The Quizbowl Resource Center

Emil Nolde

When I wrote my teamwork questions, I simply tried to make the parts somewhat uniform. Looking back, there are certain questions that did stick out to me as too hard. One example of the "swing" that stuck out to me was the geography pairs in the final. On the second bonus (Angola/DRC/Nami...

Emil Nolde

Congratulations to Loyola and Litchfield for their impressive performances, and thanks to the Masons, SHS, and Mr. Reinstein and Mr. Taylor. The tournament was a very positive and enjoyable experience for me. A few technical questions I had: -Are the questions supposed to get harder in the afternoon...

Emil Nolde

helping more marginal qualified teams learn more about the quizbowl world So basically your job is to do things that for the most part, all good quizbowl players try (or at least, should) to do; that is, act as an advocate for good quizbowl practices for players, coaches, and teams that probably wo...

Emil Nolde

Well, if you feel jumping the bureaucracy like that isn't probably going to blow up in your face somehow, then go for it. However, while I don't have much to back this up with, my guess is that in most cases, particularly with public schools, success and funding do not go hand-in-hand like we someti...

Emil Nolde

But my question would be how you can effectively communicate to non-quizbowlers that they should care, and, you know, that you're not making this whole thing up.

Emil Nolde

What does the PACE Vice President of Outreach do? The PACE by-laws state that the Vice President of Outreach shall be in charge of all issues related to encouraging and aiding the growth of quizbowl, chair any PACE committees designed for the purpose of spreading good quizbowl across the nation, an...

Emil Nolde

I feel that way because, especially when placed into context with this site's rather strictly enforced policy, I find one enjoyable aspect of Protobowl to be that it isn't tied so directly to my real self. That's not because I've done anything I'm ashamed of on Protobowl, but just because . . . secr...

Emil Nolde

Oh, hey, look, that wasn't my 'the Internet is serious business' voice, that was my 'semi-sarcastic and aimed at showing how I don't place more stock in these rankings than anyone should, and furthermore, look how much of a light-hearted and generally OK and fun guy I can be when the situation warr...

Emil Nolde

Oh, hey, look, that wasn't my 'the Internet is serious business' voice, that was my 'semi-sarcastic and aimed at showing how I don't place more stock in these rankings than anyone should, and furthermore, look how much of a light-hearted and generally OK and fun guy I can be when the situation warra...

Emil Nolde

As I've more or less said, real name policies would be problematic to enforce, and would at least for this guy spoil quite a bit of the enjoyment in the first place. Plus, such a rule would seem to not fit in very well at all with Kevin and Ben's management style, and so I doubt they will implement ...

Emil Nolde

If any school's administration ever looks at these, then you deserve a Gatorade shower. And for said administration, my question is, shouldn't you be spending your time on something that's, you know, loosely related to what you're actually paid to do? Also, AGH now I want to win more matches in orde...

Emil Nolde

On the flipside of what people were saying earlier, what if someone claims to be a certain person, but obviously isn't? Should they be kicked to protect someone's reputation? It's kind of hard to exactly know when someone's being an imposter. The first round of moderator acceptances is over, but we...

Emil Nolde

James, you have a fair point and it is well noted. My kids are capable of winning just about any match. I don't believe I'm selling my own team short here, I think I'm being realistic and giving the other seeded teams in our Sectional the respect they deserve. Having said that, when it comes to the...

Emil Nolde

3. As much as I love my team and believe in their ability to play well, there is no way my team is a legitimate #2 seed. We have a number of nice wins on our 2012-13 resume; we have gone back and forth with Marquette (#3), not defeated Highland in many attempts (#4), handily defeated Alton (#5) in ...

Emil Nolde

I personally feel wrong as a player if I don't give the whole thing. I know 'van der Rohe' just identifies his hometown or whatever, but 'Ludwig Mies' just doesn't sound complete. Your misplaced sense of quizbowl aesthetics aside, the guy was born with the surname "Mies" and was known thr...

Emil Nolde

While science isn't my best area, to put things rather lightly, I would say that one of the best ways to learn pretty much all sorts of science is by communicating with your science player friends. This is, I think, a good balance between 'wow my knowledge is so legitimate and complete' and 'wow thi...

