Compromise and Conceit

Infernal adventuring…

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An Australian statistician and role-player living in Japan, interested in the theory and practice of role-playing…

Category: Nerd Culture

  • Current Viewing: Big Bang Theory

    I’m not a fan of American comedy in general, but Big Bang Theory has really impressed me. I presume no one in my readership is ignorant of the basic idea behind this show, but just in case: it’s about a group of nerds – three physicists and an engineer – who are completely out of…

  • Problems with Out of Sample Prediction using R

    I stumbled on a problem with out-of-sample prediction in R, which I think is an example of idiosyncratic programming (and possibly insoluble) and, in the spirit of Andrew Gelman’s stats blog, I thought I’d put it on the internet to see if a) I’m just being stupid and b) it really is as much of…

  • Charlie Brooker Stereotypes Japan (Part 2)

    In Wednesday’s Guardian, Charlie Brooker continues his series of articles on his trip to Japan, and in the same tone: where he started his first article with a long paragraph that combines toilet humour and assertions about the kookiness of Japan, this article starts with a description of a computer game about bouncing turds, and…

  • Dexter Vs. Castle

    I’m currently watching the latest season of Dexter, and as we were watching my partner suggested that it would be excellent to see an episode of either show in which Dexter visits New York (or vice versa). Perhaps he is chasing a serial killer operating in NY, or perhaps the Miami police have to go…

  • In Praise of Powerpoint

    Today I sat through about 15 presentations, and in the x 100th of them, the powerpoint failed. Just stopped working. It was a disaster for everyone concerned, not least of the concerned being the master’s student whose grade depended on getting the software working again[1]. As the crash came down, I realized that actually Powerpoint…

  • Why Tolkien Never Won the Nobel Prize

    The Guardian reports today that the archives of the committee for the Nobel Prize in Literature, 1961 have been declassified, and one of the nominees was Tolkien. The archives include brief descriptions of the committee’s opinion of the various nominees, though I suspect that the Guardian’s reports are a little limited. The reason given by…

  • A D&D Hex Map Cafe in Daikanyama

    After visiting Unit club in Daikanyama to watch The Big Pink live, my partner and I went for dinner at the Sign Cafe, right next to Daikanyama station. The entire ceiling and most of the walls of this cafe are decorated in hex-map style, and on the ceiling near the door a ring of hexagons…

  • London Science Museum Babooshka Dice

    My friend sent me these dice from the London Science Museum. Each one is a d6 inside a d6 and, as can be seen, they roll independently of each other so you get a 2d6 roll with each die. I guess they’d be very useful for backgammon, but they could make high-level fireballs a little…

  • Japanese Cellphone Social Life

    Today during lunch with nothing better to do I broke out my keitai (cellphone) to check the news, and stumbled on a news article about a foolish chap who has been charged with taking secret film of more than 2000 women in public toilet facilities throughout Osaka. Apparently he was caught after getting involved in…

  • Get off My (Maths) Lawn!

    In the Australian state of New South Wales, final year mathematics exams were held a few days ago and the Sydney Morning Herald reports the advanced maths exam was “cruel and difficult.” Students on some message board are posting sad messages saying they might as well not have bothered because it was so hard, and…