Reaction to Battlebots Episode 5

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Episode 5 was by far, the best episode of this ongoing season and is the very model of a great Battlebot episode. All the battles were brutal, vicious, and evenly matched. There were upsets, there was fire, and there was carnage. I was wrong that there was going to be one thrilling bout in my last article, there were four. Let’s take a look at this episode and understand why it’s the probably the best Battlebots episode ever.

Episode 5 wouldn’t be the stellar episode that it was if it wasn’t for the superb buildup to this point. By now, all these robots have won at least one battle and are qualified veterans in the Battlebox. The fact that favorites were fighting favorites had me on edge for the entire episode, something that Episodes 1 through 4 haven’t fully achieved. But four bots had to win and four bots had to lose, let’s check out these glorious, and at the same time bittersweet, fights.

Stinger the Killer Bee vs. Bronco

Ah! My heart! It weeps for Stinger. The builders were great people (you can’t help but love this couple) and their robot was spunky and fierce. Nonetheless! This battle was fantastic!

First off, I love that bit before the battle began where Stinger blew fire and Bronco flipped his massive arm. That was definitely like something from a wrestlers’ match where the fighters intimidated the opponents and please the crowd. Love it.

Then these rectangular bots inched their way around each other trying to find a good spot in. But once Bronco came in, the hits started flying and the robots were just going at each other. I thought Bronco was done for when it got on the screws but man, that was funny seeing him just ride those rails! Anyway, a nice strong and showy appearance by Stinger should be worth noted but it didn’t stop Bronco who flipped him out of the area. GOD! THAT WAS NUTS! Flames were everywhere! It looked like Stinger just exploded with fire! You couldn’t even see him when he got knocked out! It looked like Hell just opened up and swallowed Stinger whole!

Both of these bots came out relatively unscathed though by the looks of it which is great for Bronco cause he’s going to need that to fight Tombstone in the next round.

Also, huge shout out to Stinger, I love you guys, you’re the best and I hope to see you again next year!

Tombstone vs. Witch Doctor

Speaking of which, let’s talk about one of the most surprisingly matches in the evening. I got to say, I did not expect that from Witch Doctor even with her minibot out of commission. True, Witch Doctor took down Overdrive handily and that should be mentioned but damn that was something else! Witch Doctor has certainly proven one thing and that’s Tombstone is only a robot and not a god.

But I LOVE THIS BATTLE. Their first contact was a direct hit between their respective spinners and they just go flying and we just keep it up with that crazy energy for the rest of the battle even when Witch Doctor’s weapon went out of commission. Rewatching it again, I notice how Witch Doctor was being the more aggressive bot throughout most of that battle. What’s more, she didn’t get flung as far compared to Tombstone who got flipped upside down even. I don’t know how Witch Doctor, which to me did not look very sturdy or strong, was able to keep it up but she did thanks to that awesome weapon and her strong battery ram. God, seeing Tombstone get flung around like that was beautiful.

Unfortunately, that was it, Tombstone could afford to get flung around, but not Witch Doctor. One bad hit and whoops! Flipped onto her back and as helpless as a turtle. But god damn that one minute and forty seconds went by quick.

Also, it’s interesting to see Tombstone’s builder finally breaking his cold, confident exterior and have that nervous, ecstatic joy that he was clearly displaying in the post-match interview. Really goes to show how intense this match was for him.

Biteforce vs. Overhaul

But that intensity just didn’t hold a candle to the Biteforce/Overhaul match. You wouldn’t think that two clamp bots could make a thrilling match but god damn you can be wrong! Several times, I kept thinking how this match was like a battle between two ferocious kaiju with their jaws wide open and their unstoppable tenacity. God, I love those head-on collusions as it was like two monsters trying their damndest to kill the other.

And that match! Jesus, I first thought Biteforce got it but then Overhaul just made that amazing comeback that had even the judges scratching their heads. So why did Biteforce win it in the end despite the strong finish by Overhaul? Well, I think it comes down to one of the four categories; damage, control, strategy, and aggression. I think three of the four categories were fairly even but it was control that probably did it. Biteforce was deciding where Overhaul was going for the majority of the match thanks to those awesome magnetic treads of his. Biteforce was pushing Overhaul everywhere and even getting a few semilifts as well. Overhaul only took control less than a minute left in the match. Even though Overhaul lifted Biteforce entirely off of the ground, something that Biteforce couldn’t achieve, Biteforce still had some great control earlier in the match.  And it’s that control that gave Biteforce the ability to win.

Icewave vs. Ghost Raptor

The upset match for Episode 5 broke my heart but in return, Ghost Raptor finally earned my respect.  Ghost Raptor’s previous two matches were a bit wonky but he finally earned his credentials against the favored number 2 seed Icewave.  Ghost Raptor’s ingenuity and willingness to evolve out did Icewave’s standard, tried-and-true-method.  I had no idea that Ghost Raptor would win this battle, especially the way ABC was setting up this match.  That part where Ghost Raptor’s builders realized that their Deicer was making their bot a bit uncontrollable made me more confident that Ghost Raptor was going to lose.

 

So in the end, all these four battles were great and definitely made this episode fantastic.  It will be very challenging for episode 6 to live up to those kind of standards, especially with the match up between Bronco vs. Tombstone and Biteforce vs. Ghost Raptor.  But who knows!  Maybe we’ll have a Battlebot Rumble like during the CC days.  Now wouldn’t that be a surprise twist?

