@T_01 Mathematics (as a chatroom) is typically the busiest chatroom, so feel free to post a comment there, even better, a specific question, and someone should be along in no time.

okay. thank you

@T_01 If you have a well formulated question, don't hesitate to ask it on the mathematics.se main site.

@amWhy that's because you only take a minute! :-) See chess24.com/en/read/news/… and the various articles linked at the end.

@quid lol! :-) I'll check! (But only for one minute!)

@quid Thanks! I was able to find who the quarterfinal winners were, but not who would match up against whom. (So thanks for the link!) I imagine, given the reference to another tournament in the Magnus Carlsen series, after this one, that MC has invested quite a bit into furthering the sport.

@amWhy as for the tournament series I think mostly he gives his name, and as far as I understood proposed some of the other players.

@quid Ahh, okay. I thought I read somewhere earlier in one of the previous tournaments, that he contributed to the monetary awards. But in any case, do you think online chess tournaments will be the way of the future? I can't wait for the Candidates Tournament to resume... I think there'll always be a place for live tournaments, but it's a good question to ponder.

@amWhy I think they are here to stay. I don't think they will replace the classical tournaments entirely.

At least not any time soon.

Sometimes I wonder if there will be a middle ground. That is that people play in some venue, but not all in the same one.

@quid That's somewhat reassuring, not that online chess is inferior, but nothing quite replicates the physical presence of the players, and the live audience, etc

@quid That's a great idea for a middle ground!

No doubt, born of necessity, during the pandemic, I suspect a lot of change will occur, even in academia. My brother and I were talking about how much more disruptive such a pandemic would have been, say 20 years ago, compared to now. It will be interesting to see how we emerge from this all.

@amWhy some things would actually be nice too keep. For example some meetings can really be adequately be handled via a video conference;

@quid I know. That's kind of what I was getting at. We may see more openness to remote workers, in some professions, hybrid academics offering flexibility when permissible for online classes/teaching, along with in class study/teaching, perhaps even more tele-medicine, in some cases.

I guess I was just taken aback, how far more crippling the pandemic would have been 20-25 years ago, had it occurred then.

@amWhy I heard the argument that some things would have been handled differently. That is, that so much "distance" was put in place was because it was viable.

@quid Ahh, yes, that's true. So many questions, so few answers as of yet!

@quid That makes sense, but the distancing seems crucial in this pandemic. So how could it have been handled differently, with the same results, or better results? (20/25 years ago), or would it have been more catastrophic?

@amWhy yes maybe one would have accepted more cases. Sweden is often cited as example of how things could have been done differently.

@amWhy yeah I was wondering why there was no air strike yet 🤔

@XanderHenderson it doesn't work ;-)

@XanderHenderson Doesn't work for me either. How amusing! :P

Actually it started eventually.

Hrm... weird that it doesn't work.

I think it is built on unity, which should be pretty universal.

@quid I'll wait a bit...

There are standalone versions for various operating systems: pippinbarr.com/games/2018/07/12/chogue.html

But getting it from there kind of ruins the surprise.

@XanderHenderson it did work, but the actual goal is not yet clear. I did complete it though. It seems

@XanderHenderson it took a while to load. I actually thought the point was ot show a loading bar that never quite completes.

Thus I commented a bit quickly with the ;-) in that I thought the point was that it does not work.

@XanderHenderson Unity! Again, reminds me of a song I posted here! youtube.com/watch?v=Rla5YcMpNrQ

@amWhy Heh.

Here is another game from Asaf Karagila no less.

karagila.org/games/fatalistic.html

@quid Nice.

@quid Yikes! Hilarious!

@quid For someone in this room, who shall not be named, it is currently 3:20 a.m., their time!! Someone needs to get some sleep, methinks. Remember, I was nicknamed amWitch, today! :-)

@amWhy uhu, who that might be...see you.

@quid Just reading someone's mind, that's all! See you!

Hey guys and gals!!!

Or is everyone asleep now? 🤔

@sai-kartik, present sir

@Arjun Haha

@amWhy, this one fits your choice(in this case mine too)

@Arjun Very nice!

