Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I agree. For a program that was put to gether in a matter of months and one that got all those stars together, it was good! I'm sure if they had more time there would have been more footage of the team's and their experiences :D

Re: Results
 

Multiple people from our second demo from the ABC special on Sunday morning ask us about FIRST and how we got interested. We invited everyone to our events (TNT *September 16th and 17th 2011*, Media Night, and etc.) I believe that the I.am FIRST thing really benefited the whole FIRST community. Now everyone knows what it is, who we are, what we stand for, and etc, its an all win win situation. Today when I went to my high school, I had a lot of people ask what FIRST was and how to join the team. For the Freshman orientation we are setting up a demo for the new freshman to be introduced to this amazing event! Also please come to TNT at the University of Tampa!!! *September 16th and 17th*

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I completely agree with this. Will.i.am is known for his music, and he has used that to help FIRST more than i possibly could have imagined him doing.

I think having a similar program, however sports based would be awesome. Sporting events have a much more direct connection to FIRST than music does. A FIRST competition is really like a sports season, on a much smaller scale. Being on a team at competition is like being a player/manager/scout/or GM. I think showing Einstein on ESPN, with maybe Chris Berman announcing, would be huge for FIRST growth. People could see the excitement, and look to find out how they can be a part of the action. I'm sure there are many people like John and I out there, that would love being involved on a FIRST team.

Now that I think about it, Im sure many pro athletes would be interested in FIRST. Many for the same reasons as those on the show yesterday, because they like their gadgets. I think there may also be some that would be interested in the technical aspect. The NFL makes players go through 3 years of college. Not all, but some take engineering courses. I know that Gabe Carimi is an offensive lineman that was drafted in the 1st round this year, but he also graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a degree in civil engineering. A single player, making the NFL minimum salary, could be a pretty substantial sponsor to a team.

I cant wait to see where all of this goes in a few years.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

That being said, there are 8 (I think) competitions going on simultaneously. if they were to do a live mash up of the best matches, then they could get a continuous stream during regional. I almost think that CMP would be better suited to being on live TV because there are almost no dead bots, and it might be possible to show all the matches, from all the fields. If the TV ran through lunch to catch up, and they ended matches sooner and added another day to CMP, then it would definitely be possible.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

For everyone looking at the Nielsen's this is one of the areas that can be interpreted in a variety of ways. The one important factor here is that for a 6 PM Sunday night time slot against what is normally a 60 Minutes lock on the national ratings, the show did actually very well. If I was one of the producers, I would see the numbers as being a success. As a matter of fact, a claim could be made on some of the 60 Minutes crowd actually jumping ship to watch this show compared to previous weeks. As a potential sponsor, I might actually be interested in seeing another show. When you can steal from a big CBS production, you see victory.

Re: Results
 

A few folks stopped by yesterday. One guy has a lot of daughters. He said they were really impressed with "The Space Cookies".

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I had multiple people come up to me at work and mention the special. I think it's going to be incredibly interesting to see the ripple effect from this TV special. It'd be very interesting to see how many rookie teams in the next few years for FLL, FTC and FRC started because their teacher or mentor saw the program.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

i could definitely see a highlight reel of sorts for the regional/district competitions but for championships i still think that with four divisions going on simultaneously along with not necessarily amazing robots due to advanced payment would hinder TV airtime for the divisional qualifications but i could see an elimination special with maybe the finals or semis of each division and then Einstein play being a possible future TV special.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Golf ran late on CBS and 60 Minutes didn't start until 7 cst. Stealing viewers from golf is either really easy because nobody's watching it, or really hard because it's really hard not to take a nap while watching it :rolleyes:

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Exactly.

Sometimes, we (falsely) think that teams and mentors who are our FRC rock stars - no longer deal with the every day emotions and wear and tear of build and competition. It's true that many of these teams have worked hard to establish a consistency in performance and a standard of excellence that the team strives for each season but - it's also nice to know that, in some ways, like being excited and nervous - they are just like the rest of us. :) Very inspiring.

The Space Cookies are setting a bar for many of us to reach up to, too. Very cool.

