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Be a Super Fan at a FIRST Robotics Regional
Robots will be swerving around the playing field starting with the first regionals held February 25th every weekend leading up to the FIRST Robotics Championships April 22nd in St. Louis Missouri. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) challenged students to build 120-lb competitive robots in just six weeks. The moment for students has come to showcase their tote stacking machines at regionals throughout the world. As a robotics enthusiast, friend or family of a team member, or you just want to get a piece of the tech action attending a regional is exciting! Below are five tips on how to be a super fan at a FIRST Robotics Regional and make the most of your experience watching these glorious geeks' gadgets.
1) Discover Where To Attend FIRST Robotics Districts/Regionals are free and open to the public! If you don't already know where and when your closest FIRST Robotics Regional is being held scroll through this list to find out: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/regional-events A typical account of a regional: The event starts on a Thursday and teams compete in practice matches that do not effect their ranking. Friday is when qualification matches for ranking starts and teams compete in a Round-robin fashion. Team's rank determines if they will compete in finals. Some awards are given out Friday evening. Saturday begins with qualification matches in the morning. After lunch finals are held, a winner is declared, and awards are given out. Saturday is the best day to watch for fierce competition. If you cannot attend a regional in person each competition is broadcast online.
2) Learn About The Game: Recycle Rush In Recycle Rush, two alliances of three teams race against the clock to stack as many game pieces as possible in two and a half minutes. Game pieces include totes, recycling containers, and pool noodles (litter). The stack that grants the most amount of points is six totes and a container! For double the points alliances can cooperate with their opposing alliance to stack totes in the middle of the field. Recycle Rush Game Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6UYFKNGHJ8
3) Explore The Pit Area Shouts of "Robot robot!" can be heard from students clearing the aisles for their machine. Beyond the playing field is a sea of teams fixing their robots, formulating game plays, and exchanging buttons with fellow FIRST members and fans. The pit area is a must see stop for fans and tech enthusiasts. Each team has approximately a 10ft x 10ft x 10ft space to work on their robot, store hardware, and chat with fans about their work. Similar to a NASCAR pit stop, team members quickly change out their robot's 12V batteries and replace burnt motors. Pick up a pair of safety glasses at the entrance of the pit area and feel free to collect buttons from teams, check out the diverse robot designs, and ask about a team member's experience. From my experience at competitions Thursday and Friday mornings are prime times for button collecting.
4) Know The Robo Lingo Every sport seems to have their own language using slang like hail mary, alley-oop, and meatball. This sport of the mind has a jargon of its own.
Gracious Professionalism (GP)- This is the most powerful mantra of FIRST Robotics, a mind set that promotes "competing like crazy" yet "treating others with respect and kindness" as co-founder Woodie Flowers explains. As a result you will see team members helping other teammates from rival teams fix their robot, patch some code, and loan a few tools.
Buttons- Generic name given to giveaways teams hand out to students and fans in the pit area. This robot swag can consist of necklaces, hats, bandannas, pens, candy, miniature safety kits, and of course buttons.
Chairman's- Short for the Chairman's Award, the most prestigious award presented to teams for their efforts in community outreach, promotion of STEM, and embodiment of FIRST Robotics' goals. The teams selected serve as role models for other FIRST Teams. Regional Chairman's award winners win the opportunity to compete in the World Championships. Teams preform outreach, write an essay, create a video, and give a presentation to be eligible.
Poolitics (Pool noodle politics)- Coined by robotics strategist and coach Karthik relating to decisions made about the use of pool noodle game pieces. The pool noodles act as litter in Recycle Rush and an alliance receives points if the opposite alliance has litter in their zone.
Coopertition (Co-Op)- Another ethos of FIRST that "is founded on the concept and philosophy that teams can and should help and cooperate with each other as the compete", as described on usfirst.org. To further encourage cooperation a part of Recycle Rush is creating a sack of yellow totes with the opposite alliance.
Worlds- Short for World Championships, FIRST teams dream to compete at Worlds where there are eight competition fields and hundreds of robots. Teams can win the right to go to words by winning a Regional/ District event, Chairman's Award, Engineering Inspiration Award, and Rookie All Star Award. Awards are given out on Saturdays, the last day of competition.
