jRuutu

It is Friday evening, and I am sitting somewhere in Finland listening to my neighbor play their flute. I have lived in this building for a few years now, and I cannot say for sure who lives in this building with me. I like it. I like the anonymous vibe this building has. Unfortunately, now I know someone here plays the flute. I don't know that person, I don't know where they live exactly, I don't know their name, but my respect for the person and towards this building has gone down as a result. Like a recently planted birch, sitting on a fertile ground, just waiting to get bigger and bigger, each minute that goes by my hatred grows. I started to wonder if this forum would be better if we were not able to see the usernames. All we would see is the content and when it was posted. You could comment and react to the content like now. The portal would not show the updating history, just the statistics and attributes. But of course the updaters/staff could see who posted and what. I think the anonymity and not knowing who posted and what could make for some interesting interactions. You would have to invest in the content in front of you as the username would not dictate whether you take the time to engage or not. You could perhaps be more open and honest in commenting on what you see and hear, both good and bad. Sometimes it is harder to be positive and give nice feedback because then you might feel like you need to do so all the time. Sometimes the content you see should be commented on more harshly than your "role" in VHL allows. Many great moments and stories never come alive because we are too busy keeping appearances up. If I now think about my flute-playing neighbor again, I would hate them even more if I knew who they were and where they lived exactly, because they knew other people lived in this building, and out of all instruments they decided to play the flute. But then again, now that I don't know who they are and where they live exactly I don't feel as bad yelling at them to stop. On some other day, I could even add a swear word or two into the yelling. If I knew who they are and where they live I would have a harder time yelling for them to stop, because I need to keep appearances up. Nobody wants to be known as the person who yelled at a kid practicing or a pensioner trying on a new hobby. Nobody wants to be known as the person who said nice things to a kid or a pensioner playing the flute - that would be weird. Because of the anonymity, this great meeting of souls could take place. The neighbor feels like they can play the flute while surrounded by other people and I get to yell at them. They know that nobody knows who they are or where they live exactly and vice versa, I know that they know that they don't know who I am or where I live exactly. The flute was still being played, loud words were yelled, and feelings were hurt. This would not be possible if we knew each other on any level. If we knew each other well and where we lived exactly, the only thing that would have happened was the flute was being played. I would more than likely just ignore the noise. I might not even think twice about it. What a sad story that would be.

When we consider the day-to-day work of a general manager in VHL, VHLM, and VHLE, I think it is safe to say the level of effort and dedication required could be compared to the effort and dedication of a car salesperson. The cars are going to be there even if the salesperson is not right next to the car all the time. If you have a question or if something needs to be done the car salesperson will get back to you in a bit, or they will send the recently hired young car salesperson to do the dirty work. A lot of the actual selling is done by the internet as the cars are advertised on the websites and other forums. People can also research the cars in advance. Sure, the car salesperson can hype up the car and say this and that, but you would be foolish to fall for their sweet words. Similar to VHL, the actual selling is done by the portal as we can see the players, picks the team has, etc to see if we would want to play in the team. When the GM approaches you or starts to sell their team up, you know they are up to no good, you would be foolish to fall for their sweet words. Quite interestingly, the general manager also shares a lot of similarities with a person about to buy a new car. They both point their fingers toward something while saying: " I want that one". General managers, of course, point their fingers towards players. They look at the stats and numbers but ignore them completely as something else captures their attention, similar to a person who is about to buy a yellow car that eats a lot of gas just because they are over 40 and think they deserve nice things. A lot of being a general manager and car salesperson is about showing up. Some days it will rain, and some days the sun will shine, but when you come to the office most of the hard work is already done.

1. The players seem to be inactive in the locker room, why? Moscow has evolved into communicating without using words 2. Our recent upgrade to defense hasn't panned yet. Any ideas what is going on? I upgraded my wife to a new model, a better model, but then I realized I miss the old plow horse. Maybe something like that is going on? 3. Although we were on top of the EU world, we have fallen lately. Where will we end up? We will have super hot final run in the regular season that will carry us to first position. 4. As a whole, the team looks strong and resilient. Are you looking for that big win streak that I am? Yes! We have gotten some away wins lately too, so keep pushing and we should be able to put together a nice run. 5. Our tender is doing a good job when you consider this is season two for him. Can the team rally behind him and push us to glory? I think Reed and the bot should be played more, so Syko does not get too cocky. Bench him for 5 games in row at least. "Yea you got 6 shutouts, but you still riding the bench". Keep Syko guessing. 6. Overall, not counting this last week, are you happy with your player? Overall yes, started the season strong, then bit of a slower run, but lately things been picking up again. Hoping for a strong finish!

Moscow Menace was one of the best teams in the first parts of the season with free-flowing offense and solid defense, but in the last 15 or so games The Menace has been struggling. Rumors coming in from Moscow suggest that, unlike those sailing on Titanic, players in Moscow have spotted the iceberg and are now wondering whether to jump off the ship now while they still can without getting their feet wet. Against all odds, Moscow made it into the playoffs last year, which only increased the expectations for the young and talented roster for the ongoing season. Moscow is currently 5th in the EU division with 8 points more than the 6th placed Helsinki. However, in these hectic TikTok times, giving the playoffs one or two tries might be considered enough and fair before a new rebuild is seen as a viable option. When you also consider the fact that only a few players in Moscow have a clause in their contracts that prevents them from being traded, these rumors could very well end up being more than just rumors.