Jane

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

OK, here is a direct report from the field.

We were presenting to the Riverside Rotary club today with two robots present. A lady walks in, her first question: "Are those FIRST robots?"

Then she continues that she had seen the special on TV Sunday and was hooked. She contacted the principal at her son's middle school and her son's scoutmaster and told them what she had seen and wanted their help to get involved.

Well, today she met us, and now we will be working with the school and the scout team to start a couple FLL teams.

Directly as a result of the special on Sunday and being prepared to bring someone new into the FIRST family.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

mission accomplished.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Sound great except that I would recommend starting VRC or FTC teams for those ages.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Depends on the age of the Scouts in question.

If it's a Cub Scout pack (8-10, IIRC), FLL would probably be a good fit. Webelos, too (10-11 years old).

But if you've got a Boy Scout troop (11-18), or a Venture crew (16?-21), then VRC, FTC, or possibly FRC would be the way to go.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Very cool.
Yes ma'am, they are.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Venturing starts at 14 (or 13, if they've completed 8th grade). Still at the age where they've outgrown FLL.



Way to go, rsisk.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Venture Crew is 14-21

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

By Scoutmaster I'm going to assume you meant regular Boy Scouts, and not Blue Loops or Green Shirts. :D

In that case you could go either way. I know in my troop the younger guys wouldn't quite ready for FTC yet however with the older boys the FLL ship has sailed.

If you did mean a Cub Scout Pack, FLL all the way.

As for Venturing, Obviously FTC, but honestly with funding I could see FRC. Unlike CS and BS, Venturing allows much more freedom with program and what one chooses to focus on. I could see a Venture Crews entire January February Program being based in FRC.

Either way good luck to that unit interested in starting a team. As a Scout myself, I can entertain the fact that many leadership and people skills I've learned in Scouts have come in mighty handy with FIRST.

Yours in FIRST and Scouting,

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Plus we see so many FIRST girl scout team (i.e the Space Cookies) it would be nice to also see some boy scout teams.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Am I the only one that gets chills reading this thread and realizing the impact of what is happening?

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

What do you mean? Good chills or bad?

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Good. I just get the feeling that what we experienced might have had great historical relevance. The sheer reach that this had and the impact that it might have made. Its really awe-inspiring really. It will be amazing to see the number of new teams next year and compare it to normal annual growth(which was always large). We had a roughly 14% growth in the number of teams in FRC last year. How much growth will we see this year? I wouldn't be surprised if it hits 30% just reading these stories. We all have something to look forward to.

Jason

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

It appears that FIRST is trying to track this type of information. There was mention of a Brandeis-commissioned longitudinal study of participants, in Bill's Blog-July 27.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

No, you're definitely not the only one :D

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I was not there at the Championships, therefore I was not at the concert. But I can go by what was shown on TV. I think they should have sung "Where is the Love" over some of their song choices. It has a better message.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

It was played at the Championship but didn't make the final cut. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay1JIMxbVFk

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

So I finally had time to watch the special last night and after seeing the posts here I thought it was better than the comments here led me to believe it would. I understand the comments of wishing they showed a full match or more actual competition footage but I understand why it was cut the way it was due to the amount of info they had to present in a short time.

I also had a funny (sarcastic) comment from my father (read grumpy old engineer) about the special:

"So all the teams are from California and sponsored by NASA?"

As a viewer he found that the program made it sound like like FIRST only exists in California because all the teams they profiled were from there. Also he understood that the only sponsor mentioned was NASA for show sponsoring reasons. I just found it interesting that this was one of the first things he asked after, "What color was my hair in the opening montage?"

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I had relatives who asked a similar question. "Why do you think they chose to highlight the California teams?"

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

This is something that I have been wondering myself. What is the distribution of teams in the US? Does there happen to be a larger number of teams on the West Coast?

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Why California?
My guess is that it was partially a matter of cost and convenience.

The camera crew was probably assigned out of California as most of the ABC footage was shot at SVR. FIRST would know that if the crew went to SVR they would get a nice mix of teams (254, 1538, 1622, 1717, some rookies, etc.) without having to travel very far. Then any footage they feel was missing they could shoot in St. Louis.

