Search found 1128 matches

by No Rules Westbrook
Sat Jul 06, 2013 3:57 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: ACF Nationals 2014 qualifying system
Replies: 46
Views: 16721

Re: ACF Nationals 2014 qualifying system

I think Weiner has put forth a pretty well-thought proposal there...obviously, it could be tweaked on the numbers as conditions require, but it's thinking in the right direction. I have no problem with putting a "drop-dead date" on things - i.e. telling any team far ahead of time that &quo...
by No Rules Westbrook
Thu Jun 13, 2013 2:01 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chicago Open 2013 (7/20-21/13)
Replies: 147
Views: 84127

Re: Chicago Open 2013 (7/20-21/13)

I have no doubt it was discussed behind the scenes, in the wind tunnel of of the IRC cadre and amongst the next-gen yes men, who know way more than someone like me about how to put a tournament like this together Seth's schedule wasnt hard to come up with- I:m sure the whiz kids would've happened up...
by No Rules Westbrook
Thu Jun 13, 2013 1:00 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chicago Open 2013 (7/20-21/13)
Replies: 147
Views: 84127

Re: Chicago Open 2013 (7/20-21/13)

Do you know what else might make your editing job a lot harder? Not having a packet by the very capable writing team of Hart, Davis, Gioia, and Sorice. This is aside from the present question- but, if you had to exclude teans, another much better option would have been to say "you must submit a...
by No Rules Westbrook
Thu Jun 13, 2013 7:30 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chicago Open 2013 (7/20-21/13)
Replies: 147
Views: 84127

Re: Chicago Open 2013 (7/20-21/13)

If it were me, I'd run a 19 or 20 team tournament and not exclude teams. I don't have the time to do it right now, but I can certainly put together a schedule for those type of fields It won't be a pretty schedule, and if worst comes to worst, it might even be an unbalanced schedule (i.e. teams play...
by No Rules Westbrook
Thu Jun 13, 2013 2:31 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chicago Open 2013 (7/20-21/13)
Replies: 147
Views: 84127

Re: Chicago Open 2013 (7/20-21/13)

Now that I've just crapped out a spate of questions to cover for a teammate and "win the race" into the tournament - I intended to try to reign in my substantial anger and formulate a reasoned response to this state of affairs. But, I've lost the will to write that tome now. So, I'll just ...
by No Rules Westbrook
Wed Jun 12, 2013 9:27 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Fernando Arrabal Tournament of the Absurd: 11/23/13 @ CMU
Replies: 110
Views: 47085

Re: Fernando Arrabal Tournament of the Absurd: 11/23/13 @ TBD

I love Pittsburgh as a site, for what it's worth.

But, I'd be willing to travel to most places for this kind of event.
by No Rules Westbrook
Sun May 19, 2013 11:51 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Suggested ACF rules revisions for 2013-2014
Replies: 17
Views: 6189

Re: Suggested ACF rules revisions for 2013-2014

Matt "Tlazol-ay-otl" Jackson wants more strict pronunciation guidelines?...you know it's not an argument from self interest, at least!
by No Rules Westbrook
Thu May 09, 2013 7:17 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chicago Open 2013 (7/20-21/13)
Replies: 147
Views: 84127

Re: Chicago Open 2013 (7/20-21/13)

I support bouncebacks, cause bonuses are cooler than tossups, and bonus conversion is where it's at.

I think CO questions in and of themselves do plenty to stymie upsets. Unless your name is Mik Larsen.

How about "On Fire" rules, huh? Buehler?
by No Rules Westbrook
Wed May 08, 2013 5:32 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: The 2013-14 Tournament Schedule
Replies: 79
Views: 25935

Re: The 2013-14 Tournament Schedule

I hope that there will be one hard open-level event during the fall...I'd rather have Jerry's event played in August, and have another event take the usual place of MO as a hard open. If the Michigan guys want to write that type of hard open, that's a possibility. Either way, I'll probably show up t...
by No Rules Westbrook
Thu Mar 28, 2013 7:48 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Terrapin Invitational Tournament 2013 (3/24/13)
Replies: 57
Views: 172097

Re: Terrapin Invitational Tournament 2013 (3/24/13)

So, obviously, I don't know anything about how well or poorly this tourney was run at Maryland. But, complaining about a handful of stat errors is silly. I also don't understand the side-handed comment about Chris Ray overlooking the set. All in all, I think this was an very solid question set (than...
by No Rules Westbrook
Wed Mar 27, 2013 6:49 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: CO matchmaking
Replies: 24
Views: 9470

Re: CO Date Poll

I'm a free agent for this event. Send an email to [email protected] if you're interested in teaming. Science knowledge might be helpful.
by No Rules Westbrook
Thu Mar 14, 2013 8:01 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Thinking about the Quizbowl Distribution
Replies: 72
Views: 13751

