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

Check out the ABC press release on "i.am.FIRST" ABC special filmed at World Championships this year.

http://www.usfirst.org/uploadedFiles...STversion2.pdf

Looking forward to it! :yikes:

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

Thanks for posting this. Seems like a great use of the will.i.am name to attract viewers who would not otherwise watch a FIRST special. I am looking forward to it because I was unable to go to the championship.

I still wish he would wear the FIRST hat Dean gave him at the kick-off.

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

As do we.

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

Help an old guy out here....

Do I promote this as will.i.am and FIRST?

or Black Eyed Peas and FIRST?

Is it correct to promote the man or the group?

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

Not knowing the make up of the show I would promote it at will.i.am, from the Black Eyed Peas, and FIRST. will.i.am is really establishing his personality and brand outside of the BEPs, however I still think there is value in tying him to the BEPs.

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

Trust me, your not the only one with this confusion. How do I apply for early membership into the GOM club? Perhaps I should ask IndySam for details.

Jason

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

I must say I'm pretty excited for this. It's going to be some great publicity for FIRST.

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

I'm struggling to bridge the gap between BEP and Rock and Roll. Just because a classic rock song is sampled in your tune doesn't make you a rock n roller.

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

I've decided to give up and just pretend to be enthusiastic about the whole thing.

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

It is will.i.am that approached FIRST to make the show, but the BEP are the performers so I would say "will.i.am, of the Black Eyed Peas and FIRST"

I am SO excited for this show. The concert was a HUGE moment for FIRST. I've been lucky enough to see some of the material from the show (I'm interning at FIRST Marketing, so promoting this is obviously a big part of my job) , and I was fortunate enough to get some time to talk to will.i.am and his mom (who presented Dean's List with my grandmother) at the Championship. HE GETS IT, guys. He really gets it.

August 14th, 7pm on ABC. One more step toward a culture change for us all. :)

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

We don't have a club, you'll know when you get there.


But this GOM is excited for this show. I can't say I enjoy there music but anything that puts FIRST in the spotlight can be good.

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

I actually heard an 30 second clip advertising this on Satellite Radio today. Cool Beans!

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

there was a miley cyrus, justin beiber, and britney spears there? does anyone recall seeing these people? i don't ::rtm::

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

I recall there being several pre-taped bits during the breaks in the performances there (Jack Black and Snoop Dogg come to mind immediately--I've slept since). Perhaps they're in that group?

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

I was surprised to hear that over the weekend as well.

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

Managed to find this i.am.first site by accident. It has some quick interviews with some of the folks mentioned in previous posts and has a genuine countdown clock. I thought it was worth sharing.

http://iamfirst.dipdive.com/

I did a quick search and didn't see it mentioned anywhere else here but if it's already out there, sorry :)

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

Here's a picture of the email I just got from FIRST. Hopefully it worked better for other people.

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

It was supposed to look like this.

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

I actually disagree with Mr. Jack Black. I think that honor of rock star should go to Dr. Richard Feynman.

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

Promotion, pure and simple.

It's interesting to see what happens when you put analytical, data-driven, break-it-sooner-than-later-so-you-can-fix-it FIRSTers alongside the hype and promotion of a major event such as a concert or a TV special. Especially in CD where we ignore, red rep, and/or publicly chastise posters who hype/promote themselves, their team, or their standing.

Really interesting. I think, overall, we're doing pretty good in riding this wave.

Jane

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

I cant wait for it either. I make a show about called "The First Robotics Generation" that aired to the pubilc. I cant wait for this on tho.

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

I think that this special might be the thing that sends FIRST into the mainstream. Michigan has already proven that robotics can work on TV (the State Championship Special) and now FIRST is on national television. Hopefully there will be some robot action (although i thought i saw the anchors talking during the Einstein Matches) and maybe soon we'll see FIRST regional/state championship eliminations broadcast on TV. Closer and closer to being a full-blown sport every day :)

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

Whoo Hoo! My team is on the new poster!

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

Will.i.am posted an article on the Huffington Post this weekend, for those of you interested. It's nice to read his explanation, in his own words:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/willia...?ir=Technology

Looking forward to the show.

