Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

Your piece about Jen and the SEO benefits reminded me of something I heard about the Times and it's pay wall. Apparently now that they no longer have to worry about SEO the hacks are finding far more enjoyable and the readers are enjoying the articles more too (mind you that might just be because they are paying for them rather than them being better - isn't the mind odd?).

It brought up some interesting questions into my mind:
How big an influence does Google have on the current evolution of the English language?
How big an influence does Google have on how successful a journalist is?

My only view is on the highlighted bit. I think we need to distinguish between a proper Journo, & a commercial writer.

The latter has become quite specialised now, with dedicated "SEO Courses" & qualifications. Judgement of the piece is based not upon it's artistic merit, but it's SEO-ability. The internet, as a commercial medium, & of course google's Search Engines, have changed the business world far more, & far quicker, than anyone could possibly have imagined.

When I arrived at Sky Bet, & started getting a handle on how the (online) gaming business world works, I'd never been so amazed, or felt so inadequate as a businesman, in my life. They have some really neat tricks these days, & this is a completely new science, discovered only in the last 2 decades.

[tikay]

So, back to Manchester, & all the faces I bumped into, many of whom I had not seen for such a long time.

Alan McLean, George Geary, & Lawrence Gosney all finalled. Alan & George must both be nearer 80 than 70, & the combined age of all three must be nudging 200. Anyone know their respective ages?

I've known all 3 since almost the day I began playing Live Poker, & I've never heard any of them tell a bad-beat story. I may be wrong, too, but to the best of my knowledge, all three are "clean" as to money, & don't mess people about.  Alan must be the oldest degen in poker, he gambles on everything, & once busted from a poker Tourney, even in the breaks, he's snap-playing backgammon. He dishes out beats galore, & takes them as he gives them, just shrugs his shoulders, smiles, & moves on. He's terrific Table Company. I like him a lot, all 3 of them in fact.

There was a typical Alan McLean moment at Manchester.

A geezer jammed, & Alan was so quick to snap-call that he acted out of turn, his chips were in the middle two spots too soon.

Everyone else runs for cover, geezer flips 7-7, Alan turns over.....3-3!

They BOTH setted on the Flop - that's a rare one in itself - but Alan got out of it by 4-flushing, with his 3........A truly typical Alan moment, & it tickled me to death.

Long may he grace the poker Tables.

[Bongo]

They have some really neat tricks these days, & this is a completely new science, discovered only in the last 2 decades.

I'd say created rather than discovered...

Also it seems, from the piece I read, that proper journalists were writing with SEO in mind as well as commercial writers, although the balance would be a lot different.

[tikay]

The three oldies all exited without troubling the judges, & the kid in the Final who caught my eye was "Dan "mbn" Charlton. Obv, I wanted "my" lad, Dan Brown, to win, but as the Final progressed, it soon became evident that Mr MBN was the danger, & I became convinced he'd win it. He did not.

I gather he plays quite big Online, as, I think, "Judgedredd" or somesuch. I can see why these lads who "grind" 10 or 15 Tourneys a night are so averse to Live Poker. Not to say I agree, but I get their line.

Not wholly unrelated......

I watched a bit of a ODI the other day, not England, watched about an hour of it. It was an "International", & I was utterly repulsed by it. Test batsmen just flinging the bat at every ball, agricultural swings, no subtlety at all, no classical battles between batsman & bowler. That's not proper cricket, please.

The 1st session - pre-lunch - of the first day of any Test Match, anywhere, is the greatest sport imaginable. And now we have to watch the bat being swung at every ball, bowlers only having 4 over spells, & instant results. Fred Trueman & Mr Swanton would turn in their graves. 

 

[tikay]

They have some really neat tricks these days, & this is a completely new science, discovered only in the last 2 decades.

I'd say created rather than discovered...

Also it seems, from the piece I read, that proper journalists were writing with SEO in mind as well as commercial writers, although the balance would be a lot different.

Yes, of course, my mistake.

Why would a "proper writer" write with SEO in mind?

[Bongo]

So their pieces/paper/website rank well on websites?

I tend to agree about ODI cricket, although I do find the final stages of a close match can make for enjoyable viewing.

[tikay]

So their pieces/paper/website rank well on websites?

I tend to agree about ODI cricket, although I do find the final stages of a close match can make for enjoyable viewing.

