Gerard

This isn't a moderator job - it isn't about moving topics and deleting posts. It's about strategically manipulating the direction of that forum. It's about influencing the culture of the subforum and the nature of the discussion. For example, they could decide that the Lounge should be for more serious discussions, and make a few pinned topics for random things like hellos and birthdays. They might make a few serious topics to get discussion started. Alternatively, they might decide that the lounge should be a much more open and fluid environment, and encourage people to post more random topics and increase the activity there. Much more than deleting posts. I also said in my post that each subforum will only have one boss, and that each boss will (usually) only have one subforum. So you wouldnt be "a boss", you would be "the boss", and chances are that you wouldn't get to be the boss of both.

As we discussed earlier, we're introducing a new position to the forum, which will replace section moderators. A Forum Boss is responsible for the content of their subforum. They lead the other users, encourage good discussion, manage the pinned topics, and halt irrelevant or abusive discussions. This is different to moderators - Forum Bosses are not technically staff. They don't discipline or ban members, but they are responsible for the content. They have a range of moderator abilites to help them manage their subforum, such as closing, editing and pinning. Obviously different parts of the forums need different treatment (compare GTA IV with Fun & Games), which is why it's better to have different people looking after them. In most cases we will only give one subforum to a Boss, and only have one Boss per subforum. Anyone active can be a Boss, you just need to be able to tell quality topics, be able to lead discussions (whilst letting other people speak), and be trustworthy enough to wield the tools we'll give you. If you are interested in becoming a Forum Boss, please let us know in this topic. If you have any questions, ask away. ---- The first bosses have been selected: GTA IV Gameplay Discussion & Ballad of Gay Tony - Noru GTA VC Discussion - Thomas General Gaming - Mpilk901 Graphics & Writers' Pad - TM Vehicles - WRX22B1998

You're right, we have it set that you can't edit posts older than 60 days. This is to stop people manipulating ancient posts and taking over popular topics. This restriction has been around for quite a while. Here's how you can get round it. Reply to that post, so that you get the code. Remove the quote tags and make the edits you want, and add that as a new reply on the end of that topic. Then just hit the report button, and get a member of staff to merge your edits into the topic's first post. We can discuss changing this setting, however it is set like that to maintain the integrity of the forums, so no promises!

A legal thing? No, he said no audience was to stop any unfair advantages. The real lottery show has a small audience (I was there once). He just made an excuse. Also, why is the "how he did it" show 2 days after the event? Because they're making it now. They will have filmed most of it beforehand, and now they'll be filming extra bits where he predicts the numbers that were actually revealed. To be honest, I bet they're loving the amount of attention it's getting, even if it's all sceptical. Maybe this is not what it seems. Maybe "the event" is actually part of another scheme or experiment, perhaps designed to test scepticism, perhaps even implanting some suggestion which will be revealed tonight.

Actually you're wrong there. The shakiness of the camera is easily faked. You can tell that when he was writing the numbers down, and reading them out, he didn't know them. If he'd been planning this for a year, he would probably have remembered them by now. He'd never seen them before, so the question is who put them on the balls. There are a few options. Either the balls were changed with a split-screen, which would be simple enough. Or the numbers were lasered onto the balls, which seems a little extreme. Or they used CGI to project the numbers onto the balls, which is the simplest thing to do in CGI (since they all use ping-pong balls to track objects in 3D). The stuff about not being able to reveal the numbers before broadcast is blatently there just to avoid him showing them first. Why didn't he have it written down in his pocket? Cos it's harder to fake. Why was there no audience? So nobody saw the balls being changed (or whichever method they used). My guess is simply that it was a split screen. Of course they won't reveal the real method used, it'll be some mysterious prediction-based explanation. However, everyone knows it was faked, so he'd be stupid to think he could really convince people.

I'm sorry, but he's too young to exist, he would have been banned within days anyway. I had to ban him for his own safety - Chris and Husky were getting a bit too excited.

I was including atheism, spiritualism etc in my list of "all religions". One of them must be right (even if not completely) - either there is a God, or there isn't, or there's something in between.

