Alt-BEAM Archive

Message #03945



To: "Bob Shannon" bshannon@tiac.net,
From: "Ed Jones Jr." sargon@gte.net
Date: Sat, 29 May 1999 14:48:16 -0400
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: BEAM and machine evolution


Hey Bob ,

I don't know about the rest of the Beamers , but I for one will stick with
solar powered beam bots WITHOUT CPUs . Thats why I like the concept of Beam
, simple , low cost , with plenty of room left for expermentation . Are you
saying we have learned all we can about Beam and now we should move on to
CPU bots ? I said this a year and a half ago and I'll repeat myself : Those
of you that want to build stamps or cpu bots , mega-expensive walkers and
who knows what else , maybe you should go somewhere and start your own list
!! Look at the last few weeks e-mails and really look at the volume of
questions relating to just plain beam bots , circuits , solar cells , caps
, etc . My three cents-inflation you know .

Ed Jones
sargon@gte.net


----------
> From: Bob Shannon
> To: Bruce Robinson
> Cc: Steven Bolt ; JVernonM@aol.com; Wilf Rigter
; beam
> Subject: Re: BEAM and machine evolution
> Date: Tuesday, May 25, 1999 7:46 AM
>
>
>
> Bruce Robinson wrote:
>
> > No one has mentioned the dynamics of BEAM. It's a system -- a very
> > complex one. Consider just one tiny part of that system:
> >
> > Many young people come to BEAM with only a small knowledge of
> > electronics and mechanics, and with little experience in soldering and
> > sticking things together. They have to learn all these skills as well
as
> > trying to build robots.
>
> While this does describe a lot of people on the list, it does not
describe
> BEAM as a whole. Many people here have several decades of electronics,
> and even robotics experiance.
>
> > This, of course, is a very broad generalization. But its a good
> > illustration of BEAM dynamics. People are flowing in, relatively
> > unskilled, and as they get really skilled, many flow out. To long-time
> > BEAMers, it might look as though everyone's stuck in a rut; or it might
> > look as though BEAM is a dead end. It's not.
>
> I disagree.
>
> BEAM is built on a foundation of questionable solar engine cuircuits and
> biases against 'better' designs, like the silly anti-CPU bias (which is
> actually
> softening slightly).
>
> If it were really about evolution, more people would be building Sun
Eaters
> rather than FLED solar engines.
>
> > The flow goes on, but out of that flow is accumulating a body of
> > knowledge. Even though people may leave the BEAM community, they leave
> > behind a legacy of ideas and visions.
>
> If this is true then BEAM evolution is moving at a snails pace as
compared
> to
> 'conventional' hobby robotics, based on the number of new and interesting
> designs
> and web sites out there.
>
>
>
>

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