Twitter Week: 2009-09-19

2009-09-19 00:00 · Tags: Personal / Twhit-Twhoo!

Facebook Lite: http://lite.facebook.com/ Far cleaner and more usable than the orignal. Best of all, it filters out all the applications! #
RT @seanpower An Open Letter To All TechCrunch50 2009 Startups: The TC Bump, Its Meaning & How To Navigate It http://bit.ly/11z7b0 #metrics #
An anti-smoking ad I can get behind: http://bit.ly/esVWX Yeeeha! #
RT @gigaom:What We Can Learn About Pricing From Menu Engineers http://bit.ly/15lI4A #
@thisdarkpen If you’ve questions on #18xx, I may be able to help. We even play occasionally in Layfayette, if that’s close enough for you. in reply to thisdarkpen #
@ekted By which definition/qualtiy is Last train to Wensleydale a winner? What did you like? in reply to ekted #
3P 1830+Coalfields Me $14536 Daniel $15046 Jim $13225; Wow, Coalfields makes a huge (good) difference to the game! http://twitpic.com/hp15t #
@ekted Thanks (WRT Wenselydale) in reply to ekted #
@BrenoKummel I’m not sure. It seems…maybe interesting, maybe. So far Age of Steam is the only Martin Wallace game that impresses me. in reply to BrenoKummel #
@thisdarkpen It usually seems to take 2-3 plays to get the basic #18xx clue if there’s also skilled players to talk to. Longer without. in reply to thisdarkpen #
@BrenoKummel Yep, there’s a good reason I played Age of Steam once or twice a week, every week, 52 weeks a year for several years. in reply to BrenoKummel #
@ev Why does search show tweets from users that have protected their tweets/history & that I don’t follow or have rights to? #twitter #
RT @nprpolitics:Poll Finds Most Doctors Support Public Option http://su.pr/1I5T3l #
@BrenoKummel I don’t think so but will have to ask Daniel. He knows Helmut from his time in Germany (played with him etc). in reply to BrenoKummel #
Speed Racer movie. Too much neon. Retinas have separated & are filing for divorce. Brain is now a turnip. Please send help. MAKE IT STOP! #
Mastery is when you can compellingly argue both sides of the argument. Wisdom is when you do, and win all three times. #
Bathtub IV: Stop motion of RL scenery with great focus/depth control: http://vimeo.com/3156959 My old backyard too. (via @greatdismal) #
RT @GamesOnTheBrain:Open Yale Courses - GAME THEORY with Prof. Ben Polak, free at iTunes U http://bit.ly/1igvcu #
@thisdarkpen Wikipedia covers the basics: (iterative) prisoner’s dilemma, free rider paradox, nash equilibria, pareto efficiency etc. in reply to thisdarkpen #
@BrenoKummel Usually, for me, it somewhere/when where I ignored where the capital was. #18xx in reply to BrenoKummel #
@BrenoKummel A couple 1830 games ago the biggest diesel run we had was $16/share in reply to BrenoKummel #
@BrenoKummel SoPac has $120 mountain, ouch! 1st; Mexican RR, Mexican Central 2: Chihuahua+Copper(/MinorB?), TexMex+MinorA, FCP+MinorB, SoPac in reply to BrenoKummel #
@BrenoKummel Couple 1889 games ago, ran the Kuroshio with a diesel for $9/share. $6+$2+$1 Tragic track. Brrrrrr. #18xx in reply to BrenoKummel #
@andsoerinsaid I think the neon hallucinogenic strobes in Speed Racer kept me awake. I feel fine now except for MUST KILL WITH LASERS urge. in reply to andsoerinsaid #
@BrenoKummel FCP has two 50+30 in one tile & a cheap route to MinorB if Chihuahua doesn’t tragic track. MinorB can build out in 3rd OR. in reply to BrenoKummel #
@BrenoKummel SoPac + MinorB can also work, but slower to get that share lead – & the MinorB track isn’t as nice for SoPac. in reply to BrenoKummel #
@clearclaw The biggest question of course is where you are sitting in relation to the NdM player. That drives almost everything. in reply to clearclaw #
@andsoerinsaid So far, Splotter’s Greed is the only Essen release to really interest me. Still trying to find a buyer. in reply to andsoerinsaid #
@ingredientx:@andsoerinsaid Yeah, I paid ~$120 for Duck Dealer. I expect Greed to be similar, much like the small press 18xx I’m buying. #
@andsoerinsaid Thanks. Still hunting but may come back to you. in reply to andsoerinsaid #
@andsoerinsaid I got 1844 & pre-cut track-tiles for my copy of 1848 direct from Helmut Ohley for ~$120. Already have & have reviewed 18EZ. #
@andsoerinsaid I’d recommend Nambu or Twitterfon (now Echofon), but they’re iPhone specific. in reply to andsoerinsaid #
Watching Sky Crawlers. Rather amazingly good bit of motivation-exploration/social commentary. @anime #
This is my week to be called “overwhelming” and “Intimidating”? 5x this week (2+3). Should I growl and eat babies, or scare kids to sleep? #

