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Subject: note to GTCharlie
Date: Fri Dec 30 17:34:03 2022
User: MrFixit
Message:
GTCharlie-- you haven't responded to email so we're trying this. You have apparently been losing games quickly and on purpose and it's messing up the game ratings for everyone. Please stop. Thanks, MrFixit (aka Denny) and ElGuapo
User: MrFixit
Message:
GTCharlie-- you haven't responded to email so we're trying this. You have apparently been losing games quickly and on purpose and it's messing up the game ratings for everyone. Please stop. Thanks, MrFixit (aka Denny) and ElGuapo
Date: Fri Dec 30 18:00:16 2022
User: firenze
Message:
It is possible that there might be a physical or mental reason for this behavior. Otherwise, why wouldn't the time on each game be 0.01. I mean, it does look a lot like the way mother plays after a couple of hours at the 92nd Street Grill.
User: firenze
Message:
It is possible that there might be a physical or mental reason for this behavior. Otherwise, why wouldn't the time on each game be 0.01. I mean, it does look a lot like the way mother plays after a couple of hours at the 92nd Street Grill.
Date: Fri Dec 30 18:04:01 2022
User: Uncle_Vito
Message:
You could be right. The bartender's name is Charlie and she does drink Gin and Tonic.
User: Uncle_Vito
Message:
You could be right. The bartender's name is Charlie and she does drink Gin and Tonic.
Date: Fri Dec 30 20:45:39 2022
User: ix
Message:
it looks like on 12/28 charlie lost 136 8x4-5 games. so far today, cumulative game stats show 1,463 8x4-5 games have been lost. i don't understand why this is a big deal, it shouldn't be.
User: ix
Message:
it looks like on 12/28 charlie lost 136 8x4-5 games. so far today, cumulative game stats show 1,463 8x4-5 games have been lost. i don't understand why this is a big deal, it shouldn't be.
Date: Fri Dec 30 21:38:43 2022
User: Anonymous
Message:
Hi, I have a "BIG PROBLEM" and I'm hoping that you can help. My old computer finally gave way and I had to go out and get a new one. However, this caused a major problem for me. Before my computer "crashed" everything was going fine. And now I'm not able to get in using my new computer. Here's something else to take into consideration: I've accumulated 139,880+ wins before all of this happened. In fact, I was third on the all-time 12x4 list. Now I have to start all over again because you don't recognize my username or password? That's not right! Please see what you can do to remedy this situation. Thank You!
User: Anonymous
Message:
Hi, I have a "BIG PROBLEM" and I'm hoping that you can help. My old computer finally gave way and I had to go out and get a new one. However, this caused a major problem for me. Before my computer "crashed" everything was going fine. And now I'm not able to get in using my new computer. Here's something else to take into consideration: I've accumulated 139,880+ wins before all of this happened. In fact, I was third on the all-time 12x4 list. Now I have to start all over again because you don't recognize my username or password? That's not right! Please see what you can do to remedy this situation. Thank You!
Date: Fri Dec 30 22:15:11 2022
User: cellmate
Message:
if you play as Anonymous, your stats are stored on your machine, not the server if you forgot your password, logout, then go to login and click 'Forgot password' over on the right
User: cellmate
Message:
if you play as Anonymous, your stats are stored on your machine, not the server if you forgot your password, logout, then go to login and click 'Forgot password' over on the right
Date: Sat Dec 31 16:48:19 2022
User: ElGuapo
Message:
Ix wrote: "it looks like on 12/28 charlie lost 136 8x4-5 games. so far today, cumulative game stats show 1,463 8x4-5 games have been lost. i don't understand why this is a big deal, it shouldn't be." Thanks for asking. It's less of a problem in 8x4 than easier, lesser played variants in one respect. Unlike 9x5-5 (where Charlie has also been losing on purpose), average ratings in 8x4-5 will bounce back. So no lasting harm to game ratings, but that comes at the expense of accuracy in our ability to rate all the other players. He's still peeing in the pool, but it's a bigger pool. Charlie's recent dives totaled about 1500 rating points, moving the average 8x4-5 game's rating up by about 15 points. That's a lot. All the other players keep correcting for this noise by taking those points and distributing them through the system. Then presumably Charlie will start playing straight again after taking his dive and we'll have the same amount of noise again in reverse. If players don't care about ratings that's their prerogative. But the specific behavior we're talking about is not apathy toward ratings, it's all about the ratings. We even tried to implement a fix to not exchange points if players repeatedly open games and quit them, but Charlie started waiting longer to quit to make sure it counted. Again, it's a weakness in our implementation of Elo ratings here. The model is designed to react strongly to surprises, like players losing a game they were heavily favored to win. We're not sophisticated enough to catch it in real time when players lose on purpose, so we're relying on public awareness and good will to help instead.
