Did you get a STEP Ticket?

[.50 Cal]

Oh Yeah!!! I know I should not ask, but, what was your email time stamp?

[SquirrelHead]

Oh Yeah!!! I know I should not ask, but, what was your email time stamp?

The email stamp was 12:09.

[MedullaB]

Congrats SquirrelHead!!

[7chix&me]

Quoted from the theme camp thread:

Unneeded tickets do not need to be purchased and then fed back into STEP. The codes will expire on 3/30 at noon, with the unused tickets feeding into the program - no need to tie up funds or be out the $7 service charge.

Still watching and still waiting....

Has anyone heard anything more about this? Are any tickets getting released? It doesn't seem like a big rush of ticket offers this afternoon...I was really hoping!!
And the Mega Millions drawing tonight is for $640 million!!

[BBadger]

It's like waiting for a bus and checking your watch, as if the time you've waited means the bus will arrive sooner. It arrives when it arrives--if it arrives.

Oh of course. Its not busses go in an logical order. Just whatever stop feels right hahaha. Its not like if your buddy at the stop before you texts you when he gets on that it will mean you're probably getting on very soon. Not at all

It does sound counter-intuitive, but remember it's not the time that you've waited that increases the probability the bus will arrive. It's whether the bus is on schedule. You could wait a hundred years for that bus, does that mean it's coming any sooner, or at all? You have the same expected wait as anyone who shows up after you or before you (this is probability, remember). Look up an exponential probability distribution if you want to read more.

[inthecolumbiagorge]

Woot Woot for SquirrelHead!!! Congratulations!

[clocksnmirrors]

BEST FUCKING DAY EVER!!!! I just bought my BM ticket through STEP!! I am so excited I cannot stand it!! I cannot wait to see everyone at TTITD! I am off to make a celebratory drink!

CONGRATULATIONS SquirrelHead! Can you post your email confirmation time for the folks?

Also I see you're on the east coast. How are you getting to the playa? Are you driving or flying?

[theCryptofishist]

CONGRATULATIONS SquirrelHead! Can you post your email confirmation time for the folks?

Already did. 12:09.

[.50 Cal]

12:09:xx??

[SquirrelHead]

BEST FUCKING DAY EVER!!!! I just bought my BM ticket through STEP!! I am so excited I cannot stand it!! I cannot wait to see everyone at TTITD! I am off to make a celebratory drink!

CONGRATULATIONS SquirrelHead! Can you post your email confirmation time for the folks?

Also I see you're on the east coast. How are you getting to the playa? Are you driving or flying?

I am planning to fly to LA and drive in with some friends. They are in STEP to get their tickets right now.

[Rocket_06]

Can someone help with this question?

My friend purchased his STEP ticket using my credit card since he's low on cash but in the confirmation, its says it will be at Will Call under my name. Wouldn't it be under the name registered for the lottery? I already purchased tickets myself through STEP and I want to make sure this won't cause an issue. Please help.

I haven't seen any answers to your question yet. Did you hear back from BMorg? Did I miss an answer?

After purchasing tickets through the directed sale, I was wondering how STEP worked. What's the latest and does the STEP system automatically make the person paying the name at will call?

Rocket

[BirthChazz]

BEST FUCKING DAY EVER!!!! I just bought my BM ticket through STEP!! I am so excited I cannot stand it!! I cannot wait to see everyone at TTITD! I am off to make a celebratory drink!

Congrats!! Super excited for you.

[trilobyte]

@Rocket_06 - misterdj's working on it with ticketing, that was kind of a major screwup. As for how things work with STEP and directed tickets… If you purchase tickets through directed ticket distribution, my understanding is that you won't be eligible for tickets through STEP (though offhand I don't know if it's denied at the point of purchase or if the sale is canceled at some later date). Purchasers of tix through the directed ticket program can choose either secure shipping or will call (just like main sale tickets), while non-transferable STEP tickets are held at will call in the name of the registrant.

