pic: IRI Prank #1

[Andrew Schreiber]

A thought on the first prank. (the second was out of line end of story) Depending on who owns the robot this could of been a major problem. If a group (other than 1114) were to have ownership of the robot then this could turn into a case of theft. Realize, these are expensive pieces of equipment. Some companies put thousands of dollars towards their teams, most of this with the thought of being rewarded w/ positive PR and some nice advertising. If a prank were to inadvertently damage the robot or the robot came up missing (say a company exec wanted a photo op) I imagine the company would be pretty angry. If the robot is not performing at it's peak the company is not getting all of what it paid for. This could lose sponsorships for teams. I say this as a caution only.

Ok, pretty bleak and negative. The sad part, I like practical jokes. But NOT on competition robots. Mike, this was pretty funny, and since it was not on a competing robot I think it was acceptable. That being said, if it competes and it doesnt belong to you or your team, keep your hands off it. Treat it like anything else that belongs to others. For example, if one of my friends stole my computer and hid it from me the night before I had a paper due said friends may be going to class with a black eye or two the next day.

Prank with caution and respect.