There is only one prize in this game, so was very tentative and tense overall. As the blinds went up the action got a little more exciting but in the main the chips were moving around the table and no-one was taking any big lunges at the pot.
After the break the chips seemed to be dribbling more towards Jon than anyone else, especially when Lynn fell foul of Jon having a better hand and Lynn felt she had to go as her chips were shrinking.
A similar trend continued and soon JOn had 3/4 of the total chips, with Darren and Steve both very low. Darren managed to take out Steve but was still way behind in chips.
An epic battle ensued but it all changed in one hand with Darren sucking Jon into doubling him up and Darren was suddenly chips leader. There was only one hand after the second break, with Darren taking Jon out and earnt his place in the final !
It was an entertaining game, very tense but then the sudden explosion at the end..... Jon seemed shell shocked but another second place in the game afterwards revived some of his spirits but also was depressing as it was another 2nd place rather than 1st ! (I wish my problem in Poker was always finishing 2nd.... I always seem to finish 8th ! :-) )
Results in Statsgenie as always
The final is soon upon us..... see you there
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Gambling: More "free" money from Betfair
I am feeling pretty pleased right now as I decided to take another "free" £5 from Betfair. This time I had to place a £5 bet on any horse race in the next week to be credited with the "free" £5. In a similar fashion to my last "free" bet (http://sceaga.blogspot.com/2007/02/gambling-betfair-free-bet-finally-pays.html) I have to deposit £10, but it always seems a no brainer for me, as I get a free shot at winning some money.... or maybe I am just a sucker for Betfairs marketing ploy!
Looking at the horse races, I found a race with only 6 runners and two clear favorites. Checking Sporting Life's predicted odds for the race, one horse in particular stood out as 5/4 favorite (2.25 in decimal odds) but on Betfair it was currently showing as 3.3, with the other horse at 2.8, so stuck my £5 on that one. Checking the race results after the race, my horse was 4th and had not improved very much on the odds either ! (the horse at 2.8 odds won) Just shows how much faith to put into the predicted odds I guess
I was not too despondent as I had a shot and still have my £10.... but wait, I have got £15 in my account.... not sure why but Betfair have credited me £10.... must be my early birthday present, so decided to use it :-)
My previous experience (http://sceaga.blogspot.com/2006/06/gambling-how-to-go-bankrupt-with.html) has shown me to only gamble on what I know..... I was thinking about using my Greyhound "system" again, but that had lost my money last time... betting on Horses I do enjoy but takes a long time to prepare (to do it properly) .... it is the end of season matches now, so Football started to draw my thoughts (despite my terrible record on football bets!).... but in the end was curious enough to look at the Zero Roulette in Betfairs casino. Basically it is online roulette but without the zero on the wheel.... seems a good investment as I know about roulette :-)
I am a little uncertain how Betfair make any money with these "Zero" games, but decided to transfer in my funds anyway and have a go. The one drawback I found was the minimum bets were quite steep (for a limited bankroll like mine) but ended up staking £10 on the first spin and collecting £15, and managed to repeat this trick on the 2nd spin as well.
As I believe discretion is the better part of valour (and also believing my luck will not hold out much longer!) , decided to withdrawn my entire £25 and so ended up with £15 profit on the deal :-)
Overall I think the "free" bet is a great idea and am definitely a sucker for it, but it has been kind to me overall and have managed to luck into turning a profit most times (I would previously have dropped the whole lot on stupid bets afterwards ) This time round I think I was quite sensible about what I did with my balance (although some may argue that withdrawing my £10 would been an even better idea rather than playing roulette !) so will be pleased for Betfair to give me another opportunity for "free" money in the future :-)
Looking at the horse races, I found a race with only 6 runners and two clear favorites. Checking Sporting Life's predicted odds for the race, one horse in particular stood out as 5/4 favorite (2.25 in decimal odds) but on Betfair it was currently showing as 3.3, with the other horse at 2.8, so stuck my £5 on that one. Checking the race results after the race, my horse was 4th and had not improved very much on the odds either ! (the horse at 2.8 odds won) Just shows how much faith to put into the predicted odds I guess
I was not too despondent as I had a shot and still have my £10.... but wait, I have got £15 in my account.... not sure why but Betfair have credited me £10.... must be my early birthday present, so decided to use it :-)
My previous experience (http://sceaga.blogspot.com/2006/06/gambling-how-to-go-bankrupt-with.html) has shown me to only gamble on what I know..... I was thinking about using my Greyhound "system" again, but that had lost my money last time... betting on Horses I do enjoy but takes a long time to prepare (to do it properly) .... it is the end of season matches now, so Football started to draw my thoughts (despite my terrible record on football bets!).... but in the end was curious enough to look at the Zero Roulette in Betfairs casino. Basically it is online roulette but without the zero on the wheel.... seems a good investment as I know about roulette :-)
I am a little uncertain how Betfair make any money with these "Zero" games, but decided to transfer in my funds anyway and have a go. The one drawback I found was the minimum bets were quite steep (for a limited bankroll like mine) but ended up staking £10 on the first spin and collecting £15, and managed to repeat this trick on the 2nd spin as well.
