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Tuesday, March 17, 2009
How Big is That Number? Special "March Madness" Episode 2^63.
How many possible NCAA basketball tournament brackets are there? If I just guessed randomly, what are the odds I'd get it exactly right?
Ah yes. I love March Madness for many reasons:
1) the wide assortment of team names and mascots,
2) Dick Vitale, and
3) it's the one time of the year when people care about the number 2^63, because that's the number of possible ways of filling out a tournament bracket prediction.
Even then-future-President Barack Obama couldn't resist giving it a try! Let's see how it works, baby!
To begin with, the NCAA officials select 64 teams to play in the tournament (actually 65--there's a traditional preliminary game to determine the last team in the field, but we'll ignore that). They divide the teams up into 4 groups of 16 and then rank the teams within each group, from 1 to 16. Each group holds a single elimination tournament, with the high-ranking teams pairing off initially against the low-ranking teams, and the 4 winners (the Final Four) go on to play two more games to determine the national champion. At some point, the players cut down the nets with scissors for some reason. Predicting the way the entire tournament will unfold (that is, the "bracket") has become a popular office tradition; legend has it that no one has ever predicted the entire bracket exactly right, although some websites like Yahoo! have offered prizes of up to $1 million if anyone does it. But if they charged even a penny to play, I wouldn't take that bet. Here's why:
Each game played has 2 possibilities for a winner. Considering just the first round of games, of which there are 32, this means the number of possible ways of predicting the winners is 2^32, or 4,294,967,296. Assuming you had guessed the first round correctly, there would now be 16 games to determine the winner of, so the number of possible predictions for the second round would be 2^16 = 65,536. And so on. In the third round, there would be 2^8 = 256 possibilities; in the fourth round, 2^4 = 16; in the fifth round, 2^2 = 4, and in the final game, you'd still have to guess which of the 2 remaining teams would be the champion.
Altogether then, the number of possible ways to fill out a bracket is 2^32 * 2^16 * 2^8 * 2^4 * 2^2 * 2 = 2^(32+16+8+4+2+1) = 2^63. Another way to arrive at this number is to consider the fact that in total, 63 of the 64 teams have to lose a game over the course of the tournament, meaning there are 63 total games played. So, by the same reasoning as before, the number of outcomes of these games is 2^63 = 9,223,372,036,854,775,808, about 9.2 * 10^18. In words, that's 9.2 quintillion, a.k.a. 9.2 million trillion.
How big is that number?
Well, if you were to write out each bracket prediction on a sheet of standard paper (thickness = .1mm), you would have a stack of paper (9.2 * 10^18 * .1 * .001) = 9.2 * 10^14 meters tall, which is about 6200 times farther than the distance from the Earth to the Sun. If you stole 1 paperclip (mass approx. 1 gram) for each sheet, you'd end up with 9.2 * 10^18 * 1 * .001 = 9.2 * 10^14 kilograms of paperclips, which is the equivalent weight of 46 billion blue whales. Every person on Earth could have 7 blue whales' worth of paperclips. If, instead of working, you filled out 1 bracket per second, 24 hours a day, it would take you (9.2 * 10^18)/(60*60*24*365) = 29 million years. You'd be so busy filling out brackets that you wouldn't even notice that the tournament had ended millions of years ago, along with all of human civilization! (Probably.)
Now, does that mean your odds of picking a perfect bracket are 9.2 quintillion-to-1? Hold on just a second there, shooter. That would only be correct if you were assuming that all possible brackets were equally likely to occur. However, with a little thought, we can probably improve on that assumption considerably. For example, in the 24 years since the tournament was expanded to include 64 teams, a #1 ranked team has never lost in the first round to a #16 seed. So, even if we take the ranking as the only meaningful predictor, we can say that some brackets, namely those in which the high-ranked teams always win, are more likely than others.
Using data I found on www.hoopstournament.net, I was able to estimate the probabilities of the higher-ranked team winning each game in the tournament based on the results of past years (remind me sometime to talk about estimating bias, will you?), and my guess at the probability of the "no upsets" bracket is 1.64 * 10^-11, so the odds against the occurrence of this bracket are "only" 1.64*10^11 = 164 billion-to-1. Since we're assuming that it's always more likely for the higher ranked team to win any given game, this bracket is our best hope. Those odds are still pretty long, though. For comparison, let's say your ATM code were reset to a random 4 digit number; you'd be about as likely to win the bracket challenge as you would be to win the Powerball and then guess the new PIN on the first try (presumably to deposit your winnings).
Many of you sports fans out there are no doubt hurling expletives at the screen right about now, because, as you know, there are always some upsets. I mean, who could forget Coppin State over South Carolina in 1997, right? There's a bit of an odd paradox here: even though the "no upsets" tournament prediction is the most likely (based on our assumptions), the number of upsets is more likely to be greater than 0 than otherwise. In fact, the most likely number of upsets over the course of the tournament, according to my predictions, is about 18. (Note: I'm including "upsets" like the #9 seed beating the #8 seed--an event that has happened about as often as it hasn't over the years.)
So, the most likely scenario is that there are no upsets, and yet the most likely number of upsets is 18. How can both statements be true? The answer lies in the fact that we're not being asked to predict just the number of upsets, but the actual sequence of events:
Consider the simpler example of rolling a 6-sided die. Let's assume all faces are equally likely, but let's say we really don't want any sixes, and that's all we care about. We'll label the six-side as "L" and the other 5 sides as "W." So, the chance of winning any particular roll is 5/6. Not bad. Now let's imagine rolling this die 60 times. Since the most likely occurrence in each roll is that we'll win, the most likely sequence of 60 rolls is a sequence of 60 wins, with probability (5/6)^60, about 1.77 * 10^-5, roughly 1 in 57,000. If we put a loss in the sequence in any location (first, second, third, etc.), the probability would go down to (5/6)^59 * (1/6) = 3.54 * 10^-6, which is 5 times less likely. However, according to basic probability, the number of losses would follow what's called a binomial distribution, which has its peak (the most likely number) at the value equal to the number of rolls times the probability of losing each one. In our setup, that's 60*(1/6) = 10. If we repeated this experiment a bunch of times, the most common result would be that we'd lose 10 times out of 60.
What's going on here is that although the chance of any particular sequence of dice-rolls containing a loss is less than the perfect "all wins" sequence, there are so many more possible sequences with a loss--in fact, there are 60, versus only the 1 perfect sequence--that their probabilities accumulate to make the chance of having a loss somewhere greater than not having one anywhere. And continuing in this manner, you can see that the number of sequences containing 2 losses is even greater, despite the fact that each one is even less likely, and so on. Eventually, the two effects balance each other and the combined probability maxes out at 10 losses.
But that's not what we're being asked to predict! In order to win Yahoo!'s bracket tournament or just your office's measly little pool with a perfect bracket, you'd have to predict the precise sequence of wins and losses. People resist picking the most likely bracket because it doesn't "look random enough,"* but really they're just reducing their chances by several orders of magnitude.
In a related experiment, if a person is presented with a flashing light that can be either red or green but is red twice as often, and the subject is asked to predict the color of the next flash, most people will "mix it up," mostly guessing red but occasionally guessing green, because they feel that their predictions need to match the "pattern" of occasionally being green. They're correct to think that it's likely that the light will sometimes be green; their mistake is assuming that they can improve their odds by guessing any particular realization of that notion. As a result, they generally do worse in the experiment than lab rats, who will, reasonably enough, just keep betting on red and winning 2/3 of the time.
And that's why I'm going with the rat strategy: Louisville, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, and North Carolina in the Final Four, baby!**
*Or perhaps they feel that they have more information about a given game than the rankings would indicate. For example, a star player could have been recently injured, or a particular team's playing style might be well-suited to beating an otherwise better team. That being said, I think it's more common for people to just pick the teams they want to win and find some way to justify that prediction.
**Personal note: Once, as a nerdy kid who knew nothing about basketball, I employed this strategy in a middle school bracket challenge, picking all four #1 seeds to advance. And as it happened, I got 3 out of 4 right, more than any of my classmates, because they were all clinging to their inferior human-brained approaches. Take that, millions of years of evolution!
7 comments:
- Scattercat said...
I would just like to point out that, as a former nerdy kid who knew nothing about math OR basketball, this was still fascinating and highly entertaining.
- March 17, 2009 at 11:17 PM
- Mr. July said...
A ha. But some tournament brackets will skew scoring in favor of picking upsets. What happens if I get two points for every upset (higher seed beats lower seed) vs. only one for every non-upset?
