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Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
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10:30 pm
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| Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
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11:22 pm - On the Go
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The last two weekends brought my immersion in the game of Go to a whole new level: I visited my first two official tournaments!
The first one was in Potsdam, which is quite a drive from where I live. I travelled there together with a regular from the local bi-weekly Go evening event. The tournament was held in the university which resides in several immensely beautiful buidings of the castle Sanssoucisei in a vast parkway.
I actually went there expecting not to win a single game. I figured that only really good players would show up at the official tournaments and that the Go proverb "Get your first fifty losses as quickly as possible" would also be true for games at such tournaments.
Instead I won all four of the games I played! Actually there were five rounds but we were still on the road when the first one started.
I only made 14th place though, because a system (MacMahon) was used to pair players of roughly the same strength against each other, taking each player's self-assessment into account. I used the rank which I have on the internet go server KGS, which is updated according to my wins and losses on that server. Either the ranks there were a little off from the ones used at the tournament or I my skills progressed faster than the online rating could keep track of, but I got to play opponents I could handle quite well. Both phenomena aren't unheard of, but as I still lose regularly on KGS I guess it's more of the first than the latter.
The only game I lost while in Potsdam was outside the tournament when I tried my hands on Rengo for the first time. Rengo is a variant of Go for four players where the two members of a teams take turns playing stones of the same color without confiding with each other. At first the game went quite okay, but I guess I started to lose some confidence when my team mate commented on a few of my moves. Luckily, at first a better player stuck around to watch the game and defended my moves better than I could have (and in the end they turned out to be quite adequate) but once he left I really lost it, thought a great deal longer about each single move, mostly second-guessing myself, than would have been polite and ended up playing more mediocre with every move. Well, they can't all be gems.
The second tournament last weekend took place in Dortmund and was a team tournament. Unlike Rengo in such a tournament each member of a team, four in this case, plays a normal game of Go against a player of another team. Each team is paired up with another team each round and the team with more individual wins is victorious (as can be expected there were lots of draws). As I did really well in the tournament before I entered as two ranks higher than in Potsdam (you can usually change your rating each time you enter a tournament, but if you overestimate yourself you are only going to lose and if you underestimate yourself you won't get a high tournament rank despite your wins). And from my three games I won two again and lost the third one by only a very small margin! Unfortunately two of my teammates had considerably less luck and so we didn't score very good team-wise but I'm quite happy with my own performance. Maybe next tournament I'll even aim for one or two ranks higher. The goal shouldn't be to win all the matches but to find opponents of the same level to enable you to play the best game you can.
If you bore with me so far maybe you wonder how the ranking system I kept talking about works. When you are a total beginner you usually start with a rank of 30 kyu. As you gain experience and skills the number gets smaller. I started around 12 kyu on KGS when I started to play seriously after having played the computer alot and read up on the internet and am now 9 kyu there, so I gained three ranks in the months in between.
I played as 9 kyu in Potsdam and 7 kyu in Dortmund, and maybe 5-6 kyu next time I enter a tournament...
Once you surpass 1 kyu you become 1 dan and from then on bigger is better. A 2 dan is better than a 1 dan and so on all the way up to 9 dan, which is the strongest rank among amateurs. Professional players have ranks like dans, except theirs being called just "pro". So a 2 pro will have a tough time against a 5 pro in an even match.
The beauty in the ranking system is not only that you can judge with one value if your opponent is around your own strength but its also used to assign handicaps when that's not the case. If you are playing a stronger player you always get black, there's no komi and you get to place a handicap stone on the board before the game begins for each rank in difference, usually up to nine stones.
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| Thursday, June 11th, 2009
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2:25 am - Let's Go!
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I got a new hobby and it's name is go. Go is a 4000 year old strategic board game that was originally invented in China and recently got a worldwide popularity boost through the anime Hikaru no Go, which deals with the game and the people who play it excessively.
The rules of the game are incredibly simple.
It is played on a board criss-crossed with lines to -usually- form 19 x 19 intersections on which plays are made (not on the squares formed by the lines like chess is). Each player has a supply of stones, one player white ones, the other black ones. Starting with the black player they take turns putting one stone at a time onto a free intersection on the board in order to surround free intersections or a group of the opponent's stones in order to capture them. At the end of the game each player gets points for intersections surrounded by her stones and opponent's stones she captured. The one who has more points wins.
There are a few rules for special occasions, but that's all there really is to it.
On the other hand the tactical and strategical implications arising from this minimalistic ruleset are immense and each match is a new enthralling challenge.