Where are our results? In the topic that Chris mentioned in the exact same sentence you're referring to. aka here. Chris got 2As, 6Bs, 3Cs. I got 3As, 6Bs, 1C.

As I stated in the announcement topic, abuse of the rep system will be dealt with severely. I clearly outlined what was acceptable to rep, and what wasn't. Members found abusing this system will snot be permitted to use it, and any offences will be met with the standard warning system (also explained in the announcement topic). This isn't a bug, so if someone has a real problem with it, we'll discuss it outside of this topic.

I don't think he will commit another crime now, he only has about 3 months to live. Approximately. Supposedly. Seemed well enough to fly to another country and go on TV several times. Seriously in your right mind, do you honestly think 3 months is enough time for him to plan and prep a terror attack and then execute it (very difficult since he won't be allowed to leave Libya). Who says he has to do it alone? Anyway, it wouldn't have to be him. But the 3-months thing would make it easier. I could think of another option... Innocent? Lybia as a country accepted responsibility for the attacks a few years ago, in return for sanctions being lifted. Whilst that may have been a bargaining piece, he's still probably guilty (from what I've seen).

Suppose now I'm admin (again) I should post some pictures here...?

One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. Chances are he did what he believed was right, what he was brought up to know and understand, but that obviously doesn't make it alright. Fighting against soldiers is one thing, but innocent people? There's no need. Coming from our perspective as the western world, the victims of terrorism (and maybe the aggressors), this was a perfect opportunity to show that we will NOT surrender to terrorism, that we will not show mercy on those who kill dozens of innocent people. Yet now all the terrorists know that no matter what they do to us, we will still show compassion and give them all the rights they want. I find it frustrating that in many situatations (not this one), if an air marshal or armed police officer were there, they would probably be shot dead. But if not, they get calmly arrested and go to court and serve a couple of years then get out. Makes a mockery of the entire system.

You have a good point. A lot of atheists find it baffling that people believe this stuff, and there is a natural urge to save them from themselves. However, by doing that, they're doing the same preaching and converting that they hate about many religions. As far as I'm concerned, you're perfectly entitled to be wrong. Let me point out I'm agnostic. I don't believe there's an old man in the sky or any of that stuff, but I'm not arrogant enough to think I know everything about the world; I reckon there probably is something 'out there', maybe even some natural force or being or sixth sense. There's probably something beyond the edge of the universe, or beyond time. Maybe we'll never know, but whilst I believe there's pretty much zero chance of any form of afterlife, that just means you have to make your mark in other ways. I personally hate the fact that religions are passed down from parent to child. A hindu family usually has a hindu child etc. That child grows up convinced that their religion is the right one, that all others are wrong/false/evil, and why? Not because of any evidence, or personal experience. Just cos their parents brought them up that way. Although one religion has to be right, and the others pretty much have to be wrong. Maybe they're all partially correct?

Uh, 4 in the morning is not that late.... Anyway, really looking forward to see how the new skin will look like. 4AM is still fairly late, even if a few people stay up later. We were up til 5am doing the upgrade, so I don't know why you're feeling sorry for yourself

If you had read the announcement, you would have seen that was already explained, and it was revealed how to fix it.

Where does it say that? At the top of every page (just below the search box) it says: View New Content which should work. Alternatively, at the bottom of the main page you have Today's Active Content.

As we have just upgraded to IPB 3, and implemented the new skin, there are bound to be a few technical glitches, gremlins and bugs. Please reply to this topic to let us know if you find anything that is broken or looks weird. If you can't find a feature, or aren't sure how to do something in the new forum, feel free to ask here, and hopefully another member can help! Known Bugs Flags don't link to country list The styles for tables don't show up properly. We're fixing this. Other Issues Awards have not yet been implemented Yes, we are aware the store and gangs are no longer here. This will be addressed at a later date

