Typos of the Week, October 26 to November 1

I'd like to start this week with a word from our sponsors:

[18:14] Billy2Times Krams: THATS WAT I GT FOR EMPTING THE ATES

[18:14] Elsbeth Tyles: lol

[18:14] Mars Rubanis: ates?

[18:14] Juke Badger: The salt blinded me and made Mars fall. How is that luck?

[18:14] Chaddington Boomhauer: emptying the crates?

[18:14] Billy2Times Krams: SEE!

[18:14] Elsbeth Tyles: lol

[18:14] Mars Rubanis: you still missing leters Billy?

[18:14] Billy2Times Krams: THATS WHAT I GET FOR TEMPRTING THE ATES

[18:14] Elsbeth Tyles thros billy a rabbits foot

[18:14] Juke Badger: I have a few in pocket you can borrow.

[18:14] Billy2Times Krams: I GIVE UP

[13:29] Cully Andel: YOU TYPE

[13:30] Cully Andel: YOU HIT ENTER

[13:30] Cully Andel: YOU SIT THERE

[13:30] Nelly Swindlehurst: you cry?

[13:30] Cully Andel: YOU SAY OH SHIT DID IT TYPE THAT

And now, diving into things....

#10, the Mass Typoage Award goes to host Thornton Writer

[2009/10/31 10:56] Lette Ponnier: lynard ksinard

[2009/10/31 10:56] Cully Andel: tplynr ssajinenr

[2009/10/31 10:56] Starla Gurbux: lynrd skyrnrd

[2009/10/31 10:56] Lillian Shippe: leanard skinnerd

[2009/10/31 10:56] Lou Netizen: Lyrnded Syknrd

[2009/10/31 10:56] Circe Falta: leonard skynard

[2009/10/31 10:56] Juke Badger: lynedr skynrd

[2009/10/31 10:56] Maelstrom Janus: luynnard skynnard

[2009/10/31 10:56] Alanna Robbiani: lynard sskynard

[2009/10/31 10:56] FlutterBye Skytower: lynerdskyner

[2009/10/31 10:56] JoshuaStephen Schism: lynerd skynyrd

[2009/10/31 10:56] Billy2Times Krams: lynryd skyryd

#9, I thought I had some more creative ones, but this is the one that others nominated.

[13:27] Lette Ponnier: argful didger

#8

[13:26] Cully Andel: vlobelf

#7

[22:09] Juke Badger: bon jonih]\

#6

[17:33] Lillian Shippe: b;ondioe

#5

[13:37] Lotus Ceriano: aarfaqcvark

#4

[20:22] Browman Griffith: vuillage peiopel

#3

[2009/10/31 12:23] Olmstead Fanshaw: rifer phjia bne

#2

[21:03] Kiriaster Mirajkar: burhjning odnw the ouhwep

#1

[12:56] Maggie Sewell: animkap;sl; fram,[

********

#10 - even more typos in the actual answers, as shown here, but I didn't include the minor ones earlier

[2009/10/31 10:56] Thornton Writer: Q18) What band adapted its name from Leonard Skinner, a gym teacher who loathed their long hair?

[2009/10/31 10:56] Mako Kungfu: lynrd skynrd

[2009/10/31 10:56] Chaddington Boomhauer: lynyrd skynyrd

[2009/10/31 10:56] Lette Ponnier: lynard ksinard

[2009/10/31 10:56] Devin Velinov: lynard skynard

[2009/10/31 10:56] Cully Andel: tplynr ssajinenr

[2009/10/31 10:56] Starla Gurbux: lynrd skyrnrd

[2009/10/31 10:56] Lillian Shippe: leanard skinnerd

[2009/10/31 10:56] Lou Netizen: Lyrnded Syknrd

[2009/10/31 10:56] Sinnamon Sands: lynyrd skynrdy

[2009/10/31 10:56] Circe Falta: leonard skynard

[2009/10/31 10:56] Juke Badger: lynedr skynrd

[2009/10/31 10:56] Weniki Oh: lynyrd skynyrd

[2009/10/31 10:56] Maelstrom Janus: luynnard skynnard

[2009/10/31 10:56] Alanna Robbiani: lynard sskynard

[2009/10/31 10:56] FlutterBye Skytower: lynerdskyner

[2009/10/31 10:56] Saxby Weezles: lynyrd skynyrd

[2009/10/31 10:56] JoshuaStephen Schism: lynerd skynyrd

[2009/10/31 10:56] Kiriaster Mirajkar: lynrd skynrd

[2009/10/31 10:56] Mademoiselle Larsson: lynyrd skynird

[2009/10/31 10:56] Karmel Kips: lynyrd skynyrd

[2009/10/31 10:56] Billy2Times Krams: lynryd skyryd

[2009/10/31 10:56] Thornton Writer: ANSWER: LYNYRD SKYNYRD

#9

[13:27] Cully Andel: IN LITERATURE, JACK DAWKINS IS BETTER KNOWN AS WHICH CHARACTER?

[13:27] Sinnamon Sands: artful dodger

[13:27] Lette Ponnier: argful didger

[13:27] Becki Verne: artful dodger

[13:27] Nelly Swindlehurst: artful dodger

[13:28] Cully Andel: it was the aRTFUL DODGER - OR ARGFUL DIDGER

#8

[13:26] AnaMaria Quintessa: Q18. WHICH FILM VILLAIN WAS PLAYED BY DONALD PLEASENCE, TELLY SAVALAS AND CHARLES GRAY?

[13:26] Lotus Ceriano: blofeld

[13:26] Cully Andel: vlobelf

[13:27] AnaMaria Quintessa: THE ANSWER IS ERNST STAVRO BLOFELD

#7

[22:09] Lette Ponnier: Q: 'it's my life, 'Bed of roses', 'Livin' on a prayer' and 'You give love a band name' Are from what band?

[22:09] Juke Badger: bon jonih]\

[22:10] Lette Ponnier: BON JOVI IS RIGHT

#6

[17:33] .::Second Deco::. 80's Pop Rock Trivia: Q: "Rapture" was a hit for which band?

[17:33] Lillian Shippe: b;ondioe

[17:33] Lette Ponnier: bloondie

[17:33] Honey Potez: blonde

[17:33] Lillian Shippe: blondie

[17:33] .::Second Deco::. 80's Pop Rock Trivia: That is correct, Lillian Shippe, the answer is blondie

#5

[13:37] Cully Andel: ORYCTEROPUS AFER IS THE LATIN NAME FOR WHICH AFRICAN MAMMAL?

[13:37] Nelly Swindlehurst: aardvark

[13:37] Becki Verne: ardvark

[13:37] Lotus Ceriano: aarfaqcvark

[13:37] Krogare Nykvist: aardvark

[13:38] Cully Andel: IT'S AN AARDVARK

#4

[20:22] Lette Ponnier: Q: 'In the Navy', 'Macho Man' and 'YMCA' Who rocked these songs?

[20:22] Juke Badger: village perple

[20:22] Browman Griffith: vuillage peiopel

[20:22] Lette Ponnier: JUKE, GOOD JOB

[20:22] Lette Ponnier: BROWMAN, YOU'RE IN THE BLOG FOR THAT

#3

[2009/10/31 12:22] Lou Netizen: What young actor was pronounced dead on Halloween, 1993, following a drug overdose at Los Angeles's Viper Room?

[2009/10/31 12:23] Lette Ponnier: phosnisx

[2009/10/31 12:23] Maelstrom Janus: phonexiox

[2009/10/31 12:23] Olmstead Fanshaw: rifer phjia bne

[2009/10/31 12:23] Lou Netizen: River Phoenix. Phoenix collapsed on the sidewalk outside the Viper Room from a drug overdose while Johnny Depp's band "P" was on stage inside. His brother Joaquin and sister Rain were with him at the time; Rain administered mouth-to-mouth while Joaquin dialed 9-1-1.

#2

[21:03] Dakota Carson: 19. Which Talking Heads song: "Fightin' fire with fire"?

[21:03] Jayden Woodford: burning down the house

[21:03] Laertes Parx: burnign donw th house

[21:03] Lillian Shippe: burning down the hosue

[21:03] Kiriaster Mirajkar: burhjning odnw the ouhwep

#1

[12:56] Cully Andel: WHAT GEORGE ORWELL NOVEL FEATURES A PIG CALLED NAPOLEON?

[12:56] Lette Ponnier: animal farm

[12:56] Sinnamon Sands: animal farm

[12:56] Glimmer Mattercaster: animal fsamr

[12:56] Nicole Wylie: animal farm

[12:56] Rain Ninetails: amaional foram

[12:56] Maggie Sewell: animkap;sl; fram,[

I'll Have Three Trivias to Go, With a Side of Fries

(Pictures were taken at the Metal Shop on vampire night during Billy2Times Krams's trivia.)

