Way to go team!

So here's quick selection from some of my photo highlights ... seems like you guys made more than 20 transport connections on only $5 and 8 hours of time! CONGRATS!

How about this for a list ...

Cars to LO
Walked
Electric car charging station
Sewer pipe (!) in City Hall
Bus 36 to Oregon City
Elevator in Oregon City
AMTRACK in Oregon City
Bus 79 to Clackamas Town Center
Bus 72 to Max
Max ... to the ...
Airport
Escalators
Stairs
Max to downtown
Barges on river
Recycling Bike Shop
Zip Car
Street Car
"Pill" Sky Tram to OHSU
Bus 36 to ...
Sailing Center on the Willamette
Bus 35 to LO
Electric bikes at LO bike shop
Scooter

Way to go team!

Coach Sue

Hello everyone on the team Nike is doing a grant program called Back on your block to support community and school groups. My sister's First Robotics Challenge team Oregon City Robotics is one things that you can vote for to get the grant. You can vote at http://www.nikebackyourblock.com/ApplicantProfile.aspx?ApplicantId=724cd5e4-4606-446a-95bd-f154683d15e9

variables

this is a video that i found here it is http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-program-variables-in-the-lego-mindstorms-nxt-system-79069/view/

Congrats Lex -- you were first at the Jr Olympics!

So now we hear today that you made first place at the Jr Olympics!

So cool Lex -- we're all proud of you!

My BLocks

This is my My Block assignment

My Blocks:
A My Block is a block that is designed by you. It can contain a combination of blocks that you use frequently. Instead of remaking or copying and pasting those blocks, you can use the My Block instead. My suggestion for a time to use a my block is for the touch-sensor-backing-up-against-the-wall program. We can make that into a My Block and use it in other programs.

Congrad Alexa!

Congratulations Alexa!! 2ND PLACE in your age group for the JUNIOR OLYMPICS!! Aggressive!! :)

Amiel

CONFIRM YOU'RE COMING!

Coach Sue here

OK team, let's plan to do the Outward Bound on Monday, two days time. It's clear from the blog that Alexa, Austin, Amiel and Jeffrey can make that day. Also Rachel and Amy. Hopefully Mitch can join as well.

We begin as planned at 10am and end at 6pm at Tillamook Ice Creamery on A Street in Lake Oswego.

We need a starting point. If there are no votes for this, I'll post one tomorrow Sunday as part of the challenge. So post now if you want a vote for a different starting point!

Please each of you confirm on the blog space below that you can come and plan to join; if anyone needs a ride to get to our starting point, please post this on the blog. Otherwise I'll assume your parents are bringing you along.

Remember to bring:
A lunch ...
Some ID if you have it ...
Notebook ...
Water bottle ...
You know the routine ... rather like camp outings ...

Looking forward to seeing you Monday
Best to all
Sue

Coach Sue,
Its Amy and Rachel, your assistant project coaches.
We have been talking to the kids and they have come up with a list of places they would possibly like to see on the outward bound trip they are:
PGE Park
Pioneer Square
OHSU
OMSI
Rose Quarter
PDX
The Zoo
Portland Rose Gardens
Portland EXPO center
mclaughlin house
Tillamook Creamery

So we just need a date and time we dont know if you want to plan the route ahead of time or what but yeah.
time date and meeting place.
Talk to you later


Amy and Rachel

Hey it is Amy and Rachel,

We have been talking and offer to video tape and photograph the journey so we can use it later if we want to. We were thinking that if you guys keep thinking of place to stop and we think of some to that we can combined the lists together and make one. Then on Thursday at the end we could talk about it and final where we want to go and where we are meeting. Come with ideas!

Before we have ice cream

Hey team … Amiel here …

Just checking in on the blog … internet here is very difficult to work with so sorry for the on-going delays.

Here’s an update on what I’ve learned in Lake Oswego which might be fun before we have ice cream at Tillamooks.

The bike shop in LO will allow us to ride their electric bikes for a test ride assuming there’s an adult present (and it’s OK with our parents). They’re open on Sunday until 5pm and on Monday until at least 6pm.

The Vesta shop is shut on Sunday but they’d love to talk with us during the week.

The fire department offered to show us all their equipment (i.e. fire trucks and such) on Sunday around 5pm but that time can change (or disappear if we’re not keen on this). Did you know that fire trucks lug around 500 gallons of water which only lasts a few minutes when fighting fires – but decreases their fuel efficiency incredibly!

The trolley isn’t working right now between LO and Portland.

There is a bus line to Portland from LO (if we want to come back for the ice cream and other options)! Only two bikes are allowed on the bus rack at one time which means that we would lose a lot of time if we brought our bikes while waiting for so many buses to come. (I already hate waiting for one!!)

I also went to City Hall and learned about another unusual smelly dirty sort of transportation: the sewage pipes! There’s new one they’re building in LO which we can visit. So what makes the steaming meditation balls in the sewage pipes? All the food and water that comes into the city and our homes. So are we interested in learning more about how the food gets to Albertsons? We could ask them for a tour of their loading docks for their trucks … interested?

