Posts Tagged ‘entertainment’

The Headlines

Saturday, March 28th, 2009
News & Current Events

News & Current Events

The Environment, Eco-friendly & Green

The Environment, Eco-friendly & Green

Internet Security, Privacy & the WWW

Internet Security, Privacy & the WWW

Entertainment & the Music Business

Entertainment & the Music Business

Making Music & Songwriting

Making Music & Songwriting

Marketing and the Advertising Industry

Marketing and the Advertising Industry

Daisy Fever Spreading Like a Weed

Saturday, March 7th, 2009

San Diego, CA — In their first trip to the Western Regional FIRST competition, the robot from Ambler, PA is breaking ground. The Ambler / Wissahickon robot, Miss Daisy, proved to be force to reckon with.

In one of the most exciting sporting events these kids have ever seen, Miss Daisy bloomed advancing through the quarter-finals and onto the semi-finals. The semi-finals looked like they might yank Daisy out by the roots. But, Daisy proved to be a wild flower moving onto the finals.

The Miss Daisy Drivers

The Miss Daisy Drivers

The finals found Miss Daisy pitted against their new friends, the Holy Cows from High Tech High, San Diego. The Holy Cows were gracious enough to arrange for a night on the town the previous evening. The High Tech High team and parents provided transportation and accommodations in Old City San Diego. By the end of the evening, the two teams became close friends. Today at the pre-qualifying matches and into the playoffs, both teams cheered each other on… up to the finals. In the finals, they found themselves on opposing alliances. That didn’t seem to hurt their fondness for each other. After all, of the 48 teams that started, only 6 made it to the finals. The way a FIRST competition works is that three schools work together on a team to form an alliance. So, in any event, Miss Daisy and the Holy Cows were destined to come in either first or second place.

Wissahickon High School, Ambler, PA Miss Daisy Team 341 Robot

Wissahickon High School, Ambler, PA Miss Daisy Team 341 Robot

The first match of the double elimination competition saw Miss Daisy in the lead. Would the Holy Cows provide the fertilizer needed for Miss Daisy to be victorious or would they eat her for lunch?

The noise and excitement of the audience filled the San Diego Sports Arena like static electricity as round two of the finals got under way. Right before the match got under way you could her the two teams wishing each other luck. That is one of the true beauties of FIRST — they teach the students “gracious professionalism” and that was quite evident today.

The tension mounted into what could be the last match of the tournament. The sound reached a fevered pitch. If Miss Daisy won this round, the show would be over. That is exactly what happened. The Wissahickon High School alliance came in first place. In addition, they took home the Best Website Award and the Judge’s Award. (The Judges’ Award is a special award that the Judges may give to a team that stands out. The Miss Daisy team was noted for having supported the Brazilian team. See Robots Drop Their Bolts and Go Nuts.)

A wonderful ending to the event was the Chairman’s Award. The Chairman’s Award is the most prestigious award bestowed upon a team. At the Western Regional the Chairman’s Award went to Miss Daisy’s new friends, The Holy Cows. It was an exclamation point at the end of splendid event!

The Wissahickon High School's Victory Flag

The Wissahickon High School's Victory Flag

The Complete Series
See Humans At Sea World
Lunacy: Robots In Space
The Best Entertainment Value
Robots Take Over the San Diego Sports Arena
Robots Drop Their Bolts & Go Nuts
What Would You Pay?

Robots Take Over the San Diego Sports Arena

Friday, March 6th, 2009

San Diego, CA — Q: How can a bunch of kids take over the San Diego Sports Arena? A: With robots.

How can these kids gain the knowledge and money necessary to build robots… real robots? The FIRST Robotics foundation is the vision of world renowned inventor, Dean Kamen. Though Mr. Kamen has donated a huge amount of time and money, it is with the help of other corporate sponsors and mentors that the organization has been able to flower. In fact, at this years Western Regional competition, the robot named “Miss Daisy” was able to travel from Pennsylvania to Southern California due to the gracious professionalism of the sponsors and mentors. (Gracious professionalism is one of the principles the organization is built upon — teaching the students how to be more than just good sports.)

The Western Regional competition has several corporate sponsors that include BAE Systems and Motorola. Unfortunately for many of the schools, the current economic environment has brought about a huge decline in corporate sponsors. When asked about sponsorship, Steve Stark of the Motorola Corporation said, “The sponsors are important but it’s the mentors that really make FIRST special.” Mentors are volunteer adults that help the teams build and grow. “The mentors get to work with the kids and show them about the real world. One of the key points of FIRST are these mentors. They help educate the students about the big picture, how to make a plan, reach out to the community, get funding and build a working robot. The mentors are often adults experienced in the corporate world. People that work in fields, such as, engineering, mathematics and the sciences are hands-on with the children.”