Chaddington Boomhauer

Some people recently received an unsolicited group invitation that read as follows:

Phenicia Gravois has invited you to join a group. You will have to pay a signup fee of L$500. Trivia Anytime Anywhere: We are currently building up our membership. We will start playing trivia once we have reached 22 members. For those of you who love trivia but don't like to hang around at a venue for questions to be asked. We will ask at least 3 questions per day via group notices. The 1st person to answer correctly via group IM will receive at least 50L. At times when group funds are low we will ask less q's [sic] or pay less, but we do not expect this to happen often.

There has been some discussion of this since the invitations went out (I should mention that I did not receive one, but the bulk of this text is also in the Group Charter), mostly negative, though one person has been to the owner's live trivia and gives it high marks. It has also been noted that charging a group fee, while practically unknown among trivia groups, is not unheard of elsewhere in SL.

The most frequent objection is that if you're not online at the time a question is asked, then you're out of luck. I haven't yet heard anyone say they would give this group a second thought. Because I'm all about the sociocultural, I've been thinking about what kind positionality or social location some people who do trivia in SL have compared with those who identify with the "trivia community."

For instance, it is difficult for me to imagine that any host I know would have thought of a group of this sort. It simply wouldn't have occurred to them (or if it would, then I don't know them as well as I think). The reason is in the group description: "For those of you who love trivia but don't like to hang around at a venue for questions to be asked." Although most of us engage in things besides trivia while we're in-world (at the very least to buy clothing and costumes for themed events), this blog and others like it exist largely because the venues provide centers of social activity for us, even for those who don't go to them often or who don't go as often as they used to.

Nelly Swindlehurst

The venues are what define us as a community and have allowed us to build friendships and other social relationships with each other. It doesn't mean that we wouldn't enjoy trivia without the social context. Certainly, very few of us had the social context before we started coming to the trivia events. Some of us play along withJeopardy! at home. Some of us sit around a Gogomodo board and zone out on our own. But if you are reading this blog, then chances are, you are part of a community of trivia players who have been influenced, to a greater or lesser extent, by the existence of trivia venues, the way that events are run there, and the fact that they are capable of drawing together our odd mishmash of personalities.

I'm imagining what my day would be like as a member of the Trivia Anytime Anywhere (TAA) group. I go about my gridwide hunts, my unpacking of prizes, I might do some 7Seas fishing or simply hanging out by a Lucky Chair while getting RL work done. I chat with friends, occasionally seek out new places to shop or explore. During all of this, would it be kind of nice for a random trivia question to come through in a notice, with the chance for winning L$50? Of course! I can even see standing in front of an outfit at a store, wondering if I'd be able to afford it, when voila! In come the fifty lindens more that make it a done deal. But would I pay a L$500 membership fee in order to make this happen? Pretty much no.

It's not because I'm inherently cheap: if Marine Park, with its L$100-L$800 questions, for instance, had a huge membership fee instead of nightly entrance fees (and would not be constantly on the verge of banning paying members), I'd pay it. It's not because I'm afraid I'll miss all of the questions because I'll be off-line when they appear. It's because chances are, I'll already be anticipating the trivia event I'm planning to go to that afternoon or evening or the next day. And if I'm about to go to an event that either doesn't charge or charges a moderate fee with the promise of chances to win huge prizes, then why would I pay to receive questions I'd need to answer ten of to eventually make back my investment?

In addition, even though I'm obviously not at an event every minute of the day that I'm in SL, the events at the venues are what make me feel connected to this amorphous group of people and what we've built up for ourselves in our little corner of SL. I don't even mean that in a mushy way. The venues anchor us. They give our network of acquaintances some shape. I have done trivia by group IM a few times in the Buccaneer Bowl group, and it's fun as a supplement to the other events announced via that channel, but one of the reasons that it's fun is that you're competing with other people in that group IM with whom you have a competitive or team relationship already. I've formed familiarities with people who are mostly names I recognize in a particularly active group IM (e.g., hunt groups), but I can't say I've developed a friendship that way. Maybe others do. But even if the trivia from TAA were to generate conversations in the group, any real camaraderie is likely to be due to pre-existing friendships.

All of this is fairly obvious, even if I'm the only nerd who bothers to write it down. But it raises a more compelling question for me: whom this group is meant for. Who do the owners expect to be their target audience? It's unclear how they chose those they invited, since Ms. Gravois does not have any trivia groups visible in her profile aside from her own and most people I know who received invitations didn't previously know who she is. Simply because this group isn't designed for people who already build their social second lives around trivia, however, it does not mean that it doesn't have a place somewhere in the trivia landscape.

JoshuaStephen Schism

As the description says, it's for "those of you who love trivia but don't like to hang around at a venue for questions to be asked." I'm sure there are plenty of people who fall into this category. Some of them probably like "dancing with trivia" more than "trivia with dancing." Many probably have stronger social ties at other types of clubs and don't have the time to spread out to the trivia venues. Some might have other obligations in SL throughout the day so that they are in-world but cannot attend events very easily. And some may not like the atmosphere of trivia events for a variety of reasons; I even know trivia regulars to whom this applies. What the group fee essentially pays for is the ability to play competitive trivia without having to go to an organized event, ever. This fee might be worthwhile to any of these people. TAA is thus not that dumb of an idea when viewed through the eyes of those who are, to put it bluntly, "not us," that is, not the sort of people who are likely to write and/or read trivia blogs. It does have a fatal flaw, however, and it is directly related to the concept of "us":

It will probably be difficult to locate the people who are interested, since most existing groups for trivia are based around events -- the ones that the target audience, by definition, doesn't want to go to.

Unless Ms. Gravois already knows a number of people to start her off (since it's always possible she began the group to meet a demand, not to shape one), it will probably take a lot of legwork locating players who love trivia enough to pay L$500 but not enough to "hang around at a venue." There are other things notable about belonging to social circles in SL outside of the trivia community, though, and the way we handle money is one of them. A lot of us do trivia specifically because we found we're good at it and can generate or supplement SL income with it, so our brains actually think in terms of SL economy over RL economy. L$500 doesn't equal US$2 (or your country's currency's equivalent) for us, it equals twenty-five questions at Shiraz or twenty questions at Blaizing Inferno or five correct first-place wins from Thorn. For those who are good at trivia, it is a reliable enough source of income to support a second life but not, for most, a second life of leisure.

There's no way to generalize how people outside of the trivia community think of money (and of course the description I've just given doesn't apply to everyone within it, either). But for those who see SL more as a game to invest in as one would pay to belong to World of Warcraft, I imagine special expenditures have a different meaning than for those of us who are self-sustaining in-world. When you approach the platform expecting it to be something you pour money into, it shapes your experience differently from what it's like for those who do not. What all this means is that L$500 may or may not seem all that exorbitant to people who are not accustomed to SLiving off of their winnings.

To sum up, the Trivia Anytime Anywhere group sounds like a good idea. It's just not a good idea for most "trivia people," and for that reason, I'll be very impressed if it gets off the ground. More than that, though, it's another one of those interesting indications of how social circles operate in Second Life. The introduction of an entirely different kind of format makes us notice how central the venues are even to those who only visit them on occasion. It also brings up the issue of money and how different the SL economy is for different people. I wish Ms. Gravois luck with her venture and will try not to be snarky from now on when I ask questions via IM in one of my groups.

Typos of the Week, August 23 through August 29

DJ Chantal Glenwalker at Early Birds and Night Owls Trivia at Lilly's Irish Pub

NUMBER 10 (SHEER MASS TYPOAGE):
[2009/08/29 11:20] Luce Portland: cultureclugt
[2009/08/29 11:20] AnaMaria Quintessa: cutlkerure club
[2009/08/29 11:20] Mako Kungfu: culture clubn
[2009/08/29 11:20] Cully Andel: cuedlturt vlub
[2009/08/29 11:20] Olmstead Fanshaw: curltuer clu8dc
[2009/08/29 11:20] Liriel Garnet: culture clug
[2009/08/29 11:20] Lotus Ceriano: culteire cliub
[2009/08/29 11:20] Alanna Robbiani: culture clur
[2009/08/29 11:20] JoshuaStephen Schism: cultue club
[2009/08/29 11:20] Billy2Times Krams: cultirew clib
[2009/08/29 11:20] Rekeorb Wezzog: culturre club
[2009/08/29 11:20] Hilda Static: cilture club
[2009/08/29 11:20] Devin Velinov: cultu
[2009/08/29 11:20] Sal Zulaman: culture clibh
[2009/08/29 11:20] Lou Netizen: Cultlure club

NUMBER NINE (AND WORD OF THE WEEK):
[2009/08/26 18:39] Karmel Kips: when loin roars
[2009/08/26 18:39] Karmel Kips: 2ndsloin roar

[2009/08/29 19:31] Rhea Neiro: The loin jing
[2009/08/29 19:31] Rekeorb Wezzog: the loin king