How many upsets should I pick?
- March 18, 2009 at 8:19 PM
- kngbshpp said...
So it seems that I will get a perfect A in relational algebra as it applies to the probability that anyone who has any knowledge on relational algebra will get an A. I have some knowledge on the subject but I cant predict how the emotions of players, the reputation of the school, or who will win the 8 and 9 seeds. You could say that if I guessed every 8 and 9 seed correctly my odds of winning are better than those who just guessed 3/4 of those possibilities. What I want to know is, how close is Obama to being right? If he is: does he really do enough to run our country? If he doesnt: does he have enough "Joe" in him to do what he says he can do? That is the real question my friend!!!!!!
- March 20, 2009 at 8:22 PM
- kngbshpp said...
Oh by the way you answered my question of how many possible right answers you could have in the bracket picks because I am following Obama's picks in the road to the final four. Its 63 right!
- March 20, 2009 at 8:25 PM
- kngbshpp said...
Mr July you need to decide if no. 8 beating no. 9 is an upset. The probability of a no. 9 beating a no. 8 increases as you spread the spread ie 7 and 10, 6 and 11, 5 and 12, 4 and 13, 3 and 14, 2 and 15 1 and 16. In my view safe picks are 1, 2, 3... just betting on the acceptance that the best ranked team will win. Thanks to know ya! lol.
- March 20, 2009 at 8:28 PM
- kngbshpp said...
Give me your thoughts!
- March 20, 2009 at 8:31 PM
- drmath said...
Mr. July, it's probably no longer relevant to you (sorry), but I think under the rules you describe, you'd maximize your expected value by picking any upset where you felt the probability of the upset was greater than 1/3. Your expected number of points would then be greater than the expected number if you picked the favorite. From the data I have, it looks like this is generally true of the 9-8 seed upset (probability .5) and the 10-7 seed upset (probability .38), but no others.
- March 21, 2009 at 11:18 PM


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this is a discussion within the Saints Community Forum; Last year the Saints played just awful in preseason. They looked confused, couldn't stop the run, couldn't stop the pass. You name it, and they looked terrible doing it. Even worse, we saw the same kind of play when the ...
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Don't get too high or low about the Preseason
Last year the Saints played just awful in preseason. They looked confused, couldn't stop the run, couldn't stop the pass. You name it, and they looked terrible doing it.
Even worse, we saw the same kind of play when the regular season rolled around. Because of that, I think SOME Saints' fans have put too much stock in the preseason this year. I think some fans are convinced that because the Saints played poorly last year that preseason is a good indicator of things to come.
Also, I think this Saints team under Haslett has disappointed fans so many times, some fans just expect the worst.
But, IMO, preseason is still preseason. It's an evaluation period. Coaches try different things in the preseason that they wouldn't do in the regular season. They call formations on offense and defense that sometimes puts players in a less than favorable match-up. They do this because they need answers on how certain players will perform in certain situations.
For example:
They need to see if the cornerbacks can man-up with the receivers without any help. How else are they going to be able to determine this? And what better time to find out than preseason when the games don't count? Sometimes they play vanilla on the defensive line to see if the D-linemen can beat their man one-on-one. There are many examples !!
So, while the fans might be looking for one thing in preseason, the coaches might be looking for something entirely different.
If you're team appears to be struggling in a certain area, I wouldn't be too concerned at this point. For one, there's still plenty of time for improvement. And two, there's really no game planning done and coaches are trying to find out about certain players. Also, coaches usually are going to sit out some injured starters who would normally be on the field if it were a regular game.
Fans are normally harder on their favorite team than what they are on other teams around the NFL. Let's look at the NFL preseason so far and tell me if some of you put as much stock in some other teams preseason?
Bengals - 31
Patriots -3
Tom Brady threw 0 TD's and 1 interception. And the Patriots only rushed for 78 total yards. Bengals QB Carson Palmer completed 12 of 19 for 179 yards and 3 TD's against the Patriots starting secondary. The Bengals totally dominated the Super Bowl Champs.
Do you still think the preseason tells a lot about your team?
If you're still not convinced. Here's some more.
Jets - 31
Colts - 7
Peyton Manning threw 1 TD and 1 INT while completing 6 of 10 for 85 yards. Chad Pennington on the other hand completed 10 of 11 for 169 yards for 1 TD and 0- INTs. The starters for the Colts were outclassed by the Jet's starters. How would you feel if you were a Colts' fan? Would you be thinking that's what you would see in the regular season?
Those are just a couple of examples. So, don't get too high with the highs and don't get too low with the lows. No one is going to remember these preseason games at the end of the year. Unless your team doesn't do well in preseason the year before and they do the same thing in the regular season.
It doesn't mean a whole lot !!
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Don't get too high or low about the Preseason
I was just about to say all that, but I do believe we were all looking for the run defense last night and we got it. I said in another thread that I thought the Patriots would be a pretender this year along with the Eagles and I am sticking to both of those predictions.
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Don't get too high or low about the Preseason
There you go again, Billy. Posting final scores like that means something to us who believe that things can be learned in the preseaon. Sure, you backed that up with some matchups and that is where things can be learned.
But you really have to be a follower of the team or at least watched the game to know what was going on before you can evaluate what certain things meant.
It\'s like this...imo, I don\'t think we had a very good chance to evaluate the #1 O because of the line. The QBs weren\'t given time to throw and the RBs were in danger in the backfield. What bothered me was that much of the pressure was from the inside where our starters were. That may be an indication of trouble.
But as far as your post, it all depends on what was really happening. Did Cinci game plan and NE not? It\'s hard to tell from the box scores. Did Peyton play any different than normal?
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Don't get too high or low about the Preseason
ScottyRo --
The Colts and Patriots starters played as long as ours last night. Sure, they might not have game planned. They might have been missing a couple of starters. But so did we.
Do you think most Colts and Patriots fans are sitting there thinking their team sux because their team has looked bad in preseason? I\'d betcha that MOST of their fans aren\'t that concerned. You know why? Becasue they know they\'ve got a better team than that REGARDLESS of how the STARTERS played in the preseason.
They\'ve seen the starters in the REAL season and they know better.
BUT -- There are some Colts and Patriot fans on some message board going around preaching doom and gloom for their team? Don\'t believe me? Go visit a couple of their boards!!
So, like I\'ve been saying, don\'t get caught-up too much in these preseason games. The Saints have never looked good in preseason under Haslett and we\'ve come out and gone 7-2 , 6-2, and whatever even after playing bad in preseason.
The only thing I learned from last nights game is Ambrose is a liability in coverage/ the receivers had trouble catching the ball/ the 2nd string O-line didn\'t play well at all.
The most troubling thing to me is the receivers dropping the ball. That was a problem last year and it remains a problem until proven otherwise.
The run defense appears to be better. Although I need to see a LOT more to be convinced of that.
The secondary hasn\'t looked real good, but there\'s things that could be skewing that. I need to see MUCH more to form an opinion on that.
I\'ll ask you again.... What can you say with some CERTAINTY that you can tell us about the 2004 Saints?
If you\'re honest, it ain\'t a whole lot to talk about other than individual match-ups. It\'s almost impossible to say how they played as a TEAM !!!
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Don't get too high or low about the Preseason
I agree with ScottyRo here. It is hard to put those games in perspective, since I didn\'t see them.
However, stats don\'t tell you NOTHING. Those games had results that are VERY unexpected; this tells you that pre-season is hard to interpret - I thought that was Billy\'s point (Scotty seems to agree).
On my viewing of the game, it looked to me like, pressure or not, if our WR could have held on to the ball in the first half we would have been up 14 to 3 before GB even knew what was going on. I don\'t think I saw a single blitz, which made it hard on our average DBs (yes, especially Ambrose, but I don\'t think he looked anywhere near as bad as people are making out). Tebucky made a very nice read (and almost a pick) on a post pattern where most FS would have covered the crossing pattern, and he tackled well. AB threw well with some serious heat. Will Smith and Howard looked very good. Our linebackers looked good against the run and have mad speed (especially Watson and Hodge - Allen made two nice plays). The pass run distribution and plays called looked pretty good to me; our running game suffered from a lack of solid blocking to the outside.
In all, we need our starting OTs. We need another corner (unless F. Brown is as good as the coaches keep saying - Craft and Ambrose looked average at best). Our WR need some hands and NOW.