My First Week as an Intern at Fossil Butte National Monument

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First off, I have to apologize for my infrequent posting on my site but I wanted to let you all know that I have completed my first week as an intern at Fossil Butte National Monument! Long story short, it was amazing and I’m so far having a great time at FOBU. Already, I’m doing many of the things that I always wanted to do as a park ranger (although to be clear I’m not officially one yet). Tours, fossil preparation, hiking, greeting visitors, and finding fossils neatly summarize my first week at FOBU. Now, to be honest, the experience is not all flowers and sage bushes, sometimes, it can get a little slow in the visitor center or at the Research Quarry but that’s not really surprising given FOBU’s status as a lesser known National Monument. In fact, I have already talked to several visitors who only know of the Monument because they were in the area and they wanted to check it out.

Image from http://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery.htm?id=F17B1C64-155D-451F-6765341D9B8E553F

Now, what makes FOBU so special is its status as a Fossil Lagerstätte. A Lagerstätte is a fossil quarry that has either an exceedingly high amount of preserved fossils (like Dinosaur National Monument or La Brea Tar Pits) or fossils that are preserved in exceptional quality (think Burgess Shale). FOBU satisfies both of these categories by having an exceptionally high and diverse amount of fossils (ranging from fish to bats) that are preserved in excellent quality (skin impressions, flowers, feathers, coprolites and even cartilaginous bone). As such, FOBU paints a picture of a world quite different from its modern, semi-arid desert climate. A lake stretched across Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah, known as Fossil Lake, deposited the vast array of fossils. This lake was a semi-tropical paradise and was the home for stingrays, crocodilians, large soft-shelled turtles, early horses, palm trees, ferns, and much more. This diversity helped established FOBU as a national monument and is the reason why I’m here today and writing to you this article. I applied for an internship at a national monument via the GeoCorps program and FOBU was one of the monuments I had chosen. I had actually visited FOBU years ago and became reacquainted with it when I took a Fossil Ecosystems course last year and learned about its vast diversity. Needless to say, I was pretty stoked when I got offered the position. SO Here’s a list of the things that I have done and noticed in no particular order

-I started working on a fish at the fossil preparation lab. The setup is arranged so that visitors can see your work on a tv screen and personally ask you questions about what you’re doing. I’ve never worked on fish before so it was a bit awkward at first but now I’m getting the hang of it. It will be awhile before I get actually good at it though.

-I sworn in my first Junior Ranger! Her name was Sarah and I believe she was six.

-Most common question at the visitor center is “Where’s the bathroom” haha

-I never used a cash register before so that is surprisingly one of the more stressful things to learn although I’m somewhat used to it now.

Mioplosus Fossil

-Got to give some mini tours at the Historic Quarry and show some excited visitors some freshly excavated fossil fish. That was awesome. I even got a photo holding up one of the fish with some children. I even found a fish eating another fish! That was rad (although I didn’t notice that at first due to the fossil’s state).

Research Qua

-On Fridays and Saturdays, I work with another colleague at the Research Quarry although we only work when there are guests present. We have to protect and preserve the monument but at the same time we have to interpret and demonstrate paleontology so it becomes a bit of a paradox. When guests aren’t at the Research Quarry, we have to sit and wait for them to come up before we can continue.

-Saturday morning I gave my first two tours to a rock group from Logan, Wyoming. I eagerly volunteered for the tour and gave my whole schpeal to them. I got a round of applause from them at the end that, whether done sympathetically or not, was nonetheless appreciated! Some of the visitors told me that I did a good job afterwards. I still have things to improve on (I kind of faltered at the bird and plant fossils) but I thought I did a pretty good job overall. It was fuuuuun.

-It’s been surprisingly cool and rainy here. I have to sometime wear jackets in the middle of the day and it can get to the low fifties at night. I was told it was quite hot before I arrived.

-I’ve been cramming as much knowledge as I can about this place. Geologic history, park history, species’ names, or where to eat in Kemmerer, it’s kind of intense but at the same time, it’s easy to do considering I’m constantly exposed to the information. This video succinctly summarizes my view of the whole thing. Fossil Butte View -We can hike off trail so I’ve been doing that more and more. I’m not exaggerating too much when I say that no matter where you hike in FOBU, you’re going to get a good view.

-Kemmerer, the nearby small town, has expensive grocery food but the liquor is at a reasonable price, take that for what you will.

-I live in fear of running over the cute, fat prairie dogs. They stand by the side of the road, on the verge or running across the street despite the approaching vehicles.

-Internet is very scattered out here but I can get wireless access at the local public library and, of all places, a Mexican restaurant called Taco Time. God bless you Taco Time and your so-so burritos. That’s all for now! I’ll write updates every now about my experiences here and I will try my best to continue on my usual articles. Until next time!

Predictions to Battlebots Episode 5

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With the quarterfinals underway, we are left with only robots that have won at least one battle.  All of the 8 robots left have proven themselves (well…with the exception of Ghost Raptor) in one form or another.  These four battles left should be wonderful and I’m looking forward to them.  We still have a variety of robots left so the rock-paper-scissors format is still going strong.  Without further ado, here’s who I think will win.

Image from http://battlebots.com/robot/tombstone/

Tombstone vs. Witch Doctor-Tombstone wins by KO in about two minutes

In what may be Tombstone’s first actual fight, we see him go up against the wildcard, multibot Witch Doctor. Witch Doctor proved herself to be a strong competitor in the last round where she dent, chip, and toss around Overdrive in a surprisingly one-sided match. I don’t think Tombstone will mess around anymore and will go out swinging against Witch Doctor. Small that Witch Doctor’s chances of winning are, she still has a greater probability of winning than either Radioactive or Counter Revolution. If Witch Doctor can get behind Tombstone quickly and chip away at its backside, the battle may swing in her favor.   However, all it takes for Tombstone to win is to swing around and whack Witch Doctor with one hit. Witch Doctor could easily go down in one hit and definitely after several. For Witch Doctor to win, she will need her flame bot to distract. Teamwork is essential here.

