Is FICS Down ?

I'm restoring my computer from factory condition, and I can't seem to log in to FICS. Is it something I did or is it down for everyone?

Never Mind ... It seems to be working now.

FICS News 1486

"FICS suffered hardware problems and was down, but has come back again. There may be futher outages. If the server is down, updates will be posted on the Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2207065647/"

Originally posted by paulbuchmanfromfics
FICS News 1486

"FICS suffered hardware problems and was down, but has come back again. There may be futher outages. If the server is down, updates will be posted on the Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2207065647/"

So, your computer screwed up so bad it took down FICS?

Originally posted by sonhouse
So, your computer screwed up so bad it took down FICS?

Maybe it wasn't a screw up? Maybe paul has a vendetta against FICS.

Originally posted by tomtom232
Maybe it wasn't a screw up? Maybe paul has a vendetta against FICS.

Nope ... How could anyone hate something that is totally 100% free and doesn't ask for anything in return! I've spent 3% of my life there since 1999! If it weren't for my love of film and other interests (poker, hearts, etc), it would probably be closer to 40%.

When the net was fairly new there were tons of other awesome chess sites too.
There was a site called the zone (Microsoft still has it, but it's different.) that was very cool at the time. In the chess room, there were just a bunch of tables. You'd take your avatar and sit in the chair and then wait for someone else to sit down. It was fairly basic but really fun at the time.

There was also a site called playsite, I think. You could play chess or wait every couple of hours for a tournament. It had the brackets for you to see all the other players and was single elimination.

When the net was new, we used to keep my computer in our store. I'd stay locked in the store overnight and chess away until 2 or 3 in the morning. The net was just amazing, even with dial up!

Chess was mostly pre-computer around that time. The engines were out, but they weren't very commercail (except for chessmaster). It was a great time for chess.

Good Times!

Originally posted by paulbuchmanfromfics
Nope ... How could anyone hate something that is totally 100% free and doesn't ask for anything in return! I've spent 3% of my life there since 1999! If it weren't for my love of film and other interests (poker, hearts, etc), it would probably be closer to 40%.

When the net was fairly new there were tons of other awesome chess sites too.
...[text shortened]... ery commercail (except for chessmaster). It was a great time for chess.

Good Times!

I was kidding.

Originally posted by tomtom232
I was kidding.

I know 🙂

I just went on a reminiscing rant there.

If you like that one, I have another one about the early days of casinos in my state! They were quite amazing at the time too!

Originally posted by paulbuchmanfromfics
I know 🙂

I just went on a reminiscing rant there.

If you like that one, I have another one about the early days of casinos in my state! They were quite amazing at the time too!

I am interested in the early days period so if you want to rant, by all means, continue. Maybe you should make a website called paulbuchmanfromficsdailyrant.com.

Originally posted by tomtom232
I am interested in the early days period so if you want to rant, by all means, continue. Maybe you should make a website called paulbuchmanfromficsdailyrant.com.

You asked for it!

The casinos came to my part of Mississippi (Tunica) around the early 90's. I don't have many memories of the early ones, being born in 82. My only memory is that I was really big for my age, so my uncle just said come on in until they throw you out. I actually played quarters for a while until they asked for my id and escorted me to the giftshop.

At this point casinos were just beginning to come to Tunica, and they were in a growing stage.

Fast Forward to about 1995 or so. At the Arkansas-Mississippi bridge (Lula, Mississippi) they put up a big one. These things were really taking off in Tunica, so they tried it here. They built quite a few casinos on Arkansas-Mississippi state lines, because the heavy religious majority of Arkansas didn't want any gambling in their state. Now, all they have to do is cross the state line, play, and go home! Anyway, back to the casinos ...

I was about 13 or 14 and this casino was a site to see. It had a huge parking lot and a building that puts Wal-Mart supercenters to shame. On each side was a casino, but the middle was really something. There was an arcade for the kids, a movie theater, a concert hall (with musicians and weekly wrestling events), and more. When you went in the doors they handed out bags of popcorn and free meals. It was like going to a fair or something. They also brought in the all you can eat buffets with seafood on the weekends (crab legs and sometimes lobster). Usually, you had to drive for hours just to get to a Red Lobster for this stuff.

