In this blog post, we’ll take a look back at the major changes and memorable events from Lineage’s early episodes, starting with the Talking Island and continuing through Gludio and Kent Castle.   Episode 1: The Talking Island Introduced in September 1998, the Talking Island was the first area players encountered—it served as the birthplace for all Lineage characters until the creation of...

In this blog post, I’ll provide a simple overview of diatonic chords and the basic concepts of intervals, harmonies, and chords needed to understand them.   Intervals: The Distance Between Sounds An interval is a unit that represents the distance between two sounds. To make the explanation easier, I’ll use C (Do) as the reference note. The names commonly used in music are A, B, C, D, E, F...

In this blog post, we’ll examine how game theory and the Nash equilibrium explain the phenomenon of drivers “cutting in.”   Game Theory and Strategic Choices Game theory is a framework for analyzing situations in which multiple participants pursue their best possible outcomes while taking each other’s choices into account. The actions each participant can choose are called strategies, and...

In this blog post, I’ll talk about my experience as a “fake gifted student”—which began when I was in middle school—the insights I gained from it, and my resolutions for the future.   It was my first year of middle school. Among my friends, there were some who went to other schools or universities every Saturday to study. They attended math and science gifted education centers, and since I...

In this blog post, we’ll examine the differences between light rail—which has recently garnered significant attention—and conventional subways, as well as its types, pros and cons, and the feasibility of its implementation.   What is light rail? Light rail is short for “lightweight rail” and refers to an electric rail system that is lighter than conventional heavy rail (standard subways) and...

In this blog post, we’ll examine the theory of costly signaling to explore why altruistic behavior can be explained evolutionarily—and what its limitations are—using specific examples.   Introduction: The Paradox of Evolution and Altruism A fundamental tenet of evolutionary theory is that traits advantageous for survival and reproduction spread through natural selection. How, then, can...

In this blog post, we’ll explore how the costly signaling hypothesis explains altruistic and conspicuous behavior in humans.   Concepts and Background All living beings fundamentally aim to survive and, in the process, cannot help but act selfishly. However, among people, altruistic behaviors—such as small acts of consideration or service, or even risking one’s own safety to save others—are...

In this blog post, we examine the causes of the sharp increase in thyroid cancer diagnoses and screenings in South Korea, as well as the resulting issues of overtesting and overdiagnosis.   Trends in the Increase of Thyroid Cancer in South Korea Since the 1990s, the number of thyroid cancer patients in South Korea has risen sharply. According to data from Statistics Korea, the number of...

In this blog post, I’d like to share my thoughts on reexamining Islam and Muslims through the lens of my personal experiences and historical and political contexts.   Muslims and Me There are approximately 1.3 billion Muslims in the world. Before attending university in Korea, I grew up in Indonesia—a country with a Muslim majority—and was naturally exposed to Islamic culture from a young...

In this blog post, using the controversial “awake surgery” scene from the drama as a starting point, I’ll explain in simple terms what this surgery is and how it’s performed, along with real-life examples.   The Difference Between the Drama Scene and Reality A scene from a recently concluded hit drama became a hot topic: a patient, while awake, had his skull opened and reacted to electrical...