onoway

something a bit different that's Lego inspired.....

Hi I am an advancing intermediate 2over1 player taking lessons from mcphee and would really like to have someone to practice/play with me the stuff I am learning such as game try relays and so forth. The person I am sharing lessons with already has a regular pard, so I am looking for someone who is at least my level who has a good sense of humour and will cope patiently with my glitches (I will do the same for you) but is relatively serious about their bridge. I can be reached at whistlestop2@hotmail.com Please put something about bridge in the heading so I open it! I will reply to all. I am in north america but my time is quite flexible.

Another option is a can of wasp spray. It has a decent "reach" is easilly found and carried around and will stop almost anyone's enthusiasm for fighting if they get a blast of it in the face. A friend chased off a couple of intruders with oven cleaner spray.. one was screaming about going blind and they both got out of there in a hurry.. but it doesn't have the reach of wasp spray. Either one is legal pretty much anywhere, easy to find, are not dependent on much accuracy of aim and and you don't have to scare your OTHER neighbors by appearing to be carrying guns about.

What is appropriate when dropped into a tourney as a sub? Do you have to assume natural there? What if you and your pard's profile agree?

Probably most team games on BBO are set up on a semi random basis. There are a few such as the Cayne vs and the Gezzers vs and some other private ones which run regularly but akaik there isn't anything much set up otherwise except for Ray's Bridge Ladder, the IAC club and now I think the ACOL club. Occassionally IAC runs non series team games, called Spur of the Moment teams; any club member with or without a pard can play in those. They are not scheduled regularly as they tend to be stressful to organize.:) I dont know of any other club doing this. Anyone can set up a team game as long as they can gather together 8 players. If you want/need help learning how to set them up, give me a shout, I would be happy to do what I can.

Long distance truckers LIVE in their trucks for months at a time sometimes, so it is as much their home as it is their workplace. My understanding is that it was HIS truck, not a company truck, so the possibility of a smoker being forced to share it does not arise. He was treating the truck as his home. Also, if you want to talk about law in Canada, although I am not a lawyer even in remote armchair terms; I have been outraged at the behaviour of the federal government in terms of its behaviour towards the Wheat Board..it has used its clout to prevent the wheat board being legally ABLE to defend itself and gain support for its position at the same time as using taxpayer money to actively campaign against it. The latest word is that the feds are now going to go to try to use some rules outside Canada entirely to force the WB out of existence. This is not because everyone wants it to disappear but because SOME want it to disappear and the present federal government is openly and actively determined it should do so for rather murky reasons...the possibility of it being a unified force to be reckoned with and answered to being the most obvious one. It has to this point been a totally arrogant and arbitrary misuse of power by the federal gov., as polls and letters indicate that the majority of farmers in the prairies want the wheat board to continue at least in some form. But really, who cares what the farmers want? So talking about voting and such as though that's the answer is not necessarilly so. Most situations are complicated, people choose the options which they feel most relevant to them at the time. Other fallout just gets carrried along on the ride.

Regarding smoking..a month or so ago a long distance trucker was stopped in Ontario and given a hefty fine for smoking in his truck as it was "the workplace" although no-one else was travelling in the truck with him. This seems a bit much? A different angle on the health care issue is the use of prescription drugs for healthy adults. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/HeartDiseaseN...tory?id=9353879 The other side of the Hurrah! camp, is that there have also been calls for recall and banning the drug. From Crestor's own site; http://www.crestorrecalls.com/crestor-cont...-to-Remove.html there are a number of Hot Topics which are of interest..one on which is partially quoted below and every page I saw on Crestor ended with this It's a whole new scenario for the drug companies if they can push prescription drugs to healthy people. It will be especially lucrative if they can get the government to pay for them. (assuming there are no lawsuits in the offing for people developing diabetes and kidney failure). According to Crestor's site, Sweden will not because of safety concerns, and two private drug companies in the States also refuse to pay for them. . I guess if a person asks Crestor when they have a problem lawsuits won't become an issue though. :ph34r:

