Caledon Oxbridge Q&A for 2015-01-25

15:07 Wordsmith Jarvinen So, a bit of a ragged start, but let's begin with our weekly Oxbridge Deans' Question and Answer session. Your chance to stump us.
15:08 Larkylouz I would like to announce that we have give Tasha her tutor tag. It is well deserved.
15:08 Wordsmith Jarvinen Our various personae and responsibilities are at http://www.caledonoxbridge.org/admin.php
15:08 Lindal Kidd ♥+*`*♥. APPLAUSE!!!!!.♥*`*+♥
15:08 Lindal Kidd ♥+*`*♥. APPLAUSE!!!!!.♥*`*+♥
15:08 Lindal Kidd ♥+*`*♥. APPLAUSE!!!!!.♥*`*+♥
15:08 Beth Ghostraven .-'`'-. APPLAUSE APPLAUSE .-'`'-.
15:09 Phrynne cheers
15:09 Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) Tasha was asking about the eject button.
15:10 Wordsmith Jarvinen This means that those not on the stage ask questions of those who are, to prevent us from telling bad puns, inane stories, and the like.
15:10 Larkylouz :^) I'll explain to her.
15:10 Larkylouz looks around for the elephant
15:10 Wordsmith Jarvinen Don't use it below 100 m.
15:10 Beth Ghostraven I do have a totally irrelevant question
15:10 Larkylouz the eject button or the elephant?
15:10 Jayleden Miles Be sure to have a parachute.
15:10 Wordsmith Jarvinen There's no time for the jetpack to fire before you hit.
15:10 Beth Ghostraven but I'll wait to see if there's something more interesting...
15:11 Larkylouz pictures an elephant with a jetpack
15:11 Phrynne misses the elephant
15:11 Lindal Kidd that's irrelephant
15:11 Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) looks for the Finnish version, hippo..
15:12 Larkylouz With this crowd, we could get a hippo critters.
15:13 Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) Asking about the airships again would probably be useless...
15:14 Meora (menchor) they weren't operating this week
15:14 Wordsmith Jarvinen Except for when Jorge is Inworld
15:14 Wordsmith Jarvinen It could be that something was upset during the griefing.
15:15 Lindal Kidd oh dear...do they have one of those scripts that only works when the owner's around?
15:15 Wordsmith Jarvinen They turned Collisions and Physics off on a number of the sims.
15:15 Wordsmith Jarvinen to combat the griefing objects and get rid of them.
15:15 Jayleden Miles The EM's turned off scripts, collsions, and physics to clean, so yeah, when that happens, Jorge has to rest all the scripts.
15:16 Larkylouz do physics affect anything excpet boobs and buns? I've seen rather hyper examples of those two the past week. . .
15:16 Wordsmith Jarvinen I hope they didn't turn off scripts. It was announced not to, because it crashes Des's land meters and causes him a lot of work.
15:16 Lindal Kidd the physics system is important for vehicles (and bullets)
15:16 Jayleden Miles Desmond ordered them to do it. It has to be done in those type of griefings.
15:17 Larkylouz :^)
15:17 Tali Rosca Sim physics has nothing to do with jiggle physics.
15:17 Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) Avatar physics are bit of a different thing...
15:17 Larkylouz Thank you for clarifying, Tali.
15:17 Jayleden Miles Physics off on a sim won't allow an avatar to move anyway.
15:17 Wordsmith Jarvinen Although, I suppose with extreme enough settings one could have collisions.
15:18 Wordsmith Jarvinen And, collisions being off means nothing is solid.
15:18 Wordsmith Jarvinen Except the actual ground.
15:19 Gregorovich Dragonash (mentadent) Is there something like an Oxbridge Annual Report with key data compared to year ago - 2014 versus 2013? - Like number of new members vs. year ago, number of classes vs year ago, number of students per class, satisfaction of students, people arriving for the tutorial - all those key data to measure the true performance of Oxbridge? - and may be measuring those indicators against befriended or competing organizations, like NCI, or Builders Brewery?
15:21 Wordsmith Jarvinen We haven't done an annual report in the past, although Dean Emeritus Questi does continue to send out a report/ graph with the weekly numbers for new avatars entering Oxbridge and first week avatars similarly.
