MetaChat - New Game.

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28 June 2011

New Game. I'm starting an utterly arbitrary little game called "Points." Here's how it works:→[More:]randomly, I will choose five things for which you can get points, and will assign a point value to each category.

Today's highest scorer wins and creates the five point scorers for tomorrow.

We'll see how it goes.

Today's Points:
If you can see a stapler right now from where you're sitting: 2 points.
If you brought your own lunch or plan to make your own lunch (instead of going out): 4 points.
If you are wearing some kind of jewelry, watch, or other adornment on one or both of your wrists: 1 point.
If you've been outside at least once today: 2 points.
If you've written anything by hand so far today: 3 points.

Scores?

post by: Miko at: 10:18 | 52 comments

11! Done it all except #3.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 28 June | 10:19

How many points do I get if I'm going home for lunch?

posted by JanetLand 28 June | 10:23

5!

(I had to lift up some papers to see my stapler though, is that cheating? Dunno what's happened to everyone's staplers, would have thought they'd be all over the place.)

posted by TheophileEscargot 28 June | 10:25

5 points. The final two. And I usually *always* make my own lunch, but today I'm going out and meeting a friend.

posted by gaspode 28 June | 10:27

6, brought my own lunch and have been outside (several times, actually).

posted by ufez 28 June | 10:30

Four! If we decide to go out for lunch, I'll have zero. Yikes.

Or maybe this is like golf and a low number is desirable.

posted by Elsa 28 June | 10:34

Nice game! I score 6 - no stapler here, never wear wrist adornments & I sometimes write a to-do list by hand but have not done so today. But I did eat home-cooked curry for lunch, and walked to the nearby bookshop in my break. It was closed.

posted by altolinguistic 28 June | 10:39

Going home for lunch counts as making it yourself, so go ahead and take the points.

posted by Miko 28 June | 10:40

I think we can count lifting the papers to see your staple, ufez.

Elsa, if you decide to go out, at least you get the going-outside points!

posted by Miko 28 June | 10:41

A measly six points. I'm making my own lunch and have been outside. I've been outside twice, and once before 7AM. That like off the charts with my personal points system. I know where my stapler is.

posted by Marxchivist 28 June | 10:45

Wait, I get points for going outside later? Then six points.

I can locate my stapler from here, but it's juuuuuust around the corner. No points.

posted by Elsa 28 June | 10:47

I'm tied with TPS. Stupid no-jewelery-wearing wrists, grumble grumble.

posted by mudpuppie 28 June | 11:04

This isn't fair. I'd have scored full marks if I'd done this sitting at my desk at work but MeCha is blocked there so now I'm sulking.

posted by Senyar 28 June | 11:06

I got a big fat zero.
No stapler (do I own one? I don't think so)
Lunch? Don't have one. I may wander over to the fridge later and see if I can scrounge something up
Absolutely no jewelry.
Haven't been outside yet, still in my pj's (dog doesn't even wanna go out - too damn hot)
Write by HAND? I haven't done that in AGES.

I suck at this game.
TPS - how did the move go?

posted by msali 28 June | 11:18

8. I knew I should have put my watch on today.

posted by Splunge 28 June | 11:23

11!

I couldn't ride to work today because my brakes are inexplicably broken. I tried to fix them, but I don't really know what I'm doing. So I got off the bus a couple stops early and walked.

Not wearing any jewelry, but I often work out editorials and things long hand in my office.

posted by crush-onastick 28 June | 11:30

I'll do a post on the move later, promise!

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 28 June | 11:31

6. Lunch and outdoors.

posted by arse_hat 28 June | 11:54

7 points for me:

2 pts: My stapler says "Works with Windows Vista" on it.

0 pts: I pretty much always buy my lunch in the cafeteria. I am too lazy to make lunch and having lunch in the kitchen leads to too many "I know you're on lunch right now, but..." requests.

0 pts: I have a watch I wear at the gym to time rest between sets. Otherwise I've always got one or more electronic devices that tell time, so I haven't worn a watch in years.