NUMBER EIGHT:
[2009/08/25 18:51] Thornton Writer: mp

NUMBER SEVEN:
[2009/08/23 13:16] Rain Ninetails: pean yts

NUMBER SIX:
[2009/08/25 10:48] Becki Verne: when it reains it piorua

NUMBER FIVE:
[2009/08/28 12:53] Rickson Barbosa: darkoxz

NUMBER FOUR:
[2009/08/25 14:41] Lotus Ceriano: hescswjhe;l

NUMBER THREE (TIE FOR IRONY AWARD):
[2009/08/24 19:30] Lette Ponnier: new jseryse

NUMBER TWO (TIE FOR IRONY AWARD):
[2009/08/23 16:48] Rach Borkotron: amra breakwawya

NUMBER ONE:
[2009/08/29 19:16] Taylor Serendipity: the incrfed,l;cibkhulk

Cat's eye view on Lilly's

NUMBER TEN (SHEER MASS TYPOAGE):
[2009/08/29 11:20] Lette Ponnier: "Karma Chameleon" was a hit for what British band?
[2009/08/29 11:20] Luce Portland: cultureclugt
[2009/08/29 11:20] Chaddington Boomhauer: culture club
[2009/08/29 11:20] AnaMaria Quintessa: cutlkerure club
[2009/08/29 11:20] Mako Kungfu: culture clubn
[2009/08/29 11:20] Cully Andel: cuedlturt vlub
[2009/08/29 11:20] Olmstead Fanshaw: curltuer clu8dc
[2009/08/29 11:20] Liriel Garnet: culture clug
[2009/08/29 11:20] Lotus Ceriano: culteire cliub
[2009/08/29 11:20] Alanna Robbiani: culture clur
[2009/08/29 11:20] JoshuaStephen Schism: cultue club
[2009/08/29 11:20] Billy2Times Krams: cultirew clib
[2009/08/29 11:20] Rekeorb Wezzog: culturre club
[2009/08/29 11:20] Hilda Static: cilture club
[2009/08/29 11:20] Devin Velinov: cultu
[2009/08/29 11:20] Sal Zulaman: culture clibh
[2009/08/29 11:20] Lou Netizen: Cultlure club
[2009/08/29 11:21] Lette Ponnier: LUCE, CHADD, ANA
[2009/08/29 11:21] Lette Ponnier: CULTURE CLUB INDEED

NUMBER NINE (WORD OF THE WEEK):
[2009/08/26 18:39] Billy2Times Krams: 7. OKAY, LETS SAY YOUR STONED AND SITTING IN YOUR COLLEGE DORM ROOM AND WANT TO TRY THIS DARK SIDE OF THE MOON/WIZARD OF OZ THING. YOU'VE STARTED THE FILM, WHEN SHOULD YOU START THE CD?
[2009/08/26 18:39] Karmel Kips: when loin roars
[2009/08/26 18:39] Mars Rubanis: second lion roar
[2009/08/26 18:39] Karmel Kips: 2ndsloin roar
[2009/08/26 18:39] Billy2Times Krams: YES KARMEL AND MARS
[2009/08/26 18:39] Billy2Times Krams: ON THE MGM LION'S 3RD ROAR

[2009/08/29 19:31] Trin McMinnar: THE OINL INGK
[2009/08/29 19:31] Rhea Neiro: The loin jing
[2009/08/29 19:31] Starla Gurbux: the lionkng
[2009/08/29 19:31] Lette Ponnier: the lion ing
[2009/08/29 19:31] Tessa Madsen: the long king
[2009/08/29 19:31] Rekeorb Wezzog: the loin king
[2009/08/29 19:31] Trin McMinnar: LOL RHEA

NUMBER EIGHT:
[2009/08/25 18:51] Circe Falta: 8. CAN YOU SEE THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA FROM OUTER SPACE?
[2009/08/25 18:51] Thornton Writer: mp
[2009/08/25 18:51] Lucinda Dollinger: no
[2009/08/25 18:51] Circe Falta: THORN, WAS THAT A TYPO? OR ARE YOU HEADING OUT? LOL
[2009/08/25 18:52] Thornton Writer: yep.. I was trying to type no
[2009/08/25 18:52] Circe Falta: LOL. OK, THEN THORN, WELL DONE
[2009/08/25 18:52] Lucinda Dollinger: yep, total typo
[2009/08/25 18:52] Thornton Writer: awww.. that's ok..
[2009/08/25 18:52] Thornton Writer: it's a terrible typo
[2009/08/25 18:52] Lucinda Dollinger: yay THorn :-))
[2009/08/25 18:52] Thornton Writer: give it to Luci instead

NUMBER SEVEN:
[2009/08/23 13:16] Lebn Bucyk: The strip was named for the audience of the Howdy Doody TV program.
[2009/08/23 13:16] Kris Darcy: peanuts
[2009/08/23 13:16] Rain Ninetails: pean yts
[2009/08/23 13:16] Lebn Bucyk: Yes Kris
[2009/08/23 13:17] Lebn Bucyk: Peanuts - named for the Peanut Gallery by the publisher

NUMBER SIX:
[2009/08/25 10:48] Sharon Scofield: WHAT'S THE SLOGAN THAT'S APPEARED ON MORTON SALT BOXES SINCE LIKE 1910 OR SO?
[2009/08/25 10:48] Becki Verne: when it reains it piorua
[2009/08/25 10:48] Trebor Shelman: whenit rainsit pours
[2009/08/25 10:48] Karmel Kips: when it rains it ours
[2009/08/25 10:48] Rain Ninetails: when it rains oti pourts
[2009/08/25 10:48] Sharon Scofield: YES BECKI!
[2009/08/25 10:48] Becki Verne: wow bad typeos
[2009/08/25 10:48] Sharon Scofield: HOPE YOU GOT THAT DOWN, LETTE
[2009/08/25 10:48] Lette Ponnier: check and check
[2009/08/25 10:49] Sharon Scofield: 'WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS'. AND MY GOD IF YOU THINK SKIRTS ARE SHORT IN SL LOOK AT THE KID ON THE SALT BOX.

NUMBER FIVE:
[2009/08/28 12:53] Lotus Ceriano: WHO HAS A HOT WIFE?
[2009/08/28 12:53] AnaMaria Quintessa: sarkozy
[2009/08/28 12:53] Rickson Barbosa: darkoxz
[2009/08/28 12:53] Cully Andel: sarkoszy
[2009/08/28 12:53] Krogare Nykvist: Saskosy
[2009/08/28 12:53] Fennec Foxtrot: sarkoyt
[2009/08/28 12:54] Weniki Oh: sarkoxy
[2009/08/28 12:54] Lotus Ceriano: RICK ANA CULLY KRO FENNEC
[2009/08/28 12:54] Lotus Ceriano: SARKOZY

NUMBER FOUR:
[2009/08/25 14:41] Cully Andel: WHICH ASTRONOMER DISCOVERED THE PLANET URANUS?
[2009/08/25 14:41] AnaMaria Quintessa: herfschel
[2009/08/25 14:41] Lotus Ceriano: hescswjhe;l
[2009/08/25 14:41] Becki Verne: herche'
[2009/08/25 14:41] Darla Fanbridge: herche
[2009/08/25 14:42] QiQi Juneberry: william herscehl
[2009/08/25 14:42] Cully Andel: ANA THEN I THINK LOTUS - AND ANA GUESSED IT TOO
[2009/08/25 14:42] Lette Ponnier: ok... now Lotus's typo right there? that one earns a gold star
[2009/08/25 14:42] Cully Andel: THAT IS ONE MIGHTY TYPO LOTUS LOL

NUMBER THREE (TIE FOR IRONY AWARD):
[2009/08/24 19:30] Trin McMinnar: Where would you find the Passaic River?
[2009/08/24 19:30] Browman Griffith: new jersey
[2009/08/24 19:30] Lette Ponnier: new jseryse
[2009/08/24 19:30] Trin McMinnar: BROWMAN
[2009/08/24 19:30] Trin McMinnar: New Jersey

NUMBER TWO (TIE FOR IRONY AWARD):
[2009/08/23 16:48] Lette Ponnier: Name either sim in which an Atomic Owl store is located.
[2009/08/23 16:48] Lou Netizen: amrnada
[2009/08/23 16:48] Chaddington Boomhauer: armada
[2009/08/23 16:48] Rach Borkotron: amra breakwawya
[2009/08/23 16:48] Lillian Shippe: aemada breakaway
[2009/08/23 16:48] Lette Ponnier: LOU AND CHADD... SEA HOLE ISN'T THE SIM, TAILS IS

NUMBER ONE:
[2009/08/29 19:16] Trin McMinnar: THE INRECBLEDI ULKH
[2009/08/29 19:16] Alaina Nightfire: the incredigle huld
[2009/08/29 19:16] Browman Griffith: the incedieble huljk
[2009/08/29 19:16] Alanna Robbiani: The incredible h;ulk
[2009/08/29 19:16] Starla Gurbux: incredigle hiulkd
[2009/08/29 19:16] Taylor Serendipity: the incrfed,l;cibkhulk
[2009/08/29 19:16] Hilda Static: The increedible hulk
[2009/08/29 19:16] Trin McMinnar: /2 ALAINA
[2009/08/29 19:16] Trin McMinnar: The Incredible Hulk

Sweejen Stourmead and her very pretty dress

********

Typos of the Week, August 16 through August 22

Lotus Ceriano and Nelly Swindlehurst co-hosting just like old times at a new location. They led us through the grand opening of new club EyeQ today, September 2.

