The Bridge

> In other news, Ep 29 "Subway" comes out next Thursday 8/15, feat guest writer Russel Swensen (@scribblymouse)

EAT FRESH. EAT SO TERRIBLY FRESH.

Also, apparently The Weather is booked solid for the next year.

OrigamiRobot

3:24 AM

Awesome

@OrigamiRobot Says the guy who doesn't listen to the weather

OrigamiRobot

I can still appreciate that it's a good thing.

user15026

@LessPop_MoreFizz I find the weather is very hit or miss or me

Hi

user15026

Hello!

3:32 AM

indifferent-cats-in-amateur-porn dot tumblr dot com. NOT EVEN REMOTELY WORK-SAFE I MEAN READ THE NAME, but also totally hilarious.

@SaintWacko Darksiders II: Because of concerns that the game could be saved into an inconsistent state (example), I'm considering putting the save files into an SVN repository (version control).

But are there possible unexpected consequences if I replace save files manually, especially with my Steam account? I'm not doing this to cheat, I'm doing this to prevent a loss of progress should there be a problem with the game.

You mean w/r/t Steamcloud? Steamcloud don't care, your saves are just a bunch of timestamped files.

@Brant I have definitely linked that here before, and yes, it is glorious

user15026

@LessPop_MoreFizz It kills me

@Brant This is awesome

3:40 AM

@Brant: There are save files located at %UserProfile%\Documents\My Games\Darksiders2; does Steam Cloud actually use about these files or are they read from elsewhere? Can Steam Cloud get confused about these files should I put them under version control (due to the .svn administrative directory)? Should I disable Steam Cloud (since I currently play on only one computer)?

There is a movie in production called The Throbbit apparently. I assume it is a midget porn parody.

Note: The folder to be put under version control is going to be My Games, not the Darksiders2folder within it, and so .svn is going to be in the My Games folder (I am using Subversion 1.8, so no extra .svn folders).

user15026

@LessPop_MoreFizz Gotta be.

I'm not 100% sure how Steamcloud works, but I believe it just syncs a folder with the server version based on last-modified timestamps after you quit a game. You can always just back up the whole save directory first and test it out.

@AshleyNunn I am informed that it is in fact not porn at all.

3:45 AM

@Brant: just to confirm, you are familiar with version control, right?

(oh, SVN 1.8 finally got rid of those blasted .svn folders scattered everywhere, eh?)

Which leads me to assume that whoever is financing it just got bored with lighting their money on fire.

@Brant: This is since SVN 1.7

user15026

@LessPop_MoreFizz I find myself oddly disappointed

IT IS UP.

For about 15 seconds.

3:46 AM

@Brant: subversion.apache.org/docs/release-notes/1.7.html#wc-ng

@AshleyNunn The post card set is pretty baller as well.

The only .svn folder is in the root of the working copy.

user15026

@LessPop_MoreFizz DOES IT ACTUALLY GLOW

... Clearly Mario Kart 7 is designed to cheat me out of 1st place. 10 times in a row, foiled just before the finish line by a blue shell (or other devastating unavoidable. After /finally/ managing to place first, on the second tack the game freezes 5 seconds from the finish line.

user15026

@LessPop_MoreFizz Site is broken for me, can't see it

3:50 AM

@DragonLord I found a post on the Steam forums that talks about how Steam Cloud actually handles syncing, maybe it'll provide some insight.

My gut feeling is that what you're trying to do won't cause any problems at all.

@Brant: I know it sounds silly to use a VCS for game save files, but it sure beats manually copying files--I'll be able to backtrack as far as needed should the game save becomes inconsistent and it takes little more than svn ci in a command prompt.

Please convince me that it is a bad idea to drink the rest of this six pack of beer on my own tonight

user15026

3-D Printed Mini-you? No Problem.

Heh… Now I'm imagining a game where branching and merging different timelines is a core gameplay mechanic.

user15026

So creepy.

user15026

3:52 AM

@LessPop_MoreFizz How much is left?