"... I was beating them with my eyes the whole game..." - Aaron Brooks :cool:
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Don't get too high or low about the Preseason
Here\'s what I find funny. Last week when our run defense played not so well, we had some folks on here \"strongly\" suggesting we hadn\'t improved in this area.
Well, I said it didn\'t mean a whole lot, it was only ONE preseason game.
Now we looked great stopping the run this week. Where are those same guys that were bashing the run defense last week? Why aren\'t they trying to tell me how great our run defense is going to be this year?!?
I just don\'t get it. No, actually I do get it. SOME folks make MUCH MORE of the negatives than the positives.
I can recongnize the negatives all day long. I can see passes getting completed against our defense. I can see teams running the ball against our defense. I can see all of it. I can also understand when some folks are jumping the gun.
I can go bring back up the posts from last week if some of you would like??
[Edited on 22/8/2004 by GumboBC]
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Don't get too high or low about the Preseason
DO you realize you\'ve just proved people like Gator, and dare I suggest ME, right? Those fans aren\'t worried b/c their teams were the TWO BEST in the AFC last year. NE was the BEST IN THE LEAGUE. If we apply the same logic to the Saints we SHOULD BE WORRIED b/c the Saints were far from the best in ANY category last season.
This is why people get on you. If we suggest that the run defense was bad in REAL games last year, and looks bad in PRESEASON this year, and that MAY or is LIKELY to carry over into the REGULAR season you suggest we\'re \"just pointing out the negative.\" Then, in the same breath, you talk about how these same factors affect why we should think POSITIVELY about the Saints. Get down off the fence, man.
Just admit that you\'re optimistic because A) how they look on paper, and B) you want to believe the hype and think that they will be good. And before you even suggest that I\'m negative for the sake of being negative, go read my predictions for this season and my comments about the last game. I gave credit where credit was due and I pointed out both GOOD AND BAD play. I\'ve also continued to suggest that they team SHOULD improve this season. Now, go ahead again and remind me, like you and Saintfan did last year, how I am simply the \"most negative person\" you know of, and why you\'re actually right about the team, just like last year.
\"Excuses, excuses, excuses. That's all anyone ever makes for the New Orleans Saints' organization.\" - Eric Narcisse
\"Being a Saints fan is almost like being addicted to crack,\" he said.[i]\"You know you should stop, but you just can\'t.\"
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Don't get too high or low about the Preseason
WhoDat --
What I\'m saying isn\'t hard to understand. The only way you couldn\'t understand it is if you\'re just trying to post something to prove me wrong.
All I\'m saying is SOME folks jump to conclusions based on very little. Do you NOT agree with that? Because that\'s all I\'m really saying.
Just like last week against the Jets. We had folks on here trying to tell me that we hadn\'t really improved the run defense. But they did great last night. I\'m betting NONE of those folks are going to say we\'ve fixed the run defense. You wanta take that bet? And I can go pull up the posts from last week if you want. But that shouldn\'t be needed because you read everyone of \'em.
Logic? You want to talk about logic? I said preseason can be misleading both good and bad. If the Colts play bad, it doesn\'t meant they are bad. If the Saints play bad in preseason it doesn\'t mean they are bad. There\'s nothing you can say that\'s going to change that FACT. Now, they could be bad, but we don\'t know that do we?
And they could play very well in preseason and be bad couldn\'t they?
Now, you tell me Mr. WhoDat what part of that do you disagree with?
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Don't get too high or low about the Preseason
Post game press conference, look\'s like Haz has some of the same concerns we do:
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Don't get too high or low about the Preseason
gator -
Although you were one of the ones being very critical of just about every negative thing that happened in the Jets game, I really wasn\'t refering to you.
I could be wrong here, but I think you post some things that you might not necessarily mean because you want to prove a point. I do the samething sometimes. You don\'t like it when you think someone is spreading too much sunshine. I don\'t like it when folks are spreading too much moonshine. It works both ways.
I think most of us here understand that it\'s not good to see the Saints play bad in preseason. And I think most of us understand that even if they do play well in preseason that it doesn\'t guarantee much.
I think we\'ve seen some good progress stopping the run. Now, we need to see a lot more to be convinced of this but it\'s encouraging.
On the other hand, the passing game and the pass defense hasn\'t look good. I feel pretty comfortable about our passing game with Brooks and our receivers. We know there\'s a lot of talent there. But, our pass defense could be the downfall of this team.
Everyone of us are going to watch these preseason game but not everyone is going to walk away feeling the same way on certain things.
Some are going to be more critical and some are going to be less critical. But the great thing is we get to come here and discuss it as Saints\' fans.
Nothing wrong with disagreeing. Nothing wrong with debating an issue. I come here to learn about our team. What better way to do that?
So, keep us sunshiners straight and I\'ll make sure the \"moon roof\" is kept in check..
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Further, residual peanut and tree nuts products may be left in aisles, common areas or on seats from one flight to the next. Passengers with documented* peanut and/or tree nuts allergies can, subject to operational limitation, request priority boarding at the boarding gate and bring their own cleaning wipes to wipe down their seating area.
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Submarines - unseen and unheard, the Royal Navy.s submarine force can strike against ships and submarines, as well as supporting land operations against targets up to 1000 miles away with pinpoint accuracy. The Submarine Service also provides the UK.s strategic nuclear deterrent.
There are basically two types of submarines in service:
Strategic missile submarines (SSBN) Vanguard class
These remain the largest submarines in service in any navy except those of the USA and the Russian Federation. In order to maintain a high level of availability each boat is allocated two full crews, known as Port and Starboard. SSBNs are armed with the Trident D5 weapon, representing the UK.s sole strategic weapons platform.
Attack submarines (SSN)
The Astute class of SSN has been developed from the preceding Trafalgar class to incorporate the newly-designed reactor Core H. This will provide enough fuel for the submarine.s full 25-year service. With six weapons tubes and greatly increased weapons stowage, the Astute class carries much greater firepower than earlier classes. The weaponry will comprise Tomahawk cruise missiles and the Spearfish heavyweight torpedo. Improved technology means crew numbers have been reduced to 84 with available accommodation for 98. For the first time in an attack boat, all crew members will have their own bunks.


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The sense of wonder is alive in children, and that may be the reason children love books about mythical creatures– unicorns, dragons, monsters, etc. The pages of books are the perfect, safe places for these creatures to come to life.
When I began considering books to write about one title jumped out at me: The Luck of the Loch Ness Monster a Tale of Picky Eating by A. W. Flaherty. The reason is simple. My granddaughter Abbie believes cereal, chicken nuggets, Pop Tarts, Cheetos, peanut butter crackers and a few other items make a wonderful diet. I hoped this book would help me discover a way to get Abbie out of her rut, but it did not. However, not for the reason you might expect.
Katerina-Elizabeth is a young girl who takes an ocean liner to visit her grandmother in Scotland. Traveling alone, Katerina-Elizabeth discovers that her parents have ordered oatmeal for her every day. Hating oatmeal, Katerina-Elizabeth tosses it out the porthole. A sea worm "no bigger around than a thread and no longer than your thumbnail" thinks the oatmeal is a lovely treat. You guessed it….Katerina-Elizabeth continues to throw her oatmeal overboard each morning, and the sea worm, growing constantly, follows the boat to get his breakfast.
When the boat reaches Scotland it continues up the River Ness to Loch Ness and the worm follows. Luckily for the worm, the children of Scotland do not like oatmeal either, and they also throw their breakfast in the water.
Several months later, a child spots the worm and calls it a monster. Looking at his reflection in the water, the worm sees how much he had changed. Tourists begin flocking to Loch Ness to see "Nessie," and when Katerina-Elizabeth is sailing home to America, the most famous "Nessie" sighting of all occurs.
The author, a neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and a teacher at Harvard Medical School is a picky eater, as is one of her twin daughters. The other twin is, like Dr. Flaherty's husband, a normal eater. In a section called "The Science of It All," Dr. Flaherty explains the difference between Supertasters, Nontasters and average tasters. She says that picky eating is often genetic, and most picky eaters are Supertasters. She even provides a simple test to see which kind of taster your child or you are.
Although I loved this book, I did not learn ways to help Abbie become an adventurous eater. More importantly, I realized Abbie must be a Supertaster, so she is not likely to change. I'll just relax and enjoy her.