As I believe discretion is the better part of valour (and also believing my luck will not hold out much longer!) , decided to withdrawn my entire £25 and so ended up with £15 profit on the deal :-)
Overall I think the "free" bet is a great idea and am definitely a sucker for it, but it has been kind to me overall and have managed to luck into turning a profit most times (I would previously have dropped the whole lot on stupid bets afterwards ) This time round I think I was quite sensible about what I did with my balance (although some may argue that withdrawing my £10 would been an even better idea rather than playing roulette !) so will be pleased for Betfair to give me another opportunity for "free" money in the future :-)
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Travel: Business trip to Cairo
Sunday 15th April
All went to plan getting to the airport and arrived at checkin 2 hours before the flight as expected. Had a slight concern when the Egyptian clerk didn't seem able to check me in. After frantically pressing lots of buttons, muttering to himself, he called the supervisor over who pushed a couple of buttons and printed out my boarding card.... phew panic over !
The flight was good and was only 10 minutes late taking off. I was nervous about the arrival process but once in the Air they issues the entry card and customs card to fill out. My Marriott "meet and greet" was immediately visible in the arrivals hall once I stepped off the bus and proceeded to very quickly and efficiently buy my entry visa, get the passport stamped and through to the baggage collection. The bags from my flight were already on the belt but had to wait ages for my bag but it did come eventually. He then escorted me to the Mercedes taxi which took me to the hotel.
The first taste of Cairo driving was very interesting. It was very reminiscent of my racing days and the white lines in the road seem to be used only as a suggestion. Despite there being only three lanes, as there was physically enough room for 4 cars... the Egyptians will be very efficient and create 4 lanes of traffic ! All you have to do is took the horn as you whiz by slower traffic and it seems to ensure everyone avoids each other. You can overtake on any part of the road and dodging in and out of the lanes is essential for best progress. All this at around 120 kph (80 mph)
What I saw of the hotel was very nice, but went straight to the room to unpack and sleep.
Monday 16th
The team manager (Sharif) picked me up from the hotel in his new BMW 320i The state of the majority of the cars and driving style would have discouraged me from owning a nice car, but he was certainly a capable driver and enjoyed his driving.
The offices were on a newly built industrial estate and had shopping mall nearby were we went for lunch. The normal American chains for eating and drinking were there, alongside the Egyptian local brands.
The class started OK and first days training was on schedule. In the evening Shariff drove me back and insisted to take me to dinner. The restaurant was "oriental" which in Egypt means Egytian food. He ordered a variety of appetisers to give me a chance to sample many different flavours. Some were nice and some were not to my taste, but was well prepared and nice ambiance to the restaurant. Didn't feel very hungry and was quite tired after the day so was probably not very good company and didn't eat much.
Tuesday 17th
Went outside the hotel to meet the taxi driver. The cars can only stop to let people in and out the cars briefly, so wasn't sure how it would work so went down 5 minutes early. Then saw the taxi driver walking around with my name on a card... apparently he thought we were to meet at 8am, but wasn't a problem.
In the office things started to unravel as some of the copying (estimated at 4 hours) had failed overnight. Switched the course around so started to talk about day 3 topics, then the power went for a few seconds and they had to restart the copying again ! Went out for another lunch "hour" (more like 2!) and struggled through the day but ended up getting some stuff done so had a chance to catch up tomorrow. Weatherwise there was a sandstorm, which apparently only happens two or three times a year, so there was some debate about where to go for lunch. We ended up in the local mall again as it was indoors.