2 pts: Walked a mile on my way to work, will walk another mile on the way home.

3 pts: I write a TON of stuff on paper despite working in IT.

posted by FishBike 28 June | 11:54

11 points.

posted by JanetLand 28 June | 12:00

I never use it but there is a stapler on my desk for all my stapling needs.

Doing a low carb thing so I have to bring my lunch since the building cafeteria has never heard of a meal without fries.

Can't type with my watch on so I usually don't bother to wear it to work. If I need to be at a meeting someone always finds me.

I walk to work so that one's easy.

I always have my engineer's notebook at my left (even though us dumb software engineers aren't "real" engineers).

posted by octothorpe 28 June | 12:11

11 points! I don't wear wristbands or watches.

posted by BoringPostcards 28 June | 12:20

Zero! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go pick up lunch.

posted by box 28 June | 12:50

Stapler: check.
Lunch: regrettably, no. We're on Week... 2? 3? of our new schedule wherein we no longer lunch together but get to eat together at home, and both sides of the equation are fading fast. I think the Jimmy John's guys know me by name.
Jewelry: nope. Rarely wear bracelets, in part because I am (no, seriously!) big-boned.
Outside: well, I'm at work now, so huzzah!
Written by hand: ooh, so close, but I took my iPad to a meeting and didn't scribble on the handouts.

Score: 4.

posted by Madamina 28 June | 12:58

11, but I have earrings on!

posted by jessamyn 28 June | 13:07

WTF? How did I get a negative score?

posted by Eideteker 28 June | 13:42

oh, n/m, forgot the complex term.

posted by Eideteker 28 June | 13:43

I can see a stapler right now . . .
I brought soup and a ripe avocado . . .
I've got my watch and a bracelet on left wrist, another bracelet on right wrist . . .
I wrote our dog walker a note this AM . . .

So I have 10 points and will max in about 10 minutes when I go outside to do some fresh fruit and veggie shopping at the super cool farmer's market that operates on Tuesdays on the opposite corner from our building. (I assume the walk from our front door to the car and from the car to my building doesn't REALLY count as going outdoors.)

I like this game. Because I love points!

posted by bearwife 28 June | 13:58

4 teensy points.

I haz a stapler in view, and I have in fact been outside today (even walked several blocks!).

I WOULD'VE come home for lunch but as I was on my way it started raining like all get out and traffic snarled and I said fuck it and went to eat cuz I'd missed breffus and was running a potentially hazardous (to those around me) caffeine deficit.

I do not win. But I like this game!

I hereby dub it, in honor of its creator, Mikoball!

posted by BitterOldPunk 28 June | 14:10

Faithful blue stapler: 2 points.
Always have my own lunch (which I ate in 2 parts today): 4 points
No wrist stuff.
Went to NARA this morning and then the dermatologist: 2 points.
Took notes at NARA: 3 points.
=
11 points.

posted by sperose 28 June | 14:20

OK, I can already see the game logic needs some tweaks.

1. There needs to be a way to tiebreak, since we have so many overachievers.

2. There needs to be a way to manage the gametime, because Elsa's right, if you can get points for something you're ABOUT to do, then it might be too easy to rack up points by rearranging your day. We might need to only assign points to what is true in the moment the players read and respond.

I'm going to go off now and think about tiebreakers. Maybe just a couple more point questions, or maybe something whose answer is a always numerical value, so highest or lowest could win.

posted by Miko 28 June | 14:28

yeah, but if it's only true in the moment you respond, then something like eating lunch is going to be affected by timezones. hrmmm.

posted by gaspode 28 June | 14:53

Five points: lunch and medic alert bracelet.

posted by deborah 28 June | 15:03

11 due to naked wrists also.

posted by rainbaby 28 June | 16:08

Who needs a tiebreaker when I have 12 points?! Can I get extra for having two staplers within reach? Or for one of them being an electric stapler? And for having two bracelets on? Also, if these were the categories every day, I'd win all the time. ALL I DO IS WIN WIN WIN!

