Turgid

Cupping came to the world's attention during the Beijing Olympics, particularly when a bunch of swimmers like Michael Phelps showed up with red circular marks all over their arms and backs. I was sad that the TV commentators had to explain what they supposedly did without any real criticism. It's similar to the athlete's tape stuff popular among certain tennis players. (Also completely unproven, and with wacky bs theoretical mechanisms.) Hey, Phelps did win all those gold medals...too bad that has no correlation with the cupping whatsoever. BTW, "hype" is just a playful synonym for "excited" as far as I can tell. Personally I mentally substitute "excited" in all cases.

What if he did see the whole show, and the log turns out to be a log of supernatural events that will happen? Probably not, but that kind of log could be accurate too.

My understanding was that the distribution remains the same, but the x-axis is just shifted over until you're in the middle. It breaks down if you're at 0, since everyone else must be too. I think the question is undefined for binaries or other stats for which "average" is not meaningful. The question is really just another way of asking "in what ways do you think you differ significantly from the average?" The air force seat story reveals the "jaggedness principle," basically no individual is average across all dimensions. Someone might be close to average in shoulder width, but their arms will be longer or their feet smaller or whatever. So if you make a seat for the average man, that seat will fit no one well. Adjustable everything is the way to go. And in a broader sense, averages often give you a misleading picture of the underlying data, because the world is complex. Also, that football story is a tad too much, IMO. Jon Bois has really gone beyond profound sports-adjacent goofery, into high-concept sci-fi. Breaking Madden was good though. I'd endorse going to the oldest one first, cause it's a journey too. https://www.sbnation.com/breaking-madden

Yeah I think the real lesson of this thought experiment is that the genie doesn't have to twist anything. Basically, giving humans superpowers will end badly, for at least some people. Same with any technology that expands our capabilities. Still, it's a net positive, probably.

I think when it comes to legal defense, any sentence is going to have to be way more baroque and involved than that to make the meaning completely clear and unambiguous to a judge. You're basically writing a contract, there's a reason people study for years to do that kind of thing. Also, it doesn't have to hold up to human law, it has to hold up to genie law, so good luck making your human language sufficiently secure. It's a fun exercise though. But let's assume you get exactly what you wish for. The other issue is, as you guys pointed out, anything can be a weapon, and anything can be misused to screw people over. The problem isn't so much providing ammo, but that it disappears, leaving no trace. So basically whatever evil uses I can come up with for any food-based items, I can use them repeatedly and anonymously. That's a neat trick, unfortunately you have to heat and pressurize it a lot...which takes energy...way more energy than you can get back out, sadly.

There have been 4 so far, there's been one per month, starting in March 2017. I'll describe a bit of my story (spoilers!): So I don't think you're missing any, the jump from 1 to 2 was somewhat vague in my case as well. Though to be fair I still have no idea what is going on in general. There's just not enough context to make sense of the story yet, I hope. Is anyone else having better luck?

There's another alternative for the hair stylist story - maybe the actual person involved also goes to that hairstylist! She told the story first, and when Nick came in the hair stylist was biting her tongue, so she didn't burst Nick's bubble. Then Chris reminded her of it through the mention of Nick, but she went back to the original version. Stands to reason that the original person would tell multiple people. Or as people have now revealed the story is an urban legend, the hair stylist has heard it multiple times, and was referring back to the best version she had heard.

Hey I'm curious about the postcards. I don't want to spoil anything, but mine has a choose-your-own-adventure style option at the end, for "node 12" or "node 43." Is this unique? Am I supposed to work with other readers to reveal other nodes, or should I just wait for the next postcard on my own? I am intrigued and confused.

Machete order, as pointed out by Granny Dragon, is 4 5 2 3 6, skipping 1 since it's unnecessary to the plot. Basically your sentiment is right though, the prequels function as a flashback right after the big Vader reveal, then 6 brings it all together with his redemption. But Luke stays the central character. Here's the detailed justification if you're curious. http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2011/11/11/the-star-wars-saga-suggested-viewing-order/ You mentioned modern films recreating the feel of old cameras. There's at least one example of a similar thing in video games. Check out this CRT effect breakdown in Super Win The Game: http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/KylePittman/20150420/241442/CRT_Simulation_in_Super_Win_the_Game.php (Also FYI there is a long awkward silence that I assume was meant to be cut out after Jobs talk, at about 40:00. Although keeping in the break talk was cool.)

