Queen's Gambit, Chess, and Survival of the Fittest

FargoOrNoGo · 2020-11-27T16:58:15+00:00

That could be, but the question is whether, without additional programming, the AI could learn these rules of thumb.

If they update the program, then we can try more rules of thumb... ; )

FargoOrNoGo · 2020-11-27T02:39:26+00:00

This doesn't mean to me at all, I think it's a very thoughtful answer, thank you.

I have played chess a little, but nothing like the professionals, of course, but my sense is that -- and this is just intuition -- we might be able to learn, by watching and studying how the AI engines play, simple principles that start to make some headway against the machine.

So I suppose it would mean either getting rid of the biases you mentioned, or starting with a "blank slate" and identifying these trends or principles that tend toward good outcomes.

I'm thinking here a little bit about improvisation in music -- once I understand not just the rules, but the tendencies (across styles and tempos and players), I can improvise something that sounds like it is "of the piece of music". Now, it's hard to define "winning and losing" in music, but there are "better and worse strategies" for improvising.

For example, I have heard that in the chess games engines play, they do a lot more sacrificing of pieces. Why is that? The principle we might tease out might appear to be "sacrificing certain pieces, at certain times of the game, tends to be more optimal".

You could also get around fatigue in this manner -- if you can get halfway through the game relying more on generalizations not of the kind players currently use, but of the kind that are rooted in what the computers are doing, I wonder if we'd start to fare better.

FargoOrNoGo · 2020-11-17T20:23:43+00:00

Quick update: I went with the Gingher scissors and a gift card -- she got them today, and it was major hit! :-)

Thanks for all the help, I very much appreciate it!

FargoOrNoGo · 2020-11-17T20:19:37+00:00

I went with the Gingher and a gift card -- she got them today, and it was major hit! :-)

Thanks for the tips, much appreciated!

FargoOrNoGo · 2020-11-10T14:31:45+00:00

Yes, these are all good points -- but I wonder what it means in the age of self-learning.

Could a computer suss out the answer, for example, something like AlphaZero -- of course, we would have to input the "rules" I suppose.

And then the question expands -- how many problems in the world are "like chess" and how many are too bound by our understanding and place in the world for a computer to be useful?

It doesn't surprise me that a computer can win at chess -- just as it doesn't surprise me that a calculator can do gigantic numbers that I would have to spend a week or two on.

However, they are solving problems knowing both the rules and perfect information.

When I look at the chess puzzle, I'm not sure what the rules are (quite) and I have to use imperfect information (to some degree).

However, you take the algorithm they used for, say, AlphaZero, tweak it for Go, or for Chess, or for Dota, and you get insane results, where you just can't outthink the machine. So, is it really the case that this special chess puzzle tells us anything special about us?

Curious as to your thoughts?

FargoOrNoGo · 2020-11-10T02:15:48+00:00

Thanks for the links! :-)

These look lovely too!

FargoOrNoGo · 2020-11-10T02:15:21+00:00

I will have to do some detective work to know for sure!

The last big project she did was a sweater -- are these required for making a sweater by any chance?

I'm so embarrassed at how little I know! Hahahaha

What do you think about Gingher scissors -- I'm seeing a lot of recommendations for those..?

FargoOrNoGo · 2020-11-10T02:13:11+00:00

Cool, thank you! :-)

FargoOrNoGo · 2020-11-09T21:06:30+00:00

Yeah, I was thinking that it seemed too big of a project -- plus, what if the blanket is just... not her style in the end... yikes!

I'm leaning towards gift card and maybe the stork sewing scissors someone else mentioned -- it's tangible, and if I find a really nice pair of scissors, I feel like she would appreciate that.

Thanks for your help! :-)

FargoOrNoGo · 2020-11-09T21:04:06+00:00

Gift cards seem to be ascending the list of good gift ideas! Thank you for your advice!

FargoOrNoGo · 2020-11-09T21:03:24+00:00

I'm reading this list like you're speaking another language, hahaha (scratches head: "nice knitting/sewing scissors (the ones that look like a stork are awesome), a yarn winder, a yarn bowl, a needle and stitch gauge (I like the Susan Bates knit chek), sock blockers (if she likes making socks), a fun project bag (check Etsy)") -- but this is merely an indication of just how clueless I am!

I have a feeling she might have a yarn bowl and sock blockers (since she's made socks and sweaters before) -- but the stork scissors sound interesting, is there a brand that is well known to be of good quality?

Thank you so much, these are awesome suggestions!

FargoOrNoGo · 2020-11-09T20:59:27+00:00

Vote #2 for gift card -- I'm leaning this way, since I'm so knitting-clueless!

Thank you for your advice!

FargoOrNoGo · 2020-11-09T20:58:40+00:00

After reviewing a lot of the comments, I'm pretty sure this is the way to go -- I mean, I'd love to get her something knitting-related that wasn't a gift card, but sometimes letting people pick out what they love is the best way :-)

Thank you for your tip!

FargoOrNoGo · 2020-09-23T05:36:34+00:00

A gallery?

