Search found 1442 matches

by Sima Guang Hater
Tue Feb 13, 2024 11:44 am
Forum: Mirror requests
Topic: Satellite: Planetfall Jr (Regs-minus, Available Fall 2024)
Replies: 0
Views: 349

Satellite: Planetfall Jr (Regs-minus, Available Fall 2024)

Hello everyone, I am pleased to announce a regular minus difficulty set, Satellite: Planetfall Jr , available Fall 2024, written and head-edited by me, with contributions from the USN quizbowl team. SET DETAILS : In a change from my previous work, this set is designed to be somewhere between SCOP No...
by Sima Guang Hater
Fri Feb 02, 2024 12:12 am
Forum: Collegiate Discussion
Topic: 2024 ACF Regionals Discussion
Replies: 54
Views: 7061

Re: 2024 ACF Regionals Discussion

Disclaimer, not an editor. [*] Packet D: If I remember right, the bonus part asking for "DNA adenine methylase" basically mentioned all of DNA, adenine, and the idea of adding a methyl group before teams' chance to give an answer, which seemed suboptimal to me. I can see why this is subopt...
by Sima Guang Hater
Wed Jan 17, 2024 1:39 am
Forum: Mirror requests
Topic: Planetfall (HS Regular) Available Fall 2023
Replies: 5
Views: 8277

Re: Planetfall (HS Regular) Available Fall 2023

Small update - we're looking at a few mirrors in Fall 2024, so if any regions would like to mirror it then, we're extending the embargo on this set until the end of 2024.
by Sima Guang Hater
Sun Jan 14, 2024 1:37 am
Forum: Regular Season Tournaments
Topic: USN Snowball Fight (1/13/2024)
Replies: 1
Views: 1933

Re: USN Snowball Fight (1/13/2024)

Tournament was a blast, USN A won. Stats can be found here: https://hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/8 ... all_games/
by Sima Guang Hater
Sun Dec 17, 2023 2:27 pm
Forum: Mirror requests
Topic: Planetfall (HS Regular) Available Fall 2023
Replies: 5
Views: 8277

Re: Planetfall (HS Regular) Available Fall 2023

Any plans for someone to mirror this set in Alabama? ASCTE would like to play this set. I'm glad you asked Mrs. Osborne - I just emailed Lee Henry and Anthony Hamley yesterday about potentially setting up a mirror in your neck of the woods, but if there's anyone else who would be interested in mirr...
by Sima Guang Hater
Tue Dec 12, 2023 12:54 am
Forum: Regular Season Tournaments
Topic: USN Snowball Fight (1/13/2024)
Replies: 1
Views: 1933

USN Snowball Fight (1/13/2024)

The University School of Nashville is pleased to announce Snowball Fight , a tournament taking place in-person at the University School of Nashville on Saturday, January 13th, 2024. This tournament is a small event primarily for TN and KY teams. Check-in on the day of the tournament will begin at 73...
by Sima Guang Hater
Sun Oct 29, 2023 1:15 pm
Forum: Databases and Quizbowl Software
Topic: Introducing YellowFruit.
Replies: 106
Views: 95114

Re: Introducing YellowFruit.

Is there a way to get Yellowfruit to recognize crossover games automatically for playoff stats, rather than having to select it manually? Also, is there a way to export the HTML stat reports for each phase individually (so prelim, playoff, and overall can be posted as separate links on HSQB)?
by Sima Guang Hater
Tue Oct 17, 2023 9:16 am
Forum: Collegiate Discussion
Topic: Fault Tolerance in Answerlines
Replies: 0
Views: 3324

Fault Tolerance in Answerlines

One thing that's important when writing sets, that I don't think is discussed enough, is how to ensure that answerlines are as linear and clear as possible. I will call answerlines that are not susceptible to misinterpretation or ambiguity "fault-tolerant" (partly because it sounds better ...
by Sima Guang Hater
Sat Sep 30, 2023 7:13 pm
Forum: Regular Season Tournaments
Topic: Battle of Edgehill @ USN (Planetfall mirror, 9/30/23)
Replies: 3
Views: 3832

