« first day (2338 days earlier)      last day (1301 days later) » 
00:00 - 20:0020:00 - 00:00

8:00 PM
it's the explaining part that's hard
 
ah
 
especially for, uh, non-linguists
(no offense)
 
none taken.
 
:)
 
(:
I am OVER HALFWAY DONE with grading!
so far the average grade is a C+
I feel bad, but then also they need to learn better
 
Sid
8:06 PM
Perhaps you need to be a bit more lenient towards the students, hehe
 
@matt Ewwwwwwwwwwwww get it out get it out
 
@Sid I agonized over each point. I want them to do well!
 
Sid
I mean, students are appearing for exams in the middle (end(?)) Of a pandemic (assuming you meant grading exam sheets).
 
this would be worse if I knew the poor kids
This is a lab
They have to fill out data tables, graph, and answer discussion questions
 
Sid
Ahh. Lab. Usually fun except when you have to write the reports...
 
8:10 PM
They only got to write the report - the data was given to them since we can't do in-person labs
 
Sid
Yeah. Same thing in here as well. Online classes only allow software-dependent labs and not the in person labs to be held efficiently.
I personally don't see why a student needs to write a report for a lab they couldn't do but I am sure, there must be a valid reason for it.
 
The official explanation is they need to develop their scientific graph-making skills, and understand experimental design (which most of the discussion questions are about)
 
@bobble Yeah but the fun part of science is blowing stuff up
The boring part is writing about why it blew up
 
Sid
@NorthLæraðr Excellently put!
 
Avi
Well well well
 
8:14 PM
@NorthLæraðr You must have been a fun student in chemistry lab
 
@bobble I mean, the teacher set us on fire once so
 
Avi
dials the FBI "I've found our resident boom guy"
 
wat
 
@Mithical Soap+like flammable gas+lighter
 
Avi
@NorthLæraðr ya wat
 
8:16 PM
Poof split second fire on hand
 
My chem teacher had this giant glass apparatus where he ran electric currents through water to turn it into gases
 
Sid
@bobble how old are these students?
 
Mostly freshmen, with a smattering of older grades
 
Sid
School Freshmen or Uni freshmen?
 
high school
 
Sid
8:18 PM
Ohhh. Then by all means, grade them low😅
 
Lab says: "Make a double-line graph". Student makes a scatterplot.
 
Sid
I am firmly of the opinion that high school students need a kick in their butt in their freshmen/Sophomore year for them to start taking life/academics a little more seriously😅😅
 
(then later on refers to the "lines" in their graph)
 
Sid
@bobble genius. Love that student. Wonder where they copied their Homework from.😆
 
@Sid this is their first lab. It's sorta-intended to scare them into trying harder on other labs.
 
Sid
8:24 PM
I hope nobody has gotten an F
 
someone got a 50%
 
Sid
@bobble (I am Asian. So we are taught that Academics is a very important thing, hehe.) So, don't mind me saying that's not at all ideal.
 
There's also a bunch with identical, and wrong, answers
 
@bobble Hm, not sus
@Sid It took for me getting a D in precalc this year to start taking math more seriously :/
Unfortunately, I'm a junior
@bobble So... people copied the wrong answers off of each other?
 
That's my guess. No way to prove it.
 
8:39 PM
Due cause?
Hm that legal reference made no sense
Never mind~
How are you supposed to be grading these?
 
Teacher gave me a key with points attached, and I can give partial credit at my discretion
 
ah
The only grades I was allowed to grade was multiple choice answers. They're sooooo tedious
 
one time a teacher handed me a stack of homeworks to grade... which had my homework in it. Needless to say, I got a perfect.
 
Most of my days as a TA was basically an intern: Filing papers, making copies, stapling
@bobble Lol
Well, they banned most people from using the copy machine my eighth grade year. Some kids broke it as a TA.
 
The real test was if you'd self-report a conflict of interest. You failed miserably.
 
