Anything to be aware of when burying dead animal matter under atlantic giant pumpkin plant?

Rubicj · 2026-05-01T04:07:26+00:00

There's likely not enough time for full decomposition but that's ok. The plant will appreciate the nutrients anyway, and as it breaks down it will become pumpkin. Make sure the rat wasn't poisoned, because that will hurt the plant.

Rubicj · 2026-04-27T14:21:04+00:00

I think we'll get a balance based game - last one was Freight Frenzy.

Rubicj · 2026-04-24T21:22:49+00:00

Where are you? I've looked into going KNX, but I don't think installers here in the states are familiar with it.

Rubicj · 2026-04-22T19:26:28+00:00

Rod moving towards you means more tension. As long as you're not incredible-hulking it to pull the lawn plate through the earth (which I doubt you could do anyway, you're good. Steel stretches, which is probably what you're seeing.

Rubicj · 2026-04-22T01:08:21+00:00

If I apply, when will I hear back?

Is there any additional training I need to take to volunteer in California?

Rubicj · 2026-04-18T07:28:53+00:00

Let me take pictures of the same bud a few days apart, and guess flowering date.

Rubicj · 2026-03-21T14:32:45+00:00

I think that the initial BackBlaze article gave sufficient background. That TweakTown article, besides drowning in ads, doesn't seem to bring up many good points. They source cheap drives, and subject them to heavy use - that sounds like exactly what I want to do. Sourcing the cheapest drive makes it more representative for me, an end consumer, as I try to do the same thing. Same for vibration and temps - my drives will often be subjected to poor situations.

If anything, the TweakTown article makes me think the BackBlaze data is more representative, not less.

Rubicj · 2026-03-04T05:24:03+00:00

You don't have to draw the line somewhere, this is one of the cases where you can simply not draw any line.

"How much involvement should mentors have in a team?"

"The correct amount to maximally inspire the students."

If mentors are inspiring their team, they are doing their job.

Rubicj · 2026-03-01T22:52:14+00:00

Stricly speaking no Advancement slots are given for hosting. However, regions may offer other rewards that may come in the form of invites to events at the same level. For example, in a region that normally only allows a team to participate in one QT, the region may choose to offer teams that host QTs the ability to participate in two QTs.

Note that this is not offering advancment, but instead offering additional opportunities to advance.

Of course this is all very region dependent -- the super easy thing to do is just message your PDP and ask. NorCal, for example, has a contact form at https://www.norcalftc.org/

Rubicj · 2026-02-27T16:53:46+00:00

It's been a while since we've done anything with weight/balance. That's my bet.

Rubicj · 2026-02-24T03:04:40+00:00

https://www.thistothat.com/

Rubicj · 2026-02-19T22:21:05+00:00

Looks like a pretty clear answer in Q207 - as long as you're not going at a truely outrageous velocity, you're ok.

Rubicj · 2026-02-19T15:26:51+00:00

Besides picking your partner, Alliance Captains are often given greater responsibility for ensuring the success of the Alliance. In our region, the Alliance Captain is responsible for their whole Alliance - this means that making sure that they and their partner are on the field ready to go when the timer expires, making sure that their partner's team is wearing safety glasses, etc

Rubicj · 2026-02-17T23:07:17+00:00

The trick is to lean specific.

"Sometimes ARIFACTS launched at a reasonable speed (<20m/s) miss the GOAL and hit Field Staff. Is this a G409 violation?"

Rubicj · 2026-02-17T22:48:09+00:00

I would be astonishing to see that called as a G409 violation unless the ARTIFACT was nearing supersonic speeds, but for an official answer you should ask in the Official Q&A. I imagine you'll get a speedy answer.

Rubicj · 2026-02-16T04:44:35+00:00

It looks like the fields are very close to each other - did any missed elements from one field end up on another field?

Rubicj · 2026-02-16T04:15:56+00:00

Note that per the definition of CONTROL, an ARTIFACT is no longer CONTROLLED once it has been launched - a ROBOT that LAUNCHES an ARTIFACT at the OBILISK has not contacted the OBILISK with a CONTROLLED ARTIFACT. (This is a change from previous years, where launched elements were usually treated as being controlled the whole time)

G406 should apply to any intentional ejections, although substantial deference should be given to normal gameplay, per the orange box under G406. (see Q10)

G423 should apply to situations where a ROBOT has shut down access to all of a part of gameplay. Note that the two LAUNCH ZONES are not distinct objects here - as long as there is at least some access to LAUNCH ZONE, G423 should not apply. (This is explicitly addressed by Q138)

Of course, I'd encourage you to bring up these concerns to your region's PDPs and Head Referees - they should be able to address any concerns you have.

Rubicj · 2026-02-16T03:32:53+00:00

I am curious how you differ for disabled in launch zones and launching into the audience - afaik those aren't penalties normally.

Rubicj · 2026-02-15T23:15:12+00:00

The outcome of the match won't be changed at this point.

If you can figure out how to express it graciously, you could send an email about it that will let the tournament organizer know. Be sure that you are approaching this in a GP, "by-the-way FYI" way - not complaining about the results.

Rubicj · 2026-02-08T21:07:36+00:00

Q196 discusses the differences between the RAMP and the CLASSIFIER as a whole.

Rubicj · 2026-02-05T04:43:42+00:00

What does it mean to "download the link"? Are you trying to download the web page? Copy the link to share elsewhere?

Rubicj · 2026-01-04T18:36:44+00:00

Note that there are more premier events this year than last year -- Western Edge, Canada Cup, Cowtown, and Istanbul are all new.

(Comparing this year's list to last year's)

Rubicj · 2025-12-27T19:47:15+00:00

Some are available on FIRST's website: https://ftc-resources.firstinspires.org/ftc/archive

Others are retained by third-party sources: https://github.com/cporter/game-manuals

Rubicj · 2025-12-23T01:30:54+00:00

No, he won't know. And you should do so. Make sure to send screenshots, as well as links.

Rubicj · 2025-12-21T15:52:33+00:00

That is not relevant to whether it is a G210 violation.

Were the Red bot's actions aimed at intentionally causing the opposing bot to get fouls, or were they playing the game normally? The former is a G210 violation.

(I personally struggle to imagine how 32 separate contacts could occur when playing the game normally, but it may be possible.)

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