It’s hard to believe, but Die is Cast is one year old this week. Here’s a few random thoughts:
If Rome on HBO couldn’t get any cooler, there was gambling–and a gambling-related brawl–that, according to episode 2’s title, “brought down the republic.”
Was the gambling scene historically accurate? In a sense, yes: all the archaeological and historical evidence shows that gambling was a Roman fascination. I’m not sure about the game, though: my English-language research into Roman gambling (for Roll the Bones, of course), led me to conclude that the most common Roman gambling game used three dice. But the depiction of gambling is definitely on the mark: as graffiti found at Pompeii makes clear, both cheating at gambling and gambling-related brawling was commonplace.
In a totally unrelated observation, this is the coolest sentence I’ve read online in a while:
Sci-fi condo living for people who have too much money to spend.
It’s from a Vegas Tripping feature about the Project City Center. For those interested in the near future of Vegas, this is a must read.
Also, Cutting the Wire is now out. I signed three copies at Mandalay Bay’s Reading Room this weekend. Amazon says that it hasn’t been released yet, but I have physically seen copies of the book for sale. Maybe the Internet isn’t always right about everything. Perish the thought.
Anyway, thanks to everyone who stops by here and reads my posts. In honor of the 1-year anniversary, I’ve posted a gallery of desktop wallpaper that you might find interesting.