Typos of the Week, March 22 to March 28

Maggie Sewell plays skeeball

#10:

[19:20:43] Thornton Writer: vbiantg

#9:

[18:38:54] Maggie Sewell: iggy po=-p=

#8:

[13:26:57] Fiz Laval: theyve all got itt inforjmgnbtg

#7:

[13:23:01] Lotus Ceriano: bre rerabby

#6:

[16:48:32] Lou Netizen: erectros

#5:

[16:58:10] Kronos Recreant: batlls hsi'

#4

[13:25:11] Pearl Admiral: chumbawabagb

#3:

[21:38:29] Thurina Susa: spaletn wand walkfdrin

#2:

[14:18:39] Olmstead Fanshaw: sons ;of hnaha

#1:

[14:21:33] AnaMaria Quintessa: noetgher nlights

[14:21:36] Maggie Sewell: YES ANA

[14:21:50] Maggie Sewell: THE AURORA BOREALIS

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Cully Andel and manatee

#10:

[19:20:40] Dakota Carson: 6. What was the title of James Dean's last film?

[19:20:43] Thornton Writer: vbiantg

[19:20:43] Claudia Mefusula: giant

[19:20:45] Bloot Burnstein: giant

[19:20:45] Duncan Loire: giant

[19:20:45] Thurina Susa: fiaNT

[19:20:46] Dakota Carson: buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[19:20:50] Thornton Writer: arghhhhh

[19:21:06] Zelliah Cookie: Claudia Bloot Duncan

#9:

[18:38:50] Billy2Times Krams: 6. HE WAS BORN JAMES NEWEL OSTERBERG, JR AND HE WANTS TO BE YOUR DOG. WHO IS HE?

[18:38:54] Maggie Sewell: iggy po=-p=

[18:38:57] Lette Ponnier: iggy pop

[18:38:58] SINfield Portal: igy pop

[18:39:02] Becca Drascol: iggy pop]

[18:39:07] Billy2Times Krams: YES MAGGIE & LETTE

[18:39:12] Billy2Times Krams: IGGY POP

#8:

[13:26:51] Cully Andel: COMPLETE THIS FILM QUOTE ‘INFAMY, INFAMY…….?

[13:26:56] Ocean Emerald: they all ahv eit in fro me

[13:26:56] Aria Sparta: theyve all got in infmay

[13:26:57] AnaMaria Quintessa: thayve all got it in for me

[13:26:57] Fiz Laval: theyve all got itt inforjmgnbtg

[13:27:01] Stone Gynoid: theyve allgotit infammy

[13:27:02] Cully Andel: OCEAN AND ARIA

[13:27:12] Cully Andel: CLOSE ENOUGH - THEY'VE ALL GOT IT INFAMY

#7:

[13:22:57] Lebn Bucyk: In the 1870s, Joel Chandler Harris collected the stories of this rabbit, which probably originated among the Cherokee, influenced by West African traditions.

[13:23:01] Lotus Ceriano: bre rerabby

[13:23:03] Olmstead Fanshaw: breer ragbitg

[13:23:06] Lou Netizen: barea rabbit

[13:23:09] Lou Netizen: brear rabbit

[13:23:15] Lebn Bucyk: OK Lotus

[13:23:50] Lebn Bucyk: Br'er Rabbit

#6:

[16:48:25] Honey Potez: INSPIRED BY WATCHING WORKERS BUILD AN ELECTRICAL SYSTEM ALONG THE NEW HAVEN-HARLEM LINE, 25 YEAR OLD DR. ALFRED CARLTON GILBERT CREATED THIS CLASSIC TOY.

[16:48:32] Lou Netizen: erectros

[16:48:36] Lette Ponnier: erector set

[16:48:44] Honey Potez: WD LOU AND LETTE!

[16:48:48] Honey Potez: ERECTOR SET

#5:

[16:58:04] Honey Potez: IN THIS CLASSIC GAME, YOU TRY TO WIN BY GUESSING THE CORRECT ALPHA-NUMERIC COMBINATIONS OF YOUR OPPONENT'S POSITIONS.

