Annie Duke is a former professional poker player who writes books about making good decisions in the face of incomplete data – lessons she learned in poker. My favorite is her advice to reduce political bias: Think in terms of bets. Rather than saying, “This decision is awful,” say “I’m 99% convinced this decision isContinue reading “Decision-making advice from a poker player”
Author Archives: Melville
Learning RPG design with 5 games
A thoughtful list. 4 out of the 5 RPGs are unknown to me. But according to the author, they all are designed to drive storytelling. Take 1001 Nights, for instance: The overall trends worth learning from 1001 Nights is that all roleplaying is just making stuff up with your friends, asking questions and adding toContinue reading “Learning RPG design with 5 games”
Shakespeare, ranked and sorted
Aaron Krerowicz read all 38 Shakespeare plays during COVID, analyzed them and ranked them according to personal preference. Nowhere is he swayed by popularity or what he should say (King Lear doesn’t make the top list, for example) and the result is a refreshing look at Shakespeare’s canon in total. I’d never read Shakespeare outsideContinue reading “Shakespeare, ranked and sorted”
Games without Politics
I used to worry that writing about dragons and wizards and elves is kids stuff. It’s what I love doing, but it seems so disconnected from, well, more IMPORTANT things. And that FEAR stopped me for a long time from following through on my projects. It kept me always searching for jobs that seemed serious. Continue reading “Games without Politics”
My favorite books of 2021
This was a competitive year, because The Sovereign Individual and The Revolt of the Public were absolutely going to take two slots, leaving room for only one more. So I cheated a little and added a runners-up list. The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age.There is so much packed into this book,Continue reading “My favorite books of 2021”
Career advice in the technology industry
I like collecting lists of advice, even if I don’t always agree with everything. They’re helpful references and points of light and I think it’s helpful to keep close. This is a list of career advice in the technology industry. Contrary to the author’s assertion, I did not know all of the things in thisContinue reading “Career advice in the technology industry”
What is “The Great Online Game”?
The “Great Online Game” is a way to think about the Internet and your potential to make money with it. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a video game as, “A game played by electronically manipulating images produced by a computer program on a television screen or other display screen.” The Great Online Game is everythingContinue reading “What is “The Great Online Game”?”
New app works to create social messaging on the blockchain
New startup “Lines” aims to develop blockchain based social messaging, enabling users to send messages between wallets and join group chats based on ownerships of tokens. It matters because there’s a “rapidly increasing number of people using crypto pseudonyms to purchase digital currency, swap NFTs, vote on proposals, and manage treasuries,” explains Handa. “But wheneverContinue reading “New app works to create social messaging on the blockchain”
Vitalik on Balajis
Vitalik Buterin has weighed in on Balajis’ Network States concept. I like that Vitalik shares why he thinks Balajis is taking this stance. (I’m making an assumption that given his role in the crypto space, Vitalik knows Balajis well enough that he’s not mind reading). Vitalik thinks that: To show that network states are theContinue reading “Vitalik on Balajis”
Interesting Links
Six Word Sci Fi stories Japan to jail people for online insults Parisian Floors – Designers, rejoice. Hasbro will put your face on action figures. GI Joes will never be the same again. Heated seats as a service (HSAAS?)
Basement Whatever 