Miscellaneous Discussion Thread
Did you do your homework Johnny?
Yes
Where is it?
The dog ate it.
What are you doing with our billions in tax money NASA?
We built a really cool contraption!! Because Science and outer space!!!
Well where is it? Show us.
It blew up. Weeeee rovers on marsssssss etch a sketch to the moonnnn
Quote: MrV"Keep Portland weird."
Long before Portlandia, former mayor Bud Clark could always be counted on to do something interesting.
My favorite: "Expose yourself to art."
I have that tshirt still. One of a dozen I prize and don't wear. He was still mayor when I lived there. And I don't think Portlandia happens without him 20+ years ago.
That's definitely something the Wizard would be interested in looking at. I would sent it via PM.Quote: lilredroosterI put this in "Miscellaneous" because I didn't think it was quite worth starting a thread in the Sports Betting Forum. This MIT guy has a system betting college football which claims long term wins by betting extreme favorites on the money line. It possibly made some sense to me because the natural dislike of betting an extreme favorite on the money line, to get a very small payout would seem to be so unpopular that maybe the books give a little better deal because there might be interest only on the dog. The article says that he got his research from covers.com but I could only find the spread history of college football games, not the money line history. If anyone could help me with finding that, that would be great. I would like to check it myself. Not that I would make these kind of bets but the article was interesting and seemed not to be bogus. Comments? I'd love to hear some.
http://www.sloansportsconference.com/mit_news/the-following-appeared-in-espn-columnist-chad-millmans-blog-on-august-10th/
Quote:Snapping a picture inside your hotel room could help protect children across the globe.
The TraffickCam app enables travelers to submit pictures of hotel rooms around the world. The images are matched against a national database used by police.
“You just enter your hotel name and your room number. You take four pictures, and you submit them to the website,” Washington University Researcher and TraffickCam developer Abby Stylianou said. “And then those become part of the pipeline that law enforcement can use to track down where the victims are being trafficked.”
Stylianou was among the speakers at a Human Trafficking Town Hall at Maritz Tuesday.
“Right now there are pictures posted every day. Hundreds of pictures, in every city around the United States, posted online, that show victims of trafficking, in hotel rooms
http://fox2now.com/2016/06/22/snapping-a-picture-of-your-hotel-room-could-help-stop-human-trafficking/
For those (like me) who like the blues but not the sweltering sun, here's a link to the show, simulcast on KBOO FM.
Click "listen now," and enjoy!
KBOO simulcast
Quote: FacePlease make like a Khan and spread your seed far and wide, and please do import your spawn to WNY.
Make a Klan, you say? Hmmm......
Quote: RSMake a Klan, you say? Hmmm......
You're too young, sometimes. Star Trek I I ; the Wrath of Khan. Superrace exiled for their superiority, according to Khan, led by Khan. No Klan involved. Ricardo Montelban in a plastic six-pack. Worth a watch. Movie extension of a plot line from the original series.
Quote: beachbumbabsYou're too young, sometimes.
You're too old, sometimes ;)
Khan as in Ghengis. Raped and pillaged so much that the amount of people who now carry his genes is staggering.
Just trying to convince him to spread his tree hating genes so there's less people in my woods =)
Quote: GWAEStupid canada. Does fall view casino really not have video poker. I ran around the entire place and only found 3 machines in high limit area.
Their webpage claims they have All Star Poker IIs.
https://www.fallsviewcasinoresort.com/gaming/slots
videopoker.com claims they have 21 of those.
Quote: FaceYou're too old, sometimes ;)
Khan as in Ghengis. Raped and pillaged so much that the amount of people who now carry his genes is staggering.
Just trying to convince him to spread his tree hating genes so there's less people in my woods =)
Hahahaha. Got me . Lol
Quote: tringlomaneTheir webpage claims they have All Star Poker IIs.
https://www.fallsviewcasinoresort.com/gaming/slots
videopoker.com claims they have 21 of those.
