Daily Archives: October 27, 2013

BEST Robotics

On Saturday, October 26, 2013 a West Ridge team went and competed in a robotics competition. The program that organizes this is called BEST(Boost Engineering Science and Technology). This is a national project. There are many hubs (smaller regions within the regions of the country). Our hub is called Capitol BEST. We have 42 days to build a robot out of specified raw material. We also have to create a project notebook, a website, a display, fundraise, and show spirit and  sportsmanship during the competition. There is a theme each year and this year the theme was to “build a CPU” for another robot. Of course we didn’t build a real CPU, but we hat to carry game pieces and place them on certain spots. We tried our best and placed fourth in the finals. BEST also judges us based on the other aspects mentioned above and compile them to give the highest award called the BEST award. Last year we got third in that award, but this year we received first. We will be competing at region level (parts of New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma, and all of Texas) in Dallas on Nov. 8 and 9. Wish us luck!

At the end of each competition at state BEST shows a game teaser, hinting what the theme of the competition will be next year. This video was the game teaser shown last year for this year’s competition. A lot of times the game teaser makes no sense until they reveal the competition on kickoff day.

This is an animation made by BEST of this year’s contest.

Halloween Night: The Cat on the Porch


The porch was empty. There was nothing except for the spiders that called it home. Nothing else, other than the cat as black as this Halloween night.

It crept along the shadows without so much as a noise. Like a ghost it roamed the porch and the house behind it. No one ever went on the porch or inside the house. Those who did, never came out. No one ever saw what happened to these people, but we know that they that went inside the house bored and were looking for adventure.

Some people have claimed to see the cat. The claim the cat to look well-fed and translucent, almost as if it were a ghost. But it wasn’t a ghost because there is no such thing as a ghost, right??? Nobody has been able to prove their claims because after they describe the cat to someone, they lose all the sanity.

858 EyesCreative Commons LicensePhoto Credit: nebojsa mladjenovic via Compfight