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

Hmmmm, now this promotion stuff has got me thinkin'


We started back to school last week, we are on a balanced calendar, how can we use this in school to promote our team? We must find a way to use this for recruitment.

I'm gonna have to come up with some posters and a mention on the school morning TV announcements.

Anyone got any cool ideas?

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

I intend to cut and splice the little :20 videos, along with the others already out there with Morgan Freeman, Keanu Reeves, Will Smith, etc. to make a series of callout commercials to air during announcements.
Perhaps also to pump area offseason events - ?
I will say I am intrigued and very impressed with this site. My only complaint is this: How is any "favorite robot" poll complete without Johnny5?

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

He's not really a robot though... he's alive.

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

While I enjoyed this article, I do want to point out that it does contain a small amount of foul language.

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

from the article:
Time magazine ran a cover story 2 years ago.

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

Hooray!!! I cant wait to see it! It's going to be so cool to see the special. This is going to be great for F.I.R.S.T!!!


I am definitely recording it!

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

Potentially relevant: Will.i.am will be on G4's Attack of the Show! tomorrow night at 7:00 to promote the show. A couple of short Championship snippets were shown during the teaser--the only team I could pick out was 1114.

(Fair warning: AOTS is rated TV-14 and occasionally gets a little less-than-family-friendly for the early hour.)

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

Here is a link to an interview with will.i.am discussing i.am.first.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504943_1...-10391715.html

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

One thing that's mentioned in this article is that will.i.am paid for the airtime with his own money. I didn't actually realize that until today, when I saw him talking about it on Twitter. I had never really given thought about how we got the airtime, who paid for it, etc. And now that I actually have thought about it...the cost for such a good time on a major channel has to be outrageous, even when scheduled so far in advance. Between the appearance at kickoff, the small shoutout to science and technology at the Super Bowl, the concert at the Championship, and the TV special, t's really freaking awesome that will.i.am has done all of this for FIRST (and the more broad focus of celebrating STEM and making science cool again), and it just blows my mind.

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

A commercial for i.am.FIRST just aired on Comedy Central. I can't remember all of it but there was Black Eyed Peas music playing in the background of a montage of robot clips with narration. The only robots I remember seeing distinctly were 254 and 1503 but there were more.

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

I like this guy a lot more now... I mean, hearing someone other than ourselves say "not everyone is going to be Kobe" is so refreshing. I mean, like Libby says. He really does get it.

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

I'll admit that I was suspicious of the guy at first. I mean, it wouldn't be the first time a celebrety helped a charity for publicity. After thinking it through, I've changed my mind. I'm a big fan of the cause, but even I have my limits. I can't say I'd have gone to near the lengths he has if I were in his shoes. I might be the only one here willing to admit it though. I may not be a fan of his music, but he's alright by me. If there's a chance that he reads any of this...I hope he knows that his actions are greatly appreciated by many. His impact on history might be bigger than any other singer yet. There really is no telling the extent his generosity will change the world. And yet, I can't help but wonder what his next move is. He doesn't seem like he's going to stop soon. What will he do next? I can't wait to see.

Jason

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

So, does some of this promotion include the - My Robot Is Better Than Your Robot - taunting theme that I'm seeing pop up in Facebook newsfeeds? If so, I'm getting more confused about the message of FIRST and what is being conveyed through promotion and advertising.

Jane

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

Jane,
its just for humor. Loosen up a little. :)
This TV special is indeed a great first step towards really showcasing FIRST.

Glenn

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

Sorry to disappoint, Glenn.

To the people that don't know FIRST, they'll see that as the same old message they've grown up with. No culture change there...

I'd rather go for inspiration. Something like, "We're all in this together." Or - "Competing like crazy - we're all in this together." Or, the real message: "Making the grade, we're all in this together."

But that's just me.

Jane

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

I've been watching all the interview/video things and I noticed two things:

1. All the "Who are the..." teams are Californian and went to SVR,

2. Justin Bieber says "US FIRST" rather than just "FIRST". The irony.

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

Well, hopefully I'll be able to have someone record this since I don't own a TV.

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

Just heard a promo for this: http://marketplace.publicradio.org/d...nce-education/

On our local npr station at 6:30 tonight.

