A Good Deed Wasted
Last night, a hybrid version of our team took second place at the VFW’s trivia night that benefited National Guard reservists serving in Iraq.
Against our better judgment, we donated a majority of our winnings back to the cause. Unfortunately, by the time we made that decision most of the other contestants had already exited the building so there was no announcement made to appreciative applause of our grand gesture. Really, what’s the point of doing a good deed if you aren’t lauded for it? I mean, you don’t put a quarter in a Salvation Army kettle if there isn’t a ringer there to say thank you so the other shoppers will overhear. Do you?
I hope that publicizing our generosity here at BFS will in some small way make up for the sting of not taking home our full share of the winnings.
Ask the Commentor
Reviews of the recently released film 21 have reminded me of a question I’ve long had about Vegas gaming ethics. I could seek an answer from an expert, but I thought I turn to you instead.
Why is it against the rules to count cards in Blackjack?
I can understand that if you’re working in collaboration with a confederacy or employing the use of electronic devices that both would be considered un-player-like, but why is it wrong for a single person using nothing more than the memory capacity of their own brain to keep track of the cards? Isn’t that what you do in other forms of poker, look at the cards that are showing and determine the probability that the card you need will be dealt to you? Why should a person with Rainman-like abilities to survey and process vast amounts of information in a short period of time not be allowed to call on that gift at the Blackjack table?
A Diss Is Just a Diss
A bit was made last week about some digs directed at the local blogging community by our weekly independent newspaper. First I want to thank Just Two John for his nice words about BFS in his thoughtful rebuttal piece and everyone else for defending the movement.
I didn’t really find the IT’s piece to be terribly mean spirited. The blogging in their underpants (pajamas) crack isn’t the most original of put-downs, sort of like snickeringly suggesting that a cop might be overly fond of donuts, but, like everyone else, we bloggers are fair game for satire.
The new Cap City feature in the IT, in which the somewhat-offending piece appeared, often contains quick little shots of playful commentary on local issues. Why, it’s almost blog-like in that respect. I’ve found it to be a welcome addition to the paper.
The truth is however, contrary to the opinion of the IT, we local bloggers are more interested in rationally commenting on the important issues of the day than in “typing about (our) unrequited dreams and day-to-day anxiety.” That should be obvious to anyone who pays any attention at all to what we do.
Crisis Averted/Returning to Blog
For months I’ve been anguishing with a problem that had left me questioning the meaning of it all. I simply couldn’t find a pair of socks suitable to my casual business attire. Dress socks are too insubstantial, white athletic socks are gauche and boot socks are too thick which ultimately result in cramped, sweaty feet. And I didn’t want that, I wanted a decent sock that’s comfortable, that will stay on my foot!!! So distraught was I that I couldn’t even blog about it and seriously considered shutting down BFS to live a barefooted and cloistered existence where inadequate stockings could no longer make my life a living hell.
But then Fortuna smiled upon me right there in the sundries section of TJ Maxx. There, I discovered that the good people at Adidas had recognized the great unfulfilled need in the sock market and released a line of athletic-weight stockings in fashionable, earth-tone colors that provide the perfect transition between my khakis and oxfords.
All is well for now, but I sense trouble on the horizon concerning a reoccurring problem I’m having with the Kellogg’s company. Stay tuned.
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Dan, it is NOT illegal to count cards. But, Vegas casinos are considered private clubs and can ax anyone to leave.
Allen | Mar 30, 2008 | Reply
I didn’t find the IT’s piece nearly as offensive as everyone else. Lame, yes. Comedic, no. I thought the stereotype of middle aged dudes in underpants had gone way off the radar by the time of Windows 98.
On the other side of things, bad news is always good news because Google Analytics is telling me that traffic was up for spfldbloggers and gotshoo last week. Not as much as my glorious TV 20 interview, but up. Now only if they would click the advertisements and make me rich.
shoo | Mar 30, 2008 | Reply
“21″ will make for fine-enough viewing for many people on TNT some Saturday afternoon. But what made me laugh more than anything in that movie is when my brother - on the Rogers’ boys trip to Vegas last October - would use his Treo to look up card-counting tips online at the Bellagio. Phones aren’t allowed at the tables, so he’d go off to a corner to peek at his phone and then hit the table. That bum finished up $100 that night.
Unpainted Huffhines | Mar 31, 2008 | Reply
Dan-
All lame jokes aside, I thought the IT piece was tacky. It’s one thing for a “respected” publication to start belittling a group of local amateur bloggers, but to get it so wrong in the process. All that stuff about “unrequited dreams” and “day-to-day anxiety” and “underpants.” The whole piece was built on the outdated stereotypes of bloggers.
Even as a blogger with no editorial staff, I wouldn’t consider writing a negative critique of Illinois Times using newspaper stereotypes as the sole basis for my critique. I would need something hard and real to report upon. I guess I just expect more out of professional journalists.
John | Mar 31, 2008 | Reply
Dan, Re: A Good Deed Wasted, character education in my public school’s district teaches that “Honesty is doing what’s right even when no one else is looking.” I’m hoping when you & your kids approach that Salvation Army bucket with no ringer standing by, you still let them plunk in their change!
Re: Counting Cards, haven’t seen 21 but have read the story of one of the members of the original MIT Blackjack Team and just saw a show on the History Channel about it. According to the “experts” on that show counting cards isn’t “illegal” & only generally unprofitable to casinos on a small scale financially. On a larger scale casinos fear what card-counters do to their reputation. As if looking like you allow “regular touristy gamblers” to win big makes you look unfair!
The History Channel show, “Breaking Vegas” wasn’t as flashy as I suppose the movie 21 is, but its free.
Re: A Diss…, IT was way off! I pick up a copy every weekend, but don’t find myself ever reading a lot of it. (Call me crazy, or nosey, but I find the legal section with its requests to start businesses or change names the most interesting.) Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised with an article on local blogging & was hoping to read some good things about your blogging community. Not the case. You guys got dissed unfairly.
Re: Crisis averted…, Dan, I gotta ask, Did you write this segment of your blog barefoot or in your new socks? The IT is going to want to know…
Josie | Apr 1, 2008 | Reply
Josie,
I suppose you’re correct about giving anonymously, it’s just so much more satisfying when you get noticed and can make yourself feel superior to everyone else who didn’t give.
I think I’ve seen the History Channel show you referred to. Although I don’t enjoy gambling, casinos and con games fascinate me.
I was wearing socks during the writing of this blog, and a full complement of other apparel.
John, Shoo,
I agree the IT basically took a cheap shot, but I think that when writing that feature they take off their fair-journalist hats and get a little dishy. Which is fine, but they do run the risk of alienating readers.
Neil Steinberg of the Sun Times, one of my favorite newspaper columnists, wrote a column this week about a weekend trip his family recently made to the ALPLM. He was generally complimentary to the museum, but ripped Springfield pretty bad. It wasn’t a fair attack in that he didn’t offer an opposing view, but that’s not the purpose of his column. He calls him like he sees them and, in this case, probably pissed off a lot of people from Springfield.
Allen,
Is it illegal to cheat at trivia, or just frowned upon?
Thanks for commenting,
Dan
Dan | Apr 1, 2008 | Reply