I found them. Small bank over past the tables. Somehow I missed them earlier. I wished I never found them. I played frenzy something rather. Got dealt 22277. It didn't do the frenzy so I just the 222 thinking maybe I had to hold them. Nope, apparently a dealt full.house is not a frenzy. Guess I should have read the rules prior to playing it.
Hand pays are done for $600 wins and with exchange rate that is actually a 475ish win.
Quote: SOOPOOTimofey Mozgov just signed a four year contract with the Lakers for a mere $64 million. He is a below average NBA player who barely got on the court for the Cavs this playoff run. So this plodding big man will be earning the same as 160 men at $100k per year. And more than Steph Curry.
While Curry is indeed making less ($12.1 million this year), he is under contract for just one more year. His contract is that low because he was coming off ankle injuries when he signed it--the team took a risk on him becoming healthier moving forward. Now he is in a position to get paid a huge amount when he signs a new contract next year, but he may have 3-4 teammates making more than him this coming season. From what I read, renegotiating is rare in the NBA and doing so could hinder Golden State's attempts to get better by dipping into this coming year's cap and/or taxable rate.
The salary cap went up a lot this year; it will go up every year moving forward according to the projects. This is the reason for the contracts exploding...and expect Curry's to be in the $35-$40 million per year range. That is what some are projecting--one person has it at $37 million per year/$188 million contract life. More is possible depending on the type of contract based on some the numbers out there for Durant and depending on what level of risk Curry and his team decide is worthwhile. Shorter contracts but more of them may equal more money...if he stays healthy and plays at the MVP level...
"Sources told ESPN.com that based on current projections, league officials expect the salary cap to increase from its current $63.1 million figure to $67.1 million next season, $89 million in 2016-17 and $108 million in 2017-18. The jumps represent massive increases triggered largely by the influx of television money that will begin pouring in after the 2015-16 season, when the NBA's new nine-year, $24 billion TV deal kicks in."
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12711616/teams-told-nba-salary-cap-hit-100m-2017-18-season
"Here are the projections for the four seasons after 2016-17:
2017-18: $107 million/$127 million
2018-19: $105 million/$126 million
2019-2020: $106 million/$129 million
2020-2021: $112 million/$136 million"
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2016/04/15/nba-salary-cap-higher-than-projections/83095482/
Legend of Shoeless Joe - a homeless guy who cashed a $400 s.s. check and crushed Treasure Island at blackjack running it up as high as 1.3 million
Didn't Tip
Bought pork chops for dinner and threw the bones on the casino floor
Several of the details were verified by this Washington Post reporter.
Fun read.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1995/04/18/what-are-the-odds-can-a-shoeless-guy-walk-in-and-break-the-bank-in-las-vegas/1565b16e-7950-4762-91af-08bd66df5269/
Quote: lilredroosterBlast from the past - 90s
Legend of Shoeless Joe - a homeless guy who cashed a $400 s.s. check and crushed Treasure Island at blackjack running it up as high as 1.3 million
Didn't Tip
Bought pork chops for dinner and threw the bones on the casino floor
Several of the details were verified by this Washington Post reporter.
Fun read.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1995/04/18/what-are-the-odds-can-a-shoeless-guy-walk-in-and-break-the-bank-in-las-vegas/1565b16e-7950-4762-91af-08bd66df5269/
They used that story as part of the plot line in the premier episode of the "Las Vegas" tv show.
m.imdb.com/title/tt0625457/?ref_=m_ttep_ep_ep1
Quote: IbeatyouracesThey used that story as part of the plot line in the premier episode of the "Las Vegas" tv show.
The Washington Post reporter asked Joe for an interview. Joe asked if he would give him money. The reporter said no, just fame. Joe said no, don't want to talk to you.
