T.K. Wade -- Author

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

The Virtues in Cheating, Part 2 [An Essay]

A while back, I wrote an essay about how sometimes the concept of cheating might help you get out of a rut. You basically look for ways to break rules in order to find a better way of doing something. I used the video game "The Talos Principle" as an example how this could be done. I actually found ways to cheat at the game many times over, allowing me to circumvent a bunch of the puzzles.

After I wrote that essay, I ended up replaying the sequel "The Talos Principle 2" a few years after I had experienced it the first time. I noticed a couple of things in this playthrough. Firstly, I was figuring out the puzzles a lot faster. Secondly, I was almost never able to cheat. The developers did a really good job in spacing all the puzzle rooms apart and angling them in such a way that hardly any of them could form connections with each other. I did try, though. I tried a lot. I think I only managed to figure one of them out, but only after I had solved it the correct way.

After scratching my head a bit, I realized that these two things were very important. The first point was that I had become much better at solving puzzles the correct way after doing all of that cheating. The second point told me that the developers had likely noticed all of the cheating in the first one and simply made a tighter puzzle collection in the sequel. That means that improvement occurred for both the player and the developer. We both learned and got better accordingly... all because of some creative cheating.

The fact that they pushed back on the cheating did not make the game worse. In fact, I was really impressed by the work they did put into it. Because of all the cheating I did in the first game, I was actively able to appreciate the efforts they put into preventing it in the sequel. It was like I could hear the developer saying, "I thought you might try that, but not this time!" It made me smile because I felt like I was being talked toby the developer in a different language... the language of puzzles.

You might suspect that the reason I was so good at the puzzles this time around was because I had played the game before. No. I have a bad track record of forgetting the solutions to puzzles and having to learn them all over again. This always happens when I go back to play the "Portal" games. In this case, I am pretty sure the reason I was blasting through all the puzzles was because my mind had opened up to new ideas rather than getting stuck on an endless pattern of repetitive thinking. The old way still worked, but I had to constantly relearn something to solve it in the same way. I was now solving each puzzle through a process of critical thinking processes obtained through cheating in the first game.

Another way to look at the latter point is that, in trying to cheat each puzzle, I was actually just figuring out the intended solution.

My second playthrough of "The Talos Principle 2" was even more fun than the first because I was conscious of this new ability to think with an open mind and see things in a more creative way. A few puzzles still gave me trouble towards the end, but I still made it through them. They were the hardest of the lot anyhow.

I think that's all I really have to say about this. All this has really pleased me, and I would love to see how far I can take this. Just keep in mind, this is not about doing bad things. This is about breaking out of patterns of behavior that hold you back. That's what I am doing... and it's helping me in more ways than just being good at a single video game.

This blog was written on August 27, 2026.

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Monday, September 28, 2026

I Stand Here Ironing [Short Story Review]

"I Stand Here Ironing" is a short story written by Tillie Olsen. It was published in 1961.

There is no real need to go into spoilers for this one. The premise is very simple. It is a first person recount from the perspective of a single mother during the Great Depression. It helps give you an understanding of what it is like to be a working mother who is so busy that she just cannot find the time to actually form a connection with her children.

This is a sad one. Those times were rough. After all those Jean Shepherd stories I read, it looks like that family had it a bit easier. In the case of this mother, her husband abandoned her, leaving her to do everything herself. She does... but at the cost of a real and meaningful relationship with her children.

Tough topic, but it was written well. I do recommend it to those who would like to understand this perspective better.

This blog was written on August 26, 2026.

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Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Winter Dreams [Short Story Review]

"Winter Dreams" is a short story written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was published in 1922.

Not bad. This was a story about a guy named Dexter who falls in love with a young and beautiful woman on a golf course. The issue here is how the woman is sort of playing a little game where she is trying to keep her options open, even though it is pretty clear that she likes Dexter a lot. Dexter, himself, is frustrated that she cannot just accept his love, when she is clearly attracted to him.

Without going into too many spoilers, the main theme of the story is that nothing lasts forever. When we are young, we trick ourselves into thinking we have all the time in the world, but we don't. Windows of opportunities are brief, and when they close, it will be as if they never existed at all. Only a memory.

I like this story because it fits with some ideals I have had lately. I have been trying to make the most of every second and not get caught up in emotional silliness that generally is associated with youth. I want to look back and say, "I spent my time wisely." After all, I'm gonna die anyhow. Might as well make sure I did a heck of a lot while I was here.

I do recommend this story, although I am unsure it is for everybody. Most people may be uncomfortable with the concept that everything ends. If that's how you feel then feel free to ignore this one.

This blog was written on August 21, 2026.

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Monday, September 21, 2026

Frog and Toad - Alone [Book Review]

[I basically spoil a story intended for very young children.]

"Frog and Toad - Alone" is a very short children's book written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel. It was published in 1979.

My editor sent this to me as a gift. He occasionally wants to get away from me and will take a week where we do not talk or interact with each other. The theme of this little book is basically the same thing.

The story is about a frog named Frog and a toad named Toad. Frog puts a note on his door that says he wants to be alone, and Toad thinks it's because he is sad or doesn't want to be his friend anymore. This is a very real thing that can happen in a friendship. Sometimes people just want to be alone, and that's okay.

The truth, in this story, is that Frog is still very much Toad's friend, and he just wanted to spend some time on his own and think. Everything was perfectly fine, and Toad was just being silly.

Easy story to read and understand. Also the point that it is making is a very real thing that can happen to anyone at any age. I recommend this story for children who are still learning how to read.

This blog was written on August 20, 2026.

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Wednesday, September 16, 2026

The Three Strangers [Short Story Review]

[I spoil the main points of this story.]

