jts wrote:
This is a distressingly abstract thread. Apologies if this number is sitting in a budget on the AGA website somewhere, but what kind of money are we talking about? What does it buy? How much of it is an accounting artifact? (E.g., since registration for Congress includes fixed costs, comping a journalist his registration does not cost the Congress the full amount, unless he was planning to come regardless.) Is xed_over the only EJournal staffer, or are we talking about several people?
People who are reminiscing about the glory days when men were men and things were cheap should acquaint themselves with Baumol's cost disease. When a society gets really productive at some things (making laptops, for example), activities that have only become slightly more productive (recording a kifu, for example) tend to get more expensive. Acting as though contemporary game-recorders are just lazy sunzabitches is misguided.
Since we are "lazy sunzabitches" i will respond the only way i can. With snarky truth.
Please note that the
EJ Team Recognition has most of the people who are on the EJ team from the last congress. Chris has been posting this at the end of each week of congress as a little bit of thanks to us. But since I promised snarky I will break it down furthur:
AFAIK there are 3-4 full comps for congress for the E-Journal. These are based on need of the people involved with helping run the week. In the past I have needed one due to being in debt, like a multitude of college age students, and would not be able to go to congress without it.
Who we is and what we does:
Chris Garlock: writes, edits and manages the team bringing coverage each year
Todd Heidenreich: Records games, live reviews with pros, takes pictures, provides support as needed, manage recorders
Steve Colburn(me): provide IT support, provide equipment, update usgo/go congress websites, manage game records, find beer, take pictures, record games, provide support as needed, manage recorders
Sweety/Mach4/Mef/Flameblade/javaness/[name ive forgotten]: our awesomesauce KGS admins who will provide kicks and bans for rowdy viewers
Chris Berg, Dennis Wheeler(xed_over), Richard Dolen, Solomon Smilack: provide morning and night game broadcasting
[many names of volunteer game recorders who offer]: game broadcasters who say "can i record for night tournaments"
Brian Allan, Phil Straus, Jon Pinkerton: protographers who play during the day and night and take pictures on the side. there are more of these and different ones each year, pay close attention to those 'images by' credits
Paul Barchilon: reports and works with the youth room all day each week, runs the redmond cup
[Congress Directors]: Often busy but they keep us in the loop of interesting events around congress
Tournament Directors: report on their tournaments, only two that i know of get comped and thats cause its a loooot of work
Professionals: review games, be awesome, show us how we were stupid in our games
These are most of the people that help out. While this is just a list of people and jobs, there is a lot more work to any one thing.
Game recording: most people are SDK or stronger. It takes long concentration to sit next to a strong player and watch to make sure that your KGS board matches the actual board position. They can play quickly and at odd moments which will force you to figure out which came first, middle and last. This is especially suck during a ko fight and when a lot is happening. Add in byo-yomi on top of that and your nerves become a little frayed. Doubt me? Sit next to two 6d+ players and record their game. If you can manage it, comment on what the player is doing, what they're muttering and how black's fidgeting is not affecting whites play.
While those game recorders are providing coverage to those outside of congress, the rest of the team is busy on other projects. We are setting up for the night's games. Updating and editing stories and photos for the website. Making sure game records are easily find-able. I have heard a few times that people AT congress need to use the EJ to get caught up while they were busy playing in some tournament. We generally have about 3-4 hours in the afternoon to do something for ourselves. Its generally relaxing for the next busy time to start. Some play tennis, some play Frisbee, some play go.
Equipment: at this point most of the things we use are self-bought and provided over the years. At this point I require a 92-gal rolling tote to carry laptops, surge protectors, extension cords, Ethernet cables, mice, gaffers tape, switches, bottle opener, and printer toner. My co-workers on the team each bring one or more laptops and some selection of the rest of the listed items.
Our day is generally started at 8am when we arrive in the EJ room and start getting ready for the day. This time is spent setting up laptops and getting the pairings(hopefully a bit early) for our recorders for you to watch. Noon is when we try and get some lunch and switch off with those recorders who have games were people did not stop for lunch (1 hour, no more, return to play). 6:30 is when we start setting up and rushing to get new recorders setup and generally panic and reset the strong players room for the night games. First couple nights this can take up to 45 minutes or an hour. We end somewhere around 11pm-12am with the nights news and posting of all games. We try and get some fun in after that to celebrate a good night by all. Then we sleep and it all starts over again.
I think i answered a bunch of questions you didnt have even. Any more?(not snarky, honest)