Forum Icons
 

Can someone explain the various post/thread-describing icons?
Is there a list of these? I've seen paperclips, lightbulbs,
locks (that one I got), a few others.

A paperclip, I believe, means that in at least one post in the thread someone has included an attached document.

The lightbulb has always puzzled me a bit. I had an idea in the past that the thread starter could just label a thread with this if s/he chose to, with the intention of indicating vaguely "an idea", but that it had no concrete meaning as far as the forum software is concerned. But for some reason I haven't seen anyone do this recently. And I may well be completely wrong about what I thought.

Are you referencing the icons near the left side of the thread view or the right?

The icons on the right side can be moused over to see what they mean. We have only seen paper clips and thumbtacks there.

When you create a thread you have an option to put a post icon on it. That will show up on the left side of the thread view. There is a default icon if you do not choose one.

Here's a different question about forum icons:

For the past few days, when I'm at the main mersenneforum.org page, both the Hobbies forum and the Chess subforum have the unread-posts icon, but when I go into those, there's nothing that I haven't already read, and there are no unread-posts icons showing inside there. Is there a good reason for that?

This is probably because Chess is a subforum of Hobbies, and inside Chess there's a game of [I]Vote chess[/I] in progress. In this game, two teams have invisible forums where they regularly post until they decide on a move. Because only the members of a team can read those invisible messages, the Chess and Hobbies forums would appear to have unread messages - until the game is over. The visible part of the game are [URL="http://www.mersenneforum.org/showthread.php?t=17256"]these[/URL] [URL="http://www.mersenneforum.org/showthread.php?t=17228"]two[/URL] threads.

By the way, it was agreed when the voting chess game was discussed beforehand that new players would be welcome to join either team even when the game was already in progress. Given that you once told us you achieved a draw against Korchnoi, cheesehead, I think you'd be an enormous asset to either team if you felt like coming in at this stage. I appreciate that you also said you'd given chess up since then, but I doubt you've forgotten how to play.:smile:We're currently at move 15.

Disclaimer: I am of course only speaking for myself when I say that. But if you're interested, try posting in the "Vote Chess" thread.

[QUOTE=Batalov;324881]This is probably because Chess is a subforum of Hobbies, and inside Chess there's a game of [I]Vote chess[/I] in progress. In this game, two teams have invisible forums where they regularly post until they decide on a move. Because only the members of a team can read those invisible messages, the Chess and Hobbies forums would appear to have unread messages - until the game is over. The visible part of the game are [URL="http://www.mersenneforum.org/showthread.php?t=17256"]these[/URL] [URL="http://www.mersenneforum.org/showthread.php?t=17228"]two[/URL] threads.[/QUOTE]That makes sense. Thanks.

- - -

[QUOTE=Brian-E;324909]Given that you once told us you achieved a draw against Korchnoi, cheesehead,[/QUOTE]That was in a simultaneous exhibition ... outdoors ... and I made sure to sit on the side where the sun would be in Korchnoi's eyes ... in the middle of a row of all of Minnesota's masters and most of its experts (who apparently also were following the sun-in-eyes advice) at that time?

[quote]I appreciate that you also said you'd given chess up since then, but I doubt you've forgotten how to play.[/quote]I recently re-entered ... in a tournament with a time control of game/30 ... which was the first time I've ever played at that time rate. 4 losses and a draw. Rating down 40.

I've always thought that Ruy Lopez' advice more than 400 years ago about the sun was far more applicable to tennis than to chess. In any case, Korchnoi won't have let it bother him in his simul. Do you still have the moves of the game?

It's nice to hear you've returned to chess.

By the way, playing strength is not a requirement in the voting chess game. Another nice feature is the lack of a ticking clock by the board.

[QUOTE=Brian-E;325023]
By the way, playing strength is not a requirement in the voting chess game. [/QUOTE]
Hee hee I'm playing, so you can definitely be sure of that :razz:

[QUOTE=Brian-E;325023]I've always thought that Ruy Lopez' advice more than 400 years ago about the sun was far more applicable to tennis than to chess. In any case, Korchnoi won't have let it bother him in his simul. Do you still have the moves of the game?
[/QUOTE]Yes, I'm absolutely sure the scoresheet (with Korchnoi's signature) is still somewhere in my apartment ... but when I looked for it recently I couldn't find it.

[QUOTE=Brian-E;324909]I think you'd be an enormous asset to either team if you felt like coming in at this stage.[/QUOTE]Hmmm ... the position reminds me of an ugly loss I had in that G/30 tourney. Would I want to play on the side where I'd be happier about the position, or try helping find a way for the other side to avoid the ugly fate I had? :-)

[QUOTE=cheesehead;325071]Yes, I'm absolutely sure the scoresheet (with Korchnoi's signature) is still somewhere in my apartment ... but when I looked for it recently I couldn't find it.[/QUOTE]
Nice of him to sign the scoresheet for you! I've played in three simuls (in real life, I'm not counting several online on the ICC), once against W.R.(Bill) Hartston, once against T.J.Beach (a minor British master), and once against Nigel Davies. Not one of them bothered to autograph the scoresheets. B.t.w. I managed a very lucky draw against Davies who missed a win, and the other two beat me very easily.

[QUOTE]Hmmm ... the position reminds me of an ugly loss I had in that G/30 tourney. Would I want to play on the side where I'd be happier about the position, or try helping find a way for the other side to avoid the ugly fate I had? :-)[/QUOTE]You very wisely avoid saying which side reminds you of your ugly loss, and as one of the players in the team playing White I'm not going to ask you either.:smile: