Human against machines

We've been watching a lot of YouTube videos especially in these few days being at home though it's my hubby who has control over it and he kept putting on the Covid-19 updates and his science and travel stuff. 

It was all meh for me until he started watching this:

AlphaGo - The Movie (Full Documentary)

Even though this happened back in 2016, the documentary was just posted by DeepMind a week ago in YouTube on 13 Mar 2020.

I don't know how to play Go but watching how the world champion Lee Sedol from South Korea played against AlphaGo was indeed very captivating. 

There were five games played over five days and most have expected Lee Sedol to win all games, or at worst four. Go is a game with too many moves and they felt that a computer programme will not be able to play it well, yet.

But Lee Sedol lost. He only won one game and that game was termed to be a masterpiece and probably the most famous game in the history of Go.

When watching the documentary, I got emotional when he won that one game, the 4th game. As much as I wanted technology to progress and become smart so that it can assist us, I didn't want it to win. 

I want us to win. 

You'd notice I used the word "us". It was the exact same sentiment in the tournament on that day. When Lee Sedol won, the other Go professional players also felt like they themselves have won. It was like a victory for mankind against machines. 

Though the DeepMind team who created AlphaGo did say that it was a victory for mankind as well since it was dreamt up and developed and created by people. 

But what will artificial intelligence or AI mean for us when it becomes better and smarter than us? What happens when it becomes creative and writes itself? The experts have commented that AI is still very nascent at this point of time but technology is progressing so fast that it will catch up in no time.

The documentary movie is a long one at one and a half hours but it's worth a watch. Quite a lot of Korean is being spoken too and so do switch on Captions for the English subtitles.

pearlie

Play Triple Town and learn to be strategic

I don't play much games on my phone and have given up on what I was addicted to previously. I used to like games in the Candy Crush genre as well as Plants vs Zombies and Tower Defense.

But I've found this one recently which I do like and found myself spending a bit too much time on.

It's Triple Town and the objective of the game is build as many high level buildings as possible. It takes three small bushes to build one big bush, three big bushes to build one tree, three trees to build one red house, three red houses to build one house and so on and so forth until you get a big castle.

It's a strategic game and you need to know your moves ahead of time before planting anything. 

And since I'm not very strategic myself, I wonder if this count as good training.

pearlie

I am on my way to becoming a gamer

My son has a second unit of Nintendo Switch but it doesn't work. Someone had accidentally dumped the unit into the washing machine. It was then given to my son.

We brought the unit to Low Yat twice, and they weren't able to find out what was wrong. During the second time, they even told us there is nothing wrong with the unit. 

But how can it be when it doesn't work?!

So my son continued to dabble with it and he finally found out that it was the micro-sd card slot that was faulty. 

We brought it back to Low Yat to see if they can fix it but we were told to return an hour later when the technician is back. 

So we went to a cafe for coffee, and this mommy as she would always do, googled for the cost of repair. I didn't get any indication of repair cost but what I found was that Shopee sells the micro-sd card part for only RM7.08.

After an hour's wait, we dutifully went back to the shop. They quoted us a sum of RM140 to repair it.

What?

We told them we will think about it but what we did instead was to go hunting for the required screwdrivers. We found some but we weren't too sure if they were the right ones. We bought them anyway, and then I logged into shopee.com and ordered the micro-sd card slot. 

It arrived yesterday. 

My son fixed it. 

And it only cost us RM10.88 inclusive of shipping, not counting the cost of the screwdrivers since that would be considered as fixed cost. 

We saved a whopping RM129.

And mommy now has a new toy. 

pearlie

They have retired Plants vs. Zombies

Sniff sniff. They killed my all-time favourite game app Plants vs. Zombies. 

I have blogged it before - that I have been playing and I am still playing Plants vs. Zombies for the past 7 years. 

They did launch the newer Plants vs. Zombies 2: It’s About Time in 2013 but it never grew on me. I played it halfway and soon had it removed from my devices. 

And as you have it, IGN published this article yesterday - Update: Plants vs. Zombies Creator’s EA Departure Clarified. 

Apparently, Plants vs. Zombies’s creator George Fan was fired because he objected to the newer version’s pay-to-win model, which I wasn’t keen on as well. Why should I pay to win?

It was reported that “when EA proposed its sequel - Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time - has a pay-to-win model that supports in-app purchasing, Fan pushed back. He's like "I dunno, that's not really a good idea and I don't want to do that with my game."”

And now the original game is being retired and removed from the Apple Store. They did relaunch a free version of it but I think it takes to a pay-to-win model as well. I have just started playing it and so far I have been watching endless and irritating ad videos in between games. 

And I just brought up the subject of lifetime purchases for devices with my colleague and this is a case in point where lifetime is not forever. 

pearlie

Play Tetris to lose your cravings

I read an article today about crushing unhealthy cravings in three minutes by playing Tetris. 

Really?

I have a lot of cravings lately for food, desiring to eat and satisfy my tastebuds. I did put on some weight as a results and now I have willed myself to lose them, and more. 

