After a few hard years of work, some really great things are starting to happen. This year DeucesCracked will be presenting the Aussie Millions Poker Academy.

Cannot wait! We leave in less than two weeks!

Tim Minchin – White Wine In The Sun

Brought me to tears. (yes, it was the infant daughter part, obv.)

Happy Holidays, everyone.

I remember waking up very early, break of dawn, beating my mom and dad to the living room. No fire had been started yet, so there was no heat (we had wood stove to heat the room). You could see your breath. And I remember stopping and thinking, WOW, Santa did come, I was a good boy, and running to wake mom and dad up to tell them. I remember being the most excited I have ever been. Thank you, mom and dad.

I remember the Christmas when my Dad got frustrated and left. I remember my mom saying I was too young to understand. I remember thinking that she was wrong as I thought I understood. I remember when he came back later that evening and how relieved I was. It was the most scared and ashamed I have ever been. I remember giving him a hug and feeling safe again. Now I understand and I forgive you, dad.

I remember every Christmas when it was time to go over Great Auntie Ann’s. She was a kindred spirt, she spent a lifetime fighting for what is right. She lived in a neighborhood near a chemical corporation and her son and husband suffered and died from cancer. After many years, she won, and the company moved out of the residential neighborhood. She was one of there reasons I focused in Environmental Engineering in college. But during Christmas all of that was forgotten. Going to Great Auntie Ann’s was an anticipated visit. I remember walking up the walk way to the old victorian house, snow up to my waist, and being very excited. There was always great food and music, and Auntie Ann, my mom, and Aunt Marlene would sing along with the record that was playing. And it always warmed me up. I remember playing Chutes and Ladders that Aunt Ann got us for Christmas in the booth that was in the kitchen. I remember going back there years later, when I was a teenager, and thinking, how the fuck did I ever fit in that booth? I remember there was sooooo many Christmas cookies, and I love Christmas cookies. I remember Auntie Ann’s as being the warmest place on earth. I thank my family for that.

I remember the Christmas that I got home early from school and was alone. I had known I’d be alone, so I had been plotting and planning all day. I remember scouring the house to find what Santa might bring me. I remember having to hurry, all the while listening for a car in the driveway. I remember running down stairs only to find one of the neighbors pulled into their driveway. I remember finding all the gifts up in the attic and feeling very ashamed. I remember their were a few gifts I didn’t discover and being very surprised the next day. I’m sorry, mom and dad.

I remember the Christmas when I got a Ty-fighter and my brother got a X-wing fighter and we both got the Death Star and it was the coolest Christmas ever. We played with them for hours and hours. I remember it being the most fun on Christmas I every had, thanks mom and dad.

I remember every Christmas when my mom used to cook a huge seafood meal for Christmas Eve. I was the best meal of the year. Twelve dishes were served in the traditional Lithuanian manner: Shrimp cocktail, lobster bisque, oyster casserole, lobster newburg, baked stuff shrimp, etc. It was incredible. Oh and pickled herring. I hate pickled herring still to this day, sorry grandpa and dad.

I remember every Christmas listening to my mom’s favorite Johnny Mathis Christmas album. And my mom just loving Sleigh Ride and singing along to it. This is my favorite Christmas song, thank you, mom.

I remember my Grandfather’s last Christmas. His bride of 59 yrs 11 months had left him that spring, many months before the holidays. I remember him losing a lot of weight, around the time of his 90th birthday. And I remember his entire family coming to my parents house where he stayed his final days to join him for that Christmas. I remember the smile and pride in his face of 90 years hard fought and well lived. It was the most peaceful I have ever felt. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa.

I remember the Christmas when Gracelyn was born, she was 2 weeks old and how amazed I was that she arrived. She was so small, so precious, so new. I remember her as being the greatest gift of all. Thank you Michelle.

I remember this Christmas when my brother came over and gave Gracelyn her Christmas present. And we spent the time and put it together, and Gracelyn was thrilled. And it was a very pleasant surprise. As Gracelyn said, Thanks Uncle Dave!

Merry Christmas everyone, I hope your christmas is memorable and safe.

WE TWO CATS by Tommy Angelo

Back in 1996, I lived and worked in Boston. I’d get up every day and the first thing I did before I hopped on the train to go to work was to buy a Boston Globe. I read it cover to cover even though I was online at this time.

This lasted until about 2002, when the web really started to take over how I received information. A combination of faster internet connections, better computers, great search engines, and better websites started to decline my newspaper purchases. By 2004, I rarely bought a newspaper. My sources of information were mostly delivered from online resources and is even more true today.

From 2002-2008, I used to search the internet about things I heard on TV, a conversation at work, something my friend called me to talk about, etc, then find websites I’d like and bookmark them, the CNNs, ESPNs, MSNBC, etc.

In 2009, I’m back to reading the Globe, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. (not the paper format, the online format)

How?

Twitter.

Now I subscribe to twitter users (feeds) for the sources of information. They lead me to direct links of articles I am interested in on Boston.com (Globe website), Wall Street Journal, etc.

For those of you who don’t “get” twitter yet, I have heard it called Macro-blogging but think of Twitter as ‘reverse forum’. You have all visited an online forum via website-> forum-> forum topic-> forum thread-> view individual post. If you want to post, you then sign up and join the conversation.

Twitter starts with you, the user. You sign up, and you subscribe to other users posts. You dont have to say anything, you can ‘lurk’ anonymously, and follow who you wish. And you can find tweets (twitter actions) posted in categories under hashtags, like #poker, #stocks, #Obama, #redsox, and then subscribe to the users who are providing you with information that you like, etc.

Now when I’m using twitter I see replies, and Re-tweets, from the users I follow and I look up the profiles of users they follow. If they have information I like, I subscribe. I find myself going to Google less and less and subscribing more and more. It a Twitter-user snow-ball effect.

Google knows Twitter is big. They recently have signed a real-time search connection with Twitter. Once you find more and more Twitter users to follow, you will not be returning to Google as soon as you get the snow ball started.

IMO

You can follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/joetall and DeucesCracked here: http://twitter.com/deucescracked

Oh yeah, one note, Facebook, my twitter updates my facebook, so I never go there anymore as I do not care if you found a secret stash of Dubinas in Mafia Wars, honestly.

Pranav Mistry: The thrilling potential of SixthSense technology.