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text:
Q: Notation for set minus Suppose $\mathcal{A} = \{a,b\}$ or $\mathcal{A} = \{a \}$. Is it ok to write $\mathcal{A} \setminus b$ to indicate
\begin{cases}
  \mathcal{A} \setminus b & \text{if } b \in \mathcal{A} \\
  \mathcal{A} & \text{otherwise}
\end{cases}
If not, what would be an appropriate notation for that?

A: Some authors use that notation, but $\mathcal{A}\setminus\{b\}$ is more accurate.

A: You can write $A-\{b\}$ or $A\backslash \{b\}$ to denote the set of all elements in $A$ that are not in the set $\{b\}$. This is the set of all elements in $A$ that are not the element $b$. You can use this notation regardless of whether $b$ is an element of $A$ or not.

A: Regardless of your intentions when you write $\mathcal A\setminus b$, to the reader $\mathcal A\setminus b$ indicates $\mathcal A\setminus b$ when $b\notin \mathcal A$ as well.
Be mindful of the widespread notation $A\setminus B=\{x\in A\,:\, x\notin B\}$, which carries on in all instances.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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text:
Q: Correctly position the camera when panning I'm having a hard time setting boundaries and positioning camera properly inside my view after panning. So here's my scenario.
I have a node that is bigger than the screen and I want to let user pan around to see the full map. My node is 1000 by 1400 when the view is 640 by 1136. Sprites inside the map node have the default anchor point.
Then I've added a camera to the map node and set it's position to (0.5, 0.5).

Now I'm wondering if I should be changing the position of the camera or the map node when the user pans the screen ? The first approach seems to be problematic, since I can't simply add translation to the camera position because position is defined as (0.5, 0.5) and translation values are way bigger than that. So I tried multiplying/dividing it by the screen size but that doesn't seem to work. Is the second approach better ?
var map = Map(size: CGSize(width: 1000, height: 1400))

override func didMove(to view: SKView) {
    (...)
    let pan = UIPanGestureRecognizer(target: self, action: #selector(panned(sender:)))
    view.addGestureRecognizer(pan)

    self.anchorPoint = CGPoint.zero
    self.cam = SKCameraNode()
    self.cam.name = "camera"

    self.camera = cam
    self.addChild(map)
    self.map.addChild(self.cam!)

    cam.position = CGPoint(x: 0.5, y: 0.5)
}

var previousTranslateX:CGFloat = 0.0

func panned (sender:UIPanGestureRecognizer) {
    let currentTranslateX = sender.translation(in: view!).x

    //calculate translation since last measurement
    let translateX = currentTranslateX - previousTranslateX

    let xMargin = (map.nodeSize.width - self.frame.width)/2

    var newCamPosition = CGPoint(x: cam.position.x, y: cam.position.y)
    let newPositionX = cam.position.x*self.frame.width + translateX

    // since the camera x is 320, our limits are 140 and 460 ?
    if newPositionX > self.frame.width/2 - xMargin && newPositionX < self.frame.width - xMargin {
        newCamPosition.x = newPositionX/self.frame.width
    }

    centerCameraOnPoint(point: newCamPosition)

    //(re-)set previous measurement
    if sender.state == .ended {
        previousTranslateX = 0
    } else {
        previousTranslateX = currentTranslateX
    }
}

func centerCameraOnPoint(point: CGPoint) {
    if cam != nil {
        cam.position = point
    }
}

A: Your camera is actually at a pixel point 0.5 points to the right of the centre, and 0.5 points up from the centre. At (0, 0) your camera is dead centre of the screen.
I think the mistake you've made is a conceptual one, thinking that anchor point of the scene (0.5, 0.5) is the same as the centre coordinates of the scene.
If you're working in pixels, which it seems you are, then a camera position of (500, 700) will be at the top right of your map, ( -500, -700 ) will be at the bottom left.
This assumes you're using the midpoint anchor that comes default with the Xcode SpriteKit template.
Which means the answer to your question is: Literally move the camera as you please, around your map, since you'll now be confident in the knowledge it's pixel literal.
With one caveat...
a lot of games use constraints to stop the camera somewhat before it gets to the edge of a map so that the map isn't half off and half on the screen. In this way the map's edge is showing, but the furthest the camera travels is only enough to reveal that edge of the map. This becomes a constraints based effort when you have a player/character that can walk/move to the edge, but the camera doesn't go all the way out there.


Kinukake-no-Michi is the scenic road for exploring three UNESCO World Heritage sites, Kinkakuji, Ryoanji and Ninnaji. It runs approximately 2.5 km through the green foothills of Mt. Kinugasa, beginning with the stroll from Kinkakuji to Ryoanji – about 18 minutes – and continuing on to Ninnaji, another 11 minutes or so farther on. From directly in front of Ninnaji, it's an easy ride on the quaint Randen tram to the heart of the scenic Arashiyama area. This is the best route to get from Kinkakuji to Arashiyama.
In addition to the World Heritage sites, numerous other major Kyoto attractions are scattered around the Kinukake-no-michi road, including the Tojiin and Myoshinji Zen temples, and the Kitano Tenmangu Shinto shrine. The area bears witness to Japan's medieval history – the Heian, Kamakura and Muromachi periods – when the imperial family and the aristocracy were at their zenith. Generations of emperors lie in tombs which dot the area.
The road that is now Kinukake-no-michi used to be known simply as a "scenic route" through north Kyoto until 1991, when the area's promotional council invited the public to propose a new name, better reflecting the road's rich heritage. Kinukake – literally, "draped with silk" – was selected. The name derives from the famous command by the ninth century Emperor Uda that he be able to gaze out on a snowy landscape even in mid-summer, which was fulfilled by covering the slopes of the nearby mountain with white silk.
Over time, 'Kinukake-no-michi' evolved from a popular nickname to the official designation found in maps and tourist guides. Today, visitors from across Japan and around the world refer to the route as the Kinukake-no-michi road, and locals call it by the same silk-draped name as well.


text:
package com.chargerlink.quartz.mapper;

import com.chargerlink.quartz.entity.Task;

import java.util.List;

import org.apache.ibatis.annotations.Param;

import com.baomidou.mybatisplus.mapper.AutoMapper;
import com.baomidou.mybatisplus.plugins.Page;

/**
 *
 * Task 表数据库控制层接口
 *
 */
public interface TaskMapper extends AutoMapper<Task> {

	List<Task> selectPage(Page<Task> page, @Param("task") Task task);

	List<Task> selectAll();

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The event is the longest-running and most successful professional wrestling (or sports entertainment) showcase.Wrestlemania's success has helped bolster the Stanford, Connecticut-based WWE into a global commercial powerhouse in sports entertainment. The first Wrestlemania was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. T and Hulk Hogan versus "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff.There are thousands of active singles on Date looking to chat right now.
A federal judge in Alabama overseeing a case involving 36 Blue Cross plans ruled Thursday a 1980s-era plan to divvy up service areas may violate antitrust laws, pushing the case against the state's largest health insurer past another hurdle.
Medicare recipients in Alabama and across the country will soon receive new identification cards.


CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA, 8/28/18—Americans for the Arts is hosting its annual Executive Leadership Forum September 12–15, 2018, in Sundance, Utah, and Noelle Rhodes Scott, CEO and President of Cabarrus Arts Council will be one of the 16 top-level arts executives gathering to brainstorm, reflect, and strategize on the future of arts administration.
The Executive Leadership Forum is designed to create opportunities for CEOs, executive directors, and senior staff of local arts advancement organizations to focus on long-term thinking, professional growth, and personal renewal.
This is a touching testimonial that shows how much our grants affect people in our community.
Please share my appreciation with all/whomever should see it. I write with a grateful heart for the Cabarrus Arts Council's funding for the Interlude Music Workshops put on by Hospice and Palliative Care of Cabarrus County. They have been an important aspect of my continuing education as a Certified Music Practitioner (healthcare-setting harpist in my case) since 2013, and I think the Council has helped make possible each of those workshops. Thank you big time!
It is such a privilege to be present at HPCCC with patients and families during the patient's last days and sometimes last moments of life. To see patients release clenched jaws or knotted hands as they relax into the music, to accompany families as they join in singing around the bed of their beloved, to feel the joy of a husband or sister as they observe a semi-comatose patient move slightly in response to the music is an honor.
Youth Art Month is celebrated nationally throughout communities with art shows, special exhibitions, and more. Friday, March 31, 2017 is the Cabarrus County Schools 2017 Youth Art Month Awards Ceremony. It will be held on Means Ave. (right next to the Cabarrus Arts Council) and on an outdoor stage. Entertainment begins at 4:30 pm: high schools will perform numbers from their musicals; a string quartet, a chamber choir and several vocalists.
Began in 1963 by The Council for Art Education to draw emphasis on the importance of the arts for everyone: critical thinking/problem solving skills, creativity and communications skills. This month, 150 pieces of art from 37 Cabarrus County Schools have been on display inside the Cabarrus Art Guild.
We had some very special visitors at The Galleries in March. Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation brought a group of visually-impaired adults to our Capturing Light exhibition. These photos show how even when a person cannot see art, they can still experience it through touch! They were allowed to touch some pieces (once oils were removed from their hands with wipes). They relied on touch to examine pieces from Mark Bettis (Golden Field painting) and glass pieces from Mira Woodworth.
10. Our current exhibition, Capturing Light, features ClearWater Artist Studios artist Paul Keysar. Paul has an entire gallery dedicated to his landscape paintings in the show. Check out his work in the Lockavitch Gallery.
9. Got talent? The Listening Room welcomes local singers, dancers and other creatives onto the Davis Theatre stage. Our next show is May 11th.
8. We're proud to use local graphic designers, Purple Star Graphics and Sublmnl Design for our signs, posters and printed publications.
7. In 2015-2016, we exhibited the works of 822 artists through Art Walks in Concord, Harrisburg and Kannapolis.


In August 2018, Indonesia was devastated by a series of lethal earthquakes. A magnitude 7 earthquake struck the island of Lombok killing hundreds of people, damaging thousands of homes, displacing 350,000 locals and destroying more than 400 schools. Needless to say, the island was left devastated by its effects.
More than five months later, the island is still reeling from the impact of the earthquake. To help the people of Lombok, travel photographers and content creators, Jackson Groves and Josh Lynott, are hosting a once in a lifetime travel experience.
10 people have the opportunity to explore the island of Lombok with Groves and Lynott, visiting some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in Indonesia. The guys will take you on adventure after adventure visiting wonderments like, Tiu Kelep, one of the best waterfalls in Indonesia. You will hike up Mt Rinjani with an official guide, plus, camp on the ridge! You'll also visit Benang Stokel where you will find five unbelievable waterfalls along a jungle trek, as well as, enjoying the beautiful beaches and surf the south coast of Indonesia has to offer.


text:
The Pros and Cons of Owning a Vacation Rental Property in the Blue Mountains
January 17, 2023 in AirBnB, Blue Mountain, Investment, Vacation Properties, Vacation Rentals
The Blue Mountains in Ontario is a popular tourist destination known for its picturesque scenery, world-class ski hills, and abundance of outdoor activities. As a result, many property owners in the area have considered turning their homes into vacation rentals to capitalize on the high demand for accommodation. But before making the decision to own more »
By apatrickegan
Investing in an Airbnb Property in Barbados: A Comprehensive Guide
January 11, 2023 in AirBnB, Investment, Vacation Rentals
Barbados is a popular tourist destination known for its beautiful beaches, crystal clear waters, and vibrant culture. If you're considering buying a property in Barbados to operate as an Airbnb, there are a few important things to keep in mind. First and foremost, location is key. Look for properties in popular tourist areas that have more »
Maximizing Property Management with the Airbnb Smart Home
January 9, 2023 in AirBnB, Technology in Real Estate, Vacation Properties
The Airbnb Smart Home is revolutionizing the vacation rental industry, with hosts implementing smart technology into their properties to provide superior guest service, remote monitoring and management, and automation of property management. These smart devices fall into several categories: Digital Entry & Smart Locks – Digital locks such as August and Remote Lock offer remote more »
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Otto Tressler, även Otto Treßler, född 13 april 1871 i Stuttgart, Kejsardömet Tyskland, död 17 april 1965 i Wien, Österrike, var en tysk-österrikisk skådespelare och regissör. Han var under många decennier verksam vid Burgtheater i Wien. Han är far till regissören Georg Tressler.

Filmografi, urval

Källor
Otto Tressler på filmportal.de

Externa länkar

Tyska skådespelare under 1900-talet
Österrikiska skådespelare under 1900-talet
Födda 1871
Avlidna 1965
Män
Skådespelare från Baden-Württemberg
Personer från Stuttgart

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Basim Magdy's retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago is the Egyptian artist's first large-scale exhibition in the United States. Collecting a number of his psychedelic films, drawings, and photographic works from the past decade, the show offers a view into Magdy's career-spanning fascination with dystopia, hope, and visions of futures that never came to be. From the strangely subdued neon hellishness of his early drawings to his newer experiments with "film pickling," the artist's term for submerging his photographs in chemicals to achieve riotous color effects, the works on display impart a cohesive if jangling stylistic approach and worldview. The drawings especially, which are exhibited in a visual heap on a large fluorescent wall painted a crepuscular pink, provide an oblique and disturbing portal into an alternate dimension of sociotechnological waning where antiquated technologies exist alongside fantastical creatures and strange extraterrestrial forces. Equal parts futuristic excess and outmoded disrepair, these small works represent a world in perpetual dusk that is occupied by spacecraft (some resembling giant squid) and weird, unidentifiable machines.
Magdy's newest work shows a shift toward serial photography. An Apology to a Love Story that Crashed into a Whale and An Island Recalls the Tangled Details of Its Past Life as a Poem of Solitude and Unrecorded Events, both 2016, dominate two walls of the exhibition with grids of brightly hued images and blocks of text. Like his films, these series tell dreamy narratives snarled with revolution, violence, death, and the potential for hope amid dystopian times. That Magdy is able to present these apocalyptic tales with such prismatic color and effervescent charm comes as a small miracle.


