Because I want to procrastinate!
I have played more Go recently, but have hit a period of a lot of work for school again. By the time that ends, it'll be time for finals, so it's looking like I may not have a lot of time for Go until Christmas Break. Of course, I typically don't get much time for online Go during breaks, especially during the holidays, so December will probably end up with a decent number of games, more than the last 3 months but below my average.
My first final is on Monday, in Economics. He scheduled it before Finals Week starts, during a normal class period.....not sure whether or not that's a good thing. Then I have my Probability final on Monday the 15th, my Early Middle Ages final on Thursday the 18th, and my Architecture in NY final on Friday the 19th. Hopefully that will finish early enough that I'll be able to get to Nashua in time to be at church that Friday night!
The last 2 semesters finals week has been torturous......hopefully it will not be this year. I know that the way to avoid that is to start studying early....but will I do it?
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
First Post in a Month
Well, almost a month. I've been really busy between schoolwork and the exciting latter rounds of the contest this past month, but the contest is over, and Thanksgiving Break is only a few days away, with no tests or assignments due until after, so I have time to play Go and post here again. It turns out I went 12 days without playing Go....that must be a record for me: I don't think I've gone that long without playing a single game since I started playing seriously at the end of last August.
Lately I've had a problem playing online: I keep falling asleep. This may seem strange to you, and it does to me, and it's probably why I haven't improved in a long time. Probably, I'm just really tired in general, and need more sleep. The last week of the contest sort of adjusted me to a 2-3 AM bedtime, so it may take a bit to adjust back to a normal 12-1 AM bedtime. Although, I didn't play Go at all last week, so I probably wasn't getting enough sleep before that.
Last week I wrote my second paper for Early Middle Ages, and took the second midterm for Probability. I think I did pretty well on that exam, although not as well as the first one. Well, I suppose it wasn't possible to do better than the first one (100), so that's not surprising. Either way, I hope I did well, although I'm a bit nervous. I'd like to keep an A in that class.
I'll be coming home on Wednesday. It's been a while, I'm looking forward to it!
Lately I've had a problem playing online: I keep falling asleep. This may seem strange to you, and it does to me, and it's probably why I haven't improved in a long time. Probably, I'm just really tired in general, and need more sleep. The last week of the contest sort of adjusted me to a 2-3 AM bedtime, so it may take a bit to adjust back to a normal 12-1 AM bedtime. Although, I didn't play Go at all last week, so I probably wasn't getting enough sleep before that.
Last week I wrote my second paper for Early Middle Ages, and took the second midterm for Probability. I think I did pretty well on that exam, although not as well as the first one. Well, I suppose it wasn't possible to do better than the first one (100), so that's not surprising. Either way, I hope I did well, although I'm a bit nervous. I'd like to keep an A in that class.
I'll be coming home on Wednesday. It's been a while, I'm looking forward to it!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
One Last Midterm
My Economics midterm is on Monday. I suppose it's technically not my last midterm of the semester, as Theory of Probability has 2 midterms, and the second one is coming up in a few weeks. But, after Monday, I'll have taken a midterm in each class, so this feels like my last midterm.
I'll need to do a lot more studying today and tomorrow. The material is very theory-based and mathematical, which is a good thing in that it makes it interesting, challenging, and more rigorous than it would be otherwise. My professor is funny and conveys the material well- his problem is that he does not do examples in class- only the theory. I think he also thinks we know a lot more math that we do (as a class). I suppose he expects us to learn how to solve the problems on our own (of course, if one really really understands the theory, the problems become easy), or he expects the TA to give us examples during the recitations. Unfortunately the TA is hard to understand....
Adding greatly to the problem is that we've received relatively little homework up to this point, giving us little opportunity to practice problem solving. Fortunately the most recent problem set was long and hard, and he gave us lots of other practice problems with which to study. I got an A on Early Middle Ages midterm, so that's 2 for 2 with 1 midterm I haven't gotten back yet, and 1 I still need to take. Hopefully it will become 4 for 4....unlikely because I doubt I'll get higher than an A- on the Architecture in NY exam I already took, but not impossible.
I'll need to do a lot more studying today and tomorrow. The material is very theory-based and mathematical, which is a good thing in that it makes it interesting, challenging, and more rigorous than it would be otherwise. My professor is funny and conveys the material well- his problem is that he does not do examples in class- only the theory. I think he also thinks we know a lot more math that we do (as a class). I suppose he expects us to learn how to solve the problems on our own (of course, if one really really understands the theory, the problems become easy), or he expects the TA to give us examples during the recitations. Unfortunately the TA is hard to understand....
Adding greatly to the problem is that we've received relatively little homework up to this point, giving us little opportunity to practice problem solving. Fortunately the most recent problem set was long and hard, and he gave us lots of other practice problems with which to study. I got an A on Early Middle Ages midterm, so that's 2 for 2 with 1 midterm I haven't gotten back yet, and 1 I still need to take. Hopefully it will become 4 for 4....unlikely because I doubt I'll get higher than an A- on the Architecture in NY exam I already took, but not impossible.
Friday, October 17, 2008
3 Midterms Done, 1 Successful Comeback, 1 Failed Comeback
It's been a very filled 3 days since I got back. On Wednesday, I got my Probability midterm back with a score of 100 as previously stated, then went to the library to study a bit for history, got dinner, and then went with my Christian fellowship here to Columbia to hear Chuck Colson, former special counsel to President Nixon, speak about his conversion to Christianity at an event called the Veritas Forum. I liked very much that Colson was not politically correct: the professor doing the "interview" repeatedly tried to get him to say that all beliefs are true, which is of course logically impossible but is politically correct. The real meaning of tolerance is that I will let you say and believe what you want even when I disagree. It does not mean I must agree with everything you say!
It was a very nice night with pleasant temperatures: we drove up to Columbia in a van and returned by subway. NYC is quite beautiful at night when all the lights are on. It was not necessary to show ID (nor did one have to be a Columbia student) to go onto the Columbia campus, or into the ticket box office, or the auditorium where the talk was held. Why must one show NYU ID to go into just about any NYU building? It's absolutely ridiculous. This is especially true as many events held in NYU buildings are open to non-NYU students also, as is the case at Columbia, but I'd imagine it's quite a hassle for non-NYU students to go to these events at NYU.
Thursday started off with Magus taking a small lead on Sandbag during the first hour of the poll, and accelerating his pace as the night went on. I went to bed at 2 because I had a midterm at 9:30, and I needed to sleep (at some point, sleep helps test performance more than further studying- besides, I wasn't going to get much studying done while refreshing sc2k5.com every 5 minutes). I got up at 7, and somewhat to my surprise, Magus still had a 900 or so vote lead, and had reached 1000 overnight, a number I'd thought earlier he probably wouldn't reach, but would be fairly safe at if he did. Magus then went almost even with Sandbag from 7 to 8, and gained back almost all of what he'd lost from 8 to 9- and the morning vote hadn't even ended yet.
I'd had breakfast and done a little more studying during this time, and I went to take my midterm, on which I feel I did fairly well. Perfectionism on the first part of the test resulted in a shortage of time at the end, but all in all, I was satisfied. I got back and to my joy, Magus was tearing Sandbag apart with the During School Vote. By 3 PM, the lead had reached 2150 and Sandbag had shown no signs of life really- he'd only won 2 hours, and gained a total of 150 votes or so during those hours. Magus had been pummeling him for hours since during the DSV, during which CT characters are good but not that good.
Then, it began. I've seen it happen enough times to dread it, to fear it even with a 2150 vote lead in a 4-way poll. Every year, it seems, everyone believes a CT character's lead is simply too large; that no one could lose THAT huge a lead. And every time, the CT character pulls off a shocking day vote collapse. I knew Sandbag still had a small chance here from past experience, but still, it hurt. Sandbag came back rapidly, gaining 400-500 votes an hour. But there was hope. The lead was big, and we knew Sandbag would slow immensely or stop past 8 PM. Axel had taken the lead on Frog then after coming back 1900 votes the previous year, and Frog had later pulled off a miracle comeback in the last hour.
But Frog was Frog- Frog simply does not lose close matches: first he finds a way to shock his supporters by pulling gigantic day vote collapses against characters he was supposed to beat handily. Then, when all hope is lost, Frog pulls off the impossible and WINS THE MATCH. Magus hadn't done anything impressive since 2003, and while he is in all likelihood stronger than Frog, he is not known for his prowess at winning close matches. But surely the CT fans who rallied Frog to victory would rally Magus too, right?
