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November 5, 2013

Strange Hearts

I've been playing another 100 game set of Hearts (see: Half-Hearted) and just finished a game.  It started out with one of my computer opponents "shooting the moon", then I did, then another one did, all in the first three rounds.  I had never seen that before and was thinking "What if the fourth player does it, too?"

A little way into the hand it sure looked that way, but I couldn't be sure;  the computer game isn't like a real-life Hearts game where you can see who is catching all the tricks.  I've sometimes passed up the chance to catch a trick and ruin one of my computer opponent's chances of shooting the moon because I've been so intent upon my own hand I don't pay much attention to which of the others are catching the most tricks. 

This time, however, I was being a little more aware because of the extremely rare way the game was playing out.  Even though I didn't have to, I caught a trick in the middle of the hand and after it was over, saw that it was indeed going to be the fourth-in-a-row shoot the moon...and that it caused me to lose the game by a single point.

November 4, 2013

Shocking Fact

The electric eel can generate about 600 volts of electricity with the record being 650. By contrast, the standard U.S. wall socket is 120 volts.


November 3, 2013

Monk's Phobias

Monk was a comedy-drama detective mystery television series that aired from 2002-2009. I don't think I ever saw an episode of it when it was on in prime time, but recently started watching it in late-night reruns. Monk suffers from obsessive–compulsive personality disorder and while the real-life disorder really shouldn't be laughed at, Monk made it seem hilarious.

Monk seemed to display a new phobia (or two or three or more) in each episode. According to Wiki and fan sites, Monk has 312 fears, some of which are milk, ladybugs, harmonicas, heights, imperfection,claustrophobia, driving, food touching on his plates, messes, frogs, germs, crowds, glaciers and risk, although in one later episode he managed to get a handle on his claustrophobia.

His obsessions were what made for the best comedy,though.