Just a theory, but I would not read too much more into the California choice.

Overall the special was a good vehicle for sparking interest and conversation.
Now it is up to us to carry that further.

One of my few disappointments was that they did not recognize Team 359 at all. I know it is hard to explain Chairman's in an elevator pitch, but 359 should have gotten at least a brief mention. I think those new to FIRST would have liked their story.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Thanks Al. That makes sense then.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Footage from the Los Angeles regional was also aired.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Will.I.am was named the director of creative innovation at Intel, which is located out of Santa Clara, CA. They seemed to bring up Intel many times during the show, so I thought the teams shown may have been Intel sponsored teams, or possibly Intel sponsors the regional?

I just looked it up, and it doesnt seem like any of the teams shown, or the LA regional is sponsored by Intel. I still think this may have had something to do with it though.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

That pretty much nailed the reason.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Al,
Overall, the TV special did accomplish its goal in FIRST Robotics awareness to the rest of the world. As a team, we all enjoyed the mix between the concert, high-profile guest speaker interviews, and the interviews of various teams.
However, some members of our team were disappointed that we only got less than 1 sec of footage (at driver station during a match) throughout the show.
A mention of the winning alliance but nothing on the CA.
Similar to Championships, our video never got a chance to be shown anywhere during the competition.
My guess is that no one was going to pay for an interview here in Hawaii.

Whatever the Hall of Fame teams and FIRST decides to do next year at CMP, we will gladly share our story at the Hall of Fame booth.

-Glenn

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

More teams can be a blessing...but also a curse. *Ducks and Covers* ::safety::

Are we veteran FIRST folks ready to take on the added challenge of ensuring all new rookie teams expected to jump out of the woodwork are given veteran attention prior to them arriving at their first competition?

Cuz if not, I'm definitely not looking forward to seeing an even greater number of teams show up at their first event ever completely overwhelmed and underprepared. I also do not look forward to the additional stress such situations bring to the event volunteers and veteran teams who try to support rookies on the fly.

Spending a few hours of vet team time during build season ensuring a rookie's frame is within legal dimensions and their wiring is up to spec and speaking with their mentors on what to plan for ahead of and at competitions can really enhance a rookie's level of inspiration at an event.

Heading into an event with more confidence than trepidation equals more inspiration. Veterans assisting rookies BEFORE competitions makes the event more stress-free and enjoyable for EVERYONE!

You don't have to be on-site to provide support. Choose an appropriate radius of outreach from your team's location - find all rookie teams registering within that zone. Contact them - get connected via Skype and other online means. Check in with them at least once a week. It works even better if veteran teams coordinate their rookie support efforts with other veterans within their region. In checking with other vets, you might even find that the vet teams in your area would benefit by working together to help EACH OTHER out! :)

Think of the benefits a little more effort from veterans up front can have on the FIRST organization. In addition to making sure new teams start out in the "right-sized" FIRST program for their resources and capabilities, let's all make a greater effort to reach out to rookie FIRST teams as early and frequently as possible. I think then the quality of output from rookies may start creeping up to match the quantity, the quality of competition at events will correspondingly improve due to a more competitive field, spectators and sponsors will then be more excited and enthused by what they witness on the field and in the pits, and on and on and on.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I hope and pray that this has a very positive impact on FIRST. I hope it leads to sustained growth. Growth has to include sustaining veteran teams. FIRST needs to keep it's core. Mark McLeod's chart of mean team age is flattening out. I would hate to see it trend down.

If we get 30% growth from this, who is going to tell them how few rookie teams get to go to Champs? I hope they join for the right reasons.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Yes, growth without sustainability is worse then no growth at all. I would suspect that Dean would have thought of this before taking on such an ordeal. Perhaps this will be the homework for this year? There are many things FIRST can do to prepare for this many new students, but it is up to the community as well. As Travis has stated, it would be of great help if the veteran teams helped prepare the rookies. This is going to be an interesting year. Good or bad, I look forward to seeing what happens.