I have no idea if this person is an innocent who got caught inadvertently or not, but it seems more supportive of BBO to give the person the appropriate address to discuss the situation with BBO rather than jumping to conclusions that BBO is wrong when you have heard only one side of the story. In my (very limited) experience, people who have been banned for cause express shock and outrage rather than regret and penitence; they feel that they should be able to behave however they wish and are being treated most unfairly when called on it. Have you never known a child who has been chastised and who ran to the other parent or sometimes a teacher- and complained that mommy or whoever was being mean to them? No matter that they were chastised for beating the baby over the head with a toy truck or running out into the street without looking for traffic. Also, it might well be not only the "good guys" who read these forum threads. I think BBO staff have a very difficult task and the more support we can give them with it the better the site will be for all of us.

Really Tony, I find it very odd that you are in favor of banning kibs because of supposed abuse and then you tell someone in the forums to go get another name so as to get around a BBO ban. Aren't you shooting yourself in the foot. as well as being very unsupportive of BBO's efforts to handle problems? Not that my opinion matters a rat's ass, but I cannot take your comments about problems very seriously when you do this sort of thing.

tonight I announced the start of Hondo's session and I had my sound (voice) turned on. It has never happened before but the announcement went into a sort of continuous loop and repeated about 8 or 9 times..when it finally stopped I asked a kibber how many times she had heard it..she did not have her sound turned on but said it only printed out once. It was most alarming as I saw NO way to stop it. At the same time a lot of my chatlog vanished. and nothing registered until about 10 minutes later when it suddenly all reappeared, without missing anything. About 5 minutes into the session, Hondo had the hands all simply vanish for him..there had been no undo, which is usually the cause; the rest of us could see the hands but he could not. When the hands changed he could see the hands again. Has anyone else had this happen and if so is there anything to be done? The main problem is the audio loop; I really don't want to have a simple announcement start to repeat itself and turn into audio spam. But then, I'm not sure if it did repeat for anyone but me. It also only registered once in my chatlog. (once the chatlog came back I could see that, at the time I couldn't tell)

A couple of links which might be of interest; http://www.csiro.au/news/Alzheimers-breakthrough.html http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/health/r...&pagewanted=all

I was sent this this morning, sorry for the long post but not sure where it came from to give the link xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx As all of North America now seems to be focused on the issue of one terrorist wearing a pair of exploding underwear, I might as well comment on this latest bit of security theater that seems to have transfixed the nation. Pictures of the exploding underwear "bomb" have now surfaced on the 'net. You can view them at ABC News: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/north... Here is exactly what the text on this page says (I'm not making this up, this is seriously true): (warning: Some of the content here is graphic, read at your own risk...) "The first photo, to the left, shows the slightly charred and singed underpants with the bomb packet still in place." I don't know what you think, but if you did an underwear search of all the passengers flying these days, you'd probably find half of them are wearing underwear that's slightly charred and singed with the "bomb packet" still in place. The gastrointestinal health of the general population is atrocious! And by the time you add in some airport food and in-flight processed food snacks, pretty much everyone on the airplane is setting off a little bomb packet by the time they get off the plane. (Why do you think everybody can't wait to get off in such a hurry?) Processed food has turned us all into in-flight terrorists! Frankly, I'm not sure what's more of a threat to public health: Lousy airport security or the digestive effects of in-flight meals. But they both have one thing in common: Underwear... How to explode your rectum without harming anyone nearby The ABC News story mentioned above goes on to state that this terrorist's underwear was packing 80 grams of an explosive powder called PETN, which government tests have revealed can blow a (tiny) hole in the wall of an airplane. This is all brilliant stuff, of course. Truly brilliant. This whole idea that underwear explosives might destroy an airplane all makes sense except for the fact that the terrorist's butt cheeks are in the way! Had this explosive packet actually been set off, I can tell you exactly what would have happened: There would have been a really loud pop, immediately followed by in-flight pieces of exploding butt cheeks. I'm not trying to be funny here. This is a true description of the way bombs work. They explode outward, destroying whatever is closest to them first. And this guy actually had this bomb wedged in between his butt cheeks. A sort of "wedgie bomb", if you will. A wedgie with a bang. This is a serious discussion. There was an attempted assassination of a Middle Eastern prince that happened not long ago. It was even reported in the press. The assassin had somehow managed to shove explosives into his rectum -- I swear I'm not making this up -- and waltzed right through security with it. He then shuffled toward his target, fired off the bomb and subsequently blew his butt cheeks all over the room... without harming anyone else. Brilliant, huh? Think about it. In World War II films, you know how you always see brave soldiers throwing themselves on an enemy grenade to protect their squad buddies? That actually works because whoever is on top of the grenade absorbs the explosion. It's basic physics. In the case of super wedgie terrorist, he's sitting right on top of the explosive powder! Who do you think is going to absorb the full force of the explosion? It's going to be the guy sitting on it. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx the seat cushions would likely be a bit of a mess as well...maybe they should just make everyone ship EVERYTHING and provide clothes to all passengers like muumuus and sandals to wear during the flight sort of the way hospitals have hospital gowns and slippers..might speed things up at the airport ..could give them out when you show your ticket and you get your boarding pass when you give them your shoes and clothes . Combined with a complimentary drink when you gave them your clothes that should do it :)

