bookofjoe

This is what happens when you create a Crack Research Team©™® to do the heavy lifting for your blog

It came in about 40 minutes ago.

Doh!

Super Mario Bros. Speedrun

Wrote Kottke:

I love reading about speedrunning, specifically Super Mario Bros. speedrunning, so this piece in Ars Technica about a new world record by Niftski is right up my alley.

The run is above if you want to watch it.

Four particular things caught my eye about this run:

1. Niftski's new record is 4m 54.631s, which is now faster than what was believed to be the theoretical limit for a human-played game.

2. It's also extremely close to the fastest SMB game ever played done using tool-assisted speedrunning (where you basically play in super slow motion, so you can make all the very precise movements easily, a lá The Flash). "In the battle of man versus machine, Niftski is now just 0.35 seconds away from standing up, John Henry-style, against the standard of machine-made automation."

3. I always marvel at the level of dedication and ingenuity of the players working together (though competition) to lower the possible times through the tiniest of adjustments.

4. His heart rate tops out at 188bpm by the end of the game. I know he's sitting at a desk, but that's got to be of some cardiovascular advantage, right?

What is it?

Answer here this time tomorrow.

Hint: bigger than a bread box.

Another: moving parts.

A third: wood.