Posts by Adam Doyle63

I suppose I could act as some sort of low-level creative consultant, given that I’ve spent enough time dealing with various members of the Moderation Team to know how they tick, though I won't be getting into specifics. Honestly, I actually ended up marrying a woman I met right here on Reddit; this place is basically woven into my DNA at this point.

Back between 2009 and 2014, I was just your typical, boring user, but since 2014, I’ve embraced a new version of "normal" that’s mostly just entertaining myself by indulging my own cynical urge to troll with a certain level of finesse.

I’ve only ever picked up a single red card because Phiber failed to realize just how utterly hollow my thread actually was, but I can forgive him for that mistake. As for the second one I received from rustydrifter10, well, I like to think she gave it to me out of love.

Best,
Adam Doyle63

Maria Barnes said:What a waste, those were great photos. My guess? The images are too big. They take up the whole screen here. Unfortunately, this Reddit isn't the best place for uploading pictures. The max width allowed is 640 pixels. 😢

Isn't there some kind of resize plugin or maybe just some raw JavaScript you could use? Or I don't know... maybe all these heavy files are just making the hamster wheel spin a little slower. 🤷

Honestly, I care about MLK just as much as anyone else, though I suppose it’s pretty obvious; my wife has already turned in for the night while I’m sitting here spinning out another long-winded post. 🤣

If you look up, you'll see people practically weeping over how much more they want to write.

But you, specifically, seem to be the most worked up about all this 😁

regarding the Index topic over at MLK—the idea of letting us host a Bloomberg assignment thread and a general catch-all for chats, comments, and suggestions right there. We’ve actually reached a point where the comment sections are seeing almost as much activity as the main thread itself. 🤣

And down the road, we could potentially launch a dedicated thread for collaborative writing or deep-diving into the drama, but since MLK already handles that kind of thing, I don't imagine it would be an issue.

EDIT: Just a quick heads-up! If we really embark on this journey through the forum, it would be great if we could make our way over to the USA in January 2021 to mark the exact 10th anniversary of when the assignments first launched.

Traveling taskmasters

It’s an idea that’s started gaining some traction among certain corners of the forum, and since it involves those who actually shape the future of our taskmasters, we really ought to give it some serious thought; so, I’ll try my hand at weighing the pros and cons of this concept.

The Upside

• By migrating from one set of PDFs to the next, taskmasters actively pull in new members.
• The PDFs themselves naturally establish recurring cycles and thematic frameworks.
• The taskmaster house effectively becomes the Forum itself rather than being tied to a single, specific PDF, which feels like the only right way to go about it.
• It will only serve to to annoy people and the moderators within a specific PDF for about a month.
• Those who actually enjoy them will simply follow along into the next cycle.

The Downside

• They lose their central home where everything used to be grouped together in one spot.
• From a technical standpoint, it creates a whole lot more work.
• Moderation styles and rules end up shifting constantly as you move from PDF to PDF.

I don't think the benefits really need much explaining, as this kind of movement is essentially what breathes life and brings in fresh blood to the system. But how do we fix the issues?

We would probably need a permanent thread that links to all the various topics—or better yet, individual posts—or perhaps a master PDF where everything eventually gets migrated back together; both options have their own merits and their own flaw of losing organization, and frankly, they represent a massive amount of work for anyone holding moderator authority. It’s pretty much delusional to expect moderators of specific PDFs to waste their precious time babysitting threads that have nothing to do with their assigned section, and we certainly can't dump that entire burden onto stormytiger4, who is likely the one who cares most about these taskmasters.

In terms of presentation, visibility is their greatest strength in such a setup, while disorientation is undoubtedly the biggest drawback.

EDIT: well, looks like stormytiger4 started writing about the exact same thing at the same time. 😁

I'll probably dive into the specifics of how these traveling assignments work a bit later, though I have to admit there are definitely some pros and cons to consider 👍

I’ll toss in two more ideas that have actually gained some traction, just so they stay on the table:

• Assignments based on the National Park Service PDFs. We’ve got folks here from all over the different districts; some show up because they actually want to, while others are basically drafted into service, but there’s always going to be some kind of chaotic commotion happening somewhere. 😁
• Traveling assignments. Every month, we rotate to a different district, which allows us to build out these recurring thematic cycles across the various regions.

