Search found 419 matches

by rylltraka
Wed Mar 07, 2018 7:23 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Your Favorite Question
Replies: 45
Views: 30842

Re: Your Favorite Question

Obviously, I wasn't actually playing this question at the tournament, but to me the ur-example of one of these types of questions was the Chicago Open 2010 TU on "The final chapter of Ulysses ", which struck me at the time as something entirely novel, but also cleverly constructed and well...
by rylltraka
Tue Mar 06, 2018 1:38 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: 1970s Music - Prelim to the Bracket
Replies: 224
Views: 30031

Re: 1970s Music - Prelim to the Bracket

AKKOLADE wrote:Candle in the Wind 97 is not the second best song in history.
It's barely the second best "Candle in the Wind"!
by rylltraka
Fri Mar 02, 2018 2:06 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: 1970s Music - Prelim to the Bracket
Replies: 224
Views: 30031

Re: 1970s Music - Prelim to the Bracket

Stuff Moses said Y'know, Fred doesn't have to do this for our amusement, and I think it's misplaced to basically demand "Hey, do additional work based on my preferences re: a 50-year-old pop song". You have ample space to debate the merits of various Jackson 5 songs - in this very thread,...
by rylltraka
Sun Feb 25, 2018 1:04 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: 1970s Music - Prelim to the Bracket
Replies: 224
Views: 30031

Re: 1970s Music - Prelim to the Bracket

"Behind Blue Eyes" is a fine but flawed song, and I wouldn't spring to its defense if it was a question of trying to pick basically the best Who song ever to compete. Its message is also pretty cloying and juvenile, in terms of the lyrics.
by rylltraka
Tue Feb 13, 2018 1:30 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: 1970s Music - Prelim to the Bracket
Replies: 224
Views: 30031

Re: 1970s Music - Prelim to the Bracket

(practically his entire mainstream creative output was in the '70s) false This is a small matter, but since I feel mildly impugned, I want to submit some explanatory words here. Don't take it the wrong way - I'm a big Bowie fan and own most of these albums. Here's my breakdown of the David Bowie di...
by rylltraka
Mon Feb 12, 2018 1:46 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: 1970s Music - Prelim to the Bracket
Replies: 224
Views: 30031

Re: 1970s Music - Prelim to the Bracket

And now, Bowie, who will probably be represented by "Changes" or "Heroes" or "Young Americans" or one of like 20 other songs because this is going to be one of the hardest cutdowns I'll ever have to do: Dear Fred, I, like you, cannot easily pick between Bowie (practica...
by rylltraka
Sun Feb 11, 2018 9:23 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: 1970s Music - Prelim to the Bracket
Replies: 224
Views: 30031

Re: 1970s Music - Prelim to the Bracket

AKKOLADE wrote:Even more cuts.
Alice Cooper Halo of Flies
Well, there goes that dark horse. But people should still listen to it, especially the prog people who I know are lurking around here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGOD1-NtxH8
by rylltraka
Fri Feb 09, 2018 10:44 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best Song of the 2000s: HEYYYYYYYYYYYY YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Replies: 735
Views: 153381

Re: IT IS THE FINALS: Best Song of the 2000s

To start off: Mr. Brightside – The Killers But also, here’s some general takeaways from my experience of participating in the bracket, just ‘cause I thought it was a neat experience, and I got to witness some music that was new to me, and quite a bit that was old. So here’s some categories: Most Une...
by rylltraka
Mon Feb 05, 2018 4:44 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: 1970s Music - Prelim to the Bracket
Replies: 224
Views: 30031

Re: 1970s Music - Prelim to the Bracket

AKKOLADE wrote: Brownsville Station Smokin' in the Boys Room
This bracket will sure be the death of us alll
by rylltraka
Fri Feb 02, 2018 7:16 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: 1970s Music - Prelim to the Bracket
Replies: 224
Views: 30031