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

This is really fantastic publicity. I'm extremely impressed by the great lengths Will.i.am and his crew went through to produce and publicize this special.
Several members of the film crew were at SVR filming and interviewing teams. I know 254 and 1868 were interviewed and I suspect 1538 was as well.

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

I'm not a facebook person, so I've not seen any "My Robot Is Better Than Your Robot". I'll admit I've said almost the same thing to Jane in the past when it comes to rumors. (If you've been here for long, you know her opinion of the rumor mill.) In this case though, I have to agree with Jane 100%. Even if its intended to be in a joking manner, it will be really hard to convey this to someone outside of FIRST. If I recall, we've always said work together off the field...compete like crazy on the field. That is one of our biggest selling points that I hope influences the culture today. Let's try to be aware of how an unknowing bystander will see it whenever we put something in the public eye. Facebook is a perfect example. If we continue things like this, it doesn't look good for FIRST. I'm not trying to ruin people's fun, just saying lets keep this sort of thing out of the public eye. At the very least, if you want to brag about your robot do it on CD and not on Facebook. You'll be doing the cause a favor. Just remember, not all publicity is good publicity.

Jason

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

Jason, it's an actual ad/trailer. The celebrities take turns saying it. It's a part of the current promotion campaign for the Special.

I'm not so sure folks are worried about good publicity or bad publicity at this point. They like -> publicity.

Jane

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

It would seem its much worse then I had thought. I hope that someone points out the flaw in this campaign and it gets straightened out. We are just starting to get the ball rolling. I'd hate for progress to slow down due to bad publicity. I hope I'm not the only one that sees a big difference.

Jason

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

Jason, here's a link to the "My robot is better than your robot" video: http://iamfirst.dipdive.com/media/183664

I do see how some people could take it the wrong way (interpreting it to mean that FIRST is really gung-ho competitive), but I personally can't take it seriously because of the manner in which it's presented. I feel like the little techno voice in the background gives it a friendly-competition-between-music-celebrities feel. If the background music had been more intense, with the people making more violent gestures and having more of an edge to their voice (and even though Miley actually does sound violent, I just cracked up when I heard her say it), I would be a lot more worried.

No matter how it's presented, a lot of people who view the special who aren't in FIRST will automatically assume that it's like Battlebots, because that's what they're used to expecting when they hear "robot competition." I do hope that Coopertition and Gracious Professionalism will be explained and connected to FIRST so as to preserve the image that we want, but I don't expect a huge deal to be made out of it. This special is supposed to promote science, not convert the world to gracious professionalism (though that wouldn't be such a bad idea).

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

Perhaps we do need to lighten up, Jason. And, there are 4 more days to promote this event so we may be seeing more material released.

One thing that I think will be interesting to watch for, are teams who decide to use that catch phrase to be cool and how it is accepted during the competition season.

Jane

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

After seeing the video, I can see that it was clearly intended to be lighthearted. I am a little confused as to why they chose that statement to be repeated throughout the video. There are alot better messages to be sent. From what I've seen, it would seem the celebrities get it. Just not sure if the directors do. Guess we'll just wait and see how the final product turns out. If it gets posted online somewhere, please send me a link. I don't have cable at my apartment currently.

Jason

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

The line is repeated throughout the video because it's catchy! It's attention getting, it creates top of mind awareness, it creates interest. Everybody in FIRST thinks "my robot is better than your robot" - otherwise we wouldn't sink hundreds of hours, thousands of dollars, and millions of brain cells into it.
People don't have to "get" it. They just have to know about it. Once they know about it, then they come to it, experience it, talk to it, learn it, then get it. At first blush, people don't need to know about GP any more than they need to know gear ratios, screw classifications, or LabVIEW. It's about Inspiration. It's about Recognition. It's about Science and Technology. That's all it's For; any more than that is just gravy.
We're changing the culture, and Mr. I.Am is helping. But it's not gonna happen in one fell swoop. As small steps go, this is potentially one giant leap.

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

I don't mind the 'my robot is better than your robot' phrase, but it instantly reminded me of Nike's 'my better is better than your better' campaign (see here and here) I'm sure I'm in the vast minority who made that connection, but I don't think it is a good thing for FIRST to be associated with.