I went to the honors scholars seminar at 6 or so, and got back around 7:45. I'd been hoping that Magus would still have the lead when I got back- and he did! I thought if he could hold off the lead change until 8 he would have a good chance- because Sandbag's second night vote ought to be worse than Axel's. Sandbag ended up taking the lead on the exact update that Axel had taken the lead from Frog. He built his lead to about 100 votes higher than Axel had done, but then Magus started making sustained cuts earlier than Frog had done. There was hope!
10:45 approached. I'd had the Sox game on the past few hours and had been studying for today's architecture midterm. Magus's chance of coming back looked good, while the Sox looked hopeless as they were down 7-0. 10:45 was when Frog had started going berserk on Axel. But no change happened here. Magus continued making small cuts, with even a few Sandbag gains. Magus was not getting Frog's rally, or Sandbag was getting his own counterally (probable, given that we've never seen a joke character lose a close match). The Sox, however, did rally, getting 4 runs in the 7th, 3 in the 8th, and 1 in the 9th to WIN GAME 5!
In retrospect, while it's disappointing he lost to Sandbag, Magus actually put up a very impressive performance (better relative to expectations than either Frog or Crono this year) in breaking 40% on Sonic and nearly beating a joke character. As for the Sox: we're going to win the World Series again this year!
So, I did some more studying this morning, and I took the midterm after lunch. Then the class went on a walking tour even though we'd just taken a midterm. 'Twas a very entertaining walk, and I learned a lot about the history of NYU and the area today, but it was also the longest walk we've done yet- 2 and a half hours right after taking a midterm. But it's Friday, and we're going to the World Series. BELIEVE!
It was a very nice night with pleasant temperatures: we drove up to Columbia in a van and returned by subway. NYC is quite beautiful at night when all the lights are on. It was not necessary to show ID (nor did one have to be a Columbia student) to go onto the Columbia campus, or into the ticket box office, or the auditorium where the talk was held. Why must one show NYU ID to go into just about any NYU building? It's absolutely ridiculous. This is especially true as many events held in NYU buildings are open to non-NYU students also, as is the case at Columbia, but I'd imagine it's quite a hassle for non-NYU students to go to these events at NYU.
Thursday started off with Magus taking a small lead on Sandbag during the first hour of the poll, and accelerating his pace as the night went on. I went to bed at 2 because I had a midterm at 9:30, and I needed to sleep (at some point, sleep helps test performance more than further studying- besides, I wasn't going to get much studying done while refreshing sc2k5.com every 5 minutes). I got up at 7, and somewhat to my surprise, Magus still had a 900 or so vote lead, and had reached 1000 overnight, a number I'd thought earlier he probably wouldn't reach, but would be fairly safe at if he did. Magus then went almost even with Sandbag from 7 to 8, and gained back almost all of what he'd lost from 8 to 9- and the morning vote hadn't even ended yet.
I'd had breakfast and done a little more studying during this time, and I went to take my midterm, on which I feel I did fairly well. Perfectionism on the first part of the test resulted in a shortage of time at the end, but all in all, I was satisfied. I got back and to my joy, Magus was tearing Sandbag apart with the During School Vote. By 3 PM, the lead had reached 2150 and Sandbag had shown no signs of life really- he'd only won 2 hours, and gained a total of 150 votes or so during those hours. Magus had been pummeling him for hours since during the DSV, during which CT characters are good but not that good.
Then, it began. I've seen it happen enough times to dread it, to fear it even with a 2150 vote lead in a 4-way poll. Every year, it seems, everyone believes a CT character's lead is simply too large; that no one could lose THAT huge a lead. And every time, the CT character pulls off a shocking day vote collapse. I knew Sandbag still had a small chance here from past experience, but still, it hurt. Sandbag came back rapidly, gaining 400-500 votes an hour. But there was hope. The lead was big, and we knew Sandbag would slow immensely or stop past 8 PM. Axel had taken the lead on Frog then after coming back 1900 votes the previous year, and Frog had later pulled off a miracle comeback in the last hour.
But Frog was Frog- Frog simply does not lose close matches: first he finds a way to shock his supporters by pulling gigantic day vote collapses against characters he was supposed to beat handily. Then, when all hope is lost, Frog pulls off the impossible and WINS THE MATCH. Magus hadn't done anything impressive since 2003, and while he is in all likelihood stronger than Frog, he is not known for his prowess at winning close matches. But surely the CT fans who rallied Frog to victory would rally Magus too, right?
I went to the honors scholars seminar at 6 or so, and got back around 7:45. I'd been hoping that Magus would still have the lead when I got back- and he did! I thought if he could hold off the lead change until 8 he would have a good chance- because Sandbag's second night vote ought to be worse than Axel's. Sandbag ended up taking the lead on the exact update that Axel had taken the lead from Frog. He built his lead to about 100 votes higher than Axel had done, but then Magus started making sustained cuts earlier than Frog had done. There was hope!
10:45 approached. I'd had the Sox game on the past few hours and had been studying for today's architecture midterm. Magus's chance of coming back looked good, while the Sox looked hopeless as they were down 7-0. 10:45 was when Frog had started going berserk on Axel. But no change happened here. Magus continued making small cuts, with even a few Sandbag gains. Magus was not getting Frog's rally, or Sandbag was getting his own counterally (probable, given that we've never seen a joke character lose a close match). The Sox, however, did rally, getting 4 runs in the 7th, 3 in the 8th, and 1 in the 9th to WIN GAME 5!
In retrospect, while it's disappointing he lost to Sandbag, Magus actually put up a very impressive performance (better relative to expectations than either Frog or Crono this year) in breaking 40% on Sonic and nearly beating a joke character. As for the Sox: we're going to win the World Series again this year!
So, I did some more studying this morning, and I took the midterm after lunch. Then the class went on a walking tour even though we'd just taken a midterm. 'Twas a very entertaining walk, and I learned a lot about the history of NYU and the area today, but it was also the longest walk we've done yet- 2 and a half hours right after taking a midterm. But it's Friday, and we're going to the World Series. BELIEVE!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Back At School
I'm back at school after a good weekend home, and I got my Probability midterm back: I did get a 100. The cutoff for an A- was around an 80, the cutoff for B- was around a 60, and the class average was somewhere in between. So.....yay!
I don't have time for a longer post now, as I have to squeeze in time for more studying for my history midterm tomorrow (and my architecture midterm on Friday) and I am going to Columbia tonight with my Christian fellowship here to listen to a speaker. But I will probably make a longer post this weekend. Let's Go Red Sox!
I don't have time for a longer post now, as I have to squeeze in time for more studying for my history midterm tomorrow (and my architecture midterm on Friday) and I am going to Columbia tonight with my Christian fellowship here to listen to a speaker. But I will probably make a longer post this weekend. Let's Go Red Sox!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Aced My Midterm!
(I think)
I took my first midterm for Theory of Probability today, and I think I aced it. Hopefully I didn't make any stupid mistakes, and I'll get a 100. If not, I'm very confident I at least got a very high score. I was the first one in the class to finish, which completely shocked me (I never do that on math tests...). Maybe I have more talent in math than I thought.
I'll be coming home again this weekend: I miss you guys, so I'm very happy about that.
I took my first midterm for Theory of Probability today, and I think I aced it. Hopefully I didn't make any stupid mistakes, and I'll get a 100. If not, I'm very confident I at least got a very high score. I was the first one in the class to finish, which completely shocked me (I never do that on math tests...). Maybe I have more talent in math than I thought.
I'll be coming home again this weekend: I miss you guys, so I'm very happy about that.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
There's Nothing that the Road Cannot Heal
This is a wonderful song. The title of the song is actually Moab, and the artist is Conor Oberst.
I used up your compassion
So I've come to make a trade
You can hate me but just love me in return
If I know where to find you
I'll stay out of your way
I won't come back to borrow all the happiness you've earned
I'll just slide back down to the bottom
While you make your place in the hills.
There's nothing that the road cannot heal
There's nothing that the road cannot heal!
Washed beneath the blacktop,
Gone beneath my wheels,
There's nothing that the road cannot heal.
They say the sun won't burn forever
But that's a science too exact.
I can prove it watch we're crossing the state line.
See those headlines coming towards us
That's someone going back
To a town they swore they'd never yeah
They swore it on their lives
But you can't break out of a circle
That you never knew you were in.
There's nothing that the road cannot heal
There's nothing that the road cannot heal
Washed beneath the blacktop,
Gone beneath my wheels,
There's nothing that the road cannot heal.
Someone spent their precious time
Trying to decorate their lives
Taking measurements for some new look they want
So from one to ten, ten's exactly what I am
Zero being everything I'm not
Tell me what you like
Is it less than five?