Image from http://battlebots.com/robot/icewave/

Icewave vs. Ghost Raptor-Icewave Wins by KO in less than a minute

Ghost Raptor limped through his victories by being slightly better than his struggling opponents. With a barely functioning lifting arm, Ghostraptor will be hard press to stop Icewave’s rotating blade without being heavily damaged in the process. Icewave won its last two rounds by KOs so we can expect a similar result here. Ghostraptor’s lucky streak ends now.

Image from http://battlebots.com/robot/bite-force/

Biteforce vs. Overhaul-Biteforce wins by Judges’ Decision

We have yet to see Overhaul fight another bot so this fight is harder to predict. However, I think Biteforce has the best chance of winning thanks to those awesome magnetic treads and fantastic clamping arm. Biteforce tossed Warhead around in its first bout and had a great battle in its second round against Hypershock that really cements how good its driver is. I even wrote in my previous article how Hypershock would win that battle but nope! Not a chance. Overhaul, although a respectable robot, I do not think has the dexterity needed to grab Biteforce but he does have a strong drive. Whether or not that drive is strong enough against Biteforce’s magnetic treads we’ll just have to wait and see…

Image from http://battlebots.com/robot/stinger/

Bronco vs. Stinger-Stinger wins by Judges’ Decision in a thrilling bout

Of all the battles for tonight’s episode to watch out for, this is the one. Whoever wins this battle will likely fight Tombstone in the next round and can deliver the upset needed against that monster. Both drivers have proven without a doubt that they have the strength, the drive, the tactics, and the balls to win their battles. Stinger the Killer Bee has really shown itself to be the rising star of Season 6 thanks to its fantastic driving ability, great design, and its resolve to win. Bronco, however, has upheld itself worthy of being Toro’s son thanks to that beautiful flip delivered against Plan X. The question to ask though is; What happens when a Flipping Robot fights an Unflippable Robot?

Stringer is by far the worse robot out of the eight competitors left for Bronco to fight. Some of them, like Biteforce or Overhaul, can flip themselves after a few tries but others, like Icewave and Tombstone, have no ability whatsoever to right themselves. But Stinger! Oh, Stinger! He can drive easily upside down and that great shovel arm can right himself like that! He’s so energetic like a bouncing prize fighter! I can easily imagine Stinger just pushing Bronco all over the place and maybe lift him up a few times as well.

It’s not all bad news for Bronco though. I call upon the middleweight fight between T-minus vs. T-wrecks as my example of how a flipping robot can defeat an unflippable robot. T-minus (who was also built by Bronco’s builders) just kept flipping T-wrecks around and kept showing him who was boss. He was aggressive, he was accurate, and he never let up even though there was no point in it. The crowds loved it and the judges gave it to the strong T-minus for its aggressive nature. If Bronco can call upon his uncle’s spirit and fight Stinger like that then he can win.

I give it to Stinger in the end though but either way, this battle is going to be awesome.

Prediction to Battlebots Episode 4

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Episode 3 of Battlebots was a return to form and more as we enter into Part 1 of the Sixteen Round. Most of everything that episode 2 did wrong or was lacking in was improved on drastically for this episode and will, hopefully, continue to achieve this level of quality from here on out. I dare even say that this episode was almost the quintessential episode of Battlebots.

First off, the filler in this episode was better managed as not only are we treated to a basic recap of the robot’s battles but we get a look into the builders’ strategies for their upcoming battles. Plus, a special bonus is given by the amount of time spent on the builders repairing their robots, something that the Comedy Central-era Battlebots often neglected. Although their repairs are briefly summarized, there is a sense of urgency, especially for Icewave and its overheated battery, for the builders to make sure their robot is properly working by their next round. I like it.

But of course, the battles are a great part of what makes this episode great so let’s talk about them.

Icewave vs. Chomp

Fire is not melting Icewave any time soon! But seriously, even when taking a face full of flame, Icewave came out of that battle relatively unscathed. That was another fun Icewave demolition and kudos for Chomp for hanging in there despite its losing battle.

Stinger vs. Warhead

I speak from the heart when I say this battle is what Battlebots is all about. No deceit or treachery like Complete Control vs. Ghost Raptor, no hard feelings or complaining like Lock Jaw vs. Overhaul, and it lasted the full three minutes unlike Bronco vs. Plan X. Even though Stinger had the battle right from the start, the fact that Stinger willingly flipped Warhead right side up just so they could fight some more is something very special. Warhead could have easily chipped or damaged Stinger some more but the builders didn’t care, they just wanted a fight! And the builders were so happy at the end and they shook hands and everything! Gosh, this battle was great!

Ghost Raptor vs. Warrior Clan

Sometimes, the worst enemy in the battlebox is yourself.

What a sad, sad, battle. Warrior Clan not being able to flip and Ghost Raptor rigged into a lifting bot. Once again, Ghost Raptor limps through another victory. I’m not going to lie, I’m looking forward to Icewave demolishing Ghost Raptor in the next round.

http://gfycat.com/SatisfiedLoneGhostshrimp

Bronco vs. Plan X

Wow, my prediction of two minutes was way too high, it took ten seconds. My search terms for my last article were mainly about “Bronco” or “Bronco Flip.” God, that was probably the most beautiful flip in Battlebots history. So graceful, so elegant, so perfect. One Flip.

View post on imgur.com

EPISODE 4 PREDICTIONS

Episode 4 has some interesting battles coming out; we have a rematch, we’ll probably have a one-sided battle, and we have some battles that could really determine who gets the nut. Let’s check them out.