Yeah, I'm actually going back that far to bring you your typos of some week that isn't this week or last week. But they are the typos of a week. If you can remember back that far. If not, then they might even be more enigmatic until you remind yourself what they were. I seem to change the format of these a little each week. In this edition of your typo list, number 10 is (as usual of late) the Sheer Mass Typoage entry -- the answer that generated the largest number of typos in one shot during the week (that I was present for or alerted to). And then we've got nine more of which the worst were committed by only one or two people. However, in some cases, there were multiple typos in the finished product for those, as well, so I'm including more context in the section below the break: the questions, the answers in the hosts' terms, any answers that won the question, whether typoed or not, and all of the typos of a/the correct answer, even the minimal ones (people who answered correctly and spelled it correctly but weren't awarded are not included). I'm just experimenting with what works best here. And I'm sure I put more thought into it than any readers do, but that's ok. :)

NUMBER 10:
[14:48] JoshuaStephen Schism: police accademy
[14:48] Sweejen Stourmead: opolice academy
[14:48] Browman Griffith: polic admeny
[14:48] Becki Verne: police squar
[14:48] Rosalyn Python: police aadme
[14:48] Taylor Serendipity: plociuice acadmaeny\
[14:48] Hilda Static: police acadcemy

NUMBER 9:
[2009/08/20 10:12] Trebor Shelman: w graopwes'

NUMBER 8:
[2009/08/19 18:13] Hilda Static: chocoaltaed chip cooss

NUMBER 7:
[2009/08/18 13:54] Fiz Laval: luffwagfew
[2009/08/18 13:54] Mako Kungfu: loufwastche

NUMBER 6:
[13:13] Weezil Urvile: bangon
[13:13] Weezil Urvile: kok

NUMBER 5:
[13:15] Lotus Ceriano: rusua
[13:15] Lotus Ceriano: rusua
[13:15] Lotus Ceriano: russa
[13:15] Lotus Ceriano: ia

NUMBER 4:
[2009/08/17 12:55] Rain Ninetails: tinnenemanan sqaua

NUMBER 3:
[12:54] Thornton Writer: zorastianriansm

NUMBER 2:
[19:18] WannaBeA Werefox: moiutn due

NUMBER 1:
[2009/08/16 18:54] Olmstead Fanshaw: capotailpujnishjme

Bird's eye view of EyeQ at a moment when there were no virtual reality pictures being projected onto the walls of the globe. Lotus and Nelly did a great job, but I was very happy to return to a walled house when the event was over.

NUMBER 10 (SINN GETS THE HOSTING AWARD FOR INSPIRING THE MOST SHEER MASS TYPOAGE):
[14:48] Sinnamon Sands: 18). WHAT EMBARRASSINGLY BAD SERIES OF MOVIES FEATURED THE ANTICS OF SUCH CHARACTERS AS COMMANDANT LASSARD, TACKLEBERRY, HIGHTOWER, AND MAHONEY?
[14:48] Chaddington Boomhauer: police academy
[14:48] JoshuaStephen Schism: police accademy
[14:48] Sweejen Stourmead: opolice academy
[14:48] Browman Griffith: polic admeny
[14:48] Becki Verne: police squar
[14:48] Rosalyn Python: police aadme
[14:48] Taylor Serendipity: plociuice acadmaeny\
[14:48] Hilda Static: police acadcemy
[14:49] Sinnamon Sands: Winners on that one are Chad, Josh, and Sweej

NUMBER 9:
[2009/08/20 10:12] Maggie Sewell: 16) IN COOKING WHAT DOES THE TERM 'VERONIQUE' MEAN?
[2009/08/20 10:12] Trebor Shelman: w graopwes'
[2009/08/20 10:13] Maggie Sewell: YES TREB
[2009/08/20 10:13] Maggie Sewell: WITH GRAPES
VERONIQUE MEANS THAT THE DISH INCLUDES GRAPES, EXAMPLES INCLUDE LOBSTER VERONIQUE, SALMON VERONIQUE, ORANGE CHICKEN VERONIQUE BLAH BLAH...

NUMBER 8:
[2009/08/19 18:13] gwen Lexington: 3. INGREDIENTS INCLUDE BUTTER, SUGAR, FLOUR, AND OF COURSE "MORSELS". NAME THIS ALL TIME FAVORITE COOKIE?
[2009/08/19 18:13] Rhea Neiro: toll house cho chip
[2009/08/19 18:13] Starla Gurbux: cholcolat echip cookies
[2009/08/19 18:13] Hilda Static: chocoaltaed chip cooss
[2009/08/19 18:13] Rhea Neiro: *choc
[2009/08/19 18:13] gwen Lexington: RHEA HAS QUICK FINGERS
[2009/08/19 18:13] gwen Lexington: CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES...WE CANT MAKE THESE WITHOUT EATING THE CHIPS

NUMBER 7:
[2009/08/18 13:54] Cully Andel: WHAT IS THE GERMAN WORD FOR AIR FORCE?
[2009/08/18 13:54] AnaMaria Quintessa: lufwaffe
[2009/08/18 13:54] Liriel Garnet: luftwafte
[2009/08/18 13:54] Laertes Parx: luftwaffa
[2009/08/18 13:54] Fiz Laval: luffwagfew
[2009/08/18 13:54] Mako Kungfu: loufwastche
[2009/08/18 13:54] Mako Kungfu: luffwafe
[2009/08/18 13:54] Lotus Ceriano: luftwaFEF
[2009/08/18 13:54] Rain Ninetails: luftwaffa
[2009/08/18 13:54] Cully Andel: ANA THEN LIRI
[2009/08/18 13:54] Cully Andel: IT'S LUFTWAFFE

NUMBER 6:
[13:13] Loraine Alter: 17. One Night in ......
[13:13] Weezil Urvile: bangon
[13:13] bo Cordoso: bangkopk
[13:13] Weezil Urvile: kok
[13:13] Mars Rubanis: bankock
[13:13] Lotus Ceriano: bangkiokp
[2009/08/18 13:13] Loraine Alter: weezil i'm letting you have that...i accept typos

NUMBER 5:
[13:15] Loraine Alter: 16. In terms of area, what became the largest country in the world after the break up of the USSR?
[13:15] Lotus Ceriano: rusua
[13:15] Lotus Ceriano: rusua
[13:15] Lotus Ceriano: russa
[13:15] Lotus Ceriano: ia
[13:15] Loraine Alter: wtg lotus
[13:15] Loraine Alter: russia

NUMBER 4:
[2009/08/17 12:55] AnaMaria Quintessa: Q12. WHERE WAS A PAPIER MACHE STATUE CALLED “THE GODDESS OF DEMOCRACY & FREEDOM” UNVEILED BY STUDENTS IN MAY 1989?
[2009/08/17 12:55] Rain Ninetails: tinnenemanan sqaua
[2009/08/17 12:55] Lotus Ceriano: tianemne sq
[2009/08/17 12:55] Esperanza Merlin: tainemen square
[2009/08/17 12:55] AnaMaria Quintessa: THE ANSWER IS TIANANMEN SQUARE, BEIJING
[2009/08/17 12:56] Esperanza Merlin: teniman square
[2009/08/17 12:56] AnaMaria Quintessa: WELL DONE RAIN THERE

NUMBER 3:
[12:54] Lebn Bucyk: It was founded in Persia, and may indeed be the oldest monotheistic religion in the world.
[12:54] AnaMaria Quintessa: zorastraism
[12:54] Thornton Writer: zorastianriansm
[12:54] Lebn Bucyk: Yes Ana
[12:55] Lebn Bucyk: Zoroastrianism - a minority remains in Iran, but many adherants now live in India and Pakistan

NUMBER 2 (AND WORD OF THE WEEK):
[2009/08/18 21:29] Blaize Korobase: 1. Drinking lots of this soda will decrease sperm count, and thus prevent pregnancy, thanks to the coloring agent Yellow No. 5.
[2009/08/18 21:29] Ruby Miggins: mount duew
[2009/08/18 21:29] Luce Portland: mounteain dew
[2009/08/18 21:29] Rexx Capalini: mt doew
[2009/08/18 21:29] Blaize Korobase: RUBY!!
[2009/08/18 21:29] Blaize Korobase: MT DEW!
[2009/08/18 21:29] Blaize Korobase: Yellow No 5 is a safe chemical, used for adding a yellow color to Mountain Dew, as well as many other food products. The chemical has no effect on sperm count, thus rendering it ineffective as a contraceptive. Even if it did lower your sperm count, you would still have sperm, and it only takes one to get pregnant.