Quote:When Shoeless Joe plays at the top of his form, he is known to play several $5,000 hands at a time. He never tips dealers. When another player suggested he leave a tip after a big win, he replied, "When I lost $100,000, the dealer didn't tip me."
lol.
I played vp. Decided to play frenzy something rather. First night I stuck 200 in and play 5 play ddb. I played for about 3 hours on that 200 while hitting tons of dealt 3 of s kinds. Ended up losing it all.
I wanted to play craps and all they had were $15 tables. I bought in for $200..this was way way over my normal $5 tables so I decided to play 1 pass line and 1 come bet with no odds. First shooter who had it after I got there threw 4 craps in a row. $60 gone that quick. I couldn't help but laugh. The weird thing about this table was that it was full and nor a single person had odds.well on preceded to bust out in about 20 minutes. The
I went back over this evening and put 150 in the frenzy.it lasted all but 20 minutes. Only for 3 dealt 3 of a kinds and didn't connect on a sinfle one.
Quote: RSNah, Extra Draw Frenzy can be a fun game.
Much fun getting dealt trip aces and getting 14 free games. Much sadness bricking 3 of them in a row.
Quote: GWAEMuch fun getting dealt trip aces and getting 14 free games. Much sadness bricking 3 of them in a row.
Play 10 play then next time.
God's word
The stock market is the greatest and most spectacular Ponzi scheme in the history of the world. As long as too many people don't cash out around the same time, the new people coming in (just got jobs and make weekly 401k contributions to mutual funds and others) will cause stock prices to rise. What you have bought when you buy a share of stock is a perception, an idea. Nothing more nothing less. If too many people do cash out at a certain time because of fear; then what will happen is interest rates and bond yields will fall down to next to nothing and influence people to consider taking on more risk to get a better return. Then the talking heads will start saying they see value and the market will bounce back. Unless, of course there is some outside the box catastrophe which is impossible to predict.
Quote: lilredroosterIn my humble opinion:
The stock market is the greatest and most spectacular Ponzi scheme in the history of the world...
Nowhere near as big as Social Security.
Quote: IbeatyouracesNowhere near as big as Social Security.
True. But in a Ponzi scheme the prey is enticed to buy something. In s.s. there is no choice to buy or not to buy.
Quote: lilredroosterIn my humble opinion:
The stock market is the greatest and most spectacular Ponzi scheme in the history of the world. As long as too many people don't cash out around the same time, the new people coming in (just got jobs and make weekly 401k contributions to mutual funds and others) will cause stock prices to rise. What you have bought when you buy a share of stock is a perception, an idea. Nothing more nothing less. If too many people do cash out at a certain time because of fear; then what will happen is interest rates and bond yields will fall down to next to nothing and influence people to consider taking on more risk to get a better return. Then the talking heads will start saying they see value and the market will bounce back. Unless, of course there is some outside the box catastrophe which is impossible to predict.
I think all know the definition of Ponzi scheme is not being met.
If the idea is to highlight what to many [most?] people is unacceptable risk, well, OK. But over and over again the real lesson has been that your average investor just makes too many mistakes. Panic behavior and herd mentality top the list, followed by failure to diversify and inappropriate allocations vis a vis time frame. The thing is, you can pay no attention to me or anyone else on the internet, and follow hundreds of instances of good advice instead, reading the newsletters and such from solid outfits like Vanguard and T Rowe Price.
And, yes, there's tons of bad advice out there too, one way to get it is to click on ads that appear in financial news sites.
Quote: lilredrooster
The stock market is the greatest and most spectacular Ponzi scheme in the history of the world. .
If it ever gets to a point where the average investor has to worry about the stock market totally collapsing, then we'll have much bigger problems to worry about than our retirement portfolios. That's like, a global nuclear war or alien invasion type of scenario.
In every market "crash" in the history of the NYSE, even 1929, if you had done nothing with your investments and just waited it out, you would have been back to normal in a few years, and would even have made more money had you continued investing during the down periods.