[Galaxo Magic]

Thank you to all that have put your tickets into STEP. I know you are probably not here watching us but thank you anyways.

Maybe we should have a Step party on the playa!

[Rocket_06]

@Rocket_06 - misterdj's working on it with ticketing, that was kind of a major screwup. As for how things work with STEP and directed tickets… If you purchase tickets through directed ticket distribution, my understanding is that you won't be eligible for tickets through STEP (though offhand I don't know if it's denied at the point of purchase or if the sale is canceled at some later date). Purchasers of tix through the directed ticket program can choose either secure shipping or will call (just like main sale tickets), while non-transferable STEP tickets are held at will call in the name of the registrant.

Thanks for the update. I was one of the fortunate ones that got tickets in the main sale but our theme camp fell into the same situation as most. We got about 25% of the tickets we need for our camp of 35 to 40. We did get an allocation in the directed sale so I can shed a little light on how that worked. As camp lead I got an email with a set of codes (one for each ticket allocated to the camp). How to handle it from there was up to the camp. We chose to have the camp buy the tickets and then distribute them as needed.

Here's how the website worked. The link in the email took you to a page which asked for a code. Once you entered one of your unique codes you could purchase a ticket. There was no option for a separate billing and shipping address. The billing address for the credit card was where the ticket would be shipped (if you chose shipping). Not a big deal since there will be a physical ticket mailed to us which we can then give to a camp member. That's why we chose shipping because it gave us the greatest flexibility.

I'm guessing the STEP system is basically the same site as the directed sale (tweaked, of course) so I could see how it would link the person who paid with the ticket at will call. I'm not sure what would have happened had we chose to go with will call. I would hope that there's a way to distinguish from directed sale such that there could be multiple tickets under one name.

I know this isn't exactly related to getting a STEP ticket but I thought sharing a bit about how the directed sale worked might be interesting for you guys. As a camp lead, I've spent most of my time since January trying to wrangle tickets for our campmates. We have people who scored in the main sale, people who got in to STEP, people who didn't make it in, people going for Low Income tickets, and some who didn't get into anything. I'm trying to make sure they all get tickets. I know we'll make it...

Rocket
Spirit Dream
4:30 Sector

[theCryptofishist]

I'm not sure what would have happened had we chose to go with will call. I would hope that there's a way to distinguish from directed sale such that there could be multiple tickets under one name.

It's been possible to go to will call, pick up your ticket, and put the other ticket(s) back into will call under the name it/they will be picked up with.

[pink]

I bought camp tickets for a friend that didn't have a credit card, and they're going to be shipped to me. There wasn't anywhere to change that. But once I get the physical tickets, I can hand them over. Not even my camp! Lol. But did get me some warm & fuzzies. Which are an acceptable payment for a good deed done!

[vargaso]

It's like waiting for a bus and checking your watch, as if the time you've waited means the bus will arrive sooner. It arrives when it arrives--if it arrives.

Oh of course. Its not busses go in an logical order. Just whatever stop feels right hahaha. Its not like if your buddy at the stop before you texts you when he gets on that it will mean you're probably getting on very soon. Not at all

It does sound counter-intuitive, but remember it's not the time that you've waited that increases the probability the bus will arrive. It's whether the bus is on schedule. You could wait a hundred years for that bus, does that mean it's coming any sooner, or at all? You have the same expected wait as anyone who shows up after you or before you (this is probability, remember). Look up an exponential probability distribution if you want to read more.

Not sure if anyone was ever saying a timestamp would help them determine how much longer they have to wait, only that the line is moving according to timestamp and that that gives people a vague idea of where they stand in the queue. And your analogy doesn't make any sense, because let's say at each stop, people line up (as they do in real life). Well, the person first in line at a stop will get on the bus before the person last in line at the same stop. Going further, let's say the bus is really crowded and can only take 3 more people when it arrives at a stop. The first 3 people in line get on, the rest have to wait for the next bus. How long do they have to wait? Who the fuck knows. But they absolutely have to wait longer than the people in line in front of them at the same stop, and the wait gap is even larger when compared to the people waiting at the stop ahead of them.

