Subject: SSC No External Aids signup Thread
Date: Tue May 12 13:08:56 2020
User: joeygray
Message:Use this thread for the No External Aids promise of the Saturday Streak competition. See link for more information.
Link: Using this thread to sign up
Date: Tue May 12 13:35:46 2020
User: firenze
Message:No External Aids.
(sounds licentious)
Date: Tue May 12 13:38:23 2020
User: firenzes_mother
Message:No External Aids.
(well, maybe, the pleasure wedge)
Date: Sat May 23 19:20:21 2020
User: The-Bible-is-the-Word-of-God
Message:The links seem to take me in a circle so I assume THIS is the thread to sign-up for the no-external-aids promise.
I guess I am too stupid to even know how one could attempt such things, but in any event, if this is the place - then sign me up.
I don't cheat. I won't cheat.
Date: Sat May 23 19:33:39 2020
User: hotnurse
Message:None ever for me although I could use a couple of hearing aids.
Date: Sat May 23 19:54:52 2020
User: joeygray
Message:Sigh.
The above link takes you to the SSC FAQ, in which there is a discussion about what constitutes external aids. Examples are: 1) taking the hand you get dealt by Denny, arranging that hand using a deck of cards on a table in front of you, replaying it with those cards a number of times until you find a solution, and then entering that solution back into this site thus calling it a streak win. 2) Entering the deal into a solver. Entering the solver's solution into this site and calling it a streak win. 3) Making notes / strategies / partial solutions / whatever, allowing you effectively many retries of the deal until you find a solution, then entering that solution into this site and calling it a streak win.
Now that I've given examples (and not an exhaustive list but enough to give you the flavor), I note that 'signing up' is promising you will NOT use external aids when playing in the SSC.
The instructions page says how to make that promise. It's not by what you did. It's by posting as you (your freecell identity), and entering
No-aids
as the first line of a post on THIS thread. I have software that scans this thread and it's not smart software, it's dumb software. It can't know what your post meant. I mean, I personally can look at this thread and, maybe, see what you meant but I'm trying to have this thing run automatically. I admit it's clumsy, but in using a thread of the discussion board I verify that it's you who are making the promise, since you post with your username and a password that only you know. I have no other means for this verification; Denny does but he's not the one running the SSC.
Thanks for your understanding.
Date: Sat May 23 20:13:05 2020
User: The-Bible-is-the-Word-of-God
Message:LOL - Sorry. I didn't know the post would be scanned by software. I'll do it right (I hope) after this mea culpa in the next comment.
I never thought of dealing a deck of cards - man, that actually is funny. But yeah, there are different ways to cheat I guess if one wants to go down that path. I must admit I was thinking just computer/tech ways of cheating when I mentioned not being smart enough even if I had the desire.
Thanks for the patience.
Date: Sat May 23 20:46:11 2020
User: joeygray
Message:It's also true that the software runs right at midnight on SSC day, so that your signup now would normally take effect next week. I'll run it now, though, and assume you played all day "no-aids". I can't go back in time to previous weeks, though, it would change points for everybody. 😟
Date: Sat May 30 06:16:31 2020
User: Zonny
Message:No-aids
Date: Fri Jun 5 23:16:31 2020
User: RogerB.
Message:No aids
Date: Fri Jun 5 23:24:20 2020
User: joeygray
Message:Maybe you were right about the form and the token, cellmate. Evidently this is way harder than I realized.
Date: Sat Jun 6 11:25:24 2020
User: hotnurse
Message:No aids
Date: Sat Jun 6 11:51:23 2020
User: byronsmoot
Message:No-aids
Date: Sat Jun 6 12:51:14 2020
User: sebcbien2
Message:No-aids
Date: Sun Jun 7 06:08:40 2020
User: JoeU2
Message:No aids
Date: Sat Jun 13 12:55:17 2020
User: RogerB
Message:No-aids
Date: Sun Jun 14 13:06:47 2020
User: silvrstreak
Message:No-aids
Date: Sat Jun 20 00:59:18 2020
User: dcn21
Message:No-aids
Date: Sat Jun 20 12:13:14 2020
User: rws33315
Message:No-aids
Date: Sat Jun 20 18:26:54 2020
User: Steve169
Message:No-aids
Date: Thu Jul 2 20:38:28 2020
User: redberet
Message:No-aids
Date: Thu Jul 2 21:41:05 2020
User: snoverdavid
Message:no aids for me
Date: Sat Jul 4 06:55:37 2020
User: RottinJohn
Message:No-aids
Date: Sat Jul 18 06:45:58 2020
User: RottinJohn
Message:No-aids
Date: Mon Sep 28 23:24:06 2020
User: redberet
Message:Exclude-me
Date: Tue Sep 29 00:23:33 2020
User: joeygray
Message:I haven’t tested that feature for a while. It probably works for the basic F1 calculations, which are the wikitables posts in the SSC thread and on the leaderboard. I bet I’m not handling it in the Daily Viewer, though, that software is pretty new. In fact I’m sure I don’t, because I don’t even know how I SHOULD display if redberet does play an 8x3 on Saturday. Let me think....
