June 2, 2020
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Go with Vox

Last night we played 6 games online – and I was fortunate to win all of them. I think Vox played reasonably well, but he hasn’t been able to figure out how to beat me consistently taking a 2-stone handicap.

I’ve noticed that sometimes Vox plays stones to reduce my potential fairly early, even if it leaves him with a weak stone. When he tries to run these stones to life, he has to spend too many resources for little territory. See the first game below:

In the top left quadrant of the board, Vox has played 44 stones for only a 10 point gain in territory. There is a second example from game 4 last night.

Again, let’s look at the top left quadrant of the board. Vox has played 56 stones in that quadrant but has only achieved 8 points of territory.

It is true that in both these examples he has reduced my potential in those areas, but still, I think he would do better to worry more about his own stuff early on and less about mine.

The other constant last evening was that I did not feel my groups were under a lot of pressure through the evening. I think he has to be more aggressive about destabilizing my groups so I don’t get to choose direction.

Filed under: Go
June 2, 2020
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New Bear

We’re starting a new mosaic project, our 3rd grizzly bear. The other day I cut out the template. Next step is to seal up the back and sides, then gather all the mosaic materials we need for this bear.

May 29, 2020
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Fish Sauce

I knew nothing about fish sauce before I began enjoying Vietnamese food. Back then if you suggested one day this salty, funky fermented liquid would be something I cooked with all the time, I wouldn’t have believed you.

In Vietnam, fish sauce is used both for cooking and for dips. The fish sauce I saw in Hanoi all had a numerical rating on the bottle, which refers to the nitrogen level. If I understand it correctly, the amount of nitrogen in a litre of fish sauce is a measure of the amount of protein in the sauce. I was told by a cooking school chef that the standard fish sauce for both cooking and dips in Vietnam is designated as 40. Fish sauce with a higher number would be more intense. A low number is an indicator of poor quality.

Back in Canada, the first time I shopped for fish sauce at my local Asian market, none of the brands had a number. The best fish sauce is basically fermented anchovies and salt. Some of the brands in my local market have added MSG and in some cases also sugar, ingredients used to jazz up inferior sauce.

I was able to find Red Boat fish sauce online at a local health food place that deals online. It’s more expensive than any of the ones at my local market, but it has no additives and it has a numerical rating of 40, just what I was looking for. Here’s the blub on the bottle:

A national treasure of Vietnam, Red Boat is made using traditional chemical-free fermentation methods, a unique two hundred year-old artisanal process using only the freshest ca com (black anchovy), salted minutes after leaving the sea then aged for over a year in traditional wooden barrels. Red Boat anchovies are sourced exclusively from the crystal clear waters off the Phu Quoc island archipelago. Red Boat is pure, 100% all natural first press “extra virgin” Vietnamese fish sauce. made from only two ingredients it is free from added water, MSG and preservatives.

Everywhere I visited in Vietnam I ate food which came with a standard dipping sauce, made with fish sauce, water, garlic, chilies, sugar, vinegar and lime juice. However it is also terrific as a marinade or in just about anything you’re cooking. In short, fish sauce makes everything taste better by intensifying that taste known as umami in anything. When you cook with fish sauce, it doesn’t make what you’re cooking taste fishy, it just makes it taste better.

At some point, I tried a little fish sauce in the braising liquid of some kind of meat I was cooking, and it rocked. I also discovered it improves soup too. You can also use a bit in salad dressing and it’s super good. I even add a tiny bit to my eggs for an omelet. Along the way, fish sauce has become an essential in my kitchen.

May 29, 2020
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Homegrown Hair

I usually get my hair cut about once a month. Short. Same place; same barber. My last haircut was in late January, before I traveled to Vietnam, way before things got locked down here, and I was getting kind of scruffy.

We have an old set of clippers at home, and since barbers are still shut down due to COVID-19, Tuffy P cut my hair this evening out on the back deck. I learned quickly the difference between the pro clippers my barber Steph uses and the junker clippers we have at home, as our clippers pulled and pinched and were generally not so comfortable. Still, I think Tuffy P did a great job (given the questionable raw material she had to work with).

May 29, 2020
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Go with Vox

Last evening, I went into our go games thinking I wanted to consciously slow down and fully use my time. Sometimes it’s easy to fall into the rhythm of the game and make hasty decisions without considering all the possibilities. In some of the games, I still found myself playing quickly. Slowing down, I can ask myself, is that move really sente? What’s the biggest place on the board. I know that one of my weaknesses is getting too caught up in local battles without considering the full picture.

I won 3/5 games. One was a blowout and another was by a slim margin of 1.5. It seems giving Vox 2 stones and taking 6.5 komi puts us very close to even. It’s true I’ve been winning more games, but each session I’ve needed the komi to win one or more of the games.

game 4 – a close game

Filed under: Go
May 26, 2020
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None of us are Free

The new episode of The Agency Podcast is up, and it’s called None of us are Free. Admiring Billy Bob Thornton’s infinite cool. Dwight Yokum’s honouring tradition and what the heck is “acrotomophilla”? And more listener mail. Listen here or find us you know where.

I wonder where the title of this episode came from?

May 25, 2020
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Garden Salad Season

Although we experienced quite a cold early spring, and my gardening activities were considerably limited by an acutely torn quadriceps tendon, I did manage to get some early veggies into containers out front.

This morning, I picked a leaf here, a leaf there from some different lettuces as well as kale, some blood sorrel, parsley and even a couple basil leaves. Everything is growing crazy fast and I think we ought to be able to pick a salad every day or two. In another week, we should be able to add in some scallions to the mix.

May 25, 2020
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Go with Vox

We played 5 games online last evening, a session which might be characterized by errors on the part of both players. The second game was the most interesting from my perspective.

game 2

Vox had staked out the bottom left and had a position in the centre. I needed to find a way to reduce in a big way. I jumped in to pressure his centre, which did not yet have eye-shape. I didn’t think I could kill his stones but it did enable me to reduce his bottom left in a big way and take the game.

I won 3/5 games last evening but I feel I played sloppily and could have done much better.

Filed under: Go