[19:18] Dakota Carson: 5. In 1925, Bill Jones started selling a lithiated lemon-lime soda under a revived trademark that had been used to sell "zero proof hillbilly moonshine." What is this drink?
[19:18] Less Juliesse: mountainn dew
[19:18] Lillian Shippe: mountian dwew
[19:18] Laertes Parx: ountaind ew
[19:18] Austyn Redstar: mt dwe
[19:18] WannaBeA Werefox: moiutn due
[19:18] Zelliah Cookie: Less Lillian Laertes

NUMBER 1:
[2009/08/16 18:54] Honey Potez: What was abolished in Britain in 1965 for all crimes except treason?
[2009/08/16 18:54] Lillian Shippe: hanging
[2009/08/16 18:54] Olmstead Fanshaw: capotailpujnishjme
[2009/08/16 18:54] Honey Potez: WD LILLIAN!
[2009/08/16 18:54] Honey Potez: HANGING (CAPITAL PUNISHMENT)

********

SYTYCA & Thoughts on Standardization

Billy2Times Krams hosting Disney trivia and Best in Disney at Metal Shop on August 17.

If you can decipher the set of letters in the title of this post, then I would, as a trivia host, interpret that to mean that it's a commonly enough known -- or at least easily enough understood -- acronym or abbreviation to be accepted as an answer at one of my games.

If not, then as far as I'm concerned, it's just a shortcut to try and squeeze ahead of the other players who are typing their butts off to get "So You Think You Can Abbreviate" into play before the others who are likewise typing furiously.

This is the basis of my "out of context" rule by which I judge typos and abbreviation use. If it's a common abbreviation that you most likely used because that's how you're accustomed to referring to the person/place/thing in question (or answer, more accurately), then go for it. NASA, ASPCA, Rte, St, FDR, JFK, whatever... these are all fair game because other players are likely to have used them, too, and they know exactly what you're talking about.*

* Of course, if a person hasn't heard of the entity the abbreviation refers to at all and wouldn't know it even if "American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals" were spelled out, then the problem isn't the abbreviation.

Finding the absolute shortest version of an answer you can give and still get away with it, on the other hand, is not. Not in my book.

In terms of the spectrum of hosting styles, I fall someplace in the middle. At one end, there are hosts who accept anything they can understand, knowing what the player was probably trying to say. At the other end, there are hosts who accept no abbreviations whatsoever. A few follow the guideline "none except UK and USA." I have the feeling that these stricter hosts have a goal in mind similar to mine -- to curb the Incredible Shrinking Answer trend before it begins -- but for my part, I don't want to penalize someone who uses an abbreviation not to see what they can get away with but because the version of the answer they use is the one that is freshest in their minds.

Although I am generally respectful of other hosts' decisions, the acceptance of abbreviations that are clearly intended as shortcuts makes me shake my head every time. I apologize to those whom this confession insinuates, and I acknowledge that every host is entitled to run his or her game however he or she chooses. I have recently gotten into two tiffs over abbreviations, however, that sparked this as a blog topic.

The first took place while I was hosting Chaos. For those who haven't been to Chaos Trivia/Truth or Dare, I'll mention that those who win questions are given L$10 and the chance to challenge another player to a truth or dare. I asked a question to which "North Pole" was the answer, and the person whose answer came in first used "NPole" as a shortcut abbreviation. Since it was only a minor shortcut (it's not like he tried to say "NP") and he had arrived late and had never heard me give my rules, I gave him the benefit of the doubt, which meant compromising: I gave him the money and offered the truth/dare challenge to the second person who answered. Imagine my surprise when he protested that I should give him a break because he is in a country far from the SL servers and that this gives him more lag than most.

This is a ridiculous argument for many reasons, but I'll only mention one: everyone in SL suffers from lag. One article on lag identifies nine different kinds. The one this player was being huffy about, referred to in the piece as "pure network lag," is right at the top. Unless he believes that special treatment should be provided to people experiencing any of the other eight kinds of lag, I'm uncertain why I should provide it to him. Is there such a thing as privileged lag? Does that make the other kinds ghetto lag?

But I digress.

The second incident just took place this weekend. The answer was "New Yorker" (as in the magazine, not a New York resident), and the first answer given was "NYer." I was second with the correct answer. When the host gave the question to the other player, I had to re-read the chat log because I hadn't seen anyone answer correctly before I did. I'm a former New Yorker. I subscribe to The New Yorker. And I have never seen the abbreviation NYer before. I didn't recognize it as an answer at all. So for my one time in a thousand, I spoke up, made some comments, and quickly apologized for doing so. The apology was directed toward the host, who I was worried would think I was protesting his call, and to the group. It was not directed toward the person who used this abbreviation.

Alanna Robianni, dressed as Cinderella, won the top spot in the costume contest; I won second as an Alice in Wonderland card painting the roses red; a wee little Snow White snagged third.

This leads me to the purposeful part of this post, which was not actually intended to become a rant about abbreviations. Rather, I want to use the abbreviation example as a jumping-off point to talk about standard expectations. When you do trivia at club Shiraz, you expect leniency. When you attend Lou's Clues, you expect to type out your answers in full. The UK/USA rule seems to be fast becoming standardized, though, adopted as it's been by hosts at Lilly's, at Moysies, and sometimes at Double Standards.

There are some advantages to standardization: players can have an idea of what will and won't be acceptable even if they miss the rules, for instance, and consistency allows players to develop habits that will benefit them. By this latter one, I have in mind the "training" that Gogomodo has given to many who forget that when they do trivia with a live host, they can often skip first names when the answer is a person.

There are also some disadvantages, not the least of which is that no matter how many hosts adopt comparable rules, the trivia circuit does not begin and end with the several dozen of us who know each other, host each other, and run into each other at the same games. Grassroots trivia will continue popping up at random clubs, and some active hosts will simply have different opinions about what qualifies as an acceptable answer. Thus, a player who gets used to the UK/USA rule might find herself frustrated, like I was on Sunday for other reasons, at places that are either more or less strict.

The main disadvantage to standardization in my mind, though, is something that can already be seen in the trivia landscape in its current state. I'm so accustomed to certain conventions that when I visit a game off the beaten path and find they have a rather unusual format, I'll often be hit by a wave of snobbery before I take a step back and remind myself, "It's not wrong, it's different." Admittedly, most of the time, I do end up disliking those other methods (such as answers in IM, voicing during events, anything that replaces live hosts with a machine of some sort), but you never know when a gem will appear. These instances are more about format than rules, but it's easier to develop a sense of "how things are supposed to work" if they work the same way at most of the events you go to, and that sense can easily translate into snobbery, elitism, or know-it-all-ness, which I believe was one of the factors that had precipitated the problems at The Village, way back in ancient history.

I don't have a firm conclusion, since I would selfishly prefer not to get cranky over a lenient abbreviation call again, while at the same time I think that maintaining a diverse set of events that cater to varying skill levels, speed levels, and specializations would render the strongest benefit to the most people. Borrowing or adapting another host's rules is also not necessarily standardization; sometimes you just think it's a good idea. I get pleased when I've seen hosts pick up a rule that I originated, and goodness knows I've developed my style under the influence of many strong predecessors. What I like to see is evolution, though, with hosts using others' rules and ideas but making them their own. SL trivia is totally different from how it was a year ago, with all sorts of innovative games and a schedule simply crammed solid with events. I look forward to seeing how it continues evolving.

Vegas Ember owns Metal Shop.

********

I'm gonna try something kind of fun today. I hope. It's meta-trivia, folks, the kind that you won't know if you're strolling onto this blog from some random corner of the internet. And it's audience participation time.

As most Buccaneer Bowl regulars know, writing trivia for the game is a collaborative effort. Lillian, Thorn, and I all write a portion of the questions and give each other copies a few days before the event so that we can look them over and suggest any changes necessary. The three of us have very different areas of expertise, so we can see each other's questions from different angles to make sure they're tight and solid. Other games can make up for faulty questions by simply paying more than one player, but with Bucc Bowl's system of points and accumulated scores, there's more than cash riding on each one, and as we found out the hard way in the first couple of months, a problem question can create much more havoc than usual.

The matter of who writes each question comes up occasionally. Lillian has said that Josh guesses whose they are after they've been asked and has a fairly good record. Yesterday, I quizzed Lotus when she said she believed she was usually able to tell, and I believe she met with a few surprises. So now I'm curious. First, I'm curious if this is something the players generally think about, and second, I'm curious if they know us as well as they think.

