Tech: Balatro review

For a lot of people, the best video game of 2024 wasn't some epic open world action title from one of the major publishers, but a quirky roguelike poker deckbuilding game called Balatro.

"Roguelike poker deckbuilding," you ask? Yes, it's the classic card game of four-of-a-kinds and full houses, remixed with special "joker" cards that can boost your score, reshape your deck, or even change the rules (one joker allows you to make straights and flushes with only four cards, for instance). You'll need these boons, though, because if you fail to hit an ever-increasing target score within a certain number of hands, your run is over.

Balatro was created by an anonymous solo developer named LocalThunk, but it has the sort of gameplay and UI polish that eludes titles with many times the budget.  Playing the cards just feels satisfying, especially when you pull off some outrageous combo and send your score into the stratosphere. The game's use of common poker/casino vernacular also avoids a lot of the learning curve that a new player might otherwise face.

The big knock I have against Balatro is that it isn't as deep as something like Slay the Spire. There are different starting decks, sure, but nearly every one of them contains the same 52 cards.  Likewise, many of the 150 joker cards provide simple flat bonuses that aren't terribly complex.  After a few hours of feeling things out, the experience from one run to another can get pretty similar.  Still, this is a wonderfully designed card game, and one that I'd recommend to anyone who likes roguelike deckbuilders.

Rating: 88/100

TV: Squid Game (Season 2)

Squid Game is Netflix's most popular show (and by extension, the world's most popular show), so it was all but assured we would get more episodes of the dystopian Korean survival thriller (spoilers ahead if you haven't seen the first season, of course):

Season 2 starts with protagonist Seong Gi-hun's efforts to shut down the titular competition, though at first he is aided only by his newfound wealth and survivor's guilt. Eventually, he's joined by another main character from the first season, Hwang Jun-ho, who infiltrated the Games as a guard only to get a bullet in the shoulder for his trouble.  As you might imagine, the murderous Games start anew and it's up to our heroes to save the players inside - assuming they even want to be saved...

I like Squid Game, but it's not the most original premise nor is its social commentary particularly unusual, especially for South Korea (cf. Parasite). The second season suffers from a big case of "been there, done that," but it does have some fine performances and raises a few ethical quandaries about the nature of violence and greed. I hesitate to recommend it only because it is unfinished - it's only 7 episodes long and ends on a cliffhanger, with literally nothing resolved.  Before you binge, you may want to wait for the third and final season of Squid Game to come out later this year.

Tech: 2024 Tesla Model 3 Review, Part 4 - The Bells and Whistles

The Model 3 I bought is the cheapest car Tesla sells right now, but it still features most of the gimmicks and doodads you'll find in models that are twice the price, like the Model S or Cybertruck. Here are some of the extras that I've found fun or useful.

Actually Smart Summon

With Tesla's ASS (juvenile, I know), you can hold a button on the mobile app to have your car drive itself from a parking space to your current position in a parking lot, even if there's traffic and pedestrians around:

It's pretty astonishing to see the car moving around with no one inside, though the slow speed of the summon means that it's only useful if it's raining or you have something you don't want to lug back to the car. You also need to have FSD active (via purchase, subscription, or trial) to use ASS.

Tesla Theatre

While the car is parked, you can play YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, and a few other streaming services right from the main touchscreen, with audio running from the car speakers. It's a lot nicer than using your phone, and it's ideal if you're sitting in the car for whatever reason (charging, eating a meal, etc.).

Some drawbacks: there's a limited selection of streaming services on the Tesla Theatre page (though you can use the browser to access others), and your car needs to either have a Premium Connectivity subscription or be connected to Wi-Fi somehow.

Tesla Arcade

Same idea as above, only with video games.  You can play some great (Cuphead, Vampire Survivors) and not-so-great titles using the touchscreen, the steering wheel, or a connected controller (an old PS4 or Xbox One controller works great for this). There aren't many games to choose from, though new ones do sometimes appear - the recent holiday 2024 update added Boomerang Fu.

Tesla Toybox

This is where you can access the famous "fart noise" feature, but there are far more interesting gadgets in the Toybox, like a sketchpad (handy for in-car planning on trips) and sounds from the car's external speakers.

Miscellany: A somber Christmas

I'm in Texas right now for my grandfather's funeral, so posting will be light. It's sad that Grandpa passed so close to the holidays, but it does bring back memories of Christmases with him and the rest of the family. Wherever you are, dear Reader, I hope you are together with family this holiday season.

Music: Frosty the Snowman

Christmas is coming up fast this year, and I haven't had much time to get into the holiday spirit, given the singular focus on the marathon and a family emergency cropping up.