8:45 PM
How did you even end up TA'ing for a class you were in?
 
I wasn't TAing, but the teacher knew I TAed for others so when she saw I finished work early she just dropped the papers on my desk.
 
Ahahahaha
Teacher's Pet (blows raspberry)
Realizes I'm a hypocrite
You know, @bobble you're a great crown and all, but this is making me feel too much like a pretty princess. I HATE looking like a pretty princess
 
take me off, then
 
Done. Your clone is of no more
 
"of" no more?
did the bobbling crown magic work for the driver's test?
 
8:49 PM
Unfortunately, no
I got a critical error
 
oof
 
I was pulling from the curb and um a car was coming
In my defense I thought the instructor would've been mad if I didn't pull onto the street bc the car was kind of far away
But it wasn't as far as I thought it was
 
Caution: objects in mirror are closer than they appear
 
I got impatient, it was my fault
Feels bad though because I know I could've passed if it wasn't for that
 
I must away for tutoring. poof of yellow smoke
 
8:53 PM
Welp time to work on that C4
hmm
 
user image
5
 
Hehe, that's cute
I'm a trendsetter!
 
hmm, I want to write another riddle
 
Which Skyrim reference will you make this time?
 
I'll let you know next year
 
8:58 PM
Sounds good
Hmm, the definition could be SOMETIMES, for "only occasionally"
but no wordplay in sight
 
Avi
@NorthLæraðr i concur
maybe sometime to do with Times magazine composing clues?
newspaper* my bad
 
Composed clues in the morning?
 
Avi
new york times to be precise
 
Bit of a stretch IMO... hm
also the exercise part
 
Avi
that's probably -e_
or maybe it ends with E_
hmmmm
 
9:13 PM
or PE or PT
 
Avi
s*pt is only subscript
s*pe isn't looking promising either
 
yea
maybe it's just a word for "exercise" and take the first of that
Though that's really vague
 
Avi
@Mithical is that a flesh jacket below the purple
apparently nobody is human here after all
@NorthLæraðr that's too obscure
 
@Avi yea
"Composed clues in the morning" maybe that's a subsidiary def, like how you were saying with times?
 
Avi
no i was thinking "composed clues in the morning" might mean TIMES
and then we get SOME from "wanting exercise first"
but it looks sketch af
 
9:17 PM
@Avi How do you even get SOME from "wanting exercise first"
 
Avi
wanting = needing, exercise = "some"? first = going before
 
yeah that's not even a stretch
That's just a different universe
 
Avi
you never know
 
Though, it's an interest line of thought
 
Avi
some words mean weird things as their 99th definition
 
9:19 PM
Or Gareth can, you know, just make them up :P
Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be the case
I can't even find a synonym of "exercise" that starts with S
maybe different types of exercises?
STRENGTH & CONDITIONING maybe?
Ugh. SCARCELY is only 8 letters
 
Avi
I find one strange without it? (10)
not sure the wordplay indicators work as intended
 
2
Q: Ingrid Deduction pops by with a puzzle

StivThe other night I was sat at home in Providence when the doorbell rang. To my surprise, my very good friend Ingrid Deduction stood on the step, a huge grin on her face and a piece of paper held out towards me. "You're back!" I exclaimed, giving her a hug, whilst taking the paper and casting a con...

 
Avi
but it's supposed to be I FIND ONE* around IT for DEFIN(IT)ION*
 
Avi
aus tra lia
@NorthLæraðr what's the point of this
 
9:30 PM
@Avi Idk, "composed clues"
Are those literally CCs?
In the morning is probably AM
 
Avi
yeah...
@NorthLæraðr idk
 
can morning just be "m"
 
Avi
unlikely
 
SOVEREIGN could work for "first", and REIGN being "wanting exercise" (as in exercising power?)
but i don't see how SOVE could fit
maybe like SO(-L)VE but like in the morning???
 