User: ElGuapo
Message:
Ix wrote: "it looks like on 12/28 charlie lost 136 8x4-5 games. so far today, cumulative game stats show 1,463 8x4-5 games have been lost. i don't understand why this is a big deal, it shouldn't be." Thanks for asking. It's less of a problem in 8x4 than easier, lesser played variants in one respect. Unlike 9x5-5 (where Charlie has also been losing on purpose), average ratings in 8x4-5 will bounce back. So no lasting harm to game ratings, but that comes at the expense of accuracy in our ability to rate all the other players. He's still peeing in the pool, but it's a bigger pool. Charlie's recent dives totaled about 1500 rating points, moving the average 8x4-5 game's rating up by about 15 points. That's a lot. All the other players keep correcting for this noise by taking those points and distributing them through the system. Then presumably Charlie will start playing straight again after taking his dive and we'll have the same amount of noise again in reverse. If players don't care about ratings that's their prerogative. But the specific behavior we're talking about is not apathy toward ratings, it's all about the ratings. We even tried to implement a fix to not exchange points if players repeatedly open games and quit them, but Charlie started waiting longer to quit to make sure it counted. Again, it's a weakness in our implementation of Elo ratings here. The model is designed to react strongly to surprises, like players losing a game they were heavily favored to win. We're not sophisticated enough to catch it in real time when players lose on purpose, so we're relying on public awareness and good will to help instead.
Date: Sat Dec 31 23:19:18 2022
User: ix
Message:
lest you think i don't care about elo and was somehow being disrespectful, the first time i shed points was specifically because i was starting to pay too much attention to elo, and unlike many here, i don't have enough attention to spare!
User: ix
Message:
lest you think i don't care about elo and was somehow being disrespectful, the first time i shed points was specifically because i was starting to pay too much attention to elo, and unlike many here, i don't have enough attention to spare!
Date: Mon Jan 2 15:16:49 2023
User: GTCharlie
Message:
The object of my losing 'on purpose' was in answer to your lack of notice when I would ask about my winning a game and then when I started a new game I would find 0 wins. The answer was 'I must have been hitting the wrong key'. So I was supposed to forget the problem and start the new game. After over twenty years playing 8 X 4 and seldom winning I should just stop the 9 X 5 game playing as it doesn't save a long streak should it occur.
User: GTCharlie
Message:
The object of my losing 'on purpose' was in answer to your lack of notice when I would ask about my winning a game and then when I started a new game I would find 0 wins. The answer was 'I must have been hitting the wrong key'. So I was supposed to forget the problem and start the new game. After over twenty years playing 8 X 4 and seldom winning I should just stop the 9 X 5 game playing as it doesn't save a long streak should it occur.
Date: Tue Jan 3 09:27:45 2023
User: outskirts
Message:
GTCharlie is having trouble and you didn't fix it so he was trying to get your attention?
User: outskirts
Message:
GTCharlie is having trouble and you didn't fix it so he was trying to get your attention?