How cold is too cold for gear?
Which has highest resale value in your opinion? Shure SM7B, Shure SM81, Shure KSM141?
Recording 7 drummers... how would you do it?
Custom preamp missing power supply - how to determine voltage needs?
Do you guys think this is a scam?
Custom Microphones built from "Recording Studios"
KRK's used to use Focal driver (if I'm correct), so do the speakers sound similar?
How would you use these mics to record a drum kit?
Studio Monitors - 5" vs 8"
How much does the capacitance of the cables that come after a buffer pedal matter?
Thiel CS6.1 suitable for monitors?
Soundcraft Delta Mixing Consoles SR, 200, 8 etc.?
What guitar type is this?
How much will an external 48V PSU affect the sound?
Anyone try these? Audreio iOS and Audreio Plug-in.
Does omeone use the Genelec 8351 for mastering?
Vst or Multi effects processor?
Hybrid mixing is making my schizo. Do you feel the same?


text:
The trap at the end of the clickbait
I am on extended hiatus from posting on Eruditorum Press, but I wanted to use my platform here to share this wonderful and exciting new project from my good friend Ben Knaak. Ben's been a guest on Pex Lives and he and I have done a few audio recordings of our own together that some readers might remember. Anyone who's interested in video game criticism and/or Marxist history and philosophy, which is to say statistically all of you, should really enjoy this new series.
I'll be crossposting content here as it becomes available to me, but please do consider following Ben's new blog and YouTube channel. That should be all from me.
Not a Country with an Army but an Army with a Country
The story of Video Game History™ (as distinct from the history of video games, which is of course a different subject) does not, in fact, begin with Sid Meier. Nor even with Francis Tresham, designer of the original Civilization board game that introduced the infamous "tech tree" to the world. No, the long, slow gestation of Video Game History™ predates not only the existence of video games, but of Charles Babbage's original difference engine. To the extent that any one Great White Man is responsible, the creation of Video Game History™ comes down to one of the greatest and whitest of them all: this bullshit is all Napoleon's fault.
On October 14th, 1806, Napoleon's armies crushed the Prussians at the Battles of Jena and Auerstedt, effectively ending Prussia's involvement in the War of the Fourth Coalition. Their demoralized armies capitulated one by one, and less than two weeks later, Marshal Davout's army entered Berlin. The Prussian aristocracy, which above all else tied its prestige to the success and discipline of its army, was stunned and humiliated.
They responded to this defeat with a complete and comprehensive overhaul of their military structure, bringing it more in line with the relatively more merit-based French system. Conscription was introduced, the officer corps was opened (for a time) to the middle class, a new war college was opened, and the highest leadership was reorganized into a new general staff, promotion to which would be based on merit. Emphasis was placed on the training of leadership, since they believed that this rather than the quality of the individual soldiers was what had won France the battle. The Prussian General Staff would convene to make plans for every possible contingency, devising first a broad objective to be accomplished which would be clear to all commanders involved. These plans would come to be called "Cases" - each military situation was like an academic problem to be solved. Or, if you like, a level to be beaten.
It was in this environment in the year 1812 that one of these Prussian officers, Lieutenant Georg Leopold von Reiswitz, compiled the original ruleset for a game that would come to be known simply as Kriegsspiel (literally "wargame"). It attracted little attention at first, but in the quiet postwar years, its popularity spread enormously among the officer class thanks to the promotional efforts of Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke. To an officer corps hungry both to plan for future battles and relitigate past defeats, Kriegsspiel was pure catnip.
Kriegsspiel, of course, was not the first game designed to emulate warfare, nor even the first Prussian game to do so. But after the many Prussian (and later German) victories of the 19th century, the popularity of Kriegsspiel began to spread outside Germany to militaries around the world. By the turn of the 20th century, civilian enthusiasts such as Fred T. Jane and even H.G. Wells were developing their own games inspired by Kriegsspiel. Even in the post-World War II boom period, when games like Tactics pioneered a new form of board wargaming for the mass market, the influence of the old Prussian training exercise remained.
Indeed, the mark of Kriegsspiel on tabletop gaming as a whole is not hard to spot. Much of what we now recognize was first introduced here: miniatures to represent units, an organized map grid to mark the field of play, dice rolls to determine probabilistic results, strict rules governing movement speed and combat capability, a simulation of the fog of war, and most notably an impartial third-party observer to determine the results of combat engagements, a direct progenitor to the gamemaster or umpire of today's games. The line of influence is as direct as can be - Gary Gygax himself cut his teeth as a wargaming hobbyist. Kriegsspiel is the ghastly foundation on which the entirety of the roleplaying and strategy genres are built. Their very structure and approach to history and problem-solving are drawn from it and cannot be separated from it. Anyone who has ever played Risk, Dungeons & Dragons, Civilization, or Final Fantasy has been training to defeat Napoleon without realizing it.
A Genre Takes Shape
To this point I have used the ironically-trademarked term Video Game History™ without defining it. This is mostly because it's one of those terms that is simultaneously hard-to-define but which everyone instinctively has a sense of what it means. We all know the standard critique of Civilization's Tech Tree, after all. This sense of historical determinism is probably what you imagine when I use the phrase. But the particular form the historical telos takes is not important - only the fact that there is one.
Video Game History™, you see, consists of nothing more than the application of the logic of Prussian war exercises to Western historiography. To see this, we need look no further than virtually every historical and political strategy game ever made, every one of which shares the following things in common:
They are each fundamentally about the military and/or political leader of one or more nations or armies.
The game is meant to test the player's capacity to, as leader, marshal the resources at their disposal to attain supremacy for their nation/army.
This success or failure occurs in direct conflict and competition with other nations, whether through military means or peaceful ones.
Success or failure is defined on the level of high command and high command only. National success is dependent entirely on the player.
Of course, the conception of history as a struggle between armies, nations, and their leaders' ability to command them was not invented by Baron von Reiswitz in the year 1812. But it was in no small part through their Prussian lineage that strategy games inherited this attitude, which they retained as strategy wargames evolved into grand strategy games.
Grand strategy games first began to develop in the latter days of the tabletop wargaming boom of the 1970s and early 1980s, beginning with games such as Axis and Allies, which was designed in 1981 but republished by Milton Bradley in 1984, one year after Koei released their first computer grand strategy game, Nobunaga no Yabō (first in the series known in the West as Nobunaga's Ambition).
The title of the latter should be enough to clue you into the fact that the approach hasn't changed. The player assumes the role of one of the daimyo of Japan's sengoku period, and your mission is to conquer all of the others to unite the country and become shogun. "Case Nihon," the Prussians might call it. This time, however, you are placed in charge of the people and resources of the entirety of your holdings. In addition to raising and commanding armies, you must manage the economy and ensure that your peasants are happy, loyal, and well-fed. The larger the peasant base you have to work from, the larger and more effective your armies can be - a more underhanded player can even raise and train ninja. The goal is still conquest and the emphasis is still on leadership, but the logic has expanded to the idea of a total war - fought by entire populations, but commanded and decided by their noble leaders.
The original motivation behind the series even mirrors Prussian relitigation of Jena and Auerstedt. Kou Shibusawa, creator of the series, states that his inspiration was his long-held admiration for Nobunaga, and his belief that Japan may have become a stronger, more modern country far sooner had he lived long enough to become shogun. The notion of what might have happened if he had never risen to power and another daimyo had done so instead also intrigued him - surely Japanese history would be very different if any of these dozens of samurai possessed Nobunaga's titular ambition. Setting aside the dubious truth value and Great Man-itude of such a statement, it is important to note that this viewpoint, as well as the game constructed around it, fundamentally views the driving force of history as a problem of command. If X general had made Y maneuver, Z country could have Won History. Grand strategy games are a marvelous place to play out this sort of alternate-history-as-command-exercise.
Koei would continue to make grand strategy games along these lines, the most popular of which are the Sangokushi series (Romance of the Three Kingdoms in its English release). Throughout the 80s and much of the early 90s they were nearly synonymous with the grand strategy genre, at least on the computer and console. The most notable of the other companies to make forays into the grand strategy was the American developer Strategic Simulations, better known for more traditional wargames like the Panzer General series. Their contributions to grand strategy were mostly set in World War II, with the exception of Colonial Conquest, set during the Scramble for Africa. As one would expect, these games hewed even more closely to the logic of the original Kriegsspiel.
Our Words Are Backed with Technological Determinism
While reasonably popular, the grand strategy genre still served what was primarily a niche market. At the same time Koei was making the Nobunaga's Ambition series, other developers were taking the logic of tabletop wargaming in a more abstract direction which would ultimately prove to be more commercially successful (though this wasn't the case at first). This group of broadly similar games form the loose genre known as 4X. The four X's stand for their four most important elements of gameplay: eXplore (scout around the map), eXpand (acquire more territory), eXploit (gather and make use of resources at your disposal), and eXterminate (attack and defeat rival players).
