FRC Blogged-FIRST Choice Update, LED Bulb Fundraising and Dean’s List Interviews

[Steven Donow]

http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...-Choice-Update

FIRST Choice Update

The following information is from our Kit of Parts team, Kate and Collin:

One of the benefits of allowing Teams to see what is in FIRST Choice prior to ordering is that we can receive feedback and adjust part information and credit values for certain parts. We want to tell you that we’ve decided to make adjustments to the FIRST Choice site, as needed, before the ordering phase starts.

Rest assured, we won’t increase the number of credits required for an item or decrease the team limits on items (our intent is that any changes only accommodate a team getting more for their credits, not making existing ordering plans moot).

Specifically, any changes will likely be along the lines of consolidating items that make sense (e.g. Delphi window motor connector housing and terminals), increasing the number of pieces per line item (e.g. bearings), adding items as they’re confirmed in inventory, and typo fixes.

All changes will be announced on the “News” portion of the FIRST Choice site. No changes will be made after noon on Friday, December 13, 2013.

P.S. We got a chance to start “working” (it seems more like playing) with the 3D Printers. They are awesome, and we hope the Teams who receive them can put them to good use this season!

LED Bulb Fundraising

Did you see the email blast last week? We’ve got a new, dimmable, 60W replacement LED bulb teams can use for fundraising. Team price per bulb is $3, not including shipping, in case quantities of 40, with a suggested retail price of $13. Suggested retail price is just that – teams can adjust the sales price to meet their needs. More than 6,000 of these bulbs have been ordered by teams in just the last few weeks! More info here.

Dean’s List Interviews

Back in September, I talked about some changes we were making to Dean’s List, here. At the time, we envisioned all Dean’s List interviews taking place at events.

Since that time, folks who will be responsible for these interviews have asked if they can have the flexibility to do interviews remotely – that is, with the interviewers and candidates in different locations – and possibly not during the days of the competition itself. This is to ease concerns that it may simply not be practical to get all the candidates and interviewers together over the few days necessary, depending on the circumstances of each event. We will be allowing this flexibility. Our first choice is to have in-person interviews take place at the events themselves, but if necessary, remote interviews, or remote interviews on non-competition days, may take place. Every nominee, however, will still be interviewed, even though it may be by telephone or video conference. Teams with nominees will be contacted once details have been worked out for their particular events. We appreciate your patience as we work through the details in this pilot year of this change.

Frank

[geomapguy]

For Dean's List I was never interviewed?? I ended up being a finalist and traveled to Worlds for the ceremony. Did any other Dean's List Finalist not get interviewed???

Originally Posted by geomapguy

For Dean's List I was never interviewed?? I ended up being a finalist and traveled to Worlds for the ceremony. Did any other Dean's List Finalist not get interviewed???

It's new starting 2014. Nobody has been interviewed yet.

[MikeE]

Following the direct link in Deven's top post I see the quoted blog entry dated December 9th 2013. However I don't see it listed in the main FRC Blog.

The latest entry in FRC Blog is dated Nov-27 about the release of Tableau data visualization software license in the virtual KoP.

Are others seeing this behavior?

[Whippet]

I am seeing the same issue.

[Steven Donow]

I can confirm too; I 'discovered' the blog via the Twitter/Facebook blasts by FRC teams