Teaser Date and Time

The teaser for the 2020 season will be released during a special show on Twitch at 7 PM Eastern Time, Thursday, September 12. If things go as planned, the show will be broadcast from a very special location. I’ve seen a near-final version of the teaser, and I’ve got two words: Wicked. Goosebumps. Start getting those teaser release party plans ready! You know what food goes great with a teaser release party? Pizza!*

Safety Animation Award sponsored by UL

Our friends at UL are once again sponsoring the Safety Animation Award. Submissions open on October 24 and close at 3 PM Eastern Time on Thursday, December 5. Late submissions will not be accepted, so be sure to submit on time, or even better, early! The theme this year is environmental sustainability and includes the concepts of responsible production and consumption. It may seem like a stretch to put sustainability under the umbrella of safety but think about this in the very long term. Our current habits of production and consumption will affect the health and safety of future inhabitants of this planet for generations.

Speaking of sustainability, the Green Team at FIRST HQ shared with me some interesting stats about the waste we’ll be eliminating by getting rid of the bag and retiring Stop Build Day:

An estimated 8,200 bags would have been ordered for the 2020 season. This translates to:

1 bag = 2.4 lbs (1.09 kg) 8,200 bags = 19,680 lbs (8,926.7 kg) 1 Prius = 2,921 lbs (1,324.9 kg) 8,200 bags = ~6 Prii** 2019 Cargo Ship = ~400 lbs (181.4 kg) 8,200 bags = ~49 Cargo Ships 1 FRC Robot = ~ 125 lbs (56.7 kg) 8,200 lbs = ~157 FRC Robots



We’re not pretending that FIRST Robotics Competition is a model of what it means to be a green organization, but I was happy to see the impact this one change is making.

Medals

Check out the medals for INFINITE RECHARGE!

Frank

* Also great for other significant events in your life like birthdays, weddings, and breakfast.

**It’s a thing.