Posted by Michael Martus. [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]
Coach on team #47, Chief Delphi, from Pontiac Central H.S. and Delphi Automotives Systems.
Posted on 9/9/2000 9:32 PM MST
At the end of BattleBots (Comedy Central) When the credits are run a very LARGE ‘FIRST’ Television is put on the screen.
What gives with that? Any relation? Did I miss something?
Maybe this year we will all be BattleBots.
Posted by Splash.
Student on team #53, Team Inferno, from Eleanor Roosevelt High School and NASA GSFC.
Posted on 9/10/2000 10:36 AM MST
In Reply to: FIRST Television posted by Michael Martus on 9/9/2000 9:32 PM MST:
: What gives with that? Any relation? Did I miss something?
Isn’t the FIRST competition run by US FIRST? FIRST just being the name of the robot competitions it runs.
Posted by Matt Leese.
Student on team #7 from Parkville High School and NASA, Black & Decker, AAI, Raytheon.
Posted on 9/10/2000 1:12 PM MST
In Reply to: Re: FIRST Television posted by Splash on 9/10/2000 10:36 AM MST:
: Isn’t the FIRST competition run by US FIRST? FIRST just being the name of the robot competitions it runs.
I believe that the organization is the FIRST Foundation. They used to be US FIRST but dropped the US after the competition spread to other countries (mainly Canada but now also Brazil). I believe the competition is the FIRST Robotics Competition officially. This is all off the top of my head though.
Matt Leese
Posted by Jason Iannuzzi.
Engineer on team #11, Marauders, from Mt. Olive HS. and BASF, Rame Hart, CCM.
Posted on 9/11/2000 10:10 AM MST
In Reply to: Re: FIRST Television posted by Matt Leese on 9/10/2000 1:12 PM MST:
Matt, you are correct. Also add Puerto Rico to the list of international teams (before Canada I think), and if i recall correctly, Germany will be making an appearance next year.
Posted by Matt Leese.
Student on team #7 from Parkville High School and NASA, Black & Decker, AAI, Raytheon.
Posted on 9/11/2000 10:43 AM MST
In Reply to: Re: FIRST Television posted by Jason Iannuzzi on 9/11/2000 10:10 AM MST:
Well, I hate to tell you but Puerto Rico is part of the United States. They’re a territory. I also heard rumors about a team from Singapore last year. Anyone care to confirm?
Matt Leese
Posted by Jason Iannuzzi.
Engineer on team #11, Marauders, from Mt. Olive HS. and BASF, Rame Hart, CCM.
Posted on 9/13/2000 7:37 AM MST
In Reply to: Re: FIRST Television posted by Matt Leese on 9/11/2000 10:43 AM MST:
: Well, I hate to tell you but Puerto Rico is part of the United States. They’re a territory. I also heard rumors about a team from Singapore last year. Anyone care to confirm?
PR is still an independant country with it’s own government and laws.
Posted by Matt Leese.
Student on team #7 from Parkville High School and NASA, Black & Decker, AAI, Raytheon.
Posted on 9/13/2000 4:02 PM MST
In Reply to: Re: FIRST Television posted by Jason Iannuzzi on 9/13/2000 7:37 AM MST:
: PR is still an independant country with it’s own government and laws.
No, Puerto Rico is really part of the United States. There official status is that of a Commonwealth. Puerto Rico has a US Representative that is not able to vote when it counts (i.e. his vote can’t affect teh outcome of a vote which makes it more or less pointless but they give him one anyway). Puerto Rico does have a Governor that is elected by the people of Puerto Rico. Puerto Ricans are US citizens and have recently voted as to whether or not they wanted independence, statehood, or to stay as a commonwealth. The vote was not binding but the majority wanted to stay a commonwealth. In conclusion, Puerto Rico is part of the US.
Matt Leese
Posted by Jason Iannuzzi.
Engineer on team #11, Marauders, from Mt. Olive HS. and BASF, Rame Hart, CCM.
Posted on 9/14/2000 11:43 AM MST
In Reply to: Re: FIRST Television posted by Matt Leese on 9/13/2000 4:02 PM MST:
touche!
i guess i never understood the concept of commonwealth.
thank you for clarifying.
Posted by Lora Knepper.