If the market is a Ponzi scheme, then it's a damn successful one.
Quote: WizardofnothingIsn't that the definition of trolling lol
Yeah, it's trolling in the broad sense but I'm not talking anybody down or ridiculing anybody which is really what trolling is all about. In his classic, "A Random Walk Down Wall Street," Burton Malkiel said that a monkey throwing darts at the Wall Street Journal would outperform 75% of Wall Street money managers. About 75% of mutual fund managers will underperform the S&P in any given year. Some will say yes that's true but they are managing risk in a better way than buying an index fund. And then, in a down year many of those that are saying that have lost more than the S&P. This is true of stock mutual funds but not of bond mutual funds. It's rarely pointed out but many bond fund managers will outperform bond index funds.
All the fund managers want to optimize trading programs but in their mad scramble to be 'top performers' they create a groundswell of buying.
Are you up?Quote: lilredroosterYeah, it's trolling in the broad sense but I'm not talking anybody down or ridiculing anybody which is really what trolling is all about. In his classic, "A Random Walk Down Wall Street," Burton Malkiel said that a monkey throwing darts at the Wall Street Journal would outperform 75% of Wall Street money managers. About 75% of mutual fund managers will underperform the S&P in any given year. Some will say yes that's true but they are managing risk in a better way than buying an index fund. And then, in a down year many of those that are saying that have lost more than the S&P. This is true of stock mutual funds but not of bond mutual funds. It's rarely pointed out but many bond fund managers will outperform bond index funds.
Owell cash is king. I will probably continue to use the dis count ones.
An RNG based game is just random, and not trying to do anything,
(Nobody asked, just sayin')
GWAE (or anyone else who has flown Allegiant), I just booked my first flight on Allegiant to New Orleans next month. We are trying to go the cheap route as well; didn't buy seats, only packing one "personal item" bag each.Quote: GWAELast 6 flights have been on spirit and allegient. Am currently on AA and with t-mobile I get 1 free hour of internet. I can see why people hate the discount ones. These seats are much more comfortable and having internet is so much less boring.
Owell cash is king. I will probably continue to use the dis count ones.
Do you have any tips you can pass along? Like, how likely is it that we will get seats together upon check-in? Also, how strict are they on the "personal item" dimensions? I'd hate to get hit with a $50 dollar charge because my backpack was 1/2" too long. Any advice would be appreciated.
Quote: JoemanGWAE (or anyone else who has flown Allegiant), I just booked my first flight on Allegiant to New Orleans next month. We are trying to go the cheap route as well; didn't buy seats, only packing one "personal item" bag each.
Do you have any tips you can pass along? Like, how likely is it that we will get seats together upon check-in? Also, how strict are they on the "personal item" dimensions? I'd hate to get hit with a $50 dollar charge because my backpack was 1/2" too long. Any advice would be appreciated.
I fly Allegiant often and just came back from Montana on it yesterday. In regards to sitting together it all depends on how crowded the flight is. I would guess about half of the time my wife and I get seats next to each other. The basic rule with the "personal items" is that if it doesn't have wheels and can fit under the seat you will be fine. Most of our trips on Allegiant are just three or four days so my wife and I have no problem cramming everything into personal items.
Quote: JoemanGWAE (or anyone else who has flown Allegiant), I just booked my first flight on Allegiant to New Orleans next month. We are trying to go the cheap route as well; didn't buy seats, only packing one "personal item" bag each.
Do you have any tips you can pass along? Like, how likely is it that we will get seats together upon check-in? Also, how strict are they on the "personal item" dimensions? I'd hate to get hit with a $50 dollar charge because my backpack was 1/2" too long. Any advice would be appreciated.
You can check in 24 hours in advance like most. If you check in as close to 24 hours as you can then you have a relatively good chance of sitting together. I have been on 3 legs of flights with them and all 3 we have sat together. They are tricky with the pick your own seat thing. I have talked to 3 people who picked a seat because they didn't know they could just hit continue and not pick a seat. My aunt was pretty angry when I explained it to her after her trip.