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

How many people here still refer to "Nationals"?

The organization's name is the United States Foundation for the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. Lots of people who were part of it early on still call it US FIRST.

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

I really had no idea Justin Bieber had been a part of first that long. He just looks so young. Seriously though, I don't see it as a big deal though I understand that that is partly due to me being in the US. It does hint that his lines might have been written by someone who has been a part of FIRST for a while. This could be both a good and bad thing. It takes away the sincerity of the whole thing but at least we are certain that the message is from someone who has been here long enough to know what FIRST is all about. Perhaps I'm reading too much into the slip of the word.

Jason

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

Will.I.Am has been saying 'US FIRST' since he got involved.

I haven't been able to figure out why.

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

Just another promotion for the special, E-news had Will.I.Am on. He was interviewed about the special by Ryan Seacrest with his two promo-robots. It showed students being interviewed with the pits in the backround, so that tells me it won't just be the concert.

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

I'm not sure that what Steven Tyler was describing is science...

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

Probably from every time he hands out the URL, www.usfirst.org.

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

The people in this video are the means of getting our message out to an audience we have not been able to reach before. They are speaking in their terms to their audiences to bring them into our world. This is a great opportunity for us to inspire a lot of people who are being introduced into the world of FIRST for the first time. Get ready for a lot of work with all these new people coming on board, we will have a lot of educating to do, but this is our chance to change their culture, to show them a whole new world they never knew existed. So lets be prepared to welcome and inspire.

There was a discussion on one of the video posts on FB, and here is one of my responses from that conversation, I think it is relevant here as well...

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

I specifically remember the show at Championship being promoted as will.i.am and friends, but they were introduced as the Black Eyed Peas. If I were to give this a name it would be will.i.am promoting FIRST. If that makes any sense. If not, I apologize.

Cass

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

I received an email that Dean Kamen and will.i.am will be the featured guests on the Piers Morgan show Friday (8/12) at 9p. Wonder what they could be talking about?!

I'm loving the publicity coming from this!

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

I'm sure it involved expanding minds, at least. :)

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

http://piersmorgan.blogs.cnn.com/201...in/?hpt=pm_mid

This is part of an interview of Dean and Will.i.am that was on CNN tonight, they talked for almost 20 min. about FIRST and the show. They also played some neat clips from the championship so hopefully the special will have some cool robot footage.

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

Libby - What can you tell us about FIRST's marketing team's plans to measure the results of this campaign? - Is there a metric folks out "in the field" should keep an eye on? - Blake

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

I know a lot of people were a bit peeved by the whole field/concert stage setup at Championships, but I really think that what Will.I.Am is doing for FIRST is awesome.

He talked at kickoff, and most of us laughed at his "it's dope" comment and rolled our eyes, thinking this would be a 1 shot deal endorsement from a celebrity that would flop after kickoff. A few weeks later we get a shoutout from him and the BEP at the SuperBowl. But then, we received word we'd be seeing him again at the Championship, for a live concert, just for us. And then again over the summer we find out he's invested his own time and money, bought air time from ABC, enlisted the help of close to a dozen other A-list celebrities, and produced a 1 hour special promoting FIRST. Plus, to make sure he spreads the message as far and wide as he can, he talks to quite a few major news sources to spread the special.

Google Will.I.Am right now, and look at the news about him. It's all about his special with Dean and FIRST. That's pure awesome.

Love him or hate him, he's doing a really, really awesome thing for all of us. Something that FIRST as a whole has been striving to do for a long time. Will.I.Am didn't HAVE to do any of this for us.

I think the CD community should try to get into contact with FIRST directly, so that maybe we can send Will a "Thank you" of some kind?

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

In an effort to get our local community to watch, we contacted our online newspaper Ambler Patch. I am not sure what the circulation is because they are new. Here is a link to the article.

http://ambler.patch.com/articles/whs...special-sunday

Despite its imperfections, this type of national media exposure should create at least some curiosity about FIRST. Prompting America to ask questions about the program can only be a good thing.

Hopefully everyone is getting the word out.

