Saturday, February 25, 2012

sports bet interaction at the venetian

the K has found a basketball game that can be bet on...loyola marymount versus santa clara .... loyola has a huge winning record versus, santa clara, an abysmal loser...

this will be our sports bet.

"hi.  what's the smallest sports bet I can make?"

"$5."

"okay I want the money line on loyola to win."

"the money line?  are you sure?  for that bet you'll only win...um....60¢.".

"yeah.  we're just trying to play winning bets at every casino.

laughs and shakes his head..."I've never taken a bet like this."

yes.  my work on this planet is done.

07:52

24HoTVS
Pretty. #24holv http://t.co/eJa8fMze
07:55
24HoTVb
flip to stay on the bus...this means we've entire strip, N -> S, 2x, without stopping. #24holv
07:57
samsalvodelli
@24HoTVb good job, Magellan #24holv
08:12
24HoTVb
coach swap. our great seats? gone. #24holv
08:12
samsalvodelli
The public wants to know, is there a restroom on the Deuce? Based on her experience in NYC, the instagator's wife says no. #24holv
08:16
24HoTVb
flip to stay on. special K "WHAT!" #24holv
08:16
24HoTVS
“@24HoTVb: coach swap. our great seats? gone. #24holv” > At least it's not Molinari Class (or was that good? I forget.)
08:17
24HoTVS
The Deuce is no Staten Island Ferry. #24holv
08:18
scottknaster
Approaching Paris. Sacre bleu! #24holv http://t.co/JD07nOVm
08:25
24HoTVb
exodus from the bus! back in front! #24holv
08:32
24HoTVb
the K is about 4" wider than the widest person you'd WANT to sit next to for 24 hours. #24holv
08:33
24HoTVb
.@samsalvodelli no bathrooms on the deuce...or at least, there damn well better not be. #24holv
08:33
24HoTVb
a plethora of southern accents on the deuce. #24holv
08:37
24HoTVb
advanced deuce strategy! one bus shields for the other in heavy traffic! #24holv
08:38
24HoTVb
flipped off at the venetian. #24holv
08:40

06:09

24HoTVb
SUPER crowded bus. we were the last 2 on. "YOU PEOPLE TAKE UP THE OPEN SPACE! DON'T MAKE ME COME BACK THERE!" #24holv
05:19
24HoTVb
"if it's in stock, we have it!" --slogan on the world's largest gift shop. #24holv
05:23
24HoTVb
1st yawn of #24holv. special K provoked it out of me.
05:30
24HoTVS
Downtown Las Vegas is similar to actual Las Vegas, but in a different way. #24holv
05:37
24HoTVb
http://t.co/pKZY0Cqq front seat view! 1st time on #24holv !
05:40
24HoTVS
Upper deck of the Deuce is made for people 4 feet high. #24holv #owmyhead http://t.co/xaYgh5VP
05:40
24HoTVb
flipped off our great seats. el cortez next. #24holv
05:43
24HoTVS
We are decadently sitting down and eating. #24holv http://t.co/X2SX63Ix
05:51
24HoTVb
food done. clock on! #24holv
06:39
24HoTVS
Large beer, please. #24holv http://t.co/vZ1R8tSG
06:48
24HoTVb
special K shoots dice for the1st time in his life....and shoots a losing roll...BUT WE'RE PLAYING DARK! +$10. tip 1. #24holv
06:48
24HoTVb
we're waiting for the next bus so we can regain our great seats. clock on pause. #24holv
06:51
24HoTVb
"WE'RE NOT LAB RATS! JUST REMEMBER THAT!" --special K #24holv
07:02
24HoTVS
“@24HoTVb: "WE'RE NOT LAB RATS! JUST REMEMBER THAT!" --special K #24holv” >> Right!
07:04
24HoTVS
It took us 4 hours to make our first round trip on the Deuce. #24holv
07:08

01:33

24HoTVS
The dude in the hat is very happy because he lives next to a McDonalds. #24holv http://t.co/R7vTgR5w
02:32

