Man, it must be nice not having a job.

And hey, when you're bored, you can all get together and play Tetris.

Exactly what is this supposed to accomplish? The homeless folks who need this sort of shit can't afford it.

So, what did he predict correctly? I'd be interested in seeing that list, for comparison.

Mmmm-mmmm, CLAUSTROPHOBIA!

#12 -- I was more or less thinking the same thing. I'm glad it's not just me.

It would be interesting to see if it would be possible to have a rude comment made EVEN RUDER by having it disemvowelled. That would take some dedication (or an Enigma machine) to pull off.

This may not be the dumbest idea ever, but it's certainly in the Top 100. As five other people have already mentioned, a book's worst enemy is water.

My favorite part of the article is that Wider's lawyer tried to explain the behavior away as an anxiety disorder.

@5

"As I understand it, lawyers often mark the relevant bits of files to save time when examining witnesses. Not doing so would seem to be a breach of etiquette, and I can see being disinclined to do the job of the guy trying to hang you. If I had an appointment with the hangman and he asked me for help tying the noose, I'd be inclined to tell him to tie his own fucking noose, even if I did deserve to hang."

My guess (not having read a transcript or seen the video) is that the lawyer was trying to point out that Wider had no clue as to the content of the files. I believe he succeeded.

That being said, where IS the video and/or full transcript? I know I'm not the only one who would love to read it.

What a tremendous waste of food.

Not to get all Republican here, but whatever the consequences, it serves him right, doesn't it? If he kept it hidden while he built it, then he knew it was an illegal construction.

"...it's fun for a lot of people because it's random, and the tide can turn from one person winning to another very quickly. We've had the 6 year old win."

Yep. I've heard a story of a guy who played against his cat (who would select a face-up card by swatting at it), and the cat won. This isn't really my idea of "fun," but hey, whatever floats your boat.

"Many strategic games lose their 'fun' for any player that's not clearly in the lead; it's not as much fun playing if you know you have no chance of winning."

I suppose it depends on what you get out of gaming. If you game for fun, and are only concerned about winning, then you're likely to be frustrated with being anywhere but in first place. If you're more interested in the challenge of learning to manipulating the system through trial and error, then losing isn't that big of a deal.

The issue is that Fluxx is a "party game," which means it's more suited for a group of people who are hanging out, and are looking for an activity to keep them occupied at the same time. Strategy gamers are looking for an experience that isn't dictated by who draws the right card at the right time, but is more about making sound decisions when you have to make a choice.

I'm glad to see Looney Labs getting some press, because they sell the great Icehouse gaming system, but Fluxx is about as random as Uno, and even more pointless to play. Maybe I game for different reasons than other folks, but I prefer a logistical challenge over some random excuse for socializing.