Is it less than five?
There's nothing that the road cannot heal
There's nothing that the road cannot heal
When I make it to Moab,
I'll get my canteen filled
There's nothing that the road cannot heal
Washed beneath the blacktop,
Gone beneath my wheels,
There's nothing that the road cannot heal.
I used up your compassion
So I've come to make a trade
You can hate me but just love me in return
If I know where to find you
I'll stay out of your way
I won't come back to borrow all the happiness you've earned
I'll just slide back down to the bottom
While you make your place in the hills.
There's nothing that the road cannot heal
There's nothing that the road cannot heal!
Washed beneath the blacktop,
Gone beneath my wheels,
There's nothing that the road cannot heal.
They say the sun won't burn forever
But that's a science too exact.
I can prove it watch we're crossing the state line.
See those headlines coming towards us
That's someone going back
To a town they swore they'd never yeah
They swore it on their lives
But you can't break out of a circle
That you never knew you were in.
There's nothing that the road cannot heal
There's nothing that the road cannot heal
Washed beneath the blacktop,
Gone beneath my wheels,
There's nothing that the road cannot heal.
Someone spent their precious time
Trying to decorate their lives
Taking measurements for some new look they want
So from one to ten, ten's exactly what I am
Zero being everything I'm not
Tell me what you like
Is it less than five?
Is it less than five?
There's nothing that the road cannot heal
There's nothing that the road cannot heal
When I make it to Moab,
I'll get my canteen filled
There's nothing that the road cannot heal
Washed beneath the blacktop,
Gone beneath my wheels,
There's nothing that the road cannot heal.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
It's Frog Time!
Yep, everyone's favorite heart attack inducing amphibian swordsman is back! And he's not causing heart attacks today.....because he's on his way to his largest victory ever! To be fair, he's only up 3300 votes right now.....but by Frog standards, this is a landslide. Frog won't be needing to pull off a comeback in the last hour today!
I'm one of 72 people with 32 points right now. We are tied for 5th sitewide, and so 46 of us are on the leaderboard....I made some changes late in the bracket-making period, so I'm still not up there. Hopefully, I will be tonight (I think but am not sure that everyone with 32 now who has Ganon > Frog will be on the leaderboard tonight). If not tonight, I need to get on the leaderboard tomorrow night, because I have Scorpion > Balthier Monday, and that seems really unlikely to me right now....Gordon Freeman should take second.
Ganondorf is handily beating Frog currently for first.....but next round, Samus will in the poll. Can Frog overcome Ganon through the power of Nintendo SFF? And, if he does, can he beat Nightmare too? Well, we know what happens if it's close.....Frog builds an impressive lead overnight only to completely collapse with the day vote. And then, as we reach the last hour.....it's time for everyone to blare Frog's Theme as he pulls off a miraculous comeback!
Ganondorf is the big favorite here, and probably deservedly so. But can Frog (or Nightmare) pull it off? I think Nightmare has a chance, but don't particularly care if he beats Ganon, so I'll look at Frog's chances. How would other Chrono Trigger characters fare here?
Crono would probably take first due to Samus/Ganon SFF- at worst he gets second, a little behind Samus a way ahead of Ganon. Magus? Magus beat Ganon outright before, once upon a time we call 2003.....I know Magus/Ganon wouldn't be close at all now, but I can't see Ganon winning that one with the majority of his votes being taken away by Samus. But Frog is weaker than Magus.....yes, Frog has looked much better recently, but that's only because Frog always comes through and pulls off miraculous wins, while Magus keeps underperforming. But looking at their matches objectively, Magus is still stronger.
Frog, of course, has the clutch factor- if the match is close, you can count on Frog to win. So- will Frog/Ganon/Nightmare be close? Frog got around 27% of the Frog/Samus votes last year. Ganon got 40% against Samus directly back in 2005. Assuming those hold, and adding Ganon to Samus does nothing to the total strength of Nintendo in the poll (that is, Frog gets the same percentage against Samus or in a 3-way poll with Samus/Ganon), Ganon gets 40% of the 73% Samus/Ganon get. That gives him....29%. That's still above Frog, and Ganon probably adds a little more than nothing to Samus- only a little, but not quite zero. 29% is, however, below the 30% that Frog put up on Samus directly back in 2005.
Those stats don't really look good for Frog, but he may have been hurt a little by sharing some fanbase with Axel- and he may be a little stronger this year thanks to hype for CTDS (CT will be a lot stronger next year after it comes out!). He's impressing relative to KOS-MOS right now, a good sign. Nintendo SFF also works in strange ways, so it's possible Samus/Ganon would turn out quite differently from how it did back in 2005. That was a breakthrough year for the Nintendo villains, after all, with both Ganondorf and Bowser impressing. So, should Ganon be the favorite over Frog? Yes. Is there a chance it will be close? Yes. If it is close, can Frog win? Absolutely.
What of Nightmare? He put up 30% on Samus yesterday (30% of Samus/Nightmare votes anyway). That means he should probably also be favored over Frog next round. The most likely outcome is that Frog ends up in last....but we can hope, and we can play Frog's Theme to build up our hope!
Tomorrow's match is Vincent vs. Falco vs. GlaDOS vs. Wander. Vincent > Falco is the obvious result, but I'm surprised at how low people's expectations are for Falco. I mean, people expected Wario to beat Zack, some chose Lucario to get through division 1 with Link, and they don't think Falco have any strength? Fox has been heavily, heavily, underrated for years (I think he's at Kirby's level!....indirectly, at least), and while Falco isn't Fox, he should be stronger than Marth, because he's probably almost as popular as Marth in SSBM, and Star Fox is way way bigger than Fire Emblem 1. Melee > Brawl in strength, and Falco is going to prove it tomorrow by destroying GlaDOS completely (and yes, Vincent will still destroy him, but there's only 3 Nintendo characters Vincent wouldn't beat).
Prediction:
Vincent 52%
Falco 27.5%
GlaDOS 13.5%
Wander 7%
The 2008 60% Club
Link
The 50% Club
Link
Samus Aran
The 40% Club
Link
Samus Aran
Bowser
Zack Fair
Megaman X
Altair
Ganondorf
Mario
I'm one of 72 people with 32 points right now. We are tied for 5th sitewide, and so 46 of us are on the leaderboard....I made some changes late in the bracket-making period, so I'm still not up there. Hopefully, I will be tonight (I think but am not sure that everyone with 32 now who has Ganon > Frog will be on the leaderboard tonight). If not tonight, I need to get on the leaderboard tomorrow night, because I have Scorpion > Balthier Monday, and that seems really unlikely to me right now....Gordon Freeman should take second.
Ganondorf is handily beating Frog currently for first.....but next round, Samus will in the poll. Can Frog overcome Ganon through the power of Nintendo SFF? And, if he does, can he beat Nightmare too? Well, we know what happens if it's close.....Frog builds an impressive lead overnight only to completely collapse with the day vote. And then, as we reach the last hour.....it's time for everyone to blare Frog's Theme as he pulls off a miraculous comeback!
Ganondorf is the big favorite here, and probably deservedly so. But can Frog (or Nightmare) pull it off? I think Nightmare has a chance, but don't particularly care if he beats Ganon, so I'll look at Frog's chances. How would other Chrono Trigger characters fare here?
Crono would probably take first due to Samus/Ganon SFF- at worst he gets second, a little behind Samus a way ahead of Ganon. Magus? Magus beat Ganon outright before, once upon a time we call 2003.....I know Magus/Ganon wouldn't be close at all now, but I can't see Ganon winning that one with the majority of his votes being taken away by Samus. But Frog is weaker than Magus.....yes, Frog has looked much better recently, but that's only because Frog always comes through and pulls off miraculous wins, while Magus keeps underperforming. But looking at their matches objectively, Magus is still stronger.
Frog, of course, has the clutch factor- if the match is close, you can count on Frog to win. So- will Frog/Ganon/Nightmare be close? Frog got around 27% of the Frog/Samus votes last year. Ganon got 40% against Samus directly back in 2005. Assuming those hold, and adding Ganon to Samus does nothing to the total strength of Nintendo in the poll (that is, Frog gets the same percentage against Samus or in a 3-way poll with Samus/Ganon), Ganon gets 40% of the 73% Samus/Ganon get. That gives him....29%. That's still above Frog, and Ganon probably adds a little more than nothing to Samus- only a little, but not quite zero. 29% is, however, below the 30% that Frog put up on Samus directly back in 2005.
