THWACK Monthly Mission - January 2020

[yumdarling]

You ever heard the saying “the future is now?” If you haven’t before, let me be the first to introduce you to it. We’re the front line of preparing you for the future. We’re the little guys in the machine, providing visibility into the cracks and crevices of your IT environment of which you aren’t even aware. We’re the Orion® Platform.

Our mission is simple. Create a responsive, intuitive environment to let you—the expert—get a better view under the hood of your own machines.

Join us in our quest to secure the future. Start your mission.

JANUARY MISSION

Use the mission’s resources to complete the tasks and answer the questions for a chance to win!

Correctly answer each question during the week and you'll be entered for a chance to win the weekly prize.

Correctly answer all 20 questions over the course of the month and you'll be entered for a chance to win the grand prize.

150 points are being awarded for each correctly answered question. There are 20 questions, which means you can earn a maximum of 3,000 points for this mission.

Want to join the mission, but not a member? Sign up FREE now!

PRIZES

Weekly Prizes & Drawing Dates:
January 13, 2020:  Divoom Tivoo Smart Portable LED Speaker

January 20, 2020:  Specdrums Musical Rings w/ Play Pad

January 27, 2020:  Vinyl Record Player

February 3, 2020:  Apple Airpods

Grand Prize:
February 3, 2020:  Sony Soundbar

MISSION RULES

A new question will open every day (Monday - Friday) starting on January 6, 2020. Once a question has opened, it will remain open until February 2, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. CT. Check the schedule below for exact open/close times.

MISSION SHORTCUT

Complete the mission shortcut between January 6, 2020 and February 2, 2020 to be entered to win a Bose Noise-Cancelling Headphones w/Alexa Voice Control!

Shortcut Steps:

    1. Go to the SolarWinds Product Upgrade Advisor.

          a. Note: If you're a SolarWinds customer, logging in to the Customer Portal may give you a slightly different experience.

    2. Enter information about your current environment by answering questions 1-4.

          a. If you are not a current SolarWinds customer

                    i. For question #2, select No

                  ii. For question #3, select Network Performance Monitor as the product, and 12.3 for the version

                  iii. For question #4, select Network Performance Monitor as the product, and 2019.4 for the version

          b. If you are a current SolarWinds customer

                    i. For question #4, choose the same product you selected in question #3 and select 2019.4 for the version

    3. Check compatibility.

    4. Submit a screenshot of the results.

CHECK COMPATIBILITY  SUBMIT SCREENSHOT

WEEKLY PRIZES	MON	TUE	WED	THU	FRI	WINNERS
Week 1: Complete questions 1-5 by January 12, 2020 to be entered to win: Divoom Tivoo Smart Portable LED Speaker
Week 2: Complete questions 6-10 by January 19, 2020 to be entered to win: Specdrums Musical Rings w/ Play Pad
Week 3: Complete questions 11-15 by January 26, 2020 to be entered to win: Vinyl Record Player
Week 4: Complete questions 16-20 by February 2, 2020 to be entered to win: Apple Airpods
Correctly answer all 20 questions by February 2, 2020 and get entered to win the Grand Prize! Sony Soundbar

January Mission Terms & Conditions: US, UK, and Canada | Germany | Australia

January Mission Shortcut Terms & Conditions: US, UK, and Canada | Germany | Australia

[emoyers]

poor grammar there, chief ... the question is asking you to choose one singular answer from a plural group of choices. The question is worded properly.

[superfly]

As mentioned before

Which...has - singular

Which...have - plural

Maybe the poor grammar lies with you there chief?

[emoyers]

Ah I think I keyed in on the wring term / grammar he was accentuating, I'll own my error on this one, I overlooked the larger scope.

[melonizame]

Before I click submit on today's question #15 is it supposed to be "select all that apply?"

Or as usual I am misreading the question.........

[merissal]

Looks like it's just a select one.

[govitallen]

There are only two enhancements listed under the feature mentioned and one of those two is not one of the choices available.

[laurin.beckhusen]

double check the reading. I was thinking the same thing. It's select one.

[asheppard970]

Two key words in the question, melonizame​​, are "starting with".  Otherwise, I might agree with your assessment of it being a "Select all that apply".

[melonizame]

I got it right, but I wasnt 100% sure before I clicked it.

[govitallen]

A grammar Nazi would know that an ellipsis has no more and no less than three dots "..." 

Five dots is improper grammar

[smttysmth02gt]

Today's question was the first time in a long while where I saw something I didn't know and it made me to looking around.  We are on 2019.4 and I can't seem to find this subview on any 2960 devices.  Anybody have this subview setup on their Orion?

[danielsayer]

smttysmth02gt​ I am the same as you, on V2019.4 but cannot find that subview.

[rschroeder]

When the answers have circles in front of them, only one can be correct.

When the answers have square boxes, check all that apply.

[rschroeder]

In this definition, an ellipsis is constructed with a period, a space, a period, a space, and a period--except when the ellipsis is next to a quotation mark.  Only in that case are the spaces between the periods are omitted.

One should use this . . .

Unless one needs this "..."

[jeremymayfield]

I have always used the ... to mean and it continues in the similar pattern.  i.e. 1, 2,3, 4, ...

[rschroeder]

I think anyone would understand your implementation.  I wonder if a Technical Writing instructor in college wouldn't simultaneously understand it, yet mark it incorrect?