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

What if we got everyone who has a twitter thats on a FIRST team to tweet @ him "thank you!" or something along those lines? I'm sure theres a ton of CD people that have a twitter and can take 30 seconds out of their day to thank will.i.am for this awesome thing he did

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

Sounds like a great idea. I'd do it. Think we should organize a hashtag? (FYI, will.i.am's twitter is @iamwill)

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

The hashtag that seems to be used to promote this is the same one that we've been using throughout the season for everything else FIRST: #omgrobots.

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

I'm with #omgrobots on the hashtag. i think if we just flooded twitter with this at around 6 tomorrow thatd be great!

Sample Tweet:
@iamwill Thank you for everything you did for FIRST this year! Looking forward to the special! #omgrobots

maybe we could get a post on CD to organize this for tomorrow :)

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

I'm no twitter expert, but how many tweets would it take to catch his attention? I'm sure a guy like him gets a ton of them. Can we generate those numbers on such short notice?

Jason

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

I've posted a graphic (hopefully it will appear in CD photos soon) that we can use to change our profile pictures with on social media sites (i.e. Facebook, etc) for the day to help promote the special. I made it mostly for my own personal use but wanted to pass it on for any who may wish to do the same.

http://www.michaeltwalker.com/iamfirst.jpg

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

A little divergence....

We have this Irish American girl on the team that is our webmistress. She has the really interesting purse that a lot of people say "hey, I really like your purse".
I've never seen one like it before. It is made of a ton of beverage can pull tab rings.

So we are watching the FRC kickoff last January and will.i.am comes out wearing this purse, and our webmistress goes "hey, that is my purse, well just like my purse".

Just a random comment for your entertainment.......
.

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

Well, #frckickoff was trending during kickoff (I think it hit #5 in the US). So, in some cases we can make a pretty big stink. However, TT is not based solely on raw numbers.

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

I have to admit, I was very sceptical of Will.i.am for a pretty long time. At kick-off I thought that he was just going to be promoting himself and the BEP to the FIRST community, but now, I am so thankful for everything he has been doing for FIRST (which is alot). Having someone as popular and as well known as him is giant for us. Every time he posts about i.am.FIRST on the BEP facebook page, thousands of people are seeing it.

And I was definitly one of those people who complained about the stage taking up too much room, but looking back on it, I think that losing some space is a very, very small thing for us to put up with after all that he has done for us. And the show wasn't too bad either. ;)

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

Lets remember that was during kickoff. We don't have near the surge power during the off-season that we do at kickoff. If we can actually grab his attention, that is great. Just wanted to see what the odds are.

Jason

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

I posted a thread on CD last night about a twitter thank you. if we just spread it to the teams (thru a team email blast or something of the like) i htink that we could potentially do it.

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

I really like the idea of changing our profile pictures for the day. All mine are changed.

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

This was a great idea!

Maybe also try to wear a robotics shirt on Monday? Whether it's a FIRST or a team t-shirt it will be cool to see STEM supporters take advantage of the hype soon after it happens.

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

Found this on wimp.com this morning. I have to say, I wasn't expecting it from the title, but it's an absolutely beautiful video.

http://wimp.com/elementaryschool/

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

I was checking out articles online about the show tonight and I came across this one: http://www.teenmusic.com/2011/08/12/...m-first-scienc

At the bottom he says he's going to do it every year. Interesting.

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

Folks

Does anyone (who is willing to share with the rest of us (the final edit of the show has been in-the-can for a while now, I'm sure)), know if this show promotes all STEM programs (the many programs that all together are still falling short of what is needed) or only promotes FIRST?

I hope the core message doesn't get viewed only through a single lens or described from a single perspective. That would be a bit disingenuous and would lead viewers in the direction of wasting some valuable resources..

Many hands make work light and diversity is a source of strength.

Blake

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

I am so proud to be a member of this organization, I'm glad that it's finally getting some decent recognition and publicity. FIRST FTW!!!

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

So far it definitely seems to be very FIRST-focused, though what they're generally stressing so far isn't necessarily FIRST as an activity/fun thing, but moreso the message.

Also of note, it seems like FIRST will be on the front page of AOL(actually, as I check now, it is!)


This is actually really huge and awesome for FIRST.