[16:58:08] Thurina Susa: battleshi

[16:58:08] Lette Ponnier: battelshiop[

[16:58:08] Juke Badger: battlesaghi[

[16:58:09] Igpay Morpork: battlehsip

[16:58:09] Thurina Susa: t

[16:58:09] Lou Netizen: battlehsip

[16:58:10] Kronos Recreant: batlls hsi'

[16:58:10] Olmstead Fanshaw: bvattleshop

[16:58:10] Jewels Carminucci: battlesphi

[16:58:15] Honey Potez: WD THURINA AND LETTE!

[16:58:19] Honey Potez: BATTLESHIP

#4

[13:24:59] Lotus Ceriano: 4: WHICH BAND HAD A 1997 HIT WITH “TUBTHUMPING”

[13:25:03] AnaMaria Quintessa: chumbawymba

[13:25:04] Tezcatlipoca Mistwood: chuimbawamba

[13:25:05] Lette Ponnier: chumba wyabma

[13:25:05] Maggie Sewell: chumbawumba

[13:25:11] Lotus Ceriano: YES ANA AND TEZ!

[13:25:11] Eleonora Quixote: chumbawamba

[13:25:11] Pearl Admiral: chumbawabagb

[13:25:19] Cully Andel: WD ANA AND TEZ

[13:25:34] Lotus Ceriano: A: CHUMBAWUMBA REACHED NO 2 IN THE UK CHART AND NO 6 IN THE US CHART

#3:

[21:38:17] Glimmer Mattercaster: what are the 2 old guys in the balcony's names?

[21:38:22] Juke Badger: staler waldorf

[21:38:24] Lette Ponnier: waldorf and statler

[21:38:26] Luce Portland: hahaha

[21:38:29] Thurina Susa: spaletn wand walkfdrin

#2:

[14:18:35] Maggie Sewell: 5) WHO ARE SHEM, HAM, AND JAPHETH?

[14:18:38] AnaMaria Quintessa: noahs sons

[14:18:39] Olmstead Fanshaw: sons ;of hnaha

[14:18:40] Lette Ponnier: noah'as sons

[14:18:41] Thurina Susa: noahs sones

[14:18:41] NonSmokerGirl Tulip: sons of hnoah

[14:18:41] Maggie Sewell: YES ANA

[14:19:08] Maggie Sewell: THE THREE SONS OF NOAH

#1:

[14:21:28] Maggie Sewell: 6) WHAT DO SHETLAND ISLANDERS CALL 'THE MERRY DANCERS'?

[14:21:33] AnaMaria Quintessa: noetgher nlights

[14:21:36] Maggie Sewell: YES ANA

[14:21:50] Maggie Sewell: THE AURORA BOREALIS

Boxbot Stone Gynoid

Photos taken at Sharon's Diner, http://slurl.com/secondlife/Doldari/111/115/68

Live trivia events are held at the diner most weekdays, 9am to 11am SLT, and will soon be the new site of Chaos Trivia/Truth or Dare, 8:30 to 11pm Saturday nights. There are games and several different kinds of trivia machines running around the clock.

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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

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If You Build It, They Will Come (for enough prize money)

Bunneh hangs out in Lebn Bucyk's Barefoot Park

I've been thinking lately about the variations in appearance of many of the trivia venues in SL and about whether a location's appearance affects my experience of the game there. I don't tend to shy away from the places that are less attractive, but I am definitely drawn to those that are more so. I don't think my surroundings directly affect whether I play well or not, but they do affect my mood, and if I do poorly, I don't mind it so much if I'm at Lebn's nice little park than if I'm at, say, a mostly empty dirt lot with camping chairs and spammy games. At least at Lebn's I will have had a pleasant time for reasons other than the trivia.

Attractiveness is relative, of course, and most of the places that look unattractive to someone who likes to find SL's most creative builds probably look just fine to those who are more likely to visit bland shopping malls and depressingly parceled sims with ban lines. My opinions about which trivia locations are best and which are best not mentioned are thus entirely subjective. Nonetheless, if it influences me, it probably influences others on a conscious or less-than-conscious level, in terms of their enjoyment of a trivia game. Here are some of the places I like and why I like them.

