[gblake]

May I run a laser show in our pit display if it only slightly damages the eyes of people who see it? If folks don't like it they can bring protective goggles next season. It will be really exciting to watch and everyone who sees the show will become really excited about robotics.

May I design a robot that occasionally flings chunks of lightweight material into the audience? The chunks will have low mass and high volume, and will only bruise people who forget to catch them (no broken bones or bits going into eyes). If anyone doesn't like catching them barehanded or is just too lame/boring to enjoy catching them, they can either wear a baseball glove, or a use a sturdy umbrella or some other shield. Don't worry about small children or infants - their parents are responsible for them.

May I put some electronics on my robot that might interfere with pacemakers in the first 20 rows of the audience? I'll put up a warning sign and I'll give out free Faraday cage shielding to any geezers who want to sit close to the field (or visit the pits) but who weren't smart enough to think ahead and bring their own shielding.

Oh, one last request ... May I turn up the event's "music" so loud that the volunteers around the field and the audience in the stands have their hearing damaged (just a little bit)? Saturday PM, Mr. Ross will leave the tournament with his ears ringing/damaged and his vocal cords shot; but if he spends a full day recovering, he has at least a 50/50 chance of not developing a full blown case of laryngitis. Don't those odds sound pretty good if some extra students get inspired?

Do I make my point? Turn the music down to safe levels. If it is loud enough to cause harm, it is too loud. The only question is setting the right level, not whether harmfully loud music is OK.

Blake