Jeremy A

Well, I may not have had a game tonight, but I was able to do some more script testing. I probably haven't removed all the bugs, but I hope I got most of them--at least, to the point where it doesn't completely mess up the game. . . . Remember that it's on DALnet on channel #lds_trivia. . . .

. . . It will take place on DALnet in channel #lds_trivia. Remember that 1,000 points will be issued to whomever shows up by then. . . . Please ask if you have any questions about how to get to the game. I cannot help people get to the game if I don't know what troubles people are having. . . .

. . . It's a great Family Home Evening activity. Remember that the game is on IRC on DALnet in channel #lds_trivia. . . . . . .

. . . It takes place on IRC on DALnet in channel #lds_trivia. As of right now, I have 2,081 questions written. Granted, there are duplicates where questions have different versions and difficulty, but it's a start. I'm nowhere close to finishing writing questions. Now, this is a great family activity. The unofficial rule is for individuals to play, but I do not have the capability to enforce this rule. I'm not even going to try. The good thing is that the more individuals that play, the more people in the channel. Family competition doesn't hurt anybody . . . in theory. Also, the more people, the more educated guess questions that can be used, which guarantees players points and still counted as correct. The game has a clock set for 60 minutes, but it stops when we're not playing, so plan for about three hours to play. Remember that whoever is there when the game starts will get 1,000 points. If the game starts after 6 PM Pacific, no bonus. I would rather you come late than not at all. I hope to see many of you there. If there are any problems about getting there, please post questions here. I'm hoping someone else with the same problem can benefit from my responses.

Just_A_Guy, it's interesting that you bring up the 22nd Psalm. I just learned that he was quoting it, so I wrote questions about that. It'll be interesting to see what'll happen when these questions are used. Thank you for the replies. The question is a good one, but as said before, there's no definitive answer, so it requires a rewrite. Thank you for the question about Adam and Eve's oldest son. It'll be a great trick question to see if people are paying attention.

I've been posting LDS Trivia and Puzzles events, but I came across something that I don't understand. I don't want to write trivia questions with incorrect answers. I play general trivia games over IRC sometimes, and I came across this question: "How many sayings did Jesus say from the cross?" (Capitalization added, because I hate it when sentences aren't done correctly. Of course, I'm not perfect, but I digress.) The correct answer is seven, but I don't think that's correct. I'm wondering what you all think about this. When reading what happens in all four gospels, Jesus speaks six times, and they're not all sayings. One is asking why God has forsaken him. A second one is in response to the two people he was hung in between: "Verily, I say unto thee, 'To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.' (Luke 23:43). That could be a quote. The third one is JUST before he dies: "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46). The fourth and fifth deal with his mother. He says to his mother, "Woman, behold, thy son!" Then he says to His disciple standing near her, "Behold, thy mother!" (John 19:26-27). Okay, there's seven, but I'm still curious as to what you all might think. The sixth is just simply, "I thirst" (John 19:28). Finally, the seventh one is also before He dies: "It is finished" (John 19:30). What do you all think? The way the question is phrased, I think, makes seven incorrect. (Reminder: There will be a game session on New Year's Eve at 6 PM Pacific, 9 PM Eastern. What a great way to end the year, and it's a great family activity. Hopefully, you don't have to worry about staying up late. I will post another reminder Saturday evening.)

. . . Remember that the game is played on IRC on DALnet in channel #lds_trivia. I hope to see some people there.

Let the angle puns begin. Oh, wait, they're probably right. I'm not sure. Maybe they're done. I doubt it. (We're just messin' with you. My parents recorded a movie called "Date with an Angel" but my dad misspelled angel and wrote "angle" on the label. We've been giving him grief about it for years.)

. . . It's on DALnet in channel #lds_trivia. I hope two people will join, so I can use educated guess questions. Think of this as a great Family Home Evening activity. See you there.