Other on team #419, Rambots, from UMass Boston / BC High and NASA, Mathsoft, Solidworks, Analog Devices.
Posted on 9/10/2000 12:02 PM MST
In Reply to: FIRST Television posted by Michael Martus on 9/9/2000 9:32 PM MST:
: What gives with that? Any relation? Did I miss something?
I don’t believe there is any relation. There are lots of other companies out there I have seen named FIRST (but not necessarily an acronym). I think this is just one of those really strange coincidences.
Though maybe if FIRST could get it’s own television time and get broadcast on the major networks…it’s really only a matter of time now, people can’t ignore something this big and this great for much longer =)
Lora
Posted by Justin.
Other on team Blue Lightning Alumni Association from RWU sponsored by FIRST-A-holics Anonymous.
Posted on 9/11/2000 2:13 PM MST
In Reply to: FIRST Television posted by Michael Martus on 9/9/2000 9:32 PM MST:
Hello All,
I wanted to share a story with you. By the way my vote is for no assoc. bettween FIRST TV and F.I.R.S.T. Now on to my story…
Over this past weekend I was DJing River Rage 4 up in Manchester NH at my former High School’s gym. Now as I as there during the course of the day I overheard the following conversation between 2 girls, who were non-FIRST cross country athletes who happen to walk through the gym:
‘Like what are they doing?’
‘Like I think they fight each other or something.’
‘Like oh yeah I saw that on Comedy Central.’
Whether we want it or not Battle Bots is giving us PR but the idea that when ppl see FIRST they think Battle Bots turns my stomach.
-Justin
Posted by Lora Knepper.
Other on team #419, Rambots, from UMass Boston / BC High and NASA, Mathsoft, Solidworks, Analog Devices.
Posted on 9/11/2000 7:33 PM MST
In Reply to: Battle Botts Association posted by Justin on 9/11/2000 2:13 PM MST:
Justin,
A similar thing happened to Anton and myself while we were hanging flyers about the team at UMass…one woman came up and asked if the robots fought each other. Over heard her telling a friend that’s what we did later…no matter what we do, we are not going to be able to escape that first thought about our game. People automatically see BattleBots when they hear ‘robotics’…they are just more mainstream for the moment…
Lora
Posted by Jon.
Engineer on team #190, Gompei, from Mass Academy of Math and Science and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Posted on 9/12/2000 10:52 AM MST
In Reply to: Re: Battle Botts Association posted by Lora Knepper on 9/11/2000 7:33 PM MST:
While i like the overall publicity with Robotics competitions going a little more mainstream, i’m not too happy with the destructive focus that people seem to expect from robots… we had an activities fair on campus a couple of weeks back and so we had to remind people that we weren’t battlebots… i’m sorry… i respect battlebots and those who participate but the motivation is different… FIRST bots being more strategically complex and allowing finer control than the 4 channel controllers used in battlebots… anyways, we could go on forever… both games are good and fun and get the message across…
sigh…
Posted by Lora Knepper.
Other on team #419, Rambots, from UMass Boston / BC High and NASA, Mathsoft, Solidworks, Analog Devices.
Posted on 9/13/2000 1:13 AM MST
In Reply to: Effects of BB association… posted by Jon on 9/12/2000 10:52 AM MST:
Jon,
I understand and agree with you completely. And not wanting to start another flame war about BattleBots (Dan, I’m sorry - I do respect the people that participate in BattleBots), but I’m wondering if this person really understands FIRST and it’s mission. I know I didn’t as a freshman…it simply ‘looked cool’ It’s frustrating when people think you are a Battlebots team…that your goal is to go out and pulverize each other (again, this is not meant to offend any who are in Battlebots…), and they reject you on the sole basis that we don’t set our with a chainsaw on the bot and spikes coming out of the floor. Though I think until FIRST gets more exposure on tv, we are going to be faced with that reality…people arn’t going to understand, and some are going to compare us to Battlebots and not stay long enough to really see what FIRST is. But on a brighter note, there will always be someone who is fascinated - always someone who will stay, and as long as you get those people interested, things will spread, and your team will grow. And with the growing number of FIRST-a-holic high schoolers seeming to head over to WPI for the college side of things, I don’t belive that one depressing email should get you down at all. =)
Lora