Gemini* and Gopher

• Personal/Opinions

  • Prefer "Handicapping" Over Skill-Based Match-Making

    Games of skill are at their best when balanced such that the player's probability of winning is as close as possible to 50% . (I cite no source for this claim, because in the time that passed between me reading the argument leading to this conclusion, and me writing this post, the link I intended to give here has rotted away) Designers of contemporary adversarial multiplayer (PvP) videogames gravitate toward one particular way of tuning the difficulty of a match toward the desired 50% win-rate: skill-based matchmaking, that is, pairing each player with an equally skilled opponent, and have them face off on an even playing field that does not give an "unfair" advantage to either side.

    There is another approach to PvP balance: have players of widely varying skill levels play against each other, on an uneven playing field that favors the weaker player to a degree that exactly cancels out the difference in skill. For example, in a game of Go, the weaker player gets to start the match with a number of black stones already placed on the board. I believe that this second way of balancing PvP games is superior, and I wish that more games would support it.

  • Self acceptance and unconditional love (or lack thereof)

    Why does my brain resist it so much?

    "Love the process. Accept who you are and love yourself no matter the imperfections, mistakes, and where you are in life".

    That's something I understand in theory, and I love my family, partner and friends just like that: unconditionally.

  • Status of Our Ferrets

    After our hedgehog passed away in November of last year, we wanted to get another pet. Dogs and cats were out of the question: my wife and I are allergic to both. Rabbits were not an option for the same reason. My wife ultimately decided to get ferrets, and we bought two females in December, naming them Mocha and Chai. I was initially hesitant, but as we got to know and spend time with the ferrets, I've grown to love them. Mocha and Chai have quite a lot of personality stuffed into their tiny bodies, more than I would ever have expected.

  • 🔤SpellBinding: ACUFINE Wordo: SANDS

• Politics and World Events

  • Wielding the Unfree Will

    Whether or not we have a free will is something I’ve älted in the past but maybe the easiest explanation to understand is this:

    We have a will. Free or not.

    We must make decisions. Free or not.

    Decisions is one of the main interfaces we have.

    Breaking out of ruts and making decisions is hard enough. It requires effort.

• Technology and Free Software

  • Listening to podcasts while driving

    I've become frustrated constantly switching through our local radio stations to find something I want to listen to while driving, especially when more than one of those stations plays ads for like 10 minutes between songs. For a while I had been just turning off the radio and driving in silence, or with whatever entertainment or chaotic discontent my brain afforded to me.