Search found 41 matches

by Knickerbocker glory
Mon Apr 23, 2018 11:52 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Player Poll 2018: Delightfully Devilish
Replies: 76
Views: 41432

Re: Player Poll 2018: Delightfully Devilish

I'd like to bring to the conversation two of my teammates who haven't been mentioned yet. Justin Nghiem is our literature specialist. He's very quiet and unassuming and he doesn't come into many people's considerations, but after playing with him for three years (and 2015 California NASAT) I can saf...
by Knickerbocker glory
Tue Mar 27, 2018 9:34 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: CMST: History
Replies: 8
Views: 2771

Re: History

A 2005 book on the historiography of this region cites the emergence of the idea of this region’s “civilization” in the works of Jacques Godechot (“god-uh-SHOW”) as a foundational influence on the field. A 2000 book about this region argues that it was destabilized by a multiethnic “motley crew” wh...
by Knickerbocker glory
Thu Mar 15, 2018 2:08 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: CMST: Specific question discussion
Replies: 74
Views: 19872

Re: CMST: Specific question discussion

There are eyewitness accounts that Queen Myeongseong was still alive when they set her on fire. Thus her immolation was the finishing blow, though she was stabbed first.
by Knickerbocker glory
Tue Mar 06, 2018 7:32 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: CMST: General Discussion
Replies: 30
Views: 9441

Re: CMST: General Discussion

British history before the 19th century.
There was the tossup on the Second Barons' War.
by Knickerbocker glory
Mon Mar 05, 2018 1:39 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: CMST: History
Replies: 8
Views: 2771

CMST: History

This subforum is for discussion of the history in this set. I'd like to spend a little time discussing the vision I had for the history in this set. In particular, I wanted the following changes from last year's (This) Tournament is a Crime set, whose history I edited as well: - Easier tossup answer...
by Knickerbocker glory
Sat Dec 09, 2017 11:04 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Cal's Mid-Spring Tournament—March 2018
Replies: 66
Views: 34544

Re: Cal's Mid-Spring Tournament—March 2018

Mike Bentley wrote:
Knickerbocker glory wrote:
Periplus of the Erythraean Sea wrote:Same but for Berkeley so I can book my flights
We are tentatively planning to host it on March 17.
When do you think you'll have the date confirmed?
When we have room reservations confirmed.
by Knickerbocker glory
Fri Dec 08, 2017 11:51 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Cal's Mid-Spring Tournament—March 2018
Replies: 66
Views: 34544

Re: Cal's Mid-Spring Tournament—March 2018

Periplus of the Erythraean Sea wrote:Same but for Berkeley so I can book my flights
We are tentatively planning to host it on March 17.
by Knickerbocker glory
Mon Nov 06, 2017 9:23 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: ACF Fall 2017 Thanks and Discussion
Replies: 31
Views: 13239

Re: ACF Fall 2017 Thanks and Discussion

I only managed to hear a few of the packets but it was clear this was a much much better effort than last year. The questions were engaging and worked even for lower-level high school teams. My only real issue, and this is a nit-picky single question concern, is the Berlin Airlift tossup, which I h...
by Knickerbocker glory
Thu Oct 19, 2017 2:46 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Cal's Mid-Spring Tournament—March 2018
Replies: 66
Views: 34544

Cal's Mid-Spring Tournament—March 2018

This is an announcement for what we are tentatively calling Cal's Mid-Spring Tournament (CMST), the annual iteration of the Nationals-minus spring open. The tournament will be written by members of the University of California, Berkeley's quiz bowl team. The editing team will consist of me, Aseem Ke...
by Knickerbocker glory
Tue Oct 10, 2017 7:26 am
Forum: Scheduling reform
Topic: 2017-18 Tournament Schedule: Planning, Discussion, etc.
Replies: 40
Views: 43175

Re: 2017-18 Tournament Schedule: Planning, Discussion, etc.

I'd just like to post an update on the spring open, of which a full announcement should be coming in the near future. Our current list of editors for this tournament is: Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics): Ryan Humphrey Science (Math, CS, and other): Aseem Keyal Literature: Will Nediger History: ...
by Knickerbocker glory
Wed Sep 13, 2017 2:17 am
Forum: Scheduling reform
Topic: 2017-18 Tournament Schedule: Planning, Discussion, etc.
Replies: 40
Views: 43175

Re: 2017-18 Tournament Schedule: Planning, Discussion, etc.