Though nearly all players agree that 4X is a distinct genre, it is nonetheless difficult to say precisely where this genre diverges from grand strategy. The goals of a player of Europa Universalis are fundamentally similar to those of a player of Alpha Centauri. The primary difference lies in their aesthetic priorities - grand strategy tends to emphasize detail and historical or technical accuracy even at the expense of balance or accessibility, whereas 4X games are more willing to depart from reality for gameplay's sake even if it makes the game more "gamey." A country as powerful as, say, the Ottoman Empire in Europa Universalis IV would never make it into a historical 4X game, regardless of how powerful they were in real life. (This is not to say that 4X can't be slavishly representationalist or that grand strategy never takes balance into account - it merely describes a preference).
The most notable example of the 4X genre is, of course, Civilization. Indeed, as hard a genre as 4X is to pin down, "games that are like Civilization" may be the best possible definition. For most, computer strategy begins here. For some, it ends here, too. This is not entirely unfair, either - the long shadow of Sid Meier continues to loom over the 4X genre, and virtually every other strategy genre as well. People who play and make strategy games aren't thinking of a Prussian wargame almost nobody's ever heard of, or even the tabletop games it inspired - they're thinking of Civilization.
Its most influential innovation, of course, is the much-discussed Tech Tree - the most significant development in Video Game History™ since the Prince of Orange handed his sword to Prince Murat. It is at this point almost prosaic to point out that the presentation of technological, philosophical, and social development as a linear hierarchy of progressive upgrades presents a eurocentric view of history that is ahistorical even on its own terms. But from a gameplay perspective, the tech tree just works. It gives each game a natural rhythm - a feeling of a beginning, middle, and end - and a sense of epic historical scope. It provides multiple options for gaining particular qualitative advantages depending on the player's situation and playstyle. This was the conscious design motivation for the invention of the tech tree. Not only is the tech tree a major factor in Civilization's success, it seems hard to imagine how the strategy genre ever managed without it.
There's a reason the tech tree fits the genre so well - like everything else in strategy gaming, it treats history as a problem of command. The knowledge produced by your civilization is a resource to be harnessed toward a particular end goal. It is up to you, the Great Leader of your nation to allocate those resources based on strategic needs. Do you take the military upgrade now, despite lacking the funds to turn your Pikemen to Musketmen? Or do you go for the economic upgrade?
Obviously no society, anywhere, has ever had its achievements and discoveries (to the extent that you can credit whole societies with such things) directed by a single person, one invention at a time. (Again, 4X games aren't afraid to be "gamey" and non-representational with their history). This bears far more of a resemblance to a battlefield commander waiting for reinforcements or new equipment, and accounting for their resources. Should you take the oil fields now, or wait for the new tanks to arrive?
There is another sense in which the tech tree represents an unconscious return to the roots of the strategy genre. The framing of history as a deterministic techno-cultural hierarchy - a ladder of which every rung describes an inherently more valuable civilization - reflects the worldview of the time in which they lived. The 19th century marked the point at which capitalism and imperialism became a world-encompassing social narrative. Africa and Asia were carved up and subjugated by the European powers with the ostensible goal of bringing civilization to its people.
Here is where Kriegsspiel meets its other half, and Video Game History™ becomes complete. Field Marshal von Moltke has found his world to conquer. History is a linear and upward progression from barbarism to Enlightenment, from a village to an empire, from a stone hut to Alpha Centauri. If one is to be victorious over history, one must maneuver carefully and marshal all their nation's forces to conquer it. The field is yours, Herr General - march over it, and all else who stand on it.
This is the story of Video Game History™, and with it the entire strategy genre. It cannot be separated from the ambitions of the German military aristocracy. Its vision of the 19th century is the primary story it tells.
But is that all that strategy games are capable of? Are there no other stories it can tell? It feels as though we're forgetting something. Or someone.
Ludonarrative Marxism
The military aristocracy would not be the only Prussians who would have found sense in Video Game History™. A time traveling factory owner from Berlin would find it very intuitive. A hierarchical tech tree reflects his experience of material reality. The transition of Europe to an economy of machines and factories created unprecedented amounts of wealth, which led to the development of newer machines and more efficient factories, which led to more efficiency and created more wealth.
Until it didn't. You see, there's a funny thing that tends to happen to the rate of profit.
Yeah. There's another historical narrative that came about around the same time, wasn't there? Started with that German fellow with the big beard. I suspect many readers are familiar with him. Some of you may have even read some of the stuff he wrote about history. Probably a lot more of it than I have. But I'm committed to this project, so I guess I'll have to take a stab at a crude summary.
Marx was the first to articulate what he referred to as the materialist conception of history. But much of the popular understanding of historical materialism derives from the later summaries written by Friedrich Engels. (Or even more accurately, the Bolshevik works which derived their understanding of it from Engels). This excerpt from his pamphlet Socialism: Utopian and Scientific serves as a decent summary:
The materialist conception of history starts from the proposition that the production of the means to support human life and, next to production, the exchange of things produced, is the basis of all social structure; that in every society that has appeared in history, the manner in which wealth is distributed and society divided into classes or orders is dependent upon what is produced, how it is produced, and how the products are exchanged. From this point of view, the final causes of all social changes and political revolutions are to be sought, not in men's brains, not in men's better insights into eternal truth and justice, but in changes in the modes of production and exchange. They are to be sought, not in the philosophy, but in the economics of each particular epoch.
Because humans must meet their material needs to survive, the first concern of any society will be the means by which the goods that meet them will be gathered, produced, and exchanged. Societies are therefore organized in accordance with these modes of production, and are divided into classes through the division of labor and ownership. (The better adherents will acknowledge that it is not the only reason social arrangements can exist, but it's easy for some to forget).
One can therefore view history as a succession of modes of production, which arise not through the plans of great leaders but the action and reaction of the existing classes of the current mode of production. In Europe, for instance, the urban bourgeoisie of the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern period brought about the transition to industrial capitalism with ever-larger and more organized workshops and manufactories. As the producers of goods became more independent and the bonds of feudal society weakened, the state hastened their collapse by enclosing common lands, bringing a flood of former peasants from the fields to the mills and sweatshops. Their allegiance belonged not to a liege lord, but to the factory owners who extracted surplus value from their labor - the capitalists. As this arrangement continues, the exploited classes will become more aware of their role in capitalist society and acquire class consciousness. Then, when avenues for growth have been exhausted and the rate of profit dries up, when even the state-enforced stopgaps have failed, the organized working class will resolve the contradictions of capitalism by seizing the means of production and ushering in the next mode of production: socialism.
Or so the story goes.
Of course, Marxist historiography is open to criticism of its own, even from the left - particularly if one hews to the vulgar, reductionist version expounded by certain users of certain microblogging platforms. But as an alternative to Video Game History™, even the version of Marxism you get from anime avatars with flags in their profile names offers a crucial advantage. It gives us a different story - one which doesn't completely center around leadership and Great Men, one which doesn't measure the success of whole nations by a Great Man's decisions, one where the strength of an empire can be acknowledged as detrimental to many of the people in it. But because it is a framework that makes predictions about the development of human societies which are at least to some extent deterministic, it's a story which can still be fitted to the shape and pace of a strategy game.
So it should be no surprise that someone's done it.
The Swedish Empire of Grand Strategy
Indeed, this isn't even the first time I've covered the developers who did it. You may recall that last year Marsfelder and I recorded a two-hour Let's Play/vodcast of the game Crusader Kings II, one of many grand strategy games created by the Swedish company Paradox Development Studio. Indeed, over the past decade and change, they have been nearly synonymous with the genre in the West, making series such as Europa Universalis and Hearts of Iron into some of the best selling grand strategy games ever. Over the course of two hours of discussion and gameplay, I argued that the primary appeal of Paradox games was their generative, organic storytelling. Their design is such that the gameplay itself creates masterfully compelling and detailed narratives with the feel and scope of centuries of history.
Naturally, this made them the ideal candidate to develop the series that made hardcore gamers fall in love with covert Marxist propaganda. So it was that in 2003, Paradox released Victoria: An Empire Under the Sun, to a raucous response of...complete and utter indifference. Seven years later, they tried again with Victoria II, which didn't sell that well either. It did well enough, however, to receive two DLC expansions, and it retains a sizable cult following which only continues to grow as the player base for their other series expands.
