Category: Random

Old Door

~ Veselin ~ 7 Comments

We have this tiny storage room in our shared co-working space that likely used to be a toilet and had no door. Ever since we rented it, it’s a source of smell. The door for it was just hanging inside, too tall to be put in place. Today I decided to shorten it and mount it.

Unfortunately, the door had twisted, perhaps years before the last “renovation” that left it placed by the wall. I’ll have to figure out some alternative way to close it. The metal piece that holds the lock was cut or broke before our time here. I think I can find another one but it won’t make the door any less twisted.

Some door is likely going to better than no door in terms of odor. Fingers crossed.

Do I need a break

~ Veselin ~ 1 Comment
Daily writing prompt
Do you need a break? From what?
View all responses

Some of the best ideas and lightbulb moments I’ve had happened while taking shower or walking outside, so in a sense, when having a break.

A real break for me is when I allow myself to not think about anything. Close the lid early and commit to keeping it closed until tomorrow. Open a book. Don’t expect a lightbulb moment, just surrender to the end of the day.

Who is the most badass fictional female character?

~ Veselin ~ 28 Comments

Found this writing prompt on Reddit and liked it more than our daily prompt here. I wrote a list and then filtered it out by removing most superheroes. I personally believe superheroes undermine people’s faith in their own future and are just bad taste. You can rebel, learn how to shoot with a bow, endure a lot but you can’t possibly ever be Wonder Woman, Starlight, or Captain Marvel, so they were disqualified. So here’s the list.

16. Samara Morgan / Sadako (The Ring)

She’s a nightmare coming to reality and one who could make the Alien run in screams. However, being a demigod supervillain and not a positive example gives her the honorary number 16 spot on my chart. One of the few characters with superpowers I considered worthy. Don’t tell her she’s 16th.

15. Trinity (The Matrix)

Trinity stood up to the agents and helped Neo ascend. She radiated strength in every moment of her presence. Being Neo’s second rather than Neo herself gives us 15th spot.

14. Renee Ballard (Michael Connelly’s novels)

A relentless detective who stops at nothing to capture the next serial killer, often multiple at a time. Debra Morgan could’ve been on that spot but she’s Dexter’s second. Renee Ballard is independent and has to navigate difficult politics to score her wins.

13. Bones (Bones TV series)

Brilliant scientist who grows a team of unorthodox wizards around her. Her mind is her weapon and she’s not shy of touching weapons.

12. Nebula (MCU/Marvel)

Nebula survived Thanos’ parenting. She has mental endurance unmatched in the MCU by anyone other than maybe Loki.

11. Acid Burn (Hackers movie)

A teenage hacker from a time when we didn’t yet have PCs. She and Zero Cool were an inspiration for my generation. I was torn between Acid Burn and Lara Croft and decided Acid Burn is the more skillful character played by Angelina Jolie.

10. Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games)

She volunteered as a tribute to risk her own life for her sister Prim. Deadly with the bow and a symbol of the rebellion.

9. Esmerelda “Esme” Weatherwax (Discworld)

Granny Weatherwax is the only witch in the known universe who has ever mind controlled a bee hive. She cannot be seen when you don’t expect to see her because the brain refuses to acknowledge her presence. Could’ve easily been number one on the list but loses point due to having magical superpowers. Wednesday Adams, Galadriel from Scholomance, and Yennefer from the Witcher are, IMO, inferior to Esme. If not in power, at least in badassery.

8. Harley Quinn (DC Comics, Margot Robbie Version)

Chaotic and dangerous, Harley with a bat is more than most superheroes can handle.

7. Livia Lone (Livia Lone series by Barry Eisler)

Livia Lone is tiny but determined. She’s brings down traffickers with brutal efficiency that makes Dexter Morgan look juvenile.

6. Leslie Knope (Parks and Recreation)

She’s a modern hero with unbreakable optimism and strong work ethics. She would be crushed in a physical fight with any of the others but I believe she deserves a spot, even if not a top one.

5. Savine dan Glokta (The First Law by Joe Abercrombie)

Born into wealth but remained in power due to her ruthlessness and skill. She bends the world with the force of her will. Her superpower is similar to Batman’s. She knows how to make money and use them but doesn’t shy away from getting her hands dirty.

4. Adjunct Tavore Paran (Malazan Book of the Fallen)

Adjunct Tavore is a mortal commander who leads armies against gods, ascendants, and mages. Unbreakable and underrated, she resists the will of gods.

3. Starbuck (Battlestar Galactica)

Fighter pilot, rebel, drinker, loudmouth—she kills Cylons and leads the humans to salvation by example. I also consider her a combined character with Bo-Katan, who is a bit less genuine than Starbuck but still very cool.

2. Makri (Thraxas series by Martin Scott)

A fierce quarter-ork-quarter-elf warrior who crawled out of the gladiator pit after massacring her captors with their own weapons to pursue career in science. In an university that forbids the admittance of women.

1. Ellen Ripley (Alien)

Facing the Alien and surviving. Who does that? Outwits, outlasts, and takes on the perfect organism with nothing but brains.

I feel like the final 5 can be shuffled and any order would still be fair.

5th-Grade Math Tricks

~ Veselin ~ 7 Comments

My big kid reached the age when math is no longer easy. His teacher is ambitious and the other parents – even more ambitious. Many of his classmates take private lessons. I’m trying to teach my kid some tricks to help even the score. One of the points I make is that when solving tasks, he should keep the numbers small:

  • A large number can be a sum or a product of small numbers
  • If his solution is a large number, or somewhere in the process of finding the solution he deals with large numbers, there’s likely an easier way or the solution is incorrect

45*37 + 55*37 could be solved by the sum of two large numbers but you can do 37*(45+55), which only deals with small (or at least smaller) numbers.

Why it works

  • Multiplying and dividing large numbers is prone to errors. Each time I check his work and I spot 4-5 digits, one is usually already wrong
  • Many math problems require simplification and have one or more simplifications available to be spotted
  • Keeping numbers small is also related to some hacks for simpler calculation. 99*99 is difficult but 100*99 – 99 isn’t.

We already know about X, fractions and so on. Wish us luck.

How to Teach a Kid Play Chess

~ Veselin ~ 2 Comments

Chess is a game that should’ve disappeared by now. Chess engines have become so strong that humans can no longer contribute to game theory—except by coding the chess engines. Yet, YouTube is filled with funny and wildly popular chess influencers. As a result, both of my kids have taken an interest in learning the game. Now, it’s time to teach my youngest, who is 6.

Here’s my strategy for teaching the game:

  1. Show the piece movement, arrange the board and start playing
  2. Do not win! Little kids seem to love beating their parents 🙂
  3. Do not take any pieces outside of avoiding check or recapturing
  4. Encourage them to use all pieces
  5. Once you feel like the kid got a basic idea, switch to mini games
  6. Give them 2 rooks and queen vs your king. Let them find a checkmate
  7. Once they find a checkmate, give yourself a pawn and play hard
  8. Once they find a checkmate, give yourself 2 pawns. Teach them how to attack the backward pawn
  9. Once they find a checkmate, give yourself a knight. Teach them forks
  10. Keep adding pieces to the board for both sides until a real game becomes possible

Around point 10 it’s time to find a chess club. This is when the chess became a chore for both of us with the big kid. Also, finding a tick where the kids played didn’t help much. I’ll try to improve the process with the second kid, maybe find a club without ticks.