And wizardjam.game is only $499.99! Seriously though wizardjam.zone or wizardjam.link are reasonable. I'd totally buy the .zone if somebody wants to set up a page of links or a redirect for me (I have no idea how to do web things).

The Owlchemy Labs vr sharing solution: http://owlchemylabs.com/owlchemyvr-mixed-reality-tech/

Chris, Mini Metro does have an Endless mode where the goal is to achieve better and better passengers/day. I too wanted a soft failure state mode without the stress, and Endless mode is great for that. If you restrict yourself somewhat in the changes you make (no redoing entire lines) it approximates your realistic mode where certain stations become perpetually underserved and crowded. I'm not sure if you can do Hardcore + Endless...that would be even harsher than real life, since real train systems do actually change service, and occasionally physical infrastructure, in response to city growth and changing needs. I suppose that would imitate introducing a subway to an already established city over a few months, where stations popping in are just being completed. Can anyone find that Claire Hoskins (?) talk with the first-time metro gif? I'd be fascinated to learn a bit more on the theory and practice of actual metro design and see how my MiniMetro strategies compare and contrast.

Thanks for that great breakdown, Gormongous! I enjoyed the hell out of CK2 and put over 100 hours in, but eventually got frustrated by mechanics changes. (In particular, they changed how much vassals resented having their armies levied which made my carefully crafted, thread-the-needle claim-pushing attempt instantly invalid.) Kind of sucks that changes made for multiplayer affect singleplayer games as well. But it's great hearing about how the game is evolving, for better and worse. This game is so damn absorbing. I should see about those game customization options so I can avoid the stupid crap that takes me out of it. There's a glorious game in there somewhere.

For orbital mechanics, and featuring both actual astronomical data and procedurally generated stuff to fill in the blanks, never forget Space Engine. Totally free too. http://en.spaceengine.org/ Sean talked about it on the cast, episode 70.

Not to deluge you with negative feedback, I do want to say, I enjoyed this episode immensely. Particularly a lot of the points Nicholas and Gita made were good observations and insight into both the technical side and player side. Dwarf Fortress is a huge crazy thing in a lot of ways, and all of you did a good job covering and exploring those different aspects. Speaking of something that came up a few times in the cast, I still find it mysterious that some things in DF feel brilliant, yet those same things implemented in other games fall flat or just don't have the same appeal. There's some magic alchemy going on it seems. Or maybe the simulation is the correct level of detail, so that things like butterfly corpses preventing doors from closing present a verisimilitude that brings the DF world to life, which otherwise would be a game-breaking frustration. I really agree with Gita on the point that a lot of the goofy and frustrating stuff just winds up making the game more charming because there is no win state, it's a pure simulation upon which you can layer your own narrative. And due to the psychological detail, you almost surely will. While it's clear that some simulation games don't go far enough into the micro (e.g. SimCity, Banished), I wonder if it's possible to go too far. DF isn't there yet, but maybe it's in danger of getting bogged down in detail as the development progresses? Both Aurora and UnrealWorld (from what I've seen and played anyway) look like examples of this.How wide is the viable spectrum between ground-up systems-based simulation and top-down "manageable" gameplay? Also, good luck Nicholas! Developing a game like this with actual time and budget constraints must make it many times more difficult, let alone making the game accessible at the same time. I wish you the best!

The interface is the biggest barrier for sure, but as Toady (aka Tarn Adams the developer) has explained, it's still premature to focus on the interface when half the features of the game aren't in yet. From his perspective it's an alpha. He does the minimum to make it functional. However he promises the interface will be redone and polished when the time is right. One could argue that doing it now would be a massive quality of life improvement for his current players and a huge boost in popularity (and support). But remember this is a passion project, and Toady never promised a timeline or tried to sell his game even when people started throwing money at him for it. I think it's a bit unfair to expect polish from a work in progress.

Here's that video. And here it is about a year ago, getting kicked around the office. Still has a few bees. I'm playing through SUPERHOT now, and I agree that some of the narrative is just a bit hard to swallow. Some of that may be because it uses some cyberpunk tropes that I'm quite familiar so they feel a bit obvious. However the gameplay itself is gold, it feels just as good as it looks. I feel like I'm Christian Bale in Equilibrium:

The official word is that the interface will be addressed once the main features are in. But there's no point working on the interface now when it would have to be redone when major features get added anyway. (People have been requesting this periodically since the game was released.) Toady is aware of the issue and it will get fixed...eventually. I expect Version 1, released sometime in the 2040s, will be a glorious joy to play. Fortunately in the meantime we have DF-inspired games like Craft the World, Rimworld, and even Goblin Camp, that are really learn-able and usable.