  Image from http://battlebots.com/robot/tombstone/

Tombstone vs. Radioactive-Tombstone wins by KO in less than a minute

Radioactive won because the other robot wasn’t working. Tombstone won because it utterly dismantled its opponent. Unless Tombstone faces some unforeseen mechanical error, it will win against Radioactive and its pitiful hammer, sorry Radioactive, at least you seem like a bot that will be fun to watch getting destroyed.

Image from http://battlebots.com/robot/22898/

Overhaul vs. Lockjaw-Overhaul wins by split judges’ decision

As unfortunate as it is to see these two robots battle each other again, at least Overhaul will have a chance at some clamping revenge. I think Overhaul is the stronger robot and will be able to fix its strategy from last time to take control of the fight. Still, it will be difficult for it considering how agile and durable Lockjaw is. Lockjaw will win if its aggressive, Overhaul will win if it can throw Lockjaw a bit. Either way, it should be a close battle.

Image from http://battlebots.com/robot/hypershock/

Hypershock vs. Biteforce-Hypershock wins by judges’ decision

We only saw a glimpse of Hypershock and its rotating drum. I feel like it will have a leg up over Biteforce and be able to really give it some damage unlike Warhead which seemed to have only nicked it. Still though, Biteforce looks like a competent robot so I wouldn’t be surprised if it won. In all honesty, since we have seen very little of Biteforce it’s hard to predict this battle so we’ll just have to wait and see what he brings to the battlebox.

Image from http://battlebots.com/robot/overdrive/

Overdrive vs. Witch Doctor-Overdrive wins by judges’ decision

My friends! THIS is the battle to watch! I guarantee it! Why?? Because whoever wins this battle will (very likely) face Tombstone in the next round. Now, in my heart, I think Witch Doctor can actually win against Overdrive but I really, really, want Overdrive to win simply because he is probably the most agile and speedy robot in the competition. If Overdrive can just keep out-maneuvering Witch Doctor and her minibot, and keep shoving them against the screws, he’ll win. However, Witch Doctor has that spinning drum that looks like it can do some serious damage.

HERE’S THE THING. If Witch Doctor wins, she will lose the next round against Tombstone. BUT, if Overdrive wins, then we can have an interesting battle. Overdrive would be the first, serious, contender against Tombstone. Overdrive has the agility and the capability to take him down. I seriously hope he faces Tombstone because that will be awesome. This will be a good battle either way even not factoring in Tombstone.

 

Can’t wait for tonight!

Fight Predictions For Battlebots Episode 3

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Tonight’s Battlebots episode is a special one for me as this will be the first time I can predict who might win each battle.  Battlebots in seasons past has never showed the brackets for the upcoming episodes so you are usually informed who’s fighting who a minute before the match starts.

And now that we have seen (mostly) all the robots in action we can predict who might beat who!  So, using my historical Battlebots knowledge and my impression for each of the fighters, here are my predictions.

Image from http://battlebots.com/robot/stinger/

Stinger vs. Warhead-Stinger Wins by Judges Decision

Warhead fought Bite Force in the previous round and lost to it by judges decision.  Stinger actually won its battle against a full body spinner and came out almost unscathed.  Stinger will push Warhead around, probably get knocked around a bit by the spinning drum but will ultimately be the stronger, more sturdy contender.

image from http://battlebots.com/robot/bronco/

Bronco vs. Plan X-Bronco wins by KO in about a minute and half

Bronco has a fast and strong flipping arm while Plan X is a one sided (aka can’t work on its back) robot.  The minibots might distract Bronco but it fought Witch Doctor in the last round and still won.  Plan X also got dismantled hard by Wrecks which makes me think it’s not a sturdy robot.  All Bronco has to do is come in behind and get the flip.  Might take a few tries but it will get it.

Image from http://battlebots.com/robot/warrior-clan/

Warrior Clan vs. Ghost Raptor-Warrior Clan wins by KO in a minute

Ghost Raptor did not impress in the previous round (even not counting the entanglement).  Warrior Clan was able to flip Nightmare and it will do it again for Ghost Raptor.  The minibots will distract Ghost Raptor and Warrior Clan will slide on in and give it a nice good flip.  Easy KO.  And I might be wrong but I don’t think the spinning blade is low enough to hit Warrior Clan but we’ll see.

Image from http://battlebots.com/robot/icewave/

Icewave vs. Chomp-Icewave wins by Judges Decision

Icewave is certainly a sturdy robot has shown in its battle against Razorback but I’m willing to bet that Chomp will be able to tank the hits and keep on coming.  Truth be told, this battle I’m most unsure about who will win as I can easily imagine Chomp tanking Icewaves hits, grab onto it and take it for a ride.  I can also imagine Icewave’s blade incapacitated after one too many bad hits.  Regardless, I still lean towards Icewave as I can imagine it to do enough damage to win the Judges over.

Can’t wait for tonight!

Reaction to ABC Battlebots Episode 2

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Hmm.

To be frank I was disappointed in this episode but probably not the reason you think.

In my last Battlebots article I gushed how in this new series, we get to spend more time looking at the builder’s personal lives and strategy thanks to the smaller amount of contestants.  The fights were for the full time and not given brief clips.  However, this episode I was disappointed as ABC decided to show four full battles and cram four more in by showing just clips, thereby keeping the Qualifying episodes to just two and not three episodes.

First off, I thought that was disrespectful to the builders and especially to the winning teams. I want to learn about who they are, their background, and their thought process behind building their robot.  Second, I want to see the full fight!  I want to see the full battles regardless if it was exciting or not.  Third, I feel like ABC is already revealing which robots are going to lose in the next round because of their minute coverage on these bots.  Why should I care about Chomp, Overdrive, or Stinger?  You have given me no reason why I should care about them.