Re: Battle of Edgehill @ USN (Planetfall mirror, 9/30/23)

Thanks everyone for coming out today. Owensboro A defeated Russell A in a thrilling one-game final. Stats can be found here: https://hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/8 ... all_games/
by Sima Guang Hater
Tue Sep 19, 2023 5:58 pm
Forum: Regular Season Tournaments
Topic: Battle of Edgehill @ USN (Planetfall mirror, 9/30/23)
Replies: 3
Views: 3832

Re: Battle of Edgehill @ USN (Planetfall mirror, 9/30/23)

With 11 days left, the field has reached 16 teams. We still have plenty of room, so please sign up this week!
by Sima Guang Hater
Wed Sep 06, 2023 7:15 am
Forum: Mirror requests
Topic: Planetfall (HS Regular) Available Fall 2023
Replies: 5
Views: 8277

Re: Planetfall (HS Regular) Available Fall 2023

We've had several mirror requests for the set (see the post above this one). Here's a map of our confirmed mirrors, as reflected by said post. If you're in a region that is far away from a mirror, please contact us (or follow up with our previous conversation) to see if we can set up a mirror near y...
by Sima Guang Hater
Sat Aug 26, 2023 3:21 pm
Forum: Mirror requests
Topic: CYBER set (MS or Novice HS) for 2023-24
Replies: 7
Views: 4120

Re: CYBER set (MS or Novice HS) for 2023-24

Will this set be playtested and/or looked over by editors experienced with writing MS questions? Writing at this level is a tricky business - I would at the very least suggest playtesting before it's played. Conor Thompson and Jacob O'Rourke are two people who have a lot of experience writing at thi...
by Sima Guang Hater
Thu Aug 10, 2023 5:42 pm
Forum: Mirror requests
Topic: Planetfall (HS Regular) Available Fall 2023
Replies: 5
Views: 8277

Re: Planetfall (HS Regular) Available Fall 2023

Mirrors: Bronco Bowl V @ Rancho Bernardo HS (San Diego, CA, 9/23/2023) [ Stats ] Battle of Edgehill @ University School of Nashville (Nashville, TN, 9/30/2023) [ Stats ] Tusculum Earlybird @ Tusculum University (Tusculum, TN, 10/7/2023) [ Stats ] IQBL Kickoff @ Northwest HS (Waukee, IA, 10/7/2023) [...
by Sima Guang Hater
Thu Aug 10, 2023 4:48 pm
Forum: South Comparisons and Discussion
Topic: Alabama Quiz Bowl 2023-24
Replies: 15
Views: 5867

Re: Alabama Quiz Bowl 2023-24

Hello neighbors - as you consider your schedule for next year, please consider coming to USN for our fall tournament on 9/30. Here is the announcement: viewtopic.php?t=27185
by Sima Guang Hater
Thu Aug 10, 2023 4:40 pm
Forum: Regular Season Tournaments
Topic: Battle of Edgehill @ USN (Planetfall mirror, 9/30/23)
Replies: 3
Views: 3832

Re: Battle of Edgehill @ USN (Planetfall mirror, 9/30/23)

POST FOR FIELD UPDATES (teams/buzzers/mods):
Cookeville HS (3/2/1)
Hume-Fogg (2/1/1)
Grayson County HS (2/1/0)
Battle Ground (1/0/0)
Russell HS (1/1/0)
Owensboro HS (1/1/0)
Greenwood HS (1/0/0)
Adair County HS (2/1/0)
Franklin Road Academy (2/0/0)


TOTAL (15/7/2)
Field cap is tentatively 24 teams
by Sima Guang Hater
Thu Aug 10, 2023 3:31 pm
Forum: South Comparisons and Discussion
Topic: Kentucky 2023-24
Replies: 8
Views: 4261