I must be bored today.

[Elliot]

We need a laugh, or at least a smile, around here.
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I never wait for the bus. I have my own.

[SquirrelHead]

One day I want to buy an old bus and fix it up to be my personal tour bus. I think a deck on top will be needed for me.

This guy has a sweet setup inside.
http://photoblog.statesman.com/tag/retr ... school-bus

[BBadger]

Not sure if anyone was ever saying a timestamp would help them determine how much longer they have to wait, only that the line is moving according to timestamp and that that gives people a vague idea of where they stand in the queue.

And your analogy doesn't make any sense, because let's say at each stop, people line up (as they do in real life). Well, the person first in line at a stop will get on the bus before the person last in line at the same stop. Going further, let's say the bus is really crowded and can only take 3 more people when it arrives at a stop. The first 3 people in line get on, the rest have to wait for the next bus. How long do they have to wait? Who the fuck knows. But they absolutely have to wait longer than the people in line in front of them at the same stop, and the wait gap is even larger when compared to the people waiting at the stop ahead of them.

No, the analogy is perfect. You can think of the analogy as this: you are on a bus route waiting for a bus, and everybody is at different stops while knowing that certain stops occur before another (the time stamps), with cell phones to communicate with each other (this forum). When people get on the bus, they phone ahead and tell everyone that they've gotten on the bus, but the cell phones stop working while on the bus. Sounds great, but the bus you're waiting for is the Magic Schoolbus (people dropping tickets into STEP), and that bus, and the damn teacher driving it, goes on trips of random lengths of time between stops.

Let's also assume that every person in the bus route has a phone and phones ahead--not the case in this STEP program. So here's the question: does the fact that your friends phoned ahead about their pick-up give you any useful information about when your ticket will arrive, or whether you'll be picked up at all?

For example, you have two friends, represented with F(t) notation, where t is the stop: one at the stop before you, F(t-1), and one at the stop before that F(t-2). Friend F(t-2) gets picked up at 1:30 according to his call. Now what is the probability that you or your friend F(t-1) gets picked up some time between 1:30 and 3:30? It's random right? That Magic Schoolbus could be exploring the bowels of a horse or something, so you won't know when it will arrive. Either you, or your friend could be picked up during that 2-hour window, or not.

Now your friend F(t-1) gets picked up at 2:40. Now does the knowledge of that fact affect whether you get picked up between 1:30 and 3:30? Yes, the range goes from 1:30, even though that is passed. It would seem like it would, as you can't board that bus until F(t-1) has. However, does it really? How has your probability changed if your friend called you at 1:31? At 3:29? It hasn't, because the factor controlling the probability of you getting on that bus is that damn bus driver.

This system can be modeled as a queue. There's a lot of queue theory to back it up. Assuming that the number of STEP applicants is now fixed, the queue model would probably fit a D/M/1 model (see the link above), where the "D" means the amount of arrivals (STEP applicants) is deterministic. The service time, however, is still M (random), meaning it's an exponential distribution, and therefore memoryless (i.e. the knowledge of past events doesn't affect the future events).

magic_step_ticket.png

[misterdj]

@Rocket_06 - misterdj's working on it with ticketing, that was kind of a major screwup. As for how things work with STEP and directed tickets… If you purchase tickets through directed ticket distribution, my understanding is that you won't be eligible for tickets through STEP (though offhand I don't know if it's denied at the point of purchase or if the sale is canceled at some later date). Purchasers of tix through the directed ticket program can choose either secure shipping or will call (just like main sale tickets), while non-transferable STEP tickets are held at will call in the name of the registrant.

Rocket, still working on resolving this issue. I'll keep you posted on what happens. Right now I can be putting myself down for this, but all I was doing was trying helping a friend out with no ill intentions. I'll leave up to the powers to be. What happens, happens.

[RevDusty]

[Elliot]

Ken Kesey's "Further" (the second one, I think).