Sorry, this bothers me a lot.

Okay, with that said, the fights!

Lockjaw vs. Overhaul

Oh boy!  What a fight to begin this episode!  I love, love, love, love Donald Hutson.  Creative, kind, and mellow, he’s probably the most humble out of all the veteran competitors.  Yeah, that last hit by him after the buzzer raised some eyebrows but I believe he was sincere in his apology.  And Lockjaw!  He’s like the son of Dissector but more agile and colorful!  I like it!  Though I am concerned how effective Lockjaw is, it doesn’t seem strong and it doesn’t have any weapons to bash his opponents with.  Maybe it will do better in the next round.  And Overhaul is not bad either, I respect those MIT kids.  They have that dorky, awkward look about them that a lot of builders have.  They did a good job as well.

Bronco vs. Witch Doctor

If the Screws keep KOing robots they might as well be rewarded with the Giant Nut am I right folks?  Screws aside, BRONCOOOOOO.  YES, I was a fan of Toro and T-minus in the original series so seeing their prodigy just flip some shit I was happy.  If Bronco is like his ancestors then he might upset some spinners!  Witch Doctor has a neat flamethrower and I guess a cool vertical spinner but it didn’t really do much to Bronco I thought.  Still a cool fight though.

Tombstone vs. Counter Revolution

If a vertical spinner fights a horizontal spinner, the horizontal spinner wins, that’s like a fact of life in Battlebots.  But this…jesus.  That was great!  Seeing those parts go flying was amazing and made me giddy.  And man, ABC was really laying it on thick how badass Ray Billings and his robot are.  Haha, gotta love the bowling ball destruction bit, though.

Complete Control vs. Ghost Raptor

Very controversial match, I daresay.  But let me just stop there and say, wow, the builders for Complete Control look like real douchbags with their shiny jackets, beards and smirks.  Damn, not saying they are mind you but they sure do dressed the part.  Entanglements aside this was a disappointing battle for both robots.  Neither of them should have advanced. Complete Control wasn’t doing what it did best and throw a robot around the match while Ghost Raptor’s blade broke, seriously?  You main weapon snapped off?  That’s sad.  I would have rather seen Overdrive and Chomp’s battle than this one.

Summarized battles.

Didn’t get a good look at all the battles or the robots but I like the looks of Stinger and Overdrive, I hope they do well in their next battle.  Radioactive was a joke though.  Seriously, its hammer looked like it was doing no damage and the only reason why it won was that the other robot was facing technical errors!  Unless, I’m missing something big, Radioactive is going to lose next round.

Wildcards

Overhaul made sense as it did a good job against Lockjaw.  Chomp I can’t honestly judge since we just got a clip of it but Warhead…really?  He barely did anything to Biteforce!  Same goes for Witch Doctor!  Granted, they weren’t bad or anything but they certainly didn’t deserve a wildcard.  I would have given it to either Nightmare or Wrecks.  Confused why Warhead got the wildcard, I did a little digging though and found a Reddit AMA for a builder on Team Mohawk who says “It’s a mix of whether a losing team is able to get their robot fixed in time, whether they want to be considered as a wild card, and what would make for the best match ups later on.”  Hm, seems a bit odd to me but I can totally understand the part about a robot functioning properly.  If an important part were to be severely damaged during the fight, you would probably throw in the towel because you couldn’t replace it.  You can read the original interview on reddit here.  http://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/3bgqcd/mohawk_robot_team_member_here_ama/

Who would win?

Everyone on reddit and elsewhere is crying Tombstone and I agree that he has a good chance.  I would actually love to see Icewave fight Tombstone, that would be awesome!  Icewave and Tombstone horizontal spinners would destroy the other before the match is over and I seriously think Icewave has the chance in beating him.

Who else could be Tombstone’s foil though?  If we look at the history of Battlebots we come across the many-time Middleweight champion Hazard, a horizontal spinning robot.  The amount of robots Hazard has KO’d is staggering but it finally fell in Season 5 against T-minus, a flipping robot.  Check it out below.

Spinners have that problem of stability.  If they’re flipped over even once, they’re done.  So if Tombstone faces a flipping robot that can get a quick flip in, it’s a KO.  Bronco is the first that comes to mind and in all honesty, if they put in a flipper extension, they can beat Tombstone (plus, the builders were the same guys that built T-Minus).  Warrior Clan is also a good candidate, perhaps the multibot can use its minibots as a distraction before coming in and flipping Tombstone.

Tombstone also doesn’t look like a very fast robot and when you factor in its one-sided spinning blade, you got a robot with some big weak spots.  A durable and agile robot would be able to bring Tombstone down.  In this case, I’m looking at Stinger and Overdrive who both have shown to be durable and surprisingly quick.  I honestly think they have a shot in beating Tombstone.

The other two potential winners I would bet on would be Icewave and Bronco.  Icewave’s blade doesn’t do a lot of damage but it can spin up fast and keep spinning despite delivering heavy blow after blow (something that a lot of robots have trouble with *coughGhostRaptorcough*).  Bronco’s crazy flipping arm could also incapacitate robots, especially if he flips them onto those crazy screws.

That’s all for now, looking forward to, hopefully, full battles in the next episode!

 

Screaming Nostalgia: Waiting for the Cicadas to Return

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Nothing screams nostalgia like cicadas for me.

