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Halfbakery: Account
Halfbakery Entrance Test   (+3, -4)  [vote for, against]
A test of user's knowledge of the Halfbakery before they get an account

A simple test to ensure that new bakers have some familiarity of the Halfbakery before they enter the bakery.

Who created the bakery?

Can I post that cool thing I saw in a movie?

How many matches for custard come up in a search?

Where should you post a link?
-- PiledHigherandDeeper, Jun 13 2003

(?) Crossroads Fan Club http://www.thecrossroadsfanclub.com/
[DrBob, Oct 04 2004]

Internet Troll http://en.wikipedia...wiki/Internet_troll
For [Mungo] [Worldgineer, Oct 04 2004]

What about who created the Hullaballoon?

Although I am relatively new I find that people come in with little knowledge of the halfbakery and then post a bunch of ideas that get canned or shouldn't be here for various reasons.
-- PiledHigherandDeeper, Jun 13 2003


Are you going to bring back your ideas bristolz?
-- PiledHigherandDeeper, Jun 13 2003


No.

Also, I doubt that an entrance exam would have much effect and it's an idea that has been proposed here before and more than once.
-- bristolz, Jun 13 2003


Bristolz, what happened to your ideas? Why are you getting rid of them and is this related to Unabubba leaving too?
-- sartep, Jun 13 2003


Brriiiiiiiiisssss :) hallo.
-- sambwiches, Jun 13 2003


From Google, some of bristolz's great work - and the self control to delete ideas that were fishboned (almost all had croissants) or just had good ideas.

Assaultines, Butt flicking clay, Cream Cheese Rings, Democratic HB TiVo Programming, Electric Skis/Snowboards, Feed Speed, GargantuFan, Hullaballoon, Ice Rod, Label-O-Box, Marasquitos, Parking Swivel, Rapid Goober Detector, Sweating Propellors, Textured Tines, Vehicle Symptom Generator
-- PiledHigherandDeeper, Jun 13 2003


UB, I hear you. I love this place but I am finding I just can't drop in as often as I'd like. There's a big cruel world out there and sometimes it's nice to have place to vent (many thanks, jutta), even if the venting is done with one's tongue firmly planted in one's cheek. Maybe we are suffering from overpopularity? So many bakers, with so many ideas, and only so many hours in the day...
-- Canuck, Jun 13 2003


[bris] *sniff* Aw, man, some of those were really good!

[UB] Does that mean you'll be gone tomorrow? I hope not.
-- galukalock, Jun 13 2003


Baked. Did you manage to log in? Congratulations! You passed the test.
-- DrBob, Jun 13 2003


I'm not going anywhere (as if anyone would notice *sigh*).

It feels like everyone's at a party I wasn't invited to.
-- Worldgineer, Jun 13 2003


grab your coat, you pulled - lets party <g>
-- po, Jun 13 2003


Wohoo!!! See you suckers later. But wait, is there an exit test I have to pass first?
-- Worldgineer, Jun 13 2003


Yes, the exit question is:

Who is the halfbakery's turtle expert?
-- PiledHigherandDeeper, Jun 15 2003


sp: tortoise
-- Worldgineer, Jun 16 2003


[Worldgineer] do you know the definitive difference between a turtle & a tortoise? <serious question>
-- PiledHigherandDeeper, Jun 16 2003


<serious answer>Tortoises can't swim.</serious answer>
-- Worldgineer, Jun 16 2003


You are the official tortoise expert - with a sideline in turtles!
-- PiledHigherandDeeper, Jun 17 2003


bring back Amy Turtle
-- po, Jun 17 2003


I think that Amy Turtle was secretly in love with Shuey MacPhee.
-- DrBob, Jun 17 2003


Ok, what's the difference between a buffalo and a bison?
-- PeterSilly, Jun 17 2003


whats the difference between an amy turtle and a shuey macphee
-- po, Jun 17 2003


Surely the exit test "question" is:

Complete the following phrase: "You can check out any time you like..."
-- beauxeault, Jun 17 2003


[piled] Although I may be the resident expert on tortoise shell mods, I'm not sure I know much about other types of turtles.

[DrBob] What's a Shuey MacPhee?

[po] Amy's still around (and probably will be longer than me). If you mean bring back the tortoise ideas, it's as simple as adding a comment. If you mean that I should post another, well... I'll add one of the ones in the queue as soon as I have some time.
-- Worldgineer, Jun 17 2003


I meant the amy turtle that I thought you had named yours after, if you follow me. BTW we were leaving or had you forgotten?
-- po, Jun 17 2003


It's a spelling mistake. After further research (link), I've discovered that it's spelt 'Shughie McFee'.
-- DrBob, Jun 17 2003


Never heard of the show referenced, but find it quite entertaining that there was a character named Amy Turtle and that everyone's heard of it but me.
(wanders off toward party noises)
-- Worldgineer, Jun 17 2003


That's our UnaBubba! A walking, talking lexicon of facts both educational and trivial. I admire him for his simple charm and his razor wit, and one day I want to grow up to be just like his brother, OthaBubba. Glad you decided to hang around, bro!

