text:
Today I go to the dermatologist to have the biopsy done on my leg, and well, I just have to share the rash with all of you! The appointment did not go as planned.
Warning: There is foul potty mouth and rash footage in this video. If you are offended by either, I would just wait until tomorrow's video and tune in again.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Day 68 of 100 Day Raw Food Challenge: RANT
Today I go to the dermatologist to have the biopsy done on my leg, and well, I just have to share the rash with all of you! The appointment did not go as planned.
27 comments:
- Anonymous said...
Ugh, I feel your frustration!
Try this instead of that ointment...take raw honey and mix about 1/4 tsp. in the palm of your hand with a tiny pinch of sea salt and fresh water. Make a very thin, watery fluid. Apply it to your legs and allow it to dry onto your legs and remain on there at least 30 minutes, over night if you can handle it. It might get itchy, you can touch a little more water on top of it to water it down a little more if you want. You can also wash it off with warm water before going to bed too, or put socks over them...raw honey is amazing! I have seen leg and face skin conditions heal within 1-7 days. I had results within one day and all better in a week...no harm in trying it :) and NO CHEMICALS woohoo! :) My dermatologist was amazed and took notes to tell others about it...their creams did NOT work on my skin, and I later was told about how they put a person at high risk of cancer! Good grief! Try raw honey :) Stacy
- June 19, 2008 at 5:58 PM
- HiHoRosie said...
I'm pissed off right along with you! Wow, I cannot belief that doctor. Doctors as a whole are getting more and more stupid I have to say. No bedside manners, no real insight or helpful advice. It's always huh? if you suggest anything or they make you feel stupid or that your visit is a complete waste of time or they're rushing you out of there (okay, they make you wait for an hour before they see you and then you only see them, like you said, for maybe 2 mins). Oh and thanks doc for the ointment vs cream clarification! That really helped! Grr.
So sorry to hear this didn't go as planned. You should try Stacy's raw honey treatment. has to be better than the ointment.
- June 19, 2008 at 6:28 PM
- Viv said...
Hi Bunny,
I feel your frustration. I have had it with traditional medicine!! The doctors are mostly salesmen for the pharmaceutical industry. It's a racket!
"Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food -Hippocrates." How far the medical establishment has wandered!
I wouldn't even use the ointment. It will end up in your bloodstream. Keep checking online and see what you can find. I'll let you know if I come across something that might help.
Hang in there you raw Bunny!
- June 19, 2008 at 6:34 PM
- Bunny Berry said...
Oh, I waited for an hour in the waiting room, listening to local radio with ads screaming at me the entire time.
I found out later from my mother that this is the same dermatologist that my grandfather (Papa Jack, RIP) got so mad at that he practically swore off doctors completely after a few visits. Luckily Papa Jack was healthy as a horse and lived to be in his 80s, despite smoking and drinking every day of his life.
No wonder the office looked like a morgue with no artwork or anything on the walls. The guys is probably hanging on to every octogenarian patient and insurance claim he can get.
- June 19, 2008 at 6:35 PM
- Viv said...
Correction-I should have said orthodox western medicine or something like that because ancient medical practices are referred to as traditional medicine.
- June 19, 2008 at 6:37 PM
- Viv said...
haha-a morgue, probably not far from the truth!
- June 19, 2008 at 6:39 PM
- HiHoRosie said...
You know something could be said (but maybe not always true) for offices that decorate as opposed to barren walls, looking like a morgue type office. Because it seems if they try to make their waiting rooms comfortable for their patients then hopefully that means they care for the well-being of those patients too. They should at least pretend they care! Just sayin
- June 19, 2008 at 6:52 PM
- Lindsay said...
Hi Sweetheart --
Most Naturopaths in your area will do a simple blood-test to find out if you are Celiac... You don't need to biopsy the rash. All you need to do is ask. :)
Just remember all is well: it's all okay in the end, if its not ok, it's not the end. *wink
- June 19, 2008 at 8:09 PM
- Rediscover Raw Food said...
Total bummer of an office visit, but you're much better off than most people. You've opened your mind to the possibility (reality) that conventional medicine doesn't have all the answers, and you've put yourself out there to heal yourself. You will be well, BB!
Here in SoCal, I find that more and more doctors are opening their minds to alternatives. Our family MD recommended a neti pot for my daughter, RATHER THAN meds! He prescribed drinking more water and getting enough produce as well! Change is gonna come.
- June 19, 2008 at 9:14 PM
- (chandelle) said...
i'd never heard of the immunofluorescent test before; i had to look it up and from several abstracts i read, it looks a relatively new process so i wouldn't be surprised if your doctor didn't know what you were talking about. i was under the impression that celiac can only be diagnosed for sure by biopsy of the lining of the intestine, to search for cilia death. if you want to be tested you'd do better to see an allergist than a dermatologist, maybe.
it seems to me that you don't want another cream or ointment, natural or not; you want a diagnosis! so you can know for sure! you don't just want another treatment! and on that, i hear ya. but biopsies and other tests are rough stuff. many families i know that have struggled with this sickness discovered it by using an elimination diet - cutting out the suspected food for a few weeks then adding it back in and watching for a reaction. if you do this, try to add it back in unadulterated - don't eat a piece of pizza or birthday cake because those could include all kinds of other offending chemicals and allergens, like dairy, sweeteners, colors, binders, and so on. try to eat some straight cooked (not sprouted) wheat and see how you do. i'd recommend staying away from gluten foods for at least two weeks and preferably longer; it can take a while for foods to flush from your system entirely. several families that i know have learned of gluten intolerance from using this method, because they didn't want to subject their small children to biopsies of one sort or another. it's worth a try! good luck! in my opinion, most people would do well to stay away from wheat whether they have an allergy or not; i don't have an allergy or intolerance but i feel much better since cutting it out when i started a raw diet a few weeks ago.
