Search found 498 matches

by bsmith
Thu Dec 12, 2019 6:42 pm
Forum: Databases and Quizbowl Software
Topic: SQBS for Mac available soon
Replies: 32
Views: 19848

Re: SQBS for Mac available soon

I'll have an answer later this week. If it can be done with a re-compile of the code, it will probably be updated. If there is further work, probably not. The program has been compiled to 64-bit, with no other updates. I have sent it to Chris Sewell first for the SQBS website; otherwise Jonah will ...
by bsmith
Mon Dec 09, 2019 10:01 pm
Forum: Databases and Quizbowl Software
Topic: SQBS for Mac available soon
Replies: 32
Views: 19848

Re: SQBS for Mac available soon

The Mac edition of SQBS is 32-bit and thus cannot be used with Mac OS X Catalina (or subsequent versions). Is there any chance of a 64-bit version? I'll have an answer later this week. If it can be done with a re-compile of the code, it will probably be updated. If there is further work, probably n...
by bsmith
Mon Apr 24, 2017 9:27 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Attain the Summit 2 @McMaster - April 15, 2017
Replies: 9
Views: 6495

Re: Attain the Summit 2 @McMaster - April 15, 2017

R-value is my equivalent to a SOS-based D-value or A-value for Reach. I convert it to a percentage of an average team as a personal preference.
by bsmith
Sun Apr 16, 2017 4:47 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Attain the Summit 2 @McMaster - April 15, 2017
Replies: 9
Views: 6495

Re: Attain the Summit 2 @McMaster - April 15, 2017

R-value just because: 1. ADR 169.54% 2. Martingrove Alumni 152.62% 3. Challen 152.62% 4. Martingrove 137.35% 5. CRH A 117.07% 6. Breslyingmond 104.88% 7. Westmount 96.61% 8. Free Agents 63.51% 9. Westdale 59.84% 10. CRH C 64.64% 11. CRH B 56.17% 12. Retired 41.41% I imagine it's just coincidence bec...
by bsmith
Wed Mar 29, 2017 8:22 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Attain the Summit 2 @McMaster - April 15, 2017
Replies: 9
Views: 6495

Re: Attain the Summit 2 @McMaster - April 15, 2017

This is a missed opportunity to be the successor to UTS' April independent tournament. That tournament served as a Reach provincials preview, and Hamilton is in the middle of an area from London to Oshawa that covers about two thirds of a provincials field.
by bsmith
Sun Mar 19, 2017 8:38 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The Early History of Interscholastic Quizbowl
Replies: 2
Views: 2615

Re: The Early History of Interscholastic Quizbowl

Interscholastic team competition in the UK goes at least as far back as 1948 with Top of the Form . It ran on radio, then TV, until the 1980s, and its question formats still exist in Reach for the Top . I am curious if student competition (as opposed to casual adult quizzes derived from parlor/pub g...
by bsmith
Sun Mar 12, 2017 7:39 am
Forum: International Comparisons and Discussions
Topic: Reach Scores (Audio)
Replies: 0
Views: 9140

Reach Scores (Audio)

Some Canadians know I've been on a quixotic effort to A) find old Reach scores and B) get more transparency in the qualification/ranking process. The former is a historical interest I've had for a while (as evidenced by any pre-2008 Canadian topic on the QB Wiki) and the latter has been simmering, b...
by bsmith
Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:47 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: SSNCT and Charter School Eligibility
Replies: 43
Views: 25269

Re: SSNCT and Charter School Eligibility

On the other side of the coin, a coach inquired about Merivale in Ottawa for SSNCT last year (note: the players weren't really interested and we didn't press it further). Merivale met the attendance criterion, is a public non-religious school, and must accept anyone within its boundaries. They were ...
by bsmith
Wed Aug 31, 2016 8:45 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Side Event Sunday @ Carleton (October 16, 2016)
Replies: 6
Views: 4037

Re: Side Event Sunday @ Carleton (October 16, 2016)

Nothing on Saturday afternoon/evening?
by bsmith
Sun Aug 07, 2016 9:03 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: VETO 2016 @ University of Toronto (August 6th, 2016)
Replies: 23
Views: 14355

Re: VETO 2016 @ University of Toronto (August 6th, 2016)

This is the first time we think someone's been injured by an actual quizbowl question. A musket was fired in the studio during an early game of the 1979 Reach nationals as part of an "interactive" history question. Coincidentally, the Newfoundland team only had 3 players for the rest of t...
by bsmith
Sun Aug 07, 2016 7:56 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Carleton University Side Event Weekend (Aug 20/21)
Replies: 9
Views: 5329

Re: Carleton University Side Event Weekend (Aug 20/21)

I should be able to make it for Saturday afternoon/evening.

