talkmagic.co.uk

I deposited $600 in the bank saturday, and they havent even credited my account with it yet!

I have lots of rants.

One of which is about this new game I got for my PlayStation 2.
It's a chess game (which makes me a bit of a geek... apologies) and I can't beat it. Even on practice.

Now this would not be an issue if I weren't such a good player! Not being bigheaded, but I can generally win or force a stalemate in most games.

(Sub rant - Americans in yahoo chess annoy me because they wont accept that they're anything other than "the best", hence they all go sit in the experts room. So the beginners room is full of people who hardly know how to make the moves and the "expert" room is full of Americans who think they're all that but don't even recognise a Queens Gambit!)

Anyway, it's not just me that continually loses to this infernal machine. My brother (also a good chess player) and my girlfriend always loses too!
Now my electronic chess board has 64 levels and on level 64 gives me a good run for my money, but DOESNT beat me every single time. In fact, the reason I got the PS2 game was because I always beat the electronic chess computer.

So I can either play a machine that I always beat, or a machine I always lose against.
Or I sit in yahoo chess wiping the floor with arrogant Americans, or just generally walk over people in the beginners room, which makes me feel guilty because I know my level is above beginner.


If anyone here plays a good game of chess, I'd love to have a game!



That's all the ranting I'll do for now.
I may be back...


[edit]Craig Browning, do you play chess? Playing chess against you could be fun... and then I can say i played a game of chess against one of the greatest Mentalists of our time too! [/edit]

Well, I play tournament chess myself from time to time, and I am a mamber of the US Chess Federation. If you are having trouble finding quality opponents (first, dont play yahoo) and second, join a club or federation! You will get the best mental workout of your life.

johntheblob wrote:Well, I play tournament chess myself from time to time, and I am a mamber of the US Chess Federation. If you are having trouble finding quality opponents (first, dont play yahoo) and second, join a club or federation! You will get the best mental workout of your life.

The problem with joining a club is the lack of chess clubs in the area, the fact I'd probably be horrendously underdressed for such things (combats and t-shirt?) and that I work nights meanign I sleep through the day, when the club would be on and work at night when everyone from the club would be sleeping.

Have long since given up on yahoo chess though

Have you ever tried playing chess against yourself?

I tried once, but he was too good and kept beating me.

I have actually. One long and drunken night...

None of my mates would play me, so in my drunken stupour I decided playing against myself would ensure a victory. And sure enough, it did!

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR one word: Money

i want to get the ultimate card thru window but I'm broke

Tomo wrote:On Thursday night, I spilt a cup of tea and a couple of splashes got onto No.1 laptop's keyboard. A tiny trickle must have gotten between the keys because now the escape, 1, w, e and left shift key are kaput. The Alt key presses itself at random intervals too, making the damned thing completely unuseable. I'm having to get a new machine (I hadn't planned to do so until the xmas sales).

I'm having to work directly on my creaky old file server while I figure out how to extract all my work from the dead laptop (which, of coourse, only has a mouse input on the back and I have no USB keyboard), and I'm typing this on an old Linux laptop with a dodgy shift and space keys, and no down arrow - all thanks to a glass of red wine. I'm never getting another bloody laptop, that's for sure. A slight splash on the keyboard and its all over.

If you are running under Wind0ze (little tech joke becuase Windows isn't really a "good" OS despite its user friendliness) you can go to Start--->All-Programs--->Accessories--->Accessability--->On Screen Keyboard.

You can use that until you have the money and time to take your computer to a computer shop to just get new contacts for those keys (the keyboard comes out) which should not cost too much but you still need to make the time to go there. Anyway, no need to get a new laptop just replace the contacts for those keys, or worst case scenario, you just replace they laptop keyboard part which should cost no more than $30 but probably less.

Hope this helps and you didn't already throw it away,
~David

i had a wonderful idea for a trick...but forgot it, DAMN my BRAIN

ah chess...not played that in ages...

in one flat i rented, i filled it with oddities and unusual items (you should of seen some of the girls) - one of the items, was something from 1976, a 3 platformed/tier'ed chess set...

probably dutch/german if memory serves, and no doubt an overhang from some designer's star trek obsession...

absolutely rubbish to play mind you...

my latest bugbear is in review requests, and i freely admit for no good reason - if you ask has anyone got *name of product*, then you occasionally have someone ask for a link...well, if youve already got it, you dont need a link cos you've given the product name...and if you wanna see it yourself, well - google the name...

aah completely pointless annoyances actually annoy me...

I don't like to moan, but...

I recently tried to invent a levitation effect using the cat/toast principle of antigravity but the damnded cat went into an unstable equilibrium and kept spinning out of control.

Curse you, Physics!

EckoZero wrote:One of which is about this new game I got for my PlayStation 2.

Have you tried Chessmaster 9000 on pc? I used to be a fairly poor player but this got me up to a very reasonable standard for a few months when I was at uni and had a live oponent to play occasionally.

I'm not good enough to offer you a game now, but if you wanted to try out chessmaster I could plug your moves into it via email.

my whole week is my latest moan...

cos of so called urgent work, i've missed out on two drink-ups with good friends who are off for a few months, the footie last night and another mate coming out of hospital....

grrrrr and indeed, if i may...ggggrrrrrrrrrrrr...

i've worked 41 hours in 3 and a half days...no overtime, just flexi-credit...

rubbish...absolute rubbish...

oh and i've got a sore shoulder through an archery related injury, aggravated by work....

still, got tomorrow off, Paul Harris Art of Astonishment on dvd (just as a taster before i get the books), and Bannon's Impossibilia too...

as well as a second edition of a Dai Vernon book printed by Supreme Magic to read through...he uses tally-ho's throughout don'tcha know...

I'm using Ubuntu (Linux for children but at least it finds my Windows shares) on my knackered old No.2 Laptop and the touchpad is so sensitive I keep pressing bloody buttons and firing off applications left right and centre. Not only that but it's really inaccurate. I just pressed the evil emoticon and got the arrow

Roll on tomorrow, when me new super machine turns up.

David R. wrote:If you are running under Wind0ze (little tech joke becuase Windows isn't really a "good" OS despite its user friendliness) you can go to Start--->All-Programs--->Accessories--->Accessability--->On Screen Keyboard.

Thanks, but I write about 10,000 words a week.