Every so often, when running through the real woods, stumbling on real rocks, and becoming really tired, a classic Scott Adams "Dilbert" comic strip comes to mind. I saw it again in a collection last month. Dilbert and his not-quite-girlfriend are sitting under a tree, each holding a book:

"What did you bring to read?" she asks him.

"Its a book of tips for my new computer golf game," he answers.

"So ... you're reading a book ... about a simulation ... of an activity that's almost a sport ..." she says. "That's about as close as you can get to being a non-organic lifeform."

"This chapter is about driving the little cart," Dilbert says.

Not a fair criticism of real golf, of course — but there is certainly a difference between simulation and reality, and folks who settle for the fake are shortchanging themselves. Who's going to look back years later and be proud of their high score in long-obsolete whatever-it was?

(cf. CutTheVolume (2004-03-05), CondescendingComputerUser (2005-02-03), TheBigRoom (2007-10-21), ...) - ^z - 2010-04-11