[pescetom]

smerriman, on 2020-September-04, 14:10, said:

I'm afraid it was definitely some form of virus, not your son - have seen it happen under your account in the past too; it looks like quite a clever AI which writes posts that exactly match the formatting (line breaks etc) and types of words you use in your post.

I agree of course, although it is clever indeed, maybe trying to get bought out by google.

[blackshoe]

One million bucks is roughly 5 ten thousandths of one percent of the combined wealth of Gates and Buffet. Considerably less than a drop in a bucket. They could easily donate that much to bridge - and they have. They could also donate that much to me, which they have not. OTOH, neither of them got where they are by throwing money away. :-)

[jdulmage]

I don't blame you for wanting to leave. One thing that's been clear is the advantage being taken of the pandemic. Thousands flocked to BBO and in exchange BBO has decided it's OK to charge $15 for an online regional and $6 for a SYC game when there's bare minimum efforts required to run these games. Not to mention the fact that it's only 18 boards when it should be 24.

It's sad. I hardly spend a dime on BBO now. It's just not the same as it used to be.

[pilowsky]

I could not disagree more.
I will never go back to the 'Club'.
In the age of chat/Skype etc BBO, Stepbridge and others have proven that Bridge and all of the other mind sports really are video games - best undertaken from the comfort of your own home.
Not only is it more comfortable, better for the environment, cheaper and safer it is also much more entertaining.

Also, there is more to Bridge than remembering systems and rules. I am learning all sorts of stuff because I can open quickly open another tab on my browser and absorb a 'crash course' on just about anything in between rounds.
And I get to do some laundry, make my own coffee, shout at my partner, play loud music (rarely), have a poodle on my lap: it's Nirvana

I will keep applying gentle pressure to BBO in the hope that I can get them to gradually improve their interface and what is offered - there is a lot that is opaque and hard to use. The alternative is not for me.

I better go, my regular US partner will be online soon.

[Chas_P]

jdulmage, on 2020-September-05, 14:56, said:

BBO has decided it's OK to charge $15 for an online regional and $6 for a SYC game when there's bare minimum efforts required to run these games

Suppose it were a f2f Regional. What would the game fees be? $15? I don't know; I haven't played in one for years. But I'm sure the ACBL got something out of it, the District got something out of it, and they had to pay for the playing space...hotel or whatever. And what about those who traveled to play in those games? They had to rent hotel rooms, pay for meals, etc. I don't know what BBO gets out of a $15 entry fee for an online regional, but I would bet that it's a lot less than the Marriott in Atlanta gets. And the ACBL still gets the bulk of the money. IMO BBO is just as entitled to whatever they charge as the Marriott is. You gotta ask yourself how much is the roar of the greasepaint and the smell of the crowd worth?

Quote

I hardly spend a dime on BBO now. It's just not the same as it used to be.

So who changed? BBO? Or you?

[Chas_P]

pilowsky, on 2020-September-05, 15:59, said:

I could not disagree more.BBO, Stepbridge and others have proven that Bridge and all of the other mind sports really are video games - best undertaken from the comfort of your own home.

I could not disagree more. I think it was Alan Truscott who mused, "Bridge is essentially a social game which, unfortunately, attracts a substantial number of antisocial people." Our small local club doesn't really have any antisocial people; we have a few who are cantankerous but, by and large, we enjoy each other's company. I miss that. If you are content to sit at a keyboard and pitch digital pixels I'm happy for you. As for me, I'm looking forward to the day when I can sit across from my partner and have him yell, "Why didn't you lead a diamond?"

[pilowsky]

Chas_P, on 2020-September-05, 19:16, said:

I could not disagree more. I think it was Alan Truscott who mused, "Bridge is essentially a social game which, unfortunately, attracts a substantial number of antisocial people." Our small local club doesn't really have any antisocial people; we have a few who are cantankerous but, by and large, we enjoy each other's company. I miss that. If you are content to sit at a keyboard and pitch digital pixels I'm happy for you. As for me, I'm looking forward to the day when I can sit across from my partner and have him yell, "Why didn't you lead a diamond?"

Get Skype or Facebook - and a cup of coffee. I'm happy to yell at you about diamonds from wherever you are in the world .
NPP you blithering idiot

[Chas_P]

pilowsky, on 2020-September-05, 19:23, said:

Get Skype or Facebook - and a cup of coffee. I'm happy to yell at you about diamonds from wherever you are in the world .
NPP you blithering idiot

As I said, If you are happy pitching digital pixels I'm happy for you. Live long and prosper.

[Vampyr]

Chas_P, on 2020-September-05, 19:16, said:

I could not disagree more. I think it was Alan Truscott who mused, "Bridge is essentially a social game which, unfortunately, attracts a substantial number of antisocial people." Our small local club doesn't really have any antisocial people; we have a few who are cantankerous but, by and large, we enjoy each other's company. I miss that. If you are content to sit at a keyboard and pitch digital pixels I'm happy for you. As for me, I'm looking forward to the day when I can sit across from my partner and have him yell, "Why didn't you lead a diamond?"

