The Weekly Review: Vol VI Issue 17
TWR Vol VI Issue 17
Hello friends,
As I put the finish touches on this newsletter, I’m sitting in my hotel room in Philadelphia getting ready to head home in the morning. For some reason, as a person of less emotion, I find myself more “feeling” when I travel now.
It started back in 2014 watching Interstellar on a plane ride to New York on my way to Brooklyn Beta. Having watched the movie once and not caring much for it, I was in tears as I watched Cooper drive away from the farmhouse with Murph crying in the rearview mirror. Ever since then, I find myself feeling the emotions well up in far greater strength when flying.
As well, I’ll experience a similar feeling as a trip goes on. Walking through the streets of Philly this week, I experienced a lot of joy and blessedness. But at the same, it fluctuates with a strong sense of nostalgia and a detached meloncholic perspective. Why is this? Maybe it’s the altered sleep pattern. Maybe the increase in rich food (eating out for every meal).
Whatever the case, it’s always a strong mix of longing for home and family and the regular routine alongside a sadness for leaving a place I’ve grown to love (and with views like the one above, who wouldn’t?). Thanks for all the feelings, Philly!
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Fortnite chapter 2
If you don’t have teens or video games are not your thing, you still may not be aware of the phenomenon that is Fortnite. But if you are aware, you may know that the creators of Fortnite, Epic Games, recently update the franchise to what they call Chapter 2.
After 2 years and 10 “seasons”, taking the gaming world by storm, and doing some very interesting things, they shut down their product for 36 hours before launching a revamped version.
And I love the update!
What’s better
First, like most products, a revamp usually entails a slightly new look. And Fortnite follows suit here with a new map (the story shifts to a “new world”). The new location borrows a little from the first, but the overall look and feel has a little more texture to it. The water, the leaves on the trees, the entire landscape feels homey.
But along with that aspect of the game, Epic Games also update the UI. The location of items in the player’s HUD are slightly different, but so too are the mechanics for getting to your next match. Previously, once you were eliminated from a match or were the victor, you could spectate the person who eliminated you, or return to the lobby. From there, you could then start your next match.
In Chapter 2, this is greatly improved. When you’re eliminated, you can choose to spectate or return to the lobby. Or you can choose the new default option, which is to just head into your next match immediately. Not having to wait to return to the lobby and then wait while the next match loads removes the majority of the friction of playing.
After a couple of weeks of playing the game, my biggest takeaway was this:
In that vein, I think Epic would do well to make it a little easier for new players. Programmatically get groups of players in similar tiers/levels against each other so someone who’s played less than 10 times doesn’t wait 2 minutes for the game to load only to last 30 seconds before getting two pumped from behind by some person who's played since season 2… totally speaking from experience here
They really nailed this aspect in Chapter 2. After a couple of games, I felt like I was such a better player. So much so that I was compelled to dig into what had changed. And it was bots …
Now, the word itself causes confusion. When I first mentioned to my boys that the reason Chapter 2 feels easier and more fun is because of bots, they were confused. That’s because in their circles, bot is a word for a player who has purchased all the loot and looks like they’d be dangerous, but they really don’t know what they’re doing. There’s an entire vernacular for young people about this game.
But in Chapter 2, Epic Games added real bots As in, computer controlled players:
In the next Season, we are adding Bots to Fortnite. They will behave similarly to normal players and will help provide a better path for players to grow in skill. Bots will work in conjunction with the new matchmaking system, and as your skill improves, you’ll face fewer Bots. Bots will not be present in Competitive playlists. This is another system that we will continue to update and iterate.
Thanks to these changes, I finally achieved my first victory with 6 eliminations. And it felt sooo good. I’m pretty sure some of those six were even humans.
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Items of note
This article came out slightly before Chapter 2 came available, but this comment well articulates the impressive nature of what Epic Games has done over the past two years.
Fortnite has been criticised as a shallow, cynical machine of compulsion, its trendy dances and outlandish outfits a means of ensnaring younger players. But as a purveyor of new forms of storytelling, in which the community is left to construct its own narrative based around subtle semiotic systems and climactic events, it is a fascinating innovator.
And on that note, I’ll end my focus on the subject.
Media Accounting 101: Appholes and Contracts
I enjoyed this long essay from Craig Mod on a handful of related topics. Most importantly, he touches on how habits define our identity and why most people would not want to be described as social media addicts. But readers? Yes, very much yes please.
We’re amicable to calling ourselves readers for the same reason we want to identify as rock climbers or marathon runners or exceptional parents or selfless children or humanitarians or folks who’ve written thoughtful and considered books — because these activities carry with them an implicit sense of self-betterment, typified by being active (as opposed to passive). To climb El Capitan requires dedication, discipline, focus — and yes, some insanity. To be a good child means taking care of a parent, calling, remembering, participating. The implied (and attractive) corollary of cultivating those qualities are that you’re a more perceptive, present human, experiencing and living life with a certain (healthy / obsessive) fullness.
It’s a long piece, but worth the effort.
5 Ways To Stop Hating Your To-Do List
This essay from the Doist team may seem too obvious, but it’s chock full of good advice. Even long-time GTD enthusiasts (like myself) can fall into bad habits repeatedly. Everyone once in a while you need to step back and analyze how you feel about some of the long running projects and tasks in your “system”.
Because…
It’s easy to feel like your list is some kind of prison you’ve trapped yourself in, where nothing outside the list exists until the list has been vanquished. But this is another example of turning our lists into an undermining enemy instead of a helpful friend. A list is merely a tool, like a paintbrush, and you, the list-maker, are the artist. You are allowed to paint whatever you want and you are also allowed to hate it and change it, or throw it away and start fresh any time you like.
That’s an empowering mentality. It reminds of this old quote from a post by James Somers:
This is true of any to-do list that gets worked off too slowly. A malaise creeps into it. You keep adding items that you never cross off. If that happens enough, you might one day stop putting stuff onto the list.
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Quote of the week
…the American reading public, or a significant chunk of it anyway, can’t take its readerly pleasure straight but has to cut it with a sizable splash of duty.
Alan Jacobs, The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction
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Currently
Watching: Our family recently watched Instant Family and I highly recommend it. Fair warning: there’s a lot of NSFW language in this film. However, the message is so important, I think it’s worth it. A well off Caucasian couple go through the process of fostering and adopting a Latino sibling trio and the film does a good job highlighting the real aspects of this kind of scenario. It’s still more pristine than how real life looks for families like this, but overall, it gives a more accurate picture than much of what Hollywood puts out for feel good flicks like this. Give it a try!
Listening: Let’s Rock from the Block Keys. A group I under–appreciate too often.
Reading: The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs.
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Until next time, may you enjoy your feelings and experiences, wherever you happen to be.