Vancouver Wolves did what I call an "OJsian" - move, they cheated the system and got away with it.

From Vancouver Wolves to Vancouver OJ's Because they also got away with it

1. Moscow looks to be in a potential 5 way race for the top of the conference, how will we do? The way I see it is there are 5 teams and Moscow is one of them. We want to finish first but so does everybody else. 2. What team is our biggest threat in your opinion? I will say Malmo because they are a good away team. 3. The lines have seemed to settle down a bit and sim more stable, do you agree? We have been solid defensively especially, couple shutouts in the last three games for example. 4. Have any ideas about any changes the team should look at? Travel more via bus or train, so we don't get too comfortable out there. 5. Syko has shown some elite skills in recent games. Can he lead us to the promised land? I think so, most shutouts in the league, best GAA number! 6. If you could have one league related change, what would it be, if any? Force everybody to create one 2 TPE point task with AI each week, so we can all learn together to cheat the system.

When you take a look at the standings more closely you might make the following observation: teams in the European division allow fewer goals than the teams in the North American division. At the moment, six teams in the European division have allowed less than 100 goals. The number of teams that have allowed less than 100 goals in the North American division is one. While the differences might not be huge, but when you also look how the teams in the European division are performing in general over the NA teams, it is fair to speculate why the teams in the EU division are better. One potential reason could be that those players with less motivation and determination prefer the less tactical, free-flowing, and less pressure-to-perform type of hockey that the NA division has to offer. Meanwhile, those players who are the opposite: equipped with determination and hunger for success, they want to challenge themselves and improve while also appreciating the competitive nature of the EU division, these types of players tend to automatically be found more likely in the EU division. When the level of competition in the NA is so much weaker, the teams and players in the NA division are well-rested by the time playoffs take place. This type of advantage has been a key reason behind the last two championships being won by NA teams. While the teams in the EU battle hard every single game, the teams in NA can take it easy, feasting on weak teams. It will be interesting to see if we see yet another NA team winning the championship this year. Early signs say no as so many of the EU teams have played extremely well in the first 36 games.

The media, VHL teams, and fans gathered together to witness a historical press release on Tuesday. The league officials announced that the games completed in the previous sim were going to be played again due to a "fake trade thread" and "STHS not saving a backup". According to sources close to the inner circles of VHL, the fake trade was the sole reason for the re-sim. The STHS backup save problem was used to cover for the fact that the simulation team fell for the VHL version of a Nigerian Prince - scam. To get a better understanding of what happened, I have briefly analyzed the "MOS/VAN; S93" trade. As you enter the trade thread, you see exactly what you might expect to see when you click a trade thread, the title looks official, facts about the trade are presented, and the first comments are from general managers of both teams. Especially, the tagging of those involved in the trade in a heartwarming message is a nice touch and something that perhaps tricked some of the commentators in the thread. There are still a few points that might have led someone to smell foul play. Those with sharp eyes might have spotted that the spacing of the text is slightly different in the first post than in traditional trade threads, and the thread itself is posted by a VHL member and not by the "VHL Bot". Overall the scam trade is carefully made and as we saw the scam trade was able to trick multiple users, including the simulation team. To deepen my understanding of scams and how to potentially spot them in the future, I looked at a classic Nigerian Prince scam and compared it to the "MOS/VAN; S93" - scam trade. In the example, we can see a prince from Nigeria in trouble, they need a small loan to unlock their bank account. As a thank you they promise to send 1 million dollars back to you. When comparing the scams, both share similarities. On the surface, everything makes perfect sense, there is no need to think of foul play as banks are notoriously strict if you get on their wrong side. Perhaps the prince had their bank account unfairly locked due to inactivity, all you would have to do is send one transaction to show the bank the account is active, and great fortune would follow. Similarly, perhaps the simulation team thought the portal was not working and a VHL member posting the trade thread was just them being helpful. When it comes to the finer details, if you have your assets frozen unfairly, you would more than likely want to move them as far as you can. Similarly, the finer detail in the scam trade, Moscow trading two first-round picks makes the perfect sense as the rebuild is pretty much completed. In both scams, the stories add up. In the Nigerian Prince scam "sir" is used when talking to the reader. That can be a deal-breaker for some as pronouns are serious business in the modern world. When creating a scam, you do not want to take unnecessary risks. In the "MOS/VAN; S93" - scam trade the spacing of the text is similar to the use of "sir". A risk that could backfire. It is the smallest of details that can make the biggest difference. In the end, I would still like to say that despite small risks, such as the layout of the text or the pronouns used, it is still better to live your life believing in the goodness of the people. Next time you see something that makes you think this is a potential scam because a small point is off, please, don't think about the "MOS/VAN; S93" - scam trade or about the Nigerian Prince scams, if you start to look for monsters, soon you will start to see monsters everywhere. Trust - have faith. Help a prince out, ask from your GM if you could also be traded.