9:46 PM
@Mithical now everyone has a crown?!
 
0
Q: The plant king's story

George MenoutisI am here tonight to pledge a hero's deed on knife's edge his kingdom's name is a plant find it in places moisture scant. The castle on the verge to fall, due to a flock of livings small. It was left without powers, as it had lost both its towers. Firstly, the king assumed command from his arch...

 
Avi
^ first thing I thought when i saw bridge was konigsberg
rip
looks like I've been thoroughly corrupted by graph theory
 
hm
 
@matt s/crown/bobble
 
10:02 PM
what does that mean
 
replace "crown" with "bobble"
so in your message, instead of "now everyone has a crown" it'd be "now everyone has a bobble"
 
I see... unfortunately I doubt a bobble would go well with my green square
hm
 
all the little bobble-copies are my minions. they will send feelers into your brain and take your puzzling skills. then I will be as good as Deus at puzzle-solving!
 
Avi
but my puzzling skills are -Deusovi
 
@matt hmm
 
10:10 PM
@bobble I have zero puzzling skills, so, unfortunately, the net gain will be zero.
 
Avi
so even if Deusovi wears a bobble-copy then your net puzzling skill will still be bobble
 
@bobble Well, you'd be taking them from a lot of Deusovi's socks, so perhaps?
 
I tried to edit my message and it failed, so now it is below North's reply. This is weird
okay reloaded and all is well
 
@bobble I'm not sure how great of a ploy recruiting PSE members are going to be. I mean, Mith is brilliant and all, and is also a notorious procrastinator of puzzles
As am I
Actually if you were to control me you'd just have a bunch of half-finished puzzles
 
I'm not recruiting you. I'm just taking all of your skills and knowledge.
 
10:24 PM
Explains why I've forgotten how to count....
And also my notorious spelling
 
CMC: make a CC for "notorious"
 
Avi
No deep web engines...
 
Renowned for confusing us on riot? (9)
eh
oh I'm missing an O
 
Avi
Who let the dogs out? Not us
and then all you're left with cluing is "orio"
 
Ori is my favorite video game series
Sounds like oreo
 
Avi
10:34 PM
it's not oreos
 
could do oreo with a letter replacement
 
@NorthLæraðr Hey, it's not like I've been procrastinating finishing a puzzle series for four and a half years or any- ... oh.
 
@Mithical hm
 
Fun fact: the first use of the word "notorious" in the Lair was someone complaining about health insurance companies
 
i must see
 
10:40 PM
Nov 21 '14 at 14:24, by Geobits
So if you don't have insurance, for any variety of reasons, you're completely and utterly boned if something happens. Even with it, they're notorious for trying to find ways to not pay the bill and stick you with it.
 
also @north what's so bad about the IPA? (re: ewww)
 
@matt GROSS
 
what do you mean?!!
someone help me
 
Avi
I have no clue what's going one
on*
 
no
 
10:43 PM
@NorthLæraðr what makes the [bleep] so ... "gross"?
 
IPA? Nope
No squiggles for me
 
why not
@NorthLæraðr but they're cool squiggles
 
NO THEY'RE NOT
 
specific example?
 
Sorry, I don't like calling my "p" sound a voiceless bilabial fricative or whatever
 
10:45 PM
*plosive
 
sORRY
Plosive
Nuh uh ain't gonna cut it with me. No, sirree
 
the voiceless bilabial fricative [ɸ] is like [p] but with the lips open
 
Avi
So, into our crooked health insurance company, perhaps? (9)?
 
breakdown?
 
Avi
@matt fric that
 
10:47 PM
@Avi why
 
Avi
@bobble So into our*
@matt cause it starts with fric
that's why
 
@Avi nice
is the def legal, though?
 
Avi
perhaps
 
@Avi IPA puns, I see
 
should we ask Deus?
how many question marks can I use?
 