The Egyptians seemed to expect to be taking me out each evening so seemed surprised when I said I would not go out tonight. I hope this was not taken as a huge insult ! but really wanted a relaxing evening and early night.
At the hotel I nearly didn't bother to even leave my room, but did decide to go downstairs to eat. Had a nice BBQ chicken meal in the American Diner restaurant in the hotel. It didn't come with anything, so was just Chicken but actually was enough for me as still not feeling hungry. Being quite early decided to go to the Casino in the Hotel. Ended up spending 100 USD on the Stud Poker (didn't get any good luck when I needed it rater than bad play) but had an enjoyable and relaxing hour.
Back in the room I utilised the in-room broadband to have an even more enjoyable and relaxing couple of games of Poker (and only lost 4 USD) :-)
Wednesday 18th
Managed to progress on the class during the day and went to lunch in the mall again. The Egyptians often have lunch at their desks, but seem to really enjoy the times they go out !
In the evening three of the lads on the course took me out into Egypt downtown. The plan was to meet at 7pm have a tour around and then eat at 8pm, unfortunately the traffic was worse than normal, probably due to everyone staying indoors the day before due to the sandstorm... It took an hour to get to the spot where we were meeting, and Ahmed was another hour later... so in the meantime we toured around some of the ancient mosques and shopping streets. It was interesting to see although it started to rain slightly. By the time we had finished the rain was more persistent so was getting soaked through, but luckily we could get back to the car to go to the restaurant. We went to a park, which is quite high so got some beautiful views of the city in lights. We first we to the restaurant by the lake, but this restaurant was open air and as it was still raining we went to another restaurant. I tried the Veal Kebab which was very nice. In the end we ate at 10pm but was back in my room by midnight
Thursday 19th
Despite warnings from my colleagues that the rain may mess up the roads (it only rains 3-4 times a year) the taxi picked me up at 8am and was in the office by 8:25am which was earlier than normal.... this in spite of the taxi having an accident just after leaving the hotel.... someone went into the back of us when we had stopped for traffic, I thought it would take ages to sort out, with lots of talking and police involved, but in the end it was a quick conflab then we went on our way. I was also taking photos during the journey and the Taxi driver kindly (but unnecessarily!) pulled over for me to take photos on the equivalent to their motorway. I took a couple of quick photos and thanked him, but didn't feel like taking any more photos in case he stopped again!
The day was bright and sunny so lunch was taken outside one of the cafes in the Mall. Apparnetly the weather is normally too hot to sit outside so was unusual to be able to take in the air this time of year.
In the evening we met up at a French/Italian restaurant owned by one of Sharif;s friends. I was also presented with some gifts from the colleagues I was training and from Sharif himself to thank me for going there and training them. It was most unexpected and generous of them, especially after all the time and trouble they had gone to ensure my stay was enjoyable and entertaining. The food was very nice and even managed some of the desert this time.
Sharif also took me to a local bar for a drink (not all restaurants serve alcohol) which was heaving, as it was the end of the week for most people. Got back at midnight again, but was already packed and ready to go.
Friday 20th
Woke up too early but dozed until the alarm went off. Was a bit nervous about facing the chaos of Eyptian Airports, but was heartened when my taxi turned up just as I walked out of the hotel (10 minutes early). The hotel concierge had suggested it would take 1 hour to get to the airport but the night before Sheriff said it would take 20 minutes. To my astonishment there was NO traffic at all and the streets were clear of people and cars - it was like a ghost town !! Sure enough ended up taking 20 mins so arrived at 8:40am There was a small shock when the taxi driver demanded 100 EGP to pay for the ticket to the terminal but luckily had Egyptian currency to hand.
Walking into the terminal building I faced the chaos. Correctly as it turned out, I assumed you had to take yourself and your luggage through a huge rugby scrum to get through one of the four gates the authorities had provided. You also had to put your luggage through the X-ray and show your passport and ticket to the single guard at each gate. Luckily (again!) they opened up gate 5 as I was queuing at gate 4 so got right to the front of the queue. Even so, it took me about 20 minutes to get to the queue for checking. Checkin was very quick and efficient once I had worked my way to the front. There were lots of desks (all flights from any desk) so it was puzzling why it took so long to process the people in front of me as it took about 30 minutes to process 8 or 9 people for my turn. The counter clerk had given me my "non Egyptian exit card" but I still had to fill in name and passport details, which I noticed caught out some people at the passport desk (the next queue) Again there were only about 10 people in front of me but still took about 20 minutes to get to the front of the queue... and again it took a very short time for the guard to look at my passport and stamp it. All in all it took just over an hour to traverse the chaos and enter the tranquility of the Duty Free zone. It takes about 15 minutes to walk all around the area. It has many good facilities for eating and drinking, not many shops but 2 WiFi zones ! This area seems very quiet and relaxed, with not many people around, so wonder where everyone has gone !
