Winding Down...

We're starting to take apart the booth. Sad news. Program activities close at 4 p.m. and folks are starting to think about the real world again. NSJ 2010 has been an amazing experience for all of us and while we don't know what 2013 and the Bechtel Summit holds for us, we'll always hold A.P. Hill near and dear to our hearts.

Mysterium

This morning we traveled over the the Mysterium Compass show and Vault at Mahone Camp. Very Impressive production value and the museum showcased memorabilia from the past 100 years of Scouting. Thanks to the Order of the Arrow for putting this on!

Monday, Monday

Good morning!

We're preparing to finish strong out here on the Midway. There's talk already of tearing down the booth and final classes are filling up. Time always flies out here and this will be the last time at A.P. Hill for all of us before the Bechtel Summit Jamboree in 2013.

We've just posted all our pics from the 100th Anniversary Arena Show on the photo gallery and we'll continue to provide live coverage today and tomorrow as the Jambo comes to a close.

Arena Show and Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

The Arena Show was truly a night to remember. Hopefully you caught some of our live coverage last night. Watch for full photos from the event later today in our photo gallery. This morning is all about one point in the Scout Law: Reverent.

A Scout is Reverent. Today features services for every major (and not so major) denomination from around the world. Religious leaders from every corner of the globe are here to participate in Sunday services.

Once again, thanks for following www.emeritbadges.org and check back later for photo and video updates!

Arena Show Tonight!

Well folks, we at emeritbadges.org are really excited about the Arena Show this evening. A few highlights so far -- Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs will make an appearance, Switchfoot will play a set, and there's the fireworks. We saw the artillery being trucked in yesterday covered with black plastic (a sure sign it's going to be good). Check out our aerial photos for a good look at some of the pyrotechnics for this evening. We're headed out to scope out the arena for any possible VIP tips, so be sure to check back later.

Whirlwind

Well folks, the last two days have been electric. We've had an arena show featuring all manner of celebrities. Scouts have been earning Electricity and Electronics Merit Badges in record numbers. Not too shabby.

Yesterday saw the arrival of some pretty severe weather. We were deluged around lunchtime with torrential rains and heavy winds. Our booth was blown open and the electronics were hit with rain (thankfully, nothing broke). Our Web cam is operational, YouTube and photos are being updated constantly and we're going flying on a Blackhawk this a.m. Holy cow!!!

Jambo 2o10 is full of Scouting spirit and espirt de corps. There are phenomenal examples of young people demonstrating leadership and self-driven behavior. If you want to re-center yourself, come to the Jambo and spend a few days. It will recalibrate your notions of what America's youth is up too and strip away any malaise.

We're about halfway through and going stronger than ever. Watch for new photos, videos, Tweets and Facebook updates throughout the rest of the Jambo.

Wow.

We can't say enough about what the folks at AT&T and Virginia Broadband have done for us. We could run a university with the pipe we have here. It's absolutely mindblowing! Thanks again, guys!

Keep it locked on www.emeritbadges.org.

AT&T Saves The Day!!

A big thank you to AT&T. They showed up in force after the arena show at our booth to ask what we needed in terms of connectivity. Now we're bathing in a 30 Megabit connection, surfing in style. They went overboard to make sure we had everything we needed and we can't thank them enough for their espirt de corps and sponsorship of Jambo 2010. We need folks like AT&T involved with Scouting and their efforts to make sure our experience is nothing short of awesome were phenomenal! Make sure to check out their Connection Centers located throughout the Jamboree. In between, nothing but full bars on all your mobile devices.

Keep checking back into www.emeritbadges.org for live Jambo 2010 coverage!

VIP Guy. Call me Chase.

This is Chase. He's from Puerto Rico. He works for BSA National Media Relations and his job is to escort important folks around who come to visit the National Scout Jamboree. We went to see Chase earlier today to sign up for a ride in a Blackhawk helicopter later today or this week (not because we're important, but because Chase's the guy to see). We're really excited about the prospect of taking photos from the air and capturing the true breadth of the Jambo.

