New Idea for Chiefdelphi...

[Karthik]

Okay, I going to go off on a bit of rant here. Sorry...

The ChiefDelphi forums are more than just a place for people to kill time and engage in some chit chat. Over the years this board has evolved into one of the most useful educational tools in all of FIRST. You need information on past games? Search the forums. You're working on an off season project and need help with your transmission? Search the forums. If your search doesn't turn up what you're looking for? Post a message, there's hundreds of experienced engineers here who are willing to help.

There are a lot of people who work very hard to keep these forums useful and educational. The people who handle the moderated threads, the people who run UFH. These things are assets to the entire community.

I'd hate to see these things halted for a week, just because a bunch of people don't know how to manage their time, and can't pry their sticky hands away from their computer for more than 15 minutes at a time. You don't need Brandon to shut down the site so you can go out and play.

Maybe this is unrelated, but it seems to me that over the past while, these boards have become a lot less informative. There's been way too much focus on inside jokes, personal projects and chit-chat, and not enough on actual information. There was a time when I came here, I knew I was going to find lots of insightful discussion. What happened?

I'm not saying there isn't room for fun and games here, I'm just saying that maybe we should step back and look at why these forums exist.

[Tom Schindler]

Originally Posted by Karthik

Okay, I going to go off on a bit of rant here. Sorry...

The ChiefDelphi forums are more than just a place for people to kill time and engage in some chit chat. Over the years this board has evolved into one of the most useful educational tools in all of FIRST. You need information on past games? Search the forums. You're working on an off season project and need help with your transmission? Search the forums. If your search doesn't turn up what you're looking for? Post a message, there's hundreds of experienced engineers here who are willing to help.

There are a lot of people who work very hard to keep these forums useful and educational. The people who handle the moderated threads, the people who run UFH. These things are assets to the entire community.

I'd hate to see these things halted for a week, just because a bunch of people don't know how to manage their time, and can't pry their sticky hands away from their computer for more than 15 minutes at a time. You don't need Brandon to shut down the site so you can go out and play.

Maybe this is unrelated, but it seems to me that over the past while, these boards have become a lot less informative. There's been way too much focus on inside jokes, personal projects and chit-chat, and not enough on actual information. There was a time when I came here, I knew I was going to find lots of insightful discussion. What happened?

I'm not saying there isn't room for fun and games here, I'm just saying that maybe we should step back and look at why these forums exist.

Karthik,

If you noticed in my original post, one of the ideas was to disable any new postings. This would serve the purpose of anyone who needs to search for older information.

I originally posted this thread as a sort of Pat-Brandon-On-The-Back for a job well done, and to kind of remind people that there is more to life than chiefdelphi. I did not expect this kind of astounding support for what i see as a semi-absurd idea

It all boils down to this; Would most of us mind if the forums were shut down for a week? nah probably not. Would we miss reading all the chatter that goes on here? sure. Would we live? yep.

As you said in your original post, if you can't make your own time to go out and have fun outside of the computer there is something seriously wrong. But stopping all new posts for a week may have a beneficial impact on the quality of posts around here. People would have time to gather their thoughts or come up with new ideas to improve this community.

Maybe this is unrelated, but it seems to me that over the past while, these boards have become a lot less informative. There's been way too much focus on inside jokes, personal projects and chit-chat, and not enough on actual information. There was a time when I came here, I knew I was going to find lots of insightful discussion. What happened?

Just remember that it is the offseason. There is obviously going to be less "useful" discussion around here. Sign on in mid-January and i'll bet you a team shirt the ratio of chit chat to "useful" threads is down. (edited thanks to a correction by Aignam)

Sorry for being so long-winded about this!

Tom

[Aignam]

Originally Posted by Tom Schindler

Just remember that it is the offseason. There is obviously going to be less "useful" discussion around here. Sign on in mid-January and i'll bet you a team shirt the ratio of chit chat to "useful" threads is up.

I'm terrible at math, and pretty much all things technical, but wouldn't it be the opposite? Wouldn't the ratio of "useful" threads to chit-chat be up and the ratio of chit-chat to "useful" threads be down?

[Tom Schindler]

Originally Posted by Aignam

I'm terrible at math, and pretty much all things technical, but wouldn't it be the opposite? Wouldn't the ratio of "useful" threads to chit-chat be up and the ratio of chit-chat to "useful" threads be down?

absolutely correct. my bad

Thanks!