Re: Thinking about the Quizbowl Distribution

Bruce's post above is dead on. I'll go a step further. People need to come to grips with the fact that quizbowl does not test what most intellectually curious people actually learn in an academic setting - if you want that, let's all just go write some essays on the causes of the Russian revolution....
by No Rules Westbrook
Mon Mar 11, 2013 8:23 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Head-to-head as a tiebreaker (split from UCU announcement)
Replies: 27
Views: 7979

Re: Head-to-head as a tiebreaker (split from UCU announcement)

Take it from someone who's more of a contrarian than even you, Marshall....you're overthinking this. H2H tiebreaking is double counting, and a really poor way to break ties. On the other hand, even when the field plays a full round robin, I think PPG vs. PPB is a matter of personal preference about ...
by No Rules Westbrook
Wed Mar 06, 2013 7:11 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: ANNOUNCEMENT: Urgent Call for Unity (July 21, 2013)
Replies: 121
Views: 31893

Re: ANNOUNCEMENT: Urgent Call for Unity (Summer 2013)

I'll play this.

p.s. Don't listen to Weiner about points per bonus. It's the bees knees. Do listen to Weiner about head to head tiebreakers - no, scratch that, listen to Cheyne who said the same thing. Head to head tiebreakers are the bees balls.
by No Rules Westbrook
Tue Feb 26, 2013 7:49 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: CO History 2013 planning
Replies: 37
Views: 6719

Re: CO History 2013 planning

Oh, there are always plenty of people who *want* to play. The CO crowd is brimming with folks who would play an event at 3 AM if you scheduled it then. The problem is that Sunday is mayhem with people running around yelling that their flight is leaving in 45 minutes. Saturday's a big unknown as to s...
by No Rules Westbrook
Mon Feb 25, 2013 8:18 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: CO History 2013 planning
Replies: 37
Views: 6719

Re: CO History 2013 planning

I'd greatly prefer to have bonuses in an edited/non-guerilla history event. But, Bruce is right...there's no optimal slot to do it. If CO is on the shorter side (and since I'm not editing it, it might be...like, say if it ends around 7:00) - then it's feasible and probably best to run the event Satu...
by No Rules Westbrook
Sat Feb 16, 2013 9:26 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Who's Doing CO?
Replies: 15
Views: 19937

Re: Who's Doing CO?

I can definitively say that I will not do the main CO event this year, though I may have a hybrid side event ready to play on Sunday or sometime like that, if people want that kind of event at CO. I thought that Magin expressed some interest at some point. I think it's much better for CO if the &quo...
by No Rules Westbrook
Sun Dec 16, 2012 7:25 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: discuss randomization here
Replies: 20
Views: 7338

Re: discuss randomization here

I have always done absolutely all question placement by hand. I don't think it takes that long (compared to how long everything else in editing takes), unless you're doing a massive tournament with more than 20 packets or something. I don't think momentum is that big of a deal, but I do like the pac...
by No Rules Westbrook
Sun Dec 16, 2012 7:10 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Open tournaments on non-open-level questions.
Replies: 18
Views: 4743

Re: Open tournaments on non-open-level questions.

Oh, look, I've decided to browse the discussion forum just in time to see this thread which practically demands my participation. Let's be realistic - the circuit has been taken over by a faction of folks (led by Weiner) who have a hostility toward open events in the regular season. At its best, the...
by No Rules Westbrook
Fri Nov 16, 2012 11:45 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Quizbowl
Replies: 22
Views: 11507

Re: Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Quizbowl

I was hopeful Marnold would consider the definitive word on this to be my first post ever on hsqb. But, I endorse Yetman's post too. Incidentally, as to Cheyne's initial warning siren, we don't have any quizbowl personalities capable of mischief anymore. Quizbowl these days is fresh out of antiheroes.
by No Rules Westbrook
Thu Sep 27, 2012 6:46 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: College Practices
Replies: 12
Views: 3604

Re: College Practices

That was kind of cool, and it might let people who are sick or otherwise bedridden attend practice. I think quizbowl will be greatly benefitted if sickly albinos, agoraphobes, and persons with deadly contagious diseases are able to get in valuable qb practice time. Finally, a practical way to grow ...
by No Rules Westbrook
Sat Aug 11, 2012 1:34 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chicago Open Discussion
Replies: 85
Views: 35980

Re: Chicago Open Discussion

Damn right. Who else loves Nicanor Parra?