Thanks Chris - it's good to be back in the hot seat! So as well as the forum upgrade, new skin and a few staff alterations, we also have a few (more relevant) changes. Ownership of Subforums In the past, we have had 'section moderators'. These are staff who get a handful of subforums each which they can moderate, but they can't moderate the rest of the forum (unlike super mods). However, these subforums are usually picked a bit randomly, and quite often the section moderators don't even visit all of their areas. So we're changing this. Starting soon, we will start giving some members a certain level of ownership over a chosen area of the forum. These members will practically run that subforum: picking which topics are pinned, closing dead topics, stopping people bumping old threads, making sure everyone stays relevant and on topic (without spoiling their fun) etc. This is quite different to forum staff, who just go around and clean up other people's mess, because you'll have a big say in how your subforum is run. If you want it to be relaxed and funny, then you can make it like that. If you want it to be really focused and useful for people to find out they information they need quickly, with a really helpful community around that, then you can make it like that. This is a great opportunity for a lot of you to get involved in how this forum is run, so I hope a lot of you will want to get stuck in and put yourselves forward for this! More details of how you can apply will come in a few days. Report-a-Post The reporting system is very useful for members to alert staff when there is a spammer on the forum, or some really serious abuse. However, it could be a lot more useful if members used it for anything staff need to know about, like arguments. So starting today, you can use the "Report" button, below a post, to alert staff to any misbehaviour or breach of the rules, including arguing, spamming, etc. Again, don't use it just because you disagree with someone's opinion, or just because you don't like them. Staff are here to help, so if someone is being a pain in the backside and spoiling the forums, then we can step in and help out. We can help arbitrate arguments and facilitate discussion, we can do more than just ban people. Just ask us to help, that's what we're here for! Rep & Voting The warning/rep system has been overhauled, and I'll do my best to quickly explain the changes. Member Rep has been removed. Instead, you can now vote individual posts up/down. Just close your eyes and think of Digg. This is to be used when you think a post is unusually good, or unusually bad. Vote up someones post if it's really clever, funny, helpful, informative etc. Vote down a post if they are being rude or arguing. You have a maximum of 10 votes per day. This is NOT to be used for voting up someone just because they are your friend; or voting them down just because they disagree with you. Abusing the system will be dealt with, with a formal warning. Warning System In the past, rep and warnings used to cancel each other out. Now rep has been removed, that obviously doesn't happen anymore. Warnings now stand on their own. You do have a warning level, which goes up every time you receive a formal warning. More serious offences will increase your warning level by more than minor offences. But now, this is only used for staff to understand how well you have behaved in the past, and this does not automatically suspend/ban you when you reach a certain level. Staff can suspend or ban a member at any time, if they think the offence is serious enough; or if there are a lot of minor offences. There are a few other changes behind the scenes, but nothing massively important. Just give me a shout if you have any questions.

Not really sure that's the case. Yes, Microsoft has a massive turnover, but we spend almost all of the money we make. We have 100,000 staff to pay, hundreds of buildings to rent/maintain, massive electricity bills, transport costs, stationery & postage costs, not to mention marketing, R&D and capital investments like buying other companies and building more offices. There are better uses for our money (even profit) than just giving it away to other companies or courts.

Actually Win7 is as fast as XP in benchmarks, way faster than Vista. Especially on low-powered machines like my work netbook, and especially with startup time. Yes linux is more of an open OS (not source code, in terms of control), which lets you stop services etc; but that's also a massive security risk if you use root much. People have a bad habit of logging onto Windows machines as administrators, when they really shouldn't - they can just elevate when they need to install something (like sudo). If there's a REAL problem, we patch quickly. If you're talking about feature requests, of course it takes time. Don't forget we test every single change to death, which takes weeks. Steam - you misunderstand my point. Linux is better for some uses, Windows is better for some. It's also best for non-technical people to stick with one way of doing things, rather than using something different at work to at home. I lol'd at "Open source is better that closed source" - as if every single bit of software that is public is better than every bit of software that isn't. I also lol'd at the backdoors page. A number of people on my floor have access to source code, and of course we are all engineers, and I can promise there are no backdoors. The only reason we keep stuff closed-source is to stop people stealing it.