Team Number- Each team is assigned a number when they register for first robotics. Some teams have been registered for over 20 years! The higher the number, the younger the team.
Chute Door- Whoops, almost left out poor chute door. Chute door is where players can drop totes into the playing field for their robots to receive. There has been a surprising amount of speculation by teams debating if their robot should receive totes from the door or pick up existing ones on the field. Several videos are up online with students observing how the tote falls through the chute door to determine if it will even land upright in a robot, Chute door has become this year's obsession for many strategists.
5) Volunteer At A Regional Take super fanning to the next level by volunteering at a Regional or District event. To be a volunteer and help the cause there are both technical and nontechnical positions. Volunteers have helped with field set up, field take-down, pit announcements, game set up, food distribution, judging, and more. Check it out! http://www.usfirst.org/community/volunteers
Get Hooked on Programming Quick
Highly sought for and praised- the ability to program. Admit it, being comfortable with technology makes you an admirable candidate for your dream job and allows you to navigate the modern world more fluidly. Unfortunately the idea of becoming tech savvy was soiled by the thought of dry lingo and geeky stereotype. For the tech enthused or not, young or wise I have seven ways you can get started with programming in a few hours or much less. (In order of what I thought of first)
1) Codecademy
Best for: Middle School - Adulthood and beyond
Project Time: 30min - As long as you wish
Languages: Web development, Ruby, Python, PHP
Where: http://www.codecademy.com/learn
Friends from internships used codecademy to get exposed to a number of languages relatively quickly and from there decided what to dive into.
2) Code.org
Best for: Elementary - High School
Project Time: 30min - As long as you wish
Languages: Java Script, HTML, basic logic, Lego Robotics, and more
Where: http://code.org/
A really fun way to learn programming by playing games or making your own! President Obama was visited by some aspiring programmers and completed a Disney Frozen themed project.
3) Alice
Best for: Elementary - High School
Project Time: 30min - As long as you wish
Languages: Java
Where: http://www.alice.org/index.php?page=downloads/download_alice3.1
(Younger programmers may need help downloading and getting started)
Alice allows you to program in pseudo Java code and control characters. You can make movies or perform skits with your characters by moving blocks of code around and assigning values. This was my first exposure to programming in high school. As I continued with my computer studies in college found that what I learned from Alice to be extremely useful.
4) Java Seal
Best for: Middle School - Adulthood and beyond
Project Time: 30min - As long as you wish
Languages: Java
Where: https://www.youtube.com/user/JavaSeal
This is my shameless plug; I started this You Tube channel this past summer and recorded some videos about how to get started with Java programming, a basic 10 minute starter program, and a 30min more complex program. Although I haven't downloaded videos recently these are a good start and I expect to make more this summer.
5) Made With Code
Best for: Elementary - Middle School
Project Time: 5min - As long as you wish
Languages: Basic Logic
Where: https://www.madewithcode.com/projects
My Mom's kindergarten class loved to make a Yeti dance and lights shimmer using the Made With Code project. I visited her classroom and had students drag and drop blocks of code on a Smart Board. These projects teach about basic programming logic and assigning values to variables.
6) Khan Academy
Best for: Middle School - Adulthood and beyond
Project Time: 30min - As long as you wish
Languages: Game, Animation, Web Development
Where: https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/computer-programming
Khan Academy has great videos for every subject imaginable in school and now for programming. There are many projects where you can make video games, a website, or animation. There is even a gallery of what other programmers have made while following along with the video.
7) Major League Hacking
Best for: High School - College
Project Time: Few hours to 3 day event
Languages: Any language! Common ones include C++ and Java
Where: Select Colleges https://mlh.io/seasons/f2014/events
This isn't a website to visit but a Hackathon event to go to! Hackathons are events where students are challenged to create a solution to a problem such as an app that can send you texts to keep you on task, a light that can let you know when you need to wear warm clothes, or the next big social media hot spot. Hackathons can run for a few hours to three days. Most of the Hackathons don't require programming experience and are a great place to learn.
