My cousins from France got us one back around 87. We played and then I played with my roommates in college. My kids got me an old looking new one recently (I think our old one got lost in the moves) and we played again over Christmas. It's such a fun game. During Covid I was thinking of making an app for 4 people to play. Hmm...maybe that's something I should start playing with again.
played Chess with my 10 yr niece last night. i suspect that if she keeps playing and learning at her current rate she will be able to beat me in a year or two.
that being said, i am really enjoying playing as well and have taken up some not so casual study of it to improve my game as well. so we'll see ...
as a short term goal i am trying to get to a 1000 rating which is pretty mediocre, ie below competitive levels.
despite writing "analog diversions" i mostly play online on chess.com
I was in a long-running monthly puzzle competition with a few friends - it started with Wordle, then Connections, then Sports Connections (timed and untimed), then mini crosswords (timed), then various combinations of the aforementioned games. We keep score for the month and then lord our victories over each other in the halls at work. We did this for 20 straight months.
For June, someone insisted that we do chess. They set up a head-to-head calendar for each day and we were all to play on chess.com and report results.
It failed spectacularly and resulted in the demise of the whole thing.
It ain't me with the hubris, to be clear. I know the rules of chess, but I didn't grow up playing it and have never played consistently. I fully know I suck.
both were fantastic in the own way. with Petra you walk a narrow canyon for about 1-2 km before reaching the famed "temples" carved into the stone. they were almost all burial chambers.
Wadi Rum, made famous by the filming of Lawrence of Arabia, was equally impressive. giant rocks emerging out of the desert. i rode around in a jeep for a couple hours getting to see various parts of it.
i rewatched the scenes in Star Wars Rogue One and Episode 9 that were filmed there. fun to see after just being there.
rewatched the part of Indi and the Last Crusade as well. they didnt change a thing in showing the "Treasury" facade from Petra. 100% exactly like it is today
until i looked it up today i thought it was an alternate for Tahiti. clearly i was wrong.
i have come to realize that i "know" quite a few mistaken facts. not sure how or why i would have learned it wrong. maybe some strange mixed association of things.
i realize that the way to fix this is to recheck my facts sometimes, especially if there is any hint or indication of doubt.
i have been trying to think of my guesses as one that would be best for knocking out more possibilities - which is what i think WordleBot does. the problem is that i cant keep track of as many words so the human factor is part of it
California wide receiver Jordan King was named a nominee for the 2026 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, Allstate and the American Football Coaches Association announced Monday.
King is one of 162 student-athletes nominated for the honor, which recognizes college football players who demonstrate a commitment to community service, academic achievement and leadership.
I'm approaching that part of the calendar where I let myself get overly optimistic about the upcoming Cal football season. Happens every year. Usually starts with the conference media event, then gets turned up during camp, and by mid-August I can't see where any losses could possibly come from.
Of course, I usually come crashing back down to earth by halftime of the first game. This year feels different, though....or is that exactly what I say every year? It really does feel different, no?
The Golden State Valkyries fell to the Washington Mystics 90-82 on Monday night at Chase Center. This result marks the end of a historic nine-game win streak, the longest in Valkyries' franchise history. Despite a back and forth battle for majority of the contest, the Valkyries were unable to come back from the Mystics 22-5 scoring run that closed out the fourth quarter. Kaitlyn Chen led the team on offense, recording a career-high 20 points, followed by Kayla Thornton (15) and Veronica Burton (12) scoring in double figures.
Down to their last out, the San Francisco Giants rallied to tie the game on a two-run, 380-foot home run from Willy Adames. Then the Kansas City Royals walked them off with two bunts that traveled about 38 feet each.
There is a saying that the best defense is a good offense, and Trea Turner certainly took that to heart, leading the Phillies to a 10-7 win over the Dodgers in a performance of two halves. Turner’s work with the bat, hitting a pair of home runs, made everyone in the park forgive and forget the multiple errors he committed to make this game closer than it should’ve been for a big part of it.
The 2030 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to be the 24th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football tournament that is contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament is planned to be jointly hosted by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. In honour of the 100th anniversary of the first edition in 1930, a special match and celebration are scheduled to be held at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay—host stadium of the 1930 final—as well as one match each in Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Estadio Osvaldo Domínguez Dibb in Asunción, Paraguay.