15:22 Gregorovich Dragonash (mentadent) Wouldn't that be interesting - and , more importantly, helpful for all of us?
15:22 Tali Rosca Somewhat apropos, his weekly report included this bit: "Tomorrow is the 6th anniversary of the day Oxbridge opened for business. Since that day, Oxbridge has hosted over 87k First Day avatars, and more than 101k First Weeks."
15:22 Beth Ghostraven sneaks out, having inadvertently found the answer to her irrelevant question
15:22 Wordsmith Jarvinen I've some weeks of statistics on student class hours, recently starting to be augmented by a histogram of avatar ages in classes.
15:22 Gregorovich Dragonash (mentadent) 6th anniversary is fine - I'd be interested uin the numbers year by year
15:24 Tali Rosca We do have statistics for a very long time; I don't know if we have for all 6 years. I don't think they are assembled in a single report, though that could be done.
15:24 Wordsmith Jarvinen As things settle back down to normality, some of that could be done, although I'm not sure how far back we have data. A lot has also changed both in organization and in the sim itself.
15:25 Gregorovich Dragonash (mentadent) ;o) - encouraging
15:25 Wordsmith Jarvinen When Oxbridge first started it was in collaboration with NCI and largely staffed by NCI personnel. It was also an official community entry gateway designated as such by LL.
15:26 Tali Rosca They are hard to read, though, since they must be correlated with a lot of things, in particular policy and listing changes.
15:27 Tali Rosca We are up slightly in traffic since last January.
15:27 Gregorovich Dragonash (mentadent) Look, what I'm after - when I go to a class at Oxbridge, there are between 3 and 5 students, maximum - when I attend a Brewery class, there are 20-25, people - they even have to restrictr participation to a maximum
15:27 Tali Rosca And you want a graph showing that?
15:28 Wordsmith Jarvinen One reason we're in a process of reevaluating classes.
15:28 Gregorovich Dragonash (mentadent) you have that, Tali?
15:28 Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) Oxbridge is also homestead. Brewery has multiple regions.
15:28 Tali Rosca No, I was just wondering what the *actual* question was. If you're saying, in a roundabout way, that attendance is down, then yes.
15:29 Tali Rosca We know that, and have had quite some discussions about what to do, and which way to take Oxbridge.
15:29 Gregorovich Dragonash (mentadent) I'm quiet now - sorry if I was sounding disturbing ...
15:29 Wordsmith Jarvinen Attendance is down and several instructors have been lost.
15:29 Wordsmith Jarvinen And several other classes, partly from changing demographics of those entering, may not be as relevant.
15:30 Wordsmith Jarvinen There's been a fair amount of discussion on those areas in the past weeks Q&A transcripts.
15:30 Wordsmith Jarvinen Those are available at http://www.caledonoxbridge.org/qna_index.php
15:31 Gregorovich Dragonash (mentadent) I appreciate that you actually SEE all those issues, and knowing that you are aware, I feel a lot better now
15:31 Tali Rosca Not so much "disturbing". My point was just that it may be more relevant to talk about the actual problem and cause than to couch it in some statistics.
15:33 Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) I also think that comparing Oxbridge and Bulder's Brewery is not a good analogy.
15:33 Jayleden Miles But remember - We are a small group of helpers compared to other locations.
15:33 Lindal Kidd We have plenty of open time slots in the class schedule, and we're open to suggestions and offers to provide material (and teachers) to fill them!
15:33 Gregorovich Dragonash (mentadent) yep - seeing that
15:34 Wordsmith Jarvinen Here's the last 4 weeks overall statistics.
15:34 Tali Rosca Carl has a stated vision of upping the number of classes to 40 per week, though I do not know where the teachers will come from.
15:34 Wordsmith Jarvinen 2014-12-28,50,4,1,2,1,3,4,7,8
2015-01-04,63,10,6,3,6,2,4,8,19
2015-01-11,73,3,2,3,4,8,12,12,29
2015-01-18,53,2,10,4,2,3,7,7,18
15:34 Wordsmith Jarvinen The first number is the total student hours taught.
