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< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 41 OF 963 ·
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Dec-16-06
 | | Domdaniel: We have played 35.Rxf3 to reach this position (Black to play):
click for larger viewQuelle surprise. |
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Dec-16-06
| | Domdaniel: <Eyal> Excellent piece from The Rhetoric of Fiction. The interesting psychological point - in 'literary' fiction anyway - is that the bimbo/collusion argument still holds true, even if in practice everyone is in on the joke. But we have a deep need to believe that somebody else doesn't get it -- maybe a function of the same brain mechanism that leads to tribalism, racism, snobbery, in/out groups, etc. I've probably turned into what my younger lit-theory self would have called a scientificist. |
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| Dec-16-06 | | twinlark: I think a pub crawl is called for when you finally make the Most Garrulous List. Starting with <Beer>, graduating to <Ale>, getting paralytic in <J. Daniel> and finally passing out in <?>. |
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Dec-16-06
| | Domdaniel: <twinlark> I'm getting closer, huh?
<mack> and I actually both hit 3000 simultaneously, on adjacent posts, and I didn't even know it until he pointed it out. 'course, the current forum handover means I decelerate while you take off again, just when the gap was narrowing too... I think our last pissup got zapped. Either that or I imagined the whole thing. |
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| Dec-16-06 | | twinlark: You decelerate?? Is this one of the six impossible things you plan to do before breakfast? |
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Dec-17-06
| | Domdaniel: Decelerate, <relativistically speaking> Domdaniel, whose star shone so bright
Soon travelled much faster than light
His message, one day
In a relative way
Turned up on the previous night. |
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| Dec-18-06 | | monad: Still thinking that to give is better than to receive, I see. I would prefer it if you didn't use my username in vain. But I suppose you don't much care whose feelings you hurt, seeing that yours never are. |
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Dec-18-06
| | Domdaniel: Current policy is to make no references whatsoever to members of the prima donna tendency. Diplomacy was needed earlier when their chess skills were a usable asset. But this is now redundant and a waste of energy. Anyone who seeks to be insulted may easily find what they seek. |
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Dec-18-06
| | Domdaniel: Complaints etc may be sent to me by email at <idle-monad<at>hotmail.com>. The name is a copyleft anagram of domdaniel. |
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| Dec-18-06 | | achieve: <Monad: <But I suppose you don't much care whose feelings you hurt, seeing that yours never are.>> My personal experience with Domdaniel is the complete opposite to this assumption. Dd/Gerry,
I know that you developed a fascination with words from an early age.. but as I read elsewhere you seem to do quite OK with numbers as well! It's been a while so I took my chance and jumped in here ;-) Cheers,
Niels |
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Dec-18-06
| | Domdaniel: Thank you, <Achieve>.
I lied, of course. I'm a nasty bastard really. I was just pretending to be nice to people so I could use them in the Nickel game, and they're not needed anymore. So I stop being nice. Simple. Of course, you weren't around the Nickel game that much, were you? And neither were others whom I have perfectly friendly relations with. There goes that theory. So maybe I just got tired of pandering to certain moody whims. Diplomacy takes its toll, and I'm not a diplomat. I'm not deliberately insulting anyone, but I'm not necessarily going to play by their self-centred rules either. For the record, I've been using the name Domdaniel - and some of its anagrams like 'idle monad' and 'old maiden' - since around 1990. But it got taken up the wrong way, and this time I'm in no hurry to mend the fences. I rather suspect they've been swept away by a hurricane. My previous effort to nicely explain and cajole was also seemingly read as an attack. When people are that touchy there's not much can be done about it. But thanks for trying. No worries, and I'll drop by your place before you take that break, okay? |
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Dec-18-06
| | Domdaniel: <Numbers> Yeah, the year before my current chess obsession was spent obsessing over mathematics. I used to leave theatres during the interval to go home to a nice differential equation. Had to do math cold turkey in the end. 2007, new year, maybe a new obsession. No idea what I'll try next. Vendettas, maybe. I've heard you can do 70kph on those nifty little Vendettas. |
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| Dec-19-06 | | monad: Season's Greetings. |
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Dec-19-06
| | Domdaniel: <monad> Thanks for the message - I hope you have an enjoyable Christmas. Things escalated slightly, for which I'm sorry. Peace, all right? |
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| Dec-19-06 | | achieve: <Domdaniel: Of course, you weren't around the Nickel game that much, were you?>> I was around.. and voted several times. But commenting didn't seem vital.
My main focus would have been to cheer on -be some sort of motivator. But since it seems that GMAN is being prepared for dinner, I am a confident and happy man in that respect. You're doing a great job Dom! <My previous effort to nicely explain and cajole was also seemingly read as an attack. When people are that touchy there's not much can be done about it.>
There definitely is a risk of that considering all the different backgrounds, timezones, characters and non-native English speakers. But when you get to know a person there is always a chance to mend the fences, sooner or later. Provided that those involved have some angermanagement skills and are not drugged or drunk!