Twitter Week: 2009-09-12

2009-09-12 00:00 · Tags: Personal / Twhit-Twhoo!

Splotter’s Greed: http://tr.im/xXmB Let the competitive frothing begin. #essen #spiele #
Ahh, one copy of the Pere Marquette made (inkjet, Super77, manilla file-folder, some cutting). Now to find a table to inflict it upon. #18xx #
Good article on the evolution of software/product development and implications for licensing: http://bit.ly/Yhmzv (via @hnshah, @joshelman) #
It seems I am the west coast #18xx champion. 4P 18Mex, $1.3K, $1.1K, $1K, $500 (bankrupt on the 4Ds). Pretty much a straight capital game. #
@andsoerinsaid @scottredracecar I expect 18EZ is a poor game at all levels. (Barely) Okay for teaching as a walk thru, but unexciting. #18xx #
@scottredracecar @andsoerinsaid 18EZ is thoroughly Bill Dixon-esque, perhaps the least interesting of the #18xx design-styles. #
@ChrisTheCat I won the (single game) #18xx tournament at PaifiCon/ConquestSF (ala west-coast WBC). in reply to ChrisTheCat #
RT @timoreilly:Good Washington Post article: 5 Myths About Health Care Around the World http://bit.ly/139Yzs Be informed in your opinions! #
6P 1830. Bankruptcy on first diesel. 2nd by $50. Wild stock market. A teaching game where I think I learned more than the students. #18xx #
3 days of #18xx. About to go and start the third. More 1830 perhaps? I’ve been learning a lot about prediction & control of bankruptcies. #
Just listen. Carefully. RT @timoreilly:Beatrice Golomb on conflicts of interest in medical research: http://bit.ly/13tfSs #healthcare #
The return and welcome of the extinct bee: http://bit.ly/PZvv0 Charming. #
Newt Gingrich, William Gibson & I seem to agree? Shocking! Pretty good Obama education speech: http://tr.im/y6yF Not brilliant, but good. #
@BrenoKummel I’m still learning too much to want to slow down. I finally have a handle on what is required to be at least mediocre. #18xx #
@BrenoKummel http://bit.ly/AWN5Y Oh, & follow the money & think very hard about tempo. in reply to BrenoKummel #
@BrenoKummel I’m learning at lot about control of capital ATM. Great stuff. It has taken me ~100 games to get to this point of half-a-clue. in reply to BrenoKummel #
On Drowning in Games (http://tr.im/y6GH), my blog-post on learning curves and hope is suddenly getting a little rash of web-attention. Cool. #
3P 18FL, got priority, dumped the dog, floated new company, got $2K capital under control, 4 permanent trains, and ran away by miles. #18xx #
@BrenoKummel @andsoerinsaid 18FL was interesting solely because I pulled off the great swindle. I see little other value in the game. #18xx #
1830 Coalfields made & ready to play: http://twitpic.com/h5phm Wabash & Nickel Plate are next. Maybe Chesapeake Bay Bridge too. #18xx #
Greenspun surveys healthcare models and comparatives: http://bit.ly/2Hzxl #
Somehow I find this art-video viscerally scary. It hits a sort-of uncanny-valley goosebump-revulsion for me. No idea why, http://tr.im/ymUo #
@msaari That’s a fine chipset for #18xx. May suffer if playing larger bank games. eg 1830+Coalfields, $20K or 18C2C, $80K (heavens forbid) #
@msaari I would change the chipset a little: 50x1, 75x5, 75x25, 50x100, 25x500, either 25x10 or 25x2.5K. Total $20,050 or $82,300 #18xx in reply to msaari #
@msaari We often run short of 5s and 25s, popular chips, not often 1s, sometimes 100s in the late game. Thus adjusting for that. #18xx in reply to msaari #
@jesnellm @msaari Yeah, spreadsheet is good but having full bank allows visually gauging the end-game. Can see the bank running out. #18xx in reply to jesnellm #
@icheyne @msaari @jesnellm I mostly use my 320 chip set these days. I’d adjust it a bit too if I were doing at again. More 5s & 25s. #18xx in reply to icheyne #
@ekted The #Twitter concept of a conversation is not a sequenced thread but rather a set of time-ordered messages bearing the same #hashtag. in reply to ekted #
@msaari Welcome. Actually the chips you’ll want are a function of the games & players you play with. You’ve got a good base though. #18xx in reply to msaari #
RT @cshirky:”Dark Stalking On Facebook” http://pjf.id.au/blog/?position=590 (h/t @lehrblogger) #
Black Toad (a fine schwarzbier) on an empty stomache, followed by a 20oz steak chaser, has left this lad’s digestive tract feeling insecure. #

