FIRST LEGO League

Towards the end of 2011 my three nephews competed in the South African finals of the FIRST LEGO League (FLL).  I haven't yet exercised my bragging rights as their uncle, so here goes.

The FLL competition consists of several aspects, but the highlight is arguably the final phase where a robot constructed from Lego blocks have to complete a few tasks on a themed track.  In 2010, for example, the theme was Body Forward, and the track included tasks to assemble parts of a body, emulate certain body movements, and so on.  Given that 2010 was the year of the Soccer World Cup it was particularly apt  to get a model of a human leg to kick a tiny soccer ball onto goal posts on the track.  Research about the theme (outside the world of robotics) and a presentation on their findings is just one other facet of the competition the teams have to complete.  But, in 2010, disaster struck my nephews' team when the robot forgot its program and wandered aimlessly across the track.  (It happens when a robot with volatile memory loses power for a moment...)  So, let's not blog further about the 2010 competition.

In 2011 the competition was a different story!  This time armed with robots with non-volatile memory my nephews were members of two different teams that tackled the theme Food Factor.  The 'older' team (from 2010) called themselves De Bearz.  The 'younger' team therefore decided they had to be 'cubs', but never agreed on spelling.  So, the team's kit used every combination of De/Da and Cubs/Cubz (with and without spaces between the two words) somewhere.

Much of the competition takes place outside public view where the teams, for example, have to present their research to the judges.  The robot runs are open to the public and take the form of a typical sporting event.  The robots' actions are displayed on huge screens so that spectators can clearly follow the runs. Two members of a team are allowed to touch the robot (under certain conditions) while it is completing the track; the rest of the team act as cheer leaders trying to cheer their team (or their robot?) to victory.

The first picture shows De Cubz in action on Table B.  (Other teams are competing simultaneously on tables A, C and D.)  The clock is still at 230 indicating that this particular run has not yet started - the full two minutes and 30 seconds for it remain.  The two members at the corner of the table are the ones who will be handling the robot under the watchful eye of the judge standing towards the other corner of the table.  The nappies the team members wear are part of the team 'uniform' they chose to indicate that they are only cubs at this point.  My nephew, Paul, is the one holding the De Cubz sign as part of the cheering squad behind the white line they are not allowed to cross during the run.  (Should I have publicly admitted that the person holding the sign is family?)

And the run starts! Eight seconds into the run some members cannot bear looking.  (Pardon the pun...)  Others seem to be rather concerned.  And a few are just focused on the task at hand.

With just 33 seconds remaining, and adrenaline levels elevated, it seems the team is excited about what their robot is doing...

In the next picture the other team, De Bearz, are setting up their robot while a judge is looking on.  My nephew, Francois (centre), is exercising his divine right to touch the robot.

And they seem to be off to a good start!

But sometimes robots do odd things.  Even the team's mascot looks sad.

Long story short: De Bearz' robot did not loose its mind again and performed quite well.  They have much to be proud of.  And the newcomers, De Cubz?  They shot past their senior fellows and finished second in the competition!

My nephew who has remained invisible thus far is Karel - the fifth person from the left in the row at the back in the picture above.  He was team mentor for De Cubz.

Now it's off to Germany for De Cubz to represent South Africa internationally.  (The team who finished first will also participate internationally, but I never claimed that this blog post would be unbiased - so I will not say more about them.)

If you are like me you only have one burning question remaining at this time: Is it possible to take those trophies - built from Lego blocks - apart and build something else with them?  Sadly, the answer is no.  Somebody glued the blocks together to make the trophy endure...

Let's hold thumbs for De Cubz in Germany.  May they make South Africa proud!

I ate lunch in Rosebank today

The lunch itself was nothing spectacular - a simple dish at the Wimpy in Rosebank. But the fact that the Wimpy was not able to serve me a Coca Cola because they were out of stock (or their fountain was dry?) was a sign that this was part of something bigger. Gautrain affliction is taking on epidemic proportions and I too fell victim to it.