- June 19, 2008 at 9:19 PM
- Keriann said...
bunnnnnnny! WHAT THE FUCK!
excuse my language haha! i feel your rage though. fucking doctors and fucking OINTMENTS...are you kidding me. "this isn't a cream, it's an ointment" I DON'T CARE WHAT THE FUCK IT IS, SHOVE EM BOTH UP YOUR ASS DOC!!!!!!
k, now i feel better.
love you bunny. we'll get through this together! stay raw, get as many greens in as possible!
another suggestion, which i know can be hard when life just seems rather frustrating...but try to take a step back. all the doctor appointments, and traveling, and work...it seems to be adding up. you don't need a vacation or time away...just take an hour or two, go somewhere quiet, in the sun, lots of fresh air...and just breathe, smile, laugh, think about all that you've accomplished and all that is to come. you are a strong and very wise woman. don't underestimate the power of your mind. it could very well help your situation more than any damn ointment. try it! :)
stay positive dollface!
- June 19, 2008 at 9:22 PM
- angela clark said...
I have been there and done that - no more MDs for me! I love traditional medicine like Traditional Chinese Acupuncture Medicine, Reiki, Healing Touch, Emotional Freedom Technique, breath work and meditation. Check some out and let us know your opinion. Most likely you won't be cussing on your way out. :) You are cute when you cuss, but Beautiful when you smile!
I am going to try the raw honey tonight on my eczema elbow and mosquito bites.
On the groceries - if people are used to shopping the perimeter of the store where coupon world doesn't reach, then yes, I think they will feel like they are spending more. However, food is vital to our life force and if we don't have strong life force, then we don't have shit. (in my opinion!)
Thank you for sharing your adventure! ~angela in iowa also doing the raw thing: http://blog.enrgpath.com/
- June 19, 2008 at 10:26 PM
- Anonymous said...
Hi Bunny,
I feel your pain, I have had extremely itchy skin since this weekend and now I have small bumps and you can see little trails of blood under my skin because I've scratched so much, I have a totally different kind of rash on my boob (itchy boob) for about the last 3 weeks. I go to urgent care today because my pcp is no longer my pcp (became a hopitalist) and they have no clue what it is. Well that's just freakin great! They put me on prednisone and cream and antibiotic but I'm about to crawl out of my skin right now. They suggested going to a dermatologist but here in lovely Tulsa. You can't get in to see one till the end of Aug-Sep. I'll probably be a pile of skin on the floor by then. So yeah...I'm just hangin out, itching around. Have you tried an allergist? I think that would be your best bet as far as getting tested. Try not to get to frustrated, maybe that was just God's way of saying "Hey, this guys a jack ass, go to someone else!"
- June 19, 2008 at 10:28 PM
- Wendi Dee said...
Your warning was too funny!!! ROFL about going to the wrong office!!!!!!!!! ROFL
What an *ss that dermatologist was! You'll see, Beth, that the longer you are raw the more all of your physical unhealth will clear up and go away! You DEFINITELY know that veggies are what will make you better!!! Yay!!! *does a little happy dance for veggie eaters all over the world*
Lots of love to you,
- June 19, 2008 at 11:05 PM
- RawBin said...
Bummer about the dermatologist. We put creams (water based) and ointments (oil based) on my daughter's eczema for years before we got the idea to go to an allergist. A few months of allergy shots built up her immunity and she's having much less trouble with her patches.
As for Celiac testing, the doctors did a blood test. Negative for me but I can tell within 6 hours when I've eaten something with wheat in it. The biopsy inside the intestinal lining can be done but you have to eat large quantities of gluten before to make sure your insides are good and irritated first. I just can't see myself doing that. Our allergist said that the gastro guys refuse to admit that Crohn's and Colitis could be linked to food allergies.
- June 19, 2008 at 11:20 PM
- Anonymous said...
May I tell you a graphic story about doctors that this reminded me of? It's embarrassing, but you've been generous and brave in sharing with us.
I had a nipple problem. What? Yes, a nipple problem. One of them was very itchy and it looked like it had little cracks around it. Gross, I know. My very nice ob.gyn said "It's probably not cancer, but let's refer you to the specialist for a biopsy." Whoa! But I trust her, so I wasn't too worried about the other dr.
This other "dr" had the worst, most disregarding bedside manner I've ever seen. When I showed him the area, he said "huh!" and went to get another dr to look at it. Then came the PUNCH BIOPSY. And no, they don't punch you in the boob. That would hurt less. First they numb the area with a shor that hurts like HELL, and you're already crying because you're scared, and you make your hubby come hold your hand. Then they do something horrible that I didn't look at.
Long story short, no cancer, thank Godzilla. But when I went back for the test results and asked the OTHER doctor what I should do she said, Hmmm, I don't really know, maybe try this cream. Did the cream ever work? No! Doctors!
I feel your pain, and I'm sorry that your doctor sucked :)
- June 20, 2008 at 12:53 AM
- Anonymous said...
Your body is guiding you. You know that fresh living foods will help you to heal and thrive.
Personally I never bothered to test for gluten intolerance. I know that when ever I drink a beer or ate something with wheat in it I would get very snorfly almost immediately and develop a noticable redness on my face around my mouth and nose.
So I just don't eat anything with gluten in it and figure it is easier than looking for allopathic medicine to validate what I already know about my body.
If your instincts are telling you that gluten is part of the problem, then trust your guidance. Besides I can't hurt to avoid it even if you aren't gluten intolerant, but it sure will cause harm to eat it if you are and don't know it.
Keep up the great work! You are doing soooo awesome.
- June 20, 2008 at 1:04 AM
- Lisa (Pixywinks) said...
