Search found 3327 matches

by theMoMA
Wed Apr 01, 2020 11:56 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "ancient 4" quadrant
Replies: 15
Views: 1045

The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "ancient 4" quadrant

https://snipboard.io/QUOv9z.jpg Although not offering the same amount of whimsy or "star power" as some of the other brackets, the "ancient" months are rich in history and culture. This bracket calls on voters to step back in time and travel around the world, from Egypt to Persi...
by theMoMA
Tue Mar 31, 2020 5:40 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "reform 3" quadrant
Replies: 22
Views: 1574

Re: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "reform 3" quadrant

3/62: Thermidor v Self-Existing. This was not a hard call for me. Although I respect what Self-Existing was able to accomplish in the play-in, it is simply outclassed by Thermidor. 30/35: Pédale v Frederick. I will be the first to admit that Pédale, like all of the Pataphysical months, eludes me som...
by theMoMA
Tue Mar 31, 2020 2:40 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "reform 3" quadrant
Replies: 22
Views: 1574

Re: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "reform 3" quadrant

Welcome to the first round of voting in the "reform 3" quadrant. To kick things off, we have a 3/62 matchup between French Revolutionary heavy hitter Thermidor and fan-favorite Dreamspell month Self-Existing . Although Self-Existing won the hearts, if not the minds, of over half of the pla...
by theMoMA
Tue Mar 31, 2020 2:02 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "reform 3" quadrant
Replies: 22
Views: 1574

The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "reform 3" quadrant

https://snipboard.io/13W02Z.jpg Almost nothing about the MONTHS TOURNAMENT so far can prepare voters for the absolute chaos, insanity, and downright madness that is the "modern reform" bracket. Voters have only gotten a taste of the weirdness so far, with the "Dreamspell" play-i...
by theMoMA
Tue Mar 31, 2020 3:42 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "secular 1" quadrant
Replies: 26
Views: 1681

Re: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "secular 1" quadrant

I've decided to vote, and to avoid the appearance of bias, I will vote early so as not to make any tiebreaking decisions. 1/64: June v Sip. My sense about the Maya months is that the ones with the dumbest-sounding names were the ones that got voted out first (i.e. "Pop"). "Sip" i...
by theMoMA
Mon Mar 30, 2020 11:48 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "secular 1" quadrant
Replies: 26
Views: 1681

Re: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "secular 1" quadrant

The "secular 1" quadrant contains some of the heaviest-hitting months on any of the world's calendars, let alone just the secular calendars. Naive observers may look at this quadrant and think that the Julio-Gregorian months are favored, but that underestimates the sheer firepower of the &...
by theMoMA
Mon Mar 30, 2020 11:13 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "secular 1" quadrant
Replies: 26
Views: 1681

The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "secular 1" quadrant

Beginning with this round, the organizers of the MONTHS TOURNAMENT will be arranging the bracket into sixteen (16) "quadrants" (called quadrants because each represents a quarter of its respective bracket). Each "quadrant" will be known by the name of the bracket area and the bes...
by theMoMA
Mon Mar 30, 2020 8:37 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "religious" play-in round
Replies: 15
Views: 943

Re: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "religious" play-in round

In a round of twists, turns, and close votes, the final play-in ballot did not live up to the dramatic standard that previous play-ins set. Āθrō (14-4), Xšaθrahe Vairyehe (16.5-1.5), Parmouti (13-5), and Nur (12.5-5.5) all advanced, and the margins weren't particularly close. But even though these m...
by theMoMA
Sat Mar 28, 2020 7:09 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Announcing: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT
Replies: 10
Views: 1722

Re: Announcing: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT

The regular bracket voting for the MONTHS TOURNAMENT will begin on Monday! In the meantime, please vote in the "religious" play-in, which is open for another day.
by theMoMA
Sat Mar 28, 2020 6:40 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "ancient" play-in round
Replies: 22
Views: 1213

Re: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "ancient" play-in round

In the battle for the 40th seed , Anthesterion took down Thargelion , 15-8, indicating that voters care more about Dionysus than Apollo and Artemis. The 49th seed was won by Metageitnion over Gamelion , 15.5-7.5. Voters did not place much value in the marriage between Zeus and Hera. The 52nd seed ma...
by theMoMA
Fri Mar 27, 2020 9:47 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "religious" play-in round
Replies: 15
Views: 943