Avi
10:48 PM
yo @Sphinx where the [bleep] is my puzzle
 
@bobble all of them??????????
 
Avi
0
Q: Trichain: A Bottle of Rum

AviThis is a Trichain puzzle. The rules of Trichain are as follows: Numbers must be white, and match the size of their white islands. Each white island can only contain at most one number. Some white islands may have no numbers. Black squares must be part of L-trominoes. Black L-trominoes cannot b...

23 minutes ago :(
 
hey everyone please flag this answer as rude or abusive
 
hm
 
Avi
which answer
is it gone?
 
10:50 PM
@bobble that answer is ... not very nice
 
it is gone
 
Avi
well, hopefully
 
@Avi yes i just flagged it
 
@matt I don't see it anymore
 
Avi
ok, cool
 
10:51 PM
It basically was a whole bunch of sexist insults in all caps.
 
Avi
uncalled for
 
that's... okay then
 
@NorthLæraðr exactly
agh my messages keep getting timed out
 
Avi
for the record though this is a classic riddle
wouldn't be surprised if it already exists on the site somewhere
 
it's really old
for some reason they posted an "answer" to a really old riddle that was quite rude
 
10:53 PM
hey @bobble, how much does acquiring a bobblecrown cost?
 
44 mins ago, by bobble
all the little bobble-copies are my minions. they will send feelers into your brain and take your puzzling skills. then I will be as good as Deus at puzzle-solving!
 
Avi
I solved my own puzzle in 4 mins 25.9 secs knowing most of the crucial deductions
 
So the bobble crowns will cost your puzzle solving skills
 
@bobble wh- noooo
i just want a bobblecrown
 
Avi
it's like the diadem of ravenclaw
 
10:55 PM
?
 
Avi
but instead of being a die-dem it's gonna take your brain
that's all
 
which means i will be dead
 
bobble is a murderer
 
Avi
no you don't need your brain to live
 
10:56 PM
You will stay alive, just without any puzzling ability
 
Avi
it will be replaced with synthetic non-puzzling brain
 
i- i- a- blegh
 
Avi
ok if you don't like the talk about brains go solve a puzzle
<3
 
@Avi ooh yay a heart
thanks
what should my next puzzle be
 
a trichain?
those appear to be the current fad
 
11:01 PM
im thinking maybe a nurikabe that turns into a crossword
unfortunately im not great at puzzle-making
 
Avi
design crossword first
 
good idea
 
1
Q: Trichain: A Bottle of Rum

AviThis is a Trichain puzzle. The rules of Trichain are as follows: Numbers must be white, and match the size of their white islands. Each white island can only contain at most one number. Some white islands may have no numbers. Black squares must be part of L-trominoes. Black L-trominoes cannot b...

 
should i have a certain theme?
 
Avi
ensuring that the black squares make valid nurikabe
idk do whatever you want to
 
11:05 PM
hey there's your puzzle ^
 
Avi
only 39 minutes after it was first posted lol
 
</sarcasm>?
 
maybe the Sphinx doesn't like you
 
@bobble ooh dang
 
sent twice?
 
11:08 PM
oops it sent twice
thinking about linguistics for no reason at all
specifically a terrible conlang idea
 
Avi
can anybody help me with this masyu xd
I have literally no idea what the standard deductions are
 
white dots on edges have line parallel to edge through them
white dots that are on "like an edge" (line can't go in one direction) are similar
two white dotes connected to each other have their turns on the outside sides of the pair
do you need more right now?
 
Avi
not atm
 
oh, and black dots can't have a turn in the next cell so your line has to extend 2 more down
 
Avi
yey
solved it for the second time
first time was without logic, second time was with grid deductions
 
11:27 PM
logic
aka Spock-ness
 
Avi
yey
it only took me 14 minutes for that one
 
happy spooktober everyone
 
00:00 - 20:0020:00 - 00:00

« first day (2338 days earlier)      last day (1301 days later) »