[BB] Bill's Blog 9-7-11

[Hallry]

Source: http://frcdirector.blogspot.com/2011...ing-again.html

It’s raining again
Good Afternoon Teams,

I’d like to start today by introducing Kevin O’Connor our newest FRC Robotics Engineer. Kevin was both a founding student member and an adult mentor for Team 2175 the Fighting Calculators. He comes to us from GeckoSystems International Corporation where he was a Senior EE Roboticist developing software for the CareBot. Welcome aboard!

We’re conducting interviews this week for the new FRC Program Coordinator position and for a replacement Field Groomer. I’m hoping to get everyone in place soon so they have time to get up to speed. There’s never really a good time to jump in the pool around here, but I’m hoping they can get their heads above water before the registration floodgates open.

My thanks to the 147 teams who applied to be Beta Testers. Frank is reviewing the applications now and will contact all the applicants by next Friday, Sept 16th. When we have a final list, I’ll let you know who near you will be helping the engineering staff prepare for 2012.

Thinking about Beta Testing the software for the new cRIO FRCII reminds me, the last day to purchase the original FRC cRIO is Friday, Sept 30th. More details are available in my August 23rd blog.

I know you’re curious, but we still don’t have a finalized 2012 Event List to share. For those of you who are keeping track, we now have 21 contracted venues and just two locations left who aren’t in contract negotiations yet which is an improvement from August 12th.

The IT department is working like mad to get TIMS at least partially open so teams may begin updating their Team Profiles. (Last week I explained that TIMS was unavoidably delayed.) Watch this space. I have big hopes they will be ready soon.

We’re moments away from determining the 2012 Game Name. The GDC’s favorite choices were vetted by Marketing and the surviving choices are making the final lap. When Legal gets back to me, we can start work on a game logo, swap out "NameTBD" in the 2012 Game Manual and stop referring to the game as “well, you know”.

Oh, and maybe you can help me. This came up in the FRC staff meeting this morning. How many people do you think watch the streaming video from FRC Regional Events? Enquiring minds want to know.

122 days until Kickoff
See you then!

[Steven Donow]

the surviving choices are making the final lap

Generic "hint/tease at a possible theme of the game?" comment

[dodar]

Originally Posted by stevend1994

Generic "hint/tease at a possible theme of the game?" comment

Overdrive with SQUARES! lmfao

[evoluti1]

...laps. Like swimming laps? Sounds like a water game!

[Steven Donow]

Originally Posted by evoluti1

...laps. Like swimming laps? Sounds like a water game!

There’s never really a good time to jump in the pool around here, but I’m hoping they can get their heads above water before the registration floodgates open.

Weeeeeell....

[pwnageNick]

Registration floodgates (obvious), surviving choices (like the show survivor...so on a beach...water), and laps (like swimming laps). All possible hints to water.

yeah.

Anyways it's fun to make jokes but I really don't think that were close to having a water game yet... the rookies would never have a fighting chance.

And I would like to see a site that you could watch all of the streams on at once like that one team did last year. And hopefully cover every regional.

my thoughts,
Nick

[dodar]

Maybe FIRST is just trying to see if sending teams out to each regional to broadcast for thier own future website or even a possible tv channel would be worth it.

[Hallry]

Originally Posted by pwnageNick

And I would like to see a site that you could watch all of the streams on at once like that one team did last year. And hopefully cover every regional.

I believe you are talking about this.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Hallry

I believe you are talking about this.

They're just the latest--before then, SOAP put out a Gameday page which for some reason didn't last longer than a year or two.

I'll typically watch one or two events a year, myself, not counting the Championship.

[Katie_UPS]

Congrats Kevin!

Now, lets get that TIMS open!

[Brandon Holley]

The regional webcasts would definitely be a worthwhile thing to do, as I think most of us on here can appreciate.

The problem now is that its often very difficult to find a stream, so for a common person just trying to find one can be a bit difficult. Usually the NASA site eventually gets up to speed, but it sometimes won't happen until the last day of the regional.

-Brando

[Sean Raia]

God i love this red herring tradition and how it always points to a water game.

[Jon Stratis]

I can just picture Bill and everyone else sitting around the FIRST offices saying "Well, here's the first draft of what we actually want to tell them... now everyone grab your thesaurus and figure out how we can change it all to be associated with water!"

[IndySam]

Originally Posted by eagle33199

I can just picture Bill and everyone else sitting around the FIRST offices saying "Well, here's the first draft of what we actually want to tell them... now everyone grab your thesaurus and figure out how we can change it all to be associated with water!"

I can.

[Mark McLeod]

TIMS just got updated with these new dates:

Registration for the 2012 season is: Open Sep 08, 2011 12:00 PM - Apr 30, 2012 12:00 PM EST

so check after noon.