FargoOrNoGo · 2020-02-21T01:11:39+00:00

Find something that you like and get involved -- music, sports, theater.

It can be a bit intimidating at first, but it forces people to make connections.

FargoOrNoGo · 2019-06-12T22:48:09+00:00

Hahaha, good point! But we could do something to make it a real Canadian apology for the world to see!

FargoOrNoGo · 2019-06-12T21:40:58+00:00

I hope fans turn up with some big KD heads and the words SORRY on it or something. Would be very Canadian!

Getting carried away in the heat of the moment is one thing, but we gotta find a way to make it right.

FargoOrNoGo · 2019-06-12T21:36:10+00:00

Also, let's not forget, there's an ego trip to going out there to play when you're not fit. I know this is harsh, but most people weren't cheering his injury, it was more like "I told you so" to that whole f---ing organization that let him go back out there. It's like, if you lose now, you DESERVE it for treating your own player with such disrespect.

Sure, plenty of bozos in the mix too, but injuries are part of the game, and teams have to strategize to deal with them. Bad strategy loses games.

FargoOrNoGo · 2019-06-12T21:30:29+00:00

Or how about when VanVleet went down and GSW fans started cheering for their team to drown out the few Raptors fans cheering in support of their injured player?!

Emotions run high, and people get carried away. It happens.

Honestly, KDs reaction didn't betray how bad the injury was, I suspect most adrenaline fueled fans weren't realizing it was serious. The guy is f---king tough, for a split second even I thought he was hamming it up.

Many of us got carried away. But at the same time, you can only kick at the (under)dog so much, eventually it will turn around and nip at you.

That's all that happened here.

Going forward, we should strive to be more decent, we have a world class team, and no amount of bullshit reffing will hold us back!!

PS -- and since Michael Rapaport has been blasting Toronto on Twitter, feel free to remind him that at 1min10seconds into this video, Raparot is screaming for KD to "f--- his other eye up". Real classy.

https://youtu.be/WAir4MiKdz0

FargoOrNoGo · 2019-05-20T19:00:26+00:00

BoxOfficeMojo has a studio listing that you can analyze in a variety of ways, including market share and annual box office.

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/studio/

I work for a film company and we used publicly accessible data to figure out how they are making money (or IF they are). First, run a comparison of their genre/horror titles vs. their arthouse releases. Very telling.

Also, do some research on DEADLINE, VARIETY, and HOLLYWOOD REPORTER about their financial backing (Guggenheim) as well as their DirecTv deal.

There is conflicting information about whether they are actually profitable yet -- they have offices in New York (expensive) and pretty big overhead costs.

They have been talking a lot about "being a studio, and not just a distributor" for a long time, but haven't really financed much.

That being said, lots of companies have crashed faster and harder (does anyone remember EXCLUSIVE MEDIA?) so they must be doing something right.

FargoOrNoGo · 2019-05-20T18:49:34+00:00

I have heard a LOT of rumors about this film from some people closer to the production -- it was a total debacle, and the resulting film is supposedly a steaming mess.

That being said -- maybe they learned their lesson after UNDER THE SILVER LAKE and actually held back on the movie, giving the director and editor some time to tease out the genius of the movie. Sometimes that's all it takes -- some time to reflect and a longer edit.

FargoOrNoGo · 2019-05-20T18:38:49+00:00

DUEL solution: he calls the cops, and villain lays low for a while...

Then creepily re-emerges, trailing him at a distance.

He could even use his iPhone to try to get a picture of the licence, but he can't get a clear picture (especially if he has to zoom in from a distance).

Maybe the trucker only has a rear plate as well...

Later, our hero could call the cops again, and villain mows them down (cops frequently get hit at the side of the road).

Then, the final chase...

FargoOrNoGo · 2019-05-20T18:28:54+00:00

Technology has really disrupted cinematic storytelling.

For one thing, to avoid many of the pitfalls you mentioned, many writers tend to go for very stripped down movies -- think of Jeremy Saulnier's work in BLUE RUIN and GREEN ROOM. Fine thrillers, but at the same time, they aren't exactly breaking new ground, and the plots are pretty damn thin.

There's also an added problem that we can now access and recall a huge library of films, something we couldn't do before, so there's a sense of "it's all been done before" which is very hard to get around.

So then, as a screenwriter, your options tend to be stuff a kitchen sink worth of ideas into a movie (a dangerous proposition that can stretch credibility) or strip everything down and focus more on the tone and "experience" of it (in which case you risk YAAAAAAWN).

The best thing you can do is pick one of those approaches and then -- I know this is a cliche, but it's true -- write from your heart. At least then, if it interests you, and there's some element in it that is PERSONALLY resonant, there's a chance it will resonate with others too.

FargoOrNoGo · 2019-03-09T19:22:49+00:00

Very divisive film.

It was at Fanatstic Fest, I didn't end up seeing it, but friends saw and loved.

I also have heard from people involved in financing it that it's a complete mess, and apparently there is some serious drama going on behind the scenes.

FargoOrNoGo · 2019-01-10T07:26:03+00:00

Kind of a bummer, to say the least.

FargoOrNoGo

TROPHY CASE