Search found 43 matches

by The Laughing Man
Sat Nov 21, 2009 4:41 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Writing philosophy questions
Replies: 12
Views: 2419

Re: Writing philosophy questions

Xia argued that the time-inverse of an exponentially accelerating object, or "space invader," would violate this idea. Peter van Inwagen's Mind and Consequence arguments support this idea, while John Norton attempted to disprove it for Newtonian physics using an example of a ball at rest ...
by The Laughing Man
Tue Nov 17, 2009 5:08 pm
Forum: Quizbowl History Forum
Topic: The quizbowl decades project
Replies: 123
Views: 76740

Re: The quizbowl decades project

The best games I have participated in are these: 2009 PACE Final- Really painful, but definitely the most dramatic game I've had the opportunity play in. 2009 PACE game against Ike- The most ridiculous performance I've ever seen by a high schooler. Ike goes 6- 9 against us!!!!!!! Prison Bowl Finals ...
by The Laughing Man
Thu Oct 22, 2009 2:52 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Canon Expansion, Bose-Einstein Condensates, and You
Replies: 92
Views: 15543

Re: Canon Expansion, Bose-Einstein Condensates, and You

It seems to me that some people are failing to distinguish between two questions regarding clues/ answers that have appeared in the packet archive many times 1. Should we expect teams to know this /Is this an appropriate nth bonus part? Should the Reptile Fund which is largely famous only through re...
by The Laughing Man
Fri Jun 05, 2009 8:03 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: NSC 09 question discussion
Replies: 132
Views: 24594

Re: NSC 09 question discussion

One character in this novel is sent to prison on charges of corrupting a minor named Gabriel, while another was arrested after trying to help Dr. Americo escape from Argentina. Those two men, Valentín and Molina, share a cell and eventually form a relationship. For 15 points, name this Manuel Puig ...
by The Laughing Man
Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:38 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: 2009 NAQT HSNCT
Replies: 349
Views: 102598

Re: 2009 NAQT HSNCT

Yeah, so there were some good things about this tournament. Notably it was in a nice hotel, featured friendly staff and lots of time to hang out with other players coincided with Gaddis and featured a fair number of very well written questions. If you play it with the right mind frame it can be a lo...
by The Laughing Man
Wed May 06, 2009 7:23 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Bouncebacks?
Replies: 47
Views: 7027

Re: Bouncebacks?

I'm a fan of bouncebacks. I'll admit that they introduce some elements of gamesmanship into the game, like intentionally missing the last question and trying to mumble bonus answers to the moderator to avoid giving the other time a clue (I know this is an Andre Gide work, but if I say the Immoralist...
by The Laughing Man
Sat Apr 25, 2009 7:42 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Class of 09, Where Will You Be Playing Next Year
Replies: 79
Views: 21853

Re: Class of 09, Where Will You Be Playing Next Year

I'm going to Swarthmore and will probably play quizbowl.
by The Laughing Man
Tue Mar 31, 2009 10:37 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Weekend of Quizbowl Discussion
Replies: 34
Views: 5249

Re: Weekend of Quizbowl Discussion

I don't know I feel about the Holy Roman Emperor tossup. At least for me, it seems a touch difficult to figure out what is wanted. Yeah this was not good. It started out with an overly famous clue about the lombard league which is basically the most famous thing about one of the most famous H.R.E. ...
by The Laughing Man
Wed Mar 25, 2009 6:34 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: RAQIT I @ Robinson SS, Fairfax, VA -- cancelled
Replies: 117
Views: 29273

Re: RAQIT I (03/28/09) @ Robinson SS, Fairfax, VA

Hey, so even if anyone dropped it doesn't seem we would be able to come after all. Sorry.
by The Laughing Man
Thu Mar 19, 2009 7:04 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Pennsylvania NAQT Championship 4/4/09
Replies: 0
Views: 973

Pennsylvania NAQT Championship 4/4/09

In case people missed this... The 2009 NAQT Pennsylvania Championship will be held at the Pennsylvania State University and hosted by Penn State Quiz Bowl. This page contains all of the information you should need about the tournament, but if you have any questions, contact Adam Zydney, PSU Quiz Bow...
by The Laughing Man
Wed Mar 18, 2009 8:47 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Mahfouz Memorial Lit Singles Discussion (MN DO NOT READ)
Replies: 50
Views: 14829

