Zombieconomy Sim Analysis

Introduction

Zombieconomy Sim, by Craze, appears in Befuddle Quest 4 Dead, the fourth in a series of collaborative puzzle games organized by kentona, which I recently (as of this writing) streamed a playthrough of on YouTube. It's largely similar to the Economy Sim minigame Craze contributed to Befuddle Quest 2: Charmed & Dangerous, but zombie themed.

And I found myself failing it repeatedly (refer to the end of Befuddle Quest 4 Dead (part 1 of 3)). So, as I tend to do, I went ahead and took a look at the design. After coming up with a plan, the next attempt went much more smoothly (refer to the beginning of Befuddle Quest 4 Dead (part 2 of 3)).

PoGO Battle Requirement for Level 44 Clear!

So! News that probably no one cares about, but I've finally met Pokémon GO's challenge requirements for reaching level 44.

Background

Back when they increased the level cap over the original limit of 40, Niantic also added four special challenges per level that need to be completed before advancing, in addition to increasingly hefty experience requirements. Some of them have been pretty neat, like catching 200 in a single day or evolving Eevee into every possible form. And then there's the challenges for level 44.

Woes for Modern Hypocrites

"Snakes! Cold-blooded sneaks! Do you think you can worm your way out of this? Never have to pay the piper? It’s on account of people like you that I send prophets and wise guides and scholars generation after generation—and generation after generation you treat them like dirt, greeting them with lynch mobs, hounding them with abuse."

- Matthew 23:33-34 (MSG)

North Carolina Republicans learn no lessons

You might have thought the fallout from the infamous bathroom bill would have taught them something. If so, it seems you'd have thought wrong.

Although it fortunately stands little chance of becoming law as long as the state has a governor with any sense and the GOP lacks the numbers in the legislature that would be needed to override a veto, North Carolina's SB 514, introduced on April 5 by a group of three Republican state senators, has some truly disturbing provisions that eclipse even Arkansas's recently-passed HB 1570, currently the most brutal anti-trans law in the nation, though similar bills are pending in other states, including at minimum Alabama and Tennessee.

Demographics Done Wrong

The wave of pointlessly cruel discriminatory transphobic hate bills sweeping the nation wherever the party of Trump holds power (not to mention their similarly repugnant voter suppression efforts) is more than I feel up to addressing right now without descending into incoherent expletives, so I won't. Look to people like Chase Strangio or Katelyn Burns or Esther Wang, or organizations like the ACLU or the Trevor Project, or heck, even this satire by Lily Osler for more on those and why they're garbage.

Forgive if it does you good, but forget at your own peril

The Election is Settled

The 2020 elections are over here in the USA, and though it took longer than usual to project a winner in the presidential race, with all the major news outlets seemingly afraid of being the first to call Pennsylvania, there can no longer be any plausible doubt about the election's outcome. With a final electoral count expected to match Donald Trump's official victory margin in 2016 (not to mention the most votes in history for a candidate, resulting in a popular vote victory margin of over five million), Joe Biden is rightfully president elect. This was largely settled well over a week ago and has only become more certain since.

But still the fighting continues

The police are rioting

And it's happening in cities across the nation. If they could maybe, you know, not? And also refrain from killing (mostly black) people for funsies? And perhaps deign to allow some degree of accountability that it's increasingly obvious is lacking at present? And just generally stop confusing themselves with soldiers at war minus Geneva Convention rules? That'd be great.