01:22

24HoTVb
I've left my free play chips at home! #24holv will have to start out of pocket!
12:16
24HoTVS
ALWAYS OPEN #24holv http://t.co/mbBXKBrl
12:20
barbaraknaster
@24HoTVS Where is this restaurant? #24holv
12:23
24HoTVS
@barbaraknaster Ar the Golden Gate Casino, downtown. If you scroll the tweet down you should see it on Google Maps. #24holv
12:28
24HoTVS
Running a little late. Enjoy this picture meanwhile. #24holv http://t.co/vaNSygRd
01:18
24HoTVS
It is, and we are, on. #24holv
01:37
24HoTVb
http://t.co/MpwQnO3t #24holv starts.
01:38
24HoTVb
#24holv my dragon bandana was bussed away from my table after eating...had to get 1 at walgreens.
01:41
24HoTVS
Now passing 9 bail bonds shops & county courthouse. #24holv http://t.co/j2Yx0WHt
01:43
24HoTVb
conversation with a hispanic mom and her 2 kids next to us, "you can't get a tattoo until you're 18. I don't care after that." #24holv
01:57
24HoTVS
The Sahara, where I stayed at age 7, is now sadly closed. #24holv http://t.co/lVBvNfEf
01:58
24HoTVb
1st coin flip...stay on the bus...K? disappointed. #24holv
01:58
24HoTVb
b1: "now that we're 1/48th of the way done, what do you think of the idea?

K: "I'm very happy." no smile.

#24holv
02:05
24HoTVb
@jacqulincanning your pic is driving @24hotvS insane...THAT'S A BOT!...OH COME ON!...IS SHE IN VEGAS? #24holv
02:13
24HoTVS
The Deuce is filling up. This is the upper level. #24holv http://t.co/NcXjQ5Um
02:22

Friday, February 24, 2012

24 hours of las vegas preamble

i remember like it was yesterday the first time i set my eyes on las vegas.  i was on the university's bowling team and there was a new year's eve tournament at the showboat ... we'd driven all night in a university van ... half of us were drunk and all but the driver and me were asleep.

day was beginning to break and by my insistence we were listening to college radio.  deteriorata was playing, and although i was intimately familiar with the poem that was being riffed, it was the first time i'd ever heard this record in my life.  at that age i couldn't sleep in a moving vehicle, so i'd been awake for the whole ride ... the fatigue crossed with the bizarre humor had me cackling like a hyena.

i woke up all but those with the very highest blood alcohol contents.

we were just crossing the northern mountain chain rim and BOOM! there it was.  las vegas.  at that very moment the radio said, "you are a fluke of the universe.  you have no right to be here."

and i was stunned.  the driver punched me.  "what the hell is wrong with you?"  (because this was before the days of social deterioration where the phrase would have been, "what the fuck is wrong with you?")

i believe there is no difference between signals from god directed at me and serendipity.  this was one or the other, it didn't matter which.  eyes fixed on downtown i said, "this is a significant event."

the whole car got real quiet because that's what you do when the sober guy starts talkin' crazy.

clocks forward.  it's more than 30 years later and i live in las vegas.  overall, i like it here ... but i really miss my friends ...

fortunately part of that is about to be temporarily fixed. 

in 24 hours special K and i begin 24 hours of las vegas.  two things are on the agenda: riding the deuce and gambling -- in that order of precedence.  originally we had talked about solely riding the deuce, but somehow the collective mind threw in gambling.

i'm a big believer that nearly every city of size has something that is paramount -- something so good, that if you only have half a day, and you can only do one thing, you should do that.  in san francisco, it's walking the golden gate bridge.  in denver, it's driving to buffalo herd overlook on I-70.  in las vegas, it's riding the deuce.

i ride the length of the strip on the deuce probably five times a year.  there's no better view of the country's second most famous skyline* than the front seat upstairs.  in fact, we may well start our journey in that spot tomorrow by waiting for the next bus.

