[jmcw]

jdonn, on Mar 14 2009, 05:51 PM, said:

jmcw, on Mar 13 2009, 09:20 PM, said:

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.

Very fair analogy. Obviously what everyone is suggesting is stopping play in the middle of the hand to take some calls.

We used to manage without prenatal care and electricity too. Want to play bridge with the lights out, assuming you survive being born?

Your story's ending sucks.

Cleary, prenatal care has not been a total success

[matmat]

jmcw, on Mar 14 2009, 06:30 PM, said:

jdonn, on Mar 14 2009, 05:51 PM, said:

jmcw, on Mar 13 2009, 09:20 PM, said:

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.

Very fair analogy. Obviously what everyone is suggesting is stopping play in the middle of the hand to take some calls.

We used to manage without prenatal care and electricity too. Want to play bridge with the lights out, assuming you survive being born?

Your story's ending sucks.

Cleary, prenatal care has not been a total success

we've been through this before. It's one thing to be completely focused during a session, it is quite another to not have access to your phone during the short lunch break to get in touch with friends, or to check in on an ill relative etc. I guess, though, that some people don't have lives outside of bridge. I feel sorry for them.

[jdonn]

jmcw, on Mar 14 2009, 06:30 PM, said:

jdonn, on Mar 14 2009, 05:51 PM, said:

jmcw, on Mar 13 2009, 09:20 PM, said:

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.

Very fair analogy. Obviously what everyone is suggesting is stopping play in the middle of the hand to take some calls.

We used to manage without prenatal care and electricity too. Want to play bridge with the lights out, assuming you survive being born?

Your story's ending sucks.

Cleary, prenatal care has not been a total success

I disagree. An unhealthy baby could never have grown up to learn to so smoothly use sarcasm to distract from his terrible reasoning and inapplicable analogies. I think you should consider yourself very lucky that we have some of the things people used to live without.

[awm]

People survived for millenia (and still survive) without caffeine or nicotine.

And yet not only are my opponents allowed to consume caffeine and nicotine during the session (even though both are potentially performance enhancing drugs and the time they spend outside smoking during "break round" could allow them to illegally exchange information) but the ACBL subsidizes the coffee drinking and provides breaks for the convenience of the smokers.

Not to mention that hearing aids are allowed. I see ads on TV pretty regularly for a hearing aid that "lets you hear everything" and specifically advertises to people who don't have a hearing problem. It even shows people playing bridge! Seems tailor-made for cheating, yet it's allowed.

But my totally innocuous cell phone, which is always off during play and which I carry only so that I can contact friends and family between sessions, is not only taken away from me but I am charged for the "service" of having my $200 phone left sitting out on a counter for hours.

[655321]

Yes, this is getting more like it.

I was worried that we would have a thread on this topic that would get just a few mild responses then die a natural death.

[hanp]

matmat, on Mar 14 2009, 07:41 PM, said:

jmcw, on Mar 14 2009, 06:30 PM, said:

jdonn, on Mar 14 2009, 05:51 PM, said:

jmcw, on Mar 13 2009, 09:20 PM, said:

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.

Very fair analogy. Obviously what everyone is suggesting is stopping play in the middle of the hand to take some calls.

We used to manage without prenatal care and electricity too. Want to play bridge with the lights out, assuming you survive being born?

Your story's ending sucks.

Cleary, prenatal care has not been a total success

we've been through this before. It's one thing to be completely focused during a session, it is quite another to not have access to your phone during the short lunch break to get in touch with friends, or to check in on an ill relative etc. I guess, though, that some people don't have lives outside of bridge. I feel sorry for them.

What's the last time you played in an open national event?

[matmat]

hanp, on Mar 14 2009, 09:46 PM, said:

matmat, on Mar 14 2009, 07:41 PM, said:

we've been through this before. It's one thing to be completely focused during a session, it is quite another to not have access to your phone during the short lunch break to get in touch with friends, or to check in on an ill relative etc. I guess, though, that some people don't have lives outside of bridge. I feel sorry for them.

What's the last time you played in an open national event?

i have a cell phone, i can't go.

[hanp]

[Vilgan]

I was semi against the cell phone ban before, but after Houston I friggin hate it.

2 bad experiences:

1) I decided to be a "good boy" and check my cell phone for the Vanderbilt. Paid my 2 bucks, okay whatever. We used pretty much the whole time as it wasn't a cakewalk match, but we won so we got the evening off. I came out, eager to retrieve my cellphone, call the girlfriend, call friends to arrange dinner plans and the lady who was in charge of the cellphones was gone as was the box of phones. I had to come back at the start of the evening session to retrieve my phone. This was pretty aggravating.

2) Day 2 of the imp pairs, I talked to my partner as I arrived at the playing area about 40 minutes before game time. He said he was 15 minutes away and would see me at the playing area around 20 minutes before it starts. I left my phone in my car and headed into the hotel. 5 minutes till game time.. no sign. Game time starts... he is not here. 5 minutes into the round.. he has not arrived. Now, had I had my cellphone... I could have hopped out into the hall to find out where he was or what the problem was. It was 5 minutes into the round and I had no clue if he'd be another 1-2 minutes, 20 minutes, was in a wreck, whatever. That sick nervous/not being able to do anything but wait and hope feeling sucked. He ended up showing up 7 minutes into the round and we finished on time, but going back in time 15 years to the experience of not being able to call was really unpleasant.

So ya... the ban sucks. In the 2nd position.. had I ignored the ban and left the phone in my pocket I can't really tell my opponents brb, calling partner on my cell to see where he is.

