dream winnings
FCS
recently, albeit notably not those of any real
scientific nature, about problem gamblers
having some kind of deficiency when it comes
to learning.
Now, resisting the obvious avenue which is
to note that journalists are often characterised
as indulging in excessive and spurious wager
activity in satirical comedy yet seem, oddly,
tacitly reticent on bringing their own experiences
to this particular arena where first-person comment
is concerned, I am struck by to what roles sleep
and dreams play in learning.
Somnology is not the be-all and end-all of
learning theory by any means but those whom
I have got to know who have exhibited clear
"problem" traits when it comes to gambling - and
a lot of people really don't - have all mentioned
the phenomenon of gambling in their sleep.
Whether this has taken the form of trance-like
states of wakefulness with fruity wheels spinnings
when they close their eyes, or playing machines
in their dreams, even down to the PJ Harvey track
"Horses In My Dreams", the levels of interest
piqued by gambling in some people do seem
to bleed over into altered states of consciousness,
Now, as noted earlier, dreams are by no means
the be-all and end-all of learning. But sleep can
be used productively to improve the learning curve
and perhaps those of a compulsive and chronic
nature might like to consider what ages they
were at psycho-socially when they had the
old rule-of-thumb "big one off win" that "made"
them compulsive to start with.
In some games using sleep constructively can
only be a good thing, be it snooker or pool or
poker or bridge; even, if the founders of Hewlett
Packard are to be believed roulette, as they do
involve real mathematics and real analysis.
Fruities and horses aren't quite the same thing
as, in the latter case, the information which may
be relevant is likely to be found either in the
day's racing press for the last time every horse
ran or not on the news-stands until 6AM raceday
at the earliest; whereas fruities are merely set
to pay out somewhere between a tarot and a
gross expressed directly as a percentage, depending
on whether the premises are geared up to making
money, paying the machine's running costs or, as
is the case in some upmarket establishments,
paying out routinely as a matter of their approach
to customer care.
For all the cynicism this last comment may lead
to, the number of times we hit jackpot (or "wave-
length" as some people put it) after hours in a
luxury hotel - without the benefit of looking up
on an array of screens to see which machines
were about to pay off - offset against the actual
amount of time and money any guests actually spent
on said machine over the course of an 8 -hour shift
(yes, it's possible the compulsives waited until my
infrequent breaks to come and pile £££ into the slot)
tends to confirm 100% is simply somewhere in
the middle of the scale rather than right at the top.
So, yes, for those seeking to help themselves with
what people insist is a problem they have (and hey
it's well known that changing your job can change
all manner of other aspects of your life, for either
better or worse depending), I'd bet you'll do better
for creatively using sleep and dreams in a structured
manner.
Odd how there isn't a journalist has said so, much
less from personal experience, in the same way as
they carp on about being reformed alcoholics, junkies
or parents--particularly given how popular gambling is
now reputed to be amongst those experts in empathy
from Venus.
Of course, none of them could ever possibly be
unfeminine enough to actually do something so grubby
and semey, not as a journalist and a woman...and
certainly not off last year's hedge fund bonus, huh
Freelancers...
...which pulls the rug out from a few assertions about
honesty.
Perhaps some of those flipping burgers who really
really worked really really hard and took a huge big
gamble on their charm and tits getting them into TV
within 6 months of graduation might like to consider
researching this - after all, it's just talking to people
really in't it?
Either that or I understand there are some really
exciting marketing-related opportunities in Berkshire
right now that nobody with the right skills, qualifications
and attitude to relocation is willing to fill...from the sound
of it you'll get to meet ideal trophy husbands too...
G DAEB
COPYRIGHT (C) 2008 SIPSTON
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