| |
In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Steve Hassenplug wrote:
> However, I think it's a shame when the "outside" community comes to you, and
> you're still not willing to consider doing anything that could be good for the
> whole LEGO Mindstorms community, even if it takes little or no extra effort from
> you.
Oh Steve, why do you have to drag us into this? Is it your selfordained role as
"The Fresh New Face of Lego Mindstorms" that requires you to gush prolific on
"building community"?
Lego, despite attempts to make it otherwise, is not a virtual pasttime. It's
not like contributing patches to Linux or snarking on last night's Survivor
bootee. It's a physical thing, like hotrodding cars or windsurfing.
Mindstorms events are by nature face to face meetings, which happen locally.
You've got to put the robots on a table together in a room. You can run them
nationally (like FLL) but it requires a lot of work, or you can run them
virtually (like "Everyone go home and time themselves running a lap on a test
chart") but then turn out pathetic and no fun at all.
So by nature, what we do is LOCAL. We have a group of people with experience, and a certain culture which persists in our area. The events we run service our members, because it's what THEY want, not what some guy in Indiana or New York wants, not what some guy in Germany wants, but what people who will be attending in our AREA want. They craft the event with their ideas, the event becomes reality in their hands.
95% of the people in rtlToronto cannot go to BrickFest due to having commitments
like jobs and family. Those who regularly go, go to be part of the social
aspect, to meet up with people, to see the sights. Or to bring their
non-Technic/MS creations for show. So if you look at it from our perspective,
running an event nationally means:
a) Eroding what we want for someone else's requirements elsewhere
b) Setting up a game for something we're not going to participate in
Does that sound like rtlToronto is a bunch of selfish jerks? Yeah, I guess, you
could take it like that. But it's awfully hard to think about the rest of the
world's issues when I'm trying my best to run my own group's affairs. Half the
time I can't even get the people at the table at Swiss Chalet to agree on
something. Note the meeting "minutes" where I was head on the table having a
headache.
If I were paid to "build community" for the global Mindstorms fan base, then
sure, I'd probably do something like organize a BrickFest or similar
international event. But frankly, I just don't have enough hours in the day to
do that on my own.
Now, over to the issue of "doing good". If "doing good" gets you free product
and your face on the cover of Wired, then that sounds like a great deal. The
most we can do is run the best contests we can, the way we know how. If that's
our failing, then that's fine with me.
> It would have been nice to make a challenge that's bigger than one club, group
> or event, because I know how popular things like the GBC have become all over
> the world. But it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Oh, well.
You know, if that floats your boat, then that's fantastic.
Calum
|
|
Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Tug of war ??
|
| (...) I apologize for the attempt to include you. I understand why you would suggest this is entirely my doing, and I don't have a problem with that. (...) This seems to assume: A) "Someone else's" requirements are different from yours. B) (...) (19 years ago, 22-Mar-06, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto)
|
Message is in Reply To:
| | Tug of war ??
|
| Chris and Calum, You guys have done a fine job of creating and running events for your group, but you've both made it clear that rtl is not interested in contributing or participating with the Mindstorms community outside your little group. And (...) (19 years ago, 22-Mar-06, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto)
|
15 Messages in This Thread:
  
- Entire Thread on One Page:
- Nested:
All | Brief | Compact | Dots
Linear:
All | Brief | Compact
This Message and its Replies on One Page:
- Nested:
All | Brief | Compact | Dots
Linear:
All | Brief | Compact
|
|
|
|
