@GregMartin My meta post said I didn't think this site was the appropriate venue for heated political debate. I made no comment on the actual issue at hand and yet still get all sorts of things assumed about me in the comments. And this chat. My opinion is the more we let this site drift in that direction the more the good content will drown in junk. I understand most users might not share that opinion and that I'm free to leave if I don't like it.

@CapeCode Just to say that your view as stated in this comment is what I always understood from your meta post :) Moreover, as I think I said in meta, I am currently inclined to share your opinion, but as you say if most users don't share that opinion then so be it

Is it necessary to have a source for an example that is well known(Block World problem)

I am supervising three undergrad research/thesis projects this semester and I can't find a single time slot when all three are available for a group meeting.

The semester only just started and I'm already over it :(

@ff524 I had a professor in undergrad who solved this problem by scheduling the meeting at 7 am on Monday. I bet they are free then. I bet they also will not show up.

@ff524 No, no: you choose the time slot, and they'd better show up ;-)

@StrongBad I definitely would not show up.

The earliest I will agree to a meeting is 11. 10 in exceptional circumstances.

A colleague of mine and I tend to fix meetings with students early in the morning, 8:30-9. We start saying them: "Let's meet 8:30!". Panic on their side: "Please, please, could we meet at least at 9?". At 8:30, at the coffee machine, we then make the usual old-farts complains: "Do you realize that we're the oldests here and we're still the firsts to show up?" :-)

@MassimoOrtolano meanwhile, the students are judging all you old people for leaving in the early evening while they stay at work till late into the night :)

@ff524 Eh, I wish it were like that :-( Nowadays it's becoming harder and harder to find students who work late into the night (another usual old-fart complain ;-) ).

@MassimoOrtolano I have to work late into the night, because I spend all day procrastinating...

@ff524 Lol... just don't say to yourself: "Ok, today I'll procrastinate day and night, but tomorrow I'll work day and night!" ;-)

@CapeCode and @YemonChoi I'm one of those who think that this site should be open to borderline (with respect to the policy) and possibly controversial questions. The reason for this is that I think that limiting too much the scope would lead to an impoverishment of the site, with the risk of dealing only with Mother may I? questions.

Indeed, it's up to us to avoid that controversial questions become a political debate. I think that the enrichment that we can get by broadening as much as possible the accepted questions is worth the effort.

@MassimoOrtolano When I became a parent, my daily rhythm was first utterly destroyed and now it’s adjusting to a very early one. So when I am trying to find a time for meeting with an “old fart”, and they suggest, say “Tuesday morning” but can’t decide on a time, I put them off by suggesting six o’clock and can be certain that the decision is back to them.

@Wrzlprmft When I'm abroad visiting a lab I try to adapt to the local schedule. A few years ago I was in Germany for a week, at PTB. "What time do you come?", I asked to the German colleague. "6-6.30!", he answered. Gosh. But we agreed to meet around 8 ;-)