1. We seem to be a consistent winner at the moment. Will we keep this pace? Yes! We will keep on going, when other teams think they got something on us - we will change things up and surprise them. We are that talented. 2. Do you think we are peaking too early or it really doesn't matter? I don't think it matters that much, it is nice to get positive results early on, especially during regular season. The real test is the playoffs where every game matters. In those games our maturity will be truly tested. 3. I like the lines and the balanced scoring, thoughts? Promises good things for the playoffs! 4. Do you have any thoughts on line changes you would like the team to try? Increase physicality to toughen up the younger players 5. How is your player playing? As expected or better/worse? Better than expected, I was expecting point per game maybe, but start to the year been well over that pace. 6. Easter Sunday, you looking for eggs and eating chocolate rabbits? I found only regular eggs and they were not free either, not the easter I was looking forward to

How do we know the donations are safe? How do we know where the donations go? SHOW US THE BOOKS!

1. How do you feel about the start to our season? Start has been solid, nice to see we have gotten wins and lines seem to be clicking quite nicely, scoring from all around. 2. Do you feel good about how your player is playing? Alright start, was hoping maybe bit more goals, but I have been more of a playmaking center so far. I have liked my performance on the faceoffs. 3. I feel that we will only get better as the season progresses, do you agree? I think so too, hard work in the practice rink and more games under our belts with the new lines - it will translate to nice things. 4. Do you think we can make a push in the playoffs with our current roster? Yes! We are too talented to miss out. 5. What player on the team has impressed you the most? Syko perhaps, because they changed the settings before the season, I was not sure what to expect, but Syko has been without a doubt a goalie in Moscow this season, Syko got couple shutouts already too. 6. What happened to Davos? Only six players including their goalie? They are at bottom, so we can be at top

When we see a great work of art we are either amazed by what we see or we don't really understand what the big deal is. What we see could inspire thoughts and feelings new to us, our perspectives may shift. But then some might say they can do similar work and even better! I am not a great artist, but I got a taste of what it feels like to be an unappreciated artist whose work is seen as something that can be created again and even worse - improved. Anonymous artist released the following piece: https://imgur.com/p5FD4ZJ (Sound on, sorry never mind, there is no sound) Their work was met with harsh criticism as the piece was not seen worthy of TPE by the gatekeepers of VHL Art Gallery, a showroom where only the finest of works will be showcased. The denial sparked a backlash from the anonymous artist who went on to say they have a "similar skill set" than I do and that the work they created was "inspired" by the piece I created. My work was seen as worthy to be presented in the showroom and I also received TPE for my work. Here is the piece I created: https://imgur.com/a/TCQDtuY (Sound on) On the surface, both of the pieces look similar. Similar like Donald Trump of 2024 and Pamela Anderson of 1995 are running on the beach side by side, both wearing the classic red Baywatch swimsuit. Similar until you open your eyes and ears to see and hear what the two pieces have to say. My piece is like an apple covered in chocolate, honey, and toffee. There are so many layers that you need multiple viewings to even get a whiff of them all. By the time you start to feel exhausted from trying to understand and process what you have just seen, all you can say is: "What the f'ck, I have only now reached the apple". You get a sense of achievement from studying and consuming the piece I have created. When you look at the piece created by the anonymous artist, you are left feeling weary. Similar to a long fart in a crowded bus. You are amazed you get to witness something like that in person, but at some point, you start to think: "When does it stop?". When I look at the piece created by the anonymous artist, I feel proud and a little sad. Just like the music of Marvin Gaye has helped to bring who knows how many new lives into this world, my piece has inspired an anonymous artist to create something that we can all enjoy. That is something I did not expect would happen when I started to plan and draft the outlines of my piece. I am saddened because the anonymous artist is focused on TPE and the approval of the VHL gatekeepers over the fact they have themselves now brought new life into the art world. In my opinion, the piece created by the anonymous artist should be given the TPE, but the TPE should not go to the anonymous artist. The TPE should be shared with everybody in VHL equally. If there are 2000 members in VHL, everybody should be given 0,001 TPE.

Mine had music on it. I had artistic vision, I had a message that can be heard and understood hundreds of years from now. I created a dragon, yours was more like a kitty cat.

Would it be nice if you could get a TPE loan? Picture this, it is Sunday evening and you still need TPE to hit the TPE cap of the week, but you are busy, tired and running out of ideas, what should you do? Tell the wife and kids to be quiet if they are not willing to help as you push through it? But what if there would be an option to loan TPE? For example 6 TPE. You could claim the TPE right away, but you then need to pay it back next week by submitting extra point tasks worth the 6 TPE. If you fail to make the payment next week, for whatever reason, you could get another loan, but this time you need to make a donation to the league as "collateral". If you fail to make the payment after that, your player will be penalized with a 10% TPE cut and your forum profile picture will be a picture of an ass for one month. I think a system like this would help in keeping people active as they still feel like they are earning at a high rate, the league gets a few more donations per season, and we see better players on the sims = more entertainment for everybody as the quality of the product increases.