Super Bowl XLII: Pro and Con

Pro: 1) THE GIANTS WIN THE SUPER BOWL!!!!! w00t! 2) Michael Strahan and Amani Toomer get championship rings, which is particularly sweet, because they suffered through some really awful teams. 3) Eli Manning drinks for free in the tri-state area. This’ll buy him at least six months of peace and quiet from the New York… Continue reading Super Bowl XLII: Pro and Con

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links for 2008-02-04

Locus Online: Locus Magazine’s Recommended Reading: 2007 A few books and stories to pass those quiet moments. (tags: books stories SF) Science in the 21st Century Conference participants include a bunch of really smart people with innovative ideas about the future of science and the interplay between science, information technology, and society. And they invited… Continue reading links for 2008-02-04

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European Politics Have No Right Wing

Over at Aardvarcheology, Martin complains about US politics. This is bog standard European oh-you-benighted-Americans stuff, with a convenient one-sentence summary: From a European perspective, US politics are an ongoing battle between the extreme Right and the middle Right. This gets up my nose a bit, because as I commented over there, it would be perfectly… Continue reading European Politics Have No Right Wing

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My Super Bowl Prediction

I predict that I’m going to throw something at the tv if Arlen Specter doesn’t go away. Like the Senate Judiciary Committee doesn’t have anything more useful it could be doing than making a stink about an utterly pointless pseudo-scandal. And giving Gregg Easterbrook an excuse to be smug, on top of everything else. I… Continue reading My Super Bowl Prediction

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Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

Halfway through the movie, the dog got up, and curled back up with her back to the tv, presumably in disgust. When it ended, I said to Kate, “Well, that was anvilicious…” “Seriously,” said the dog. “All that peace and love stuff was a bunch of crap.” “It was a mite heavy-handed,” I said. “Harmony… Continue reading Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

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links for 2008-02-03

Things That Would Be Weirder Than “Green Porno” | The A.V. Club “Then you unexpectedly come across the news that Isabella Rossellini is dressing up like various bugs and making a series of comedic short films about the way that insects have sex.” (tags: animals sex silly biology) Essay – Why Does It Still Take… Continue reading links for 2008-02-03

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links for 2008-02-02

Lost in the ’70s: Steve Martin, “Grandmother’s Song” | Popdose “Be obsequious, purple, and clairvoyant.” (tags: music silly) The Third Annual A.V. Club Film Poll | The A.V. Club The readers have their say. (tags: movies review culture) Good Math, Bad Math : Idiot Math Professors, Fractions, and the Fun of Math Why fractions matter.… Continue reading links for 2008-02-02

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Traditional Beverages

A counterpoint to Monday’s question about tea: The Super Bowl is Sunday, and a look in the fridge shows that I’m low on beer. What sort of beer should I buy to drink with the game? Leave your suggestions in the comments.

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Categorized as Food

Betting vs. Prediction

A quick review of an important concept going into this weekend’s Super Bowl: The “point spread” for a football game is set at the level required to get equal numbers of bets on the two teams. The spread is not the consensus opinion of expert observers as to the likely outcome of the game. The… Continue reading Betting vs. Prediction

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