by Christopher Paul on May 16, 2014 Over at Big Think, K. Mike Merrill suggests a few changes to bring the game of Monopoly into the modern era — and he’s not talking about Monopoly Here & Now Electronic Edition.
Under his new rules, he would create a non-player character called ‘The Banker’ and describes them as such:
The role of the banker is special. The banker should have no piece on the Monopoly board, but this person is in charge of the bank’s money. The success of the banker is judged the same as any other player: Whoever accumulates the most wealth is the winner. Of course, as in life, the banker has some advantages (like control of all the money).
He’d also introduce modern-day banking concepts like convertible notes and Series A financing which goes like this:
Once a player controls all the properties of the same color the Series A Financing is triggered. The player now owns something of value so is in a better position to bargain with the banker. The higher the value of the properties the better deal a player should be able to get.
…
Anytime a player acquires all of the properties of one color they trigger the option for financing (railroads and utilities don’t count). Obviously the second time (Series B) and third time (Series C) a player will have more value and can bargain for better terms.
By taking financing a player is selling off some equity in order to quickly develop their property by skipping right to building hotels. That’s very expensive, but the banker is assuming a lot of the risk.
We don’t play Monopoly in my house since my son is too little but I think this might be the version I teach him.
via Kottke
by Christopher Paul on March 30, 2014 Just in time for baseball season, Ryan Sleeper of OSMGuy put up an interactive visualization comparing your salary to that of the players of the MLB. You can break down their salary by stats – like per season, game, at bat, home runs, and so on.
via The Loop
by Christopher Paul on March 29, 2014 Based on this post at McSweeney’s, Dissolve made a video that represents just about every commercial out there.
via DF
by Christopher Paul on March 8, 2014 Ron Suskind’s son, Owen, is regressive autistic; he was a normal child until around three when he “vanished”. For years the Suskinds tried to reach Owen and, over time, discovered Disney animated movies as the way to reach him — and for Owen to express himself. Of the story, this passage stuck with m the most:
There’s a reason — a good-enough reason — that each autistic person has embraced a particular interest. Find that reason, and you will find them, hiding in there, and maybe get a glimpse of their underlying capacities. In our experience, we found that showing authentic interest will help them feel dignity and impel them to show you more, complete with maps and navigational tools that may help to guide their development, their growth. Revealed capability, in turn, may lead to a better understanding of what’s possible in the lives of many people who are challenged.
There are plenty of other good paragraphs I could have quoted but that seems to resonate with me for some reason. Perhaps it’s hopeful that we may better understand what causes autism and be better equipped to connect with those who have lost their outer voice.
via The Feature
by Christopher Paul on March 1, 2014 At Signal vs. Noise, Jason Fried has some advice on giving advice:
Advice, like fruit, is best when it’s fresh. But advice quickly decays, and 15 year-old advice is bound to be radioactive. Sharing a life experience is one thing (grandparents are great at this – listen to them!), but advice is another thing. Don’t give advice about things you used to know. Just because you did something a long time ago doesn’t mean you’re qualified to talk about it today.
Think you’ll get a good answer from a 30 year old telling you what it’s like to be 15? Or a 20 year old remembering what it’s like to be 5? Shit, I’m about to turn 40, and all I remember about being 25 is that I wasn’t 26. How clearly do you really remember anything from 15 years ago? And how many of those memories are actually marred by time and current experiences? How many of those things really happened the way you recall them today?
via MG