@AshleyNunn Not exactly half.

user15026

@Brant So like Radiant Historia?

Has anyone here thought about using version control (SVN, Git, etc.) for game saves?

@AshleyNunn YES THE GLOW CLOUD SHIRT GLOWS IN THE DARK CONFIRMED

user15026

@LessPop_MoreFizz EEEEEEEEEEE

user15026

3:54 AM

@LessPop_MoreFizz I am a bad influence so I say drink it especially if it is tasty

@LessPop_MoreFizz OKAY FINE I'LL LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

@Brant GOOD.

Are you Smarter than a 3rd through 8th Grader in New York City?

3

@Brant: thoughts on using a VCS for game save files in general?

It's a clever idea, I think, especially if you're worried about corruption.

user15026

4:01 AM

@LessPop_MoreFizz The whole miles thing is tripping me up even though it never actually affects the questions

@AshleyNunn and people mocked the NYC Dept. of Ed. for doing things like removing questions about birthday presents from word problems because some kids don't get birthday presents.

it is just a distraction to introduce unfamiliar elements like that.

user15026

@LessPop_MoreFizz It is really hard because my brain atuomatically goes "I dont know miles" and then I feel like i have to guess

user15026

even though if you took the word miles out, I would be fine

birthday presents

user15026

I got 8/12

4:05 AM

@Ethan Yup. Also Halloween candy, aliens, dinosaurs, and divorce.

why

It's not about endorsing the fact that some students might object to or be unfamiliar with or be bothered by these things. It's just that, when you're writing a word problem for a math test, there's no good reason to go there anyway, so why bother including it in the test?

are you interested in this

@Ethan I live in New York City, and the actions of my local government are of great interest ti me.

that sounds generic

4:07 AM

Also, I have a sibling, a parent, a best friend, and several other friends and relatives who are employed in new york city schools.

does this really change anything tho

So I am aware of the things which go on that affect them and which they talk about.

so what some words have been changed

user15026

@LessPop_MoreFizz This

user15026

I found it just got super confusing

user15026

4:09 AM

I mean I do not do well with numbers

user15026

but having words that didnt mean anything in there just made it worse

@AshleyNunn The problem is that outside of a few jobs, I don't see people encountering "numbers-only" math problems all that often.

@LessPop_MoreFizz 11/12... which is interesting, because the one answer what was wrong was #6 (i chose 11/12 ... kinda forgot what conclusion i was trying to reach)

user15026

@Yawus oh, I know, and I do no better in those situations

user15026

I am not good at applying math to things

4:19 AM

@TrentHawkins You got it partially right. By Wednesday, the guy put 11/12ths of the fence.

So, on Wednesday, he needed to put up the remaining 1/12th of the fence.

YOUR SCORE: 12/12

@Yawus Yeah... i got that far in my calculations, saw 11/12 on the page and jumped the gun, forgetting that I wanted what he did on wednesday.

@TrentHawkins I almost did that

My biggest problem with tests these days is the fact that they are mostly multiple choice.

Multiple choice makes things way too easy.

I end up not looking for the right answer, so much as I start eliminating the wrong answers. For several questions, that ended up being the faster way of doing things.

also, one of the questions I got correct was a miss-click... I clicked on the middle of the page to re-focus firefox... apparently the clickable area is anywhere in a rather wide line, not just the checkbox. :/

4:22 AM

@Yawus I agree with getting rid of multiple choice. I don't think they are too easy though. Some of them can be very tricky and end up coming down to a time/question type of thing. Also when they introduce you lose marks for getting it wrong it also makes it much more challenging.

Got all twelve of the questions right

And that's a problem since comparatively few real-world questions will give you all our options up front.

Ullallulloo

lolhitler

I'm surprised that schoolchildren are already taught the distributive property by third grade...