Yes, that’s right, the 17 year cicadas (Brood IV) have returned to my hometown in Kansas.  Although their love screeching has died down only last week, I already miss them dearly.  I was eight years old when they last showed up and I was terrified of them.  I remember their cries and I remember their shells, but most importantly, I remember being pelted by them the moment I stepped outside.  I was terrified of them as you couldn’t go a meter before a cicada would fly haphazardly into your face like a drunken moth.  I refused to go outside after the first few attempts.

It’s funny that pure, childhood terror has transformed into complete fascination with life’s derpy animals.  I love the hell out of these guys whether they are the seventeen year or the annual brood (the “dog days” cicadas) that we get.  Summer doesn’t seem right without these animals filling the humid evenings with their songs.

My love for them have even transcended over to video games to which I’m of course referring to the Pokémon; Nincada and its evolutions Ninjask and Shedinja.  When I first played Pokémon Sapphire I would train a Nincada briefly (unique typing at the time) and would eventually move onto other Pokémon for my team.  In the Generation 6 games, I trained him again only this time training both Ninjask and Shedinja.

The fact that Ninjasks’ ability is “Speed Boost” makes it so funny in my head just imagining this huge cicada flying around all over the place and bumping into things. MEEEEEP.  Image from bulbapedia.

The Nincada evolutionary line is the Pokémonified perfection it has achieved in bringing cicadas into the Pokémon world.  Nincada looks like the nymph stage, Ninjask looks like the flying adult while Shedinja is the discarded skin of the molted adult.  Nincada is the only Pokémon to evolve into two Pokémon at once, a trait that even Eevee can’t touch.  What’s more, Nincada’s Ground/Bug typing is perfectly suited for the nymphs burial ground while Ninjasks Flying/Bug typing suits its flying stage.  But it’s the discarded Shedinja that seals the deal having achieved a Ghost/Bug type.  It’s perfect!  The shell still has its original form but now takes life as a new being!  How bizarre.  I love these guys so very much!

Pokémon aside, I have had a fascination with these insects for years now and I waited very patiently for them to finally come back.  When they did, I was ready.  For those who don’t know, I’ve been working at a plant nursery job for several summers doing general landscaping.  I was keeping an eye out for any cicadas that had crawled out of the ground when we were working on lawns.  I managed to get a few photos of their infestation.

Bunch of holes in the ground that tell where the nymphs lived

Bunch of holes in the ground that tell where the nymphs lived

cicada nymph

Caught a nymph that hadn’t molted yet

Managed to get one while it was molting

Managed to get one while it was molting

cicada shells

many of the nymphs molted on the underside of leaves

Cicada shells at tree base

A LOT of them were at the base of trees, this dog just loves eating them!

cicadas

Seriously, cicadas are basically all-or-nothing. They were either not there or they were everrrywheeeereee.

giggity

giggity

Cicada food

Yummy

During the height of their infestation, Mary and I went to a public event hosted by the natural history museum on cicadas.  There, we got to learn more about the cicadas and WE GOT TO EAT THEM TOO!  Students either fried them up, caramelized them, buffalo sauced them, or chocolate dipped them!  Oh man, I don’t normally eat bugs so I had to build myself up for that one.  I started off easy with the chocolate dipped one but then went into the buffalo sauced ones.  Then for dinner, I had some fried ones in a taco.  The best way I can describe them is that they’re a cross between a shrimp’s shell and a popcorn kernel.  Don’t know how else to describe it, it wasn’t bad though.

Man, these insects are very pretty.  Mary and I saw a girl who had a huge cicada tattoo on her back and it looked beautiful.  Cicadas have a very nice looking wing structure and they have these cute little black pupils in their huge red eyes.  They also have a nice color palate too with gold, black, and red complimenting each other nicely.  Now even I am tempted to get a tattoo of one!

During my free time, I actively hunted for spots that had the highest concentration of them.  I found a few good ones where you could easily see them zooming around the trees and screaming their little heads off.  I made it a habit to find their favorite trees and pick up a few just so they could crawl around on my arms and head (I even was pissed by them a few times, haha).

 

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Now their music has died down and the females will soon lay their eggs.  I will miss them dearly.  Though we will always have the annual cicadas, I will miss the 17 year ones.  They are the best definition of nostalgia for me.  Something that happened, albeit briefly, in my childhood that had a lasting impact for the rest of my life.  A fear that transformed into fascination.  I love these animals so very much.  I look forward to seeing their offspring another 17 years from now.  And with that said

MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

Initial Reaction to ABC Battlebots (2015) Episode 1

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Holy Crap.

Battlebots has returned this year on ABC and it’s as ridiculous and amazing as it was more than ten years ago on Comedy Central.  To begin with, I want to say I felt like my ten year old self again while watching this first episode.  The hype, the out-of-place suave commentators, the flashy stage, and the killer robots threw me back to my parents’ couch years ago.  It was fun, stupid, and most importantly, robots fought each other for the glorious nut!

First, few things I was disappointed about before I gushed about everything else.

-No original theme?  That makes me sad.  The original Battlebots referee Mark Beiro was also not there but considering his long and great career, I’m totally fine with that.

-They didn’t say “The box is locked, the lights are on, it’s robot fighting time!”  Come on!  That was basically their slogan!

-As mentioned before the main three commentators seem out of place but given the nature of Battlebots history, that’s typical.  At least they’re not as annoying as the original ones!

Okay!  Onto the good stuff!

This season of Battlebots (season 6) has made some good choices in order to both highlight the builders and televise the battles.  Instead of a huge assortment of robots we get just 24 robots in one weight class.  This cuts down the shallow coverage of the robots and gives us a more in-depth look into each of them.  This is great!  We learn why we should care for each of the robots, it makes us root for them more, and it gives us the opportunity to connect to them and remember them better.

