Think Forward.

Cultivating an environment that welcomes ideas spontaneously. 13373

GiAN[T]S, 1 y.

- Lifestyle -

3.4 min read.

TL;DR: Ideas used to frequently pull me away from reality, to the detriment of my relationship with those around me. I learned to communicate my intention based on my need to write down my ideas spontanously, and invited my family to criticize it while still maintaining that it would happen. This gave them more control over the situation and dissolved all tension and frustration. Now they actively contribute to the process and my ideas coalesce more naturally into finished projects. ----Ideas are slippery and sneaky creatures if you allow them to be An unfortunate element of my reality is that I tend to have my best ideas in the worst possible moments for having ideas. My mind does its creative boogaloo when my body runs on auto-pilot. Examples of this include, but are not limited to: showering, driving, kids' bedtime, and eating any meal of the day. This is a two part problem, since ideas tend to come and go very quickly. They pass through my mind almost as if trying to avoid being detected, all while being the center of attention. Like mobs in a Tower Defense game. So by the time I get my body off of cruise-control, I'm already focusing on moving on to the next thing and the idea successfully evaded me. The bonus third part of this two-part problem (and really the main reason that any of this situation is even a problem) is that I simply can't recall my ideas when I make time to be with them. Song lyrics, image rough sketches, game concepts, ideas for youtube videos on one of my multiple channels, clarifications and improvements for existing rules in games I already made, philosophical concepts and random epiphanies (I'm a big fan of r/showerThoughts)... Just so many mind-blowing things, and they disappear into the obscure corners of my mind as soon as I get around to writing them down. ----Moving on though, I've had to find ways to work with myself as opposed to against myself, but it took me quite long to realize that I'm not the only factor in this equation. My immediate environment (and the people in it) being the other major factor, and I ended up experimenting a lot with what degree of influence I have over said environment to cater to the randomness of my brain. Believe me, I tried lots of different ways to get this to work with low-to-moderate amounts of success, which isn't enough. Too many ideas leak through, only to come back in the next wave during the while I'm at work, or when I'm trying to get to sleep, or meditating. Cutting to the chase a bit: the best solution that I've found is to simply observe the impulsive and spontaneous nature of my mind, and accommodate it as such. Solutions come by themselves after that crucial first step: - I have one of those classic "Ideas" notebooks, with bookmarks and categories that I carry around with me semi-constantly. - I record myself on my phone when I can't stop to write, I setup it up so I can begin recording in one-touch. - I have specific moments planned in my week dedicated to keeping things organized and transcribing my recordings. - The most important one: I have been very transparent about everything to my partner and kids, and openly invited them to criticize my spontaneous scribbling notes at the dinner table, and sudden my interruptions when they are talking to me. ----Let's unpack that last one, because it is rooted in one of the main blockers for this sort of thing. What makes this a blocker is my tendency to obsess over the objects of my passions and interests (yet another mind-goblin I had to wrestle with before ultimately accepting as a part of me). It took me lots of mental gymnastics to admit in a self-accepting way that I tend to think "screw the rest, THIS is the most important thing right now" and just mentally disappear from reality, resulting in the stereotypical "zoned-out dad at the dinner table". I don't want to fit into any stereotypes, so I was quick to force myself to stay locked in on reality, which ultimately made me shake off lots of ideas and thoughts that were important to me, that I can't simply recall when I have time for them. The first time I tried to regularly allow my spontaneous ideas to freely claim my full attention, I ended up being frequently and suddenly unresponsive, unavailable, and overall kind of an a-hole. So I made the obvious ego-centric mistake of prioritizing my own head-space above my IRL living-space and its well-being, which incidentally includes my favorite humans. I hate making obvious mistakes and falling into obvious traps. Felt_bad_man.jpg ----"Stop trying to control everything and just let go. LET GO." Ultimately, what helped was my ability to communicate my intention based on my need and, the most super important element of this recipe, invited my family to criticize it while still maintaining that it would happen. This gave them a fair amount of control, which in turn let them let me do my thing, lovable bunch that they are. The end result of all this, now that it's more comfortably established, is that my ideas have a place to call home in my notebook, and the guilt and frustration of "mentally disappearing" are no longer present. My family even helps me sometimes by hitting "record" when I'm driving, and sometimes we discuss my ideas and they help move things forward or connect dots. This is a great feeling for me personally, to be able to connect with them on this matter which initially I thought was something that was initially isolating and segregating. But more generally speaking, my ideas now tend to mingle amongst themselves in my brain and in my notebook, as opposed to dodging each other or arguing for the spotlight like they used to, and they coalesce into greater concepts and better games. There is a bit of a wholesome full circle thing going on that I haven't quite put my finger on, but it's definitely there. Cultivate your environment to spontaneously welcome your ideas, and include the people in your life in the process, and you'll enter a new paradigm.

