Manny's Friend Comments

Manny wrote: "Play on the internet using a chess site! They only let you play legal moves and track the time rigorously. Everyone agrees that it's the only way to play on very fast time limits - there's a discussion of that right at the beginning of the Bullet Chess book...
.."

Oops. Ok, you caught me out on not reading the book yet. ..but i'm rather relieved about your implied insinuation that i'm not the only one to eventually get mixed up and all flustered when having to move so fast.

My confused bits seem to especially come back to the way horses move, and another mix-up seems to come with pawns moving forward but capturing diagonally.. things we thought we had sorted out years ago when we started out with the game, seem to jump back at you when the pressure mounts, when the brain has to try and do a whole bunch of computations in spans of time you're simply not accustomed to.

..but i imagine one becomes better accustomed to the whole thing with a bit of practice?

I imagine it must be pretty good practice for recognizing patterns fast, but whew! It's a totally different style of play from what i'm accustomed to!

(And no time for hatching evil plots, which is the part of chess i tend to enjoy most)

Traveller wrote: "LOL, I have to tell you something funny. Inspired by your enthusiasm for Flash Chess or Speed Chess or whatever you want to call it, my son and I decided to do an experiment where we each only get..."

Play on the internet using a chess site! They only let you play legal moves and track the time rigorously. Everyone agrees that it's the only way to play on very fast time limits - there's a discussion of that right at the beginning of the Bullet Chess book...

LOL, I have to tell you something funny. Inspired by your enthusiasm for Flash Chess or Speed Chess or whatever you want to call it, my son and I decided to do an experiment where we each only get literally 2 seconds to move. It's like immediately after the other person moved you have to immediately pick up, and no time in the air either!

Well.. i got so flustered after about 10 moves, that i ended up taking my own pawn with one of my horses.

Needless to say, we had to call a break in proceedings because we were laughing so much....

I'm going to need a lot more practice... oh, the pressure!

Thank you Jason! You too :)

Hey Manny! Thanks for friending me. btw I dig your beard.

hope you have an awesome week!

-Jason H.

Nick wrote: "I have never been able to read "Stanislaw Lem" without thinking I've read "Stan Ulam" for a few seconds. argh!"

Oddly enough, I was reading about Ulam just last night. His contributions to the development of thermonuclear weapons do indeed deserve to be more famous!

I have never been able to read "Stanislaw Lem" without thinking I've read "Stan Ulam" for a few seconds. argh!

Cheers for the add! :)

David wrote: "Dear Manny,
I think we should knock out a parody entitled "50 Shades of Twilight." We could write it in about two weeks, you know, about the same time it took each author to write her novels. Just ..."

Dear David,

I am tempted by the idea, but notgettingenough has unfortunately promised to shoot me if I do anything similar. I can only blame myself, since the request originally came from me and was made of my own free will. None the less, since she is a woman who considers that her word is her bond, I must regretfully decline.

I shall be more circumspect in future when entering into one-sided suicide pacts. I just hadn't thought it through.

Manny

Dear Manny,
I think we should knock out a parody entitled "50 Shades of Twilight." We could write it in about two weeks, you know, about the same time it took each author to write her novels. Just need Chapter headings. Solicit chapters from Brian, Ian and Paul, as well and share the royalties. A major creative hardship would be having to study the original books.
Cordially,
David

Shovelmonkey1 wrote: "Woo hoo friend number 695. You may just refer to me by my number in future if that's easier..."

Thank you, but I find your real name easier to remember :)

Woo hoo friend number 695. You may just refer to me by my number in future if that's easier...

What Pooh Might Have Said To Dante is now available from Amazon! Since they are offering Super Saving Shipping, I've reduced the price on Lulu.

Manny wrote: "Brandon wrote: "hello, sir! I am hoping you can help me out. Have you heard of the myth (loosely used) of a culture where wives would put poison in the husbands breakfast and the cure in their dinn..."

It very well may be fake, but but their is always in inspiration to everything...even child hood toys *sighs heavily* Thank you, sir.

Brandon wrote: "hello, sir! I am hoping you can help me out. Have you heard of the myth (loosely used) of a culture where wives would put poison in the husbands breakfast and the cure in their dinner to ensure the..."

I have never heard of this custom, and it sounds to me like a fabrication. But in a world where people can write erotic fiction about teddy bears, clearly most things are possible.

hello, sir! I am hoping you can help me out. Have you heard of the myth (loosely used) of a culture where wives would put poison in the husbands breakfast and the cure in their dinner to ensure they would return home each night?

I have heard of it before, but I cannot find anything of where it originates.

Any help or direction would be great!

Traveller wrote: "Obviously you must be much better at storytelling and the art of suggestion than we had dared to dream before..."

Possibly! But, now that you've generously handed over control of your dreams to me, that could well change...

Manny wrote: "Traveller, this is the first time I have ever been the marketing person of someone's dreams.