Re: Mahfouz Memorial Lit Singles Discussion (MN DO NOT READ)

Again this tournament was really fantastic. Basically all of it was really cool, but specifically, I enjoyed really good tossups on the books I've like Billiards at Half Past Nine, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The Namesake, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Farewell to Arms, all of which had real...
by The Laughing Man
Wed Mar 18, 2009 8:48 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Mahfouz Memorial Lit Singles Discussion (MN DO NOT READ)
Replies: 50
Views: 14829

Re: Mahfouz Memorial Lit Singles Discussion (MN DO NOT READ)

Hey I don't know your e-mail Ike, so I'll post here. Could you send the set to me at [email protected] and to Graham at [email protected] ?
by The Laughing Man
Tue Mar 17, 2009 8:39 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Mahfouz Memorial Lit Singles Discussion (MN DO NOT READ)
Replies: 50
Views: 14829

Re: Mahfouz Memorial Lit Singles Discussion (MN DO NOT READ)

Is this set going to be posted, or not until after the MN tourney? My memory is far too hazy to comment on it until I can see it again.
by The Laughing Man
Mon Mar 16, 2009 9:24 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Mahfouz Memorial Literature Singles - 3/13
Replies: 48
Views: 41062

Re: Mahfouz Memorial Literature Singles - 3/13

I don't know if there is going to be a discussion or what, so I'll just take the opportunity to thank Ike now. Obviously, any time you win something it's fun, but this was just about the most fun I've had at a quizbowl event. This set was generally awesome and the finals especially did an excellent ...
by The Laughing Man
Mon Mar 16, 2009 4:43 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Weekend of Quizbowl II (3/14 + 3/15/09, Fairfax, VA)
Replies: 118
Views: 55820

Re: Weekend of Quizbowl II (3/14 + 3/15/09, Fairfax, VA)

Adamantium Claws wrote:I would like to see the PACE format go.
This.
by The Laughing Man
Tue Mar 10, 2009 12:38 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: NAQT distributions posted
Replies: 23
Views: 3956

Re: NAQT distributions posted

I understand the rationale for having relatively low numbers of philosophy, social science, and even perhaps arts (low conversion rates), but I don't understand why academic literature has less than 4/4 a packet. Are people really not converting literature questions? This. Moreover, I can even unde...
by The Laughing Man
Mon Feb 23, 2009 5:37 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Dropping Titles in Literature Questions
Replies: 76
Views: 11145

Re: Dropping Titles in Literature Questions

The original point was essentially that buzzer races are often created whenever a title is mentioned, which is, for one, an issue of simple non-pyramidality or bad clue selection where it occurs and, for two, not in my opinion such a problem as has been claimed, even among the very best teams. At P...
by The Laughing Man
Sun Feb 22, 2009 1:03 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Prison Bowl Discussion
Replies: 82
Views: 11692

Re: Prison Bowl Discussion

This was a really good set! My main quibble would be the easiness of the bonuses-- I realize that only with really easy bonuses will you be able to hit your conversion targets, but I think that in the playoffs, and especially in the finals the difficulty should be ramped up. In terms of individual q...
by The Laughing Man
Fri Feb 20, 2009 9:22 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Dropping Titles in Literature Questions
Replies: 76
Views: 11145

Re: Dropping Titles in Literature Questions

Let's face it, at the high school level, more people are going to know vague details about My Antonia rather than titles like Alexander's Bridge. I seriously doubt there are more people who would buzz on "another character worked for Wick Cutter..." (sorry I can't tell if by vague you mea...
by The Laughing Man
Fri Feb 20, 2009 1:06 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Dropping Titles in Literature Questions
Replies: 76
Views: 11145

Re: Dropping Titles in Literature Questions

An important disctinction to make is that I'm not totally against titles, just against those early in the question and I think that the work description- title construction is not suited to early clues. I'm with Guy; I think some actual clues from literature are easier than titles. For example, just...
by The Laughing Man
Fri Feb 20, 2009 12:31 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Dropping Titles in Literature Questions
Replies: 76
Views: 11145