(These age groups are just suggestions, feel free to check out any of them you like. I didn't make any of the logos except my Java Seal one so kudos to you other logo makers.)
Start Studying For Finals NOW
The semester has hardly started and you think it's already a good idea to start studying for finals?
I think its a good idea to avoid the panic looming at the end of the semester. I don't need a crystal ball to predict the posts on Facetumblinstatwitter - students stressing about what grade they need on the final to pass their class rather than actually studying. In attempt to snuff this distress I have a few proven habits if used throughout the whole semester will make finals week more zen.
1) Office Hours
As intimidating as the master behind your grade may seem the value of visiting your professor during office hours well outweighs the fear. Sometime not even the internet has the answer to your problems. After exhausting the knowledge of your friends, teaching assistant, and solutions manual studying can feel hopeless. Professors can often detect when your thinking is heading in the right direction and how to help you out if you are completely lost. Remember that they want you to succeed as long as you are willing to put in the effort.You can get the most out of office hours by trying the problem first, and coming up with question beyond "I don't get it". It is obvious when you are putting forth your best verses just fishing for an answer.
2) Optional Homework Is Mandatory Homework
Don't be fooled by a professor's modern teaching ideologies of "graded homework is a waste of time". Even if the professor assigns optional practice problems for your success in the class "optional" in professor speak means"mandatory". Why not become as comfortable with the material as possible? Understanding concepts a little at a time is much more manageable then cramming at the end of the semester.
3) Allocate Study time
Studying for courses between classes and attending your weekly study group may seem like enough time was dedicated. After recollecting the number of times you checked twitter you realize not a lot of studying went on. Printing out a copy of your class schedule and blocking out time strictly for studying will help you visualize how much time is needed. Two hours of study time should be dedicated for every credit you have per week. As a full time student of 12 hours that would be 24 hours of studying a week. As an engineering student with a 12 hour course load you square it and get 144 hours of studying (just kidding). If focusing for longer than the duration of a Spongebob episode is difficult for you consider using the 50/10 study rule. Study for a solid 50 minutes and then take a 10 minute break (not the other way around).
4) Take Useful notes
While attending lectures (and not sleeping in) be mindful of what you jot down. Will you be able to decipher your chicken scratch by finals week? Reconsider what will be useful to write down as a homework reference and what to underline for review during finals. Take advantage of presentations and notes professors posts online so you can record only what's most important to you. As the only person in your study group with legible notes you have rights to charge a Chipotle burrito tax every time they want to copy them.
Wiring the basement of my team’s robot.
Robotics Molds Students Into Professional Triple Threats
It’s no shock that FIRST Robotics promotes science, technology, engineering, and math. FIRST’s message of STEM education is smeared all over its challenges, image, and very name “FIRST”- For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. What FIRST robotics didn't expect to do is create a new breed of professional triple threats. FIRST has molded a generation of confident communicators, tenacious culture changers and gracious leaders.
Communication A stereotype for anyone in STEM industry is that you are socially impaired and enjoy being locked in a dark room with your work. Out in industry, why would the media want to speak with an engineer when there is a whole marketing department dedicated to doing just that? Especially when the marketing knows to NOT speak techy geek lingo that makes anyone want to forget every ounce of high school algebra they remember. This communication challenge is constantly navigated on a FIRST Robotics team. There is a different set of dialog for the media, fans, fellow teammates, and supporters. A phrase like “the new FRC roboRIO has integrated PWM, servo, and analog I/O channels capabilities” could be useless to you unless you were on a team while “this year’s robot controller allows us to add more sensors on our robot” is more meaningful. Students learn how to identify who their audience is and communicate accordingly. Teams often present to companies, schools, communities, some tech literate, and some not. Tech industry will soon be welcoming individuals in STEM that can communicate to a wide audience and not just among themselves.