I did like this track from former Nightwish singer Tarja Turunen, which combines epic orchestration with a rather silly holiday standard. The video plays it so absolutely straight that you'll probably chuckle at the opening bars:

Miscellany: Mulliga Runs a Marathon, Part 6 - The Finale

The day of the marathon met me with strong winds and cold, driving rain. I shivered in the starting corral, anxious to get moving. Soon enough, the starting bell sounded, and the 2024 Garden of Life Palm Beaches Marathon was on:

The first 20 miles went well enough; I began running at a leisurely 10 minute-per-mile pace, and whittled a few seconds off each mile as the race wore on. I even purposely dialed back the speed around miles 10 through 20 to save something for the end, with my mile splits hovering in the 9'30" to 9'45" range.

However, I made a critical mistake at mile 20. I thought I felt good enough to at least attempt my goal pace (9 minutes per mile), but that surge sucked all the energy out of me and made the last 5 miles a hellish slog. My splits rose to the 10-minute mark and my perceived effort skyrocketed, especially with the back half of the course blanketing me in a 20-mph headwind.

It wasn't pretty, and I ended up walking a couple minutes just because I was out of juice, but I eventually finished. If you haven't run a marathon, it's hard to comprehend how far the distance is, and how long you are on your feet. Even just finishing the race really is an achievement, and anyone who has completed one has my respect.

Movies: Interstellar (10th anniversary 2024 IMAX re-release)

I'm a fan of Christopher Nolan's 2014 space adventure Interstellar, but I never got to see it in theatres. That's why I made the trek down to Fort Lauderdale to catch the 10th anniversary re-release - in IMAX:

Unlike some movies that are "converted" into IMAX after the fact, much of Interstellar was shot in true 70 mm IMAX. Seeing the film in this format makes a huge difference, because most of the story takes place on desolate alien planets; an IMAX screen gives you impressive vistas stretching as far as your eyes can see. Also important is the IMAX audio system, which thrusts the blistering organ crescendos of Hans Zimmer's score right into your eardrums.

Downsides? Well, the experience ain't cheap ($20 a ticket), and even the best sights and sounds can't paper over the sometimes ham-handed dialogue and clumsy plotting of the movie. Still, if you want to see some gravitational time dilation and McConaughey tears, this is the only game in town.

Rating: 8/10

Miscellany: Mulliga Runs a Marathon, Part 5 - The Taper

My marathon is in less than 2 weeks, so I am in the midst of what runners call "the taper" - a period where you reduce your training volume in preparation for the big race:

Everybody reacts differently, and no one can tell you precisely how long or how much you should taper, but most plans recommend cutting out anywhere from 25% to 50% of your miles (as compared to your seasonal peak) in the weeks before the marathon. For me, that means only running a total of about 27 miles this week. It's a cakewalk compared to the 40+ mile weeks, when most of my free time was spent running.

More difficult is cutting out caffeine and alcohol, and increasing sleep, to recover the body as much as possible before the trauma of 26.2 miles. Hopefully it all goes well come race day...

Movies: A Real Pain

Jesse Eisenberg is best known for playing awkward billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg and Lex Luthor, but he proves to be a fairly capable director in his sophomore outing, A Real Pain:

The film is a quiet slice-of-life dramedy following two cousins trying to reconnect with their late grandmother's Jewish heritage during a Polish tour group. David (Eisenberg) is the staider and more successful of the two, while Benji (Kieran Culkin) is a free-spirited drifter with serious mental health issues. As this odd couple clashes and bonds with each other, secrets come to light and a legacy of grief is examined.

Trauma forms the core of A Real Pain, but it's rarely out in the open - even an emotional visit to the Majdanek concentration camp is limned in sunlight, the better to contrast with the atrocities that took place there. Small gestures, like evading a train fare or placing a stone on a grave, take on weighty significance, though the plot and supporting cast are too thin to carry much deeper meaning. The movie's trump card is an astonishing performance by Kieran Culkin, who infuses Benji with charm and pathos that should be recognized during awards season.

Rating: 7/10

Music: Samantha Fish

I had the good fortune of catching the Boca Blues Festival last weekend, and I went mostly to see the headlining performer, blues singer-songwriter Samantha Fish:

Samantha Fish's appeal is obvious - she combines sizzling guitar chops honed in KC's Knuckleheads Saloon with vocals that can wail with the best of them (Exhibit A: her cover of "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins "I Put a Spell on You"). This being a festival setting, her set only lasted an hour or so, but it was wall-to-wall music, featuring everything from uptempo rockers to extended jam sessions. 

Fish still has plenty of tour dates this year, so if she's in your neck of the woods, go out and see her.