Emil Nolde

AGH we got victimized on that Crassus/Cassius thing. Lost points on that one here too. Hey, guys, don't misidentify your quote sources. It's my line. :P The packet said Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (prompt if part of the underlined information is given) I personally feel wrong as a player if I don't gi...

Emil Nolde

I feel slightly ashamed that except for Henry VIII, I seem to have converted EVERY tossup with questionable details. Mandela, Mies van der Rohe, and Shaw. Yeah, guys, I am so legit, even if the details are completely inaccurate, it won't trip me up in the slightest! So feel free!

Emil Nolde

Hello, newbie here. I just wanted to pop in and comment on the questions today. I would like to second the error on Cassius as well as point out some things my team encountered today at the Salem sectional. The bonus/teamwork questions on "the Blues" and "Miles Davis (I believe)"...

Emil Nolde

Salem Sectional

1. Carbondale
2. Central HS (Breese)
3. Effingham
4. Salem

Questions were good enough so that fun was had.

Emil Nolde

But essentially, accessibility and convertibility are traits that are held to be more important than sophistication and legitimacy. In that case, it would seem to me that question quality is, and must always be restricted by the level of the field they are intended for. And of course, players are u...

Emil Nolde

Moderator application will be cool, it's getting tiring to answer the question,"Where can I get one of those green stars?" Need anybody who already is okay complete it? I implore you to contact info@protobowl.com with any and all questions, comments or concerns, preferably those which rela...

Emil Nolde

But essentially, accessibility and convertibility are traits that are held to be more important than sophistication and legitimacy. In that case, it would seem to me that question quality is, and must always be restricted by the level of the field they are intended for. And of course, players are un...

Emil Nolde

So like, if you read the first chunk of Anna K, then you probably remember that bit at the beginning where the dude we don't know or care about falls in front of the train? Tolstoy didn't just randomly include that for funsies -- most of the events in the book lead to Anna's climactic death which i...

Emil Nolde

Does collapsing the timer affect the topic box if the room has one, and are you planning on implementing those, because it would be a lot easier for determining what is and is not against the rules?

Emil Nolde

I actually would say that the train clue isn't really necessary for Anna Karenina. I've read part of it (give me a break, I was in the fifth grade, and only began reading it because it was worth the most points in the school's Accelerated Reader program) and would personally think that "The tit...

Emil Nolde

>>*SPOILER ALERT*<< So, it occurs to me that quizbowl has quite a few questions about books. I read books sometimes. However, it takes a while, and in my opinion, the longer you take to read it, without giving up, the better you think it is. I've been reading Infinite Jest on and off for about three...

Emil Nolde

True, but for me, a science specialist, getting a lit background is easier to accomplish with questions, rather than reading the books themselves. I know ignoring deep knowledge is usually frowned upon in the quizbowl world, but it's been working for me so far. Read short poems and short stories. T...

Emil Nolde

Okay, the moderation system doesn't really work effectively. While I've been on with privileges, I've only warned legitimate users to refrain from cussing. What if crossing a certain score threshold automatically gave you the ability to kick other users? Or, at the very least protect them from trib...

Emil Nolde

Okay, the moderation system doesn't really work effectively. While I've been on with privileges, I've only warned legitimate users to refrain from cussing. What if crossing a certain score threshold automatically gave you the ability to kick other users? Or, at the very least protect them from tribu...

Emil Nolde

At this point, of course, though, ProtoBowl stats are relatively meaningless, so I suppose it isn't like the ability to abuse them a little bit isn't really that important. You meant to say that meaningless statistics are important? In fact, I really don't see why these statistics are really a matt...

Emil Nolde

Also, I've noticed that resetting your score resets your streak as well. I guess that's intentional right? Well, it's not exactly unintentional, but should it be the other way? I think one possible move that could make admins more effective is to give moderators the ability place quarantines on the...

Emil Nolde

Legit here, iirc Auburn and us simultaneously line switched during the IHSA 3rd place game last year, once their win was mathematically certain. Does anyone else know of matches where that's happened? Not exactly sure why our coaches made that decision, but whatever. 1) Don't study! Look, man, if th...

Emil Nolde

. . . Wait wait wait fourth and ninth . . . That's not right. Even if it is, I don't really care. It must've been a really bad day for Tristan or something. If we can't beat Northmont, then I would put money on Macomb beating Northmont. Sorry, I am late to this thread- I was just referred to it by ...