FYI, in what seems to be a tradition for Carleton tournaments, the O-Train will not be running on the Sunday.
by bsmith
Fri Jul 01, 2016 3:31 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Toronto Hybrid Mirror in Orlando - June 25
Replies: 11
Views: 8404

Re: Toronto Hybrid Mirror in Orlando - June 25

Oh dear. This tournament has been killed over and over and people still find a way to resurrect it.

Travis, you are not the first to try to put lipstick on the pig that is Canadian/hybrid packet submissions. Other than my advice to just let it die, make it centrally housewritten and charge more.
by bsmith
Tue May 17, 2016 10:28 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: An unofficial history of “Reach for the Top”
Replies: 28
Views: 23404

Re: An unofficial history of “Reach for the Top”

Seeding: You have stats from Ottawa regionals, Lisgar/UTS invitationals and Hamilton (from Jay). Check how an R-value would have seeded Hillfield, the surprise team of the weekend. No one expected them. I don't actually have any regional set stats, and I would need a lot for it to be useful. The be...
by bsmith
Mon May 16, 2016 8:39 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: An unofficial history of “Reach for the Top”
Replies: 28
Views: 23404

Re: An unofficial history of “Reach for the Top”

Reach for the Top provincials happened this weekend. Without UTS. The team that beat KV in the 3 Reach-style invitationals this year, and only took 1 loss- a semifinal at regionals. UTS, on paper, should be the 2016 national champion. It's time for Reach to adopt an "R-value" for Ontario....
by bsmith
Wed May 11, 2016 9:53 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Canadian Player Poll 2016: We Have Prizes!
Replies: 33
Views: 14324

Re: Canadian Player Poll 2016: We Have Prizes!

first annual Canadian Player Poll. This has been done before, though in the form of players at Canadian universities. 2004 1. Carlos F (SFU) 2. Luka J (UBC) 3. Bridget K (Western) 4. Fred S (UBC) 5. Jon K (McGill) 2005 1. Luka J (UBC) 2. Carlos F (SFU) 3. Tamara V (Ottawa) 4. Andy S (Brock) 5. Eric...
by bsmith
Sat Dec 05, 2015 9:16 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Stegosaurus Bowl (BASK) at Lisgar, Ottawa -- Dec 5, 2015
Replies: 6
Views: 4483

Re: Stegosaurus Bowl (BASK) at Lisgar, Ottawa -- Dec 5, 2015

Sheena's Lisgar team (I forget the designation) quickly got to the top ladder room and stayed there undefeated. Either Colin's Lisgar team or Merivale A was second, depending on how the final points got awarded. The SQBS report for this will look a little strange when it comes out. The format was di...
by bsmith
Tue Nov 24, 2015 9:58 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: OQT High School Tournament: November 21, Ottawa
Replies: 6
Views: 4515

Re: OQT High School Tournament: November 21, Ottawa

Unless I'm mistaken, two teams from this tournament qualify for HSNCT. What does the second-place tie mean in terms of who qualifies? Lisgar's coach investigated Merivale's enrollment figures. Merivale is now a small school (unfortunately in some ways) and can probably satisfactorily resolve the ti...
by bsmith
Sat Nov 21, 2015 9:57 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: OQT High School Tournament: November 21, Ottawa
Replies: 6
Views: 4515

Re: OQT High School Tournament: November 21, Ottawa

Lisgar A went undefeated and won the tournament. Lisgar B and Merivale A tied for second.

