@tek @cykros oh man, I've not played #go in years. Never really got out of the beginner stage due to a lack of local players (rural living has downsides). Welcome!

@gwmngilfen I mostly have always played online, except with a friend or two who I've played by passing a phone back and forth with. These days I usually have a couple correspondence games going at a rate of 2-3 moves a day, as it fits my busy schedule quite a bit more than a sit down 3+ hour boardgame would, and gives me more time to really figure out WHY I'm playing where I'm playing. http://www.online-go.com has a good web interface and good community for live and correspondence games alike.

@cykros cool stuff. I tried DGS back in the day, but it the pace & interface didn't work for me. Life moved these days, so day to day that would just get forgotten about now, sadly. Other priorities. I'm actually far more likely to finish a game in one sitting.

@gwmngilfen I've got a game going on DGS with a friend I used to work with, and I totally get what you mean. None of the app support is quite there, and likely never will be. I'd like native app support for OGS, but thus far the web interface has been better than any of the native apps for other servers, so it's got my activity for now.

I personally work 55 hour weeks with 12 hours of walking commute a week...at restaurant hours. If I'm sitting for a game it's with a computer opponent.

@cykros ouch, opposite here, working from home (open source stuff) with a tiny commute to nursery, and kids. Always at home, always something needs doing, so while I can carve out chunks for hobby time, small parcels for things like this don't really happen. I'll get back to it one day :)

@zillion For books, I'll probably be on the boring side in suggesting some of the old standbys: Neuromancer (and the whole Sprawl Trilogy...and everything else by Gibson), Snow Crash, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, etc. Beyond that, if you're willing to step a bit out of the 80s and 90s into post-cyberpunk, I RAVE about Daniel Suarez's writings, particularly Daemon and Freedom(tm) (in that order; the latter is a sequel to the former). /r/cyberpunk has a ton of listings on a wiki too.

@cykros Thanks! I'll check out Suarez.

@zillion If you haven't yet, I'd also recommend Ready Player One. Apparently it's being made into a movie. It's a fun read; while the world it's set in is still somewhat depressing, it's less gritty in some ways than most books in the cyberpunk genre. Great if you want 80s nostalgia in spades.

@zillion As for large batches of food, perhaps my #Yule feast this year would suffice? Norwegian Christmas Ribbe (roast pork belly) with a lingonberry gravy, mashed rutabaga (aka swede), surkaal, and brussels sprouts with cranberries and almonds in a maple balsamic dressing.
https://freeradical.zone/media/Y-X049OnTbjYwEVhu6g

Normally my batch cooking is some sort of roast or stew in a slow cooker so I can have leftovers after work at 11 pm, but this was a special occasion.

@cykros I made a Prime Rib Roast with roasted Brussels sprouts and mushrooms tonight, a chili relleno casserole last night with enchilada sauce. I've had great luck with leg of lamb in a #slowcooker . #cooking

@Jorah That is exactly how the Kyu and Dan rankings work. As for partners, I'd strongly recommend trying http://www.online-go.com as there is a decent community and it'll pair you up with others based on skill level. Go also has a good handicap system that'll allow a reasonable game between mismatched players.

Beyond playing there, I'd recommend checking out some of their puzzles section, as they have some good walkthroughs to illustrate some concepts of the game (the "soft rules" as it were)

@cykros My brother and I played off and on for a couple months back in the early 80s, but after seeing folks play at the Go club in LA, I realized all I really knew were the rules. But... it was one of only two games I've ever played that actually made me feel happy. (the other was Kensington)

@Jorah The range of skill levels in Go is a lot more vast than in many other games such as Chess, in part because of the heightened complexity, and in part because of the non-linearity of the game. Don't get too discouraged by how much better everyone will seem at first, it's a great feeling to see how quickly some of those high kyu levels drop quickly when you start having "Aha!" moments.

@Jorah Also see Nick Sibicky's lectures here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA1F22C258E9FF4BB and Sensei's Library here: https://senseis.xmp.net/ for some fantastic resources on improving your skill level #Go

@cykros I'll try to carve out some time to start up again. With Aikido 4 times a week, iaido beckoning, learning basic Japanese on my wish list, and a new bonsai tree to learn about, I'm not sure when it will happen!