Re: 1970s Music - Prelim to the Bracket

I'm anticipating that this bracket should be lots of fun, for one of the reasons the 2000s bracket was (exposure to wide varieties of music that was beyond my knowledge when we started). This will probably be more pronounced as we go back 50 years, and people's musical factionalism, I expect, will b...
by rylltraka
Thu Feb 01, 2018 6:20 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: 1970s Music - Prelim to the Bracket
Replies: 224
Views: 30031

Re: 1970s Music - Prelim to the Bracket

For a thread about "the best music of the 70s", this list has a massive prog deficiency. Allow me to make a few suggestions (some of these might be a bit long): Yes - Heart of the Sunrise Rush - La Villa Strangiato Rush - Xanadu King Crimson - Lark's Tounges in Aspic, Part One Emerson, La...
by rylltraka
Thu Feb 01, 2018 1:54 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: 1970s Music - Prelim to the Bracket
Replies: 224
Views: 30031

Re: 1970s Music - Prelim to the Bracket

Ryan Rosenberg you swine "Germfree Adolescent" is far superior to "Oh Bondage Up Yours"
by rylltraka
Sun Jan 28, 2018 5:18 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best Song of the 2000s: HEYYYYYYYYYYYY YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Replies: 735
Views: 153381

Re: FINAL FOUR: Best Song of the 2000s

Mr. Brightside by The Killers vs. Paper Planes by M.I.A. People docking Paper Planes for being too repetitive need to listen to Mr. Brightside again. I've probably been "Paper Planes"' biggest detractor in this contest, but if you don't want to sound repetitive, maybe don't repeat every s...
by rylltraka
Wed Jan 24, 2018 2:43 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best Song of the 2000s: HEYYYYYYYYYYYY YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Replies: 735
Views: 153381

Re: ELITE EIGHT: Best Song of the 2000s

Hot take: the Paper Planes love in this bracket is almost entirely nostalgia. As someone who lived under a rock for most of the 00s, it's good, but it's not that good. It don't really get this take. What is it supposed to make people nostalgic for? The Bush administration? Or are there thousands of...
by rylltraka
Wed Jan 24, 2018 12:18 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best Song of the 2000s: HEYYYYYYYYYYYY YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Replies: 735
Views: 153381

Re: ELITE EIGHT: Best Song of the 2000s

AKKOLADE wrote:Hi everyone,

I wanted to announce that I'll be doing another bracket in about a month or month and a half (between prepping for it and the conclusion of this one). It'll be covering songs from the 1970s.
Hmm, maybe the interim would be a good time to talk to the kids about metal.
by rylltraka
Sun Jan 21, 2018 10:13 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best Song of the 2000s: HEYYYYYYYYYYYY YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Replies: 735
Views: 153381

Re: ELITE EIGHT: Best Song of the 2000s

Also, I do actually want to see Fred's mini-bracket of the 16 worst takes, perhaps because I might appear on said list. How has American Boy made it this far??????? It's had the luckiest draw of the entire bracket - so far it's beaten Radiohead's "Idioteque", "Yeah!" (split the h...
by rylltraka
Sun Jan 21, 2018 9:38 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best Song of the 2000s: HEYYYYYYYYYYYY YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Replies: 735
Views: 153381

Re: ELITE EIGHT: Best Song of the 2000s

This is by far the easiest round to judge. Mr. Brightside by The Killers vs. Toxic by Britney Spears Paper Planes by M.I.A. vs. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens Abstain - neither of these songs should be here. Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand By my estimation, there's only one song lef...
by rylltraka
Wed Jan 17, 2018 4:48 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best Song of the 2000s: HEYYYYYYYYYYYY YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Replies: 735
Views: 153381

Re: SWEET SIXTEEN: Best Song of the 2000s

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Mr. Brightside by The Killers I've said before that I find "Crazy" pretty interesting, but not at all transcendent. I also get bored with it about two minutes through, probably because its simplicity starts to wear. So does the novelty factor, as I've now heard ...
by rylltraka
Tue Jan 09, 2018 10:31 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best Song of the 2000s: HEYYYYYYYYYYYY YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Replies: 735
Views: 153381