Date: Tue Jan 3 16:21:45 2023
User: MrFixit
Message:
They seem to have posted about a scoring issue way back in May. redberet responded. If we had an issue like streaks not getting remembered I'd have been hearing about it very loudly. But that's way over the event horizon. I scrub that recent play stuff to about a month or so. MrFixit aka Denny
Link: old post Scores
User: MrFixit
Message:
They seem to have posted about a scoring issue way back in May. redberet responded. If we had an issue like streaks not getting remembered I'd have been hearing about it very loudly. But that's way over the event horizon. I scrub that recent play stuff to about a month or so. MrFixit aka Denny
Link: old post Scores
Date: Tue Jan 3 16:38:23 2023
User: redberet
Message:
I remember that. I figured GTCharlie was miffed and that's why he didn't acknowledge.
User: redberet
Message:
I remember that. I figured GTCharlie was miffed and that's why he didn't acknowledge.
Date: Tue Jan 3 19:04:11 2023
User: MrFixit
Message:
They also posted about taking a sip of rum and coke after every win, and playing a lot of 9x5 maybe they need to seek help! :-)
User: MrFixit
Message:
They also posted about taking a sip of rum and coke after every win, and playing a lot of 9x5 maybe they need to seek help! :-)
Date: Wed Jan 4 09:28:19 2023
User: GTCharlie
Message:
F** and you your understanding. Remember back when we didn't understand so we just entered ***.
User: GTCharlie
Message:
F** and you your understanding. Remember back when we didn't understand so we just entered ***.
Date: Wed Jan 4 09:52:30 2023
User: outskirts
Message:
The coke is bad for you so you should mix your rum with something healthier like pineapple juice. Myself I love that 90 proof coconut rum.
User: outskirts
Message:
The coke is bad for you so you should mix your rum with something healthier like pineapple juice. Myself I love that 90 proof coconut rum.
Date: Wed Jan 4 10:15:27 2023
User: TNmountainman
Message:
"Some gotta win; some gotta lose." (Posting this version rather than the Danny O'Keefe original because of the cool pics.)
Link: "Some gotta win; some gotta lose."
User: TNmountainman
Message:
"Some gotta win; some gotta lose." (Posting this version rather than the Danny O'Keefe original because of the cool pics.)
Link: "Some gotta win; some gotta lose."
Date: Wed Jan 4 11:47:39 2023
User: redberet
Message:
GTCharlie, I took the time to look into your history and responded. The message wasn't addressed to MrFixit and thus an open question. I don't know what else you could expect from a stranger.
User: redberet
Message:
GTCharlie, I took the time to look into your history and responded. The message wasn't addressed to MrFixit and thus an open question. I don't know what else you could expect from a stranger.
Date: Wed Jan 4 12:16:02 2023
User: MrFixit
Message:
First off, my apologies. Usually drinking and playing is something we can joke about (see your post below) so I thought it was fair game. Second, I'm happy to look into issues but won't spend much/any time on something with an unclear description of the problem. And as I said something fundamental like losing streaks would have been brought to my attention with extreme prejudice. Third, being unhappy with the service doesn't make it ok to vandalize. We'd like you to stop deliberately losing games. Thanks, MrFixit aka Denny
Link: near the end of this thread
User: MrFixit
Message:
First off, my apologies. Usually drinking and playing is something we can joke about (see your post below) so I thought it was fair game. Second, I'm happy to look into issues but won't spend much/any time on something with an unclear description of the problem. And as I said something fundamental like losing streaks would have been brought to my attention with extreme prejudice. Third, being unhappy with the service doesn't make it ok to vandalize. We'd like you to stop deliberately losing games. Thanks, MrFixit aka Denny
Link: near the end of this thread
Date: Wed Jan 4 12:29:30 2023
User: outskirts
Message:
*sigh* I just got through watching season one of My Name is Earl, for the first time, coincidentally! So I recognized Joy right off, I had just seen that episode! I apologize.
User: outskirts
Message:
*sigh* I just got through watching season one of My Name is Earl, for the first time, coincidentally! So I recognized Joy right off, I had just seen that episode! I apologize.
Date: Wed Jan 4 13:00:19 2023
User: redberet
Message:
I remember my liquid lunches, somewhat. My brother would rag me about running out of the liquor store like I stole something. Said it had to do with something called moderation.