Armada. It's plagued by some of the most vicious lag demons in SL, but there's no denying that it's nevertheless a great-looking place. It's too bad that it's nearly impossible to play without turning off at least some of the rendering.

Barefoot in Jeongam. Lebn and Preston's park has a bit more floating text than it needs, and it has occasionally been cursed with overly flashy neighbors, but when the place is filled with players using the many poseballs around the fire, it is sweet, charming, cozy, and chill.

The Grotto. The location of last weekend's vampire trivia might host more events in the future. This underground space with marble steps and waterfalls not only is going to be one of the prettiest spots on the trivia circuit if it does but is rather attractive in its own right.

[MonoChrome]. The place is completely uncomplicated, free of ads and unnecessary poseballs. All of the floating text thingies are in one place, by the stage, and there isn't an overabundance of them. Seating is varied, and the dual levels and balconies keep the monochromatic from being monotonous as well.

Sharon's Diner. The regulars might joke about how badly the grease traps need cleaning, but Sharon does a good job of blending the sponsors' ads in with the fake ones. The place is not what you would call pretty, but it has lots of character, and character makes up for some of the details that might spoil the appearance of a less successfully eclectic space.

Sharon Scofield's trivia diner has kitsch. I love kitsch.

Then there are some things that seriously dampen a place's atmosphere. I should note, of course, that there's no absolute dealbreaker here, that (like at Sharon's) it's always possible that some elements can be balanced out by others.

Visible dance balls. Lilly's Irish Pub might have made my list of favorites if it weren't for their tidy little Intan ball going AWOL, while the floor suddenly became littered with more couples dance balls than they had previously (at least this was true the last time I was there). The interior decor is otherwise suitable for a pub, and they still have one of the best solo dance selections on the circuit in their discreet, clickable rug. Glendalough on the whole is rather beautiful, as well. Lilly's is also by far not the worst offender where those dance balls are concerned. I hinted to David Tuck once (albeit much more tactfully and subtly than I'm about to) that the plethora of dance balls all over the club Shiraz dance floor -- couples and line dances both -- were an eyesore. A couple of loyal Shiraz patrons generously donated an Intan ball, but David suggests that the poseballs are more newbie-friendly. While this may be true, I'm unconvinced that the club gets enough newbies on a nightly basis to justify the number of balls that remain out. Compact dance products that can animate solo avatars or produce couples balls on demand cut down on clutter, and it always makes me happy when club owners prefer to use those instead of lingering poseballs.

Zyngo, etc., machines. I understand that these games are very popular and that people who enjoy trivia games might enjoy them as well. I know that there are many reasons to have them at an establishment, not the least of which is that it can draw people to the location. I will only say that being popular doesn't make them any less ugly, and a responsible club owner will take into account how many a property can reasonably use without damaging the location's appearance too much. I personally wouldn't avoid a place due to the mere presence of game machines -- I'm not making an argument against them as a rule -- but I'd recommend simply being aware of how they might detract from a trivia site's appearance and not to use more than necessary.

Excess hover text. Hover text is useful for functional purposes, of course, and it's not usually possible -- or necessary -- to do away with it altogether. The problem emerges when there is so much hover text that it becomes difficult to see past it or when it becomes distracting. The SL eye is trained to ignore hover text when we don't need to see it, to a large extent, so that when it's so plentiful that we actually begin to notice it's there, it's too much.

I'm not going to touch issues of interior and exterior design and the use of quality builds because as subjective as my view already is, those things are much more obviously a matter of taste. My pickiness is mostly about dealing with unnecessary visual clutter that interferes with a location's overall appearance.

So now, since I probably have a few owners and managers and hosts of trivia establishments feeling either worried that I'm talking about their places or defensive because they know I am, let me talk a little about how exactly I believe the appearance of a trivia space could be important (and why it isn't always).

