Ice in North Texas

[mattiej]

As some of you may know by know, one of the biggest snow storms in history is hitting the midwest states (http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/01/win...ex.html?hpt=C1).

This even affects North Texas, where the temperature will not rise above freezing until Saturday, and ice will visit us again on Friday. So my question is this: How do teams that constantly get snow keep build momentum going when it is suddenly stopped like this? Anything we can do while the streets are so slippery that you can't walk, let alone drive on them?

[Logan Byers]

Unfortunately, in our case (Northwest Indiana), there is nothing we can do either as a team to keep our building momentum going. Once our school is closed due to snow, we are not allowed to meet at our high school and we have no real alternative meeting spot.
Now, with that said, there are many things that the team can continue to do. A few off the top of my head: Continue to tweak and develop robot code, Research new designs for grippers and arms, and the list could go on for hours. In the past, we have anticipated when the school will be closed and have given our students "homework" assignments (where have I heard that before... ). This keeps them thinking about robotics and you'll be surprise what they can return with sometimes.
Hope this helps! Stay safe and warm out there.

[Bryan Herbst]

Well most of the teams that constantly get snow (ie Midwestern states such as Minnesota, Wisconsin, etc.) typically don't need to worry much. Our states are prepared for most anything in winter. Over my 14 years in a suburban school district, I had one snow day.

Obviously, the rest of the US isn't quite so equipped to deal with this weird white fluffy substance.

For teams in those states, I would recommend two things:
First, exercise good judgement. If the roads are dangerous, don't meet. If possible, send some parts home with students to work on. Give the programmers a laptop so they can continue.

Second, if the roads aren't too dangerous but your school is closed, try meeting at a mentor's house. If you anticipate the need to do this, you should remove your robot from the school before the school closes.

[mathking]

When it is only going to be a day or two (it looks like here in central Ohio the worst of this storm is going to slide by, so we should be back at it by Thursday) we try to keep the team thinking about unsolved or partially solved problems. For example right now that is how to tension the drive chains. The programmers can always work on code too, for us that means figuring out why the delay in the otherwise very nice line following code turns off the motors. A warning about programming on your own during a break like this: Make SURE the programmers keep the last working version of the code intact. We have them push their code to the repo, then any of the programmers can get it and work on it without messing up what works in the current version.

When it will be longer, we have at times had kids take the robot home to work on it. That has only happened twice. Both times we lost two complete weekends of work time and were really up against it.

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by Tanis

Obviously, the rest of the US isn't quite so equipped to deal with this weird white fluffy substance.

This isn't a typical storm. We haven't seen something this big in the region for twenty years. I think we can understand it if the snow removal infrastructure isn't sized to deal with it easily.

Second, if the roads aren't too dangerous but your school is closed, try meeting at a mentor's house. If you anticipate the need to do this, you should remove your robot from the school before the school closes.

Our work space is in one end of the local power company's warehouse. We used to take advantage of school closings and get much done. School policy has made us stop doing that. If the weather is such that school is cancelled, all school-related activities are cancelled too.

Originally Posted by mathking

The programmers can always work on code too, for us that means figuring out why the delay in the otherwise very nice line following code turns off the motors.

I sent you a PM about the motor safety "watchpuppies".

[cpeister]

Here in Southwestern Ontario, we frequently get high winds off Lake Huron, and accompanying snow squalls that close the main highway up the lakeshore due to zero visibility. Whenever it is closed, all the buses to the school are canceled as are classes. Our build site is in a portable classroom at the edge of the school's rugby field, so we are still able to work whether or not the school is open. Students that live in town are encouraged to come in if they can make it safely, but those out of town are encouraged to stay home.

A few times a winter it gets bad enough that we have to cancel build altogether. On these days we can work on admin stuff, CAD, and catch up on some much needed sleep.

[All Bones]

Our team has students that stay after school waiting for the meeting to start, which saves us the hassle of trying to make it back on potentially dangerous roads. Maybe this could help you guys maintain meetings? Of course we also live in Michigan and practically have a seven month long winter each year, but what difference does that make really?

[mathking]

This morning I was out throwing salt (there is ice on everything here) and one of my neighbors comes out and throws off a comment (in good nature) about how back when we were kids (he and I are in our mid 40s) they never would have gotten off school for something as minor as this weather. (His wife and I are both teachers.) He walks across the street, gets in his car, starts to drive and slides right onto the sidewalk in front of my house. Tries to back up into the street and slides back across the street onto the sidewalk in front of his house. He gingerly glides it back to a resting position on the side of the road, gets out and says something like "I guess when we were kids people were stupid."

[CMills]

Originally Posted by mathking

This morning I was out throwing salt (there is ice on everything here) and one of my neighbors comes out and throws off a comment (in good nature) about how back when we were kids (he and I are in our mid 40s) they never would have gotten off school for something as minor as this weather. (His wife and I are both teachers.) He walks across the street, gets in his car, starts to drive and slides right onto the sidewalk in front of my house. Tries to back up into the street and slides back across the street onto the sidewalk in front of his house. He gingerly glides it back to a resting position on the side of the road, gets out and says something like "I guess when we were kids people were stupid."

That, you can't make up. This is hilarious.

I was clearing off the .25" of ice off of my car this morning, mind you that I have a 92 Jimmy that has to be no kidding cleared off. It doesn't have all the fancy defrost features. However it does have remote start, thank God.

On my way in I had the best traction of this winter season, go figure!

[mathking]

Originally Posted by CMills

That, you can't make up. This is hilarious.

I was clearing off the .25" of ice off of my car this morning, mind you that I have a 92 Jimmy that has to be no kidding cleared off. It doesn't have all the fancy defrost features. However it does have remote start, thank God.

On my way in I had the best traction of this winter season, go figure!

On days like this, I miss my remote start Camry. Get out of the shower, grab keys and point out back at the car to start it. 10 minutes later the car is warm and ice just slides off.

[Steve_Alaniz]

This has never happened to me. Even when I lived in London, weather never prevented me from a build day. We have been iced in for 3 days here in Dallas! Well let's face it, the city is built for warm weather and instead of snow, we get ICE storms. It's just not economical to consider ice in city planning ... then again... Cowboy stadium has a retractable roof... I smell a conspiracy!

Steve

[KC1AJT]

We usually only dont have meetings when they call a snow day (ussually due to road conditions). i drive a 94 civic hatchback with front wheel drive and no power steering, although the manual 5 speed certainly helps. i had fun going sideways down streets and into my school parkinglot yesterday. my only advice is get what you can get done at home (designs, stratagy, sponsorships, paperwork, anything) and get to your robot the next opportunity you have.

[JaneYoung]

We aren't in North Texas but our water drip to keep the lines open here at the house - is turning out some awesome icicles.

Jane