The FIRST Devil's Dictionary

[Christopher149]

Originally Posted by LFrisk

Minnesota (n) A place that everybody wants to move to districts except the people actually living there.

Minnesota? I want Wisconsin to move to districts (or just have more teams). Having WI teams be able to play in the UP would let us host in our home town (cutting travel costs) and we'd be able to have out-of-district third plays within about 3 hours driving.

And if Ewen and Paradise and Mackinac Island and Beaver Island can have FRC teams, I continue to be dumbfounded as to why there are none in Superior and Ashland and Rhinelander.

Upper Michigan (n): The really rural part of the juggernaut (pun intended) district with a team per capita ratio 10 times greater than Wisconsin.

[orangemoore]

Originally Posted by LFrisk

Minnesota (n) A place that everybody wants to move to districts except the people actually living there.

Wow.

[Anthony Galea]

Originally Posted by LFrisk

Minnesota (n) A place that everybody wants to move to districts except the people actually living there.

If you could tell us, why? I mean, districts are great! You get up to 3x as many plays (24 vs 8) in qualifications for the same initial cost! Also, if you want a third event play, it only costs $500. You also save money by having closer events due to the lowered cost of having an event meaning that more venues host them. Another thing is that it makes it easier for good teams to qualify for champs with the points system, which admittedly has its flaws, but its better than "if you don't win an event or are finalist at an event where the winners have X amount of teams that have already qualified, you better win CA or EI".

But that's just me. I'm interested in hearing why you wouldn't like districts.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by 3175student17

But that's just me. I'm interested in hearing why you wouldn't like districts.

Some areas just aren't ready.

Or some people may have a misguided view of what teams want in their areas.

BTW, file CA under MN's definition as well, with a slight rewrite to "SOME people living there".

[LFrisk]

Originally Posted by 3175student17

If you could tell us, why? I mean, districts are great! You get up to 3x as many plays (24 vs 8) in qualifications for the same initial cost! Also, if you want a third event play, it only costs $500. You also save money by having closer events due to the lowered cost of having an event meaning that more venues host them. Another thing is that it makes it easier for good teams to qualify for champs with the points system, which admittedly has its flaws, but its better than "if you don't win an event or are finalist at an event where the winners have X amount of teams that have already qualified, you better win CA or EI".

But that's just me. I'm interested in hearing why you wouldn't like districts.

This isn't really the point of this thread so I won't get into it here.

[EmileH]

Originally Posted by LFrisk

This isn't really the point of this thread so I won't get into it here.

Thank you! +30 thread re-railment points

[Caleb Sykes]

Originally Posted by EricH

BTW, file CA under MN's definition as well, with a slight rewrite to "SOME people living there".

I think that rewrite applies to MN as well. Let's get this thread back on track though.

Derail a CD thread (v): To mention one or all of the topics: districts vs regionals, 2 champs, student vs mentor drive coaches, student vs mentor-built robots, robot in 3 days or equivalents, proliferation of COTS parts, bag day, east-coast bias, cheesecake, corndogs, mecanum wheels vs any other drive train, validitiy of OPR, referees, sandbagging into #1 pick, validity of CD polls, meaning of gracious professionalism, shouting robot, importance of safety glasses, strategic breaking of rules, referee/judge/inspector/MC bias, java/c++ versus labview, 2 champs, rivets vs bolts, field fault, low bar flaps, minibots, Lunacy, canburglars, robots tipping over, add ones I am missing here, video replay, lying in Chairman's submissions, powerhouse teams, coopertition, FMS, field connection issues, dangerous auto modes, swerve vs tank drive, etc...

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Caleb Sykes

I think that rewrite applies to MN as well. Let's get this thread back on track though.

Derail a CD thread (v): To mention one or all of the topics: districts vs regionals, 2 champs, student vs mentor drive coaches, student vs mentor-built robots, robot in 3 days or equivalents, proliferation of COTS parts, bag day, east-coast bias, cheesecake, corndogs, mecanum wheels vs any other drive train, validitiy of OPR, referees, sandbagging into #1 pick, validity of CD polls, meaning of gracious professionalism, shouting robot, importance of safety glasses, strategic breaking of rules, referee/judge/inspector/MC bias, java/c++ versus labview, 2 champs, rivets vs bolts, field fault, low bar flaps, minibots, Lunacy, canburglars, robots tipping over, add ones I am missing here, video replay, lying in Chairman's submissions, powerhouse teams, coopertition, FMS, field connection issues, dangerous auto modes, swerve vs tank drive, etc...

...In any thread that is NOT already about the item that is mentioned. If a thread is created specifically to address that mentioned item, the definition becomes Derail CD (v).

[seg9585]

Sledgehammer (n.): A precision tool used to meticulously coax your robot hardware back into proper working form

[pabeekm]

Originally Posted by seg9585

Sledgehammer (n.): A precision tool used to meticulously coax your students back into proper working form

Fixed that for you.

... I should never be allowed to mentor.

[seg9585]

Originally Posted by pabeekm

Fixed that for you.

... I should never be allowed to mentor.

Code Deletion (n.): A method by which freshmen programmers debug or upgrade robot software

Half link (n.): A mandatory robot chain component for which failing to use one results in utter drivetrain destruction

Vision System (n.): A complex array of cameras, raspberry pis, and blinding LED lights that serve no purpose other than to tell judges that a robot has one but doesn't work

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by seg9585

Half link (n.): A mandatory robot chain component whose use results in utter drivetrain destruction

Fixed that for you.

Even number of links (n.): A design philosophy for chain drive systems that sorts out who is thinking "not an odd number" from the half-wits who think "an integer number" by condemning these half-successful designs half the time to half-links.

[Sperkowsky]

Successfully programming the radio at a competition the first time(V.): A rare occurrence I have never personally seen.

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by Sperkowsky

Successfully flashing a robot radio with the competition firmware the first time(V.): A rare occurrence I have never personally seen.

There is no such thing as "competition firmware".

[GeeTwo]

Originally Posted by Sperkowsky

Successfully programming the radio at a competition the first time(V.): A rare occurrence I have never personally seen.

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

There is no such thing as "competition firmware".

...then I guess you haven't seen it either . Edit/Addition: "Programming" does not necessarily mean "flashing firmware".

FIRST STRONGHOLD (n):

1. The most effective detector of loose connections in several years.
2. A three way competition in which two alliances of three robots, and a 27x54' arena all violently attack each other.
3. The first FIRST competition featuring hundreds of flying robots.
4. A game in which the engineering challenges of creating something to simulate the defenses exceed those required to build the robot.