[Astronouth7303]

Originally Posted by Karthik

I'm not saying there isn't room for fun and games here, I'm just saying that maybe we should step back and look at why these forums exist.

It's summer vacation. I'd die of boredom w/o all this chit-chat.

(sorry, I saw this linked somewhere).

[Billfred]

Let's see, since I sped out of the Irmo High School parking lot for the last time...

1) Attended no fewer than two graduations (one mine, one my friend's from leadership school).
2) Have been on two college campuses (USC and The Citadel)
3) Registered for classes
4) Flown to the complete other side of the country
5) Appeared on national TV three times (The Price Is Right x2, Jimmy Kimmel Live x1)
6) Been one of those people who deliberately calls out the wrong price on The Price Is Right (yeah, it's not really GP, but when your mother is in contestants' row, whose side are you gonna take?)
7) Been through two annoying/painful/disgusting medical tests (read my blog if you want all the gory details)
8) Cleaned my bedroom (which is a true feat--wish I had a before picture)
9) Worked all these hours at Piggly Wiggly, plus a few others didn't want
10) Fought tooth and nail to corner the Neopets market for omelettes.

HA!

[Amanda Morrison]

I spend an awful lot of time on here working on assorted projects, researching, and other useful activities.

I also appreciate the fact that apparently, this leads to the assumption that I have no life and have spent all my time on here without ever seeing the sun. When a logical argument for taking down CD comes forth, someone please notify me. Otherwise, I think we're all wasting time.

Need a break? Leave.

/edit: and in response to 'Who had the best summer by the most activities they did' - This is ridiculous. I understand that time is what you make of it. But your life is influenced on how many lives you've changed and what impact you've made in your short time here. I fail to see how regular summer activities achieve those... This isn't a competition to see who spent their time most wisely. The only competition we have here, folks, is the one that's in March and April.

You had a great summer? I'm very proud. Mine was good too.

[Adam Y.]

1) Taking 8 credits of courses, Thermodynamics & Differential Equations
2) WhiteWater Rafting
3) Seg-Boston Glide
4) Family Reunion (reason why I missed IRI)
5) Hangliding
6) Attend concerts, symphonies, & plays in Boston

The Challenge? Hehe... try to outdo me

Hmmmm.... I could beat that. This is a list of things I did in chronological order.
1)Went to a friends party.
2)Went to a Japanese Resturaunt.
3)Went to graduation.
4)Went to grandma's funeral.
5)Went to register for college courses.
6)Traveled around with grandpa while he visited doctor.
7)Ju-Jitsu
8)Went to a hospitol a two times.
9)Realized I didn't have to go the second time.
10)Worked.
11)By the end of September Im playing to go see a bunch of Nobel Laurettes(spelling?).

[Madison]

On some level, it seems as if I've done a lot this summer, but I know that I've spent summers past doing far more.

• Spent time with friends at the Northwest Folk Life Festival (as it was there.)
• Visited the Golds, Jim and Bill, in San Jose, CA
• Watched The Shins perform in concert at The Warfield in San Francisco
• Drove across California and visited Six Flags Magic Mountain
• Visited the Disneyland Resort
• Taught robotics summer camp
• Worked my regular job a lot
• Ate an egg for the first time in two years
• Lost my voice singing "Joy to the World" in karaoke
• Saw a July 4th fireworks display on Lake Union
• Said goodbye to the third friend I've met to leave Seattle since my arrival
• Visited Bite of Seattle
• Attended Festival of the Fountains, a formal fundraiser for my job
• Began brainstorming an idea to bring FIRST robots to science museums all over the country

[Jessica Boucher]

Okay. Maybe I'm just being picky, but a seed spitting contest was not the point of this thread. Not to say it's not important what everyone is doing, but I respected all of you without you having to list it out for me. Truth is, I'm skipping over the list, as well as whatever point you were making in the post that might have been related to the thread.

The point of this thead was to discuss the idea of closing down CD for a period of time, to which Brandon has already made his decision. I call to close both "closing CD" threads.

[Jeff Waegelin]

Originally Posted by Jessica Boucher

The point of this thead was to discuss the idea of closing down CD for a period of time, to which Brandon has already made his decision. I call to close both "closing CD" threads.

I second that. Both of these threads have outlived their usefulness, and are on the verge of becoming a bragging contest.

[Brandon Martus]

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...099#post281099