No, not that game theory.
I play Waffle, Waffle Royale, and Waffle’s One Word Search every day. The goal is to solve the puzzles with 5 stars remaining. A perfect score, if you will. And if you get 5 stars on Waffle or Waffle Royale you get a lovely colored light show as your reward.
Only once have I gotten 5 stars on all 3 games on the same day. That was fun! But if I have fewer than 4 stars on any of them, I am disappointed.
I have my own theory related to games. All the madness and the relentless gutting of government is definitely affecting my brain, even during play where I attempted to escape the madness. Whether it’s lack of patience or lack of methodical thinking, or if half of my brain continuing to scream “oh my god” is interrupting pattern recognition, I do not know.
Without getting into too many details, let’s just say I have been disappointed many times in the past weeks.
All I know is that we all need to bring our best game to this fight, and I still can’t quite do it. But I’m getting there!
I feel as though most of us have been Obama in that first debate with Romney, when Romney spewed so many lies so fast that Obama couldn’t get his feet under him. Including and especially many of our elected officials. (But even this is getting better since I first started this post a couple of weeks ago!)
In the first days of the war in Ukraine, even regular people like us were doing what they could, which was making molotov cocktails. Here in the US, I feel like for awhile we were all standing around with our eyes blinking like hostages trying to figure out what the fuck to do as our government is being overtaken. All the parts of government that are supposed to protect us are now wearing the Confederate uniforms, fighting for the other side.
We just have to keep on keeping on as we figure it out. Bit by bit it feels like we are getting it together.
Open thread.
WaterGirl
PSA: Zoom #2 with Elle Reeves is on Saturday at 3:30 Eastern time.
Be there or be square. If you went to the last one, it’s the same zoom link, so you can just RSVP in the comments – unless you didn’t keep the link.
If anyone is coming (hopefully) who wasn’t able to make the last one, please RSVP by email so I can reply with the zoom link. my nym at balloon-juice.com
Professor Bigfoot
19 minutes! LOL
Things like the occasional “Bigfooting” are part of why I stay here. Love ya, WG!
Keith P.
It sounds like a waffle party
WaterGirl
@Professor Bigfoot: I was turning off the computer for the night, so it was now or never.
last week, my post was up for one minute before John put his up so I don’t think he can complain about 19 minutes!
WaterGirl
@Keith P.: fewer calories!
WaterGirl
Goodnight all!
ThresherK
I play Waffle and also the weekly free one.
My game theory question is, If I play the base game perfectly, is there any way I can complete it with six moves remaining? Is this available on every edition of the base game, or only certain ones?
Mousebumples
Bandle is our latest game to enjoy. You get different parts from a song, and need to try to pick it up.
Eg, today’s was 2003 Rock, Alternative song.
1) Drums & Bass
2) Strings
3) Piano
4) Electric Guitar
5) Voice Cover
6) Clue (eg synonym of the title, usually)
Mr. Mouse is way better at this than I am, but you also get music trivia after the song, whether you get it right or not.
I figure there are enough music buffs around that this might be fun.
WaterGirl
@ThresherK: I believe they say that 5 stars is a perfect game.
WaterGirl
@ThresherK: I don’t understand your final question can you clarify?
RevRick
MrsRev and I are looking forward to seeing Frozen Jr. at our granddaughter’s middle school Sunday afternoon. She’s in the chorus.
Meanwhile, our church is having discussions about installing solar panels. We have a southern exposure roof, which is ideal.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
Me and 4 others (I’ve known all but one for over 40 years) have been playing games on the Vassal engine since March 2020. For over a year during that time, we played nothing but Circus Maximus, and old chariot racing game, we loved it so much. Took a year off from that to play some other stuff but just completed our first race in a while. So much fun.
Even better in person with miniatures and a circus/hippodrome modeled because the trash talking is so much better. I think my ongoing circus work in 10mm might be of interest in the “artist among us” topic (people at the Denver Meet Up saw some of my figure work) because who doesn’t like to see Ben Hur on their dining room table?
