Computers are good at games. If a computer is given all the rules and programmed to follow them consistently, then it cannot make a mistake. It will therefore play better than I, and faster. I don’t mind. I rely heavily on the computer’s accuracy and speed every day. I let it do the grunt work while I take care of the creative tasks. I have come to expect perfection from computers, even to depend upon it, so I get mad when computers make mistakes.<\/p>\n
I got mad today. During a game of spider solitaire, the program informed me that I had lost and that there were no more legal moves. I knew there were more plays, so I closed the message window and continued playing. I went on to win that game, proving that the program was wrong.<\/p>\n
It turns out to be a very stupid and lazy program. It only looks at surface cards, so it misses a lot of plays. But it’s not really the computer’s fault, is it? After all, it’s only as smart as its programmer. So I wag the Dumb Toe of Ugliness at you, Game Programmer!<\/p>\n
This post is dedicated to fat ladies everywhere. Nothing is ever well and truly over until one of you sings.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Computers are good at games. If a computer is given all the rules and programmed to follow them consistently, then it cannot make a mistake. It will therefore play better than I, and faster. I don’t mind. I rely heavily … Continue reading