I’m right there with you; since I actually understand the tech side of things, the technical perks of keeping threads small—with properly formatted headers, solid opening posts, and actual coherent discussions—are pretty obvious to me, and it’s exactly the kind of thing Google loves to see.

I think I misspoke earlier; what I was really getting at is that a high volume of open threads isn't necessarily a sign of a thriving community, because a board can actually be way more active even if people aren't constantly spawning new topics every five minutes.

As for that whole idea about grouping threads, that’s just my own weary observation from hanging around here for the last decade, where I’ve noticed far more instances of threads being merged together than ever being split apart, though maybe that's just my bias since I mostly stick to a few specific subreddits.

PS. Alright, brace yourselves, because I’m about to go drop yet another massive, overly ambitious masterpiece of a post. 😁

After twenty years on Reddit, I’ve come to realize that the sheer number of open threads is starting to lose its relevance entirely. Since we already have dedicated spaces for just about everything, our general policy is to avoid cluttering things up if there's already a similar topic or a group thread running, meaning that for the health of the site, actual user registrations and engagement levels carry far more weight than how many individual posts are being opened.

It would actually be pretty interesting to run a comparison between how things used to look back then versus how they stand today.

There’s been endless debate about where these assignments actually belong, and honestly, we’ve been circling this drain since our days on the US forum. Usually, the only people who actually care about where they live are the ones writing them in the first place. 🤣Right now, we’re stuck in this PDF format that feels like it’s running on borrowed time, but I truly believe—no, I know for a fact—that these assignments have a future.

It’s obvious nobody is going to get their own dedicated PDF, but we really need to start looking ahead. Lately, it seems like MLK has emerged as the perfect home for this stuff, and personally, I think it would be the most natural habitat for the assignments themselves.

Just to give you an idea, I’ll try to map out what an "Assignment PDF" might look like in some imaginary universe, complete with all the themes it would house.

• Assignments - theme
• Assignments - comments
• Glance assignment - theme
• Glance assignment - comments
• audio assignment with respect
• audio assignment audio assignment - comments
• tandem writing tandem writing - comment glance poetry glance poetry
• tandem writing tandem writing - comment glance poetry glance poetry - comments
• glance poetry
• glance poetry - comments
• drama project
• drama project - comments
• assignment illustration
• assignment photograph
• Chatter comment

We could also just bundle all the comments into one single thread; I think that would be way more productive and interesting, or we could just keep doing quick-fire assignments and comments together, much like how we handle photography.

A system like this could be rolled out within MLK, giving the more proactive members a dedicated space to vent their emotions through writing, or perhaps we could run a parallel Assignment PDF alongside MLK, similar to how we handle photo contests.

That would move the assignments back to their natural habitat without messing up the main Literature PDF, and I’m pretty sure it would satisfy my fellow assigners. And, as my colleague Bloomer so eloquently put it, it would breathe some life back into MLK.👍

The second option, which is much closer to my heart, would be Creative Chaos. Honestly, the title itself perfectly captures the beautiful mess that is our existence.

I’d also propose a thread for quick-fire assignments over at KZB. Think of it as a form of rehabilitation—and maybe whoever wins gets their ban shortened by a day.

So, I’m calling on my fellow assigners, all the lovers of fine prose, the drinkers, the degenerates, the eccentrics, and everyone else I hold dear: please, throw your ideas into the ring. I’ve just gathered everything we’ve done over the last month right here.

Assigner Jazo

Amanda Hughes37 said:Adam Doyle63, what am I supposed to write?

We just need some space where there are no chains holding us back, allowing us to finally catch our breath.

I'll write up something more detailed tonight.

Maria Barnes said:👍

Assignments are the perfect example of how this forum should actually work. Someone walks in (like stormytiger4 here) with an idea that even I don't buy, but I say—let's go! If you believe in it, that’s all that matters.

(Fact: ignore anyone who claims something is impossible. They're just lazy.)