And go to the pub afterwards and examine the hand records with a bottle of wine.

[pilowsky]

Vampyr, on 2020-September-05, 20:49, said:

And go to the pub afterwards and examine the hand records with a bottle of wine.

All jokes aside, there are many reasons people play bridge and many ways of enjoying it. Just as there are many reasons for writing on the Forum.
No particular reason or approach is better or worse than another.
Britain is a country about the size of Manhattan - so to speak. Bill Bryson writes lovingly of his experiences of walking into an English pub and asking for directions. He had to leave 30 minutes later "with his ears bleeding" while the drinkers argued about the fastest way to get to Leeds.
Australia has the population of Manhattan in a continent the size of the United States.
My home club is Stepbridge, tournaments often start with greetings about the weather from thousands of kilometres away: Hobart to Cairns, Sydney to Perth, with a bit of Singapore and Amsterdam thrown in sometimes.

I like playing behind 'screens'. It is different, Vive la difference.

[helene_t]

Vampyr, on 2020-September-05, 20:49, said:

And go to the pub afterwards and examine the hand records with a bottle of wine.

Yeah, that's one thing that would temp me to move back to the UK.

[pilowsky]

helene_t, on 2020-September-06, 01:21, said:

Yeah, that's one thing that would temp me to move back to the UK.

I grew up in Sheffield - surely the weather would be pretty tempting as well...

[pilowsky]

Vampyr, on 2020-September-05, 20:49, said:

And go to the pub afterwards and examine the hand records with a bottle of wine.

Mind you, here's one I just played that I'd be happy for you to examine . Sometimes the robots can be really kind - from an ACBL IMP's tourney = +7.6.

[AL78]

Chas_P, on 2020-September-05, 19:16, said:

I could not disagree more. I think it was Alan Truscott who mused, "Bridge is essentially a social game which, unfortunately, attracts a substantial number of antisocial people." Our small local club doesn't really have any antisocial people; we have a few who are cantankerous but, by and large, we enjoy each other's company. I miss that. If you are content to sit at a keyboard and pitch digital pixels I'm happy for you. As for me, I'm looking forward to the day when I can sit across from my partner and have him yell, "Why didn't you lead a diamond?"

I agree. Online interaction is a very poor substitute for physical face-to-face connection. I enjoy hugging my female friends at the club, you can't do that from behind a keyboard.

[Gerardo]

jdulmage, on 2020-September-05, 14:56, said:

I don't blame you for wanting to leave. One thing that's been clear is the advantage being taken of the pandemic. Thousands flocked to BBO and in exchange BBO has decided it's OK to charge $15 for an online regional and $6 for a SYC game when there's bare minimum efforts required to run these games. Not to mention the fact that it's only 18 boards when it should be 24.

It's sad. I hardly spend a dime on BBO now. It's just not the same as it used to be.

Those are ACBL's games, not BBO's, so ACBL set the price, length, and runs them (*)

(*) I'm told SYC games use the same set of TD as Speedballs (Club Directors), while Regional games do use Tournament Directors (a higher certification needed).

Also, note that SYC games predate Virtual Clubs availability, so at one point they were the main, perhaps only, source of income for Clubs which had to close their doors due to the pandemic.

BBO does take a cut of both fees, and Clubs get the lion's share of the SYC fee. I know that. I don't know the %ages, though.

[pilowsky]

AL78, on 2020-September-06, 10:39, said:

... I enjoy hugging my female friends at the club, you can't do that from behind a keyboard.

Now there is a screenshot that's going to become a meme on the internet for why women do not want to go back to that club - Adam.

[AL78]

pilowsky, on 2020-September-06, 13:54, said:

Now there is a screenshot that's going to become a meme on the internet for why women do not want to go back to that club - Adam.

Thankfully UK society has not regressed to the depths of the US so over here, a man can hug a female friend without being labelled a sexual predator.

[helene_t]

AL78, on 2020-September-06, 15:18, said:

Thankfully UK society has not regressed to the depths of the US so over here, a man can hug a female friend without being labelled a sexual predator.

It does sound dubious if it's specifically about female friends, though.

[pilowsky]

AL78, on 2020-September-06, 15:18, said:

Thankfully UK society has not regressed to the depths of the US so over here, a man can hug a female friend without being labelled a sexual predator.

Try taking a poll - see how far you get.

[Vampyr]

pilowsky, on 2020-September-05, 23:55, said:

My home club is Stepbridge, tournaments often start with greetings about the weather from thousands of kilometres away: Hobart to Cairns, Sydney to Perth, with a bit of Singapore and Amsterdam thrown in sometimes.

How much live bridge do you play (or did you play before lockdown)?