I'd like to know. I don't know why, but it seems like an interesting thing to know.

That's exactly the point of any good database. Never leave out anything, because someone will want to do some research sometime which uses that data.

I studied the Poems of Thomas Hardy in sixth form, and I can tell you that one in sixteen of his poems are directly about death, and one in thirty-two are set in graveyards. I'm not sure what it means, apart from, you know, gloomy bastard, but that's exactly the kind of thing you don't know you want to know until you know it, and then it's cool.

Also, all databases should have a primary, and arbitrary, key. I've been having this discussion with the guy at work -- should we have a database of all people, and list the software they have, but people move, so maybe a database of computers and all the software on them? But computers get replaced, so maybe a database of IT-Assigned Workstation Numbers, but we just moved buildings and they all changed -- you have a key which is nothing but a key, and hang all other data off it.

Who's to say that, for instance, they didn't intend to show episode "1.3" of the Simpsons before episode "1.2", but ran into production problems and swapped them around? "1.3" is a record of when it was shown, but "(#7G02)" will always be its true number...

Who's to say that, for instance, they didn't intend to show episode "1.3" of the Simpsons before episode "1.2", but ran into production problems and swapped them around? "1.3" is a record of when it was shown, but "(#7G02)" will always be its true number...

That's actually often the case with TV shows, isn't it? Production order can be different from airing order.

But Buffy is so arc-y, they'd never do that.

Except those times they did do it, for "Earshot" and "Graduation Day". Only they didn't do it in Canada, so what is the first broadcast date of "Earshot"?

I think Jessica should volunteer to be the collector of the special ME ID numbers for all the eps she has on tape/disk.

Actually, they did show Earshot out of order in Canada. We got GDII on time, I think, but Earshot aired the following September, though I believe it was still before the States got it. Or I could be entirely wrong.

Jon, ita, I can log in if I fill in the 2 fiields and then click on "email an admin," I don't have to actually send a message to one of you. Yay.

Actually, they did show Earshot out of order in Canada.

Oops, my mistake.

We got it in the correct order in Australia, for the record.

that's exactly the kind of thing you don't know you want to know until you know it, and then it's cool.

The kind of thing I don't know I want to know until I know it is my favorite thing to know. I'm not (only) trying to play with those words, either. It's true.

That's exactly the point of any good database. Never leave out anything

Um, actually, I'm pro leaving some stuff out, myself. Now, while I think that knowing which episode is 100 is interesting, it would pretty much have to be stored, since we'll have to hit the database to find that number out unless it's stored, what with the variable number of episodes in a season.

Question is, why are we storing it? There needs to be a line in the sand, because obsessives like us will make the widest tables in the world.

As for "what next?" -- how many coding volunteers do we have again?

why are we storing it? There needs to be a line in the sand, because obsessives like us will make the widest tables in the world.

Are you saying you don't want to store the absolute number of each ep, only the season/number?

If we store only that number, we can calculate everything else, see above re: the formula.

I'm a volunteer coder, and gatherer.

I want to adopt Faith, and Willy.

Shall we put out some more widespread call about this? Not everyone reads this thread after all...

we can calculate everything else, see above re: the formula.

I'm against storing only the absolute episode number, because it will pretty much guarantee queries with a calculation in them, when people request stuff by season or episode within season number.

We can calculate in reverse, because I see way fewer reasons to ever query by absolute episode #.

I can tell I'm risking getting overinvested in this, when I'm not going to code.

But I volunteer for design, and for assuring stuff conforms to current Phoenix standards.

As for a call to arms, sure! Go!