Re: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "religious" play-in round

51 seed: Xšaθrahe Vairyehe v Amərətātō - not to question the august (heh) authorities of the MONTHS TOURNAMENT, but are you sure this month is named after Vohu Manah and not Kshatra Vairya, a different Amesha Spenta? anyway I'm voting for it. This appears to be correct; thank you for bringing this ...
by theMoMA
Fri Mar 27, 2020 9:06 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "religious" play-in round
Replies: 15
Views: 943

The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "religious" play-in round

The calendars of the world are, in many ways, inseparable from the religions of the world. Although just about every calendar has a religious aspect, some calendars are inextricable from the religions that birthed them. This bracket quadrant honors those calendars: Hebrew, Islamic, Baha'i, Coptic, a...
by theMoMA
Fri Mar 27, 2020 8:14 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "secular" play-in round
Replies: 20
Views: 1298

Re: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "secular" play-in round

The "secular" play-in asked voters to do something a little different: choose the Maya months they did NOT want to advance. This election structure posed a challenge for voters looking to protect months from the chopping block, because in order to do so, voters would need to gang up on ano...
by theMoMA
Fri Mar 27, 2020 5:04 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "secular" play-in round
Replies: 20
Views: 1298

Re: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "secular" play-in round

Fans or detractors of Wayeb': you have just about another hour to get out the vote!
by theMoMA
Thu Mar 26, 2020 8:46 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "modern reform" play-in round
Replies: 9
Views: 1094

Re: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "modern reform" play-in round

With the passing of 8:45 eastern time, the first play-in round of the MONTHS TOURNAMENT concludes. And what a ride it was! The Dreamspell calendar offers esoteric month names that tantalize voters with their spiritual and sometimes vaguely scientific feel. It was a hard go for solar system-related m...
by theMoMA
Thu Mar 26, 2020 7:11 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "ancient" play-in round
Replies: 22
Views: 1213

Re: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "ancient" play-in round

:party: :party: :party: To encourage discussion and interesting posting, the organizers of the MONTHS TOURNAMENT have determined that, starting with this round, all votes accompanied by interesting discussion or justification will receive an additional 0.5 vote credit. If you've already voted, feel...
by theMoMA
Thu Mar 26, 2020 6:12 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "modern reform" play-in round
Replies: 9
Views: 1094

Re: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "modern reform" play-in round

Just a few more hours to vote! It's still up in the air who will advance, so you might want to lobby your friends to vote for your favorites "on the bubble."
by theMoMA
Thu Mar 26, 2020 6:11 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Announcing: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT
Replies: 10
Views: 1722

Re: Announcing: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT

The current round, and all future rounds, will use "copy/paste voting" (see music brackets for examples). The organizers of the MONTHS TOURNAMENT have determined that, in order to encourage the health of the hsqb forums by increasing interest among new posters, votes from hsqb accounts wit...
by theMoMA
Thu Mar 26, 2020 6:06 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "ancient" play-in round
Replies: 22
Views: 1213

Re: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "ancient" play-in round

If you're on the fence about anything, or feel strongly about choices, please feel free to discuss in this thread as well!
by theMoMA
Thu Mar 26, 2020 6:05 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "ancient" play-in round
Replies: 22
Views: 1213

The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "ancient" play-in round

The world's ancient civilizations produced calendars as varied as their cultures. The organizers of the MONTHS TOURNAMENT have classified the calendars of the ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Babylonian, and Persian civilizations under this venerable category. Additionally, the organizers determined ...
by theMoMA
Wed Mar 25, 2020 6:43 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "secular" play-in round
Replies: 20
Views: 1298

Re: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "secular" play-in round

Voted to eliminate wayeb because it's unlucky I voted for it because intercalary days aren't months! Including it would shatter the sanctity of the month-based competition, much the same way that ill-intended spirits could upend Mayan society. I wouldn't normally swoop in and comment so early in th...
by theMoMA
Wed Mar 25, 2020 6:23 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "secular" play-in round
Replies: 20
Views: 1298

