RB1 - Cuban Isolationists

[Sirian]

Someone hasn't been paying enough attention

Sirian's Law: It Is Better To Be Lucky Than Good

Nope, that's not it. It's: "SOMETIMES it's better to be lucky than good."

The implication is simple: "OK, I got lucky there, and I know it." (The rest of the implication is that I'm usually good, but hey, it never hurts to be lucky instead, on occasion!)

So are you saying that you misquoted me? Great.


- Sirian

 

[ChrTh]

Nope, that's not it. It's: "SOMETIMES it's better to be lucky than good."

The implication is simple: "OK, I got lucky there, and I know it." (The rest of the implication is that I'm usually good, but hey, it never hurts to be lucky instead, on occasion!)

So are you saying that you misquoted me? Great.


- Sirian

No, I didn't misquote you in class. And yes, the rest of the implication was definitely meant (hey, it never hurts to have some false modesty )

 

[Andygal]

I prefer being good myself but barring that I guess being lucky is the next best thing.

And since I'm not good at this game, I guess I have to rely on being astondingly lucky.Which unfortunately I'm not usually astondingly lucky.

I've long come to the conclusion that the Universe hates my guts and wants to see me suffer in a horrible manner.

 

[ChrTh]

I've long come to the conclusion that the Universe hates my guts and wants to see me suffer in a horrible manner.

I think that's preferable to an indifferent Universe that cares not for your (or any of our) existence ...

 

[Sirian]

I've long come to the conclusion that the Universe hates my guts and wants to see me suffer in a horrible manner.

If that were the case, you'd have been born prior to the twentieth century. Talk about "hard life"! I am a soft, spoiled brat. No doubt about that!

I only hope that somebody thinks of my generation, one day, as brave souls who had it rough. (Have you SEEN the primitive games they used to play? Space Invaders? Asteroids? Battle Zone? Pac Man? Star Castle?)



And no, don't any of you youngin whoopersnappers chime in with a "What are those?" question. Capice?


- Sirian

 

[ChrTh]

If that were the case, you'd have been born prior to the twentieth century. Talk about "hard life"! I am a soft, spoiled brat. No doubt about that!

I only hope that somebody thinks of my generation, one day, as brave souls who had it rough. (Have you SEEN the primitive games they used to play? Space Invaders? Asteroids? Battle Zone? Pac Man? Star Castle?)



And no, don't any of you youngin whoopersnappers chime in with a "What are those?" question. Capice?


- Sirian

I hear you, brother. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some Mappy to go play ...

 

[LandedGentry]

I remember Pong...I played on a 9 inch black and white tv. The only game the machine would play, with a paddle, not a joystick. Talk about ancient. The ball wasn't even round, it was a square!!!!!

 

[weakciv]

... (Have you SEEN the primitive games they used to play? Space Invaders? Asteroids? Battle Zone? Pac Man? Star Castle?) ...

can we say Pong

 

[Whomp]

You guys are killing me...
What about Mattel football? Was it the first gameboy?
Watching those red blips...up, up, down down, go, go, go, go, go...
Anyone know why the field was only nine yards?

 

[weakciv]

You guys are killing me...
What about Mattel football? Was it the first gameboy?
Watching those red blips...up, up, down down, go, go, go, go, go...
Anyone know why the field was only nine yards?

because if they put 101 red bulbs next to each other they couldnt have made it hand held.

 

[ChrTh]

You guys are killing me...
What about Mattel football? Was it the first gameboy?
Watching those red blips...up, up, down down, go, go, go, go, go...
Anyone know why the field was only nine yards?

I actually have it ... they re-released it a couple years back.

...needs instant replay tho

 

[Zed-F]

I actually had a 4-in-1 of something like that -- you could plug in different overlay cartridges so you could play football, hockey, basketball, or soccer. They were all red blips on an equal-size playing surface though. And you could even play head-to-head against a human opponent!

I thought it was great, but 9-year-olds are easily impressed.

 

[Sirian]

I've got a bit of (probably) unwelcome news. My mom's furnace went out night before last and there was scrambling yesterday morning to get it back in working order. This resulted in a delay in ordering the last parts, which were going to be 2-dayed to me by Friday. Now they can't get here before Monday. *sigh*

But what's a guy to do? I mean, yeah, it -WAS- a difficult choice. Play more Civ three days sooner, or prevent Mom from freezing. Civ Delay or Popsicle Momma, Popsicle Momma or Civ Delay. Nasssssty conundrum. I was leaning toward the popsicle, actually, but Mom knows my phone number, and she WILL NOT stop calling when she wants something.

So Mom's furnace is working again. ... *sigh* And the last parts will get here on Monday.


Oh, and for the record... ... Don't say anything about my mother. Capice?

HER complaints, I sort of owe to her to put up with. Yours... Nope.