I had heard a little about go a long time ago and when two years back someone brought a goban (the japanese name for the board that is played upon) to a social gathering I jumped the opportunity to get to know the rules. Although I enjoyed these first rounds (despite having my behind seriously kicked) I didn't pursue it any further back then. Over time I downloaded Igowin, a program that let's you play against the computer on a smaller board that's only 9x9 intersections big and read from time to time about go on the internet, especially at Sensei's Library, an extensive wiki about the game.
The final breakthrough for me to pick up Go seriously came when the world of warcraft guild I had been in for the better part of the last year self destructed. I had been quite unhappy with WoW for a long time, because I found most of it to be longterm mindless repetition in order to get minor rewards. However all the effort I had put into developing my character and into raiding with the guild had shown me that I could keep up interest and involvement into a single game over extended periods of time. And so I wrote a fairspoken good bye in the guild forum a few weeks before the final collapse, cancelled my WoW account and got one at KGS, a popular internet go server.
That was around in the last week of March. Since then I played on the majority of days at least one game there. Lately I also started going to my city's bi-weekly go evening I found through the homepage of the German go association. I also signed up on a second go server, DGS, which is different from KGS in that you don't play games in real time and with severe time limitations, but over several days, weeks or even months, so you can take all the time you want to think or even take a break for a few days mid-game.
Also this weekend I'll be playing in my first internet tournament on KGS and have been invited to a real life tournament next month. Scary! Most of the other players are going to be so much better than me and I am probably going to lose so badly, but I am still looking forward to the experience.
current mood:  chipper
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| Tuesday, April 7th, 2009
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3:44 am
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You are The Hermit
Prudence, Caution, Deliberation.
The Hermit points to all things hidden, such as knowledge and inspiration,hidden enemies. The illumination is from within, and retirement from participation in current events.
The Hermit is a card of introspection, analysis and, well, virginity. You do not desire to socialize; the card indicates, instead, a desire for peace and solitude. You prefer to take the time to think, organize, ruminate, take stock. There may be feelings of frustration and discontent but these feelings eventually lead to enlightenment, illumination, clarity.
The Hermit represents a wise, inspirational person, friend, teacher, therapist. This a person who can shine a light on things that were previously mysterious and confusing.
What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.
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(comment on this)
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| Tuesday, March 24th, 2009
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1:46 pm
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Your result for Which Were Animal Would You Be? Test...
You are a Were-Tiger!70% tiger, 50% wolf, 10% horse, 10% rat, 20% leopard, 60% fox and 30% bear! 
Tigers are definitely predators. They love to hunt and mostly hunt at night. They are also, for the most part, solitary animals, but they will definitely share a kill with other tigers. Tigers don't live by set rules. Sometimes they avoid each other, sometimes they will work together to kill. They don't like feeling boxed in and will make sure that others know their territory. Tigers are monogamous, but they don't have to be around their mates all the time. They meet up when the mating instinct hits them. As a were-tiger you are going to be hunting during the night. You'll definitely be going after live prey and enjoy every minute of your hunt. Happy hunting!
Take Which Were Animal Would You Be? Test at HelloQuizzy
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(comment on this)
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| Thursday, March 19th, 2009
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1:13 pm - What's Your Personality Type?
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| You Are An INTP |  The Thinker
You are analytical and logical - and on a quest to learn everything you can.
Smart and complex, you always love a new intellectual challenge.
Your biggest pet peeve is people who slow you down with trivial chit chat.
A quiet maverick, you tend to ignore rules and authority whenever you feel like it.
In love, you are an easy person to fall for. But you're not an easy person to stay in love with.
Although you are quite flexible, you often come off as aloof or argumentative.
At work, you are both a logical and creative thinker. You are great at solving problems.
You would make an excellent mathematician, programmer, or professor.
How you see yourself: Creative, fair, and tough-minded
When other people don't get you, they see you as: arrogant, cold, and robotic |
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(comment on this)
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| Sunday, February 8th, 2009
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3:44 am
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| Monday, January 19th, 2009
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6:01 pm - Page 56 Meme
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1. Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
2. Turn to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post that sentence along with these instructions in your LiveJournal.
5. Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.
Epidemiologie ergänzt klinische Befunde im Rahmen von biopsychosozialen Bedingungsmodellen (vgl. epidemiologische Trias).
Which would probably translate to: Epidemiology complements clinic findings within biopsychosocial models of causes (see epidemiologic trias)
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| Wednesday, January 7th, 2009
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12:54 am - Hoffnung
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Ein Artikel für die Diskussion in einem Seminar, das ich im Rahmen meines Psychologiestudiums besuche. Im Endeffekt hat er nichts mit dem eigentlichen Thema zu tun, aber es bot sich mir die Gelegenheit etwas niederzuschreiben, was ich schon lange gedacht habe.
