Episode notes
Alex Schmidt and Katie Goldin explore why backgammon is secretly incredibly fascinating.
Visit http://sifpod.fun/ for research sources, handy links, and this week’s bonus episode.
LINKS FOR KATIE GOLDIN:
- Katie Goldin on Bluesky
- @ProBirdRights on Bluesky
- ‘Creature Feature’ podcast (iHeartRadio)
- When Is a Bird a ‘Birb’? An Extremely Important Guide (Audubon)
RESOURCES USED TO INFORM THE EPISODE’S LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
- native-land.ca
- U.S. Department Of Arts And Culture
- The True Native New Yorkers Can Never Truly Reclaim Their Homeland (Smithsonian)
- “Finding Lenapehoking” (YouTube / Hudson River Maritime Museum)
- Why Do They Call It Beacon? (The Highlands Current)
- Dutch & Native American Heritage In The Hudson River Valley (National Park Service)
RESEARCH SOURCES:
- How to Play Backgammon: A Complete Guide to the Rules & Strategy (BackgammonGalaxy.com)
- New England Backgammon Club’s set of resources for learning to play online
- The big idea: is there such a thing as the perfect game? (The Guardian)
- Bring on the Board Games (JStor Daily)
- Chess, Unlike War, is a Game of Perfect Information (JStor Daily)
- Blog: Twenty Four Spikes of Fun! Backgammon in History (Richland Library)
- Etymology Online Dictionary entry for backgammon, noun
- The History of Backgammon (Backgammon Galore!)
- Why Is St. Louis Named After A French King Who Was Born 800 Years Ago? (St. Louis Public Radio)
- The ’30s Understanding of Doubling (Backgammon Galore!)
- Early Doublers & Cube Evolution (New England Backgammon Club)
- Blog: Why Isn’t Backgammon More Popular? (Freakonomics)
- Masters of Backgammon Biographies (Backgammon Galore!)
- The extremely weird James Bond online store page for a backgammon set
- The extremely weird James Bond online store page for a gold Faberge egg thingy costing more than $200,000 U.S. dollars
- The Royal Game of Ur: How to Play the Oldest Board Game on Record (The New York Times)
- After centuries in India, the last Cochin Jews try to keep their history alive (The Associated Press)
- Do Dice Play God?: The Mathematics of Uncertainty by Ian Stewart
- Backgammon Variants: Plakoto (Backgammon Galore!)
- In Packed Cafes, Iranians Yearn to Escape War’s Wreckage (The New York Times)
- Backgammon Computer Program Beats World Champion — Hans J. Berliner, 1980 (Backgammon Galore!)
- Computer Backgammon — Hans J. Berliner, 1980 (Scientific American, reprinted by Backgammon Galore!)
- Computer Chess Pioneer Hans Berliner Dies at 87 (Carnegie Mellon University)
- Hans Berliner, Master Chess Player and Programmer, Dies at 87 (The New York Times)
- Object: Omar Electronic Backgammon Game (Smithsonian National Museum Of American History)
- A History of Handheld Gaming (Pad & Pixel)
- Information: Omar Sharif Backgammon Executive Set (BoardGameGeek.com)
- Reddit upload of screenshots from Mario’s FUNdamentals, 1998 — aka Mario’s Game Gallery, 1995
- Sweater Design? Gin Rummy? Typing? These Are The Mario Games You’ve Never Heard Of (NPR)
- Secretly Incredibly Fascinating: Checkers
- Secretly Incredibly Fascinating: Dice
- Secretly Incredibly Fascinating: Playing Cards
- Secretly Incredibly Fascinating: Rock Paper Scissors
- Secretly Incredibly Fascinating: Vinyl Records
In this episode...
About the show
A weekly podcast about the history, science, lore and surprises that make everyday things secretly incredibly fascinating. Hosted by comedy writer, emoji creator, and ‘Jeopardy!‘ champion Alex Schmidt. Join Alex & his co-host Katie Goldin for a joyful deep dive into seeing the world a whole new way!
Get in touch with the show
@sifpod
@sifpod
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