The Factory Floor

3:07 AM

@overactor thanks for those

6:20 AM

@HDE226868 The Kinghts Hospitaliers (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_Hospitaller) is probably something to start with for you. Similar to the templars, they were knights and monks. But contrary to them, they did not focus on banking and protection, but healing during the Crusades and generally in the Middle-East

Tim B

10:40 AM

@DaaaahWhoosh The "star" thing is similar to an upvote in chat

bowlturner

1:53 PM

@DaaaahWhoosh it happened. Last night I got my first downvote on that question.

Holy crap. I have 200 today before I even started work! Now what am I going to do?

bilbo_pingouin

@bowlturner pretty easy, time your WB work in 10 hours from now ;-)

or accept the loss of rep

bowlturner

:) I might go and look for questions to answer for tags or badges, maybe do some Archaeology...

bilbo_pingouin

have a good dive :)

DaaaahWhoosh

2:14 PM

speaking of archaeology, anyone ever try reading their old answers? I was reading the first answer I ever posted the other day, and it was really interesting.

It wasn't just a good an interesting answer, but for some reason I really like to read my own stuff that I don't remember writing

bowlturner

Well I tend to reread my old answers when they get new upvotes. I've also gone back and reread 0 upvote answers. I've deleted many of the 0 answers...

DaaaahWhoosh

Coincidentally, I just found a question to which we both posted answers with 0 upvotes

bowlturner

:) which one is that?

DaaaahWhoosh

I'd say the one you just got +10 for, but you're already at your cap, so worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/13773/…

I think it's the first of three questions I can remember asking the same thing, I think I keep on linking to it

I don't think many people know the term 'allopatric speciation'

bowlturner

Ya, that was one I thought I had a good answer even though it never got a +, So it stayed. It helps that there wasn't much for activity on the other ones either. Yours isn't a zero anymore either.

ya, I'm sure that had a lot to do with the low visiblity

Wow I have a line that was starred 4 times! I'm famous! ;)

DaaaahWhoosh

2:26 PM

You're just saying what we're all thinking

but yes, you're also famous

bowlturner

OOOHHH!

It looks like I have a chance at a SECOND Guru badge, though I shouldn't say that, might jinx it.

DaaaahWhoosh

I have a strange desire to remove my upvote...

bowlturner

I REALLY need to stop temping you!

DaaaahWhoosh

2:48 PM

@bowlturner lucky for you I have an interesting problem at work to hold my attention. It's hard to write a JQuery selector for a group of elements that may not exist yet...

bowlturner

Just use your imagination! :)

DaaaahWhoosh

lol that may have just made my day, but I don't think it'll help :(

Tim B

Hmm, I bountied an unanswered question but then looked closely and realised it was almost an exact duplicate of his previous question

oh well

I should stop doing bounties really, people are getting ahead of me on rep

bowlturner

I should probably do some more. Especially today, since I've already hit 200.

@TimB I'd probably have time today for that interview if your still interested.

Tim B

yeah, definitely want to do it sometime. It's not been urgent as there are 2 or 3 in the queue but be good to get it done

I can do it now if you want, although I'm at work so might be slow to respond occasionally

bowlturner

2:56 PM

Ya, I knew you had a surplus. Well I'm at work too, so my responses might not be immediate either

DaaaahWhoosh

Anyone else ever feel bad about being on Worldbuilding at work?

bowlturner

Just to be clear, that was a yes, I could do it now.

James

@DaaaahWhoosh ...nope

there are days I stop by chat before I check my email lol

bowlturner

Not really, as long as I get SOMETHING done at work

Serban Tanasa

@DaaaahWhoosh, what work, there's a snowpocalypse going on in DC, even the metro is shutting down tonight!

In typical DC fashion, there is yet no actual snow on the ground.

bowlturner

3:01 PM

bah! if you can sorta see the road through the snow, you can make it to work! (MN)

DaaaahWhoosh

I had a good time Tuesday, sliding all over the place. Sounds like it might happen later today too

Tim B

I don't actually spend much time on her during working hours, you need to take a break occasionally anyway

if I was spending hours and hours on here then that would be bad but checking chat and mod flags a couple of times a day isn't a problem

Serban Tanasa

@bowlturner, i used to live in Michigan, so I'm with you there. Yesterday there was a light dusting of half an inch, and people were 7 (SEVEN) hours late getting home last night

bowlturner

Well other than chat this week, I usually just check stuff, frequently, but for very short periods of time.

