Regular Reveries 25: Bad Magic
If you haven't done so yet, I recommend watching "The Queen's Gambit" on Netflix. It reminded me of chess's beauty. I used to play more chess with friends when I was in college. We would play some matches over a cup of tea in the local coffee shops.
If you end up being hyped about chess after watching the series and want to play some matches online, let me know.
This week’s article
I've written an article about my experience with some bad magic in Rails. It's a cautionary tale that should serve as a reminder that cool tricks are not always a good thing.
Content candy
I loved reading about the history of spice trade on Wikipedia. It turns out that the heavy taxation by the Ottomans has motivated Europeans to start exploring the New World.
In 1453, however, the Ottoman Empire took control of the sole spice trade route that existed at the time after the fall of Constantinople, and were in a favorable position to charge hefty taxes on merchandise bound for the west. The Western Europeans, not wanting to be dependent on an expansionist, non-Christian power for the lucrative commerce with the east, set out to find an alternate sea route around Africa.
Something to think about
“Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.” — Zig Ziglar
Question for you
What do you do when you have nothing to do?
I've stolen this question from James Clear.