Ahh, yes, my bad again, sorry. I was getting confused between journos, & proper authors, or writers.

Obv, Dave Shoelace, who reads this Diary, & not Tom's, is a writer. Proper writer, him.

[RED-DOG]

So their pieces/paper/website rank well on websites?

I tend to agree about ODI cricket, although I do find the final stages of a close match can make for enjoyable viewing.

Ahh, yes, my bad again, sorry. I was getting confused between journos, & proper authors, or writers.

Obv, Dave Shoelace, who reads this Diary, & not Tom's, is a writer. Proper writer, him.

Sigh...

This tea's expensive you know.

[tikay]

Last one on Manchester......

We (Sky Poker) did a Live Update, to follow our 7 players specifically.

This was a GUKPT, but we do them all the time for SPT's. Nothing could be more different in tone & mood from, say, an SPT Live Update, & a blonde Update. And yet the same Updaters, on occasion (Tighty, for example), do both. Different market, different people, different mindset.

The GUKPT one went quite well. 3 of us were working on it, & the Post count crept above 1,000, which is a lot by Sky Poker Update standards.

But there was a bit of a problem.

NutzTV were doing a Live Stream. And moving pictures & spoken words beat the written word in that medium, every day.

NutzTV have a nice Website, too. Full of competitors Affiliate Links......

So we could not allow peeps to Post Links to it. Standard commonsense. So, Sky Poker Members  just PM'd it to everyone who asked. Marv, but what can you do? Not much, really. So the Live Stream was getting a terrific audience, & the viewers ended up contributing even more to our written Update based on what they'd seen on it. Eureka, perfect.

So, it struck me that maybe a Live Stream for the SPT's, with a few added bells & whistles, would work.

A break in play arose, & Phil the Tower came up to chat about whatever, so I seized the moment, & enquired about the feasibility & cost of a Live Stream at SPT's. Bla de bla.

Moments later, on the written Live Update, someone Posted that they'd heard me negotiating all this with The Tower! Whoops. I had not realised he was mice'd up, & it was on, & being transmitted. Gordon Brown & Andy Gray have nothing on me.

I asked them to play it back to me, but it was all fine, I was completely on message, nothing out of line. Phew. Easily done, & only needs one word or phrase out of place, & that's it, down the road.

It can all end so quickly.

Anyways, on Monday, I developed the theme & a business case, got quotes, & sent it upstairs for consideration. We shall see. Literally, perhaps.

[tikay]

A link elsewhere on blonde went to the chat-box convo below.

The abuse is standard, it's what spoilt kids do when they lose a hand, they don't mean it.

The bit that intrigues me is why would you play poker if it got you like this?

As it's Online Poker, they presumably need access to credit cards & such, so we can assume they are grown ups..

