**IMPORTANT FIRST EMAIL BLAST**/Game Tip and 2004 Competition Manual Information!!

[Travis Hoffman]

Ryan Curry gets a cookie for picking both of these diamonds out of Dave's posts.

Speculate forth, o' anxious children of FIRST!

************************************************** ****

Greetings Teams:

Four days and counting!

First, we want to give the official hint to teams concerning this year's game, so here it is:

"Vmax = 10 ft/sec

Yes, there are two paths you can go by
But in the long run
There's still time to change the road you're on."

This should be enough to get you all started!

Secondly, we have some important news for participants regarding the 2004 Robotics Competition Manual.

As a first step in moving to an online manual system for 2005, the 2004 manual will only be made available online in the form of '.pdf' files; which means there will not be a printed manual or CD in this year's Kit of Parts.

To accommodate timely distribution of the manual, here is our plan:

Encrypted copies of the first eight sections of the manual will be posted on the FIRST website at 5:00pm EST on Thursday, January 8th. Instructions for handling these files appear at the bottom of this message.

Anyone may download these files starting at that time. The decryption password, which will allow you to open these files, will be announced at Kickoff.

Teams are encouraged to download these encrypted versions ahead of time to help alleviate downloading delays on the 10th. The non-encrypted versions will be posted at noon on Saturday January 10th. There is no difference in the content of the encrypted and
non-encrypted versions.

Individuals traveling to a Kickoff site that wish to have a manual to read for their ride home are encouraged to bring a portable computer with these files saved on the hard-drive.

In order to be sure that you have the capability to decrypt the files at the appropriate time, a test file is currently posted on the FIRST website -- see the instructions below.

(Note that if you wish to get yourself a binder and/or tabs, there are a total of twelve sections to this years manual)

FYI, the method used to encrypt these files is secure. It is called 128-bit RC4 encoding, and is a current standard considered by the US Government as completely secure for short (weeks) periods of time.

================================================== ==========

INSTRUCTIONS FOR DOWNLOADING (and TESTING) ENCRYPTED MANUAL:

================================================== ==========

-- Users may download these files beginning at 5:00pm on January 8th. The files will not be readable until the decryption password is released at kickoff on Saturday.

-- Adobe Acrobat Reader Version 5 or 6 will be required to decrypt these files. If you do not have it, you may download it for free at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

-- Kickoff attendees who want a manual to read on the way home are encouraged to bring a computer with these 8 files and Acrobat Reader installed.

-- To ensure that you have everything necessary to decrypt these files, a test file is currently available at http://www2.usfirst.org/2004/comp/2004DecryptTest.pdf

You may download this file now and decrypt it with the following case-sensitive password (without the quotes): "2004DecryptTest" Acrobat will prompt you for the password when you try to open the file.

If you get to see the message "Congratulations! You have successfully decrypted the test file", then you have successfully decrypted the file and have everything you need for Saturday.

-- Non-encrypted copies of each section of the manual will be posted on the FIRST website at noon on Saturday January 10th.

Let the game begin!

[Mark Garver]

Well with a clue like that my guess is that there are stairs. The reason being isn't that clue from an old song? Maybe Led Zeppelin - Stairway to heven

Well i guess it is just an educated guess... Your thoughts?

[greencelery115]

stairs, a way up on both sides (similar to past games..) ? i'm trying to figure out what has two roads...and how it is connected with a long run ...and changing the road...(something spinning? a change of direction? a moveable part of the field?...

something definitely happened to the time..

and with a max velocity? the top speed for what? the robot? the field parts?
*i'm going to look it up and see if there's any poems or something related to this...(what would first people create/ insinuate with this type of clue...)
i'm glad that i'm getting a headache over this. this rox.

"Vmax = 10 ft/sec

Yes, there are two paths you can go by
But in the long run
There's still time to change the road you're on."

[IrisLab]

*Yes there are two paths you can go by
but in the long run
There's still time to change the road you're on
And it makes me wonder.

