KISSiNTEL - March 5 2014 by KISS Intel

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Kiss iNTEL

Cynthia McLauchlan

I found myself watching a ton of the Olympic Games over reading week instead of doing any of the homework I meant to complete. So this is an ode to my personal failure, which was certainly not shared by the rest of the country—well done all the Olympic athletes of Canada!

A List of Interesting Let’s Play-ers on Youtube, IMO: Youtube Name (Common Name)

Cryaotic (Cry) RPGMinx (Minx) VintageBeef (Daniel) - canadian! LetsPlay (Achievement Hunter - Rooster Teeth) the minecraft series is hilarious TheCampingTree (Sp00n) hankgames (Hank Green) OfficialNerdCubed (Dan)

EthosLab (Etho) - canadian! his minecraft redstone work is brilliant CyprienGaming (Cyprien) - French msfactualplays (Snake) mostly because of his voice Check ‘em out! Tell me what you think! - Kyla Dawn

Kyla Dawn If you haven’t heard of Twitch Plays Pokémon, ask the person nearest you if they have. If neither of you have, shame on you both. Try Google. If you haven’t heard of Pokémon, ask someone nearby who had a childhood. Also, welcome to the Internet. I hope you enjoy your stay. If you have heard of Twitch Plays Pokémon, skip ahead to the part where I say they beat the game. This game requires some background. A little background. Twitch is a popular video site where video gamers livestream gameplay. There is a chat section so fans can talk to the people playing the game. The creator of Twitch Plays Pokémon used this chat as a source of inputs to a live game of Pokémon Red. The inputs could come from anyone and could be any valid buttons on a Gameboy (ie. a, b, up, down, left, right, start, select). The game began with 30-40 people playing at one time and expanded to about 100,000 people playing all at once. This amount of people online presents an extra challenge on top of sheer numbers, since the livestream had a 30-second delay from the chat input to gameplay commands. If

the character was headed up and you entered “right” there would be 30 seconds worth of commands before your input was read. Have you ever seen those incredible ideas that turn into successful projects that you really wish you had thought of yourself? Like “My Drunk Kitchen”, “Cheeses Murphy” or, “KIX2014”...? Twitch Plays Pokémon (or TPP) is one of those. So simple that the creator did a rough code and stuck it online as an experiment. Just to see what would happen. A lot happened. Millions of people have viewed the Twitch page, I saw the number of people currently in the chat spike at 100,000 people, and they have beaten the game. I repeat, they have beaten the game. In 16 days. Now, a regular game of Pokémon Red would usually take about ___ hours to complete if you played it straight and knew how to effectively get through the whole game. This is longer if you are 7 years old, and shorter if you spent all the time you were supposed to be doing homework playing Pokémon instead. This group took significantly longer to beat the Elite Four, which is the equivalent of beating the game, but also did make it there. This includes a few

puzzles, training strategies, difficult maneuvers on paths and “The Ledge”. The Ledge was a spot in a path where the player needed to move left a few times without moving down once. For this major milestone to happen in a group of 40,000+ people with internet “trolls” everywhere, it took about 14 hours.

trolls were not nearly as organized. The motivation of the group was entirely based on entertainment (they were playing a game) and the success of the game in no way impacted their lives. Even so, more effort was put into convincing people to help win than most people put into their paid work.

Speaking of trolls, this is why I find the information worthy of your highly intelligent brains. A group of tens of thousands of people that can only communicate on the internet managed to work together to achieve a goal in 16 days. Even with several thousand of them actively working against the group succeeding. “Trolls” would enter “start” quite often to interrupt gameplay, and would be the ones entering “down” when strategy required them to go up.

The group needed to overcome some cultural boundaries, language boundaries, strategy boundaries (learn Fly or don’t?), and many communication boundaries in order to win. People came with varying levels of buyin and experience to help the group win. Some people came to the project equally as motivated to have the group fail.

