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06:33
Hey there!
07:21
Morning @WedaPashi
07:42
Morning all
Left Test macth special playing on my computer all night...
*match
moring
@Kevin kk
07:56
Morning :)
08:19
@aravona: Morning!
@aravona @Liam: That was a haphazard batting show by Indian batsmen.
08:35
@WedaPashi how's it going?
09:19
Wow our question rate has dropped massively to 2.6 ....
Would questions asking how certain ratings work for out door gear be on topic?
Safety ratings I mean.
@Aravona I did kind of expect that TBH. I'm not sure how that value is calculated but that fact that it went up so dramatically suggests that it's looking at a short term view
It was always going to jump then settle. I think that people are actually using chat is the biggest improvment we've made. The "community" was pretty none existant until recently. This can only be a good thing
@Aravona I know this sounds annoying, but for the mods view, the highest value is when we take averaged 4 or 5 week views, as daily variation is huge, and gets bigger as the site gets bigger (up to a point - I think SO is a law unto itself)
we sometimes look at a daily view when trying to work out what caused a particular spike etc
but long term view is the main one, as it shows whether our growth curve is going up (it is), whether we have made any step changes in rate of change, and what seasonal fluctuations we expect
In fact the daily view shows you exactly what day of the week it is - a perfect 7 day cycle on most sites :-)
09:42
The daily view then to me seems utterly pointless to prove whether the site should leave beta then. @Liam @RoryAlsop
Regardless are explainations safety ratings for outdoor gear on topic?
I think yes @Aravona
@Aravona Yes. I'd agree too. I'd say they are very relevant
@RoryAlsop It seems that we are getting quite a lot of new users the last weeks compared to the average, is this true? Maybe this has to do with the several hot network questions we got. But unfortunately some old users seem to disappear :(
@RoryAlsop And how does this circle look like? I expect on the weekend we got the least traffic.
@Aravona I suppose the thing to bear in mind, is your seeding of questions, etc. and jump in Rep has contributed a lot to the site. The more questions and answers, the more people join, the more people join the more questions and answers. It's like a snake eating itself!
@Liam But that snake is pretty old now and still a baby snake :(
09:47
@EverythingRightPlace We've had similar discussions on this site for some time.
8
Q: Where is everybody?

LiamIt appears that a lot of users have abandoned this site? I see lots of questions and answers from about a year ago but none of these people seems to be about any more (or at the least they're not actively participating very much). I keep seeing the same 2-3 people asking and answering each othe...

@EverythingRightPlace I think the older users are still around... remember for most people it is holiday season also so they could be on holiday. I completely agree with @Liam that the growth of the community recent is great and the chat has helped with that an awful lot. Newer users don't seem to head here much.
@Aravona One of the steps that has worked well on other sites is when you can get hooked in with something big (eg for Security there was a spike when we had some questions on a particular set of hacking attacks in the media - we responded on forums discussing the attacks, and linked back to definitive answers on Sec.SE)
We are doing all the right things here, but we need to vote more, which helps us get a greater core of users who can carry out privileged tasks, and also encourages new folks
@Aravona definitely - chat is very useful in building a community
@Aravona You see the last login date on the profile pages and I've seen several of the senior users who aren't participating anymore, unfortunately. Still it seems that the traffic increases, that's true. I don't understand why Olin for example wrote so often that TGO will die or is already dead...
@EverythingRightPlace I've made this point several times now. I'm not that concerned that it's still small. I enjoy it! I've got myself worked up about this in the past but really I don't think it matters. If you enjoy asking and answering questions on this subject, that's why you should be here. The rep, etc. is cool. But ultimately it's just magic unicorn coins!
@EverythingRightPlace he's a bit like that on other sites as well. A bit grumpy when things don't grow as fast as he wants, or where the community disagrees with an answer of his. He's fine really
09:50
@RoryAlsop so... the fact I've gone from basically nothing to over 700+ additional rep this month is a good thing?
@Aravona hahahahaha - yes, it's awesome!
More rep per person = better?
@Aravona :)
@Aravona yes
@Liam I has lot of unicorn coins :)
@EverythingRightPlace People drift in and out. I've been using this site consistantly for a year and half. I think we've got some more active moding going on too right now (cough @RoryAlsop cough)
09:52
Outdoors will always be a little slower than a programming site - programmers are an indoor species (huge generalisation, but you know what I mean) and even participating here requires connecting. Typical outdoors folks often don't use a phone for days at a time. But we keep growing, so this is good
2
Brb to ask my safety rating question then... I could use google but where is the fun in that! ;)
@Liam Yes I enjoy it too and learned a lot. It's also not about the rep for me. But I wish this site would leave the Beta state
@Liam :-)
@EverythingRightPlace Well the more people like @EverythingRightPlace and @Aravona we get the better chance that has of happening.
Oh and @WedaPashi
Hi @IgnasK
New face in the chat :)
09:54
Woop woop to all of us ;)
I am back
I was dead excited when I discovered this site, I used SO a lot and it took blood sweat and tears to get 5K. Now I much prefer it here. SO is soooooo negative and full of bad questions and grumpy high level users
:D
that's true
but it is still really useful
but I am not asking there very often anymore
and you can forget to answer
I am not that smart and fast :D
@Liam there will always be a bit of frustration when we have a slow week, or a drop in new users etc., which is why the slightly longer view is more relaxing. I do a trawl through the analytics data for the sites I mod every week or so, and also do a comparison in various ways. One of the sites is not growing well, and you can see why if you look at the types of questions it attracts, but this one is good - faster than some, slower than others, but fine
@Liam: TGO is by far the best, so open, and mainly /with really great question the most of the times' sort of a forum I have ever seen.
09:58
@WedaPashi We have some challenges on Music as well - a very subjective topic is interesting when fitting into the SE model, so it is a very vocal place, but growing well too, as there are passionate members of the community
LOL if you search for liam on SO you find hell a lot
@RoryAlsop: Ahh, lemme come there :) I love to sing!
0
Q: Bouyancy aids ratings

