Donald-In-Mathmagic

Donald Duck taught me how to play billiards - Boing Boing
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SUBMIT
Donald Duck taught me how to
play billiards
Before the age of YouTube, you cherished the chance to see a
rerun—and you had to take notes.
BY MICHAEL BORYS
Are you too young to remember the television series, The Wonderful World Of
Disney? It ran once a week and you never knew what you were going to get. It
may have been a classic Disney film, a live action tour of the Disney parks or a
set of animated shorts.
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Donald Duck taught me how to play billiards - Boing Boing
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If you've never seen the show, you're probably also unfamiliar with Donald In
Mathmagic Land.
Sure the art and storytelling was as beautiful as you'd expect from a Disney
production, but this piece was different from the others. Somehow it
educated as perfectly as it entertained.
The first time I saw it I took mental notes
and patiently waited a long, long time for it
to air again. Each week I would pray to the
programming gods for my wish to come
true and one day it did. This time, I was
ready with paper and pencil so that I could
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Donald Duck taught me how to play billiards - Boing Boing
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take actual notes.
During the cartoon I learned about
Pythagoras, the golden ratio and the
history of music. But to me, the most
important lesson was on the game of billiards. I grew up with a pool table and I
played a lot more than any kid should. I read my parent's books on the game, I
drained the local library of what they had on the subject but this cartoon
taught me more about the table and angles than any book ever could.
I think it was because in the story, Donald Duck himself was learning and
playing the game with me. Because it took so long between viewings, Donald
and I were evolving together.
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2015-07-22, 10:05 PM
Donald Duck taught me how to play billiards - Boing Boing
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And here's the thing...I guarantee that if you are not already an advanced pool
player, you will become better just by watching this masterpiece. For me, it
turned on a giant light bulb over my head.
I remember running downstairs with
my notes to try out the new concepts
I had just learned. The angles of the
game were no longer a complete
mystery after experiencing this
magical cartoon. I also found that the
new knowledge could be applied to
other games that dealt with spheres
and angles like racquetball, squash
and wallyball. In fact, getting better
at that game had an upward spiral
effect on other aspects of my life.
That game, during difficult times was
my best friend.
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See Michael, a passionate collector of artifacts and
designer of unique puzzles, at Boing Boing's
three-day extravaganza, the Weekend of Wonder,
running Sept. 18-20. A weekend of workshops, tech
demons and wild performances, there'll be plenty of
fun surprises!
2015-07-22, 10:05 PM
Donald Duck taught me how to play billiards - Boing Boing
http://boingboing.net/2015/07/22/donald-duck-taught-me-how-t...
Once you've seen this animated short you will think about billiards in a whole
new way. You may even see shots and angles in your sleep...not that I do.
If you haven't experienced Donald In Mathmagic Land, you don't have to hope
and pray for it to be the episode of the week. Just go to Youtube and watch it
now.
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Donald Duck taught me how to play billiards - Boing Boing
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And if you ever want to play a few games, just look me up.
I'll be the guy at the table with the talking duck.
PUBLISHED 4:00 AM WED, JUL 22, 2015
BILLIARDS, DONALD DUCK, MATH, MATHMAGIC LAND
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Donald Duck taught me how to play billiards - Boing Boing
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Michael Borys is the Vice President of Interaction and Game Design at 42
Entertainment – responsible for online, mobile and real-world puzzles, games and
social activities. He has a passion for magic, history and storytelling and has led
various teams within the Walt Disney Company. Oh...and his IOS puzzler Skabooki
won some awards way back when.
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