Archive for February, 2008

Backgammon in Portuguese and Other Languages

Tuesday, February 26th, 2008

Play65 has recently launched its 18th language platform. Play65.br allows backgammon fans from Brazil and Portugal to download the software and play the game in their own language. 

In Portuguese, by the way, backgammon is called Gamão (pronounced gamago). What brings me to the next issue – do you know how to say backgammon in other languages? When you are playing backgammon online, especially in a 17-languages backgammon platform (18! 18!), knowing the precise term for the backgammon game is hardly an issue. But if you are on the Trans Siberian, you would like to know how to say backgammon in Russian (Narde) or in Turkey (Tavla), wouldn’t you?

In the same opportunity, you would be also happy to learn that Narde, the Russian variant of backgammon, hitting is not allowed. And that in the Turkish backgammon called Tavla, the doubling cube is out of the game. 

In addition, if someone offers you a game of puff in Germany, his means are not necessarily indecent, since puff (or poof) is the traditional German name for backgammon. (But just out of precautious, note that another translation of puff is a brothel).

How do you say backgammon in your language? Feel free to enrich our multilingual imagination with more translations to the word backgammon.

 

Backgammon Set of Formula 1

Wednesday, February 20th, 2008

Here’s another backgammon board you cannot afford: Renault newly launched backgammon set. The €19,320 backgammon board is made of parts actually taken from Renault celebrated racing car Formula 1. 

The backgammon board is made of underfloor of chassis, plank permaglass straight from F1, sterling silver and leather, and it is priced at €19,320, which is something like $27,000. 

Their chess set, on the other hand cost €28,890 and it is made from the suspension, hubs, uprights, wings and cockpit, plus titanium, stainless glass, aircraft specification aluminum, carbon fibre, sterling silver and leather. 

 If you are tighter on the budget and you still want some game set from Renault collection, the carbon disk break solitaire costs only €828 ($1,218). 

Thanks for Jalopnik for introducing me to this backgammon set.

 

Geekiest Games and Hobbies

Thursday, February 14th, 2008

Do you think that playing backgammon is a geeky hobby? What about carrying a backpack filled with collectable card games throughout the fourth decade of one’s existence (while still sharing a dining room with the procreators)? If your ideal of a romantic date includes watching the unabridged version of all three Lord or Rings movies (there are just three right?) in a row, there’s more from where it came from; stay tuned for even brighter ideas for your second date.

Online Role Playing Games

 
When your geek acquaintance tells you about last night’s adventures, you should listen carefully: there’s a great chance that the one who went through there astounding experience was their Second Life avatar. The rumor is saying that online games in general and massive multiplayer online role playing games in particular are no longer dominated by young males with superior computing skills and social anxiety. Since these rumors are backed up by statistics, maybe you should reconsider making indecent proposals for every cute avatar. 

second life

cute ha?

Live Role Playing Games

 
Geeks their own private culture long before the first online role playing game was launched; live role playing games for example, whereby the geeks themselves dress up as their fictional character and go out to meet their fellow geeks for monster chasing sessions and other adventures. On the one hand, the public humiliation was much larger than in online role playing games, but on the other hand, at least you could see who your sword duel partner is.
 

Science Fiction/Fantasy/Furry Conventions

 

Those multi attendance science fiction/fantasy/furry cons (comic fans are not neglected either: they have their own cons as well) may just be the highlight of every Trekker, Buffy aficionado or furry fan. In these parallel universes, a geek can take a break of his/her productive duties, wear their fancy grisly suit to gather with the rest of the local fandom for one weekend. On top of enabling geeks to get together with people who share the same enthusiasm and can correct their Klingon misspells, these fans cons usually include lectures and presentations on related topics, costume contests, art auctions and other opportunities to show off their active concern of the admired object.