On the last question:

2(x − 3) = 2x + 5

In my opinion, multiple choice sacrifices test comprehensiveness for expediency. Sure, you'll get all those grades back so much faster by running them through Scantron, but that's serving the teachers, not the students.

@DragonLord Isn't that the answer?

4:25 AM

My biggest problem with multiple choice was that, inevitably they always ended up looking like: [] almost correct, [] correct, [] almost correct, [] kittens

@Yawus: sorry

user15026

Discovery: Laundry piles on your floor are actually GOOD things for when you accidentally roll off your bed because Steam startles you

Tim Stone

@TrentHawkins Well kittens is the obvious choice.

@DragonLord Were you pointing out that they had an incorrect answer or something? I dunno...

@TimStone Kittens is always the right choice.

@TimStone I know right? but my grades depend on my abandoning my love for kittens. :(

4:27 AM

Kittehs!

@Yawus: no, just wondering if anyone actually understands basic algebra here, especially with an equation that simplifies to something obviously contradictory

@DragonLord Oh. I learned that in 6th grade, I think. Don't recall actually.

Then again, I'm studying Computer Science, so I think I'm expected to know at least basic algebra.

@Yawus: and it so happens that I am an honors student studying CS as well.

Anyway, that "Kittehs" link I posted is the latest in a series of livestreams this guy does for kittens that serve as an adoption drive, pretty much.

user15026

@Yawus oh no

4:29 AM

I'm surprised that so few people (adults to be exact) actually understand algebra today...

user15026

I am doomed

user15026

I want all the kittens

user15026

all of them

@DragonLord It's surprising how many people say they don't know algebra or don't remember it but do it instinctively. Like during baking or grocery shopping, for example.

I think that when it comes to test formats, a hybrid multiple-choice/written-response test is best, with about 40% from the MC questions and 60% from the WR questions.

4:33 AM

@DragonLord Multiple choice needs to go all together. It encourages no feedback/laziness from the teachers and doesn't assist the student at all.

The other problem with multiple choice is that it does fairly little to demonstrate the thought process of the student, which is critical for teaching them how to correct their mistakes, in my opinion.

Ullallulloo

@LessPop_MoreFizz What's the difference between A and C on number 9?

@Ullallulloo A says that "Out of 300 rolls, roughly 50 will be either 1 or 2" whereas C means "Out of 300 rolls, roughly half will be even."

The thing is, when you word an answer like "X rolls will be 1 OR 2", you have to add up the chances of getting 1 and the chances of getting 2.

@SimonL Scantron cards are what I hate, if it's just a sheet with multiple choice, students can at least be 'encouraged' to show their work, and if they do they can get feedback...

Finally, I'm finished assembly of my new model

4:37 AM

So... Chances of getting 1 or 2 would be roughly 100 out of 300, since roughly 50 rolls will come up 1 and roughly 50 rolls will come up 2.

@Ullallulloo Think of it like 1 or 2 out of 6 which is really 1/3 against the 50 out of 300 rolls which is really 1/6

I think MC questions if properly used can be an accurate measure of knowledge of basic concepts. For testing of full understanding (not merely knowledge) or more complex concepts, you would use written-response questions. A boilerplate explanation for each wrong answer could be added while processing answers to MC questions with a computer. Of course, hand grading is needed for written-response questions.

Ever since 12th grade calculus, I've preferred written-response questions. I nearly failed most of the quizzes and tests, but I ended up with a better understanding of what I did wrong and how to fix it. Ended up getting a 5 (highest score) on the Calculus BC AP exam.

Advanced Placement, for non-US people. Gets you college credit based on your score, essentially.

user15026

@Yawus oh, okay, I always wondered what AP did

I took AP Calculus AB (not the more difficult BC) and got a 5. I think that, while reviewing quizzes with the class, the instructor can explain why each of the incorrect answers to multiple-choice questions are incorrect. It's much easier than explaining every answer or common errors found on student tests.

AP exams are hard. If you manage to get around 80% or more of the maximum raw score, you'll likely get a 5.

