While my kids are playing Call of Duty or Minecraft, I chill old school and play Monopoly on the iPad. I play at the Hard level against three computer AI opponents and I win over 90% of the time, which I like. I actually think I’ve learned some stuff, too.
1) Focus & Mind Your Business
I usually win just by controlling one or two property groups; the Orange, Purple or Light Blue. The game AI makes the computer buy up everything in sight, which I use to my advantage in trades. If I have extra properties, I usually mortgage them right away. I just want one or two color groups where I can immediately build three houses.
2) The Dice Don’t Matter
There’s a lot of luck in Monopoly and it makes almost no difference to me at all. The dice are what they are. I don’t count on the dice so I can buy a property; just as often as not, I’ll do trades to acquire the properties I’m focused on buying. You can get what you want , if you’re focused on really getting it.
3) Adapt To The Rules
One thing I do to keep it interesting is to mix up the Houses Rules. Sometimes, make it so there’s a ton of cash in the game — extra money for landing on Go plus money for landing on Free Parking. Sometimes, I make it so there’s almost no cash — starting with a lower bank and no money for passing Go. I still win consistently because I adapt how I play the game to fit the circumstances.
I had to run up to Radio Shack to get myself a doodad and I had about forty minutes before the bus came, so I popped in the Einstein Brothers bagel shop across the street to grab an iced coffee and sandwich.
It wasn’t bad exactly. But it wasn’t great.
And not great is bad.
The place was deserted at 11:30am. I was the only customer for the next ten minutes. Nothing distracting to the two employees except side work.
My bagel was slightly burnt. Not enough to return it, just around the edges so it wasn’t edible in bits.
There was no milk for the coffee; I had to ask them to bring it out.
There no Wifi, and it strikes me that Wifi at a breakfast / lunch chain is a total no brainier. But no mind, I turned on my Sprint Mobile Hotspot to get access.
Next to my booth, there were little bits of paint peeling off the walls. Not enough to repaint the entire wall but just enough so you wonder why they didn’t touch it up. And a cup had been left on the table next to me and nobody had bothered to throw it away or clean the customer area.
This is business death by a thousand cuts. No big deal. They could fix everything by just acting for one little bit like they card.
Which brings me to typos.
This is why I announced my move to stamp out typos (so far, 2 found.) it’s really just part of an effort on my part to make sure you know I care about you being here. It’s as simple as that.
Welcome to the new economy! It doesn’t have to be scary. It’s really pretty awesome once you understand how much better it can make your life.
We’re in a huge period of transition today due to the digital revolution. I’ve watched technology grow from my TRS-80 to the Amiga to Mac & PCs to the iPad & Droid. I’ve been writing about the business and social impacts of that tech growth for about twenty years.
You can learn to profit from all these amazing changes.
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