GiANTS Game Philosophy

I've been creating games for my kids for over 7 years, and turning boring workouts into games for clients for 15+ years. On this platform I'll share my observations on the nature of all types of games, to document the mentality behind making genuinely interesting and fun games, all in an attempt to make it more accessible for anyone to make games, for kids or in general.

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Football: When Passion Kills the Game in Impunity and Tolerance.. 497

Aziz Daouda, 2 d.

- Society - Sports -

2.7 min read.

Football (Soccer for Americans) is first and foremost a matter of emotions. By its very essence, it is an open-air theater where human passions play out in their rawest, most primal form. It generates joy, anger, pride, humiliation, and a sense of belonging. From the stands of Camp Nou to those of the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, through the fervor of the Mohamed V sport Complex in Casablanca, the vibrant enclosures of Stade Léopold Sédar Senghor in Dakar, or even the Parc des Princes in Paris, the Vélodrome In Marseille, and the Bernabeu In Madrid, football transcends the mere framework of the game to become a total social phenomenon. But this emotional intensity, which makes football's beauty, also constitutes its danger. For without rigorous regulation, it quickly tips into excess, then into violence. Today, it must be acknowledged that the rules exist, but they are too often circumvented, stripped of their substance, or applied with disconcerting leniency. On the pitches as in the stands, excesses are multiplying: insults toward referees, provocations between players, systematic challenges, physical violence, projectile throwing, pitch invasions, xenophobic remarks, racist offenses. What was once the exception is tending to become a tolerated norm. Astonishingly, we are starting to get used to it. Recent examples are telling. In Spain, in stadiums renowned for their football culture, racist chants continue to be belted out without shame, targeting players like Vinícius Júnior. Most recently, it was the Muslim community that was insulted. And yet, Spain's current football prodigy is Muslim. An overheated crowd that has doubtless forgotten it wasn't so long ago that it was Muslim itself. Among those chanting these remarks, and without a doubt, some still carry the genes of that recent past... In Dakar, just a few days ago, clashes escalated, turning a sports celebration into a scene of chaos. In Italy, incidents involving supporters who invaded the pitch, during a friendly match, no less, endangered players and officials, recalling the dark hours of European hooliganism in the 1980s. These episodes are not isolated; they reflect a worrying normalization of violence in and around stadiums. Even at the highest level of African football, behavioral excesses are becoming problematic. The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final left a bitter taste. What should have been a moment of celebration for continental football was marred by behaviors contrary to sporting ethics. Pressures on refereeing, excessive challenges, and game interruptions have become commonplace. When a coach manipulates a match's rhythm to influence a refereeing decision, it is no longer strategy but a challenge to the very foundations of the sport. Despite international outrage, the sanctions imposed on teams, clubs, or players involved remain often symbolic, insufficient to eradicate these behaviors. A very surprising phenomenon: rarely have clubs or federations clearly distanced themselves from such crowds. They accommodate them, and when they condemn them, it is half-heartedly, in a muffled, timid tone with no effect. The problem is twofold. On one hand, disciplinary regulations exist but lack firmness. On the other, their application suffers from a lack of consistency and political courage. Bodies like FIFA, continental confederations, and national federations hesitate to impose truly dissuasive sanctions such as point deductions, prolonged closed-door matches, competition exclusions, or even administrative relegations. Yet without fear of sanction, the rule loses all effectiveness. It suffices to compare with other sports to measure the gap. In rugby, for example, respect for the referee is a cardinal value. The slightest challenge is immediately sanctioned. In athletics, a false start leads to immediate disqualification, no discussion. Football, meanwhile, still tolerates too many behaviors that should be unacceptable. This permissiveness has a cost. It undermines football's image, discourages some families from attending stadiums, and endangers the safety of the game's actors. More gravely, it paves the way for future tragedies. History has already taught us, through catastrophes like the Heysel Stadium disaster, that violence in stadiums can have tragic consequences. It is therefore urgent to react. Regulating football does not mean killing its soul, but rather preserving it. It is not about extinguishing passions, but channeling them. This requires strong measures, exemplary sanctions against offending clubs and players, accountability for national federations, increased use of technology to identify troublemakers, and above all, a clear political will from national and international governing bodies. Football cannot continue to be this "market of emotion" left to its own devices. For by tolerating the intolerable, it risks losing what makes its greatness and its ability to unite rather than divide. If FIFA does not decide to act firmly, the danger is real: that of seeing football sink into a spiral where violence triumphs over the game, and where, one day, tragedies exceed the mere framework of sport. The long-awaited decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the 2025 AFCON final case should confirm rigor and integrity in the application of rules, at least at this level, thereby strengthening the credibility of the pan-African competition and football in general.

