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  #241   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 22-12-2007, 02:36
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Re: **FIRST EMAIL**/FRC Game Hint #2

okay, my grand unified theroy of everything

IR sensor= field control element, switched by robots. NOT INTENDED FOR USE ON THE ROBOT

Coordinates=seems to point to the globe bar and grill, which could be a throwback to "raising the bar" with balls and bars. Maybe the grill stands for what will serve as a game piece(balls) delivery mechanism.

After some more reading of what raising the bar auto, maybe instead of hitting the yellow ball in auto, its going to be "seek out green light, drive towards, transmit IR code"
I'm still clueless how human players will factor in the game. We'll all just have to find out on kickoff!

Last edited by Binome : 22-12-2007 at 02:38.
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Unread 22-12-2007, 02:48
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Re: **FIRST EMAIL**/FRC Game Hint #2

Just a thought, probably doesn't get us anywhere, but in standard C code, the undefined floating-point variable gives you 6 decimal places.

Also, I think we've been getting the tendency to get off on these wild strains, and while they're really cool, and lots of fun, you have to reverse-engineer them and think if it's really feasible for someone to come up with a message they want to send us, encode it in something, encode that in something else, etc., in the same order that we've managed to decode it. It is lots of fun on a Friday night when school's out, though.
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Unread 22-12-2007, 03:06
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Re: **FIRST EMAIL**/FRC Game Hint #2

D'ya suppose we could talk some Bostonian into finding a GPS set of some kind, and really seeing exactly where this spot is? (I don't trust those imaging web sites to be as accurate as we might need).

What are the odds that two numbers like that would coincidentally locate a landmark public spot in a major city? And right near MIT? They gotta be lat/lon!
  #244   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 22-12-2007, 03:13
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Re: **FIRST EMAIL**/FRC Game Hint #2

Why not combine these two clues? After all, since there has never really been a precedent before of multiple game hints, we should probably consider both of these as a single game hint.


First off they give us a clue which is a IR receiver board. Then the second hint (if taken at face value) points us to the center of Copley Square in Boston, with the compass bearing pointing out the middle of the block, between two obelisks, towards Globe Deli.

While they could have chosen to give us just a lat/long coordinate, they gave us a bearing as well. So they obviously want us to look in that direction. Why? If we use Clue #1, they gave us a board to detect signals with a limited range of ± 30° to 40°.

Clue #1: Sensor board to detect IR pulse from limited range.
Clue #2: Possible lat/long coordinate with compass bearing, which points you towards a particular direction.

Σ Clues: Playing field that encourages us to point robots at targets, possibly one which only has a limited range from which you can approach it.


However, there can still be a lot left open by these targets. What are they? Do we pick up playing field objects from them, or score on them? Are these targets zones (like the grid of streets in Boston's Back Bay) broken up into "blocks", which we might gain points from by being in them? Or might we get points from bringing something like a mobile goal into them?
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  #245   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 22-12-2007, 03:16
Kyle O'Don Kyle O'Don is offline
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Re: **FIRST EMAIL**/FRC Game Hint #2

In reference to the tangent about the moon and Mars, I plugged the first two numbers given by FIRST into Google Sky. However, it pointed to blackness that was not near any major systems or stars.
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Unread 22-12-2007, 03:17
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Re: **FIRST EMAIL**/FRC Game Hint #2

if you punch the first two numbers into google earth, you get the trinity church in boston.

another thing to look into?

chris

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Unread 22-12-2007, 03:21
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Re: **FIRST EMAIL**/FRC Game Hint #2

There was a long discussion about Trinity church and a reference to National Treasure in previous posts. Besides, the numbers point in the center of the square not the church.
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Unread 22-12-2007, 03:31
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Re: **FIRST EMAIL**/FRC Game Hint #2

The numbers are pretty ambiguous, but what about the Infrared sensor? It obviously has some use in the game, or else they wouldn't have sent one to each team... what could you do with an infrared sensor? They are used in motion detectors, or heat sensors...

Maybe we have an obstacle course made of some sort of infrared lazers!! Except that is not really a team sport, and they know most teams have trouble with autonomous functions...
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Unread 22-12-2007, 04:04
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Re: **FIRST EMAIL**/FRC Game Hint #2

This just came to me. But, I think the first two numbers of the three number set is definitely coordinates. However if we take the third number 342.242026
and square it we get 117129.604360584676. Well what does this last number mean? Exactly how many years it will take us to figure out this game hint if they don't ever show us the game. It has to be it.
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Unread 22-12-2007, 06:01
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Re: **FIRST EMAIL**/FRC Game Hint #2

The Trinity idea pulling on the different game pieces is probably pretty solid.

Since the first two numbers in the series were coordinates, that leads me to assume that the third is an elevation. 342.242026 is not in meters because it would be higher than all the buildings in that area. However, if it is in feet then it is still taller than most buildings, but not all.

I am fairly certain that the only building taller than 342.242026 feet and adjacent to Copley Square is John Hancock Place, which is 60 floors or 790 feet tall.