@SerbanTanasa Ya, I drove home a week or two ago 30 miles in a blizzard, only took an extra 10 minutes.

James

@bowlturner I used to drive this big 1990 dodge ram charger when I lived in Minneapolis...when they plowed residential streets they would leave this 2 - 3 foot median of snow in the middle of the street...

we would drive down the middle in my tank or smash into it from a cross street...

bowlturner

3:12 PM

@James :) I like to go into empty parking lots and do donuts in the snow. Let the back drift around...

James

@bowlturner always a good time, in the four years I lived in minneapolis they never once cancelled class for snow.

Tim B

places that are used to snow people have the equipment and expereince to deal with it

people that aren't....don't.

bowlturner

In my college town, they canceled classes 2 while I was there, we had a blizzard and the wind chill was -60. Otherwise? deal with it

(at the same time)

James

@bowlturner man up heh.

wind chill does suck....

Tim B

3:29 PM

technically it blows

bowlturner

Actually it depends... (from working in a gas flow business for a few years)

Debugging an Excel spreadsheet report written by a finance guy, with VBA and I've only dabbled in, is difficult. BUT I'M MAKING PROGRESS!

Tim B

4:43 PM

Hmm, am I being too harsh on the poor prisoners?

0

A: How to contain a shapeshifter

Assuming injuries are taken with you from one form to another then break their arms. They can still walk in human form, but a bird form cannot fly and a quadruped cannot run or even really walk. If they do change form and it's smaller than human put a spiked collar on them and keep them in that...

bowlturner

brutal but effective

Tim B

5:15 PM

I should write some answers or questions or something, push over that 30k boundry :)

DaaaahWhoosh

6:12 PM

@TimB I suggest you try coming up with another clickbait question, then I can answer it and get a little closer to 10k

even 9k would be nice right now, I feel like I'm being left behind

DaaaahWhoosh

6:26 PM

not that I was ever in the lead, but for a while I was moving up the leaderboard

James

7:25 PM

@DaaaahWhoosh I like the zombie question

DaaaahWhoosh

@James yeah, I'm hoping people go to interesting places with it

James

@DaaaahWhoosh I wasn't all the creative...I said melt them all.

DaaaahWhoosh

@James See, I'd agree with you, except the zombies I've described are basically mentally handicapped people with AIDS. What I want to know is what happens when the zombies have mothers.

I guess I'm really just taking a bunch of terrible illnesses, combining them, then infecting a significant minority of the population with it. We'd want to burn them, sure, but would we? Could we?

James

...I could

DaaaahWhoosh

If I ever get infected, I'm shambling the hell away from wherever you live

I guess the part I never considered is just how dangerous these zombies would still be. Since no one knows how it happened, no one knows if it's going to get worse

bowlturner

7:39 PM

@DaaaahWhoosh I gave it a try. That was answer 660... I should do some real work

DaaaahWhoosh

@bowlturner this is the real work. People need to know the answers to these questions.

Universe Factory

Universe Factory — Medium: Meeting the Worldbuilders — Monica Cellio

posted on January 22, 2016 by Tim Boura

This article is from a series here on Universe Factory, where we look at the people behind the Worldbuilding. We present a number of short… Continue reading on Medium »

James

@DaaaahWhoosh Its life or fake death!

DaaaahWhoosh

7:56 PM

It's certainly more life-threatening than the work I'm doing right now, unless you consider me being unemployed life-threatening

bilbo_pingouin

@DaaaahWhoosh you're unemployed atm ?

DaaaahWhoosh

@bilbo_pingouin No, I have a job, I'm just not actually doing it at this very moment :)

too much time on WB is not the kind of thing that gets you raises

bilbo_pingouin

yeah... tell me about it.

DaaaahWhoosh

It's strange, though, people seem to think I'm doing a lot of work, and maybe I am, but they all seem to be working a lot more than me

But apparently they all used to have much lighter workloads, so maybe they don't know how to give me more to do

bilbo_pingouin

that's something I've been wondering a lot since some years... I am procrastinating A LOT. And I really mean it. And in any review, or feed back people see me as hard working. I left to wonder it the others just do the same...