User: redberet
Message:
I remember my liquid lunches, somewhat. My brother would rag me about running out of the liquor store like I stole something. Said it had to do with something called moderation.
Date: Wed Jan 4 15:10:24 2023
User: outskirts
Message:
I didn't have to go back too many pages looking for a thread started by GTCharlie Dec 15.
Link: https://www.freecell.net/f/c/disctopic.html?code=16037&replies=1#idlast
User: outskirts
Message:
I didn't have to go back too many pages looking for a thread started by GTCharlie Dec 15.
Link: https://www.freecell.net/f/c/disctopic.html?code=16037&replies=1#idlast
Date: Fri Jan 6 09:22:43 2023
User: outskirts
Message:
Well since no one is ready to jump on that... Denny has stated many times that he does not restore lost streaks! It doesn't matter that you don't remember losing it, or how you lost the streak, by accident or by a faux pas on your part. I think that's what GTCharlie's post boils down to. He seems to expect a lot in return for his bad communication skills. And he's not exactly a newbie.
User: outskirts
Message:
Well since no one is ready to jump on that... Denny has stated many times that he does not restore lost streaks! It doesn't matter that you don't remember losing it, or how you lost the streak, by accident or by a faux pas on your part. I think that's what GTCharlie's post boils down to. He seems to expect a lot in return for his bad communication skills. And he's not exactly a newbie.
Date: Mon Jan 9 12:33:57 2023
User: GTCharlie
Message:
Thank you, outskirts, for the splendid info about me. What is your medical knowledge that lets you speak about me and my communication skills. I do not expect anything from anyone about the loss of games. After my last game I hit continue and closed out by hitting the little X that most of us use for closing a site. Later I returned and did not look at win/loss until about 10 games later. As you can see from my play record my play is far from competitive, I figured that it would be helpful those that run the games.
User: GTCharlie
Message:
Thank you, outskirts, for the splendid info about me. What is your medical knowledge that lets you speak about me and my communication skills. I do not expect anything from anyone about the loss of games. After my last game I hit continue and closed out by hitting the little X that most of us use for closing a site. Later I returned and did not look at win/loss until about 10 games later. As you can see from my play record my play is far from competitive, I figured that it would be helpful those that run the games.
Date: Tue Jan 10 12:36:36 2023
User: BuzzClik
Message:
And that completes your rite of passage, GTCharlie. Welcome to the Freecell discussion board.
User: BuzzClik
Message:
And that completes your rite of passage, GTCharlie. Welcome to the Freecell discussion board.
Date: Tue Jan 10 12:41:35 2023
User: Kumquat-of-Conciliation
Message:
Seems to me like that's letting him off easy.
User: Kumquat-of-Conciliation
Message:
Seems to me like that's letting him off easy.
Date: Tue Jan 10 12:57:30 2023
User: redberet
Message:
Maybe if you guys had stepped in on the initial query, we wouldn't be having this discussion. So, you only have yourselves to blame.
User: redberet
Message:
Maybe if you guys had stepped in on the initial query, we wouldn't be having this discussion. So, you only have yourselves to blame.
Date: Tue Jan 10 13:11:27 2023
User: BuzzClik
Message:
I have no idea what he wants. So, I'll take the full blame.
User: BuzzClik
Message:
I have no idea what he wants. So, I'll take the full blame.
Date: Wed Jan 11 10:07:32 2023
User: outskirts
Message:
From this thread: Date: Mon Jan 2 15:16:49 2023 User: GTCharlie Message: The object of my losing 'on purpose' was in answer to your lack of notice when I would ask about my winning a game and then when I started a new game I would find 0 wins. The answer was 'I must have been hitting the wrong key'. So I was supposed to forget the problem and start the new game. After over twenty years playing 8 X 4 and seldom winning I should just stop the 9 X 5 game playing as it doesn't save a long streak should it occur. _________ And he was referring to: (linked by me in this thread) Subject: Unusual Loss Date: Thu Dec 15 21:45:18 2022 User: GTCharlie Message: I feel good when I can make the over one hundred win. When I departed today I had over 100 wins. When had played 11 games this afternoon I found that I had started over and was now at 11 and not the over 100 that I had signed off with. Date: Thu Dec 15 22:12:00 2022 User: TNmountainman Message: Your recent play shows you lost a game at 11:13 today. Maybe somehow you mistakenly hit "Give up"?