Basically, it's a matter of many, many different factors falling into position to make one's experience of a trivia space positive or not. Appearance is only one of them, but I thought it was an important one to bring up because it doesn't arise in most conversations unless a place is particularly attractive or unattractive. The factors also include the crowd, the trivia, the host(s), the prize amounts, and whether there are other draws, such as a live DJ, dancers, dancing, contests, or yes, even Zyngo games. Low lag also goes a long way. If a location gets high marks in most of these other areas, then chances are, an event can take place in the tackiest club in SL, for all that appearance will matter.

In addition, there is much to be said for intelligent placement: Lebn's place made my list of favorites despite the fact that there are a slew of danceballs at one end of the park; however, they are set apart from where the trivia takes place and are not too conspicuous. Sharon's Diner is chock full of clutter, but she works with it in such a way that it becomes ironic clutter and not just incidental clutter. Like her random music stream, it has a kitschy feel that challenges any kind of generalization one could make about even the few identifiable trouble spots I've highlighted. A space with pink flamingos, satirical ads on graffiti-covered bus benches, and a random meat hook can get away with a lot more ephemera than a space that takes itself too seriously.

There are probably very few hardcore trivia players who will avoid a place with good questions and decent payouts strictly because of its appearance, but it is a factor for some that gets balanced out with the rest of it. Making your trivia space a pleasant place to hang out in, preferably with floaty clutter in moderation, can influence the overall feel of the location and enhance players' experience so that you don't have to worry about whether those other factors make up for the aesthetics.

CultureCannibal Zilz and CapabilityTodd Elswit's Grotto in Villa Vesuviana will be offering trivia with class on a trial basis in the coming month.

SLURLs:
Barefoot in Jeongam: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Jeongam/73/25/54
Sharon's Diner: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Doldari/117/119/67
The Grotto: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Melioria/64/77/25

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Up For Discussion: Alt! Who Goes There?

Last weekend, I learned that someone had outed my alt to a few people, two of whom already knew about it. The harm at that end was not major because I've more or less regarded it as an open secret anyway, that people who didn't care didn't know, while people who enjoy alt hunting probably figured it out already. I also don't use my alt for any truly deceptive purposes, so it's not like I was caught with my pants down about anything.

I use my alt for two reasons: 1) because different sides of my personality come out when I'm using each avatar, and I have ended up with a different social dynamic when I go to places; sometimes I just feel more connected to the social group with one than with the other; and 2) because Lette Ponnier is really frigging busy, and it's nice to have a lesser-known av that doesn't have to do announcements and host games but can still play trivia and talk with the friends who know that both are me. I can deal with trivia business to whatever extent I want with my alt, and if the person I'm talking to wants to get too professional on me, I can just say, "Sorry, but I left that info in my other inventory."

There were other reasons that I was upset about what happened; in particular, there was disclosure of RL info in the mix, too, for which I ARed his ass. What made me really upset, though, was the moral arrogance he conveyed throughout the entire thing. He seemed to consider the use of alts inherently wrong and deceptive, regardless of their purpose. When one of his confidantes informed him that she too had more than one av, he merely expressed shock and ended the conversation. To my knowledge he hasn't chatted with her since. Plenty of people don't use alts and don't ever want to, but this attitude of moral righteousness was a first for me. It seems like it hadn't occurred to him that alts, far from being the tools of the wicked, are often part of the day-to-day of SL. The room I was in when I heard about what happened contained at least nine people whom I knew had more than one avatar... and that's only the people I knew of.

So here are some questions, and don't forget that if you want to post anonymously, you may do so. How do you feel about alts? In trivia or otherwise? Do you have any? What do you use them for? Do you have any experiences, good or bad, that have contributed to how you feel about them? Are there things that you're ok with people using alts for and others you're not? If so, what? If you don't have alts, why not? And because this is a trivia blog, I'd be especially interested to know how the use or non-use of alts figures into playing or hosting for you, including whether your awareness of alts affects how you run an event.

Now posting from:

Rev, Nelly, Maggie, Pinklady, Sharon, and Carrie avoid the diner smells by hanging in the lot

Sharon's Diner holds trivia most weekday mornings from 9:00 to 11:00am, http://slurl.com/secondlife/Doldari/113/120/67

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