Author: signoregalilei
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Treating Factorio Withdrawal
I’ve learned a lot of lessons since college. One big one is that I have to treat Factorio like alcohol. It’s fun, great for hanging out with your friends, and don’t consume it during your lunch break or else you’re going to have a very awkward conversation with your boss. In case you haven’t read…
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I collect Rubik’s cubes – and I can’t solve them
Since I was a kid, I’ve been building up a collection of Rubik’s cubes. This is not that special. Lots of people collect Rubik’s cubes. The difference is that I don’t actually know how to solve a Rubik’s cube. When I was younger, I definitely seemed like the kind of kid who would enjoy Rubik’s…
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Inkhaven’s turn: The best empires 600 BCE – Present
What’s changed, what’s the same, and why. Here are Inkhaven’s changes to my empire list from yesterday. There weren’t that many changes, but they were interesting ones.
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The best empires 500 BCE – Present, according to me
I was inspired by all the previous whiteboard takeovers to create my own, with a historical twist. This is my version of the list. Inkhaven’s edited version, and my comments, will be tomorrow.
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Review: Surreal Numbers
This is a review of two things: the mathematical system of surreal numbers, and Surreal Numbers by Donald Knuth, a book which describes them. Surreal Numbers is a strange book. You could describe it as a hybrid of a novella and a textbook, but its goal is pretty different than either of those. The plot,…
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The dying idealism of Peacecore
When I was writing my Olympics post, I noticed a particular strain of Utopianism present among the founders of the modern Olympic movement, especially Pierre de Coubertin. I decided to team up with a fellow Inkhaven resident, Mahmoud, to explore deeper. We identified this Utopian aesthetic and philosophy – typified by the UN, the Olympics,…
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A deep dive into the Earth
Earth has layers. This is something kids get taught in science class, and it’s true. The Earth has a solid metal inner core, a liquid metal outer core, a semi-solid rocky mantle, and an approximately-solid rocky crust. But like a lot of science class, this picture is highly simplified.
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Fiction: A leap of logic
The cell is spotless, as always. I watch the fluorescent light flicker on as the cloying, synthetic voice makes its usual morning announcement over the loudspeaker. I ignore it – anyone would know it by heart, by now. It’s all lies anyway. I roll out of bed and zip on my orange jumpsuit. 84 seconds…
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Designing a Mechanical Calculator
Nearly two years ago, I decided to 3D print a mechanical calculator. This project is extremely in character for me. I love old technology, and especially mixing old and new technology (like sending digital data via ham radio). When you want to 3D print something, there are different levels of how sane you can be.…
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Genghis Khan Day
Today is Genghis Khan day in Mongolia. Mongolia has an annual national holiday celebrating Genghis Khan. I am not the first non-Mongolian person on the internet to notice this. The History YouTube channel Premodernist made a video to commemorate the day in 2022, and a follow up video diving deeper into the topic. I want…