Speaking for Berkeley here. We are currently discussing the idea of writing the annual pre-Nationals tournament. This is not an official announcement for anything, nor is it a confirmation that we are planning to write one, but we are simply floating the idea out there. On that note, we would be far...
by Knickerbocker glory
Tue Mar 21, 2017 11:13 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Oxford Open 2017: Specific Question Discussion
Replies: 17
Views: 4384

Re: Specific Question Discussion

I'm not saying that clues within the Waterford tossup were misplaced, I'm saying that Waterford, as an answerline, is very difficult for any tournament below ACF Nationals difficulty. This applies to Covenanters and other tossups. I know that Waterford and Covenanters are important topics in British...
by Knickerbocker glory
Tue Mar 21, 2017 5:20 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Oxford Open 2017: Specific Question Discussion
Replies: 17
Views: 4384

Re: Specific Question Discussion

tommykl wrote: (This) Tournament was a Crime. It...wasn't very good. Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. That barb being thrown out, I would like to echo the sentiments of Stephen Liu in the original set announcement. I would also like to echo Eric Chen's statement that there wer...
by Knickerbocker glory
Mon Mar 13, 2017 1:44 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2017 (This) Tournament is a Crime General Discussion
Replies: 53
Views: 13280

Re: 2017 (This) Tournament is a Crime General Discussion

I've been largely silent in this discussion thread up until now, due in part because I've just been so busy in the past two or so weeks, but also because I felt much of the criticism has been difficult to respond to without appearing defensive. Anyways, I'll take the time now to respond to as many p...
by Knickerbocker glory
Sun Feb 26, 2017 9:30 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2017 (T)TIaC: Discussion of language and vulgarity
Replies: 24
Views: 5166

Re: 2017 (This) Tournament is a Crime General Discussion

The Earl Butz quote was gratuitous. Regarding the Key toss-up, the moderator instructions tell the mod to substitute for the n-word if the moderator is not comfortable reading it. But what about the players hearing the question? You surely must have known that some moderators wouldn't read the n-wo...
by Knickerbocker glory
Sun Feb 26, 2017 11:14 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2017 (T)TIaC: Discussion of language and vulgarity
Replies: 24
Views: 5166

Re: 2017 (This) Tournament is a Crime General Discussion

Also, many of us at the UK site felt that there was some racially careless language used, which seemed rather out of place. The only place where I think this could have applied was the first clue on the tossup on Francis Scott Key, which is why I put a moderator's note substituting offending word w...
by Knickerbocker glory
Mon Feb 06, 2017 12:34 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2017 Division I SCT: specific question discussion
Replies: 24
Views: 4095

Re: 2017 Division I SCT: specific question discussion

I find the first clue of the Berkeley tossup to be a little ambiguous, even though it uniquely points to the answer, because even for people who are familiar with the sign, it's a pretty much 50-50 chance guessing which city contains the "HERE" part of the sculpture. I think a better wordi...
by Knickerbocker glory
Sun Feb 05, 2017 11:01 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2017 Division I SCT: specific question discussion
Replies: 24
Views: 4095

Re: 2017 Division I SCT: specific question discussion

Can the question on _Berkeley_ be posted?
by Knickerbocker glory
Tue Nov 08, 2016 6:30 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2016 ACF Fall general discussion
Replies: 49
Views: 26177

Re: 2016 ACF Fall general discussion

That's why I'd like to ask again why, given the huge glut of packets received, the editors felt it necessary to have five editors' packets. See my post about ACF Fall packet submission reform. We did have a huge glut of packets received, but not good ones. The poor quality of the submissions made i...
by Knickerbocker glory
Mon Nov 07, 2016 4:19 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2016 ACF Fall general discussion
Replies: 49
Views: 26177

Re: 2016 ACF Fall general discussion

I wrote the tossup on the Republic of China, and I playtested it the night before, to which I received the advice to include Kuomintang as an alternate answerline. I did include it, so I was quite shocked when I heard that it wasn't included in the final packet. It turns out that I changed it in my ...
by Knickerbocker glory
Mon Nov 07, 2016 1:42 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2016 ACF Fall general discussion
Replies: 49
Views: 26177