Hey Bunny
I agree. Most MDs suck ass. They are useful for some things like a broken bone, but that's about it IMO.
If you continue on the medical route, I would say get a new doc!
You are doing so great on the raw food. Just keep going. You can heal yourself.
Did you try putting some aloe vera gel on the rash? It may help.
- June 20, 2008 at 1:09 AM
- steph said...
omg, I would have put my foot in his ass.
- June 20, 2008 at 2:14 AM
- Lauren said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- June 20, 2008 at 9:03 AM
- Lauren said...
Hi Bunny,
I have been going thru the same crap for the past 3 years with my crohn's disease. The last time I saw my doctor he told me I would have be on an IV treatment every 8 weeks for the rest of my life, including during pregnancy and breastfeeding! I went to an Osteopath and haven't went back for my IV in 3 months. My doctor hasn't even noticed that I haven't SHOWN UP! I felt like just another # to him! Grr.. this really makes me made! I would suggest seeking out an Osteopath, the one I saw also saw my mother in law and checked her for Celiac with a hair test. Your insurance may not cover it (mine doesn't!) but it's worth the money! Good luck to you!
- June 20, 2008 at 9:03 AM
- violet said...
that redunculous ointment/creme comment reminded me of this time when i was at a friend's house {many years ago} and we were having a picnic or something. i asked if there was any animal-products in a certain dish- then after explaining what vegetarianism was to these supposedly civilized people, my friend lists the ingredients- including deceased fowl, and when i re-iterated the fact that i don't eat meat, he said:
"it's not MEAT, it's CHICKEN."
glorious imbeciles are doctors too.
screw it all, do like they did on my big fat greek wedding... put some windex on it.
or go get some acupuncture. you'll LOVE it!
- June 20, 2008 at 11:48 AM
- Penni said...
Finally able to watch your MD (Major Dick) update. This is the reason we are all becoming so proactive with our own health. I mean MD's only have to take a one time, three hour class in nutrition to become licensed and board certified as a physician. They are well versed in treating symptoms (some are, some aren't), but they aren't about helping to actually get to the root and cure disease. If I get into a car wreck and have my arm ripped off, take me to the hospital, but pretty much other than that, I have little faith.
Glad you got that of your chest.
Loving the BunBun,
- June 20, 2008 at 1:18 PM
- Megan said...
Oh, darlin', please tell your GP (or whoever referred you) that this guy was a total COCK and not to recommend him to anyone again.
Not all MDs are assholes, even though the anus quotient in medicine seems very high sometimes. I hope a knowledgeable, non-butthead to help you out. Good luck!
- June 20, 2008 at 1:20 PM
- Anonymous said...
Gosh, some of the language on these comments is a little vulgar here...could people please comment without cursing and using gross, potty-mouth, adjectives?
- June 20, 2008 at 5:18 PM
- Bunny Berry said...
That last Anonymous comment was not from me, and does not reflect my views on blog comments.
You guys feel free to say whatever you want, however you want here in the comments. I'm all about self expression, and if it includes a little potty mouth now and then, so be it.
- June 20, 2008 at 7:10 PM
- Anonymous said...
I have had a rash on my elbow for about 3 months. Tried cortisone cream, didn't work. Last week bought some cold pressed coconut oil. Use that on it and the same day it did not itch any more. It has completely vanished but it is not red and never itches.
Try some coconut oil, makes your skin feel great.
- June 28, 2008 at 12:57 AM


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A nonprofit membership organization, NPA represents the interests of over 100 organizational members. These member organizations share the goal of promoting the availability of quality, comprehensive, and cost-effective health care services to frail older adults through the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) and similar models of care.
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Review Date: Thursday, August 20, 2015
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Lesson Curriculum
- 1 Multi-Robot Communication Lessons
- 1.1 Lesson 1 - Basic multi-robot communication language primitives and timing
- 1.2 Lesson 2 - Targeted multi-robot communication
- 1.3 Lesson 3 - Sending strings consistently
- 1.4 Lesson 4 - Mapping strings to actions
- 1.5 Lesson 5 - Parameterized strings to actions
- 1.6 Lesson 6 - Sequence of strings
- 1.7 Lesson 7 - Creating a library of macro actions
- 1.8 Lesson 8 - Parameterized macro actions
- 1.9 Lesson 9 - String Array
Multi-Robot Communication Lessons
The main goal of these lessons is to provide the students with the understanding of how to have multiple robots communicate with each other towards the accomplishment of joint sensing and actuation tasks. The study of how to concretely use multiple robots opens important avenues of scientific thinking and practice, as information from distributed sources needs to be shared, interpreted, and merged towards effective coordination. We create several simple lessons to incrementally introduce the underlying concepts for multi-robot communication. We assume that the students are equipped with robot platforms programmable in RobotC, real or virtual, with communication capabilities, implemented virtually or through hardware wireless devices, in particular the Xbee modules.
Lesson 1 - Basic multi-robot communication language primitives and timing
As with any other communication process, in order for multiple robots to communicate with each other, we need to introduce a robot communication language. Our basic language consists simply of a general string. We include in RobotC new instructions to send and receive a general string of limited number of characters.
Sending strings
The basic ROBOTC instruction to send a string is:
- SendString(string toSend)
Sending a string repeatedly
When one robot sends a string to another, the message may not be received on the other end, due to bytes being dropped on the network. This can be likened to someone shouting to another person from a large distance away, and the receiver is unable to hear all the words that are said.
One way to circumvent this problem, is to send the string multiple times. This increases the probability of the message getting through - however, messages can still go missing, and we will cover this case in a later lesson.
