Thursday, March 26, 2009

A friendly exchange takes the inevitable turn...

WOE!! My genial exchange with my fine Greek protege has, I am sorry to report, taken a turn towards the seedy. I just received this:

Thank you a lot my friend for your advices. Charm in you now I will think better my each movement in the poker. However exajtj'as the world economic crisis I do not have enough money in order to buy chips from somebody. You I ask one last charm and it believed with apogoi'teftw if him you do not satisfy after you gave enough time for me. It could me you give few from your money in order to I can make a good beginning?
The ingrate! That cretinous cur!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Ah Babel Fish......

Hello. My name is Andrew Fitzgerald, and I play too much Facebook (well, Zynga) Poker1. At the time of writing this I have around $2.5 billion in chips. There are many curious things one could write about the Facebook poker economy. The fact that people actually sell these chips potentially, it has been pointed out to me, has implications for 'real' inflation, for instance. One thing I really like, however, is the mirror it holds up to society's sexual politics. See that hot girl who just sat down at the table2? In a few moments she will be inundated with drinks, flowers, 'poker-buddy' requests and possibly (if she's lucky) a few gracious offers of a good boning. Conversely ... you see that ugly-as-fuck but terribly (virtually) rich guy that just sat at the table? Yeah, in a few moments he'll be getting much the same treatment from a bevy of virtual gold-diggers. Sadly, however, much of this stops at the truly big tables where such vixens cannot even afford to sit. All I get nowadays are hackers trying to phish for my account password, and constant friend requests from people begging for chips. WOE! It makes, then, for quite a refreshing change when one receives correspondence from someone truly interested in the game, as I did today:

I am worshipper of game poker and I would want you to ask that you accomplished to gather as a lot of money in this game. For example who at your opinion is the secret of your success. Your advices with will be precious, for this reason you will request with answers.
Have one splendid day!!
Thank-you, random babel fish user. This friend request I think I shall accept.

1Hi Andrew.....

2Well, O.K. .... the person whose profile picture is a hot girl. Christ knows if it's even a she, let alone whether or not the picture corresponds in any way with the person in question.