Culture Hot topics like celebrity gossip may catch your attention but for most not this week’s newest innovations. Why? Culture. For what I like to call the engineering golden years, 50s and 60s, engineers were celebrated as superstars. The media and government were behind their innovative visions, currently that support is there but not as visible. Its obvious that students in FIRST try to change culture by showing that STEM is cool, but they also change culture in a more powerful and subtle way. Students engage in a unique form of cooperation scarcely observed in industry. Yes, during build season students keep their team's design hush hush, but when a rival asks for help they rise to the occasion and assist. You don't see Microsoft asking Apple for help with font design or firmware advice. Students recognize that the success of all teams is more important for the success of their own. Once these individuals enter into industry their mindset of advancing humanity rather than stock competition will allow innovation to occur faster.
Leadership The word leadership often evokes an image of a CEO, suits shaking hands, and a cheesy stock image pasted on a motivational presentation. Although being an executive leader is a lot of people’s goals there are just not many of those positions open. Getting to that level of management maybe involve some ungracious acts, climbing the ladder while stepping on a few people's toes. FIRST robotics has shaped a more realistic image of leadership in the mind of this generation. These students understand leadership doesn't just come in the form of leading others but also the leading of self. Autonomously identifying when you have nothing to do, thinking of a way to drive a goal forward by contributing, and completing that task sounds like a relic of a time gone by. For individuals on FIRST robotics this self-motivation is the key to their team’s success. Students learn that their team's goal would not be reached without their daily drive.
Disguised by the whirring motors and blinking lights a new generation is being fashioned. These professional triple threats graciously reform communication, culture, and leadership. At competition, beyond the field and into the robot pits is the best place to watch this transformation take place. Not convinced? Grab a pair of safety goggles, shake a few hands with students, collect a few robot buttons, ask about their robot design, hear about their aspirations, and see for yourself.
Find your nearest FRC competition: http://www.usfirst.org/whats-going-on
Robotics Pit Area: Where students repair their robot between matches
Robotics Engineering Challenge Recycle Rush
Around the world FIRST Robotics teams huddled around screens big and small to watch their newest engineering mission be unveiled. Some in awe, shock, and disappointment students reacted to their newest challenge Recycle Rush. By February 17th, just six weeks, teams must create a robot that race to stack totes, lift containers, and herd pool noodles.
In Recycle Rush, two alliances of three teams race against the clock to stack as many objects a possible in two and a half minutes. This is a unique game for FIRST Robotics since each alliance will be separated by a six inch barrier, there will no longer be a need for defense. Although some students are disappointed in the lack of defensive plays and butting heads with the opposing alliance this gives them an opportunity to focus on intricate game piece manipulation rather than protecting their robot. Coopertition, coined by professor and co-founder Woodie Flowers, is a unique characteristic of Recycle Rush as well. For double the points alliances can cooperate with their opposing alliance to stack totes in the middle of the field.
Recycle Rush Game Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTyCIYZQ_1s
How I'm Helping Out: During build season I will be mentoring the Duluth East Daredevils Robotics Team's media department. We are joining forces with a rival team and Duluth News Tribune to do reporting on the build season and FIRST robotics regional competition February 26th-28th in Duluth, MN. Here is what was published previous seasons: http://www.daredevils2512.org/media/bluedevil-press/
How You Can Help Out: FIRST Robotics competitions around the globe are in need of volunteers. To be a volunteer and help the cause there are both technical and nontechnical positions. Check it out! http://www.usfirst.org/community/volunteers
It Begins 4,900 Teams of Robot Builders
You may or may not have noticed the anxious stir experienced by high schoolers around the world. Not the stir associated with the holiday season or fear of returning back to school but caused by anxiety for a six week long engineering mission. Tomorrow, January 3rd, over 4,900 FIRST Robotics teams will be assigned a game for which they design, fabricate, and program a 120lb robot to compete. Really, a bunch of high schoolers are going to build a sophisticated machine requiring skills way beyond what they learn in school? Sounds like 4,900 teams of overly confident loony toons to me. I assure you from experience being on one of theses ambitious bot building teams that it is possible with copious amounts of drive and dedication.