AravonaI recently brought a bouyancy aid to use when kayaking. One thing I noticed when purchasing it though was the 50N rating. All bouyancy aids I looked at seemed to have a 50N rating and I vaguely remember one amazon result saying this was the minimum safety rating. What are the safety ratings for...

@Liam I like this a lot :)

"Ignoring all the geeky stuff, Rock climbing is my real passion, the rest just pays the bills. Check out my outdoors.stackexchange.com user profile.

Stop messing around with your computer and get outdoors!"
2
@WedaPashi Well, we have Music Practice and Performance (still in beta) and now Music Fans (commit stage)
10:00
A good paid and solid job outdoors would be great
@EverythingRightPlace ^ this
@EverythingRightPlace: Umm, On a personal note, I am bit against totally-commercialized mountaineering. Kills the fun!
@EverythingRightPlace would love a well paid outdoors job too :)
Damn now I remember some oldschool user we had here and who works as a guide...
gotta search him
@EverythingRightPlace yes 100%!
10:03
Situation in Asia around world's few of tallest mountains, is so grave because of uncontrolled commercialization.
I've got a few mates who do this for a living
I always liked his answers, he had a helmet on the pic
One does stuff with disadvantgaed kids in a home and one is currently mountain bike guiding in Africa!!
@EverythingRightPlace huh huh helmet
Well, I miss this guy the most.
10:05
@EverythingRightPlace the wonders of British humour
@RoryAlsop That's harsh for a non-native when he isn't getting the joke :(
Even I didn't get the joke :(
@WedaPashi ways to encourage folks to come back: upvote, edit their post, comment :-)
See topic 4 on our chat room description :-)
euphemism
@RoryAlsop: I totally agree. But he has all answers and no questions. This leaves me with a very tiny scope to edit his answers.
@RoryAlsop agreed I try and entice people back with votes and comments too
10:08
@RoryAlsop lol
@RoryAlsop double LOl
@Liam: Now what? :D
@WedaPashi Well this is true to some point. I also hate the way they are pushing the really big mountains in the Himalayas. Ofc Mt Everest is ridiculous, also if I'd had the money and the skills I doubt I would go for it...
But it isn't true at all, we still need mountain guides.
@EverythingRightPlace: I'd rather take a venture near south pole than investing so much on Everest (If at all I find myself with the required skillset to climb Everest, I doubt that :D #Pessimism!).
Btw. @WedaPashi what do you think of the attacks from Sherpas against Ueli Steck and Simone Moro?
Yeah, we need guides. Thats true, but we don't need to have a Pub at a Base camp. Do we?
10:13
@WedaPashi @EverythingRightPlace I'm still going for the little mountains... there is a whole world to see and I am taking my time seeing it :)
haha, no :D
@WedaPashi only the russians need that
@EverythingRightPlace It's kind of understandable. They're frustrated and all they saw was another arrogant westerner stomping on their mountain. I don't blame them or Steck I blame the companies exploiting the mountain for profit
Hi @Kevin
@Liam Well the problem is the interviews with the Sherpas and the "Western" aren't fitting (surprise...)
So it's hard to blame anybody
But Ueli Steck is one of the best mountaineers of these days so I don't think he was going to use the fixed ropes (like he said to the Sherpas)
Still if they really used them and made ice falling, it's still no reason to get killed in a brawl...
So it's hard for me to be on the side of the Sherpas in this discussion. They are doing a great job, no doubt. But overall they also fear that the western companies are stealing their mountains/profit
@WedaPashi there is a gift shop... restaurant and toilets up the mountain I'm climbing in 16 days time.
@Aravona Which one is it?
10:18
@EverythingRightPlace Snowdon. In North Wales. Only 3000+ ft
this reminds me of this German show, they are doing pranks and this one was great :D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=zz47TzUArBQ#t=26
they made a gift shop close to the summit of the Matterhorn and Messner came
If no-one answers the buoyancy aids question by mid afternoon, I'm going to dive in.
3
Just saying :-)
Lol @RoryAlsop dive in haha!
@RoryAlsop Pffffcccht we need multi-answered questions so please go for an answer regardless of others!
:D
@Aravona Well OK there is a cable care therefore the gift shops and restaurants. Even on the Zugspitze (nearly 3000m) it's like that.
