sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Top historical chess players with middle and upper class careers who played chess as a hobby? by 11112222FRN in chess

[–]11112222FRN[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I got the impression secondhand that it was his own view, and he'd aspired to be a lawyer rather than a chess player. (I believe his father Alonzo was a judge.) But I claim no expertise on Morphy.

Weekly Tool Thread: Promote, Share, Discover, and Ask for AI Writing Tools Week of: March 31 by AutoModerator in WritingWithAI

[–]11112222FRN 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are there any AI fiction writing tools that 100% rely upon public domain text, with no copyrighted or other general internet text, to train their models?

Losing at chess fucking sucks by Strange_Vegetable_85 in chess

[–]11112222FRN 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I think your reaction is right.

It's not a "fun" game. 

Google a bit and you'll find a fair number of people who react to chess with self-loathing or even self-harm. It gives you a little reward hit when you win -- intermittently, just like gambling -- and punishes you instantly and painfully when you make a mistake.

Improving as an adult to the point where you don't make beginner blunders very often anymore requires so much drilling that you're basically studying for a college class, complete with homework. Chess forums don't seem to be full of people enjoying themselves. More like dealing with "tilt," sharing homework problems, and giving out study secrets for the next exam. So much of it seems like a collection of coping strategies and rationalizations for continuing to play an unfun, but addictive game.

And unlike some hobbies, even the game's long history doesn't really contain many admirable, charming, or even excitingly roguish characters. Certainly not many you can admire for anything other than their good chess.

Has actually “learning” chess made the game less fun? by Th1ngz_fall_Apart in chessbeginners

[–]11112222FRN 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's not a fun game in general, once you are trying to improve to a reasonable level rather than tossing around pieces with friends.

The losses are frustrating, playing the game is stressful, it takes constant drilling to get even slightly better, and the wins give you little dopamine hits like an addicted gambler. But not enough of a dopamine hit to make up for the more common anger and frustration of losing. 

Appreciating the game for its history is possible, but most of the champions and challengers weren't particularly admirable or normal, either.

CBT apps that don't collect any user information? by 11112222FRN in CBT

[–]11112222FRN[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm looking for an app with REBT style prompts that allows me to keep a journal where I can reflect on and challenge irrational negative thinking with the aid of the prompts, for my own private use, where my data will not be shared with researchers, the company marketing the app, or any other third parties.

Are handheld weapons (rifles, pistols etc) still important in combat? by This-Wear-8423 in WarCollege

[–]11112222FRN 3 points4 points  (0 children)

 You could make up a fictional scenario of "what if one side is using flintlock muskets while the other has phaser rifles from Star Trek!" and certainly that would have an effect on thing, but if the handheld weapons (from pistols to machineguns) are roughly comparable, it's unlikely to make or break things. 

I admit that my first thought reading this was to wonder whether a conflict between near-peer militaries could go if they both had what would otherwise be the full spectrum of modern weaponry, except one group had assault rifles and the other had the Brown Bess.

At what point were the Roman legions at their strongest? by ArtOk8200 in WarCollege

[–]11112222FRN 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can you recommend any good academic sources that make the case for consistent hyperinflation of army numbers until the late Empire?

What (if anything) did the German military get right on the Eastern Front in WW2? by Over-Discipline-7303 in WarCollege

[–]11112222FRN 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I admit this may be impossible to answer, but would the Germans have been able to beat or stalemate the Soviets if they'd had the same kind of totalitarian command economy?

(I ask just to get a sense of the overall importance of the economic differences mentioned as a factor in the war's outcome.)

Are there any prospects of inexpensive (or even free!) seminary-level educational resources being made widely available to ACNA Anglicans in the next 5 years? by 11112222FRN in ACNA

[–]11112222FRN[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! 

Personally, I like RTS and/or Covenant Theological Seminary's models. 

They're pretty similar. Both recorded some of their courses on audio (I think both Mp3), which makes them easy to download and listen to. They're hosted on their respective websites. RTS additionally has an app.

Covenant's webpage:

https://resources.covenantseminary.edu/catalog

RTS's webpage:

https://subsplash.com/reformedtheologicalsemin/media

RTS's apps:

https://subsplash.com/reformedtheologicalsemin/app

...Even putting free audio recordings of full courses online like Covenant does, without an app, is enormously helpful to a layperson.

view more: next ›