One of the most beautiful books about mythical creatures is Pegasus by Marianna Mayer and illustrated by K. Y. Craft.
|photo credit: caroline.apollo
Pegasusis the story of the young hero Bellerophon and his quest. The king of Lycia has been instructed by King Proetusto kill Bellerophon, but the king of Lycia is fond of Bellerophon. Rather than kill the young man outright, the king of Lycia devises a task which would inevitably lead to Bellerophon's death. Bellerophon is to slay the Chimera, a fire-breathing monster with the head of a lion, the body of a goat and the tail of a serpent.
Before beginning his journey Bellerophon consults a well-known soothsayer and is told that in order to be successful he would need the help of the winged, wild horse Pegasus. As he is looking for Pegasus, Bellerophon falls asleep by the fountain Pirene. In his sleep, a beautiful goddess appears to him and tells him of the importance of creating a bond of trust between the young hero and the winged horse. Only with this bond will the slaying of the Chimera be possible. Following the battle between the hero and the monster, Bellerophon marries the king of Lycia's daughter. However, the hero and the winged horse had forged a bond that neither would forget.
The illustrations in this book are exquisite. Seeing the picture of Pegasus spreading his wings, you can almost feel the feathers and experience the horse rising into the sky. The illustrations enhance the text to the extent that it is difficult to imagine one without the other. The last page features the only round picture in the book, and it creates the feeling of gazing through a telescope at the constellation Pegasus in the night sky. The illustration is both beautiful and thought-provoking.
Surely, unicorns are every young girl's favorite mythical, magical creatures, and unicorns that fly are even better! Unicorn Races by Stephen J. Brooks features Abigail and her nightly journey to a forest to watch six unicorns race.
|photo credit: seeks2dream
After being tucked in for the night Abigail gets up and puts on her princess dress, her princess shoes and waves her princess wand. In a few minutes, the unicorn Lord William appears at Abigail's window, and after she puts on her princess crown he flies her to the magical place where colored unicorns race and fairies and elves provide a feast sure to please any child—sundaes, cakes and cookies. Following the feast, Lord William flies Abigail back to her room where she falls asleep dreaming of the next unicorn race.
The author Stephen Brooks is a former Federal Agent and "writes to comfort children." His books "provide enchanting worlds where children are safe to wander and explore." Linda Crockett's illustrations bring this fantasy to life with beautiful colors and magic on each page. Don't just read the book—look closely at the illustrations for a special treat.
|photo credit: rgarwood
Perhaps the best-known book about mythical characters is Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. Max has been naughty and his mother sends him to his room with no dinner. Alone in his room, a magical forest, the Land of the Wild Things, grows in his imagination. Although Max becomes "King of All Wild Things" he is homesick and returns to his room where he finds his dinner waiting for him—still warm.
So whether you choose a book in the hopes of solving a dilemma like I did or just want your imagination to soar, these books are a great place to begin. Enjoy!


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I've been using my WeTab 32GB for about a month, and this is what I can tell about it. Hell, I enjoy it!
The hardware is manufactured by Asus, or more precisely, their OEM branch Pegatron. The Canadian ExoPC running Windows 7 makes use of the same hardware design, thus is the Windows brother of the WeTab. Asus is already well-known for their netbooks, so the WeTab hardware shouldn't disappoint, right?
The WeTab is available in two versions. One version has a 16 GB SSD on board, and the other version has a 32 GB SSD, GPS, and a 3G modem with SIM card slot. Both versions have a slot for SDHC cards and two USB slots, next to the audio out port and HDMI out.
The soon to be released dockingstation will have 3 USB (or was it 4?), microphone in, audio out, and RJ-45 Ethernet.
Another big plus of the 32 GB version is the built-in Broadcom Crystal-HD chip which enables the tablet to play 720p or 1080p HD videos fluently. The Crystal-HD chip is automatically used by the GStreamer framework and will soon also be available to the Flash player in the webbrowser.
It also features a proximity sensor (called the quickselect button) and an ambient light sensor that is not yet enabled by software. The built-in webcam is 1.3 megapixels. At the bottom there is a connector port for the soon to be released docking station. I saw a prototype model of the dockingstation yesterday and it looked really sexy.
The built-in accelerometer can be used for automatic screen rotation (currently the browser does this), or for games (but as of now there are no such games available). You can also turn around the tablet by 180 degrees and the screen will flip for all applications, including accelerated videos.
The tablet features a capacitive multitouch-capable 11,6" touchscreen with 1366x768 pixels (that's HD Ready resolution). The CPU is an Intel Atom N450 at 1.66 GHz, and it has 1 GiB of RAM. There's also Bluetooth 2.1 and WiFi 802.11n. 3G on the 32 GB version is quad band with UMTS / HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz.
The touchscreen is a TN panel and thus not well readable from the sides, or from below, as the viewing angle is narrow. According to 4tiitoo, the reason for using a TN panel was that at the time of product design, there were no better panels available in that size and resolution.
The screen is glossy, so works well as a mirror, too, just like the Apple products.
The touchscreen initially had some firmware problems which resulted in repeated phases of unresponsiveness, with a duration of up to 3 seconds. Many people, including myself, suffered from this. The newly produced units will have an updated touchscreen firmware, so this problem is gone now. On older tablets, the new firmware will be available for flashing soon. I already got the new touchscreen firmware flashed by a 4tiitoo employee at the WeTab Community Meeting in Munich yesterday, and the problems are since gone. I'm sooo happy now! :)
Being Atom-powered, it has a fan on board. The fan itself is very silent but of course audible in a silent environment. It's not so much of a problem, though, IMHO. On the other hand, the fan-less iPad tends to switch itself off on hot days, so having a CPU fan could also be seen as an advantage.
The built-in battery currently lasts for about 4 to 5 hours, which is due to the fact that there are virtually no power optimizations in place yet. Future software updates will enable a Atom-optimized kernel and WiFi powersaving. This could help expand the runtime a bit.
Unlike the Nokia Internet Tablets and N900, there is no idle mode and you have to switch to standby instead, like on a netbook. Waking up from standby is instant and well below one second, though. The standby mode is actually "suspend to RAM".
The tablet weighs about 1 kg. Being larger than the iPad this does not come as a surprise. Was the iPad as big as the WeTab, it would weigh even more, if you do the calculation.
3G works great and I was able to surf the web during a two hour train journey yesterday, on a course where I usually have some problems surfing with the N900 at some places.
The WeTab runs MeeGo, and that's the reason why I bought it in the first place. It's the first consumer hardware available running MeeGo. As there is no tablet edition of MeeGo yet, it runs a MeeGo core with a custom Qt-based UI developed by 4tiitoo.
And MeeGo pays off! It boots up within 20 to 30 seconds. That's really quick.
When the product was launched in late September, the software was at a rough and unfinished state, which could be due to the switch over to MeeGo shortly before the release. 4tiitoo had a lot of hardware problems with Ubuntu, so they (luckily) decided to switch over to MeeGo shortly before product launch.
The first time you switch on the WeTab, you will have to register yourself. This currently gives no real benefit, but eventually you will be able to access the WeTab cloud (which will be voluntary). It kinda reminds of Android phones and their registration with Google. After registration, the tablet automatically pulls the latest updates, so that you start with the latest firmware.
Since release, there have been quite a few software updates. About one major update per month and several minor bugfix updates in-between. Updates come over the air and usually install when you power off. You can also look for updates manually.
Let's take a look at some of the bundled software
The pinboard is the WeTab equivalent of the desktop. You can place and arrange application launchers and widgets there. The board scrolls vertically so you have lots of space! The background image can currently not be customized, but this will be enabled in a firmware update in November.
You cannot add launchers by yourself unless editing files via the terminal. This is just not supported as installing the software will install the launchers.
The webbrowser is probably the most critical part of the tablet's user experience. It was really bad back in September but has since greatly improved. The developers put and are putting a lot of effort into this. The browser is based on Webkit, comes with Flash 10, and since the last firmware update features multitouch pinch-to-zoom gestures for fluently zooming in and out. It's a pleasure to use. Of course on a screen with that resolution, you rarely have to zoom unless you encounter some tiny text. Kinetic scrolling in the browser feels great, too.
There is no menu for bookmarks, so all your browser bookmarks are placed as launchers with preview image on the pinboard (just like the N900 can do).
The bundled e-Mail client is Claws Mail with touchscreen improvements (it doesn't look like Claws at all anymore). It works well with fingers but since I am not using it much, I won't say more about it. People who don't like Claws did install Thunderbird.
The file manager is a weak piece. It does its job but leaves much to be desired. Especially, there are only two kinds of icons, folders and files. If you want to know more about a file, you have to select it to view the preview. Luckily, there's also Thunar available, and this is a good file manager. Nautilus is available from the RPM repository, too.