To send a string multiple times, the following function can be used:
void SendStringRepeated(string toSend, int timesToSend) { for (int i = 0; i < timesToSend; i++) { SendString(toSend); } }
There are a few points to note from the above code sample:
- The SendString function is called multiple times, to increase the probability of the string being received. If robots tend to receive messages consistently, timesToSend can be decreased. Conversely, if messages are not being received, the timesToSend can be increased.
Receiving a string
In order for robots to communicate, some robots send messages and other robots receive messages. The basic ROBOTC instruction to receive a string is:
- int ReceiveString(string & received)
If a string is received, then the function ReceiveString will return a value greater than 0. The number returned corresponds to the length of the string received.
Waiting for a string
In multi-robot communication, it is common for one robot to wait for a string to be received from another. To do so, the following function can be used:
void waitForString(string toWait) { bool done = false; string received = ""; while (!done) { // Check if any string is received int retVal = ReceiveString(received); // We did receive a string if (retVal > 0) { // Is this the string we are waiting for? if (strcmp(received, toWait) == 0) { done = true; } } } }
The function above loops until the desired string is received: while (!done). Recall that the SendString function only increases the probability that strings are sent and received - it does not guarantee it. We will cover guaranteed message delivery in a later lesson.
The next line retrieves the string (if any) from the message buffer, and then checks that the received string matches: if (strcmp(received, toWait) == 0). If it matches, then done = true and the loop ends.
- Send a message "Hello, I am ready!" from Robot 1 to Robot 2. Have Robot 2 print the message that it receives from Robot 1 on its screen.
- Send some message M from Robot 1 to Robot 2, and have Robot 2 display on its screen: "Robot 1 tells me M".
- Send a message M1 from Robot 1 to Robot 2, and have Robot 2 send back a message M2 to Robot 1, after it receives M1 from Robot 1.
Lesson 2 - Targeted multi-robot communication
The function SendString broadcasts information, i.e., any robot with an XBee receiver that is waiting for a message will receive a message sent by another robot, using ReceiveString. In order to achieve communication to a specific robot only, we assume that the robots have identifiers (id(s)) and extend the multi-robot communication primitives to process such identifiers. We introduce 2 primitives:
- SendStringTo(string id, string toSend)
- which creates a specialized message meant for the robot with the correct id.
- int ReceiveForMe(string myID, string & received)
- which matches the id on received messages with myID, and does not receive a string unless id and myID match.
For these exercises, you will need 3 robots: Robot 1, Robot 2, and Robot 3.
- Have Robot 1 send the message "Hello, Robot 2" to Robot 2 and "Hello, Robot 3" to Robot 3. Have both Robot 2 and Robot 3 display the received messages. Robot 2 should not display the message sent to Robot 3, and vice versa.
- Have Robot 1 send the same message to both robot by using the primitives introduced in Lesson 1.
Lesson 3 - Sending strings consistently
From the exercises in lessons 1 and 2, you may have noticed that not all messages are received. This is due to noise in the environment that affects the radio transmission between the robots. Thus, in some situations, there is a need to send consistent messages, i.e., messages that you are sure will be received on the other robot. To do so, we introduce 2 new primitives:
- SendStringConsistently(string toSend)
- SendStringConsistentlyTo(string id, string toSend)
These functions are very similar to SendString and SendStringTo which we have described in the previous lessons. The question that comes to mind then is: why would you use SendString when you can use SendStringConsistently?
To answer that question, it is useful to know how consistent messages are being sent. Suppose Robot 1 calls SendStringConsistentlyTo("robot2", "hello") Robot 2. What is actually happening is that Robot 1 tries to send "hello" to Robot 2, and when Robot 2 receives the message, Robot 2 replies "I got the message". If Robot 1 doesn't hear that from Robot 2, it sends "hello" again and again until it is successful.
Thus, SendStringConsistently can take a long time to run, compared to SendString. Imagine if Robot 1 is sending a consistent message to Robot 2, but Robot 2 is switched off. In this case, Robot 1 will never stop sending it!
- Have Robot 1 send the message "Hello" to Robot 2, waiting for 1 second, and then sending the message "How are you" to Robot 2. Have Robot 2 display the received messages from Robot 1.
- First, use the SendString function and record how long it takes for Robot 2 to receive both messages.
- Next, use the SendStringConsistently function and record the time.
- Which function allows Robot 2 to receive the messages more quickly?
- Does Robot 2 receive both messages regardless of the function used?
- Brainstorm about situations when you would need to use SendStringConsistently instead of SendString, and situtations when SendString is sufficient.
Lesson 4 - Mapping strings to actions
So far, we have been sending strings from one robot to another and having the strings printed out on the screens. However, besides being a list of characters, the strings can also mean something. For example, in our normal language, when we say "look there", we are actually communicating an action. In this case, we want someone to physically turn and look at something in particular.
In multi-robot communication, strings can also be used to represent actions. For example, when Robot 1 sends a message "turn" to Robot 2, the word "turn" means that Robot 2 should physically turn.
- Create a library of 5 robot actions, such as moving forward a certain amount, turning a certain amount, etc.
- Associate each action with a unique word, e.g., "turnLeft90" means turning 90 degrees to the left.
- Program Robot 1 to send one of the 5 strings that you chose.
- Program Robot 2 to receive messages and print the action when it receives a string. For example, when Robot 2 receives "turnLeft90", it prints "Turn 90 degrees to the left".
- Now, update Robot 2, so that it executes the action when it receives the string. For example, when Robot 2 receives "turnLeft90", it physically turns 90 degrees to the left.
- Discuss whether SendString or SendStringConsistently is more suitable for the exercises in this lesson.