but 24 hours is different than normal tourism ... the biggest factor is the anchor of technology.  we're doing cell phones only this go 'round, which i'm sure is right, but makes me nervous ... we've had technology problems in the 24 hour world before, and here, things could get out of hand.

i'm using an android now, which is small, tough, and has an easily changeable battery ... which is fine ... but better if the batteries i'd ordered as replacements had shown up at my house ... which they haven't.

also there's potential problem in the fact that the android is a far more immersive experience.  i'm not completely sure why this is true, but i think it's due to the fact there is no keyboard and i'm stuck in the world of swype.


RULES, SUCH AS THEY ARE
the plan is to flip a coin every 20 minutes.  if we flip off-bus, we go to the nearest casino** (no repeats, thank you) and play 'til we win, then get back on the bus.   we gamble in a window of 20 minutes.  if we win, we get back on the bus.  if after 20 minutes, we're behind, we play for 20 minutes more on a game that i consider to be more "winnable."***

there are dead spots on the ride where no casinos exist.  during those moments, we're putting the timer on "pause," restarting when we get back in gaming territory.

whenever we get "meal hungry," we'll just put the timer on pause and dine leisurely ... but that can only happen in conjunction with off-bus.


FEARS AND PROBLEMS
putting everything up on twitter is a new twist ... we'll be backing down to here in the long run (maybe even scraping-as-we go tomorrow -- i need to talk to the birdhead about that) but i've always really enjoyed the blog afterward and we won't be getting those larger "stop gap moments."  we'll see what the result is, but it's got me mildly spooked.

i haven't been sleeping well for a couple of weeks.  that could come into play.  a fundamental precept of 24 hours is it's fine to sleep ... and buses are good for that ... but you'll get rousted (quickly) in a casino if you try.


HOPES AND DREAMS
i'm thinking that we might try playing every casino game (craps, roulette, slots, keno, etc.), but the problem is there are a couple really tough games in the house.  house edge on big 6 is 11%.  keno is around 25%.  if you decide that you're just going to stand and play those things until you win, you may stand and hand over your whole wallet.  which means we'll have to take the "bigger" stance of just losing there and making it up elsewhere.


in any event, the K and i treat these events just like a christian kid thinks of xmas.  we're eager, anxious and keyed up.  we're both ready for the ride.  we were ready a week ago.

if you're ridin' along, with us, even virtually, that's swell.  #24HOLV on twitter.


*i'm not sure, but NYC has to be first, right?

** anywhere you can legally gamble counts ... there are gas stations with video poker machines here.

***you'll see.

Monday, February 20, 2012

24 Hours of Las Vegas Press Release

24 Hours of Las Vegas Announcement

After nearly a year and a half of stasis, the 24 Hour Enterprises (24HE) endurance-performance art duo of "Special K" and "b1-66er" have decided to once again push the limits of reasonable behavior with their newest project: "24 Hours of Las Vegas" (24HOLV). Beginning at roughly noon PST (20:00 GMT) on Saturday, February 25, the twosome will either be gambling or riding the Las Vegas Deuce for 24 consecutive hours. In a new wrinkle -and unlike previous 24HE events- the active repository for this event will be Twitter, using the hashtag #24HOLV.

Background
In February of 2006, 24HE was born with the intent of watching 24 hours of consecutive television, randomly changing the channel every 15 minutes. The surprisingly huge success of 24 Hours of TV (24HOTV) -especially given that the fundamental idea was based on nothing more than raw stupidity- encouraged the duo of Special K and b1-66er to move forward with other 24HE events. For an encore the twosome did 24HOTV 2 and then lept ahead with "The Entirety of the Planet of the Apes" -- a super-marathon of 48 hours where the totality of Ultimate Planet of the Apes DVD Collection was viewed. In 2010, 24HE moved off the sofa and onto mass transit for a complete day with 24 Hours of Staten Island Ferry.