I don't play Tetris but I do have this game called Drop7 that I do play once in awhile. Would it work?

The article said that playing Tetris may "provide a visual distraction which helps people control their cravings."

So maybe I shall go search for a Tetris app and try it out for three minutes everytime I have a craving. 

pearlie 

No more pocket monsters for me

After three days, I'm calling it quits. Pokemon Go, that is. 

I just wanted to see what the craze is all about and after three days, I felt it wasn't worth my time. I want to have a better use of my time and attention, especially my attention. 

I did notice that I thought about it a lot, everywhere I go, wondering if there's a Pokemon or a Pokestop. 

With that, I'm done with it. 

So let's just say: been there done that, move on. There are just too many better and more useful things to do. 

pearlie

Plant killing zombies to take my mind off things

Would you believe I've played this game continuously and countless times for 6 years? I don't know how many rounds I've completed. Twenty or thirty maybe? And each time I finished a round, I'd happily start all over again using various strategies I have not tried before. 

Plants vs Zombies for iPhone 

Purchased on 12 Dec 2010 for $2.99

Plants vs Zombies HD for iPad 

Purchased on 17 May 2011 for $6.99

It's not entirely a brainless game but I've played it so many times, it's so easy but it takes my mind off things, which is what I needed today. 

pearlie

Amigo Pancho

Amigo Pancho

I found this iOS game a few days ago and got caught up in it today. It's quite addictive, fun and really funny as well. The first few levels are easy peasy, but it gets harder.

pearlie

Words With Friends

My husband was once a Scrabble aficionado and he used to play everyday in the office with his colleagues during break time. I didn't play it as much, only every now and then. But we have not played it in years.

We were watching the movie Still Alice a couple of weeks ago. The mother and daughter in the movie were playing Zynga's Words With Friends. And we thought it might be interesting to pick it up again with each other and this time digitally.

So we began. It's a good app and I like the experience. There is no rush to it and you play as and when you feel like it, though my husband kept pushing me to play when my turn comes.

And I lost the first game. It was frustrating! Grrh!!!


And we completed two games today, played simultaneously and I won both! Yay!!!




Next game dear? And as the game says, may the best friend win ;)

pearlie

What a waste of time

My son recommended me this new iOS game yesterday.

Fallout Shelter by Bethesda


I tried it out and found that it is an interesting mash-up between Sims and Tiny Tower, two games of which I have enjoyed very much - and so...I'm stuck with it now, playing hours on end to expand the vault and to make sure the dwellers are happy, working, growing and contented.

The little simple (and useless) things that keeps me busy and occupied. But I think I've wasted too much time on it.

pearlie

I'm not condemned but redeemed

I feel that I have been too hard on myself. I made a boo-boo today and as much as I readily admitted the mistake myself, I was quite angry at myself.

I also happened to learn about Transactional Analysis in the afternoon and I soon realized that I have used all my three ego states because of that event: first the Parent when I complained about the person whom I felt wronged me, then the Adult when I tried to find out from him what exactly happened and how to avoid it in the future, then I took the state of a Child when he responded to me as a Parent because I decided to walk away since I refuse to argue and carry on the never-ending conversation and finally I went back to the Adult state when I reported the event to the leader informing him about my mistake and seek for what the next step should be . I'm glad I closed with the Parent state and I was able to resolve the matter and have a good night sleep.

Indeed, I'm also reminded of Paul in Romans 8:1-6, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." I find myself usually condemning myself whenever I do wrong or make a mistake. I am indeed my own worst enemy.

I'm in Christ and I live by his grace and mercy. I am redeemed and I am his child. Yes, in my weakness, I will still make mistakes but I am not condemned but redeemed.

pearlie

Games that stick with me

I was feeling unwell over the past few days and feeling all the more worse today and so I stayed in bed. I ended up wasting away in iPad games.

There were quite many games that I like but these were the few I have been playing for a long, long time.

When in Rome by Realore

This is a strategy game in the Roads of Rome series. Every level, you will be given several workers to achieve several goals with the time limit given. Unlike the other games below, this is one game I have not played more than once, only because I have not finished it. I have started with Roads of Rome 1, 2 and 3, and now I'm playing When in Rome.

Tower Defense by Com2us

This game was introduced by my husband and I am still playing it after completing all the levels. I have not tried the challenge levels yet though. He has tried several tower defense games and this is by far the best of them all.

Plants vs Zombie by PopCap

This is my all-time favourite. I am still playing it even though I have completed many, many rounds of it. I guess flowers zapping zombies kinda appeal to me.

4 Pic 1 Word by Lotum GmbH

I am currently at Level 2009 with 4308 coins.

Drop7 by Zynga

For a start this game might look complicated but when you get it, it's as simple as 1-2-3.

Cookie Dozer by Game Circus

And this is my all-time favourite brainless game. I'm currently at Level 220 with 23,342 cookies.

pearlie