• One of our students got pinched and started bleeding due to the usage of safety glasses. OK, she was misusing them, but still!  

• Max I, II, III, IV, V, VI, & VII have all bitten students, coaches (including the head coach), and mentors so many times that we couldn't keep track of them all! 

• Scott and James (he claims he didn't) have broken enough dremmel heads to take up the space inside a 2007 FTC Hangin' Around regulation size softball (maybe not that many, but it was close)!

 Notice he has his safety glasses on! 

• Max I can "dance" on the high goals and "swing" on the hanging bar! This could be an interesting/amusing half-time show, if FIRST ever needs that sort of thing.
• While making buttons we have broken 3 handheld button presses, twice by junior members and once by a team member. We now keep their hands far away from breakables and warn the others not to make them mad!!!

Funny Pictures!

Helpful hints!

• To get past your tired/sluggish state during what we like to call 10 O'Clock syndrome and 11 O'Clock syndrome, Mr. Shotyk suggests coffee... lots of coffee!
• When you get bored, James finds that it is helpful to play video games! But, James, please don't play them during meetings!!
• When you feel like annoying someone, Mr. Moser suggests singing the Green Acres theme song over and over. He has tried it and says it works!
• One way to win the FTC Think Award is to eat Hershey kisses! Not exactly, but one time at the Connecticut FVC Regional, a team won this award for their presentation of a chocolate splotch in their notebook! Although it sounds like an easy way out, remember, this team didn't just eat candy all day, they also had a pretty good notebook.  Remember this tip: be real in your notebook, and have some fun with it!
• When faced with the annoying problem of low ink in your printer, Mr. Scalzo suggests ignoring & deleting the "low ink" messages that pop-up on your screen. This not only eliminates stress, but can save you a few extra dollars! He also mentioned that the only time you absolutely have to change the cartridge is when the printer absolutely refuses to print. Then it's back to the old cartridge which you saved from the last time it wouldn't print, and presto, you can print again!! Note: this process may not work with all printers, please check your owner's manual or handbook for further instructions.
• When practicing with your robot at your workplace, it is never a good idea to give a person who is bored and has energy the timer that we have. Unless, of course, you like hearing this annoying "buzz" sound every 2 seconds. Team Overdrive found this lesson out the hard way by giving one of our coaches (ironically our strategy coach) the buzzer to time us while practicing. "No shoes on the field!" Bzzzzzz "Get the snacks away from the robot!" Bzzzzzz "Hurry up reseting everything!" Bzzzzzz And then he would try to scare team members using the buzzer. End result, not a whole lot of practice or useful work, but a lot of fun!

Feat of the Meeting!

• On Feb. 13, James inhaled his cup of soda when Tyler said something funny. Really funny. James said he could taste the soda in his nose during the rest of the meeting. Then Mr. Shotyk mentioned that he once saw a kid, in the cafeteria, inhale a ham sandwich. Now that's talent!
• We learned about using Vernier Calipers and Micrometers during one meeting, so we decided to experiment with them afterwards. Out of all the samples we tested, James's hair was the thickest! Congratulations, James!! Maybe we'll get you a ribbon or something.
• On May 1, the life of a spider was changed... forever! He was crawling along one evening in a basement, being his usual, hairy, disgusting-looking self. Then a certain team came clattering down the stairs, being their usual, excited, cheery-looking selves, getting ready to help clean the basement. Someone decided to alert all the team members about big, hairy spiders that were seen in the basement recently. They all began peering under everything they could, looking for any signs of creepy, crawly things. Had they not, we might have avoided this tragic, yet justified, ending (either that or prolonged it). We finally found the previously mentioned spider crawling across the floor, trying to get to safety in time. But it was in vain, he had been spotted. The ending you ask? Let's just say that if you've never seen Tyler armed with a broken mop, trying to kill a spider, you're missing some funny stuff! Tyler looking on a mop afterwards for the mangled parts of the spider he just killed is even better!!!!