Just One More Game … April 4th, 2012 @ 10:32 am PDT
There’s a really good article in this week’s New York Times Magazine on the hyperaddictive, time-sucking, relationship-busting, mind-crushing power and allure of silly digital games. (hat tip to @sprokolopolis)
Fortune’s Formula April 2nd, 2007 @ 5:47 am PDT
I am not even 100 pages into my latest William Poundstone book and I already know it’s going to be a favorite. Fortune’s Formula, The Untold Story of the Scientific Betting System That Beat the Casinos and Wall Street is the fourth Poundstone book I’ve read. The man is a genius of a writer. Labyrinths […]
Game Theory at Work March 2nd, 2006 @ 8:36 am PST
This is one case where you can’t really trust the reviews at Amazon. Take it from me: Game Theory at Work: How to Use Game Theory to Outthink and Outmaneuver Your Competition is an excellent book. It’s been on my reading list for over a year now, and just last night I finally finished. Miller […]
Link Droppings January 11th, 2006 @ 11:41 pm PST
Just a bunch of random thoughts I’ve been meaning to post … It took me for-freaking-ever to recognize that it’s Matt Dillon doing the voiceover on the Pontiac Torrent commercials. It took me five minutes to find and download Struggle, by Ringside — the music from the commercial. I snagged a couple of their other […]
Bringing Down the House May 30th, 2005 @ 8:52 pm PDT
What a great book! I just finished reading “Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions“, and I feel like I need to take a nap. It’s a thrilling, true account of a group of college kids that managed — in two years! — to fleece the […]
The Atomic Cafe April 3rd, 2002 @ 11:44 am PST
A long time ago in a life far, far away, I watched a documentary with my dad called The Atomic Cafe. I haven’t seen it in over a decade, but I remember that it was simultaneously funny, fascinating, informative, and disturbing. It’s probably what got me so interested in logic, game theory, and the physics […]
Game Theory November 21st, 2001 @ 10:44 pm PST
On buying tickets
Game Theory January 9th, 2001 @ 12:55 pm PST
The bonus question @ sylloge.com is: “Does anyone know if there are an infinite number of chess games? If not, what the limit is?” The answers are “no” and “I couldn’t tell you off the top of my head, but I suspect it’s a great big number”. This is a topic tackled in Prisoner’s Dilemma […]
Present December 14th, 2000 @ 8:11 am PST
A few days ago I received my first Christmas present of the year! It came from an unlikely source, and it is certainly appreciated. It’s a book called Prisoner’s Dilemma by William Poundstone. The book is about game theory and its relevance to nuclear proliferation and the Cold War and it is excellent. I’ve read […]
Game Theory December 11th, 2000 @ 12:41 pm PST
You and a person you love deeply are placed in separate rooms with a button next to each of you. You know that both of you will be killed unless one of you presses your button before sixty minutes pass; furthermore, the first person to press the button will save the other person, but will […]