Lesson 5 - Parameterized strings to actions
In Lesson 4, we associated each action with a unique string. For example, "turnLeft90" meant turning 90 degrees to the left, and "straight100" meant moving forward 100cm. However, such a language has certain limitations. For example, if we wanted the robot to be able to turn 45 degrees to the left, we would need to add an additional string, "turnLeft45", into the language. While this may not sound too difficult, it involves programming both the sender and receiver robots. In addition, suppose now we want to turn 30 degrees, we would have to repeat the process to add another string.
So, to make the language easier, both in terms of understanding and programming, we will now introduce parameterized strings. Instead of having unique strings "turnLeft90" and "turnLeft45" etc, we have a string "turnLeftX", where X is a parameter. This is very similar to algebra, where symbols can have different values.
Sending/receiving parameterized strings on the robots
In terms of programming the robots, the sender has a relatively easier job: you can append the number to the end of the string! For example, if you wanted to turn 30 degrees, you can first create the string "turnLeft", and then add the string "30" to the end of it. To do so, you can use the function StringFormat, which helps to format strings:
int amountToTurn = 30; string toSend; StringFormat(toSend, "turnLeft%d", amountToTurn);
On the receiving end, you will need to parse the string to make sense of it. First, since you have a library of parameterized actions (such as "turnLeftX", "straightX" etc), you need to check the front of the string. You can do so by doing the following:
string received; // Suppose this was set by ReceiveString bool isTurnLeft = (StringFind(received, "turnLeft") == 0); bool isStraight = (StringFind(received, "straight") == 0);
Once you know the type of the message, e.g., turning left or going straight, you need to figure out what the parameter is. The sscanf function can then be used:
int amountToTurn; sscanf(received, "turnLeft%d", amountToTurn);
Another approach is to convert part of the string into a number. Since we know that the string starts with "turnLeft" for example, we can ignore that part of the string, and convert the rest of it into a number using atoi:
int amountToTurn; StringDelete(received, 0, 7); // Delete characters 0 to 7 from received, since "turnLeft" is 8 characters long amountToTurn = atoi(received);
- Update your library of actions and strings so that they are now parameterized, e.g., "turnLeftX" means to turn left X degrees.
- Update the code of Robot 1 and 2 from the previous lesson to send and receive parameterized strings.
- Come up with an action that would require 2 parameters, and update Robot 1 and 2 to use that action and parameterized string.
Lesson 6 - Sequence of strings
So far, we have been sending strings from one robot to another. In lessons 4 and 5, every string referred to some action to be performed on the robot. In this lesson, we will learn about sending sequence of strings.
Suppose we had the turnLeft and straight commands from the previous lesson. Now, we want to send a message to tell a robot to move straight 100cm and then turn left 90 degrees.
One way we could do this is to first send the straight100 command, wait for the robot to finish executing the action, and then send the turnLeft90 command. However, this has an inherent coordination issue: firstly, the sender has to know when the receiver finishes executing the action. To overcome this, the receiver could send a "I'm done" message back, but this adds a layer of complexity to the algorithms of both robots.
An alternative would be to create a new command straight100AndTurnLeft90, that commands the robot to do the 2 actions in sequence. This does achieve the goal, but suppose we wanted to then perform a right turn followed by a left. There would be many combinations of actions to be programmed in the robot, which makes it both more difficult to code and debug, and also the expand on in the future.
Instead, we can explore sending a sequence of strings. Conceptually, this means that the sender says to the receiver:
- This is the start of a sequence of actions
- straight100
- turnLeft90
- This is the end of the sequence
On the receiver robot, when it hears the first line, it enters a "record mode" where it stores the strings it receives next, until the message "This is the end of the sequence" is received, upon which the receiver executes the sequence of actions.
To implement it on the robots, we will need to define 2 new language terms, a "start sequence" and an "end sequence". The start and end messages correspond to the "Record" and "That's it" lines in the conceptual example above. Thus, the language between the robots now consist of 3 types:
- Start sequence
- End sequence
- Actions
where there are many different actions such as going straight and turning.
- Define the "start sequence" and "end sequence" messages in the robot language. Create a list of the messages the robots can send to one another, and group them into the 3 types described above.
- Have Robot 1 send a sequence of strings: e.g., "start sequence", go straight 100cm, turn left 90 degrees, "end sequence".
- Have Robot 2 receive the sequence and save the actions in between "start sequence" and "end sequence". When "end sequence" is received, Robot 2 should execute the actions one after another.
Lesson 7 - Creating a library of macro actions
In lesson 6, we sent sequences of actions for robots to perform. A sequence of actions is also called a "macro action", since it is a single non-stop action on the robot, that can be broken down into smaller actions. For example, "go straight and then turn right" is a single action in the sense that the robot moves forward and then turns right away, but at the same time, the whole movement can be broken into the 2 steps of moving forward, and turning.
Suppose we want to tell a robot to move straight and then turn left. From lesson 6, we can send a sequence to do just that. What if we want to do it again? We could just send a new sequence and have the receiver perform it. However, if we have a long sequence of actions, then sending everything again could take a long time. Put another way, if we had some simple actions like straight and turn, but we frequently want the robots to move straight and then turn, we would have to always send a sequence of actions each time.
There is actually a better way of doing things. Besides sending a sequence of strings, and having the receiver execute the actions right away, we can improve the language to save macro actions. So, instead of a generic "start sequence" and "end sequence", we now have:
- Start sequence "Straight100AndTurnLeft90"
- straight100
- turnLeft90
- End sequence
This looks very similar to the example in lesson 6, but with an important distinction: the "start sequence" message now includes a parameter, the name of the macro action ("Straight100AndTurnLeft90" in the example above).
On the receiver robot, when it receives this sequence of strings, it saves the list of actions (e.g., straight100 and turnLeft90) into a new macro action "Straight100AndTurnLeft90", and it does not immediately execute the actions.