Just when you think nothing else can go wrong, there was one more surprise from Egytpair before I left. The gate for the flight was 2 on my ticket, but checking the main board it said gate 7. I checked with the desk and they said it was gate 2, so went along there. The gate said the flight was going to Paris, so went to gate 7 which said Heathrow so queued up there with some other Brits. We then got told it was Gate 2 after all, even though it said Paris... it wasn't until we got onto the Plane itself that I was really confident about where I would be landing.
Overall the experiance was very interesting and enjoyable. Cairo has many facets to explore and much to see. It would have been nice to have been there on holiday but having the local lads to show me around for the few hours available was definately a huge advantage. I would certainly be happy to go back there again if circumstances dictated, especially now have had the experiance of how to get through Cairo airport.
All went to plan getting to the airport and arrived at checkin 2 hours before the flight as expected. Had a slight concern when the Egyptian clerk didn't seem able to check me in. After frantically pressing lots of buttons, muttering to himself, he called the supervisor over who pushed a couple of buttons and printed out my boarding card.... phew panic over !
The flight was good and was only 10 minutes late taking off. I was nervous about the arrival process but once in the Air they issues the entry card and customs card to fill out. My Marriott "meet and greet" was immediately visible in the arrivals hall once I stepped off the bus and proceeded to very quickly and efficiently buy my entry visa, get the passport stamped and through to the baggage collection. The bags from my flight were already on the belt but had to wait ages for my bag but it did come eventually. He then escorted me to the Mercedes taxi which took me to the hotel.
The first taste of Cairo driving was very interesting. It was very reminiscent of my racing days and the white lines in the road seem to be used only as a suggestion. Despite there being only three lanes, as there was physically enough room for 4 cars... the Egyptians will be very efficient and create 4 lanes of traffic ! All you have to do is took the horn as you whiz by slower traffic and it seems to ensure everyone avoids each other. You can overtake on any part of the road and dodging in and out of the lanes is essential for best progress. All this at around 120 kph (80 mph)
What I saw of the hotel was very nice, but went straight to the room to unpack and sleep.
Monday 16th
The team manager (Sharif) picked me up from the hotel in his new BMW 320i The state of the majority of the cars and driving style would have discouraged me from owning a nice car, but he was certainly a capable driver and enjoyed his driving.
The offices were on a newly built industrial estate and had shopping mall nearby were we went for lunch. The normal American chains for eating and drinking were there, alongside the Egyptian local brands.
The class started OK and first days training was on schedule. In the evening Shariff drove me back and insisted to take me to dinner. The restaurant was "oriental" which in Egypt means Egytian food. He ordered a variety of appetisers to give me a chance to sample many different flavours. Some were nice and some were not to my taste, but was well prepared and nice ambiance to the restaurant. Didn't feel very hungry and was quite tired after the day so was probably not very good company and didn't eat much.
Tuesday 17th
Went outside the hotel to meet the taxi driver. The cars can only stop to let people in and out the cars briefly, so wasn't sure how it would work so went down 5 minutes early. Then saw the taxi driver walking around with my name on a card... apparently he thought we were to meet at 8am, but wasn't a problem.
In the office things started to unravel as some of the copying (estimated at 4 hours) had failed overnight. Switched the course around so started to talk about day 3 topics, then the power went for a few seconds and they had to restart the copying again ! Went out for another lunch "hour" (more like 2!) and struggled through the day but ended up getting some stuff done so had a chance to catch up tomorrow. Weatherwise there was a sandstorm, which apparently only happens two or three times a year, so there was some debate about where to go for lunch. We ended up in the local mall again as it was indoors.
The Egyptians seemed to expect to be taking me out each evening so seemed surprised when I said I would not go out tonight. I hope this was not taken as a huge insult ! but really wanted a relaxing evening and early night.
