All posts by ravenguild08

Backgammon is beautiful

Backgammon is a beautiful game.

Obviously, a physical backgammon board can be beautiful. The field of tall triangles with circular checkers lying on top is an attractive geometric pattern. Backgammon’s frequently a high-end game, and fancy boards have features like exquisitely swirled Bakelite checkers, hand-stitched leather fields, alligator skin attaché cases, or other absurdities.

However, consider the beauty of backgammon’s game mechanics. Although backgammon is a simple game — able to be summarized in 160 words (see below) — the gameplay is dynamic, engaging, and potentially heartbreaking. In every facet, the elementary rules generate extraordinary emergent characteristics which, in turn, demand intricate strategical considerations, and that’s a beautiful thing.

Continue reading Backgammon is beautiful

Now I am Doing the Reading

Two days into my radiology residency and I’m already producing reports for body CTs. What a terrifying thought. 

On day one, when they sat me down at a PACS workstation,  they taught me how to log in, how to select a study and scroll through it, and which button to press to record dictations. The senior resident then basically just said “go for it. Say what you see!” Continue reading Now I am Doing the Reading

The Traverse Traversed

Two years ago, four of my friends and I attempted the Presidential Traverse: a formidable hike that links together eight peaks in the White Mountains of New Hampshire: Mounts Madison, Adams, Jefferson, Washington, Monroe, Eisenhower, and Pierce (and sometimes Jackson). The hike didn’t go well. We were thwarted by gastroenteritis, impenetrable fog, and a thunderstorm that forced us to bail halfway. I vowed to return. Continue reading The Traverse Traversed