Temporal Anomalies and TCAA Brogan

This message was actually posted 7 days ago. Due to a temporal anomaly, this message was delayed in transit when one of the routers it was passing through temporarily phased out of sync with the rest of the Internet. For reference, please see the proceedings in the International Journal of Temporal Physics, where the truth of this event is proven with Science.

Jacob Brogan is a new member of our blog. He is a talented writer, with an extensive resume:

Jacob Brogan
Once, in the Seattle Times, he was entitled The Charming And Articulate.

Thank you for your time, we now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

The Grand Game

This past summer, when Jacob and I were procrastinating from our jobs, we would exchange fun links on The Internet to pass the time. Coincidentally, the Will Smith movie I, Robot debutted at about that same time. I loved Isaac Asimov's brilliant and thoughtful robot stories as a child, so this movie which turned them into an action extravaganza disturbed me to my very core.

Of course, that meant that Jacob just had to start trying to send me to the website with innocuously named links like this one, so as to cause my eyes to burn with the fire of a thousand suns. I mounted retaliatory strikes, and soon a new contest was born.

I Robot Movie Dot Com Game:

The goal of the game is to cause the other person to experience the I, Robot Movie website (or other paraphenalia). Points are scored for each exposure. A running scoreboard can be found here.

Bachelor of Robots

When I become famous and have lots and lots of money, I am going to found a school of engineering. And my school will be the awesomist school ever to be awesome, because the only degrees it will issue will be a Bachelor of Robots and Doctorate of Robotology. I have it all planned out.

Wait! Don't leave yet. I'm totally serious!

Yale has this program called Directed Studies (DS for short) where all the humanities people go to be educated in the classics; it makes up nearly your full courseload for freshman year as you get the full cannon in Literature, History, and Philosophy. Now, this program is pretty cool, but does not offer much for those of us of a more technically inclined bent. What if you had a program for...Directed Robots?

The essence of the program is this: by the end of senior year, you will have designed and produced a robot completely from scratch. I'm talking turning ore into R2D2 here.

A sample course schedule:
Freshman year: Multivariable calculus and linear algebra, Electrical, Mechanical, and Computer Engineering.
Result: Ability to produce very simple robot from standard parts.
Sophomore year: Discrete math, Stochastic processes, Processor design, Metallurgy
Result: Ability to manufacture simple parts and design complex ones, firm mathematical basis
Junior year: Processor fabrication, Artificial intelligence, Dynamical systems
Result: Ability to manufacture complex parts, design and implement advanced robot control systems. Your first robot is complete.
Senior year: Specialize in one of three disciplines: Actuators, sensors, or intelligent control systems. Courses in your specialization.
Result: Working collaboratively with students from the other disciplines, produce your senior project robot. Get your BR.

I think you probably have to fit some teaching on thought outside of engineering in with these things, but it would be fantastic either way.