Re: Kentucky 2023-24

Hello neighbors - as you consider your schedule for next year, please consider coming to USN for our fall tournament on 9/30. Here is the announcement: viewtopic.php?t=27185
by Sima Guang Hater
Thu Aug 10, 2023 3:30 pm
Forum: South Comparisons and Discussion
Topic: Alabama Quiz Bowl 2022-23
Replies: 18
Views: 6860

Re: Alabama Quiz Bowl 2022-23

Hello neighbors - as you consider your schedule for next year, please consider coming to USN for our fall tournament on 9/30. Here is the announcement: viewtopic.php?t=27185
by Sima Guang Hater
Thu Aug 10, 2023 3:29 pm
Forum: Regular Season Tournaments
Topic: Battle of Edgehill @ USN (Planetfall mirror, 9/30/23)
Replies: 3
Views: 3832

Battle of Edgehill @ USN (Planetfall mirror, 9/30/23)

The University School of Nashville is pleased to announce The Battle of Edgehill, a tournament taking place in-person at the University School of Nashville on Saturday, September 30th, 2023. Check-in on the day of the tournament will begin at 730AM central, with a start time of 815AM for the first r...
by Sima Guang Hater
Tue Aug 08, 2023 2:14 am
Forum: Collegiate Discussion
Topic: 2023 Chicago Open - Specific Question Discussion
Replies: 17
Views: 7885

Re: 2023 Chicago Open - Specific Question Discussion

The stats bear out that the science for this tournament was brutally difficult, and this field wasn't particularly lacking in good science players (modulo Adam Silverman and John Settle, who probably would have significantly raised our power total). In addition to being difficult, there were a few p...
by Sima Guang Hater
Sun Jun 25, 2023 1:42 pm
Forum: Theory
Topic: So You Want To Write A Tournament
Replies: 10
Views: 7484

Re: So You Want To Write A Tournament

Given the recent BBB tournament , there's an important addendum for coaches here, particularly coaches of more inexperienced teams. Writing a tournament, at any level, is not a trivial endeavor. It may initially appear to be no harder than writing a bunch of questions for bar trivia, or writing an e...
by Sima Guang Hater
Thu May 11, 2023 5:22 pm
Forum: Collegiate Announcements & Results
Topic: Lederberg 4: Ghost Field (2024)
Replies: 4
Views: 1734

Re: Lederberg 4: Ghost Field (2024)

Bumping this. This is the current list of contributors to this set: Eric Mukherjee Shahar Schwartz Aatreyo Bhattacharyya Andrew Fisher Austin Brownlow Lea from UMN Arya Karthik Ali Hamzeh [Name Hidden] Sinecio Morales Will Alston If you would like to contribute to this set, please get in contact wit...
by Sima Guang Hater
Mon Apr 17, 2023 12:32 pm
Forum: Theory
Topic: So You Want To Write A Tournament
Replies: 10
Views: 7484

Re: So You Want To Write A Tournament

Repeats (small or big) inevitably crop up during editing, necessitating replacements. This is particularly bad across categories (e.g. having both history and literature questions on Napoleon) because those are often covered by different editors. I don't consider an art or lit toss-up on Napoleon t...
by Sima Guang Hater
Sun Apr 16, 2023 5:27 pm
Forum: Theory
Topic: So You Want To Write A Tournament
Replies: 10
Views: 7484

So You Want To Write A Tournament

I. INTRODUCTION This year, I have somehow worked on multiple high school housewrites. Additionally, I had the privilege of being the head editor of the second incarnation of mRNA VACCINE, an editor and significant contributor to the IQBT Undergraduate Championship, and an editor for ACF Winter 2022...
by Sima Guang Hater
Sat Mar 18, 2023 10:03 pm
Forum: Mirror requests
Topic: Planetfall (HS Regular) Available Fall 2023
Replies: 5
Views: 8277

