cell phone policy

[helene_t]

I know that for people who are emergency workers, on call, or their mother is deathly ill etc... They can give their cell phone to the director and the director will keep it with him/her for the duration of the session, and letting the player know if it rings

I think the director is busy enough without having to watch tens of phones that constantly ring with friends wanting to chat about football results and society gossip. Just give the phone number of the venue to those who might need to make an urgent call. Heck, if it is really urgent they will find out themselves as long as you have told them what event you are playing. It used to happen in the pre-cell phone days that a hotel clerk would come to the conference room and say that there is a urgent call for mr Smith.

[TimG]

I know that for people who are emergency workers, on call, or their mother is deathly ill etc... They can give their cell phone to the director and the director will keep it with him/her for the duration of the session, and letting the player know if it rings

I think the director is busy enough without having to watch tens of phones that constantly ring with friends wanting to chat about football results and society gossip. Just give the phone number of the venue to those who might need to make an urgent call. Heck, if it is really urgent they will find out themselves as long as you have told them what event you are playing.

Perhaps emergency contact numbers should be published on tournament fliers. It's not always as easy as leaving the hotel number, especially when the playing site is a convention center attached to a hotel.

 

But, I agree with you in principle: there are ways to contact someone in the case of a real emergency that do not involve cell phones.

 

In the event of Richard's IT professionals, I expect they can have a pager dedicated to true emergencies to be left at a director's station. For those of you who think the director should not be bothered with this, consider that in the case of a real emergency the player will not be able to finish the session, so the director will have to get involved anyway. If the pager is going off for matters that do not require immediate attention and the player cannot delay knowing about these pages until after the session (or at a designated break if permitted), then it is my opinion that the player should not be playing.

[H_KARLUK]

Foresight please. There are scheduled squads and shifts. Also support forces. Levels of admins authorised to form a crisis management center, co-workers. Even those sometimes not enough. Neighbor state/s help highly appreciated depends th size of ind/multiple case/s.

 

Simply, is a dog "catcher" also licensed specialist to control elephant/s or snake/s or monkey/s or lion/s or tiger/s or bear/s etc. accidentally escaped cage/s in Zoo running uncontrolled in streets & gardens? Perhaps you quickly read only 1st line "Animal control officers", ignored next items & pages and sorry misevaluated or underestimated. In this age frontline protection is a must, noone has th luxury to miss a second. It's not easy to train and keep under best performance such experienced, skilled personnel 24 hours.

Believe me, it is easier to issue electronic call of duties rather than trying to drive in traffic jam.

Public safety also serve to maintain control for maximum chaos situtations.

Yes to child care service but no to communication center service at bridge venue ?

 

I think forming plans B, C is rationale versus surprises of life. Anything is possible anytime. Th matter is you are ready and firm or not in time when unexpected things happen.

[IdiotVig]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Safety

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The#The

[gwnn]

LOL

[TimG]

Simply, is a dog "catcher" also licensed specialist to control elephant/s, snake/s, monkey/s, lion/s, tiger/s, bear/s etc. accidentally escaped cage/s in Zoo running uncontrolled in streets & gardens?

You're trying to tell me that there is a zoo in Houston that houses lions and tigers and bears (oh my) and that a single bridge player will be critical to the capture in the case of an escape?

Perhaps you quickly read only 1st line "Animal control officers", ignored next items & pages and sorry misevaluated or underestimated.

If I had ignored the rest of the article, I would not have mentioned firemen and ambulance drivers.

 

I thought I was being kind not to mention prosecutors, utility inspectors, and parking enforcement officers. But, if you'd like to go through the list and explain to me how an emergency might arise that would require the immediate contact of these people, please feel free.

 

I'm having a real hard time thinking up an emergency for the parking enforcement officer. I'm looking forward to reading your scenario.

[H_KARLUK]

Pager

Indispensable

Public safety

 

I am not surprised they are unusual words in daily life for many people.

[JoAnneM]

My son (who is not a bridge player) is an IT person at CALpers and is required to wear his pager and have his blackberry available 24/7. My daughter-in-law who is product manager for iTunes is required to be reachable by "guess what" 24/7.

 

There you have two. I can think of all kinds of situations and jobs where some of us may not think people are indespensible, but their companies do.

[TimG]

My son (who is not a bridge player) is an IT person at CALpers and is required to wear his pager and have his blackberry available 24/7. My daughter-in-law who is product manager for iTunes is required to be reachable by "guess what" 24/7.

 

There you have two. I can think of all kinds of situations and jobs where some of us may not think people are indespensible, but their companies do.

This may not be popular, but if an individual is required to have a powered up cell phone on their person 24/7, then I don't think they should be playing in the Spingold.

[matmat]

This may not be popular, but if an individual is required to have a powered up cell phone on their person 24/7, then I don't think they should be playing in the Spingold.

again, bull$**t

[awm]

During Houston nationals, my grandmother passed away unexpectedly.

 

If I had not had my cell phone, I would not have found out about this in a timely manner. I would not have been able to book a short-notice flight for the funeral. I would not have been able to inform my partner of what was going on in time for him to find a replacement to play in the national swiss.