Oh not this again. "UAC fucks everything up" - right, so an annoying prompt which asks you to click OK a few too many times fucks everything up? Wow you're more fragile than I thought. "MS should remove UAC" - well we halved it for windows 7, which is the current (released) OS. Stop talking about vista, we all know it was sub-standard. "Top 10 companies" - Worldwide corporations? FTSE 100? American companies? Top 10 websites? Top 10 hosting companies? Top 10 google results? At least explain what you're making stuff up about. Oh and a quote from your "IT Pro" that you <3 so much: Bollocks. Silverlight is for applications, not just websites. I'd love to see you try to make Deep Zoom in javascript (zoom into the stamp on the letters from the beatles)

Spaz - everything you say there is fair and justified. I agree big corporations exist to grow and absorb, it's what they're built to do. There's no reason to stop if you think you do it better than the other guys. In politics, thats quite often what fuels wars (thinking you're right and deserve to rule all). Steam - what are you smoking? Linux is better because when it crashes the debug screens are a different colour? That's utter nonsense. If you mean "linux doesnt crash", then you've obviously not used it enough. There's a lot less software I'm sorry but you think that just because someone says they are an "IT Pro" that makes them right? I'm an IT professional, I get paid to work full-time in an IT company, does that automatically make me correct? I'm a technology journalist that's written for many publications including regional newspapers and Tom's Hardware Guide, does that mean everyone should believe what I say? There's nothing wrong with using Linux - I use it every day on my servers. I also use various google applications, and I use Windows 7. That simply means I've made the choice that is right for me, and I never say other people are 'wrong' for preferring something different. Depending on their requirements, I'll often recommend buying a mac or whatever. But if you go around bashing Microsoft for no real reason, laughing at people to choose to use Windows, hypocritically using dozens of our products every day, and of course relying on them existing for banks, shops and the government to work; then that just makes you a bit of a cock really.

*sigh* I love how people believe everything they read on the internets, and then make judgements on it. This is a lie. It applies to CUSTOM xml. Worst thing that could happen is that the custom XML feature is removed from Word. No biggie. Do you seriously think the world would be a better place without Office? If you do, you're seriously deluded. Its hilarious how ReactOS describes itself as being "based on the design of Windows® XP/2003", yet you call windows "stupid". If it's stupid, why copy it then associate yourself with it? Maybe it's not perfect, but then maybe you've not used Windows 7. (ps: vista is crap, everyone knows it, win7 is amazing) I think we get one less free can of coke each this year? Not true. Yes, quite often businesses become stupidly large and take over the small businesses' market (eg Tesco/walmart), but people use Tesco out of choice (brand loyalty, sells everything, 24/7 opening, discounts). People forget that Microsoft do a LOT more than just sell Windows and Office to home users - in fact we barely sell anything to home users. Most of the world runs on technologies such as BizTalk and SQL, and we do shitloads for small businesses, including schemes like BizSpark, the MS Partner network and many different licensing formats to help them get started and get off the ground. That's also untrue. Yes, the future of the business is something we have to bear in mind, and expanding where it is useful; but it's not all we think about. I work in a department of MS that offers proactive engineering services - that means we teach business to do stuff right, so their networks don't fail. If all we cared about was money, we'd wait for things to fail, then charge them millions to fix it. Our department does both the proactive (preventative) stuff and the reactive "oh my god the MOD is broken" stuff, and 85% is proactive. Our department is not there to make a profit, we just pay our wages and make sure we have enough staff to meet demand. If you guys really hate Microsoft, why do 90% of you still use Windows, Office, MSN, hotmail etc every day? If you are retarded enough to need to prove your hatred, then why not stick to Linux and Google for everything? There's no shame in it, but why do you all act like its cool to hate us? EDIT: Oh look how evil we are EDIT: This is what Custom XML is. Nothing to do with docx files or 99% of word features.

I love how people generalise. Even generalising an entire company with 100k employees, just cos of one weird marketing campaign in one country.