The creator of the game implemented an anarchy and democracy meter to help with this issue, which I will let you investigate if you are interested because it requires significant explanation. The explanation is on the main video page (Source 1) if you scroll to the FAQs. The majority of people voted for anarchy in order for gameplay to work smoothly, which surprised me. What is incredible to me as a Knowledge Integrator, is how the group worked together to overwhelm the trolls and win the game. Significant levels of collaboration were required, and one of many reasons why the people who wanted to win overwhelmed the trolls was strategy. A Google document (Source 2) was created about three days in and shared with everyone participating. This document focused on goals, strategies for different areas and eventually scripts to insert in order to combat trolls’ tactics. The document also had community building items like “fanart” links and links to forums, data summaries and apps for your mobile device. Some strategies from the document even had special names like “Project Surfboard”. The

Anyway.... tl;dr: This is an interesting study of collaboration and if anyone is looking for a case study for a thesis or something.... Thank me later. Anarchy9! - Kyla Dawn Sources: 1. http://www.twitch.tv/twitchplayspokemon. 2. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K a89uCBeLl9VV5GPlAKuW7yF8FGtnVmdbPnI wG8FnQ4/preview?pli=1&sle=true.

The Beautiful Game Zainab Ramahi

What is it about football (real football, not American football) that I, along with millions of people around the world, love so much? To what explanation does football owe its worldwide domination over other sports? Given the upcoming World Cup (98 days and 47 minutes away from the time I write!) let us examine the virtues of the Beautiful Game. Author Sean Wilsey describes football as “universal yet particular, the source of an infinitely renewable supply of hope, occasionally miraculous, and governed by simple, uncontradictory rules (“laws,” officially) that everyone can follow.” Unlike the 367 rules documented in the NFL rulebook, football has only 17 rules. What the referee says goes, regardless of how glaring a violation of dogma his decisions may be. To add to the excitement, after detailing all 17 of football’s laws, official football rule books remind the reader that the ref can disregard any of the rules in order to apply “the spirit of fair play”. Football is arguably the world’s most popular spectator sport. At the upcoming World Cup there will be more than a billion people watching 31 countries come together over their passion for the game. Of course, any sport with a large fan base is polarizing, but football also

has a uniquely massive power to unite people. When a stranger sparks up a conversation with me after having caught the FC Barcelona logo on my iPhone case…. I just know we’re going to be best friends. People’s love of the game is no unsubstantive, passing interest. If you think about it, a team is often one of the only things a person will commit to for life. Through the divorce, your team is still there. Of course to that you might counter- what’s so unique about football? Does every sport not offer a similar sanctuary? To that I say… Football is also unique because you don’t need fancy equipment to play. You don’t even need a real ball; urban kids kick a can around on concrete, while kids in the country kick bunches of rags bundled together on fields of dirt. You can’t attribute someone’s win to their fancy shoes; the margin of benefit derived from good shoes is negligible alongside other professional players with the same boots. It’s all you. It’s all your favourite players. But wait- it’s not all them, as individuals. As KI students we should be especially excited about football, since the best teams are those made up of the best collaborators. Football players also model equality of opportunity, since you don’t have to start with a lot to make it far in your career. Take Pelé, for example. He grew up in poverty in Sao Paulo and earned extra money by working in tea shops as a servant. He first learned to play football with a sock stuffed with newspaper, tied with string, or a grapefruit. Pelé only went on to become the

widely-considered best player of all time. British journalist John Lanchester calls football “ballet with the ball”. It is difficult to ignore the particular playing styles that athletes from different clubs bring to the pitch. Take tiki-taka for instance, the style of play most associated with FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team in which there is an emphasis on short passing and a lot of movement. Tiki-taka moves away from dominant understandings of formations on the pitch and arouses a distinct excitement for fans who are watching! Then of course, there’s what Robert Coover calls the game’s

“inherent theatricality—not the razzmatazz of an American halftime, but the inner dramas of sin and redemption, the testing of virtue, the pursuit of pattern and cohesion, the collision of paradoxical forces.” I’d say that Coover brings poetry to football- but it’s already there.