Victoria II spans exactly one century of history, between the years 1836 and 1936. This is a much shorter time scale than Crusader Kings or Europa Universalis. But its years are long ones - it takes place during a century of social, political, and economic transformation, in a world alive with revolt. The world map you see at the beginning of the game will not resemble the one you see at the end. At the beginning, the old monarchies of Europe struggle to suppress the rise of liberalism and bourgeois nationalism. In the midgame, they struggle for continental and colonial dominance as socialism emerges. At the end, fascism lurks in the shadow of crises of overproduction and (usually) the aftermath of a world war. Elsewhere, non-western nations must adapt or be squashed under the bootheel of global imperialism.
What makes Victoria II unique, however, are the game mechanics that drive these changes. There is, as one would expect, a complex economic system that models the production and exchange of goods. But its true distinguishing game mechanic is the POP system, the elaborate means by which it models and characterizes assorted groups of people ranging in size from a few dozen to hundreds of thousands. All POPs in Victoria II are categorized by culture and, most importantly, by class. Farmer and Laborer POPs gather raw resources, which is sold on the market by the Aristocrat, who owns the land. Craftsman POPs work in factories, which are owned by Capitalists and managed by Clerks. Each POP has their own set of goods, that they need, both for basic subsistence and emotional well being. Most importantly, the POPs are dynamic - their size, wealth, political affiliation, militancy, and class consciousness changes in direct response to their material conditions.
Let me repeat that last one for the folks in the back: This game has a number to keep track of class consciousness.
This does not provide us with an entirely clean break from Prussian militarism. Nothing programmed in something called the Clausewitz engine ever could. In many instances, the historical materialism embedded in the game's design merely provides an explanation for the imperialist behavior most players would be expected to engage in anyway. For instance, colonization allows for increased access to the raw materials required by Capitalist POPs, as well as providing them with new markets of exploited colonial Laborers and Farmers to which to sell their finished goods. But if it can't completely break free of the baggage of its own genre, perhaps it can at least offer a self-critique. Or maybe even give the player a chance to create a better history.
But it wouldn't be very materialist of me to simply tell you to take my word for it. Better we should test my assertions through direct demonstration.
Tewodros's Ambition: Let's Play Victoria II
Which brings me to the actual reason I wrote all of this in the first place. See, this entire essay is just an introduction to a Let's Play I started planning back when I thought Paradox was about to announce Victoria III. (They, uh...did not).
This will be an informative Let's Play, divided into 20-30 minute segments. I will try to introduce and explain Victoria II's intimidating and complex mechanics, and also try to sprinkle in a few nuggets of historical insight as we go along.
I have chosen to play as Ethiopia, due mostly to its historical status as a center of resistance to imperialism, and due also to the challenge of prospering in a geopolitical climate which was historically hostile to attempts to industrialize "the periphery." But there is a part of me that shares Kou Shibusawa's fascination with particular moments in history - the day that upstart noble who united his nation was waylaid by the enemy, his friends having abandoned and betrayed him, and who, as the walls closed in, chose death instead of surrender. Of course, I'm talking about a different guy. But it's the same question...what if?
What other stories could we have told about Africa, if this one hadn't been interrupted?
guest post,
Victoria II,
Nobunagas Ambition,
Civilization,
Paradox Development Studio,
Alternate Histories,
Lets Play Victoria II HFM Ethiopia
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John G. Wood 2 years, 5 months ago
I passed this on to my son, because he plays a lot of Hearts of Iron with the Kaiserreich mod so that he can play a syndicalist nation. As expected he was interested, and when he got to the line "this game has a number to keep track of class consciousness", he laughed and said "now I want to rush out and get Victoria II!"
If nothing else, you've certainly got another viewer for your Let's Play...
Douglas Muir 2 years, 5 months ago
The line from the original Kriegspiel to Avalon Hill and the 1960s miniatures that spun off D&D may not be as direct as all that -- I'd say this bit needs more work. You can sew some particular pieces together, sure. One biographer of D&D painstakingly went from Chainmail to Tractics (which is now completely forgotten) and then back even a step or two farther, to miniatures systems that nobody has played for fifty years. But once you get back past WWII it starts to get very disconnected. Wells, for instance, seems to have designed his game in a vacuum, with no direct knowledge of what the Germans may have been up to.
Anyway. The medium of video games strongly encourages (though it does not require) the sort of supercentralized, god-king decision-maker model you're talking about. But board games didn't and don't. You mention the original Civilization. Did you ever play it? Because the core engine of that game wasn't the tech tree, and it wasn't military expansion or resource competition either. It was the trading phase, where you haggled with six other players to take your random hand of miscellaneous cards and turn it into a standardized and highly profitable set of commodities. The key gameplay element was elegantly simple: sets of cards increased their value exponentially. So three cards of a particular commodity (gold, ivory, wheat, salt) were worth nine times more than one. If you could get get seven or eight of them and corner the market, boom: you were rich and could buy your way up the tech tree. Trade badly and you'd end up with a weak low-value hand and you'd only be able to buy cheap crap techs that nobody else wanted. This was an explicitly capitalist model, but it was also one that required a huge amount of face-to-face interactIon: diplomacy, cajoling, dealing, begging, threats.
(There was a complex subsystem involving screw cards and disasters, so players who were too overtly greedy invited nemesis.) And you *had* to play this part of the game.
For a more extreme example, consider classic Diplomacy. You control the fate of your empire! But your empire consists of just three units, and the ruleset is one step above checkers in complexity. No resources, no tech tree, nothing. And to accomplish *anything* -- let alone to win -- you have to interact vigorously with the other players; the game is designed that way. If you try to play Diplomacy like a 4X video game, you will die very quickly.
(And yet, in its relentlessly zero-sum nature, Diplomacy looks and feels more like a Kriegspiel dans le sens general than most Avalon Hill games ever did. Go figure.)
For a more recent example: Settlers of Catan. Explicitly colonialist (is that island really empty?) and capitalist. Yet you can't ignore the other players; you must cooperate with them at least to trade cards, and the game encourages other forms of deal making ("I'll let you use my wheat port if you'll agree not to hit me with the Robber.") Video games, as a medium just aren't as well suited to this sort of thing.. (Or at least, not yet.) Most 4X games do include a diplomacy engine but it's pretty much never at the center of the game; alliances in the Civ games, for instance, tend to be opportunistic and temporary until you're strong enough that you can backstab your erstwhile chum. The diplomatic AI tends to feel like an afterthought, and strong players can often just blitz the whole world without much caring about diplomacy beyond the occasional tech exchange.
Incidentally, this has had a complex effect on boardgaming. Most obviously, I think it has driven the rise of cooperative board games in the last 15 years or so -- without Civilization, you'd have no Pandemic. (And man, could you do a Marxist analysis of Pandemic: Legacy. I mean, this is a game about public health where, if you're doing too well, your funding gets cut.) I think there are some other, more subtle effects, but this comment is probably already long enough.
Doug M.
Ben Knaak 2 years, 5 months ago
I will readily admit to being far more familiar with strategy video games than I am with strategy board games, or indeed board games in general. Most of the time I spent playing board games more complex than, say, Trivial Pursuit, occurred years ago in college. Much of what inspired this portion of the post was reading Jon Peterson's analysis of the wargaming roots of D&D in particular.
My primary interest here involves games as historiographical representation, and wargaming marked the first time in which games as we know them made an attempt to be truly representational of reality as opposed to something more abstract like chess. I don't think it's a coincidence that the modern alternate history genre first made its appearance in the post-Napoleonic years as well - it's something of a "gamey" genre. But the history of gaming is an enormously broad subject, about which there is much I will freely admit that I don't know.
Board games and tabletop games have, of course, developed in ways that have diverged substantially from computer and video games. Indeed, video games are in many respects much more limited, and one of the many ways this manifests is, as you have said, the relative lack of social play. This comes from both the lack of physical presence of other players and the comparative inflexibility of software compared to, uh...boardware. Modding a video game, even a game with scripting as simple as the Clausewitz engine allows, is nowhere near as easy as a GM making a judgment call or a party setting "house" rules.
With the exception of Hearts of Iron IV, whose streamlined nature makes it more suited for multiplayer than singleplayer, the primary focus of computer grand strategy is an atomistic single-player command experience. To be fair, much of my experience playing Paradox as a multiplayer game has involved a lot of negotiation and haggling via Discord. But much of this occurs in spite of the game's mechanics rather than being integrated into them.
hotmail 2 years, 4 months ago
I never think that the story of game history is interesting like this. Nice video.
Przemek 2 years, 4 months ago
This was a fascinating read. Thank you.
Comment deleted 2 years ago
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Comment deleted 6 months, 1 week ago