The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "secular" play-in round

The "secular" bracket of the MONTHS TOURNAMENT is filled with calendars that have been used by major societies around the world; it includes the traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Indian calendars, as well as the Julian and Maya calendars. Between these calendars, there are 67 months. Beca...
by theMoMA
Tue Mar 24, 2020 8:45 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "modern reform" play-in round
Replies: 9
Views: 1094

The MONTHS TOURNAMENT: "modern reform" play-in round

Inspired by the Mayan calendar and New Age philosophy, the spiritualists José and Lloydine Burris Argüelles devised the Dreamspell calendar in 1987. The Dreamspell has since become likely the only esoteric calendar that is the basis for a board game, specifically Telektonon: The Game of Prophecy. Th...
by theMoMA
Tue Mar 24, 2020 8:35 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Announcing: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT
Replies: 10
Views: 1722

Announcing: The MONTHS TOURNAMENT

Have you ever wondered what month is the best month? I certainly have. And now, with the help of the esteemed members of #qbbasketsball, we find out. Announcing: the MONTHS TOURNAMENT. A hsquizbowl forums/Facebook interactive event. The MONTHS TOURNAMENT is a "bracketed voting experience" ...
by theMoMA
Mon Mar 23, 2020 3:04 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: College Nationals and Its Problems
Replies: 132
Views: 54059

Re: College Nationals and Its Problems

As we careen toward a fourth page of this riveting discussion, and yet more sports analogies are thrown into the mix, I would like to throw out a few words of caution when drawing such comparisons. I think some sports invocations are meant to bolster a case for tightened quizbowl eligibility, becaus...
by theMoMA
Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:24 pm
Forum: Community Discussion
Topic: Pandemic and community
Replies: 2
Views: 3717

Pandemic and community

I don't think any of us know exactly how the pandemic will shake out, what we may need, or what we may be called upon to do for others. People are going to need friends to talk with to break the monotony and isolation that result from social distancing. Some people might need help working on project...
by theMoMA
Fri Mar 13, 2020 9:32 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Pre-announcement: unnamed early 2021 open
Replies: 3
Views: 3262

Re: Pre-announcement: unnamed early 2021 open

In light of the cascade effect of postponements due to the pandemic, I've decided to postpone this tournament to make way for rescheduling or other events that may take place in spring 2021. It's also going to be easier for me to write on a more relaxed schedule. Fall 2021 or spring 2022 seem most l...
by theMoMA
Fri Mar 13, 2020 4:54 pm
Forum: Trash
Topic: Chicago Open Trash 2020 (see new announcement thread for 2022)
Replies: 26
Views: 13144

Re: Chicago Open Trash 2020 (July 19, 2020)

Cheynem wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2020 4:39 pmIn the light of recent events, has your policy on Randy Wittman changed?
While the CO Trash team remains steadfastly opposed to Mr. Wittman's words and deeds in his professional capacity, we wish him and his family health and safety in these trying times.
by theMoMA
Fri Mar 13, 2020 4:28 pm
Forum: Trash
Topic: Chicago Open Trash 2020 (see new announcement thread for 2022)
Replies: 26
Views: 13144

Re: Chicago Open Trash 2020 (July 19, 2020)

As other events look toward potential postponement until the summer because of the pandemic, we'll be monitoring the situation and may have to announce a rescheduling of CO Trash. I hope we'll be able to maintain our claim on CO Sunday in the event that CO has to be rescheduled to accommodate other ...
by theMoMA
Fri Mar 13, 2020 4:19 pm
Forum: Quizbowl History Forum
Topic: Your nationals stories—no title teams allowed
Replies: 11
Views: 8628

Re: Your nationals stories—no title teams allowed

For me, there are few stretches of relatively low-stakes games that stand out more than my run through the prelims of ACF Nationals 2013, when I was playing solo. I made the decision to play very late in the registration process and came into the tournament with basically no goals (other than avoidi...
by theMoMA
Sun Mar 08, 2020 8:44 pm
Forum: Trash
Topic: Chicago Open Trash 2020 (see new announcement thread for 2022)
Replies: 26
Views: 13144

Re: Chicago Open Trash 2020 (July 19, 2020)

BurteL wrote: Sun Mar 08, 2020 8:40 pm Forgive me, how do we formally register?
Please fill out the google form listed in the "registration" section of the initial post. Thanks!
by theMoMA
Wed Mar 04, 2020 1:31 pm
Forum: Collegiate Discussion
Topic: 2020 Carper Award winners
Replies: 4
Views: 2750

