Search found 447 matches

by merv1618
Thu Feb 04, 2016 7:50 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best gaming systems/consoles
Replies: 7
Views: 733

Re: Best gaming systems/consoles

I definitely err closer to Bruce than Ike as far as gaming experience and expertise go, though with a strict Nintendo loyalty. Regardless, thanks for the insight everyone!
by merv1618
Sun Jan 31, 2016 3:24 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best gaming systems/consoles
Replies: 7
Views: 733

Best gaming systems/consoles

I'm not most worldly gamer, so I'm hoping to find out what people consider the "best" game systems (meaning anything from most revolutionary or technically proficient to your personal favorite) along with solid reasons why, excluding the PC. What I'm hoping to avoid was, "oh man I pla...
by merv1618
Fri Jan 15, 2016 5:07 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: SMV 2015: HSQB's Secret Santa - Send your gifts!
Replies: 100
Views: 7571

Re: SMV 2015: HSQB's Secret Santa - Send your gifts!

I just received what looks like a wonderful autobiography of David Niven, about whom I know quite little. Excellent choice, and many thanks!
by merv1618
Fri Jan 08, 2016 5:01 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best Albums of 2015
Replies: 171
Views: 8228

Re: Best Albums of 2015

Habitat_Against_Humanity wrote:
Cody wrote:Carrie and Lowell.
Continuing to find correct ballots and piggyback off of them.
by merv1618
Mon Dec 28, 2015 2:59 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Best Albums of 2015
Replies: 171
Views: 8228

Re: Best Albums of 2015

Adventure Temple Trail wrote:abstain
abstain
Adele is probably better than the other thing
Hamilton
abstain
abstain
abstain
abstain
this
by merv1618
Sun Dec 27, 2015 11:12 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: SMV 2015: HSQB's Secret Santa - Send your gifts!
Replies: 100
Views: 7571

Re: SMV 2015: HSQB's Secret Santa - Send your gifts!

I believe I got my gift? I got a card game from Amazon with no note or anything and I'm in 2 different secret santas so I want to make sure it's from this one haha. Whoever had me please reveal yourself I'd love to thank you! :) Ah yeah that was me. It's a fun game I ran into a few months ago; I ho...
by merv1618
Fri Dec 18, 2015 3:10 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: SMV 2015: HSQB's Secret Santa - Send your gifts!
Replies: 100
Views: 7571

Re: SMV 2015: HSQB's Secret Santa - Send your gifts!

Yawar Fiesta wrote:My gift is expected to arrive on the 24th.
by merv1618
Wed Nov 18, 2015 6:50 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: SMV 2015: HSQB's Secret Santa - Send your gifts!
Replies: 100
Views: 7571

Re: SMV 2015: HSQB's Secret Santa - 11/29 Deadline

Adam Sperber merv1618 @ gmail.com 1) An album of good modern folk music. I love Chris Thile/Punch Brothers, Allison Krauss and Steve Martin are always nice, but if you're really out of ideas I'd never say no to the soundtrack to O Brother Where Art Thou. (I already have Inside Llewyn Davis.) 2) A bi...
by merv1618
Fri Nov 13, 2015 2:39 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: David Riley, Rest in Peace
Replies: 9
Views: 8100

Re: David Riley, Rest in Peace

David was by far the friendliest, warmest, and most approachable adult I've encountered in my time with quiz bowl. I always got a kick out of his stories at tournaments; one was when his music professor in college essentially freaked upon finding out David could easily play major tenths on a piano w...
by merv1618
Tue Oct 06, 2015 5:17 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Pointless Predictions for 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature
Replies: 23
Views: 1682

Re: Pointless Predictions for 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature

Hidehiro Anto wrote:Somehow, deceased author EL Doctorow has odds of 50/1.
They probably meant EL James
by merv1618
Sun Sep 27, 2015 7:22 pm
Forum: Trash
Topic: Clearinghouse for Random Packet Announcements
Replies: 577
Views: 455579

Re: Clearinghouse for Random Packet Announcements

women, fire and dangerous things wrote:I wrote another film packet, which I'll read tonight at 10:00 Eastern, assuming Amtrak internet cooperates.
That's a dangerous assumption, especially for real time stuff.
by merv1618
Tue Sep 08, 2015 3:15 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Preseason Poll
Replies: 43
Views: 38658

Re: Preseason Poll

Even if it's just a discussion, I still expect to make negative points.
by merv1618
Mon Aug 31, 2015 11:44 pm
Forum: Trash
Topic: Clearinghouse for Random Packet Announcements
Replies: 577
Views: 455579

