A Courtesy

[Taylor]

Good grief. It seems to me the sleepless build season has caught up with some of us and awakened the Grouchmonster. When I read Gboehm's post, it looked like a nice, polite entry, and it confounds me how people can be offended by it. "If you want a picture of our robot, just ask and we'd be happy to have it pose for you," is what I got from it.
I realize we've signed away image rights and all that stuff, but if someone was to take my picture, I'd want to be able to prepare for it (lest I become Caption Contest fodder). Depending on the robot's state, it may or may not be in "competition shape" - this would be analogous to taking a picture inside the fitting room at Target. The subject may not be "decent." Furthermore, by asking to take a picture, you will engage a team member who may point out certain intricacies in the robot design or functionality you may have missed.
It doesn't kill anybody to take 3.5 seconds to ask "Hey, do you mind if I take a quick picture?" It's the neighborly thing to do.
Be polite. That's all he's asking.