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Miscellany
Mar. 19th, 2011 10:12 am1. My victory announcement on the prisms problem turned out to be a little premature. It turns out that there were a couple of subtleties in Case IIIB (now officially dubbed the Orthogonal Case); I had noticed one, but not recognized its significance, and overlooked the other completely. I had to do some pen-and-paper calculations over the weekend, and on Monday pushed the calculations through Mathematica; I now have the correct answer.
2. I've begun writing the prisms paper. Figuring out the best way to lay out the argument, choosing terminology, the order of presentation of ideas, and so forth is always a challenge. I presented the core of the argument to the research group yesterday; W objected strongly to one bit of terminology I introduced, but I came up with an acceptable substitute. The creative juices are flowing, and I hope to have this one out the door in no more than a month.
3. Still in a creative mood: I've decided I'm not satisfied with my bookkeeping software. I designed it myself - nothing sophisticated, just Microsoft Access tables, forms, and macros - but it's about seven years old and I know a lot more about Access programming than I did, and I can see quite a few ways to improve it. Streamlining, error recovery, improved automation... I need to rewrite it. I'm not sure when I'll have time, though.
4. Civilization V is pretty good. The ban on stacking units changes the shape of warfare, as does the introduction of ranged attack. The city-states also add interest; managing diplomatic relations with them correctly can improve your chances considerably. And, of course, the graphics and A/V are outstanding. (I find myself feeling sorry for conquered leaders during the surrender videos; Genghis Khan's refusal to bend the neck, the Songhai leader's defiance, Napoleon's "je regrette"... all good.)
2. I've begun writing the prisms paper. Figuring out the best way to lay out the argument, choosing terminology, the order of presentation of ideas, and so forth is always a challenge. I presented the core of the argument to the research group yesterday; W objected strongly to one bit of terminology I introduced, but I came up with an acceptable substitute. The creative juices are flowing, and I hope to have this one out the door in no more than a month.
3. Still in a creative mood: I've decided I'm not satisfied with my bookkeeping software. I designed it myself - nothing sophisticated, just Microsoft Access tables, forms, and macros - but it's about seven years old and I know a lot more about Access programming than I did, and I can see quite a few ways to improve it. Streamlining, error recovery, improved automation... I need to rewrite it. I'm not sure when I'll have time, though.
4. Civilization V is pretty good. The ban on stacking units changes the shape of warfare, as does the introduction of ranged attack. The city-states also add interest; managing diplomatic relations with them correctly can improve your chances considerably. And, of course, the graphics and A/V are outstanding. (I find myself feeling sorry for conquered leaders during the surrender videos; Genghis Khan's refusal to bend the neck, the Songhai leader's defiance, Napoleon's "je regrette"... all good.)