Tubes, balls, frisbees and even miniature robots have been tossed, thrown and launched by these high schoolers' mechanical creations. At competition following their build season, teams compete with each other in the game assigned weeks prior. Games in the past have been similar to traditional sports such as soccer, basketball, ultimate frisbee, and volleyball. Until tomorrow teams have no clue what kind of robot they will be creating.
FIRST Robotics is the master mind behind getting students and their communities hooked on robotics. Inventor Dean Kamen and professor Woodie Flowers, FIRST founders, wanted to inspire the next generation of innovators. Their mission is reflected in the competition's name FIRST Robotics - For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. Kind of a mouthful but tech savvy love their acronyms.
Get in on this crazy tech action by watching the FIRST Robotics Kick Off where the new game will be revealed January 3, 2015 10:15am EST : http://corporate.comcast.com/news-information/news-feed/2015-first-robotics-competition-kickoff
This is last years game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5zWzICG5to
The FIRST Robotics team a part of is the Duluth East Daredevils team 2512. Here is a previous robot a robot designed for an ultimate frisbee competition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZqM96bJaH4
FIRST Robotics Link: http://www.usfirst.org/
Defrag 2014 Wrap Up
Defrag's Predictions for the Future of Tech
So what is in and growing in the world of technology? For sure containers, clouds and APIs. Containers allow developers to run more applications simultaneously and currently Docker is the king of containers. Docker provides open source application deployment through containers creating an additional layer of abstraction and replaces virtual machines. Google has developed Kubernetes, an open source container cluster manager to manage your Dock containers. IBM recently launched Bluemix, a platform that enables developers to launch applications on a cloud and scale up to handle increases of traffic. Personally I will be playing with Bluemix because a representative of IBM shared how Bluemix was used at a hackathon to quickly deploy an app. APIs (Application Programming Interface) are a set of tools used to build software applications. Each layer of APIs abstract from machine code, make interfacing with the machine easier by using more human language, and become more relevant to the application being designed. Managing APIs makes sense for developers especially because those in computing value abstraction and code reuse. Platforms for sharing, storing, and developing APIs are popular since developers will not have to reinvent the wheel to get an application running. Many companies need the same kinds of applications. Pools of APIs provide an interface for these generic needs.
Philosophy of Defrag
Nerd Nite is an event where science meets good times. Individuals present about their tech passion while the crowd enjoys a drink. Presentations from Nerd Nites have been memorable to me due to the pure energy driving the presentation and the motivation behind the presenter to simply share their ideas. There has been presentations about Star Wars, creating a to scale replica of the Big Dipper, and our Mayor's take on the method of choosing political delegates. Defrag is like Nerd Nite on crack. It is two days of back to back Nerd Nite-ish presentations topped with an evening of networking. Defrag's philosophy is to provide a conference for people to share their ideas while attendees to enjoy without being bored by sales pitches. Sure speakers are a part of a company but the focus of their presentations are bigger ideas. Defrag did such a good job implementing this philosophy that I felt uncomfortable when a speaker tried to make a plug for their product. It was like they were tarnishing Defrag's pure intent to simply share ideas. As I am sure many other Defraggers agree, it was refreshing to hear the tech industry is still human.
What I Learned
As a sophomore in college I'm sure what I got out of this conference was pretty different than the majority of attendees working in industry. I could talk to you all day about new applications/technologies I learned about, but mostly I felt relieved about the kind of environment, although still not ideal, tech industry will provide in my career. IBM's Most Prolific Female Inventor, Lisa Seacat DeLuca, presented about her daily life patenting, inventing, and raising two awesome kids. She is the proof of concept of work life balance; pursuing your personal and career goals. In tech industry, getting eight hours of sleep and having a social life is possible! Author Jane Miller wrote this kick butt book debunking stereotypes in the workplace, "Sleep Your Way to the Top", after someone in her workplace questioned if her current position in the company was not due to her ability alone. While flipping through my copy I see great tips on how to handle awkward situations in the workplace, how to defend yourself in industry, and how leaders in these companies can be good leaders. Miller's advice to the audience is "give honest feedback, don't be a jerk, and mentor". At Defrag I saw people aware of the change needed in industry to make work environment more female friendly, as well as more friendly in general, and an attitude to make that change.