Emil Nolde

Oh. I've never actually experienced that at night, but it makes sense, I suppose. I don't know, though, that the same thing couldn't be accomplished without too much difficulty with good policing, and like I said, a blanket moratorium would probably serve to aggravate legit people.

Emil Nolde

I think one possible move that could make admins more effective is to give moderators the ability place quarantines on the lobby and not let anyone in for a certain amount of time. What exactly would this accomplish, though? I guess it's decent for room population control, though I don't think that...

Emil Nolde

Well, I don't really think we should be aiming to make pb an extension of this site. As it stands, I think that real names should probably only be divulged with consent. Civility doesn't require that we tell anyone who cares our name. Besides, it's not that hard to find out.

Emil Nolde

There's now a custom "topic" (a la irc) property of rooms which can be set by secret ninjas (i.e. Ben or me). It shows up as a box below the timer, and it could be used to contain a short list of rules/etc. Is there any way to make the app enforce these rules, or would it have to be monit...

Emil Nolde

I for one don't and won't use Facebook, so yeah. Oh, and IP bans now last longer (25 minutes instead of 15) So yeah, that's in place. In general, I don't think I'd be in favor of adopting a 'use something resembling your real name' clause of any sort. Not because strict anonymity is a good thing, ne...

Emil Nolde

Hey, look at me, this is me quietly and gently setting the issue down, like you might deposit an orphan-containing basket on a doorstep, and then tiptoeing away and vanishing into the vastness of the night. As I do so, a small subtle whisper tickles your ear. It says: What we do or do not agree is o...

Emil Nolde

I'm not trying to defend moronic or hostile behavior, I am just trying to see whether there is a way to make the experience enjoyable for everyone, without enforcing some sort of 'nanny state' as I believe was mentioned upthread.

@perlnerd Ah, so you are Pierre de la Rue.

Emil Nolde

Fine, that's probably true, but when it comes down to it, how is it helpful to say "This is terrible, people do bad things here"? It's certainly better to light a candle than to curse the darkness, but if you can't find a match, then I'd say that it's in your best interest to develop night...

Emil Nolde

Fine, but there are some people that do, in certain situations, use bad words. But I do agree, people who are bothered by this activity should not use /lobby if it affects them that much. However, I would also say that frankly, that's being rather reactionary, and I would advise anyone who gets offe...

Emil Nolde

Well, yes, but you just mean at a certain event. These rankings would seem to suggest that their B team was consistently significantly better than their A team. I don't really think this is the case, which is why I wonder under what circumstances it happened

Emil Nolde

But that's not what I mean. If that's legit and the Dunbar teams are in the correct order, that still doesn't make sense. Shouldn't the definition of a B team be 'the team that is worse than the A team'? That's always been my understanding of how it goes. EDIT: Oh, okay. But are they really that goo...

Emil Nolde

I think that if the infrastructure of the site should be changed, there should be a place for hooligans. The room for banned people is called /b for a reason I was actually under the impression that it stood for /b anned. If that's what they meant, then most certainly /lobby should be renamed, beca...

Emil Nolde

But which one gives you the satisfaction ? Anyway, is there anyone who actually saw this Dunbar match happen? Because I'm sort of mystified. And like I said, there's a lot of stuff in here that isn't as obviously strange as that. For one thing, where in Sam Hill is Etowah? My admittedly limited know...

Emil Nolde

Lobby does have merit . . . To be sure, it's absolutely nuts at times, and has attracted many less-than-ideal users, but there's certainly a not-so-very fine line between saying the app harbors hate speech and is bound to give the quizbowl community a bad rap and feeding and/or joining the trolls. J...

Emil Nolde

Or not. Ctrl+F is a wonderful thing, my friends.
Besides, there's some rather wonky things that are happening in here.

Like, besides questionable numbers that I guess unavoidably happen between unconnected regions, does anyone know how exactly Dunbar B got to be like 130 points higher than Dunbar A?

Emil Nolde

Category hijacking doesn't really happen often, but what's really annoying are the offensive usernames and chat messages; especially when it starts lagging as a result.

Perhaps could users who themselves have recently triggered the banhammer icon be disallowed from voting in ban tribunals?

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