The media player for audio and video is Banshee. I don't use Banshee since I have MediaBox on my WeTab, so I can't say much about it. Other people have successfully installed XBMC, too.
The image gallery shows photos, plays slideshows and videos. It supports multitouch for zooming, and wiping gestures for skipping between images, but takes a long time to build preview images if you have a lot of photos. If could be a decent piece of software once it was faster. I'm expecting a later update to fix this.
The eBook reader is FB Reader with a custom GUI. The GUI is not that good but works for reading books. You cannot set bookmarks or directly skip to a certain page, though. And the book selection dialog (or should I rather say file dialog) is not touch optimized at all, yet.
Of course, FB Reader cannot load DRM-crippled books. For these books, some people have successfully installed Adobe Digital Editions or Amazon Kindle on the WeTab using Wine.
OpenOffice.org comes with some touch optimizations such as larger icons. But this kind of software is better used with external keyboard and mouse. Then it works like you're used to.
The maps application uses Microsoft Bing maps and comes with a widget for the pinboard and a full application with multitouch for zooming and GPS support. 4tiitoo also announced turn-by-turn voice navigation for later. OK, maybe the tablet is a bit too large for windshield mounting, though... ;)
There is a market where you can get more software like Adobe Acrobat Reader, Skype, Stellarium, some games, widgets, etc. The market is currently very small and there is no pay-content yet. You can expect more software, once the SDK (based on Qt Creator and VirtualBox image) will be published later this year.
Root shell. There is a root shell available for download in the market. Once you install it, you'll lose software warranty (of course, since from now on you can tinker with everything), but hardware warranty won't be affected. Having the root shell installed is called "expert mode", but actually it's just a launcher for a terminal (Xfce terminal to be precise) on the pinboard.
If you want more apps like Opera 10 or Opera Mobile, you can e.g. go over to http://portablelinuxapps.org.
The next major update will add support for a wide range of DVB-T sticks for turning the WeTab into a portable TV.
Of course on a keyboard-less device the onscreen keyboard is a crucial part. The one on the WeTab feels great, is big enough for comfortable typing, but lacks keys like tilde or pipe for Unix people. On the other hand, there is a Ctrl-C key. Well, actually, it's the copy key, which happens to map to Ctrl-C, too. ;)
Keyboard layouts can be edited via a XML file, though, so missing keys can be added, if necessary. The default layout also misses the dot on the same page as the numbers, which realy sucks for entering IP addresses. :(
Should I mention multitasking? Of course, unlike that other pad, the WeTab does multitask. The task switcher works similar to the one on the N900, but without the eye candy transitions (as of today).
Android Support
The OS with the little green
Support for Android can already be installed by brave people, but it's not officially out yet. Android 2.1 runs in a virtual machine and lets you use Android software. Since Google does not allow tablets to access the Android Market (with the exception of the Galaxy Tab, which is technically a tablet-sized phone and thus good for Google), the market in use is the Android Pit App Store.
There are quite a lot of apps available, but most stuff from the Android market not (yet). Currently Android runs rather slow (hopefully this will become better once it's officially released) and does not play videos yet. Also, many Android apps look weird when running on a large screen, because they're optimized for tiny phone displays.
A Geek's Delight
The device can easily be opened to add more RAM. Some people are running it with 2 GiB of RAM.
As of yesterday, a recovery USB image is available for restoring the device if you bricked it. Until yesterday, the brick had to be sent to the Medion support company for restoring, but this is no longer necessary, thanks to the recovery image.
People have installed Windows 7 (which runs very well according to those who run it), and Ubuntu or MeeGo netbook. It's kinda hard to boot a different OS, because this is not supported, but Linux geeks find a way. Booting from an attached USB device is locked at EFI level by Asus/Pegatron, but there are ways around.
The root shell gives you full access to the underlying MeeGo core. What else do you need? :)
In the beginning the WeTab was a bit disappointing with the touchscreen problems and unfinished software. But with every update it becomes a bit better and I really like it very much now. The battery life time is still short with approx. 4 hours, but this should be fixed by software, soon. Since I have the WeTab every week is like Christmas with little new presents all the time.
I was able to meet some people from 4tiitoo at the Community Conference yesterday, and it's really amazing how a small startup from Munich managed to bring out a MeeGo tablet with some great features before everybody else. Patience definitely payed off with the WeTab as 4tiitoo are fulfilling their promises. The future looks bright and MeeGo rocks! :D
Currently the WeTab is only available in Germany at Amazon, MediaMarkt, Otto, Conrad, Cyberport, and Lufthansa Miles and More Shop. Hopefully it will launch internationally soon.


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The Authorities of the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi has released her Admission list 2014 of successful intakes in all approved programmes of the school for the 2014/2015 academic session.
The Fedpoly Bauchi Admission List 2014 has been pasted at the University's admission office in school.
See Also: Check Federal Polytechnic Bauch 2014/2015 1st Admission List
The Fedpoly Bauchi Admission list 2014 has also been published online can be accessed by clicking here
We congratulate all admitted students and ask them to proceed to the school premises for further informations on clearance and registrations.
See Also: How To Apply For JAMB 2015 UTME
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Apple-Glazed Chicken Drumsticks
From: Eat Chicken
Quick Facts
Servings: 4
Cook Time: 15 min.
Apple butter and molasses bring a taste of the country to these sweetly glazed drumsticks.
- 4 chicken drumsticks, skin-on or skinless
- Marinade1/4 cup apple butter
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 apples, cored and sliced into eighths
- In medium bowl, stir together all ingredients for the marinade. Add the drumsticks and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the broiler. Line a broiler pan with aluminum foil and then set the drumsticks in it. Broil for 13-15 minutes, turning the drumsticks occasionally and brushing them with marinade. Serve with apple slices.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 173
Calories from Fat 13 (8%)
(2%)Total Fat 1g
(2%)Saturated Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
(9%)Cholesterol 28mg
(14%)Sodium 334mg
(14%)Potassium 487mg
Total Carbohydrate 33g
(8%)Dietary Fiber 2g
Sugars 25g
Sugar Alcohols 0g
(16%)Protein 8g
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Nutrition facts are calculated by a food expert using nutritional values provided by the USDA for common products used as recipe ingredients. Actual nutritional values may differ depending on the amounts or products used and can be affected by cooking methods.
Copyright © 2019 Healthnotes, Inc. All rights reserved. www.healthnotes.com
Read our healthy recipe definitions.
Learn more about Healthnotes, the company.
The information presented here is for informational purposes only and was created by a team of US–registered dietitians and food experts. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires December 2019.


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From swimsuits to swim shorts, here at Zoggs you will find top quality swimwear for the whole family. With an unrivalled passion for everything swimming, at Zoggs we use comfortable and durable materials to ensure a long-lasting quality that you can rely on with every swim!
Always providing comfortable and flattering swimwear that will make sure you keep your confidence in the water, at Zoggs we also keep up-to-date with the latest fashions to ensure stylish swimwear designs that will look just as good by the beach as they will do at your local swimming pool.


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Another Small Business Speaker Undermines Fox's "Built It" Narrative
Blog ››› ››› BEN DIMIERO
Another small business owner featured at the Republican National Convention undercuts the Fox-fueled "We Built It" narrative surrounding the event.
Steven Cohen, president of Ohio-based manufacturing company Screen Machine Industries, is scheduled to speak tonight at the convention. According to a press release from his company announcing the speaking appearance, Cohen will speak on "political issues important to manufacturing." Much like Sher Valenzuela, the Delaware small business owner that was featured on "We Built It" day at the convention, Cohen's business has also received help from the government.
Screen Machine has received more than $2 million in government contracts, including nearly $220,000 in stimulus funds, and claims a "long and proud history of supplying heavy-duty American Made equipment to government agencies and the US Military."
The "We Built It" narrative, which was the featured theme of the convention yesterday and has become a focal point of the campaign, is premised on Fox News' deliberate distortion of comments President Obama made at a campaign speech in Virginia last month. During that appearance, Obama pointed out that business owners find success not only through their own entrepreneurship, but also the help of public infrastructure and "this unbelievable American system." In the month since, Fox News -- in unison with deceptive ads from the Romney campaign and anti-Obama super PACs -- has focused on a brief snippet of Obama's speech to claim the president was denigrating small business owners.
