[Double !]

Speaking as someone whose bridge game can easily range from quite respectable and competitive (never expert) when playing with favorite (very strong) partner even at relatively high levels such as LM pairs, to submoronic and illogical (on most days), I find this increase in activity very enjoyable and enlightening. I truly value the responses and input from all of the people that respond to various postings including those with credentials that are at the high-expert and world class level. I learn a lot from you all, regardless of skill level. The reservoir of information and resources that we collectively bring to the forum far surpasses any bridge library. And not everyone has the resources to go out and buy a plethora of bridge books, much less read them. Despite having played for many years when younger, I have learned that there is still so much that I don't know. (Hate to tell you how much I have forgotten.) There are a lot of topics discussed in this forum that one can not just go out and easily find the information and read about them---like I have the time?

I also find that many answers or responses are helping me to better structure my reasoning process (aka, not just to "thimk", but how to "thimk"). I personally find explanations of the reasoning processes that people go through in order to derive their answers to problems very helpful. I still lay claim to the #1 spot of someone who can play one hand very well (assuming I am awake enough to count and remember what has been played) and then repeatedly fail to make contracts that the rest of the field has made, sometimes with overtricks, and receive a sympathetic "gtp" from my dear partners. While many of you are working out permutations (not sure about the significance of the embedded word "mutations") and simulations, some of us are still trying to correctly count to 13.

BTW, I would find the results of a survey asking how many of you who post are or were either Math majors in college or professionally, are/ were involved in professions that are highly Math-oriented, or are/ were in the computer programming field. I strongly suspect that the percentage of affirmative answers would be quite high.

Another possible factor contributing to the increase in postings, I suspect, is the advent of the BPO quizzes. I absolutely relish them although I am disappointed with the scoring for one hand in the last set. Bring on some more.

[Fluffy]

Double !, on Jun 7 2005, 07:13 PM, said:

BTW, I would find the results of a survey asking how many of you who post are or were either Math majors in college or professionally, are/ were involved in professions that are highly Math-oriented, or are/ were in the computer programming field.  I strongly suggest that the percentage of affirmative answers would be quite high.

I am studying informatic science (engineering degree in spain), I would had studied maths if it wasn't that they don't win any money and that computer was being teached very close to my home. I loved matematics, probably because my teacher at school was very good.

I know several spanish top players who are matematicians (or matematicians who work as informatics also).


One of the things that maded me happier the most recently was to find my old teacher having started to play bridge.

[MickyB]

You're more than welcome - it's an honour, it really is.

Yeah I'm studying bridge now, hence failing uni....

[slothy]

i too am a Math major...

about 2 years ago i managed to be able to count up to 20 if i had a friend with me...

since i stole the hands off a mannequin from my local tailor just over 22 months ago i can count up to this quite high number without a friend being present. i am so proud of myself!

PS 3 months ago i stole the aforementioned mannequins feet, wanting to excel my numeracy to the dizzy heights of 30...

If anybody has any use for a handless and footless mannequin could you please contact

Mr M. Broidery
23, Hemmingway Place,
London

he wants to get rid of it so badly (xcuse pun)

[Fluffy]

Jlall, on Jun 7 2005, 11:05 PM, said:

speaking of activity...

POST 1000...rofl. I would like to thank all of my other personalities, without which there would be no one to argue with...

100 already? doh! you are running! you wanna get me off teh top 10, I won't let you!. BTW where do you find posts to post in? I ahve to invent silly hands and post my own answers to be able to say anything :-(. Maybe I'll make myself a TD to be able to post in their forum hehe.

[Double !]

Alex:

if you find the rest of that manequin you might have the makings of a movie.

[MickyB]

Why haven't you tried counting on your own toes, Slothy? You could reach the dizzy heights of 40 then! Although the smell would prevent you from finding anyone to retie your laces for you...

Which reminds me - velcro rules!

[Winstonm]

I'm not saying I'm slow or anything, but I was 37 before I could count to 21 with my pants ON.

[Double !]

Children, behave! Play nicely!

[mr1303]

Quote

Yeah I'm studying bridge now, hence failing uni....

