Non-IT News Thread
-
Venezuela power cuts: Blackouts continue as protests loom
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-47504722 -
Man told he's going to die by doctor on video-link robot
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-47510038 -
Japan ferry 'hits whale', injuring more than 80 on board
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-47509017 -
-
Monopoly is "the worst" for kids.
Been saying this since I was a kid... it's not a game, it's just a protected exercise in finding out a random outcome.
-
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
Monopoly is "the worst" for kids.
Been saying this since I was a kid... it's not a game, it's just a protected exercise in finding out a random outcome.
Random chance is a good thing. Otherwise a single person will often dominate just because they are better.
But, yeah monopoly is stupid. There is no other mechanic to it.
I love Catan, but have never bought it. I need to do that.
Recently introduced the kids to Tsuro
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsuro -
@JaredBusch said in Non-IT News Thread:
Random chance is a good thing. Otherwise a single person will often dominate just because they are better.
Might as well just roll a die and find out who won. Random chance makes it not a game, there is no "play". The one who is better dominating is what makes it fun. Just finding out who randomly "won" without there being any "play" isn't fulfilling or rewarding or fun.
-
@JaredBusch said in Non-IT News Thread:
I love Catan, but have never bought it. I need to do that.
Same here, it is pretty fun. I might have a digital copy somewhere.
-
One of the problems with kids and "random chances" is what it teaches them...
That "winning" is everything and that playing, learning, trying hard are all worthless and pointless. It takes the idea of thought, and effort, and personal growth that are the core benefits of gaming and makes there be nothing but "winning" left.
And not only does it teach kids to revel in "winning" something that they win by chance, but teaches others that they are "losers" when they didn't even really play anything. The extra mechanics hide this to make it far worse than if you just picked two cards and the "high wins, low loses" or whatever, or just flipped coins - because it tries to hide the totally worthless, random nature of it and makes it feel like randomly winning is an accomplishment and that randomly losing is a failure when, in fact, it reflects nothing on the winners or losers whatsoever.
-
Ethiopian Airlines: 'No survivors' on crashed Boeing 737
An Ethiopian Airlines jet has crashed shortly after take-off from Addis Ababa, killing all on board.
The airline said 149 passengers and eight crew members were on flight ET302 from the Ethiopian capital to Nairobi in Kenya.
It said 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians, eight Americans and seven British nationals were among the passengers.
The crash happened at 08:44 local time, six minutes after the months-old Boeing 737 Max-8 took off.
-
Jaguar attacks selfie-taker
A woman who stepped over a barrier to take a selfie at a zoo in Arizona, US, has been attacked by a jaguar.
It happened on Saturday and the woman's injuries were not life-threatening.
When she crossed the barrier and approached the enclosure to photograph herself with the jaguar, it swiped out through the fencing, leaving deep gashes on her arms.
Wildlife World Zoo director Mickey Ollson said there was "no way to fix people crossing barriers".
"They're there for a good reason," he said.
He said the same animal had previously attacked someone else who crossed the barrier, but not as seriously. He confirmed that Saturday's incident was the result of "human error" and the animal would not be euthanised.
-
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
Jaguar attacks selfie-taker
A woman who stepped over a barrier to take a selfie at a zoo in Arizona, US, has been attacked by a jaguar.
It happened on Saturday and the woman's injuries were not life-threatening.
When she crossed the barrier and approached the enclosure to photograph herself with the jaguar, it swiped out through the fencing, leaving deep gashes on her arms.
Wildlife World Zoo director Mickey Ollson said there was "no way to fix people crossing barriers".
"They're there for a good reason," he said.
He said the same animal had previously attacked someone else who crossed the barrier, but not as seriously. He confirmed that Saturday's incident was the result of "human error" and the animal would not be euthanised.
So, just a Darwin Award Honorary Member this time.
-
Ethiopian Airlines: Boeing faces questions after crash
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-47519467 -
Ethiopian Airlines: What do we know about Boeing 737 Max-8?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47514289 -
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
@JaredBusch said in Non-IT News Thread:
I love Catan, but have never bought it. I need to do that.
Same here, it is pretty fun. I might have a digital copy somewhere.
I have a digital version on my iPad. I also have the card game version.
A buddy had the full game.
-
@JaredBusch said in Non-IT News Thread:
I love Catan, but have never bought it. I need to do that.
Meh, I have multiple versions of Catan. It's ok, it plays well enough... but honestly we're kind of in this board game renaissance there are so many better options to spend time playing that I have a hard time dragging Catan out.
-
@coliver said in Non-IT News Thread:
@JaredBusch said in Non-IT News Thread:
I love Catan, but have never bought it. I need to do that.
Meh, I have multiple versions of Catan. It's ok, it plays well enough... but honestly we're kind of in this board game renaissance there are so many better options to spend time playing that I have a hard time dragging Catan out.
It's so popular still that getting the base game, all expansions, plus the 6 player upgrade is crazy expensive. It's a good game, but stick with base+cities and knights imo.
-
@travisdh1 said in Non-IT News Thread:
@coliver said in Non-IT News Thread:
@JaredBusch said in Non-IT News Thread:
I love Catan, but have never bought it. I need to do that.
Meh, I have multiple versions of Catan. It's ok, it plays well enough... but honestly we're kind of in this board game renaissance there are so many better options to spend time playing that I have a hard time dragging Catan out.
It's so popular still that getting the base game, all expansions, plus the 6 player upgrade is crazy expensive. It's a good game, but stick with base+cities and knights imo.
It's the gateway game. It's one of the first games people are introduced to, and a lot of people just stop there.
-
Dealmaster: Nintendo discounts a bunch of Mario games for “MAR10 Day”
$20 off sale runs through this week, includes another Switch console bundle.
Nintendo has declared this date “Mario Day” for the past few years (March 10 = Mar10 = Mario), but today the company is once again paying homage to its most famous character by launching a number of discounts on games featuring the little guy.
-
Breakthrough, the rare science documentary that feels like a miracle
"It's astonishing how few documentaries are about gifted scientists"—here's one for sure.
"It's astonishing how few documentaries there are about gifted scientists," filmmaker Bill Haney tells Ars about Breakthrough, his new documentary premiering over the weekend at South by Southwest. "Part of it is most filmmakers don’t know much about science, they’re thinking about film. But science can be complex, and audiences can be overwhelmed by scientific subjects. If you’re not careful, you can make NOVA, which hits your head not your heart."
