Fencer:Clearly the solution is to rename "tips" and call it "tips and ads" ;-)

Of course, to someone who wants the product, an ad is a tip!

"GERRY":Many life events interfere with our leisure activities.  If I book a vacation and there's a cancellation fee, I can't go to the travel agent and ask for a refund because my boss decided to send me on a business trip instead.  In most cases it's the same if I'm sick.  Games just aren't that important, are they?  And how do you measure the inconvenience to other players from granting extra time to the occasional unfortunate?  Sometimes, the ball just bounces the wrong way, in games and in life.  We're better off learning to deal with this reality than constantly asking for the world to take our burdens off our shoulders.

rod03801:I don't think it's so much a matter of abuse as of thoughtlessness.  People should not be subject to criticism for following the rules of the site.  The rules can always be changed if they don't suit the majority of users.  However, deliberately delaying matches is rudeness, another term for which is unsportsmanlike behavior, and that can legitimately be criticized.

Carl:Hadn't noticed this before, but I see I must be playing the same person.  Still in the first game of 2 7 point matches started in August.  Odd.

nobleheart:I'm back, but then I've always been back.

Fencer:Interesting.  Looks like the Western US is not well served.  I wonder why they didn't include major cities on the West Coast (LA, San Francisco) in their list.  Or Las Vegas, for that matter.

nodnarbo:"always a local problem" = "never a server problem"

Fencer:Never say never

Artful Dodger:Keep us posted, if it slows down later.  That was my experience with other browsers -- fast at first, then slower as time goes on.  I've had to disable all the add-ins in Firefox to make it even usable.

Artful Dodger:Odd. I've just installed it, and it doesn't seem to be any faster than Firefox.

Bwild: I agree that ratings are not important.  But if there is to be a rating system, I feel it should operate rationally.

Bwild:This is only one example of how screwed up the BKR system is.

nodnarbo:If that's the case, he must not read these boards carefully! We have some steel-jacketed, armor-piercing idiots on this site!

Eriisa:Man was I confused until I remembered my original question ...  Thanks!

ScarletRose:There's no sticky strips on my smileys!!

How can I change my favorite smileys?

Czuch:Seems especially harsh, since prawns can't live out of water

Fencer: Must be a language thing. I infer that the Czech word for "advertisement" is "tip" ;-)

The topic is, what is the topic?

Tuesday:Neither am I.  In fact, I am completely indifferent.

Fencer:Some people think democracy is anarchy with privileges and no responsibilities.

Rose:Thanks!

Is there a separate board for feature requests?

beach:I had slow loads on my cable connection, but no unending white screens.

rod03801:Same here.  Rather ironic to see the article posted here, considering the number of gambling ads on the front page.

rod03801:I see it the way you describe it.

volant:I mean, how many bananers can you eat?

ScarletRose:  If your machine gets faster every time you install a new browser, could the degradation in speed be an issue with your cache settings?

"GERRY":  Can't speak for anyone else, but I'm just playin' around!

Hrqls: Hm ... if her answer was not suitable for this board, why was yours? ;-)

Summertop:  That seems to imply a problem with the server side scripting.

Snoopy:  As a paid subscriber I'm not going to hide my complaints

MadMonkey:  I don't know, but I've been experiencing the same intermittent access.

Adaptable Ali:  Make sure your air conditioner is not blowing directly on your desk!

AbigailII:  Well, DOS is case insensitive, as is Windows with respect to filenames.  Obviously a case insensitive system would not permit you to create two different files named Foo and foo in the first place.

Fencer:  Any particular reason?  Most applications are case-insensitive with respect to filenames.  Although I guess server software is an exception, since I have to be careful about caps in the names of files I upload to my site.

Hrqls:  So you're asking for a czech box so you can czech yourself off the czech list?

tonyh:  Perhaps. but unless it is a Java application or something other than HTML, it still reloads the entire page.  That site may be faster for you than this site for a number of reasons.

tonyh:  Because it's not a backgammon board, it's a page of HTML, and every position has different source code.

Czuch:  I have to confess I know nothing about ponds or how the BKR system works there.  I know that in backgammon large ratings swings are possible, though 500 points would be extreme.

Czuch:  I think you have overlooked the fact that the purpose of the ratings system is to measure your ability, not to allow you to manage your rating.

Czuch:  Theoretically the players' ratings at the end of a match should be more indicative of their "true" ability than their ratings at the beginning, since being later in time they should reflect a larger statistical sample (i.e. more games played).  Remember your own rating will also change during the term of a match.  This is just a feature of a turn based site you can't do anything about.

One thing I have noticed that might be fixed is in setting the BKR range for a tournament.  Eligibility is based on a player's rating at the time he or she joins the tournament.  At the time the tournament starts, his or her rating may be significantly lower than the eligibility threshold.   This  diminishes the utility of being able to set a minimum BKR for entry.  This would not be particularly important if the BKR system for backgammon worked properly, but it does not so this is a major problem.
 

Fencer:  Thanks!  I see it's been done while I was sleeping ...

    Is there a page which lists all public albums?  When I click on the menu link I get a page that shows my albums and the newest public albums.  I can't find a page which shows less recent ones.

Fencer:  There's no practical difference in any case, since you are (or believe you are) obligated to collect the tax.  As far as I know there is only one kind of VAT in the EU, since the EU regulates it and requires a great deal of conformity throughout.  I know rates and taxable items differ from country to country (within a specified range), but the basic structure is probably the same everywhere in the EU.

pauloaguia:  I think you're correct that the problem is one of establishing the residence of the customer.  My colleague also mentioned that. 

I believe that Fencer is incorrect in stating that the tax is imposed on him; in principle it is imposed on the customer, and the business merely collects it.  Businesses pay VAT on their own purchases.  Presumably Fencer pays VAT on the fees charged to him by the company that hosts the site, for example.  He also pays VAT on purchases of computer parts and supplies, etc.  This input VAT paid is creditable against the obligation to pay over VAT collected from customers.  Hence, the VAT is not (in principle, again) borne by businesses, but ultimately by consumers.

I suppose that customers outside the EU might be able to claim a refund of the VAT they pay, but that would hardly be worth the effort.

Since I work in the international tax department of a major accounting firm, I have some experience with VAT issues even though the US is the only major economy that doesn't have one.  The announcement that membership fees would be subject to VAT as of 1 Februrary made me scratch my head a bit.  I have a colleague who recently returned from spending several years working in Prague so I put the question to him.  He believes that in principle the tax should only be imposed on Czech residents.  Obviously there can be a difference between "in principle" and "in practice", but I wonder whether it's worth looking into a bit more closely.  My colleague would be willing to refer Fencer to our Prague office if that would be helpful.

Hrqls:  Excellent idea about the weekend.  

AbigailII:  I'm in favor of giving you all the vacation days you want, if that will put you in a more generous mood ;-)

Rose:  What's unfair about it?  No one has a vested right in the time system.  It exists to keep the games moving along at a certain pace.  At a time of year when many people of all religions pause to relax and reflect, it's entirely appropriate to offer this opportunity.  If some games finish a few days later than they otherwise would have, what of it?  This site is for leisure, after all.

I have no personal interest in this as I have plenty of vacation days left and don't accept games that don't allow vacation.  I just think it would be a nice thing to do.