RobotFest2016
Introduction/Definition/etc
Another year of RobotFest, sort of a mecca for geeks...
Body
Slightly organized below by location of the booth/table(s):
Outside
A small parking lot outside contained at least 3 tents (rain was forecast, at least earlier in the week for that event time)...
Paper Rockets
Compressed Air paper rockets that kids and presumably kids built were back this year, maybe Baltimore Node, reappeared after their conflicting move last year...
Rockets went all over, some on the roof, some in the food tent roof, some at observers and those not paying attention, I wondered after a while, even out loud, whether heads up is the proper term, really heads down, incoming, or maybe make a ConeHead hat would be a good countermeasure...
Or construction helmets, generally give away for parties, say at birthday places, FireHouse Subs or similar, calculating the force and velocity, is an exercise left to the advanced reader(s)...
Given PSI and probably weight of the rocket, rolls of construction paper up to cardboard, with fins, and a top stage nose cone for aerodynamics, wonder if that can be figured out, probably less than paint ball welts...
Caution tape, safety glasses/ goggles/ and other apparel could be dress up/ CosPlay options for some more fashion inclined...
Food Concessions
Arriving before lunch, for most people, there was a line, but well behaved, though I tended to be annoyingly talkative, even at that point, social anxiety or something, idk...
See Costs below for more detail on purchases, no receipts available, nor cash register, so could not prove I bought them, but I didn't grab them either, except a missing bag of chips, for my combo after walking to a standing only bar type table...
Tanks
Reprise of the ~100 lb tank running around in the parking lot, wood slats instead of probably rubber treads/tracks which could be expensive...
Ships
IRCWCC
International Radio Controlled Warship Combat Club
http://IRCWCC.org
The naval version of model aircraft ala WPHSFunFly2016 but a lot closer to the Naval Academy, and the Chesapeake Bay...
SmartArse That I Am
Suggested a few times a battle bot, between the ships, tank, advanced system(s) in a van, and maybe swarming kids with RC bots but to no avail...
The most advanced seeming one, didn't seem like it would do well in water, and no saw blades cutting up the smaller bots, as that might be scary to little ones, and the losing bot(s) and owners/controllers/handler(s)...
Some things are best left to video(s)... Shrapnel and odor/ ScentORama, are more downtown BMore John Waters type film material like Polyester, Diner, etc... /R+RatingAlerts
Maryland Robots
With kids doing blocks with remote controls, 3D printers, and maybe a CNC machine, iirc...
Check the exhibitor list for who all was presenting/ tabling, inside and out...
Cookies
Some outside booth/table with cookies and something about farming...
I didn't want to listen to the whole spiel (sp?), and just catching snippets, likely excluded, for some reason, probably just eyeing the cookies, and looking tired and bored...
Big Moon Dig or similar
A space related game, with other things at the table, didn't listen in much, but noting it as existing, might be in the exhibitors list for the event...
Soldering workstations
Under the tent, you could get a badge or other kit(s) to solder inside at the museum store area, afaict,..
I tried telling some people you could buy kits, inside, but maybe it was a class, empty soldering with young kids, might need to be old enough, and I was likely an unwanted distraction.
Other inside places had coin batteries and LEDs, somehow taped together and folded which made a light/flasher, which happened to me from a kid, antsy nearby during the sound workshop/talk, during the bewitching hour(s) of afternoon and children...
Tables
At least one table had a camera pointed at the crowd/ walkway and I tried to avoid being photographed/recorded, which was difficult going to such an event, with parents doing video of their kids with R2D2, other action movie figures, and the general tech nature of things...
Photo Policy?
A photo policy might help, but it would take a fair amount of work, to develop, as lawyer parents, and others could have issue(s), with it...
See Conference photography, How NOT to Do It
and some other experiences, for one or more perspective(s)...
Threadwitch Light and Fabric
http://ThreadWitch.com
Illuminated Clothing, the business card says, I found it interesting, wondering if I could make a jacket with lights, and use for bicycling, motorcycling and just plain pedestrian and other fun, if that is possible... Laundering the created garment, and others, seems to be an issue, like for heated riding gear or a thermal blanket, we had as kids. Safety and lights allowed by law on a vehicle, as Aux Lights have been an issue in Virginia, but that is ON the vehicle... Colour patterns like the restricted use of flashing red and blue, like public safety (police), some other colours for emergencies (fire/ ambulance), turn signals (orange), backup lights (white) and other confusing stuff (green light to a drunk?) to the average inattentive driver, passenger, bored kid, and casual observer might be things to think about, but for inside use, art shows, fashion, etc, clothing at lights more than heat sensitive may be accessories...
Sensors included:
Accelerometer: stopping and/or turning and see an arrow or hexagonal stop /caution triangular sign?
Light: turn Off in the daylight, On in the tunnel/ shaded area...
Sound: honk a horn, see a finger, or shush graphic, like in libraries and librarians?
