Manny's Friend Comments

David wrote: "Thank you, although I can't open the link.

Manny, what would you say are the main differences between chess and go? I have heard chess is more logical and go more intuitive... do you think calcul..."

People always say that - but having studied Go for a while, my impression is that Go players are in fact better than chess players at both intuition and calculation...

Thank you, although I can't open the link.

Manny, what would you say are the main differences between chess and go? I have heard chess is more logical and go more intuitive... do you think calculation is more important in chess than in go? That would make chess (a little bit) easier, I suppose...

David wrote: "Yes! There's an upcoming match. Now I have the curiosity and I would like to learn Go... I wish I would have more time... ;)"

Looking around, you can find the full paper here - among other things, it includes all the games from the match with Fan Hui.

I'm going to have to get out my Go books and brush up my skills in preparation...

Yes! There's an upcoming match. Now I have the curiosity and I would like to learn Go... I wish I would have more time... ;)

And it's playing the world #1 in March! Now that's going to be an interesting match... what a shame that Kawabata is no longer around to write The Master of Go 2...

David wrote: "Manny, as I know you are interested in the games of Go, chess and the world of AI, you may want to read this. Perhaps you already know it: a machine has beaten the European champion of Go, a profes..."

Hey, thank you! That's impressive... and no, I hadn't heard before. Those guys at Deep Mind are really good. The method makes intuitive sense, but actually making it do the job must have required so much cleverness and hard work.

Manny, as I know you are interested in the games of Go, chess and the world of AI, you may want to read this. Perhaps you already know it: a machine has beaten the European champion of Go, a professional player.

http://googleresearch.blogspot.com.es...

Very happy to be friends, Erin!

Thanks for accepting my friend request Manny

soon!!!

Rob wrote: "Hi Manny, I enjoyed your review of Nabokov's The Gift...your epistemological comment reminded me of why I recommended the book Choosing Reality to you :)"

Hm... thank you, maybe I will need to get this! But I will finish some of the many books I'm currently reading first :)

Hi Manny, I enjoyed your review of Nabokov's The Gift...your epistemological comment reminded me of why I recommended the book Choosing Reality to you :)

So happy to be friends again, Elham!

Thanks so much, Manny.

Very happy to be friends, Grenth!

Thanks for accepting the friend request Manny. Felt like I needed to send some to a few people, since I now spend an unhealthy amount of time on Goodreads. :D

Oh, thank you Kalliope! I keep meaning to buy a good suit of armour, must look around on eBay...

I am currently reading The Perfect King: The Life of Edward III, Father of the English Nation, and a Lord Manny, who is quite a hero, keeps reappearing... I can't help imagining him looking like you wearing your best chivalric armour.

Thanks for accepting my friend request Manny! I love your witty reviews. :)

I look forward to seeing Fred's first offensively anti-dog post. Go kitty!

Here is Fred learning to use the internet. Give him a year to figure out which end is up and he may be ready to hire.

Oh, I am sorry! I can see the world just won't be the same without Maslow... I still regret that I was never able to hire him, but I just couldn't afford his fees. I hope he's now doing good PR work for Saint Peter.

Well, I have a new kitty (Fredrick) who had a German foster mom so I will ask him. I am sorry to say Ashley and Maslow passed away at the ages of 21 and 14. I just have Fred now and am teaching him to read. Being a black cat he is really into horror novels.

Hi Marvin! I've been hanging out with the German crowd... they're a friendly and erudite bunch, I recommend it! Do any of your cats speak German?

Hey Manny! I haven't heard from you recently so I am just saying hi!

Happy to be friends, Ali, and thank you for the kind words!

thx for acceptin the friend request manny.. looking forward to disussing cosmology and physics, quantum theory in particular... your views on these subjects are insightful for a noob like myself. ;)

I just did post my review. Usually it takes me more time, but once I started I became so excited I couldn't stop. Thanks again.