Those stats don't really look good for Frog, but he may have been hurt a little by sharing some fanbase with Axel- and he may be a little stronger this year thanks to hype for CTDS (CT will be a lot stronger next year after it comes out!). He's impressing relative to KOS-MOS right now, a good sign. Nintendo SFF also works in strange ways, so it's possible Samus/Ganon would turn out quite differently from how it did back in 2005. That was a breakthrough year for the Nintendo villains, after all, with both Ganondorf and Bowser impressing. So, should Ganon be the favorite over Frog? Yes. Is there a chance it will be close? Yes. If it is close, can Frog win? Absolutely.
What of Nightmare? He put up 30% on Samus yesterday (30% of Samus/Nightmare votes anyway). That means he should probably also be favored over Frog next round. The most likely outcome is that Frog ends up in last....but we can hope, and we can play Frog's Theme to build up our hope!
Tomorrow's match is Vincent vs. Falco vs. GlaDOS vs. Wander. Vincent > Falco is the obvious result, but I'm surprised at how low people's expectations are for Falco. I mean, people expected Wario to beat Zack, some chose Lucario to get through division 1 with Link, and they don't think Falco have any strength? Fox has been heavily, heavily, underrated for years (I think he's at Kirby's level!....indirectly, at least), and while Falco isn't Fox, he should be stronger than Marth, because he's probably almost as popular as Marth in SSBM, and Star Fox is way way bigger than Fire Emblem 1. Melee > Brawl in strength, and Falco is going to prove it tomorrow by destroying GlaDOS completely (and yes, Vincent will still destroy him, but there's only 3 Nintendo characters Vincent wouldn't beat).
Prediction:
Vincent 52%
Falco 27.5%
GlaDOS 13.5%
Wander 7%
The 2008 60% Club
Link
The 50% Club
Link
Samus Aran
The 40% Club
Link
Samus Aran
Bowser
Zack Fair
Megaman X
Altair
Ganondorf
Mario
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Workload Picking Up
It's now the 4th week of school, and as expected, the workload is picking up. I have a 4-5 page essay due on Thursday for the Early Middle Ages- I will be writing on the Rule of St. Benedict, which is quite an interesting read- I know I could never have been a Coenobitic (monastic) monk! Way too many rules, getting up at 2 AM every night, a vegetarian diet, rarely leaving the monastery, and worst of all, strict obedience to the abbot and rejection of one's own will....
Fortunately, this week my math homework has been much easier than last week- I have only 2 problems left, which should be the hardest ones of the set, but none of the previous problems have been hard. Shockingly, I managed to complete all but 2 problems before the last day before it is due! That's....well....I don't remember the last time I've done that- certainly not in college- maybe never! I suppose it's because Probability is actually quite fun, so it feels good to complete the problems.
I had a 5-day hiatus on KGS, which I ended today with a loss. I feel I was winning, but I blundered towards the end of the mid-game, making it close, and then I blundered again in the endgame, giving my opponent the win by resignation.
I'm doing well (relatively speaking) in the contest with 16 out of 20 points as of now, good enough to put me in a tie for 204th place with 716 other people, out of a total of 40,000+ brackets. I'm getting 4 more points today with Bowser > Phoenix, and I'm guessing Phoenix wasn't too popular a pick outside the Contest Board, although he was the overwhelming favorite to get second on the board. Hopefully this means I'll be in a tie for a position within the top 100 or even top 50 tomorrow- with maybe 100-200 people- hopefully. In the Guru Contest, I'll be tied for 1st with 12 other people.
Tomorrow's match is Mario vs. Zelda vs. Knuckles vs. Fei. There are a lot of differing opinions on this one- Zelda is stronger than Knuckles, but should be hurt worse by SFF from Mario, since they are both Nintendo characters. I had Knuckles for a long time, but changed to Zelda towards the end of the bracket-making period, because she's quite a bit stronger than Knux normally, and I don't think she'll suffer much more than he will from SFF. I'm feeling pretty good about this, because Knux only managed 27% last year against Yoshi, Rikku, and Vaan- with Mario here, Knux should go to 20% or lower, and I think Zelda can take in more than that. Of the other 12 gurus who will have 20 points after today, only 3 have Mario > Zelda for tomorrow, so I'll be in a 4-way tie for first if Zelda comes through. There's an outside chance I might be able to get onto the site-wide leaderboard on Thursday also- if a lot of people chose Knuckles.
Edit/Update: I'm done with this week's math homework! Those two problems only took about half an hour.
Fortunately, this week my math homework has been much easier than last week- I have only 2 problems left, which should be the hardest ones of the set, but none of the previous problems have been hard. Shockingly, I managed to complete all but 2 problems before the last day before it is due! That's....well....I don't remember the last time I've done that- certainly not in college- maybe never! I suppose it's because Probability is actually quite fun, so it feels good to complete the problems.
I had a 5-day hiatus on KGS, which I ended today with a loss. I feel I was winning, but I blundered towards the end of the mid-game, making it close, and then I blundered again in the endgame, giving my opponent the win by resignation.
I'm doing well (relatively speaking) in the contest with 16 out of 20 points as of now, good enough to put me in a tie for 204th place with 716 other people, out of a total of 40,000+ brackets. I'm getting 4 more points today with Bowser > Phoenix, and I'm guessing Phoenix wasn't too popular a pick outside the Contest Board, although he was the overwhelming favorite to get second on the board. Hopefully this means I'll be in a tie for a position within the top 100 or even top 50 tomorrow- with maybe 100-200 people- hopefully. In the Guru Contest, I'll be tied for 1st with 12 other people.
Tomorrow's match is Mario vs. Zelda vs. Knuckles vs. Fei. There are a lot of differing opinions on this one- Zelda is stronger than Knuckles, but should be hurt worse by SFF from Mario, since they are both Nintendo characters. I had Knuckles for a long time, but changed to Zelda towards the end of the bracket-making period, because she's quite a bit stronger than Knux normally, and I don't think she'll suffer much more than he will from SFF. I'm feeling pretty good about this, because Knux only managed 27% last year against Yoshi, Rikku, and Vaan- with Mario here, Knux should go to 20% or lower, and I think Zelda can take in more than that. Of the other 12 gurus who will have 20 points after today, only 3 have Mario > Zelda for tomorrow, so I'll be in a 4-way tie for first if Zelda comes through. There's an outside chance I might be able to get onto the site-wide leaderboard on Thursday also- if a lot of people chose Knuckles.
Edit/Update: I'm done with this week's math homework! Those two problems only took about half an hour.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Contest Tonight!
It's finally time! The Great Gamefaqs Character Battle VII starts tonight! As of this writing, we are about 6 hours away from bracket lockdown, and 8 hours away from the first match starting! We have a newcomer with a lot of potential: Zack from Final Fantasy VII. If you don't know who Zack is, or didn't know before the bracket came out, well- that's why Zack has a very large range of potential strengths- because many people don't know who he is, but he's from FINAL FANTASY VII. It's the winner of the Best Game Ever Contest on Gamefaqs, and the winner of the Top 100 Games List- nothing from FFVII has ever been weak.
Zack, however, is not a playable character, and only appears briefly in the game....but on the other hand, he's a copy of Cloud! For the storyline, he is very important- probably behind only Cloud, Sephiroth, and Aeris. Zack has recently has had his own game, Crisis Core- unfortunately it is for PSP......so how strong is Zack? If he's at say, Aeris level, he takes first in this match easily and cruises to the quarterfinals where he gives Mario a run for his money thanks to double SFF with Link and Megaman X. If he's at Vincent level, he easily takes second in that quarterfinals match above Mario. But, it's highly unlikely Zack is that strong....and he's probably not at Aeris level either. So how strong is he? We'll know tonight.
The other main contender for first in tonight/tomorrow's match is Wario- a copy of Mario! So a copy of Cloud vs. a copy of Mario.....if it comes down to that, Zack wins, easily. But Wario is much more well known than Zack, having appeared in many many games, while Zack only appears in a few flashbacks in FFVII and now in Crisis Core (and the movie Advent Children). But....no one likes Wario. "No one" is I suppose not true, but I think you'd agree that most Nintendo fans do not like Wario. I'm counting on FFVII fans liking Zack more, relatively.
So my prediction is a fairly comfortable win for Zack, with Wario following him in second. Cecil is from FFIV, and we saw him get destroyed by Kirby in 2005- yeah, he's had a remake of his game, but still, he was pathetic fodder last time. My prediction:
Zack Fair: 36%
Wario: 32%
Cecil Harvey: 24%
Jade Curtiss: 8%
I was going to talk about math, specifically how hard math homework is, and I was thinking primarily about math almost all yesterday afternoon and evening, and up to about 45 minutes ago, but since class ended today, I've at last shifted attention to the contest. So....I'll put off talking about classes until a later date. 8 hours until contest time!