Let's start with the basics for the uninitiated. The Gautrain is a new high-speed (160km/h) train connecting Johannesburg and Pretoria (and the OR Tambo Airport). It therefore connects the two primary cities of the Gauteng province with one another and both with the province's (and South Africa's) primary airport. The name Gauteng is the seSotho word for place of gold, and the Gautrain is set to become the core of the province's transport infrastructure. Its gold livery was therefore an obvious choice.

The Gautrain on Rosebank station

The train has been operating on the Sandton-airport line since last year's Soccer World Cup - and everyone who has had the chance has gone for a joyride.  But we were really waiting for the Johannesburg-Pretoria line to open.  However, some unforeseen drainage problems (or rather, potential problems) delayed opening this line.  Eventually it was decided to open it, but only let it run to Rosebank in the South - one station shy of its eventual terminus at Johannesburg's Park station.  The line was opened last Tuesday - so, to ride it in its first week one had to get on it by today.  On the one hand it worked out quite well because this weekend is, for all practical purposes, a long weekend: tomorrow is Women's day and schools are closed today.

So, I decided to use my opportunity today.  Unfortunately, so did millions of others.

Waiting to board at Hatfield station

Actually the crowd control at Hatfield station was quite impressive - the sort of crowd control that would have done Disney proud.  The crowd was split into groups and groups were allowed to proceed to the next waiting area as other groups moved forward - all very smooth and disciplined.  Since Hatfield is the northern terminus of the line they even ensured that the train was not filled to capacity here, so that others could board at the following station.  The fact was that the majority of passengers were going to Sandton (for lunch), so nobody was getting off to make space for others.  I heard some mumbling and grumbling in the crowd, but this was one of the best examples of crowd control that I have yet seen in South Africa.

A train passing mine in the opposite direction at Midrand station

Not only the trains are impressive - the entire infrastructure looks good (and clean!).

Rosebank station

There was one sour note.  The bus drivers (driving the feeder buses) started striking today.  Apparently so did the spellcheckers.

What defines a bus passenger if there are no busses [sic]?

One sight that is now common, but will soon hopefully disappear is trains going to Rosebank.  One of these days they will go to Johannedburg!

Destination Rosebank

While I was not able to ride the train last Tuesday, I was able to walk over to the University of Pretoria fence to take the picture below.  Being so close, the Gautrain is bound to impact on how we do things.

Gautrain (Johannesburg-Pretoria) on its inaugural day - 2 August 2011 

Oh yes.  I forgot to take a picture of my lunch...

Loftus! A non-report of a rugby match

Anyone who knows me, knows that I do not have much of an interest in rugby.  In fact, rugby reminds me of a less pleasant part of my life.  At the secondary school I attended, rugby was the holy grail, and academics and culture played obvious second fiddle to it.  Of course, whenever the school played a rugby game everybody had to attend to support the team.  And, of course, I never attended.  There was one exception: I did attend the last game in matric and found it quite enjoyable...

Then, for more that two decades I did not attend another live rugby match.  Until last night.  And again I had fun...

Of course my camera went along.  It is amazing what one can do with the high ISO capabilities of modern cameras.  All the pictures below were taken at ISO 1600 - most of them with a consumer quality 100-300mm zoom at relatively small apertures from the rear of the pavilion.  All were hand held, and most were taken using only the floodlights of Loftus Versfeld - the venue of the match.

Here Morné Steyn succeeds with a penalty.

(I had to look up his name on the Web after the match.  My knowledge of 99% of players' names and faces is nonexistent.)

The problem with the picture above, as everybody who knows anything about photography will immediately notice, is the extension of Morné's (yes, we are on first name terms now) into another player's foot.  That is simply unacceptable.  Here is the solution.