2020 Carper Award winners

ACF is pleased to announce that the 2020 Carper Award winners are Alex Damisch and Mike Sorice! The ACF membership recognizes Alex for her irreplaceable contributions both within ACF and in the broader quizbowl world. Alex is remarkable because she doesn't just have great ideas; she takes those idea...
by theMoMA
Tue Mar 03, 2020 3:25 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Even GHOTIer (GHOTI II 2020 Announcement)
Replies: 27
Views: 7182

Re: Even GHOTIer (GHOTI II 2020 Announcement)

There already are two full length tournaments at CO, but I suppose you can try to do it after Trash? You're welcome to try hosting the tournament after CO Trash on Sunday, but you'll have to work with the people at Northwestern and the holders of buzzers to make sure that you'll have enough room an...
by theMoMA
Fri Feb 28, 2020 8:10 pm
Forum: Trash
Topic: Chicago Open Trash 2020 (see new announcement thread for 2022)
Replies: 26
Views: 13144

Re: Chicago Open Trash 2020 (July 19, 2020)

When the staffer recruitment form asks if you're "comfortable" reading or staffing a room by yourself does that just mean "Are you familiar and proficient enough with quizbowl to do this" or is a target time limit per round implied, and if so what would you want? Basically, do y...
by theMoMA
Fri Feb 28, 2020 2:37 pm
Forum: Trash
Topic: Chicago Open Trash 2020 (see new announcement thread for 2022)
Replies: 26
Views: 13144

Re: Chicago Open Trash 2020 (July 19, 2020)

I've opened registration for CO Trash 2020. (Note that posting in the team formation spreadsheet does NOT register you for the event!) As in previous years, there is priority registration until May 15 for teams with at least one player who will play, edit, or staff CO proper. Staff recruitment is al...
by theMoMA
Thu Feb 27, 2020 1:30 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Let's Remember Some Guys III: Let's Remember Yet More Guys
Replies: 12
Views: 4582

Let's Remember Some Guys III: Let's Remember Yet More Guys

Let's remember some more guys. What is a "guy"? Each tossup will be on a single athlete. The key is that the athletes must be in the vein of Deadspin's "guys": somewhat memorable, but not particularly dominant or otherwise notable. The main criterion is whether, after hearing the...
by theMoMA
Fri Feb 21, 2020 2:53 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2020 SCT general discussion
Replies: 38
Views: 6383

Re: 2020 SCT general discussion

I thought I'd offer a few reflections now that the discussion has mostly played out. I've been the primary set editor of SCT for many years. It strikes me that, from an outsider's perspective, it might be difficult to understand the changes to SCT production that have happened in that time. When I f...
by theMoMA
Wed Feb 12, 2020 1:52 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: A Modest Proposal Regarding D2 ICT Qualification
Replies: 15
Views: 7562

Re: A Modest Proposal Regarding D2 ICT Qualification

PPB also correlates much more poorly to ICT performance than D value does. There's nothing hypothetical about that. A broader point: "why not just use PPB" is a strange argument that brings to bear no data. I don't think anyone is opposed to improving the qualification system, either for N...
by theMoMA
Mon Jan 13, 2020 10:25 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Should quizbowl reform the three-part bonus?
Replies: 18
Views: 5223

Re: Should quizbowl reform the three-part bonus?

I agree with David about bouncebacks; they are tricky and take a long time, and I wouldn't like to see them as the norm. There was a college open with bouncebacks after NSC several years ago, and I didn't think the bouncebacks added very much competitive intrigue. I also think bouncebacks muddle the...
by theMoMA
Tue Nov 26, 2019 3:44 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2019 Fall Open General Discussion
Replies: 20
Views: 2632

Re: 2019 Fall Open General Discussion

I thought this was a fun, well-written tournament that did a nice job of hitting an appropriate "open" difficulty level without going overboard. The science did seem a bit more difficult than the other categories, to my non-scientist mind, but the non-science categories seemed well balance...
by theMoMA
Tue Nov 05, 2019 8:39 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Abolish packet submission for ACF Fall
Replies: 29
Views: 8462