15:35 Wordsmith Jarvinen The other numbers don't always add up to the total (missing age stats), but are values for
15:35 Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) Brewery does not cater to beginners - who may not return after they think they have learned enough. And Oxbridge is not a building-specific lace.
15:35 Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) *place
15:35 Jayleden Miles (We're also themed - which might not draw some folks to us because they think we are RP based - and we are not RP based, just themed)
15:36 Wordsmith Jarvinen < 10 days, < 30 days, < 90 days, < 180 days, < 360 days, < 720 days, < 1440 days, > 1440 days, with no student in multiple bins.
15:36 Josain Zsun I've noticed NCI's schedule has grown sparse also.
15:36 Gregorovich Dragonash (mentadent) Thanks Wordsmith
15:37 Josain Zsun Carl!
15:37 Carl Metropolitan Hi
15:37 Tali Rosca Janet!
15:37 Carl Metropolitan I'm late.
15:37 Lindal Kidd huzzah!
15:37 Carl Metropolitan I've sort of sick this weekend.
15:38 Phrynne :(
15:38 Carl Metropolitan And not online much
15:38 Wordsmith Jarvinen Awww. Hope you conquer it quickly.
15:38 Gregorovich Dragonash (mentadent) To Elfbiter, Jayleden, and Joasin - when I was still active in business, I would have demanded hearing solutions, and not excuses - nowadays, I'm more settled
15:39 Carl Metropolitan What it is I pulled a muscle in my back and it starts spasming and hurting horribly should I sit down for long. So I've been soaking in a hot bath tub and lost track of the time. I can sit for a while though.
15:39 Wordsmith Jarvinen One reason we are up here is that the Q&A has continued to grow -- to the point that the Oxbridge sim couldn't handle it.
15:39 Gregorovich Dragonash (mentadent) awww - sounds uncomportable, Carl
15:40 Larkylouz I have been going through the faculty list. Is there any worth in reaching out to former professors and faculty to perhaps get some one-off lectures as we've talked of before? Just a thought.
15:40 Larkylouz There are a lot of people on that list
15:40 Wordsmith Jarvinen I'm planning a letter this week on the faculty list and ISC
15:40 Jayleden Miles Then Provide Us with your solutions and we can see if they work. But you wanted to know why are numbers don't compare to another location that is completely different. I provided with the why's. We can't force people to come here.
15:41 Wordsmith Jarvinen We've got a new avatar appearance class in the works, and a materials class. Both topics that have changed greatly.
15:41 Jayleden Miles Appearance has gotten rather complicated.
15:41 Wordsmith Jarvinen We're also using Photo Salon as a model of a participatory workshop.
15:42 Carl Metropolitan I wonder if Appearance may end up needing more than an hour, or a class and a salon
15:42 Wordsmith Jarvinen That could well be.
15:42 Larkylouz Perhaps a team of tutors to assist?
15:42 Lindal Kidd It's planned as a two hour class, and especially in the first half, there will be a lot of participation
15:43 Larkylouz Ah - okay
15:43 Wordsmith Jarvinen We've also gotten a start with several articles online. http://www.caledonoxbridge.org/guardian/
15:44 Wordsmith Jarvinen Lindal, it occurred to me to have you also talk to Samm in getting that developed. (She being my assistant dean of education).
15:44 Lindal Kidd yes, I'll do that
15:45 Carl Metropolitan Speaking of classes, I'd like to find a volunteer or volunteers to take on a class I outlined but was never able to finish "Creating with Full Perm Mesh Objects & Clothing"
15:45 Larkylouz I know Mariano and Charlotte wish to be involved in that sort of class. I'm not sure how to facilitate that, but I'll throw it out there in case you find a place for them.
15:46 David Cooper-Pentewyn (deebeecooper) my apologies friends RL grabbed me
15:46 Carl Metropolitan Larky, which class? The one I mentioned?
15:46 Carl Metropolitan Or the appearance class?
15:46 David Cooper-Pentewyn (deebeecooper) Thanks Carl
15:46 Larkylouz No, the avatar appearance class. They have a lot of experience changing avatars.
15:46 Lindal Kidd grins behind her hand
15:46 Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) And gathering parts for avatars
15:47 Jayleden Miles looks for volunteers in the crowd to start teaching.
