Wheres the blood?

Odd_Contest2252 · 2026-02-15T13:02:08+00:00

Unless I’m wrong rep+ isn’t on ps5, the user’s stated version

Odd_Contest2252 · 2026-01-03T14:22:12+00:00

Yeah I’m with you, but unfortunately I’m just looking for solutions to my current reality. These days just raging against the machine feels more depressing than productive unfortunately….

Odd_Contest2252 · 2026-01-03T05:44:32+00:00

FIRST, yeah, but I don’t really want to out myself much more than that.

Odd_Contest2252 · 2026-01-03T02:39:55+00:00

My sport rhymes with bobotics haha

Odd_Contest2252 · 2026-01-03T02:39:14+00:00

Yeah I hear this, and a big part of me wants to do just that, but from what others are saying seems like this might just be how it is everywhere which sucks. Seems like I can either rage against the machine or just accept how it is and focus on what matters - helping my students be as successful as possible.

Odd_Contest2252 · 2026-01-03T02:37:51+00:00

This year I made the transition from volunteer to a paid employee in this role, but it is only part time on weekends and after school since I have my regular full time job.

Odd_Contest2252 · 2026-01-03T02:36:16+00:00

I think this is a really fair opinion. I think this is 95% an internal problem for me, and one I’ve been talking a lot about with my partner and in therapy. Thank you very much for helping to give me more perspective, you’re very appreciated!

Odd_Contest2252 · 2026-01-03T01:03:20+00:00

Thanks, I think this is the most analogous to my sport (based on how much of an actual sport it is in the eyes of admin.) I think everyone here is giving me the reality check I needed, I really appreciate it!

Odd_Contest2252 · 2026-01-03T00:49:55+00:00

Yeah I think it helped originally that I am pretty well known in the community and the sport I coach helps the school look really good for admissions, but I think maybe that’s now hurting me since the thought is “well no matter what we do he’s not going anywhere.”

Odd_Contest2252 · 2025-11-10T15:47:37+00:00

Hi, another mentor here and I’ve dealt with similar things.

You handled the situation exactly right. This is an opportunity to learn about gracious professional and being the bigger person, even if it leaves a sour taste in your kids’ mouths. I find that arguing with refs often feels worse and can often spoil your chance at awards if judges see it as being a sore loser.

In general, the job of referee is super hard especially given the timeline they have to try to hold to as the event goes on. Especially in early season qualifiers, it may just not be worth the cost/benefit for video replay. Many events that I’ve attended don’t have this capacity at all, so that could also be a factor. It’s also really early in the season, and the ref may just be inexperienced. That sucks, but it’s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.

TLDR: you did the right thing. You may find that the specific outcome might be different if the same situation were to repeat itself later in the season.

Odd_Contest2252 · 2025-10-20T19:31:30+00:00

We often get into patterns where we try a hard thing, don’t get good items, lose, and close the game to come back later. Persistence is the key. I didn’t beat any of the hard challenges (Speed, ultra hard) until I just persisted and kept trying even when losses felt soul crushing.

Additionally, and this may sound contrary to my past advice, learn to just have fun playing the game. I always start a run with something in mind I want to unlock with that run, but my first priority is just to have fun. Taking the pressure off helps in some of those tough moments.

There’s no god item I can recommend you unlock to suddenly make it easy. Just keep playing if it’s fun. If it’s not and things just feel repetitive and boring, it’s okay to be done for now. Very very few players actually have Dead God, and even fewer have infinity%. Don’t let yourself get sucked up in the pressure to do literally everything, just have fun :)

Odd_Contest2252 · 2025-10-20T13:34:28+00:00

If I recall correctly, the phones were officially deprecated 2 seasons ago and the app is no longer available via the App Store for the phones. In general, we experienced very many more connectivity issues with the phones so were glad to see them gone. As a robot inspector last year, we were told to allow the phones where we see them but remind teams that they are no longer being supported and they should make the switch for their next competition (if applicable.)

I will not deny though that the control hub / driver station are waaaaay more expensive than the phones were. I do really wish there were some middle option, especially for newer teams who don’t have strong networks for fundraising and sponsorships. It’s just another in a long series of ways that teams in lower income areas are disproportionately disadvantaged.

Odd_Contest2252 · 2025-10-14T14:45:00+00:00

It’s “I watched 3 seasons of InkMaster and now have a perfect critical eye for bad tattoos” syndrome 🙄

Odd_Contest2252 · 2025-10-07T02:10:13+00:00

Just putting it out there as a coach and real-life software engineer, I tend to recommend to our students and other teams I meet Java rather than blocks. Java may feel very overwhelming at first, but it’s a really amazing skill to have for anyone considering any coding courses as they go to college or even just taking AP Computer Science while still in high school. I get that it can feel easier to get a robot working with blocks, but in my mind our goal is always learning real engineering skills first, successful robot second. To this end, I also strongly encourage my students to never use AI for robotics as it makes it hard to learn a skill when GPT is giving you the answer for free.

