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Sean 
"Necrosphenisciform anthropophagist."
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 Posted - 08/21/2012 : 13:54:00
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I was asked today if I'd mind if the start time for FYCTH could be changed to a more suitable time for North American East Coasters such that they had an opportunity for last-minute catch-up voting on late entrants, i.e., when they're awake. (I haven't been reviewing or vote hunting for a long while so don't personally give a toss, but was asked as a courtesy as the comp still has my name on it.) 
When the 6am fwfr-time start time was set (eight years ago!) there were plenty of active Australasians and to some extent it was set so as to be suitable for them (FWFRers were pretty globally spread then so there was no time that was gonna suit everyone).
Anyway, it appears that most of the active users now are in North America or the UK so a significantly later start time seems to make more sense. Perhaps such that everyone in the 10-hour timezone range from West Coast USA to Eastern Europe is likely to be awake? Something like 6pm fwfr-time may be suitable, it would then be 10am in LA, 1pm in NY/Toronto, 6pm in UK and 8pm in Israel.
So, would people like a change? If so, what time might suit people?
This clock may help, it runs west-to-east (i.e, most-behind GMT to most-ahead).
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Edited by - Sean on 08/21/2012 13:57:25 |
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BaftaBaby 
"Always entranced by cinema."
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Posted - 08/21/2012 : 14:07:24
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quote:
Originally posted by Sean
I was asked today if I'd mind if the start time for FYCTH could be changed to a more suitable time for North American East Coasters such that they had an opportunity for last-minute catch-up voting on late entrants, i.e., when they're awake. (I haven't been reviewing or vote hunting for a long while so don't personally give a toss, but was asked as a courtesy as the comp still has my name on it.)
When the 6am fwfr-time start time was set (eight years ago!) there were plenty of active Australasians and to some extent it was set so as to be suitable for them (FWFRers were pretty globally spread then so there was no time that was gonna suit everyone).
Anyway, it appears that most of the active users now are in North America or the UK so a significantly later start time seems to make more sense. Perhaps such that everyone in the 10-hour timezone range from West Coast USA to Eastern Europe is likely to be awake? Something like 6pm fwfr-time may be suitable, it would then be 10am in LA, 1pm in NY/Toronto, 6pm in UK and 8pm in Israel.
So, would people like a change? If so, what time might suit people?
This clock may help, it runs west-to-east (i.e, most-behind GMT to most-ahead).
I'm all for this and the time chosen seems very sensible. Many thanks for this, Sean. The penguins are proud of you. Me too! 
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randall
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 08/21/2012 : 14:24:06
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| I say yes as well to 6pm GMT, for the precise reasons you cited, and I also say "thank you" for creating this groovy game which has endured for eight years despite, well, everything. |
Edited by - randall on 08/21/2012 14:27:04 |
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lemmycaution
"Long mired in film"
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Posted - 08/21/2012 : 17:05:32
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| The change to 6pm FWFR time is OK with me. Will that be 6pm Sunday/Wed or 6pm Mon/Thurs? |
Edited by - lemmycaution on 08/21/2012 17:06:39 |
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randall
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 08/21/2012 : 18:06:16
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quote:
Originally posted by lemmycaution
The change to 6pm FWFR time is OK with me. Will that be 6pm Sunday/Wed or 6pm Mon/Thurs?
I'd vote for later the same day, for straggler reasons already cited. IOW, 6pm GMT/FWFRt Mon/Thur. Of course I'll do whatever airbody wants, regardless of my vote. |
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Salopian 
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 08/21/2012 : 18:13:20
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| I suggested this years ago but of course no one wanted to do it then. Now I'd rather keep the original time, for tradition's sake, but I'll go along with whatever, especially if it discourages people from announcing their voting two full days before the end of the round as sometimes happens now. We should be clear, though, that it would be 6:00 p.m. F.W.F.R. time, not 6:00 p.m. G.M.T.: the rounds currently start from approximately 5:00 a.m. G.M.T. |
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demonic
"Cinemaniac"
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Posted - 08/21/2012 : 21:38:50
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I'd happy with the change to 6pm FWFR-T on Mondays and Thursday. But is FWFR time not GMT? If it's not is there a place where we can see a running clock of what time FWFR-time is?
