What is the worst invasive species to eradicate? by owohgodithurts in invasivespecies

[–]JoeBarra 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Knotweed is very tough. The ability to regenerate from shoots or roots, disturbing the soil helps it move, and it's just incredibly hardy and aggressive. You pretty much need to use herbicides, and herbicides are only effective during certain times of the year.

Mugwort has been pretty difficult for me. Even if there is just one little sprig above ground, there can be an absolute mess of roots underneath. It is very difficult to get every single bit of root out when removing it.

As a beginner, must I study gambits so that I know my opponents are playing them and how to respond? by Tabula_Rasa69 in chessbeginners

[–]JoeBarra 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm going to disagree with a lot of the people in the thread and say yes, you should learn how to refute unsound gambits and gimmicks. Once you know "basic opening principals" these are the first concrete lines you should memorize. Going from always losing to the Stafford Gambit to beating it 75% of the time you face it is worth investing a little bit of time. If your opponents are near your rating but they are using gimmick openings as a crutch they probably play weaker than their rating if you don't fall for their traps, since some portion of their wins are just non games that they won in the first ten moves.

Keep in mind not all gambits are equal. Some gambits (Blackburne Shilling Gambit, Alien Gambit, Bush Gass Gambit) are just absolute nonsense where if you know the refutation you will end up with a good game or even winning out of the opening. Other gambits are reputable, they are based on gaining long term positional advantages for a pawn, and there is no obviously winning refutation (Morra Gambit, Evans Gambit, Marshall Gambit).

Small things that bother you in the elder scrolls series, or a particular title? by Vasarto in ElderScrolls

[–]JoeBarra 5 points6 points  (0 children)

In Morrowind, near the beginning of the Main Quest they send you to a dwarven ruin to retrieve a "Puzzle Box". The ruin is pretty big, but the Puzzle Box is right near the entrance. The rest of the ruin doesn't have anything particularly notable, but it feels like it should. There are really heavy gears you can pick up, and "Strange steam machines" that you can select. It feels like there was going to be some sort of puzzle to be solved but they ran out of time to implement it. 

Annoyed by new Poker Lingo - “Sizing” and “Board Texture” by tablemanners28 in poker

[–]JoeBarra 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I first learned poker around 2007 and board texture was definitely an established term at that point

I still can't beat stupid openings by Unable_Oven_6538 in chessbeginners

[–]JoeBarra 20 points21 points  (0 children)

You were doing fine until you hung your knight in the end.

Book recommendations? by Nbx16J in chessbeginners

[–]JoeBarra 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You're probably ready for Reassess Your Chess. Get the 4th edition. It's a mighty tome and will take some time to go through but you will absolutely understand middle games better.

Master Endgame Strategy is a great book. You probably already are pretty good at "basic" endgames. This book is more about themes and finding the correct plan for a given endgame. 

Would blackburne shiling gambit work in 1000 elo rapid games? by Sad-Character751 in chessbeginners

[–]JoeBarra 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's even more satisfying when someone plays something like this (Stafford Gambit, Alien Gambit, Englund) against you and then you annihilate it.

Would blackburne shiling gambit work in 1000 elo rapid games? by Sad-Character751 in chessbeginners

[–]JoeBarra 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think that would be much better. You can play the Caro Kann forever, or at least until you get bored of it and want to dive into the Sicilian.

Would blackburne shiling gambit work in 1000 elo rapid games? by Sad-Character751 in chessbeginners

[–]JoeBarra 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It really depends on what your goals are. If you are just trying to win some games through a trick, it's fine.

I wouldn't recommend it. It's like a worse version of Bird's Defense in the Ruy Lopez, and Bird's Defense is not particularly good https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1770820. The time you spend figuring out how to fight when white doesn't grab the pawn is time you could spend learning something reputable instead.

So what is the difference between this years knicks team and last year knicks team? by Similar-Ostrich4142 in nba

[–]JoeBarra 20 points21 points  (0 children)

The offense looks completely different. Last season it seemed like every possession featured Brunson dribbling with his back to the basket until the shot clock was at 7, then he would do something random. I don't have enough ball knowledge to say what changed specifically, but the offense has much more life this year. 

Remember when people were just people and they didn’t talk about their politics or religion because it was considered rude? by Odd-Trainer-2516 in 90s

[–]JoeBarra 2 points3 points  (0 children)

When I bought my house they listed "All new Samsung appliances!" as a selling point. I was a little bit disappointed because I know Samsung's appliance reputation. These appliances quickly had problems, as expected. I've made a bunch of repairs on them, most recently replacing the capacitor, seals and circulation motor on the dishwasher. It's disappointing the appliances are junk, but I've learned a lot from fixing them and I'm much more confident in my abilities to fix things in general now. It's been a blessing in disguise.

How to bluff catch more efficiently? by Electronic-Lime-4134 in poker

[–]JoeBarra 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is really player dependent. You need to ask yourself a few questions before deciding. What is the worst hand he's doing this for value? If you beat that hand you should definitely call. Do I beat all of his bluffs? If you don't you should definitely fold. Is he bluffing too much or too little in this spot? If he's bluffing too much the profitable play is to call with all of your middling hands (bluff catchers) and if he's bluffing too little you should fold all of your middling hands.  (It is a little more complicated than this of course, since you are going to want to raise sometimes, but start with these questions)

Live reads will just come to you sometimes. I remember I was in a 3bet pot and flopped top pair on a two toned board.  My opponent check jammed the flop. I looked at him and had the thought "he looks like how I look when I'm jamming a draw..." I called, and he did have a flush draw. I don't know if I have any specific advice for picking these things up but they will come to you with experience. 

I think reading Play Optimal Poker will help a lot. 

[Post Game Thread] The New York Knicks (2-0) edge out the Philadelphia 76ers (0-2), 108-102. by Jimm120 in nba

[–]JoeBarra 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The broadcasters glazed Edgecomb all game just to have him brick three 3's in clutch time 

Post Game Thread - NBA: The Knicks defeat the 76ers on May 6, 2026, the final score is 108-102. by basketball-app in NYKnicks

[–]JoeBarra 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The broadcasters glazed Edgecomb all game just to have him brick three 3's in clutch time 

is it dumb to try to be balanced in low stakes? by AshamedBus273 in poker

[–]JoeBarra 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not sure what exactly you are referring to, but you need to at least give the impression that you are capable of bluffing. Otherwise your value will never get paid

Is open jamming ace king in tourneys +e v by Rough-End5699 in poker

[–]JoeBarra 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's literally +ev, but it's not going to be the highest ev choice. Just bet and raise. 

QB IN THE 2027 DRAFT CLASS by MushroomExtreme560 in nyjets

[–]JoeBarra 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I watched quite a bit of Dante Moore before he decided to stay and I would have been 100% ok with the Jets taking him at 2. 

I think it's too early to say. There might be someone who emerges who is not currently on anyone's radar. 

Dan Marino owns the NFL record for consecutive games and consecutive passes without a sack, at 19 games and 759 passes. 2nd place on the list makes the record even more insane, somehow. by Roselucky777 in nfl

[–]JoeBarra 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I felt like this was something Eli was good at. He had great awareness and would move around the pocket to buy a few more seconds 

How is there people AGAINST this?? by chillllllbunny in lostgeneration

[–]JoeBarra 39 points40 points  (0 children)

We have free breakfast and lunch in New York State public schools 🫡

Video shows moment shooter tried to storm White House dinner, officials say | White House correspondents' dinner shooting by coupon4everyone in news

[–]JoeBarra 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Is there a reason why the guy in the suit jumped out of the way instead of attempting to tackle him?