April 2026 or the Certain Confirmation of the Moroccan Victory... 692

Aziz Daouda, 3 d.

- World Politics - History -

3 min read.

We are entering a decisive month of April. The international dynamic is shifting even further in Morocco's favor on the Sahara issue. April once again promises to be a pivotal moment in the international handling of the Moroccan Sahara question. This structuring diplomatic ritual corresponds to the presentation of the annual report by the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy to the Security Council. But this year, the context is profoundly different. The lines have shifted, balances have been redrawn, and a new dynamic is taking hold, clearly favorable to Morocco, a logical follow-up to the adoption of Resolution 2797, with strong structuring potential. The adoption of this resolution marks an essential milestone. It goes beyond simply renewing the existing framework. It consolidates a political direction initiated over several years, by enshrining the preeminence of a realistic, pragmatic, and sustainable political solution, centered exclusively on the Moroccan autonomy initiative. This resolution fits into a strategic continuity that progressively marginalizes unrealistic options, those that long relied on outdated or inapplicable references in the current geopolitical context. It also increases pressure on the parties to engage in a credible political process under the exclusive auspices of the United Nations, but in reality under strong American pressure. The United States has directly engaged in favor of the Kingdom, with the return of roundtables in Madrid and then Washington as key pivots. These meetings have confirmed a diplomatic reality that is now hard to contest. The format of the gatherings, including Morocco, Mauritania, the Polisario Front, and Algeria despite itself, is the only relevant framework for progress. It implicitly enshrines Algeria's central role, long eager to present itself as a mere observer. Its active participation, even forced, places it at the heart of the dispute, profoundly altering the reading of the conflict and redistributing political responsibilities. Madrid and Washington are not insignificant venues. They reflect the growing involvement of Western powers in seeking a resolution, with increasing convergence around the Moroccan proposal. One of the expected developments this month concerns the future of MINURSO. The time has come to redefine the mission. From its inception, it has never fulfilled the role for which it was established. A major evolution is likely emerging in support of implementing autonomy in the southern provinces within the framework of the Kingdom's sovereignty. Long confined to monitoring the ceasefire, the mission will see its name change and its mandate evolve to adapt to on-the-ground realities and the demands of a renewed political process. Such a change would be highly significant. It would mark the end of UN inertia and reflect the international community's will to move from managing the status quo to an active and definitive resolution logic. Much to the dismay of those who, for 50 years, have done everything to perpetuate the conflict through their proxy; the latter is increasingly suffering from the shifting landscape. Washington has toughened its tone and put the Polisario in its sights. Algeria is evidently feeling the effects. The introduction in the US Congress of a proposal to designate the Polisario as a terrorist organization represents a potentially major turning point. If successful, such a designation would have considerable political, financial, and diplomatic consequences. It would further isolate the movement, weaken its supporters, and reshape the balance of power. Above all, it would reinforce the security reading of the dossier, in a Sahel-Saharan context marked by rising transnational threats. This adds to a Security Council increasingly aligned with the Moroccan position. The Council's current composition clearly leans in favor of Moroccan positions. Several influential members explicitly or implicitly support the autonomy initiative, seen as the most serious and credible basis for settlement. This shift is no accident. It results from active, coherent, and consistent Moroccan diplomacy, which has successfully embedded the Sahara issue within logics of regional stability, counter-terrorism, and economic development. Algeria, for its part, faces its contradictions. In this context, the Algerian regime appears increasingly beleaguered. Its positioning, long structured around ideological rhetoric and systematic opposition to Morocco, now seems out of step with international system evolutions. Algiers' relative diplomatic isolation, including in its Sahelian environment, contrasts with its regional ambitions. Internally, economic and social challenges exacerbate tensions in a country with considerable resources but unevenly distributed benefits. Algerian populations suffer from much injustice and lack the essentials. The Sahara issue, instrumentalized for decades as a lever for foreign policy and internal cohesion, thus reveals the limits of a politically exhausted model. The trend thus confirms a historic turning point depriving the Algerian regime of its artificial political rent. All elements converge toward one conclusion: April 2026 could mark a decisive step in the evolution of the Moroccan Sahara dossier. Without prejudging an immediate outcome, current dynamics are progressively narrowing the space for blocking positions. More than ever, resolving this conflict seems to hinge on recognizing geopolitical realities and adhering to a pragmatic political solution. In this perspective, Morocco appears in a position of strength, bolstered by growing legitimacy and increasingly assertive international support. The question remains whether other actors, particularly Algeria, will adapt to this new reality or choose to oppose it at the risk of greater isolation in a world where balances of power evolve rapidly. There will undoubtedly be a before and after April 2026, and above all, the consolidation of a Moroccan position oriented toward further development of the southern provinces. The Security Council's output is awaited in this direction.