And Salopian, this is an old and tired argument, but it's not your business when people decide to vote or announce when they've voted. It is exactly this kind of nit-picking which drives people away from contributing at all... Personally I'm delighted there are people taking part in the game at all, struggling as we have been for a while to break double figures in contributors, far more than worrying about whether they're voting early, saying so, and then voting again later. The change in start/end time won't make any difference to that as far as I can see. |
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demonic
"Cinemaniac"
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Posted - 08/21/2012 : 21:41:03
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| The time my post registered above is exactly GMT. Do you mean the rounds are being started early or there is a disparity in the clock? |
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Salopian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 08/21/2012 : 22:16:25
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quote:
Originally posted by demonic
The time my post registered above is exactly GMT. Do you mean the rounds are being started early or there is a disparity in the clock?
It's not. It's B.S.T. (As a secondary point, which I didn't have in mind, the clock has indeed previously diverged from G.M.T./B.S.T., and even though the rules -- which some people are so keen on, to the point of feeling the need to dictate the exact wording of the title -- were quite unambiguous that it was by F.W.F.R. time, certain people seemed uable to follow that.) |
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Salopian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 08/21/2012 : 22:30:18
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quote:
Originally posted by demonic
it's not your business when people decide to vote or announce when they've voted. It is exactly this kind of nit-picking which drives people away from contributing at all...
Well, I didn't decide anything -- I just made a very mild comment. Going by your logic, it's not your business to say what I should post (which you did much more stronngly). |
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randall
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 08/22/2012 : 00:28:40
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| Oh, four fuck's sake, Sally: give it a rest. |
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Sean
"Necrosphenisciform anthropophagist."
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Posted - 08/23/2012 : 02:19:15
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quote:
Originally posted by Salopian
quote:
Originally posted by demonic
The time my post registered above is exactly GMT. Do you mean the rounds are being started early or there is a disparity in the clock?
It's not. It's B.S.T.
Correct. It made sense at the time to set the FYCTH start-time as UK time (i.e., whatever the time happened to be in the UK; in winter it'll be GMT and in summer it'll be BST aka GMT+1) as that's where the FWFR server is hosted. Essentially, FYCTH rounds should start at the same local time most of the time for North Americans and Europeans (for Brits it'll never change) with perhaps a few weeks in spring and autumn where it changes by an hour due to summer-time changes at different times. [6am UK time in NZ is either 5pm, 6pm or 7pm local time.]
The time-stamp on fourum posts (i.e, fwfr time) ought to be UK time (GMT or BST). Denoting FYCTH start-time as "fwfr time" ought to make it easier for those who live in different time zones to get an idea on when a FYCTH round ends/starts without having to look up a timezone clock (provided there are recent posts that are recognised as such).
If however (as has happened) the fwfr-server clock malfunctions (or has been mal-programmed) and displays disparity with UK time, then common sense suggests that people would then use UK time for FYCTH rounds. E.g., if the fwfr clock suddenly leaps forward two days and seventeen hours, then it makes no sense to call a FYCTH round closed after a few hours and start a new one. If the fwfr clock jumps over a cliff there's no sensible reason for others to follow it. Likewise, your removing an "n" from here
quote:
certain people seemed uable to follow that
and inserting it here
quote:
which you did much more stronngly
does not provide a sensible reason for others to follow suit. A mistake or malfunction is exactly that, and is best not repeated or followed.
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Edited by - Sean on 08/23/2012 02:20:36 |
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Sean
"Necrosphenisciform anthropophagist."
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Posted - 08/24/2012 : 00:45:04
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OK so it looks like there's a clear majority in favour of a permanent change to the FYCTH start time.
So, by the powers invested in me by nobody in particular  I henceforth decree that the last rule in the FYCTH rules be replaced with:-
"The next round starts on Monday or Thursday at 6:00 p.m. FWFR time, whichever comes next."
from FYCTH #847 onwards; the only change being "6:00 a.m." becomes "6:00 p.m."
Also note that I equate "FWFR time" with "UK time"; if however the fwfr server clock malfunctions then any functioning clock correctly reflecting FWFR time / UK time may be used in its place. |
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randall
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 08/30/2012 : 00:32:32
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| Huzzah! |
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Topic |
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New start time for FYCTH?