790 / 342.242026 = 2.308308 (Finding how tall the building is in relation to the height given by FIRST)

60 / 2.308308 = 25.993065 (dividing the number of floors in the building by the ratio above)

25.99 floors above ground is uncannily close to 26, considering the difference between the base of the building and sea level wasn't included.

So, what is on the 26th floor of the John Hancock Place, besides a non-existent message saying I just wasted part of my life?

Last edited by Kyle O'Don : 22-12-2007 at 06:10.
  #251   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 22-12-2007, 06:20
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This could help......or not....

Wow!

7 hours later, I get to read +250 posts just to reach the last page!!!

Anyway, I tried to figure the hint by myself, but I haven't produced any firm evidence of what or where the hint is pointing to. I thought that sharing my thoughts might bring out other leads that could help figuring out the clue.

I took everyone's advice that the first two numbers were longtitude and latitude. I saw that all 3 numbers were decimeled and had 6 numbers after the decimal, which probably means they are related.

So, we have long and we have lat. Both are "titude"s.

So if we have the "X" and "Y" part of the geographic coordinates, we can also add a 3rd dimension, the "Z". which faces upward and downwards from earth's center.

and that is called ALTITUDE.

So I thought, maybe there's something above that coordinates, at that 3rd number hight?

I searched for things, specificlly satellites, aprox 342 miles, km or other distance unit above that point in Boston or over any other part above Boston.

I haven't found anything useful, but I did find this interesting thing:

http://www.meade.com/gallery/09a.html
Quote:
350 miles above Boston: Ron Dantowitz of Hayden Planetarium, Boston, Mass., used C-Sat satellite tracking software in conjunction with a Meade 12" LX200 Schmidt-Cassegrain optical system to obtain this remarkable video image of Space Shuttle Atlantis docked with Space Station Mir on November 16, 1995. At the time of the exposure the docked Atlantis-Mir were 350 miles above Boston and traveling at a speed of 17,100 miles per hour. The outline drawing at right points out specific features of the two spacecraft, including such details as the Shuttle's rudder and wing-silhouette. Although Mir's solar panels are only about one meter (39") wide, they are clearly resolved by the telescope's 12" optics, even at a distance of 350 miles. C-Sat software works through a personal computer to locate and track automatically over 3500 Earth satellites with any Meade LX200 model.
The problem was "on November 16, 1995", which is quite out of date (or maybe not?).

If it is where the hint wanted to lead us to, then we have some relation to the space station Mir, but again, I fear I'm just misleading people.

Please prove me wrong (as awkward as it might sound).
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  #252   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 22-12-2007, 06:21
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Re: **FIRST EMAIL**/FRC Game Hint #2

Whether or not the first two numbers are in fact the lat/lon coordinates of Copley Square in Boston I don't know. I do very much doubt that the third number is an elevation, bearing, or range because who would ever carry any of those 3 to 6 decimal places. That is just insane in any unit of measure. Lat/Lon yes, elevation, bearing, or range no I don't think so.

I think there is some significance to all 3 numbers being carried to 6 decimal places and am wondering more and more if the first two numbers are in fact NOT lat/lon but just the first two numbers in some sort of math problem. Maybe a positive, negative, positive, negative, ... sequence?

I fear we are all getting tunnel vision on those coordinates and reading to much into Copley Square. If it is in fact a reference to Copley Square I think it may be as simple as the shape of the square from above is like the rectangular field and there with be something of 4 in the very center (like the rack last year). The "something of 4" will be controlled by or consist of something to do with the 4 commands of the IR receiver. Also, if it is Copley Square then I still like the thought of Trinity Church as a reference to alliances of three teams again this year and/or the three game pieces of different shapes.

Can anyone tell that it is 5:20 in the morning and I can't sleep? Thanks, Dave.
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Unread 22-12-2007, 07:52
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Re: This could help......or not....

I think you're on to something. The ISS ground track does pass across Boston fairly regularly. And the altitude varies due to LEO drag and then resupply ships pushing it back up. The last time the ISS was at 342 km was this past November. (http://www.heavens-above.com/issheight.asp?)
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Unread 22-12-2007, 07:57
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Re: **FIRST EMAIL**/FRC Game Hint #2

Can someone out there in the Boston area that has a GPS device please find the exact location of those coordinates? I would love to put some of this speculation to rest. Along with a number of us who got very little sleep last night. (Not because of the game hint but because of my teething 6 month old)
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Unread 22-12-2007, 08:29
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Re: **FIRST EMAIL**/FRC Game Hint #2

342.242026 could represent time thus giving us a time and place assuming the first two numbers are lat/lon. If 342.242026 = Julian Day then it is December 8th (December 7th in a leap year like next year) at 5:48:31.0464 AM.

If the three numbers are added up we get 313.515859 which works out to November 9th (or 8th in a leap year) at 12:22:50.2176.

Anyone know a connection to any of these dates and times particularly with the assumed location? Maybe a historic event, a birthday, a special event?
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