HOTH

Hey guys,

Did anyone qualify for/take the AIME this past Thursday? (American Invitational Mathematics Exam). I qualified for it after taking the AMC 12b two weeks before, got a 120. Any one here take either of those tests? I think we need a combined score of 217 to move on to the USAMO. You multiply your raw score on the AIME by ten and add it to your raw score on AMC. That means I had to get 9.7, but no partial credit. 10. We'll see.

If so, let me know. It would be cool to talk through answers and approaches to some of the more difficult problems on the AIME. I thought it was okay.

I know some solutions are posted on the Art of Problem Solving website, but not everything is there. I am specifically thinking about #14, with the trig Taylor Series. Comment down or PM me.

So on the B.A.N.A.N.A facebook page, someone offered up their Rock Climbing Gym to begin hosting monthly wars in. We are working on the details and attendance, but I am the main Nerfhaven contact for that group and so I am trying to spread the word here.

The facility is an indoor Rock Climbing Gym, and looks awesome. I have not been there personally, but the pictures on their website shed an excellent "nerfy" light on the place. It is ripe with rock walls and boulders that act as great bunkers. Patrick, the guy who is organizing this and works there, said that they have hosted Nerf style birthday parties there in the past, and it works very well. Here is the link to the Bridges Rock Climbing website.

The main idea of this is to organize a monthly event at the Gym on Saturdays. There would be brackets, competitions, and team play. This would of course be if we got enough participants, which is why I am bringing this here.
If you are interested, it would also be greatly appreciated that you email Justin. His email is listed on their website, at the bottom of the homepage. Email him to express your interest in the events, because he is compiling an emailing list on which the details will be hammered out.

So to get this started, I am going to set up a poll for dates in April that work for people. I will list all Saturdays in April. I will recommend the one that gets the most votes to Patrick and see if that aligns with his schedule and that of others that have already confirmed their interest. Please vote on your preferred Saturday. It is by no means a 100% commitment to do so. We want to host one in April to test the site and gain awareness.

Details from Patrick

I've been thinking of this for a little while and this is what I came up with. For an indoor game to be finalized I need $300 for up to 30 people for 3-4 hours of Nerf action, that's only $10 per person. Games will most likely be made up of 6 teams of 5 players, 2 teams will face off in TDM or CTF game each round will be about 25 min. Teams will rotate and a competition bracket can be made. I can set up games like this once a month for now but it can grow if the demand is high enough. I have many activities to enjoy during time you are not out on the floor: video games (mostly Street Fighter), ping pong, slacklines, rock climbing walls and I can set up a variety of Nerf blaster skill games for prizes.

Bridges purchased a bunch of Nerf gear for our After Hours Parties, Birthday Party Events and Corporate Team Building Events. This is what the gym has for gameplay:

24ct. - Nerf Firestirke Blasters
24ct. - Safety Glasses
24ct. - Velcro Vests (in production, commissioned work from local business, adjustable and good for adults) Why velcro vests?......
1000+ct. - Nerf Dart Tag Style darts (won't work in all blasters but the best option for kids birthdays and non-Nerf legue events)

(Patrick told me that modded blasters are encouraged, so bring them!. You certainly do not have use a blaster that fires a Dart Tage Style Dart. I am definitely going to ban homemade ar guns, and anything that is just too powerful for an indoor war. This are fast paced close range games, not designed for singled titans, cobras, and SM 1.5k's.)

I also have made a number of foam walls ranging in sizes, some as big as 3'x8'x1', and many other items with make for good cover. The best part is all the area above the gym floor that can be utilized, climb your way up to a perfect losing area! We have fog machines for added effect, and if we purchase glow in the dark darts we can play a Black Light game. We have 7ct. 48" black lights that fill our corridor with glowing black light. Glowing darts look like lasers! I'm getting ahead of myself, just excited to see what develops I have high hopes!



So that is about it.

TL;DR:

Indoor monthly wars at Bridges Rock Gym. Email Patrick (his email is on the site) with the subject "NERF WAR" to get your name added to the mailing list. Bring your modded blasters if they are not airguns or if they don't shoot crazy hard. Please vote for your preferred date in April above.

Thanks all.

As I just entered in the Google Science Fair 2013, I was wondering if any of you were hoping to enter as well. It's a great competition, much a kin to the Siemens and Intel STEM Fairs that are held annually. It would be cool to see some submissions from nerfers, although I would doubt any submission would be nerf related. The judges like to see innovative and beneficial ideas/inventions for the scientific community as a whole.

If you plan on entering, or have entered already, we should talk about submission ideas or bounce some ideas back and forth about our respective projects. If you are mathematically/computationally compelled, you can read on about my project.

As a mathematician, I feel obligated to bring math into my project as much as possible, even where it may not be entirely necessary.

Basically, I am writing a series of algorithms to help diagnose autism earlier than it can currently be detected. The algorithms will be interpreted in OpenCV via Visual C++ and will most likely be compressed into an application-esque format for a tablet. The idea is that the OpenCV algorithms will run a program to determine how long a young child (preferably 3-4) maintains eye contact with the screen of the tablet. The screen will display a human face, and the child will be instructed to look at the face. Autistic people cannot stand to maintain eye contact with others for very long at all (but neither can young children, so we may have to up the age for initial tests). The algorithms help to both determine where the patient's eyes are focussed, for how long they are focussed there, and then ultimately whether or not the patient has a high chance of being autistic based on some verified confidence interval that has yet to be defined. If it is largely successful, it can be implemented in clinics and at a younger age.