[Mbodell]

In the North American pairs they enforced the cell phone ban but the directors took people's phones and bags for free at the front of the room behind the directors computer where they were entering scores. That seemed to work pretty well, and I think the free of charge bit helped people not feel too disgruntled.

[matmat]

Vilgan, on Mar 23 2009, 12:37 PM, said:

1) I decided to be a "good boy" and check my cell phone for the Vanderbilt. Paid my 2 bucks, okay whatever. We used pretty much the whole time as it wasn't a cakewalk match, but we won so we got the evening off. I came out, eager to retrieve my cellphone, call the girlfriend, call friends to arrange dinner plans and the lady who was in charge of the cellphones was gone as was the box of phones. I had to come back at the start of the evening session to retrieve my phone. This was pretty aggravating.

hehe... if it were me i'd be screaming my head off and calling the cops.

[rbforster]

hanp, on Mar 14 2009, 09:46 PM, said:

What's the last time you played in an open national event?

I imagine for many people it was 2-3 days ago, what with the Nationals just finishing up.

[JoAnneM]

When this phone ban thing first came up I assumed the $2 charge was because hotel security was going to run the booth, but with the host unit volunteers running the booth I can't see justifying a charge.

For one thing, who are these people taking care of the phones, and can I even trust them. For another thing, ACBL provides entertainment and hospitality money plus there is extra money raised. Setting up a booth and making a sign costs very little. Giving out some scrip or however volunteers are being rewarded also takes little away from the other committees. Seems like the $2 charge creates more illwill than the money earned.

And the phones not being available IMMEDIATELY after a session was outrageous.

[jillybean]

No one should be surprised at these problems. This is a ‘fix’ put in place after consistently failing to enforce the “turn your cell phone off when playing” rule and it obviously creates additional overheads, opportunities for error, frustration and cost.

Imo, the problem is not restricted to the use of cell phones but a trend towards ignoring the rules in general. It seems that we want to keep people happy and not scare anyone away by insisting they follow the rules and where necessary, penalizing them when they don’t. I’d think this would mean a few people are happy after avoiding a word with the TD or penalty while the majority who do try to follow the rules (and turn our cell phones off) are left frustrated and angry.

[H_KARLUK]

Say someone hired by th state. Carrying a pager. Do organizators really care public safety or they ignore and only want absolute silence during event?

[hanp]

Rob F, on Mar 24 2009, 04:47 AM, said:

hanp, on Mar 14 2009, 09:46 PM, said:

What's the last time you played in an open national event?

I imagine for many people it was 2-3 days ago, what with the Nationals just finishing up.

Would you please not take my sentence out of context. Also, matmat's answer was much cleverer.

[barmar]

H_KARLUK, on Mar 24 2009, 10:29 PM, said:

Say someone hired by th state. Carrying a pager. Do organizators really care public safety or they ignore and only want absolute silence during event?

Even before the cell phone ban, players were required to turn off their cell phones during the game (this is also true at smaller tournaments). So your question is not relevant.

If you want to play in a bridge tournament, you should swap on-call duties with a coworker, so they can take the page while you play. If you're indispensible, and have to be on-call 24x7, you're screwed and can't enter bridge tournaments. Public safety trumps leisure activities.

[matmat]

barmar, on Mar 24 2009, 11:16 PM, said:

If you're indispensible, and have to be on-call 24x7, you're screwed and can't enter bridge tournaments. Public safety trumps leisure activities.

I think that's utter BS

Even if this obnoxious cell phone/electronics ban sticks around there has to be a provision for emergency workers, doctors, etc. If you happen to be the best brain surgeon in whatever city the nationals are at why should you be denied the pleasure of playing in the tournament?

[H_KARLUK]

barmar, on Mar 25 2009, 06:16 AM, said:

Even before the cell phone ban, players were required to turn off their cell phones during the game (this is also true at smaller tournaments).  So your question is not relevant.

Most talented surgeons are able to operate during th case while listening music. Sorry, i cannot recognize Bridge game could be more serious and harder to fix than humanbeing anatomy. It is a race versus time element. One must hit correct keys at the precise moment while problem aroused.

Electronic devices ban might aim to serve fairplay. Really very good, I support wholeheartedly. If I remember correct a situation occurred in Europe some years ago and 2 famous european champion title owner players with their organisators caught while exchanging special cards only seen by some xray lenses. Surely that crew banned by both EBU and their official national authorities.

I hope th officials would think again about public safety. There are many emergency staff in this world and life is full of with surprises.

A communication center could establish like child care, accommodation, catering. I don't think " I am in a running important (!) hot tournament" stupid excuse is valid when emergency duty call received. I am against such players would be penalised.

[mike777]

matmat, on Mar 24 2009, 11:55 PM, said:

barmar, on Mar 24 2009, 11:16 PM, said:

If you're indispensible, and have to be on-call 24x7, you're screwed and can't enter bridge tournaments.  Public safety trumps leisure activities.

I think that's utter BS

Even if this obnoxious cell phone/electronics ban sticks around there has to be a provision for emergency workers, doctors, etc. If you happen to be the best brain surgeon in whatever city the nationals are at why should you be denied the pleasure of playing in the tournament?

I agree

Why should super rich docs be allowed to play with cellphone and not others.

Many many poor people do not play due to work issues..why let super rich.

Many many poor people do not get to play...if you are super rich 24 hour online cellphone player....too bad...

superrich =yougot a job
poor=you may not have job.