. . . in channel #lds_trivia on DALnet. Get an IRC client and connect to bifrost.dal.net. For those of you who use phones instead of PC's, there is IRC clients for Android and iPhone. Now, I don't have an iPhone, but I downloaded an app for Android. I saw apps that cost $4.99 and others that are free. I downloaded AndroIRC, which is free. I was able to connect to the game no problem; however, not everyone knows how to connect to IRC networks. For those that use an iPhone, I suggest to just search for "IRC" without the quotes in the App Store. Look at reviews and the cost and download one. Here's the instructions for AndroIRC: First, the app needs to be configured. I didn't change anything, because I'm just trying to help people connect. Press the three dots at the upper right corner. A menu will pop up. Choose Settings. Another menu shows up. Let's go through each one at a time. Start by choosing Nickname. Enter a nickname to be known as then press OK. (Caution: DALnet has the ability to register nicknames, so if a registered nickname is chosen, another one will need to be picked, but it won't be known until connecting to the server.) Next, choose Alternative. This is a different nickname that will be used if the first one is taken. Enter a different nickname and press OK. (If the nickname is registered, users have the ability to boot the person using the existing nickname and change to that nickname.) Ident is an optional one. It defaults to androirc. This name appears at the beginning of an address when connecting. Getting more specific will make it more confusing, so don't worry about it. Enter a third nickname then press OK. The last option is Real name. This one is optional, too. I'm not sure how users will be able to see it, but it's not easy to get. Enter real name and then press OK. Ignore Servers and Channels, because those options don't list DALnet's network. Choose IRC and look at its options and tweak with them if desired. The defaults look good. Settings are options to change for the chatting experience. It's suggested to look at the options and change anything desired; however, don't worry about this if it makes no sense. It won't change the ability to connect. Ignore Network, unless a proxy server is required, and that's beyond my scope of assistance. Also, ignore File transfer. IRC allows the transfer of files. Click on the arrow pointing to the left at the upper left corner. This will go to the title screen. Click the plus sign in the upper right corner. Choose Other... A dialog box pops up asking for the address. Enter bifrost.dal.net. (If it's difficult to connect to that server, irc.dal.net will connect to a random DALnet server.) Press OK. The app will attempt to connect to DALnet. Once connected, read through the text that pops up. If the nickname is already in use, a dialog will pop up, asking for another nickname. Choose a different nickname and then press OK. This will only pop up if the nickname chosen is already connected to the network. Especially keep an eye for a message from NickServ that says the nickname is registered. Chances are, the nickname is not yours, so type "/nick <nickname>" without the quotes and replace <nickname> with a different nickname. Then press Send or the arrow to the right of the text box. Nickname should be changed. On the upper right corner of the screen, there's an arrow pointing down. Choose that and then choose Join a channel. Enter "#lds_trivia" without the quotes and choose Join. It will connect to the channel. If a message shows up that says when the next game will be and/or ops is taken away, you're in the right place. Depending on size of the phone, text can appear fast when playing the game. If necessary, feel free to scroll up in the channel window to read everything and then type responses when prompted. I hope this helps in regards to connecting to the game, and I hope to see you all there.

It takes place on DALnet in channel #lds_trivia. If there are any questions on how to get there, please ask here.

. . . Remember that showing up on time or before starts you with 1,000 points. The game takes place on IRC in #lds_trivia. If you have any questions/problems on how to get there, please post here. Last week, someone showed up a few hours late, and I tried to start a game, but the lag on the server made it difficult for answers to reach me in time. We'll see what happens this time.

Okay, it's been three weeks, so the next session of LDS Trivia and Puzzles starts tomorrow at 5:30 PM Pacific, 8:30 PM Eastern. Fortunately, I had one player last time three weeks ago, so I'm hoping to have two or more. If there are any questions about how to get to the game, please post here. It takes place on DALnet in channel #lds_trivia. Think of this as a good family activity, since this game won't be done every week. The reason I want more than two is so I can use educated guess questions. These questions are ones that the answer is not easily known. Each player will get enough time to come up with a guess as quickly as possible. Whoever is closest to the correct answer will get the point value of the question. If players get it right, the player gets five times the point value of the question. (Note: This isn't the Price Is Right. I don't care if anyone goes over.)

