I’ve been watching the Electoral Vote predictor with interest the last few days. As I mentioned previously, its methodology may be questionable, but it’s interesting, and it’s probably no more wrong than any other polls. I really don’t have much faith in the ability of any of them to predict a race this close when… Continue reading Electoral Votes
Month: October 2004
Halloween Hunt
No tricks today, just a treat. For the first time in three weeks, the weather was decent and Arthur had four shoes. It’s been a problem getting both of those to occur at the same time. So today, nothing was going to keep me out of the saddle, not even a request from the Champagne… Continue reading Halloween Hunt
You call that a bargain?
Today’s Kernel had a story about Student Government’s “Ballot Bash”, an event to encourage students to vote in next week’s election. I’m all in favor of inciting political enthusiasm in the younger generation (unless they’re Republicans), but, in spite of the positive spin from the organizers and the reporter, crunching the numbers in that story… Continue reading You call that a bargain?
Shock and Awe
As Election 2004 enters its final week, the Tatertown yard sign wars are escalating. The Bush-Cheney forces up the road have made a somewhat tactical retreat, moving their tire-scarred sign back farther from the road’s edge and between a couple of shrubs. The new location hardly looks like adequate protection from a Dodge 3500 4×4… Continue reading Shock and Awe
Interesting Poll Site
Somebody alerted me to an interesting electoral poll website. This guy is combining lots of individual state polls to predict the outcome of each state, and projecting that into a total electoral vote prediction. I’m not a statistician, so I don’t know how valid this kind of process is, but it’s interesting. I guess the… Continue reading Interesting Poll Site
New Toy
Nope, not the iPod I just got, although that’s cool too. The latest is much cheaper and potentially cooler: a universal TV zapper . When I saw the story, I wanted one. When I saw the price, I ordered one. Stay tuned for details of its effectiveness. I can think of a lot of places… Continue reading New Toy
Google Saves a Hostage?
From Baghdad, Chris Albritton describes the kidnapping and release of his friend, John Martinkus, an Australian reporter. Martinkus was released after persuading his captors that he was not American, a fact which they apparently confirmed by Googling him. (Wasn’t the accent enough, or do Australians and Americans sound alike to Iraqis?) Besides the Google angle,… Continue reading Google Saves a Hostage?
Windows for Warships?
Unfortunately, “Windows for Warships” is not the latest computer game, or even just a bad joke. A recent article in Scotland’s Sunday Herald describes the concerns of a naval software engineer about the British Royal Navy’s use of Windows for combat management software. The capitalized phrase “Windows for Warships” really raised my eyebrows, indicating that… Continue reading Windows for Warships?
Illumination Inflation
Way back in June, I received a report that seven Bush administration officials were necessary to change a lightbulb. Today I received a report indicating that number has now risen to ten. And when I compared the two lists, after eliminating overlap, it actually appears to be eleven.
Quick Links
This weekend’s mail included a couple of multi-media links that looked interesting but too big to download over my barbed-wire connection at home. Viewing them at work on Monday confirmed that they’re definitely worth the download on a broadband connection. Check them out if you have a good connection or lots of time: Didn’t Know… Continue reading Quick Links