4:43 AM

I was surprised I got a 5, to be honest, since my class scores were so poor.

Q: Skyrim- annoying glitch on "discerning the transmundane" quest

@DragonLord I'm not so sure showing the proof of how to get to an answer is necessarily better than showing how a student came to a wrong answer. Suppose a student by accident flipped the -+ somewhere. On a written test they would get partial marks and the teacher would probably circle it fairly quickly. On a MC test they would probably lose marks and never figure out where they went wrong (most scrap paper for tests are thrown out and only the scantron test where kept when I was doing MC tests).

Lazers

0

I was wondering if anyone else has had this happen? On the quest where you get the oghma infinium book i encountered a glitch that won't let me finish it, after transcribing the damn thing and returning the lexicon to septimus i was expecting the usual, to be told to hunt down all the blood requi...

skyrim

@SimonL: touché.

Yes, written-response questions are better. But it isn't always feasible to do this when you have classes with 30+ students...

@DragonLord Yeah, I never understood how my calculus teacher pulled it off. He was a grade-A badass.

which is why I feel hybrid MC/WR exams are best, the way New York State Regents exams do it.

and I recognize that marks for written-response questions come down to the instructor grading the exam, so they aren't exactly as reliable as MC questions.

4:54 AM

@DragonLord Well, I think that means that written-response questions have the secondary purpose of keeping the material fresh in the teacher's mind. That way, they can teach the lessons more fluidly and answer questions in a more satisfactory manner.

@Yawus: That's a surprising interpretation...

I can't count how many teachers I've run into that seem like they just don't know their material.

That is a good point, sometimes in written-responses the instructor cannot always be impartial. However, that is generally not a problem with math as it is correct or incorrect. English on the other hand...

I don't see English being a question-answer sort of subject. With how subjective interpretation can be, it seems a field more ripe for prompt-essay questions.

Of course, questions on basic grammar and spelling will typically have straightforward answers, but I doubt anybody looks for a definitive answer on the themes of Kafka's The Metamorphosis.

I've had some rather bad experiences with English teachers. For example, my gr 11 English teacher would not let me pick Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land to do a book report on because it is "science fiction".

4:58 AM

Hoo boy, the science fiction ghetto...

Good old game came into my hands. :3

@SimonL I think your teacher might have a heart attack (if s/he's still alive) or roll in his/her grave if they walked into my local bookstore. I found the Twilight series under "Recommended Summer Reading for Grades 9-12".

Now that I think about it, how would one roll in one's grave if they were, at the moment, walking into a bookstore?

@Yawus Ouch. That's painful

user15026

@Yawus I have to read it for my Forms of Fantasy class

@Yawus wait... 9-12?! I had a grade 12 English teacher who felt that the LOTR books were not sufficiently advanced reading for our grade.

5:09 AM

@AshleyNunn Is it for the "Fucking Awful Form"?

user15026

@SaintWacko I have no idea

Hopefully they use it for "What not to do"

@TrentHawkins Eh, I always felt that LotR was more impressive for the detail of the world building rather than the actual strength of the prose.

user15026

@TrentHawkins That is the other book we are reading! (Specifically Fellowship)

The bulk of Tolkien's work went into his appendices, the mythos, and the languages (oh god, the languages). I feel like his writing's not as strong as many people give him credit for.

5:12 AM

@Yawus I don't entirely disagree, my point was that if Tolkien didn't make the cut for 'advanced reading', what could possibly bump Meyer's work to 9-12?

@TrentHawkins Falling standards?

Pandering to the base?

probably. :/

Ullallulloo

@SimonL Oh, right.

Still, no matter how much I might despise those books - if it gets even one kid into reading and expanding their horizons, I suppose their existence might be 'worth it'. :/

@TrentHawkins I... pained grimace guess... nose begins to bleed

Hmm... _testing_

Nope. How do you put asterisks around words you want to italicize?

It just ends up being bolded.