Planetfall (HS Regular) Available Fall 2023

Hello everyone, I am pleased to announce a regular difficulty set, Planetfall , available Fall 2023, written by the quiz bowl team at the University School of Nashville. The set aims for a difficulty similar to SHOW-ME or KICKOFF from past years. The set will be head-edited by myself (Eric Mukherjee...
by Sima Guang Hater
Tue Feb 28, 2023 1:26 pm
Forum: Collegiate Discussion
Topic: 2023 BHSU: General discussion
Replies: 35
Views: 14529

Re: 2023 BHSU: General discussion

This tournament was a joy to play and well written. I admit to having to take a few rounds to adjust to the set, but once I did I enjoyed it quite a bit. Some general thoughts in order: - I am on the side of enjoying this tournament's humor. I thought it was funny without being obtrusive. I'm on the...
by Sima Guang Hater
Mon Feb 27, 2023 8:06 pm
Forum: Collegiate Discussion
Topic: 2023 BHSU: Favorite questions/clues/buzzes/moments
Replies: 21
Views: 4028

Re: 2023 BHSU: Favorite questions/clues/buzzes/moments

Shout out to the bonus part on My Career Goes Bung , which had previously been mentioned in the 2015 ACF Nationals final (in the dead TU on My Brilliant Career ), from which three participants were in the room. A fun little callback to all the games that many of us had played against each other over...
by Sima Guang Hater
Mon Feb 13, 2023 4:06 pm
Forum: Collegiate Discussion
Topic: How can quizbowl support writers?
Replies: 9
Views: 5448

Re: How can quizbowl support writers?

Pay us more
Actually criticize our questions in a balanced way, and (for writers) actually listen to the criticism
Stop fucking out of your assignments
by Sima Guang Hater
Tue Jan 10, 2023 1:06 pm
Forum: Collegiate Announcements & Results
Topic: Lederberg 4: Ghost Field (2024)
Replies: 4
Views: 1734

Re: Lederberg 4: Ghost Field (2024)

Cheynem wrote: Tue Jan 10, 2023 12:22 am Why none of my favorite science?!?
I'm guessing sabermetrics?
by Sima Guang Hater
Mon Jan 09, 2023 10:00 pm
Forum: Collegiate Announcements & Results
Topic: Lederberg 4: Ghost Field (2024)
Replies: 4
Views: 1734

Lederberg 4: Ghost Field (2024)

I'm quite pleased to announce Lederberg 4: Ghost Field , a tossup-only science subject tournament to be played at or around ICT 2024. The distribution will be as follows: 4 Biology 4 Chemistry 4 Physics 3 Astro + ES 2 Math 2 CS 2 Data Science/Stats/Applied Math The difficulty will be similar to prev...
by Sima Guang Hater
Tue Nov 29, 2022 12:17 pm
Forum: Databases and Quizbowl Software
Topic: qbreader.org/db - A QuizDB Replacement
Replies: 2
Views: 5289

Re: qbreader.org/db - A QuizDB Replacement

This is very good and I've enjoyed using it.

A recurring error is that the string "(3)" is parsed as "1.).". Posting this here before I start seeing a bunch of questions in which the gauge group of QCD is given as SU1.).
by Sima Guang Hater
Tue Nov 22, 2022 9:56 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: USN Winter Tournament @ University School of Nashville (1/7/2023)
Replies: 7
Views: 5012

Re: USN Winter Tournament @ University School of Nashville (1/7/2023)

This tournament now has 21 teams signed up, of a total field of 24. This tournament will also be a PACE Platinum qualifier, meaning the top 25% of the field qualify for NSC. Please continue to send new registration requests to [email protected], we would love to have you!
by Sima Guang Hater
Wed Oct 26, 2022 10:09 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2022 C++ Announcement (Winter 2022, 2 Dot)
Replies: 6
Views: 6719

Re: 2022 C++ Announcement (Winter 2022, 2 Dot)