Bryson’s Beats

Something that’s important to me in this column is variety. Each week I try to provide you, the readers/listeners with a collection of five new songs from a wide range of genres in the hopes that even one of them will tickle your fancy. However, at the end of the day all these songs come from my music library, which while respectable, is still finite. Therefore, if anyone has anything they would like to have included on the KISSiNTEL playlist, please send it my way! I am always open to submissions. I try to avoid the hipster label, but frankly, the more obscure the better. Let’s all expand our musical horizons, shall we? Cadence – Fractures Hypnotic, rhythmic, and melancholy, “Cadence” is a gently pulsing and beautiful piece of work. Its simplicity belies the multitude of layers that work together to form a seamless whole. I can relate to the vocalist’s lamenting refrain where he sings, “I’ve got you stuck on my mind, and it’s driving me crazy.” However, in my case, it’s not a person, but this song. Monster (feat. Molly Williams) – Daniel Ryan The combination of Molly Williams voice and the opening marimbas had me hooked in the first ten seconds of listening. The intro builds into a synthesizerdriven centerpiece tied together by Daniel Ryan’s masterful manipulations of William’s voice. Numb – Skizzy Mars Skizzy Mars has one of the most uniqWue voices in rap music, and I mean that in a good way. His flow is always on point and he has an ability to make even the most mundane lyrics sound good. “Numb” is a song of his brand new album that was released this week (free download). Behind the guise of clubbing and, ahem, “chemical indulgence”, Skizzy hits on broader overtones that plague today’s party culture.

Don’t do drugs, kids. Be Reasonable, Diane – SPEAK I love this song and I don’t know why. I think it’s the sheer absurdity of the singer repeating“Be reasonable, Diane”. I mean, who is Diane? Why does she need to be reasonable? Diane sounds like the name of one of my mom’s friends. The name just seems so out of place ina song, and yet here it is and it’s fantastic. I think one of the reasons this song is so good is because it uses real instruments. No synthesizers, no funky computer sounds, just real, honest-to-goodness guitar, bass, drums, etc. Give it a listen. Stepping Out (The Kiffness Remix) – Samuel Miller This song is fun. It’s upbeat, it’s got a nice little stompclap feel to it, and the humming is incredibly catchy. The almost nasally quality Samuel Miller’s voice just adds to it’s overall charm. To cap it off, the percussion is brilliant and the muted strumming of the guitar has an almost frenetic feel. This week’s songs https://soundcloud.com/obiebryce/sets/kissintell-march All the songs from my column http://8tracks.com/obiebryce/kissintel

Aries: The Ram / Taurus: The Bull / Gemini: The Twins / Cancer: The Crab / Leo: The Lion / Virgo: The Maiden / Libra: The Scales / Scorpio: The Scorpion / Sagittarius: The Archer / Capricorn: The Sea-Goat / Acquarius: The Water-Bearer / Pisces: The Fish / Aries: The Ram / Taurus: The Bull / Gemini: The Twins / Cancer: The Crab / Leo: The Lion / Virgo: The Maiden / Libra: The Scales / Scorpio: The Scorpion / Sagittarius: The Archer / Capricorn: The Sea-Goat / Acquarius: The Water-Bearer / Pisces: The Fish / Aries: The Ram / Taurus: The Bull / Gemini: The Twins / Cancer: The Crab / Leo: The Lion / Virgo: The Maiden / Libra: The Scales / Scorpio: The Scorpion / Sagittarius: The Archer / Capricorn: The Vitamin Sea-Goat P. / Acquarius: The Water-Bearer / Pisces: The Fish

Horoscopes

Aries (March 21-April 20) The angular momentum of the 9th star in the Omicron Persei system is bringing a wave of random compassion for other members of the Zodiac, specifically Scorpios. Your ruling planet, Mars, is the reason for all of your recent curiosity. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself with a plethora of flat stones skipping rocks at Columbia Lake. Don’t blame me if your rocks won’t skip over the ice, it was written in the stars, man. Look forward to a “busy” month, if you know what I mean. Match of the week: Libra

Cancer (June 22 - July 22) For some reason you will find yourself in either the Mathematics and Computers building, or in the Student Life Centre. It may be intimidating to be around an orchestra of people and you may find yourself feeling a little claustrophobic. Give it some time, the moon (your ruling planet!) is about to become a New Moon, wherein you’ll feel like a new person. You may feel extra emotional this week, but that’s just what the stars say. I foresee an encounter with a Libra. Bring backup tissues. Match of the week: Leo

Taurus (April 21-May 21) Your recent woes are a result of your obsession with work, whether it be school work or work-work. The stars are telling me that you still have a rough week ahead, but nothing you can’t handle. Be wary of the other signs, according to the moon’s orientation a secret admirer is said to reveal itself. If you’re single, this’ll be the wrong person. If you’re not single, it’ll still be the wrong person. It’s not my fault, go blame your home planet Venus for your irresistibility. Match of the week: Taurus