Serban Tanasa

8:05 PM

what's this work everyone keeps talking about

bowlturner

They see you typing away at WB

you must be working hard!

Serban Tanasa

i mostly wander around the office with a bright orange mug full of coffee

talking to people

then i play on some virtual machines for a few hours every now and again

bowlturner

@SerbanTanasa Can you get me a hot cocoa? Ya, that would be great!

Serban Tanasa

make shiny stuff

i only bought 12 pound jars of cocoa for the snowpocalyse, not sure i have enough to share

bilbo_pingouin

@SerbanTanasa, you're Wally, right? :D

DaaaahWhoosh

8:13 PM

this snowpocalypse stuff is scaring me, mostly because it seems to be a nationwide event

there's not even any snow here, and it's 3PM, but the office is already clearing out

James

@DaaaahWhoosh Everything that happens on the east coast is a "nationwide event"

being from the midwest I can tell you its annoying.

Serban Tanasa

DC is already buried under, i can hardly see the National Giant Phallus anymore.

must be AT LEAST half an inch of snow :0

James

@SerbanTanasa lol

DaaaahWhoosh

@SerbanTanasa I'd look that up to see what phallus you're referring to, but I don't like my chances

Serban Tanasa

nps.gov/wamo/index.htm

DaaaahWhoosh

8:20 PM

ah right, that one. I was up in it once (innuendo not intended), but for some reason I have better memories of seeing it in Fallout 3

bilbo_pingouin

8:41 PM

@bowlturner and @James, you've probably seen that video theshrug.com/…, haven't you?

bowlturner

Awesome knife.

bilbo_pingouin

I don't really get the amount of work put into it, but I certainly would be happy to possess such a knife

bowlturner

That was a bit of work, and even more incredible craftsmanship.

I just tried an answer that I would like to get the necromancer badge for, but I'm afraid it isn't quite up to snuff for that. But I tried!

bilbo_pingouin

necromancer is one where you can get more than one, right?

bowlturner

yes, if you can get more than one answer on a question over 60 days old AND get 5 upvotes...

DaaaahWhoosh

8:56 PM

This is probably the only site where you can get the Necromancer badge on a question about necromancy

bilbo_pingouin

@bowlturner on meta, it's pretty easy: meta.worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/1768/… (I actually got 2 of them there)

bowlturner

I would love to get a favorite badge. The best I've gotten is 12 and my post apocalyptic just hit 10 as my second one in double digits. I can't imagine what it would take to get a steller question badge. Hmm, maybe I should start favoring more to help others too...

@bilbo_pingouin ha that it could be!

Serban Tanasa

@bowlturner, took me about a year to get a favorite badge on Subtle Magic

but traffic is up significantly since we're out of beta, right?

bilbo_pingouin

I don't think it's that hard to get a necro badge. For some reason, I think it's harder to get a revival one

stats go with me: 32 necromancers and 7 revival on WB

bowlturner

@SerbanTanasa yes traffic seems to be increasing

@bilbo_pingouin yes the revival here on WB is much harder

we answer everything and most get at least one answer with 2 upvotes.

bilbo_pingouin

9:07 PM

yes... there are a few questions here and there that are candidates for revival... but there are often a reason why no answer got 2 or more upvotes

bowlturner

exactly

Serban Tanasa

my goal is Socratic

seems like one of the hardest to get

bowlturner

ya, that one will take me a while yet. at 37/100! at this rate another 2 years!

bilbo_pingouin

actually on WB, the hardest badges are tumbleweed (I got it elsewhere), Reversal, Tenacious and Unsund Hero

James

@bowlturner ok...welding the rebar to the billet is genius...

bowlturner

9:10 PM

Right, you ain't getting those for quite a while yet. Maybe never. I know I'm not going to get tenacious or Unsung here.

@James ya, a of professional black smiths do that. First you need a welder.

bilbo_pingouin

@SerbanTanasa, you want challenge? Try Legendary :D

Serban Tanasa

is that the daily rep one?

bowlturner

@James I got my pic from my work last night.

bilbo_pingouin

@SerbanTanasa yep, or Marshal (500 helpful flags)

bowlturner

@SerbanTanasa I now have 29/50 to be more than half Epic!

James

9:14 PM

Amazing you can't tell that's damascus until the very end...

Wow...that is an incredible knife...

bowlturner

Today should count as 2 I think I would have had over 400 points today.

