LOOKING BACK
WELL, I'M HOME AT LAST (to a veritable Mont Blanc of Biba work - it doesn't stop when I'm away unfortunately, it just keeps getting bigger by the day) and I now a have little time left to finish off the reports.
To my knowledge this is the first time this has been done - reporting from a major tournament as it happens; 'though in this case - after it had happened! The idea of reporting 'live', although a good one wasn't practical for many reasons, main ones being intermittent web access and poor telecommunications within Turkey and the physical problem of most events finishing early morning leaving me with little or no sleep - and God knows I need my beauty sleep!
Overall I feel it was a success, albeit a qualified success. I have learnt a lot from my week in Turkey and, should the MSO choose to send me out to cover any more tournaments, then I will be better prepared. On the whole it would appear my daily reports were fairly well received judging from the feedback I have had.
However, it hasn't all been supportive, in fact some of them have been extremely rude. It was hoped that I would be able to answer your questions using the message board on the Web site but due to technical difficulties this was not possible. However, now that I am home I will now address some of your comments.
Typically, this one was posted anonymously on 1/16/00 09:09 AM:
"Yeah, get your f**king act together. Isn't it just so typical for a been-there-done-that chauvinist american not to know the difference between Danes and Scandinavians. Hell, in the end they're alle Europeans anyway - or what."*
Now normally when someone uses such language I would not dignify it with a response but in this instance I shall make an exception. It has always been my experience that when someone resorts to such language that it is an indication of a very low IQ. Normally their IQ is on a par with the size of their mouth when fully open, big, but not much bigger than three inches in diameter.
This inadequate person was making a reference to my joke about Danes and Swedes all looking the same to me; it was a joke but this idiot seemed to take it literally! Also they don't have the first idea of who I am. They haven't the wit to surf the net and find out about Biba and me in particular. I am not nor ever will be an American, I can't for the life of me see why they would think that I was.
For your information, anonymous, I won the lottery of life and was born an Englishman - which is why I am able to converse and write without having to resort to the type of words you seem most comfortable with. Anyone can criticize, but it takes wit and intelligence to offer constructive criticism - I do not respond well to criticism but I am often swayed by constructive criticism. Perhaps the anonymous sender of this message should in future refrain from sending any unless they are able to moderate their language.
"Yeah... This is a great way to follow the tourney. Though the reports is one day behind? Nice work, Michael". - Kasper
Thank you, Kasper, for your support. Everything was a day behind simply because it all ended from midnight to three in the morning and by that time I was far too tired to do much work on the laptop and, my access to the web was restricted to almost normal working hours; hence the copy was sent back to my team HQ first thing each morning.
"Yeah ... nice to see the updated articles. But I do miss some facts... like who is going to play who... and the results of the matches!"
I must admit that perhaps my daily reports didn't cover this in the depth that some people were expecting, this is one of the things I am dealing with should I get the opportunity to do it again. Although the tournament was very well run all of the records were kept on paper and I didn't have access to all the information I would have liked to have seen. I took the details of the draw each day from the posted drawsheets but unfortunately it wasn't always current or correct. It would have made my job a lot easier if the names and results of the separate competitions were on computer, I could then at least have had a copy saved to a floppy disc - perhaps next time this will be possible.
"Being able to follow a major tournament in progress has been great for those of us who would like to but are unable to attend. So thanks for providing these updates. Ok early days, some room for improvement but a good start and as far as I'm concerned well worth the effort." - Sh
Thank you, sh, whoever you are. Were you happy with the rest of the week?
"I've just viewed your site for the first time today and it's very impressive! I looked in to see Michael Crane's ongoing coverage of the backgammon tournament in Istanbul ... " - Daniel Murphy.
I'm pleased you enjoyed it and found it impressive, Daniel.
Finally:
"This is to let you know I greatly enjoy Michael Crane's daily report from the Istanbul Backgammon Tournament. The "couleur locale" is great, to which the pictures add a lot. However, not all the downloadable games work as they should, but this maybe due to the pressure to deliver daily. And maybe I would like to see some more factual information (as to match results from all rounds a.s.o.), but this initiative is a great one. If you would need any encouragement to do the same with other big tournaments, say, Copenhagen, Monte Carlo and the World Championships, I herewith would like to give you tons of encouragement. Regards, - Han Timmer, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Thank you Han, this email has made my trip to Turkey and the World Cup Challenge all worthwhile. The only encouragement I require to do the same with other tournaments is for people like yourself to contact Mind Sports Worldwide HQ and demand that I do more of them!
*****
AND FINALLY . . . If my journey from the airport to the hotel was with the 'Tortoise' then the return trip was certainly with the 'Hare'! This time the taxi driver was indeed a madman, driving with his foot hard down to the floorboards. Overnight it had been snowing a little leaving the roads with a patina of soft, downy snow. We left the hotel at seven in the morning and we set off to the airport as if there was no tomorrow.
We had only gone four hundred metres when we passed a car that somehow had managed to mount a 24 inch kerb with its front wheels and was suspended there like a large metallic seesaw. Upon seeing this my driver just laughed and sped on. On the motorway we passed everything including a car that was facing the long way in the near side lane; it had been abandoned by the driver who had vacated his vehicle leaving all the doors open. It would have been nice if he'd left his hazard lights on but he hadn't and this was causing a bit of a problem to the rest of us travelling in the correct direction!
Despite the cold damp weather I was sat in the back of the taxi, sweating. I have never been so afraid in a vehicle in all my life - this maniac seemed intent not only on killing me; but the pedestrians that were crossing the two, 4-lane highways as we hurtled towards them. Yes, that's right people were crossing the motorway on foot on their way to work. I couldn't believe my eyes!
My sister is afraid of flying. She has never flown and never will, thinking it an unsafe mode of transport. Well I can tell you that I was looking forward to being encased in a fragile metal canister, crammed in with two hundred other people, surrounded by many tons of highly flammable aviation fuel, and being propelled down the runway at 300 miles an hour with the icy spray from the slippery runway surface being thrown up by the aircraft wheels as we rocket into the air many thousands of feet high. Compared to my taxi ride any plane journey is safe!
- Michael Crane
*I can't say I'm terribly impressed by the level of criticism here either, since Danes are Scandinavians. I hope that we can soon bring more on-the-spot coverage soon, with the kind of angles suggested by our (constructive) critics. We are pleased by the amount of feedback we received, and the confirmation that fresh news is wanted in the backgammon community. - Editor
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