The Questions Concerning Technology

Old college threads.
Locked
User avatar
The Toad to Wigan Pier
Tidus
Posts: 528
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:58 pm
Location: Seattle

The Questions Concerning Technology

Post by The Toad to Wigan Pier »

In an effort to make myself finally finish this, I am today announcing The Questions Concerning Technology. This is an all tossup side event about technology. This will not just be on modern gadgets and shit, but on the technology in general. The distributional per packet I am using is:
2 Consumer Technology
1 Trash
2 Historical Technology
1 Failed/Defunct Products
1 Computer Technology
1 Industrial
1 Transportation
1 Military
1 "Science"
4 Hard Computer Science
1 Food/Agricultural/Medical
4 Miscellaneous (this includes technologies that don't fit elsewhere, commentary/criticism of technology, people noted for using technology, etc)

The distribution is more of a guideline I am using as opposed to a rule I am following, so there will be variation. As for difficulty, while there will be questions as easy as "keyboard" or "airplane", a lot of these questions will be very difficult. This tournament will have a lot of my take on Cheynesian style whimsy in the answer lines, clues(lots of ancedotes, some even personal!), and even language. There will be at least 10 packets and I am targeting finishing by Chicago Open(whenever that is).

Locations:
Waterloo?
William Butler
UVA '11
Georgia Tech 13
User avatar
mhayes
Rikku
Posts: 308
Joined: Thu Feb 16, 2006 3:15 pm

Re: The Questions Concerning Technology

Post by mhayes »

The Toad to Wigan Pier wrote:4 Hard Computer Science
YES
Matt Hayes

Unaffiliated
User avatar
Mike Bentley
Sin
Posts: 6461
Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2006 11:03 pm
Location: Bellevue, WA
Contact:

Re: The Questions Concerning Technology

Post by Mike Bentley »

It goes without saying that I am interested in playing in this tournament.
Mike Bentley
Treasurer, Partnership for Academic Competition Excellence
Adviser, Quizbowl Team at University of Washington
University of Maryland, Class of 2008
User avatar
Fond du lac operon
Wakka
Posts: 228
Joined: Tue Jan 31, 2012 8:02 pm

Re: The Questions Concerning Technology

Post by Fond du lac operon »

The Toad to Wigan Pier wrote: 4 Hard Computer Science
What exactly does "hard computer science" entail? Presumably tossups on Half-Life don't count, and presumably stuff like flip-flops do, but what about a tossup on, like, C++? Or PSPACE? Or Turing machines? Or von Neumann architecture?

(I'm definitely interested, especially if this ever gets mirrored somewhere closer to me than Chicago.)
Harrison Brown
Centennial '08, Alabama '13

"No idea what [he's] talking about."
User avatar
The Toad to Wigan Pier
Tidus
Posts: 528
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:58 pm
Location: Seattle

Re: The Questions Concerning Technology

Post by The Toad to Wigan Pier »

What is it like to be a Batman? wrote:
The Toad to Wigan Pier wrote: 4 Hard Computer Science
What exactly does "hard computer science" entail? Presumably tossups on Half-Life don't count, and presumably stuff like flip-flops do, but what about a tossup on, like, C++? Or PSPACE? Or Turing machines? Or von Neumann architecture?

(I'm definitely interested, especially if this ever gets mirrored somewhere closer to me than Chicago.)
Flip-Flops would fall under Computer Technology or Miscellaneous Technology. C++, PSPACE, Turing Machines, von Neumann arch are all things that would fall under my view of "Computer Science", but only PSPACE would I consider to be "hard".
William Butler
UVA '11
Georgia Tech 13
User avatar
Fond du lac operon
Wakka
Posts: 228
Joined: Tue Jan 31, 2012 8:02 pm

Re: The Questions Concerning Technology

Post by Fond du lac operon »

Ah, so hard as in "hard tournament," rather than "hardware" or "hard science fiction."

My interest is climbing even further in that case.
Harrison Brown
Centennial '08, Alabama '13

"No idea what [he's] talking about."
User avatar
Sima Guang Hater
Auron
Posts: 1958
Joined: Mon Feb 05, 2007 1:43 pm
Location: Nashville, TN

Re: The Questions Concerning Technology

Post by Sima Guang Hater »

I would enjoy having someone carry me through this tournament.
Eric Mukherjee, MD PhD
Brown 2009, Penn Med 2018
Instructor/Attending Physician/Postdoctoral Fellow, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Coach, University School of Nashville

“The next generation will always surpass the previous one. It’s one of the never-ending cycles in life.”
Support the Stevens-Johnson Syndrome Foundation
Charbroil
Auron
Posts: 1146
Joined: Fri Jun 09, 2006 11:52 am
Location: St. Charles, MO

Re: The Questions Concerning Technology

Post by Charbroil »

I'd like to play this.
Charles Hang
Francis Howell Central '09
St. Charles Community College '14
Washington University in St. Louis '19, 2x (President, 2017-19)

Owner, Olympia Academic Competition Questions, LLC
Question Writer, National Academic Quiz Tournaments, LLC and National History Bee and Bowl
User avatar
Quantum Mushroom Billiard Hat
Rikku
Posts: 435
Joined: Tue Jun 12, 2007 1:16 pm
Location: Midland, MI