--Even with Dakkie I have to remain a little alert as to what, and with what Tone I type things down. <..I'll drop by your place before you take that break, okay?> That would be nice! But equally important: I hope GMAN will be on a dish just before I'm off! ;-) <2007, new year, maybe a new obsession. No idea what I'll try next. Vendettas, maybe.> Speed (70Kph on a nifty V.)!! is an option. Anything to keep one of drugs, alcohol and other toxics will do! From personal experience I've learned that those do NOT help you clear your mind. Thinking for minutes about how to close this post with some elegancy/eloquency, I realise that this should do for now.. Cheers Dom |
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| Dec-19-06 | | twinlark: Aren't you the one that pissed him off?? So how come I'm on his flaming shytte list? In any case, wish him season's bloody greetings from me. |
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| Dec-19-06 | | Eyal: <mathematics/chess> Both have quite a lot in common, haven't they? combinations (in more than one sense...), abstraction, precision, a strong esthetic element. Mathematics doesn't have that struggle element with an opponent, though. I find it very suggestive because I also have a current obsession with chess and a former obsession with mathematics (though much further back than yours). I'm quite certain that if I had several alternative lives, I would like to try and become mathematician in one and a professional chess-player in another. |
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| Dec-19-06 | | TIMER: <Eyal> I agree. Mathematics and chess are my two main interests! Mathematics is much more universal ofcourse, and there are many mathematical games one could play. One mathematical game that interested me was the angel and the square-eater!
An angel moves like a queen, but on an n by n chess-board, except it can only move m squares in any direction. The square-eater moves by eating a square. The angel wins if it reaches the edge of the board, the square-eater wins if he stops this by managing to strategically eat squares forming a trap on the angel. For the simplest case maybe try with a king on a 11 by 11 board (not sure what number is critical). But the surprising point is, even if the angel can move (say) a thousand squares in any direction, it has been shown that by some very intricate web like traps, the square-eater can win if the board is big enough just eating one well-chosen square at a time! |
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Dec-19-06
| | Domdaniel: <Eyal> My meta-fascination here is with the prodigy phenomenon, as found in chess, maths and music. And perhaps some other areas. It's something I'm writing about at the moment, both fiction and nonfiction. My main idea is this: all three are formal systems without much cultural/experiential content. A child can play Scrabble, but not write great novels or poetry: the resonances and nuances come with experience. Maybe only certain aspects of music and maths qualify. Some of what we call music (eg, Bach) is more math-like, while some (Dylan?) is more novelistic. I think the language acquisition mechanism that children have before their teens is a combination of different modules rather than a simple centre in the brain. Evidence points to this now. One of these modules is for learning formal rules, axioms, vocabulary, and ways of combining. In the right conditions, it can be hijacked by chess/maths/music, and the prodigy literally learns to speak it like a language. I started playing chess age 16-17. Too late: I'll always have a 'foreign accent' as far as GMs are concerned. This isn't just my idea, of course; others have made similar points. I'd like to know what other formal systems might work -- could a chemistry prodigy visualize the structure of molecules? I might have been a dilletante-prodigy myself: started reading aged two and never stopped... but never stayed with one subject for very long, either. |
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| Dec-19-06 | | achieve: <Dom> <Eyal> <Domdaniel: <I think the language acquisition mechanism that children have before their teens is a combination of different modules rather than a simple centre in the brain. Evidence points to this now. One of these modules is for learning formal rules, axioms, vocabulary, and ways of combining. In the right conditions, it can be hijacked by chess/maths/music, and the prodigy literally learns to speak it like a language.> I tried to come up with a formulation like that, but wasn't able to ;-) As a child you can be hijacked by indeed more than chess/math/music, but those do not catch the attention of the public eye/media. Speaking for myself I know several people who'd qualify for that.. What is determining by which you are hijacked you end up with the emotional needs of that specific child. Those will steer the direction for that child. (expectencies/examples by parents and older siblings) The ratio of genetic factors in relation to the environmental influences and their emotional impact are as of this time not satisfyingly researched. Very hard to do if not impossible.. Probably for the largest parts this happens along with the age of learning how to speak, and earning/ being delt a place in the family. I for one also jumped from one subject to another.. No big problems. Solving problems/ excelling became my addiction at too early an age. Fascinating as it seemed to others. <Eyal>If I'd want to fulfill the potential in all the interests I have I would need more than 10 lives! |
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Dec-19-06
| | Domdaniel: A discourse on chess, addiction and neuroscience? A marker diagram? A verse of the day? Hmm. The latter, I think.
The Escape
Prey moves
Predator moves
Foreshortened angels
Hunting me down
Sleet switches silence
To the shredding of larks
- Scott Walker
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| Dec-19-06 | | achieve: <The latter, I think> very true, not one of us escapes that! Hmmm, wonder if a discourse would make any sense.. Probably too late..
Anyway,
Thanks for the verse!! |
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| Dec-19-06 | | TIMER: <Domdaniel> What do you think about the angel and the square-eater game that I said about above? I found the thousand to one example quite incredible when I first heard about it- you would think the angel was bound to escape. |
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Dec-19-06
| | Domdaniel: <TIMER> I like the infinite board idea. As you probably know, there are dozens of chess variants where pieces move differently - Leapers, Hippogriffs, Atom Bomb Pawns, Emperors, Viziers, etc. And the infinite board has similarities with Conway's game of Life, which I believe is equivalent to a universal Turing machine: in principle you can simulate any algorithm or program on it. I was also reminded of a chess variant, possibly invented by Lord Dunsany. White has 32 pawns, covering every square in his half of the board. Black has the usual R-N-B-Q-K-B-N-R from a8 to h8, and no pawns. White tries to checkmate black; pawns don't promote. Black must try to win all 32 pawns. I have no idea who usually succeeds. There are also games with the same principle (one trying to capture everything, the other trying to mate/smother the enemy) with names like Goats & Tiger. A chess-playing friend of mine once claimed to have accidentally become Goats & Tiger champion of Kathmandu while traveling in Nepal... The square-eater concept is different again. Something like Go, in terms of strategy, maybe. It seems counter-intuitive that it can win. |
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Dec-19-06
| | Domdaniel: <b4 we go...>
We have played 36.b4 to reach this position (Black to play):
click for larger view |
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