Some people complain about the coverage on the builders but that’s typical Battlebots!  They love to focus on the builders!  It humanizes them!  It gets the audience to know them better and why we should root for them!  It also shows how anyone can build robots and compete in the tournament!  It’s pretty funny too when you get this juxtaposition of these cool, suave announcers interviewing the dorky and sometimes rigid builders.

At first I thought when they were focusing on the builders they were only showing the winners of each battle.  Thankfully, I was wrong with that as evidence by the Warhead vs. Biteforce battle.  Good!  I don’t want things to become predictive!

Okay, now onto the battles!

First off, Razorback vs. Icewave.  Nice, good battle to start on!  Razorback is interesting; I never have seen a Battlebot design like that before.  What were they trying to accomplish there?  Anyway, Icewave was definitely the highlight for this battle.  I liked the builder, Marc DeVidts, he reminds me of me a little.  He saw Battlebots around my age and wanted to build his own Battlebot because of which.  That’s awesome.  Icewave actually reminded me of the former Middleweight Champion, Hazard thanks to its spinning blade.  Icewave was just tearing apart Razorback and it was greeeeeat.  I look forward to Icewave’s next battle!

Next, Wrecks vs. Plan X.  Anyone recall the Middleweight T-Wrecks here?  Hm, maybe me.  Regardless, Wrecks is nothing like T-Wrecks.  God, this robot is so funky!  I freaking love this guy!  Team Captain Micah “Chewy” Leibowitz explained that he came up with this robot after waking up from a dream and I can tell!  Then there’s Plan X which is also freaky thanks to its glowing brain.  Former Battlebot competitor Lisa Winter built this robot and I was pleased to see her return.  Female representation in a male dominated sport is always a plus especially when the builder is young and confident in herself.

This battle was probably the most entertaining out of the four thanks to these two weird, weird, robots.  It looked like Plan X was going to win it at first then Wrecks started shuffling back like a determined terrier ready to take down a german shepherd!  I was laughing my ass off during the entire fight.  Part of me was hoping Wrecks would win this one due to its comeback in the last ten seconds and the huge damage it was inflicting on Plan X.  Definitely a favorite.  I was disappointed by Plan X’s spinning weapon but hopefully it will do more damage in the next round.

Next we get the upset battle Warhead vs. Biteforce.  Ah, Warhead, one of the few veteran robots that unfortunately couldn’t seal a win against his opponent.  And to be fair, it was a bad matchup.  Biteforce had a strong drive and a highly defensive ram.  That drum spinner barely dent Biteforce and the arms and tail were useless.  Biteforce had this battle right from the get-go by pushing Warhead all over the place and into two different pulverizers (which made me laughed hard)!  Biteforce reminded me of Complete Control thanks to its unique design and ability to handle dangerous opponents.  Good work Biteforce!

Finally, we get the amazing battle between Nightmare and Warrior Clan.  Man, ABC missed their chance to talk about how Team Nightmare and Team Whyachi had fought each other before in Season 3 for Nightmare vs. Son of Whyachi where Son of Whyachi won hands down.  They should have mentioned that!  Anyway, great battle even though my favorite, Nightmare, got flipped over (again, another bad matchup for a veteran robot).  To be fair though, whether done intentionally or not, the new Nightmare design kind of helped Nightmare in its dire situation.  I’m sure Jim Smentowski was trying his damndest to flip his terrorizing robot over.  Regardless, DID YOU SEE WHAT NIGHTMARE DID TO THAT BITTY FLAME BOT!  That was hilarious.

We still have more qualifying rounds to go through so I’ll withhold my judgement of flame and multi-bots until then but so far they seem to be working out well.

As for wildcard…there are 24 robots and 12 battles which means 12 losers.  Only four of the twelve losers will be picked to fight in the second round (if I’m interpreting the rules correctly).  The show briefly mentioned that the judges will pick the four robots that did the best in their respective matches (which is a great idea).  If I were to pick a robot or two from this episode it would be Wrecks or Nightmare.  Both did a great job fighting their opponent and I can’t decide who deserves it more.  I guess I lean towards Wrecks cause I want to see more of him!  He’s so funky and hilarious (but also he lasted the full three minutes as well)!

My Pick to Win the Nut: I think Icewave might have the best chance.  Battlebots has had a history of vertical rotator robots (e.g., Hazard and Son of Whyachi) winning the Nut.  Icewave’s blade was just wailing on Razorback showing that he is both a good defensive and offensive robot.  However, Icewave was smoking by the end of his match which isn’t good and he’ll have to worry about flipping robots like Warrior Clan (who might even be too low for the swinging blade).

Overall, the episode was great and I look forward to seeing more episodes of Battlebots!  Woo!

Greatest Moments in Battlebots History: Son of Whyachi vs. Biohazard

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We love a good underdog story and honestly, who doesn’t??  There was a plethora of 90’s sports and kid films that just milked this trope repeatedly.  I think by far though the best film that pulled off the underdog story is Rocky.  Can I get a hell yeah on that one folks?

Anyways, what’s better than an underdog in film is one in real life which brings us to today’s article, Battlebots.  Now, I already talked about Battlebots last year where I critically analyzed how well it held up (hint: not very) but with the recent revival of the series (yay!) I want to go back to the show and talk about one of the greatest moments in Battlebots History, Son of Whyachi vs. Biohazard.

Okay, let me set the scene, it’s season 3 of Battlebots and the show is reaching its peak in popularity.  By now, many of the series’ fan favorites have already made their appearance (such as Nightmare and Hazard) or will make their rookie appearance (Mechavore) this season (the season was already starting off great when Nightmare destroyed Slamjob in the first episode in a spectacular fashion(see above video!)).

