Game and Ungame

I haven't missed the fact that my blog's focus is now pretty diverse, from games to Israel, technology, law and IP (where did that come from?), media and poetry, religion and philosophy.

I will have to make the shift to Beta blogger if only to add tags to my posts. Either that, or split up the blog.

Game

I sent out my Secret Santa gift, and have been informed that mine is on its way. My SS tells me that this was the first Hanukkah present s/he has ever sent, which increased his/her holiday spirit.

I have uploaded six months worth of reviews and session reports to BGG. 100 GG in one go. Apparently, people like my session reports and aren't thrilled with my reviews. I guess what I do falls somewhere in the middle.

When I write reviews, I don't go into the same sort of detail that others do. I don't list every component, every facet of game play, and every rule. Instead, I describe the basic mechanisms, win conditions, and game feel; what I need to know to know if the game is my sort of game, and no more than that. I might then do a brief analysis of some of the strategies or thought processes that come up in the game.

My session reports, if they don't also include mini-reviews, are either a few paragraphs, or complete blow by blows of the entire game (usually for Puerto Rico or Princes of Florence).


ORDER The Menorah Game from me; the components aren't great, but the game is. Get it in time for Hanukkah. Email me for a copy.

Ungame

Radio host Jerry Klein suggested that all Muslims in the United States should be identified with a crescent-shape tattoo or a distinctive arm band. He was testing his listeners to see what kind of responses he would get. And guess what he got?

Robert Satloff finds Arabs who saved Jews during the Holocaust. Not many, but some.

In the Arab technology field comes Sainul Abideen from Bangladore, who has created a process of storing up to 450 GB on an 8x11 piece of paper. Which is incredible for many reasons.

Update: As noted by Jason in the comments, the storage capacity has been grossly overblown; only a few MB of storage appear to be possible. That's still pretty cool, actually. Imagine backing up dozens of files to a single piece of paper. It's still cheap, bio-degradable, foldable, and cool.

Back in the Jewish world, US News also points us to a commentary from Yeshiva University by Matt Williams who throws down a gauntlet challenging how the yeshiva handles the mixing of sexes, and asserts that it creates rather than assuages sexual tension.

Finally, in the continuing genre of Star Wars parodies, check out the shortened versions of the entire Star Wars saga (very well done). Vid 1 and Vid 2. (via hamzy)

Yehuda