20 years ago, I took the ferry from Buenos Aries to Colonia, Uruguay for a night. (It's an amazing little sea town.) As I was exploring, I saw old ladies sitting outside on the street watching soccer on TVs that had been placed on the window sill, facing out. Not just one old lady watching soccer - this scene played out several times.
FIFA, football's international governing body, selected Uruguay as the host nation, as the country would be celebrating the centenary of its first constitution and the Uruguay national football team had retained their football title at the 1928 Summer Olympics. All matches were played in the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo, the majority at the purpose-built Estadio Centenario.
Thirteen teams (seven from South America, four from Europe, and two from North America) entered the tournament. Only a handful of European teams chose to participate because of the difficulty of traveling to South America during the Great Depression.
Uruguay beat Argentina to win it all. only other win was 1950.
for me, the biggest sporting event of the year is happening right now, le Tour de France.
we head in to the 3rd and final week after Monday's rest day. Pogacar solidly in the lead by 5 min over Evenpoel after Vingegaard crashed out.
i suspect Pogacar will increase his lead over everyone except Evenpoel w/ today's time trial. there are 2 stages looming up the famed Alpe d' Huez on Fri AND Sat. i cant imagine anyone being able to beat Pogacar given how strongly he has been riding.
it would be nice to see a more competitive race. but watching one of the all time greats is a treat as well.
How often has the TDF come down to the last day? Isn't the lead usually large enough that everyone just rides around in a large peloton drinking champagne.
so the last w/ Lemond because it was a final day time trial. typically it is a flat sprint finish ending at the Champs Elysse.
that being said. the toughest mountain stages are saved for the last week and esp the last day or two before Paris. and mostly to make it as suspenseful as possible
with a dominant rider like Pogacar, the race is usually over in the first week but generally it is good drama
DBD AV club
The Odyssey - any reviews or thoughts?
just got back from Israel so hoping to watch soon
haven't seen the new one, but the bar for Odyssey movies was set super high by O Brother, Where Art Thou
this is true. that was pretty fantastic. the music too
Analog diversions
Mille Bournes is always fun to play with a group of people.
Haven’t thought about that in forever. We used to play on our drives to visit Nebraska relatives when we were growing up.
i used to play w/ HAG and then decided it was a great game to introduce to the kids.
it took some effort to find a set w/ the original French graphics. there is a new American version which is considerably less fun.
The french graphics is the one my kids got me. The same as my old one from the late 80s
My cousins from France got us one back around 87. We played and then I played with my roommates in college. My kids got me an old looking new one recently (I think our old one got lost in the moves) and we played again over Christmas. It's such a fun game. During Covid I was thinking of making an app for 4 people to play. Hmm...maybe that's something I should start playing with again.
it would be a good workday distraction from posting on DBD all day long
Hmm...maybe that's my new project.
this is true. we love saying the French words like Creve and Essence
Coup Fourré!
played Chess with my 10 yr niece last night. i suspect that if she keeps playing and learning at her current rate she will be able to beat me in a year or two.
that being said, i am really enjoying playing as well and have taken up some not so casual study of it to improve my game as well. so we'll see ...
as a short term goal i am trying to get to a 1000 rating which is pretty mediocre, ie below competitive levels.
despite writing "analog diversions" i mostly play online on chess.com
I was in a long-running monthly puzzle competition with a few friends - it started with Wordle, then Connections, then Sports Connections (timed and untimed), then mini crosswords (timed), then various combinations of the aforementioned games. We keep score for the month and then lord our victories over each other in the halls at work. We did this for 20 straight months.
For June, someone insisted that we do chess. They set up a head-to-head calendar for each day and we were all to play on chess.com and report results.
It failed spectacularly and resulted in the demise of the whole thing.
That someone probably thought they could beat all of you at chess.
Indeed. I've come to learn there's a lot of hubris in chess.
best to keep hubris in check as every Greek myth will suggest.
It ain't me with the hubris, to be clear. I know the rules of chess, but I didn't grow up playing it and have never played consistently. I fully know I suck.
DBD Travel
i created the Petra port last week but didnt chime in about going there or any photos
i did a one day trip to Jordan to visit Petra and Wadi Rum (nature preserve which is popular desert filming locale)
https://photos.app.goo.gl/1BMFtzFNYHWMKYVb6
both were fantastic in the own way. with Petra you walk a narrow canyon for about 1-2 km before reaching the famed "temples" carved into the stone. they were almost all burial chambers.