Yes it was.

James

@bowlturner Looks good

bowlturner

Can't think what he'd have to charge to make it worth while

@James thanks

James

@bowlturner Oh there's no way you make your money back on that one...the billet alone was probably worth 600 bucks.

So planning to drill holes in the leaves and use it as a door handle?

bowlturner

yep, though I'm hoping to sell it in the gift shop. I don't have a door planned right now to use it.

James

9:17 PM

I may rip off your idea...if I sell anything I will send you 10%

bilbo_pingouin

(illuminator is also a certain challenge: edit and answer 500 questions)

bowlturner

Woot!

Well I've gotten 2 of the 5 upvotes I need for raising the dead.

James

@bilbo_pingouin Thanks for sharing that.

bilbo_pingouin

@James glad you like it :) I've seen it around Facebook and it reminded me of your discussions

Serban Tanasa

@bowlturner, how do you check that, we have a query on meta?

bowlturner

9:31 PM

@SerbanTanasa sorry check what?

Serban Tanasa

epicness

bowlturner

There are queries, but there is a much easier one.

Serban Tanasa

from the activity tab, right

bowlturner

right, you can select which badge you are 'following' and they all tell you how close you are

73 to socratic is awesome

Serban Tanasa

it's tricky, 'cause if you ask a half-baked question, it gets closed, and you actually lose socratic points

bilbo_pingouin

9:36 PM

@SerbanTanasa what do you mean you lose points?

Serban Tanasa

closed questions subtract from socratic points

bowlturner

Ya, I've been lucky, I had one closed as a dup, and one transferred.

Are you sure? if you delete it I bet you get them back

Serban Tanasa

nope, deleted is even more negpoints

bowlturner

My dup did not count against me

Serban Tanasa

hmm

bowlturner

9:38 PM

I have 38 questions, 1 dup and my score is 37. but maybe dups don't count like other bad questions?

Serban Tanasa

maybe the dup just subtracts itself

bilbo_pingouin

Serban, they have to be on separate days that might explain some discrepancy...?

Serban Tanasa

if you then go ahead and delete it, it subtracts 1 more

yup

bilbo_pingouin

well for me it's simple... 12 questions on 12 days, none closed (on WB)

bowlturner

hmm. I'm going to do a search for socratic scoring.

Serban Tanasa

9:40 PM

it's on our meta

i added a link

oh, you mean the actual algorithm

i meant for the query

i have 83 questions, 4 closed, about 3 or 4 i guess in the same day as others...

bowlturner

(total questions - negative questions - closed - deleted) / total questions >= 0.5

is the equation I'm seeing

Serban Tanasa

yeah, so closed and deleted and negative would count -3

well, net minus 2

>= 0.5?

bilbo_pingouin

ok, just closed and not negative would be fine.

Serban Tanasa

There's gotta be 100 somewhere

just closed and not negative would count as 0

bilbo_pingouin

I just learned that it is possible to get socratic multiple time... ^^"

Serban Tanasa

9:45 PM

hmm, my subtle magic question is 6 votes away from a great question

bowlturner

right. So as long as I don't delete my dup it only washes out. not plus or minus

Serban Tanasa

hadn't realized i was that close

bowlturner

@bilbo_pingouin you mean on more than 1 site? or can you get 200 good questions?

bilbo_pingouin

200 good questions

Serban Tanasa

never heard of that

bowlturner

9:46 PM

Got a link?

bilbo_pingouin

13

Q: Track next Socratic badge progress

Just got the Socratic badge on StackOverflow and, since it can be awarded multiple times, wanted to start tracking progress to the next one, but, the badge is not shown in Available badges to track anymore: Is it possible to track already awarded badges that can be awarded multiple times?

or that one meta.stackexchange.com/questions/242299/…

bowlturner

ya, just found this. meta.stackexchange.com/questions/242299/…

asking if the Legandary could be achieved multiple times

bilbo_pingouin

yes same as my second link

I agree with the answer on that one though ;)

bowlturner

Oh, didn't see that one

bilbo_pingouin

(Monica's everywhere! ;-))

bowlturner

9:49 PM

she had a good rebuttal

Serban Tanasa

hmm, she's still a moderator here, right?

bilbo_pingouin

Actually the answer was there...

worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/help/badges/89/socratic

@SerbanTanasa yep... see her interview on the blog ;)

freshly baked... er published

bowlturner

I see her come in with a broom frequently and chase people into a chat on some questions and answers

bilbo_pingouin

if you guys were more often on the chat for the blog, you'd see her more often ;-)

bowlturner

you trying to get me fired!?

even more time not working...

bilbo_pingouin

9:56 PM

yes, one can spend a huge amount of time on SE network...