Editing reportage photos is another taboo, but given my lack of knowledge of rugby the picture cannot be viewed as reportage - and hence editing has to be ethical.  So, the reader is encouraged to stop reading and just find some pleasure in the pictures.

And then the ball is on its way!

(Given the removal of the foot in the previous picture, removal of two players in the background of this picture was so much easier this time.  Oh what a tangled [world-wide] web we weave...  No image tampering from here onwards.)

I'm not sure what is happening in the next picture.  A penalty has just been awarded.  If only I could hear what Sharks captain Stefan Terblanche and referee Jonathan Kaplan are saying (and gesturing) to one another.  (Click for a bigger picture.)

The picture shows an innovation since my previous attendance of a rugby match: now a radio controlled buggy brings something onto the field used to place the ball to kick.  At my previous game a young boy with a bucket of sand ran unto the field.

Another innovation since my previous encounter with the game is the addition of the Blue Bulls Babes.  Is it just me or is there some irony in the picture below?  (Again, click on the picture to get a larger version; look at the expresseions on the players' faces.)

The Babes do seem to add some colour and movement to the event...

Loftus is the home ground of the Bulls and most spectators seemed to be Bulls supporters.  However, Sharks supporters were certainly present and overjoyed whenever the Sharks scored (and eventually won the match).

The capacity crowd clearly enjoyed the game.  Interesting how disciplined they were.  (Note to self: Get rid of those prejudices...  Sport does not equate to barbarism.)

And Loftus is a beautiful place at night!

Oh yes, before I forget: The Sharks won 26-23.  My matric rugby match was a draw.  Nerve wrecking stuff...

-o0o-

I recently met Stephen Finn and decided to read his book Soliloquy.  Recommended.

Those magnificent (wo)men and their flying machines

Many years ago the Central Flying School of the South African Air Force (SAAF) was based in Dunnottar - a town not far from the town in which I grew up.  The SAAF used Harvards to train its new pilots.  On most days one would see (and hear) them flying from early till late.  Closer to the base one could see them flying in circles - landing and immediately taking off for another cycle.  For some reason they were locally referred to as coffins with wings, but I do not recall any incident from my childhood in which a Harvard was involved.

Above are three Harvards flying in formation at the recent air show at Swartkops Air Force Base in Pretoria - incidentally the oldest aerodrome in the world in current use.

Another childhood memory from the sky was the Silver Falcons - the SAAF's air acrobatic team.  Back in the day they were flying Impala fighter jets.  It therefore came as a bit of sad news when I heard that they were going to henceforth use turboprops.  Not having seen them for many years, I was pleasantly surprised to recently see exactly how they play with their new Pilatus planes.  Their arrival in formation with an SAA 737-400 was a great start, but insignificant to their display that would follow later.

The Boeing on its own was also a magnificent sight.  I did not know a big plane could bank that much - during some flypasts one got the rare chance of seeing it "from the top"

As part of the show the Boeing performed a touchdown and gave spectators a sight that one would hopefully only see at an airshow: A 373 taking off with a Russian T1 tank apparently aiming at it.  The tank was parked next to the runway for a combat display that was to follow later that day.

The combat display involved armoured vehicles, ground troops and, of course, planes and choppers.  One of the memorable sights was a Hercules dropping supplies.

Here are two additional pictures that show the Silver Falcons in action.

(or solarised, to be more dramatic...)

One of the interesting facets of this airshow was the fact that the announces was in direct radio contact with the pilots and talked to them - typically during the final fly-past of each.  In the case of the Silver Falcons it was nice to hear the voice of the first female Silver Falcon from one of the Pilatus's cocpits.

Here is a Pilatus used the the Silver Falcons from a little closer.

As the point I left the Vampire was in the air.  I do not recall seeing them fly as a child, put some of them might have passed overhead.  The were introduced shortly after World War II and still used operationally when I was young.  For some reason the word zippy comes to mind seeing one of them fly for the first time.