Lately, when I go to bed, I play Chinese poker on my iPhone until I get drowsy. At one point I was up $14 on my “computer genius” opponent. And then I went on a 2-night losing streak that left me down $70. I’d like to point out that (a) I was playing against a telephone and (b) the money involved was not real. Still, I got so frustrated, and so exquisitely angry, that I toyed with the idea of throwing my phone against the wall. And then grabbing a hammer and smashing the pieces into much, much smaller pieces.

I should say that I only toyed with the idea. I never cocked my arm and took aim. I love my iPhone. Really. And I don’t consider myself a violent person. It’s just that occasionally I have the urge to beat the everlovin’ crap out of smiley computer-generated pixies and impersonal digital interfaces.

Maybe I shouldn’t announce that I’m working on improvements in the AI bot. I don’t think it surrenders enough. I also think it can play better with lowball and royalty options turned on. I’m glad you are playing the game and find it challenging.