[theCryptofishist]

I will never feel quite the same about the bowels of a horse again.

[Galaxo Magic]

Couldn't have been said better. RIP Mr. Bergmann

[Galaxo Magic]

Ken Kesey's "Further" (the second one, I think).

I don't think that will pass DMV. I can see it is a bus!

[OldSoulYoungBody]

Not sure if anyone was ever saying a timestamp would help them determine how much longer they have to wait, only that the line is moving according to timestamp and that that gives people a vague idea of where they stand in the queue.

And your analogy doesn't make any sense, because let's say at each stop, people line up (as they do in real life). Well, the person first in line at a stop will get on the bus before the person last in line at the same stop. Going further, let's say the bus is really crowded and can only take 3 more people when it arrives at a stop. The first 3 people in line get on, the rest have to wait for the next bus. How long do they have to wait? Who the fuck knows. But they absolutely have to wait longer than the people in line in front of them at the same stop, and the wait gap is even larger when compared to the people waiting at the stop ahead of them.

No, the analogy is perfect. You can think of the analogy as this: you are on a bus route waiting for a bus, and everybody is at different stops while knowing that certain stops occur before another (the time stamps), with cell phones to communicate with each other (this forum). When people get on the bus, they phone ahead and tell everyone that they've gotten on the bus, but the cell phones stop working while on the bus. Sounds great, but the bus you're waiting for is the Magic Schoolbus (people dropping tickets into STEP), and that bus, and the damn teacher driving it, goes on trips of random lengths of time between stops.

Let's also assume that every person in the bus route has a phone and phones ahead--not the case in this STEP program. So here's the question: does the fact that your friends phoned ahead about their pick-up give you any useful information about when your ticket will arrive, or whether you'll be picked up at all?

For example, you have two friends, represented with F(t) notation, where t is the stop: one at the stop before you, F(t-1), and one at the stop before that F(t-2). Friend F(t-2) gets picked up at 1:30 according to his call. Now what is the probability that you or your friend F(t-1) gets picked up some time between 1:30 and 3:30? It's random right? That Magic Schoolbus could be exploring the bowels of a horse or something, so you won't know when it will arrive. Either you, or your friend could be picked up during that 2-hour window, or not.

Now your friend F(t-1) gets picked up at 2:40. Now does the knowledge of that fact affect whether you get picked up between 1:30 and 3:30? Yes, the range goes from 1:30, even though that is passed. It would seem like it would, as you can't board that bus until F(t-1) has. However, does it really? How has your probability changed if your friend called you at 1:31? At 3:29? It hasn't, because the factor controlling the probability of you getting on that bus is that damn bus driver.

This system can be modeled as a queue. There's a lot of queue theory to back it up. Assuming that the number of STEP applicants is now fixed, the queue model would probably fit a D/M/1 model (see the link above), where the "D" means the amount of arrivals (STEP applicants) is deterministic. The service time, however, is still M (random), meaning it's an exponential distribution, and therefore memoryless (i.e. the knowledge of past events doesn't affect the future events).

magic_step_ticket.png

Please, lets just let this die. Most people on this thread just disagree with you. Lets just drop it

[BBadger]

Please, lets just let this die. Most people on this thread just disagree with you. Lets just drop it

There is disagreement, which is a function of opinions, and then there is just being just plain wrong (or simply poor reading comprehension) and this is the latter case.

[vargaso]

Please, lets just let this die. Most people on this thread just disagree with you. Lets just drop it

There is disagreement, which is a function of opinions, and then there is just being just plain wrong (or simply poor reading comprehension) and this is the latter case.

We're arguing two different things. Badger is arguing that timestamp does not determine the length of time one will wait on the STEP queue, which is true. I (and others) are arguing that according to the evidence available (the sequence of people getting tickets seems to follow the chronological order of the timestamp) we can get a vague idea of where we are in the queue based on timestamp, even if we cannot determine HOW LONG the wait will be.