Twitter Week: 2009-09-05

2009-09-05 00:00 · Tags: Personal / Twhit-Twhoo!

3P 1889, tried to mix appreciate/dump/2x float with investing. Not as good as a pure capital drive. Barely won: $7.3K, $7K, $6.5K. #18xx #
@jdludlow I’m interested in how slippery the Sidepot Veneratis are. I’ll probably go for Super Diamonds for my next set. #18xx #pokerchips in reply to jdludlow #
@jdludlow We don’t bother with exact banks. Just run on paper once you determine which set of ORs the bank will break in. #18xx #
@jdludlow I would bulk up the $5s & $25s a little and drop the $5,000s. Some games, like 18Mex, chew through $5s & $25s. #18xx #pokerchips #
4P 1844, 7hrs, Daniel $11,781, me $11,331, Aliza $10,598, Jim $9,345 http://twitpic.com/fyglz #188xx #
@ingredientx @mgoadric What I like most about #LyX is I don’t have to care about layout at all and I still get beautiful documents! #TeX in reply to ingredientx #
4P 1826: A game that focuses on all of my weaknesses and rewards none of my strengths. DFL of course. We’ll have to play this more. #18xx #
@sedjtroll You betcha. 1826 rewards none of my strengths, but rather directly fights me & the manner I usually play. It is the anti-JC #18xx in reply to sedjtroll #
Played Endeavour. Clearly not my sort of game, but an interesting sort of not-my-sort-of-game. It appears to reward moderate extremism. #
@sedjtroll Endeavour will probably rate a 4 here. The right/left binding is horrible, bad snowball, but some ineresting interplays. in reply to sedjtroll #
@elenuial Group-sorting Twitter client without AIR or Flash: #nambu in reply to elenuial #
@QarldeV Less than 30% (~15%?) of decisions in Chicago Express R/L bind & alliances care more about turn order than R/L adjacencies. in reply to QarldeV #
RT @GreatDismal:”Feel the Dickmentum” http://bit.ly/3RltH5 via @markos (This one is for Becca T, who will know why, won’t she?) #
@neilhimself Dear Neil, Please mind the gape while in Watford. (Said in the most plummy London Underground tones) in reply to neilhimself #
Endeavour did not improve with 2nd play. Thankfully not much worse either. Strong R/L binding, fairly stylised play, likely over-computable. #

Twitter Week: 2009-08-29

2009-08-29 00:00 · Tags: Personal / Twhit-Twhoo!