We'll keep you posted. In the mean time, keep your dial locked on emeritbadges.org for continuous Jambo coverage.

They're Here!!!!

40,000. That's how many Scouts are making their way into Ft. A.P. Hill right now. Buses, tractor trailers and all manner of vehicles have been making their way in since 6 a.m. Spirits are high and everyone's running on pure adrenaline.

We've been walking around taking photos of the Scouts as they unpack and invite you to keep checking back with www.emeritbadges.org for up-to-the-minute reporting and commentary.

Tacky Lanterns

Well folks, here's the deal. We encountered two challenges yesterday and we're springing into action:

Challenge -- Philips donated a boatload of CFL and LED bulbs. Thinking the Jambo still had incandescent bulbs, we thought we'd just swap out the old bulbs with ours and be all set. We showed up yesterday to find CFL tube lighting across our booths. What to do? We brainstormed and came up with a crazy idea. Why not string Japanese lanterns across the ceiling of both booths? We're going to need 644' of Japanese lanterns. Let's hope Party City comes through for us. Thanks Philips for sponsoring. And while we're at it, thanks to all our great sponsors. We couldn't do it without you!

We'll continue to report the good, the really good and the quasi-epic as they occur. Where's the freshest newsfeed for Jambo 2010? Where? Right here, that's where. http://www.emeritbadges.org/.

Mobile status test from ping.fm

Just signed up for ping.fm in an attempt to streamline our updates during Jambo 2010.

Reach out and touch someone..

Right next to Whittling merit badge you'll find the AT&T Wireless Connection Zone. AC and netbooks for Scouts and staff. Each one has a sign in front of it reading "Please limit your time to 10 minutes."

Published with Blogger-droid v1.4.8

Setting Up.

We're here at A.P. Hill setting up. Floor boards are being laid and as Hannibal from the A-Team would say: "I love it when a plan comes together!"

Published with Blogger-droid v1.4.8

Getting Ready!

And so it begins.

We're here at Dominion Innsbrook loading up. We began this afternoon at 1 p.m. and we're about done. Great crew on hand ready to storm A.P. Hill tomorrow.

See you at The Hill!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.4.8

Did We Kill the Radio Star?

No. No we did not. The Buggles are long gone, but guess who's not????

emeritbadges.org will be featured on American University Radio (WAMU), 88.5 on your FM dial, as a supporting sponsor twice! Listen live on 20 July during "Tech Tuesday" and 30 July during "Science Friday." In case you can't tell, we're pretty fired up around here.

Can you hear us now?

Jambo 2010 is Right Around the Corner!!!

Can you feel the excitement building? We're getting ready on our end. Hundreds of hands, yards of plywood and thousands of water bottles.

Our fearless leader, Ralph Russell, has already been up at Ft. A.P. Hill this week to get the lay of the land. It's a lot of land.

Stay tuned to www.emeritbadges.org. Updates are coming: live Facebook & Twitter feeds on the home page. Any special requests?

Volunteers Needed!

Volunteers from all over the country will be heading to the 2010 National Scout Jamboree to help with our Electricity & Electronics Merit Badge Booths. A few of our volunteers had changes to their schedule and will not be able to join us. We are putting out a call for additional volunteers. We need volunteers to help with the technical instruction (electricity & electronics), registration and evening security. If you know someone that would be interested in helping either full-time or part-time, please contact Carl Monroe at cmonroe@spp.org.

New Kit

Well, we've done it again. They said it couldn't be done. How could we come out with a better kit than we had for the 2005 National Scout Jamboree? How? Hard work, that's how. Good old fashioned Yankee ingenuity, that's how.

After you see the new kit, all you'll be asking yourself is one question: "How many and what color (as long as it's black)."

Check it out

CQ, CQ, this is K6BSA

That's right, we're hamming it up at NSJ 2010 with our own radio station (would you expect anything less from us?). Frequencies and times TBA, but you won't want to miss our riveting broadcasts as we reach out to our fellow ham fans around the globe. Brush up on your FCC protocols and keep your dials tuned right here as we countdown to the Jamboree.