User: outskirts
Message:
From this thread: Date: Mon Jan 2 15:16:49 2023 User: GTCharlie Message: The object of my losing 'on purpose' was in answer to your lack of notice when I would ask about my winning a game and then when I started a new game I would find 0 wins. The answer was 'I must have been hitting the wrong key'. So I was supposed to forget the problem and start the new game. After over twenty years playing 8 X 4 and seldom winning I should just stop the 9 X 5 game playing as it doesn't save a long streak should it occur. _________ And he was referring to: (linked by me in this thread) Subject: Unusual Loss Date: Thu Dec 15 21:45:18 2022 User: GTCharlie Message: I feel good when I can make the over one hundred win. When I departed today I had over 100 wins. When had played 11 games this afternoon I found that I had started over and was now at 11 and not the over 100 that I had signed off with. Date: Thu Dec 15 22:12:00 2022 User: TNmountainman Message: Your recent play shows you lost a game at 11:13 today. Maybe somehow you mistakenly hit "Give up"?
Date: Thu Jan 12 09:10:14 2023
User: outskirts
Message:
To GTCharlie: Looks like I'm the only one trying to communicate with you about the issue. I apologized twice and I think you owe Me one. I think Denny is probably po'd at what he described as vandalism, and he has apologized. You probably owe him a huge one.
User: outskirts
Message:
To GTCharlie: Looks like I'm the only one trying to communicate with you about the issue. I apologized twice and I think you owe Me one. I think Denny is probably po'd at what he described as vandalism, and he has apologized. You probably owe him a huge one.
Date: Tue Jan 17 14:47:28 2023
User: outskirts
Message:
That's okay, Denny! I remember when everyone used to thank you for all your hard work. One dude, mostly, doing it for free. Donating big $$ to charity every year. Letting the oldies get a free ad-free site. There's just no gratitude any more. Thanks for everything, Denny!
User: outskirts
Message:
That's okay, Denny! I remember when everyone used to thank you for all your hard work. One dude, mostly, doing it for free. Donating big $$ to charity every year. Letting the oldies get a free ad-free site. There's just no gratitude any more. Thanks for everything, Denny!
Date: Wed Jan 18 06:44:48 2023
User: TitanicTony
Message:
@ outskirts.... I agree, Denny's the best! And he runs the best freecell site ever, imo! I think it's not true that there is "no gratitude any more". But maybe there is less now than when I was growing up in the 40's & 50's? (I graduated from high school in Los Angeles in 1957.) Also, I am extremely glad that I moved to Geneva in 1967! It has been a very good life here! I was married for the 2nd time in 1973. So, in April we will celebrate our 50th anniversary! YEA!
User: TitanicTony
Message:
@ outskirts.... I agree, Denny's the best! And he runs the best freecell site ever, imo! I think it's not true that there is "no gratitude any more". But maybe there is less now than when I was growing up in the 40's & 50's? (I graduated from high school in Los Angeles in 1957.) Also, I am extremely glad that I moved to Geneva in 1967! It has been a very good life here! I was married for the 2nd time in 1973. So, in April we will celebrate our 50th anniversary! YEA!
Date: Wed Jan 18 12:03:02 2023
User: outskirts
Message:
I remember getting my first well-paying job. It was @ my 25th birthday. I fainted at the sight of my first paycheck, and at every one after! They sometimes had an EMT standing by!
User: outskirts
Message:
I remember getting my first well-paying job. It was @ my 25th birthday. I fainted at the sight of my first paycheck, and at every one after! They sometimes had an EMT standing by!
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