Motorola has a Philanthropy Division that helps to fund school teams and regional competitions. Without this type of corporate stewardship, these types of programs would not be possible.

One of the teams at the Western Regional is Team 2599 the Alternative Education School of Chula Vista, CA. The school is made up of students that often have not been accepted by the traditional education system. In addition, the students usually do not have the financial support necessary to excel. FIRST robotics has helped change the life of the kids in the community. Stefania Mendizabal is a senior from Chula Vista. She said, “FIRST inspires. Our sponsors, Qualcomm, Boeing, AT&T, Best Buy, Olive Garden, The Home Depot You Auto Know, Albertsons, Goodrich, Dixieline, BAE Systems, WalMart, Vons and Dynegy have help make our team possible. Dynegy has been unbelievable. They sent out mentors to work with us.” Though it’s Stefania’s first year in FIRST, the experience has been life changing. Now, she is considering continued education and a career as an engineer, scientist or in public relations. Public relations might just be her calling. Today she pursued the job of ambassador. An ambassador at a FIRST event meets with potential sponsors, government officials and other VIPs to promote support for the FIRST organization. She also hopes to meet with teachers and students from elementary schools that will be attending the event to help spread her enthusiasm.

Dennis Jenks, the FIRST Engineering Technical Coordinator for Land and Armaments from BAE Systems, has been involved with FIRST for eleven years. Speaking with him for just a moment reveals his vigor for robotics. Because of Mr. Jenks security clearance, he was not able to discuss the details of how FIRST has impacted his own career. Fortunately, he was able to provide a living example of a completed FIRST cycle.

Mr. Jenks met Travis at the beginning of his robotics experience. Their paths crossed many time over the years. Travis joined a robotics team in high school. After graduating, he moved away to college. Life just was not the same with a robotics team. He became closer friends with a student that had been on another robotics team in high school. They both were interested in being mentors for a robotics team. The problem — there was no local high school with a team. The solution — find a school and start a team. That is exactly what they did. This caused Travis’s and Mr. Jenks paths to criss and cross some more.

Upon graduating from college, Mr. Jenks was influential in Travis being hired by BEA Systems. “Travis’s involvement in FIRST robotics was definitely a major factor in my interest in bringing him on board with BAE.”

What are a child’s chances of a prosperous career from joining the high school football team or basketball team? On the other hand, FIRST robotics has a generous supply of college scholarships and job placement.

The Best Entertainment Value

Thursday, March 5th, 2009

San Diego, CA — What can a family do for free? Not only at no cost but as great entertainment? If you have never been to a FIRST Robotics competition, come to the San Diego sports arena on Saturday… and find out! Children of all ages will be competing in a variety of events, and it is FREE to the public.

For sure, the big robots will be on the main floor with big kids taking battle in the Lunacy events. But, there will also be younger children trying to win the First Lego League (FLL) matches. FIRST and LEGO have created a “powerful program that helps people discover the fun in science and technology.” You be amazed at what you can do with LEGOs. Also, there will be the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC). FTC allows teams to get their feet wet with smaller robots. Teams put together robots out of modulars that look like Erector Sets. These smaller robots allow younger students to get started at a much lower expense. After all, building robots isn’t cheap, but the event is. It’s free to attend! Come out and be inspired by the youth. You’ll gain faith in the future when you see all these children have to offer.

Related Articles
Find out more about FIRST Robotics
Lunacy — Robots In Space Land In San Diego

Entertainment Headlines: The Boss & Blink 182

Monday, February 9th, 2009

Blink 182 Re-unite! (Full Article)
The members of Blink 182 announced at the Grammy awards they would re-group for a new album and tour.

Ticketmaster And Live Nation To Merge? (Full Article)

Many concert goes fear the price of tickets could become even more unreasonable if two of the world’s largest ticket agencies combine. Bruce Springsteen is furious….

The Boss’s Outrage Prompts Attorney General Investigation (Full Article)
After the public outcry over Ticketmaster’s unethical behavior, the New Jersey Attorney General launches an investigation.

Entertainment Headlines: Sony Record Labels Post Loss

Sunday, January 25th, 2009

Entertainment News

Sony, owner of Epic, Jive, Columbia, RCA and Arista Records, announced continued troubles plague the music industry. Full Article

Entertainment News, Reviews and Free MP3’s

Sunday, January 25th, 2009

Full Article

RomBox.com, one of the web’s oldest music sites, announced a new news service. The RSS entertainment feed is *free for all* and allows viewers to catch a glimpse inside the music business with reviews, events, free server to peer downloads and more.