Stats: http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournament ... all_games/
by bsmith
Tue Nov 17, 2015 9:12 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: An unofficial history of “Reach for the Top”
Replies: 28
Views: 23404

Re: An unofficial history of “Reach for the Top”

This coming Saturday, CTV's W5 will air a "14 minute segment" about Reach for the Top. It will include footage from the 2015 Nationals (which Lisgar won) and interviews with famous former participants. Canadians can check local air times, or wait about a week for video on W5's website.
by bsmith
Tue Nov 10, 2015 9:19 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: NAQT rules revisions 2015
Replies: 6
Views: 3986

Re: NAQT rules revisions 2015

Updates to our correctness guidelines . The guideline for foreign language answers still has an ambiguity that has been around since I played: Can common-noun (eg: "nucleus", "mural", "baptism") answers be given in any language, provided there is no unsportsmanlike att...
by bsmith
Sun Sep 06, 2015 1:15 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: An unofficial history of “Reach for the Top”
Replies: 28
Views: 23404

Re: An unofficial history of “Reach for the Top”

I'm resurrecting this to say that I will be ranking the championship programs from bottom to top in recognition of Reach's 50th anniversary. Because of significant differences, I am splitting the CBC and SchoolReach eras into separate lists. I will post the ranks here when I am finished around Labo...
by bsmith
Sat Aug 22, 2015 1:19 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: An unofficial history of “Reach for the Top”
Replies: 28
Views: 23404

Re: An unofficial history of “Reach for the Top”

I'm resurrecting this to say that I will be ranking the championship programs from bottom to top in recognition of Reach's 50th anniversary. Because of significant differences, I am splitting the CBC and SchoolReach eras into separate lists. I will post the ranks here when I am finished around Labou...
by bsmith
Tue Jul 28, 2015 8:30 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: "This Things I Believe"
Replies: 44
Views: 20035

Re: "This Things I Believe"

Jordan and I are not friends. I do not expect this to change. That being said... He did things like revive Hybrids and keep VETO alive (both of which should have died off after that summer). The unfortunate resurgent popularity of those tournaments and subsequent “fun” events like MacVanity and Cot...
by bsmith
Mon Jul 27, 2015 9:17 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: "This Things I Believe"
Replies: 44
Views: 20035

Re: "This Things I Believe"

Jordan was a bewildering character. We both started at the same time; I was (arguably) the better player and circuit organizer to start, but faded over time, while Jordan increased his skill with each passing year. Perhaps his memories of me always beating him in the early years gave him this impres...
by bsmith
Fri Jul 10, 2015 7:49 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Distance Discounts
Replies: 10
Views: 4994

Re: Distance Discounts

I don't see that much of a benefit of having teams from far away come to your tournament. How about variety? Here in Ottawa, it's the same 4 or 5 schools with multiple teams over and over again (not that it's a bad thing that they come, of course). A team from further away offers new opponents for ...
by bsmith
Thu Jul 09, 2015 12:06 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Quiz competition in Australia/New Zealand
Replies: 0
Views: 2291

Quiz competition in Australia/New Zealand

I (somewhat jokingly) considered adding an Australian state-by-state breakdown in the other thread, where D- or F would be applied everywhere. Instead, I did some brief investigations to see what is actually going on Down Under. As a bit of an intro, I attended a high school in Melbourne for parts o...
by bsmith
Thu Jul 09, 2015 9:07 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: The State of Good Quizbowl, State-by-State
Replies: 61
Views: 51501

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

No love for Ontario? No love for Alberta, Joe? Anyway, Ontario's situation has similarities to the descriptions of Arizona, Delaware, and New York, so I'd say C+. Alberta seems like Nebraska or Washington, so I'd say D+. "F" seems to be reserved for actual malice against good quizbowl, so...
by bsmith
Tue Jun 30, 2015 7:41 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: MÖRE WEIGHT
Replies: 41
Views: 21040

Re: MÖRE WEIGHT

Peter13 wrote:Here is the packet that I wrote for MOREWEIGHT.
To correct you, I referred to a dark age of Canadian quizbowl.
by bsmith
Sun Jun 14, 2015 8:12 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: 2015 PACE NSC: June 6-7, Washington, DC
Replies: 75
Views: 65965

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

is it possible to record negs in the future, even with the no "-5" rules? I personally find it really interesting for seeing the playing style of players in conjunction with other stats like G/N. I suppose this hinges on an updated SQBS, but on scoresheets I know I was just casually marki...
by bsmith
Wed May 20, 2015 8:27 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Click Here to Become Sad
Replies: 59
Views: 34068

Re: CO History 2015

I have taken a grand total of 4 months of Canadian history education in my life, so I am no expert. My only experience is writing replacements in IS sets for local tournaments, where I did my best to reflect all regions and political views of Canada from a balanced perspective. Usually it's a parade...
by bsmith
Wed May 20, 2015 6:46 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: ONQBA transition
Replies: 6
Views: 3924