@amWhy ,glad you like it, I found this in a book by Charles Buckowski

Hello everyone! Hope you're having a good Tuesday :)

@OmarS , I Surely had one!

@amWhy is there anyway i can contact you privately?

I'm new to the chat thingy here, and I have something to clarify to you

@Arjun glad about that!

@OmarS We could speak in a newly created chatroom (Discussion between amWhy and OmarS) but the room would be public, in terms of others being able to read it.

@OmarS Did I upset you with any of my comments on main, or in chat? In any case, not a whole lot of users snoop in the many, many "Discussion" chatrooms. If you'd like me to invite you to one, just say the word.

@amWhy Yes, I don't mind :)

No lol, you haven't done anything wrong. I just want to give a clarification.. thank you for your consideration though!

I don't mind, I just don't want many people to hop in and join

@OmarS I can take care of that, but it may have to wait an hour or so: I changed my parent site back to math.se, because that way I can create a new chatroom in math.se and then invite you. Such changes sometime take a half hour or so to take effect.

I have absolutely no problem. Hmu once it's done and I'll tell you what's up whenever i'm free :)

Thank you again!

@OmarS No problem, very glad to do.

@amWhy just letting you know I didn't need to take shelter form an air strike that you probably planned :p

@sai-kartik :p

Planning one anytime soon?

@sai-kartik No, I am a peace-loving person!

Hmm whatever happened to "scolding" :p

@sai-kartik it's for your own benefit, after all ;)

@OmarS I agree..

Also with your previous conversation with Arjun, I see things aren't that great with your place. Hope they get real better real soon!!

Thank you for your warm wishes! :)

Yes, unfortunately.. it's getting worse by the day

@OmarS :(

@quid If you have a chance, you might want to view this meta thread.

Don't Worry, @quid. It's okay.

@amWhy I had a brief look earlier but then there was not much activity. I'll check again now.

@quid Don't get angry with me. I think most of what I said there was strictly in terms of reasoning. I also flagged two comments, one of which I did not respond to.

@quid, I'm hoping you can weigh in on the post, either through an "official mod" perspective, or supporting positions already taken. The OP seems to be proving to be quite a "hot head"... (not that I've never been one)... See also in CRUDE, where I made users aware of the meta post.

Unfortunately, I can't help but wonder if my mere presence and comments there didn't cause others' reflexive support for anything said by anyone other than amWhy. In which case, maybe this site is better off without me.

@amWhy well, we'll see to that after I read it. ;-)

@quid Of course! ;-)

@amWhy I think what causes issues is the volume and the speed. It's fine to bring up CW once. If it is repeat too much it can lead to escalation. I removed most of the comments, all the comments, not just yours. Don't get angry with me.

@quid But it's okay for @Xander to mention CW in his answer, after I was the first to address that option, prior to his post? So you couldn't let my first comment addressing CW for such posts, remain?

Sometimes I get the impression that you are more likely to delete my comments, because you worry about being seen as favoring, and you are reluctant to delete others' comments, for the same reason.

I'm just sick of the whiners on this site, (Why was my question closed! Why was my answer deleted! Stop the wicked witches of CURED!), the PSQ answering, wanna earn lots of rep users, running the agenda on meta, and mods letting them do just that. And mods let such users victimize those trying to maintain quality. Mods allow, on meta, circus shows. It is no longer a serious site for that reason. I just don't get the logic that quality seekers should be able to tolerate badgering, and ...

...avoid conflict and escalation, but rep seekers should be allowed to use their venom to write opinionated rants attacking those seeking quality. That's exactly the current scenario on meta. You can choose to work to change that, or you can tell users like me to let others abuse us, but smile and turn the other cheek?

@quid You can check the time-stamp of my first comment about the option to use CW, and compare it to the time-stamp of Xander's answer.. But, even some quality-seekers are given more latitude than I am. In any case, hopefully, now that virtually all of my contributions to the thread have been deleted, the post won't continue to be an anti-amWhy post. Mods have played a roll in allowing posts and commenters to attack me in ways you've suspended me for. Go figure.

Anyway, @quid. I see you are not here now. So I won't wast my breath anymore.

