A:
First up, we'd like to thank everyone who has already responded to our request to help fix any damaged QoDs in the Archives. Your assistance is much appreciated and we've already been able to restore an epic answer that we thought was gone for good.
To avoid repeating ourselves, if you're reading this now and don't know what we're talking about, please refer to yesterday's QoD, where we appealed to anyone who has saved past QoDs to help us fix damage caused by a malicious SQL attack that truncated some of the answers to previous questions, right at the time when our backup system also failed. (One in particular that we're hoping someone has saved was the QoD that originally ran in January, 2008 about the history of the Las Vegas race and greyhound tracks... Anyone out there who happens to have it, please send the answer our way!)
Hence, to help restore the archive, and to keep our promise, for the duration of this weekend everyone can access the QoD archives, whether or not you're an LVA member. (If you're not, you might want to reconsider, because you're missing out on a lot; just sayin'.)
If this is your first time navigating the archives, here are some tips for getting the most out of them, since there are well over 1,500 Q&As in there, stretching back to May, 2005.
- If you have saved answers on file and want to help with our "restoration" endeavors, the easiest way is probably to type in a keyword or phrase to see if that answer is still intact or not. Every now and then something in the system "slips," or we move things around for reasons we won't bore you with, so the date that a QoD is linked to now may not be the same as the original date on which it ran, although at most there will only be a one or two day discrepancy.
- If you just want to work your way back from the most recent question, simply click the See the Entire Archives link and you'll find them listed in reverse chronological order, then you can scroll back and forth or skip entire pages as you so desire.
- If you're interested in seeing all the Questions of the Day relating to a particular subject, then just click the relevant link for "History," or "Video Poker," or whatever takes your fancy. In the new archive set-up, which we hope to debut this year, we've recategorized everything and the search options are much more sophisticated, but even in the current system, it's pretty straightforward, with a few possible exceptions, which follow.
- "Vegas Facts & Visitor Info" contains a spectrum of topics, including: demographic and statistical answers; questions about the weather; sightseeing; and useful info about pools, or First Aid, or terminology. In other words, it's a catch-all that covers practical information that doesn't fit neatly into one of the other more specific catergories. There's some crossover with the "Lifestyle" section, among others, where you'll also find answers of interest to the LGBT community, or information about recycling and eco-friendly venues and initiatives, outdoor pursuits, and even where to find the best Bloody Mary.
- In "Etiquette, Rules, and Regulations" you'll find, among other things, answers to legal questions (e.g., to paraphrase, "What do I do if I get arrested for cheating?" or "What happens if I get caught smoking a joint?"); plus, you'll find information about things like whether it's okay to use your camera or cell phone or iPod in the casino; whether or not you can use your chips to pay for other things in the hotel; if it's okay to drink alcohol while walking down the Strip, or in a cab, and so on.
- "Special Events & News" is mainly topical stuff, such as: "What's going on for Halloween this year?"; or "Where's the best place to catch July 4 fireworks" (which would also be found in "Facts & Visitor Info"); or "How is the economy affecting Las Vegas?"; or "Which casinos decorate for the holidays?"
- "Miscellany" is just what it says, so dive in and take a lucky dip!
- If you don't know under which category your query might fall, or if it's in a big section and you don't want to plough through all the other questions looking for it, then just try typing in a keyword or phrase.
And again, if you find an answer that trails off mid-sentence, please let us know. If you happen to have that answer saved (even if it's on a floppy disk!), we'd really appreciate it if you could send it to us by any of the means listed below and we'll restore it for your and others' future enjoyment. If not, just enjoy a couple of days on us, romping around in the archives to your heart's content. Even we get surprised sometimes by the wealth of info in QoD, and we wrote 'em all!
Contact details:
•Please use the email address [email protected] to email us any answers you have saved that seem to be damaged in our own archive.
•If you have a printed copy you'd rather fax, our number is 702-252-0675. Just mark for the attention of Jessica.
•If you send a pigeon, please make sure it knows its way home, since we have more than enough in our parking lot already ;-)
No part of this answer may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the publisher.