- Sirian

 

[ChrTh]

I've got a bit of (probably) unwelcome news. My mom's furnace went out night before last and there was scrambling yesterday morning to get it back in working order. This resulted in a delay in ordering the last parts, which were going to be 2-dayed to me by Friday. Now they can't get here before Monday. *sigh*

But what's a guy to do? I mean, yeah, it -WAS- a difficult choice. Play more Civ three days sooner, or prevent Mom from freezing. Civ Delay or Popsicle Momma, Popsicle Momma or Civ Delay. Nasssssty conundrum. I was leaning toward the popsicle, actually, but Mom knows my phone number, and she WILL NOT stop calling when she wants something.

So Mom's furnace is working again. ... *sigh* And the last parts will get here on Monday.


Oh, and for the record... ... Don't say anything about my mother. Capice?

HER complaints, I sort of owe to her to put up with. Yours... Nope.


- Sirian

I'm disappointed in you. I would've used the new furnace parts to upgrade the PC as well...steam-powered video cards, anyone?

 

[Mike Lemmer]

Yeah, they give birth to you once & lord it over you the rest of your life.

 

[MinionJoe]

I remember Pong...I played on a 9 inch black and white tv. The only game the machine would play, with a paddle, not a joystick. Talk about ancient. The ball wasn't even round, it was a square!!!!!

Yup. I've got that OG console system in my closet right now. Runs off of 6 C-cell batteries and it had 4 game settings (Pong, Hockey, Squash, and one other).

The C-cells are getting hard to find. Not to mention trying to hook up the system's two-wire output when today's TVs only have a co-axial cable jack.

Fortunately, I have an old rotary dial TV with UHF/VHF hookups and a functioning TV/GAME switch.

 

[·Imhotep·]

Nope, that's not it. It's: "SOMETIMES it's better to be lucky than good."

The implication is simple: "OK, I got lucky there, and I know it." (The rest of the implication is that I'm usually good, but hey, it never hurts to be lucky instead, on occasion!)

So are you saying that you misquoted me? Great.


- Sirian

Meaning no offense to Sirian's outstanding display of wits in this thread - I think that the "Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good."™ phrase has no sense in it altogether. If you're lucky in a situation you usually have not been good 'cause then you would have foreseen the situation and adjusted your gameplay. So if you're good there is no need to be lucky, and therefore it is certainly not better to be lucky than good .

Just my ridicoulus comment on a minor issue, just go on with the thread . And hey - keep on pouring out these wonderful phrases, Sirian ! It has been one of the most entertaining factors in this thread, well written and just pleasant to read ! Once again:

 

[ugignadl]

Meaning no offense to Sirian's outstanding display of wits in this thread - I think that the "Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good."™ phrase has no sense in it altogether. If you're lucky in a situation you usually have not been good 'cause then you would have foreseen the situation and adjusted your gameplay. So if you're good there is no need to be lucky, and therefore it is certainly not better to be lucky than good .

Logical fallacy! It is certainly possible to be lucky AND good. It's also possible (as you note) to be lucky AND bad. Or unlucky and bad. Any of the possibilities are, well, possible.

Sirian's just evaluating the two variables against one another, and stating that in some cases it is more valuable to have luck than skill. Which I can agree with, although it does seem rather obvious...

 

[Sirian]

although it does seem rather obvious...

Restating the obvious until people start to groan entertains me to no end.

I think the attraction of my game writing is that when I am having fun, I can convey the feeling to others. Fun is attractive! People are drawn to fun.

This makes it impossible to "fake it" of course, but that's not a problem. I may be a flake, but I am not a fake.


- Sirian

 

[oopsy poopsy]

Logical fallacy! It is certainly possible to be lucky AND good. It's also possible (as you note) to be lucky AND bad. Or unlucky and bad. Any of the possibilities are, well, possible.

Sirian's just evaluating the two variables against one another, and stating that in some cases it is more valuable to have luck than skill. Which I can agree with, although it does seem rather obvious...

I was agreeing with your viewpoint until I read the post. I think Timon may have a point. If the statement's intention is to evaluate two variables and state that sometimes it is more valuable to have luck than skill, but still assume that skill is of primary importance, then the statement should read, "sometimes it is better to be good AND lucky." The major implication of "sometimes it's better to be lucky than good" is that the luck comes without being good.

However, we are treating this statement as if it were made in a vacuum and it wasn't. It was used in this thread in opposition to another statement, "sometimes it's better to be good than lucky." When taken together the two original statements do evaluate the two variables and state that luck and skill both have their place in civ (and presumably in other areas as well), but regarless of how good a player is, they cannot foresee every possible outcome and that being good is greatly enhanced by also being lucky. One doesn't require both to be successful, but in combination they are a potent duo. Using two statements to do the job of one has created a poetic symmetry that stating "it is better to be good AND lucky" lacks. In that way it is both accurate and quote worthy (although with no offense intended I doubt entirely original).

Now, if that isn't taking the obvious and beating it to death, then I don't know what is (although I'm sure someone else can trump mine).