The Fox-fueled narrative surrounding Obama's remarks about small business owners has been undermined by fact-checkers, public funding for the convention, and the presence of speakers like Valenzuela at the event. "In short, the Republicans are inadvertently underscoring the point that President Obama was expressing in his 'you didn't build that' comment in July," explained the New York Times' Nicholas Kristof.
Steven Cohen further underscores Obama's point.
The Associated Press reported last September on how Republican presidential candidates were "bashing President Barack Obama's economic stimulus plans as a colossal waste of taxpayer money," but doing so during appearances at "businesses that benefited from the president's landmark stimulus package." One such business was Cohen's Screen Machine Industries, where Romney campaigned last year.
According to the AP, Screen Machine was the recipient of nearly $220,000 in stimulus contracts. Cohen was asked about the apparent contradiction and explained that due to the wide scope of the stimulus it would be difficult for a presidential candidate "to go to any manufacturer and find someone who was not directly, or indirectly, affected somehow":
"There was a tremendous amount of money that went to all sectors. It would be very hard for a Mitt Romney, or a presidential candidate from any party, to go to any manufacturer and find someone who was not directly, or indirectly, affected somehow," said Steven Cohen, president of Ohio-based Screen Machine Industries, which hosted a Romney event in July and received stimulus contracts worth nearly $220,000.
"I think it would be irresponsible for an American manufacturer not to go after their fair share," Cohen told The Associated Press this week. "The question is whether it was a wise investment. That's for someone else to answer."
The stimulus funds are only a portion of more than $2 million in federal contracts won by the company from agencies including the Departments of Defense, Interior, and Veterans Affairs. As recently as last week, the company sold $11,500 of equipment to the Department of Justice.
Other aid Screen Machine received from federal, state, and local agencies includes:
- In 2004, Licking County, Ohio was awarded a $160,000 grant "through the Ohio Small Cities Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Economic Development Program, which is administered by the Ohio Department of Development," which was used to install waterlines "to help the Screen Machine... expand operations."
- According to a Screen Machine press release, the company was given an "Export Achievement Certificate" by the U.S Commerce Department in 2006, an award that "recognizes U.S. companies that have benefited from export services of the Department's U.S. Commercial Service to make their first export sale or expand into new foreign markets. "
- On their website, Screen Machine details how they were able to ship equipment to Afghanistan in 2010 for use at military installations, and touts the company's "long and proud history of supplying heavy-duty American Made equipment to government agencies and the US Military."
None of this diminishes the success of Cohen's business, which was founded by his father more than 40 years ago. But no matter how much Fox and the GOP distort Obama's comments, both small business owners the RNC is featuring in primetime this week affirm Obama's underlying point -- that businesses succeed with the help of the "American system."
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Paper towels are most commonly marketed to clean up spills, which is really not the best use of their talents. While these absorbent paper sheets can be great at cleaning up spills, it's much better to use a washable kitchen towel, rather than wasting a sheet of paper. (My friends always laugh at me because I keep paper towels around the house, but never actually use them for their supposedly intended purpose.)
That said, there are a lot of great things you can use paper towels for, so let's explore some of them!
1. Cast iron maintenance
Cast iron pans are expensive, and they require some tender loving care. After use, wipe them down with paper towels to remove oil and food, and consider storing them interleaved with paper towels if you're not hanging them up, ensuring that rust won't arrive. If you need to wash a cast iron pan to remove caked-on food messes, make sure to dry it on the stove and when you're done, rub it with a paper towel dipped in fat to keep the pan in good condition.
2. Composting
Paper contains a lot of carbon, and that makes it great for the so called "brown" layer in your compost management system. After you've used a paper towel, compost it to help maintain the carbon balance in your compost and aerate it — the fluffy nature of the paper towel will encourage air pockets to form, which will support the growth of beneficial microorganisms so you'll have nice, healthy, beautiful compost for your landscaping service to work with.
3. Grease and gunk absorber
Hey, it's what they're made for! But you can use paper towels for more than wiping grease off your hands and tools (hint: rags are usually better for that). Try running a paper towel through a freshly oiled sewing machine to pick up the excess lubricant so it won't stain fabric, or "open" a paper towel with a can opener to absorb the buildup of adhesives, grease, and gunk that tends to appear over time.
4. Keep greens and herbs fresh
Lettuce, herbs, chard, and other greens can tend to wilt in the fridge. Add a moist paper towel to the bag they're kept in, and notice how their lives are dramatically extended! The paper towel holds moisture to maintain a comfortable humidity level, without keeping the greens damp and allowing them to start rotting.
5. Seed viability testing
How old are those seeds, anyway? Will they even grow? It's a common problem for gardeners in the spring, and it can be time consuming and irritating to plant them in seedling trays and find out. The solution? Paper towels. Sandwich a sample of seeds between two damp paper towels and stick them in a warm place. If they don't sprout in two weeks, your seeds are probably past viability.
6. The bread trick
Ever stick a loaf of bread in the freezer for later, thaw it out, and discover that you have a soggy mess? That's no bueno. Try adding a paper towel to the bag before freezing. When you do that, it'll collect the moisture and wick it away from the bread, keeping your loaf nice and fresh.
7. Corn cleaner
This is a pretty cool trick. Don't you have it when an ear of corn stubbornly retains its silk? Try moistening a paper towel and running it over the shucked ear to cleanly pull away the last of the silk. You can reuse the towel on the rest of the corn, and then compost it!
8. Soften hardened brown sugar
Thanks to its natural high moisture content, brown sugar can start to glom together, and if it's not used, it will turn into a hard mass that's no fun to cook with. If you've got rogue brown sugar on the loose in the kitchen, try dumping it into a bowl, covering it with a moist paper towel, and leaving it overnight. (If you have an ant problem, stick it in the fridge — and then call an exterminator.) The increased humidity will help the brown sugar break up so you can use it again.
9. Emergency coffee filter
We've all been there: desperately needing morning fuel, and yet lacking a key component. A paper towel can serve in a pinch!
Set a paper towel over the wax stain and run an iron over it on low. The paper towel will absorb the crayon, while also protecting the iron. This works best on hard surfaces like chalkboards, but you can use it on upholstery and carpets too!
While rags should be your cleanup medium of choice, sometimes a paper towel really is the perfect tool for the job.
Katie Marks originally wrote this story for Networx.com. It is reprinted with permission here.
Related stories on MNN:
Click for photo credits
Cast iron: Karma Shuford/Shutterstock
Sewing machine: Luis Louro/Shutterstock
Seed packets: Garrett/Flickr
Corn: Stephen Ritchie/Flickr
Coffee: violetkaipa/Shutterstock


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Remember that post I had about being in Boston next year? Things may have changed.
- Mom: So, is this a Boston Qualifier?
- Nic: Uh, no. Actually, this isn't a marathon. It's called an "Ultra Marathon" because it's longer than 26.2 miles.
- M: Oh yeah, that's right. It's a 30K.
- Dad: No, it's a 50K.
- M: Right. 50K. 30 miles.
- N/D simultaneously: 31.
Knowing he's a prolific reader, I asked what books (plural) he's currently reading. He shared that he's currently working his way through the personal memoirs of U. S. Grant. Steve noted he enjoyed how Mr. Grant was attempting to revise certain parts of his history...the parts that didn't reflect well upon him. Steve has read over 7,000 books in his life, with 3,000 remaining on his Lifetime Reading List. I decided not to mention that my current reading level was "Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain. Most of the books on Steve's 'Completed List' involve Latin words or Authors I'm not familiar with or can even pronounce. Most of the books on my 'Completed List' involve TV shows or my favorite basketball players. I aborted the conversation as one that would only make me look dumb :)
- Steve shared he hadn't fallen yet during this run, but had rolled his ankle a couple times. Shortly after this, I tripped, with only my hand-held water bottle saving me from a face plant.
- About a mile later (somewhere around Mile 10) I mentioned that I had met Helen and Adam prior to the race, and that Helen wanted me to go out very fast so that I would crash and burn. I told Steve that I was running very conservatively, but knew Helen was lurking someplace behind me. Steve looked at me confused (briefly, before returning his gaze to the trail) and said, "Oh, no. Helen's long gone. She passed me around Mile 3." Then then, again very briefly, looked up at me with a grin and said, "I just figured out what mean thing I'm going to say about you in my race report." Oh, good. Glad I could help. Strike 3.
- We chatted a bit more about NF (the disease I run and fund raise more) before I decided that I should probably get moving. I told him I hoped I'd only see him again on the way back, but by this point my race plan was a bit up in the air.