AH I misunderstood as I took "not sure what long term future if any" to mean that BBO was considering dropping the clubs entirely, and that was what I was moaning anxiously about. It is certainly understandable that you would like to put your efforts into areas used by the majority of your clients first, and also that you would drop clubs in which nobody ever plays. If dropping all the clubs is not on the future agenda then I apologise for misunderstanding. I yell sometimes but I really do appreciate all you and your team have done, It is remarkable and you all have every right to feel a huge sense of pride and accomplishment. Thank you for everything you offer us and the very best wishes for 2010 and beyond to you and to the others on BBO who have worked so hard ; the result of whose efforts have given us so much pleasure (and pain, but that's bridge) over the last few years.

I for one would be extremely disappointed to see the clubs (which are actively being used) go. They are a refuge from the weirdnesses in Main as well as a place to pursue like interests such as the TP or ACOL clubs, and the teaching events which really won't work very well outside. I am told that rubber bridge is not accommodated in the flash version. It seems in some ways BBO is shrinking the variety of options offered and abandoning the less popular aspects. One of the things which I have touted to everyone I know is how BBO accommodates everything bridgey that anyone could possibly want, so there is no need to look elsewhere for anything. It is understandable that the less used areas would not be first in the list of things to work on, but to learn that some may well be dropped entirely is another order of things. It is disappointing that that seems to be what the future holds.

An update: we now have 8 teams playing in the Saturday evening series; 8 teams in the Sunday morning series and 5 teams (with at least one more pending) in the Sunday late afternoon (all NY times) series. More teams are most welcome for the series starting Jan 9. Team registrations accepted until Jan 6 midnight, so we can get the matchups set and posted on website in time to give the teams a day or so to prepare for the teams they will be facing. All the info is on the IAC website http://iac.pigpen.org.uk/ or ask onoway if you want more info.

As has been mentioned before. Ray's Bridge Ladder accommodates teams and they play on BBO. The private IAC club also runs team series, the next one starting on January 9th. We are trying out 3 different times to accommodate members from different parts of the world, and are presently a bit short of teams for the new Sunday afternoon series. People interested in playing are invited to join the club and form a team (doesn't have to be Sunday afternoon though..any of the time slots are open to new teams, but teams wanting the Sunday afternoon slot would be esp welcome). At the moment we have a number of people on the website partnership desk waiting to be invited to form teams, for people who don't have at least 3 other people handy to form a team. We have members from stars (we have been privileged to have Richie Reisig play in the teams from time to time) to intermediates so teams may face any combination of opps. Many of the teams have found themselves an expert; some teachers use review of the games later as teaching material with their students, which we think is a great idea. We are best suited to people who are comfortable playing whoever they may face with courtesy. Discourtesy is regarded with extreme displeasure and appropriate reaction. :) As a result, the teams tend to enjoy the games even when the bridge gods don't smile on them. Our session times are fixed; so planning for the games is easier for the teams. Anyone who wants to find out more may go to our website http://iac.pigpen.org.uk/ or leave a BBO message for onoway.

