uncommon for them to find their class time better used to socialize then to do the work.
* Can execute step-by-step instructions perfectly, but often skips reading them because they "Know what they're doing". With mixed results.
* Tends to excel in at least one area completely with a "Pshh, that's easy!" directed at pretty much every assignment.
* Does not study for tests, and can easily be screwed when the teacher decides to spring a harder test then normal
...Among other things. These aren't true tick by tick, but just some of what I've observed.
It's time to tell the truth. We're not.
The Honors Student is simply a person with the way of thinking that academics come easily to them. That doesn't make them better. In fact, in many cases, that makes them much, much worse.
My Robotics Mentor, who we'll call "Sal", made a bit of a distinction today in reference to how we were building a 1:1 scale kicking prototype. The Honors Student spends freaking forever working on the mathematics and "Theoretically..." parts of design, trying to make the mechanism perfect on paper before building it. They usually run out of time, and their 'bot's "theoretically" doesn't work out completely as planned. The rest of them just charge ahead and make something that doesn't work, then tweak it until it does. This tactic works much better.
An Honors student...
* Gets good grades, and tests very well.
* Tends to either finish the project light years ahead of time, or forget about it. Then remember about said project three days before the due date and BS'es something together during a last minute all-nighter, getting a decent-to-above-average grade.
* Thinks book work is easy.
* Talks during class more often then not.
* Often uses the phrase, "I'll do it at home", and truthfully. It is not uncommon for them to find their class time better used to socialize then to do the work.
* Can execute step-by-step instructions perfectly, but often skips reading them because they "Know what they're doing". With mixed results.
* Tends to excel in at least one area completely with a "Pshh, that's easy!" directed at pretty much every assignment.
* Does not study for tests, and can easily be screwed when the teacher decides to spring a harder test then normal
...Among other things. These aren't true tick by tick, but just some of what I've observed.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Still a Six
Okay, so, as much as I hate to admit it, I agree with one Miss Stephanie Meyer on a point. One point. A SINGLE point. But it is there none-the-less, and she does a good job of explaining it. So I'm going to reuse her philosophy to make MY point. Which is similar to hers.
Here I go.
Okay, in life, people are generally somewhere on a scale from 1 to 10. One is bat shit ugly, ten is drop dead gorgeous. The scale is some what tipped so most girls are between a five and an eight. Unfortunately, girls around eight through ten usually get the guy. That leaves most of us out.
I, myself, am somewhere around a five or a Six. Guys do not look in my direction, they're busy watching the tens.
But then I joined Robotics.
Now I am in a completely different pool. I have left the ocean to a smaller group of fish. There is still the same ratio of six's to tens... but the ratio of guys to girls is much larger. The guys in this pool have had less direct female contact. They don't off the bat notice I'm only a six, and get a chance to know me before they judge.
Which means some of them like me.
There's no sparks, but definitely some interest. And even more then that, they treat me like a cute girl. I'm not kidding. It's not, "Oh, another person." It's, "Hi Cee! Hug?"
So even though I'm still a six, I no longer have to live with the limitations of one. I am loving it.
Here I go.
Okay, in life, people are generally somewhere on a scale from 1 to 10. One is bat shit ugly, ten is drop dead gorgeous. The scale is some what tipped so most girls are between a five and an eight. Unfortunately, girls around eight through ten usually get the guy. That leaves most of us out.
I, myself, am somewhere around a five or a Six. Guys do not look in my direction, they're busy watching the tens.
But then I joined Robotics.
Now I am in a completely different pool. I have left the ocean to a smaller group of fish. There is still the same ratio of six's to tens... but the ratio of guys to girls is much larger. The guys in this pool have had less direct female contact. They don't off the bat notice I'm only a six, and get a chance to know me before they judge.
Which means some of them like me.
There's no sparks, but definitely some interest. And even more then that, they treat me like a cute girl. I'm not kidding. It's not, "Oh, another person." It's, "Hi Cee! Hug?"
So even though I'm still a six, I no longer have to live with the limitations of one. I am loving it.
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