I'm about to start a game. More players are needed. To get to the game, click here to get a web browser IRC client. There will be an ad at the top of the screen, but it's a quick way to get there.

A game of LDS Trivia and Puzzles starts tonight at 5:30 PM Pacific, 8:30 PM Eastern or when two or more people show up. It takes place on DALnet in channel #lds_trivia. If there any questions about how to get there, please ask here. Puzzles are a secondary part of the game. It offers bonus points to players. The first player that gets the correct answer(s) in the first part will get control and an opportunity to guess a letter. If the letter is in the puzzle, it will be shown, points awarded, and then players will have an opportunity to guess it until the next question is asked. If the letter isn't in the puzzle, the game continues with no opportunity to guess the puzzle. It's VERY important to note that guessing a vowel while consanants are still in the puzzle will cost a total of 750 points, 250 from the player's score and another 500 from the value of the puzzle. The script tracks what letters have been guessed, so a message displays if a letter already guessed is guessed again. Each round consists of one puzzle with an allocated 10 minutes to solve it. If it's not solved when that 10 minutes are up, a speed round occurs until it is solved. A speed round starts with the player in control, and the script will just move down the nickname list and give everyone a shot at guessing a letter. It will keep going until someone solves the puzzle or the last letter is revealed. Whoever solves the puzzle first will get the value of the puzzle and control. If the puzzle entered matches exactly, including punctuation, bonus points are awarded. If the puzzle entered is spelled correctly, less bonus points are awarded. Additional points are awarded for any time left on the puzzle clock.

I feel the church has two sides: religious and business. The money to build that mall in Salt Lake City did not come from tithing or any other money from the religious side. That's the distinction that people are missing.

A game of LDS Trivia and Puzzles will start at 5:30 PM Pacific if two or more people show up. The game takes place over DALnet in channel #lds_trivia. Any questions with how to get to the game, please ask here. Last week, someone entered the channel to play. The person was about an hour or two late, but one showed up. That's a start. Even though it was only one person, I just did other things and didn't notice the player coming in, so I didn't say anything. Well, the player found the right place. I hope more than two will show this time. This time, I'll talk about the hangman-style puzzles. Each round consists of a puzzle to be solved. The category is shown only once at first reveal, BUT it can be requested by typing !cat in the channel. The first player to post the required number of correct answers to a question in the first part will get an opportunity to guess a letter in the puzzle. If the puzzle has the letter, it's revealed in the puzzle, and then that player will pick the category and level for the next question. I must caution that vowels guessed will cost the player 250 points AND deduct 500 more from the puzzle's point value. Players can then submit guesses to the puzzle until the next question is asked. Whoever gets the puzzle right will get points. Bonus points are awarded if the puzzle is spelled correctly or matches exactly, including any punctuation marks. The next round will begin with the selection of a new puzzle. If the puzzle takes too long to solve, a speed round will occur to solve the puzzle quickly. Finally, here's a sample question, picked completely at random: New Testament: Which of the four gospels has the story of John the Baptist's announcement and birth? (FYI: This is a level three question, which is implied multiple choice but not given.) The answer will be given at the beginning of the game, and players that arrive when the game starts will get an opportunity to answer and get points if correct. This is in addition to the on-time bonus of 1,000 points.

(Okay, I don't know where to put this one. I can't find a category that fits what I'm asking.) Does anyone in here know how to program the newer versions of Access 2017? I use Access to hold the questions written for LDS Trivia and Puzzles, and I am having trouble programming it to pick records at random. What I did in Access 97 was have a form that asks for a category and level, and then the form displays its results. I then clicked a button to have a random record chosen. I don't know how to duplicate that in Access 2017 or even 2010. The format changed, and I cannot read .mdb files. I've got queries that somewhat allows me to choose a category and level, so if anyone knows how to randomize the records it shows in a query, that would be great, too. Thanks.