Inquiry Reisig Fred Uday Tootsie215 stabs in the dark..rooting for you all!

I didn't see the original post so these comments are in response to the previous posts, rather than to the one which was actually deleted. When I was in Mexico some years ago a driver moved over on a narrow dusty road to let me by. I went past and beeped what in MY part of the world is recognized as a cheerful thanks. Two Mexican friends instantly collapsed in howls of laughter and told me I had better step on the gas..what I had just said in the beeps was highly insulting and involved his mother. It isn't easy trying to balance communication between cultures and I strongly disagee it is up to anyone to " grow thicker skins and get over it". That implies that abusive behaviour is acceptable. It also seems to me to be a very arrogant attitude, especially given the multicultural nature of BBO. I for one, do NOT want to see abuse, and I would hate to see the forums degenerate to the level of the trolls on the internet. It's a slippery slope. The moderators do a very good job and I appreciate the efforts they make to keep the forums , like BBO itself, a place where everyone may feel welcome.

went back and tried again..It seems to me that the main differences between the Windows version and the new web version reflects, in many ways, a different point of view. The windows version seems much more people and the webversion much more computer oriented. The Window version seem much more to reflect the way people actually interact with 'real" life and the web version is a much more "industrial " in atmosphere. . For example: I absolutely HATE not knowing who is in the kib box with me, just as I would hate being in a totally black room, unable to see anything, but knowing there were other people in the room. If (in the Windows version)someone is invisible they are invisible UNLESS they are in the same space as you are, again just as if they were actually in or out of the room. The Web client they are invisible all the time but if you try to message them all of a sudden there they are. Sort of. So what is the point of having an invisible option when anyone anywhere on BBO can find you? I did like being able to adjust the size of the screen. I really dislike the new Chat setup. It seems much less efficient in terms of the use of space than the Windows version and I find it much harder to read. Also there seems to be no "cancel" button so if you have second thoughts about something you wanted to send,(say the teacher just answered the question you were about to ask) or if the person logged off before you send the message, what are you supposed to do? Also it is slightly confusing to have some chat in the profile box and then have to chase the conversation down to the chat area. It's nice to have the chatline moveable so as to see better what you are typing ..can't do that in the webversion. The webversion chat area also seems to imply you had best say what you have to say and shut up. It's also reflected in that you cannot just go to "the club" You have to go to a table in the club. and if the tables are full you will be challenged.."there are no empty tables"..you will eventually be allowed to proceed if you jump through a couple more hoops =so show me the full tables =take me to this one but it is very robotic/cold/unfriendly way to treat people. I found getting around in general was cumbersome. Everything is so precise and specific and the set up is definitely discouraging of any sort of the delightful meandering available in the Windows version, with wonderful treats to be found in all the nooks and crannies. You cannot really go anywhere unless you know precisely where you want to go. Again, not at all the way most people are, in social situations. It's different in a business setup where everything is supposed to be maximally efficient, but I venture to guess that is not what most people are looking for in their leisure activities. It's unlikely to be in any way measurable, but I would really like to know how many of the chronic troublemakers are using the webclient and how many using the Windows version. I would hazard a guess that most of them are using the webversion. It is so much more impersonal..it'd be like some people would never dream of stealing from their neighbor's house but the chain store down the street is fair game. I know you have all worked really hard on this; it just seems sad that in my opinion, so much of what made BBO such a welcoming place seems to be difficult or impossible to translate into the web version.

Was the lady drunk?