At the hotel I nearly didn't bother to even leave my room, but did decide to go downstairs to eat. Had a nice BBQ chicken meal in the American Diner restaurant in the hotel. It didn't come with anything, so was just Chicken but actually was enough for me as still not feeling hungry. Being quite early decided to go to the Casino in the Hotel. Ended up spending 100 USD on the Stud Poker (didn't get any good luck when I needed it rater than bad play) but had an enjoyable and relaxing hour.
Back in the room I utilised the in-room broadband to have an even more enjoyable and relaxing couple of games of Poker (and only lost 4 USD) :-)
Wednesday 18th
Managed to progress on the class during the day and went to lunch in the mall again. The Egyptians often have lunch at their desks, but seem to really enjoy the times they go out !
In the evening three of the lads on the course took me out into Egypt downtown. The plan was to meet at 7pm have a tour around and then eat at 8pm, unfortunately the traffic was worse than normal, probably due to everyone staying indoors the day before due to the sandstorm... It took an hour to get to the spot where we were meeting, and Ahmed was another hour later... so in the meantime we toured around some of the ancient mosques and shopping streets. It was interesting to see although it started to rain slightly. By the time we had finished the rain was more persistent so was getting soaked through, but luckily we could get back to the car to go to the restaurant. We went to a park, which is quite high so got some beautiful views of the city in lights. We first we to the restaurant by the lake, but this restaurant was open air and as it was still raining we went to another restaurant. I tried the Veal Kebab which was very nice. In the end we ate at 10pm but was back in my room by midnight
Thursday 19th
Despite warnings from my colleagues that the rain may mess up the roads (it only rains 3-4 times a year) the taxi picked me up at 8am and was in the office by 8:25am which was earlier than normal.... this in spite of the taxi having an accident just after leaving the hotel.... someone went into the back of us when we had stopped for traffic, I thought it would take ages to sort out, with lots of talking and police involved, but in the end it was a quick conflab then we went on our way. I was also taking photos during the journey and the Taxi driver kindly (but unnecessarily!) pulled over for me to take photos on the equivalent to their motorway. I took a couple of quick photos and thanked him, but didn't feel like taking any more photos in case he stopped again!
The day was bright and sunny so lunch was taken outside one of the cafes in the Mall. Apparnetly the weather is normally too hot to sit outside so was unusual to be able to take in the air this time of year.
In the evening we met up at a French/Italian restaurant owned by one of Sharif;s friends. I was also presented with some gifts from the colleagues I was training and from Sharif himself to thank me for going there and training them. It was most unexpected and generous of them, especially after all the time and trouble they had gone to ensure my stay was enjoyable and entertaining. The food was very nice and even managed some of the desert this time.
Sharif also took me to a local bar for a drink (not all restaurants serve alcohol) which was heaving, as it was the end of the week for most people. Got back at midnight again, but was already packed and ready to go.
Friday 20th
Woke up too early but dozed until the alarm went off. Was a bit nervous about facing the chaos of Eyptian Airports, but was heartened when my taxi turned up just as I walked out of the hotel (10 minutes early). The hotel concierge had suggested it would take 1 hour to get to the airport but the night before Sheriff said it would take 20 minutes. To my astonishment there was NO traffic at all and the streets were clear of people and cars - it was like a ghost town !! Sure enough ended up taking 20 mins so arrived at 8:40am There was a small shock when the taxi driver demanded 100 EGP to pay for the ticket to the terminal but luckily had Egyptian currency to hand.
Walking into the terminal building I faced the chaos. Correctly as it turned out, I assumed you had to take yourself and your luggage through a huge rugby scrum to get through one of the four gates the authorities had provided. You also had to put your luggage through the X-ray and show your passport and ticket to the single guard at each gate. Luckily (again!) they opened up gate 5 as I was queuing at gate 4 so got right to the front of the queue. Even so, it took me about 20 minutes to get to the queue for checking. Checkin was very quick and efficient once I had worked my way to the front. There were lots of desks (all flights from any desk) so it was puzzling why it took so long to process the people in front of me as it took about 30 minutes to process 8 or 9 people for my turn. The counter clerk had given me my "non Egyptian exit card" but I still had to fill in name and passport details, which I noticed caught out some people at the passport desk (the next queue) Again there were only about 10 people in front of me but still took about 20 minutes to get to the front of the queue... and again it took a very short time for the guard to look at my passport and stamp it. All in all it took just over an hour to traverse the chaos and enter the tranquility of the Duty Free zone. It takes about 15 minutes to walk all around the area. It has many good facilities for eating and drinking, not many shops but 2 WiFi zones ! This area seems very quiet and relaxed, with not many people around, so wonder where everyone has gone !
