Categories
Games

Battle Royale Model

In a battle royale game like Tetris 99 or Fortnite, a player’s rank does not absolutely reflect their skill level. Just by chance, a strong player may encounter a stronger player early on in the match. Since ranking is by elimination and time, a skilled player may be eliminated early and thus rank low.

I thought it would be interesting to model this phenomenon with Python.

In the following code, a list, “s”, of 10 members, stands for 10 players. The numbers 0 to 9 give the skill levels of players, with 0 being the strongest and 9, the weakest.

Two numbers are pulled from the list randomly, then compared.

The larger number is added to the rank list, “r”. The smaller number is added back to the pool of players.

At the end, zero is appended to the rank list because zero always wins. The rank list, “r”, is reversed to give the ranks their proper placements.

#Battle Royale Model

from random import choice

r = []
s = list(range(10))

while len(s) > 1:
    x = choice(s)
    s.remove(x)
    y = choice(s)
    s.remove(y)
    if x < y:
        r.append(y)
        s.append(x)
    else:
        r.append(x)
        s.append(y)

r.append(0)
r.reverse()

print(r)

Here is some output:

[0, 2, 8, 7, 1, 6, 5, 9, 3, 4]

Notice, Player 1 is ranked in the upper half, but barely; yet Player 1 is better than 80% of the players.

Also, although Player 9 is worst in skill, he made 8th place, rather than 10th or last place. One interpretation of this is that in battle royale games, hiding is a good strategy.

Categories
Literature

Tell the Machine Goodnight

Tell the Machine Goodnight by Katie Williams is about a device that gives accurate recommendations to obtain happiness. The device, called Apricity, creates some unusual scenarios.

Although Apricity does what it is marketed to do, it is not a complete solution. First, users must follow these recommendations. Apricity is a black box, so users are not able to understand why these recommendations are made. Following recommendations is a leap of faith. The average user needs to apply the recommendations and sense within themselves any changes.

Yet, many people question the premise of Apricity, its benefits. Some believe that taking advice from a machine is a fool’s errand. Others believe change is not possible in themselves.

Apricity is also expensive. The Apricity Corporation has a monopoly: The procedure is expensive, but the procedure itself is not costly.


In our current society, we are faced with many pieces of advice that promote happiness, yet they are not followed, for example:

  • Do not use your phone in bed.
  • Smile (as in smiling makes you happy)
  • Eat well
  • Exercise

Williams gives an interesting example of this phenomenon. A manager of the Apricity Corporation has taken his Apricity reading multiple times. It is always the same and he never follows the advice. He rejects advice because as a self-identified self-made man, the act of rejection makes him feel powerful. Thus, for him, power is a stronger reason than happiness.

Categories
Games

Clash of Clans

Confession

I’ve spent probably around $200 on Clash of Clans.

I started playing 2 years ago and I deleted the game recently.

Gameplay

Clash of Clans boils down to two things: build time & resources.

The reward of diligent play is building on an accelerated schedule. Of course, one can also spend money to build, by purchasing gems.

The trade-off is clear. I wait hours for a building to complete or I can spend gems and complete it instantly. I spend gems to accumulate the resources needed to build when I am short.

After playing a while, one realizes that it would be foolish to spend gems for resources. The rational side started to take over. The rush of instantly upgrading buildings balanced against my bank account. I’d come to a state of equilibrium.

Season Pass

If I’m grinding every month, I might as well buy a season pass to obtain spells & potions.

Everything takes a long time to build. Logging on does not speed up the process. It feels wrong to base one’s life around Clash of Clans. I consciously log on less to play more efficiently.

At the end of the season, the season bank empties. There are more resources than needed, and all the spells & potions are gone.

Thus, buying a new season pass presents itself as an affordable option to quickly spend resources, as long as you plan on grinding. If you buy a season pass early in the month, you can also take advantage of build time bonuses.

Final Thoughts

At one point, I told myself I’d get to a fully upgraded Town Hall 10 and stop. However, sometime after I completed this, I reopened the game. I upgraded to Town Hall 11, and gave myself the same task. After a month, I quit.

Categories
Literature

The Memory Police

The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa is about people living under a dictatorship called the Memory Police whose goal is to rid the world of unnecessary things.