At the halfway point. Can someone PLEASE get my skin in touch with a UV Ray or two? My Yellow Jersey is indistinguishable from my skin. Yikes!
Alas, the top of the hill, and what's the reward? A DOWNHILL FINISH! I came across in 4:40:something, with Helen right behind me. As a volunteer worked on tearing off my bib (sorry 'bout that pin job), Matt had a camera in my face, telling me to "say something profound." I believe I said something about how that course is "a 50K that feels like a 50 miler." Considering Matt just completed a trail 100 miler, he likely didn't agree. Considering I've never run a TRAIL 50 miler, I'm not sure I agree, either. What I meant by that was that this 50K was more difficult than my Fall 50 experience last year, but a LOT more fun, too.
One of the most memorable parts of the second half of the run, when I saw hardly anyone, was walking across the boardwalk pictured here. I was running hard that entire second half, but when I got to this section, I stopped, walked, and looked around to soak it all in, but not fall in and get soaked :). It was surreal. As I approached the end of the boardwalk, a photographer sitting in a tree greeted me with a friendly "Hello." He scared me a bit--glad I was on solid ground again--but put a big smile on my face. This event had it all!


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One might make the argument that of all the Wall Street personalities who made names for themselves in the internet boom of the late 1990s and in the bust that soon followed, Morgan Stanley's Mary Meeker was the most important.
Sure, she isn't as widely known in the mainstream as former Credit Suisse First Boston investment banker Frank Quattrone or former CIBC Oppenheimer and Merrill Lynch analyst Henry Blodget, who found themselves in the spotlight due to legal action that was taken against them in regards to their 'behavior' during the boom.
But despite the fact that Meeker never found the infamy of Quattrone and Blodget, the woman dubbed the 'Queen of the Net' by Barron's in 1998 was just as much a player in the world of technology investments. And she still is.
Last week, I came across an old Fortune article from 2001 describing Meeker's story. It sure is an intriguing one.
After rising to Wall Street fame during the .com boom and pocketing $15mn in compensation in 1999 alone, Meeker and her rosy ratings found themselves defeated by the unstoppable forces of the market.
Amazingly, following the crash, Meeker refused to downgrade most of the companies she was following and maintained positive ratings on many of them. Some fell as much as 97% from their highs yet she still, for whatever reason, decided to ignore reality.
But Meeker's folly was not so much that she made mistakes or was simply a poor analyst, it was that Meeker hadn't been playing the role of Wall Street analyst at all.
As Fortune observed in 2001:
"But Meeker's refusal to downgrade her stocks is only a small piece of a bigger story. This larger story is about how a smart, hard-working analyst became a big part of the world she covered. Meeker came to see herself not merely as an analyst but as a player–a power broker, a dealmaker, a force to be reckoned with. She was a true Internet insider–and other Internet insiders, most of whom were her friends, shared this exalted view of her."
Prominent venture capitalist John Doerr went so far as to call Meeker a 'service provider' and stated point blank, "I don't think of Mary as an analyst."
As I took a walk down memory lane courtesty of Fortune's article, I couldn't help but note a parallel between some of the tech blogosphere's most prominent personalities and Mary Meeker.
As Meeker did, many of the tech blogosphere's A-listers find themselves in an awkward position. They have assumed the roles of journalists yet at the same time, they are insiders in the very industries their readers turn to them to cover.
Some are consummate Silicon Valley 'insiders' who wheel, deal and have make investments in the types of companies they cover. Others work for companies in the industry and have obligations to their employers that could conceivably (at times) conflict with their informal obligations to the readers. Most count friends and personal associates amongst those whose companies could be impacted by their writing.
I've discussed conflicts of interest in the blogosphere in some depth already and don't want to rehash the same points I've already made.
But reading an old Fortune article on Meeker caused me to look at the issue of conflict with a slightly different perspective.
Meeker's story demonstrates the pitfalls of not knowing who you are, of trying to walk the thin line that exist when dual roles find themselves in conflict with each other and of compromising the key values that are crucial to doing your primary job properly.
As Fortune wrote:
"In responding now to criticism that she let investors down, Meeker refuses to admit–or even see–how compromised she is. She defends herself in part by saying she feels protective toward the phenomenon she helped launch–and especially toward the dozens of companies she helped Morgan Stanley take public: 'There is something compelling about…playing an important role in something that will never happen again….I feel a–'stewardship' is a strong word–but I feel a keen sense of responsibility.' She adds, 'If you take a company public and you are really aggressive on the downside, it can be devastating.' Of course, if you're not aggressive on the downside, it can be devastating for investors. But that was never a Meeker priority."
Clearly, Meeker, forgetting that she was really an analyst, also forgot that she was supposed to be a steward for the interests of investors who based investment decisions on her reports. Analysts are not supposed to be stewards for the companies they cover.
Yet because Meeker placed herself in a position that compromised her ability to see the forest from the trees, she did apparently see herself as steward for many of the companies she was involved with.
Although Meeker is still around, she's a little less excitable (perhaps because Morgan Stanley isn't taking a whole lot of tech companies public these days). Her interesting presentation at the recent Web 2.0 Summit is noticeably free of the type of hype she promoted during Bubble 1.0.
Personally, I'm one who forgives but never forgets. In my opinion, Meeker and the other compromised Wall Streeters who forgot who they were and who they were supposed to be answering to lost credibility that can never be fully regained.
As the current economic downturn has dampened the euphoria in Silicon Valley, especially amongst Web 2.0 startups lacking viable business models, it's hard not to notice a similar dynamic developing in the blogosphere.
Some prominent tech bloggers, for instance, who do deserve credit for chronicling the rise of Web 2.0 and who I have no doubt are truly passionate about technology and the internet, now find themselves in positions where some of their posts over the past several years are, in hindsight, far too frothy to reconcile with some of their recent, more down-to-earth posts.
Case in point: one of the most visible cheerleaders for the Web 2.0 'movement' who I will not name (names are not important).
In January 2007, he argued that Web 2.0 companies could become sustainable businesses, that too much money wans't chasing too few good ideas, that "The Network Effect is still the most powerful force driving Internet success today" and that in the world of startups and venture capital, "Assets are allocated efficiently, and everything works out fine in the aggregate."
Flash forward to today. The vast majority of Web 2.0 companies haven't become sustainable businesses, it's now obvious that too much money has been chasing too few good ideas, revenue once again trumps 'network effects' (as well as 'users' and 'pageviews') and VCs are not only challenged by troubled portfolio companies that were being run by drunken sailors but also by the troubled dynamic that now exists in their industry.
It seemed that the blogger in question may have realized what was coming. By May 2007, he seemed to be having second thoughts. The "$3 – $8 million Series A round experiments" that were okay January 2007 were now bothering him, as were the growing number of parties and the startups that didn't make sense. Perhaps he truly recognized that this was unsustainable. Perhaps, as his post hints, he also longed for the simpler days when startups were launched at small parties at his house.
Whatever the case, his Web 2.0 hyping continued on. Parties he threw filled with entrepreneurs more interested in money than innvoation (as well as the distracting "hot PR chicks" he apparently didn't like) only grew bigger. In September of this year, a business-oriented Twitter clone created by a company that was his sponsor and run by a former PayPal exeuctive won top prize at a conference he put on that by the way, had no shortage of bubbly after-parties.
Little more than a month later, on October 10, 2008, this blogger declared his beloved Web 2.0 dead and criticized a group of young Web 2.0 insiders who partied like it was 1999 at a mansion in Cyprus while the US stock market crumbled.
Sound confusing? Much of the contradictions in this blogger's statements are illogical until you consider that this blogger is a Silicon Valley powerbroker whose involvement in the Web 2.0 phenomenon went far beyond that of 'intrepid reporter.' His flip-flopping makes complete sense when one recognizes that his perspective could never have been one of objectivity.
That much of the unbridled hype that he not only bought into but helped promote has proven to be unjustified now makes it difficult to overlook the obvious credibility issues he and other individuals who played the roles of both insiders and New Media journalists have created for themselves. In short, for those who were paying attention, it's hard to take many of these people seriously.
To be fair, we all make mistakes. It's easy to overestimate the prospects of a company or industry. Predicting the future is difficult to say the least. And the lure of some modicum of fame and fortune is always hard to resist. After all, who wants to be an 'analyst' or 'blogger'? Being an industry insider – a mover and shaker – is far sexier.
Yet a reasonable firewall should placed between those who report on an industry and those who 'live' it.