Experience at the conference confirmed my decision to study what I am and motivated me to continue pursuing what I love. I enjoyed representing NCWIT as an Aspirations in Computing Award winner, representing University of Minnesota Duluth for the first time at a tech event and meeting others with similar passions in technology. Defrag you rock!
Links to Check Out (Basically what I will be doing, reading, and playing with over winter break)
"We'll do it live!!" Bluemix where I will be making apps this winter: https://console.ng.bluemix.net/
Docker/ Container Links: https://www.docker.com/ http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docker_(software)
NCWIT National Center for Women in Information Technology go to for Women in Tech stats and proven ways to close the gender gap in tech: http://www.ncwit.org/
SKYNET IS REAL bow down: http://developer.octoblu.com/
Robots that forecast weather: http://understoryweather.com/
Defrag Conference: http://www.defragcon.com/2014/
Are Apps Worth Our Time? Defrag Day 2
Our obsession of technology has amounted to 11 hours of action yesterday at Defrag 2014. A theme throughout all of the conference is determining if this obsession is worth while. Speaker Anil Dash, from Think Up, explored if technology is a good use of time. How often you scrolled through your Facebook newsfeed, sent a tweet, or Snapchated a pic? In fact, you are using a form of social media right now. Social media is a tool used to connect others, yet there may not be much to show from all of our time on apps. Dash recognizes that companies will do their best to "steal your time" and keep you on their apps longer. As developers and innovators there exists a level of responsibility since what is created will use people's precious time, therefore should be worth a user's while. Tech creators, in Dash's words, must "earn (a user's) time. As a user, be aware of who creates your apps and social media tools . Is it a "ma and pop", giant company's, or 20 something year old from silicon valley's app? Reflect if you are getting anything out of your time. Thankfully, I can reflect and see that through the power of social media I have been able to make connections with others who share similar interests with me and opened doors to many opportunities. However if your time is spent racking up "likes", a rearrangement of priorities may be in order. Time is the most valuable resource, use it wisely.
Defrag 2014's Take On Data Security
As reflected by our year of high traffic social media platforms, large scale company hacks, and increased amount of data, security of that data has become a top priority in tech. Defrag had a series of break out sessions that featured security. Hot topics highly discussed this afternoon have included the slippery slope of "who owns your data?" presented by Lorinda Brandon from SmartBear, "what's in your trash" explored by Rory O'Rouke, and online security challenges revealed by Rami Essaid of Distil Networks.
The biggest lie on the internet, according to Brandon, is that "you read the Terms Of Use". Let's be honest, we all quickly check the "read" box, and do not bother to even open the privacy policy. Why? To even understand the ramifications of what you are agreeing to would take hours and still be missing details. Brandon shared her hours long experience picking apart Samsung's privacy policy and found that Samsung "Share(s) information for purposes of business and ecosystem". Our data and how businesses use it for their own profitable benefit can be unclear. As innovators in tech it is necessary to be mindful of other's data and be transparent with users.
Bounce.io utilizes digital waste by finding treasure in trash, taking data on what kinds of emails "bounce back" to a user and why it was kicked out. A cool idea O'Rouke of Bounce.io mentioned was a user comparing emails in their spam about penny stocks to the actual performance of that penny stock in the market. If information about a stock ends up in your spam, does that indicate that the stock is a poor investment.
2014 has been filled with a "storm of security attacks" as pointed out by Essaid with the security hacking of Target, Sears, and Home Depot. Unfortunately, hacking has become a profession where it pays to be bad; easy, cheap, low risk, and a big payoff. One of the biggest factors that companies are missing is the idea of prevention accompanied by a plan for reaction if an attack occurs. An attack is inevitable, as the data illustrates with the thousands of bots in existence, so not having a reaction plan is foolish. An interesting scenario Essaid pointed out your website may not be the one that is initially hacked into, yet another website's user names and passwords can be hacked and then bots use these stolen usernames and passwords to access your website's accounts.
How to get involved...
