At the end of a fun summer Saturday, just before Father’s Day, my son and I sat ourselves down and decided to see what was on teevee. There, on the Science Channel, was just what we were hoping for – the RoboGames with Grant Imahara of Mythbusters fame. It’s a competition of remote controlled devices that thrash, rip, and sometimes shoot fire at each other in a metal wrestling match running amok. It’s great stuff. There’s spectacle, destruction and competition – the battle to prove you are the best.
It’s enough to make my son get out his drawing notebook and talk about a father son trip to the Ax Man surplus store, too.
This may seem like a simple father-son moment of geekdom, but it’s much more than that. Competition is the best way to fire the imagination, engaging heart and arm and brain. It could even be an important tool of public policy.
Barataria - The work of Erik Hare 