Tuesday, June 15, 2004
An Application Of Game Theory To Real Life.
This morning while returning home from a tough night shift, I encountered a challenging social trilemma, that required a rapid game theory analysis. While travelling down the Down escalator at Waterloo station, I recognised a rather winsome girl ascending the Up escalator. My immediate inclination was to duck, while fumbling with a new clip (NSFW), before I remembered that my name is not actually Carlito and shootouts in a crowded station are not my Way. Instead the girl beamed broadly at me, and then waved, forcing me to wave back. I of course had absolutely no idea of her name, or how I knew her. I quickly mentally scanned through everyone I've ever slept with, all my school year, and the people on my sim card, and concluded that the mystery stranger was probably only a casual acquaintance. With horror I then realised that she might still be expecting me to go charging back up the escalator to say "hello". The escalator is not more than a 30 second ride, but I quickly classified the possible positions in the necessary game theory analysis:
"Defensive"-Walk away swiftly and don't look back.
"Neutral"-Loiter nonchalantly at the bottom of the escalator.
"Aggressive"-Ride back up the Up escalator in anticipation of her taking the "Neutral" position.
I was just tackling the 3x3 matrix of tactics, to see if the risky "Aggressive" ploy was tenable, when I realised that the actual solution lay outside the remit of my analysis. Due to an embarrassing accident with a breakfast cheeseburger, I was covered in McDonald's ketchup. I abandoned my 2nd and 3rd order theory of mind simulations and broke for cover on the Waterloo and City platform.
Today's alternative career choice: becoming a micropartiologist.
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This morning while returning home from a tough night shift, I encountered a challenging social trilemma, that required a rapid game theory analysis. While travelling down the Down escalator at Waterloo station, I recognised a rather winsome girl ascending the Up escalator. My immediate inclination was to duck, while fumbling with a new clip (NSFW), before I remembered that my name is not actually Carlito and shootouts in a crowded station are not my Way. Instead the girl beamed broadly at me, and then waved, forcing me to wave back. I of course had absolutely no idea of her name, or how I knew her. I quickly mentally scanned through everyone I've ever slept with, all my school year, and the people on my sim card, and concluded that the mystery stranger was probably only a casual acquaintance. With horror I then realised that she might still be expecting me to go charging back up the escalator to say "hello". The escalator is not more than a 30 second ride, but I quickly classified the possible positions in the necessary game theory analysis:
"Defensive"-Walk away swiftly and don't look back.
"Neutral"-Loiter nonchalantly at the bottom of the escalator.
"Aggressive"-Ride back up the Up escalator in anticipation of her taking the "Neutral" position.
I was just tackling the 3x3 matrix of tactics, to see if the risky "Aggressive" ploy was tenable, when I realised that the actual solution lay outside the remit of my analysis. Due to an embarrassing accident with a breakfast cheeseburger, I was covered in McDonald's ketchup. I abandoned my 2nd and 3rd order theory of mind simulations and broke for cover on the Waterloo and City platform.
A Scanner Darkly must be the most buzzarific flick currently in production; click to enlarge this most unusual backstage shot of Robert Downey Jnr sporting some ultra-oddball kegs, while Woody Harrelson rocks the coolest hair in history.
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