Maybe boredom/ inactivity, like a screensaver, or recognize country music, rap, hip hop, classical, and/or any other genre and give standard personalized responses:
Classic Rock: Turn it up Man/Dude (depending on decade?),
HipHop/Rap: Yo!,
Classical: Only Bach Please, etc...
Country: Devil Went Down to Georgia, really loud...
Electronica: alternating PopCorn / Video Killed the Radio song....
County Library Tables
Wandering up to a table, asking a lady if she was doing Twister, the old game of hands on coloured dots, feet on coloured dots, and was shown a little robot that went to similar squares, based on objects put in a controller board, kind of a visual programming, similar to Scratch...
While the one lady said it was for somewhere around 4 years olds, I asked if it would be good for disabled, knowing age is relative, especially with intellectual disabilities and some elderly and perhaps for their mobile library, bookmobile type thing, senior centres and some other special use cases, to teach sequencing, perhaps.
Early on she said it was grant funded, IIRC, and I was wondering if maybe some Virginia area libraries could have it too.
I asked to take photos/ video, and got something, but the conversation got odd, after a while, and I got handed off to another person who knew more, but the idea(s) were not really heard/accepted, and seemed like an interpersonal thing after a while, so I just basically gave up, and walked off...
Not all people are elderly, disability and/or otherwise friendly, and after 2 sodas and eating, plus likely seasonal allergies, perhaps it was better for some quiet time(s), and to leave, which I eventually did, hours after arriving, thinking I was only staying for a little while, anyway, (pilots call it touch and go, practicing landing(s) and takeoffs...) and finding some thing(s) to do and learn...
Literature Table Magazine SWAG (Stuff We All Get)
Nuts And Volts April 2016, April 2015, April 2012
http://NutsVolts.com
Servo
http://ServoMagazine.com
SparkFun catalog
http://SparkFun.com
some business cards of Suppliers and others listed on the exhibitors list...
http://BaynesvilleElectronics.com
8 Bit Sound in Museum Library
http://InversePhase.com
gave a couple free talks/workshops in the museum library.
NEM Members can check out and/or use the library, iirc... See NEM membership information, for the correct info, on that...
Heard about trackers, in the form of audio chip sound processing, old school like Commodore 64, and other 8 bit sound processing, TI got bashed, but BeagleBone and other Speak and Spell, plus DTMF and other sound stuff was Hot Shit (tm) back in the day, at least for some....
I couldn't see the screen, no projector on that, and a few minutes late arrival, with a row of kids before me, so could not record the informal presentation but heard some things, and might learn more, eventually, like maybe before the next Electronica... Some kids and others, respond better to sound, some visuals, kinesthetics, etc...
I asked about downloading to an Arduino as a player, which got a response that all sorts of music chips are supported, he showed some same tracks played / emulated with other chips, and Arduinos are used by some, and what format might be good, VGM? iirc...
For an example , I suggested recomposing PopCorn, an old 70's hit, and hoped the guy would put what he quickly created on his website...
Other tune knowledgeable people knew game theme songs, Mario Brothers, and riffs on all sorts of games I don't / haven't played... /GeezerNonGamerAlert...
Following a software package name spelled out near my end of the workshop touted as working across platforms, and went home trying/hoping to find software available for Ubuntu, didn't find DefleMask but, at least with DebIan/Raspian for RPi3 found: GoatTracker, JoKosher, mikmod, MilkyTracker, and SchismTracker in addition to GnoTime, ChronoMeter and just plain Git, which name conflicts with trackers, time trackers, nutrient trackers, and likely web based identity marketing trackers...
I'm not likely to use music stuff that well, but worth following up, and others hearing about it might learn something...
OLPC/Sugar-Labs.org Synth was complicated, and the theory of operation on simpler chips, back in the day, maybe more possible..
The workshop presenter sent my requested PopCorn in MP3 format requesting that I say it was created in only a couple minutes... I really want the source / non patent encumbered, but he makes money at these things, so maybe not... Will see if I get the file up here, I had requested on his site, he would get the traffic generated, web logs, etc..
CopyRight/ CopyLeft, and other issues exist with covering a song someone else makes money at, so lots more issues... Small potatoes, but Lessig has enough to do, IMNSHO and IANAL, so will see...
Sounded like a tinny wikipedia version, but might be able to compare electronic signatures... Convert mp3 to ogg, saving that recently out of date licensing issue, but like Disney copyright/MPAA/RIAA/ and other hell exists...
popcorn.mp3
Ogg?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hot_Butter_-_Popcorn.ogg
15? second sample to compare class exercise output against...
Background
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn_%28instrumental%29
Photos/Videos
Did a little at best home quality video/stills while on site, but need approvals, which may never happen, and editing, which I don't really do... For some reason I think I will get around to it in the Winter Time, but never really do... Surviving holidays and seasons change seems to be enough for me...