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[EPISODE 2] Ask a Content Strategist: Your most pressing content marketing questions answered!
The Content Strategist
Chipotle Said, 'No, We Want a Cow to Explode': An Interview With the Men Behind 'Farmed and Dangerous'
By Amanda Walgrove June 3rd, 2014
It all starts with an exploding cow and a viral video—not a flash of the Chipotle brand name.
"Farmed and Dangerous" premiered on Hulu in February, marking Chipotle's foray into longform entertainment. While the content may be branded, it plays like a mainstream TV show, thanks in part to Daniel Rosenberg and Tim Piper, co-founders of branded entertainment company Piro, and creators of the web series.
The four-part comedy series follows Chipotle's model of putting the story first— as we've already seen with the restaurant chain's award-winning short films and story-covered cups. As The New York Times points out, "Farmed and Dangerous" mentions Chipotle only once, and not in any way that strokes the brand's ego.
So how does a brand pump money into a big piece of entertainment, promote a valuable message, and still remain tactfully behind the curtain?
We caught up with Rosenberg and Piper to find out.
What was Chipotle's pitch to you, and how did you develop the idea with them?
Piper: They wanted to create something in the entertainment world that was more long-format than what they'd been doing with animated film. They specifically requested that we give comedy a try, even if it proved difficult, because they didn't want to do a food documentary like Food Inc. That's been done before and they just wanted to create something that was a little more mainstream.
They gave us their spiel on food with integrity and everything they stood for and just asked us to create a story that would embed those values. After a month, we came up with the idea in the boardroom, and they latched onto this concept of satirizing the people that make their lives difficult sometimes.
How did Chipotle decide how much branding would or wouldn't go into the actual series?
Piper: They specifically asked for there to be very little branding. They wanted it really to be a story first and entertainment first, provided we got the messaging in there and the subject matter that they wanted to talk about. They cared more about that than actual branding.
Rosenberg: That's what we're calling "values integration."
With backgrounds in entertainment and advertising, how did you ended up gravitating towards branded content?
Rosenberg: In 2008, when the whole world went upside down and everyone was trying to figure out what the business model was, I realized that the money was really drying up from the traditional Hollywood film sources. For me, I was like, "Alright, where is the money coming from next?"
We created Piro to basically have two guys from the two different fields that make up the word "branded entertainment," and to have them actually approach it strategically from the very beginning as opposed to what we're seeing now.
Do you approach the process of creating a story differently when it's branded entertainment, as opposed to just purely from your own minds?
Piper: We focus on the brief and the strategy from a marketing perspective, but when it comes to actually connecting the idea and the entertainment itself, we tend to go the traditional route by accessing writers that Daniel's had long relationships with and contacting agents for scripts that are relevant to the genre that we're looking at for the brand. For "Farmed and Dangerous" we put a writers' room together. There was a film writer, a television writer, Daniel, and myself. The client—Chipotle lead brand voice, William Espey—also joined the writers' room.
With advertising you tend to get two guys—a writer and an art director—sitting down, throwing around ideas. They're very much used to coming up with concepts. Whereas the writers from the Hollywood side of things are used to coming up with stories, and, surprisingly, they are very, very different things. At least, that's what I've come to learn.
Are brands, in this sense, taking on the role of studios? There are bound to be some restrictions in both cases.
Rosenberg: We haven't experienced it yet, where the brand was very specific in their parameters. But sometimes, it helps the creative process when they are. Having been the recipient of studio notes over the years, there's a cliché of, "Oh, studio notes. You know, they're a writer's worst nightmare." Sometimes studio notes are great. I can tell you with Chipotle, their notes were invariably really great notes and they made it better. Sometimes they actually pushed us harder to take more risks. We were at first very conservative with the writing, and their response was, "No, we want a cow to explode."
Why do you think the series was so successful?
Rosenberg: Storytelling is really a unique and new skill set that advertisers and brands need to master. That is the secret in today's media landscape of maximizing earned media. It's really a great story, and word of mouth and social sharing of content is only going to happen if the creative is at the level of mainstream entertainment.
Piper: The research that came back said that 86 percent of people that started watching watched the whole show, which is huge for any web video, even if you pay to click. But what was really remarkable is that 62 percent of those people actually shared part of the content—either emailed it, or posted something on Facebook about it, or tweeted it. You can't pay people to click on Hulu and watch the show. You just can't. Yet hundreds of thousands of people tuned in and watched it and then shared it.
By doing a story at Chipotle, we're actually able to include multiple points. Chipotle might have had about 30 things that they really wanted to communicate about agriculture. Those 30 things are all in the content. Whereas in an ad, you can really only focus on one thing if that's going to be successful and pop through.
At Contently, we're all about encouraging journalists to take opportunities to write for brands. Do you think the same applies to screenwriters and filmmakers now?
Piper: Yes, I think that's it. I think the filmmakers and writers that I've spoken to are more than willing to dabble in the branded entertainment space. I think they really like the idea of actually getting something made for once because in their world, it's a miracle if something ever gets made and sees the light of day. In this world, there's a really good chance at it.
At the end of the day, all the TV shows like "Modern Family" could've been born from a creative strategy or from a brand strategy.
All those shows are created to attract brands and be appealing to wide audiences. There's certainly an art and a craft to storytelling, but at the moment, the TV business model is all about storytelling for the purpose of brands being able to interrupt it. The art and the craft doesn't have to be hurt by the structure of a brand being the one behind entertainment in the first place.
Rosenberg: There was a really big TV writer who told me that Piro was the devil's work five years ago: "If brands are going to be developing TV then they're going to be the end of creativity as we know it." All I'm going to say is he's now doing a show for us.
Image via NBCNews.com
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What Is Cannabinol (CBN)?
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You've heard about CBD and THC…but what about CBN?
The number of known cannabinoids is over a hundred. Each one has its own set of effects. People with limited knowledge of cannabinol (CBN) have assumed that it is simply a degraded, less potent cannabinoid derived from THC. It's barely present in cannabis flowers and it is nowhere near as psychoactive as THC. You can find more cannabinol in older, degraded material making anything with its presence less desirable. As a result, this cannabinoid hasn't received much attention. However, the industry is catching on to the fact that CBN has therapeutic effects that benefit people who are sensitive to THC. Now, more CBN is being found in cannabis products like topicals, edibles, capsules and more.
What Is Cannabinol (CBN) & What Does It Do?
Any company with a cannabinol product is using the powerful sedative effects as a selling point. According to Steep Hill labs, Cannabinol is the most sedative known cannabinoid. They claim that 5mg of cannabinol is equal to 10mg of diazepam (valium) in terms of body relaxation. There's a theory that the reason Indica strains make you sleepier is that they have higher CBN levels. So if you don't like buds that makes you sleepy, look for strains or products with slim to no cannabinol content.
Cannabis plants produce enzymes which turn CBGA into the "raw cannabinoids" like THCA, CBDA and CBCA. THCA when heated turns into THC and THCV. Aged THCA turns into CBNA which converts into CBN. Research has shown cannabinol to have a number of therapeutic benefits.
Researchers studied the feeding patterns of rats after administering cannabinol. What they found was that rats treated with CBN were quicker to eat, ate more and for longer durations of time. The research concluded the less popular cannabinoid was a viable nonpsychoactive appetite stimulant.
A 2006 study found that CBN and several other cannabinoids have the ability to control the growth of cancer cells. CBN was specifically able to control a type of lung tumor called Lewis carcinoma.
Back in 1974, researchers found that THC, CBD and CBN all had anticonvulsant properties but potency-wise, CBN is less active than the other two.
In 2002, Swedish researchers at the Department of Clinical Pharmacology at Lund University Hospital found out cannabinol and THC activate the same pain pathways.
More Research On Effects
Studies on male volunteers illustrated that doses of CBN did not provide the psychoactive effects that THC did. The study also noted that subjects felt more "drugged, drunk, dizzy and drowsy" when it was combined to THC. They concluded that, "CBN increases the effect of THC on some aspects of physiological and psychological processes, but that these effects are small."
On the other hand, some studies didn't note as much of a synergetic effect when combined with THC. One study found the combination of THC and CBN did nothing to change "the quality, intensity, or duration of the effects of THC alone."
Research has also shown that cannabinol is capable of slowing the onset of symptoms from ALS.
Additional research shows cannabinol has antibacterial capabilities as a topical. The study showed "potent activity against MRSA."
Experimental and preclinical studies have shown topical cannabinol's potential for treating skin conditions like psoriasis or burns.
Where Can You Find It?
Up until lately, the only place you could find CBN was in extremely small concentrations of certain weed strains. The concentrations in flowers are typically 1 percent or less. Until recently, extracts have either focused on isolating THC or CBD. Fortunately, less common cannabinoids like delta 8 THC are starting to be isolated and extracted. CBN is a little different. Since it exists in such small quantities in flower, we haven't seen CBN in a concentrated form like with THC, delta 8 or THC-O-acetate. However, with CBN a little goes a much longer way than it would with equal quantities of THC or CBD.
Mary's Medicinals Cannabinol Capsules is one form that is easy to ingest for any type of patient suffering from sleep-deprivation. Capsules make it easy to know exactly how much you're consuming in a single sitting. Mary's Medicinals also has high-cannabinol transdermal patches.
For patients that don't like patches or swallowing pills, SpOILed Patients Collective makes a high-dose CBN drink called Hornet Hibernate. SpOILed says their CBN drink contains a wide spectrum of cannabinoids including CBC, CBD and small amounts of THC for the entourage effects. From their experience with the Hornet Hibernate, CBN amplifies the effects of THC. Smoking a few bowls on top of a teaspoon will "send you to the moon," SpOILed tells us. Each bottle contains about 10 to 12 percent CBN and you'll only need a teaspoon without the smoke to get a solid nights sleep, illustrating how far a little goes. They're working on versions with delta-8 THC or delta-9 THC for patients that need them.
The Hornet Hibernate is approved by the veterans of the Weed For Warriors Project. SpOILed says the combination of CBD and CBN has been helping veterans to get off of fentanyl patches and curb opiate addictions. They claim the healing properties of the CBD combined with the sedative effects of CBN have helped many of their patients through hard times.
Final Hit: What Is Cannabinol?
The thing that sets cannabinol apart from the other cannabinoids in weed is the strong sedative ability. It can also stimulate appetite and curb anxiety without the side effects of a medication like a valium. The research on cannabinol, especially on humans is currently lacking. As more research is conducted on CBN, we may find even more uses for it. Most of the reported effects don't have much to back them up yet.
Source: https://hightimes.com/guides/what-is-cannibinol-cbn/
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This title might seem like clickbait, but interestingly, I'm going to stick with it. This is not a white man trying to make sure to avoid diversity in order to ensure I have a job. I still believe diversity in code will ultimately improve the overall code-base out there. The biggest reason, we need to attract those who bend towards programming because that ensures we will be working towards a better coding future.
Check out this video by PolyMatter that better explains this than I ever could.
Do you think everyone should code? If so, how do you disagree with the video?


