According to our newspaper the Indiana Gaming Commission requires slot machines to payout at least 80% of money wagered. The last state audit showed the average to be 92%. I take this to mean that if I put $100 into the slot I will get $92 back, on average. If I put the $92 back in I will get 92% or $84.64 returned. If I pulled out a fresh $100 to start each session I would lose $100 in about 8 sessions of play. What we as players hope is that we will be lucky and beat the average. This is very possible for one or a few sessions. After all, if you flip a coin it can happen that you get perhaps 9 out of 10 heads initially. Over a long session though the average will take over and heads and tails will be about the same. Similarly, over the long haul, the Casino’s edge of 8% will grind you down to zero. Moral: play for fun and keep your wagering modest.
My brother told me about a gal he knew that went to Las Vegas on vacation and won $10,000. She was so thrilled she moved to Las Vegas and began gambling a lot. After a few months she was broke and her life was almost ruined.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Exciting New Technology!
Pogue’s Posts - Technology - New York Times Blog: "BOOK is a revolutionary breakthrough in technology; no wires, no electric circuits, no batteries, nothing to be connected or switched on. It’s so easy to use even a child can operate it. Compact and portable, it can be used anywhere, even sitting in an armchair by the fire, yet it is powerful enough to hold as much information as a CD-ROM disc.“Here is how it works: BOOK is constructed of sequentially numbered sheets of recyclable paper, each capable of holding thousands of bits of information. Opaque Paper Technology (OPT) allows manufacturers to use both sides of the sheet, doubling the information density and cutting costs. Each sheet is scanned optically, registering information directly into your brain. A flick of your finger takes you to the next sheet. “BOOK never crashes or requires rebooting. The Browse feature allows you to move instantly to any sheet, and move forward or backward as you wish. An optional “BOOKMARK” accessory allows you to open BOOK to the exact place you left it in a previous session, even if the BOOK is closed. BOOKMARKS fit universal design standards; thus, a single BOOKMARK can be used in BOOKS by various manufacturers. “You can also make personal notes next to BOOK text entries with an optional programming tool, called Portable Erasable Nib Cryptic Intercommunication Language Stylus (PENCILS).“Portable, durable and affordable, the BOOK is being hailed as the precursor of a huge entertainment wave. BOOK’S appeal seems so certain that thousands of content-creators have committed to the platform, and investors are reportedly flocking to the new phenomenon. Look for a flood of new titles soon.”Link"
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Why do they hate us?
Why do they hate us? Tony Blair talked about the London terror bombings…“in the West there are always those who say that if people hate us it must somehow be our own fault. There is a “grievance culture” that affects young British born Muslims who have been brought up in a country that has provided them complete religious freedom, full democratic rights and a good standard of living. These young men sit in front of their televisions and say “I will go and kill innocent people because of the oppression of Muslims”.
If you look at Muslim oppression you cannot ignore the 1 million who died in the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88) when Saddam attacked Iran and used poison gas. Iran responded with human-wave attacks showing callous disregard to the slaughter. In Iraq today…who is it that is blowing up innocents in the streets?...Muslims with a “grievance”. It has become a war of fear, greed and propaganda. The lies and agitation in the Muslim press are amplified by radical clerics spewing more lies and hatred in their schools and Mosques. This propaganda falls on receptive ears among disgruntled, restless and naïve young Muslims. The thought is then father to the deed.
If you look at Muslim oppression you cannot ignore the 1 million who died in the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88) when Saddam attacked Iran and used poison gas. Iran responded with human-wave attacks showing callous disregard to the slaughter. In Iraq today…who is it that is blowing up innocents in the streets?...Muslims with a “grievance”. It has become a war of fear, greed and propaganda. The lies and agitation in the Muslim press are amplified by radical clerics spewing more lies and hatred in their schools and Mosques. This propaganda falls on receptive ears among disgruntled, restless and naïve young Muslims. The thought is then father to the deed.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Factoids to Ponder
The founding fathers were very concerned that political discussion or criticism of the government not be restricted and our constitution reflects this. But every time the subject of censorship in film or TV comes up it involves either sex or violence. I have never heard of a case where political speech was at issue.
In 1980 Iraq attacked Iran and the war lasted eight years. The clerics of Iran ordered suicidal human wave attacks. Saddam ordered the Iraq army to use poison gas. One million people were killed in the orgy of Muslim on Muslim violence.
According to the World Almanac 2005 nearly 70 percent of black children are born outside of wedlock. With Latinos, the rate is almost 45 percent, whites nearly 30 percent, and Asians 15 percent.
Health care in Europe is allegedly better than in America even though Europe spends only half as much per person. No one seems able to explain this mystery.
We now spend about $10,000 per student per year to educate our kids. So if Junior can’t read by the fourth grade then $40,000 of taxpayer money is down the drain. Again, Europe allegedly does this for about half the cost.
You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world
to one person.
In 1980 Iraq attacked Iran and the war lasted eight years. The clerics of Iran ordered suicidal human wave attacks. Saddam ordered the Iraq army to use poison gas. One million people were killed in the orgy of Muslim on Muslim violence.
