Repost:
"Things go wrong when treasure hunts are implemented. One or two sets of treasure hunts are wildly ambitious, promising treasures in every nook and cranny of the country and zillions in prizes. I figure the (forgot the name) would collapse. It turns out another one, Treasure Game$ with genie lamps, has paused for business fixups, de facto dead, as they haven't got around to paying winners $3 million."
It turns out the ambitious botg.com did indeed collapse, and things are looking suspicious there. You can find out more about it here. For good measure Professor X's Cracked has abruptly stopped. Justin Posey's Beyond the Map's Edge is doing fine, but his
behaviour is similar to the ferociously controversial Forrest Fenn hunt.
There is a new tablut/hnefa tafl variant emerging. I want to document it before it turns out to be bad. Tablut variants never work; the traditional version always wins in the end.
We'll start with the original tablut. These rules will be used. The pieces are dice, white for Swedes with a red king, and darker for the Muscovites. The number on top of a die indicates the exact amount it moves. During a turn you can either move or flip over a die. For every die two numbers on opposite sides add up to seven. One die can move either five or two spaces; the other numbers are not available. At the beginning of the game the pieces have their standard spots but random orientations.
What would game play be like? Probably an awkward traffic jam with frustrated drivers. And what would we call this? This will most likely be a failure. I believe I once tried tablut with pieces that could move one, two or three spaces depending on the piece.
I wanted to get a game where you could do action in one area but you could also affect a more distant area.
This might work well for a one-dimensional game. Say a 1 x 21 board, where you try to get a piece to the opponent's base square. Capture by replacement I guess (as opposed
to sending the piece back to the player's available pieces). As stated above, you can change the piece's reach by flipping it. What about a circle as a board? Hmm.. an odd number of positions, if you can't
be moved off the special one you win. Might be tedious, but the proof is in the pudding.
If we had a time machine we could watch a traditional konane tournament in Hawaii. Boards have been found on the beach, including a bigger board, and it is speculated that all this is for a tournament. Apparently placing bets was part of this. The community, in their traditional clothes (what are they?) speaking their polynesion language. Maybe there was a ceremony at the end. People eat.
Canada's Carney called out for 'utilizing' British spelling /
CBC
What kind of weirdo would do that?
No means the opposite of agreement. It's not complicated.
You've likely heard the term "Jewish mother". But what does that mean? It's becoming relevant for me. Let's find out.
Here is the long-winded article. You might be better off with wikipedia. It seems to be a stereotype that's not to be taken too seriously.
Junk food anyway. I don't have what it takes to tell the difference. Manufacturers change ingredients,
removing artificial ingredients. Maybe a writer wanted to tell a story.
Coffee Crisp used to have a boxier package.
Sask. distillery named worldwide whisky producer of the year
It's spellled whisky in Scotland, Canada and Japan, while it is whiskey in Ireland and the U.S.A. The spelling in England is oddly lacking, probably whisky.
Artur Rehi / Ukraine Matters video /
Art wine / story / BBC Bakhmut
From Bakhmut, known as Artyomovsk in Soviet times, in Ukraine.
I got these oyster and vinegar crisps/potato chips as part of Christmas from the local British store. Novelty was a factor. I don't like seafood. The other people didn't like it.
This reviewer didn't like it. But I was quite taken by it. I would happily get it and eat it again.
Made from the finest British potatoes. It apparently does not contain oyster.
Rosehip syrup from Ukraine. Isn't that cute? Allegedly medicinal for this and that. Rosehip, echinacea, sugar, mint and ascorbic acid. You might find it at your Ukrainian store.
Not expensive. Add a couple of spoonfuls to warm water, not hot. Or black tea, according to the link.
And then there's birch sap.
This will help to keep me on track. The big things, the unresolved things, relevant things, gems.
Games:
Memory game Snowflake was always handicapped by not being able to get snowflake images. But I wonder if technology has
become more helpful. I would like to get more video about mahabis, the ring game from Iraq. Timed with the Iraq drink?
There's the old, original OG abstract Stepping Stones, which should get its moment in the sun. A wood board exists. There is the long teased but little seen King of the Mountain.
Fiction:
There are little blips and blops I would like to document. Even though it will never lead to anything.
Politics:
Politics are out.
Geopolitics:
Geopolitics are knocking loudly at the door. Keep an eye on the relationship between Iranians and Israel. Is it what you thought it was? Do you know what's going on in China?
A lot of things are happening.
You can hear Malcolm Nance speculatively yapping about the Venezuela raid at "How Trump got Maduro and why it doesn't add up | Malcolm Nance". He makes some interesting comments
about what could have happened, like a spy novel.