Is this still happening? Doesn't seem to be a lot of announcements of mirrors and so on.
by Sima Guang Hater
Mon Oct 10, 2022 9:56 pm
Forum: South Comparisons and Discussion
Topic: Alabama Quiz Bowl 2022-23
Replies: 18
Views: 6860

Re: Alabama Quiz Bowl 2022-23

Hello neighbors, The University School of Nashville will be mirroring the DART set on January 7th, 2023. Details can be found here: https://hsquizbowl.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=391985. We would love to see teams from your neck of the woods to pay us a visit, to play what's sure to be an excellent s...
by Sima Guang Hater
Mon Oct 10, 2022 9:55 pm
Forum: South Comparisons and Discussion
Topic: Kentucky 2022-2023
Replies: 6
Views: 4067

Re: Kentucky 2022-2023

Hello neighbors, The University School of Nashville will be mirroring the DART set on January 7th, 2023. Details can be found here: https://hsquizbowl.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=391985. We would love to see teams from your neck of the woods to pay us a visit, to play what's sure to be an excellent s...
by Sima Guang Hater
Mon Oct 10, 2022 9:54 pm
Forum: South Comparisons and Discussion
Topic: Tennessee 2022-2023
Replies: 6
Views: 4932

Re: Tennessee 2022-2023

The University School of Nashville will be mirroring the DART set on January 7th, 2023. Details can be found here: viewtopic.php?p=391985
by Sima Guang Hater
Mon Oct 10, 2022 10:45 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: USN Winter Tournament @ University School of Nashville (1/7/2023)
Replies: 7
Views: 5012

USN Winter Tournament @ University School of Nashville (1/7/2023)

The University School of Nashville is pleased to announce USN Winter . This tournament will take place in-person at the University School of Nashville on Saturday, January 7th, 2023, and will be directed by Em Gunter (TD), Eric Mukherjee (asst TD) and members of the USN team. Check-in on the day of ...
by Sima Guang Hater
Mon Sep 12, 2022 11:30 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Announcing FACE: A Multi-Purpose QuizBowl Discord Bot
Replies: 2
Views: 3394

Re: Announcing FACE: A Multi-Purpose QuizBowl Discord Bot

The bot has seemed to stop working. It's too bad, it was a wonderful tool. Anyone know what's going on/are in contact with the creators?
by Sima Guang Hater
Sat Jul 09, 2022 11:50 am
Forum: Collegiate Discussion
Topic: 2022 NAQT ICT: Division I specific question discussion
Replies: 14
Views: 2345

Re: 2022 NAQT ICT: Division I specific question discussion

I never disagreed with this claim, however based on character length constraints I'm under the impression it can be moved like, maybe at best 3 words ahead to go from "the membrane of this organelle" to "this organelle's membrane" which may be slightly better but is pretty minor...
by Sima Guang Hater
Sat Jul 09, 2022 1:22 am
Forum: Collegiate Discussion
Topic: 2022 NAQT ICT: Division I specific question discussion
Replies: 14
Views: 2345

Re: 2022 NAQT ICT: Division I specific question discussion

The tossup on acrosome was very good and interesting. However, there's a hellish alternate universe where, in a nail-biting Finals 1 tossup 24, a knowledgable player hears "The protein IZUMO1 localizes to the membrane" and negs with sperm, with no prompt whatsoever. Also more importantly ...
by Sima Guang Hater
Fri Jul 08, 2022 8:54 pm
Forum: Collegiate Discussion
Topic: 2022 NAQT ICT: Division I specific question discussion
Replies: 14
Views: 2345

Re: 2022 NAQT ICT: Division I specific question discussion

The tossup on acrosome was very good and interesting. However, there's a hellish alternate universe where, in a nail-biting Finals 1 tossup 24, a knowledgable player hears "The protein IZUMO1 localizes to the membrane" and negs with sperm, with no prompt whatsoever. Also more importantly t...
by Sima Guang Hater
Thu Jul 07, 2022 6:32 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: SuMO VII at Tusculum, Greeneville TN (7/9/2022)
Replies: 14
Views: 5316