As for personal item. I always take my backpack which is a pretty large one. They have a little box that it must fit in. However, I have not seen them actually check to see if it fits. As long as it fits under the seat then you are ok. 2 trips ago I took a packpack that was jammed full. There were clothes so it was squishy. I had to squish it to get it under the seat but I was fine.
also, a shuttle\taxi from MSY (airport) to bourbon street is around $30 if I remember correctly. You may be better off renting a car, but be careful of parking fees at your hotel. When we did our cruise out of NOLA I was able to rent a car from the airport and drop it off near bourbon street for half the price of the taxi. They then shuttled me to the port. A little hassle but I am all about saving money.
Yeah, I noticed that they try to sell you everything they possibly can. I even got the "Are you sure" pop-up when I just hit "Continue."Quote: GWAEYou can check in 24 hours in advance like most. If you check in as close to 24 hours as you can then you have a relatively good chance of sitting together. I have been on 3 legs of flights with them and all 3 we have sat together. They are tricky with the pick your own seat thing. I have talked to 3 people who picked a seat because they didn't know they could just hit continue and not pick a seat. My aunt was pretty angry when I explained it to her after her trip.
Joke's on them -- I am a sweaty fat guy, which means I'll get a window or aisle! ;)
The airfare is an extremely good deal, but I'm finding out that you have to "play their game" to make sure it stays a good deal. I just want to make sure I'm playing it right!
That's my plan as well. I tried a dry-run, and found that once my backpack was full, it was a little over their specified dimensions. It might squeeze into their box, but if they aren't checking, that would be great.Quote:As for personal item. I always take my backpack which is a pretty large one. They have a little box that it must fit in. However, I have not seen them actually check to see if it fits. As long as it fits under the seat then you are ok. 2 trips ago I took a packpack that was jammed full. There were clothes so it was squishy. I had to squish it to get it under the seat but I was fine.
Yeah, I'm familiar with the 3-1-1 thing with liquids. Many hotels will give you toiletries if you ask. I've done that before once or twice with toothpaste or shaving cream that I "forgot to pack" because I knew it wouldn't get through security. Just ask the front desk, and they'll often come through, no charge.Quote:oh wanted to add. Make sure you don't have any liquids in your bag such as toothpaste, deodorant, drinks, etc etc that are too big. I think the limit is 3oz per item and a max of 70 ounces combined. If you are used to checking a bag and you would normally have those items in there you may have to rethink what you take or stop somewhere after landing to buy them.
I'll keep an eye on rental prices, but right now taxi/Uber is cheaper. I'm staying at Harrah's. I have heard that you can get casino parking validated with minimal play. Don't know if the same is true with the hotel.Quote:also, a shuttle\taxi from MSY (airport) to bourbon street is around $30 if I remember correctly. You may be better off renting a car, but be careful of parking fees at your hotel. When we did our cruise out of NOLA I was able to rent a car from the airport and drop it off near bourbon street for half the price of the taxi. They then shuttled me to the port. A little hassle but I am all about saving money.
Thing is, though, if I did have a car, I could zip over to Biloxi and pick up some free play and a couple of comp buffets. However, I don't think Mrs. Joeman would find that an enjoyable trip.
goto carrentals.com, they have an app too. Take a look at their prices and double check on the actual car rental place as well. My recent trip it was $4 cheaper through Hertz than on that website. If you are returning the car to a different location there is usually a fee. I have done 3 rentals like that and carrentals.com didn't charge me the drop fee. Not sure if that is just how it is set up or a glitch in their system.
I was also apprehensive about my personal item the first time on both spirit and allegient. They make it so clear that it has to be smaller. I just wasn't sure how picky either one was. So far I have taken my full size backpack on approx 12 legs of trips via spirit and allegient and never once have I been questioned.