Enhanced Voting Techniques
Well that was odd at work – I was in a meeting with a planer who I always took for a conservatives, and right in the middle of it he starts bad mouthing Trump. Then sort of half apologized for bring politics up at work.
ThresherK
@WaterGirl: Sure. (First, https://wafflegame.net/daily is what I’m referring to, and there might be others.)
The game starts with 15 guesses to go, and the board is mixed up, with the four corner and single center piece, plus one more, already in “green” state — those letters are in the solution spots.
Is it possible to use only 9 moves and finish any of the Waffle puzzles already published, with 6 moves left over? If not, is it possible to design a Waffle puzzle which can be solved in 9 moves, as a thought experiment?
gratuitous
If you can stand to click on the New York Times, they have a game called Connections. Sometimes the clues are just ridiculous, but most of the time it’s a chance to match wits with a clever game master (mistress?). A new game every day at:
https://www.nytimes.com/games/connections
eclare
@Mousebumples:
I have absolutely no idea what the words and icons in that box mean. And I’m ok with that, never been a puzzle person.
stinger
RSVP-ing for the Zoom!
Quiltingfool
I play Zen Word. It’s just a spelling game. You get 6 or 7 letters to use, with anywhere from 10 to 20 words to spell.
I know what Watergirl means about some days doing great and other days, not so much. It happens to me on this silly game!
NotMax
Living in a Waffle House? The things I learn here.
:)
dnfree
It may seem strange, but I was absolutely flattened today by the Washington Post opinion page announcement by Bezos. I discovered computers after my sophomore year of college in summer, 1965, and that’s the way my career went. But for my first two years of college I was a journalism minor and worked on the university newspaper. This was the Vietnam War era and leading up to Watergate, and my student peers were deadly serious about journalism and journalistic ethics and integrity. The courage of Woodward and Bernstein and the publisher of the Post were heroes in that tradition. Bezos said when he bought the paper that he did not intend to interfere with editorial decisions.
The announcement today, following his earlier interventions, and following the lineup with his fellow multibillionaires at the inauguration (and his million-dollar contribution to the inauguration) just brought home to me how many of the institutions that are supposed to hold the line are utterly failing. Judicial decisions? They are just being ignored and bulldozed over. The press? Too many news sources owned by oligarchs. I just feel like I’m watching the dominos fall, while too many of my fellow citizens cheer.
Gvg
I research garden topics obsessively to get away from things. Well I do it anyway, but now I am doing it on purpose. Yesterday I found out that there were now 4 new species of lupine in Florida. Genetic research has split one fairly rare species into 4 species and I think 3 of them are endangered. 1 has only 2 locations. They are all beautiful and still pretty much impossible to grow in the garden because we haven’t figured out the symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria species yet? Something anyway. My aunt has had some on her land before. I should go see if they come up this year and try to figure out which one they are.
It’s easier to continue collecting the ferns and violets of the region to put in my shady front yard where the grass won’t grow. I also ordered some native azaleas. That is an addiction I have to control. Must only buy the ones that stay smaller, no 20 to 30 foot beauties because then I will be out of room.
I can spend months reading and researching then hunting to buy a special plant and not think too much about….you know. It’s a way to control my thoughts and anger. Some.
eclare
@dnfree:
The willing surrender of the press is stunning and depressing. Along with what is going on with the WaPo, Joy Reid (along with other POC) was fired and Rachel Maddow lost almost her entire production crew. Supposedly they will be able to interview for new positions to get a job back with MSNBC. I’m not holding my breath.
All done willingly. Thank you sir, may I have another?
eclare
@Gvg:
On my drive to a former job I passed a house with about fifteen foot azaleas. Beautiful pink George Tabors, the fluffy azaleas. I loved seeing them. They were at the edge of the yard next to a sidewalk, not close to the house.
Melancholy Jaques
@eclare:
I do not agree it is a surrender. They wanted this result. They wanted the Trump Show for content & their owners want the tax cuts & deregulation. For them it isn’t surrender, it’s a victory.
eclare
@Melancholy Jaques:
Point taken.
