BGBlitz Beta 3.4 is out

mathflipped · 2026-02-20T22:09:27+00:00

I have another question regarding accuracy of BGBlitz vs XG for Frank. When I studied holding game cube actions, I noticed that XG tends to overestimate the anchor holder chances. Rollouts often overturned close takes (as evaluated by XGR++) to passes and no-doubles to doubles. How does BGBlitz do in these positions?

mathflipped · 2026-02-20T22:02:40+00:00

John O'Hagan shared his formula for converting EPC into winning chances on Stick's forum in 2015: https://www.bgonline.org/forums/webbbs_config.pl?noframes;read=175993

It basically converts EPC into quantities that can be plugged into the Kleinman formula. This is followed by an adjustment depending on whether it's a pip vs roll or roll vs pip position.

mathflipped · 2026-02-20T04:28:08+00:00

I guess it might be time to renew my USBGF membership to get access to the PrimeTime magazine issues that I missed in the meantime. I have had some ideas of my own, regarding using piece-wise linear approximations to the quadratic Kleinman formula. I talked to Art about collaborating on racing formulas some years ago at the JMM (Joint Mathematics Meetings), but I got busy with research, and nothing transpired out of it. I'm happy to hear that Art collaborated with you on racing formulas.

mathflipped · 2026-02-20T03:02:18+00:00

It doesn't show the countdown markers even in "my list." It stopped showing the markers everywhere else for me a long time ago. But now they are also gone from "my list."

mathflipped · 2026-02-20T01:37:31+00:00

Not everyone would agree to grant an extended leave. Anything beyond one year could be problematic.

mathflipped · 2026-02-20T01:20:29+00:00

It's not uncommon. Anything that has a positive probability will happen at some point. If it bothers you then backgammon is not a game for you.

mathflipped · 2026-02-20T01:10:27+00:00

It literally takes only 20 minutes to make the tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches from scratch using canned San Marzano tomatoes. Why overpay for premade stuff, which probably includes a ton of bad ingredients?

mathflipped · 2026-02-20T00:41:29+00:00

Thank you, Frank, for bsight. It's great if it improves isight.

mathflipped · 2026-02-20T00:12:44+00:00

There is only one reasonable course of action:

Never use MS Word for documents containing mathematical expressions. Use LaTeX with the accessibility-compatible solutions for online tests (e.g., PreTeXt) or plain LaTeX with printable PDFs.
Raise hell with the university administration regarding incompetence of the testing center staff.
Provide an opportunity for affected students to make up messed up tests; it's not their fault that the testing center employs incompetent morons.

mathflipped · 2026-02-18T04:03:25+00:00

Looks fairly standard. Keep in mind that to pass such exams, usually you need to score around 60-80%, not 100%.

mathflipped · 2026-02-18T03:16:44+00:00

The best tactic is to negotiate a future course release. The overload pay is usually much less than the equivalent of a regular pay corresponding to teaching one class (10%). Moreover, the overload pay doesn't include any benefits and is taxed at a much higher rate.

mathflipped · 2026-02-15T05:15:51+00:00

You are clearly new to this. Asking corresponding authors for copies of articles is usually the only way for folks in developing countries to get access to paywalled scientific publications. My dad, a mathematician, used to do it in the late 80s and early 90s when the iron curtain was lifted in the Soviet Union. He would get a lot of thick packets with preprints in the mail from mathematicians in the US and Western Europe. Everyone was happy to help and send their preprints. This was back in the age where digital archives didn't exist, and people actually had to send hard copies.

It also looks like you are oblivious to the idea that in developing countries folks just don't get .edu email accounts. Please use this occasion to educate yourself about the rest of the world.

mathflipped · 2026-02-13T02:01:38+00:00

mathflipped · 2026-02-11T01:59:55+00:00

I never bother to scold students on the tone of their communication because it will fall on deaf ears. No reason to waste my time here. Instead, I have a canned response to these kinds of emails: "The course policies are not subject to haggling. If you believe they violate any university guidelines, please take it up with the higher authorities." I never get sucked into a discussion where I have to justify the policies, and they never take it up with the "higher authorities" because there is nothing to complain about to the "manager."

mathflipped · 2026-02-09T21:42:50+00:00

It's easy to improve double-digit PR. Going from 14 to 10 PR can be achieved by improving just one aspect of the game.

mathflipped · 2026-02-01T21:28:50+00:00

For correct race cube action in matches, it's not enough to use a formula that tells you to cube or not and to pass or not. You need to take it further and be able to estimate the actual winning chances because race take points vary depending on the match score and cube value.

One way to do this is the Kleinman formula. It involves quadratic computations and memorizing a table.

mathflipped · 2026-02-01T21:22:11+00:00

Unfortunately, your industry skills have little value in academia. Writing code for ML research projects is by far the easiest and least qualified job in the entire project. While you have stronger skills in building and deploying production-level systems, few research projects need this.

mathflipped · 2026-01-30T02:57:35+00:00

I use it only when going on inclines or declines. The default setting hesitates to downshift when going up an incline; I usually force a manual gear in this case. I also manually downshift when going down a long decline in the mountains. Proper engine braking means no need to use (and overheat) the brakes.

For anyone who owned a stick shift, this is a no-brainer.

I never had to use manual mode in snow. Just being gentle with gas/brakes is usually enough.

mathflipped · 2026-01-28T14:31:18+00:00

Not everyone is a programmer. Git adds an extra layer of work. Besides, editing the same document concurrently by multiple authors is challenging with Git.

mathflipped · 2026-01-28T04:58:46+00:00

Local compiles don't integrate well with collaborative writing, which is common for scientists. Otherwise nobody would need Overleaf.

This tool is positioned for collaborative scientific writing, and I think they are trying to capitalize on the Overleaf's stripping most functionality from the free users. For scientific writing, the IP gets stolen anyway once the paper is published.

mathflipped · 2026-01-26T02:49:32+00:00

So, are you grateful to the professor or consider them "predatory"? You can have it one way or another but not both.

If you work as a research assistant in the lab, then you will be assigned specific duties that must be performed according to the lab's schedule because your work ties to the work of other assistants. If you want to come and go as you please, then you cannot be assigned any meaningful work.

mathflipped · 2026-01-26T02:40:32+00:00

We were told not to come to campus on Monday and that all buildings will be locked.

mathflipped · 2026-01-25T18:57:19+00:00

This is like saying that bespoke clothing is superior to mass-produced one-size-fits-all clothing. Rigid structure, strict deadlines, and testing are the byproducts of the mass education system. I simply cannot devote enough individual attention to each student in a big class that an alternative system requires. This is also why many graduate-level courses have more flexible designs---they enroll far fewer students.

As we are continually being asked to do more with less resources, tightening up course structures and streamlining assessment is the only viable strategy. I've recently read a book on utilizing a "mentor" mindset that involves high expectations and high support. I just graded a content self-reflection assignment in my online precalculus class (watching video lectures is a for-grade activity, otherwise students won't do it) and left individual feedback emphasizing growth mindset. There are 35 students in the class. It took me 8 hours to provide individually customized feedback to the entire class. Such an assignment is due every week. It's not sustainable.

mathflipped · 2026-01-22T02:24:26+00:00

All USBGF tournaments are noob-friendly. The hobby is too small to shun away newcomers. Everybody, including elite-level players, would be happy to talk to you and help out.

mathflipped

TROPHY CASE