Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #00492
To: beam@corp.sgi.com
From: TurtleTek@aol.com
Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1999 18:20:08 EST
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: BEAM `claims' and misdemeanors, WAS: question
Greetings List,
*gulp* ...Here I go..
It seems to me that this entire agrument/discussion has been rooted in the
lack of perfect agreement in the "definition of BEAM".
I've heard people go on and on about how it's a government thing and LANL and
patents. Basically, the "official" meaning of BEAM. Well, I don't know about
the rest of you but I've never been recruited by the US government to research
and develop military robotics. Neither do I receive checks in the mail from
LANL to fund any such "military research". I also never plan to make big bucks
ripping Mr. Tilden off.
Who I am is an average geek who likes electronics and learning. What I do is
build little robots using ideas and cool little plans on the internet. I learn
from doing this and I really enjoy it. I communicate with other people over
the internet that do the same thing.
I call this a hobby, and in absence of a better name, I call it BEAM. I call
myself and those people over the internet BEAMers. BEAM, just four little
letters meaning what I've described above.
What's that you say? BEAM is so much more than that? - Is it really? Is it so
much more than a hobby?
"Sure it is", you say, "it *is* so much more to Mark Tilden and a few others!
There are patents, laws, even a 'religion' based on those four little
letters!! The government is involved in BEAM!"
- hmm... touch one. But when you take a look at what it is to you, you realize
it's a hobby! There should be no religion based on BEAM, for the meaning of
BEAM is flexible and unreal. That is, to the average BEAMer. To folks such as
Mark T. and others, BEAM is BEAM. It is what the patent states and the
official meaning of BEAM is just that. Ok, tell me I'm not a serious BEAMer, I
guess I'm not. I like building little robots and learning. That's that.
"..so why not slap a BEAM lable on it too" I recall myself typing...jeez to I
regret that. By "BEAM label" it sounded...well, it just sounded wrong. I
meant by that that BEAM can easly include things not "strictly BEAM". I still
don't see why the Cybug isn't BEAM (well, I do under the "official"
definition). I guess there are two BEAMs, Mark Tilden's BEAM and the BEAMer's
BEAM. Maybe there should be two different names for them.
In conclusion, the BEAM I know is a hobby, a community and the idea that
robots need not be so complex to be capable. I don't stress out about the
"actual" definition.
BTW, I think it is very good we are having so much discussion about the
fundementals and ideas of BEAM. This is good for BEAM (the hobby 8)
-TurtleTek
PS: I don't know how, but someone will find something wrong with something
I've said up there...oh well.
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