According to the World Almanac 2005 nearly 70 percent of black children are born outside of wedlock. With Latinos, the rate is almost 45 percent, whites nearly 30 percent, and Asians 15 percent.
Health care in Europe is allegedly better than in America even though Europe spends only half as much per person. No one seems able to explain this mystery.
We now spend about $10,000 per student per year to educate our kids. So if Junior can’t read by the fourth grade then $40,000 of taxpayer money is down the drain. Again, Europe allegedly does this for about half the cost.
You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world
to one person.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Clueless Goobers Vote
Dilbert creator Scott Adams has a great entry on his blog about his fervent hope that a secret society of puppetmasters is really running things, instead of the miserable morons (of both stripes) in Washington.
He says:" My favorite conspiracy theory is the one that says the world is being run by a handful of ultra-rich capitalists, and that our elected governments are mere puppets. I sure hope it’s true. Otherwise my survival depends on hordes of clueless goobers electing competent leaders. That’s about as likely as a dog pissing the Mona Lisa into a snow bank."
My own comment is this: Democracy is such a sacred cow we never hear any criticism. Consider a person with no education, no knowledge of history and who pays no attention to news or current events. That person's vote counts just as much as yours. Isn't that great?
He says:" My favorite conspiracy theory is the one that says the world is being run by a handful of ultra-rich capitalists, and that our elected governments are mere puppets. I sure hope it’s true. Otherwise my survival depends on hordes of clueless goobers electing competent leaders. That’s about as likely as a dog pissing the Mona Lisa into a snow bank."
My own comment is this: Democracy is such a sacred cow we never hear any criticism. Consider a person with no education, no knowledge of history and who pays no attention to news or current events. That person's vote counts just as much as yours. Isn't that great?
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Potato Bugs
One night in 1963 I was on door watch in a building at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. The largest, scariest bug I had ever seen came crawling toward me out of the darkness. If you remember the kids plastic 'Cootie' toy of that era, that is what it resembled. I later learned it was a potato bug, a harmless critter common in California. Here is a spoof on the bug from the web.Boing Boing: A Directory of Wonderful Things: "Q: I have potato bugs in my vegetable garden. How can I rid myself of these pesky critters?
A: Drench your entire yard with gasoline and set it ablaze. Once the fire has burned itself out and the ground has cooled, cultivate the soil to a depth of seven feet, saturate the area with battery acid and top the surface with gasoline. After a few minutes, most of the surviving potato bugs, now irritated, will burrow up for air. Set the yard on fire again, and let it burn itself out. The remaining bugs should be crisped. Add water. Only then, and only maybe, will you rid yourself of potato bugs.
POTATO BUGS AS PETS?
As most species of potato bug are good climbers and can gnaw through 12-gauge steel mesh, a tight fitting lid is required made of a good quality 16-grade galvanized sheet steel with nail holes (no bigger) to allow for air flow. The walls of the cage should be galvanized steel backed with 5/8' plywood, carefully mitered at corners and reinforced with L brackets to prevent escape. Wood screws are preferred over nails for assembly, as potato bugs have been known to ram against the walls until the nails eventually loosen from the wood and work free, compromising the integrity of the structure, and allowing the creatures to infest your house and lay eggs in your ear canal or anus.
A: Drench your entire yard with gasoline and set it ablaze. Once the fire has burned itself out and the ground has cooled, cultivate the soil to a depth of seven feet, saturate the area with battery acid and top the surface with gasoline. After a few minutes, most of the surviving potato bugs, now irritated, will burrow up for air. Set the yard on fire again, and let it burn itself out. The remaining bugs should be crisped. Add water. Only then, and only maybe, will you rid yourself of potato bugs.
POTATO BUGS AS PETS?
As most species of potato bug are good climbers and can gnaw through 12-gauge steel mesh, a tight fitting lid is required made of a good quality 16-grade galvanized sheet steel with nail holes (no bigger) to allow for air flow. The walls of the cage should be galvanized steel backed with 5/8' plywood, carefully mitered at corners and reinforced with L brackets to prevent escape. Wood screws are preferred over nails for assembly, as potato bugs have been known to ram against the walls until the nails eventually loosen from the wood and work free, compromising the integrity of the structure, and allowing the creatures to infest your house and lay eggs in your ear canal or anus.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Exxon Exec Loots Company Treasury
I submitted this letter to the Bloomington op-ed page. I think the GOP needs to be out in front of Democrats on this issue to show that as free enterprise advocates we will not tolerate corruption.
op-ed letter:
Lee Raymond, the Chairman of Exxon, recently retired with a retirement benefit worth $400 million. This is such a blatant looting of company assets that it makes a mockery of the value of work. It leads to distrust in the free enterprise system. We hear of these outrages almost every day. The stockholders own the company. These executives are not owners, they are employees. They are hired to manage the company. They are entitled to a salary, not the crown jewels. However, with the collaboration of a corrupt board of directors, the door to the company safe is wide open.
What bothers me as much as the unchecked greed is that these guys can still go around posing as great businessmen and leaders. Their self-serving books are published and they are sought after as paid speakers at Universities and conferences.