The swim park, which we can walk to from town, is open til 6pm … sound fun? Do we have the time?

By the way, there is a submarine at OMSI (and other space shuttle models etc). Our family has a membership which could get us all in for free but we might need to still pay for the submarine.

Do you still want to go to the airport Austin?

Where are we going to start from???

See you soon, can’t wait,
Amiel

team

Everbudy on the team please suggest a meeting place for this advencher!

Hola, I was checking out the tri-met websight and there is an all day pass for $4.75 that covers Bus/Max/WES/Streetcar . I also looked up the OHSU tram and found out that you have to buy a round trip pass( unless you are a patient/or work there) and it costs $4.00. Does any one know any doctors that work up there that might be generous with a few passes? My mom can't help by being a chapperone if we go on Monday but I am available. My mom has Tuesday off and would be willing to do it then. See you tonight.

Hi, It's me, Alexa. Yay, I can post now. Since I can't come to the Outward Bound trip on Sunday Coach Sue suggested an alternate date of Monday at 10 AM. Can the rest of the team make it then? Since there are only five people on our team I think it's really important that we make a date that we can all come too. If it doesn't work out this time, let's keep that in mind for next time we schedule something.

trimet's new line

trimet is going to opean a new line called the greeen line it goes from Clackamas town center to Portland city cente. But it opeans on september 12. if you want to find out more go to http://trimet.org/maxgreenline/

Where in the World?

This is a Map of the routes that WES/Max travel along. You can see it at http://ride.trimet.org/

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also I think (for our "Outward Bound" trip) we should bring:
~$5 (obviously)
~Food/Snacks
~A Camera/Camcorder
~Cell Phones or Walkie Talkies
~A Map

And we try to go see:
~PGE Park
~Poineer Square
~OHSU
~OMSI
~Rose Quarter
~PDX (Airport) [Maybe...]

And, I think we should video tape our entire journey as well as take a group picture (And maybe a souvenir!) in front of all the landmarks mentioned above. ↑↑↑

By the way, the WES doesn't run on weekends

~Austin~

Transportation lightbulbs for OB

Hey Team!!

Thanks to Jeffery and Alexa for agreeing to the Outward Bound ideas.

Well I found a big list of transportation ideas in Lake Oswego near Tillimook Ice Cream.

They are:

Trains -- there's even a special old trolley car that goes to/from Portland
Busses
There's a roundabout...
Bikes - there are some electric bikes at the Bike Gallery. (they are really cool)
(Vesta Motercycles, scooters - another store with those. We might be too young but we could look around and maybe not travel anywhere?)
Swimming in the lake - open from 12 to 6.
Boats - my Mom and I have a meambership to an easment at the lake with our kayak and our neibor has another motorboat so perhaps we could ask him.
Bridge over the lake.
Police department - They can do rides. I'll go down there to see what they can do. We would have to book it I think.
Fire department - same.

So there are some ideas around lake oswego alone.

Do you have any additions?
Amiel

Meeting times.

We will be meeting Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:30 at my house. Hope this works for everyone.

Outward Bound?

Another one of my crazy ideas coming up ...

Do you remember our conversation that first meeting about transport systems in Portland? How many forms of transportation have you guys actually used in the city? Other than your car? How far do you think we could travel on just $5 using as many transport options as possible?

Anyone fancy taking this challenge on, while ending up for ice cream at Tillamooks in Lake Oswego (assuming we find our way back successfully)?

If so, I've found the sponsor who'll contribute our $5 each: we'd need to organize this entirely ourselves and decide on a day we can all make when at least one parent is available to join us. My Mom would be happy to help out.

So do we want to challenge ourselves to see many different ways we can transport ourselves around the city and how far we can go on just $5? Could be a fun way to get into the transport topic more actively and have fun as a team at the same time.

So what do you think?
Amiel

Where was everybody?

Thanks Mitch and Amiel for making it. All the board pieces are almost complete. Here is a link to show what a completed board looks like.

http://www.majhost.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=208826

See you on Tuesday!

it is going to be a great year!

:)

Clunkers for WHO?

Hi Everybody!

Thought I'd begin some transport discussions ....

So, has anyone heard of "Cash for Clunkers"? You get $4000 if you trade in an old, inefficient car for a newer one that gets at least 4 miles per gallon better fuel efficiency.

Do you think that's a good deal? For the climate, the tax payers or the buyers?
Apparently it'salmost sold out in a week . Why?

Great meeting you all!

See you tomorrow,
Amiel

New Mindstorms nxt 2.0

Well it was at the Washington Square LEGO store, then it followed me home. The new LEGO Mindstorms nxt 2.0. I'll have it at the next meeting.

Shock N' Bots [Insert Idea Here]

Hello everyone, how are you all doing?

I really want to take advantage of this whole "Blog" thing, so I thought instead of using up time at our next meeting to decide on a name, we could do it here!

So at the first meeting I heard the to names,
Shock N' Bots: Home Edition (or Small Business, Home and Office, Corporate, etc.)
Shock N' Bots: Turbo Boost

If anyone would like to vote on these two names or submit their own, please don't be shy, speak up, we can't actually hear you anyway.

~Austin~