Now, the sender robot can define new macro actions, but in order for the receiver to execute them, we need an additional type of message in our robot language - an "execute macro action" command. Such a message would be similar to the action messages we developed in lessons 4 and 5, except that the parameter is now the name of the macro action.
For example "executeStraight100AndTurnLeft90" would be a message to tell the receiver robot to execute the macro action called "Straight100AndTurnLeft90".
- Update the robot language to have a parameterized "start sequence", and an "execute macro action" message.
- Have Robot 1 send a macro action to Robot 2, without sending the "execute macro action" message.
- Have Robot 2 receive the macro actions, and print that it saved a new macro action.
- Now have Robot 1 send the "execute macro action" message, and have Robot 2 execute it.
- Have Robot 1 send a different macro action (with a different name) to Robot 2, and then tell Robot 2 to execute the first macro action. Robot 2 should be able to differentiate between the 2 macro actions.
- Now have Robot 1 send a message to execute the second macro action.
Lesson 8 - Parameterized macro actions
Similar to what we did in lesson 5, we are now going to add parameters to macro actions. In lesson 7, we described how to create a macro action that consists of a sequence of smaller actions. For example, "Straight100AndTurn90" meant go straight 100cm, and then turn left 90 degrees.
However, it becomes unwieldy to create new macro actions for each combination of distances and angles. For example, if we wanted the robot to go straight 50cm and then turn left 45 degrees, we would have to create a new macro action. Or would we? We can define a parameterized macro action, which takes parameters of the actions it is composed of.
For example, we can create a macro action "StraightAndTurnLeftX,Y", where X is the distance to move straight, and Y is the angle to turn left. So, "StraightAndTurnLeft50,45" would mean go straight 50cm and then turn left 45 degrees.
Sending/receiving parameterized macro actions
The method to send and receive parameterized macro actions is very similar to parameterized strings in lesson 5, with a caveat - it is likely that there are many parameters, so care has to be taken to send and retrieve each parameter. In order to do so, we can use a comma "," to split each parameter.
Thus, to send a macro action to move straight a certain amount, and then turn left a certain amount, we can do the following:
int amountToMoveForward = 50; int amountToTurn = 45; string macroAction; StringFormat(macroAction, "StraightAndTurnLeft%d,%d", amountToMoveForward, amountToTurn); string toSend; StringFormat(toSend, "execute%s", macroAction);
The first StringFormat command sets up the parameterized macro action with its 2 parameters. However, the message that needs to be sent is the "execute" command, with the macro action as its parameter, and so the second StringFormat function does that.
To receive a parameterized macro action, we need to retrieve each parameter separately. Firstly, we will need to retrieve the macro action (e.g., "StraightAndTurnLeft50,45"), and then get the parameters from it:
string received; // Suppose this was set by ReceiveString bool isExecute = (StringFind(received, "execute") == 0); if (isExecute) { string macroAction = received; StringDelete(macroAction, 0, 7); // Delete characters 0 to 6 from macroAction, since "execute" is 7 characters long bool isStraightAndTurnLeft = (StringFind(macroAction, "StraightAndTurnLeft") == 0); if (isStraightAndTurnLeft) { int amountToMoveForward; int amountToTurn; // Remove the name of the macro action string parameters = macroAction; // Delete characters 0 to 18 from macroAction, since "StraightAndTurnLeft" is 19 characters long parameters = StringDelete(parameters, 0, 18); sscanf(parameters, "%d,%d", amountToMoveForward, amountToTurn); // Execute the command here } }
In our code samples above, we hard-coded the macro action name "StraightAndTurnLeft". From lesson 7, there should be a library of macro actions, so it is necessary to have code that is general to any macro action name.
- Update the macro actions of the previous lesson so that they are now parameterized, e.g., "StraightAndTurnLeftX,Y" instead of "Straight100AndTurnLeft90".
- Update the sender and receiver code to send and receive parameterized macro actions.
- Have Robot 1 send a message to execute a macro action with one set of parameters (e.g., "executeStraightAndTurnLeft50,45") and have Robot 2 execute it.
- Now have Robot 1 send the same execute macro action, with a different set of parameters (e.g., "executeStraightAndTurnLeft90,70") and ensure that Robot 2 executes the macro action with the new parameters.
- Have Robot 1 send a message to execute a different macro action with another set of parameters.
Lesson 9 - String Array
To simplify the process of sending, receiving, and parsing multiple parameterized strings, we will introduce the Array.
Introduction to Arrays
An array is an indexed collection of variables of the same datatype. Indexed means that each variable or element of the array can be accessed using an integer index.
The syntax for declaring an array of variables is:
datatype variable name [SIZE];
For complex tasks it becomes cumbersome to continually create parameterized macro actions. Similarly, it complicates the the job of the robot on the receiving end to parse the macro action down into what it actually wants.
For this lesson we will be using string arrays. The use of arrays allow us to us to send messages just as we did in Lesson 5. The only difference is how we receive and deal with strings once we have them.
Note: Array indices always start at zero and end with an index one less than the declared size of the array.
Defining Start and Stop Commands
As we mentioned in Lesson 6 - Sequence of strings, it is usually necessary for the receiving robot to execute commands in the order in which they were sent and wait until the sender has finished sending all the messages before it begins to execute them. An easy way to do this is with a For-loop which are syntactically designed to be used with arrays.
Here's an example of how they work:
task main () { int i ; int cube_Operation [5]; for ( i =0; i <=4; i ++) //cube every number from 0 to 4 { cubeOperation [ i ] = i * i * i ; nxtDisplayCenteredTextLine(3,"%d", cubeOperation [ i ]); //display on NXT screen } }
Below is an example of "recording messages". Robot 2 is receiving and storing six strings sent to it by Robot 1 but not immediately executing them.
string messageReceived; string message[6]; int i ; for(i=0; i<=5; i++) { ReceiveString(messageReceived); message[i] = messageReceived; }
An array in combination with a for loop is a powerful and efficient way to store messages until they are needed.
