Starcraft 101

What would be the best way to study war? Academics at the University of California at Berkley believe that the answer is through Real-time strategy game Starcraft. The course description reads:

"UC Berkeley students with an interest in real-time strategy games and the competitive gaming landscape are encouraged to participate in this class.
This course will go in-depth in the theory of how war is conducted within the confines of the game Starcraft. There will be lecture on various aspects of the game, from the viewpoint of pure theory to the more computational aspects of how exactly battles are conducted. Calculus and Differential Equations are highly recommended for full understanding of the course. Furthermore, the class will take the theoretical into the practical world by analyzing games and replays to reinforce decision-making skills and advanced Starcraft theory.
Class will start with lecture and usually include a special discussion topic having to do with the day’s lecture to inspire new and original thought. At the end of lecture, there may be time to analyze student-submitted replays to illustrate a point or to improve analysis. Homework will be assigned at the end of each class and is due at the beginning of each lecture."

What sort of homework are you going to get in this course? What about this for a problem:

"You started with a mass Hydra strat, which the enemy Protoss scouts and ends up with a mass of zealots with leg enhancements. How effective are your Hydralisks against this incoming horde? If your Hydralisks are not effective, how can you make your Hydralisks more effective?"

That's tricky! Hydralisks are usually ineffective against Zealots, their only advantage being in ranged attack, yet low hit-points. The only way to have them defeat the Zealots would be to upgrade Muscular Augments (speed) and Grooved Spines (range), have them trap the incoming Zealots by burrowing, and then running around and staying out of melee if possible.

Academia.edu

Mathias Klang has introduced me to the social network site Academia.edu, and I liked it so much that I thought I would share it here. This website brings together academics and classifies them by university, department and research interest. I found the interface both pleasing to the eye and functional, although the fact that the tree is generated by the users means that it is filled with every conceivable sub-category of human thought. For example, I did not know that Gringo Studies and Comic Book Studies existed.

I am realising how narrow my research interest are, I will have to think hard to add some more. Are research interests the new Facebook friends?

Supervision

It's that time of year, and xkcd nails it again...

(Disclaimer: if a supervisee happens to read this, I AM an expert in your field. Honest).