No, I guess I consider the daily viewer to not be part of the SSC proper. It’s just an alternate view of Denny’s score pages, selecting the daily column. Denny has no exclude functionality, so I shall not exclude redberet from it should he play the SSC variant. He will be excluded from the leaderboard and from receiving any F1 points, per his request. That’s the SSC part.
Hopefully I get a chance to test it again before Saturday.
Date: Tue Sep 29 12:02:10 2020
User: TNmountainman
Message:I'm a bit curious, for those two (outskirts and redberet) who've decided they want out of the no-aids universe - why?
I know outskirts said something about it in another thread, but I didn't fully grasp that - altho I 'sort of' understood her sentiment (but at this point don't remember which thread it was in so as to be able to go back and re-read what she wrote). I guess my main question is "do you all now plan on using, or at least be able/free to use, external aids?" That particular question may be separate from you own personal "why".
Date: Tue Sep 29 13:37:00 2020
User: The_Inquisitor
Message:Why not just stay with no-aids and use aids? Who would know?
Date: Tue Sep 29 13:49:47 2020
User: TNmountainman
Message:The player would know, and thus would know their soul would suffer the consequences. :) Or...........well........I like to think that most of us here have some pretty good ethics. That water is already muddy enough, tho.
Date: Tue Sep 29 14:27:20 2020
User: The_Inquisitor
Message:You said good ethics. Can ethics be bad?
Date: Tue Sep 29 14:37:15 2020
User: TNmountainman
Message:While I get your (valid) point, I come down on the side of saying yes - in common parlance. The opposite of the purest definition of ethics would be something like "without ethics", but I think the meaning has evolved to being capable of being "good" - as opposed to bad. Just my thoughts on it.
Date: Tue Sep 29 16:01:25 2020
User: outskirts
Message:Because I'm a free spirit~
Last SSC thread
Date: Tue Sep 29 17:14:06 2020
User: joeygray
Message:Please note, this thread is for affecting the signup and exclusion lists, and - I hope rarely - discussion of the effects of such changes. Discussion about motivations should be on some other thread. Thanks! — testy Joe
Date: Sat Feb 27 06:50:12 2021
User: Gulbis
Message:No-aids
Date: Tue Mar 9 23:32:47 2021
User: redberet
Message:No-aids
Date: Tue Mar 9 23:33:50 2021
User: Airborne
Message:No-aids
Date: Sun May 9 01:15:38 2021
User: ix
Message:No-aids
Date: Tue May 11 20:06:00 2021
User: wjbbr
Message:No external aids.
Date: Sat Oct 30 17:48:58 2021
User: Beowulf
Message:No-aids.
Date: Tue Nov 2 17:03:01 2021
User: joeygray
Message:The "I don't use cards" competition is no longer being supported. Posting here will have no effect.
Date: Tue Nov 2 19:11:43 2021
User: Kumquat-of-Conciliation
Message:.......other than such a list can be used to at least see who's claiming to be steroid-free. Which I think still has value. But maybe that's the optimist in my conciliatory viewpoint. Curious that this would pop up after nearly 6 months hiatus. Any insight from The _Revelator?
Date: Tue Nov 2 19:16:19 2021
User: TNmountainman
Message:.hug joey
Date: Tue Nov 2 20:55:58 2021
User: redberet
Message:I would think Beowulf has been here long enough to know the score. Declaring what side of the fence you're on still means something to some. Taking a podium spot honestly means something too. So the intent is there joey even if the posting isn't.
Post follow-up