tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post1836443990091564446..comments2024-02-29T03:29:52.934-05:00Comments on A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago: Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02113168955236758821noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-67562583030311088872013-08-05T16:51:50.922-04:002013-08-05T16:51:50.922-04:00SHAT would be like the four-letter equivalent of E...SHAT would be like the four-letter equivalent of EAT/ATE/ETA/TEA/TAE -- a combination that appears in maybe half of the boards I see. Probably not half, but as much as a quarter, I'd guess. I always try it, just in case an update made it playable.isaac_spacemannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-3188604522251791342013-08-02T12:27:36.654-04:002013-08-02T12:27:36.654-04:00A staple of life at my synagogue. Very Shabbat-fri...A staple of life at my synagogue. Very Shabbat-friendly, and you can even buy it in Hebrew. I keep a set in my tallis box...Marshanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-29305031989312497742013-08-02T12:26:24.094-04:002013-08-02T12:26:24.094-04:00You can play many of those things in SWF - I think...You can play many of those things in SWF - I think you can not only play "SHIT" but its past tense, "SHAT."Marshanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-58084264744583250242013-08-02T11:53:42.175-04:002013-08-02T11:53:42.175-04:00True, but there's not the "you blocked th...True, but there's not the "you blocked the perfect play I've spent the last 5 turns setting up!" factor.Mattnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-97914421984089352013-08-02T09:40:13.981-04:002013-08-02T09:40:13.981-04:00The episode focused on her at the tournament is on...The episode focused on her at the tournament is one of my favorite episodes of a comedy.Wattsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-39333010243191350972013-08-02T09:34:38.181-04:002013-08-02T09:34:38.181-04:00Doesn't have the "Screw You" factor?...Doesn't have the "Screw You" factor? Ask anyone who's ever played with me how the sound of me constantly shouting, "PEEL!" feels. Muahaha.Wattsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-9001332330721555812013-08-02T06:59:18.715-04:002013-08-02T06:59:18.715-04:00Peggy Hill was an accomplished Boggle player. Eno...Peggy Hill was an accomplished Boggle player. Enough said.kdbartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-22826291299109001132013-08-01T22:04:23.828-04:002013-08-01T22:04:23.828-04:00Speaking of word games, big fan of Bananagrams, wh...Speaking of word games, big fan of Bananagrams, which moves fast, is competitive but doesn't have the "SCREW YOU!" factor that Scrabble does, and scales to smaller or larger groups well.Mattnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-17969420176197875422013-08-01T21:44:52.273-04:002013-08-01T21:44:52.273-04:00I couldn't care less which one is superior or ...I couldn't care less which one is superior or inferior. I much prefer to play Boggle on line (I play Scramble with Friends - come find me!) than Scrabble/Words with Friends. <br /><br /><br /><br />In WWF, I agonize over every single move, and can't bring myself to pull the trigger because there might be some better move if I just stare at the tiles long enough. It becomes a massive time suck, and the temptation to cheat (looking up words, even typing things into an emulator) is immense. And unlike playing in real time, where two evenly matched players can have some good fun, on line, if one is "cheating" and one isn't, much less fun. <br /><br /><br /><br />In SWF, it's two minutes. No more, no less. (Unless you use the little freeze thing, and I and everyone else I know use the one free one and that's it.) I press "start" and I can't agonize after that. I just play. I've learned score-maximizing strategies, and I play with a bunch of fairly evenly matched people (and one or two who kick my butt every time) and it's fun. It's also much less of a time suck because I can play one two minute game and be done with it. <br /><br /><br /><br />They're both fun games, and they're different. I don't play WWF, but I love SWF. And lately, the latter is taking a back seat to Where's My Water....Marshanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-39814915001408550922013-08-01T11:59:36.028-04:002013-08-01T11:59:36.028-04:00I guess people don't talk about birds in the p...I guess people don't talk about birds in the plural? <br /><br />But, seriously, I guess they're making a distinction between scatalogical/sexual slang and slurs?Wattsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-84369457661350780282013-08-01T11:56:33.304-04:002013-08-01T11:56:33.304-04:00You can't play "FAG" in online Boggl...You can't play "FAG" in online Boggle, which is fine with me, but it's inconsistent because you can play other words that have both an offensive and an inoffensive meaning. For example, you can play "TIT" but not "TITS," which makes no sense to me. You can play "DONG." I believe you can play "WEE" but not "PISS" and "POO" but not "SHIT."isaac_spacemannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-51233817566727945862013-08-01T11:40:50.859-04:002013-08-01T11:40:50.859-04:00Also, speaking about offensive words, I've act...Also, speaking about offensive words, I've actually written to Words with Friends about their allowance of the word "HEBE". I've researched the word in the OED and other sources and can find no definition for it that's not either 1. a proper, capitalized noun or 2. a derogatory word or slur. Last time I checked, admittedly several months ago, it was still allowed.<br /><br />This is different than, say, "FAG", which while having a very well known derogatory meaning, also has had and still has a non-derogatory meaning, more common in British English, but still.Wattsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-59682871354090696252013-08-01T11:39:13.786-04:002013-08-01T11:39:13.786-04:00I've said it before and I'll say it again ...I've said it before and I'll say it again - comparing the two isn't right. One is about forming a pattern, the other is about recognizing a pattern. Scrabble requires more strategy, Boggle, arguably, requires a larger vocabulary.<br /><br />Both are vastly different games in an online/digital/app environment than when played live against another human being. One of my biggest gripes about Words with Friends (as opposed to the Scrabble app) is the inability to turn off the game's own word checker and institute player-driven challenges. I'm fairly sure some of the big point words that get played against me all the time are Wild Ass Guesses along the lines of "Hmmm. I know the generally accepted pattern/combination of these vowels and consonants in English; let me throw a word against the wall and see if it sticks." I'm not saying that's wrong - I do it myself, because it's not prevented within either the rules or the technology of the game.<br /><br />Boggle in an online environment has its disadvantages, too. When I play it (or the knockoff Scramble) I only play against humans, usually in real time. That means the super players who know all those "staples" that Isaac mentions cancel each other out with those words because duplicate words amongst contestants don't count, just like in the original board game. Us normal humans are then left comfortably somewhere in the second tier of scores. I play to beat myself, but in an environment with rules more like the actual home game.Wattsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-20524760034520754922013-08-01T11:26:40.260-04:002013-08-01T11:26:40.260-04:00I play a lot of Boggle waiting for the bus or trai...I play a lot of Boggle waiting for the bus or train, and it is clearly inferior to Scrabble. I play an incredible volume of three-letter words in Boggle for which I know no definition. Staples like tal, tae, tes, ret, ree, cee, wen, fet, etc. At this point, they're just memorized random-letter strings cluttering my head, like the combinations of lost locks (3-22-2! 16-32-6! If you find a Master lock somewhere, try those). And don't get me started on how overly prudish Boggle is on offensive words. Fart? Really? You can say it on SpongeBob but not on Boggle?isaac_spacemannoreply@blogger.com