Should we re-organize the BAUT forum?

[agingjb]

I don't have any opinions about changes to BAUT; well, except:

I rarely look at off-topic or fun'n'games, although they are clearly integral parts of the site; I'd quite like an (optional) way to view the site as it would appear without them.

There seems to be less and less from the BA himself (and he's why I got here in the first place). The UT side gets regular links and threads to its stories; cannot the BA's blog get similar linkage (best of all, could it be mirrored as threads here)?

[ToSeek]

Originally Posted by agingjb

The UT side gets regular links and threads to its stories; cannot the BA's blog get similar linkage (best of all, could it be mirrored as threads here)?

There actually is a "test forum" in the admin area where this is going on. I'm not sure why it's not public unless there's some issue with it - I'll ask Fraser.

[Van Rijn]

Originally Posted by ToSeek

There actually is a "test forum" in the admin area where this is going on. I'm not sure why it's not public unless there's some issue with it - I'll ask Fraser.

There's one non-technical issue I can see - unlike the UT posts, the BA posts often get heavily into religious and (often partisan) political subjects. There is an exemption for on-topic political and religious discussion in the BA story section of BAUT, but I think most people who are aware of that (I suspect many are not) currently post in the blog instead.

If the original BA posts are mirrored in BAUT, I wouldn't be surprised if there would be a lot more political and religious discussion which likely would get heated, lead to more suspensions and bannings, and questions of why subjects can be discussed in one section but not another.

[Arneb]

Especially so since on his blog, the BA behaves much more gloves-off than he would allow on the forum (which to me makes sense).

[Squink]

I'm not seeing a need for a specific "evolution" forum in Against the Mainstream. Why focus on evolution to the exclusion of phlogiston, resublimated thiotimoline, and Kirlian auras?

[Tinaa]

I seem to remember a topic in the mod section discussing how we would moderate
Phil's blog. Some times it does break the rules of this forum's rules. I think that is why Phil never made a direct link. He didn't want our job's to be harder by trying to moderate his blog comments.

[Arneb]

Yeah, I mean, you can't ban him, really, when he calls someone a liar, can you.

[Josh]

Everytime I see the announcement at the top of a Forum my initial thought is that it reads "Your opinion is requested: shall we re-organize ToSeek?"

[flynjack1]

I am still a relative "new guy" to the forum, however I find it simple enough to navigate and figure the proper places to post. I kinda go along with the "if it aint broke crowd".

[agingjb]

I suppose the technical answer to the BA's blog here (just to make my life easy of course) is mirrored read-only threads. And yes, I can always go and look at the blog itself, but - and it's a general point for me - I so much prefer the look and feel of forums to blogs.

[The_Radiation_Specialist]

Since when do we get to vote on how BAUT operates? I thought this a totalitarian duumvirate complete with its ban-happy thought police (aka. moderators).

[mahesh]

Did you make your tea yourself, Sir? as 'security' might ask at an airport! what did you put in it, Rad ?

[Swift]

Originally Posted by The_Radiation_Specialist

Since when do we get to vote on how BAUT operates? I thought this a totalitarian duumvirate complete with its ban-happy thought police (aka. moderators).

WOMAN: I didn't know we had a king. I thought we were an autonomous collective.
DENNIS: You're fooling yourself. We're living in a dictatorship. A self-perpetuating autocracy in which the working classes--
WOMAN: Oh there you go, bringing class into it again.
DENNIS: That's what it's all about if only people would--

[Moose]

I just want to know who lobbed those scimitars at ToSeek and Antoniseb.

[sabianq]

what a nice bell curve you have on the poll there...

[Ara Pacis]

Originally Posted by sabianq

what a nice bell curve you have on the poll there...

Takes a lot of people working together to keep it that way. If we were voting blind, on the other hand...

[davidlpf]

Originally Posted by Josh

Everytime I see the announcement at the top of a Forum my initial thought is that it reads "Your opinion is requested: shall we re-organize ToSeek?"

Although tempting a bet it would get a little messy.

[hhEb09'1]

Originally Posted by Ara Pacis

Takes a lot of people working together to keep it that way.

Not necessarily, there is always the Central Limit Theorem

[geonuc]

I don't think it is an example of the Central Limit Theorem. I think it's just a normal distribution, at least to the eye.

[sabianq]

can anybody do a regression model?

[Fazor]

Originally Posted by Moose

I just want to know who lobbed those scimitars at ToSeek and Antoniseb.

Some watery tart, I'm guessing. (I didn't vote for 'em)

[Ara Pacis]

Originally Posted by hhEb09'1

Not necessarily, there is always the Central Limit Theorem

I was thinking more along the lines of collaboration for the purpose of aesthetics.

[jaksichj]

As I cast my vote two nights ago--it seemed like forever for my browser to re-set...and I --said to myself--I bet we have a gaussian-type curve... indeed...!

[geonuc]

Originally Posted by Ara Pacis

I was thinking more along the lines of collaboration for the purpose of aesthetics.

Yep. Definitely not random and independent.

[hhEb09'1]

Originally Posted by geonuc

I don't think it is an example of the Central Limit Theorem. I think it's just a normal distribution, at least to the eye.

The Central Limit Theorem can produce a normal distribution, is what I meant. No collusion necessary.

Originally Posted by Ara Pacis

I was thinking more along the lines of collaboration for the purpose of aesthetics.

O, I know. I'm just saying, the appearance of a nice bell shape doesn't necessarily mean the posters have manipulated it. I think most of them vote before they even look at the results. Besides, at some point, someone has to make a non-symmetrical move, right?

On the other hand, most times I've looked at the results curve, it's looked more like a triangle than a bell.

[Argos]

Originally Posted by The_Radiation_Specialist

Since when do we get to vote on how BAUT operates? I thought this a totalitarian duumvirate complete with its ban-happy thought police (aka. moderators).

Actually, a tetraumvirate now.

[sabianq]

The ATM section needs to be split into two groups or categorys.

theorys and models

maybe three groups

with a third called fringe.

tommac would make a good fringe moderator
lol

theorys are good ideas with a possible model to describe it.

models are theorys with a mathmatical archetecture.

and fringe is well off the wall that may harbor interesting prespectives that could eventually lead to a plausable theory.

in Model, the poster would have to show the mathmatical structure and demonstrate that he knows how it works by describing the shown math in proofs and laymans language.

[grant hutchison]

Originally Posted by Argos

Actually, a tetraumvirate now.

Yikes. Mixed Latin and Greek roots!
A quadrumvirate or a tetrarchy, please.

Grant Hutchison

[Ara Pacis]

Originally Posted by hhEb09'1

O, I know. I'm just saying, the appearance of a nice bell shape doesn't necessarily mean the posters have manipulated it. I think most of them vote before they even look at the results. Besides, at some point, someone has to make a non-symmetrical move, right?

That would be me, I'm an assymmetrical poster sometimes.

On the other hand, most times I've looked at the results curve, it's looked more like a triangle than a bell.

Something about that rings true.

[sabianq]

Q&A could be split into two groups.

direct questions that have well defined answers like:
what is a star?
whatis the speed of light?
why does the speed of light slow down in water?

and questions that cannot be answered where people will give their opinions on what the answer should be

like FTL questions
and black hole question.

if the answer cannot be backed up with a relevant link it should go in the former catagory.

my $.02