*lyric by LED ZEPPELIN from Stairway to Heaven

[greencelery115]

yes- got the same result here too

wonders what led zeppelin has to do with this...heaven? zeppelins? rock(s)?
rock and roll (i.e. the oil barrels)

still pondering

[greencelery115]

song lyrics...* just for interest (album Iv) *four?

Stairway To Heaven
There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to heaven.
When she gets there she knows, if the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for.
Ooh, ooh, and she's buying a stairway to heaven.

There's a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure
'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.
In a tree by the brook, there's a songbird who sings,
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it makes me wonder.

There's a feeling I get when I look to the west,
And my spirit is crying for leaving.
In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees,
And the voices of those who standing looking.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it really makes me wonder.

And it's whispered that soon if we all call the tune
Then the piper will lead us to reason.
And a new day will dawn for those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter.

If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now,
It's just a spring clean for the May queen.
Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run
There's still time to change the road you're on. And it makes me wonder.

Your head is humming and it won't go, in case you don't know,
The piper's calling you to join him,
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow, and did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind.

And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul.
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold.
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last.
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll.

And she's buying a stairway to heaven.

[gsensel]

Both have been discussed here. Because Dave leaked them before the blast was sent out.
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=23371
My thoughts are similar to what many have said in the other thread but with 3 ways up 2 stairs or ramps and 1 stair or ramp depending on what the 2 are. This will be able to be rotated. Plus balls or something to roll down them will be on the platform above it

[Buster]

Nice job w/ the lyrics, but according to AC/DC there's also an opposite to a STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN, there's also a HIGHWAY TO HELL. so in my opinion, there's probably a highway as well as a stairway or som'n

[Joe Matt]

Originally Posted by Buster

Nice job w/ the lyrics, but according to AC/DC there's also an opposite to a STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN, there's also a HIGHWAY TO HELL. so in my opinion, there's probably a highway as well as a stairway or som'n

Howabout an Interstate to Manchester?

[Mark Pettit]

. . and what about the Vmax thing?
There is a motorcycle called the Vmax.
Two wheels or Four????
Maybe they'll give us a Segway as part of the kit?

[Adam Collet]

Returning to speculation on Vmax ... remember, FIRST official hints are obscure and try to get us thinking somewhere different from what the game actually is, though you can always figure the hints out in hindsight. Thinking along these lines, I highly doubt that it will be a maximum speed, and it is more likely but still improbable that it is giving us the height of the stairs. I'd think in totally different directions ... my mind doesn't really work this way, but for example, like (someone) mentioned not too long ago, Vmax, for one thing, is used a lot in kinetics stuff. So think along the lines of kinetics. Kinetic engergy. As opposed to potential energy. So constantly moving is important. Or you can get stuck somewhere and be trying to move but not going anywhere. Who knows. It's not very likely that we'll crank it out. Point is, it's more likely that it'll be something way off of the obvious. And besides, it's more fun to think about the clues this way.

[danielkitchener]

Originally Posted by Mark Pettit

. . and what about the Vmax thing?
There is a motorcycle called the Vmax.
Two wheels or Four????
Maybe they'll give us a Segway as part of the kit?

V is the physics symbol for Velocity - speed with direction
I'm guessing 10 fps is down, given that they cannot control our robots in other directions due to the differences in drive trains
Vmax means maximum velocity, or the fastest velocity at which the robot or object will travel

[UlTiMaTeP]

spec·u·la·tion - Reasoning based on inconclusive evidence; conjecture or supposition.

[DaSpyder]

http://www.heavenr.com/faith/twopaths.html This site contains those exact words, im thinking stairway to heaven!

[Caleb Fulton]

Originally Posted by DaSpyder

http://www.heavenr.com/faith/twopaths.html This site contains those exact words, im thinking stairway to heaven!

Are you saying the robot has to get baptized?






J/K, btw...