Zack, however, is not a playable character, and only appears briefly in the game....but on the other hand, he's a copy of Cloud! For the storyline, he is very important- probably behind only Cloud, Sephiroth, and Aeris. Zack has recently has had his own game, Crisis Core- unfortunately it is for PSP......so how strong is Zack? If he's at say, Aeris level, he takes first in this match easily and cruises to the quarterfinals where he gives Mario a run for his money thanks to double SFF with Link and Megaman X. If he's at Vincent level, he easily takes second in that quarterfinals match above Mario. But, it's highly unlikely Zack is that strong....and he's probably not at Aeris level either. So how strong is he? We'll know tonight.
The other main contender for first in tonight/tomorrow's match is Wario- a copy of Mario! So a copy of Cloud vs. a copy of Mario.....if it comes down to that, Zack wins, easily. But Wario is much more well known than Zack, having appeared in many many games, while Zack only appears in a few flashbacks in FFVII and now in Crisis Core (and the movie Advent Children). But....no one likes Wario. "No one" is I suppose not true, but I think you'd agree that most Nintendo fans do not like Wario. I'm counting on FFVII fans liking Zack more, relatively.
So my prediction is a fairly comfortable win for Zack, with Wario following him in second. Cecil is from FFIV, and we saw him get destroyed by Kirby in 2005- yeah, he's had a remake of his game, but still, he was pathetic fodder last time. My prediction:
Zack Fair: 36%
Wario: 32%
Cecil Harvey: 24%
Jade Curtiss: 8%
I was going to talk about math, specifically how hard math homework is, and I was thinking primarily about math almost all yesterday afternoon and evening, and up to about 45 minutes ago, but since class ended today, I've at last shifted attention to the contest. So....I'll put off talking about classes until a later date. 8 hours until contest time!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
My New Favorite Book
Yes, the Kite Runner is THAT good. I started it Tuesday night, and finished it late Wednesday night. It is incredibly beautiful, hopeful, and sad- it can make you want to cry. The pace of the storytelling is just right- it flows quickly and smoothly from one time to another, and keeps you immersed in the story.
I've been thinking quite a bit lately about my future plans, and a clearer picture (though still very foggy) of what majors/classes I am going to take is coming into focus. The tentative plan is to pursue a PhD in Economics- this leaves open the option of taking a job after graduation instead of going to grad school if that seems more desirable then, or if grad school admissions don't work out. Econ PhD admissions are very very competitive, and I sort of feel that if I don't get into, say, a top 20 program, I'd rather just try to find a job directly out of undergrad. Of course, it all depends on what options I end up having senior year, but pursuing the PhD leaves all options open.
That means taking the theory track of the major (as previously planned), and it means taking a fair deal of math (exactly how much math to take is something I've been very indecisive on). Fortunately, math this semester has been much more enjoyable so far than in past semesters, so perhaps I will like the more higher-level math classes. I know that stuff like Calc 3 and Linear Algebra is supposed to be very different from more advanced, and usually proof-based, classes such as Real Analysis. Right now Theory of Probability is somewhere between- more theory than before, but still more focused on problem solving than proofs. Set theory I've found enjoyable thus far (not that I have seen very much of it), but this is important, because how much I enjoy doing something is more important than how difficult it is, usually, in terms of my success in that thing.
So, to pursue an Econ PhD, realistically, I think, I need to take at least Real Analysis. They say it's recommended but not required, but when you have 5% acceptance rates, you may as well treat it as a requirement. To get a joint major in Econ + Math, I'd need to take Analysis II, plus two more math electives from a list. Perhaps Ordinary Differential Equations for one of them, and a course on formal logic for the other? I'm not sure, but I think Logic would also count toward a Philosophy minor....Some other possibilities are Combinatorics, Transformations and Geometries, and Number Theory. If it turns about after taking a few more classes that I'm (a lot) better at math than I think, I can try Topology, which has always looked fascinating to me, except that it's supposed to be extremely difficult and advanced.
So, I suppose it's still undecided how much math I will take- it depends heavily on what grades I get in my current and upcoming math classes, and on how much I enjoy them. But I'm planning for at least taking Real Analysis, probably next fall, maybe next semester, if I feel exceptionally brave. As far the Econ PhD goes, it appears the more math, the better.
As for Econ courses, I have 5 more core courses to take, of which I will take Math for Economists and Analytical Stats next semester, (intermediate) Microeconomics and Econometrics fall of next year, and (intermediate) Macroeconomics spring 2010. In addition, I need 4 electives: the course I really want to take is Strategic Decision Theory (Game Theory). I want to pursue honors in Econ, so that will add 1 to the number of classes needed- a senior thesis.
Anyway, I just figured out a math proof on my homework; a fairly easy one, but nonetheless, this makes me feel good. That is why I decided to finish this post now, which I started yesterday.
I've been thinking quite a bit lately about my future plans, and a clearer picture (though still very foggy) of what majors/classes I am going to take is coming into focus. The tentative plan is to pursue a PhD in Economics- this leaves open the option of taking a job after graduation instead of going to grad school if that seems more desirable then, or if grad school admissions don't work out. Econ PhD admissions are very very competitive, and I sort of feel that if I don't get into, say, a top 20 program, I'd rather just try to find a job directly out of undergrad. Of course, it all depends on what options I end up having senior year, but pursuing the PhD leaves all options open.
That means taking the theory track of the major (as previously planned), and it means taking a fair deal of math (exactly how much math to take is something I've been very indecisive on). Fortunately, math this semester has been much more enjoyable so far than in past semesters, so perhaps I will like the more higher-level math classes. I know that stuff like Calc 3 and Linear Algebra is supposed to be very different from more advanced, and usually proof-based, classes such as Real Analysis. Right now Theory of Probability is somewhere between- more theory than before, but still more focused on problem solving than proofs. Set theory I've found enjoyable thus far (not that I have seen very much of it), but this is important, because how much I enjoy doing something is more important than how difficult it is, usually, in terms of my success in that thing.
So, to pursue an Econ PhD, realistically, I think, I need to take at least Real Analysis. They say it's recommended but not required, but when you have 5% acceptance rates, you may as well treat it as a requirement. To get a joint major in Econ + Math, I'd need to take Analysis II, plus two more math electives from a list. Perhaps Ordinary Differential Equations for one of them, and a course on formal logic for the other? I'm not sure, but I think Logic would also count toward a Philosophy minor....Some other possibilities are Combinatorics, Transformations and Geometries, and Number Theory. If it turns about after taking a few more classes that I'm (a lot) better at math than I think, I can try Topology, which has always looked fascinating to me, except that it's supposed to be extremely difficult and advanced.
So, I suppose it's still undecided how much math I will take- it depends heavily on what grades I get in my current and upcoming math classes, and on how much I enjoy them. But I'm planning for at least taking Real Analysis, probably next fall, maybe next semester, if I feel exceptionally brave. As far the Econ PhD goes, it appears the more math, the better.
As for Econ courses, I have 5 more core courses to take, of which I will take Math for Economists and Analytical Stats next semester, (intermediate) Microeconomics and Econometrics fall of next year, and (intermediate) Macroeconomics spring 2010. In addition, I need 4 electives: the course I really want to take is Strategic Decision Theory (Game Theory). I want to pursue honors in Econ, so that will add 1 to the number of classes needed- a senior thesis.
Anyway, I just figured out a math proof on my homework; a fairly easy one, but nonetheless, this makes me feel good. That is why I decided to finish this post now, which I started yesterday.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Economics is Fun!
Yes, this year's classes are great! Being (well, almost) done with my required MAP classes, and having much more choice with course selection has resulted in my being in really interesting classes.
As said before, my Econ professor is really funny and good at explaining things, and I've really liked the subject matter so far (equilibrium, rational choices, etc). Econ theory is interesting to me- I'm fascinated by choices- whether they exist, how, why, they are made, etc.- the practical/business stuff is, honestly, boring, but fortunately this class (and my track in the major) is about the theory. Surprisingly, I can actually understand my math professor this year! Probability looks like it will be the hardest class for me, however- it will be a lot lot lot of work.
As said before, my Econ professor is really funny and good at explaining things, and I've really liked the subject matter so far (equilibrium, rational choices, etc). Econ theory is interesting to me- I'm fascinated by choices- whether they exist, how, why, they are made, etc.- the practical/business stuff is, honestly, boring, but fortunately this class (and my track in the major) is about the theory. Surprisingly, I can actually understand my math professor this year! Probability looks like it will be the hardest class for me, however- it will be a lot lot lot of work.