Leo (July 23 - August 22) The orientation of a random star in a random system is suggesting a sense of stability in your life. The last few weeks may have been a little crazy, but the next few will be more consistent. This just means the crazy will be tamed. However, you’re still king of the jungle. If you get into an argument with someone this week, you won’t be as crazy as other signs might expect. You will, however, win the argument in a classy, tame fashion. Match of the week: Gemini

Gemini (May 22 - June 21) By nature, you’re a passionate person. However, a recent event is going to fade some of it away. Be strong, young Gemini. You will rediscover your passion for a familiar thing to compensate. Whether it be reading erotica, shopping or freestyle rapping, your love for it will rekindle. Look forward to this feeling lasting an extra long time. However, be aware that someone has been taking notice of you lately. Take it as flattery, not creepy. It’s not like that, they just really admire you. Match of the week: Aries

Virgo (August 23 - September 23) This will be an interesting week for you, Virgo. The apparent displacement of the sun is telling me that your identity as a “Virgo” may be subject to change. Be cautious in your activities and make sure you are well protected. If your identity doesn’t change this week, give it time, maybe you just need to expose yourself more. Match of the week: Aquarius

Horoscopes

Libra (September 24 - October 23) This may rank as one of the most memorable weeks of your life, Libra. Something big is waiting for you. This may be a prize, a secret lover or even a friendship waiting to happen. Be it as it may, memorable does not always translate to good. Be careful this week, it may be too good to be true. Watch out for any spat you will have with your significant other, this may be a big one. If you have no significant other, there will be a big spat with any prospective partners, thus decreasing your market stock. At this rate, even singles who don’t believe in the irrefutable science of Astrology will have a higher stock than you. Match of the week: Pisces Scorpio (October 24 - November 22) This is not going to be a good week for you, Scorpio. You will inadvertently hurt/betray one of your dear friends. However, you must not try and do too much about it; the damage is done. On the bright side, there is no bright side. You’re going to also hurt yourself in some way, physical, emotional or mental. Either way, it’ll be pretty bad. The only thing you can do is let loose, but don’t try to do too much at once. Oh, also you’re going to lose something very important this week. Match of the week: Leo Sagittarius (November 23 - December 21) The stars that usually line up for good luck, didn’t. Now you are left with misfortune and there will be many obstacles that you will need to overcome dear Sagittarius. But if you keep your head up, you will push through this difficult time. Be wary of somebody from your past. That is all. Match of the week: Scorpio

Capricorn (December 22 - January 20) This was a great week, pretty standard for you Capricorns. Aced a midterm, killed an essay, or maybe both. Either way, just an average day in the life. The position of Mars is going to interrupt your flow for the next week, but don’t fret, the moon is on your side this week. This means that, if you have something big coming up in the next few days, it’ll go swell. If it doesn’t, then the moon was on the wrong side. Match of the week: Capricorn Aquarius (January 21 - February 19) Your time of the year just passed, but the great feeling of your date of birth is something that’s still lingering. There is an abundance of aura that astounds your awesome sense of noticing subtle things. (Even literary devices, according to Andromeda’s bulge). This week you need to keep it nice and gentle and quiet. This good feeling will only last as long as you don’t spend your energy doing unnecessary things. You know what I mean. Don’t even try to lie about it, the stars tell me everything. Match of the week: Cancer Pisces (February 20 - March 20) It’s your time to shine, dear Pisces. However, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that Aquarius’ are still hogging some of the positive energy from when it was their time of the year. What you need to do is remain calm, I didn’t tell them, but something terrible is going to happen to them and all their extra good vibes will be free to grab. Whether or not you induce Aquarius’ suffering, the stars “didn’t see anything.” Match of the week: Virgo

Uncode

MAZE

+ +

+ -

END +

+ +

+ + -

START

+ → solution 1

+ + ↑ ↓ solution 2

Solve the maze with as high a score as possible. Each "+" passed is scored as +1, and each "-" passed is scored as -1. eg. solution 1 = +1 - 1 = 0 points solution 2 = +1 +1 -1 = 1 point

pursuit sequence hide&seek tag poker halo starcraft picktwo dutch blitz spoons president settlers of catan darts golf air hockey foosball pool capture the flag cavestory minecraft megaman fire emblem Thanks for reading this edition of KISSiNTEL. If you have your own stories, articles, poems, pictures, photographs, games, musings (you get the gist, right?) that you would like to share. Please send them to kissintel@gmail.com so they can get featured in the next edition!