The Sphinx's Lair

Puzzling Meta

00:19

1

I've been writing feedback for puzzles and wondering I should put it. I've been using comments, as that's what feedback is: commentary on the puzzle, rather than an answer to the challenge it provides. But I can see an argument to normalize making it an answer so as to encourage and emphasize giv...

Puzzling Meta

06:46

0

Q: Should we synonymise [detective] and [mystery]?

I see detective and mystery used with a high degree of overlap. Namely, for puzzles which describe a scenario and then ask you to deduce the culprit or cause. To be fair, they do have differing wikis: Detective: "For puzzles that involve solving a crime." Mystery: "A puzzle that involves figuri...

discussion tags tag-synonyms

Puzzling Meta

07:01

-3

Q: What happened to this place? Trick or treat

@Emrakul Again a question is closed without any feedback or explanation. Only this general message crap which doesn't help me in any way. Really, this wimp Jon Ericson or whatever he is called doesn't even know the answer or anything behind it. I don't care who he is but he should get back to re...

support stupid people

d'alar'cop

11:07

@randal'thor ?

A E

11:33

rand al'thor

1 5 43

riddle word brainteaser password lateral-thinking logic-puzzle math

"This account is temporarily suspended to cool down. The suspension period ends in 4 days."

?

d'alar'cop

@AE Yep, I believe it's due to some comment mark up in a certain post... :p

A E

@d'alar'cop What comment?

d'alar'cop

meta.puzzling.stackexchange.com/posts/1601/revisions

the most recent revision should show you :p

A E

In a comment? I don't think I can see deleted comments.

d'alar'cop

11:48

no it's a markdown comment

inside the post itself

<? this is a secret comment hidden in a question or answer>

A E

Oh, I see.

They're using his unwise use of the 'n' word as a pretext for getting rid of someone who disagrees with them, then?

d'alar'cop

yes

both N words :p

it was there for daaaays before they found it too

A E

Oh, I missed the second one.

Seen it now.

d'alar'cop

ok

is it the case that we have some intervening de facto mod?

A E

What do you mean?

d'alar'cop

11:56

there's a couple of people who seem to be doing a lot of the modding lately

A E

That may be a good thing.

d'alar'cop

it may be a sign of something for sure

had been summarily closed: http://puzzling.stackexchange.com/questions/5893/activate-power-mode
avi complained and was locked out: http://meta.puzzling.stackexchange.com/questions/1657/what-happened-to-this-place-trick-or-treat

A E

avigrail's deleted post was a complaint about rand's ban?

d'alar'cop

it was a complain about his closed question

A E

whose?

d'alar'cop

12:00

which is now reopened by community votes

avi's

AeJey

is Jon Ericson♦ a new mod in puzzling.SE?

d'alar'cop

it seems like it

even though he's had ~no involvement in the actual site as such

AeJey

SO what's the difference between Doorknob and Jon Ericson♦ ?

d'alar'cop

some maturity

A E

About 30 years?

AeJey

12:03

So now puzzling.SE has 2 Doorknobs(one matured) and 2 mods :P

A E

If SE are parachuting in some wiser heads to look after the shop for a bit then I'm in favour of that.

d'alar'cop

I think this is what has happened... given the timing of events

I'd like to know what the internals of that decision looked like

who went to who.. and how

A E

Since the existing mods were ready to burn down the house and SE management have prevented them from doing so. <--------- a good thing.

d'alar'cop

looool :D

A E

So if the intention now is to calm things down, pour oil on troubled waters, etc, then that's what I'd probably do as well, in the circs.

d'alar'cop

12:06

did you see avi's treatment of the new mod?

A E

??

d'alar'cop

it all pretty much feels back to normal now

meta.puzzling.stackexchange.com/questions/1657/…

if you can see deleted questions

A E

I can't.

d'alar'cop

oh ok, gimme a sec

AeJey

I saw that

And checked Jon Ericson♦'s profile

and it seems everything fits :P

d'alar'cop

12:08

yes, that's a crucial element

lol

any beeps or bloops on your radar AE?

A E

Hmm.

Oh, rxd.

d'alar'cop

ok

hey Boz

AeJey

@AE: check your mail :P

d'alar'cop

all sorted..

beep -> bloop -> BEEP

Bozman

hey.

d'alar'cop

12:15

how are you?

Bozman

i'm well and you?

d'alar'cop

I am quite all right thank you

Bozman

looks like there were some more shenanigans eh?

d'alar'cop

yes, indeed

A E

@AeJey I've got it twice now. :)

►

d'alar'cop

12:17

which shenanigans do you refer to in particular? @Boz

the happiest person there is dead

Bozman

just reading the chat log. what happened with avi and rand or where those two separate incidents

d'alar'cop

indeed..

