Around the World in 80 Games by Marcus du Sautoy

Is a fascinating exploration of the intricate relationship between mathematics and games throughout history and across different cultures. Marcus du Sautoy, an acclaimed mathematician known for his engaging way of presenting complex mathematical concepts, delves into how games have been a crucial part of mathematical discovery and human culture.

Here are a few key points:

- The book examines how games have historically provided opportunities for mathematical exploration. For example, ancient games often involved strategic thinking and probability, leading to early mathematical insights.

-Optimizing Game Strategies: Du Sautoy discusses how understanding mathematical principles can enhance game strategies. For instance:

•    - Connect 4: The best first move is typically the centre column, as it provides the most opportunities for creating four-in-a-row combinations.
•    - Monopoly: The book might explore which property sets offer the best return on investment and strategic advantages based on probability and game theory.
•    - Rock Paper Scissors: Using concepts from probability and statistics, du Sautoy might explain how patterns and psychological factors can be leveraged to increase the chances of winning.

Role of Mathematics in Human Culture: The book likely highlights how games and mathematics are integral to human psychology and culture, showing that our attraction to games is deeply rooted in our cognitive and social makeup.

Educational Journey: Through this journey across different eras and cultures, du Sautoy not only teaches how games are won but also how the underlying mathematics shapes our understanding of the world and ourselves.

Games as a Reflection of Human History: By spanning millennia and continents, the book provides a historical perspective on how games have evolved and how they have mirrored societal changes and advancements in mathematical thinking.

Overall, "Around the World in 80 Games" offers a blend of history, mathematics, and cultural studies, making it a compelling read for anyone interested in the intersection of games and mathematical theory. The book probably appeals to both casual readers who enjoy games and those with a deeper interest in mathematics and its applications.

Conversations with AI

 The AI of google is broken, I ask: Why can we sometimes see the moon in broad daylight?

And this was the response: This premise is inaccurate. The moon is not visible in broad daylight due to its illumination by sunlight during the day.

Full Moon, Heart of the Night

 The moon lit up the sky with a waxing gibbous smile, 99% of its light shining on May 22nd of last year. The night was a silk canvas, perfectly prepared for our adventure.

What's next?

The next opportunity to observe the waxing gibbous moon is soon. Don't miss the chance to immerse yourself in the magic of the universe and capture the moonlight. We'll be back soon with more astronomical adventures!

Though of day:

"I tell you, there’s no monster in the ocean’s deep crueller than the ones that sail its surface."

The Calling-Warcraft

The Disruption of Labor Mobility: A Socioeconomic Hypothesis on the Origin of the Sea Peoples.

 After reading 1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed, by Eric H. Cline, I have spent some time reflecting on the causes and dynamics of the Bronze Age collapse. Based on those readings and my own analysis, I present here my hypothesis about this complex historical process.

1. Problem Statement.

The Late Bronze Age crisis (1200 BC) is traditionally viewed as a multifactorial collapse (climate, economy, invasions). However, the exact nature of the "Sea Peoples" remains a subject of debate. There is a disconnect between the view of these groups as "mysterious external invaders" and the evidence that they possessed a deep knowledge of the routes and strategic points of the eastern Mediterranean. I propose that Egypt's transition from a system of city-states to a nation-state with rigid borders acted as a catalyst for conflict by disrupting pre-existing migratory dynamics.

2. Literature Review / State of the Art.

Exchange Networks: The economic system was highly integrated among Egypt, the Hittites, the Mycenaeans, and Canaan.

Semi-Nomadic Groups: There are records of groups such as the Habiru or Shasu who acted as itinerant laborers, mercenaries, and artisans.

State Control: During the New Kingdom, Egypt implemented the "Way of Horus," a network of fortresses and customs posts in the Sinai that militarized transit.

3. Main Hypothesis.

If bureaucratic centralization and the hardening of Egyptian borders during the New Kingdom disrupted the transit routes and economic niches of semi-nomadic groups and itinerant workers, then these groups (who possessed internal geographical and military knowledge) were forced to form armed coalitions (the Sea Peoples) to forcibly access the resources and distribution centers from which they had been excluded.

4. Objectives.

General: To analyze the correlation between the militarization of Egyptian borders in the Levant and the emergence of warfare by heterogeneous coalitions.

Specific: To determine the degree of labor specialization of the groups mentioned in Egyptian texts before the collapse. Mapping the routes of the Sea Peoples' attacks against traditional trade routes.

Evaluating whether changes in the customs administration of Ramesses II and III chronologically coincide with the first mass migrations.

5. Proposed Methodology

Study Design: Comparative historical analysis and archaeology of mobility.

Sample: Administrative texts from the Amarna Letters, inscriptions from Medinet Habu, and records from Ugarit.

Variables:

Independent: Rigidity of the state border and control of customs routes.

Dependent: Frequency and composition of attacks by heterogeneous groups.

Control: Paleoclimatic data (droughts) to isolate the economic factor from the environmental one.

6. Expected Results

It is anticipated that the Sea Peoples will show a technical and geographical composition suggesting that they were "insiders" of the economic system. The sites of greatest destruction are expected to coincide with former nodes of seasonal employment or centers for the exchange of raw materials where these groups previously operated peacefully.

7. Recognized Limitations

Chronology: Egypt was already a centralized state long before the crisis, which makes it difficult to attribute the collapse solely to the "invention" of borders.

Source Bias: Most of the information comes from the official Egyptian perspective, which tends to demonize foreigners.