The Memory Police are able to reach into people’s hearts and take away memories of objects. These objects are then destroyed and the people do not care because those objects do not have meaning. These events are called disappearances.

Each disappearance is a total shift in society. If a person’s livelihood is disappeared, they have something left that remains useful to society.

The Memory Police do not face strong resistance as their disappearances begin with specialized professions and luxury objects.

At the time of a disappearance is a sense of loss generally, but also a natural acceptance as if the changes in society are normal or habitual.

Categories
Philosophy

Internet Pitfalls

It is admirable to live in a narrow band. Ideally, we read and repeat what we have read without embellishment. If we have a goal, we can achieve it. A goal does not spiral. It does not reach too far outside itself. The internet is a place where we learn and understand, instead of waste time.

In the novel War with the Newts by Karel Čapek, the newt, Boleslav Jablonský, self-names himself after learning Czech. Jablonský studied Czech by himself and strikes a lively conversation, his first real conversation, with a group of tourists. Although fictional, here is a lesson in patience.

The internet is anything but narrow. A visit to an aggregator rewards us with links, more sources of information than any person can process. There is no guide to the flood of information.

Even in the case that sources of information are good, we succumb to decision paralysis. It is not possible to order the information beforehand and so we must cope with overload.

Categories
Recipes

Beef Stroganoff

  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 lb. mushrooms
  • Cream of chicken soup
  • 1 container sour cream
  • Egg noodles
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Brown ground beef and remove. Sauté onion and garlic (add oil if needed). Sauté mushrooms. Add beef back in with cream of chicken soup salt and pepper. Heat through. Add sour cream and heat through, but don’t let it boil. Serve with egg noodles.

Credit: Michael Fan

Categories
Recipes

Friedman Chicken

The following recipe serves twelve people generously.

  • 12-15 lbs. chicken parts (legs, thighs, breasts)
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 1 tsp. basil
  • 1 tsp. savory
  • 1/2 tsp. rosemary
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • oil (olive) 1/4-1/2 cups, or as needed

Shake the flour with all spices listed except salt and pepper.
Then shake in the spicy flour. Heat oil until sizzling and brown
the chicken well on both sides. Set aside.

  • 2 lbs. mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, or more as needed
  • 6 med. onions, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. white pepper
  • 4 large cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 1 tsp. savory
  • 1/2. tsp. basil
  • 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup white wine

Saute mushrooms, onions and garlic in oil until tender. Add spices,
orange juice and wine. Stir once or twice and set aside. Cook 2 1/2
cups Uncle Ben’s rice. Roast 1 cup pecans in 325 degree oven 15-20
minutes. Cool, chop coarsly and mix into cooked rice.

Divide rice into two 4 quart casseroles. Spoon one quarter of the
sauce over the rice in each casseroles. Divide chicken and lay on
mixture. Pour remaining sauce over chicken. Cover casseroles with aluminum foil and bake in 300 degree oven 1 1/2 hours or until chicken
is tender.

Credit: Friedman family of Hyde Park

Categories
Recipes

Butter milk waffles

  • 2 Cups sifted all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs, well beaten
  • 2 cups butter milk
  • 6 tablespoon oil
  1. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt + baking soda in a bowl
  2. Combine eggs, milk, and oil. Add liquid mixture to flour mixture, beat just until batter is blended.
  3. Bake in the waffle baker.

About 6 waffles

Credit: T.Y. Fan

Categories
Recipes

Egg Rolls

  • 1/2 lb pork
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups cabbage
  • 1 cup bamboo shoots
  • 1/2 cup mushrooms
  • 2 T. Sherry
  • 1 T. Soy sauce
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1 t. sugar
  • 1/2 t. accent

Credit: T.Y. Fan

Categories
Recipes

Lemon Bars

  • 2 cups sifted flour
  • 1/2 cup sifted confectioner sugar
  • 1 cup butter
  • 4 beaten eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice (2 lemons)
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder

Cut in the butter.
Press in 13 x 9 pan.
Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes.

Beat the eggs, sugar and lemon juice.
Sift 1/4 cup flour + baking powder and stir in the mixture.
Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or longer.
Sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

Makes 30 bars.

Credit: T.Y. Fan