As such, the stage was set for veterans and newcomers to fight each other to determine top bot.

image from Battlebots Wiki

One of these top bots was one of the most winningest battlebot of all time, Biohazard, a several time winner of the Heavyweight division in Battlebots.  Biohazard has taken down foes again and again no matter how formidable they were.  Biohazard was definitely one of the best defensive robots of all time.  It was incredibly low to the ground and it had steel flaps that protected itself from getting flipped (and it minimized damaged significantly from blades).  But the most important feature of Biohazard was its god damn lifting arm which he used incredibly well to flip over high-centered gravity opponents and push them against the hazards.  Biohazard’s ability to tank hits, be aggressive, and easily disable opponents won him many battles.

Image from Battlebots wiki

A rookie to season 3 is the now glorified, Son of Whyachi.  Whyachi unusual makeup helped him win many rounds.  He had a spinning helicopter-blade like weapon that was supported by strong cables at the end and topped off with hard spikes to jam into the opponents.  Whyachi was also a walking robot and as such, got a weight bonus that was allowed towards him meaning he could be much heavier (walking robots, in general, have not worked very well and have won few battles which was why they got a bonus).

Both of these robots faced each other in the finals and the best part is that they almost seemed like they were destined for each other for the fights they went through.  Biohazard took down Little Sister and the more famous Overkill and Tazbot while Son of Whyachi knocked down Nightmare (in a glorious fashion mind you, see above video), chipped away at Mechavore and tore apart Hexadecimator.  All of these robots the two fought, mind you, have won their share of battles and would win more in the following seasons.  But more importantly, these were robots that everyone knew and recognized.  Overkill, Nightmare, Hexadecimator, Tazbot, Mechavore, these were celebrities in the heavyweight division!  Taking these guys down earned you much street cred!

And oh man!  The HYPE surrounding these beasts were incredible.  I was rooting for Son of Whyachi so hard, I always liked Nightmare but not even he could take down Biohazard as evidence in their fight in the previous season.  You know what, I’m going to shut up and show you the fight.  It’s awesome.

This is like eeeevvverrryyything a Battlebot battle should be like.  A long battle where the bots continue to go at each other despite their limping, broken status.  These bots were not giving up and would keep going if their battery connections allow them to.  It’s too bad this is not the status quo because some final round battles are either dull or one sided but this is definitely not one of them.  It’s really similar to Apollo Creed and Rocky Balboa just pounding the shit out of each other in Rocky I and not letting up until the final round.

The result of the battle was monumental in the Battlebot community.  Biohazard’s almost untarnished record was smashed along with his sleek, unbent and unbroken body.  Son of Whyachi proved a wholly offensive robot could take down the defensive based Biohazard and that walkers were not all useless.  Unfortunately, newcomer Son of Whyachi, although he won the Nut, was never able to reclaim his glory because he was that good.  I’m serious, it used to be that you could have a 50% weight bonus if you were a walker.  Son of Whyachi dropped that down to 20% the following season.  As such, Whyachi had to adjust to his new environment in the Super Heavyweight environment where it miserably failed to go the distance having suffered a bad design plan in Season 4 (it was saaaaaaad) and only going to the sweet sixteen in Season 5

The build up, the battle, and the fallout afterwards made the Whyachi/Biohazard bout one of the greatest in Battlebots history.  There are few battles I can recall that were this epic and not one-sided.  I sincerely hope that with the upcoming new Battlebots show on ABC, we’ll see more battles like this with intensity and power.  Fingers crossed!

I Finally try out the Bill Nye Shake

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First off: Do not try this at home.

With that out of the way, in fifth grade, my teacher rolled out the glorious television set and put on for us the Bill Nye the Science Guy episode of Digestion. You can actually watch the episode right now on Netflix if you so desire. Anyways, halfway through the episode, Bill does this

After Bill drank the contents of his glorious stomach shake, everyone in my class went “Ewwwwwwwwwww!” while I just sat there and wondered, what did the shake taste like?

This question had been sitting at the back of my mind for half of my life. I always wanted to try out the Bill Nye Shake but I never did because I just…well…never gotten around to it! Truth be told, I always thought it would be kind of good.

Now, for the purpose of this blog, I have made and tasted the Bill Nye Shake.

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Psyching myself up, I trekked down the local Burger-Fi shop and ordered myself a burger, some fries, and a chocolate shake. Strolling confidently back, we cleaned out our blender (which still had remnants of a blended strawberry daiquiri in it) and proceeded to put all the basic ingredients in. Realizing that if I hated the shake I would have wasted money, I only used half of my food so at least to make the Bill Nye Shake.

Anyways, after a satisfying blending, it was time for the taste test. Truth be told, it looked like a regular chocolate shake albeit a little chunky. A faint whiff of onions from Shake tickled my nose and then I downed it.

Bill Nye Shake

Describing the taste is quite hard though I have to say upfront that it was not good. Bill’s reaction the drink is very similar to my own. Bleh. It’s not surprising though that it just tasted bad considering it was a mix of fries, buns, meat, tomatoes, pickles, onions, a chocolate shake and fries. My stomach even felt queasy holding it in despite its food that my organ has seen plenty of times before.

Bill Nye Shake

I think the worst part though is the consistency, holy crap if the consistency was better than the drink would be tolerable. The best way I can describe it is if you took a milk shake and mixed it with a whole bunch of poorly grounded peanuts. It tasted so….chunky.

Anyways, lesson learned, never doing that again. Though I still want to bake my hotdog, fries, pickles, and barbeque sauce pizza again in the near future. That was delicious!