@amWhy sorry my phone rang.

@amWhy but I did just that.

I left that one.

It is possible that it was briefly gone, since sometimes I do "delete all" and "undelete" or generally there is some back-and-forth or indecision. Honestly I am not sure even. But if it was gone at all it was only for a minute or so.

@quid I'm sorry. I must have missed that. It is just frustrating, sometimes. The issue may not be cut and dry; but the OP behaved rather rudely, overall.

@quid Thanks for the explanation. I can understand handling matters in that manner.

@amWhy yes I know that it can be frustrating.

Uh, sorry to interrupt your discussion, but when is a room freezed?

@user675453 After a certain length of time of inactivity. You can go to the "moderators' office chat room" anytime to request a frozen chatroom be opened again.

@user675453 math mods' office chat room.

@user675453 the time is about two weeks. I think.

You make excellent points, @quid, in your comments on the meta question in the above discussion, in two comments your posted roughly 10 minutes ago!

@amWhy thank you for the feedback.

@quid Well, for one, you explained one of my comments better than I did! Thanks!

@amWhy if we don't get angry at each other, we work well as a team. :-)

@quid Indeed! :-)

@quid We also expect a lot from each other, so at times conflict ensues, but in the end, I think our mutual expectations make= each of us better at what we do!

@quid ,this isn't something new, you have been working together since (I don't really know ;-). Nice work amwhy and quid, we need more users like you two

@quid Could you please have yet another look at this topic. The comments have gone off the rails again, with one particular user apologizing on behalf of all of Math SE and accusing other users of engaging in a witch hunt.

I'll flag some particular comments.

@XanderHenderson I'll get invovled

@quid Thanks.

In other news, I'm now employed for the next year, teaching at a community college in BF Nowhere, AZ. I am so very much looking forward to hiking in the Painted Desert all winter. :)

@XanderHenderson Congrats!! Can you find a place with an extra bedroom (guest room) so I can escape WI during winter for a few weeks here and there?? ;D I'll even gift you with cheese and beer from Wisconsin!!

@amWhy The best part is that my mother owns a house up there, so I have a place to live. :)

Four bedrooms, even.

And still quite a lot cheaper to rent than a two bedroom apartment in Riverside.

@XanderHenderson Can you designate one a guest room? ;D

@amWhy There will be at least one guest room.

@XanderHenderson Yay!! Does your Mom like cheese? I could also bring snow, but it would melt on the way there!

I think that my mother might ask to have my brother also live there. He has Downs Syndrome, and has been getting services in that city. She ultimately wants to get him into a group home in Tucson, but COVID and the death of my father have greatly complicated that process.

@amWhy We all like cheese. My preference is for soft French varieties.

But a solid, sharp, Wisconsin cheddar is real nice. :)

@XanderHenderson You got it! ;D

:)

@quid I already flagged the answer, so can not flag it again, but once again, after expanding their answer here the answer attacks those who disagreed with them. This user needs a time out, given their hostility on meta, in comments on meta, in comments on the post they answered, and in their edited answer. At the very least, they need a moderator-team message. This is not the first time this user has been a bit belligerent, and I doubt ...

it will be the last, unless they get a "wake up call."

E.g., @quid: "I had planned to do a lot more work on this answer today, along several independent tracks at once, but the astonishingly hostile response that has been meted out - not only to me, and my answer or comment, but to the question itself, which I still think is a credit to the site, absolutely the kind of curious independent mathematical investigation that Maths.SE should be doing everything it can to encourage, not punish - ...

... has rendered this impossible. Indeed, it has rendered my entire day so far impossible. Thanks, guys. You know who you are."

@amWhy it could be best to let the situation calm down a bit.

I preceded any mod-determined deletion by deleting my most recent comment myself. Sure. I will let the "situation" calm down. That's assuming this answerer will calm down. But as I said, this is not the first temper-tantrum by Calum on this site. If you choose to wait and see, don't be surprised if users again come down hard on this user's drama, manipulations, and harassment.

@amWhy they got upset. I do not think they will be very receptive right now.

Generally I think things should not be blown out of proportion.