Wadi Rum, made famous by the filming of Lawrence of Arabia, was equally impressive. giant rocks emerging out of the desert. i rode around in a jeep for a couple hours getting to see various parts of it.
would recommend both 19/19.
i rewatched the scenes in Star Wars Rogue One and Episode 9 that were filmed there. fun to see after just being there.
rewatched the part of Indi and the Last Crusade as well. they didnt change a thing in showing the "Treasury" facade from Petra. 100% exactly like it is today
Digital diversions
Globle
🌎 Jul 21, 2026 🌍
🔥 2 | Avg. Guesses: 9.59
🟥🟧🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥
🟨🟥🟩 = 11
https://globle-game.com
#globle
I used a Wordle guess in Globle to see exactly where the country is to figure out what else is around. Unfortunately didn't help my Wordle attempt.
Does anyone else use Wordle to come up with some country names for Globle?
no but sometimes i use the right answer to one as the starting point for the other assuming it makes sense to do so
I've done that sometimes.
Wordle
Never heard of the place.
until i looked it up today i thought it was an alternate for Tahiti. clearly i was wrong.
i have come to realize that i "know" quite a few mistaken facts. not sure how or why i would have learned it wrong. maybe some strange mixed association of things.
i realize that the way to fix this is to recheck my facts sometimes, especially if there is any hint or indication of doubt.
Octordle
Daily Octordle #1639
🔟🕚
4️⃣🕛
8️⃣9️⃣
5️⃣6️⃣
Score: 65
Quordle
🙂 Daily Quordle 1639
7️⃣8️⃣
5️⃣6️⃣
m-w.com/games/quordle/
this felt "smart" until i saw that WorldBot beat me by one
Wordle 1,858 4/6*
⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨
🟩⬛⬛⬛⬛
🟩⬛🟩⬛🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
WordleBot
Skill 86/99
Luck 41/99
Wordle 1,858 3/6*
🟩⬛⬛⬛⬛
🟩⬛⬛🟨🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
WordleBot
Skill 97/99
Luck 65/99
i noticed a new section of hidden stats that it gives you. shows you more detailed breakdown of you guess and info gained.
SPOILER ALERT about link - it has my actual 2nd guess
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yJBEepwNUbEewY6M9
i have been trying to think of my guesses as one that would be best for knocking out more possibilities - which is what i think WordleBot does. the problem is that i cant keep track of as many words so the human factor is part of it
Wordle 1,858 3/6
🟩🟨⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
WordleBot
Skill 80/99
Luck 85/99
Wordlebot scored my second guess a mere 61, and gave itself a 99. But, we tied anyway.
Cal
[FB] Jordan King Named Nominee For Allstate AFCA Good Works Team
https://calbears.com/news/2026/7/20/football-jordan-king-named-nominee-for-allstate-afca-good-works-team.aspx
California wide receiver Jordan King was named a nominee for the 2026 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, Allstate and the American Football Coaches Association announced Monday.
King is one of 162 student-athletes nominated for the honor, which recognizes college football players who demonstrate a commitment to community service, academic achievement and leadership.
I'm approaching that part of the calendar where I let myself get overly optimistic about the upcoming Cal football season. Happens every year. Usually starts with the conference media event, then gets turned up during camp, and by mid-August I can't see where any losses could possibly come from.
Of course, I usually come crashing back down to earth by halftime of the first game. This year feels different, though....or is that exactly what I say every year? It really does feel different, no?
It is indeed different this year. You should let yourself get even more optimistic than usual.
I think you're right.
This is terrifying.
Not sure how good fUCLA is this year. But I'd like us to get out and not take our foot off the gas.
Embrace the terror.
i like the sentiment. spoken like a true Cal fan
<sunshine pumping gif>
PRO
Valkyries' Win Streak Comes to an End in Loss to Mystics on Monday Night (90-82)
https://valkyries.wnba.com/news/gameday-recap-20260720
The Golden State Valkyries fell to the Washington Mystics 90-82 on Monday night at Chase Center. This result marks the end of a historic nine-game win streak, the longest in Valkyries' franchise history. Despite a back and forth battle for majority of the contest, the Valkyries were unable to come back from the Mystics 22-5 scoring run that closed out the fourth quarter. Kaitlyn Chen led the team on offense, recording a career-high 20 points, followed by Kayla Thornton (15) and Veronica Burton (12) scoring in double figures.