Re: Abolish packet submission for ACF Fall

I think Jonathan has outlined three very good reasons why packet submission should continue to be a feature of ACF tournaments. To me, it's a core part of ACF's identity that a big chunk of the questions come from the players. This keeps the connection between ACF and emerging writers on the circuit...
by theMoMA
Tue Nov 05, 2019 2:42 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2019 ACF Fall at Minnesota (11/02/2019)
Replies: 5
Views: 2979

Re: 2019 ACF Fall at Minnesota (11/02/2019)

I always enjoy seeing NMU teams at Minnesota--we really appreciate you making the drive! It's also been great to see the Macalester and Grinnell field impressive teams recently.
by theMoMA
Sat Aug 10, 2019 5:24 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Pre-announcement: unnamed early 2021 open
Replies: 3
Views: 3262

Re: Pre-announcement: unnamed early 2021 open

vinteuil wrote: Fri Aug 09, 2019 7:26 pm This is very exciting! Who else is on the writing team?
I'm going to try to write the entire tournament, although I may bring on additional writers, depending on the progress I've made by this spring.
by theMoMA
Fri Aug 09, 2019 7:25 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Pre-announcement: unnamed early 2021 open
Replies: 3
Views: 3262

Pre-announcement: unnamed early 2021 open

Hi, This is a pre-announcement for a still-untitled open tournament to be held sometime around MLK Day 2021. (I'll work with people scheduling events around that time to find the appropriate weekend or range of weekends.) The tournament will be an attempt at a novel difficulty level for in-season op...
by theMoMA
Tue Aug 06, 2019 7:21 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: ACF Fall Packet-Submission Discussion
Replies: 19
Views: 10477

Re: ACF Fall Packet-Submission Discussion

ACF's editing model would be hard to maintain without submissions. For Fall in particular, which tries to give newer editors a chance to work on a meaningful event, I think it would be difficult to avoid submissions altogether, simply because asking unproven editors to write an entire tournament wor...
by theMoMA
Tue Aug 06, 2019 6:47 pm
Forum: Databases and Quizbowl Software
Topic: Introducing QuizDroid PacketBuilder (qems csv --> packetized LaTeX pdfs)
Replies: 9
Views: 7813

Re: Introducing QuizDroid PacketBuilder (qems csv --> packetized LaTeX pdfs)

That sounds great, Harris. It would be excellent to cut down QEMS packetizing from a several-hour task to a several-minute one, especially if no special knowledge is required. Thanks to both of you for your work on this project!
by theMoMA
Tue Aug 06, 2019 3:49 pm
Forum: Databases and Quizbowl Software
Topic: Introducing QuizDroid PacketBuilder (qems csv --> packetized LaTeX pdfs)
Replies: 9
Views: 7813

Re: Introducing QuizDroid PacketBuilder (qems csv --> packetized LaTeX pdfs)

This is a welcome development, but I think it would be extremely helpful to have a program that outputs this to Word, which is a document format that most people are more familiar with and allows for quick editing in Word or Google docs. Also, I'm not sure whether the final output is in columns, as ...
by theMoMA
Tue Aug 06, 2019 12:42 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2019 Age of Empires - Thanks and General Discussion
Replies: 11
Views: 801

Re: Thanks and General Discussion

As Sam said, from my perspective as someone without a lot of skill at ancient history, I nevertheless found this a fun and interesting set that I was very happy to have played. I particularly want to commend two things. First, the clues were almost always thick and meaty, so that the player often ha...
by theMoMA
Tue Aug 06, 2019 12:29 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2019 Scattergories 3 discussion
Replies: 14
Views: 1082

Re: 2019 Scattergories 3 discussion

This was a delightful tournament, much like the first two. If I had a complaint, it would be that there were a few tossups that seemed sort of perfunctory and not particularly whimsical (the tossup on "funerary masks" seemed more like a brisk regular-difficulty tossup than something I'd ex...
by theMoMA
Mon Jul 29, 2019 1:10 pm
Forum: Best of the Best
Topic: "Best of the best" nominations
Replies: 0
Views: 346557

"Best of the best" nominations

Hi everyone, As a part of ongoing board maintenance, we've put some new threads into the "best of the best" subforum, which you should check out when you get the chance. We'd love to get your input on more good threads that we can put in this subforum as well. If you have a good thread in ...