ACE, ACE, Baby!:P: Young Tech Fest 2015

I saw an ad on Facebook saying that there will be a Young Tech Fest where people can try out 3D printing and I remembered how Ace wanted to try it during the Maker Faire.. so since it was the holidays, we decided to make a trip there and see see look look..

Asked Max to drop us off at Suntec on his way to work and then first.. we went to eat bfast and fill up our tummies:)

No trip out to a mall is complete without visiting a toy shop:) hahahaha.. We actually went to Toys R Us and spent 20 minutes challenging each other with this Power Topplate toy... actually just a variation of Beyblades I think. Anyway, we won about equal number of times each.. so I aint too bad leh:) hahaha...

Then it was time to head towards the Festival...

There are actually many booths and you are given a card so you have to download an app, go to the booths and complete the tasks so that you can download "apples" in this app... and also get chops so tat you can exchange for your goodie bag.. And all the tasks are actually some variation of programming...

First stop is editing a game using Scratch Software. It is a software that Ace used previously in Horizon and he says that he is being taught how to use it in school in Singapore too.. so it was not too difficult for him...

Then he got to customize a game that you can download to your phone one lor.. I downloaded it only my phone and so it is the only game in the world that Ace customized:) hahahaha...

Here it is!

I asked the boys Republic Poly in the booth how long it took them to come up with the game and they said it took about a month or so cos coming up with the game and programming it takes relatively shorter time as compared to designing the graphics..

The Tech Fest really not bad lor.. free popcorn, free hotdog bun... free cotton candy and even got goodie bag:)

In this booth, Ace had to customize the path that SINGA was walking. Initially I was a little worried for Ace cos he did not seem to get the hang of how to set directions and needed alot of help from the jie jie.. but I just watched on.. Dun want to interfere...

After a while, he got hold of the logic behind it and then managed to do it on his own already...

Next, he did this customization of a Singapore Flappy Bird game.. It also took him a while to figure things out. I realized tat Ace needs to explore something a few times before he will get the hang of it.. once he gets it, it is easier for him already.. I guess likely cos he is mostly a kines learner...

Ace is so happy to get his cotton candy!

We also visited the many other booths that displayed courses they had... this one has an app tat can be connected to water and fruits to play music when you touch them:)

Saw these kids from Nanyang Primary School and they came up with a robot cat tat chases the "mouse" that Ace is holding. Quite a cool and awesome project for primary school kids. I had a chat with the kids who did this and they are all so passionate about their project :) I feel so inspired when I chat with them!:)

Ace finally got to make a 3D specs that he wanted to make.. he made one in school with his friends and cos they bossed him around.. he could not do the way he wanted to do... But then when he made, he did not measure his face first so it ended up a tad too small:) hahaha

While we were at the 3D Pen booth, I met this young man who was quite interesting. He was rather full of himself and kept telling me about how he is in charge in a particular organization in Singapore.. and how big their organization is and how it spans across the world and is very influential. I get the sense that he is trying to impress me but it has the opposite effect.. the more he try to do so .. the more empty it sounds.. he comes across to me as a 又自卑，又自大type of guy.

Anyway, according to him, Singapore is not a place for inventors and scientist as he knows quite a few people who had great inventions and when they went to the govt for funding, they were rejected and so they went overseas and when it got big, the govt tried to woo them back but like Ace and his friends like to say, "too bad, too sad, " they already made it overseas and did not want to come back. I would say he sounded bitter too... so I jokingly asked if he was voting for opossition this election.. hahaha:)

Oh well, I guess this turning us into a smart nation thing is new and probably the people who are in this in future may be a little more appreciated for their efforts. In the past I guess the govt was a little more focused on making sure everyone was more like a robot with the same thoughts and thinking and even maybe skill sets so they can contribute in the way the govt wants them to contribute... people who think out of the box do not exactly fit this mould and are thus not really appreciated I guess... or maybe the people involved to not have foresight.. but well, I know lots of pple who got alot of govt funding and I think it is just a matter of presenting it well or not :) So leh, marketing and presentation skills are impt even when you are an inventor or a scientist!:)

Ace also had fun trying to control this robot tat threw balls out.. and he kept shooting the ball at me lor!

I found out when we were fiddling with this that Ace actually only likes to build lego.. But he does not enjoy programming it to move or anything like tat.. which is why I am glad we did not send him for lessons or buy him the mindstorms set though I think it is very interesting...

Very curious why my son is only about building and what will be his chosen calling when he grows up :)

Very interestingly, when I asked Ace what was the thing he enjoyed most about the Young Tech Fest, he actually said it was this google talk. Apparently, there was this guy who works in google who came to give a talk... It was not like he was inspired to work in Google.. he just enjoyed listening to all the great perks Google give their staff and all the interesting 20% projects they came up with:)

Ace asked for another cotton candy before we went home ;)

I don't know why Ace was attracted to this area filled with Duplo toys tat I think are for families who bring younger children.. he actually spent 20 minutes there building things lor...