**Maybe?**

Nope, that didn't work either...

I need to get a coat with tails.

Q: How do the playable characters rank in terms of weight and resistance to knockback attacks?

5:25 AM

Oh... damn, @fbueckert finally got home, and I forgot to ping him and yell PING.

Lazers

0

I've read this Reddit /r/Borderlands post, 'Is it just me, or is Krieg "heavy"?' and its comments, and learned that Krieg is heavier that most (or all) of the other characters and more resistant to knockback attacks. Quoting the related part of the post and some of the comments: I [playin...

borderlands-2

user20683

Stuff and Things!

Krazer

@WorldEngineer I love Stuff and Things!

5:41 AM

@Yawus Like **this** perhaps?

Nope

Hm

**test**

*more test*

Ah, got it

@Yawus Like *\*this\**

Ah. I tried to escape the outside asterisks.

Yeah, that's what I expected to work, too

user15026

@WorldEngineer ALL THE THINGS

user15026

@SaintWacko do I take out the first slash thingie?

6:25 AM

CANT SLEEP CANT SLEEP

user15026

@spugsley AWAKE I AM AWAKE

user20683

So am I

YAY PEOPLE TO TALK TO

@spugsley again?

@spyder yup. It's common

6:28 AM

@spugsley it's not good, I think

@spyder It's anxiety. Can't sleep, can't wake up in the morning. Yay being overwhelmed all the time

@spugsley Maybe you need to see a doctor?

@spyder yup. I see one and a therapist :) Believe me, I'm much better than I was a year ago

user15026

@spugsley OMG YES I KNOW THIS

@AshleyNunn glad someone does :) Like my brain can't shut down to sleep and in the morning my brain doesn't want to wake up and face day anxiety

it's a crazy cycle

user20683

6:30 AM

yeah, I had the sleeps earlier so now I can'ts

@spugsley I'm glad that you're feeling better than a year ago

user15026

@spugsley YES

oh yeah, afternoon/early evening naps are awesome and awful at the same time

@spyder thanks :)

oh OH I forgot

we close on our house is FIVE days

user15026

@spugsley OMG YAY

:DDDDDDDDD

user15026

6:32 AM

Also, feral is totally a thing and you totally rocked it today

user15026

Also I have a weirdly popular TUmblr post and it is making me sqibbly

user15026

Like WHY DO PEOPLE LIKE IT

user15026

WHY DO THEY LIKE ME

user15026

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

user15026

sorry, I might be a little bit weird

6:36 AM

@AshleyNunn If there wasn't a group of very curious teenage boys watching me, I would have smeared dirt all over myself and made my hair CRAZY

user20683

@AshleyNunn :hug:

but I was alone and didn't want their attention

user15026

@spugsley Oh man

@AshleyNunn yeah it was anxiety city

user15026

@spugsley I get that but some day I will be in your space and will be like PEOPLE NO LEAVE HER ALONE SHE IS MAKING ALL THE ART

user15026

6:37 AM

@WorldEngineer hugs back

@AshleyNunn OMG I could totally hire you as a GTFO art body guard

user15026

@spugsley YES

this is a thing. I am making it a thing

I am MUCH less worried about what people think of me now compared to when I started my 365 but I still have my limits.

One day I will give zero shits

and it will be the most wonderful of days

@spugsley Oh god, this.

@Yawus yay another person who understands <3

6:41 AM

In fact, I should be going to sleep right now.

I have to be at work in 6 hours.

But I caaaaaaaaaaan't~

stay up and hang out with usssss

user15026

@spugsley WE ARE SUPER COOL

Huh. New comic is about Skullgirls.

5pike

lol - yeah, forget your work, just stay up

@Yawus is it called Boob City?

because I would live there.

6:44 AM

user15026

@spugsley ohmai

Ugh, I'm being inundated with so much Skullgirls content (a lot of it actually being my fault) that I really want to play it now.

user15026

@Yawus IT is fun