Below is the full list of non-bonus questions from the July game. Even further below is the list of answers. As an added benefit, publishing this list can help some people who haven't yet decided to join us get a feel for what goes on there, and it gives people who don't know me, Thorn, and Lillian a reason for reading this post. If you haven't figured it out yet, your job is to guess which Bucc Bowl host wrote which of the questions. Although other members of the crew might have helped revise or rewrite a question, you're looking for the particular person who originally contributed it to the game.

I'm also going to borrow a practice from Lotus and offer prizes for the most correct guesses. Since I don't do this regularly, I am happy to give out healthy prizes for it. For first, second, and third place: L$100, L$50, and L$25. The contest will be over 24 hours after I publish the post. Please submit your answers in the blog comments.

Now, don't forget... you're not guessing the answers to the questions, you're guessing who wrote which: Lette Ponnier, Lillian Shippe, or Thornton Writer. I mean, you can answer the questions; I just won't be paying you for it.

Anyone who already knows the answers (that means you, Josh; Lotus can play because I only went through the June game with her) obviously can't participate. But if people enjoy this, we can do it following future Bucc Bowls, and anyone who does not learn the answers ahead of time will be welcome to compete for this little extra somethin' then. Here we go....

Maggie, Rain, and NonSmokerGirl alongside Maggie's trivia Wheel of Death.

In the comments section of the blog, list which Buccaneer Bowl host you believe contributed each question to the game. This contest will run from 11:00am SLT Thursday, August 20, to 11:00am SLT Friday, August 21.

Edited to add:

Oh... let me add one thing... and Circe can revise her answer if she wants to... but the total number of questions written by each of us in this list was:

Thorn - 6
Lillian - 9
Lette - 10

because Thorn had not been feeling well and Lil and I picked up the slack.

July 2009 Buccaneer Bowl Questions:

1. Field Marshal Paulus surrendered the German Sixth Army to the Russians in what battle of World War II?

2. Which of the main categories of cloud, with a name meaning "curl of hair," forms at the highest altitudes?

3. What is the only Great Lake to be completely within the borders of the USA?

4. In The Odyssey, a minor character and weapons thief named Melanthius ends up with his nose, ears, hands, and feet chopped off, but what additional body part was not only removed but fed to the dogs?

5. A cracked Tinamou egg at Cambridge University is the last of what naturalist's collection of specimens acquired during his research in this bird's native continent?

6. Omar Fierro is the former host of the Mexican version of what game show that is called "Svoya Igra" in Russia, "Riesgo!" in Spain, and "Waagstuk!" in the Netherlands?

7. What opera written by Guiseppe Verdi ended with Violetta dead in Alfredo's arms from tuberculosis?

8. What is the name of a series of comic books released in 2001 based on a fictional comic referenced in two Kevin Smith movies?

9. Tribology is the study of what?

10. To be classified as a "true" mineral, a substance must be solid, arising from geological processes, and have what kind of structure?

11. In the 1971 song "Hocus Pocus" by Dutch band focus, lead singer Thijs van Leer whistled, sang operatic falsetto, and practiced what other vocal technique?

12. What musical instrument does Jack steal from the beanstalk giant?

13. What was the nickname of the Bell X-1 plane that was the first to break the speed barrier?

14. Who is the Greek Muse of History?

15. In 2006, the Egyptian government voted not to recognize members of what religion on identification cards?

16. Thimphu is the capital of what Asian country?

17. Oddly, nineteenth century English actor Nutcombe Gould pursued his theatrical career after leaving the clergy due to what condition?

18. What metal was first discovered by amateur geologist William Gregor in Cornwall in 1791 and named for a race of powerful Greek deities?

19. What fuel powered the internal combustion engine patented by Samuel Morey in 1826?

20. What was the American horse Sir Barton the first to do in 1919?

21. The American Medical Association was founded in 1847 in what city?

22. What color is the ring furthest to the left on the Olympic Flag?

23. What Canadian province capital is located in the Red River Valley, in the south central portion of its province?

24. What sport did J.M. Barrie's amateur team the Allahakbarries play?

25. What instrument did vanished bandleader Glenn Miller play?

Sharon, proprietress of Sharon's, with Carrie, right, and the less-elusive-than-previously Nelly in the background.

July 2009 Buccaneer Bowl Answers:

1. Stalingrad

2. cirrus

3. Michigan

4. his genitals

5. Charles Darwin

6. Jeopardy!

7. La Traviata

8. Bluntman and Chronic

9. lubricants, lubrication, and/or friction

10. crystal

11. yodeling

12. harp

13. Glamorous Glennis

14. Clio/Kleio

15. Baha'i

16. Bhutan

17. stammer/stutter

18. titanium

19. turpentine

20. win the Triple Crown

21. Philadelphia

22. blue

23. Winnipeg

24. cricket

25. trombone

********

Typos of the Week, August 2 through August 8

While some words simply lend themselves to typos, one might also argue that writing questions that generate the largest number of typos is a hosting skill. I would thus like to give credit to those hosts who inspire the most in us as players who aim for quality in our answers over such trivial details as proper spelling.

NUMBER 10:
[2009/08/05 21:42] Lette Ponnier: cirque du solieal
[2009/08/05 21:42] Rexx Capalini: cirque de solel,l
[2009/08/05 21:42] Xes Borkotron: circe de solell
[2009/08/05 21:42] Lothor Vlodovic: cirque du soliel
[2009/08/05 21:42] Luce Portland: cirque de soleil
[2009/08/05 21:42] Thornton Writer: cirque dusoliel
[2009/08/05 21:42] Miyushu Babii: Cirque dou o
[2009/08/05 21:42] Blaize Korobase: cirque du soliel

NUMBER 9:
[2009/08/08 10:48] AnaMaria Quintessa: joshu tra
[2009/08/08 10:48] Rain Ninetails: jasuaa
[2009/08/08 10:48] bo Cordoso: joshua tre
[2009/08/08 10:48] Sweejen Stourmead: johsauya tree
[2009/08/08 10:48] Cerys Courtois: joishuA BTRREE

NUMBER 8:
[2009/08/08 12:44] Hilda Static: bachrwcch
[2009/08/08 12:44] Trebor Shelman: bacaracvh

NUMBER 7:
[2009/08/03 19:09] Jude Constantine: oatmeal coockies
[2009/08/03 19:09] Jude Constantine: cockies

NUMBER 6:
[2009/08/06 10:53] Trebor Shelman: moan;klils

NUMBER 5:
[20:10] WannaBeA Werefox: CVnada

NUMBER 4:
[2009/08/02 13:47] Chaddington Boomhauer: scarbaler
[2009/08/02 13:47] shishi Ruby: scrabblde

NUMBER 3:
[2009/08/05 21:21] Lothor Vlodovic: elephan
[2009/08/05 21:21] Rain Ninetails: elepahnt
[2009/08/05 21:33] Lothor Vlodovic: lelephnat hair
[2009/08/06 19:02] Rhea Neiro: elenapht

NUMBER 2:
[2009/08/06 18:53] Browman Griffith: englsuih
[2009/08/06 18:53] Askytyleon Proudfoot: elnhgle
[2009/08/06 18:53] Rach Borkotron: engliahs

NUMBER 1:
[14:41] Cully Andel: IT WAS SHITE STAR

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
[2009/08/07 10:14] Mark007 Bloobury: onmatoachmenidijad
[2009/08/07 10:21] Becki Verne: spelunomatopoeia
[2009/08/07 10:24] Maggie Sewell: Onomatopoeialuminescence

Me and Lillian at Inferno. I have to indulge myself and post my own pictures once in a while. :)

NUMBER 10 (MASS TYPOAGE AWARD GOES TO CIRCE):
[2009/08/05 21:42] Circe Falta: BONUS #2: WHICH CIRCUS HAS TOURED ALL OVER THE WORLD WITH TOURS NAMED QUIDAM, LA NOUBA, ALEGRIA, AND SALTIMBANCO?
[2009/08/05 21:42] Lette Ponnier: cirque du solieal
[2009/08/05 21:42] Rexx Capalini: cirque de solel,l
[2009/08/05 21:42] Xes Borkotron: circe de solell
[2009/08/05 21:42] Lothor Vlodovic: cirque du soliel
[2009/08/05 21:42] Luce Portland: cirque de soleil
[2009/08/05 21:42] Thornton Writer: cirque dusoliel
[2009/08/05 21:42] Miyushu Babii: Cirque dou o
[2009/08/05 21:42] Blaize Korobase: cirque du soliel
[2009/08/05 21:43] Circe Falta: LETTE! NICE JOB
[2009/08/05 21:43] Circe Falta: AND BROWNIE POINTS FOR XES. CIRCE DE SOLELL. LOL
[2009/08/05 21:44] Circe Falta: AND PITY POINTS TO LOTH FOR SPELLING IT RIGHT TOO I THINK. LOL
(HE DIDN'T, LOL; CORRECT SPELLING IS "CIRQUE DU SOLEIL")