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

Watching it right now :yikes:

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

someone please tell me i wasnt the only one to temporarily change the channel while that justin beibur commercial was on

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

I've been watching my Twitter feed fill up with tweets about this! So awesome. I'm surprised that #omgrobots isn't trending yet.


But, the coolest tweet I've seen so far was:

"Science is rock and roll"

Tweeted by one of my school's former cheerleaders. I don't know her very well, she doesn't do robotics, she was really just another face in the hallway. I can't explain how much it meant to see someone from my own community, from that kind of demographic, being affected by the special in the way that it was intended. Way. Cool.

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

This is such an awesome special, I'm so happy will.i.am has been such a big promoter. It's great seeing so many teams that I know are on TV. It just makes me so happy to finally see it greatly appreciated on such a wide scale.

This is actually after having seen someone walking down the street with one of our team's shirts who I didn't know, which made me happy to know we were promoted and how a man at our work knew about our team and thought we were underappreciated and always talked about us.

I am so happy that this program happened to me and that I was blessed for 4 years with such great people and so many memories.

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

I was al ittle dissapointed that it showed so much of the concert instead of actually following the teams. Still great that FIRST got some more publicity.

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

No you werent the only one. I turned the channel also :O

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

I'm disappointed that this program was found to be 'unwatchable' by some of my closest friends from varying demographics.

I hope the next time Will.I.Am and FIRST partner it's less about Music and more about Robots.

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

I think that since this was the first real big publicity that FIRST had, they had to put it in a format to get non-FIRST people interested, and the concert footage is one of the most effective ways to do this.

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

Overall, I thought it was very good. A bit much of the concert for my tastes, but then, die-hard FIRSTers aren't exactly the intended audience. This special will get people talking, and it'll get them curious. It'll get a lot of people into teams that might not have joined or formed them otherwise. And from there, it's our job to corrupt them all :]

My only real complaint was that we never saw any single shot of match play that lasted more than about 10 seconds. The emphasis wasn't really placed on the sport itself, and the excitement of the game. Showing people who have never seen an FRC match in their lives the excitement of an Einstein level match would have been good.

Still, I see this providing a big boost to FIRST next year! Thank you Will.i.am and all your guests, and we hope to see you next year!

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

There was way to much music in it.
Did anyone else feel like it was way too short they didnt mention fll at all either.

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

I was very, very, happy with how this turned out.

Thanks to will.i.am for putting this together. This did a great job showing others what FIRST is and about, and in general what needs to happen in this country.

Plus....

Our Team's Mascot got in a couple of shots - I was jumping up and down in pure excitement when I saw Agua on TV.

Lastly to Brittany Spears: I think she clearly gets FIRST very well :P

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

I think the TV special was great for promoting FIRST, Will.i.am and science/technology, but I was a little disappointed with how the show was put together. My biggest complaint is that it was just a bunch of segments and songs for an hour with no real structure or progression. I think they should have had the stories/songs in between Einstein matches (or at least highlights) to give some structure and so there would be some finale to the show (ending with a Black Eyed Peas song as the finale was disappointing). Especially if they want to do this again in future years, as Will.I.am wants, they should watch the FIRST in Michigan show and copy that format.

Along those lines, I'm disappointed that they had no music on Einstein just so they could film the introduction that really could be filmed anywhere or voice overed.

Again, overall I think this is a huge success, but I think it could have been better if they had more footage of actual matches. They do get huge bonus points in my book for using NFL Films music, though.

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

WAY too much music in it, I wish it was more robotics based than music. But then again, like others said I'm a FIRST junkie, this wasn't intended for me.

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

I thought it was just great....

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

word.

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

I loved it. Im glad that FIRST is finally getting more of the recognition it deserves. I think the show was a great way to spread the message, and that we should all be happy that FIRST got an hour long commercial endorsed by media celebrities (even if not all of them completely understand).

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

I didn't see the program, so I will refrain from commenting on it, but a friend who I told to watch the program called me after the show. "I really wish they showed us more of the robots. Those looked really cool. I didn't care about all the celebrities and music."

Take that for what it is. I'm going to assume that most of Chief Delphi was not this program's target audience, though, and thus I probably won't be reading any of this thread.