Manny wrote: "Glenn wrote: "setting out to write my review"

Damn. Not up yet. I will come back in a few days!"

Thanks. Very kind of you. I am rereading sections of the novel with fresh eyes now that I have the benefit of your clarification. This book really has me hooked! I should post a review in a day or two.

Glenn wrote: "setting out to write my review"

Damn. Not up yet. I will come back in a few days!

Manny wrote: "Hi Glenn!

Well, I must say that, ever since reading it as a teen, I have wondered about how the science in Inverted World is supposed to work. My feeling is that you're really meant to treat it a..."

Wow! Very helpful. Thanks, Manny. I fell more confident setting out to write my review.

Hi Glenn!

Well, I must say that, ever since reading it as a teen, I have wondered about how the science in Inverted World is supposed to work. My feeling is that you're really meant to treat it as a metaphor, perhaps for our Western lifestyle which gives us such an odd view of the way things are, but what's going on at the literal level?

I think the generator in the city is supposed to project a field which in some sense "inverts" space, i.e. carries out the transformation y = 1/x. It only applies to the rest of the world, not to people born in the city. So it warps your perception of space. And it's not just an illusion, as you can see. Space really is warped. It's basically a poetic use of general relativity, a very rare idea!

I don't believe it actually makes sense when you look at it too closely, but it's very clever and creates a terrific image.

Manny

Hey Manny,

Re: Inverted World by Christopher Priest

I was going to post a comment on your Inverted World thread but I didn’t want to say anything that could be a spoiler. I just did finish reading this, for me, quite singular book – the only other sci fi books I’ve ever read are 6 PKDs.

Anyway, toward the end of Priest’s novel, we come to know via Elizabeth from England that we are in Portugal, planet earth. OK, it makes sense, sort of, but as Helward asks at the end: ‘How can all that distortion stuff have happened with the three girls (one foot high and five foot wide) yet the baby and he himself remain ‘normal’? And the whole flattening out of the landscapes (his head above the clouds, mountains inches tall, etc.). Really strange for planet earth.

Are there possible explanations that might make sense if someone has a math and science background? Just wanted to have your quick take on this before I wrote a review. Don’t want to impose too much on your time – even a sentence or two would be most appreciated.

Glenn

Sebastian wrote: "I saw you are learning German, if you are in the mood for some slow paced German music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeABB... One of my favourite records"

Thank you Sebastian, I will check them out!

I saw you are learning German, if you are in the mood for some slow paced German music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeABB... One of my favourite records

Happy to be friends, Stephen!

Manny


Being a fan of irony and wit I am especially glad of your Friendship Acceptance. Thanks Manny.

Stephen

Hi Aimee!

Hi! Thanks for the add!

Aso wrote: "Thank you for approving my friend request."

Happy to be your friend, Aso!

Thank you for approving my friend request.

Seemita wrote: "Thanks for befriending, Manny. I had been following your interesting reviews and posts and glad to connect finally! Nandkishore gets a pat for nudging me to send the invite :) Hoping for some great..."

Very happy to be friends, Seemita!

Thanks for befriending, Manny. I had been following your interesting reviews and posts and glad to connect finally! Nandkishore gets a pat for nudging me to send the invite :) Hoping for some great bookish times!

If we were friends until very recently and you find we no longer are, it's because Goodreads has screwed things up again in their latest reorganization. I have not unfriended anyone. Please send me a friend request and I will immediately accept it.

Ted wrote: "The book you recommended does look interesting, I put it on the t.r. shelf so I'll not lose track of it.

However, here in the States at Amazon there are only three copies available, and they start at $60"

Really?! Maybe it needs to be reprinted...

The book you recommended does look interesting, I put it on the t.r. shelf so I'll not lose track of it.

However, here in the States at Amazon there are only three copies available, and they start at $60.

Thank you for the invite, Hayat, and Merry Christmas!

Thanks for the friendship, Manny! Your book reviews are always entertaining and different and I appreciate that. :)

My beard always appreciates compliments :)