Maybe robotics is not on the radar screen in some places, but US First Robotics; http://www.usfirst.org/ is big with 28,000 High School participants this year and is growing fast. US First is sponsored by NASA, many top-notch engineering universities and fortune 100 companies, and 45,000 mentors and volunteers.

These kids design, build, program, and control a 120 pound robot to participate in a new game each year that utilizes real engineering principles and challenges. And as in the real engineering world where there are more skill sets needed than just designing and building things. The First challenge also includes web and animation competitions, and has major awards for team professionalism, spirit, and outreach activities.

I work with a local robotics club for middle and high school kids who participate in the US First Robotics and Lego Mindstorm competitions, and I am constantly amazed by what they accomplish. Pining for a world of basic line programming seems silly when these kids are packing their computing skills, our programming skills, and our dad's mechanical skills into a bag of tools and accomplishing things undreamed of just 10 years ago. They are literally leaping from our shoulders into the future, we needn't worry.

Ahh, the moment, the present, the smell of pheromones wafting by, hanging out over here, hooking up over there, just another day in the world of boygirl. A place where "You had me at hello" lurks, where very "yes" means another angel gets its wings and every "no" means another novel will be written. My lady of new landings, my angsty youngishter who wishes to tidy up the night... forget about it.

The instant you don a 'fix' on the categories you would allow as your blueprints for contact with the other side, you are done for, virtually assured of being assaulted by every category wielding male except the one you preordained appropriate and acceptable.

Play the game, it's fun. Hold your cards close to you and play them as needed. Don't bluff. Don't cheat. Be a good girl. My number is (434)xxx-xxxx

None of it is real, of course.