Soldering On....

Does the smell of melting rosin excite you? Could you throw down with a Detroit spot welding robot? Could you? Do you have what it takes to solder with the best IEEE and the BSA has to offer? If so, come on over to the Merit Badge Midway during NSJ 2010 for the adults-only World's Best Soldering Competition in the World. Date and time are TBD. Pros and amateurs alike can bring their own gear or use our soldering stations.

How can you find us? Our tent will be festooned with pink flamingoes. We've attached a picture in case you need a reminder.

Stay tuned for more.

March Madness

For all you experts in bracketology out there, check out this lineup for the National Scout Jamboree 2010: Electricity and Electronics Merit Badges will line up toe to toe on the Merit Badge Midway for 2 weeks of epic Scouting fun. The emeritbadges project is sponsoring both booths and we'll be moving a small city to make it all happen. Stay tuned for more coverage leading up to the event and continuous live coverage via video, Facebook, Tweets and more during the event. Got Jambo?

Keep it tuned where you know it's always electrifying (OK, that was really bad): www.emeritbadges.org

P.S. Since we've attracted some fun comments from all sorts of folks, we're back to restricting updates to registered users. Sorry. We tried. Seems like a few foreign princes and pharmaceutical merchants have to ruin it for everyone.

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

We Need You! OK, enough cheesy slogans. Seriously, though, if you have a Web site (an awesome Web site, not your homage to hamster wheels), we could sure use a link to www.emeritbadges.org on it.

After you're through linking to us and thinking "Gee, what else could I do to help out emeritbadges?"

Befriend us on Facebook, that's what. Follow us on Twitter, that's what.

Well... what are you waiting for? Let's get moving! The National Scout Jamboree 2010 is coming and coming fast.

On an unrelated but awesome note, we've just been notified that AT&T will be providing Wi-Fi across the jamboree. This is huge. Thanks to the BSA and AT&T.

IEEE President Pedro Ray Announces Haiti Fund

The tragedy in Haiti is still only in the first stage of triage with valiant efforts being made to alleviate the immediate suffering and provide the basics for sustaining human life. However, challenges just as daunting lay ahead for reconstruction. One of these will be the re-establishing of engineering and technology education and professional activities in Haiti.

As a global transnational organization with nearly 400,000 members and as a leader in advancing technology for humanity, IEEE is uniquely positioned to help address these challenges. To this end, IEEE has established the IEEE Haiti Engineering Educational and Professional Development Rebuilding Fund. Individuals may contribute online or donate by check to the IEEE Foundation and mail to to the IEEE Development Office, 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854. Donations from OUs (societies, sections, conferences, etc.) will be made using existing governance processes. IEEE will match the first US$50,000 in donations.

Because Haiti is in IEEE Region 9, disbursements of funds will be coordinated through that Region. The IEEE Board of Directors just last November developed a policy that allows IEEE and its Organizational Units to contribute to third-party nonprofit organizations that provide disaster relief. The disbursements may be in the form of grants to academic institutions, charitable organizations, or used for such things as equipment, services, scholarships and classroom and laboratory materials. They also may be used to support programs developed for retraining or other professional activities to help engineering and technology professionals in Haiti.

IEEE continues to encourage donations to other organizations for the immediate relief effort and to help bring some semblance of stability to the lives of the people of Haiti. But we are hopeful that the generosity of our members – and others associated with IEEE -- will also add to the long-term development of Haiti through this IEEE fund.

For more information or questions regarding the IEEE Haiti Engineering Educational and Professional Development Rebuilding Fund, please direct your inquiries to the IEEE Contact Center.

Sincerely,
Pedro Ray
2010 IEEE President and Chief Executive Officer

2010. The Countdown Has Begun!

Can you feel the excitement and anticipation building as we prepare to descend upon Ft. A.P. Hill later this year? We here at emeritbadges are fired up for the New Year and NSJ 2K10. Stay tuned for the freshest content at www.emeritbadges.org. Happy New Year!