Check out those weirdos with jeans and sweatshirts

(Picture taken from mousetrout flickr)

Top 10 Online Time Wasters

Sunday, February 10th, 2008

Do you still think that playing online backgammon is a waste of time? Trust me, it can’t be alot worse… 

Despite all the shortcuts it offers, the World Wide Web contains maybe the largest selections of free, easy and accessible ways to waste your time without doing anything useful, acquiring any valuable knowledge or even spending your hard earned money. Still, when you come to think the pre "cut and paste" era, about the times where you had to drag your weary feet from one distant store to another to find out the price of a hair dryer, you begin to appreciate the amount of time left to waste. 

The term "time wasters" derives from the well rooted assumption that our entire days should be efficiently planned, so we will be productive even in our spare time. However, if haven’t committed any other deadly sin yet and you still care about your afterlife, stay away from this list of the top ten time wasters on the internet.                        

Shooting games

Computers may have saved us some of the hassles of bureaucracy, but not with the aggravation of tolerating intolerable persons.

Playing online shooting games is a civilized way to let loose some aggressions and waste your time at the same opportunity. Shooting games come in variety of themes and designs: if your childhood hero was Harry Callahan, you can aim at those cardboard targets; if you are a vegetarian, you might feel uncomfortable playing Chicken Invaders, and so on. 

Tetris

If you are under 25, you will not recall the handheld black and white version of Tetris, but even if the image of falling blocks doesn’t tick your nostalgic sentiment, you must admit that Tetris, on its variety of versions and platforms, is still one of the most addictive, in the positive meaning, time wasters on the web.

Wait! Correction: Tetris is not a time waster. Researches show that playing Tetris improves the brain’s functioning. 

Line Rider

"The latest Internet Phenomenon" allow you to experience extreme sports without risking the wholeness of your limbs. All you are required is to use a basic drawing tool and to challenge your virtual sledder with ramps, barriers and other obstacles and to locate it with any imaginable scenery. And if it wasn’t enough time waste, you can watch the movies created by other line riders.  

Stumbleupon 

A social network by definition, Stumbleupon enables you to kill time in front of your computer without even greeting any community member. Once you have logged in and marked your interests, you can find yourself pushing that button over and over in hope of finding a worthwhile website, where you will be able to waste your precious time more effectively. 

Facebook

Do you remember the name of your kindergarten friend? Nevermind if you don’t; Facebook, currently the world’s largest social network, gives you a reason to waste your time looking after people you’ve forgot you’ve forgot about them. 

Quizzes and Personality Tests

Though even in pre-internet times you could’ve opened a Cosmo and figure out which fun fearless fiction read is right for you? The internet has increased the number of quizzes and personality tests and made it more easily reached, and who can resist knowing which Spears family member he/she is? 

Celebrity Gossip

Speaking of Spears family, the lives of all the self destructive celeb are documented 24/7 on the internet top gossip sites, and you can easily find yourself hooked up on the latest Britney/Lindsay/Amy public disasters. 

Lol Cats

Dogs’ types may grind their teeth, but most others would clap their hands to the endless selection of pictures and videos of cats in variety of positions and resemblances to historic figures. 

Youtube

Though it may have lost some of its primary appeal and its competitors may be superior, Youtube can still provide hours of entertaining time wasting, in which you can view home videos of coordination-challenged dancers to old TV commercials from Japan. 

Top Ten Lists

Top ten list of worst rock band names in history, top 10 strangest lego creations, top ten stupidest lists… For an intensive waste of your time, you can make a top ten list by yourself. 

 

Few words on the Super Bowl (and Backgammon)

Monday, February 4th, 2008

 

A day before the Super Bowl, Tom Brady, the Patriots quarterback, was quoted saying (in Art Spander’s Inside Bay Area column):       

"…I’m a terrible loser. I rub it in pretty good when I win, but when I lose, say playing backgammon, I’ve broken more backgammon sets. It’s like I wish I had a punching bag nearby."

As you all know, last night, Brady didn’t mark his third Super Bowl win. So, what’s the American football equivalent of breaking backgammon boards in backgammon? Shredding the balls into pieces? Disconnecting the amplification system? Spraying the audience with a shotgun? Any suggestions?