Balance

[Fritz]

From another thread:

Originally posted by ice4277
OMG somebody took a balanced viewpoint on this board

The implication here is that <i>balance</i> is desirable. Is this a prevalent attitude?

[Draft Dodger]

Balance is one of VH's most underrated albums.

[cuervo72]

Balance would have been desirable for Nick Esasky.

[JPhillips]

Fritz: Since the balance quote was based on a post of mine, let me weigh in. In terms of facts, I thik it is important to look at everything. For example, in Iraq I thik you have to acknowledge that things aren't about to collapse, but their are serious problems that need to be addressed. People on both extremes off the political spectrum tend to ignore those facts that don't fit with their agenda. You won't hear much of the problems in Iraq from Instapundit and you won't hear our successes on DailyKos.

Balance, though, does present a problem, especially in our media. Most media outlets, in an effort to appear non-partisan and balanced tend to present all facts as equal. If nine guys say something is good and one says something is bad those opinions will be treated as equal. This is especially true when the issues get too complex for the average American to have a good grasp of the facts. Industry and environmental groups are excellent at finding a scientist to counter an opinion they disagree with. The overwhelming weight of scientific thought may lean one direction, but the portrayal leaves the reader thinking things are really in broad dispute.

And of course balance isn't everything. With opinion, I don't really try to be consciously balanced. I believe some things are good and some are bad. Ehile I try to be open to opposing arguments, I really don't concern myself with presenting both sides. I try to use all of the facts as I know them, but my conclusion is my own and is by nature overwhelmingly tilted towards my beliefs.

[QuikSand]

I was very disappointed when they restricted the card Balance in Magic: the Gathering. I had some pretty neat decks built around that card.

[Fritz]

Originally posted by QuikSand
I was very disappointed when they restricted the card Balance in Magic: the Gathering. I had some pretty neat decks built around that card.

was that gratifying?

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by Fritz
was that gratifying?

Not as much as I had hoped it to be, honestly.

[WSUCougar]

Originally posted by Fritz
was that gratifying?
The implication here is that gratification is desirable. Is this a prevalent attitude?

[oykib]

Originally posted by WSUCougar
The implication here is that gratification is desirable. Is this a prevalent attitude?

What kind of gratification:

the girlfriend kind...

...or the Kleenex kind?

[Fritz]

Originally posted by QuikSand
Not as much as I had hoped it to be, honestly.

If you keep doing stuff like that it is going to put off all of your admirers.

[NoMyths]

Originally posted by Fritz
If you keep doing snuff like that it is going to piss off all your admirals.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally posted by QuikSand
I was very disappointed when they restricted the card Balance in Magic: the Gathering. I had some pretty neat decks built around that card.

with the way your brain works, I bet you were a scary Magic player

[cuervo72]

Originally posted by Fritz
If you keep doing stuff like that it is going to put off all of your admirers.

Eh, cut him some slack. He was just testing out one of his new "irreverent humor" algorithms.

[QuikSand]

Hmmm... cross that one off the list.

[Airhog]

Originally posted by Draft Dodger
with the way your brain works, I bet you were a scary Magic player

(Insert tired cliche' about 2/3 here)

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by Draft Dodger
with the way your brain works, I bet you were a scary Magic player

So-so, actually. I tended to get too complicated with deck-building. And I lack the patience to play particularly diligently during the game. So, my greatest feats were usualy achieved just by coming up with ideas that I liked together in a deck - and not actually getting them to work particularly well.

[Drake]

I liked it better when you were being cocky and funny...or is that twisted and infantile?

[Franklinnoble]

Originally posted by Draft Dodger
Balance is one of VH's most underrated albums.

That's only because it sucks... although not as bad as III.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally posted by QuikSand
So-so, actually. I tended to get too complicated with deck-building. And I lack the patience to play particularly diligently during the game. So, my greatest feats were usualy achieved just by coming up with ideas that I liked together in a deck - and not actually getting them to work particularly well.

hmmm - me too. I always went for the cool, crazy combos that I could almost never pull off in a real game. Or, fun themes.

my friend, on the other hand, breaks down ANY game into the simplest strategies to win - takes an extremely logical approach (and, IMO a no-fun approach) which is how I would have pictured you playing.

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by Drake
I liked it better when you were being cocky and funny...or is that twisted and infantile?

I never did either of those too well. I didn't really fit in with the "twisted and infantile" crowd.

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by Draft Dodger
my friend, on the other hand, breaks down ANY game into the simplest strategies to win - takes an extremely logical approach (and, IMO a no-fun approach) which is how I would have pictured you playing.

My one similarity was that I always carried a special "duel" deck, for times when someone wanted to play for real ante (the original style - each player antes one card from the deck, winner gets to keep them both). That deck was a *very* simple, *very* cheap green-and-red deck that could beat anything about 1/3 of the time, though no card cost more than a quarter.

I won more than a few solid rare cards by using that deck... and lost a fair number of fireballs and Llanowar elves. Heh.

[Butter]

Originally posted by cuervo72
Balance would have been desirable for Nick Esasky.

And Jamal Mashburn in the 2002 playoffs.

[SplitPersonality1]

Originally posted by QuikSand
My one similarity was that I always carried a special "duel" deck, for times when someone wanted to play for real ante (the original style - each player antes one card from the deck, winner gets to keep them both). That deck was a *very* simple, *very* cheap green-and-red deck that could beat anything about 1/3 of the time, though no card cost more than a quarter.

I won more than a few solid rare cards by using that deck... and lost a fair number of fireballs and Llanowar elves. Heh.

So in other words, it lost 2/3 of the time.

Sorry. I just couldn't resist.

[edited] But I probably should have.