..that you know of, Manny, that you know of. ;)
Obviously you must be much better at storytelling and the art of suggestion than we had dared to dream before... ;) :P

Traveller, this is the first time I have ever been the marketing person of someone's dreams. I will take my new responsibilities seriously and refrain from planting subliminal compulsions in your unconscious mind - I am well aware that that would be extremely unethical.

Please let me know if you have any specific requests. I have looked around for advice pages on the Web, but there is surprisingly little literature on this.

Oh.. my.. lord.. I'm spending much too much time on GR lately... I dreamt about Manny Rayner! What a nightmare... ;)

No, not a nightmare, :) and you weren't too scary. In the dream, I was buying a product over some counter, (I actually can't remember the detail of what the product was- it came in a wrapping, first paper with a picture of Manny on it, and then a plastic covering over that.) The product description said: "Developed and marketed by Manny Rayner"

..and it wasn't a book - LOL!

Thanks for your accepting my request, i look forward to your reviews!

Blessings.

Hey, thank you!

Score.

Moira wrote: "Have you read Venus in Furs? I thought you must have but couldn't tell -- if you haven't, I think you'd like it!"

I have seen innumerable references but still haven't read it!

Have you read Venus in Furs? I thought you must have but couldn't tell -- if you haven't, I think you'd like it!

I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of them! I have read The Golden Gate at least half a dozen times, it's a very fine book.

Manny wrote: "Hi Sara,

I'm really pleased to hear you liked them so much! I'm still rereading the second volume. But in reply to your question, no, I've only read one more of his books (Rand), and I don't think..."

Thank you very much Manny , I appreciated..I just ordered both what you recommended because i haven't read them and if you think are good books ,I can't wait to read them.

Hi Sara,

I'm really pleased to hear you liked them so much! I'm still rereading the second volume. But in reply to your question, no, I've only read one more of his books (Rand), and I don't think it's available yet in English. I actually mailed him and asked, and he said there was a translation but it hasn't been published.

Things as good as the trilogy are pretty scarce. Have you read Vikram Seth's The Golden Gate? That's also amazing in a very different way. Another book I read in the last few years that seriously impressed me was Cohen's Belle du Seigneur. But I'd still give the gold to Kjaerstad's masterpiece.

Hello Manny,
I finished the Jan Kjaerstad trilogy, and of course that was amazing read .Do you know if it is any other book from this author in English , or any other book as good as these ones ? I am having hard time picking what should I read next after this..:)
Thanks

WTF, GR has been eating my notifications and emails and sometimes even comments but hasn't fucked up my flist yet. I THOUGHT.

Moira wrote: "What the shit, I thought we had been friends for about as long as I've been using this damn site? ANYWAY HI. AGAIN."

I know! I couldn't figure out what had happened, but suddenly I noticed you weren't on my friends list any more. Glad we managed to fix that :)

What the shit, I thought we had been friends for about as long as I've been using this damn site? ANYWAY HI. AGAIN.

Alfonso wrote: "http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=..."

Ha! I so want to believe it's genuine, but I can't quite do it :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=...

Bluetulip wrote: "Thanks for the add :)"

You're welcome!

Thanks for the add :)

Yes, I did indeed love the way he did complex numbers! Chapter 16 now only about a hundred pages away...

w00t! this bug friend has 3 arms and 2 legs. his name is Q. Valent and he's native to the Kronecker Delta :D.

you've gotta give it up for the complex number chapter -- best tying-together of all that stuff i've ever seen (i've handed out photocopies of those pages as a general refresher guide). oh oh oh but it's chapter 16, and chapter 27, and 33 that will make your heart sing in all the languages, manny! ahhhh

Nick wrote: "how goes penrose?"

I'm just about to find out why a tensor is like a bug. So far, it absolutely lives up to expectation!

how goes penrose?

Tuck wrote: "this novel just showed up today, IT HAS a universe A and a universe B
Regarding Ducks and Universes"

Sounds like The Two-Timers done right. Might have to check it out - thanks!

this novel just showed up today, IT HAS a universe A and a universe B
Regarding Ducks and Universes

Help me out Manny:

Petition for: 'RACHEL MUST READ HUNGER GAMES'. Jump on Rachel's profile and do your bit for the cause.

G N wrote: "Happy New Year!



I couldn't find Phineas and Ferb, but you did have bugs awhile back :D."

Happy New Year to you too!

Last time I tried, P & F weren't in too bad shape - though it's true, performance was dismal until about a day before we finally went live. Check them out here and let me know what you and your family think!

Happy New Year!



I couldn't find Phineas and Ferb, but you did have bugs awhile back :D.

Obsession with the act of analysis of the act of thought = circumnavigating one's navel? Or a pleasure trip in a balloon?

See? Man tics.

Ah, thank you.

I believe that was one of my status updates on Smolin's The Trouble With Physics - it was something he said personally to Smolin.

Hey Manny, I recently stumbled a review on your page in which you quoted Feyerabend; my interest was piqued, but I can no longer find the page. Any way you could redirect me, or, better even, point me in the direction of the quip's primary source?