Assertion: In 6-player 1830 only the $160 Camden & Amboy private company is worth more than face-value & even that is questionable. #18xx #
@jdludlow There are no wooden bits for Pampas Railroads as published… in reply to jdludlow #
@cshirky We paid for timely delivery & early access rights. That’s what newspapers sell: timeliness & early access. The woodpulp is a bonus. in reply to cshirky #
@cshirky If communication is free and replication is free, then what’s left to be sold is timeliness, access, voice-identity & packaging. #
@jdludlow Did you perhaps use cubes for the replacement income/actions track I did? in reply to jdludlow #
@jdludlow Is the version on BGG still borked? I posted a corrected one a long time back. in reply to jdludlow #
@jdludlow Phew! in reply to jdludlow #
@scottredracecar Preußische Ostbahn is how long for y’all? It has been running about 90-120 here. We’re ~12 games in. in reply to scottredracecar #
@scottredracecar How many players? I like 5P best but find it teaches/learns best with 3P. The game does not suffer weak players well. in reply to scottredracecar #
@scottredracecar Aye, we had players that latched onto it and carried us (& me) over the hump. There’s a great game on the other side. in reply to scottredracecar #
@scottredracecar That said, locals like dkeisen do not like how it can (seem to) force players into inescapable corners and boring endgames. in reply to scottredracecar #
@scottredracecar DuckDealer: Figure which 50pt consumer won’t be built, then drive FAST for 2 that are left. Ignore everything else. in reply to scottredracecar #
@scottredracecar The article was too late after the initial Essen copies and too long before GA. Expect a clear winner in ~4 actions. in reply to scottredracecar #
Photos from Pyongyang (North Korea) by Dutch photographer. Surreally terrible. True? (via @GreatDismal, @somebadideas) http://bit.ly/SZubG #
RT @nprnews: Health Care ‘Death Panels’ Aren’t New. They Exist Now http://su.pr/34IBbc #
RT @GreatDismal:The Coin Flip: A Fundamentally Unfair Proposition? http://bit.ly/xFLLB #
Please please please! RT @alleyinsider:Obama Wants To Privatize Space Travel by @nichcarlson http://bit.ly/5DHot #
RT @hnshah:Case Study of Iterating on a Tweet: Twitter Postings: Iterative Design http://klck.me/Jb #
The Internet started with pictures of attractive welcoming women, and guess what, it still does. http://bit.ly/oxUuG (via @greatdismal) #
Played my cleanest & sharpest #18xx ever tonight: 3P 1889. Won $7K:$6K:$5K. Classic 3P: float low, rape, dump, float 2x @ high par, win.. #
@msaari 1889: best 4P, 3P still good. Not great, good, excellent for teaching; a solid shorter-style game. ~3 hours or less with exp. #18xx #
@msaari BtB DTG recommendations for novice players: 1889, 18Mex, 18EU. For experienced players: 1826, 1841, 1854, maybe 1832 or 1846 #18xx in reply to msaari #
How delightful. RT @alleyinsider:CHART OF THE DAY: P2P File Stealers Spend A Ton On Media by @nichcarlson http://bit.ly/16J390 #
@msaari Cool. First impressions of 1826 very good. I’ll know more by Tues. 1844 (not a DTG game) is also exceptional albeit long. #18xx in reply to msaari #
@msaari 1844 length the problem? Probably 6hrs with experience. Gods above what a game! Easily in top 5 #18xx. Charters and shares suck tho. in reply to msaari #
I have no words, none at all, & I’m kinda of glad about that. http://tr.im/x8m5 (via @greatdismal) #
Core problem with competitive-business view of #healthcare debate is that point-of-purchase is widely separated from point-of-use/valuation. #
Nicely done #healthcare debate summary for the powerpoint generation (4 napkins): http://tr.im/xc79 (via @nprnews, @pourmecoffee) #
How much where and compared to what? A relative measure of the billions (and trillions) so often discussed in the news. http://tr.im/xh1L #
Corrected URL: New blog post: Variants for 1830: http://tr.im/xp2u #18xx #

Twitter Week: 2009-08-22

2009-08-22 00:00 · Tags: Personal / Twhit-Twhoo!

Played 1844. Wow. My gray matter is pleading for a cease fire; something about the Geneva Convention & my abusing prisoners of war. #18xx #
6P 1830 5.hours Diesels ran 8 times! Daniel $7548 Aliza $7780 Ron $4661 Jeff $6093 Tim $7613 Me $6842 #18xx http://twitpic.com/ec1ca #
RT @timoreilly: Everyone who is trashing Obama’s healthcare plan should…answer the following multiple choice question: http://bit.ly/KUpwm #

Twitter Week: 2009-08-15

2009-08-15 00:00 · Tags: Personal / Twhit-Twhoo!