Jedes Handeln braucht einen Grund.
Gründe, sich egoistisch zu verhalten gibt es genug, angefangen schon bei der persönlichen Hedonie, aber auch Ebenen über der des Individuums könnte man immer dann als egoistisch bezeichnen wenn Mitglieder einer Interessengruppe nur für den Vorteil ihrer lokalen Gruppe agieren, angefangen von der Mutter oder dem Vater der mit anderen im Beruf konkurriert um die materielle Grundlage der Familie zu stützen bis hin zu Soldaten die für ihren Staat in Kriege ziehen, die natürlich vor allem den entsprechenden Staat nützen sollen.
Was für Gründe haben wir uns nicht egoistisch zu verhalten? Natürlich gibt es religiöse Werte, aber die sind zumindest in unserem Teil der Welt nicht mehr weit genug verbreitet und offensichtlich waren sie es noch nie genug um den angestrebten Ausgleich in der Vergangenheit herbeizuführen.
Ich habe das Gefühl das generelle Bild der Welt das aus meiner Perspektive heute vorherrscht lässt kaum Platz für nicht egoistische Gründe: Egal, was für große Errungenschaften unsere Spezies auch noch erreichen wird, früher oder später wird es kein gutes Ende nehmen, ob wir zuerst an unserem eigenen Schmutz eingehen, oder viel später wenn die Sonne explodiert oder das Unversum zu diesem kalten, dunklen, sich unendlich schnell ausbreitenden Ort wird, den die Astrophysiker prognostizieren. Das mag weit hergeholt klingen, aber das ist der Rahmen in dem sich unsere Hoffnungen und Träume nach dem was wir heute als realistisch bezeichnen bewegen können. In der Bibel steht etwas von der Auferstehung der Toten zum jüngsten Gericht und dem Paradies für die, die - einfach gesagt - ein Stück weit unegoistisch waren. Ich vermute das heute kaum noch jemand diese Vorstellung ernstlich als Wahrheit akkzeptieren kann, aber genau so ein "Happy End", so ein Fernziel an dem wir unser Handeln ausrichten können fehlt uns heute.
Auf der anderen Seite ist der Weg zurück versperrt. Bildung und Forschung führen automatisch dazu, dass Glaubensinhalte hinterfragt werden und wenn diese mit der Welt, wie wir sie erkennen einfach nicht mehr in Einklang zu bringen sind, oder mit Gewalt oder aus Tradition aufrechterhalten werden, werden sie irgendwann gekippt.
Ich denke, der einzige Ausweg ist neue gültige Gründe zu finden, eine neue Spiritualität im Einklang mit dem Fortschritt der Wissenschaft, die, wenn auch auf absehbare Zeit keine Aussicht auf ein Paradies nach dem Tod, zumindest ein Stück weit Hoffnung geben kann, dass wir mehr sind als nur bedeutungslose, winzige Kohlenstoffhaufen ohne nennenswerte Perspektiven irgendwo in der Weite des Alls.
Ansätze dafür gibt es schon heute, wenn man danach sucht.
Zum einen gibt es einen berechtigten Einwand gegen die Grundannahme der Biopsychologie das wir nichts weiter sind als hochkomplizierte Biomaschinen. Unter dem Begriff "Qualia" eint sich die diesbezügliche Diskussion.
Zum anderen erfahren wir aus der Astrophysik, dass sich das Universum immer schneller und schneller ausdehnt, bis eben zu dem oben erwähnten kalten, dunklen Endstadium. Aber das bedeutet auch, dass unser ganzes Universum ein offenes System ist, ein Teil eines größeren Etwas aus dem das Universum immer mehr und mehr Energie bezieht wodurch es expandiert. Das was wir sehen und erforschen können ist nur ein kleiner Teil, unser Bild der Welt ist nicht nur nicht komplett, es ist eher nur ein einziger Mosaikstein.
Und zuletzt dringt unser Verständnis in die andere Richtung zum Kleinsten hin in Bereiche vor in denen sich die Gesetze von Ursache und Wirkung und dem Unterschied von Materie und Energie aufzulösen scheinen. Die Quantenphysik ist gerade in den Anfängen davon die Grundlage unserer Existenz zu beschreiben und dringt dabei in Gebiete vor, deren Geschehnisse es mit den seltsamsten Mytenwelten aufnehmen könnte.
Es ist nicht viel, aber es sprengt den Rahmen und erlaubt nach mehr zu hoffen.
"Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and philosophers of today - but the core of science fiction, its essence has become crucial to our salvation if we are to be saved at all. " - Isaac Asimov
current mood:  indescribable
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(1 comment | comment on this)
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| Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008
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12:42 pm
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| Friday, September 26th, 2008
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11:14 am
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You Are a Seeker Soul
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You are on a quest for knowledge and life challenges.
You love to be curious and ask a ton of questions.
Since you know so much, you make for an interesting conversationalist.
Mentally alert, you can outwit almost anyone (and have fun doing it!).
Very introspective, you can be silently critical of others.
And your quiet nature makes it difficult for people to get to know you.
You see yourself as a philosopher, and you take everything philosophically.
Your main talent is expressing and communicating ideas.
Souls you are most compatible with: Hunter Soul and Visionary Soul
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current mood: cheerful
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(comment on this)
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| Sunday, September 21st, 2008
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2:49 am - A life long quest is over
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| Sunday, September 7th, 2008
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4:15 pm - Good bye Mister Feel Good
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When I returned home from EF and plugged in my gaming PC the power supply made a crackling sound and changed it primary function to giving of a burning smell taking with it other components to the electronics afterlife.
Now I know what Id have to do to repair it and I actually would have the resources left to replace the necessary parts (although if the graphic adapter was broken it would get quite costly).
But I have decided not to.
Now computer games have been a big part of my life since I was four. I spent countless hours shooting stuff, creating and destroying empires and dieing in unforgiving dungeons.
I long understood that this didnt bring me much more than some fleeting pleasure (actually it often brought frustration instead), but this did nought to reduce my hunger for those virtual worlds. I even grinded myself through world of warcraft up to the 25-man raiding content (which is a long task and actually the opposite of exciting).
So, what Im trying to say is that Im going to try to drastically cut back on all of that. I still got a Wii standing around here which I dont plan to abandon right now, but then I never played it too much I think.
The big question I have now is what I will do instead with all the time freed up now. I installed mirc again and updated my long unused IM. Without the constant temptation of playing one thing or the other I might hold on longer to that than the last times I tried that.
Also I always wanted to start writing again more, I guess now is the time.
And of course I should get some more learning in so I might get closer to graduating day a little faster finally.
current mood:  energetic
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(1 comment | comment on this)
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| Sunday, June 22nd, 2008
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9:33 pm
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| Thursday, June 19th, 2008
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2:07 am
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| Friday, May 23rd, 2008
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12:59 pm
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What Your Taste in Chocolate Says About You
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You are sweet, mellow, and easily satisfied.
You don't like anything too intense and dramatic.
Deep down, you're a kid at heart... and you're nostalgic for the past.
You are friendly, witty, and likable.
You charm is overwhelming. People are enchanted by you.
You have a comeback for anything. Because of this, you seem flippant at times.
You love being by yourself and thinking. Developing your own theories and ideas is fun.
You feel lost when you're forced to be social. Being with other people can be lonely for you.
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(comment on this)
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| Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008
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4:51 pm - Meme
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My Personality
| | Neuroticism | | Extraversion | | Openness to Experience | | Agreeableness | | Conscientiousness | |
| You are generally calm, although some situations can make you feel anxious or tense, however you tend to lack energy and have difficult initiating activities. You lead a leisurely and relaxed life. You would prefer to sit back and smell the roses than indulge in high energy activities. Familiar routines are good, but sometimes you like to spice up your life with a bit of adventure or activity. You do not like to claim that you are better than other people, and generally shy from talking yourself up, however you do not enjoy confrontation, but you will stand up for yourself or push your point if you feel it is important. You are not an overly cautious person. You will think about alternatives and consequences but make up your mind fairly quickly.
| Take a Personality Test now or view the full Personality Report.
The best ugg Boots. |
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(comment on this)
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| Sunday, April 13th, 2008
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10:19 pm
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| Thursday, April 3rd, 2008
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4:08 pm
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Dein Ergebnis:: Chaotic You scored 8 on Emotional Detachment and 15 on Chaotic Lifestyle!
You are not quite a psycho, but you have problems in one of the aspects of psychopathy: chaotic lifestyle. Your life lacks in stability, you're unreliable and irresponsible. Luckily, your emotions are healthy and strong enough to keep you in check. But who knows, one day you may snap...
If your combined score is 5 or less, you are completely average compared to general population.
If your combined score is 20 or more, you have a mind of a true criminal.
If your combined score is 30 or more, you have a mind of a psycho.
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(comment on this)
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| Monday, March 17th, 2008
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11:52 am - Woof
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