To get back to the original premise here, I think the entry exam should be just one question: why? Of course, one word answers are not allowed. <notices tiny turtle struggling to reach the ocean, picks it up and absent-mindedly skips it across the water>
-- Canuck, Jun 18 2003


There already is an entrance test. Just think how many AOL users have been put off by the challenge of typing in a user name, password, and clicking 'Create an account'.
-- -alx, Jun 18 2003


Me and po hardly qualifies as 'everyone'. 'Everyone who matters' perhaps.
-- DrBob, Jun 18 2003


Golly [UB] - and I thought the answer was that you couldn't wash your hands in a buffalo.
-- PeterSilly, Jun 18 2003


<summary>
[bz] It's been posted here before
(everyone) Since it'll be MFD'd soon, let's chat
(no one) MFD
</summary>

I don't see it anywhere else. Why not implement it? It avoids forcing e-mail collection or a fancy e-mail checking system. Just make people answer simple questions that can be found by searching before the post an idea. At least we will know they can use the search feature.
-- Worldgineer, Mar 03 2004


[Worldgineer]

Thanks for surfacing that thread, that was amusing.

It sounds like a good idea, but without knowing the specifics of Jutta's discontent, I suspect it may only be part of the problem. Cross my fingers ....[has anybody posted a device to hold your fingers in that position ?]
-- normzone, Mar 03 2004


Cutting out people without credit cards is hardly fair.

Besides, would you have joined if you had to pay back then?
-- RobertKidney, Mar 04 2004


Giant flaming fishbone. What is this, a country club? Do I need to drive a Bently too?!
-- Letsbuildafort, Mar 04 2004


Use PayPal - they take credit cards and checks. Proposed costs: $0.01 to join. $1 to regain posting privalages each time you get an idea MFD'd. $100 to create a new account after yours has been deleted for trolling.
-- Worldgineer, Mar 04 2004


What is trolling, anyway?
-- Mungo, Mar 04 2004


Good test question.

See my link for the cheat sheet.
-- Worldgineer, Mar 04 2004


Maybe some sort of general exam?
-- alc, Apr 11 2004


I was actually thinking about something kinda like this. Have new users complete a 10-15 question test about the help section. So there will be less stupid ideas, more dedicated users, and probably fewer fish stinkin up the place.
-- swimr, Jun 29 2004


I was thinking of posting something similiar... perhaps requiring users to vote on 20 ideas before posting one of their own as well, too.

I know the reaction to this was kinda "bleh" back in 2003, but maybe it could gain more steam today?
-- Madai, Jan 04 2006


bleh.

Though this might be taken by many as an argument in favor of this idea, I would never have made it in.

(I didn't even notice that there was a help file until long after posting my first idea.)
-- half, Jan 04 2006


//(I didn't even notice that there was a help file until long after posting my first idea.)// hah ... and deleting half your name...
-- po, Jan 04 2006


According to [Una] knowledge of Buffalo might help.
-- skinflaps, Jan 04 2006


[po], it was those big kids that made me do it.

The big "bully" tried to talk me in to it. But, when the hot blonde half-double dared me --- well, what guy could resist a force of nature like her under any circumstances? ;-)
-- half, Jan 04 2006


I didn't know the background - poor you!
-- po, Jan 04 2006


You were there.
-- half, Jan 04 2006


just an innocent bystander...
-- po, Jan 04 2006


Getting back to the topic: every time this kind of thing comes up, someone points out that some extremely good ideas, including some of the best, were created by people on the same day as their accounts. Panic PIN, e.g. (there used to be more in the Top 10, prior to the great Vote Shredding incident of '04.)

The whole joy of the halfbakery is that it is so accessible. Filter out the one (annoying idiots), you filter out the other (the truly gifted).
-- DrCurry, Jan 04 2006


And let's not forget the truly annoying gifted idiots.
-- Worldgineer, Jan 04 2006


I don't like parties with bouncers on the door, I prefer parties where everyone's invited and people tell you if you're out of line.
-- wagster, Jan 04 2006


Excellent anno [wagster]. Myself, still a new~B, stumbled around a bit and got some help from all of you. Even though I did read the help file, some of my ideas were not inventions and got [mfd]ed. ps~ I like when these old ones get drawn up, so I see stuff that I missed before I found the halfbakery. Thanks to all halfbakers.
-- xandram, Jan 04 2006


Don't beat yourself up, [xandram], some of the best learning is done by making mistakes. How do you think I became such a successful nuclear engineer?
-- shapu, Jan 04 2006


give us a clue!
-- po, Jan 04 2006


It rhymes with Tree Smile Xyland.
-- shapu, Jan 04 2006


[xandram], have you found the "random" link yet?
-- half, Jan 04 2006


[swimr] said "Have new users complete a 10-15 question test about the help section"

Multiple choice? True/False?

Can I do an essay question? Please? Can I? Can I? What about a photo essay?
-- normzone, Jan 04 2006


yes [half] I have tried the "random" link, but it doesn't always satisfy a halfbakery craving for something delicious! thank you though, I still need all the help I can get.
-- xandram, Jan 05 2006



random, halfbakery