Matt McIrvin
@Melancholy Jaques: But here’s the thing: At least some of that audience who watched or read them for Trump’s antics back in 2017-2021 were hate-watching, right? They saw these media as oppositional, and that was why Trump was good for ratings.
If all they’re doing is echoing Trump’s point of view and extolling him as king superhero, is that interesting? Is that content people will find compelling? Like I said, Fox News already exists. Will the public be interested in a dozen Fox Newses?
prostratedragon
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: Just broke out of him, eh? I know how he must have felt. We’re all under too much pressure these days, for appropriate definitions of “we.”
Jackie
WaterGirl, I’m sorry to post this here, but thought this was important to be seen:
This. Is. Not. Good.
prostratedragon
@Jackie: I will be upping my sudoku game to regain some poise.
Ohio Mom
@Jackie: No, it isn’t. Social security is a huge and complex program. It was already understaffed and stressed.
It’s late and I’m nodding off. I’m sure we will be discussing this at greater length.
WTFGhost
When you feel like crap, it’s harder than normal to pull your head out of feeling like crap, and *do* things. You think you’re ready for a game, but you don’t know that your brain is misfiring.
Everything goes wrong – and no one understands from the inside how it’s going.
I’m a tad worried about you, Watergirl, and John Cole, and the rest of the front pagers. It’s like – I imagine John Oliver trying to be cheerful and funny the week after the election, but, he gets paid lots of money, and wins the TV awards yearly for best documentary/news show, so, it’s a lot easier for him.
It’s hard to keep slogging, and I’m glad you’re doing it. But I hope you are able to care for yourself, as much and as deeply as you need, or that you have other folks caring for you.
WaterGirl
@ThresherK: that’s the one I play. For sure the way that one works is that 5 stars left (finished in 10 moves) is how it works. I have no idea whether it could be designed for completion in 9 moves.
WaterGirl
@dnfree: it’s distressing. The lawlessness is mind boggling. Fourth estate? That’s a laugh.
WaterGirl
@Gvg: lupine seem other worldly to me.
WaterGirl
@Jackie: 5 alarm fires everywhere.
David_C
@RevRick: Solar panels – that’s great. I submitted our renewal application for our Earth Care Congregation certification. Should hear soon. Next month is a call for our region’s Earth Care Congregations. Tomorrow and Saturday we have a local workshop for those interested in climate issues.
David_C
@WaterGirl: Sorry I will miss Elle’s call! Son-in-law’s birthday party. He’s turned my daughter into a Trumper so it could be interesting. One of the casualties of the current troubles is the wonderful NIH take your child to work day. That have all kinds of amazing science activities and I’ve taken the eligible grandchildren over the years, but I’m not seeing any announcements yet.
Games are Wordle and Sudoku, bringing order out of chaos. I’ve taken down my award plaques hanging in my cubicle and am uploading critical files (data and administrative) to our server. We would usually be planning for a summer internship and AAAS fellow to help us and train the next generation, but those (along with some grad school admissions) are drying up. It’s hard to describe what’s happening to biomedical research in this country and my colleagues and I are smack dab in the middle.
ThresherK
@WaterGirl: I don’t know if I retained enough college math to figure out a real test condition. It’d be interesting if someone has already put their brain to it.
Cheers!
Currants
@ThresherK: I think so. I’ve been keeping track of my moves and now and then notice a mistake I make (finger slides letter onto wrong place accidentally), and still get 5 stars. So theoretically I think 6 is possible.
Also WG thanks for this post. I am still in the stunned and stumbling phase, not sure when/how I’ll get out of it. The information/news is overwhelmingly awful (the point, I know), so I deleted Substack (couldn’t figure out how else to stop notifications) and what a relief to wake up to no horrible news first thing in the morning yesterday.
Currants
@WTFGhost: seconded.
WaterGirl
@Currants:
That has happened to me a handful of times, too. When that happens, I chalk the win up to some move I hadn’t thought of.
WaterGirl
@David_C: I’m sorry you won’t be able to make it!
ThresherK
@Currants: Hmm. Good observation; I’ll have to check that out.