The "Can" Proposal
 

During strategy discussions today, we had a heck of a time rememberting what the green containers were called. "Recycle Containers" is far too long to say, and I use bins and totes interchangeably. Enough of this.

Following the model of the "noodle agreement", I'd like to make the "Can" proposal: From now on we should call the green conainers the "Cans". Thus we have three types of game pieces - Grey Totes, Gold Totes, and Green Cans.

(we do not mention the other game piece)

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

+1

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

This has been a terminology nightmare for us too. Our situation is something like:

GRAY TOTES: totes, bins, boxes, gray totes, non-yellow totes, normal totes
YELLOW TOTES: yellow totes, yellow bins, yellow boxes, auton totes, special totes, totes
RECYCLING CONTAINERS: containers, cans, bins, green bins, green things, trash cans, totes (when confused)
LITTER: pool noodles, noodles, trash, "po-no's" (did not catch on)

We eventually settled on "[gray] tote", "yellow tote", "bin", "[pool] noodle", which works well enough... for us.

For the purposes of the forum, I vote we use the official terminology whenever there is possibility of ambiguity. As long as we all have to use the same words, we may as well use the same words as the rulebook and save everyone some brain-trouble. Shorten "recycling container" to "container", preferably after using the full term once to establish what you're talking about.

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

We use RC for recycle container.

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

I can't wait to call them po-nos tomorrow.

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The advantage to using the correct terms are when people later search for these terms, relevant info actually comes up. FIRST gave them official names so as to avoid confusion.

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

We threw around several terms as well but eventually "Gray Tote" "Yellow Tote" "Trash Can" and "noodle/pool noodle" became favored :D

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

po-nos, cancans, and totes ma goats

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

Surprised it wasn't just
Yote
Gota
Bin

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

We've always called TOTES "bins" so it's really tough for our team to wrap our head around BINS being round, and TOTES being what we previously knew as bins. We considered calling BINS cans, but decided that we would just all try as hard as possible to follow the manual.

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

I'll be stealing this tomorrow. Thank you mucho :P

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

Our team has been referring to the pieces as:

Gray/Yellow totes: "totes"
Recycling container: "bin" or "can"
Litter: "noodle"

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

Container vs. can or litter vs. pool noodle aren't big deals--it's pretty obvious what's meant.

But can we just all please stop referring to anything, of any color, as a "bin"? This game contains two elements which are equally worthy to be dubbed "bins". Their respective bin-nitudes are precisely equivalent. The term "bin" is completely ambiguous between the two of them. I imagine many teams will adopt the term "bin" to refer solely to one, but as soon as people from multiple teams start talking the term is meaningless. You may as well just say "thing", so at least people don't think they know what you mean when they don't.

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

+1 "Bins" were screwing me up all day today.

Although I prefer "can" to container, because "container" is equally ambiguous - both totes and cans are used to contain things.

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

Along the lines of what to call things, I would like to build on the Can Proposal and submit the Zone Proposal.

The field drawing shows a Staging Zone, an Auto zone, a Landfill zone, and a fourth zone between the Auto and Landfill zones. As far as I can tell, this fourth zone is never labeled.

So I propose that we call this fourth zone the "Zone That Shall Not Be Named".
:)

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

We keep on inadvertently calling them trash cans.

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

I've already instructed my team members that when the word "bin" escapes my mouth, it refers to a rectangular solid. "Can" is a hollow cylinder.

And I can't stop humming the song "Tote Stacking Annie" to myself.

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

When I walked into the Classroom portion of the shop tonight, there were so many Totes on the floor, some empty, some still full that they nearly had half a field set up and all were in the proper order or right side up and upside down....And not a "Golden Tote" in the whole stinking bunch. I think I'll steal one soon and spray paint that thing Yellow w/ some fast drying enamel just for fun. (Luckily, it is a team 60 color!)

(They must have emptied the entire shipping container to find them all yesterday as I thought we had only a few). Now, what to store all those contained items in when we go to practice once the bot is actually built? Ever emptied 20 of those totes/bins into an uncontained pile? It will look like a mountain of junk unless I go buy some temporary cardboard boxes at U-haul I guess.

Tote, bin, crate, or box. (We be stackiiiiin!)
Recyclin' Container, can, trash can. (We be capin' that stack & recyclin' our litter!)
"The GOLDEN TOTE." (We be stackiiiin big!)
Litter, trash, noodle. (Don't you dare lift that anywhere higher than a single tote without that Litter stickin' out now or ever!) But, I'm also stealing your Po-No's too.:D

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

I was joking of course. We actually call them litter/noodles.

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

A word of warning, the blue box on 2.3.1, not all of your totes are going to be exactily the same, some are larger and heavier.

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

Zonedemort?

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

It's easy to call the stacking elements "totes".

Maybe the green recycling containers should be called "caps", since that is their scoring function -- they score nothing if not placed atop at tote.

Then the green pool noodles can be called "feathers", since they enhance the value of a "cap".

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

It'll be hard to learn (and I've struggled with proper terminology so far), but I think we'll all be better off if we stick close to FIRST's terminology... Totes, Yellow Totes, RCs, and litter/noodles all work just fine.

The 'Noodle Agreement' is quite different, as FIRST never alluded to such a thing and it was quickly identified by many parties indepednetly.

That said, this sounds pretty good too... :-)

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

I think it would be least confusing if we retained the names used in the manuals.

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On 148 we've standardized on calling everything "bins" so everyone only needs to remember one term -- it really promotes a healthy sense of confusion during strategy discussions. I definitely recommend everyone try it.

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

Here in the land of recycling (Chicago and burbs) our municipal recycling containers are called "bins". This is also an Australian term so we are using the "bin" reference in honor of one of our mentors and family.

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We have ended up getting so confused when we speak we point at what we talking about.

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

Well, I'm gonna call them bins for now because that's what they were called in the kickoff vid.

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

Hey Pop,

Make sure that you guys know exactly which two Totes were the ones received at Kickoff this year (we received a grey and a yellow @ Phoenix Kickoff) along with the black one from last year. Those are the only ones that are the exact size/weight as the game pieces for this game per the blue box in the manual.


Nate

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

We found some after-Christmas discounts on cheap storage bins/totes, so we can steal all the old containers to use that currently hold most of our scrap metal and other items.

Yes, some of the totes are not the "correct" height, some range between a half of in inch taller to an inch. We don't really care, as we are not having to pay 19 dollars a tote from Andymark.

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

So it's not only us :)

I'm also good with RC -> stays true to the manual, but isn't as cumbersome as "recycling container".

(the feather in a cap is great though)

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

Just say Recycling Container. Only a few characters, takes a few seconds to type. Cuts down a lot of bad searches in the future.

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

The rest of my team (not I) calls the totes "crates." I call them by totes, and yellow totes.
As for the recycling can, we just call that the "Green Thing over there. Yeah! That one!"
nooders=noodles+litter

My team is crazy.

(Of course, in a good way)



(most of the time, that is.)

Re: The "Can" Proposal
 

As a true Hawaiian team (*cough* Hawaiian Kids *cough*), we use crates, trash cans, and ʻŌpala.

Opala (oh-paw-law) and Mahalo (maw-haw-low)

These are only confused because they are both commonly seen on trash cans. Opala is the word that actually means trash; the mahalo is just posted thanking people for disposing of trash properly.