15:47 Carl Metropolitan I will beat around the pushes for the class I have in mind. I have a very detailed outline.
15:49 Josain Zsun Carl, are you thinking Appearance for new users?
15:49 Carl Metropolitan No. That's the one Lindal is working on
15:50 Carl Metropolitan I'm talking about a class on how creators use full perm mesh items to make stuff
15:50 Carl Metropolitan Most mesh clothing creators don't create their own mesh clothing
15:50 Carl Metropolitan They purchase and combine templates and then texture and script them
15:50 Carl Metropolitan Partially true to some extent for furniture and accessory creators too
15:50 Lindal Kidd that's why you see so many similar-cut outfits in the stores these days!
15:51 Carl Metropolitan Right.
15:51 Carl Metropolitan But the finishing can make a huge difference.
15:51 David Cooper-Pentewyn (deebeecooper) Carl it seems like you are moving toward a set of more advanced classes. (and I like that if so)
15:52 Meora (menchor) combining mesh clothes with materials makes some very good looking clothes
15:52 Carl Metropolitan The full slate is up to Wordsmith; I've had this idea for months (and approved in principle by Wordsmith) and have not had time to develop it.
15:53 Carl Metropolitan This would be a class that's sort of midway between basic and advanced textures and the sort of creating mesh classes that places like Builder's Brewery teach
15:53 David Cooper-Pentewyn (deebeecooper) We have has some comments that reflect a desire for more and more advanced classes. So there is a need I think
15:54 Wordsmith Jarvinen Basically, I'll go with class proposals that will be of value to students, that have outcomes that the person proposing can organize and state, and where the person proposing understands the Caledon prinicples of Civility, Tolerance, Innovation, and Cake.
15:54 Carl Metropolitan Introduction of Baking should be a shoe-in.
15:55 Larkylouz I'll teach Cake-eating. . .
15:55 Wordsmith Jarvinen In other words, the class is for the students, not for someone to implicitly market, the person proposing is competent in organizing and presenting, and they know and respect the culture.
15:55 Tali Rosca Interestingly, I have just wrestled with two different UV maps on one object, to pick from one texture and bake to another.
15:56 David Cooper-Pentewyn (deebeecooper) bites his tongue and refrains from the myriad puns that are baking in his brain.
15:56 Gregorovich Dragonash (mentadent) So whoe is doing what by when on that mesh class idea?
15:57 Wordsmith Jarvinen Wonders if it is the puns, brain, or both that could end up half-baked if done too quickly.
15:57 Carl Metropolitan No one is doing anything on it now.
15:57 David Cooper-Pentewyn (deebeecooper) Won't that depend on a teacher first?
15:57 Wordsmith Jarvinen What's the antecedent (that), David?
15:57 Gregorovich Dragonash (mentadent) buI thought Tali indicated some interestwith her comment?
15:57 David Cooper-Pentewyn (deebeecooper) May I announce a new tutor, if Larky has not already?
15:58 Wordsmith Jarvinen I don't believe she has.
15:58 Gregorovich Dragonash (mentadent) aww - sorry
15:58 Tali Rosca I was just punning on "baking".
15:58 Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) TAsha was mentioned
15:58 David Cooper-Pentewyn (deebeecooper) that is the new tutor
15:58 Carl Metropolitan Please do.
15:58 David Cooper-Pentewyn (deebeecooper) we are very happy to have her join our ranks.
15:59 Wordsmith Jarvinen A well-earned recognition, I believe.
15:59 David Cooper-Pentewyn (deebeecooper) She has shown patience and kindness and a strong knowledge of what new people need.
16:00 Larkylouz Tasha is great. I did announce earlier, but it got a bit lost. She well deserves the promotion.
16:00 Larkylouz Thank you David
16:00 Wordsmith Jarvinen All of which are important to be able to convey information. She has also shown a firm hand with those requiring it.
16:00 David Cooper-Pentewyn (deebeecooper) I also took it on myself to grant her the ability to remove troublesom individuals, since she is often here alone.
16:01 Andrea Jones (andreajonesms) I don' tthink that will be a problem. Sh eis level headed.
16:02 Wordsmith Jarvinen And thus on the level?
