Author: Robert Hyatt
Date: 06:58:16 04/29/00
Go up one level in this thread
On April 29, 2000 at 03:33:25, Bruce Moreland wrote: >On April 29, 2000 at 01:23:26, Robert Hyatt wrote: > >>That is _really_ short-sighted. When my doctor fails to keep an appointment, >>because he had to go to emergency surgery, I don't weight that patient's >>importance vs mine. I assume we are _both_ important. I believe his code >>of ethics (and the oath he takes when graduating from med school) dictates >>this behavior. > >You clearly don't have Group Health, not to divert the issue. But I do. An HMO named "United Health Care". However United does _not_ tell the doctor what to do, at least here in Alabama. Their policy is "the doctor knows best". There is no review board to determine if a medical procedure is advisable or practical. If the doc says 'do it' then it gets done, period... At least this one works (for my family). > >>I have played in over 20 ACM events. Rebel played in several. I have _never_ >>encountered Ed. I have _never_ assumed he thought his time was more valuable >>than mine. I did assume that he either (a) didn't have the time; (b) didn't >>want to spend the money; (c) some other reason that I didn't know about and >>didn't care about. >> >>I think it is a _wild_ stretch to think anyone says "Hmmm... my time is >>more valuable than Moreland's, and I am not going to waste any going to this >>event in person." >> >>I have given my reasons for not going. There are 2. Expense and Time. I also >>have a responsibility to students in my classes. I don't think it reasonable >>in a 9 week term to take off for over 1 week, and dump class. I have played in >>so many computer chess events, the 'magic' is gone. And I can dispassionately >>assess the gains vs the cost and make a decision of whether I want to spend >>at least a couple of grand going to Europe for over a week, or would I rather >>spend that same time with my family in Disney World, or whatever. The decision >>is not hard to make. >> >>And it has _nothing_ to do with whether I think my time is more valuable or >>less valuable than yours. It is about what I perceive my responsibilities and >>obligations to be. Factored in with some simple financial analysis. > >[snip] > >>I don't _ever_ remember anyone saying they were personally insulted/offended >>when a primary author didn't/couldn't show up. We were so busy tweaking the >>book between rounds that it didn't cause a second thought. > >I see your point, and I think that your case is especially difficult, because in >many cases you could not go even if you wanted to. > >I still think that continued absence of some people erodes the event. The >presence of primary authors makes the event nicer for everyone. I would like to >point, for example, to Frans Morsch. He's been to every event I've been to, and >while I doubt that I would have gotten much info out of him had I tried to get >him to talk, it is nice that he is there. If he stops going and Fritz is run by >some random person nobody knows, the event is diminished. If there is ever a >point where the event is just the ICCA officials and 24 anonymous operators, it >would be pointless to go, either to participate in person or to spectate. > >bruce That is different, but maybe because every event you have attended is outside the US. I have _never_ met him at a chess event. He has _never_ attended any ACM event that I have attended. And I don't hold it against him as I have not been able to attend many events outside the US. It is too bad that travel is what it is, cost wise and time wise. But it seems to fit both ways. Except that for the past 10 years, it has all been about me going over there. Never them coming over here. However, I don't think it would be (for me) pointless to go. We've already seen such events with mostly non-authors. I enjoyed the competition just as much as if the authors were there. Yes I might have missed talking to Slate or some author in person, after the games or over dinner. However, most of us would run the following schedule: play a game at 7pm. usually finish by 1-2am, but most of us stuck around until all games were over so we could compute the next round pairings. Usually we were in bed by 5am. We would get up about noon, eat, then start preparing the opening for that evening. We would go to the tournament hall to log on and get things ready. This could take a couple or a few hours. We always tried to get out in the afternoon to walk around whatever city we were in, and maybe take in the local museum or whatever. Then time to eat, back to the tournament hall, and repeat N times. We never had a lot of time for a lot of discussion, as these events were also held at a major conference which we were attending.
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