Misconceptions play a prominent role in my view of the world. ~George Soros

When researching ingredients for a recipe article I’m currently writing, I came across this mood-altering fact. My precious while chocolate isn’t really chocolate. I’m crushed!

Don’t you just hate when marketing hype leads you down the wrong road, making you innocently believe in what is not true? Intentional or not, the result is the same — disappointment and disillusionment.

But I have to take responsibility for my own short-sightedness. I know better than to believe everything I read. But when looking at that creamy lusciousness, I wanted to believe in the chocolate hype. …

How did you answer the question posed in the title of this article? If you’re a gamer, you most likely answered, yes. If you’re gaming-challenged like me, not likely. But what exactly is a truel?

A truel is a neologism for a duel among three opponents, in which players can fire at one another in an attempt to eliminate them while surviving themselves. ~Source

The word was first used in a book entitled Game Theory and Related Approaches to Social Behavior by Martin Shubik in 1964.

Did you know that Quantum Mathematics is involved with truels?

An example of a truel with swords can be observed in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. It was fought between Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, and James Norrington. …

It takes a ‘supercomputer’ to get this right

Your average, unsullied Pringle is a hyperbolic paraboloid; its equation is (x²)/(a²) — (y²)/(b²) = z/c. Here’s where things get interesting, though (as if hyperbolic paraboloids weren’t interesting enough). Proctor & Gamble doesn’t just shove a bunch of Pringles in a can and call it a day. Rather, they use supercomputers to keep conditions just right to make sure the chips make it from their factory to your house unmolested. ~Source

I hope you found that as interesting as I did. Life is just full of technology-enhanced bits of fun. Don’t you just wish you could get into the head of the person who dreamed this up? …

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. ~Helen Keller

I started writing on Medium in June of 2020 and I have really enjoyed the platform. I’ve read some amazing articles, found some talented writers, and found all kinds of inspiration to keep myself writing.

There are lots of good writers on this platform and just as many writing strategies. Of course, if writing is a business and source of income, attention to marketing, branding, and trending content is essential. The strategy needs to be structured and targeted.

However, Like myself, if a writer is more interested in building a readership, then there is a lot more wiggle room for doing their own thing in their own way. …

I get sad every time I hear a person say, “I don’t read.” It’s like saying, “I don’t learn,” or “I don’t laugh,” or “I don’t live.” ~Source

Doesn’t that quote go straight to your heart? I often say, “I write to breathe.” But my love of reading is as essential. And isn’t it true that through reading we are forever learning? And on those sad and troublesome days, isn’t it wonderful to laugh along with a zany character in a good novel?

I want to thank those writers who contributed to our joy with their insightful, personal, and instructional articles in December. In case you missed them, here are a few highlights. And just in case you don’t have a cozy fire to warm you while you read, I’ve given you one in our cover photo — enjoy! …

A love story, at least a convincing one, requires three elements — the lover, the beloved, and the adventures they have together. ~Jane Smiley

PRIDE and AUDACITY - He's an audacious Middle Eastern Prince. She's a prideful Wall Street Princess. These two warring hearts will burn a trail from the skyscrapers of New York City to the scorching sand of Ahalamin.

Excerpt #1

An intense, itchy sensation skimmed along the surface of her arms. Icy fingers of intuition crawled down her spine. Something dangerous lurked behind her. “Ridiculous,” she whispered, then turned to prove her assertion.

An icon of masculinity leaned against the marble column framing her father’s office door. At first impression, he appeared as hard as the stone he complimented. Dressed completely in black, his suit, shirt, tie, and shoes cast him as an illusion of darkness silhouetted against the cold, white marble supporting him. Only the nut-brown color of his skin and the whites of his eyes softened the vignette. …