text:
Ricki Lake gets married: I'm so happy!
Ricki Lake has tied the knot with fiance Christian Evans, and the TV personality/actress is feeling the love.
Lake, 43, posted a lovely photo of herself posing by a window in a wedding dress to her Twitter account Tuesday, along with the caption, "Yup. This is me.... Sadie Sadie married lady. Love is in the air."
The former "Dancing with the Stars" contestant has been engaged to 40-year-old Evans since last August, and the couple held a secret ceremony in California on Sunday, People magazine reports.
Amanda Bynes' dad on arrest: She wasn't drinking
Amanda Bynes' father is coming to her defense following her alleged fender-bender with a cop car last week in Los Angeles.
Police arrested Amanda following the incident on suspicion of driving under the influence, but her father Rick Bynes tells People magazine that the 26-year-old actress hadn't been drinking.
"She was not drunk," he says. "I was told that she blew a zero on the Breathalyzer. She didn't have a single drink that night...My daughter doesn't drink."
Post by: Tomika Anderson -- Special to CNN
Melissa Gilbert recovering after 'DWTS' injury
Last night's "Rock Week" edition of "Dancing with the Stars" was marred by an apparent celebrity injury that required immediate medical treatment.
Host Tom Bergeron announced at the end of the show that actress Melissa Gilbert went to the hospital after she and pro partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy received their scores for their paso doble. Video of the routine showed Melissa apparently hitting her head on the dance floor near the end of her routine.
"(Melissa) had some concussion-like symptoms after she got her scores," Maksim's brother, Val Chmerkovskiy, told CNN after the show. "She was a little nauseous and dizzy, so she decided to go to the hospital."
Post by: CNN.com writer James Dinan
Filed under: Dancing With The Stars • television • TV recaps
Ashley Judd bites back at plastic surgery rumors
Media, Ashley Judd would like to have a few words with you.
The star of ABC's new show "Missing" unleashed in a Daily Beast editorial Monday over recent speculation she may have had plastic surgery done.
The rumors started in March after photos emerged showing Judd with what looked to be a larger face, which she's attributed to treatment she received for an illness that involved the use of steroids.