Re: SuMO VII at Tusculum, Greeneville TN (7/9/2022)

At the very least, letting unvaccinated people play is a bad idea. The masking is a marginal benefit at best (and it's within reason to not enforce but strongly encourage it), though players should wear an N95 anyway.
by Sima Guang Hater
Mon Apr 11, 2022 8:45 pm
Forum: Collegiate Discussion
Topic: ACF Nationals 2022 Thanks and General Discussion
Replies: 30
Views: 11975

Re: ACF Nationals 2022 Thanks and General Discussion

I edited the bio (surprise) and contributed to the other science subcategories. I'd like to thank quite a few people specifically, and if I forget to thank you don't be offended please. I'll blanket co-sign all the thanks above to start. - First, my co-science editors, Adam and Stephen, who offered ...
by Sima Guang Hater
Wed Feb 23, 2022 6:32 am
Forum: Collegiate Discussion
Topic: 2022 WORKSHOP: Specific Question Discussion
Replies: 19
Views: 4635

Re: 2022 WORKSHOP: Specific Question Discussion

Re: the gene drives bonus, as a former Drosophila geneticist the hybrid dysgenesis caused by P-element carrying males is well-known but a fairly deep cut, and the other clue in the bonus isn't particularly unique given that gene drives based on female sterility have also been developed. You also hav...
by Sima Guang Hater
Mon Feb 21, 2022 3:01 pm
Forum: Collegiate Discussion
Topic: 2022 WORKSHOP: Specific Question Discussion
Replies: 19
Views: 4635

Re: 2022 WORKSHOP: Specific Question Discussion

Since this is a specific question, I'll put a separate post here to preserve this when the discord server for this tournament is deleted. I was not pleased with how the protest on the "land" question was handled, and I think it illustrates some negative tendencies in both question writing ...
by Sima Guang Hater
Mon Feb 21, 2022 2:39 pm
Forum: Collegiate Discussion
Topic: 2022 WORKSHOP: Thanks and General Discussion
Replies: 19
Views: 5535

Re: 2022 WORKSHOP: Thanks and General Discussion

This set was very good overall. There were a lot of interesting and creative ideas, and I think the set hit its difficulty marks on average. There were occasionally harder questions, but I think that's appropriate for a set like this to keep people on their toes. I also appreciate that powers were g...
by Sima Guang Hater
Mon Feb 21, 2022 1:39 pm
Forum: Collegiate Discussion
Topic: 2022 WORKSHOP: Specific Question Discussion
Replies: 19
Views: 4635

Re: 2022 WORKSHOP: Specific Question Discussion

PACKET 1: - The moon TU narrows it pretty early to sun or moon (mesoamerican stuff and vaguely-defined location) - "Flagstaff" and "facilitate research" seems harder than the clue after it for light pollution, since the Lowell Observatory being there is pretty famous in my estima...
by Sima Guang Hater
Sun Jan 30, 2022 2:44 pm
Forum: Collegiate Discussion
Topic: Your Long Answerlines Might be a Problem
Replies: 3
Views: 2522

Your Long Answerlines Might be a Problem

One issue I noticed this weekend is that the prompt lines were often very long or tortuous. This is a double-edged sword, because complex prompt instructions can make the game much more difficult, especially for newer moderators. I think it's worth hashing out the role of prompt lines and how they c...
by Sima Guang Hater
Sun Jan 30, 2022 1:18 pm
Forum: Collegiate Discussion
Topic: Some Thoughts on Bonuses
Replies: 35
Views: 15036

Re: Some Thoughts on Bonuses

I was going to start a thread about overly tortuous bonuses and cognitive load, and I see that Henry had gone and done it already. I want to flesh out that part of the post a little bit more after my experience reading ACF regionals this weekend. First, with easy parts, I want to in particular call ...