As a kid, a friend's gambler parents had a penny slot machine, and a bucket of pennies to play with. They let us play with it like any other toy. After a day or two, we got bored, and they said, very wisely, "Real casinos aren't any more fun than that, but it's harder to stop playing." That stuck.

Nope. I just notice when people bullshit their way out of a stupid claim.

"Still going with" clearly shows that this isn't a new opinion.

"hideous and stupid" sure sounds like opinions to me.

I recently picked up a 30w fiber laser, the Gweike G2. It's a fun machine!

Dang, that's a really nice one! Great colors, and super fun curves.

"If this was a game, there's be a source of wood nearby so I can make a fire." There may not be a nice dry pile in a breakable box nearby, but at least you're thinking about gathering wood and starting a fire.

When you need to lead people, show them a path that suggests a plan. When you're lost, imagine that someone designed your circumstance, and look for suggestions of intent. Even if there isn't really a designer there, this perspective is great for figuring out some first steps.

You can even see a reflection of this idea in the realm of comedy. You can have a lot of fun being made uncomfortable for as long as you have that assurance that someone considered your role in it. Put short, friends can tease each other and have fun, when its understood as a game not a threat.

While I encounter this thought most often in game design, it reaches much farther. UI design is a whole field where the suggestion of intent plays a major role. People's understanding of your software (or vehicle, or whatever) is founded on the ways those suggestions are organized.

It goes the other way too. A person navigating a confusing set of hallways is simply lost. But as soon as they suspect that those hallways were laid intentionally, that suggests that there's a meaning, and implies a way out. That's when it's a maze.

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal (www.smbc-comics.com). Zack Wienersmith has a perfect blend of comedic framing and nerdy curiosity. Of all the funny things I enjoy online, SMBC produces the most frequent out-loud laughter, and has done so for well over a decade. Honorable mentions: XKCD and Oglaf

There was a dark time in my life, and I wrote a lot of poetry then. The dark poems still carry pain, but I find it hard to read the positive poems from that time too. The glimmer of hope there eventually saved me, but the feeling I have about it now is just so big. Happy, but exhausting.

I got 14 with a remainder of a funky pentagon.