0.29 acres in Cordes Lakes on level land with a septic already installed. Ready to build on, site built only. In between Phoenix and Prescott so you have all amenities from both location with the cooler weather. A must see to appreciate this well maintained quiet street.


I have a grandson that is autistic. He is the smartest, best looking kid around. He gives us much joy. This story is great. took him to a high school version of Suessical and he was mesmerized. All the kids were . My Grandaughter was Thing 2 in it so he was excited. He is a mild case, Thank God. Got his first car the other day, he won't drive for awhile yet, but is ecstatic.
What a powerful message. Love it so much!!
What a great post! Made my eyes water. I so wish others would see the potential that we parents see in our special little ones. You have talent girl! Love your rhyme :) one for my wall for sure so I'm reminded day after day of all I advocate for. Thank you for sharing - bless ya!


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Mike Loftus (MLE)
Notre Dame Player Named to Biletnikoff Award Watch List
July 27, 2017 · by mrmikeloftus	· in Mike Loftus, Sports.	·
Image: scout.com
With 15 years of experience in the branding field, Mike Loftus serves as president of Illinois-based MLE Merchandising & Sign Solutions, Inc. He founded MLE in 2002 and led the company to bring in $25 million in revenue in 2015. Outside of his role at the company, Mike Loftus enjoys watching football and supports the Notre Dame Fightin' Irish, who recently announced that one of its players was placed on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List.
A wide receiver from Anaheim, California, Equanimeous St. Brown has earned a spot on the 2017 Biletnikoff Award Watch List. He joins a list of 44 other players vying for recognition as the best pass-catcher in the country. The Biletnikoff Award is named for Fred Biletnikoff, who achieved fame playing for Florida State University and later for the Oakland Raiders.
Named Notre Dame's Offensive Player of the Year in 2016, St. Brown led his team with 58 catches and 961 yards, the sixth-highest yardage figure in the nation among freshmen and sophomores
Tags: Biletnikoff Award Watch List, Mike Loftus MLE, Notre Dame
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Mike Loftus
Mike Loftus MLE – About.me
Mike Loftus MLE | MLE Inc
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text:
Q: Python3: Cannot reset colors with Colorama module ive been trying to use colorama to print a dictionary value in a color.
i want to have a user input select the value to be colored and reset the colors of the previous selection when the user picks a differnt value, ive been able to change the color based on the selection be a can figure out how to reset the previous selections.
in the code below ive recreated the basic idea, you will see in the 'else' block some of the things ive tried to reset the colors, but they did not work.
im using Python 3.4 and colorama 0.3.3
import colorama
from colorama import Fore, Back, Style
from msvcrt import getch

colorama.init()

a1 = 'a1 text'
a2 = 'a2 text'
a3 = 'a3 text'
a4 = 'a4 text'

aDict = {49: a1, 50: a2, 51: a3, 52: a4}

choice = 0

# while choice is not the letter 'q'
while choice != 113:

    print('select number betweem 1 and 4:\n')
    # read key
    choice = ord(getch())

    # loop through dict of text
    for k, v in aDict.items():
        # if the key is equal to the choice
        if k == choice:
            # set the color
            aDict[k] = Fore.GREEN + v + Style.RESET_ALL
        else:
            # else reset the color
            # aDict[k] = v + Style.RESET_ALL
            # aDict[k] = Fore.RESET + v
            # print(Style.RESET_ALL)
            pass

    # print the text
    for k, v in aDict.items():
        print(v)

any ideas?
ANSWER
i was able to work a solution, although i couldn't get it to work in the situation above, it works in the real situation i needed it for. It doesnt really make sense without knowing whats in the allBoards dict but the rowString is the important part.
        for boards in allBoards:
            for i in range(1, 4):
            for number, board in boards.items():
                    if number == currentBoard:
                        # rowString += Back.WHITE + Fore.BLACK + board[i][1] +'|'+ board[i][2] +'|'+ board[i][3] + Back.RESET + Fore.RESET + ' | '
                        rowString += Fore.CYAN + board[i][1] +'|'+ board[i][2] +'|'+ board[i][3] + Fore.RESET + ' | '
                    elif number in wins['X']:
                        rowString += Fore.RED + board[i][1] +'|'+ board[i][2] +'|'+ board[i][3] + Fore.RESET + ' | '
                    elif number in wins['O']:
                        rowString += Fore.GREEN + board[i][1] +'|'+ board[i][2] +'|'+ board[i][3] + Fore.RESET + ' | '
                    else:
                        rowString += board[i][1] +'|'+ board[i][2] +'|'+ board[i][3] + ' | '
                rowStrings.append(rowString[:-3])
                rowString = ''

        i = 1
        for string in rowStrings:
            print(string)
            if i % 3 == 0 and i != 9:
                print('---------------------')
            i += 1

A: aDict[k] = Fore.GREEN + v + Style.RESET_ALL

According to above line, GREEN, RESET_ALL keep prepend/appended.

*

*GREEN a1 text RESET_ALL

*GREEN GREEN a1 text RESET_ALL RESET_ALL

*GREEN GREEN GREEN a1 text RESET_ALL RESET_ALL RESET_ALL
You need to remove the surround GREEN, RESET_ALL in else block.
Instead of doing that, how about doing as follow with simple if .. else ..:
while choice != 113:
    print('select number betweem 1 and 4:\n')
    choice = ord(getch())
    for k, v in aDict.items():
        if k == choice:
            print(Fore.GREEN + v + Style.RESET_ALL)
        else:
            print(v)

A: You can try:
print('\033[39m')