Re: Clearinghouse for Random Packet Announcements

women, fire and dangerous things wrote:
women, fire and dangerous things wrote:Now that Trash Day is over, here's my packet.
I wrote a sequel to this packet, with substantially more accessible answerlines. I'll read it tonight at 11:00 EDT.
the horror

the horror
by merv1618
Tue Jul 28, 2015 10:32 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: "This Things I Believe"
Replies: 44
Views: 20049

Re: "This Things I Believe"

Black Miao wrote:Man like you can complain about ACF's trophiesnow but this year's are a step up from 2013's which literally say "first place overall" and don't even tell you they're for ACF Nationals (does not make for good club recruiting material)
DII or not DII, that is the question
by merv1618
Fri Jul 24, 2015 4:40 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chicago Open Weekend Length
Replies: 16
Views: 7068

Re: Chicago Open Weekend Length

When I did CO weekend, just the main event and trash sufficiently wiped me out for the foreseeable future; I can't imagine playing four entire academic tournaments in two days, bonuses or not. If a high quality side event gets delegated to the end of CO Sunday as say the third event that day, as Mik...
by merv1618
Sun Jul 19, 2015 5:41 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Samuel L. Bronkowitz presents Chicago Open (07/18-19/15)
Replies: 117
Views: 62153

Re: Samuel L. Bronkowitz presents Chicago Open (07/18-19/15)

so much depends
upon

a red water
bottle

glazed with faint
toothmarks

beside the white
buzzers.
by merv1618
Sat Jul 18, 2015 1:42 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: TrashMasters Mirror at WUSTL (7/11/15, after NASAT)
Replies: 12
Views: 5086

Re: TrashMasters Mirror at WUSTL (7/11/15, after NASAT)

Jeremy Gibbs Paradox wrote: and now says that the WUSTL folk can quote "bite my crank"
lolwut
by merv1618
Sun Jul 12, 2015 6:35 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: WUSTL mirror of 2015 NASAT - July 11, 2015
Replies: 13
Views: 6803

Re: WUSTL mirror of 2015 NASAT - July 11, 2015

Obvious thanks to Richard for pulling it all together, and also to the writers. Despite my obvious inability to play it properly, it was an incredibly enjoyable set.
by merv1618
Sun Jul 12, 2015 4:16 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: TrashMasters Mirror at WUSTL (7/11/15, after NASAT)
Replies: 12
Views: 5086

Re: TrashMasters Mirror at WUSTL (7/11/15, after NASAT)

Well now we know why he wanted us to write packets in lieu of payment.
by merv1618
Fri Jul 10, 2015 12:05 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The State of Good Quizbowl, State-by-State
Replies: 61
Views: 51585

Re: The State of Good Quizbowl, State-by-State

I'm quite certain that every state in the country would get lower grades for middle school quizbowl prevalence compared to high school. Illinois might not. Their MS circuit on decent questions is absurd, though I'm not 100% sure how IHSA factors in to it. Middle school quizbowl in Illinois is less ...
by merv1618
Thu Jul 09, 2015 10:58 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The State of Good Quizbowl, State-by-State
Replies: 61
Views: 51585

Re: The State of Good Quizbowl, State-by-State

bird bird bird bird bird wrote:I'm quite certain that every state in the country would get lower grades for middle school quizbowl prevalence compared to high school.
Illinois might not. Their MS circuit on decent questions is absurd, though I'm not 100% sure how IHSA factors in to it.
by merv1618
Sun Jul 05, 2015 2:10 pm
Forum: Trash
Topic: Clearinghouse for Random Packet Announcements
Replies: 577
Views: 455579

Re: Clearinghouse for Random Packet Announcements

I love secrets.
by merv1618
Tue Jun 09, 2015 10:07 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Illinois '15 - '16
Replies: 64
Views: 47154

Re: Illinois '15 - '16

the return of AHAN wrote:
merv1618 wrote:
bajaj wrote:What are people's hopes/predictions for the Illinois quizbowl circuit this coming year?
IHSA will get rid of the uniform rule?
Hopes, Adam. Not impossible dreams.
Think in terms of hiring a question provider.
bajaj wrote:hopes
You must feel awfully silly, Jeff.
by merv1618
Tue Jun 09, 2015 12:55 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Illinois '15 - '16
Replies: 64
Views: 47154

Re: Illinois '15 - '16

bajaj wrote:What are people's hopes/predictions for the Illinois quizbowl circuit this coming year?
IHSA will get rid of the uniform rule?
by merv1618
Thu Jun 04, 2015 5:06 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: HATE READ BOOK CLUB #1: BIG APPLE TAKEDOWN
Replies: 16
Views: 1752

