In the movie Pi, there are several scenes where the movie’s protagonist takes a break from his work to visit his teacher and mentor. During these visits, they play an ancient asian game called Go. Basically, the Go board has a grid and some black and white stones. The rules of Go are incredibly simple, yet mastering the game is a lifelong, and sometimes life-consuming, effort. Indeed, the game is much more than just a game to its devoted players. Some people kill themselves when they lose. Some do it for a living. Some people even believe that it could save our public education system. For others, it represents the Holy Grail of computing (as it is incredibly difficult to program). Pi was originally supposed to pit student and mentor against each other in a game of chess, but they changed it to Go, and the movie benefits greatly. For Go reflects the common themes of the movie; Go represents a certain synthesis between spiritual and rational life…[thanks alt-log]
