What’s your favorite game (card, board, video, etc.)? Why?

July 19, 2024 ~ Veselin ~ 4 Comments

Daily writing prompt

I play Chess. I’ve even attended some OTB tournaments (in person, phones off, real chess pieces). Chess is a game in which you primarily play against yourself. You get better by studying it rather than playing it. This makes it low-stress. You can move the pieces without thinking, relying solely on instincts and preparation.

Unlike most phone games, an online chess game lasts minutes and is over. No need to check your armies, buy battle passes, or collect items. No dopamine releases, game loops, p2w upgrades, megaboxes. You can miss a month without chess and you won’t even notice it.

I also play Uno because I have a 5-year-old UNO master at home who insists on beating me.

Two Cool Blogs

July 19, 2024 ~ Veselin ~ Leave a comment

Just dropping a few recommendations of blogs I ❤️ and deserve following:

Old Structures Engineering Journal – folks who post things about old buildings. I don’t know why I enjoy reading this stuff, but I do.

War and Peas – cartoons.

Sprezzatura

July 18, 2024 ~ Veselin ~ 6 Comments

From Wikipedia: “…the art of making something difficult look easy”. Curiously, the same work done with effortless grace and visible hard effort is perceived differently. Add a pinch of complaining and the good job can turn into a nightmare without any other change in the visible outcome.

ChatGPT agrees and says Sprezzatura is rated 9-10/10, while the work done with complaining is rated 4-5.

I encountered that word in Wolf Hall where the author refers to 1528’s The Book of the Courtier. Wolf Hall is a gem and I hope to dedicate a separate post to it once I finish it.