Jason

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I know this doesn't solve the problem of a huge influx of teams, but FIRST just doubled the number of Senior Mentors they have in the field. Hopefully that will improve the attention all the new folks will be getting.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I see the good this show and all the work Will.i.am has done for FIRST this year and I know you can't show everything in a TV show like this but I was Very disappointed not to see any mention of 359. I thought for sure we'd see a shot of them on stage getting the award with a short bio of why they got it. Chairmans is the highest award in FIRST since its not about how well we do year to year in competition but how our programs impact our students, community and the world which we all know is more important in the long run than who got first place. That should be the message we get out there to people looking in, even on a "short" recruitment show like this. I think someone dropped the ball on it. They showed bio's from other teams and the impact FIRST had on their students but not the Championship Chairmans winner which is the definition of impact? What happened? Glenn and the gang at McKinley's 368 led the way in Hawaii where I believe we now have the highest percentage of schools with robotics programs in the whole United States. I believe every single team in Hawaii was helped at some point by Glenn. Perhaps if we were a bigger State it would have made the show? Glenn, his team and their story would have been an inspiration to a lot of people out there. I don't want to talk bad about his school (sorry Glenn but people need to know) but His very small school is in a very poor, rural and remote part of the Island and yet he has built a powerhouse program in a place where there was very little going on before him. Again, He accomplished what this show was hoping to accomplish.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I've heard it said that the show is the 'hook' to catch the attention and interest of those who haven't heard of FIRST.

To me, 359 makes for excellent bait and is the fish that could be shared with millions. To add, 359 and the other HoF teams can teach the ignorant and unaware - how to fish. They do it all the time - with or without a boat. To add, they know which ones to keep and which ones to throw back. To add, they provide excellent recipes for preparation of the fish and providing an enticing and fulfilling meal, scaled to size and seasoned for direct impact.

Not sure how such an opportunity was so incredibly missed but it sure was.

Jane

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I agree that showing the CA winner would have added a powerful segment to the show. But, as pointed out earlier, the teams were probably selected BEFORE Championships and close to their home base. (I add probably because none of us know for sure and stating it as a fact is dishonest.) Since CA wasn't awarded until Friday night, there wouldn't have been time to do much more than a brief segment.

The producers should have been told of the importance of the CA award, so they could have at least mentioned it. But again, the producers, like most people exposed to FIRST for the first time (no pun intended) focus on the gee-whiz aspect in order to get people interested, and to stop them from changing the channel.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

They spent time explaining Coopertition, they could have spent time explaining the CA.

I think it was either missed, or ended up on the cutting room floor.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O7lv...ature=youtu.be

Interview on a YouTube show apparently called "What's Trending" of Will.i.am. I saw it because it was advertised on YouTube's Facebook page.

YouTube's facebook page has over 44 million fans. I like this.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I think that Will.i.am is one of the better things to happen to FIRST. He buys us airtime with his own money so that the message of FIRST can get out, he talks about us at almost every opportunity, and really gets what FIRST is about. All I have to say is that a massive

THANK YOU

and I hope you do too. :D

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

http://www.smartthinkingbook.com/201...nts-to-be.html

Why FIRST is important. I did not want to make a new thread, but I think this might fit in here.

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

Finally a question I'm qualified to answer...

http://www.google.com/fusiontables/D...id=S245937Jy7w is the heatmap of team distribution for the 2010 season. (If that link doesn't work someone shoot me an email and I'll try to fix it)

Re: "i.am.FIRST -- Science is Rock and Roll" airs August 14th
 

I think that the program was very good for publicity, and surprisingly well 'tuned' to the spirit of FIRST.

I didn't like the music at all, really, but that's probably my musical taste. I was also questioning the 'rock and roll.' I'd personally ship the Black Eyed Peas in with the Autotune-pop-with-vague-techno-elements (like Autotune) genre.

The artist "spots" were actually not bad, some of them 'got' FIRST pretty well. Whoever described some part of engineering as 'goop' made me crack up. (was that Bono?)

From a publicity standpoint, i.am.FIRST was pure gold, but from an artistic standpoint, I thought it kinda sucked. However, publicity is the quality we need, so, good job ABC.