That’s a lovely sentiment, Maria Barnes, but I think you've missed the mark. This isn't about faith. Faith is something you can question, and I'm not interested in questioning this. It's about certainty. I am certain about this, and I'm not second-guessing it; I simply know this is the direction I want to head.

By the way, I'll admit I'm lazy, but once something actually sparks a flame in me, I get carried away and pour everything I have into it. That’s really the whole point of all this—just giving everything you've got until there's nothing left.

There I go again, getting all sentimental and pathetic...

I suppose that goes without saying, but I figured I’d say it out loud anyway just to be sure.

I have this idea that once we finally get our own little corner of the world here, we could honor the legendary Assigners throughout history—both the old guard and the new blood—by turning their legacies into short stories.

I’d also love to take this chance to invite the National Park Service moderator Body Hallecko to join us for an assignment and actually write one; his deep dives into local crimes here on the PŽK forum are basically masterclasses in themselves. 😒

PS. Body, just so you know, most of us are mostly listening to rock up here. 😁

I suppose I should probably say something to mark my presence here, though I’m mostly just drifting through this digital void with the same weary indifference I bring to everything else. It feels like we're all just circling the drain of modern existence, waiting for some grand revelation that will never actually arrive.
Department of Culture
The National Park Service forum.
The National Park Service.
Class: 22/05/20-20
Reference No.: 666



Based on the articles:



Under the framework of the Cultural Heritage Act, cultural property is defined as follows:
It’s all just various intangible expressions of how people used to channel their spiritual creativity back in the day, along with the scattered remains of our old documentation and bibliographic heritage.



Regardless of who actually owns them, whether they’ve been officially registered or are currently under preventive protection, all cultural property is fully shielded by the provisions of the Cultural Heritage Act.



It’s basically everyone's responsibility to look out for our cultural property, and if you spot something that actually qualifies under the Cultural Heritage Act, you're expected to report it to the relevant Department.



The whole point of this is to protect our cultural property:
It all comes down to the fundamental duty of protecting cultural property in its purest, most untouched state, ensuring that everything we value actually makes it through to the next generation.

I suppose I should probably mention the Cultural Heritage Act, though why anyone would bother looking into such dense legalities is beyond me. It’s basically our duty to demand that the written works produced by this forum's slightly gifted contributors—if you can call these Assignments anything else—be officially added to the list of Cultural Properties for this forum, the United States, and the European Union. Or perhaps even for the future of the universe itself.

The Assignments, which will hit their ten-year milestone next year, have been stubbornly clinging to existence since 2011. After that whole mess involving the PDF crackdown back in 2016, they basically went underground, hiding away like contraband within the cryptic threads of forum users, tucked deep inside old trunks in dusty attics and dark basements. Then, around 2020, they finally crawled back out into the light, slowly making their way to conquer the PDF Coronavirus section and whatever other corners of this forum they can get their hands on.

• Back during that first stretch of assignments from 2011 to 2016, we somehow managed to scrape together over 1,000 pieces of work from a bunch of mildly talented forum regulars—if you can call the Assigners "talented"—alongside some 3,000 comments scattered across 172 different threads.
• During that second stretch from 2016 to 2020, a massive amount of underground work was produced that hasn't even been touched yet, and frankly, it’ll stay buried until we can finally get some actual research funding through once everything is officially logged under the Cultural Heritage Act.
• Since we hit the third phase back in 2020, we’ve managed to churn out over 100 pieces alongside some 2,000 comments spread across about ten different topics. It’s almost exhausting to look at, but apparently, the PDF assignments regarding the Coronavirus have already climbed into the top five most active topics and cracked the top ten for total reads.

The Plusevi Assignment.

• They really do drive creativity, don't they?
• They’re out there trying to build this whole atmosphere of love, supposedly stripping away all the hatred and prejudice, though I've lived long enough to know how much work that actually takes.
• It seems like everyone is playing on the exact same level when it comes to these assignments.
• They're just moderating themselves.
• The whole thing is just a massive process of self-transformation—part of that ongoing drama project.
• They’re actually linking up with those other PDFs—it's all part of the assignment photograph.
• Honestly, they’re freaking incredible.

The downsides of this assignment.

• Nothing to say.