Jon Magin thinks we should have two Nicanor Parra tossups in all tournaments. Yea, nay?
by No Rules Westbrook
Fri Aug 03, 2012 6:13 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chicago Open Discussion
Replies: 85
Views: 35980

Re: Chicago Open Discussion

Also, if you're lobbying for writing on new exciting avenues in Japanese lit, instead of finding new oddball ways to light up the old avenues - hey, I'm all with you, so where was the praise for my brilliant Ryu Murakami tossup last year! Come on, that was the bees knees - and back then, you were ar...
by No Rules Westbrook
Fri Aug 03, 2012 7:47 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chicago Open Discussion
Replies: 85
Views: 35980

Re: Chicago Open Discussion

I decided to make it a pure literature tossup - and not give Bride of the Wind. Plus, there was a bonus elsewhere (which I dont think actually made it in the tourney) which had Bride of the Wind as a part. (I think I deliberately sunk that bonus so as not to over-Kokoschka the tournament) Cutting ou...
by No Rules Westbrook
Thu Aug 02, 2012 7:15 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chicago Open Discussion
Replies: 85
Views: 35980

Re: Chicago Open Discussion

I think you're right, Cheyne. But, it's still better than Cao Dai!
by No Rules Westbrook
Thu Aug 02, 2012 6:52 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chicago Open Discussion
Replies: 85
Views: 35980

Re: Chicago Open Discussion

I didn't think Pictures from an Institution was incredibly hard. I thought people flippin' loved Randall Jarrell - and the novel is actually read, it's not like it's one of those deals where some guy who primarily does other genres decided to write a goofy-ass novel. Hey, I didn't actually tossup Sp...
by No Rules Westbrook
Tue Jul 31, 2012 9:48 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chicago Open Discussion
Replies: 85
Views: 35980

Re: Chicago Open Discussion

When you say you love the idea of Charles Starkweather do you mean you love my tu on it, the idea of a tu on him, or the idea of a spree killer? The idea to write a tossup on him. Not that your tu was terrible - I just didn't see much use in mentioning the judge and stuff. I'd like to say I support...
by No Rules Westbrook
Tue Jul 31, 2012 9:28 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chicago Open Discussion
Replies: 85
Views: 35980

Re: Chicago Open Discussion

So, that tossup on "The Theory of Interstellar Trade" - if this were ACF Nats, and I were editing it, I would certainly not have let that question go as it was. But, I support Chicago Opens having a degree of whimsy, so long as it doesn't overpower the packet or affect gameplay too much. I...
by No Rules Westbrook
Fri Jul 27, 2012 10:01 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: CO History Doubles: 7/22/2012
Replies: 131
Views: 57598

Re: CO History Doubles: 7/22/2012

Yeah, so, I had a fine time at this event and there were lots of entertaining questions. But, in general, the event was pretty rocky because that's just what you get with guerilla. The difference between this event and WELD is pretty much a case study in guerilla vs. central quality control (even th...
by No Rules Westbrook
Fri Jul 27, 2012 9:38 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chicago Open Discussion
Replies: 85
Views: 35980

Re: Chicago Open Discussion

Oftentimes, I try to reduce unnecessary clutter and confusing wording in tossups...by rephrasing awkward sentence constructions as simpler ones, by using words and phrases that I think are easier to read (I hate "titular" and will almost always replace it with "title", I hate &qu...
by No Rules Westbrook
Fri Jul 27, 2012 7:32 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chicago Open Discussion
Replies: 85
Views: 35980

Re: Chicago Open Discussion

Me and my homosexual editing agenda.
by No Rules Westbrook
Fri Jul 27, 2012 6:55 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chicago Open Discussion
Replies: 85
Views: 35980

Re: Chicago Open Discussion

Yeah, sorry...I just forwarded the non-finals set to Will for posting.
by No Rules Westbrook
Thu Jul 26, 2012 6:22 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: ANFORTAS - Myth Tournament
Replies: 33
Views: 11054

Re: ANFORTAS - Myth Tournament

I'll play this.
by No Rules Westbrook
Thu Jul 26, 2012 6:19 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Slapdash Bayou a Drank at KABO
Replies: 28
Views: 7718

Re: Slapdash Bayou a Drank at KABO

I'll be in or around Michigan, and would be willing to absent-mindedly listen to some trash questions.
by No Rules Westbrook
Tue Jul 24, 2012 8:43 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chicago Open Discussion
Replies: 85
Views: 35980

Re: Chicago Open Discussion

In response to Bruce, I'll say that there's no question in my mind that this set wasn't as polished as the two previous Chicago Opens that I've done. I was forced to do some prioritizing that I wasn't forced to do on the previous sets, and didn't have the time to nurse a lot of the questions as much...
by No Rules Westbrook
Mon Jul 23, 2012 5:55 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chicago Open Discussion
Replies: 85
Views: 35980

Chicago Open Discussion

Now that I have a few spare minutes, let me say a few words on this year's tournament, and open the forum for any discussion folks would like to have. On the whole, I'm fairly pleased with the final product of the 17 main packets. Personally, I'm not quite sure how I finished this tournament, but it...
by No Rules Westbrook
Tue Jul 17, 2012 6:51 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: CO Lit and History Scheduling Compromise
Replies: 44
Views: 9457