- Implement For-loops for executing commands sent by Robot 1 to Robot 2
- Update string array with start and stop commands
- Have Robot 2 store commands until Robot 1 sends Robot 2 a start command
- Have Robot 2 execute the commands in the order they were sent using a For-loop


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Gov. Tim Pawlenty has come out against the climate change bill now moving through Congress.
The governor sent a letter to Minnesota's congressional delegation urging them to reject the Waxman-Markey climate bill, saying the bill would place undue burdens on the economy, without doing enough to address the risks of climate change.
Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung said Minnesota has shown the way by emphasizing energy conservation and renewables.
"While the governor believes that we should reform our energy system, we have to do that in a way that is thoughtful and deliberative and low-cost, and doesn't harm our economy in the process," McClung said.
Environmental groups are criticizing Pawlenty's position. At least one environmentalist says Pawlenty is breaking his promise to provide leadership on climate change.
Chris Cox, the Minnesota representative for the Pew Environment Group, said negotiations over the bill -- notably with Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson over farm issues -- have made it weak enough that some environmentalists won't support it.
Cox said Pawlenty took an early leadership role on climate change, but now he's obstructing progress.
"What we'd like to see is for him to keep his promise, to keep fighting for Minnesota taking a leadership role in addressing climate change," Cox said.
Pawlenty says the bill would make energy more expensive and do little to address the threat of climate change.
The House is expected to vote on the bill tomorrow.


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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Jan. 11, 2008) - After starting the New Year with back-to-back wins, the ETSU women's basketball team suffered its first loss of the '08 portion of the season Tuesday night against Liberty in a non-conference showdown, and now the Lady Buccaneers look to get back on track as they host conference foe Gardner-Webb Saturday afternoon. Tip is slated for 1:30 p.m. inside
After dropping a pair of games to the Runnin' Bulldogs in their first season playing in the Atlantic Sun, the Lady Buccaneers were able to return the favor; sweeping GWU by an average of 19.5 points per game last season. ETSU (5-8, 1-0) defeated Gardner-Webb (6-9, 2-0), 81-68, last Jan. 13 in Paul Porter Arena, and then followed that up with a 26-point rout in
Fans unable to attend the game can watch via the live video streaming accessed at ASun.TV or by clicking the link located above.
Below is a breakdown of Saturday's match-up:
Lady Bucs' Last Time Out
Typically the East Tennessee State women's basketball team is golden when taking a lead into halftime; however, Tuesday night Liberty had different plans in store as they knocked off the Lady Buccaneers, 64-60, in a hard fought non-conference battle inside Memorial Center.
Entering Tuesday night's match-up, the Lady Bucs were a perfect 4-0 when leading at the break this season, and with ETSU holding a 30-29 advantage after the first 20 minutes things looked great for the home team. Unfortunately,
Liberty, who currently has an RPI of 35 and is receiving votes in the USA Today ESPN Top 25 Coaches' Poll, have now won 11 of its last 12 games to move to 13-2 overall. On the other side, ETSU was searching for its first three-game winning streak this season, but fall to 5-8 after its first 13 contests.
Despite being used in limited action with a foot injury, sophomore guard Siarre Evans (
About Gardner-Webb
The Gardner-Webb women's basketball team is one of the youngest teams in the NCAA this season, boasting just one senior on the roster. The squad is still learning to play together, but as redshirt-sophomores Jessica Bryant and Laura Povilonyte return to form after missing last season, the Bulldogs will once again vie for the coveted A-Sun title.
GWU nearly pulled off the conference's first-ever victory over a BIG EAST team and has put together solid offensive games thus far on the season. Sophomore Margaret Roundtree leads the team in scoring (13.6), and rookie Monique Hudson follows right behind with 12.5 points per game. Roundtree is also leading the team in rebounding at 8.1 boards per contest.
The Runnin' Bulldogs open conference play with a perfect 2-0 start, and have won four straight games entering Saturday's match-up. GWU beat Lipscomb (82-70) and Belmont (75-62) to notch them in a tie for first atop the league standings. During the winning stretch the Runnin' Bulldogs have also defeated UNC Asheville (82-70) and
As a team, GWU is leading the A-Sun with a 41-percent shooting clip and average 67.4 points per game. The Runnin' Bulldogs are still searching for their first road win of the season as they stand 0-4 on the road and 0-2 at neutral sites. GWU's last win away from Boiling Springs was on March 8, 2007, when they defeated
The Series
This afternoon marks the fifth meeting between the two programs with both teams taking two games in the short-lived series. Gardner-Webb swept the Lady Bucs during the 2005-06 season; however, ETSU paid back the favor by knocking off the Runnin' Bulldogs twice a year ago (by an average of 19.5 points). The Lady Bucs downed GWU by 13, 81-68, in Boiling Springs, then beat them inside
Home Sweet Home
The Lady Bucs have enjoyed the home court advantage. Since the start of the 2005-06 season, ETSU has won 23 of its 30 (.767) games played in
Lady Bucs Havin' Fun in the A-Sun
Prior to the season, ETSU was picked to finish first in the conference according to the media and second by the coaches. The Lady Bucs start their third season in the league after posting stellar starts the previous two years. During the last two seasons, ETSU has tallied 28 regular season conference wins and the Lady Bucs have the highest winning percentage among conference foes both all-time and in conference play. ETSU is currently 41-15 (.732) all-time against current A-Sun members and 30-12 (.714) in league play (including the conference tournament). The Lady Bucs have perfect 4-0 marks against
Akers/DeVault Eyeing 100
Senior's Nichelle Akers (
Please visit www.ETSUBucs.com for more information regarding the Lady Buccaneer basketball and all other athletic news.