We assigners are looking toward a bright future, seeing this forum as our second home and truly hoping our little corner survives the years to come. I’m putting this matter up for debate now, and I’ll be waiting for the relevant authorities to weigh in.

Attachments.

Just looking back at those old assignments.
The latest assignments have dropped.
Just another audio assignment.

With all due respect,

Assigner Jazo

Nicholas King said:Thanks 🙂.

To be fair, we’re dealing with a situation where there isn't even an official written order regarding self-isolation—it was just some verbal notice given upon landing at the airport.

Anyway, I suppose we'll just have to get in touch with the FAA 🤣

My brother didn't get anything in writing either, and honestly, after he checked in with his primary care physician, it sounds like if you aren't showing symptoms, you're free as a bird by day fifteen. Even the local police stopped by the house and just told him to stay safe, so I guess that's all there is to it.

Nancy Howard4 said:Honestly, if you can actually isolate all of that, it’s a solid plan.
The best move is to drop that person off later, spray everything down, and then toss all your gear and yourself straight into the wash. The virus is contagious, but it needs a way into our bodies—like through the nose, eyes, or mouth; it won't get through your skin, but if that skin touches our "sensitive areas," then yeah, there's definitely a chance.
The virus is pretty hardy on surfaces like glass or plastic, but rubbing alcohol will absolutely wreck it.

The passenger was successfully dropped off, and believe it or not, tomorrow marks a full week since we started this whole isolation thing. We both wore masks and gloves, and since my car was basically half-covered in plastic wrap, I just disinfected the entire interior once we got home, sprayed it down, and let it sit for four days; all the gear, including the sneakers, went straight into the washing machine with a splash of isopropyl alcohol, and I gave myself a good scrub too. Since it was the first day those travel permits were being enforced, the police kept pulling us over, and honestly, there were plenty of snide comments like, "Look at you guys, being all prepared and stuff." But I was just following the guidelines, maybe even going a bit overboard because why not? One officer actually told me they'd seen it all these past few days...

Robin Diaz4 said:We actually drove out to the airport in two separate cars, leaving one behind with the friend we were picking up—who, naturally, was the designated driver for the trip. Since that second vehicle isn't exactly our daily driver anyway, it’s currently just sitting in the driveway waiting for some better weather to roll around.

I wish I could, really. But because life is just wonderful like that, my brother's license expired a few months ago—he'd been out of the country for a year—and he lost his login for USA.gov to renew it online and all that jazz. On the first day the permits and the police showed up, it wasn't exactly fun to be playing games by driving around without a valid license.

And by the way, the police pulled me over four times and didn't ask to see my license or registration even once; twice they only asked for my ID. 😁

Charles Carter4 said:So, I was chatting with a police officer yesterday, and he dropped this hint that the whole passport thing is just a temporary fix—basically a stopgap measure—and that they’ll be rolling out some other methods in a few days. Now, what on earth is that supposed to mean? Is he implying they're going to put us under a total lockdown?

They'll pull the trigger the second infection numbers spike, because honestly, the whole thing is already scripted—you can practically read it between the lines of those press conferences. It's all just psychological conditioning at this point. Even my wife's company was getting calls about prepping permit paperwork, despite everyone living right there in the same city where they work, and apparently, the local police were telling them to get ahead of it immediately. There might not be a practical need for it today, but tomorrow, or whenever they decide it's time, it’s going to happen.

electricorca112 said:Which exact email address did you send that request to?

I mean, honestly, did anyone actually care to see that pass? Like, were there even any travel "roadblocks" or anything of the sort happening back then?

Thanks! 👍

I sent everything over to the city administration's email address—at least, that’s what they told me to do at the time—since this all went down well before the FEMA meeting was even scheduled. They ended up opening a dedicated email account for it later that afternoon.

There was a checkpoint right at my city's exit and again where the highway merges. When I pulled up to the outskirts of New York City coming off the expressway toward the airport, there wasn't a soul in sight. Then, on the way back, those first two checkpoints were sitting there waiting for us all over again.

I have to admit, the cops were actually remarkably calm and polite today, especially during that whole chaotic mess out by the local brewery.