Re: ROUND TWO, PART TWO: Best Song of the 2000s

I must also say that I've been really enjoying this experience (especially since listening to new music is something I basically never do). I also appreciate when people put in the time to justify their answers, which is a neat peek into other people's heads. Even the excerpts from Naveed's unpublis...
by rylltraka
Sun Jan 07, 2018 1:23 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best Song of the 2000s: HEYYYYYYYYYYYY YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Replies: 735
Views: 153381

Re: ROUND TWO, PART TWO: Best Song of the 2000s

Don't pay him any attention; it's better that way.
by rylltraka
Fri Jan 05, 2018 8:02 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best Song of the 2000s: HEYYYYYYYYYYYY YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Replies: 735
Views: 153381

Re: ROUND TWO, PART TWO: Best Song of the 2000s

Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Time to Pretend by MGMT Not worth thinking about. One More Time by Daft Punk vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga Likewise. Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine Toughest choice of the round. The mechanical aspects layered over "Take Me O...
by rylltraka
Fri Jan 05, 2018 2:11 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: TOEJAMANDEARL: Global Announcement (Video Game Tournament)
Replies: 35
Views: 20806

Re: TOEJAMANDEARL: Global Announcement (Video Game Tournamen

I don't go anywhere or do anything, so online is probably the best format for moi.
by rylltraka
Wed Jan 03, 2018 2:26 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best Song of the 2000s: HEYYYYYYYYYYYY YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Replies: 735
Views: 153381

Re: ROUND TWO, PART ONE: Best Song of the 2000s

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day "Crazy" is fine - in its minimalism and weirdness and Cee-lo's neat vocals - but I don't really get the hype. Mr. Brightside by The Killers vs. Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson Listening to "Mr. Brightside"...
by rylltraka
Wed Jan 03, 2018 2:06 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best Song of the 2000s: HEYYYYYYYYYYYY YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Replies: 735
Views: 153381

Re: ROUND ONE OVER: Best Song of the 2000s

sizzling hot take: the best Green Day song of the 2000s is "Castaway" from Warning You're goddamn right it is. Warning is a criminally underrated album. I personally would have picked "Church on Sunday," but these are still good points. I'm not going so far as to discredit Ameri...
by rylltraka
Fri Dec 29, 2017 7:26 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best Song of the 2000s: HEYYYYYYYYYYYY YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Replies: 735
Views: 153381

Re: ROUND ONE, PART FOUR: Best Song of the 2000s

Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes vs. Fidelity by Regina Spektor Seven Nation Army remains simple, catchy, and effective. It's as overplayed as any song we're going to meet going forward, but its straightforward power is something I can't deny. I love Regina and her cutesy chanteuse-ism, but F...
by rylltraka
Wed Dec 27, 2017 2:28 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best Song of the 2000s: HEYYYYYYYYYYYY YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Replies: 735
Views: 153381

Re: ROUND ONE, PART THREE: Best Song of the 2000s

Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Blind by Hercules and Love Affair Like presumably every young person in America, I do not need to listen to "Hey Ya" to hear it in my brain. It was so gigantic that it's now a wedding staple (despite the content of the lyrics). "Blind" in its electric-disc...
by rylltraka
Sun Dec 24, 2017 7:48 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best Song of the 2000s: HEYYYYYYYYYYYY YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Replies: 735
Views: 153381

Re: ROUND ONE, PART TWO: Best Song of the 2000s

99 Problems by Jay-Z vs. Helicopter by Bloc Party It was very debatable in my mind whether Bloc Party was a good song, but since the former definitely is, it's a walkover. Hips Don't Lie by Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean vs. One Armed Scissor by At the Drive-In On Song #1, Wyclef is rather annoying,...
by rylltraka
Fri Dec 22, 2017 1:55 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best Song of the 2000s: HEYYYYYYYYYYYY YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Replies: 735
Views: 153381

