Starship Asterisk*

Oh, I see, that way no one can respond from one thread to another.

Makes perfect sence to me now.

Now that the APOD robot is working and we're zeroing in on a name, how 'bout one final suggestion for improving APOD? Another bit of automatic software - yes, another robot - this one more difficult to program but at least I've already thought of a name: NoNuts. This 'bot would detect nut balls, weirdos and trolls and prevent them from posting in the forum. That way no public libraries in Ottawa need fear banning of their IP address.

{Yes, I have nothing better to do than this.}

Rob

That's the problem with robots. They'll never fail the logic you provide them with but the next thing you know it's killing you for unwittingly violating your own rules.

G'day

By moderators not directing science to a particular line of thought and allowing science not to be censored.

My opinions for improvements:

- Don't merge threads.

It doesn't help anyone. Most of the time it only creates confusion, because people don't know where the thread went, and because the two subjects that the moderator thought were the same, are not. It's too subjective, so it just messes up things, so leave them alone. The proper way to deal with topic that REALLY are the same (not similar, but the same), is to lock one and put a final post in it referring to the other. (Same goes for splitting threads. It's too subjective to be done by moderators, without messing it up for other people).

- Don't lock threads for no good reason.

It's hugely annoying when a thread is locked just because some moderator thinks it's already answered, although you still have more questions. All that happens is that you have to keep creating a new thread for each post, that really belonged in the same thread.

Things to keep as they are:

Keep it flat and keep quotes the way it is, instead of numbering. Quotes is easy enough to use, and you can pick out specific stuff to refer to, and people can easily see what you are answering to.

The APOD daily posting robot for each day's topic to be started for each day's APOD is a great idea ! (rather than waiting for someone to start it)

As far as topic restrictions, you can't legislate morality, same problem here. We simply have our own ideas and want to talk about them.
Less restrictions create less animosity.

As far as the choice of APOD daily photos, you are doing a wonderful job of keeping a wide variety of subjects going ! Great work guys !!!
I love it all ! From deep space photos, to the planets, and Himalayan horizon scapes.

G'day

A reading forum on subjects without censorship.

Yes I know that 90% will be crap and yet its great to know that there is crap and to be awear.

Even a flower can grow on a Cactus.

Well, now seeing the APOD Robot has been starting threads on each APOD for a while, I have to say I like it better than I thought I would. It keeps the format standard and provides the proper link to the APOD itself. The tiny thumbnail is a nice touch. Well done, WELL DONE INDEED!

-Noel

Do you guys like the "Quick Reply" feature?

Also, I made a new style for the board in my free time. It was really just a personal project but since it's done I made it available for everyone to use. I know most of you prefer the current black text on white that came with the board by default but I'm open to adding even small variations on the default style if you guys have any suggestions for forum visual styles you'd like to see. To change your style you go here:
http://asterisk.apod.com/ucp.php?i=165

Yeah, I like the quick reply

I think the biggest contributions in the future will be to keep this forum accessible and readable in all browsers in all languages.

why doesn't a thread like this have its own section of the forum to live in?
why aren't questions about features, upgrades, news about the forum, highlights, etc.. being dealt with in that same section?
this section of the forum should be reserved for APOD and astronomy questions not for "how's and why's about the forum" !!

35 replies!! since nov 27th

most rediculous troll ever?

or a resounding message - LEAVE IT ALONE !!!

Storm_norm wrote:I think the biggest contributions in the future will be to keep this forum accessible and readable in all browsers in all languages.

Browsers, yes. It should always be accessible in all browsers which adhere to standards, since the forum is fully standards-compliant. Languages, sorry, this is an English only forum as stated by the rules. (Ok, it's not in the rules, even though I swear I remember reading it somewhere?)

Storm_norm wrote:why doesn't a thread like this have its own section of the forum to live in?
why aren't questions about features, upgrades, news about the forum, highlights, etc.. being dealt with in that same section?
this section of the forum should be reserved for APOD and astronomy questions not for "how's and why's about the forum" !!

Because that section doesn't exist... yet. And RJN was the one who started it here and this is basically his forum, so who's to say it's in the wrong place? shrug.

That section exists now. The Asterisk* is changing.

It might be helpful to have a "how to" available for linking another post.

Just right click on the heading of the post in question, copy the url, and paste. For example, your post above is: forum 28 (Starship Asterisk: Handbook), topic 17673 (How can The Asterisk be improved?), post 115359 (emc)

Thanks Bystander. That is simpler than I thought.

How do you display the post and not just the link?

Hit "Quote and copy the quote.

Stupid me! Thanks for your patience... It's things like this that prove Mr. Ed's superior intelligence to mine. My parents should have named me Wilbur.

I usually read the Active Topics, using the Discuss link at the top of any page to get back to and refresh that view of the forum. However, because I do it that way, there is now a redundant (for me) rectangle of links to the various sub-forums at the top, above the list of Active Topics. This box takes up a very large portion of the vertical space available in the browser, so I have to scroll down over and over again to see the threads. (Woe is me!)

Other forum software has a little gadget that can be put, perhaps, in the top-right corner of any such box which allows the box to collapse. And this setting can be cookied so it sticks for any particular user. I wouldn't be surprised if phpBB has such a feature. If it does, could it be turned on please?

Thanks,

Rob

The only way I know of is to use the main Active Topics link instead of the forum category link.
http://asterisk.apod.com/sea ... ive_topics

I'm not keen on editing the phpbb3 template which is what it would take to get rid of that box.

I gather from that it's not just a setting in your admin console? Odd.

You can see what I mean at the Zen Cart forum. See the little up/down green arrows at the right of each heading? Click that once and it either opens or closes the forum section listing.

(But the Active topics link will do fine, now that you mention it.)

Rob

Yeah, that Zen Cart forum is a vBulletin board. Different software entirely. And you are correct, it is not a simple setting.

I updated the CSS so that when a large image is posted there will be a scrollbar under it to indicate it got truncated. While it's still not as good as right-click => view image to isolate the image at least there is now some indication when an image is truncated.

For some time now you have featured a digg link at the bottom of each APOD page. Yesterday you tried facebook. Why not provide the ability to share through all of the social bookmarking links. Many blogs and news services have a share link that allows you to pick the social bookmarking link you wish to use. For an example, see APOD's sister site HEAPOW.

geckzilla wrote:That's the problem with robots. They'll never fail the logic you provide them with but the next thing you know it's killing you for unwittingly violating your own rules.

Just need to be three laws safe.