Las Vegas, The 24 Hour Way
On the surface, 24HOLV may seem like a ideologically cheap and intellectually sophomoric concept -- only because it is. But digging deeper into the concept brings out the subtle wrinkles that will allow you to abhor it even more.

b1-66er puts it this way, "I don't typically watch television, so 24 Hours of TV has always felt like watching a car accident ... You want to take your eyes off it, but you can't ... And a bigger problem problem for me, the viewer, is I feel as though I'm actually in the car that's wrecking. 24 Hours of Staten Island Ferry was liberating, not only because I got to get up and move around, but also because there were quite a few more hot chicks -not to mention transit zombies- than a normal 24HE event."

 Special K views it somewhat differently. "I love mass transit. I love Las Vegas. Mass Transit in Las Vegas? That's a no-brainer" (a category for which the K is especially well-qualified).  Mr. K continues, "Lots of people pull all-nighters in Vegas, but it's nearly always for senseless hedonism and debauchery, no one ever does it specifically with misguided intent for posterity." Borrowing from "Videodrome," he adds, "24HE beats others who are technically just as clueless solely because we have a philosophy."

The Ticket, the Coin Flip and the Underlying Goal
In a city known for its come-ons, one of the least talked about deals is a ride on the Deuce -the double decker bus running the length of the Las Vegas "Strip," connecting Mandalay Bay Resort to Downtown Las Vegas. $7 gives you a 24 hour pass -- when the duo buys theirs this coming Saturday, 24HOLV officially starts. (Do note that Special K is quick to point out that in mathematical terms the Deuce is infinitely more expensive than the Staten Island Ferry, which is free.)

With a nod to the random nature of the original 24HOTV, a coin will be flipped every 20 minutes deciding nothing more than whether or not to stay on the bus. If the pair is "flipped off," they will go to the nearest casino, gamble until they win and then get back on the bus.

Using his degree in Applied Mathematics as a backstop, b1-66er puts it this way, "We don't have to win a lot, just a little. And really, you can martingale your way out of just about anything." Stealing from Citizen Kane he adds, "Winning isn't hard, if all you want to do is win a little."

Special K, however, expresses doubt. "I don't want to lose my ass on this," adding with a mumble, "believe me, I have more than a little ass to lose."

 b1-66er lays out the bigger plan. "In the 1950s sense, Vegas is all about the wise guys and the suckers. Insiders always have a line, outsiders are always trying to find it. I live in Vegas -- if I can't find the line, no one can." In complete bravado, he continues, crowing, "at the end of 24HOLV, I have every intention to have more money in my pocket than when I started ... and you better believe I'm not stopping at the ATM, nor committing a crime for money, to get more. For Saturday breakfast, we're going to have pancakes at Du-par's in the Golden Gate ... I have some promotional play-til-you-lose chips that I can use on the dice table -with no money out of my pocket- and that will be our starting stake for 24HOLV."

Special K adds with only a minor amount of hesitation, "I'm not sure what b1-66er means, but I'm sure he's right."

Twitter to the Front, Blogger to the Back
Special K talks 24HE communication philosophy. "Mobile phones are so powerful -and we're going to be running around so much- that we simply can't justify using anything else for 24HOLV. Twitter is far better suited to the mobile environment -- we'll just back the whole event off to the Web on 24hoursoftv.com when we're done." Showing where his true morals lie, Special K adds, "I'll beg for a power outlet from an $80 hooker before I schlep a laptop and a bag of batteries up and down the Strip a dozen times."

As Always, Watch or Join In
24HOLV will start on or around noon this Saturday, February 25 and run 24 hours.  On Twitter you can search for the hash tag #24HOLV, as well as following
 Special K @24HoTVS and b1-66er @24HoTVb. If you happen to be in Las Vegas and would like to partake in any portion of the event, you are certainly welcome. Call Lou Kije on 1-512-RUBY-RED (24 hours, of course) and leave a detailed message, Polterzeitgeist personnel will get back to you.