Beyond the Biz | Brian H. Hadfield (Part II)

6 October 2008

By Jeanette Kozlowski

What is the best spam message you've ever received?

Best spam message? Let me think . . . I can't. I think my spam filter is quite efficient. I'm not interested in where I can get either real or fake Viagra. (Laughs.) People who are trying to spam me are probably wasting their time.

Do you have a favorite non-gaming Web site?

Yes, but they are quite boring, however, because I tend to read my newspapers online. So, I'm a big Guardian reader. That's a site I visit fairly regularly. The Guardian, The Times -- there are a couple of newspapers, but the Guardian is my favorite. I lived in the U.S. for 20 years so . . .

Where did you live in the United States?

"I think my spam filter is quite efficient. I'm not interested in where I can get either real or fake Viagra. (Laughs.) People who are trying to spam me are probably wasting their time."

I lived in Boston, New York a couple of times, Washington, just outside Philadelphia and Detroit. Having lived in Boston, I still follow the sports teams there. So, I quickly nip onto ESPN to see how the Celtics-Bruins-Pats are doing. Those are typically it. Spending so much time talking about the Internet and being involved in the Internet, when I go home, I'm happy with a book.

So, I take it that you're probably not on Facebook or Myspace?

No, and part of it is because . . . this is sort of an interesting thing. Work and in general, once I leave the house, I'm actually quite outgoing. But when I get home, I'm much more introspective.

You know, I don't know any of my neighbors. I mean, I don't speak to them -- not because I'm antisocial, well I probably am antisocial, but it's just once I'm away from work, I'm quite happy to be by myself. I'm an only child, so I've always been used to that. I'm not in the social networking thing. I'm much happier to either pick up the phone and talk to someone or go see them.

Is there an online trend that you'd like to see end?

Other than spamming you mean?

No. I think the Internet mirrors a lot of things. It does a lot of things well, and it does a few things you can get irritated about. But in the end, I think it will normalize because that's the way society works. It can be a pain in the ass when you've got pop-ups and all that other stuff happening, but in the end, normalization pressure will just mean those things will go away. I don't see it as different from any other thing that we do. It's just because it's a bit newer, it will do things that irritate us, but in the end, they are not sustainable because people don't tolerate things they don't like.

When's the last you gambled? And are you up or down?

Probably the last time I gambled was in July 2007 at a racetrack. I think anyone who says they are anything other than down in gambling is probably fibbing. (Laughs.)

I'm not a gambler per se, but if I go to the race track for horse racing, which is quite popular in Britain, then I will have a bet there. But if I'm honest and take my lifetime betting at horse tracks, despite the fact that I've had good days, I would say were I breaking even, I would have a smile on my face.

But as a thrifty Scot, I certainly haven't lost a boatload either. Otherwise, I'd be a frowny Scot.

Do you own any pets?

I've got one sitting right next to me -- a cocker spaniel called Lizzy.

Is that your only?

And a horse, but he's not exactly in the house.

What's your horse's name?

H for horse, but Lizzy is not D for dog or B for bitch. She's Lizzy, but H for horse. It's easier to remember that way.

That’s all of my questions. Did you have anything you'd like to add or something that I've missed?

You've missed lots. (Laughs.) There are so many walls you've missed, it's unreal. No, no. If you have enough material to turn it into something meaningful, then I'm happy.

Beyond the Biz | Brian H. Hadfield (Part II) is republished from iGamingNews.com.