Re: ROUND ONE, PART ONE: Best Song of the 2000s

So apparently by being here I've wandered into a dimension where people hate Coldplay, Green Day, and System of a Down. Bestill my breaking heart. It's too bad that they all reached their peak at a moment where they'd be ubiquitous and thus, targets, during your time. Or do people just hate rock/met...
by rylltraka
Thu Dec 21, 2017 1:49 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best Song of the 2000s: HEYYYYYYYYYYYY YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Replies: 735
Views: 153381

Re: VENTING TIME: Best Song of the 2000s

Yes, let us all quote deep album cuts as "best songs of the decade" from bands that 99%-100% of people don't care about, except for the singles; that is the purpose of this exercise; get it out of your blood. Potentially unpopular opinion: The Killers' "Spaceman" is by far their ...
by rylltraka
Thu Dec 21, 2017 12:09 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best Song of the 2000s: HEYYYYYYYYYYYY YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Replies: 735
Views: 153381

Re: VENTING TIME: Best Song of the 2000s

While I am fine with "Wake me up when September Ends" as the selection off American Idiot, I probably would have gone with "Holiday".
by rylltraka
Tue Dec 19, 2017 6:40 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best Song of the 2000s: HEYYYYYYYYYYYY YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Replies: 735
Views: 153381

Re: ROUND 0 PART 2 VOTING NOW: Best Song of the 2000s Bracke

I just want to start off by saying two things: 1) quizbowl has horrible taste (my two favorite songs in the first round both lost to mediocrities), and 2) here, in the second runoff, I have not, to my knowledge, heard of a single one of these tracks. We're flying blind, here, people. The Fear – Lily...
by rylltraka
Sun Dec 17, 2017 5:31 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best Song of the 2000s: HEYYYYYYYYYYYY YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Replies: 735
Views: 153381

Re: ROUND 0 PART 1 VOTING NOW: Best Song of the 2000s Bracke

I must say that I've been looking forward to this as an educational experience, because I really wasn't paying attention to really any new music after 2002, and so I'm sure much of this material will be completely new, falling on virgin ears. Little Lion Man – Mumford and Sons vs. Can’t Get You Out ...
by rylltraka
Wed Nov 29, 2017 5:30 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: SNICK: Global Announcement (All 90s, Late Summer 2018)
Replies: 46
Views: 24456

Re: SNICK: Global Announcement (All 90s, Late Summer 2018)

Important Bird Area wrote:
I was hoping this was the 90s.
I fixed your post
My love for Statius is well-known.
by rylltraka
Tue Nov 07, 2017 8:33 pm
Forum: Quizbowl History Forum
Topic: The Dark History of UChicago Quizbowl
Replies: 5
Views: 16495

Re: The Dark History of UChicago Quizbowl

While I do not have Argus-like panoptic knowledge of the entire Classics community, the impression that I have is that, despite a few weird outliers that shall not be named here, and a vast quantity of the field whose interests are simply too esoteric to ever be political, Classics and Ancient Histo...
by rylltraka
Wed Aug 23, 2017 3:48 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chuck Berry Memorial Tournament: A Rock Tournament
Replies: 36
Views: 18342

Re: Chuck Berry Memorial Tournament: A Rock Tournament

I will echo Nolan's apt inquiry.
by rylltraka
Fri Aug 04, 2017 6:26 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: TRICON 5: COMING SUMMER 2017
Replies: 35
Views: 18534

Re: TRICON 5: COMING SUMMER 2017

I will have a packet done tonight (not in the next 30 minutes, however) and will send it along.
by rylltraka
Wed Aug 02, 2017 8:48 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: TRICON 5: COMING SUMMER 2017
Replies: 35
Views: 18534

Re: TRICON 5: COMING SUMMER 2017

I am pondering the possibility of cranking out a packet over the course of an upcoming seven-hour bus ride tomorrow. Let me know if you want in on a fever dream of a packet for a tournament I will never play.
by rylltraka
Fri May 05, 2017 5:19 pm
Forum: Quizbowl History Forum
Topic: Greatest Upsets in Quizbowl History
Replies: 75
Views: 78485

Re: Greatest Upsets in Quizbowl History

Chicago Open 2012, Dharma and Greg Bums over In Soviet Russia, Tournament Edits You. A team of myself, Mik Larsen, Alex Gerten, and Tirth Patel, which went 7-9 over the course of the tournament, beat Jonathan Magin, Bruce Arthur, Will Butler, and Jerry Vinokurov, who went 13-3 and, had they won, wo...
by rylltraka
Wed May 03, 2017 4:44 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: The Second Summer Open?
Replies: 15
Views: 8926

Re: The Second Summer Open?