 

Now, perhaps a "checked" cell phone would have sufficed for these purposes, since all the calls mentioned occurred between sessions. But given the problems others have had with the checking process, there is no guarantee that checking my phone would've allowed me to retrieve it quickly after the session. I doubt I'm unusual in preferring not to give my $200 phone (with oodles of personal information on it) to someone I don't particularly trust, who may simply disappear between sessions... and pay for the privilege. And I view demands that I do so as an accusation of cheating.

[TimG]

This may not be popular, but if an individual is required to have a powered up cell phone on their person 24/7, then I don't think they should be playing in the Spingold.

again, bull$**t

You mean it is a popular point of view?

[TimG]

During Houston nationals, my grandmother passed away unexpectedly.

 

If I had not had my cell phone, I would not have found out about this in a timely manner. I would not have been able to book a short-notice flight for the funeral. I would not have been able to inform my partner of what was going on in time for him to find a replacement to play in the national swiss.

 

Please do not take this as being insensitive to your situation. But, I find it difficult to imagine that 2-3 hours difference in notification (if the call had come during a session rather than between sessions) would have made a significant difference to your being able to book a flight or ability to inform your teammates of the situation.

 

BTW, 6 years ago, I received news while I was at an NABC that caused me to cut short my stay and return home (by plane) early. I received the news upon returning to my hotel room after a playing session and checking phone messages. So, my view is not based upon thinking that such situations cannot arise.

 

I think we just disagree on whether instant notification is a necessity or a convenience.

 

And I view demands that I do so as an accusation of cheating.

Do you also view the use of bidding boxes as an accusation of cheating?

 

I am opposed to the cell phone ban. I think cell phones (and pagers, etc.) should be off during a session, but I have no problem with anyone possessing one in the playing area. (I do think there should be enforced penalties when cell phones are found to be on.) But, I think reasons such as "they're accusing me of cheating" and "family needs to be able to contact me immediately should someone pass away" are rather weak.

[JoAnneM]

Then you are saying bridge is only for the retired (old people) or independently wealthy, but not for the gainfully employed (except for bridge pros). That is very elitest.

[awm]

I think what a lot of people misunderstand is that some of us stay in a different hotel from the playing site. This makes "leaving the phone in your room" extremely impractical. It also makes receiving messages impractical -- by the time I get back to my hotel room it will be after both sessions, and will often be past midnight, so any call I might've received cannot be easily returned. My flight reservation was made between sessions using Expedia via my phone and was for 6:20 AM the next morning; this would have been essentially impossible otherwise and there is no particular reason to think that any tickets would have been available seven hours later when I returned to my hotel after the evening session.

 

The stated reason for the phone ban is "to prevent cheating." So the implication is that people with cell phones are cheaters, or that enough of them are that we need to ban these devices. Especially considering that there are many other methods of cheating which the ACBL does not make any effort to prevent (people discussing hands during smoking breaks, people wearing hearing aids w/o a medical disability to hear what happens at other tables, people arriving late and looking at the hands as they are being duplicated, people taking inference from partner's facial expressions, people taking performance-enhancing drugs, etc) I feel there is a strong implication that young people with phones are less ethical than the bridge population as a whole (since we trust everyone else not to cheat when the opportunity arises). So yes, I think this ban is an accusation of cheating.

 

Bid boxes are applied equally to everyone, and do not particularly inconvenience anyone except the blind who are allowed to bid without them. In contrast, this phone business has a lot more effect on young people, who are more likely to have phones and also more likely to have jobs where they need to be contacted on short notice. And there is no exception for doctors or people expecting some emergency call to have their phones.

[helene_t]

Bid boxes are applied equally to everyone, and do not particularly inconvenience anyone except the blind who are allowed to bid without them. In contrast, this phone business has a lot more effect on young people[....]

More importantly, bidding boxes serve to prevent the accidental transmission of UI (as well as to prevent uncertainty about what call was actually made). It is perfectly consistent to insist on the use of bidding boxes and at the same time trust players not to cheat.

[jdonn]

Bid boxes are applied equally to everyone, and do not particularly inconvenience anyone except the blind who are allowed to bid without them. In contrast, this phone business has a lot more effect on young people[....]

More importantly, bidding boxes serve to prevent the accidental transmission of UI (as well as to prevent uncertainty about what call was actually made). It is perfectly consistent to insist on the use of bidding boxes and at the same time trust players not to cheat.

And bidding boxes are a convenience anyway, allowing any player to easily see the entire auction. I mean that comparison wasn't even apples and oranges, it was apples and... tubas?

 

Tim I think almost everything you have said in this thread is, to put it kindly, baloney.

[matmat]

But, I think reasons such as "they're accusing me of cheating" and "family needs to be able to contact me immediately should someone pass away" are rather weak.

How about : "my pet hamster got hit by a skateboarded and is on life support at the local vet clinic. It has 2 hours to live."

 

if i get this 4 hours after the session (when these good folks finally stroll in to return the cell phones) it will be too late.