- Become aware of your data footprint and who shares your data
- Advocate for transparency about how companies use your data
- Check security settings on your social media
- If in the tech industry, ensure your company is prepared for security breach
First Impressions of Defrag 2014
In just a few hours attending Defrag 2014 my skepticism about drones has been eliminated, early computing has become extremely interesting, and I now believe that the vacant/occupied bathroom indicators on airplanes are genius. Experiencing Defrag starts by being welcomed into an idea intimate environment with tech "swag" (goodie bags), refreshments, and an imitate establishment that we are here to share ideas and grow ourselves. These ideas are first shared via keynote presentations by professionals from across the spectrum of tech including Chris Anderson from 3D Robotics, George Dyson author of "Turning's Cathedral" and Amber Case from Esri.
When the word "drone" is mentioned initial things that come to my mind include military drones that are used in combat and the seemingly foolish idea to use drones to deliver packages from Amazon. A word that didn't come to mind was Orangutans. Orangutans... you mean the primate? Yes. Anderson shared a unique and useful application of drones is to track wildlife and their well being. Primates make nests daily and can be identified from imaging captured by drones. In industry, a practical application for drones includes surveying of farm land. From an aerial view farms can get real time feedback in their crops and react accordingly without wasting money on chemicals and waiting to see a result.
"Imitation Game" is a motion picture releasing on November 28th which follows Alan Turning's challenge reverse engineering the Enigma Machine. Dyson provided an excellent crash course in computing's journey, including Turning's contribution, from analog to digital. He shared most importantly the unbiased vision of the future of computing that was imagined before computing was born. A way computing can grow is by letting the computer make mistakes and learn. Reliability isn't necessarily ideal. In conclusion Dyson shared his vision for future of computing... 1) 3D computation 2) Template-based addressing 3) Pulse-frequency coding 4) Analog Computing
Technology can be overwhelming! Bells, whistles, and features galore. Sometimes we just want something to accomplish a task when we want it and not give annoying notifications. Amber Case spoke about Calm Technology that promotes "Great design (which) allows people to accomplish their goals in the least amount of moves". Airplane bathroom vacancy indicator is a calm technology approach to alert a user of information they need in an un-invasive manner. "A person's primary task shouldn't be computing but being human."
How you can get involved...
Drones: Imaging of the future is surprisingly affordable and even available in toy stores! They can be picked up for easily under $500 and programmed to your will.
History of Computing: Often neglected in education, history of computing and technology is a way to look back in order to look forward farther. Research about the history of technology and find unbiased inspiration.
Calm Technology: Case mentioned a fun exercise where you design the most overly complicated piece of technology and try to "calm it". Get your product to be as efficient in helping reach the end goal as possible.
Looking Forward to Defrag 2014
Drones, APIs, and Raspberry Pi, Defrag 2014 is a unique tech conference which the coordinators describe "explores the frontiers of technology's intersections with society". Recently I was granted a scholarship, sponsored by True Ventures, to attend Defrag in snow capped mountainous state of Colorado. Thousands of the scientifically savvy will be gathered at Omni Interlocken Resort to take part in a two day tech intensive filled with keynote speakers, break outs, and networking galore. Representatives of big name companies like IBM, Microsoft, Google, Dell, and AT&T will be attending. Aside from from my anticipation of the innovative atmosphere, I am excited to attend keynotes with the names "Robots Take Flight", "Monkey Selfies and Other Conundrums: Who Owns Your Data?", and "Can you Handle the Big Data Explosion?" name just a few. With pen, legal pad, and ideas to contribute I am ready for Defrag 2014 to blow my mind.
Where does the word defrag come from?
Defrag is short for defragmentation. When a file is stored in memory, space which that file takes up may not necessarily be continuous. Meaning, pieces of the file could be stored in chunks separate from each other. Defragmentation matches the pieces that correspond to one another and puts them next to each other. This makes retrieving files faster.
How can I get in on the action?
Throughout both days I will be blogging about my experience which you can follow here. Defrag has their own Twitter tag #defragcon which will provide updates on happenings during the conference. Check out Defrag: http://www.defragcon.com/2014/