Jesus Christ, we're overflowing with these things. It would be nice to have a version of this somewhere in the LA Basin; I might even look into doing so out of my own neck of the woods.
by rylltraka
Thu Mar 23, 2017 1:30 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chuck Berry Memorial Tournament: A Rock Tournament
Replies: 36
Views: 18342

Re: Chuck Berry Memorial Tournament: A Rock Tournament

Progcon wrote:My only question: will there be questions on metal? Quizbowl seems to overlook the genre which sucks because that's all I listen to.
There will be a 6/6/6 metal subdistribution
by rylltraka
Tue Feb 28, 2017 1:49 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: "Let's Remember Some Guys"
Replies: 44
Views: 25314

Re: "Let's Remember Some Guys"

all right all right
by rylltraka
Fri Feb 24, 2017 12:09 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: περί μυθολογιῶν/De Mythologia
Replies: 17
Views: 8738

Re: περί μυθολογιῶν/De Mythologia

I'm not certain how relevant this exactly is to the discussion, but as someone who was a primarily Classics-based player for quite some time, I very quickly resigned myself to only rarely answering Greco-Roman mythology tossups versus high-level teams, because my knowledge base for myth derived most...
by rylltraka
Thu Feb 16, 2017 11:55 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: WAO at Caltech (2/25/17)
Replies: 4
Views: 3113

Re: WAO at Caltech (2/25/17)

I also might show up to help with staff or just drink heavily and play quizbowl.
by rylltraka
Mon Feb 13, 2017 1:41 am
Forum: New Collegiate Teams
Topic: Starting a new team in the west
Replies: 3
Views: 10395

Re: Starting a new team in the west

As a native Oregonian but not a current inhabitant, it's always struck me as rather strange that, considering the high concentration of colleges in northwest Oregon and western Washington, there's never been much of a hint of a real college circuit. Some of the problems, I suppose, have to deal with...
by rylltraka
Sun Dec 25, 2016 9:33 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Continuing to rethink the distribution
Replies: 54
Views: 37144

Re: Continuing to rethink the distribution

While I agree that it's a worthwhile thing to do to try and find new and different practices of finding clues and data, and to write about social and cultural history topics, I don't think I've heard anything particularly compelling that would necessitate reshaping the distribution. In this specific...
by rylltraka
Mon Dec 19, 2016 6:58 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best Books You Read in 2016
Replies: 17
Views: 1270

Re: Best Books You Read in 2016

Best Work of Fiction: Probably Hesse's Magister Ludi , although it was often a slog. The prose style is incredibly intricate and the characterization meticulous. Obviously, as I'm sure others know already, it will make an academic, or for that matter a quizbowler, introspective and doubtful about th...
by rylltraka
Fri Oct 14, 2016 8:23 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: I need a movie!
Replies: 15
Views: 7396

Re: I need a movie!

What about the schlock-fest *The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes*?
by rylltraka
Thu Sep 29, 2016 4:26 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: CO Trash Skype mirror: Sunday, October 16
Replies: 17
Views: 8791

Re: CO Trash Skype mirror: Sunday, October 16

I would like to play this and need a team. Multiple quizbowl players will vouch for my tolerability.
by rylltraka
Mon Sep 19, 2016 12:53 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: The 10-Point Shootout (NBA Vanity Tournament)
Replies: 36
Views: 16384

Re: The 10-Point Shootout (NBA Vanity Tournament)

The packet set (with some minor edits) has been uploaded to the database, along with developer commentary that I added after pretty much every question. I'm willing to say this tournament is now clear. If there's anything about it you'd like to discuss, you may do so here.