One person showed up at 6:40 PM Pacific. It was the right place, but I needed one more person to start a game. It's just a matter of time before people show, and a game starts. There will be a game next week at 5:30 PM Pacific, 8:30 PM Eastern if two or more people show up. I'll announce it again on Saturday evening, early Sunday, and I'll give another rule preview, AND I'll ask another question. More details on that post.

A game of LDS Trivia and Puzzles starts tonight at 5:30 PM Pacific or when two or more people show up. The game takes place on DALnet in channel #lds_trivia. Please ask questions if there is any problems trying to connect or even how to connect. Each question has a total of 60 to 90 seconds to answer, depending on number of required answers. A question is split into two parts. The first part is 25 to 35 seconds, and players get one line to submit as many answers as required. Whoever gets the correct answer(s) gets points, and the first player to post all correct answers gets control and an opportunity to guess a letter in the puzzle. If no one gets the question right, the point value cuts in half, and a second 35 to 55 seconds is given for players to post as many lines as possible until someone gets all answers right or until the buzzer sounds, whichever comes first. Control and letter guess opportunity is not given if anyone gets it right.

I'm going to try something different. I'm going to try for a game tonight at 5 to 7 PM Pacific, 8 to 10 PM Eastern if two or more people show up. The game takes place on DALnet in channel #lds_trivia. This time, I'm going to go over a part of how the game is played. The main part of the game is, of course, answering trivia questions. Solving puzzles is a chance for players to earn extra points, and I think it makes it more fun. One aspect of the game is that players will choose the category and level of the questions. Why? Gives them . . . control, I guess. I'm not sure why, but that's the way it's been done, even when I had the game back in the 1990's. The game has six categories: Bible, Book of Mormon, Church History, New Testament, Old Testament, Wild, and random (?). The Bible category has New Testament and Old Testament questions. Some questions may not fit to either testaments but both. Wild questions are questions that deal with the church but do not fit the other categories. The random category is a pick from the other categories. Random is not counted as a category. The questions have eight levels. Well, nine if you count random. The levels are a type of question asked, not its point value. Levels one through four require one correct answer; levels five and six require two; and levels seven and eight require three. Some questions are multiple choice (one, two, five, and seven), while others are not (three, four, six, and eight). Now, I'm going to ask a level eight question as an example: "Book of Mormon: Which three of five books has one chapter?" This one is probably an easy one, but I won't post the answer here. Whoever comes to play the game will not only get the answer but can actually submit an answer before the game starts. Whoever is right gets the question's point value. I'm also not going to mark it as used. I hope to see you there. Since school starts Thursday, I will only be able to offer games on Sundays.

If two people or more show up by around 5:30 PM Pacific, 8:30 PM Eastern Sunday evening, a game will take place. The game takes place on DALnet in channel #lds_trivia. If there are any questions or problems, please ask here.

(I thought I would try here, because the game is about the gospel.) Since I'm off tomorrow, which is Tuesday, I'll host a LDS Trivia and Puzzles game tomorrow if two people show up after 5 PM Pacific. It takes place through IRC on DALnet. Any questions, please see the original post.

One customer got . . . upset with me when I told her not to let anyone pet her dog. She brought in the dog, claiming it was a service animal, but it wasn't trained for anything. If she's going to claim her dog is a service animal, I'm going to make sure the dog is treated like one.

Actually, service animals are only horses and dogs. Cats aren't on the list. If there's a no pet policy, those therapy or companion animals do not matter. They will be considered pets, regardless. The owner can gripe all they want. I work at a place that doesn't appear to have a no pet policy, but I've only seen dogs brought in, and most of them are quiet and well-behaved. My previous job, however, does have a no pet policy. If anybody brings in a pet of any kind, we can ask them to take it outside. Dogs, however, is a different story. We can't force them to leave the store, but we can ask if the dog is trained for a task and what task that is. I didn't really say anything as long as the owner held the pet, including cats. I had one person absolutely refuse to take his dog outside and explicitly say it was a therapy or companion animal. It almost caused a lawsuit. It was frustrating.