Once I looked up the definition and implementation/use of an ellipsis, I found myself always writing it with spaces between the periods, just as the example defined.

For practicality, getting the idea across is more important than sticking to the rules.  Unless following the rules in many areas works well for a person; then follow the rules to achieve personal satisfaction (until a rule fails . . . and then we can but learn from it and move on).

[jemertz]

That works. You're omitting part of the series.

[superfly]

I can't find it either. I wonder on which type of 2960 it will work on. When I try and look at it manually I get

[dsimpkins]

Was today supposed to be a multi select rather than a which one of the four?

[pat_m]

I got today wrong. Is it suppose to be multiple choice?

[jcournoyer]

Seemed like only one answer to me.  Pay careful attention to the question.  It asks you to look at the "New firmware upgrade template setting" section. 

[dsimpkins]

Yep you're right, looking at the question and possible answers again whilst not sleep deprived and multi-tasking I now see where I went wrong

[sturdyerde]

My inner grammar police thinks this is my favorite Thwack mission yet.

[melonizame]

Waiting on clarification before I push the button........

[fakeusername]

The answer is right there, and it is the only one that is correct. It is simple and straightforward. What "clarification" are you waiting on?

[asheppard970]

“The Grammar Police” (sung to the tune of “Dream Police” by Cheap Trick)

The Grammar Police they live inside of my head

The Grammar Police they mark their comments in red

The Grammar Police they are coming to correct me

Oh, no!!

Because they are waiting for me

To make a mistake

Every single word

They are driving me insane

Those voices in my brain!

The Grammar Police they live inside of my head

The Grammar Police they mark their comments in red

The Grammar Police they are coming to correct me

Oh, no!!

Not sure where that came from, sturdyerde​​, but it just seemed appropriate.  I am right there with you, as well.

<SOAPBOX> And will someone please teach people the difference between "your" and "you're"?  I see too much of "Your welcome" in correspondence today! </SOAPBOX>

[abdul_]

<SOAPBOX> And will someone please teach people the difference between "your" and "you're"?  I see too much of "Your welcome" in correspondence today! </SOAPBOX>

......

[sturdyerde]

Can't stop laughing.

[sturdyerde]

melonizame  wrote:

Waiting on clarification before I push the button........

You're thinking too hard. This one really is straightforward and easy.

[asheppard970]

And I won't even start on "to", "too" and "two".  It's "to" much and it's going "two" drive me "too" times insane!!!

If you ever want a great example of how the Amurkin English language is soooooo messed up (not to mention a good stitch in your side from laughing so hard), look up Gallagher and English Language on YouTube.  He can get a little offensive but hopefully you can see passed his crassness.

[melonizame]

Red X - my own fault

[asheppard970]

I feel your pain, melonizame​...got two of those pesky red things this month and both were my fault for not paying close attention.  No Sony Sound bar for me!!

Oh, well, next month!!

[merissal]

Same with me, i've answered too many questions without having coffee first which have resulted in 3 X's.

[sturdyerde]

Same sad story here. ☹️

[superfly]

Agreed. This one was not hard.

[hroesch01]

Todays question you habe to read carefully. They are looking for the starting template.

I was too quick and: red cross.

[rob.collins]

No spoilers per se, but because I'm highly pedantic I would like to point out that the word "template" isn't used in the correct answers' section of the hint (perhaps the question should refer to "pages" instead?)

[sturdyerde]

rob.collins  wrote:

No spoilers per se, but because I'm highly pedantic I would like to point out that the word "template" isn't used in the correct answers' section of the hint (perhaps the question should refer to "pages" instead?)

Whaaat? Another pedantic server and database fixer-upper? I never would have guessed it. (We're also not a sarcastic bunch at all!)

Love it.

[antonio.lopez]

Yeah, my caffeine-less brain was not able to compute this out and got it wrong. First X of the month. Sad moment.

[halaszj]

So many red X's, this month's hints are garbage.

[superfly]

halaszj  wrote:

So many red X's, this month's hints are garbage.

Hmmm, a month full of green ticks makes me think otherwise

[Tintim]

I've been caught out once by the wording this month, its a harsh punishment for one failure.... nm maybe next month 🙂

[halaszj]

uh, high 5 to you

[fakeusername]

I must agree with superfly ..

[bobmarley]

Hoping Friday's question is a survey. First month in awhile I have all green so far. Hoping for a perfect month

[sturdyerde]

superfly99  wrote:

halaszj   wrote:

So many red X's, this month's hints are garbage.

Hmmm, a month full of green ticks makes me think otherwise

Oh snap!

I usually find that a red x is the result of me rushing through the question/answer. Unfortunately that did happen twice to me this month. Would have really liked the Sony soundbar!!

[sturdyerde]

I'm always surprised to see posts that say "I didn't get points for ___ survey" or "for last week's question." How many of you actually keep track and validate points for every action you take on Thwack? I don't usually, but it is always fun to see the jump after a UX session!

[robertcbrowning]

Q18 - 29 Jan

Be careful - VERY careful, Read & read again & then re-read ALL the words. Perhaps then you won't get a red X like I did. Good luck to the remaining "All Green" troop.

[superfly]

You're in luck Bob!

[petergwilson]

Still don't get Q18.  Two of the answers are word for word in the hint yet the question only allows for one answer.