Andrew wrote: > It is clear from recent games that Perl Golf is a sport,
Yes, but I think more importantly, it is a vehicle to help the participants learn more about Perl and how to let go of one's "bright ideas". > 1) Don't get too emotional. Aim for a mental state of relaxed > indifference. This is my fatal flaw in Perl golf. When it comes to sports and competition, my frame of reference is playing college football (American). For me, football was a very emotional game and I play Perl Golf in a similar fashion. Reminiscent of my football days, I often find myself jumping around like a buffoon after discovering a better algorithm. I recall in the "Get Even" tournament, visualizing first place (in the beginner's category), telling myself that I *would* find a way to win. This type of self-motivation often worked for me in football, but the intensity it builds is unhelpful in Perl Golf, where a calm, open-minded approach seems to lead to better solutions. > "I abandoned this approach when I saw that Rick Klement was at 69, > a full 8 strokes under my score." This seems to be a *key* ingredient to Perl Golf success. I find it incredibly difficult to "abandon" my previous approach. > But how do you find the ideas? I welcome any practical advice on > this, especially from Ton, who seems most prolific in this area. > For example, how do you dream up things like s//pop/e? I've been deconstructing Ton's winning solution since TPR(0,1) ended. I too want to know how he comes up with his ideas. The way the whole solution works together blows my mind. --Dave