It was like you went somewhere, even without gambling. ( I know I couldn't even gamble!)

Tunica was big at this time too. They had all these things, multiplied! Tunica has about 8 or so casinos.

More ...

Tunica was like a junior Vegas and growing. The buffets were like 5 star dining, and in addition all the casinos had 24 hour quick cafes and the big time expensive eating places too. It was all top notch.

Hollywood Casino had the Batmobile on display and other items like: Elvis clothes/car, Die Hard shirt, Terminator 1 - Jacket, and all kinds of other movie artifacts.

The casinos had all the popular bands, magicians, and everything you could think of, in a town that previously was just farm land. It was a truly amazing thing go see.

I haven't even mentioned the jackpot signs. Albert A won $200,000. John C won $1,000,000, and so on. It was like everyone was winning, and at first everyone was.

Eventually, the casinos kind of broke the local economy though. They figured out what they could earn and kind of went down a little. They did get worldwide advertising (the new Vegas), and I imagine they still make a lot of money. It's not like it was though. The buffets don't seem as exclusive. The food isn't nearly as good. People aren't winning like they used to. (Now, Albert A wins $5000 on the billboard.) It's a little bit economy, and a little bit braking the customers I think. I know a lot of people that have lost unbelievable amounts of money.

The casino with the theater closed all that stuff down. Now, they have the two casinos and a fountain in the middle. Kids and family aren't really as welcome. They tend to be more adult themed now. It's not like it was ...
but when it was it was quite amazing!

I forgot the difference in actaul slots. At first, you put in a bill or got some change (quarters/etc). Every machine had a stack of cups around it. You played your cup of quarters, and when you hit, it started showering you with money (after cash out). Then, you'd get the walk of pride, with four or five cups of quarters in your hand, headed to the cashier to cash out.

The usual slots were nickels (Max Bet 2-5), quarters (2-5), dollars, and five dollars. That was it, but they had hundreds of each demonition. With $20, you could play nickels all day long with a little luck.

It was fun, but there were a few minor problems (Your hands got dirty, and the machines would have to be manually refilled from time to time. Coin jams also required the slot attendants help.)

The actual slots were very basic (one line), and the technology was not that far along. I'm sure they had some counter in them, but not like today.

Eventually, all the slots got computers in them. A simple one liner, lights up when you put the first seven on the line. These new ones kept malfunctions to a minimum, and you just know they account for every penny they put out (older ones would occasionally malfunction and let you hit them multiple times). The more technology the casino got, the harder it became for the player to win.

Also, you sign up for a players card and earn free money. Unfortunately, the players card also keeps up with every cent you play. (You can get a win/loss statement at the end of the year from using it.) Do you think the guy that plays $100,000 a year or the guy that plays $200 a year is going to win more often? Also, who do you think is going to win the random drawings?

Eventually, the one line slots also became nearly obsolete. They were replaced by pennies. Pennies sounds cheat but they have 9-100 lines and you can bet up to $5 on each line in some cases! One time I accidentallly clicked bet max on a penny machine and bet $15.00! Multi-line slots with all the super computer technology are the norm now in almost all casinos. I have to think this only helps them more! I bet if gaming makes them payback x% by law that they never excede that by even 1%!

It's is almost impossible to last a few hours with $20, even playing pennies now.

The casinos also found a way to get rid of most of their slot attendants. The machines all use tickets now and don't take coins. You put in a piece of paper, and you get out a piece of paper (no more coin jams). Then, you go to the front and put the paper in a machine (not a cashier) and get your money.
A lot of the human elements are gone. The cup of coins experience is actually a lot of fun, and it's a shame they have nearly completely eliminated it (One casino still does it.).

I miss the good old days (around 2000).

No More Ranting For Today ... I Promise!