All they told me was that starting tomorrow, I have to list the exact destination and the specific reason for my travel when applying for this one-day permit, whereas they just gave me "airport" as the location. 🤦 Look, that was just a clerical slip-up on the administration's end; I made sure to include every single specific detail in my actual request.

Nancy Howard4 said:Are you kidding me? Just wrap the person up in cling wrap or grab a body bag from the local morgue.😂
Just kidding, but seriously, the most important thing is that the person touches as little as possible, so just hand them some gloves and a mask right away, put yours on too, spray down the whole car later, and call it a day. Honestly, the virus should die off in a few days anyway; it can't possibly survive on plastic or glass for weeks, right???

😬

I have a pretty decent-sized trunk, so I'm actually considering 😁

Jokes aside, the gloves and mask idea makes sense. Personally, I'll probably go a step further and cover the entire front interior with protective film, then take photos of everything just in case someone tries to claim I'm a biohazard—because after being stuck in isolation myself, I’m making sure if a quarantine hits, I'm the only one allowed out with my grocery list.

Supposedly the virus can linger on surfaces in the car for a few days, but I'll just have the vehicle professionally detailed and let it sit idle for a week once it's back.

Karen Patel41 said:Just a quick heads-up for everyone—local law enforcement is currently conducting checks to ensure those on the mandatory quarantine list are actually following the protocols.

I was just contacted by someone whose isolation period officially wraps up at midnight tonight, and they mentioned that officers actually showed up at their doorstep to perform a check.

Around here, they do regular checks, though since we live in a smaller town and there aren't tons of people in isolation, it doesn't happen constantly, but they definitely show up at your door.

One question.

We’re facing a bit of a situation soon... Has anyone dealt with picking someone up from the airport who is arriving from abroad and driving them straight into quarantine? We called 911 and were told it's allowed, and everything else—wearing masks, staying quiet, having them sit in the back seat—is just a recommendation rather than a strict mandate.

My plan is to wrap half the car in plastic sheeting and wear both a mask and gloves, and I'll make sure the person I'm picking up does the same, just so I can minimize or basically neutralize any chance of catching something. After that, I'll disinfect the whole vehicle and leave it alone for a while; we actually have another family house ready as a backup if things go south. We've already secured an entire floor for the person to stay on, where they can head straight in without greeting anyone, and we'll just leave the key in the lock.

Right now, I'm the only one in the house who isn't considered high-risk, and I really want to protect everyone else while doing my best to protect myself too, because if we end up stuck in quarantine, I'll be the one responsible for heading out whenever we need supplies.

I didn't fully grasp how this new subforum was laid out until just now, so here I am finally catching up. It turns out our contact wasn't actually someone who had been exposed—he hadn't even seen them since Christmas—so he basically just spiraled into a panic for no reason. Since there was no actual risk, we aren't legally required to quarantine.

Jeffrey Fisher5 said:That’s quite a lot to take in, but this part caught my eye:

And the cats too.

It seems rather odd that amidst all the various advice and guidelines, there was such a strange emphasis on avoiding contact with pets and wildlife.

I mean, only a complete fool would go out of their way to touch wild animals, but still... 🤔

Animals don't catch USA.

Which implies your cats are either stuck in quarantine with you or simply being deprived of your attention.

The cats live with us, so they've actually been getting way too much attention over the last few days.

-Sanjar- said:So, did you guys actually call the local health department or what?

Well, we did, but since we weren't in any high-risk areas and hadn't actually been near anyone infected—just someone who might have been—the health officials pretty much hung up on us immediately. I wouldn't have even bothered calling myself, but my wife got a little worked up. We ended up staying home for four days just to be safe, following our primary care doctor's recommendation. Since it was all just a false alarm, thankfully we're officially cleared today; we're working from home so we aren't going anywhere anyway, but we aren't under any legal mandate, just practicing some voluntary self-isolation for as long as feels right.

EDIT: P.S. A friend of mine came back from his seasonal job in Austria a few days ago, he's been staying put, and the police actually stopped by to check on him today. Since there aren't many people in quarantine around town, the police are doing rounds and checking up on folks even if they haven't reported anything. It's a good thing.