I started reading the Kite Runner last night. So far it is really, really, good. I'm not sure how much of it is autobiography, and how much is fiction. The narrator's childhood friend tells him in the story when they were kids, that the narrator would become a world-famous writer- he was right, and the author wasn't bragging by including (or inventing?) the scene.
And, thank you everyone for the comments.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Hope is a Strategy
This is somewhat long, and it sort of became an attempt at political speechwriting while I was writing it.
Rudy Giuliani said at the RNC, "change is not a destination and hope is not a strategy." Well, that quote is witty and thought-provoking, and I profoundly disagree with it. Hope is very real, and very powerful- hope has done more for this country than its government has ever done, under any administration. Without the people's hope in themselves, in the country, in the future, we would never have become such a great nation. Republicans ought to know this- hope is why we all believe in personal liberty (and thus, responsibility, because a choice without consequences is no choice at all). Hope is why we believe in small government; it is why we believe in low taxes- we believe in the people to choose for themselves. We believe in humanity and hope for the bright future- and so we do not need an inefficient government to tell us how to live.
Hope is sustenance to freedom- those who live in fear are not free- they are slaves to what they fear, and worse, to fear itself. Hope is what drives the free onward, even when it is dark, because the hopeful can see the light in the future. Faith, hope, and love- these are the three virtues Paul praises above all others in 1st Corinthians, and they are inextricably linked to each other and to freedom. For it is those who have faith in the future who hope, those who put their hope in good who love, those who love who can see the future shining in the distance! Fear has no hold on such free people, who can see the light, who know the shadow is only transient. Such free people can boldly make choices, neither according to the command of fear nor with the lack of will that accompanies conformity to others and to well-rehearsed habit.
Therefore, we say: hope is our strategy. It is not, and should not be, our only strategy, but it is one that is absolutely essential and fundamental. For the hopes of the free are powerful- without the best of plans would be empty and hollow, lacking the will to apply them. Let us therefore add intelligence and foresight to our hope, and so let us move forward to a bright future. We believe in freedom, we believe in the good in the heart of each person, we believe in love, and on the foundation of our cherished past, we believe that we can, and we will, together build a future in which freedom will prosper.
Rudy Giuliani said at the RNC, "change is not a destination and hope is not a strategy." Well, that quote is witty and thought-provoking, and I profoundly disagree with it. Hope is very real, and very powerful- hope has done more for this country than its government has ever done, under any administration. Without the people's hope in themselves, in the country, in the future, we would never have become such a great nation. Republicans ought to know this- hope is why we all believe in personal liberty (and thus, responsibility, because a choice without consequences is no choice at all). Hope is why we believe in small government; it is why we believe in low taxes- we believe in the people to choose for themselves. We believe in humanity and hope for the bright future- and so we do not need an inefficient government to tell us how to live.
Hope is sustenance to freedom- those who live in fear are not free- they are slaves to what they fear, and worse, to fear itself. Hope is what drives the free onward, even when it is dark, because the hopeful can see the light in the future. Faith, hope, and love- these are the three virtues Paul praises above all others in 1st Corinthians, and they are inextricably linked to each other and to freedom. For it is those who have faith in the future who hope, those who put their hope in good who love, those who love who can see the future shining in the distance! Fear has no hold on such free people, who can see the light, who know the shadow is only transient. Such free people can boldly make choices, neither according to the command of fear nor with the lack of will that accompanies conformity to others and to well-rehearsed habit.
Therefore, we say: hope is our strategy. It is not, and should not be, our only strategy, but it is one that is absolutely essential and fundamental. For the hopes of the free are powerful- without the best of plans would be empty and hollow, lacking the will to apply them. Let us therefore add intelligence and foresight to our hope, and so let us move forward to a bright future. We believe in freedom, we believe in the good in the heart of each person, we believe in love, and on the foundation of our cherished past, we believe that we can, and we will, together build a future in which freedom will prosper.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Classes
This semester's classes look like they will be very interesting. Two of them involve math heavily, though, meaning a lot of work for me. Apparently we will be doing math without numbers in Intro to Economic Analysis, which is intimidating but hopefully will be fun. The professor is quite funny; he repeatedly emphasized the importance of math in this class and the rest of the theory track of the Economics major (NYU has two tracks: policy and theory, with theory having more math and abstract theory). He said that those who enjoy doing math tend to like the class and the rest of the (harder, and therefore better) theory track, and those who don't should find another major. So....we shall see if I enjoy numberless math!
Theory of Probability is a math class, and from a show of hands, 2/3 or so of the class are math majors. That is intimidating....I can't compete with math majors.....it will be hard to get a good grade here. Of the remaining 1/3 of the class, most are finance or economics majors. Well, I'll be doing a lot of math this semester.....wish me luck.
Theory of Probability is a math class, and from a show of hands, 2/3 or so of the class are math majors. That is intimidating....I can't compete with math majors.....it will be hard to get a good grade here. Of the remaining 1/3 of the class, most are finance or economics majors. Well, I'll be doing a lot of math this semester.....wish me luck.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Playing......Territorially?
Today I played a 2k, and tried out playing territorially, instead of going for influence. Surprisingly, I won! I think it was fairly close, but he resigned....I think he may have underestimated how bad I am at endgame, because I thought it was very close. Here's the final position. What do you think? Should he have resigned? (I played black). 
In other news, my first class went very well today- the professor is a good speaker, and the subject material (Early Middle Ages) is fascinating. There is a weekly recitation section led by a TA in addition to the two lectures a week, but surprisingly the professor intends to do all the grading himself. I've never had a professor do that in a class with a TA before.
End of Welcome Week and Beginning of Classes
Welcome Week is now over; I am excited for classes starting tomorrow (or really, today, as it is past midnight)! I have only one class today, on the Early Middle Ages (300-1050 AD), which should be fun. The last two and a half days of Welcome Week went by much much better than the 3 days or so before that. Today (technically yesterday) I went to Central Park with my Christian fellowship here at NYU, and I was given two surprise birthday cakes, one from people in the fellowship, and one from a suitemate! That is excellent, especially after being quite lonely for a couple days earlier last week.
As far as Go goes, I managed to break the losing streak, but haven't played much- I seem to become tired after just a single game now. This will probably change once school starts- I've always played the most on weekends of weeks with school.
And now, I will post about my grades, specifically, comparing my grades last year with those from high school. I found my quarter and exam grades for the first 3.5 years of high school in an email I wrote a year and a half ago (along with some very long walls of text I wrote, including an impromptu analysis in chat of the symbolism in Final Fantasy X- remember that, Dan?). Unfortunately, I am having difficulty remembering my grades from second semester senior year, but I remember enough to make a (fairly accurate) guess. So, here is listed my unweighted GPA for each year since 9th grade (NYU doesn't have the A+ grade, so for this comparison I counted both A and A+ grades in HS as 4.0):
9th Grade: 3.53
10th Grade: 3.49
11th Grade: 3.62
12th Grade: 3.67
High School Total: 3.58
College Year 1: 3.625
Just for fun, here is my college GPA without math: 3.83.....
Anyway, this shows a very nice upward trend for me: my grades improved as I took harder classes (no APs in 9th/10th grades, 2 in 11th, 4 in 12th, and 8 real college classes last year). I'm don't know what percentile 3.625 is, but I'd guess it's somewhere between top 10th and 20th for rising sophomores. Since most kids here were in the top 10% in high school, that comes out to the equivalent of top 2% or so in HS- a large improvement for me. Of course, this is a very imprecise measure.
As far as Go goes, I managed to break the losing streak, but haven't played much- I seem to become tired after just a single game now. This will probably change once school starts- I've always played the most on weekends of weeks with school.
And now, I will post about my grades, specifically, comparing my grades last year with those from high school. I found my quarter and exam grades for the first 3.5 years of high school in an email I wrote a year and a half ago (along with some very long walls of text I wrote, including an impromptu analysis in chat of the symbolism in Final Fantasy X- remember that, Dan?). Unfortunately, I am having difficulty remembering my grades from second semester senior year, but I remember enough to make a (fairly accurate) guess. So, here is listed my unweighted GPA for each year since 9th grade (NYU doesn't have the A+ grade, so for this comparison I counted both A and A+ grades in HS as 4.0):
9th Grade: 3.53
10th Grade: 3.49
11th Grade: 3.62
12th Grade: 3.67
High School Total: 3.58
College Year 1: 3.625
Just for fun, here is my college GPA without math: 3.83.....