Royals squeeze out walk-off win against Giants
The Royals answered a 9th inning homer by Willy Adames with two devastating bunts to win, 4-3
https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/san-francisco-giants-scores-standings/109371/royals-squeeze-out-walk-off-win-against-giants
Down to their last out, the San Francisco Giants rallied to tie the game on a two-run, 380-foot home run from Willy Adames. Then the Kansas City Royals walked them off with two bunts that traveled about 38 feet each.
Dodgers can’t handle Trea Turner’s power in loss to the Phillies (10-7)
https://www.truebluela.com/dodgers-scores-standings/120210/trea-turner-two-home-run-game-loss-facing-phillies
There is a saying that the best defense is a good offense, and Trea Turner certainly took that to heart, leading the Phillies to a 10-7 win over the Dodgers in a performance of two halves. Turner’s work with the bat, hitting a pair of home runs, made everyone in the park forgive and forget the multiple errors he committed to make this game closer than it should’ve been for a big part of it.
Next big sporting event
Opening weekend of the college football season. Followed in a few hours by the "Fire Coach" chat board posting season.
World Cup 2030 - 100th anniv edition
The 2030 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to be the 24th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football tournament that is contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament is planned to be jointly hosted by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. In honour of the 100th anniversary of the first edition in 1930, a special match and celebration are scheduled to be held at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay—host stadium of the 1930 final—as well as one match each in Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Estadio Osvaldo Domínguez Dibb in Asunción, Paraguay.
strange to think that Uruguay, of all places, would have been the first place for start a global sport phenomenon
20 years ago, I took the ferry from Buenos Aries to Colonia, Uruguay for a night. (It's an amazing little sea town.) As I was exploring, I saw old ladies sitting outside on the street watching soccer on TVs that had been placed on the window sill, facing out. Not just one old lady watching soccer - this scene played out several times.
FIFA, football's international governing body, selected Uruguay as the host nation, as the country would be celebrating the centenary of its first constitution and the Uruguay national football team had retained their football title at the 1928 Summer Olympics. All matches were played in the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo, the majority at the purpose-built Estadio Centenario.
Thirteen teams (seven from South America, four from Europe, and two from North America) entered the tournament. Only a handful of European teams chose to participate because of the difficulty of traveling to South America during the Great Depression.
Uruguay beat Argentina to win it all. only other win was 1950.
Hmm...Saudi Arabia has grand ideas.
https://www.reddit.com/r/theydidthemath/comments/1v2jexz/request_saudi_arabia_promises_to_build_a/
This sent me down a rabbit hole of learning about the 2034 FIFA World Cup in Saudi Arabia. Just click through the photos of proposed venues.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2034_FIFA_World_Cup
I mean, some of those images - and granted, they're just conceptual vaportecture - but what are we even looking at? Is there even a stadium in there?
AI? What are these?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Murabba_Stadium
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ROSHN_Stadium
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Mohammed_bin_Salman_Stadium - looks like Minecraft
for me, the biggest sporting event of the year is happening right now, le Tour de France.
we head in to the 3rd and final week after Monday's rest day. Pogacar solidly in the lead by 5 min over Evenpoel after Vingegaard crashed out.
i suspect Pogacar will increase his lead over everyone except Evenpoel w/ today's time trial. there are 2 stages looming up the famed Alpe d' Huez on Fri AND Sat. i cant imagine anyone being able to beat Pogacar given how strongly he has been riding.
it would be nice to see a more competitive race. but watching one of the all time greats is a treat as well.
How often has the TDF come down to the last day? Isn't the lead usually large enough that everyone just rides around in a large peloton drinking champagne.
I think there was that one Lemond year where he made up a bit deficit beating the long blonde hair guy.
Lemond won by 8 sec on the final day. i think he was the only one using an aero helmet or something new tech like that.
I don't know why but Lauron Fingnon (sp) is on my mind as the guy that got overtaken.
yup
LeMond used triathlon aero handlebars and a rear disc wheel, while Fignon rode a traditional setup with two disc wheels and no aero bars.
so the last w/ Lemond because it was a final day time trial. typically it is a flat sprint finish ending at the Champs Elysse.
that being said. the toughest mountain stages are saved for the last week and esp the last day or two before Paris. and mostly to make it as suspenseful as possible
with a dominant rider like Pogacar, the race is usually over in the first week but generally it is good drama