Question to all Robot Designers...

[Al Skierkiewicz]

We have that problem licked! We think in our sleep. Multitasking at it's finest!
Al

[bigqueue]

Yes, it is true that sleep becomes a very precious commodity....but you have to admit that all of this gets pretty darn exciting!

Many of us on team 811 have closed up shop every night this week at 11:00pm....and I have not climbed into bed until after 1:00am every morning. (I have to get my ChiefDelphi forum "FIX" before I go to sleep )

-Quentin

[smokescreen]

So much talk of thinking of ideas during sleep and of waking up from sleep with an idea.

How do all of you have time for sleep?

-smokescreen

[Martin]

only a few days later, well actually a day i believe, i posted that message....and now i truly understand....today i (not backing missing class) i skipped4th and 5th periods, tahts 2.5 hours and tehn after school 4.5 hours....i came in early in teh morning as well...so that mankes about 7 hours...im going crazy....and our exams start next week !!!!!!! Now i know what people mean when they say they are overworked....we got our base FINALLY.....love the material ... hey how many people on average on your teams.....we got 10 productive people including me, and bout 7 people who refuse tobe productive, well if internet game sites are productive than they are the most productive of all
well its only 8pm, but im getting up early tommorow so i can get to school to work on the bot...i should be sleeping by 10
nite*

Matin
907

[Torchin]

Well, I dunno, maybe its just the west coast or something, but we at GRT have been sticking around about 7-8 hours a day after school on weekdays, and then the classic 14-16 hour-a-day weekends. We're a bit more time-intensive, and certainly some members are here more than others, and it varies depending on responsibilities. For example, much of the team was dismissed last night at around 7:00, but around 12 of us were debating and designing until 12:30am. It's just so much fun, we'd rather not get home.

Oh, standard bed-time is around 2:30am. I have homework, too, ya kno...

[piconysm]

I am in a rookie team, and really feel the excitement of this competition. I know the importance of devoting yourself to this competition and I am glad to do so. But how do you weight between schoolwork and this competition? Which one is more important?
And also, What kind of classes you guys have? No one has AP or honor classes, in which the teacher give you ton of homeworks everyday?

thanks
AL

[Joseph F]

hehe. no ap or honors? far from it. Half the senior members on our robotics team are in 1-2 ap courses, the others are mostly in honors. We have one junior even taking senior honors courses. You just have to keep 1 thing in mind... School is work. Robotics is fun. If robotics becomes work you may as well be studying. I can't study for 15 minutes without nearly falling asleep and checking my watch 4 times... Yet I am currently, and have been for 2 days, running a 100 to 104 degree fever. I am still up until 1-2am checking websights, writing down ideas, making drawings, etc. Its all in the dedication and determination. For a rookie team in the first week or two it can be hard to understand (last year was our rookie year). Wait till you hit weeks 4 and 5... And you will especially feel it right before the shipoff date over february break.

[Brett]

Originally posted by piconysm
I am in a rookie team, and really feel the excitement of this competition. I know the importance of devoting yourself to this competition and I am glad to do so. But how do you weight between schoolwork and this competition? Which one is more important?
And also, What kind of classes you guys have? No one has AP or honor classes, in which the teacher give you ton of homeworks everyday?

thanks
AL

Heheheh, I have 4 APs, and I'm in Calc 3 at a local university. What do you mean homework?

(Btw, average bed time for me has been 2:30-4:30 am the past week)

[piconysm]

hahaha... what a dedication to science!!! I really admire you guys, and I can also feel your passions to science. I agree with you guys, and that is mighty true... would you like to give me some advices on how to handle the muttering of parents when they saw you up at 2:00 am? or they don't care about it? just curious..

[Brett]

Originally posted by piconysm
hahaha... what a dedication to science!!! I really admire you guys, and I can also feel your passions to science. I agree with you guys, and that is mighty true... would you like to give me some advices on how to handle the muttering of parents when they saw you up at 2:00 am? or they don't care about it? just curious..

Mine just sort of stopped caring... been doing this (staying up late) for too long... I'll hear about it the next day but I usually just zombie out the door *shrug*

[piconysm]

haha.... thanks for sharing.... i think i should act like you guys, in order to pursue my passions... thanks again.

[Zeinin]

i have been working on norhing but the animation....


here is my day:

1. sadly awake to the realization that i have skool

2. go to said skool for 3 hours, leave for work.

3 get to work {NASA VIZLAB} work on poster or whatever

4. leave work, go to skool, work on bot

5. go home, play with lightwave on opening scene of animation

man

i have stopped hangin out with my friend! FIRST ownz meh!

[Zeinin]

oh yeah

i am in honers, doesnt mean i will pass it

[piconysm]

hahaa.... interesting.. 4 hr of school is way more better than 8 hr of school...

[joe_balint]

On a serious note, all of you FIRST-aholics are going to catch alot of flack from "friends", family, and others for putting in all this time and effort. At some point, it will be enough to make you second guess yourself. You'll start thinking "perhaps I should have a more balanced life and do other things besides work and FIRST and other projects. Maybe with a "balanced life" I'll be satisfied and happy." My advice: Forget that non-sense! Just give in and go full bore! You know you're doing the right thing! And it's all worth it! You're helping yourself and everyone you contact by participating in FIRST projects and starting FIRST teams. If you try to go partway (part FIRST, part other stuff) you're only going to get mad at yourself later for slacking off when you finally decide you were right in the first place and go all out FIRST-crazy! Keep thinking, keep sketching, keep driving, keep building, keep testing, keep thinking, keep going! Figure out that shaft coupling, that drivetrain, that motor mount, that tracking mechanism! You're not going to change much as you get older, so you might as well get good at driving hard and following through on a plan 'cuz you're going to be doing it for a good chunk of your life (the rest of the time you'll be sleeping.... slacker! So, make sure your friends are FIRST-aholics, convert your family, keep moving forward, and only look back when it's time to do an After Action Review to learn how to do it better the next time. People will follow you, you just have to be willing and able to lead them and this is the best thing going! FIRST is like life, if you can figure out how to do well at FIRST, you can figure out how to do well at life.

whew!

Besides, you'd just spend your time playing Quake or Starcraft anyway -Joe