 kafiltafish9: LIKE I SAID
kafiltafish9: YOU R THE BEST
Kanu7: ty
kafiltafish9: SAY HI TO PP
Kanu7: will do
kafiltafish9: AND GO FCK YOURSELF
Kanu7: say hi to the bailiffs
kafiltafish9: AND DIE OF AIDS OR CANCER....ONE OF THE 2
kafiltafish9: THATS WHAT FAGGOTS DO RIGHT
kafiltafish9: YOU FCKN HOMO
Kanu7: die of cancer?
kafiltafish9: YEAH, I HOPE YOU DIE A LONG PAINFUL DEATH HOMO
Kanu7: homos die of cancer?
kafiltafish9: TELL YOUR BOSSES TO BAN ME
kafiltafish9: YOU FCKN QUEEER BAIT
Kanu7: hahaha   
Kanu7: why would i tell them to ban you?
kafiltafish9: CAUSE YOU R A FCKN HOMO
kafiltafish9: AND YOU R DYING OF AIDS
Kanu7: yeah but i like your money
kafiltafish9: YOU WILL NEVER SEE ANOTHER CENT OF THE MILLION I WON ON LOTO
Kanu7: haha   
kafiltafish9: YOU THING 9 BILLS MEANS ANYTHING TO ME HOMO BOY
Kanu7: that's ok, u know i'm better, no problem with that
kafiltafish9: DO ME A FAVOUR, I WILL PAY FOR A PLANE TICKET FOR YOUR CHAVE ASSS TO COME TO CANADA
kafiltafish9: SO I CAN SMASH YOUR FAGGOT FACE IN
Kanu7: can u still afford it?
kafiltafish9: LIKE I SAID FAGGOT, I1 MILLION
Kanu7: u know yr busto mate
Kanu7: yeah yeah
kafiltafish9: YOU ANYWHERE NEAR BRIGHTON
Kanu7: busto
Kanu7: no
kafiltafish9: I AM COMING OVER SOON SO MAYBE YOUR XXXXX ASS WILL MEET ME
kafiltafish9: TO BAD SISSY
Kanu7: u going to brighton?
Kanu7: gay capital of the uk, u wud like it
kafiltafish9: PERHAPS THAT IS WHY I FIGURED YOU LIVED THERE DUMB ASSS
Kanu7: perhaps yr just a closet homo
kafiltafish9: I AM GOING TO LONDON, BUT FIGURED I COULD DRIVE THE HOUR TO SMASH YOUR FACE IN
kafiltafish9: FIGURED YOU LIVED THERE BEING YOU HAVE AIDS AND ALL
Kanu7: great i live in london, save yourself the drive   
kafiltafish9: GIVE ME AN ADDRESS PLEEEEEEZE
kafiltafish9: CMON FAGGOT
Kanu7: don't need 1 mate, i play at the london vic all the time
Kanu7: u can find me there
kafiltafish9: HTF IS THE VIC HOMO
kafiltafish9: A GAY BAR
kafiltafish9: AHHHH I GET IT
Kanu7: it's a casino dumb ass
kafiltafish9: CALL YOU...YOUR NAME FAGGOT
Kanu7: my name is neil channing, u can find me there most of the time
kafiltafish9: I LOVE THE MADE UP NAME....SUITSU
Kanu7: wtf, check it out online? i've won way more playing poker than u
Kanu7: u don't get to where i've got by being scared of threats from ppl like u
Dealer: Monthly Million MEGA Friday Satellite Qualifier Speed Rebuy starting in 10 minutes! $2 Buy-in!
kafiltafish9: BY THE WAY NEIL, A FRIEND OF MINE NAMED DOUG WILL BE VISITING YOU SOON.  HE IS PART OF THE BNAI BRITH.  GOOD LUCL\K

[celtic]

Laxie said worse to me during the sky game last night. You know, the one you were supposed to be playing?

[tikay]

Meanwhile, closer to home, I get much milder stuff.

It's just stalking really, or whatever, I have no idea what the idea is, I guess they get a kick from it somehow. I used to get it daily, & if I did a PTP session, it'd be in every Rail Chat-Box all night long. Fortunately, it ceased a few weeks ago.

So, I opened up my Twitter "Direct Messages" today, to try & get caught up on replies, & I found this.....

Tonights Special at 8pm Eat my Sausage competition starts.Many prizes

WP Sir. That's 1,000 times you've Posted that. 

I'm not sure if I'm going mad, or the others are.

[tikay]

On Sunday, during the Sky Poker Update, we needed a photo of Mr Gosney, so google Images were paid a visit by Blandy.

He struck gold straight away, because it would work better if I were in the 'photo, for various reasons.

And he found this - more of which later.

For now, suffice to say, it was a Caption Competition, & the winner was AndrewT, who's Caption was.....

Two hours into a classic tikay anecdote and Lawrence's soul finally leaves his body.

[tikay]

There was also this......

"Norkage of the Year"

[tikay]

Those were nicked from dear snoopy's amazing Blog, which he maintained fastidiously for so long.

It's 4 years old, but still stands re-reading.

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://blondepoker.com/images/the_new_era/uk_players/lawrence_gosney%26tikay2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://snoopy1239.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html&usg=__p_1BmGIp2vd2x8fTK_pTUQLHJws=&h=225&w=300&sz=38&hl=en&start=6&zoom=1&itbs=1&tbnid=jW-xizMB1cHbJM:&tbnh=87&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlawrence%2Bgosney%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DG%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=bchKTbT9GtP54gao99THCw

(Excuse the snappy link)

He is much missed, but our loss was very much BBP's gain. I'm due to hook up with him & the crew (Jen, dana, Rod, etc) next week, & I'm really looking forward to it.

I bet he'll be watching a wrestling CD, too.

I gather he & Dana have a dog now, too. The mind boggles at the fuss they must make of it.