Re: CO Lit and History Scheduling Compromise

Hey guys, I've been busy with my work schedule and trying to make sure all of CO gets done on time, so I haven't paid a ton of attention to this issue. How sure are we that history will take this long - will this be a moot point? If we're quite sure time is going to be an issue, I suppose it's possi...
by No Rules Westbrook
Sun Jul 15, 2012 11:28 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: PRELIM: WELD (Wildly Experimental Literature Doubles)
Replies: 65
Views: 23490

Re: PRELIM: WELD (Wildly Experimental Literature Doubles)

It occurs to me that I haven't signed up for this yet. I'd like to be a free agent, if possible. I may play with Lafer depending on his Sunday schedule, or if not, would team with anyone else. (I can also staff if it's necessary).
by No Rules Westbrook
Sun Jul 01, 2012 12:55 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chicago Open 2012 - July 21, 2012
Replies: 113
Views: 79861

Re: Chicago Open 2012 - July 21, 2012

For the record, 16 teams will be playing at any one time, so we'll need a total of 8 buzzers.
by No Rules Westbrook
Sun Jul 01, 2012 12:13 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chicago Open 2012 - July 21, 2012
Replies: 113
Views: 79861

Re: Chicago Open 2012 - July 21, 2012

Look, if there's some feud to be had, can't it be done elsewhere? This is an excellent idea; the Forbidden Zone would be a good venue for such posts --Mgmt. If David's willing to pay for everyone's lunch, that's certainly a nice offer, and I'm sure almost everyone would be grateful for it. As for ho...
by No Rules Westbrook
Tue Jun 26, 2012 7:30 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Play Chicago Open for Free! - Need 17th Team
Replies: 6
Views: 3085

Re: Play Chicago Open for Free! - Need 17th Team

CO now has 17 teams. Hooray. Registration for this event is closed
by No Rules Westbrook
Tue Jun 26, 2012 6:35 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chicago Open 2012 - July 21, 2012
Replies: 113
Views: 79861

Re: Chicago Open 2012 - July 21, 2012

I'm open to any reasonable suggestions here, guys. If someone other than me could take point on working out a feasible lunch plan, please go to town - we should figure out a way to make sure people get 30 minutes and don't take any more, or they have to eat their sub while answering tossups on lesse...
by No Rules Westbrook
Sun Jun 24, 2012 9:55 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Play Chicago Open for Free! - Need 17th Team
Replies: 6
Views: 3085

Play Chicago Open for Free! - Need 17th Team

Now accepting applications from anyone who has always wanted to play Chicago Open, but found that roughly $30 entry fee hopelessly out of their price range. Seriously, a 17th team would be helpful - so if anyone wants to be on it, let me know. Also, if any of the teams already signed up has any doub...
by No Rules Westbrook
Mon Jun 11, 2012 11:55 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: KABO: Kurtis and Ashvin's Backyard Open (8/4)
Replies: 83
Views: 30636

Re: KABO: Kurtis and Ashvin's Backyard Open (8/4)

I'll be there. So will Matt Lafer. Need two teammates.
by No Rules Westbrook
Thu Jun 07, 2012 11:08 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chicago Open 2012 - July 21, 2012
Replies: 113
Views: 79861

Re: Chicago Open 2012 - July 21, 2012

I really do think the fuzz is one of the biggest problems in qb right now.
by No Rules Westbrook
Mon Jun 04, 2012 8:21 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Taking VCU Open's Spot in August
Replies: 76
Views: 17608

Re: Taking VCU Open's Spot in August

I'd probably travel to any site mentioned. My preference is for whichever site results in the best field. My support for Pittsburgh is that it's theoretically accessible by almost all of the good players around.
by No Rules Westbrook
Sun Jun 03, 2012 10:34 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Taking VCU Open's Spot in August
Replies: 76
Views: 17608

Re: Taking VCU Open's Spot in August

Pittsburgh is an excellent city. Let's go there.
by No Rules Westbrook
Sat Jun 02, 2012 10:00 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chicago Open 2012 - July 21, 2012
Replies: 113
Views: 79861

Re: Chicago Open 2012 - July 21, 2012

I guess we'll play it by ear - it's gotta be 15 or 17, one way or the other. Double byes are the pits.
by No Rules Westbrook
Fri Jun 01, 2012 7:28 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Chicago Open 2012 - July 21, 2012
Replies: 113
Views: 79861

Re: Chicago Open 2012 - July 21, 2012

So, right now, this tournament has 16 teams...and that's no good. How crazy would people call me if I asked (if necessary) teams/players to combine, even if it meant that a few teams had to have five players (and would get to play all five players in their games). Do we have enough buzzers that can ...