Dropping Titles in Literature Questions

At tournaments this year I have felt that literature questions consistently drop famous titles too early, resulting in buzzer races. I recently happened to come across questions in last year's PACE NSC which illustrate my point 12. This author wrote about Albert Corde, who travels to Romania with hi...
by The Laughing Man
Wed Jan 21, 2009 10:35 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: M.O.H.I.T. at TJHSST (01/10/09)
Replies: 80
Views: 31413

Re: M.O.H.I.T. at TJHSST (01/10/09)

Yeah I'm not a science player, but the science seemed really good. I thought that Ginzburg Landau is probably too famous to be a superconductivity lead in though. Anyway, the reason I'm posting is I know you are editing the set before posting it, and I think the Diels Alder reaction bonus may have h...
by The Laughing Man
Mon Dec 29, 2008 12:06 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Linguistic Fraud
Replies: 60
Views: 7952

Re: Linguistic Fraud

"While working as an apothecary's apprentice in the village of Grimstad, he wrote a play..." (13.17) This is not Bjornstjerne Bjornson. This lead in has a more fundamental flaw than its fraudability; namely, the fact that the only possible buzz on the lead in is a fraudulent one. For the ...
by The Laughing Man
Sat Dec 27, 2008 10:14 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Are IS-A sets appropriate for new teams?
Replies: 75
Views: 12665

Re: Are IS-A sets appropriate for new teams?

As would I, since I'd love to see something like this happen in the fall. The spring was just the only time we were able to run HAVOC, as it will be this year. Also, while this is unofficial since I need to speak to Cameron and Dr. Barnes, I would not be opposed to mirroring HAVOC across the countr...
by The Laughing Man
Wed Dec 24, 2008 11:07 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Are IS-A sets appropriate for new teams?
Replies: 75
Views: 12665

Re: Are IS-A sets appropriate for new teams?

I firmly believe that the best way to get new teams to improve is to expose them to academic questions. As a young player, I played nothing but NAQT and was a terrible player. Although since I knew very little, I wasn't great at NAQT, I got enough sports and computational mathematics that I didn't r...
by The Laughing Man
Sun Dec 14, 2008 9:36 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Improving Bonus Conversion
Replies: 25
Views: 4184

Re: Improving Bonus Conversion

I don't think there are any shortcuts; the best way to improve is to read a lot of bonuses. Once you've played a lot of bonuses, you'll realize that they are almost always the same. You may see a new 30 clue once in a while, but the easy and middle parts come up again and again. For example, nearly ...
by The Laughing Man
Sat Dec 13, 2008 11:26 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Byko Rankings 2008-2009
Replies: 136
Views: 35129

Re: Byko Rankings 2008-2009

The other difficulty I see is the presence of teams whose A-Team is among the top couple of teams, while the B-Team is several hundred teams away from the top. Even though the quality of our A-Team didn't drop off all that much when 3/4 of it was missing, it made sense to list it as our B-Team becau...
by The Laughing Man
Wed Dec 10, 2008 7:50 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Byko Rankings 2008-2009
Replies: 136
Views: 35129

Re: Byko Rankings 2008-2009

From the posts in the GSAC topic, State College said in advance that they were missing their A teamers and that it wasn't an A team. At GSAC our A-Team had one regular A-Team member who is generally our second or third leading scorer. Our B-Team had no regular B-Team members. Do you have anything t...
by The Laughing Man
Mon Dec 08, 2008 10:34 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: GSAC XVI: December 6, 2008
Replies: 223
Views: 114361

Re: GSAC XVI: December 6, 2008

Okay, but both you and Sarah come from great schools that probably actually teach you things that come up in quizbowl. 99% of the quizbowl information I know comes from reading quizbowl questions or doing quizbowl related studying. No, I chose not to take art history because our art history teacher...
by The Laughing Man
Mon Dec 08, 2008 10:29 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: GSAC XVI: December 6, 2008
Replies: 223
Views: 114361

Re: GSAC XVI: December 6, 2008

Hunters in the Snow is really quiz bowl famous by virtue of the fact that there are so many things to describe in it. I think I've read at least 3 tossups on it in college packets.
by The Laughing Man
Mon Dec 08, 2008 10:20 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: GSAC XVI: December 6, 2008
Replies: 223
Views: 114361