NUMBER 9 (MY LAGGY ORDER PRESERVED FOR BONUS HUMOR VALUE):
[2009/08/08 10:48] AnaMaria Quintessa: joshu tra
[2009/08/08 10:48] Rain Ninetails: jasuaa
[2009/08/08 10:48] bo Cordoso: joshua tre
[2009/08/08 10:48] Sweejen Stourmead: johsauya tree
[2009/08/08 10:48] Cerys Courtois: joishuA BTRREE
[2009/08/08 10:48] Thornton Writer: Q12) WHAT 1987 U2 ALBUM CONTAINED THE NO. 1 HITS "WITH OR WITHOUT YOU" & "I STILL HAVEN'T FOUND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR"?
[2009/08/08 10:48] Thornton Writer: ANSWER: THE JOSHUA TREE

NUMBER 8:
[2009/08/08 12:44] Lou Netizen: Who worked as Marlene Dietrich's musical director when she brought her cabaret act to Vegas and, coincidentally, was later married to Rat Packer Angie Dickinson?
[2009/08/08 12:44] Hilda Static: bachrwcch
[2009/08/08 12:44] Trebor Shelman: bacaracvh
[2009/08/08 12:44] Lou Netizen: Burt Bacharach. Bacharach worked as Dietrich's bandleader, pianist, and arranger from 1958 to 1961, honing her one-woman cabaret show with orchestra to highlight drama and downplay Dietrich's limited vocal range. Bacharach was married to Angie Dickinson from 1965 to 1980.

NUMBER 7 (AND THE FREUDIAN TYPO RUNNER UP):
[2009/08/03 19:09] Trin McMinnar: EALMATO IEKSOOC
[2009/08/03 19:09] Jude Constantine: oatmeal coockies
[2009/08/03 19:09] Jude Constantine: cockies
[2009/08/03 19:09] Trin McMinnar: OATMEAL COOKIES

NUMBER 6 (AND THE FREUDIAN TYPO AWARD):
[2009/08/06 10:53] Maggie Sewell: 25) WHAT IS ANOTHER NAME GIVEN TO THE PAINTING 'LA GIOCONDA'?
[2009/08/06 10:53] Trebor Shelman: moan;klils
[2009/08/06 10:53] Maggie Sewell: MONA LISA
MONA LISA (ALSO KNOWN AS LA GIOCONDA) IS A 16TH CENTURY PORTRAIT PAINTED IN OIL ON A POPLAR PANEL BY LEONARDO DA VINCI DURING THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE. THE WORK IS OWNED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF FRANCE AND IS ON THE WALL IN THE LOUVRE IN PARIS, FRANCE WITH THE TITLE PORTRAIT OF LISA GHERARDINI, WIFE OF FRANCESCO DEL GIOCONDO. IT IS PERHAPS THE MOST FAMOUS PAINTING IN THE WORLD.

NUMBER 5 (ALWAYS GUESS CVnada):
[20:10] Zelliah Cookie: 15. Which country did America attempt to invade in the War of 1812?
[20:10] WannaBeA Werefox: CVnada
[20:11] Zelliah Cookie: Canada!

NUMBER 4 (HOW MANY POINTS DO YOU GET IF YOU SPELL IT LIKE THIS?):
[2009/08/02 13:47] Sinnamon Sands: 9). IN 1931 ARCHITECT ALFRED M. BUTTS DEVELOPED THIS BOARD GAME, CALLING IT "CRISSCROSSWORDS." NAME IT.
[2009/08/02 13:47] Chaddington Boomhauer: scarbaler
[2009/08/02 13:47] shishi Ruby: scrabblde
[2009/08/02 13:47] Sinnamon Sands: Correct answer is "Scrabble"

NUMBER 3 (AND THE WORD OF THE WEEK):
[2009/08/05 21:21] Circe Falta: 13. TO WHAT ANIMAL DOES THE TERM "PACHYDERM" USUALLY REFER?
[2009/08/05 21:21] Lothor Vlodovic: elephan
[2009/08/05 21:21] Rain Ninetails: elepahnt
[2009/08/05 21:22] Circe Falta: ELEPHANT. THE WORD MEANS "THICK SKIN" AND WAS USED TO DESCRIBE UNGULATES LIKE ELEPHANTS AND HIPPOS, HORSES, TAPIRS, RHINOS, PIGS, AND PECCARIES TOO. BASICALLY, ANYTHING THEY DIDN'T HAVE A FAMILY FOR AT THE TIME AND HAD STRANGE HOOVED FEET GOT SHOVED INTO THE "PACHYDERM" CATEGORY.

[2009/08/05 21:33] Circe Falta: 18. WHAT DO CIRCUS FOLK OFTEN BRAID INTO BRACELETS TO WEAR DURING PERFORMANCES?
[2009/08/05 21:33] Lothor Vlodovic: lelephnat hair
[2009/08/05 21:34] Circe Falta: ELEPHANT HAIR. THEY BRAID ELEPHANT TAIL HAIR INTO BRACELETS TO WEAR DURING PERFORMANCES AS GOOD LUCK CHARMS. HOPEFULLY THEY CLEAN IT OFF FIRST.

[2009/08/06 19:01] Honey Potez: What animal produces the loudest sound of any animal?
[2009/08/06 19:02] Rhea Neiro: elenapht
[2009/08/06 19:02] Honey Potez: AFRICAN ELEPHANT

NUMBER 2 (AND THE IRONY AWARD):
[2009/08/06 18:53] Honey Potez: What was the nationality of Charles Darwin?
[2009/08/06 18:53] Browman Griffith: englsuih
[2009/08/06 18:53] Askytyleon Proudfoot: elnhgle
[2009/08/06 18:53] Rach Borkotron: engliahs
[2009/08/06 18:53] Honey Potez: ENGLISH

NUMBER 1:
[14:41] Cully Andel: THE TITANIC BELONGED TO WHICH SHIPPING LINE?
[14:41] Gareth8 Albatros: White Star
[14:41] Mark007 Bloobury: wahite star
[14:41] Cully Andel: GARETH THEN MARK
[14:41] Cully Andel: IT WAS SHITE STAR
[14:41] Cully Andel: OOPS
[14:41] Cully Andel: WHITE STAR:)
[14:42] Cully Andel: WELL IT DID SINK!

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
[2009/08/07 10:13] Gingo Gumbo: Q3: BAM! POW!! WHOOSH!!! WHAT IS CALLED WHEN A WORD SOUNDS LIKE THE ACTION IT DESCRIBES?
[2009/08/07 10:13] Xes Borkotron: onomatopoeia
[2009/08/07 10:13] Lette Ponnier: onomatopeia
[2009/08/07 10:13] Cully Andel: onomatopaeia
[2009/08/07 10:13] Becki Verne: onomatopaeia
[2009/08/07 10:13] Circe Falta: onopotopoiea
[2009/08/07 10:13] Kaele Jinx: onamatpoea
[2009/08/07 10:13] WavingMarcel Floresby: onomatopoeic
[2009/08/07 10:13] Rain Ninetails: onomonopea
[2009/08/07 10:13] Tom127 Rayna: onomatophoa
[2009/08/07 10:14] Gingo Gumbo: XES!
[2009/08/07 10:14] Joni Villota: onomonopiea
[2009/08/07 10:14] Becki Verne: onamatopaeia
[2009/08/07 10:14] Mark007 Bloobury: onmatoachmenidijad
[2009/08/07 10:14] Gingo Gumbo: A: ONOMOTOPOEIA
One example: The B. F. Goodrich Company coined the name Zipper in 1923 for the line of rubber overshoes that it made using a new type of fastener. The name slowly came to be associated with the fastener itself, and eventually acquired generic status. The word "zipper" describes the sound the fastener makes.
[2009/08/07 10:20] Gingo Gumbo: Onomatopoeia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[2009/08/07 10:21] Gingo Gumbo: Q4: THE PRACTICE OF EXPLORING CAVES SEEMS, TO SOME, AS SILLY AS THE NAME GIVEN TO IT. WHAT IS THAT NAME?
[2009/08/07 10:21] Xes Borkotron: spelunking
[2009/08/07 10:21] Circe Falta: speulunking
[2009/08/07 10:21] Rain Ninetails: spelunming
[2009/08/07 10:21] JoshuaStephen Schism: spelunkingh
[2009/08/07 10:21] Gingo Gumbo: XES, UNDISPUTABLY
[2009/08/07 10:21] Becki Verne: spelunomatopoeia
[2009/08/07 10:22] Gingo Gumbo: A: SPELUNKING
The average number of reported cave related incidents is usually 40 to 50 per year. In most years approximately 10 percent of reported accidents result in death.