Privacy of other people at the event, trying to avoid children in recording (they were practically everywhere. most well behaved, but some meltdowns? Theoretical: "Why can't I take R2D2 home? It would be MY! pet, you wouldn't let me have x,y,z /Whine /Stomp /Scream"), and other obstacles (low light, motion, etc) are factors in releasing video and/or stills...
Silent Auction
I did happen to find the silent auction essentially data sheets on the items being auctioned, in the trash near where I was a lot of the time, and am "recycling" them, basically, looking at what I can get from the data provided, having not enough money to win an auction, compared to many others....
Poor me (world's smallest violin, though one guy had a clear Arcade Console Arduino based by TinyCircuits which are stackable (GoPro backpacks and some others are Not), but I got there this year, which was uncertain, up to the day of the event, mostly due to lack of funds, but found some emergency reserve looking through some of my stuff, and some laundry quarters... Other coins need to be put in a machine as get heavy to carry around, and most would prefer paper bills/ swipey credit card transactions...
But learning what is available like tech books, kits, etc for building stuff, and keeping up with technology, and what is being used, as oppose to all the possible products out there, kind of like a filtering system, similar to news reports, getting me more depressed, with all the bad news, or window shopping and not buying...
Costs
Admission
$7 with the wear sunglasses discount ($1 makes you look more like the robot logo?)
Concessions Food
$3.00 hot dog combo (hot dog, chili and Velveta type processed cheese in two slow cookers), soda can or water bottle, bag of chips
$3.00 hot dog combo (hot dog, chili and Velveta type processed cheese), soda, bag of chips
$3.00 hot dog combo (substituted breakfast bar when chips ran low at the end), water
$1 banana
$1 donut holes (4, finishing the box, which made a nice movie theatre type carrying box with a hot dog combo, and things above)
Food cash may have been a little off, I remember handing someone ~$4.50 after digging out a couple of quarters, thinking $3.50 for combo, and breakfast bar was previous years breakfast options, the quarters which I really needed for laundry, but prices might drop at the end, some give aways near the end last year, and other flexibility, from likely volunteers, and possibly a NEM board member who wanted to use this writeup, and maybe the last one, see License section below for Creative Commons Share and Share Alike Non Commercial Non Derivative... Add a link in the newsletter should be sufficient. I thought and said she probably wouldn't like it, but whatever...
T Shirt
Tie Dye pattern:
$15
was available in 3 colours: blue, pink, and yellow?
Links
http://RobotFest.com
BadNews2016
PiDay2016
RPi3in2016
Electronica2015
RobotFest2015
SubUrbanMade2015
PreTeenPatience2015
WarthogsRUs2015
GeeksRule2014
WeldingBasics2013
3DPrinter2012
GeekingOutWithRaspberryPi2012
OneLaptopPerChildoplcorg
JerrySpaceIdea
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyester_%28film%29
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-12-02/entertainment/bs-ae-diner-sidebar-20111202_1_baltimore-sun-david-simon-john-waters
and many exercises left for the reader(s), as so much of this part is a tag cloud, not currently supported...
See HOPE, DangerCon and other Cons for other events with a more obscure subject matter...
Conclusion
Summary of experience or similar
Not that I could say I was happy at the end, or had fun, but that is probably part of my disability, and being asked to be something I may not be capable of, it gets annoying, like a wheelchaired person required to stand...
AVeteransSonLaughsAndSpitsAtMe2011
HippieClownCamp2011
When you go in as media, there is an expectation that you are actually going to write something, especially if admitted for free with a media like badge, but it has to hit my fancy, not be attacked (someone(s) tried again, one of the reasons I don't like to take requests, and publish some things I like to keep to myself... Stalkers beware...)
Discussion
A place for feedback on the page presented
What risks do you take in your daily life getting places, and attending things in possibly questionable areas, at least for you?
Were your parent's/ relatives excluded from going to areas of Baltimore/ Washington during the 1960's riots?
Is there a fear of civil unrest year(s) later?
Does that prohibit you from enjoying/participating in life, even with 9/11 level destruction?
How do you manage the risks?
Let people know where you are, in case there are problems?
And/Or not tell untrusted people, fearing vulnerabilities, and harassment and/or worse?
License
Creative Commons Share and Share Alike, Non Commercial, Non Derivative, for the whole site's contents unless otherwise explicitly stated
Page History
20160503 Jerry
- adding SWAG and other links
- upload PopCorn .mp3, find samples and WikiPedia references to the song and it's place in history, both small samples, including an ogg 15 second version that sounds commercial, and likely a lot more work put into it... Think chopsticks from someone who doesn't do music creation...
- a little rewording of some sections, as I reread it, being rather tired from the event, and then writing it up a little while after...
- after a while it gets a little long and need a printout, to find and mark all the change necessary... Grammar checker doesn't exist here, maybe when/if I port to Semantic Web and other tools...
- but have to buy all the edits in the middle, costing $50+ to buy out...
-
20160501 Jerry
- Jerry created this page to log another year of an event...
- turns out May Day, when we got a 8 hour work week, after a killing protest, think anti Union strike breakers, etc back in the day...
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