The problem with arguing with your kids, is what you lose by winning. #
Translation: Expect regression when delegating across an interface you don’t own or control (via @alleyinsider) http://bit.ly/440qtE #
Oh I say! http://tr.im/wa2P ()via @hnshah) #
@jdludlow Nope, not tried our B&O changes yet. B&O shares the same audience as #18xx, making the get-to-table competition tough. in reply to jdludlow #
@ingredientx I like #TwitFire as an iPhone #twitter posting client. Good location, twitpic etc integration. in reply to ingredientx #
How do I translate a massive lead to a -$300 2nd place in 18Mex? By failing to pay attention to the damnable details. “Gahh!” I say. #18xx #
@ChristopherA Use your feed’s RSS & keep the reader’s DB. Or post your weekly tweets to your blog (wordpress plugin), and backup your blog. in reply to ChristopherA #
Adoption lifecycles. No surprise individually. There’s value in viewing the market as an amalgamation of such wave-states http://tr.im/wdQg #
Lokomotive Werks: An exercise in meticulously rational headily enthusiastic excess. Too much an economic snowball to like, yet so charming! #
Looking into Bohnanza’s design again. Brilliant, delightful work! All the numbers & patterns work perfectly. The master at his very best. #
@snicholson Que? A 45 minute snowball is a Bad Thing? Too long? Too short? Not enough investment time? (Lokomotive Werks) in reply to snicholson #
@punkzter 75mins to start, but 45mins after a game or two is not hard here. There aren’t that many decisions in the game. (Lokomotive Werks) in reply to punkzter #
Ahh, the Peter Principle. It applies to gamers and the games they play just as well. #
@ingredientx I wouldn’t have written it if it didn’t describe me to a T. in reply to ingredientx #
@jdludlow That’s not the half of it. The illusion that e-commerce is either secure or strict is about as true as the darksucker theorem. in reply to jdludlow #
@frandallfarmer Verified with Adam (Chinese), Alon (Israili), Mark (French) & Bjorn (German) a while back: rednecks are a cultural constant. in reply to frandallfarmer #
@punkzter There are what, 10-15 decisions per player per game in Lokomotive Werks, and likely less. That’s the key to getting the time down. in reply to punkzter #
@punkzter Not yet. I’ve not played them yet. Heck, I’ve not played either game for quite a while now. Thanks. in reply to punkzter #
@punkzter FWVLIW I don’t think Lokomotive Werks is good with merely 3 players. The dice tend to dominate. 4 or 5 players are better. in reply to punkzter #

Twitter Week: 2009-08-08

2009-08-08 00:00 · Tags: Personal / Twhit-Twhoo!