Re: ONQBA transition

The results, with 10 ballots:

President - Patrick Liao
Yes: 10
No: 0

Secretary - Brendan McKendy
Yes: 10
No: 0

Treasurer
Ted Gan: 7
Peter Cordeiro: 3

Webmaster
Joe Su: 7
Anubhav Srivastava: 3

I will start up a transition with these people, and the new positions will take effect on July 1.
by bsmith
Wed May 13, 2015 7:08 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: IHBB 2016 Canada Nationals: Univ of Toronto Schools, May 14
Replies: 8
Views: 4590

Re: IHBB 2016 Canada Nationals: Univ of Toronto Schools, May

Here is the provincials schedule for Saturday (for 2014, but I assume 2015 was the same): 9:30-12:30 - Registration at U of T Scarborough residence 1:30 PM - Opening ceremony (and rules meetings for students and coaches) at a high school 3-4 PM - Practice rounds 6:30 PM - Gala dinner (at Scarborough...
by bsmith
Tue May 12, 2015 3:26 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: ONQBA transition
Replies: 6
Views: 3924

Re: ONQBA transition

The ballot will be available to those who signed up at approximately midnight Eastern and will be open until 11:59 PM on the following Tuesday (May 19, after Victoria Day). Any Ontario quizbowlers who did not already sign up (or thought they did, but didn't get an invite upon the ballot's opening) m...
by bsmith
Tue May 12, 2015 3:17 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: IHBB 2016 Canada Nationals: Univ of Toronto Schools, May 14
Replies: 8
Views: 4590

Re: IHBB 2016 Canada Nationals: Univ of Toronto Schools, May

I agree with Joe. Both Reach and quizbowl have traditionally avoided the various Canadian long weekends (Thanksgiving, Family Day, Victoria Day) out of courtesy, but I have no idea what the appetite from coaches, students, and staff is regarding a "holiday" tournament. The earlier dates Jo...
by bsmith
Mon May 11, 2015 7:20 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: IHBB 2016 Canada Nationals: Univ of Toronto Schools, May 14
Replies: 8
Views: 4590

Re: IHBB 2016 Canada Nationals: Univ of Toronto Schools, May

Is this the same weekend as Reach Provincials? Will actual History Bee and Bowl competition extend into the Sunday? If their 20+ year tradition of starting 9 days before Victoria Day continues, Reach provincials would be May 14-16. Like 2011, this will be a rare year in which it will not be on Moth...
by bsmith
Sun May 03, 2015 8:57 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: IHBB Canadian championships
Replies: 11
Views: 6177

IHBB Canadian championships

I’m sure David will have his own comments later, but the Canadian championships of the International History Bee & Bowl were held at Lisgar CI on Saturday. In the Bowl: Varsity: Lisgar CI (Ottawa) Junior Varsity: Royal St. George’s (Toronto) Middle School: Selwyn House (Montreal) In the Bee: Var...
by bsmith
Mon Apr 27, 2015 2:41 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: ONQBA transition
Replies: 6
Views: 3924

Re: ONQBA transition

Any nominations to be on the ballot are due April 30. All positions are still open for candidates. You can sign up to be a voter anytime before the voting period (probably beginning May 13, after SchoolReach provincials). An unopposed executive will simply have a yes/no approval; otherwise there wil...
by bsmith
Thu Mar 19, 2015 10:40 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: 2015 ONQBA Provincial Championship (Lisgar CI, 7 Mar 2015)
Replies: 9
Views: 5700

Re: 2015 ONQBA Provincial Championship (Lisgar CI, 7 Mar 201

For those interested participants, a small analysis into how the inserted Canadian content (14/13 across the 14 packets) affected the stats: An inserted Canadian tossup was heard 56 times, once for each game. The field went 4/38/17 on them, for 75% conversion. In comparison, the field went 182/753/1...
by bsmith
Sat Mar 07, 2015 9:09 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: 2015 ONQBA Provincial Championship (Lisgar CI, 7 Mar 2015)
Replies: 9
Views: 5700

Re: 2015 ONQBA Provincial Championship (Lisgar CI, 7 Mar 201

The United Stats of America wrote:There are several mistakes in the stats, these will be fixed in the upcoming days.
What Joe has found has been corrected. Patrick's link above should still work; if not: http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournament ... standings/
by bsmith
Sat Mar 07, 2015 7:01 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: ONQBA transition
Replies: 6
Views: 3924