Just when you think nothing else can go wrong, there was one more surprise from Egytpair before I left. The gate for the flight was 2 on my ticket, but checking the main board it said gate 7. I checked with the desk and they said it was gate 2, so went along there. The gate said the flight was going to Paris, so went to gate 7 which said Heathrow so queued up there with some other Brits. We then got told it was Gate 2 after all, even though it said Paris... it wasn't until we got onto the Plane itself that I was really confident about where I would be landing.
Overall the experiance was very interesting and enjoyable. Cairo has many facets to explore and much to see. It would have been nice to have been there on holiday but having the local lads to show me around for the few hours available was definately a huge advantage. I would certainly be happy to go back there again if circumstances dictated, especially now have had the experiance of how to get through Cairo airport.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Music: Converting vinyl album collection to CD / Digital
I was on the cusp of ordering the Ion USB Record Deck (http://www.ion-audio.com/index.php) when I came read a review criticizing it for it's price, when an alternative is to simply plug in your existing Record Deck to your PC. I guess this wouldn't appeal to most people (and didn't originally appeal to me) but having unexpectedly bought my new Dell PC with Vista and Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic card (http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=1&product=14066&subcategory=208), combined with the fact that I was trying to get rid of my old HiFi..... suddenly it dawned on me that I probably had everything I needed already. The only inconvenience is the size of the Amp and Record Deck, but then the USB record deck is not going to be small.... so I set out on my mission
I found some step-by-step instructions this URL (http://www.br0wn.co.uk/vinyltocd.htm) Ironically I knew I had the converter for Phono to 3.5mm jack, but couldn't find it.. so bought one from Maplin for a couple of quid (http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=34196&doy=11m4)
I connected up my record deck to the Amp and then the Amp Tape out sockets to the 3.5 jack on my Creative Soundblaster Xtreme card (see photo above) I also ensured I had selected Phono as the recording output and I think that is it.....although of course the phono cable wasn't long enough so had the Amp and record deck on the floor, but ordered another cable from Maplin !! (http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=31700&doy=11m4)
Having got the hardware sorted out, I downloaded some software as per the step-by-step guide.... but then suddenly thought I probably had some creative software already installed.... so a quick search discovered the software (see screen shot above) so just had to figure out how to set it up.
Used the THX Setup Console to switch to Audio Creation Mode mode and got the groovy looking screen when I launched the Console Launcher. I then started playing the record and heard my Album through the PC speakers !! Wow that was easier than I thought !
I found some step-by-step instructions this URL (http://www.br0wn.co.uk/vinyltocd.htm) Ironically I knew I had the converter for Phono to 3.5mm jack, but couldn't find it.. so bought one from Maplin for a couple of quid (http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=34196&doy=11m4)
I connected up my record deck to the Amp and then the Amp Tape out sockets to the 3.5 jack on my Creative Soundblaster Xtreme card (see photo above) I also ensured I had selected Phono as the recording output and I think that is it.....although of course the phono cable wasn't long enough so had the Amp and record deck on the floor, but ordered another cable from Maplin !! (http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=31700&doy=11m4)
Having got the hardware sorted out, I downloaded some software as per the step-by-step guide.... but then suddenly thought I probably had some creative software already installed.... so a quick search discovered the software (see screen shot above) so just had to figure out how to set it up.
Used the THX Setup Console to switch to Audio Creation Mode mode and got the groovy looking screen when I launched the Console Launcher. I then started playing the record and heard my Album through the PC speakers !! Wow that was easier than I thought !
So now to record an album to PC I need to do the following:-
- Launch Creative Console Launcher
- Make sure I remembered to switch on the Amp
- Cue the record to start playing
- In the Console, set the Monitor to "Record" (to make sure I am in the right view)
- Hit the REC button in the Console as I lower the needle to the record
Once captured... I want to dump the output to CD, for which I simply use the Roxio Easy Creator Suite also included with Vista. I can edit the WMA files with WaveStudio (also included :-) ) if I want to... I did first time in order to split up the tracks, but not sure I am that fussed really.... will see how that goes
All in all, Windows Vista and Creative combined have made the task actually quite easy (in my view) !
