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$\begingroup$

Note: See robjohn's answer below for the surprising result.

Thanks to everyone for voicing their opinions!

As the year draws to a close, the Stack Exchange network is planning another Winter Bash.

Some Details

  • Winter Bash is an annual event that can run on any Stack Exchange site that chooses to participate. Users earn “hats” for their gravatars by completing certain tasks (analogous to badges). Certain actions trigger the user receiving a hat, which their gravatar can “wear”.

  • This event will run from 16 December 2013 to 3 January 2014. Users will be able to see their entire hat collection at http://winterbash2013.stackexchange.com. That site will also have a landing page, explaining the rules and other details of the event.

  • Individual users who don’t want to participate, don’t want to see hats, and/or are generally anti-hat will have an “I hate hats” option available.

  • At the end of the event, all hats will go back into storage.

The only visual change to the Stack Exchange sites themselves will be the presence of the hats and the “I hate hats” button in the footer.

In the past, math.SE has not opted to join this event. This year we want to get input from the community. Just vote on whether you wish math.SE to participate in this event, and $$\huge\color{#000000}{\textbf{please do not downvote these answers.}}$$

We have until 1 December 2013 to inform the Stack Exchange team whether we wish to participate (otherwise they will assume we don't).

$\endgroup$
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  • 2
    $\begingroup$ Are there any other options other than the two below? I feel like my excluded middle is being left out. $\endgroup$
    – copper.hat
    Commented Nov 20, 2013 at 8:32
  • 9
    $\begingroup$ @copper.hat: As long as I'm a moderator here we will obey tertium non datur!! I shall have none of your intuitionistic insolence!! $\endgroup$
    – user642796 Mod
    Commented Nov 20, 2013 at 9:12
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ On with the fun, so! $\endgroup$
    – copper.hat
    Commented Nov 20, 2013 at 9:27
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ Arthur: You should have written that you will not have people not following the LEM while you're a moderator. :-) $\endgroup$
    – Asaf Karagila Mod
    Commented Nov 20, 2013 at 19:03
  • $\begingroup$ I like fun, but we resist asking people to click through. I had to click through to find out what this was about, then again to search for what a gravatar (and the spell checker refuses this word) is. How can my gravatar (one of the symmetric square patterns) wear a hat, glasses or whatever? Call me a Grinch. $\endgroup$
    – Ross Millikan
    Commented Nov 22, 2013 at 4:04
  • $\begingroup$ Which tasks users will have to accomplish to receive hats? Is the set of tasks the same for all Stack Exchange sites, or it can be customised? If we may have tasks that will help e.g. to reduce the unanswered queue, then why not to join? $\endgroup$
    – Olexandr Konovalov
    Commented Nov 22, 2013 at 10:26
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @AlexanderKonovalov: I am almost certain that the tasks (and hats) will be uniform across the SE network. The details of these tasks have not been released to even the lowly moderators, but there should be a mixture of helpful tasks, and some more or less random tasks (last year posting or voting on 21 Dec earned you an "And I Feel Fine" hat). $\endgroup$
    – user642796 Mod
    Commented Nov 22, 2013 at 10:41
  • $\begingroup$ @ArthurFischer thanks for details. It looks like at least it will make no harm, and may even help, so +1 for "Yes". $\endgroup$
    – Olexandr Konovalov
    Commented Nov 22, 2013 at 10:53
  • $\begingroup$ And so it begins! $\endgroup$
    – Dan Rust
    Commented Dec 16, 2013 at 0:05
  • $\begingroup$ blog.stackoverflow.com/2013/12/winter-bash-2013-is-here $\endgroup$
    – JRN
    Commented Dec 16, 2013 at 1:28
  • $\begingroup$ "At the end of the event, all hats will go back into storage." I'm assuming this not only means you can no longer earn hats, but also hats that you have earned will be deleted, correct? $\endgroup$
    – Squirtle
    Commented Dec 23, 2013 at 4:55

4 Answers 4

Reset to default
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$\begingroup$

We're in!

I have informed the StackExchange team that we wish to participate in the Winter Bash. Find a comfortable snow bank for cover!

$\endgroup$
7
  • $\begingroup$ If I understand the badge description correctly, if this answer gets 10 upvotes, Arthur Fischer will get 2 populist badges. I think we should try to do it. $\endgroup$
    – Martin Sleziak
    Commented Nov 29, 2013 at 16:05
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @MartinSleziak No, one doesn't get Populist for answers to own questions. Source $\endgroup$
    – Post No Bulls
    Commented Nov 29, 2013 at 17:32
  • $\begingroup$ Oh, it's a pitty! :-( But it's interesting to know anyway. $\endgroup$
    – Martin Sleziak
    Commented Nov 29, 2013 at 17:35
  • $\begingroup$ @Martin: From an experiment we had on this meta some time ago only the top voted answer gets a Populist. $\endgroup$
    – Asaf Karagila Mod
    Commented Nov 29, 2013 at 19:51
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ I'd just like to say.... I had no idea mods could lock individual answer! Good to know. $\endgroup$
    – Dan Rust
    Commented Nov 29, 2013 at 21:01
  • $\begingroup$ @DanielRust: I think it is extremely rare that anyone would lock an individual answer. I thought this was a good way to retain the votes (although a couple seem to have snuck in before I remembered that I actually could do this). My original intention was to simply lock the question, but when I saw robjohn's answer I simply had to allow it to accumulate some votes. $\endgroup$
    – user642796 Mod
    Commented Dec 1, 2013 at 13:33
  • $\begingroup$ @MartinSleziak: the code seems to reflect what we've been told. Arthur Fischer did not get a Populist badge when this answer got 11 votes. $\endgroup$
    – robjohn Mod
    Commented Dec 2, 2013 at 11:42
59
$\begingroup$

Yes!!!

math.SE should surely join in on this fun!