Re: ONQBA transition

Unofficially, there is some desire by the Ottawa crowd to have a balance in the executive between Ottawa and SW Ontario. There will likely be some sort of slate of candidates formed, which may be addressed at the Ontario university "state of the union" post-Hybrid.
by bsmith
Sat Mar 07, 2015 6:59 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: ONQBA transition
Replies: 6
Views: 3924

ONQBA transition

I will be stepping down from the presidency of the ONQBA on June 30. It is time to transition to someone with more modern quizbowl views and with a fresher take on outreach. I appreciate all the help and participation over the past four years, and I do know that there are good people that will take ...
by bsmith
Sat Mar 07, 2015 6:43 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: 2015 ONQBA Provincial Championship (Lisgar CI, 7 Mar 2015)
Replies: 9
Views: 5700

Re: 2015 ONQBA Provincial Championship (Lisgar CI, 7 Mar 201

11 teams played in the ONQBA Provincial Championship today. Colonel By faced their closest high school match yet, defeating Lisgar A 390-360 in the final game. Colonel By defends their provincial title. Bell came third. Stats were Joe's responsibility, but he will have them ready in the near future....
by bsmith
Mon Mar 02, 2015 5:29 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: 2015 ONQBA Provincial Championship (Lisgar CI, 7 Mar 2015)
Replies: 9
Views: 5700

Re: 2015 ONQBA Provincial Championship (Lisgar CI, 7 Mar 201

The field has been updated above; we will have 9-12 teams. We will meet in Lisgar's cafeteria/auditorium before 9 AM. There will be a newspaper reporter on site during the final rounds. She has been instructed not to publish question content. I'm not an authority on this, but players under 18 are re...
by bsmith
Sat Feb 21, 2015 7:19 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Ottawa History Bee and Bowl results
Replies: 0
Views: 1792

Ottawa History Bee and Bowl results

The first Ottawa History Bee and Bowl was held at Carleton today. Senior Bee top 3: 1. Tommy (Bell) 2. Cameron (Colonel By) 3. Vinh (Merivale) Junior Bee top 3: 1. Josh (Lisgar) 2. Sheena (Lisgar) 3. Kevin (Colonel By) Senior Bowl: 1. Colonel By A 2. Lisgar A 3. Bell Junior Bowl: 1. Lisgar C 2. Colo...
by bsmith
Wed Feb 18, 2015 5:18 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: McMaster Invitational, Feb. 21, 2015 @ McMaster
Replies: 8
Views: 5185

Re: McMaster Invitational, Feb. 21, 2015 @ McMaster

Thanks to the McMaster club for getting some SW Ontario teams on board. If any of the schools are considering Provincials in Ottawa, participation in this tournament counts toward the following possible provincials discounts: -$15 for participating in 2 events* -$10 for winning an event -$5 for part...
by bsmith
Wed Feb 18, 2015 5:04 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: ACRONYM @ Carleton University (Mar. 1/15)
Replies: 13
Views: 8924

Re: ACRONYM @ Carleton University (Mar. 1/15)

I'm probably already on the staff list, but I'll read.
by bsmith
Thu Feb 12, 2015 3:34 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: New Coke Presents: MacVanity, March 7, 2015
Replies: 21
Views: 11626

Re: New Coke Presents: MacVanity, March 7, 2015

I don't understand why this on the same day as the Ontario provincials. This splits staff for provincials and players for this tournament. McMaster did ask for "permission" before this announcement. There is an understanding that this event is not serious enough to draw too much away from...
by bsmith
Thu Feb 12, 2015 3:17 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: 2015 ONQBA Provincial Championship (Lisgar CI, 7 Mar 2015)
Replies: 9
Views: 5700

Re: 2015 ONQBA Provincial Championship (Lisgar CI, 7 Mar 201

A long-overdue update to say that we are still seeking teams.

Schools sending 2 or more teams should be prepared to have one staff ready (with the discount available), as was discussed locally back in December. This is similar to the staffing requirement for History Bowl, but more lenient.
by bsmith
Thu Jan 29, 2015 6:48 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: NAQT SCT at Carleton University (February 7, 2015)
Replies: 17
Views: 10284

Re: NAQT SCT at Carleton University (February 7, 2015)

In what is starting to become a regular occurrence for Carleton tournaments, the O-Train will not be running on SCT weekend. Plan alternate routes accordingly.