Re: HATE READ BOOK CLUB #1: BIG APPLE TAKEDOWN

Rob, I'd be interested to know if your book prize from my NCAA bracket pool could qualify for this list.
by merv1618
Fri May 29, 2015 4:43 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: SNL Top 50 Sketches, 2010-2015
Replies: 5
Views: 544

Re: SNL Top 50 Sketches, 2010-2015

Inkana7 wrote:Martin Short is good.
I must say.
by merv1618
Wed May 20, 2015 6:12 pm
Forum: Best of the Best
Topic: Wacky Practice Formats
Replies: 21
Views: 24823

Re: Wacky Practice Formats

The first neg at practice results in five pushups, increasing by five with each additional neg. It curbs reckless buzzing and promotes fitness!
by merv1618
Wed May 20, 2015 6:12 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Wacky Practice Formats
Replies: 21
Views: 15416

Re: Wacky Practice Formats

The first neg at practice results in five pushups, increasing by five with each additional neg. It curbs reckless buzzing and promotes fitness!
by merv1618
Sat May 16, 2015 12:10 am
Forum: Quizbowl History Forum
Topic: ACF Nationals 2015 Final: An Attempt at a QB Microhistory
Replies: 19
Views: 36375

Re: ACF Nationals 2015 Final: An Attempt at a QB Microhistor

This thread reminds me: I need to spruce up the crappy Yu-Gi-Oh! questions I wrote for some of our club members during my freshman year - the Obelisk Open, if you will (though it wasn't a tournament) - so they are actually reasonably presentable to the quizbowl universe at large. ...if anyone is in...
by merv1618
Fri May 15, 2015 10:51 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: In need of good moderators
Replies: 3
Views: 3119

Re: In need of good moderators

I want to back Nick up on this. It's pretty assumptive and insulting to request any local staffers the week of the tournament. I don't know anything about what kind of preparation went in to the event, but what else are you going to do if you're down staffers the week of a major tournament for what...
by merv1618
Mon May 11, 2015 2:13 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: WUSTL mirror of 2015 VCU Open - August 8, 2015
Replies: 8
Views: 5214

Re: WUSTL mirror of 2015 VCU Open - August 8, 2015

Black Miao wrote:
merv1618 wrote:The people on the spreadsheet seem to imply that it's for an east coast mirror. That's just a guess though.
well it's not a very good guess since there's tabs for the other sites
ohhhHHHHHhhhhh
by merv1618
Mon May 11, 2015 2:02 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: WUSTL mirror of 2015 VCU Open - August 8, 2015
Replies: 8
Views: 5214

Re: WUSTL mirror of 2015 VCU Open - August 8, 2015

The people on the spreadsheet seem to imply that it's for an east coast mirror. That's just a guess though.
by merv1618
Mon May 11, 2015 12:17 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: A quick-and-dirty player ranking stat (I'm not first)
Replies: 12
Views: 8317

Re: A quick-and-dirty player ranking stat (I'm not first)

What does you or anyone else stand to gain from such a jabbing criticism though? Yes playing qb is fun, but as these forums clearly show so is the mania of forming hierarchies. In this case, Andrew threw some thought into an algorithm which churned out insanely qualitative results compared to his an...
by merv1618
Sun May 10, 2015 2:17 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: ACF Nationals - Ann Arbor, MI, 04/18-19/2015 - main thread
Replies: 89
Views: 64199

Re: ACF Nationals - Ann Arbor, MI, 04/18-19/2015 - main thre

The Quest for the Historical Mukherjesus wrote:
The Quest for the Historical Mukherjesus wrote:Keep 'em coming, Jerry
Almost thereeeeeeeeee
Stay on target
by merv1618
Fri May 08, 2015 9:31 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: WUSTL mirror of 2015 NASAT - July 11, 2015
Replies: 13
Views: 6803

Re: WUSTL mirror of 2015 NASAT - July 11, 2015

Is there going to be a team formation spreadsheet or something along those lines?
by merv1618
Fri May 08, 2015 1:20 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Subject Rankings Thread
Replies: 36
Views: 12320

Re: Subject Rankings Thread

Canadian Content Patrick Liao Will Nediger Rafael Krichivesky Sinan Ulusoy Derek So Joe Su Sebastian Drake Stefanie Schoeneman Jordan Palmer Dennis Beeby Jay Misuk Leslie Newcombe Paul Johnson Akhil Garg Aayush Rajasekaran Peter Liu Erik Christensen Cole Jackes Nick Penner Alasdair Campbell Michael...
by merv1618
Thu May 07, 2015 8:13 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Subject Rankings Thread
Replies: 36
Views: 12320

Re: Subject Rankings Thread

I mean, there's a fine line between a top 10 player in a certain subject and getting many good buzzes in that subject. I don't think Will really would intend to have this thread degenerate into people telling stories about sick buzz moments or even "x is good at y too" en masse. Nothing pe...
by merv1618
Sat May 02, 2015 4:40 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Player Poll 2015: LET US NOW PRAISE FAMOUS DUFUSES
Replies: 86
Views: 40077

Re: Player Poll 2015: LET US NOW PRAISE FAMOUS DUFUSES

Jason Asher of Minnesota is definitely worth considering here.
by merv1618
Thu Apr 23, 2015 11:00 pm
Forum: Quizbowl History Forum
Topic: Your Travel Disaster Stories
Replies: 51
Views: 72631

Re: Your Travel Disaster Stories

Back in 2012, while driving up to the St. Louis Open I spilled a Big Gulp full of lemonade all over myself in the car and had to walk through WUSTL's sprinkler system to minimize discomfort.
by merv1618
Sat Apr 18, 2015 1:48 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: ACF Nationals - Ann Arbor, MI, 04/18-19/2015 - main thread
Replies: 89
Views: 64199

Re: ACF Nationals - Ann Arbor, MI, 04/18-19/2015 - main thre

Just wondering how Maryland was UG at ICT but not at ACF
by merv1618
Thu Apr 16, 2015 1:52 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Feynman's BONGOS: A Side Event (for PACE and maybe HSNCT)
Replies: 65
Views: 45684

Re: Feynman's BONGOS: A Side Event (for PACE and maybe HSNCT

Granny Soberer wrote: like how YMIR was run in 2012
Vainamoinen wrote: -We need buzzers
bring back the loyola eggs
by merv1618
Wed Apr 08, 2015 2:30 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: ACF Nationals Predictions
Replies: 44
Views: 21870

Re: ACF Nationals Predictions

47. Carleton University - Carleton will win this tournament hands down..at being the most fun group of quizbowlers to be around. Expect Nick Penner to 30 a tossup on 'fun'. I would be impressed if anyone 30'd a tossup on anything. Richard Yu's gonna 15 a tossup, so I wouldn't be surprised if someon...
by merv1618
Wed Apr 08, 2015 2:27 pm
Forum: Quizbowl History Forum
Topic: Your Lowest Point
Replies: 64
Views: 54168

Re: Your Lowest Point

In 2013 I forgot to pick a van up in time, meaning we couldn't go to MUT. Then I ragequit Northwestern's team for about a year due to personal abuse. All that sucked.
by merv1618
Sun Apr 05, 2015 1:20 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Where Are You Going To College Next Year? 2014-15
Replies: 39
Views: 24834

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

Black Miao wrote:
mahir256 wrote:I will be going to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and I hope to make time for quizbowl there.
I'll find you
start running now
by merv1618
Tue Mar 31, 2015 9:54 pm
Forum: Quizbowl History Forum
Topic: Favorite Quizbowl Experiences
Replies: 77
Views: 68709

Re: Favorite Quizbowl Experiences

InvadErGII wrote:- A knowledge bowl question, ca. 1999: "Complete this joke by using the name of an Asian nation: Your knapsack is brown, but my..."
Republic of China
by merv1618
Wed Mar 11, 2015 8:41 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: ACFNATIONALS - A JRPG tournament
Replies: 99
Views: 55852

Re: ACFNATIONALS - A JRPG tournament

the charm wrote:I will likely skip Dillo Day to staff HSNCT
*shakes head
by merv1618
Wed Mar 04, 2015 10:48 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Side bets at ICT and ACF Nats
Replies: 17
Views: 7023

Re: Side bets at ICT and ACF Nats

Dr. Loki Skylizard, Thoracic Surgeon wrote:don't bet on quiz bowl
Fred makes a good point; I still haven't seen my winnings from the NU 2012 ICT finals match betting pool. I don't think I ever will.
by merv1618
Tue Nov 18, 2014 10:43 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: SOLO: A Star Wars Tournament
Replies: 17
Views: 9413

Re: SOLO: A Star Wars Tournament

The Force is clearly already with you on this one.
by merv1618
Sun Sep 28, 2014 9:52 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Somebody Should Do Something About All The Problems
Replies: 9
Views: 4547

Somebody Should Do Something About All The Problems

There's recently been a lot of discussion regarding how to expand "good" quizbowl tournaments to either inactive or never-active areas. What's happened above is a good example of how progress is being hindered. Yes, the format of the announced tournament is quite sub-par, though the quick ...
by merv1618
Thu Sep 18, 2014 11:49 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Computational Mathematics
Replies: 56
Views: 28472

Re: Computational Mathematics

alexdz wrote:(A) The number 2 is an even number.
wte80 wrote:Statement A is not a fact about reality.
So how'd you end up at that particular conclusion?