CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
The 10th Annual 2017 FIRST Robotics Competition Hawaii Regional kicked off at the Stan Sheriff Center on Thursday. For the next two days groups of three teams will form alliances and compete in the “FIRST STEAMWORKS” games which will culminate with the championship and awards today.
Select an option below to continue reading this premium story.
Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading.
Today’s finale of the 10th annual FIRST Robotics Regional Competition at the University of Hawaii at Manoa is sure to be a heart-pounding, nail-biting event for scores of high school teams vying with their robot creations — each designed to scoot, collect plastic balls and launch them at a target.
Dubbed “the varsity sport for the mind,” robotics is a big deal for several thousand kids in the islands, starting with team competitions at the elementary school level. About a decade ago, when interest in the STEM-focused games got underway, McKinley and Waialua high schools were known as robotics pioneers. There are now more than 500 teams statewide.
Don’t be foolish on April Fools’ Day
If you happen to be online this April Fools Day, please note:
There is no such thing as toothpaste that tastes like Burger King’s Whopper. Don’t try to buy a concrete headphone from Master & Dynamic. Google Netherlands will not use Holland’s famous windmills to control the weather. And yes, Progressive sells insurance, but not for your trip to Mars. And so on.
Unfortunately, with the explosive growth of scams, especially online, every day is April Fools’ Day for somebody.
So today’s a good day to hone our skepticism for deals too good — or too weird — to be true. Let’s be careful out there.