That goes for various sides.

@quid Clearly, and they've seemed to be upset for some 19 hours now. I do not think I've blown anything out of proportion, @quid. I am talking about a far more extended period of time. But if you want to allow some users slack, but not all users, that's your prerogative as a mod.

Had I said to another user, what Calum said to me, I'd have been suspended forthwith. What's up with that? Calum doesn't even get a mod warning?? shakes head in disbelief.

@amWhy But... but... they aren't the problem!

@XanderHenderson In their mind, they aren't the problem!

Yes, I replied to that.

@XanderHenderson OMG I read their persistence in commenting!

@quid Thanks for being a mensch. My goal is to avoid interaction with that user as much as possible in the future.

I'm sorry that you have to deal with them.

@quid All you said was: "Either way, I think it is best for the meta-discussion about the post to calm down a bit." Where were your words of wisdom to the answerer about calming down their comments on main?? There were none. That's my point. This user clearly does not get it! And you seem okay with that.

@amWhy have some trust and patience.

@quid Okay.

I'lll never be a physician. I don't have the patients.

@XanderHenderson :P Sounds like a Dad joke!!

That is a "hash tag dad joke". :P

Though I did tell my daughter that she has to call me Dr. Papa from now on.

It didn't go over too well. :)

@XanderHenderson Now you've got to find "Dr. Papa jokes"!

YES!

@amWhy it's not all I said. I said explicitly that their approach is part of the problem.

@quid Only after I quoted you. Anyway, when you pick through and do ongoing deletions, it is difficult to follow the transactions. I will trust you, @quid.

...But please understand that users such as the one I am concerned about, exhibit their best behavior when interacting with a mod, behavior they refuse to show to anyone other than a mod. I don't think you get that. You may think you've handled a problem, by a seemingly respectful conversation with the problem-maker, but you unwittingly permit them to continue to make life hell on this site for other users, when you refuse to address that behavior towards non mods. Do you get that?

Indeed, in their replies to your comments, they sound perfectly delightful. But this user knows you are a mod, and knows better than to tick you off. I fear most mods have lost touch with what it is like for the "boots on the ground".

Sorry I bored you to death, @quid.

^^^ Or bored you to the point you took flight from this chat room, @quid

@XanderHenderson Hah! @AsafKaragila might enjoy this, too. He's posted a good number of monty python shorts, over the years, (not since moderating though!) He's got a great sense of humor!

@amWhy we do see the other conversations, too. I understand that it is not the same if one is involved or just sees it. Still it is not a case like some student being abusive to their peers when alone and all nice when a teacher is present for we in theory have near perfect information on everything that goes on.

I stress the in theory because in practice we miss out on a lot. But you can always point to specifics if it is needed.

@quid Did you not note how the user responded to you, vs. every other user, some of who said no more, no less than you did? It is as plain as day. You may think it is your skill as a moderator that leads to more productive conversations, but that's being a bit naive. Plenty of comment to this user were non-confrontative, to which this user responded rudely, and is the most culpable actor in all of this for having escalated the situation. As soon as you appeared, with your handy diamond,

this user suddenly became cooperative. I don't think you really get that, because for one, I think you overestimate your skill in dealing with problematic users, and underestimate the skill of users without the handy diamond following their usernames.

@amWhy I am aware of this phenomenon. Generally speaking I mean.

@amWhy sorry to nit-pick, it is in the very same comment you quoted, and this comment was never edited as is proved by the absence of the pencil symbol.

@quid I'm not angry with you, @quid. But I don't think mods fully understand how hard it is to interact with some users, once they acquire their diamond.

@amWhy possibly. Maybe I should create a sockpuppet.

@quid Sorry about that. It is hard to follow threads.

@quid Yes! Remember my "Day as a new user" idea? Maybe every mod should experiment with a sockpuppet without a diamond! :-) (Just as long as the accounts don't interact!!) :P

@amWhy maybe I'll do it at some point.