[2009/08/07 10:23] Gingo Gumbo: Q5: WHAT IS THE CHEMICAL EFFECT THAT CAUSES WINT-O-GREEN LIFE SAVERS TO SHOOT SPARKS WHEN YOU BITE DOWN ON THEM IN THE DARK?
[2009/08/07 10:24] Becki Verne: triboluminescence
[2009/08/07 10:24] Gingo Gumbo: BECKI!
[2009/08/07 10:24] Maggie Sewell: Onomatopoeialuminescence
[2009/08/07 10:24] Mark007 Bloobury: luminoelectricpneumoescence
[2009/08/07 10:25] Gingo Gumbo: A: TRIBOLUMINESCENCE
The emission of light resulting from something being smashed or torn. It is the same phenomenon, not static, that makes a roll of tape "spark".

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Money, money, money, money... Money.

This is the first of what I hope will be more joint topic posts that I make with Lotus Ceriano at her awesome blog, Lotus-Pocus. We were chatting about topics and discovered we were both thinking of posting about money, and after a brief spell of, "You go ahead," "No, you go ahead," we found we were going to be addressing pretty different aspects of the same general theme. So I'm taking on the players' side, and she's going to be discussing the club owners' side. Hopefully we'll be finishing up near enough in time that these can be read together.

Front: Hacob Hollwood and Hilda Static. Back: Niina Jenvieve, me, and Sinnamon Sands. "Win Thorn's Money" trivia at Double Standards

From the Ground Up

Not all trivia in SL is played for money. Gogomodo proliferates in many nooks and crannies, and... well, I can't really think of any other common examples. So I guess it won't be off the mark to say that nearly all trivia in SL is played for money. When I was a poor noob, my first friend and mentor took me to a dance club with a trivia orb running, and I pretty much swept the game, L$5 at a time. Since the noob wardrobe is typically substandard, and the "Best in..." contests this friend pretty much thrived on were beyond my reach, trivia quickly became my primary source of income, and that remains the case today.

The amount of money a game pays off matters, but how much does it matter? Who does it matter to, and why? Does it stand on its own as a factor or does it interact with others in building the sense of a game?

It might be because club Shiraz is the place I've been attending the longest and still the most often, or it might be because of the whole range of payouts across the trivia landscape, but I sort of see L$20 per question as a baseline, and before I began spreading out in order to write up new games for this blog, any game that paid less than L$20 didn't really capture my attention. It wasn't just that the money wasn't worth my time but that I almost didn't take such games seriously. Money attracts competition, and it's a lot more fun to win money when you're beating out speed demons and brainiacs than when you're beating out folks who aren't really either. One might say I grew out of the L$5-per-question stage.

I'm not so much of a snob these days; there are some games paying out L$10 or L$15 that are a lot of fun and worth going to, and there are some (well, one, really) that pays out well but, frankly, isn't that high on the joy scale. Obviously, every game is a balance of factors: quality of the questions, effectiveness of the format, personality of the host(s), atmosphere of the location, friendliness of the crowd, and -- last but not least -- money. If a place is strong enough where all those other factors are concerned, then you can have a bunch of friends kvetching around a gogomodo board (or several), earning no money but running up a location's team score. But those scenarios are rare, and winnings, I'd suggest, aren't just a draw because people like money but because the presence of money changes the balance of all of those factors.

I pretty much stuck to Shiraz over my first summer in SL, only branching out gradually. Come fall, though, I was starting to discover that elsewhere, I could win enough not just for a couple of cute dresses a week but to rent a home. AllieKatt Knipper's games, with their healthy bonuses, Thorn's with the first three-winner format I'd played, and eventually Chadd and Shale's first Shotgun games (at which I won only one question at the first game, but it was for something like L$800 and was about sashimi [you don't forget your first L$800 question]), gave me a new perspective on how cash can alter the fabric of a game. By December, I'd begun going to Marine Park and had reached trivia winnings nirvana.

Marine Park Mardi Gras, February 27, where players got paid not only for trivia but for telling ghost stories, flashing their boobs, and dressing for the Bests contest. (Sorry, too long ago for me to remember who is pictured here.)

No Post on Winnings is Complete Without Talking About...

I was winning too much to spend, actually, and that's one of the reasons I collaborated with Thorn to develop the Buccaneer Bowl, began paying for questions at Chaos (the truth or dare challenge was the only prize offered there for the first five or six months it was running), and eventually started conducting spontaneous trivia games in Impromptu Garden.

For those who are still unfamiliar with the enigma that is Marine Park, it is a long-running, three-winner trivia venue where the prizes are a minimum of L$300/200/100 per question and sometimes more. There is an entrance fee (L$100 lately), and you can't always find it by searching for "trivia"; you need to type in "Marine Park," and events are added and deleted regularly. People have mostly discovered it by word of mouth, and many go only once and decide the money isn't worth it to return, or that the stress over trying to make their entrance fee back isn't worth it. Others become addicted. (/me raises hand)

When people hear about MP and its winnings for the first time, they often ask, "How can money like that not be worth it? Worth what?" Well. Let me try being diplomatic about this. They're strict. They have very rigid rules of conduct that drain the game of any kind of social element it might otherwise have, and -- I'd say this is an even stronger aspect -- they create a nerve-wracking (for some) atmosphere with a patently hierarchical and socially segregated host/guest structure and an infamous tendency to ban people arbitrarily, with no explanation, and with no opportunity for recourse. And they seem to be completely oblivious that there's anything odd or questionable about that.

The funny thing is, all of this added to the excitement of the game there for me. The winnings raised the stakes and made the competition feel more fierce, even when I found myself scrambling to answer questions like, "What is your favorite animal?" Even the rules (speaking during the trivia is discouraged, for instance) and the owner's tendency to spring the next question without warning contributed to a more thrilling game. You frequently hear people say they attend Marine Park games "just for the money," but I believe the money element operates not only directly but indirectly, and that it is the indirect impact that is or was stronger for some of us. It draws in some of SL's best players, which makes a successful game that much more exciting, and although it makes the atmosphere tense, it also makes the atmosphere serious. I've never had qualms with the silence rule (though I have major qualms with their means of enforcing it) and think it contributes positively to MP's MP-ness, even as it becomes something people "put up with" because they want the cash.

Lillian Shippe, Bucc Bowl banker

Such a Thing As Too Much?

I certainly hope that there aren't equivalent aspects of Bucc Bowl that people put up with because they simply want the cash. I can't do a similar kind of analysis about the effects of money on Bucc Bowl because I don't experience it as a player, but there are a few things that were important to me in designing the format. First, we decided to make it high-paying because unlike most games, players need to make the full two-hour time commitment -- they can't just pop in and out as they wish -- and we wanted to make that time commitment worth their while. There is also some pre-game organization required of not only planners but players as well, and so it seemed appropriate to reward that effort. Second, after the extremely laggy first game and the institution of ARC bonuses, we were pleased to find that it relieves a concern we originally had: that it would be possible for people to make that entire time commitment and work to put a team together and still leave empty-handed. Now, if anyone does leave with nothing, it's only because they decided to prioritize appearance (at a game where many people turn their rendering off anyway) over sim performance.

But there is another side of giving away a lot of money that I've framed positively in this post but that not everyone necessarily sees as a good thing: money, as I've noted several times, draws competition. And although I love the adrenaline rush that increased competition gives me, I recognize that for some people, there is such a thing as too much. Although we get a lot of positive accolades for Bucc Bowl, as well as some constructive criticism, the one recurring complaint is that it's very stressful. Teams invest a lot of work and strategy in choosing players, and they don't want to make a poor showing, more for the sake of their teams than for themselves. Many people want to attend for the first time without playing, in order to see what the big deal is before committing to a team, but the sim's avatar capacity makes it difficult to grant every request. I believe that the fact that your performance affects not only yourself but your teammates, as well, is probably the most significant factor in the stress level, but the money once again plays both a direct and an indirect part. It shapes the game's atmosphere, for better or for worse, and I honestly can't see Bucc Bowl functioning for less than L$10,000 per game (the minimum total payout if there are no ties and no one complies with the ARC bonus).

We've created something that I acknowledge might be just as nerve-wracking as Marine Park, but for entirely different reasons (I, for instance, am capable of scrolling through chat to find the three winners out of 35 players while people are socializing). With games like these, I'll be the first to admit that it's kind of nice sometimes just to go to a 20-question, L$20 game, relax, and hang out when there's nothing on the line but your own pride in getting an answer in first. Nonetheless, in my case, the only reason I'm able to relax in this way is that I saved up enough money before being banned from MP that I now see the winnings elsewhere as merely symbolic, and I usually tip most or all of it back.

But I can only speak for myself. Here are the questions I asked at the beginning of this post, once more: The amount of money a game pays off matters, but how much does it matter? Who does it matter to, and why? Does it stand on its own as a factor or does it interact with others in building the sense of a game?

What do you think?

Lemmings: the official mascot of SL trivia. Cinna "The Lemming" Xaris in foreground; AnaMaria "every day is Thorn day" Quintessa and Chaddington "I like to watch lemmings" Boomhauer in background.

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