For my birthday I am getting a Creative MP3 player and Belkin Wireless transmitter so I can listen to more music in the car.... really getting into this technology lark now :-)
Friday, April 06, 2007
Poker: Home Tournament - April 2007
I always look forward to the monthly game, but this month had the added bonus that Simon was driving and there is no work tommorow! Maybe this new strategy (of drinking more) will work for me :-)
The first hand I got KhTd and four saw the flop which was all hearts with the Ah. With the nut flush draw I put in a bet, with Bill calling but Jon re-raising all-in. I felt committed to the pot and had it been anything but the nut draw would probably have folded..... unfortunately Bill had already made his flush and called, Jon showing 2 pair. No-one improved so Bill took a good sized pot.
Second hand gave me AJ o/s so put in a raise. Steven called but Jon went all in again! Felt that I had a good chance and the pot was giving good odds, so called and Steve also called. Jon showed pocket J and Steve had AQ, no-one improved so Jon took a good size pot !
That set the tone of my night, with my good cards getting turned over (Jon's 55 stuffing my QQ), not connecting with any draws and wild stabs at the pot getting called....I did win one good sized pot which gave me some hope but never really got going.
After rebuys stopped it was only a short time before Alex took out three players in one hand! Jon moved tables to balance them up, but a couple of hands later Roger went out giving us our final table.... I had managed to make the final table !! albeit with only around 1300 in chips.
Alex had a massive chips lead with Jon and Simon W also having decent stacks, but actually the rest of us all had low stacks (mostly below 2000) I had drawn the button so had a few hands to wait for an all-in, but Steve on the big blind had to make a move which didn't pay off, so he went first but got a point... Derek followed suit soon after as the blinds went round... and finally it was my Big Blind. Unfortunately my 6-3 o/s couldn't stand a raise so had to fold and the blinds went up giving me a 500 small blind so was priced in when Jon called the BB. After the flop Jon put Bill all-in who duly called. Jon took the pot and took both of us out.
Of the 4 remaining players, Alex had increased his stack with Jon also a good sized stack, so it was no surprise when we were down to these two heads up. My offer to deal was probably immediately regretted by Jon as they ended up all-in and Alex hit his card to take a quick win
Actually we finished uncommonly early so the remaining 6 of us had a cash game for about an hour..... which was as wild and wacky as the main tournament but great fun
So another fantastic night of poker, little bit more expensive for me than normal, but definitely spent more on beer than the Poker :-)
Roll on next time
The first hand I got KhTd and four saw the flop which was all hearts with the Ah. With the nut flush draw I put in a bet, with Bill calling but Jon re-raising all-in. I felt committed to the pot and had it been anything but the nut draw would probably have folded..... unfortunately Bill had already made his flush and called, Jon showing 2 pair. No-one improved so Bill took a good sized pot.
Second hand gave me AJ o/s so put in a raise. Steven called but Jon went all in again! Felt that I had a good chance and the pot was giving good odds, so called and Steve also called. Jon showed pocket J and Steve had AQ, no-one improved so Jon took a good size pot !
That set the tone of my night, with my good cards getting turned over (Jon's 55 stuffing my QQ), not connecting with any draws and wild stabs at the pot getting called....I did win one good sized pot which gave me some hope but never really got going.
After rebuys stopped it was only a short time before Alex took out three players in one hand! Jon moved tables to balance them up, but a couple of hands later Roger went out giving us our final table.... I had managed to make the final table !! albeit with only around 1300 in chips.
Alex had a massive chips lead with Jon and Simon W also having decent stacks, but actually the rest of us all had low stacks (mostly below 2000) I had drawn the button so had a few hands to wait for an all-in, but Steve on the big blind had to make a move which didn't pay off, so he went first but got a point... Derek followed suit soon after as the blinds went round... and finally it was my Big Blind. Unfortunately my 6-3 o/s couldn't stand a raise so had to fold and the blinds went up giving me a 500 small blind so was priced in when Jon called the BB. After the flop Jon put Bill all-in who duly called. Jon took the pot and took both of us out.