"The Three Strangers" is a short story written by Thomas Hardy. It was published in 1883.

I have never stumbled over a story in this manner in all my life. What happened was that I had bought a copy of H. G. Wells' "The Empire of the Ants," and this story was simply tacked on to the end of it for no reason. It isn't a problem, as it gave me another classic story to read, but that is such an odd thing to do. Either way, I got myself a free story.

This story is about a child-christening party happening at the secluded home of a couple of farmers. It is a very out of the way place. During this party, it is raining really badly, which leads to the advent of three strangers that stop by to get dry.

Now, they do not show up all at once. In fact, their appearances are well apart. The first guy is super friendly, but also a little strange. He claims to have a really interesting job, but he prefers to just keep leaving clues for people to guess.

The second guy who comes in later outrightly says that he is a wheelwright. He spends most of his time at the party consuming way too much mead.

The third guy shows up and takes one look inside and just runs away in some sort of fright.

The author does his very best not to show his hand in this one. For the longest time, it looks like you are reading about a really odd slice-of-life with weird people from a small town, but it does actually go somewhere. For one, the first guy's job end up being revealed to be the town's executioner who is slated to kill someone the next morning. He is fairly proud of his job, even singing a hilarious song about it, which the wheelwright joins in on as he drinks mead.

When the third guy runs away in fright, they soon hear some gunshots in the distant at even intervals, signaling a prisoner escape from the local jail. It is then believed that the third man they saw that ran away was the man who was to be executed and that he has just escaped. So a posse is formed and they all run out into the rain to get the guy.

The executioner and the wheelwright momentarily join them... but then they just end up heading back to drink more mead, shake hands, and then go back off on their separate ways. I did think it was funny that they played a major part in getting the posse together but just did not bother to help them out.

So what happened?

Well, they did end up catching the third stranger and brought him back, where the turnkey from the jail was already waiting at the farmer's house. Turns out the third stranger was not the escaped convict. He was the brother of the convict who happened to see him in the house, which scared him away (because he was SUPPOSED to be at the jail awaiting execution). His brother was the man claiming to be the wheelwright who had been having a good ol' time with his executioner before getting away himself.

This is one of those situations where a man's moxie is so impressive that it ultimately gets him off Scott free. Because he was so bold as to drink and be merry with the man that was set to kill him, the people just sort of forgive him and he moves away to never be bothered again.

In case you were wondering what his crime was: he stole a sheep.

This was a fun and silly story. I do recommend it, and I am glad the publisher decided to slip this one in with "The Empire of the Ants." Why? Well... honestly it is a better story than that one. Guess I got my money's worth.

This blog was written on August 17, 2026.

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Monday, September 14, 2026

The Jilting of Granny Weatherall [Short Story Review]

"The Jilting of Granny Weatherall" is a short story written by Katherine Anne Porter. It was published in 1930.

Rather than telling you the main beats of the story, I'd rather tell you exactly what this story is. From beginning to end, this is a narrative told from the first person perspective of an 80-year-old woman in the process of dying. I cannot summarize it any better than that. That is literally what this story is.

I should further say that she is not entirely aware that it is happening. Her mind is working well enough. It's active and still processing things. Most of what the story gives you are her free-flowing thoughts as her last moments pass. It's shocking because most of it has nothing to do with the fact that she is dying. She is still trying to live and take care of things that need to get done. She does not even really seem to understand that she is dying until a few moments before it happens.

This story gives you a very strange look at the concept of the world fading out of existence. You only get her perspective and no one else's. There is no religious viewpoint here either. It is life slipping into either the unknown or some sort of oblivion. It does not show you anything on the other side.

Might this be considered a horror? It's hard to say. The thing that's happening here is perfectly normal, but it is something we dislike thinking about. I think the most difficult part of the story is the fact that she is barely even conscious that it is happening at all. There are so many things that will ultimately just not get finished or completed when it ends.

Regardless of the topic, the story is very well-written, and I have no choice but to recommend it. It's a tough one though! Know what you are getting into!

This blog was written on August 13, 2026.

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Wednesday, September 9, 2026

The Empire of the Ants [Short Story Review]

"The Empire of the Ants" is a short story written by H. G. Wells. It was published in 1905.

What you have here is potentially one of the first example of a "swarm horror" story. That later became a really big and even lucrative movie genre. Most everyone has seen at least one.

The idea here is really something I have come to expect with H. G. Wells. The ants evolve to become far more intelligent and begin taking over the world. The concept of evolution is used in a few of his stories, including "The Time Machine." He loves it.

Most of the story is about a sea captain and crew running into various boats that have been conquered by the ants. The scenes depicted here are really quiet striking and even scary. The thing that got me was that the ants would prop themselves up against the edge of the boat and sort of stare at you as you went by. Ants don't do that. They keep moving and adapt to things that they run into. They never really stare at anything.

The problem with this story is that it basically just ends in a summary of what happens. Wells goes into how the ants ultimately begin conquering parts of the world, killing and driving the humans away. What I mean is that there is a build up of story followed by a mere summary of what happens. It's kind of like he just wanted to move on to something else, so he just wrapped it up. I noticed a lot of people complaining about this in some online comments.

Weirdly enough, this story was adapted into a film in 1977 called "Empire of the Ants." I have seen this one, and it's not really that good. It substitutes the evolution with toxic waste dumping, but at least it has a very interesting ending. I mean... at this point just having an ending is an improvement. Most of the film was really silly and cheesy, but I kind of still recommend it because of the super awesome stuff they do at the end of the film. It's fairly satisfying.

As for the original story, though, I am not sure I can recommend it. The sudden summary at the end really does feel like it comes out of nowhere. Wells should have finished his story.

This blog was written on August 11, 2026.

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