[TimG]

Sorry to have riled some folks. I live in a world where I am frequently "unreachable" for hours at a time and I think nothing of it. I'm relatively young (at 41) in the bridge world, but old enough to remember that people seemed to cope just fine before cell phones even if it did take some extra effort.

 

I will bow out of the discussion now with the firm understanding that my views are those of a tiny minority (perhaps as small as one) of forum posters.

 

Tim

(Who you may be surprised to learn lives in a household with no land line!)

[awm]

I'm relatively young (at 41) in the bridge world, but old enough to remember that people seemed to cope just fine before cell phones even if it did take some extra effort.

I just don't get this line of reasoning, which I have seen from many people other than Tim, including a number of letters to the ACBL bulletin.

 

The list of things that people "seemed to cope just fine before" is long and varied. To give just a few, all of which potentially help people play bridge better than they would otherwise and all of which are allowed to players even during a session:

 

Hearing aids

Halogen lamps

Coffee

Cigarettes

Indoor plumbing

 

No one suggests that just because people "seemed to cope just fine before" we had these things, or even because some percentage of the world's population still copes just fine without these things, that they should be banned from bridge competition. In fact some of these things are also arguably usable to cheat at bridge, and arguably as "annoying" as cell phones if not more so.

[jdonn]

I'm relatively young (at 41) in the bridge world, but old enough to remember that people seemed to cope just fine before cell phones even if it did take some extra effort.

I just don't get this line of reasoning, which I have seen from many people other than Tim, including a number of letters to the ACBL bulletin.

 

The list of things that people "seemed to cope just fine before" is long and varied. To give just a few, all of which potentially help people play bridge better than they would otherwise and all of which are allowed to players even during a session:

 

Hearing aids

Halogen lamps

Coffee

Cigarettes

Indoor plumbing

 

No one suggests that just because people "seemed to cope just fine before" we had these things, or even because some percentage of the world's population still copes just fine without these things, that they should be banned from bridge competition. In fact some of these things are also arguably usable to cheat at bridge, and arguably as "annoying" as cell phones if not more so.

Also electricity, heart surgery, playing cards.... comments like that just make people seem unable to adapt to a world that changes.

[rbforster]

Also electricity, heart surgery, playing cards.... comments like that just make people seem unable to adapt to a world that changes.

Without heart surgery, I'm sure the ACBL would lose (have lost?) a big fraction of its member-years! As soon as cell phones can double as their emergency pacemakers I'm sure we'll be required to have one at each table.

[TimG]

I'm relatively young (at 41) in the bridge world, but old enough to remember that people seemed to cope just fine before cell phones even if it did take some extra effort.

I just don't get this line of reasoning, which I have seen from many people other than Tim, including a number of letters to the ACBL bulletin.

I did not mean my statement about "seemed to cope just fine" to be an opposition to change, but rather a rebuttal of those who say they cannot live without constant cell phone access. Living without a cell phone, at least for brief stretches, is quite doable* even if it is not as convenient as possible.

 

Once again, I'll repeat that I think the ACBL's cell phone ban is a bad thing. But, the cries of "I need to be able to talk to family/co-workers at any instant" don't garner much sympathy from me.

 

* Except, apparently, for a few who are contractually obligated to carry one with them.

[H_KARLUK]

Maybe pitchers can have a time out and take a call on the mound.

Tiger could call his wife while lining up his putt.

How did we ever manage pre cell phones!

If you need a phone 24/7 go play millionaire and call a friend.

 

Sensible decision by the ACBL. End of story.

Sorry, not really end of story. :) Elvis did not leave this building.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pager

 

"A one-way numeric pager can only receive a message consisting of a few digits, typically a phone number that the user is then expected to call."

 

http://www.sdwireless.com/pagers/index.htm

http://www.epinions.com/513996_Motorola_LS...c_Pager__Black_

http://shopper.cnet.com/pagers/command-pri...9-30538261.html

 

There are many brands. No place to put here, sorry for that.

 

As one easily may see it's impossible to send message with a one-way numeric pager.

 

Please allow only one-way function numeric pagers, rest will work well.------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The ACBL Board of Directors approved a comprehensive ban on electronic devices for all national-level events, but not to regional or Intermediate-Newcomer contests:

Electronic devices, excluding health-related equipment, capable of sending or receiving communication, including but not limited to, headphones, earphones, cellular phones and minicomputers:

(1) shall not be allowed in the playing areas, adjacent hallways, rest-rooms or accessible break areas; and (2) shall not be used during a session.

These restrictions shall apply to all pairs, team members, captains, coaches, recorders and kibitzers and shall apply throughout any actual playing session or segment.

A violation of this policy shall result in a disciplinary penalty of one full board (or 12 IMPs at that form of scoring) for the first offense.

A second offense shall result in disqualification from the event for the pair/team.

Kibitzers violating this policy shall be removed from the playing area for the remainder of the session.

Participants will be reminded not to approach the playing area with a personal electronic device in their possession, even if the device is turned off.

[matmat]

As one easily may see it's impossible to send message with a one-way numeric pager.

This is not true.