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Some more local masterpieces...
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Other
- Hits: 464
The lockdown has seen a dearth of garage sales, most "art" is making it's way to the thrift shops. And there was an abundance on the grand tour today: Gaia. I don't know. Trees with roots in water, an owl, girl holding bird, creepy woman spying from the trees. Planet earth in a bird's nest. This painting would definitely benefit from the overpainting of some starships or stormtroopers or something...
The one below, an eagle watching a native man kiss a tree adorned with something. I can't make it out. Eagle feathers drifting down on a sunbeam. Ribbons hanging on a clothesline, a little girl amongst sunflowers gesturing at elder kissing tree, one sunflower appears to be wrapped in a ribbon and looks to be becoming a fairy. This painting could definitely benefit from the addition of Darth Vader standing with a lightsaber awaiting to execute them all before stepping from the canvas and wreaking his righteous wrath upon the artist.
So, two fine examples of "Nelson Art" that really belong in a museum. In more prosperous times I would have bought them, improved them and donated them. Actually, upon second glance there is no improving them. They are plenty enough WTF as is...
Maximum 3 Citizens in Line
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Blog
- Hits: 424
Spotted in the town hall while attending bureaucracy. An odd phrasing, this "Citizens", evokes shades of '1984' or "Comrade", a peculiar trip of the tongue that evokes the days we're living in...
Pandemic without end...
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Miscellany
- Hits: 793
Maybe it will, all of a sudden, but it seems unlikely. The days drag, slow, where the Pandemic hasn't conspired against us the weather has.
The patio, cold, windy, intermittent sunshine that doesn't last, ....
BC, the COVID numbers dropping, 800, 700, 600...
Alberta, the numbers rise, rise, rise again, 2000, 2100, 2200, 2300...
This Pandemic, it seems it will never end. Maybe, given the vaccination numbers, it will. All of a sudden, all at once, and the Covid will just disappear. But it seems unlikely.
Now, the latest, BC recommends, requests Albertans stay home, shelter in place, even if they have a BC residence.
It doesn't matter, the take out orders still come, Alberta area codes.
Maybe it will just end, but I doubt it, it seems more likely that it will be somewhat contained for the summer. Those that are inclined will get vaccinated. This will take a couple of months. Alberta's numbers might plateau, with their new lockdowns, BC's numbers will likely continue to drop, the borders will remain closed to all but "essential" travel, but how is this determined?
And come the fall the fourth wave, all of the anti-vaccers, the forty-odd percent of the population that knew infinitely better than all the doctors, it will be their turn to be infected, and the lockdowns will come again, only this time it will be natural selection, and my sympathies will be exhausted.
This is the never-ending pandemic, the Pandemic without end, and, a year and a half in, seeing everyone's reaction, our political will, I've almost come to rooting for it...
Chess, Sven & Meditation
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Ideas & Questions
- Hits: 543
Online, playing Chess VS Sven at Chess.com. It beats the endless well of Reddit.
I learned Chess in my early 20's from a friend, Milan. Which is to say I learned the basic moves, the "rules", and was largely self-taught.
A flaw which I passed on to my own children.
There was a reasoning I applied - that I should be able to "think it through" - but the game after only a few moves offers exponential outcomes and consequences, and the "think it through" requires a level of prodigal thinking that so far eludes me. Even after the first three pair of turns the game offers 121 million possibilities, and this number quickly expands to more possibilities than there are atoms in the universe.
I'm playing against a robot, "Sven", 1100 ranking, and it brings to my attention how poor my strategies are.
Nine, even Ten times out of ten I can beat him - but I am blindsided by how often I don't. How many "Blunders" - missing obvious consequences to stupid moves - "Mistakes", poor moves when better were available, the number of turns it takes me to finish up what should be a straightforward execution.
It's not about winning - in the right mood that's not the issue, it's about getting quick enough that these obvious stupidities are overlooked in the advancement of the game. That certain openings should be routine - and they for the most part are - but vary from the script, think for yourself and you're quickly in over your head. A missed fork, a straightforward "seized your queen", it's rare the game at this point that passes without some inadvertent or unplanned sacrifice - rare that I can see that the game developed without my helping stupidity, rare that it passes without a mistake or blunder or missed win.
It's good, it makes me think, and what I think most of all is that by teaching my children - simple enough - I probably inculcated a lifetime of prejudice against the game - I didn't go through and teach the advantages of setting up defenses, looking over the whole board, the unconscious recognition of better and worse moves, the ability to predict advantageous outcomes over trifling exchanges, in short, I taught them the rules and told them to think it through when - in fact - this can only take you so far, which is not very at all, you need to master established strategies without thinking, most of the game is wrapped up in memory and repetition of moves designed to advance and free your pieces, very little of it involves thinking - certainly at this level.
Anyways, my thoughts on Chess, the goal to defeat Sven without thinking or committing blunders, mistakes, 100% of the time, before advancing to play Nelson, who I can beat perhaps 50% of the time but who's wayward queen still forces me into dumb moves and entirely predictable outcomes, the overall goal to play a respectable game with a human opponent, practice, practice, and maybe time to watch a few explanatory videos...
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