Quote: JoemanThanks for the tips!
<snip>
Thing is, though, if I did have a car, I could zip over to Biloxi and pick up some free play and a couple of comp buffets. However, I don't think Mrs. Joeman would find that an enjoyable trip.
You could go with "Honey, It's a lovely drive along the Gulf Coast, full of Southern Charm, etc".
Or be honest "Honey, it's a pretty boring drive but the Buffett at the end is pretty good. and it comes with Free-Play"
There are other options.... how soundly does she sleep ;-?
It may be just Supply & Demand/luck of the draw. A couple years back, we took a trip to NYC. On the last day of the trip, we wanted to visit friends/family in Jersey and out on Long Island. So, we rented a car near our hotel in Manhattan, and dropped off the next morning at JFK. This rental was almost 50% of the price had we both picked up & dropped off at JFK. I guess they really needed cars at the airport that day.Quote: GWAEMy tip on car rentals.
goto carrentals.com, they have an app too. Take a look at their prices and double check on the actual car rental place as well. My recent trip it was $4 cheaper through Hertz than on that website. If you are returning the car to a different location there is usually a fee. I have done 3 rentals like that and carrentals.com didn't charge me the drop fee. Not sure if that is just how it is set up or a glitch in their system.
Just one more question about Allegiant. (Ugh, I should have made this its own thread!) Mrs. Joeman has a smart phone, but I do not. If she uses the Allegiant App to check us in, can she put both of our boarding passes on her one phone? Checking-in on the computer is fine on the outbound flight, but finding a computer at the hotel where I can print boarding passes right at T-24 hrs seems like it would be a pain.
Quote: JoemanIt may be just Supply & Demand/luck of the draw. A couple years back, we took a trip to NYC. On the last day of the trip, we wanted to visit friends/family in Jersey and out on Long Island. So, we rented a car near our hotel in Manhattan, and dropped off the next morning at JFK. This rental was almost 50% of the price had we both picked up & dropped off at JFK. I guess they really needed cars at the airport that day.
Just one more question about Allegiant. (Ugh, I should have made this its own thread!) Mrs. Joeman has a smart phone, but I do not. If she uses the Allegiant App to check us in, can she put both of our boarding passes on her one phone? Checking-in on the computer is fine on the outbound flight, but finding a computer at the hotel where I can print boarding passes right at T-24 hrs seems like it would be a pain.
I assume the tickets were purchased in 1 transaction? I am only saying that because that would matter when it comes to sitting together.
Anyways, When I checked in at 24hrs I was actually driving. I used my phone to check in. Obviously I couldn't print my boarding pass. I refuse to use electronic boarding passes. What happens when I drop my phone or my battery dies? Once I got home I logged into my allegient account on my computer and just reprinted them. That would be an option if you can get to the printer in harrahs before you leave.
Buy this Samsonite Underseater bag. One of the best investments I've made. It is engineered to fit under the seat and works with Spirit and Frontier. $60 on Amazon.Quote: JoemanGWAE (or anyone else who has flown Allegiant), I just booked my first flight on Allegiant to New Orleans next month. We are trying to go the cheap route as well; didn't buy seats, only packing one "personal item" bag each.
Do you have any tips you can pass along? Like, how likely is it that we will get seats together upon check-in? Also, how strict are they on the "personal item" dimensions? I'd hate to get hit with a $50 dollar charge because my backpack was 1/2" too long. Any advice would be appreciated.
According to gaming reports, shrinking in Las Vegas/Nevada, growing on the East Coast. (Do the Peppermill and Silver Legacy in Reno still have tiles?)Quote: TigerWuHow is Pai Gow Tiles doing, nationally? Is it spreading or shrinking in Vegas and AC, or staying about the same? Is it spreading to other casinos around the country? Is there ever a chance I'll see it in some random Indian casino in the Midwest? Anybody want to get together and play for small stakes?