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November: Spiritual and Temporal Self-Reliance
"The power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves" (D&C 58:28).
The outlines in this unit will help the young women understand the importance of becoming spiritually and temporally self-reliant. Although they are in their youth, these young women have been blessed with the gift of agency, and they are learning how to set their own course and find answers to their own problems in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The more self-reliant they become, the more freedom they will enjoy. They will be better prepared to serve the Lord, strengthen their families, and fulfill their future roles as wives and mothers.
Outlines to choose from this month:
- What does it mean to be self-reliant?
- How do I know if I am becoming converted?
- Why is it important for me to gain an education and develop skills?
- Why is work an important gospel principle?
- Why does the Lord want me to be healthy?
- What is the Lord's way for providing for the poor and needy?
- How can I find solutions to my challenges and problems?
Consider how you can plan activities that connect with what the youth are learning. A youth activities site is available to assist you. Many of the learning activities in these outlines could also serve as effective Mutual activities. Work with class presidencies to select and plan appropriate activities that reinforce what the young women learn on Sunday.
Personal Progress
The following activities from Personal Progress relate to the lessons in this unit:
- Divine Nature value projects 1 and 4
- Individual Worth value experience 4, value projects 3 and 5
- Knowledge value experiences or value projects
- Choice and Accountability value experiences 1 and 7, value project 5
- Good Works value experience 6
For the Strength of Youth
The following standards from For the Strength of Youth relate to the lessons in this unit:


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Israel News - Stay Informed, Pray Informed
For all the talk of an alleged Israeli-perpetrated "holocaust" against the Arabs
of the region, a recent survey demonstrated that the vast majority of Palestinians know full well that Israelis don't want to kill them.
The survey was conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research among a sampling of Palestinian Arabs and Israeli Jews.
Israeli respondents were asked what they believed the long-term goals of the Palestinians to be. Forty-two percent said they believe the Palestinians, or at least those groups which hold power, want to ultimately conquer all of the Land of Israel and destroy the Jewish population.
Conversely, Palestinian respondents were not given an option that included Israel killing all local Arabs. Instead, the worst option Palestinian respondents could choose was that Israel wants to annex the so-called West Bank and either expel or deny or deny political rights to its Arab population.
That discrepancy was curious to Israeli media analyst Dr. Aaron Lerner, who wrote to the PCPSR for an explanation.
Waleed Ladadweh, a researcher at the PCPSR, responded that after years of asking both sides about "their perceptions of the other party's ambitions," the survey group had been able to more tightly focus the questions and ignore irrelevant options.
In other words, according to the PCPSR, there simply aren't enough Palestinian Arabs who truly believe Israel wants to annihilate them to bother including such an option in its surveys.
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Lunar Orbiter 3
Goals: This spacecraft was designed to photograph parts of the lunar surface to confirm safe landing sites for Surveyor and Apollo missions, as well as conduct various measurements of the Moon and its environment.
Accomplishments: Lunar Orbiter 3 transmitted 182 images to Earth, covering 15.5 million square kilometers of the Moon's near side and 650,000 square kilometers of the far side. The photographs from Lunar Orbiters 1, 2, and 3 allowed NASA scientists to select eight preliminary landing sites for Apollo, including the sites where Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 would ultimately touch down.
5 Feb 1967: Launch
9 Oct 1967: End of Lunar Mission
Mission Type: Orbiter
Launch Vehicle: Atlas-Agena D (no. 20 / Atlas D no. 5803 / Agena D no. AD128 / 6632)
Launch Site: Eastern Test Range / launch complex 13, Cape Canaveral, USA
NASA Center: Langley Research Center
Spacecraft Mass: 385.6 kg
Spacecraft Instruments: 1) imaging system; 2) micrometeoroid detectors; and 3) radiation dosimeters
Spacecraft Dimensions: 2 m high, 5.2 m across with dish and omnidirectional antenna deployed
Spacecraft Power: Four solar panels; nickel-cadmium batteries for use in Moon's shadow
Maximum Power: 375 W
Antenna Diameter: 1 meter (high-gain antenna)
Total Cost: The five spacecraft in the Lunar Orbiter program cost about $163 million.
Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958-2000, Monographs in Aerospace History No. 24, by Asif A. Siddiqi
National Space Science Data Center, http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Solar System Log by Andrew Wilson, published 1987 by Jane's Publishing Co. Ltd.
Lunar Orbiter 3 was the final Lunar Orbiter mission to study potential Apollo landing sites; further missions would be dedicated to scientific and global surveys.
The spacecraft arrived in lunar orbit on 7 February 1967. Initial orbital parameters were 200 x 1,850 kilometers at 21° inclination. During its eight-month mission, the spacecraft took 211 frames of pictures, although only 182 were actually returned to Earth because of a problem on 24 February with the motor that rewound the film.
Despite the minor glitch, Lunar Orbiter fulfilled its original mission objectives, returning images of 15.5 million square kilometers of the near side and 650,000 square kilometers of the far side.
On 30 August 1967, ground controllers commanded the vehicle to circularize its orbit to 160 kilometers in order to simulate an Apollo trajectory.
Later, on 9 October 1967, the probe was intentionally crashed onto the lunar surface at 14°36' north latitude and 91°42' west longitude. The photographs from the first three Lunar Orbiters allowed NASA scientists to pick eight preliminary landing sites for Apollo by early April 1967, including site 2 in the Sea of Tranquility, where Apollo 11 would land, and site 5 in the Ocean of Storms, where Apollo 12 (and also Surveyor 3) would disembark.