@quid Don't get me wrong; I think your are a skilled mediator/negotiator. But users in general feel freeer to fly off the handle with non mods, than with mods. (Of course, I am an exception, because I've been known to fly-off-the-handle, even with mods!) ;D

@amWhy "Of course, I am an exception, because I've been known to fly-off-the-handle, even with mods!" Can't argue with that. :-)

@quid Hah! ;D I figured you'd appreciate that honesty!

@amWhy indeed, I do.

@quid I don't want to eat up time you might need for other matters. I don't plan to comment anymore in the posts I found problematic. Thanks for your time attending to these matters! :-)

@quid am I correct that it will be Giri vs. Carlsen in the Chessable Masters' Final?

Giri (3) and Carlsen (3.5)?

@amWhy it's not decided yet. They play mini-matches. Best of three. In tennis it would be they won the first set.

@quid Oh, Okay! Thanks! (Silly me!)

But something amazing happened. Carlsen won the first game in a drawn position because of a disconnect of the opponent.

He then gave away the second game on purpose to balance the score.

@quid Oh my gosh! He's sort of done that recently, I think!

I am increasingly supportive of him; in interviews, he tends to give credit to his opponents, e.g. I think he is really invested in furthering the sport, more (or just as much) as his own legacy. I just mean he seems to be a fairly generous person.

@amWhy, do u have free time these days?

Well if yes do read the book '2states:the story of my marriage'

Wonderfully written about everyday life

Good night

@Arjun Thanks, I'll bookmark the suggestion. What time is it where you are?

@amWhy if I'm not mistaken, Weezer is from Wisconsin, right?

@OmarS I don't know, actually.

@quid Perhaps it is best for me to leave this site. Users, whom I could name but won't because you get angry with me when I do, have been allowed to make it near impossible to operate on main (whether I answer (downvoted), or comment), or on meta. For that reason, I see no reason to think I can be of help anymore. That's been guaranteed by the protection of my tormenters. I don't blame you, alone. I just think that the current mod MO (not mathoverflow) is not conducive to a healthy site.

^^^"have been allowed to make it near impossible for me to contribute on main, whether by answering (in which case I am guaranteed to receive downvotes), or commenting, nor on meta.

@amWhy surely you have been playing Asaf's game too much :-)

@quid What is that game???

@amWhy the one I linked to yesterday. The "fatalistic adventure" or what it is called.

@quid Ahh, yes, I remember now!!

@amWhy I think for some things a solutions is to look past them.

@quid The solution is to look at pasted (images) of them? :-)

pbs.twimg.com/media/EbyMd0pXgAAghOS?format=jpg&name=medium

@amWhy I corrected. But I was oddly confused what was even correct.

Ah, no fair, @quid! You corrected before I posted about "pasted"!

@amWhy yes, but it was possible without special powers even.

@XanderHenderson That's hilarious! ;D

@amWhy Dat redshirt gonna die...

@XanderHenderson Hah!

@quid google.com/…

@XanderHenderson Was that photoshopped? (the face-masks) Or did it actually occur in an episode of star trek (where the three wore facemasks)? Or is that "for you to know and me to find out"?!

@quid Do you advise users who complain about me, or flag me, the same thing? I think not. Rather, you tend to do their bidding.

@amWhy if I had a dollar for each time I told somebody they should look past something you did...

@quid Okay... You'd be very rich! :-)

@amWhy let's say somewhat wealthy.

@quid Wealthy for gaining maybe $20? :P

Oh yikes, "Boom" ... about a dozen "boom!'s" today, already. The "Do it Yourself fireworks" are starting. With Covid-19, Fireworks for the 4th of July in the US have been cancelled in my region, for public viewing, so people are buying their own collection, and I expect the booms and bangs to continue for at least a week!

Oh, @quid, I meant to edit my last comment, not to delete it. The user I speak of seems to be especially fond of showing up when anyone's upset with me, on main, as today, or on meta. This makes me hugely uncomfortable.

@amWhy Definitely shopped

@quid Could you please address my flags on the comments here?

^^^Whenever you have the chance, @quid.

@amWhy done. While you do have a point, I have to say I am not thrilled about your commenting there either.

@quid Yes, I understand that. Sometimes I just get really frustrated with users who persist in answering PSQ's. That's not meant to be an excuse.