Mary Meeker had to learn that lesson the hard way. Her villification after Bubble 1.0 burst couldn't have been fun. But such villification could have been avoided if she had maintained a firewall between her real job and the activities that earned her the title of 'Queen of the Net.'
Just as the bursting of the .com bubble evidenced the fact that Wall Street analysts did a disservice to themselves and their true constituents by becoming industry insiders, I can't help but wonder whether, in some years' time, we might say the same thing about some of today's tech bloggers who seem to suffer from an identity crisis of their own.


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NEC launches interactive displays with up to 12 touch-points, offering greater accuracy and productivity
Large format displays in NEC's E, P and XUHD series offer enhanced ShadowSense™ touch technology for corporate, education and retail environments
Munich, 13 June, 2016 – NEC Display Solutions Europe is advancing its ShadowSense™ technology display range with true multi-touch support of up to 12 simultaneous real-touch points. The additional points make touch technology experiences much more responsive, adding scope for greater productivity and collaboration. The new touch line-up includes NEC's MultiSync E series, P series and Ultra High Definition (XUHD) large format displays in sizes from 40-inch up to 98-inch.
Industries that rely on displays for intuitive and collaborative working are to benefit from the additional real-time touch points with accurate and reliable interactive experiences. These displays with ShadowSense™ touch technology have the ability to track 10 or 12 touch points and understand each different point of interaction, providing unparalleled performance and accuracy.
Daniela Dexheimer, Product Manager Solutions at NEC Display Solutions Europe comments: "We know that interaction with displays and information has increasingly become touch focused, whether in a retail, education or business environment. This trend is the driving force behind innovation and intelligence in touch technology, ensuring these experiences are seamless and add the productivity benefits that users and businesses seek. By adding more real-touch points the displays are more responsive than ever."
Depending on the size these displays can be used in scenarios such as interactive retail signage and infotainment, way-finding and self-service kiosk applications. In corporate and learning environments, they can be used effectively with groups, for example as interactive whiteboards.
Other benefits of NEC's large format displays with enhanced ShadowSense™ touch technology are:
- Intuitive touch behaviour – Users can enjoy the displays' intuitive behaviour, which automatically detects and switches between interactions like finger swipes, stylus writing and erasing, whilst working with multi-touch applications. Plus, the displays filter out misleading interactions, avoiding ghost touches even in high ambient light operations.
- Simple plug and play – No need for driver installations for all major operating systems thanks to the simple plug and play feature.
- Impressive resolution and full colour management – The Ultra High Definition (XUHD-series) displays offers impressive UHD resolution and colour, thanks to the integrated NEC SpectraView® colour engine. Users also have the ability to adjust all visual parameters to further improve any colour.
- Easy upgrade capabilities – Businesses can easily enhance the displays with an optional "Windows based" Slot-in-PC using the integrated OPS option slot, without the need for external cables or devices, thereby simplifying installations and reducing the points of failure.
For more information about NEC's Meeting and Conferencing solutions, please visit:
For more information about NEC's dedicated Education solutions, please visit:
For more information about NEC's Retail solutions, please visit:


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see you around, keeping it cool as usual.
Oh man awesome!
the palindrome info about black foliage... extremely helpful/inspiring for me.
Thanks I'll look all like I know whats up because of you.
oh yeah the mask is cool
wow.. your avatar is freaking me out!!!
Hey are you still around here? We should be facebook friends or something.
What's been happening in your life? Accordians?
welcome and thank you!
I like your musics, if it feels right keep it going. :)
I'm not sure if you're really feeling down, or if you're just saying things or if it's lyrics or what.
but anyways, sounds like sad sad sad love, and if it is hope things look better for you.
i noticed the new panda bear album made you a bit sad because of the mixing (though I did like it).
you should listen to the album [I]Native Speaker[/I] by Braids. It came out this past January.
you might be able to get your fix that way
~ whilst3
hi, please tell me you wrote this review:
Dear The Fresh Grocer,
Your Greek yogurt expired on the 5th, thanks for keeping it out on the shelves until the 8th for fools like me to buy. I didn't think I'd have to babysit dairy products for you, but don't worry... I hardly ever make the same mistake twice. I'll make sure you know next time screw up.
PS Try heating your building, your employees look ridiculous when they wear their scarves and mittens.
on here: [url]http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-fresh-grocer-philadelphia#query:24%20hour%20coffee%20shops[/url]
Senior E6er


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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened a US visit today at the White House, bringing with him a fundamentally different vision of the Middle East than the one presented by President Barack Obama in a major policy speech yesterday.
As Mr. Obama encourages democratic reforms across the Arab world, he meets the leader of a nation deeply wary about the regional instability wrought by six months of Arab uprisings. Israeli officials emphasize that the rising influence of political Islam and efforts by Iran to expand its footprint in the region make concessions for peace riskier than ever.
"If we warned before, our concerns have been reinforced,'' says Zalman Shoval, a Netanyahu aide. "While we hope that this will lead to democratization, there's no guarantee…. Nobody really knows the answers.''
At stake for Israel is the threat of increasing isolation as a result of an upcoming United Nations vote in support of a Palestinian state, which could circumvent the US-led peace process between Israelis and Palestinians.
Israel also fears rising attacks on its legitimacy which could bolster boycott movements and potentially turn it into a pariah. It could inspire more mass protests from emboldened Arab neighbors, as seen in the May 15 Nakba demonstrations that drew tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees and their supporters to protest the "catastrophe" of Jewish independence 63 years ago.
Netanyahu needs to give Obama alternatives
Mr. Netanyahu is particularly wary about pursuing peace with Mahmoud Abbas when the Palestinian Authority president and Fatah leader has just reconciled with the Islamist militant group Hamas. The American president addressed that and other Israeli security concerns, but said peace was more urgent than ever.
"Obama rejected Netanyahu's claims that the revolutions in the Arab world require a freeze of the peace process until the situation in the region becomes clearer," wrote Aluf Ben, a political commentator for the Israeli daily Haaretz newspaper. "He made it clear that the world is sick of the unending peace process that leads nowhere."
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Obama also suggested that delay could be detrimental to Israel's interests. The vacuum in the peace process provides an opening for initiatives like the Palestinian push for United Nations recognition of their sovereignty, as well as mass protests on Israel's border with Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank – a sign, perhaps, that the Arab Spring has reinvigorated Palestinian nonviolence.
Scott Lasensky, a fellow at the US Institute for Peace, suggests that Netanyahu needs to give Obama viable alternatives to such initiatives, whose momentum is growing.
"Just as Americans have a responsibility to understand Israel's anxieties and fears during an tumult time in the region, it's also incumbent on an Israeli prime minister to demonstrate some courage and creativity in the peace process, otherwise the US is left trying to fend off other initiatives without something to work with,'' he says.
Indeed, Netanyahu, who will address the pro-Israel lobby American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and Congress on Tuesday, needs to keep in stride with US policy on the region if the two allies are to be able to head off a Palestinian campaign for United Nations recognition of statehood.
Fresh gesture toward Palestinians expected next week
The US shares Israel's skittishness about the Palestinian campaign in the UN, which could upend a decades-old American policy of seeking peace deals through bilateral talks rather than international decisions enforced on the sides.
"Netanyahu wants to avoid turning the paradigm of peacemaking upside down, whereby the Palestinian trajectory seems more to be about statehood rather than negotiations," says David Makovsky, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "The key is to have a joint strategy and to stave off this change in paradigm, and the way that the US thinks you can do it is to come forward with a concrete ideas where you can demonstrate to the Palestinians you are serious."
Mr. Netanyahu may make some headway on that May 24, when he is expected to unveil a fresh gesture toward the Palestinians in his address to a joint session of Congress.
In a speech to Israel's parliament a week earlier, Netanyahu laid out his principles for a peace agreement. He rejected sharing Jerusalem, a nonstarter for the Palestinians. Others, however, saw his emphasis on Israel's "blocs" of settlements as a hint that he'd be willing to concede most of the West Bank.
Much common ground remains, however
Last year, Netanyahu and Obama sparred in public over their approach to the peace process – especially settlement expansion – bringing diplomatic ties to a two-decade low.
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After Obama declared in his speech Thursday that a future Palestinian state should be based on the 1967 border with Israel, the Israeli leader issued a barbed retort arguing that the line leaves Israel exposed to attack.
Disputes over borders aside, the US and Israel still have much common ground. Obama said Israel should be a Jewish state and has a right to insist on stringent security arrangements as part of a peace deal before getting negotiations over Jerusalem and refugees.


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