[HN Gopher] The insides of pro bowling balls (2020)
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       The insides of pro bowling balls (2020)
        
       Author : throwup238
       Score  : 22 points
       Date   : 2024-01-20 19:16 UTC (3 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.popsci.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.popsci.com)
        
       | Tronno wrote:
       | More interesting as advertising gimmickry than physics.
        
       | eiiot wrote:
       | Derek from Veritasium has a decent video on this topic that seems
       | to be less corporate: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aFPJf-wKTd0
        
       | sharkweek wrote:
       | For as hyperbolic as a headline can be, this was honestly pretty
       | wild!
       | 
       | I had absolutely no idea bowling balls were anything other than
       | solid pieces of... whatever material they are on the surface.
        
         | Aloha wrote:
         | Largely same - I wonder if such complexly engineered balls is
         | why bowling has a falloff in popularity as a pro sport. The
         | difference in how good two pro bowlers are is often fractions
         | of a percent. Maybe a step back in technology would make the
         | sport more interesting.
        
       | aridiculous wrote:
       | Seems to me like bowling rules could use an update. When every
       | pro is so good that they are just competing on mental focus, the
       | nature of the ball, and slight environmental factors like the
       | changing slickness of the wood, it has ceased to become
       | compelling competition. I'd love to see some kind of dynamic
       | interaction between the players: e.g. if you hit your 3 pin, it
       | gets added to the opposing player. Something like that.
       | 
       | I suppose this goes for all sports of this kind where the players
       | actions don't affect each other.
        
         | suprjami wrote:
         | I'm not sure the general public are ready for Bowling meets
         | Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo but I like the idea.
        
           | throwup238 wrote:
           | I was thinking something more like Thunderdome with audience
           | participation.
           | 
           | Two men enter, no one leaves.
        
         | heads wrote:
         | > _just competing on mental focus_
         | 
         | Ahem: snooker, darts, golf, test match cricket, tennis. To
         | varying degrees with these sports, at the top tier, mastery of
         | the skill is merely the table stakes. The winners are the ones
         | who can do so under immense pressure.
        
           | Aloha wrote:
           | The difference in how good two pro bowlers are is often
           | fractions of a percent.
           | 
           | Maybe a step back in technology would make the sport more
           | interesting.
           | 
           | I think that can be said for a bunch of stuff like pool,
           | snooker, darts, golf, and bowling.
        
             | dmoy wrote:
             | Add most ISSF bullseye rifle to that list.
             | 
             | (Not to knock the people who do that vs less high tech
             | bullseye disciples, because they're also definitely better
             | - they clean house in the lower tech competitions too)
             | 
             | I'm reminded of an excerpt from Ian Banks culture series,
             | the game player one (player of games?). Really good _games_
             | need some element of random, not just pure skill+gear.
        
               | dmoy wrote:
               | ISSF is trying to gamify the finals for bullseye
               | competitions, and it's... well it's a thing. Idk if it's
               | good, but it's probably more entertaining for the
               | bundesliga cheering people
        
       | dang wrote:
       | Related:
       | 
       |  _The insides of pro bowling balls_ -
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28073317 - Aug 2021 (50
       | comments)
       | 
       | I don't know how 'pro' they are, but also:
       | 
       |  _How Bowling Balls Are Made [video]_ -
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35581792 - April 2023 (14
       | comments)
       | 
       |  _One man's journey to the center of the bowling ball_ -
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27324564 - May 2021 (14
       | comments)
        
       | dist-epoch wrote:
       | I can't wait for a cheating scandal where the balls are "active"
       | and a computer inside steers it.
        
         | shagie wrote:
         | World's First Automatic Strike Bowling Ball (Mark Rober) in
         | 2019 ... https://youtu.be/wM5NHC97JBw
         | 
         | Building Mark Rober's Bowling Ball (James Bruton) ...
         | https://youtu.be/eI33iAXcEYA
        
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