Anyways, its a fun project. If you want to bounce some ideas off of me, or have any questions about my project, PM me or comment.

Oh, by the way. It may seem like a high-school oriented contest, but it has nothing to do with grade level. It is simply for people ages 13-18, so many college freshmen are eligible as well.

I figured that it was time to revamp the BANO threads, after #4 fell through due to some weather problems. Although there already is a recent BANO 4 thread, it is old and over posted in. I think a new one is necessary, especially since Righteous is not ging to be active as often.

If you don't know me, but for some reason want to, I am Hoth and was pretty active back in 2009/2010 when BAFF was the group for this area. Since then, I have left and returned to Nerf and BAFF has changed to BANO.

I'm posting this as an organized reference thread for all the BANO wars that we will have, so when it comes time for another war, not everything has to be spelled out again. Just check here.

So, pretty standard stuff.



Location: William Cann Neighborhood Park, Union City, Ca.

Now in my experience, it is a deceptively short drive from the West Bay, if you are coming from that side. Although it seems like a ways away, I come from the Palo Alto area and it is never as bad as I expect.
Picture of the play structure, which is always fun to mess around on. Typically, stay off unless we are the only ones using it.


Date: SEE ABOVE POLL. It will be held in March, either on the 23rd, 24th, or 30th. Please vote. Generally, we roll from 11a to like 4 or 5.

Here is the breakdown of the rules, although I'm sure we are all familiar.

Blasters

There are the obvious restrictions such as singled Titans, Cobras (Jobars, Pangos), roto rockets, or homemade air blasters. Shotgun attachments used on the aforementioned blasters should have at least 3 barrels to them. On stronger air blasters (use common sense), please make sure there is a functioning Over Pressure Release Valve. They are there for a reason, and even stock blasters must utilize them to both prevent tanks from breaking and people from getting injured. We wouldn't want either. As for spot banning, I think if you follow the above rules you won't run into much trouble. Just don't be that guy. But definitely bring backups, both to trade and to use if the group decides your primary is simply too powerful. Also, be mindful of the children that use the park. We are absolutely not always the only ones there. That is a rare gem. Stray stefans would definitely suck for a toddler. Melee is cool, too.

Ammunition

Ok so I guess I have been gone for too long, but I have a plethora of slingshot weighted darts. From observations on other war specifications, these are a no-no unless you absolutely have to use them. I suppose the group as a whole should also be allowed to either give you the go ahead or step up and offer you a safer alternative. If you use slingshot weighted darts OR ANYTHING WITH A METAL TIP, please bring it to the group's attention so we can discuss. Pictures are always nice.
So, recommended ammo types would be:

Anything without a metal tip (silicones, AMIORS)
Stock Darts (elites are a great alternative to stefans if you have the proper barreling)

Arrows, rockets, and balls are all cool.

What to Bring
--- Eye protection. It just makes no sense not to wear any, so please bring some. Extras would be great.

--- Money for food

--- Stuff for trading

--- Backup blasters; loaner blasters

--- Secondaries. For pistol rounds.

--- Darts. Extra would also be appreciated, I'm sure.
Game Types

Pretty standard stuff. These are often decided upon in a very impromptu fashion during the war itself. But from past experiences, expect some standard team death match, pistol rounds, the occasional HvZ, FFA, and CTF. If you have a suitable core, let me know. DTC would be super fun.

Lunch/Trading

Basically, if we are not nerfing, we are trading or eating. Now I personally love trading. I always bring like my whole freakin' collection of blasters and parts. However, we don't want this to impede on the actual war, because thats what we are here for. So, we can set specific times for trading and make sure to keep them concise. I remember when I played with the BAFF group a few years back, we spent a lot of extra time just mulling around after trading.
As for food, there are a few options. You can bring your own,but there is also a nearby burger place. Also, we used to order Pizzas from Dominoes (or Pizza Hut, who knows) and you would just pay by the slice to whomever purchased it. Pretty cheap, and really good option for food.

Here is the Facebook event page that Righteous created for this even when it was actually happening. I am not an admin, so I can't make any edits. But I can make a new one. Do people like the use of Facebok for the planning? If so, I can create a new page and friend all of y'all.

This was also posted in NRev.
If you are not a member here or NRev, but want to join, email me here: charlietidmarsh@yahoo.com
Or message my YouTube channel, link in my signature.

I have been looking for an alternative to the biege foam that I usually use. I believe it is "Best Products" brand. Its excellent foam, but as I switch to smaller ID barreling, it no longer fits my springer barrels.

I was reading through Ryan's guide, which is great, but I was wondering if anyone had any specific feedback for MD Building Products Backer Rod ? Some pro's I see are that its inexpensive, sold by Amazon, and is rumored to fit in 17/32 / CPVC / Polyester nicely for springers.

Amazon Link

Has anyone used this stuff? Is it high enough quality to buy in bulk and start to make some darts with? I will be using 17/32, CPVC, and 1/2 Polyester from now on.

Thanks