@EverythingRightPlace (I just have no time until then - conf calls, a paper to write and some challenges to be logged :-)
10:24
Ok that's an excuse.
;)
@EverythingRightPlace a cable car where sorry? Snowdon has a train I believe.
Even worse :D
Here, that's how it looks on the tallest mountain of Germany if you are *happy* to be there on a sunny weekend:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nk47bk4nc08j755/AAA0Ur-N3nUwoWLj91vNw0yoa/CIMG5001_small.JPG
Well it brings in a lot of custom and is only on one of over 10 ways to climb up. We aren't doing the Llanberis walks so we won't see it at all. This climb will be the third different walk I've done in two climbs :) did Watkins and Miners last time... doing Ranger this time.
@Aravona cairngorm has a funicular
:-)
Yes but you will notice it at the summit ;)
10:29
@RoryAlsop a what?!
@Aravona a railway that uses stepped rails
blends in well with the landscape, eh
@EverythingRightPlace I don't believe it goes right to the summit I didn't see the train last time, and the restaurant building isn't horrific. It's grey and tries to blend in.
I was just grateful for a bog last time...
@Aravona It sometimes goes to the summit. dependant on weather
@RoryAlsop That is humor even I understand :D
@RoryAlsop that's is a very purple train.
10:31
The snowdon one is actually quite nice, old steam train
@Liam my dad once got chucked off it for hitching a ride on the edge.
@Liam much nicer
We are taking Cinders (the dog) for her very first mountain climb :) hopefully there will be more to come!
10:33
Actually, the Cairngorm one is kind of cool when the mountain is covered in snow.
It's actually got some climbing heritage. Joe Brown used to pick up the old nuts off the track on his way to cloggy, this was the beginning of climbing "knuts"
Oh now I get the 50N thing. Makes sense.
I like nivag's final comment
> inflatable life-jackets. These provide better protection against drowning but are obviously not suitable for kayaking, dinghy sailing or anything where you are likely to go in the water.
:-)
@RoryAlsop a good life jacket for being on land then?
@RoryAlsop I've a stupid question. Where do I create a new tag?
10:39
@nivag - excellent answer
@EverythingRightPlace ask a question and type it in... it will then be created for as long as it is used. I did that with 'pitching'
@EverythingRightPlace When you write a question, you get a tags section. Do you currently get allowed to write a new tag? I think it's rep dependent
Yes I can write anything when I ask a question... but those are non-wiki tags I assume
I want to create a tag with wiki
Ah I found it
yeah - create tags is 150 rep
directly on a tag when you hover with your mouse over it
I got 150 rep haha
10:43
@WedaPashi @Liam England is on the bat again this morning... still a big lead... think this will make it 1-1?
With 4000 rep you are allowed "Editing tag wikis without needing approval"
@Aravona did they not take the follow on then?
@EverythingRightPlace just edit the wiki like you would a post and wait for approval. .. thats what I do
yep
but I never did it, therefore the question
@aravona: Yeah it is! 1-1 while goin to Trafford. Cheers to that!
10:46
@Aravona Oh, they didn't get the option
@WedaPashi indeed!
@Liam I guess not.
@Aravona And I didn't found that button ;/
@EverythingRightPlace go to Tags... then pick the tag you want to edit... it will show you all questions with it... then select improve/create the wiki for this tag
Gonna be AWOL a bit guys... I'm having fun with the mail chimp API :)
@aravona: Ah, Nivag got it bang on target before I could. But yeah, its a good answer by him. Nivag seems to be on a roll! Good for us! :)
11:29
@Liam @aravona: About the ongoing test match: If I were to plan, then I'd definitely try and score another 200 runs quickly. And declare the inning with a huge target around 450 for india to chase. And, probably use post-tea session today and tomorrow's entire day to bowl india out. There is no way india can chase such a huge target. period!
11:39
@WedaPashi England does seem in a good position yeah... 44-1 currently
How random... just had my first downvote.
@aravona: Downvote? Where?
@WedaPashi on my uk wildlife question lol. Obviously someone hated the whole thing. I've avoided accepting an answer at the moment.
@Aravona you roll-backed my edit ;(
But didn't downvote out of revenge haha :D
@EverythingRightPlace lol I decided to remove the brand name entirely and took the opportunity to get a badge... feel free to do the same to my edita in future ;)
0
Q: Water sports from a beginner's perspective