Of the 4 remaining players, Alex had increased his stack with Jon also a good sized stack, so it was no surprise when we were down to these two heads up. My offer to deal was probably immediately regretted by Jon as they ended up all-in and Alex hit his card to take a quick win
Actually we finished uncommonly early so the remaining 6 of us had a cash game for about an hour..... which was as wild and wacky as the main tournament but great fun
So another fantastic night of poker, little bit more expensive for me than normal, but definitely spent more on beer than the Poker :-)
Roll on next time
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Computers: New Dell running Vista!
I am very excited right now ! I have more or less got my new Dell PC running!
It has 300 GB disk, 4 GB ram and is runnign Vista Home Premium. I went for the 24" widescreen screen and indulged myself with the Soundblaster Xtreame sound and wireless mouse. It flies and is really fantastic !
The "gadgets" feature in Vista is really cool, but otherwise is more or less a new skin for XP (so far as I can tell right now anyway) Google earth satallite images look fantastic as well, so far really glad I bought it
I took the picture of my desk just to test how easy it is to upload pictures.... but I think it looks good too !
I installed and played game of Poker on Poker Stars just now.... hasnt improved my network connection as it dropped just as I was putting a raise in with A4 on a TT4 flop.... after NTL (sorry, I mean Virgin!) dropped the line, I got connection just in time to see another 4 on the turn (after my hand was folded) so would have won a sizeable pot with my full house..... in the end my AK suited lost out to A6 suited when a 6 came on the flop, so my luck hasnt improved either....
Oh well, never mind.... the graphics look fantastic even when you loose
It has 300 GB disk, 4 GB ram and is runnign Vista Home Premium. I went for the 24" widescreen screen and indulged myself with the Soundblaster Xtreame sound and wireless mouse. It flies and is really fantastic !
The "gadgets" feature in Vista is really cool, but otherwise is more or less a new skin for XP (so far as I can tell right now anyway) Google earth satallite images look fantastic as well, so far really glad I bought it
I took the picture of my desk just to test how easy it is to upload pictures.... but I think it looks good too !
I installed and played game of Poker on Poker Stars just now.... hasnt improved my network connection as it dropped just as I was putting a raise in with A4 on a TT4 flop.... after NTL (sorry, I mean Virgin!) dropped the line, I got connection just in time to see another 4 on the turn (after my hand was folded) so would have won a sizeable pot with my full house..... in the end my AK suited lost out to A6 suited when a 6 came on the flop, so my luck hasnt improved either....
Oh well, never mind.... the graphics look fantastic even when you loose
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Poker: Annual Satellite 2007 : Heat 4
There were only 4 of the White clan playing but still proved to be an entertaining and thrilling match.
After a tense start the brothers starting winding each other up, with Jon being a particular target by Ant. Ant had Jon wobbling a little bit with baits about Kings, which you probably had to be there to understand, but in the end Ant was the first out. Simon was low on chips and went all in with Darren. Despite being well behind, Simon hit his 4 outer on the river to double up and put him into a strong position.
A weakened Darren struggled to make progress and was next out.
There was then a battle of the titans, with chips moving back and forward between Jon and Simon. The chip stacks were pretty even and each was winning and loosing hands.
It took a monster hand for both to end the match.... Jon hit his K flush on the river after Simon had been betting (relatively) small amounts each round. Simon had flopped a Full House so Jon was always beaten, but had both played well to get to their relevant next round matches.
All to play for in the second place playoffs and the Final table is beckoning !
After a tense start the brothers starting winding each other up, with Jon being a particular target by Ant. Ant had Jon wobbling a little bit with baits about Kings, which you probably had to be there to understand, but in the end Ant was the first out. Simon was low on chips and went all in with Darren. Despite being well behind, Simon hit his 4 outer on the river to double up and put him into a strong position.
A weakened Darren struggled to make progress and was next out.
There was then a battle of the titans, with chips moving back and forward between Jon and Simon. The chip stacks were pretty even and each was winning and loosing hands.
It took a monster hand for both to end the match.... Jon hit his K flush on the river after Simon had been betting (relatively) small amounts each round. Simon had flopped a Full House so Jon was always beaten, but had both played well to get to their relevant next round matches.
All to play for in the second place playoffs and the Final table is beckoning !
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