Re: 2016 ACF Fall general discussion

The lead-in for burning Washington, at least at game speed, seemed to vague. I am aware that a tornado appeared and worsened the fires but wasn't able to buzz until the start of the next clue. Text of the question: A freak thunderstorm spawned three extremely rare tornadoes during the midst of this...
by Knickerbocker glory
Mon Nov 07, 2016 1:35 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: ACF Fall packet submission reform
Replies: 17
Views: 9234

ACF Fall packet submission reform

Hi, I'm Bruce, and I was editor for the history in this year's ACF Fall set. The problem is, that I didn't so much edit history, as completely write it from scratch. The set contained 71/72 history questions; I personally wrote 50/51 of it. As for the other 21/21 that came from packets, for the vast...
by Knickerbocker glory
Thu Aug 18, 2016 1:11 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: HIT (Historically Intensive Tournament)
Replies: 67
Views: 31973

Re: HIT (Historically Intensive Tournament)

I would love to play more hard history, though I'd rather prefer to play in-person rather than online.

Acronym suggestion: FRENCH Open—FREgeau's NonConformist History Open

Feedback on hastily-selected acronym appreciated.
by Knickerbocker glory
Thu Aug 04, 2016 1:56 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Would You Recommend Working for NHBB?
Replies: 75
Views: 81332

Re: Would You Recommend Working for NHBB?

I've said this stuff before, and so has Eric, but I think it bears repeating. To distill my chief complaints into a couple of points: - I'm getting paid $50 for editing a 130-tossup Ancient History Bee set. This works out to about 38.5 cents per tossup. No matter what the editor is expected to do, t...
by Knickerbocker glory
Sat Jul 30, 2016 5:32 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Would You Recommend Working for NHBB?
Replies: 75
Views: 81332

Re: Would You Recommend Working for NHBB?

As a NHBB player for three years, IHO attendee in 2015, writer for two years, editor of the Ancient History Bee set, USHB/USGO and USABB tournament director, and one of the "poor souls who had to hastily write questions while others were on the beach [at IHO]," I'd like to offer my insight...
by Knickerbocker glory
Mon Jul 11, 2016 10:16 pm
Forum: New High School Teams
Topic: Tryouts?
Replies: 5
Views: 11731

Re: Tryouts?

Your method isn't necessarily terrible; at my former high school Saratoga, we narrowed down a team of around 12-15 people from 50-60 people via a written and buzzer tryout process for the History Bowl team. Tryouts aren't to find who knows the most; rather, it's to find people who are more likely to...
by Knickerbocker glory
Wed Apr 27, 2016 2:43 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: College Player v. World
Replies: 26
Views: 14935

Re: College Player v. World

I'd be down for some history/geography. After finals conclude, of course.
by Knickerbocker glory
Mon Nov 09, 2015 9:39 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2015 ACF Fall general discussion
Replies: 55
Views: 24846

Re: 2015 ACF Fall general discussion

Can the tossup on Richard Nixon be posted? I think I got hosed by the tossup. The first line mentioning "this man" quoting Teddy Roosevelt's line "The light has gone out of our lives" pretty much triggered an instantaneous buzz from me with Jawaharlal Nehru, who made an extremely...
by Knickerbocker glory
Mon Oct 05, 2015 8:15 pm
Forum: New High School Teams
Topic: Need advice for improving a team (history bowl)
Replies: 2
Views: 4494

Re: Need advice for improving a team (history bowl)

Hi mysticllama, I'm Bruce, and I had the exact same problem as you did last year—that is, I studied intensely throughout the summer and throughout the school year, but I had major problems with teammates. I would organize team practices and go over effective study techniques, but my teammates paid l...
by Knickerbocker glory
Thu Jul 16, 2015 8:18 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: VCU Open @ Berkeley (Aug 8)
Replies: 21
Views: 9752

Re: VCU Open @ Berkeley (Aug 8)

If SHEIKH is being run, I would most definitely be interested in playing.
by Knickerbocker glory
Mon Jul 06, 2015 2:17 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: History Player
Replies: 20
Views: 12720

