Note to Self: A Different Take on Gen AI

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10676-024-09775-5.pdf

It made me smile and nod ;) 

Note to Self: Peter Perla Wargaming Research Publication

 Wargaming and The Cycle of Research and Learning (sjms.nu)

Thanks to John Curry from the History of Wargaming Project, Peter Perla himself in the Lost Battles groups.io, Rex Brynan and SDM in Paxsims  for bringing this to my attention.

When three respected sources of information point something out independently, best listen - or even better read it! 

Data Driven Lives of Wargaming Miniatures (Video)

I am getting more like my kids and this is a good thing. I am learning to use YouTube more. True hours can be whiled away doing nothing particular, but every now and then amongst the "cats" videos something interesting turns up. If I said "The Data Driven Lives of Wargaming Miniatures"; pull up a chair, have a cup of tea/coffee, click on the link and trade 16 minutes of your life for something I found quite mind blowing - but I do have a 'tiny mind' (see link below):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCGQrs3aX8A

My Pondering Thoughts: 
True it makes references the life and times of GW miniatures but "abstracting out" I think it is generic. Where it is going? That I don't know but the research [and research is often an open ended journey] is ultimately looking at generating better User Experience (UX). I found the first couple of slides new, so highly interesting and the "narrative of the object" again an interesting concept. However talking about the miniature without the specific reference to the game [why it is played] lessened the understanding of what [miniature-tabletop] wargaming actually is and that in turn weakened the understanding of the miniature's purpose [IMHO]. If you understand the game [or gaming] better then you understand the purpose of the miniature better; then surely you will be able to design [or evaluate] future 'things' much better. However if can you explain that to a mainly academic and non-wargaming audience in a few slides, then you are a better man than me.

Footnote: Climbing off my virtual soapbox I actually enjoyed the video and was genuinely excited about academics [daring to] create a video/research like this.

The chap who put the video together can be found at:
https://cdt.horizon.ac.uk/dimtri-darzentas-mixed-reality-storytelling/
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/groups/mixedrealitylab/people/dimitrios.darzentas2

The "Paper" can be found at:
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~psxdpda/Ddarz_Papers/Paper_2015_CHI15_Data_Driven_Lives.pdf

I wonder if he could be brought into the "historical fold" or venture into Connections UK or Wargames Development/Conference of Wargamers? I would have thought John Curry's History of Wargames web-site may be of interest or 'blow his mind' ;)

Interesting US Wargames Research Link on Battles 1939-73

An interesting post from the Simulating War Yahoo Discussion Group posted by bob_david_mackensie (see link to original link below): 
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/simulatingwar/conversations/topics/3210

The essay based on the US Army analysis can be found directly here:  
http://www.testofbattle.com/upload/bob/Benchmarks.htm

The original US Army research is here: 
http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a200036.pdf

The Naval Past and Climate Research

God bless the RN and their log books say the climatologists (if this indeed is the correct title for the set of learned people endeavouring to an understanding of when/how much/why the earth's climate has changed or is changing).

The pedantic way the RN records in minute detail the weather on watch (under pain of punishment for falsification) can give a wealth of previously hidden data to past periods in places (namely at sea) untapped but equally as important to the study of climate (we are on an aquatic planet after all). Circa WWI.

Trouble is, it's one thing to electronically scan past documents en masse, but it is quite another to have the AI to understand them

Enter:
http://www.oldweather.org/
BBC News article on the Project:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11532534

Akin to various astronomy projects, Joe Public has been asked to step into the breach and record (i.e. data entry) it for them, all in the name of a good cause. Actually seeing where WWI ships travelled to has a certain appeal to me. Their wanderings are quite interesting, rather than just popping up in the pages of a naval history tome to fight a battle it is just as interesting to see where they travelled to.

I hope it succeeds and it is an interesting source of information in itself.