RedOmega's New Writeups 2018-01-31T22:23:04Z If you ask me about winter, I'll tell you about (personal) <p>He's standing at the back window, staring out at the yard as I slice vegetables. I smile to myself and <a href="/title/Long+after+bedtime+I+will+wake+up+and+sit+crosslegged+watching+you.+It+is+your+fault+for+having+your+face.">watch</a> as his breath fogs the glass. The pile of onions and mushrooms and tomato grows and his hands slide around my waist. He asks if he can do anything to help and I say no, just <a href="/title/I+have+never+been+sure+that+you+knew+quite+how+much+I+loved+you">let me spoil you</a>. <a href="/title/I+love+you+too">Fine</a>, he says, but tomorrow I'm going to <a href="/title/cook+for+your+woman">make breakfast</a> for <i>you</i>.</p> <p>We fall into comfortable domesticity together, as though the months apart were hours. He showers while I brush my teeth. I cook and he cleans. We both <a href="/title/Welcome+home%253B+grab+a+shovel">shovel snow</a>. Our bed (because it's <i>our</i> bed now) is warm and soft and small. We lie pressed together, our knees and elbows hanging off the edge but we <a href="/title/I+turn+over+in+bed%252C+brush+against+your+warmth%252C+and+know+it+is+you">sleep</a> the best we&hellip; The Oregon Trail Card Game (review) <p>Because companies have realized that cynically mining the nostalgia of millennials is big business, there is now an <a href="/title/Oregon+Trail">Oregon Trail</a> card game. The game is based off of the original computer game (well, actually the 1990 version that had <a href="/title/Why+you+gotta+bring+color+into+it%253F">COLOR</a>) and all the cards feature retro pixellated art. But though they got the visuals right, the game completely misses everything that made the computer game a classic and ends up feeling hollow and unfair.</p> <p>The computer game was full of decisions and though some may have been shallow, there were a large number of them. Should you buy more food or spare parts? Let the sick rest or keep pushing down the trail? Take the ferry or caulk and float? Each of these decisions added up to a unique experience and gave you a sense that you were controlling your destiny.</p> <p>The card game removes nearly all of these decisions. Supply cards are randomly dealt out at the start of the game. There's no way to rest, no way to trade for&hellip; Clancy's Fancy (thing) <p>Clancy's Fancy is a condiment made in <a href="/title/Ann+Arbor%252C+Michigan">Ann Arbor, Michigan</a>. Ann Arbor, for those who are unfamiliar, is a stereotypical college town filled with trendy restaurants, aging hippies, and is home to the <a href="/title/University+of+Michigan">University of Michigan</a> which, as a respected research university, pulls in a large number of international students. These students and their families tend to bring their own culture and cuisines, making it possible to find pretty much any flavor of food in Ann Arbor whether <a href="/title/Tios">authentic Mexican</a>, <a href="/title/Raja+Rani">Indian</a>, or <a href="/title/Blue+Nile">Ethiopian</a>.</p> <p>Clancy's Fancy draws from this eclectic mix of cuisines, creating a unique flavor. And perhaps because of its varied origins, it is ubiquitous at restaurants in the area, regardless of the menu. It consists of vinegar, olive oil, honey, <a href="/title/tamari+sauce">tamari sauce</a>, and spicesâmostly ginger, cayenne pepper, and garlic. Despite what you might expect from the above though, it's more savory than spicy which makes it suited to a wider variety of foods.</p> <p>It pairs well&hellip; May 22, 2017 (log) <p>I see him before he sees me. He's carrying a bag in each hand, looking back and forth as he tries to find the <a href="/title/Girls+are+hotter+when+they%2527re+comfortable">girl in the plaid</a>. I'm parked at the end of the terminal, where the rain is pouring off the edge of the roof in a near-constant stream. I smile to myself and watch, enjoying <a href="/title/The+smiles+you+smiled+when+you+thought+no+one+was+looking">the moment of anonymity</a>. He looks underdressed for the weather in only a t-shirt and jeans (though I appreciate the chance to admire the broadness of his <a href="/title/You+can+only+watch+as+his+heart+is+coaxed+from+his+chest+to+his+sleeve">chest</a>). We make eye contact from a hundred feet away and he smiles at the same time as I <a href="/title/Coy+or+honestly+shy%252C+either+way+I+have+got+mad+designs+on+your+dancy+eyes">look down</a>. He breaks into a run and I blush at <a href="/title/The+airport+test+of+relationships">the cliche</a>. As he nears he drops his bags and pulls me into a warm, tight <a href="/title/The+two-hour+hug">hug</a>.</p> <p>"Hey, Red."</p> <p>I sigh and sink into him,&hellip; Minion Masters (review) <p>Minion Masters is hybrid <a href="/title/real-time+strategy">real-time strategy</a> and <a href="/title/collectable+card+game">collectable card game</a> available on Steam. Players build decks of 10 cards from their collection, and then battle each other in either 1v1 or 2v2 matches. Mana is passively gained once per second and you can play cards as soon as you have enough mana available--there are no turns. In addition to your deck, you also can select one of eight Masters, each of whom has their own set of abilities.</p> <p>The battlefield is divided into an upper and lower half with bridges connecting opposing players' sides. Controlling the bridges grants your master XP which unlocks further abilities as the game progresses. When playing a card, you can place it anywhere on your half of the battlefield. The AI of your minions is <a href="/title/Artificial+intelligence+should+not+be+a+substitute+for+real+stupidity">'stupid'</a> but in a consistent, predictable way--they will always pick the nearest valid target and attack it until it's dead. Combined with placement, this leads fairly organically&hellip; What would an Octopus society look like? (idea) <p>There's something about octopuses that captivates people, so alien to us and yet also so familiar. Despite a billion years of evolution separating us, they can be strikingly similar, showing curiousity, playfulness, intelligence. It's telling, in an anecdotal way, that aquarium workers often give names only to sea mammals and octopuses. In fact, many scientists who study them believe that they even have individual personalities and can recognize different people. Capable of using tools, solving problems, and remembering solutions, it's easy to see why the idea of an octopus (or more generally <a href="/title/cephalopod">cephalopod</a>) civilization is so fascinating.</p> <p>But would such a civilization be possible? Cephalopods have been around for hundreds of millions of years--far longer than mammals, let alone our own species. Which <a href="/title/The+Fermi+Paradox">begs the question</a>: if a cephalopod civilization were possible, where is it? Unfortunately for all us nerds who love the idea of a intelligent <a href="/title/tree+octopus">tree octopus</a>, there are many major&hellip;