EverythingRightPlaceAs far as I know canoeing is the generic term which contains e.g. canadians and kayaks. What do I have to look for as an absolute water sports beginner in terms of: costs knowledge (eskimo roll and the kind) safety equipment storage room group suitability fun (yes, may be very subjective) Say...

@EverythingRightPlace not sure canadians come under canoes... I think they are people ;)
11:56
@Aravona haha :D
I was very unsure if this is the name in English too
But found something while googling
You don't know what I mean?
And the edit was not about the brand name, more about the tag
@EverythingRightPlace I don't know sorry. Canadian canoe?
@EverythingRightPlace didn't see the tag, feel free to re-edit! :(
@EverythingRightPlace is your question abiut starting Kayaking/Canoing or about water sports in general?
This is a pic of canadians
the boat :D
even the title is "Women Canadian" therefore I thought it's the same in English
It's more about the difference in water-sport for a beginner but I just now kayaks and canadians
*know
Just canoes or water sports in general?
Hum
@Aravona apparantly asked the same question which you answered
I need to read more
12:05
just canoes
I don't mean water ski or that kind
@Ahlqvist clearly it was a good question ;)
maybe I have to make that clear
I want to speak about the small boats here :D
Ok so watersports like... swimming, kayaking/canoing, surfing, wakeboarding, water skiing, body boarding :) lots of good options here! Good question.
Ahh missed your comment about just kayaking. Have you read my UK based question on starting up kayaking? @EverythingRightPlace had some good answers there.
On the other hand, sailing and oarsmanship isn't part of canyoning...
No but water sports covers everything I listed as well... maybe amend to boat based activities rather than sports?
Popped a link to a good general (if aimed at my UK question) answer about the best way to start kayaking for a beginner.
12:12
Sailing is usually included in water sports (at least in the Swedish equivalent word), might want to specify about that.
Since it is very different equipment, requires other areas and different skills.
@Ahlqvist that is a good point. But water sports is a very board term for an awful lot of activites... narrowing it down to sailing / kayaking / boat based activities might lessen the confusion?
You are right
water sports is too broad, I will change that
I just thing if kayaking/canadian is enough or should I take all boat activities in mind
but I understand that sailing is completely different...
@EverythingRightPlace leaving my upvote in place rven if you edit :)
@Aravona Thx
@Aravona Doublethx haha :D
take all hand propelled boat activities in mind
although rowing trips are not that common afaik
12:17
Changed it to kayak vs canadians
and will edit one again so all know what I mean by a canadian
@EverythingRightPlace sounds good :)
12:48
Super late lunch today has l
messed the flow of my day up a bit.
I just finished my lunch too
and I had no breakfest :o
I spent my entire lunch trying to get my car insurance sorted. So annoyingly complicated.
Moving is stressful..!
room topic changed to The Great Outdoors: still better safe than sorry... if you don't know how... don't do it :) [angry-bovinae] [cricket] [euphemism] [helmet] [optimistic-vegetarianism]
13:28
@Liam someone at my work did the exact same thing this lunch because he is moving lol...
@Aravona is he wearing a long beard and a cowboy hat? Then it is Liam!
@EverythingRightPlace lol..
13:52
@WedaPashi @Liam 163 - 3
 
1 hour later…
14:55
@RussellSteen just saw a comment of yours on an answer, why would you say scavenging is high risk? Girl Guides and Brownies used to do that all the time.
Brownies the chocolate cookies?
@Aravona....England declared!! WTF. They only batted for a couple of hours
0
A: Kayaks vs canadians from a beginner's perspective

goldilocksIn Canada, at least, we do distinguish between kayaks and canoes, and those are the words I'll use for the contrast here. Cost: You can pay a lot for either one, but the obvious economic advantage of a canoe is it fits twice as many people (although there are two person kayaks, of course). K...