Re: History Player

One thing I've found (and loved) about history in quiz bowl is that there's just so many ways that a particular thing can be asked about. As Will stated, you can't really develop one-to-one associations between clue and answer line, because history is so interconnected that there's many different wa...
by Knickerbocker glory
Wed Jun 17, 2015 11:01 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: NASAT 2015 Specific Question Discussion
Replies: 52
Views: 4588

Re: NASAT 2015 Specific Question Discussion

Who thought it would be a good idea to toss up Elegabalus? I wrote this tossup, among the 9 tossups and 31 bonuses I contributed to the set. Was the issue that the tossup was too difficult for this field? Yeah it definitely seemed a little out of place. I (along with the rest of team California, an...
by Knickerbocker glory
Tue Jun 16, 2015 3:03 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: NASAT 2015 Specific Question Discussion
Replies: 52
Views: 4588

Re: NASAT 2015 Specific Question Discussion

Who thought it would be a good idea to toss up Elegabalus?
by Knickerbocker glory
Wed Jun 10, 2015 5:46 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: 2015 PACE NSC: June 6-7, Washington, DC
Replies: 75
Views: 65997

Re: 2015 PACE NSC: June 6-7, Washington, DC

Speaking as someone who lost a close game to Shanghai American Puxi (a team that was ranked #154 in HSQB Rank, compared to Saratoga's #19), then lost by 10 points on a tiebreaker to TJ, who I'd earlier beaten 470-250, I think that the PACE format is about as fair as a national championship playoff f...
by Knickerbocker glory
Wed Jun 03, 2015 6:28 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: History Bowl/Quizbowl on College Applications
Replies: 17
Views: 15349

Re: History Bowl/Quizbowl on College Applications

Daniel, Speaking as someone who just applied to college last fall and whose application focused heavily on History Bowl and quiz bowl, I'd recommend for you to heavily emphasize those activities in your application. While it's important to list your competition results (I'm sure colleges will be imp...
by Knickerbocker glory
Tue Mar 31, 2015 10:59 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Where Are You Going To College Next Year? 2014-15
Replies: 39
Views: 24832

Re: Where Are You Going To College Next Year? 2014-15

I'll play quiz bowl at UC Berkeley.
by Knickerbocker glory
Sat Mar 07, 2015 2:46 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: NHBB/USGO 2015 High School Nationals Prizes
Replies: 25
Views: 10738

Re: NHBB/USGO 2015 High School Nationals Prizes

I second Michael's post and would like to say that going to NHBB Nationals for us is incredibly expensive, with a total cost of well over a thousand dollars, which we have to pay out of our own pockets. Now while I don't compete to win the prize money, it does help in offsetting some of that cost fo...
by Knickerbocker glory
Thu Sep 25, 2014 7:43 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Defending quizbowl
Replies: 9
Views: 5493

Re: Defending quizbowl

It's just that all of the other activities say that their activity helps (insert mental benefit here). For example, Speech and Debate say that participating in their activity helps increase confidence and is useful for presentations and such. The robotics people say that robotics helps people become...
by Knickerbocker glory
Thu Sep 25, 2014 7:14 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Defending quizbowl
Replies: 9
Views: 5493

Defending quizbowl

How do I defend the merits of quiz bowl against attacks? Today a student approached me during our school's club day and asked what quiz bowl was. I explained to him the basic structure and format of quiz bowl and showed him a quiz bowl packet. After I had done that he remarked that he "didn't n...
by Knickerbocker glory
Tue Jul 01, 2014 6:55 pm
Forum: New High School Teams
Topic: New quizbowl team from History Bowl
Replies: 8
Views: 7164

New quizbowl team from History Bowl

Hey, I'm Bruce, from Saratoga High School. I would like to start an actual quizbowl team in our school. We have, in the past, gone sporadically to quizbowl tournaments, but we have mainly gone to History Bowl tournaments. Our team has achieved a great deal of success in History Bowl, getting 2nd pla...
by Knickerbocker glory
Tue Apr 29, 2014 9:32 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: NHBB & USGO Nationals Set Thread
Replies: 33
Views: 12561

Re: NHBB & USGO Nationals Set Thread

Though I felt the playoff rounds were excellent, I thought that the morning rounds and some of the afternoon rounds were a little off. In particular, I felt that in the morning rounds, there was an incredible amount of film and popular culture, such as the Beach Boys question in one of the 3rd quart...