The business community, the business press and the public need to take a moral stand… even though these guys beat the legal system we should view them as corrupt and shun them in public life. No TV commentator job, no book offers, no invitation to speak at the IU School of Business.
op-ed letter:
Lee Raymond, the Chairman of Exxon, recently retired with a retirement benefit worth $400 million. This is such a blatant looting of company assets that it makes a mockery of the value of work. It leads to distrust in the free enterprise system. We hear of these outrages almost every day. The stockholders own the company. These executives are not owners, they are employees. They are hired to manage the company. They are entitled to a salary, not the crown jewels. However, with the collaboration of a corrupt board of directors, the door to the company safe is wide open.
What bothers me as much as the unchecked greed is that these guys can still go around posing as great businessmen and leaders. Their self-serving books are published and they are sought after as paid speakers at Universities and conferences.
The business community, the business press and the public need to take a moral stand… even though these guys beat the legal system we should view them as corrupt and shun them in public life. No TV commentator job, no book offers, no invitation to speak at the IU School of Business.
Friday, March 31, 2006
The death of Chief Sitting Bull
In the fight with Custer at the Little Big Horn, Chief Sitting Bull was primarily a medicine man who gave encouragement to the warriors. The fighting Chiefs, most notably, were Chief Gall, Crazy Horse and Red Cloud. After the victory over General Custer in June of 1876, Sitting Bull and several thousand Sioux fled to Canada. In 1881, most of the Sioux had returned to the U.S. to live on reservations and the Indian wars were considered to be concluded. Sitting Bull also returned, reluctantly, under an amnesty agreement with the U.S. Army. For a brief time in the 1880’s Sitting Bull traveled with the Buffalo Bill Cody Wild West Show as a celebrity attraction.
In 1890, Sitting Bull was accused of agitating trouble on the reservation and a squad of Indian police were sent to arrest him. As he was being escorted from his cabin to his pony a crowd of rebellious braves gathered and tried to block the police. Shots were fired on both sides and the police retreated to the cabin. However, Sitting Bull had been wounded. A 2 hour stand-off ensued with some shooting back and forth. Then, a cavalry detachment arrived and quieted the situation. By then, Sitting Bull had died from his wounds.
An poignant footnote to this incident: During the stand-off at the cabin, Sitting Bull’s pony was waiting nearby. It was a trained one he had in the Wild West Show. The shooting caused the pony to occasionally break into it’s little routine of show tricks.
ref:Crimsoned Prairie.... by S.L.A. Marshall
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Italian Cookies
For all the Italians out there or those who are lucky enough to be married to an Italian, or even to be friends of Italians.
An elderly Italian man lay dying in his bed. While suffering the agonies of impending death, he suddenly smelled the aroma of his favorite Italian anisette sprinkle cookies wafting up the stairs. Gathering his remaining strength, he lifted himself from the bed. Leaning against the wall, he slowly made his way out of the bedroom, and with even greater effort, gripping the railing with both hands, he crawled downstairs.
With labored breath, he leaned against the door frame, gazing into the kitchen. Were it not for death’s agony, he would have thought himself already in heaven, for there, spread out upon waxed paper on the kitchen table were literally hundreds of his favorite anisette sprinkled cookies.
Was it heaven? Or was it one final act of heroic love from his devoted Italian wife of sixty years, seeing to it that he left this world a happy man? Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself towards the table, landing on his knees in a crumpled posture. His parched lips parted, the wondrous taste of the cookie was already in his mouth, seemingly bringing him back to life.
The aged and withered hand trembled on its way to a cookie at the edge of the table, when it was suddenly smacked with a spatula by his wife.....“Don’t touch!” she said, “They’re for the funeral!"
An elderly Italian man lay dying in his bed. While suffering the agonies of impending death, he suddenly smelled the aroma of his favorite Italian anisette sprinkle cookies wafting up the stairs. Gathering his remaining strength, he lifted himself from the bed. Leaning against the wall, he slowly made his way out of the bedroom, and with even greater effort, gripping the railing with both hands, he crawled downstairs.
With labored breath, he leaned against the door frame, gazing into the kitchen. Were it not for death’s agony, he would have thought himself already in heaven, for there, spread out upon waxed paper on the kitchen table were literally hundreds of his favorite anisette sprinkled cookies.
Was it heaven? Or was it one final act of heroic love from his devoted Italian wife of sixty years, seeing to it that he left this world a happy man? Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself towards the table, landing on his knees in a crumpled posture. His parched lips parted, the wondrous taste of the cookie was already in his mouth, seemingly bringing him back to life.
The aged and withered hand trembled on its way to a cookie at the edge of the table, when it was suddenly smacked with a spatula by his wife.....“Don’t touch!” she said, “They’re for the funeral!"
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
State of the Union speech 2006
When the President mentioned his failed initiative to fix social security the Democrats drowned him out with their gloating applause. The Democrats refuse to make counterproposals because they know there is no painless solution. So all we hear from them is partisan criticism. What a spineless, self-serving party they are!
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