Should this thread be in a more commonly visited forum to get a better crossection of replies? If BBO developed a premium membership then there would have to be enough people using the PM area to make it worth while. This could be a kicker at first unless BBO had some real goodies to offer which were not available now in other areas, at least for free. Seems that many bridge players are a bit tight fisted for whatever reason. However..part of the offer could be a real level designation for private members eyes only. Abandon false advertising, all ye who enter here! It comes up enough in the forums that alone should get a bunch of people hurrying to sign up. (The fact that nobody has figured out how to do that yet is immaterial at this stage of the game.) :( I think the idea of Premium Memberships has potential.

I didn't think of that. well actually I didnt know that. I thought they were in some way connected to your computer. In that case it is indeed a puzzlement and you and your staff have my sympathy

In that case, is it possibly time to take a page out of the internet marketers' bag of tricks and ask people to "opt in"? Opting in doesn't mean you have to charge them anything, it just means that their email address is on file. Since you don't require people to have even the country they are from on their profile this doesn't seem to be too much to ask. Perhaps if people didn't opt in they could still come into BBO but would be unable to join tourneys or teams or participate fully in what BBO offers. That should help somewhat in the problems with those events, perhaps? Certainly some of these marketers speak of having several hundred thousand people on their various "lists" and they have programs to snag people from being repeat "opt-inners". It seems as though it might be easier to set the stage when people come into BBO then try to deal with them after..you are always playing catch up. After all, you don't invite strangers from the street to come into your house and enjoy your hospitality without even asking their name, generally.

Excluding new members will keep the jerks from rejoining but it ALSO keeps perfectly well behaved and decent people from joining. I am wondering what the rationale is for allowing unlimited user names? Esp. since in at least the Windows version people can log on invisible and the program won't "blow their cover". Why in the world would anyone need even TEN names, much less more? If people were limited to 2 or 3 names, with exceptions made for special circumstances by arrangement directly with BBO management, I believe that after a brief flurry of activity you would find the misbehaviour would diminish and what there was would be easier to deal with. If the computer program was set to allow only 2 or 3 names and to reject as "bad user name" any other names from that computer, it should be easy then to flag and redirect to the junk file anything which came from the computer of a "3 strikes and you are out" habitual offender. I don't know how BBO deals with these people now but it must be a dreary chore to be dealing with the same antisocial idiots over and over again. If it is a marketting thing..BBO wants to be able to say it has 2 million members when it really has only 200 000 (which in itself is amazing for a site concerned only with bridge) I would think in the long term that would be self defeating. Advertisers will not be getting the returns they would reasonably expect from a population of 2 million, if that 2 million is indeed a smoke and mirrors number and the membership is really only 10% of that. I really would be astonished if most people really had 10 user names, though. It may be easier to let people simply make up a new name and password than deal with people who have forgotton their password (but the automatic login works very well) but I think it has ricocheted and caused many more problems than it solved.

I think saying BBO is brought into disrepute is a bit bizarre frankly. It's not BBO's fault that there are human cockroaches in the world and some of them find their way here. Also, not sure what you mean by "meaningful results". I suspect the reason that most people don't get into the paid tourneys to the same extent as free ones, is that "meaningful results" are not on the top of their list of priorities. Tourneys mean that for at least x many hands you can count on a full table usually without long/constant delays waiting for yet another opp.The free tourneys often have a degree of socializing involved, and sometimes music is offered. It's fun to see how the results stack up but really not anything you can count on to mean anything, no matter how big the free tourney is. As I see it, the answer for players is to join clubs and simply play in the club or club tournaments. When they are looking for a game and no suitable free tourney is scheduled they have two options..play in a "real" (paid for) tourney and give BBO some support for all they get for free, or take their chances playing at a table somewhere. If that makes them appreciate the club tourneys more it can only be a good thing as then they will be inclined not only to behave themselves but tend to be protective of the club as well. Sometimes cockroaches even start to behave themselves when taken to task at the TIME for misbehaving. Sometimes instant feedback from the other players will do an amazing job of socializing the brute. Others are going to remain a problem until they find themselves bored with having to think up new names just to come into BBO to get kicked off yet once again.