Anyway, this shows a very nice upward trend for me: my grades improved as I took harder classes (no APs in 9th/10th grades, 2 in 11th, 4 in 12th, and 8 real college classes last year). I'm don't know what percentile 3.625 is, but I'd guess it's somewhere between top 10th and 20th for rising sophomores. Since most kids here were in the top 10% in high school, that comes out to the equivalent of top 2% or so in HS- a large improvement for me. Of course, this is a very imprecise measure.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
A Lot of Close Losses
I now have a new record for longest losing streak: 6 games. 3 of these games were close: I lost by 4.5, 1.5, and 3.5. The last game was misscored, but it turns out it didn't matter: correct scoring just turned a 19.5 point loss into a 3.5 point loss. Sorry I haven't posted for a while, and that this entry is so short. I don't feel like analyzing any of the games right now.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Back at School.....and Gorging on Food
Today was move-in day, which went rather well- certainly better than moving out last May did. Unfortunately classes do not start until Tuesday, September 2nd, meaning I have a week ahead of me with no classes. It doesn't make very much sense to me to schedule move-in day so far in advance of the start of classes, and I really wish the retreat was this coming weekend and not the next one. I will probably go on a Go marathon sometime this week; hopefully it will coincide with a long winning streak, and a rank advancement.
Today I went to a restaurant called Grand Sichuan for dinner- the food was excellent, but I underestimated the size of the portions and ordered enough for two people. While I was hungry, I had eaten a fairly large lunch (Vietnamese noodles) earlier, so this was a bad idea. I wolfed down the first half or so of the food quickly, along with a lot of water (since this was a Sichuan restaurant, after all- the food was spicy).
I have had an instinctive compulsion, from a fairly young age, to finish whatever (good) food is on my plate (or in this case, 3 plates), and I tend to eat very quickly when by myself and not doing anything else. So I continued gorging down the food, until I was physically unable to eat more- that is, I felt I was going to throw up. It was only at this point that I finally did the sensible thing and called for my check and had the remaining food packaged so I could take it home with me. It is a little surprising to me that my instinctive response to finish my food was strong enough to get me continue eating for several minutes, despite my feeling very very full and my knowing that the food wouldn't be wasted because I could take it home.
Actually, in retrospect, perhaps I can eat that much food in one meal, but not with 3 glasses of water also. Of course, I can't eat hot, spicy, food very quickly without consuming copious amounts of water (or non-spicy food, but I didn't order any). In total, I think I consumed around 3000 calories in the span of 20 or so minutes- I've eaten that much in a meal before, but not in such a short time-but I can't really help eating fast when I'm at a restaurant by myself. For today, I'd guess I've had 5000-6000 calories, which is substantially higher than my usual. Since I'm trying to gain weight, I suppose that counts as a good thing (the total calorie intake, not the eating very fast part).
Today I went to a restaurant called Grand Sichuan for dinner- the food was excellent, but I underestimated the size of the portions and ordered enough for two people. While I was hungry, I had eaten a fairly large lunch (Vietnamese noodles) earlier, so this was a bad idea. I wolfed down the first half or so of the food quickly, along with a lot of water (since this was a Sichuan restaurant, after all- the food was spicy).
I have had an instinctive compulsion, from a fairly young age, to finish whatever (good) food is on my plate (or in this case, 3 plates), and I tend to eat very quickly when by myself and not doing anything else. So I continued gorging down the food, until I was physically unable to eat more- that is, I felt I was going to throw up. It was only at this point that I finally did the sensible thing and called for my check and had the remaining food packaged so I could take it home with me. It is a little surprising to me that my instinctive response to finish my food was strong enough to get me continue eating for several minutes, despite my feeling very very full and my knowing that the food wouldn't be wasted because I could take it home.
Actually, in retrospect, perhaps I can eat that much food in one meal, but not with 3 glasses of water also. Of course, I can't eat hot, spicy, food very quickly without consuming copious amounts of water (or non-spicy food, but I didn't order any). In total, I think I consumed around 3000 calories in the span of 20 or so minutes- I've eaten that much in a meal before, but not in such a short time-but I can't really help eating fast when I'm at a restaurant by myself. For today, I'd guess I've had 5000-6000 calories, which is substantially higher than my usual. Since I'm trying to gain weight, I suppose that counts as a good thing (the total calorie intake, not the eating very fast part).
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
KGS Statistics
First, it appears that I will be leaving on Friday, after all. My Dad says his work is mostly done, so he doesn't need the extra day. But I wouldn't be too surprised if this changed again sometime in the next 2 days.
I was about to post about my KGS Statistics next, but.......NOMINATIONS ARE CLOSED! This means we're (probably) getting a bracket tonight! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ok, onto KGS Statistics then, while we wait for hopefully the first "traditional" bracket in 4 years: one-on-one matches, no gimmicks, and Link, Cloud, Sephiroth, etc. back in the main bracket.
My stats for August so far (all these stats are from the site kgs.gosquares.net, by the way):
Win Loss Percentage
All 19 14 58%
Black 6 5 55%
White 13 9 59%
Higher 4 3 57%
Even 9 7 56%
Lower 5 4 56%
If you're wondering why the numbers don't add up, it's because I played 1 game with Zifan when he made a new account and still had a ? mark rank. ? isn't higher, even, or lower, but it does count in "all."
I am currently on pace for around 50 games in August. This is higher than July's record low of 43, but well below the average of 93. The average is that high in large part because I played a lot of games when I first started- most of the games were fast, allowing me to play many games. Since January, the number of games played per month has mostly been between 60 and 90, with February and July being lower. I doubt I will ever get close to September 2007's 199 again.
My winning percentage in August so far is around the same as my overall winning percentage of 59%. This is much better than the record low I set in July of 51%. The shocking thing about this month's stats is that I have played more games against lower ranked than higher ranked players. If this holds until the end of August, this would be the first time this has ever happened. I think it might be related to my only 30% of games against higher ranked players in July- this percentage is usually around 50%, and so 30% was shockingly bad. Perhaps those losses scared me into challenging 2k players less. This month, I have a winning record against 2ks, though.
In July I also had an abysmal winning percentage of 38% playing as black; that is the first time I have won less than 50% as black since September 2007. Worse, I had a winning percentage of 48% in ranked games, and was only able to salvage an overall winning percentage of 51% by going 3-0 in free games. Now that I've checked, it appears those 3 games were 9x9 games, so...yeah, I had a bad month in July, with regards to Go. Interestingly enough, I won 64% of games with white in July, about the same as my overall record, but I underperformed my overall average with black by 18%. This month my numbers in the various categories are much closer, all within 4%, actually.
My Overall Stats:
Win Loss Percentage Total
All 636 438 59% 1074
Black 345 267 56% 612
White 291 171 63% 462
Higher 190 187 50% 377
Even 306 160 66% 466
Lower 133 85 61% 228
Remember than most games against higher ranked players are against players 1 rank higher- they typically take white, no komi. Most games against lower ranked players are against players 1 rank lower- I take white, no komi.
I was about to post about my KGS Statistics next, but.......NOMINATIONS ARE CLOSED! This means we're (probably) getting a bracket tonight! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ok, onto KGS Statistics then, while we wait for hopefully the first "traditional" bracket in 4 years: one-on-one matches, no gimmicks, and Link, Cloud, Sephiroth, etc. back in the main bracket.
My stats for August so far (all these stats are from the site kgs.gosquares.net, by the way):
Win Loss Percentage
All 19 14 58%
Black 6 5 55%
White 13 9 59%
Higher 4 3 57%
Even 9 7 56%
Lower 5 4 56%
If you're wondering why the numbers don't add up, it's because I played 1 game with Zifan when he made a new account and still had a ? mark rank. ? isn't higher, even, or lower, but it does count in "all."
I am currently on pace for around 50 games in August. This is higher than July's record low of 43, but well below the average of 93. The average is that high in large part because I played a lot of games when I first started- most of the games were fast, allowing me to play many games. Since January, the number of games played per month has mostly been between 60 and 90, with February and July being lower. I doubt I will ever get close to September 2007's 199 again.
My winning percentage in August so far is around the same as my overall winning percentage of 59%. This is much better than the record low I set in July of 51%. The shocking thing about this month's stats is that I have played more games against lower ranked than higher ranked players. If this holds until the end of August, this would be the first time this has ever happened. I think it might be related to my only 30% of games against higher ranked players in July- this percentage is usually around 50%, and so 30% was shockingly bad. Perhaps those losses scared me into challenging 2k players less. This month, I have a winning record against 2ks, though.
