Half-Hearted

I think it was sometime in May I decided to see just how good of a Hearts player I was. I've had the game on this and my last few computers, but until I got this PC and game, I never did very well. I can't remember if this game came with the computer or I had to download it (it came with my last couple of computers) but I certainly like this version best of all I've played.

So, I decided I'd get a large enough sample of games to be significant and figured a hundred would be good enough.  As you can see by the screen shot below, I did fairly well, winning nearly half the games.  I had started a few games, then got discouraged or had to do something, so when I closed the program, it counts the game as a loss.  I don't know if I would have won those games or not - probably not, because some of them started out badly, catching the queen right off the bat several hands in a row.

Still, I'm fairly proud to have done so well. In the other Hearts programs, I very seldom won, hardly ever over 25% of the time. That's probably about right for a novice Hearts player such as myself. Still, it seemed as though my three computer opponents "ganged up" on me.  I know it's programming, but I couldn't help but think of the computer players as "real"...but "real" players wouldn't have taken the cursing I gave them like I did my computer opponents. (named Huey, Dewey and Louie)

My better play can also be attributed to my better remembering the cards that have been played, which is one of the most important strategies of Hearts but I also think this version of the game is more "fair".  With this version, the other players will seem to try to keep one of them - and me- from "shooting the moon" and winning all the tricks. With the previous games, it seemed as though I was the only one trying to prevent it. 

Now, you may think a blog post about a computer cards game might be silly and you might think I don't have a life posting about it and playing so many games of Hearts.  You'd be right thinking both.  Need proof?

Previous post about Hearts and another and another

Hank & Marie Watch Miley Cyrus

Absolutely brilliant combination of two current Internet hot topics:  the Miley Cyrus performance at the VMAs and Hank and Marie watching Walt's "confession" video on the last episode of Breaking Bad.

This *might* stretch the G-rating of this blog, but it's too funny to pass up.

meander

meander me·an·der [mee-an-der]

verb (used without object)
1. to proceed by or take a winding or indirect course: The stream meandered through the valley.
2. to wander aimlessly; ramble: The talk meandered on.
verb (used with object)
3. Surveying . to define the margin of (a body of water) with a meander line. noun
4. Usually, meanders. turnings or windings; a winding path or course.
5. a circuitous movement or journey.
6. an intricate variety of fret or fretwork.

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meander: what this blog does all the time.

Pistol Shrimp Packin' Heat

The 2 inch long pistol shrimp can make a noise that can reach up to 218 decibels, 30 decibels higher than the sound made by the blue whale. By snapping its over-sized pincer, it can fire off a 60mph blast of water, creating a low-pressure bubble of water with an internal temperature that is briefly hotter than the sun. When the bubble bursts, it emits a high-decibel boom that stuns the tiny shrimp's prey.

Draw Ball

I'm not sure what the attraction is to Draw Ball, but there is definitely one because according to the counter, there were 18 others on the site when I was there just now. (in the middle of the night, no less...or, the middle of the day on the other side of the world, I suppose)

Wait for the images in the ball to load, then zoom in (and wait for THAT to load) then start drawing. There's an option to change the color and a tool to either write -with a feather- or make dots. You can leave a message and/or chat with other people (drawballers?) on site. You can also turn off the trippy music playing, which is some sort of New Age song with a background of either rain falling or bacon frying...or both, not for sure.

Personally, I got bored with it fairly quickly, but others might not. The most time I spent on the page was exploring what the images were, not in drawing. Draw or not, I didn't have a ball.

Draw Ball