Author: Ray MacFadyen
Date: 14:39:41 12/16/00
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On December 16, 2000 at 16:51:50, Fernando Villegas wrote: >Finally I visited the Meca of chess computer fans in America: ICD. To get there >and be another pilgrim you just must ride an hour in a train trought the suburbs >of NY -a somewhat grim lansdcape of industries, railroads, stretchs of >no-man-land covered with detritus and files and files of equally shaped homes of >not very rich americans- and then to ride in a taxi for just five minutes. And >you are there. And I was there with my daughter. And the first thing I saw was a >CM8000 package with a shit of paper on it, all hanging from a knight three >feets high. The paper proclaimed "reserved for Fernando and for nobody else but >Fernando..." Later I knew it was, that day, last wennesday, the only one >remaining in stock. I felt honoured... > >BTW it was around five and 30 minutes o'clock and Steven was still busy. ICD is >not one of those stores where people is massed in great numbers; it is, more >exactly, sort of a headquarter where the boss, with a telephone, a computer and >a fax, handle his business receiving and sending orders all around the world. He >equally could be located in Laponia. "Yep", he said to me when I asked about >that, "I did not choose a place in the city because I hate the noise and the >rest of the nasty style of life asociated with New York; for what I do, this >quiet place is much better...". But in fact some people really goes there. Not >people like you and me: not freaks, but common and sane guys looking for a >computer or a board for his beloved, smart son. They are attended by Tim >Mirabile or Jim, both of them nice guys that knows how to play a game and how to >sell a machine that "will teach your boy a good deal...". There is, also, a >tough pretty girl - not so much as MY daughter- that I saw for 10 or so seconds >when she saluted me muttering something trought a pencil she kept in his mouth. >And we must not forget a more aged lady, very sharming and lovely, that appeared >and then disappeared with the evanescent gestures of a movie actress of a 30' >vintage romantic comedy. > >Respect Steven: he is almost as tall as my 6 feets and several inches. In my >case height is asociated with a 190 pounds payload of meat that almost destroyed >my feets every time after just 30 blocks of walking in NY. Steven does not share >that unpleasant feature, but he do has others I will keep in deep secrecy >because I am a gentleman. You know what I mean, Steven.... Else: he is 50 >something years old and has piercing eyes that looks with the shadow of a smile >and an stationary smile with a hint of a laugh. Warm and patient -my english >babbling is even more pathetic that my writting-, he took both my daughter >Mariana and me to a luxurious italian restaurant where we ate -he too- an >inexaustible amount of fetuccini and a civilized package of good californian >Merlot. We talked about our lives and about you, guys, the troup of this site. >He and me agreed that you all are a bunch of crazy and unbereable members of the >human race. Obviously we agreed we are not.... Then, as if was not enough to >feed visitors, he transported us to Manhattan in his soft, crisp, beloved car, a >brand new Jaguar. In short, in a 57 thousand bucks kind of wheeled piece of >iron. Now you all know where your money goes.... > >And now CM8000. In my home again afeter a pleasant flight, I have seen again the >light. So I can say that it is a shame how such a splendid piece of software is >currently labelled with a clearly derogative tittle as "mass market" software. >Mass market just means or should mean that many people get it, but it tends also >to say something nasty about the product itself. Nevertheless, IMHO, this is >sheer nonsense. A Mercedes car probably is a "mass market" car in a place like >Sillicon Valley, but that does not make of it a cheap and unreliable car. In >fact CM8000 is so strong and offer so many features that is really one of the >Mercedes of the industry. Or a Volvo if you prefer. Yes, this or that thing is >lacking -always you will meet people complaning about what is lacking in the >very best product- but what really gives is more than enough, I believe, to any >"serious" chess player. > >Maybe there are personal reasons to see it in that low profile, but surely not >product-related ones. I bet that many of us, many of those that considers >themselves as experienced, mature, advanced chess players, could get more than >one or two good lessons in even the intermediate tutorials. It is a fact we >forget how much we have forgotten. Chess learning, as any other learning, is >made out of steps forward and many unconcious steps backs. You learn, but at the >same time you forget what you knew before. At least part of it. That's the >reason even best piano performers expend a lot of time just trainning once and >again the very same chords they played yesterday. So tutorials of middle class >level are a real tool and not just a feature for "beginners". Of course more >truth is with advanced titorials. The same could be said for every other aspect >of the educative part of this program. > >Frills? That's another thing that tend to be considered as a feature of a >despicable mass market program. Well, I cannot understand why a product that >brings more options could be less valuable and lovely and praise-worthy that >another one that brings less. You does not like pretty boards? Then You can use >another, spartan kind of board. You does not like sound? You can put it off. And >so and so. You have the choice. But what you cannot do is to have sounds, to >load pretty boards or to do anything else with a program that does not bring >nothing of it because it is "professional". Of course this is not a fault of the >makers of this last kind of programs; they just do his job. And I am not saying >that other top programs without so many features as CM are, then, less valuable. >Nothing of it. My point is just this: CM8000 deserves to be considered in a >complete different way as it has been until now. >It deserves a more objetive judgement. To be seen as what it is and what it >gives and not according as how proud WE feel making clasifications with not >other purpose that to put ourselves in an special category, far ahead of the >simple Joe. > >And nothing more by now, except publically express my feelings of gratitude fort >steven for his wonderfull reception, witty talk and tasty meal and wine. >Remember: Chile is waiting for you. > >Fernando Hi fernando This is a terrific post,I really enjoyed it,I hope you are visiting australia next,we will look after you. :-) Best wishes Ray MacFadyen
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