Finite and Infinite Games
This book was very meaningful to me, and very thought provoking. The primary focus of the book is that every activity in life can be approached one of two ways — as a “finite game,” that can be won or lost, achieved or failed, or as an “infinite game”, which one plays because it is enjoyable to play it. I touch on this some in my book, and in fact, in the chapter where I discuss what we mean by “game”, I quote Carse, even though I’d only read the first few chapters of the book, it was enough to help guide me. I would love to talk in detail about everything he presents, but honestly, I’m not sure I can — what he presents is simmering away inside me, in some non-verbal way. I just listened to Carse’s Long Now talk, which was interesting, but I don’t feel like it gave me much more enlightenment. I have the feeling this is a book he brought over from the proto-world, and he probably does not understand it completely himself. I do feel certain that the relationship between our attitude about play and games relates powerfully to the nature of tranquility, which you might recall from here as being central to the meaning of life. I think the missing link is probably harmony, the secret to which I suspect is locked in Christopher Alexander’s later books… I wish I could read them properly — all my attempts have paralyzed my mind with thought. Perhaps I’m almost ready. I do hope I can comprehend this relationship during my lifetime.
Tree House: Small Square Home Hides a Wood Spiral Inside
Like a tree in a densely-packed forest, this Tokyo home by Mount Fuji Architects (images by Kenichi Suzuki) is surrounded on all sides with nowhere to grow but up – and nowhere to focus on the ground level except internally. In classic Japanese style, however, this small-lot limitation was turned into a design opportunity.
Read more on Tree House: Small Square Home Hides a Wood Spiral Inside…
Budget Travel Tips: Skip the Hotel With These Five Lodging Alternatives
photo: foilman
New York State recently passed a law that bans enterprising home owners from renting out private property for less than 30 days. Taking advantage of temporarily empty spaces made a lot of sense in New York City, considering the insanely high cost of real estate in the area. It was arguably beneficial to tourists as well, who were able to rent a space for a much lower cost than that of a hotel room.
Read more on Budget Travel Tips: Skip the Hotel With These Five Lodging Alternatives…
Dave Shea Uses This
“You know, I could come close to surviving on Apple, Adobe and Panic alone.”