Now I'm worried about actually winning and having to come up with something for tomorrow. Eek.

posted by youngergirl44 28 June | 16:10

Oooh, we have a leading contender.

posted by Miko 28 June | 16:13

Stapler: usually I should, but the leftovers from the semi-successful yard sale are covering every surface of my indoors, burying everything on my desk, so 0.
Lunch: never go out for lunch anymore since becoming car-less (that's why my car rental trips to L.A. turned out to be Fast Food Orgies) so that's yes for 4.
Watch: I have never stopped wearing a watch (currently a cheap CASIO F-91, the choice of terrorists) so 1 point.
Outside: After pulling everything in from the yard (sale) I had intended to not get out of bed, but got antsy and went the 50 yards to the mailbox then next door to deliver an item a neighbor said 'if nobody else buys it...', that's 2 points.
Written by Hand: how little qualifies? I filled out a newspaper Sudoku and crossword IN INK and rescheduled a doctor's appointment, writing the new date and time down on a card I tacked up, 3 points?
10* out of 11

posted by oneswellfoop 28 June | 16:13

Stapler: 2 points
Lunch: 4 points
Wrist adornment: d'oh!
Outside: 2 points
Handwritten stuff: 3 points (lucky break for me, since I almost never write anything, but this morning I filled out my Voluntary Separation Package application)
TOTAL: 11 points

posted by dg 28 June | 16:49

Miko, did you take my damn stapler???? sheeesh.

posted by theora55 28 June | 17:03

is just a joke, 'kay? Cause I only got 3 little points.

posted by theora55 28 June | 17:04

theora55: Are you sure your points are little? What if they are three very pig points?

posted by youngergirl44 28 June | 17:08

Pig points? What's wrong with me? BIG POINTS!

posted by youngergirl44 28 June | 17:11

6 points! 9 if you count my signature on something.

posted by knile 28 June | 17:37

+ 2 (Mr. Stanley Bostitch)
+ 0 (vegetarian Chinese from the buffet across the street)
+ 0 (too distracting)
+ 2 (for a total of five minutes, but hey)
+ 3 (notes on the Skylitzes Synopsis of Histories for a book)
= 7

posted by notquitemaryann 28 June | 17:54

This is cool, Miko!

As for me, lunch and the "been outside" are winners. So, 6 points.

But I'm also looking at a little rubber pig that I use as a prop in my English classes for kiddies, so... can I get some pig points?

posted by flapjax at midnite 28 June | 19:02

Today's Points for several:
* My stapler is a stones throw away, but hidden in a box :( 0 points.
* I went out to lunch today :( 0 points.
* My wrists are bare :( 0 points
* I have been outside! 2 points
* I took many notes by hand today! 3 points

Only 5 points for me... need the next list to do better!

posted by Several 28 June | 19:10

11!

Gots me a stapleh

I had my daily bento (chicken gorgonzola salad on herbed spring greens, sliced green and red apples, black grapes, carrot & celery sticks with homemade roasted vegetable feta dip)

Had to go outside to get in my car

Nothing on my wrists, I am a watch killer.

I've had to sign my initials several times already today

posted by evilcupcakes 28 June | 20:45

5 points. I don't have a stapler visible, but I can see the 3 hole punch.

posted by apoch 28 June | 21:22

I have to go to bed now so that means WE HAVE A WINNAH. Youngergirl44 wins the first round of Points! Congratulations, youngergirl44.

Younger: that means, tomorrow, in your time zone, you post 5 ways you can get points, with their assigned values. I would also recommend having a tiebreaker ready, should you need it.

You can declare when the game is over: it's when you are about to leave off computering for the day and wind down.

Thank you all for playing Points! Please play again!

posted by Miko 28 June | 22:08

Yay! I've been compiling a list of Points! ideas. I'll refine it as I have my morning coffee and try to post before I head to work. See you all in about six hours!

posted by youngergirl44 28 June | 23:49

I have no idea how this happened, I will set up a charity.

posted by The Whelk 29 June | 02:52

posted by danf 27 September | 09:56

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