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Spockie-Tech
Site Admin
Joined: 31 May 2004
Posts: 3160
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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Australians in general (and me in particular) have a long history of seeing our local sports and hobbies screwed up by attempts to
Internationalise
them or bring them into line with a world standard or governing body.
Robot Combat is a physical sport that requires the actual presence of machinery and people, and nothing changes the fact that we are
15,000 km
away from both of you, and airfares make any significant amount of international travel between us unlikely.
I also have personally seen many clubs and associations stagger and fall under the weight of beauracracy and politics that detract from the enjoyment of the sport or hobby the club is supposed to be about.
My personal opinion is `the government that governs best, governs least`, so the more an association appears to be trying to gather people under a single banner, the more likely I will be to head the other way.
So.. if you want to talk about Australians with each other, see if you can come up with any *good* reasons that we would *benefit* from being associated, affiliated, or anything with an overseas organisation.
We need: Arenas, Event Operators, Builders, Local Media Coverage
Your organisation can provide ? at what cost ? _________________ Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people
Last edited by Spockie-Tech on Wed Mar 14, 2007 1:40 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Wed Mar 14, 2007 9:50 am |
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Spockie-Tech
Site Admin
Joined: 31 May 2004
Posts: 3160
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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Just to clarify my earlier rant. I have no problem adopting standardised weights, or open rule sets provided our local builders are amenable.
But I see no reason to get involved with an organisation unless it offers something useful in return. The way things are now, we are all free to ignore any rules, proceedures or whatever that we think are stupid.
If "memberships" and "affiliations" occur, that freedom is reduced since they usually come with the understanding that you will abide by any regulations and decisions made by the association majority, or risk being ejected from the membership.
And in return for joining this association, you get what ? a voice allowing you to participate in the decision making process that will then be used to enforce the majority rule.
No Thanks.
If association membership offers nothing except a voice in the decision making process when we are already free to ignore decisions that we dont like, then why contribute to increasing that associations power until they hold so much authority that you are *not* free to ignore unwelcome decisions ?
A say in how an organisation is run that holds no authority over us, and offers no benefits to us is no bargain as far as I am concerned. If it can be shown that there are other useful reasons to participate, then I will reconsider.
This of course, is only my opinion. Other Roboteers in Australia are free to hold their own and join what they like, since we *dont* have an association that will get narky if they do.. _________________ Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people
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Wed Mar 14, 2007 11:52 am |
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Spockie-Tech
Site Admin
Joined: 31 May 2004
Posts: 3160
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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Yeah, sorry for being a bit ranty.
I'm havent been feeling too well last week or so.. some sort of PITA virusey thing that is making me feel tired, sore and cranky in waves. Goes away for a day or so, I think I'm better, then it comes back again and makes me feel like shit again - I shouldnt have posted until I'd read it back again later..
And yes, as you have probably noticed, I do have a *very* low tolerance for any sort of club/organisation crap. I have seen too many promising groups of enthusiastic people get screwed over by gits who think that power plays are more fun than whatever the hobby is about.
Mention committee's, presidents, AGM's or any of that sort of garbage and I'll whip out my flamethrower and nuke anybody who thinks its a good idea.
I was talking to a friend about the Gyrocopter scene the other day which I left some years back, and he said he's recently abandoned it as well, thanks to another bunch of non-pilot REMF's who have drowned any chance of just flying and having fun with a bunch of new regulations requiring you to keep a logbook every time you so much as start an engine - which of course has immediately split the pilots into two groups of "thats crap, get stuffed now 'illegal' pilots" and a smaller group of brown-nosing 'legal' pilots who spend more time arguing about regulations than actually flying.
This is not the first time I have seen this sort of thing happen. In my experience, Associations are usually started by someone genuine with the best of intentions, but they eventually either get ousted by politically savvy takeover dickheads who then stuff it all up, or they eventually step down and are replaced by someone lacking the drive of the original person and it all falls apart anyway.
Leave people alone and its surprising what they can get done without organisations to get in the way
Oops, I'm ranting again. I think I'll just shutup until I feel better. Sorry Dave, nothing personal against you.. just "Authorities" in general. _________________ Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people
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Wed Mar 14, 2007 6:28 pm |
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