@jdludlow @scottredracecar (B&O stock trashing) It seems the obvious thing to do here too. in reply to jdludlow #
@jdludlow Once the race for the best shares is over, what else is there to do but trash everything you don’t own & won’t be holding? in reply to jdludlow #
Excellent gamesday: 4P 18Mex (won by ~$1K), 3P Kansas Pacific (2nd by ~$15/3% – good game), learned 1826, 3P 18TN (won by ~$1K). #18xx #
@jdludlow I find B&O porous; too much time/work for not quite enough game. in reply to jdludlow #
@jdludlow Our intended B&O changes: sell 2+ shares at 1 lower price to reduce stock, must run for max, multi-jump if dividend > stock value. in reply to jdludlow #
@scottredracecar @jdludlow Yep, at heart a 120-150min game as I note in my review. I’m less convinced the SRs are so decision-less. in reply to scottredracecar #
@jdludlow @scottredracecar #18xx comparison unfair. B&O has many clever optimisations (multi-buys, track, etc)…that deliver mixed results. in reply to jdludlow #
@jdludlow @scottredracecar Glad you like the B&O proposals. We’ll be playing them soon here. in reply to jdludlow #
@scottredracecar @jdludlow Yep, thus ompanies to run for max revenue in B&O. It reduces turn-order mgmt while allowing a little finesse. in reply to scottredracecar #
Basic distribution models applied to human aging. Fascinating if unsurpising results, but insightful questions. http://tinyurl.com/muozv4 #
What %age of #twitpic etc are actually demonstrations of iPhones/twitter/etc to elder generations? Several of mine have been. #showoldfolks #
@neilhimself My favourite honey is ironbark. Try it! Amazing stuff, like old school water fountains but sweet. #honey in reply to neilhimself #
@icheyne It is worth remembering that fecundity and longevity are inversely related, otherwise the old constantly re-normalise the genepool. in reply to icheyne #
@neilhimself Good days you’re the angel that feeds cat. Bad days you’re the devil incarnate & storm bringer. Not much difference really. in reply to neilhimself #
Bad metrics design & abusive use of language: Health care in America: http://tr.im/veKL You get what you measure, not what you asked for. #
And they say Americans eat too much meat. RT @frandallfarmer:http://twitpic.com/cmzxv - “medium” latte at the Mayfield Bakery & Cafe #
RT @jodrellbank: The Perseid meteor shower peaks around 11th/12th August. Take part in the great Twitter #Meteorwatch http://bit.ly/f49MG #
Deconstruction of health care service. Sadly missing profit-chain comparison of same vender/service between EU and USA. http://tr.im/vFwX #
Do USA healthcare operations disproportionately fund the smaller profit centers but larger volumes in the rest of the world? #healthcare #
@jdhuntington More amusing is how hard we worked on it. #paypal in reply to jdhuntington #
RT @timoreilly:The connections between Obesity, Land Use, Transportation and Healthcare Reform http://bit.ly/d0ANd #healthcare #
RT @AsteroidWatch:A triple! Radar reveals a 700-meter asteroid w/ two 50-meter moons. All at a safe distance. Pics/more: http://bit.ly/ctmYa #
@ingredientx When Mum visits, my fridge and pantry become a TARDIS. I eat for months before I ever see the back wall. It is WW2 food magic. in reply to ingredientx #
Played Kingdoms & Gemblo with kids. They handled winning and losing poorly. Should they stick with Empire Build/Crayon Rails games longer? #
This has long been my view: RT @nytimes:Dot Earth: Puberty on the Scale of a Planet http://bit.ly/2oFPR9 #
Sand drawing from Russia’s Got Talent. http://tr.im/vY8Z (via RT @raphkoster, @CoryOndrejka) #
@timoreilly @anildash Google Wave cam work if vended as a SAAS: an integration interface, a larger cloud-computing service. Still hard tho. in reply to timoreilly #

Twitter Week: 2009-08-01

2009-08-01 00:00 · Tags: Personal / Twhit-Twhoo!

4P 1830, 3.5hrs, bankrupt on the first diesel, ~$1800 (Daniel), ~$1400 (me), ~$1300 (Aliza/bankrupt), ~$900 (Mark) #18xx #
Daniel & the birds: http://twitpic.com/bonk0 #
@scottredracecar 18Pacific? BTW: Large format plotter and foamcore for 18C2C is the way to go. #18xx #
@scottredracecar Ahh, thanks. in reply to scottredracecar #

Twitter Week: 2009-07-25

2009-07-25 00:00 · Tags: Personal / Twhit-Twhoo!

Music industry copyright arguments of 100 years ago. Yep, same old tired arguments, just more articulately and better argued. http://tr … #
What that last link should have been: http://bit.ly/oJHzT Sorry folks. #
RT @cshirky:FF 3.5 recommends AdBlock+ as an add-on. Moves FF from hosting the advertising arms race to being an active belligerent. #
4P 1830, went bankrupt in a beautiful 3 company train swindle. Then 3P 1830: $9336 (Daniel), $7502 (me), $7428 (Tim). Bahh! #18xx #
Last night’s 3-player 1830: http://twitpic.com/b0ynn #18xx #
Winsome Essen set: B&O reviewed. KP clever & unobvious. Wabash exp is brill: alliances for losers. PO exp good. GMO exp deeper than appears. #
@davemcclure #Twitter is public performance art akin to street acts. FB is more clubby & rife with social bonding & strong feedback loops. in reply to davemcclure #

Twitter Week: 2009-07-18

2009-07-18 00:00 · Tags: Personal / Twhit-Twhoo!

5P 18Mex, 3.5 hours, great train rush (every player had to sell shares to buy trains), OOOF!, every 4D bought, won with NdM, MC & TM. #18xx #
Sing to the tune of, “Oh I do want to be beside the seaside!” Continue riffing. Vague Scientist: http://tr.im/skw9 #
@newscientist Your tweet volume is fine – near ideal for me. #survey in reply to newscientist #
@icheyne When I last tested the OpenID plugin, it was fragile. I’ll look again #wordpress #openid in reply to icheyne #