Monthly Archives: March 2009

A brief history of Grey Poupon stuff

Posted on March 31, 2009 by Dave Gottlieb

This Malcolm Gladwell article takes on the (interesting!) question of why Heinz ketchup is so dominant (and there is so little variety of ketchups). But it starts with a fascinating story of how Grey Poupon products opened up the mustard … Continue reading →

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Scrabble against the computer, and computer-assisted Scrabble

Posted on March 30, 2009 by Dave Gottlieb

I’ve played Scrabble against a computer. The game was hopeless. The computer just kicked my ass. I suspect computers will almost always beat humans at Scrabble, because it’s very easy for a computer to have a perfect vocabulary and find … Continue reading →

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Books read in the past year

Posted on March 21, 2009 by Dave Gottlieb

One year ago, I decided to start blogging every book I finished. I think I was able to fulfill this resolution (possible exceptions: The Concept of Law, Law’s Empire), although sometimes I merely noted the book and didn’t write anything … Continue reading →

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Chrono Trigger, and time-travel in every JRPG

Posted on March 21, 2009 by Dave Gottlieb

Thoughts on starting up Chrono Trigger (this is a cross-post from the Vintage Gaming Club.) Chrono Trigger is a game where the story is about time travel, but it also embodies a JRPG archetype where another form of time travel … Continue reading →

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The Vintage Game Club plays Chrono Trigger (mefi x-post)

Posted on March 17, 2009 by Dave Gottlieb

Good morning, Crono! (Cf.) Starting this Friday, the Vintage Game Club will play through the RPG classic Chrono Trigger, a game beloved and praised but perhaps not well understood. The discussion is beginning here (little substance so far).

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Read recently: Bester, Wilson, Ogawa

Posted on March 2, 2009 by Dave Gottlieb

Over the past couple months, I’ve read a few books — not that many, for the same reason that I’m not going to write an essay about them; no time. The Stars My Destination (Alfred Bester), Bios and Blind Lake … Continue reading →

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