Re: GSAC XVI: December 6, 2008

I think that the Breughel giveaway Landscape with the Fall of Icarus is perfectly reasonable, it's probably his most famous work. Maybe Breughel wouldn't be converted in as many rooms as it should be, but I think that toss up conversion is overrated. Obviously, the point of pyramidal questions is th...
by The Laughing Man
Sun Nov 16, 2008 11:05 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: HFT Discussion
Replies: 94
Views: 13465

Re: HFT Discussion

Re: the finals, I do want to know how they went over. I thought that the questions definitely differentiated well. There were a few buzzer races, but all but one were late in the question and were probably inevitable given our similar knowledge on many subjects. On the vast majority of the questions...
by The Laughing Man
Sun Nov 16, 2008 10:47 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Harvard Fall Tournament III (11/15/08) -- Cambridge, MA
Replies: 155
Views: 90398

Re: Harvard Fall Tournament III (11/15/08) -- Cambridge, MA

There was a slight error on the stats against Hunter (it said we heard 7 bonuses instead of 9) so our actual ppb was only 19.85.
by The Laughing Man
Sun Nov 16, 2008 8:15 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: HFT Discussion
Replies: 94
Views: 13465

Re: HFT Discussion

a high school bonus asking for Roland Barthes AND a work by Roland Barthes (in one of the "easy" packets nonetheless!) Yeah the social science bonus difficulty was really variable. We would have 20d the Barthes one had we gotten it, but obviously it is pretty ridiculous that that appeared...
by The Laughing Man
Sun Oct 19, 2008 10:38 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Non-question-specific criticisms of IS-80A
Replies: 253
Views: 36022

Re: Non-question-specific criticisms of IS-80A

Most of the buzzer races were a result of truly heinous clue placements. Obviously, the increase in the level of high school quiz bowl contributed somewhat, but there were at least 10 truly awful lead ins that anyone with a buzzer and a pulse would buzz on. It was astounding that these lead ins got ...
by The Laughing Man
Tue Sep 23, 2008 4:23 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: How Often/When Does Your Team Practice?
Replies: 45
Views: 7570

Re: How Often/When Does Your Team Practice?

I don't really understand the emphasis that many people put on practice. Certainly, it is important to practice some to keep yourself from getting rusty; when I played for the first time after 5 weeks at a summer program my recall was really slow. It seems to me, however, that practicing every day i...
by The Laughing Man
Mon Sep 15, 2008 6:20 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Pennsylvania '08-'09
Replies: 39
Views: 6135

Re: Pennsylvania '08-'09

I hope that this thread survives (if Illinois can have hundreds of posts, we should at least be able to field a board!), but I suspect that because there isn't really a circuit, there won't be too much to talk about (I mean, I've only seen you twice in my whole quizbowl career Charlie!) Still, I'll ...
by The Laughing Man
Thu Sep 04, 2008 6:44 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Harvard Fall Tournament III (11/15/08) -- Cambridge, MA
Replies: 155
Views: 90398

Re: Harvard Fall Tournament III (11/15/08) -- Cambridge, MA

It is pretty likely that we will bring a bus, although we aren't sure at this point.
by The Laughing Man
Mon Jun 16, 2008 10:27 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Sources For Literature Question Writing
Replies: 6
Views: 1956

Sources For Literature Question Writing

What reputable internet and print sources have you found that are good sources of plot summaries for literature questions? I have trouble with finding summaries of lesser works when writing questions with the author as the answer. Obviously, there are things like masterplots, but that isn't helpful ...
by The Laughing Man
Tue Jun 03, 2008 6:46 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: PACE NSC 2008 Question Discussion
Replies: 93
Views: 15565

Re: PACE NSC 2008 Question Discussion

I would like to thank the question writers for what was probably the best set I've ever played. The tossups were consistently excellent; the only ones with which I had issues (and they were minor ones) were the common link ones, which were often ambiguous or transparent. Although the Native American...
by The Laughing Man
Mon May 26, 2008 5:28 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: NAQT HSNCT Question Discussion
Replies: 87
Views: 17397

Re: NAQT HSNCT Question Discussion

I thought that the literature this year was definitely a step up from previous years and the literature toss ups were generally well done. The answer selection seemed better than in previous years; it was nice to see answer selections like Pere Goriot as opposed to Balzac. The only egregious literat...