George Lucas and Frank Marshall at the premiere: (skip to 1:18) Here's the Fallout 4 isometric thing. http://kotaku.com/fallout-4-re-imagined-as-an-isometric-game-1728145213 Dwarf Fortress is indeed programmed and designed by Tarn Adams, affectionately known by the community as Toady One. His brother Zach (aka ThreeToe) does additional design and playtesting. So that's two more amphibian connections in this show! DF's interface is pretty atrocious, and the gameplay is overcomplicated and you need a lot of community help to figure it out. But it is a brilliant in-depth basebuilding sim game, under the spike-encrusted surface. Fortunately the community has done some work to make it more accessible. By the way Nick, the game is pauseable real-time. So while the interface is slow until you learn it, you're not meant to be setting stuff up while the game is running. Pause it and designate your stuff and assign labors, etc. Then let it run for a bit, then pause again to set up buildings, etc. You have all the time in the world to sift through menus. Eventually you memorize the tree structure and can type v-p-l (or whatever) to pull up the labor menu automatically, but even then I'd never attempt to play it real time. (Side note, Dwarf Therapist removes a lot of tedium when it comes to setting labors for dozens of individual dwarves. It might clear up some issues on why certain jobs aren't getting done, if you run into that. http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/DF2014:Utilities#Dwarf_Therapist )

Here's that PS1 PS4.

A great episode with my favorite board game reviewer as guest! I think the point about the relationship between inmates and staff is a good one. While I can live without managing staff schedules, I think some of the most interesting drama in prisons comes from the attitude of guards towards prisoners and vice versa. Recently I've started my first all max-security prison, and as tends to happen due to budget restrictions, I had my guards spread thin. Inevitably a fight broke out, and one guard immediately stepped in to end it. Unfortunately backup was just a little too far away and he got stabbed with garden shears and died only seconds before help reached him. I knew that all I had to do was hire a few more guards to have better coverage to prevent this kind of problem, but for roleplaying reasons I took it on myself to research body armor and buy stab vests for all my guards, as well as install metal detectors. How could my staff continue working if I didn't take serious steps to improve safety? I imagined my guards absolutely detesting this now-murderer and harassing him at every opportunity. Too bad the game mechanics don't reflect this at all. Maybe in a future update? I agree with Paul though, this game is amazing for all the detail it does include. And that feeling of always keeping one eye on the budget is spot on, both necessary and a bit disturbing upon reflection. You guys didn't mention the Intelligence screen and confidential informants at all (maybe you haven't messed with them much?), but I find it's a critical tool to understanding your prisoners by discovering their hidden reputations.You'll have some deaths on your hands if you don't find out who's a Snitch or Ex-Law Enforcement soon enough, or who's Extremely Volatile. Apparently tapping phones is another way to learn reputations.

Actually it's http://www.kodie.me/. Though I admit that I also went to codie.me first. Also I saw he did a thing for Baman Piderman which is a freakin great absurdist series of animated shorts.

Don't worry, by the time your "Soylent Green" retirement moment comes around, we'll have perfect virtual reality recorded beaches to show you. Of course for full immersion, in the VR you'll be reclining on a beach chair.

On commentary, I think it's important to make a distinction between rules and strategy. I agree with Henroid that rules explanations are not really what's needed, but I don't think that's what new people are really asking for. American Football example: commentators don't explain what 4th down means, but they sure point out when a team has to run the ball to avoid a turnover. Or discuss the likelihood of a team choosing to kick a field goal based on the score. Similarly, knowing very little about the specifics of LOMAs, I'd appreciate talk about the manuevers (e.g. they're pushing top, or going for the dragon) and how that contributes to their overall strategy (they're trying to end the game quickly/they're farming and beefing up their carry for the long haul). This kind of thing is much more helpful to following the match and why it's exciting, than the individual abilities being used. Although that's fine too as long as you have the first thing. People can slowly pick up the jargon and details if they have good context for them. My experience with the newbie stream has been way too much specific jargon and not enough explanation of the goals and reasons behind various choices. (Although I admit I'm not that into the sport, I'm not much into football or tennis either but I can follow those a lot easier.)

A bit late, but for anyone interested in more modern animation principles, here's a great series going over some: