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Josh Knox

Just Joshin' #216 (Games)

Published 6 days ago • 4 min read

Family Photo:
Games

Calvin and Lawrence built a chessboard out of K'NEX.

We've played on it a few times. It works pretty good, except when the chess pieces fall through the holes in the K'NEX pieces. We could probably solve this by building bigger chess pieces out of K'NEX pieces instead of using our tiny travel set pieces. Maybe we'll get there someday.

I like playing games with Calvin and Lawrence. Outside of chess, we play Candy Land, checkers, Uno, and Zingo. Our local library has board games you can check out. From that collection, we've played Outfoxed and Hedbanz, both of which were new to us and fun.

We also recently bought the Peanuts version of Clue. We haven't played it yet, but I like the idea. It seems healthier for kids play this version of Clue, where you help Snoopy find Linus' blanket, instead of the original version, where you figure out who committed the vicious murder and what implement they used to end the victim's life.

Games are a good introduction to rules and rule-following, to strategy and figuring out what matters in a game—whether it's winning, or having fun, or something else.

One perspective is that life is like a game, though you have to decide which game you are playing.

I hope we continue to play lots of games with Calvin and Lawrence as they grow up. Right now, that's the game I'm playing. If at the end of the day my wife kisses me and my kids hug me, I know I'm winning.

Dad Jokes:
Contagious Games

This morning I coughed up a pawn, a bishop, and a rook.
​I think I have a chess infection.​
​It was a rough knight.

Source: ChatGPT​

Highlights:
Structure and Effort

​Playful Parenting by Lawrence Cohen (Derek Sivers Notes)​

All the children’s games that are about connection: Chase, tag, follow the leader, and hide-and-seek are obvious examples.

​What chess competitions taught me about startups by Bill Mei​

The single biggest thing I did to improve my chess game as a beginner was to read chess books. This helped me go from beginner to intermediate in a relatively short time. But once I became an intermediate player, I benefitted more from observing analysis and commentary of professional players, and getting coached on the strengths and weaknesses of my own play.
​
However, there is only one way to go from intermediate to advanced: play many, many games against other people who are slightly better than you are. You can’t rely on other people’s advice forever and if you want to truly excel at the game you have to discard some of the advice and create your own strategies.
...
​
Have fun and remember: it’s just a game There are exceptions to every rule including the ones above. You’re in this to have fun, and having fun means doing things just because you want to sometimes. Despite all the challenges and difficulties you may face during a chess game, always remember that at the end of the game, no matter who wins or loses, all the pieces go back into the same box.

​Build a School in the Cloud by Sugata Mitra​

[In 1999, Mitra setup a system of public computer kiosks for underprivileged children to see if they could independently develop computer skills]

I stuck my computer in, I went away, came back after a couple of months, found kids playing games on it. When they saw me, they said, "We want a faster processor and a better mouse."
​
So I said, "How on Earth do you know all this?" And they said something very interesting to me. In an irritated voice, they said, "You've given us a machine that works only in English, so we had to teach ourselves English in order to use it."
​
That's the first time, as a teacher, that I had heard the word "teach ourselves" said so casually.

​Bill Gates and Patrick Collison: In Conversation at CHM​

Patrick Collison: You mention your grandmother's affinity for cards and how she'd win all the card games. Is that why Windows has all the card games?
​
Bill Gates: The first time I figured out there were algorithms, hidden algorithms that if you thought about them carefully enough could help you was playing cards, even before I got into math. We put that card game in there...it's kind of a goofy thing to stick a few free games in with the software...You know, Bridge...we still don't have good software for playing Bridge. That'll get solved...

​Online Bridge by Warren Buffett​

Warren Buffett: I would pay $5 Million dollars per year for the ability to play online Bridge for 12 hours a week. It's worth it to me. You know, compared to the cost of a second home, which wouldn't mean a thing to me, or the cost of a boat, or whatever it might be. If you deliver 12 hours of enjoyment playing with my sister in Carmel or whomever it may be...I would pay it.
​
But they can't figure out how to get it from me, so I'm paying about $95 a year.

​9 fun ways to increase your agency with zero grinding required by George Mack​

9. Kill your to-do list. Play video games instead.

iamJoshKnox:
EncycEELopedia!

This is the first edition of my eel book. If you buy a copy, I'd love feedback on what jokes work or don't work, as well as suggestions to make it better. My dream is to one day have this book featured in every aquarium gift shop in America.

Available on Amazon Where Books are Sold:​
​EncycEELopedia​

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Until next week,
​iamJoshKnox​​

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Josh Knox

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