A E

@d'alar'cop It's kind of a memento mori. We all die eventually so why not spend your life happily?

At least I think that's the intended meaning.

d'alar'cop

yes I agree

eat drink and be merry.. for tomorrow we die

2

:D

live every moment as though it were your last dance on earth

A E

Carpe Diem!

d'alar'cop

12:20

and make sure when you hang yourself.. it works

A E

►

d'alar'cop

nice

A E

Sayre's law

Sayre's law states, in a formulation quoted by Charles Philip Issawi: "In any dispute the intensity of feeling is inversely proportional to the value of the issues at stake." By way of corollary, it adds: "That is why academic politics are so bitter." Sayre's law is named after Wallace Stanley Sayre (1905–1972), U.S. political scientist and professor at Columbia University. == History == On 20 December 1973, the Wall Street Journal quoted Sayre as: "Academic politics is the most vicious and bitter form of politics, because the stakes are so low." Political scientist Herbert Kaufman, a colleague...

d'alar'cop

I wasn't familiar with that one

lol... maybe

of course it was some cloistered academic to say that

A E

Well, they should know.

d'alar'cop

12:27

I disagree... when you see the passion in those who are in life-and-death struggles

well yes, they know about the politics in academia

not about wars and government-level upheaval..

like what many living people have seen

A E

@d'alar'cop But in life-or-death struggles compromise is often possible.

Whereas when the stakes are very very low, the only thing really at stake is pride.

d'alar'cop

I'm sure they would have trouble even understanding what is supposed to be true about that "Law"

A E

And that's hard to compromise on.

d'alar'cop

only among wankers..

maybe it works because academia and things like SE are so full of wankers it works :p

A E

Everyone has a degree of pride. A healthy narcissicm.

*ism

d'alar'cop

12:30

but the wise among people can place that aside for any decent reason..

A E

To do that, you have to have enough narcissism. :)

Healthy narcissism

Healthy narcissism is a concept that developed slowly out of the psychoanalytic tradition, and became popular in the late twentieth century. The healthy narcissist has been characterised as possessing realistic self-esteem without being cut off from a shared emotional life, as the unhealthy narcissist tends to be. == Freud and normal narcissism == Freud considered narcissism a natural part of the human makeup that, taken to extremes, prevents people from having meaningful relationships. While he recognised the allure of the narcissist for more normal people, he didn't have a concept of healthy...

"Impaired functioning of narcissism fails to activate these narcissistic processes and arouses destructive reactions. Thus, the individual steadfastly maintains his anger toward the other that offended him, and might sever contact with him, even to the extent of exacting violent revenge, although this other might be dear to him, possibly leading through impaired narcissism to fragility and vulnerability of the self, to immature individuation, narcissistic disorders and pathological phenomena."

Enough to be "all, like, whatEVER!"

d'alar'cop

I dunno.. all seems like a theory to me. People are complex as you know

seems presumptuous to make claims to the minds of all men

A E

d'alar'cop

had you seen that kermit meme before?

A E

I hadn't. Should I donate my points from that question to a worthy cause?

Nominate a bountiable question and I'll bounty it up.

d'alar'cop

12:37

you guys made a total mess and didn't really say anything about it... but dis tea be da bomb doe

nah, I was just kidding really :p

you might want to consider making an answer-on-principle a community wiki

however

A E

I still will though, if you can see a question that would benefit from it. The site could do with it right now maybe.

community wiki! hadn't thought of that.

d'alar'cop

I'll keep an eye out

skv or aejey is the first person I saw do taht

I do it too now... like a trollish answer... just to make a point

i think you can still turn it into community wiki actually..

A E

Shit, an email's just come in: I have to pay the roofers £3500. Who wants to buy a really expensive puzzle?

d'alar'cop

oh that sucks

A E

it does

d'alar'cop

12:41

if I were filthy rich I'd pay it for you :D

A E

thanks! :)

d'alar'cop

don't worry.... be happy :D

A E

►

d'alar'cop

12:56

nice version

@AE I must be off now chappos

all the best all :D

A E

toodleoo

Donald.McLean

@AE Nice track!

A E

@Donald.McLean It is! Glad you like it! :)

Donald.McLean

13:30

It's one of those cases where I've heard something that I liked, but never knew title and artist so that I could buy it and put it on The Pood.

A E

I actually like Enjoy Yourself more (it's above), the interplay between the two vocalists is fun. :)

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