I'm impressed by those accumulating more than 10k on several sites...

bowlturner

10:33 PM

My tag suggestion for the challenge is the first on page 2 :(

Tim B

I'm more than 10k on several sites

it's no harder than one 1 site really

bilbo_pingouin

there were a creature design challenge, so fauna wasn't completely forgotten

Tim B

if you have a wide enough range of knwoeldge

bilbo_pingouin

@TimB and you get my respect for that

Tim B

9 more upvotes for satan and I get a great question gold badge there

bilbo_pingouin

10:36 PM

I did not mean it for the difficulty. I meant it for the time it needs

Tim B

I think the well has run dry though

facebook cthulu got me the great question badge...155 upvotes...but only 34 stars

bilbo_pingouin

I'm also 9 short of a great answer... but since longer time

Tim B

51

Q: What Java Collection should I use?

In this question How can I efficiently select a Standard Library container in C++11? is a handy flow chart to use when choosing C++ collections. I thought that this was a useful resource for people who are not sure which collection they should be using so I tried to find a similar flow chart for...

java algorithm arraylist collections hashmap

that's probably my best shot at 100 favourites

because I'm at 44 stars to 51 upvotes and it's still climbing steadily

I have 28.5k here, 27k on stack overflow

not much anywhere else, a few thousand on rpg and a bit over a thousand on workplace and arqude

workplace has given me 1267 rep for 11 answers though which is pretty good going :D

bilbo_pingouin

,> [do you need Java?] , -no-> [good]
'--------------yes---------'

flow chart for Java ;-)

Tim B

your insecurities about your inferior language choice are noted and will be treated with the respect they deserve. (i.e. mocked mercilessly)

bilbo_pingouin

10:43 PM

SO and Workplace are probably good places to get some rep, due to the heavy traffic

Java deserves a lot of respect. Since a few years it joined its betters as a real language, being able to compile/run itself ;)

finally, the long awaited interview of bowlturner ;-)

Ikaros

11:35 PM

Hello.

I do message here because I do not really understand what this StackExchange is about.

I mean, to what extend must those questions and answers be serious

bilbo_pingouin

@Ikaros Hi! You mean Stack Exchange in general or Worldbuilding in particular?

Ikaros

World Building :)

bilbo_pingouin

well the main idea is that, for example, to write a story, one needs to develop a fictional world

making a world different from ours but yet realistic

Ikaros

Well my question remains the same : to what extend must I build proofs to confirm my point?

bilbo_pingouin

we are quite flexible there

Ikaros

11:40 PM

Okay! I guess the real way to understand the scope of it is to ask/answer questions anyway!

bilbo_pingouin

note that we have a sandbox on meta

if you want to test

Ikaros

Oh?

bilbo_pingouin

as long as it is about world building, it would be accepted

being serious... or not.

Ikaros

This seems quite interesting :D I guess I'm going to "try" to get into it !

bilbo_pingouin

22

Q: Sandbox for Proposed Questions

What is the Sandbox? This "Sandbox" is a place where Worldbuilding.SE users can get feedback on prospective questions they wish to post. This is useful because writing a clear and fully specified question on the first try can be difficult. There is a much better chance of your question being wel...

discussion questions sandbox

we have some questions for unrealistic worlds

and some that look for scientific precisions

welcome and looking forward to read your question(s)

Ikaros

11:45 PM

Now is time for me to sleep but I'll give it a deeper look tomorrow!

Thanks for your time!

bilbo_pingouin

no problem

I should be sleeping as well

HDE 226868

11:56 PM

Is anyone else here going to be hit by the blizzard?

Serban Tanasa

dunno, I have too many board games and too much alcohol to look outside. But yeah, there's a snowpocalypse going on, apparently.

DaaaahWhoosh

@HDE226868 I think it's snowing outside, but nothing a quick gust of wind won't fix. It was great though, everyone else went home early, so I didn't hit any traffic going home

also, whoo, 9k rep!

Transcript for