In July I also had an abysmal winning percentage of 38% playing as black; that is the first time I have won less than 50% as black since September 2007. Worse, I had a winning percentage of 48% in ranked games, and was only able to salvage an overall winning percentage of 51% by going 3-0 in free games. Now that I've checked, it appears those 3 games were 9x9 games, so...yeah, I had a bad month in July, with regards to Go. Interestingly enough, I won 64% of games with white in July, about the same as my overall record, but I underperformed my overall average with black by 18%. This month my numbers in the various categories are much closer, all within 4%, actually.
My Overall Stats:
Win Loss Percentage Total
All 636 438 59% 1074
Black 345 267 56% 612
White 291 171 63% 462
Higher 190 187 50% 377
Even 306 160 66% 466
Lower 133 85 61% 228
Remember than most games against higher ranked players are against players 1 rank higher- they typically take white, no komi. Most games against lower ranked players are against players 1 rank lower- I take white, no komi.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Winning Streak
Immediately after ending the 5-game losing streak, I went on a 9 game winning streak, which ended last night. I am slightly disappointed in that this is the 4th or 5th 9 game winning streak I've had, and I was again unable to extend it to 10 games. But any 9 game winning streak is a great thing! Such a streak typically signifies real improvement; it means I am playing on a 2k level (at least during the streak) and hopefully will reach 2k soon. Improvement typically comes in bursts, at least for me....there are periods of very slow or no improvement followed by shorter periods of fast improvement. The lastest improvement for me I think has come from a better understanding of thickness, of staying connected, and separating your opponent's groups, as mentioned in the last post.
Now some non-Go stuff: I passed the Series 65 exam for investment adviser representatives that I've been studying for all summer. That lifts a lot of stress from me! I'm not sure if I'll actually use this though.....we'll see.
Also, it appears I'll be going back to school on Saturday, not Friday, so I will be at church this Friday.
Now some non-Go stuff: I passed the Series 65 exam for investment adviser representatives that I've been studying for all summer. That lifts a lot of stress from me! I'm not sure if I'll actually use this though.....we'll see.
Also, it appears I'll be going back to school on Saturday, not Friday, so I will be at church this Friday.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Stay Connected
I broke the 5-game losing streak and won 3 games; I consider them all to be good games in quality for me. I feel I won all three of these by having fewer groups on the board than my opponents- that is, my groups were more connected, and theirs were cut apart. When a group is cut off, it must make life by itself- it must make two eyes. Moves spent defending a group and making life are moves that are not attacking or gaining territory or influence, and so the player falls behind.
This is the final position of probably the best game out of the 3; my opponent (white) resigned here. Notice that white has 6 groups here- 7 if black can play next near the center of the board cutting the white groups apart. The proverb goes, "the fifth group might live but the sixth will die," and here the white group on the lower side died, prompting the resignation. However, I think it may have been a little early for white to resign- I think it may be worthwhile for white to start a fight in the upper left corner. What do you think?
This is the final position of probably the best game out of the 3; my opponent (white) resigned here. Notice that white has 6 groups here- 7 if black can play next near the center of the board cutting the white groups apart. The proverb goes, "the fifth group might live but the sixth will die," and here the white group on the lower side died, prompting the resignation. However, I think it may have been a little early for white to resign- I think it may be worthwhile for white to start a fight in the upper left corner. What do you think?
This is the position after move 27 of my latest game- I am white. Notice that my opponent has a lot more territory, but my stones are much better connected, and I have much greater central influence. My previous move had been f9, building my center and aiming at a sharp attack on the bottom left. Black ignored it to enter and disrupt my rapidly growing central framework (which is a very reasonable play- you do not want the center to become absolutely huge, as one more move would have made it). Therefore, I followed up on my previous move, and used my central strength to invade at d6. In the resulting battle, I took the bottom left corner, and black was left with a relatively weak group in the center left and a low group on the bottom.
This is the position at the end of the fight started by white d6. Notice that I have gained a lot of territory in the corner without playing for territory- it has come as a result of the earlier influence and power. The loose whole board connection that white had earlier is gone- but all the white groups are individually strong, and there are only 3 white groups, compared to 4 black groups, one of which can be called a weak group.
This is the final position, where black resigned- I have 3 groups, while black has 5 groups, one of which has died. Of course, having fewer groups does not guarantee victory, but it is a fairly good heuristic.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Losing Streak
Well, over the past 2 days I have lost 5 games in a row. If I remember correctly, this ties my record for longest losing streak; I think this is the 4th time this has happened. My longest winning streak is 9 games; this has occurred 4 times also, I think. The last game was a very interesting, hard-fought game, with a lot of complicated positions and exchanges. Unfortunately, I made a couple of misreads, leading to my resignation.
This looks a lot like the avalanche, which I could play into by playing on p3. That would give me an advantage locally compared to the standard avalanche, because I'd have an extra stone on o3, but I decided that wasn't good enough, so I played more agressively.......and played on r3, the 3-3 point! The result? After some fighting, the position reached this point after move 112.
Here is the position after move 67. Black has just played the circled stone. In the game I played a6, which allows black to c7, after which I played d7. Then black played b10, trapping the three white stones, and I captured the black stone on e7 to connect to my center group. The problem is that the black group on the left is no longer under pressure, and white has not built enough territory/thickness/influence to compensate. The black group in the center is still under attack, but considering I gave my opponent the bottom left corner earlier in exchange for outside influence and thickness, this is not quite enough.
If I played a7, I would have been able to capture the two black stones on the left, and made life for my group there in the process...black could have prevented me from connecting with the center group, but one weak group wedged between two weak groups is really a strong group. This position was really quite an easy one to read out...but I suppose I tend to make these kinds of blunders when I am on losing streaks. I had an advantage earlier, however, so after this, I feel I still had a small advantage.
I had a nice wall on the bottom, so I set to attacking sharply the bottom right corner. After move 81, this position looked like this:
This looks a lot like the avalanche, which I could play into by playing on p3. That would give me an advantage locally compared to the standard avalanche, because I'd have an extra stone on o3, but I decided that wasn't good enough, so I played more agressively.......and played on r3, the 3-3 point! The result? After some fighting, the position reached this point after move 112.The 3-3 point looks like a good play! The circled white stone is the last one played, and it cuts the two black groups apart. Unfortunately, this may have been an overplay, as black proceeded to utilize his stones in the middle of the white "territory" skillfully, resulting in this position after move 125.
The result is that black has gained some of white's territory, and cut off the white stones in the center from the group at the bottom, but has not connected or made 2 eyes. I, however, then blundered badly, connecting at L7 instead of sacrificing that stone. Black proceeded to play a sacrifice at m8, and all the white stones there cannot escape; in addition, black connects his groups and gets massive amounts of influence on the right side. Black now has the advantage, but it is not overwhelming yet, at least not at the 3k level, so I made another try, playing aggressively at c12. This, however, turned out to be overplay, and I soon had to resign.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Welcome
Hopefully, here I will chronicle my advancement in the game of Go to the rank of 1d (shodan) and beyond. I started playing online on KGS at the end of last August, and I am currently at 3k, so my previous goal of attaining 1d in a year now looks impossible. My progress up to 11k was very fast, and I improved about a rank a month from 11k to 4k, but there I hit a wall, and it took over 2 and a half months to scale it. Thus, my new goal is to reach 1d by Christmas this year. This will require a somewhat faster pace than I have had since April, as it took very long to get past 4k, and after 5 weeks or so at 3k, I am still less than halfway to 2k.
If you're curious about the picture in the heading, it contains 4 peaks at the center of the Teton Range. From left to right, they are Middle Teton, Grand Teton, Mt. Owen, and Teewinot. I took the photo two thursdays ago from a turnout on the road east of the Snake River, in Grand Teton National Park. I found the mountains were very hard to photograph; the grandeur of the scene that you see when you are there is easily lost in photos. This photo came out quite well, especially when cropped, leaving it much wider than tall.
Nominations have opened for the 2008 Gamefaqs Character Contest, and once the bracket comes out, you can probably expect a lot of posts related to the contest. Go should remain the main subject of this blog, however.
If you're curious about the picture in the heading, it contains 4 peaks at the center of the Teton Range. From left to right, they are Middle Teton, Grand Teton, Mt. Owen, and Teewinot. I took the photo two thursdays ago from a turnout on the road east of the Snake River, in Grand Teton National Park. I found the mountains were very hard to photograph; the grandeur of the scene that you see when you are there is easily lost in photos. This photo came out quite well, especially when cropped, leaving it much wider than tall.
Nominations have opened for the 2008 Gamefaqs Character Contest, and once the bracket comes out, you can probably expect a lot of posts related to the contest. Go should remain the main subject of this blog, however.
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