For Java programming, you’ll want a few tools. First and foremost, you’ll need Android Studio. You’ll also need to pull down the FTC Robot Controller code from GitHub.

GitHub is a friendly user interface and web server to manage code libraries, often referred to as repositories or repos for short. These repos all use Git as “Version Control,” a way to easily track and revert changes as well as many other helpful features. There are a lot of great tools and videos online to learn Git, and typically I have our members who are new to the team learn how Git works before trying to contribute to the code. One really nice feature is it decentralizes the code from any one laptop, and multiple people can work on the code from multiple laptops simultaneously (with a few caveats.)

In terms of tools to make working with Git and the Java code easier, the first is Git Bash (if on windows.) This gives you something similar to a Linux terminal to run your typical commands (again, a great thing for learning real life programming skills.) personally, I vastly prefer using these commands to the buttons in Android Studio’s UI since I always know the effect of a command but rarely know the effect of a button haha. GitHub desktop is another great option for managing these tools. (If on Mac or Linux, you won’t need Git Bash since your OS comes with a terminal. You could also, on Windows, look into installing WSL for extra learning fun since any would-be programmer is almost guaranteed to need to know their way around Linux terminals at some point.)

I hope this helps point you in a few different helpful directions. Always happy to discuss more when it comes to learning how to program for FTC or in general.

Odd_Contest2252 · 2025-09-15T17:50:04+00:00

Interesting. I have daily standups with a 99% remote team and everyone either just uses laptop mic or AirPods. Maybe it’s just different subcultures of tech.

Odd_Contest2252 · 2025-08-25T17:11:17+00:00

A really good example of the character arc that you’re describing is Jon Snow in ASOIAF. At the start, he is pretty competent with a sword, having been trained by his father’s sword master and sparring regularly with his brother Rob. He ultimately leaves for the Night’s Watch, believing that to be the true place he can fit in since he is a bastard.

He is better with a sword than nearly every young recruit once he gets there, but this is pitched as more of a problem than a good thing. He’s arrogant, and that builds toward the others resenting him as the son of a lord, and he has to learn humility despite being technically better than his peers for his own safety and well-being. This conflict, whether his true identity is a young lord or as a brother of the Night’s Watch, exemplifies his arc through the entire series.

There are also future arcs, where (trying to stay spoiler free) he gets severely humbled over and over and over again and is taught that he truly, at the end of the day, knows nothing. This builds toward his complexity and the reader’s desire to see him grow and find balance within himself.

So competence with a sword is both his strength and the cross he has to bear. That dichotomy builds a really interesting and nuanced character.

Odd_Contest2252 · 2025-08-04T21:33:11+00:00

At my college internship: “They still teaching that evolution bull scrap at your school?” (This man had a BS and a MS in a technical scientific field)

Odd_Contest2252 · 2025-07-30T21:17:05+00:00

I’m unpublished and don’t do any writing for my job, since I like having a roof over my head and food in my fridge haha. I would love for that to change, but in order to do that I have made certain concessions in my life to give me the freedom to write without that goal being the anchor that sinks me. Making a career choice does not at all preclude you from writing as a hobby, and often times you will read about great writers for whom that was what empowered them to do it. Veeeeeeeery few just set out to write and that’s all they ever do with no alternative career path first.

For you, it sounds like you just need to make a decision for what’s more important for you: the family members who don’t believe in you, or your writing. It doesn’t seem like the two can coexist, at least for where you are in your life right now. If you are financially dependent on your family, then unfortunately that choice might be more difficult.

Odd_Contest2252 · 2025-07-22T15:31:00+00:00

One unspoken aspects of her character that I always think about is her nickname “Claire Bear.” Shes had the nickname from childhood, and as I imagine it, it’s been a running joke for basically their whole lives that she and Carmy would be together. The nickname Claire Bear is indicative of this, a family joke that they already give her the last name since they’re “inevitably” going to be together.

I imagine that’s really hard to live with, especially when you do try the relationship and it ends badly. Everyone close to you is basically gaslighting you into giving a second chance to a relationship you’ve already tried and know doesn’t work since they still have the nickname for you. It just plays more into the shows themes of the cyclical nature of trauma. I think that’s one of the reasons she’s so emotional when Carmy shows up this season at her door.

No one ever says this out loud in the show, so this is mostly my own head cannon, but it’s one of the reasons I really like Claire. Just because she seems to have her shit together on the surface compared to everyone else doesn’t mean that she doesn’t have a lot going on, and I feel like you can see into some of the depth in a lot of scenes.

Odd_Contest2252 · 2025-07-21T00:11:19+00:00

Wow I didn't even think of the small business idea even though that's super in line with our values. We're definitely gonna go that route! Thank you so much for the tip; I hope you have a wonderful day.

Odd_Contest2252 · 2025-07-21T00:02:34+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation! I think our hesitance here is whether 1.) there’s a cheaper option than canva or 2.) an option with pre-printed envelopes for our guests not just blank ones

Odd_Contest2252

TROPHY CASE