**FIRST EMAIL**/FRC Game Hint #2

[JoeXIII'007]

Originally Posted by basicxman

could someone please summarize the previous posts, anyone who has read the entire thread?

sorry but i dont really feel like reading 400+ posts, even on CD

I don't blame you...

That all said, here is an interactive summary:

1. goto maps.google.com
2. type in the first two numbers of the game hint on post #1
3. press enter and notice that you have been directed to Copley Square somewhere in New England. The overhead view displays a large reflective building just southeast of the virtual green map pin and two large buildings that spell out EI just south of the mark.
4. Now goto street view and have a look at that obelisks in Copley Square, along with other great sights.
5. Next, have a look at post #383 of this thread, pretty darn conclusive material... maybe. Just below that, #387, makes a connection between the distance between Copley square and Paul Revere. More postings discover the connection between Copley and Paul Revere. In other words, there's SUBSTANTIAL evidence that there is something interesting about Copley Square and Paul Revere's residence.
6. There was also post #324 which took the thrid number of the clue, converted it to a date on excel and on that date in some year, Max Planck discovered the law of black body emission. Read up further on that post and realize there's a real connection between that and clue #1: the IR thingy.
7. Also, as a geek, I have to remind everyone of the philosophical connections between the clue and XKCD comic #240. Plus the connection between the comic and Dave's signature (the answer to the year's most important question...).

And I think that covers it for now. I didn't want to put a 400 page summary here, thus the reason why I stop here. Conclude what you wish and have fun with it.

-Joe

PS: The cake is not a lie... we will get it January 5th at the FIRST Robotics Enrichment Competition Kick-off. (Sorry, I am just so happy after playing Portal in one sitting... had to make some form of reference there.)

PS2: Feel free to add to this summary as you wish.

[Joe G.]

Hint was posted, and the first two numbers were immediatly identified as GPS coordinates to Copley Square in boston. The third number has a greater dispute of interpretations, usually either being angle from north, or height. If used as an angle, it points through two obelisks, and then directly at the globe cafe, and in the general direction of Manchester, New Hampshere. Squares, triangles, and circles are all visible.

Other interesting sites include trinity church, whose name suggests triangles, and, along with release date, suggests a connection to the National Treasure movies. Another is the John Hancock Tower, which has train tracks on the top, and a counterweight system to counteract wind.

The national treasure theory lead to a link to a song called "Truckin" by Grateful Dead, whose chorus goes:

Sometimes the light's all shining on me
Other times I can barely see
Lately it occurs to me
What a long strange trip it's been.

This has been interpreted to mean the camera "light shining" and infared (can't see infrared)

There has also been scattered discussion about mathematical ways to make sense out of the numbers (nothing too significant yet), dave's new signature, etc.

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by hifihitk

I agree. The IR decoder and the coordinates are just to point us to the fact we will be doing some navigation.

I agree, but I think that decoding a beacon isn't necessary for navigation. The beam width won't be the factor for navigation, because either you decode the signal or you don't - it is not analog.

Originally Posted by meaubry

Copley Square in Boston, where atop the Hancock building is a beacon. Which has the capability of emitting 4 outputs - red solid, red flashing, blue solid, blue flashing.

Um, not quite. The John Hancock Tower is across the street from Copley Square, and it's the OLD Hancock building (walking distance away) with the lights. But, good insight on blue & red.

Originally Posted by Elgin Clock

If I was on the GDC, I would have an internal bet with all my other GDC members as to how many posts were going to be made about the clue(s) on CD.

They probably do, whoever gets closest wins dinner from the rest or something. We need to ask after kickoff...

A square in the middle of the field. The IR beacon your robot receives gives you some major advantage, but not having it doesn't mean you're not competitive. Red & Blue alliances, (my guess) 3 per side again.

Don

[Bsteckler]

Idea:

People are bringing in the "one if by land, two if by sea" phrase. Well, the British came by sea, and two lanterns were hung in the tower of the Old North Church.

There will be two IR beacons on the field, each one sending out a different set of commands, one may be a correct set, and one may be a bogus set. The robot will have to differentiate between the two sets and follow the correct one to score points.

[Mike Nawrot]

Hmmm... Just throwing this out there... We know that if we use the numbers as coordinates and heading, they point us at the Globe Cafe in Boston... The Boston Globe. Maybe there was something in the Boston Globe newspaper that could be used as a hint. Just an idea

[11Mort11]

the gamewill probablly use globe shaped game pieces

[Daniel_LaFleur]

Originally Posted by 11Mort11

the gamewill probablly use globe shaped game pieces

Atlasphere like from the old 'American Gladiators' ?

[11Mort11]

Originally Posted by Daniel_LaFleur

Atlasphere like from the old 'American Gladiators' ?

that would be amazing

[Vaillancourt88]

Are we thinking in the right "sphere"? What about Right Ascension, Declination, Date....It would give the position of some celestial object, and explain the 3rd number, and Dave Lavery is a NASA guy...anyone have a starmapping program handy?

Sorry to come form left field--just my first impression.

Rob Vaillancourt

'course, R.A. is measured from 0 to 24 hours...so that won't quite work....

Maybe if we construct a large wooden badger.....

[Daniel_LaFleur]

Originally Posted by Vaillancourt88

Maybe if we construct a large wooden badger.....

ROFL ...


Somebodys been watching too much Monty Python

[EricH]

Look, you guys, the answer is right in front of you. Triangles, circles, in a square, and Trinity Church. What one object is a combination of all of the first three elements, and also shows each individually (like the Trinity, for Christians, almost)?

A TRAFFIC CONE!

I think the game piece is a traffic cone. Lay out an obstacle course. Bonus points for beating it in the end-of game automode.

[Big Kid]

Originally Posted by Bsteckler

Idea:

People are bringing in the "one if by land, two if by sea" phrase. Well, the British came by sea, and two lanterns were hung in the tower of the Old North Church.

There will be two IR beacons on the field, each one sending out a different set of commands, one may be a correct set, and one may be a bogus set. The robot will have to differentiate between the two sets and follow the correct one to score points.

yes good idea, everything except the middle is filled with water and then we must land a robot on the middle take the tea board back on the boat and take it to ports along the sides. and one set of IR commands is the directions to the ports and the other is one that will lock the robot up for 30 seconds or a point deduction

[Davie Byrne]

coordinates are plausible, but these are out to six decimal points.
I think they could be color values or IR readings. Does anyone know much about RGB or other color models, better yet is there anyway we can match these values to that little IR circuit board thingy

[artdutra04]

Originally Posted by EricH

Look, you guys, the answer is right in front of you. Triangles, circles, in a square, and Trinity Church. What one object is a combination of all of the first three elements, and also shows each individually (like the Trinity, for Christians, almost)?

A TRAFFIC CONE!

I think the game piece is a traffic cone. Lay out an obstacle course. Bonus points for beating it in the end-of game automode.

And the name for that game? VLC: The Game

All you do is drag-and-drop the traffic cones onto it, and they automatically score.

[dpick1055]

Maybe FIRST is taking a hint from the Stangps and the robots will have to navigate the field this year using x,y, and z coordinates. Haha figures an awesome programming challenge right after I graduate.