Re: The Questions Concerning Technology

Post by Quantum Mushroom Billiard Hat »

This sounds fun.
Michael Hausinger
Coach, Bay City Western High School
formerly of University of Michigan and East Lansing High School
User avatar
SnookerUSF
Rikku
Posts: 310
Joined: Sun Oct 03, 2004 2:55 am
Location: USF-Tampa, FL
Contact:

Re: The Questions Concerning Technology

Post by SnookerUSF »

Yes...please.
Ahmad Ragab, itinerant moderator at the New School for Social Research

ACF Nationals 2011:"Too real for the streets"
-Auroni Gupta

"Can 40,000 redacted topic Tossups be wrong?"

"With my gnomes I'm highlighting the danger of political opportunism and right-wing ideology. I get the feeling that this gnome has reopened an old wound."
-Ottomar Hoerl
User avatar
MathMusic
Lulu
Posts: 68
Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2011 7:00 pm
Location: University at Buffalo

Re: The Questions Concerning Technology

Post by MathMusic »

I'd be in, if this is mirrored near us.
Matthew Hill
U Buffalo '14
Secretary, Past Treasurer and Founding Member, U Buffalo Academic Bowl 2010-2014
Captain, Pembroke, NY HS Quiz Team 2008-2010
User avatar
theMoMA
Forums Staff: Administrator
Posts: 5993
Joined: Mon Oct 23, 2006 2:00 am

Re: The Questions Concerning Technology

Post by theMoMA »

This happened and was fun.

We ran a modified singles format in which the field split into two rooms of eight (top) and nine (bottom) after a 40-question seeding round. After each 40 questions, the top four players in the top room stayed, and the top four players in the bottom room were promoted, with the bottom four in the top room being relegated. The final standings reflect the total aggregate scores in the top room over 160 questions.

The final ranking was:

1. Jerry Vinokurov: 3-21 (255)
2. Andrew Hart: 1-20 (215)
3. Ike Jose: 4-8 (140)
4. Rob Carson: 1-12 (135)
5. Ashvin Srivatsa: 1-9 (105)
6. Trevor Davis: 2-6 (90)
7. Sam Bailey: 1-3 (45)
8. Bernadette Spencer: 0-4 (40)
9. Bryan Berend: 0-3 (30)
10. Matt Hayes: 0-2 (20)
10. Steve Oppenheim: 0-2 (20)
12. Alex Gerten: 0-1 (10)
12. Drew Scheeler: 0-1 (10)
12. Sinan Ulusoy: 0-1 (10)

Thanks to Ryan Westbrook and Mike Cheyne for reading and to Will for an exciting tournament.
Andrew Hart
Minnesota alum
User avatar
Cheynem
Sin
Posts: 7220
Joined: Tue May 11, 2004 11:19 am
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan

Re: The Questions Concerning Technology

Post by Cheynem »

These questions seemed like much fun although I would say for the benefit of the poor readers, the questions at times seemed excessively long--obviously side events should get a little leeway, but massive questions which arguably only one or two people in any given field will get did not always seem like the best idea. That said, there were all kinds of exciting clues and I had fun reading it.

Round five's tiebreaker has an erroneous clue that can be pretty easily corrected if one looks at the question before reading it.
Mike Cheyne
Formerly U of Minnesota

"You killed HSAPQ"--Matt Bollinger
User avatar
The Toad to Wigan Pier
Tidus
Posts: 528
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:58 pm
Location: Seattle

Re: The Questions Concerning Technology

Post by The Toad to Wigan Pier »

Cheynem wrote:These questions seemed like much fun although I would say for the benefit of the poor readers, the questions at times seemed excessively long--obviously side events should get a little leeway, but massive questions which arguably only one or two people in any given field will get did not always seem like the best idea. That said, there were all kinds of exciting clues and I had fun reading it.

Round five's tiebreaker has an erroneous clue that can be pretty easily corrected if one looks at the question before reading it.
Oops, I see what you mean about that tiebreaker, that's kind of embarrassing. I think I had another question on my mind when I wrote that tiebreaker. Yeah, I admit these questions are way too long. Sorry, about both of those things.
William Butler
UVA '11
Georgia Tech 13
User avatar
Excelsior (smack)
Rikku
Posts: 386
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 12:20 am
Location: Madison, WI

Re: The Questions Concerning Technology

Post by Excelsior (smack) »

This was quite possibly the most enjoyable quizbowl-related thing I've played all year. Many thanks to Will for writing this set.
Ashvin Srivatsa
Corporate drone '?? | Yale University '14 | Sycamore High School (OH) '10
User avatar
grapesmoker
Sin
Posts: 6345
Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2003 5:23 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: The Questions Concerning Technology

Post by grapesmoker »

It seems remiss of me to not say that this was easily the most entertaining side event I've ever played.
Jerry Vinokurov
ex-LJHS, ex-Berkeley, ex-Brown, sorta-ex-CMU
presently: John Jay College Economics
code ape, loud voice, general nuissance
Locked