loooong answer :)
but I think there are quite some irritations for the terms
same for the tags
@Liam I know?? Should have declared when over 300...
@EverythingRightPlace Brownies the group for girls before Girl Guides :) before that is Rainbows
something to talk about in meta?
@Aravona LOL I have absolutely no clue what you're talking about
15:09
@EverythingRightPlace It's like scouts but for girls (but well now girls can join the scouts and I think vice versa)
so it's boy scouts and girl scouts? or girl guides?
confusing :S
and brownies and rainbows haha
unfortunately I've never been a scout
@EverythingRightPlace in the UK they used to be split as Rainbows, Brownies and Girl Guides... then I think Beavers then Scouts.... now they're more intertwined but you do still have seperate Guides and Scout huts but they work together a lot.
I wish I had stayed on as a guide and become a leader.
You have been a guide? For how long?
Where I grew up this wasn't so common I guess. At least I never saw boy scouts/girl guides
Now I wish I'd been a scout, guess they are learning a lot
@EverythingRightPlace I was a brownie from.... really young, 5-6? Then when I was like 8 or 9 I became a guide... I stoped when I was about 12.
Stopped*
That's like me with playing the violin
15:19
I don't understand why Russell said Scavenging was a dangerous/high risk activity? I've done millions and think they're great fun... we used to get given a list with like 15-20 items on it and told to come back with as many as we could find... stones with holes in, bird feathers, acorns, etc
@Aravona Where was this?
@Aravona @EverythingRightPlace it's Equal opportunites gone mad!! :P
when I was young....etc
ha ha
@Liam where was his objection?
@Aravona yeah the scavenging thing?
Oh I think he was refering to scavenging and eating stuff opposed to just hunting stuff. That makes sense as risky... didn't see the reference properly as the question was edited. There's some term for scavenging (eating) but now I can't remember it... proper old style english term like scrumping.
.... not the dodgey scrumping but the stealing apples scrumping....
@Aravona I don't think Russell is a native english speaker. Maybe he just got confused?
@Aravona I'm not sure what dodgy scrumping is :D
15:27
@Liam perhaps. I would have said foraging instead of scavenging for nom noms
@Liam ... urban dictionary lol
@Liam Why do you think that? He lives in the States
@EverythingRightPlace they use a different English there
Well yes
haha
For me, native english includes American
american english and british english
and oxford english being the holy grail
@EverythingRightPlace Oh, maybe I'm wrong then....I thought he was based on Poland or something....whoops!
haha :D
georgia
says his profile
15:34
@EverythingRightPlace Ah! I thought, georgia the country not the state!
hmm ok that could be true :D
I dunno
Did I mention that we are world champion? :D:D
2
sorry folks
@EverythingRightPlace thats cool I dont like football :P
Your fault :D
16:06
My fault?
Just kidding
I don't see how that even made a joke lol
@EverythingRightPlace ha ha
I think Germany did well to win and they and their nation should be proud of themselves :)
@EverythingRightPlace I'm welsh so it's fine
16:10
@Liam whereabouts in Wales you from? I fell in love with Conwy when I visited
@Aravona Originally Prestatyn
I'm just moving back, tomorrow. To a little village called Treuddyn
conway's lovely
16:30
See ya all
16:44
@EverythingRightPlace Ah - see, for anyone in the UK, Americans don't speak English; they speak American. Admittedly, for some in the home counties, everyone else speaks another language, especially Geordies, Scousers, Weegies etc. I think the UK just has a need to have as many dialects as there are towns, just to confuse foreigners.
Yeah I guess the UK is pretty special ;)
@RoryAlsop haha Im home counties....
@Liam good luck with your move!!
@Aravona Which are the home counties?
@Aravona I'm delighted I can switch between Received Pronunciation, Orcadian, Scottish and Aussie really easily
@EverythingRightPlace The ones round London:
2
The Home Counties are the counties of South East England and the East of England that surround London, not including the capital city itself. The counties generally included in the list are Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey as well as Sussex (although this county does not border London). Other counties more distant from London, such as Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Dorset, Hampshire and Oxfordshire are also sometimes included in the list due to their close proximity to the capital for commuters and the wider connection to the regional economy. Nevertheless no exact...
Woop woop Buckinghamshire :D
17:02
Just heard of Cambridge and Oxford, but not of the relating counties
Always something to learn :)
17:54
Oxford in the races, always. Dad was an oxforshire lad.
 
3 hours later…
20:35
Next HNQ :)
http://outdoors.stackexchange.com/questions/6257/survival-type-activies-for-scout-camp
new users shall awake!
traffic will riiiiise like the flames over mordor...
http://gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com/tolkien/_saruman.jpg

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