[Downvoting this answer will cause ZFC to be inconsistent.]

$\endgroup$
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  • 1
    $\begingroup$ twitch ...Must avoid downvote... twitch $\endgroup$
    – Lord_Farin
    Commented Nov 19, 2013 at 15:47
  • 24
    $\begingroup$ Not letting us downvote denies the Axiom of Choice. $\endgroup$
    – robjohn Mod
    Commented Nov 19, 2013 at 15:50
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ @robjohn: Arthur has joined my programme against choice! $\endgroup$
    – Asaf Karagila Mod
    Commented Nov 19, 2013 at 16:34
  • $\begingroup$ @Asaf You might want to carefully inspect the answer you are referring to.... $\endgroup$
    – user642796 Mod
    Commented Nov 19, 2013 at 16:52
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @Lord_Farin After posting I realised that the the footnote might have the absolute opposite effect as what I wished. So far, so good. [jinx] $\endgroup$
    – user642796 Mod
    Commented Nov 19, 2013 at 16:54
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @Arthur: Yes, you have joined the Dark Side. If asked, you didn't have a choice. :-) $\endgroup$
    – Asaf Karagila Mod
    Commented Nov 19, 2013 at 16:57
  • 5
    $\begingroup$ Hm. Someone downvoted. Couldn't they wait until I got my Ph.D. and a tenured position before causing all of my work to be inconsistent and moot?? :-( $\endgroup$
    – Asaf Karagila Mod
    Commented Nov 19, 2013 at 21:17
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ [Adds 'I don't care' vote - Downvoting this answer will cause $P=NP$.] $\endgroup$
    – Dan Rust
    Commented Nov 19, 2013 at 22:08
  • 7
    $\begingroup$ Downvoting this comment will end world hunger for ever. $\endgroup$
    – Karl Kroningfeld
    Commented Nov 19, 2013 at 23:18
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @Asaf: I blame the category theorists, myself. $\endgroup$
    – Brian M. Scott
    Commented Nov 20, 2013 at 3:28
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @Brian: I blame the type theorists, from which there are apparently many in recent times. $\endgroup$
    – Asaf Karagila Mod
    Commented Nov 20, 2013 at 6:34
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ Wow, this conversation is so pointless. $\endgroup$
    – Ahaan S. Rungta
    Commented Nov 20, 2013 at 16:18
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Apparently, more people want ZFC to be inconsistent rather than the Riemann Hypothesis to be false... :) $\endgroup$
    – apnorton
    Commented Nov 20, 2013 at 16:38
  • 5
    $\begingroup$ @anorton: It could be that the literacy rate is higher among those that want RH to be false as compared to those that want $\mathsf{ZFC}$ to be inconsistent. $\endgroup$
    – user642796 Mod
    Commented Nov 20, 2013 at 16:44
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Congrats on the great answer badge :P $\endgroup$
    – Lost1
    Commented Nov 21, 2013 at 13:19
21
$\begingroup$

No!!!

mathematics is serious business, and so is math.SE!

[Downvoting this answer will ensure that Riemann's Hypothesis is false.]

$\endgroup$
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  • 1
    $\begingroup$ That would be awesome. We can write a joint paper and get the Fields medal and a million dollars!! If only I haven't upvoted this question I would have instantly downvoted it. $\endgroup$
    – Asaf Karagila Mod
    Commented Nov 19, 2013 at 16:35
  • 5
    $\begingroup$ I voted for this option for reasons of self moderation -- I know I should spend those hours on other things than gathering digital hats. $\endgroup$
    – Lord_Farin
    Commented Nov 19, 2013 at 22:59
  • $\begingroup$ Apparently someone wants RH to be false. (Not me though) $\endgroup$
    – user27126
    Commented Nov 20, 2013 at 5:46
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Other things? Like gathering digital badges? ;) $\endgroup$
    – Nameless
    Commented Nov 20, 2013 at 13:23
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ Whoever downvoted, please contact me about writing that prize winning paper! :-) $\endgroup$
    – Asaf Karagila Mod
    Commented Nov 20, 2013 at 14:02
  • 4
    $\begingroup$ @AsafKaragila Who would have thought that a screenshot is worth a million dollars?! $\endgroup$
    – Karl Kroningfeld
    Commented Nov 21, 2013 at 0:40
3
$\begingroup$

They're heeerreeeee...

It should be pointed that the recent top-bar altering scripts are incompatible with the hats button. If you are interested in hiding the hats, or following your progress you will have to disable it (for the time being).

$\endgroup$
2
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ where's your hat? :P $\endgroup$
    – JRN
    Commented Dec 16, 2013 at 1:12
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ Me? I hate hats. Or generally "happy happy community games". The whole thing really makes me feel physically ill, and it's a great thing that they allow users like me to hide that abominable thing and just forget that it ever existed. $\endgroup$
    – Asaf Karagila Mod
    Commented Dec 16, 2013 at 1:16

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