16:02 Andrea Jones (andreajonesms) yes
16:02 Gregorovich Dragonash (mentadent) With all respect to the praises for Tasha - who feels in charge to find that teacher for Mesh classes , and what is that person doing to find him fast?
16:02 David Cooper-Pentewyn (deebeecooper) Within a closer tolerance than her dean I am sure
16:03 Larkylouz I think that's a good idea, David - to give her privileges.
16:03 Josain Zsun Are you volunteering Gregorovich?
16:03 Carl Metropolitan I will solicit volunteers in a notecard, or more properly, I suppose, pass the task off to Wordsmith as it is his area.
16:03 Wordsmith Jarvinen We do have one mesh class. And hopefully will soon have more related ones now the an number of the immediate logistics of continued existence are met.
16:05 Wordsmith Jarvinen I'll be including both mesh and animations as areas in which we need more staff.
16:05 Wordsmith Jarvinen I'll be including both mesh and animations as areas in which we need more staff.
16:06 David Cooper-Pentewyn (deebeecooper) We do have a number of inactive faculty. I wonder if polling the faculty group is worth trying ... for skills and for a teacher.
16:06 Carl Metropolitan It might be. I think Wordsmith said something about that earlier.
16:07 Gregorovich Dragonash (mentadent) yep great idea
16:07 Wordsmith Jarvinen Exactly what I plan on doing in the next several days, David. A letter to both the faculty group and ISC.
16:07 David Cooper-Pentewyn (deebeecooper) whispers ISC is littered with skilled people.... but they are all .... well...
16:07 David Cooper-Pentewyn (deebeecooper) Caladonians
16:08 Wordsmith Jarvinen We now, I believe are also collecting statistics on touches to the ad boards and panels.
16:08 David Cooper-Pentewyn (deebeecooper) Let me say that without an inadvertant whisper.
16:08 David Cooper-Pentewyn (deebeecooper) ISC is littered with skiilled people...
16:08 Wordsmith Jarvinen Well, actually, ISC has some members inhabiting the greater steamlands.
16:09 Gregorovich Dragonash (mentadent) Wordsmith, come on - don't be shy - do not say "in the next several days" - commit yourself and say " by next Tuesday"
16:09 Wordsmith Jarvinen It depends on the interface with several RL commitments and writing.
16:09 David Cooper-Pentewyn (deebeecooper) I seem to be hearing a volunteer in the front of the room
16:09 Carl Metropolitan All of the deans here have Real Lives that mean they can't do things as fast as they might want to.
16:09 Wordsmith Jarvinen As well as getting a letter out first on a related matter.
16:10 Jayleden Miles *gasp* OMG are you serious? We have real lives?!!!!
16:10 Gregorovich Dragonash (mentadent) hahaha
16:10 Lindal Kidd once in a while.
16:10 David Cooper-Pentewyn (deebeecooper) Hush, Jay.... we have to keep up the pose!
16:10 Jayleden Miles wonders if there is cure for this 'real life' nonsense.
16:10 Wordsmith Jarvinen With that, we've pretty much done our hour.
16:10 David Cooper-Pentewyn (deebeecooper) I am well known as a bot
16:11 Andrea Jones (andreajonesms) lol I was there for that
16:11 David Cooper-Pentewyn (deebeecooper) grins
16:11 Wordsmith Jarvinen There is, but it had unfortunately "cured" the SL nonsense at the same time, quite sadly.
16:11 Andrea Jones (andreajonesms) goodnight eb
16:11 Juno Panache heheh
16:11 Jayleden Miles Yes, you are David. And since you were late, there is something wrong with your programming.
16:11 Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) Well, I have to get some real sleep :-)
16:11 Andrea Jones (andreajonesms) yes tc
16:11 Larkylouz The Deans have pulled together in the past month or so in difficult circumstances, and I think they've done an awesome job. Please lay off, Mr. Dragonash.
16:11 Carl Metropolitan Bye everyone.
16:11 Lindal Kidd sets out a pot of chicken noobie soup for the Chancellor
16:11 Andrea Jones (andreajonesms) I have to agree, changes are coming.
16:11 Andrea Jones (andreajonesms) We have to be patient