DIdn't you fail in your first year, fluke a couple of resits then gave up completely after about a month of your second

No-one's said my avatar looks attractive

[Walddk]

mr1303, on Jun 8 2005, 01:52 AM, said:

No-one's said my avatar looks attractive

My vision may not be the best, but isn't it a 83 year sweet old lady sitting in that purple couch?

Roland

[mr1303]

That's my girlfriend...... aged 22

[Walddk]

mr1303, on Jun 8 2005, 05:05 AM, said:

That's my girlfriend...... aged 22

Nice girlfriend I am sure (if only I could see her). I wasn't that far off, was I?

Roland

[slothy]

the guy with the young girlfriend said:

That's my girlfriend...... aged 22

I was going to say..

Only because i didnt want to be as rude as Roland did i say nothing about the fact that you looked like a girlie

[MickyB]

sceptic, on Jun 8 2005, 10:49 AM, said:

looking at your avatar now mike, and yes you look sweet, does that make you feel better

Don't know, but I'm sure that calling him Mike will

[inquiry]

I will add some seriously to Justin's observation.

In each of the past four months, we have had over 400 new topics started on BBO. In April we had 512 new topics (an alltime record), in March we had 462 new topics (2nd place). In fact, in the 28 full months since this site has been up, we have crossed the 400 new topics only three times before this string of 400+ months. So far in June we are on a fast pace, with nearly 200 new topics here on just tthe 10th day of the month.

Total Monthly post for May and April were both records, being 4740 (may) and 4771 (April). These were both a more than 300 hundred post hgher than the next highest monthly total (July 2004 had 4216, and March 2005 had 4213). June is on a record setting pace with more than 2200 post in less than 10 days (at this rate, will blow past 6000 post).

Even new membership registration is up a bit in the last few months. Clearly the BIG numbers of new members occurred with Uday announced this site was open on BBO. We had 221 and then 178 new members the first two months, and stayed in the hundred new members per month for about the first year until dropping to about 50 new members per month since then. However, in the last three months, we have signed up 84, 78, and 87 new members respectively.

So statistically, Justin was dead on about more activity. And for the record, a lot of it occured before his new avatar.

Ben

[inquiry]

I never thought that BridgeBase Forum would be able to compete with rec.games.bridge for posting, but in fact, the quality and frequency of posting here is now better than r.g.b. The statistics for frequency of posting is undeniable. For instance, so far in june 2005, r.g.b has 80 new threads. while BBF has 276 new threads (~ 2 dozen of these new threads are only viewable by system administrators and yellows). Still the number of new post here is much greater than on r.g.b. In addition, we have had as of now, a total of 3252 total post so far in june. IT is much harder to figure out how many total post are on r.g.b., but I doubt it is more than that, as we are averaging 216 new post a day for june!!!

While the statistics on the number of post can be evaluated fairly, the quality of post is much more difficult. But on r.g.b, they have post about online casinos, jesus, viagra, and the like (problem of not having moderators). Further, a surprising large number of their post deal with flame wars, who is banned from what sites, who is cheating, and rather "craig" is "topflight" (we found out over there he "was" but is "not" now). Here on BBF, we do occassionally wander off the beaten bridge track with post wishing "happy birthday" to someone, or with a group of limericks, but for the most part this is about bridge (for what it is worth, eventually the birthday wish threads will get deleted and not archieved). We also have the forums that allow you to make suggestion for software improvement, or to get your questions about the software answered. You can even find beta software here to download. WE even divide our forum into useful topics, with a section just for beginners and intermediates, a section for non-standard bidding systems, a section for interesting hands, etc.

I think it is this quality of the posting here, and now the increasing quantity, that is making the BBF much more active. Good job to the regulars, and welcome newcomers....

Ben

[Al_U_Card]

Aside from enjoying the sidebars, the content and comments as they relate to bridge are generally edifying and quite educational. Seeing the "delphic" response to a question or problem helps to identify the human face of the game. Contemplating the immensities of the universe is something that man was designed for, so bridge and enlightenment go (bridge)hand in (bridge)hand. btw, if a gearhead is someone who is all about things mechanical what are the nicks for those who stress out over bids, bidding techniques and methods? (cardhead?)