Jake

Bayesian statistics disagree with some of the statistical assertions made in here!

If my job depended on this team making the playoffs, I'd feel pretty uncomfortable right now. With that said, I don't know if his job does depend on that, and I'd sure hope that he expects the team to make a run at the playoffs. No need to set a low bar any longer.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 20, 2015 -> 12:51 PM) I think that Gar and Thibs simply dont like each other, and I think Pax likes both but would choose Gar. Just my take based on the little we have heard about what is going on I think Pax thinks the FO stability is more important than the coach if it comes down to it. He might be right, especially if he believes that our talent and tradition can attract whoever the next best coach is.

QUOTE (ChiSox59 @ Feb 20, 2015 -> 01:57 PM) Did Crain re-injure himself last year? My recollection was that he just never progressed to a point that he could play competitively, but that comment sort of makes it seem like he re-injured his shoulder while rehabbing with the Astros last year. I looked into this and it all seems like a mystery. He seemed to be on track for a June return, then that time came and passed, and there were only vague reports of experiencing setbacks given as explanation. Maybe he just wasn't important enough for more diligent reporting, but I can only gather that the medical staff couldn't figure out what exactly was wrong.

This study finds interesting racial disparities in tipping, which has been found in other ways in previous research. When service is rated "perfect" by a customer, white servers get 24% tips on average in the study (don't read into the exact number too much). Black servers got 16.6% when service was rated "perfect." Because of this finding and others like it, there is some murmurs that tipping violates federal discrimination law that requires businesses not to employ payment practices that result in systematically worse payment for demographic groups regardless of work performance - regardless of employer intent. Also, more relevant to this discussion, all indications are that - on average - black people tip less than white people, even when controlling for income. Other racial tipping differences have been documented at different times, but they are complicated by deciding on whether Hispanics can also be white and things like that. This study found that almost all of the differences in tip amounts can be explained by the fact that - again, on average - black people perceive the social norms about tipping differently than white people. When asked what the average person would tip, they state a lower amount than white people. That also holds true for what they think their best friend would tip and what they think the server would expect to be tipped. If you control for those perceptions, whites and blacks aren't any different. Only about a third of black folks surveyed were aware of the 15%-20% tipping norm.

My Grand Prix with 100k miles needed to get tires, rack, pinions, and tire rod ends replaced in addition to looming changes recommended due to its mileage. Minus the recommended services, I was still looking at $2000 in repairs for a car that wasn't worth much more than $3000-$4000. Thus, I launched a new (used) car hunt. After looking for a nearly-new mid-size sedan at or below $15k and 25,000 or fewer miles, I finally settled on a 2014 Chevy Malibu 2LT. For one, this model year is the first that I've ever looked at these cars and thought "wow, I like how the Malibu looks." When I got my Grand Prix, I thought the GP looked kind of cool and sporty while the Malibus back then were very plain. The 2014-2015 Malibus now look really good to me. So, check off the first box that I look at it and really like how it looks. Also passing this test was the Nissan Altima and Mazda 6. Subaru Legacy, Ford Fusion, and Chrysler 200 wouldn't have been ruled out by this criteria either. The 2LT Malibu has the MyLink in-dash touchscreen radio which was fairly meaningful for me. It's not amazing software by any means, but it automatically connects with my phone, lets me stream via Bluetooth from any music app while still showing artist info, and I can control things with the steering wheel when I need to. Lack of (free) navigation is a minus. Hands-free calling is more useful than I thought it would be. Overall, the in-the-drivers-seat experience is very nice in this car. I don't do long drives that often, but I do spend 30-60 minutes commuting during the week and I want a good experience when I'm out longer. Listening to music and podcasts is my primary activity in the car so between that, the controls, and the seat comfort/adjustability, I was happy in this regard. Other aspects matched my prefs well. I don't need a big engine and I'd prefer fuel efficiency. This 'bu has a 4-cylinder engine with 196 HP, not much different in HP than the V6 in my old Grand Prix. 36 highway/24 city are the EPA ratings, which isn't mind-blowing in today's market but I'm happy with that. Has a nice feature where the engine shuts off when you're stopped at a stop light and things like that - the transition is seamless enough that I don't think I would have recognized that it's what is happening if I didn't know about it. The 2LT has 18" wheels which look a lot better than the 16s in lower models. Fog lights are a nice bonus. This model has been criticized for its small backseat, but I rarely if ever have rear passengers so this doesn't really apply to me. The trunk is huge, which is a tradeoff I'm happy to make. OnStar's complimentary remote start (via cell phone app) is a great extra for me as well, since I often walk 10-15 minutes to my car in the cold. Now I can make sure it's warm when I get there. I also got a hell of a deal to get the 2LT at the price I got it. $15k, 20k miles. That's below the average wholesale for an equivalent 2014 2LT right now. I let the dealer finance it since that was clearly the only way they'd make money on the deal. So far, the main disappointment since getting it a few days ago is that the mileage is falling way short. In a long trip on the interstate, I got 29mpg, far short of the EPA estimate. Might be wind-related and/or temperature-related, since I had a slight side wind the day I drove it on the highway and it was sub-10 degrees.

I've always felt that the only way you justify Rose's MVP is by saying that part of his value was/is unquantifiable. There was something special about those numbers, not that the numbers were special based on their raw values. Made his teammates better, did it better when it counted, etc.

In terms of urban planning (as opposed to the interests of the teams involved), it is basically agreed-upon by researchers that sports stadiums don't do cities any good. Expensive, big, don't do much for the surrounding area.

Even though I don't get too into the East vs. West thing, doing a fantasy draft would definitely lower my interest in the ASG

There's never been a legit Rose/Westbrook debate. Derrick was always obviously better than Westbrook, then Rose quit playing, now that Rose is back Westbrook has gotten so good that he's obviously better.

Bear in mind, if running CyanogenMod is part of the draw for you, One+ is likely to push their own non-CM OS to their devices soon due to their squabble w/ CM

We know news reporters will occasionally report inaccurate info, and sometimes it will be because of the judgment calls they make, but we don't expect them to make up stories about themselves. It's kind of like the question of politicians doing iffy things in their personal lives - we only get so much of a chance to know you...and if you're willing to do this, what else are you doing that we can't see?

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 10, 2015 -> 03:05 PM) towed? Told?

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Feb 9, 2015 -> 05:49 PM) When you say "no contract", do you mean unlocked? Because on BestBuy's website, I don't see that phone under their "no contract" section. They are all cheap go-phones. They're not unlocked - you have to use them on ATT unless you know how to unlock yourself. You don't have to sign a contract to use them.

Best Buy just started selling no-contract ATT HTC One M7's for $150

I think it was nearly $300 in my Illinois HS about 10 years ago or so

Well that's a rotten contract they gave him

It still wouldn't blow my mind if he carves out a productive career, but he'd had enough chances on the Sox. With that said, he actually makes more sense than Gordon does IMO.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 4, 2015 -> 11:34 AM) Study: You Can't Change an Anti-Vaxxer's Mind Persuasion research is hard to do - at least, if you hope to ever find that someone changed their mind. So, I will say that 1. research will usually underestimate the effectiveness of a persuasive message. But, 2. Research does show pretty convincingly that people with strong opinions about something rarely change their mind, if ever. The goal of someone wishing to persuade is to reach people with unformed or weakly held opinions on a given subject. If you back off of those with strong convictions, you hope that they eventually fall into the weakly held opinion group over the years since they haven't had to defend their stupid ideas in so long.

McDermott has played all of 200 minutes, spread out over 19 games, all with a knee in need of surgical repair. We don't know a thing about him yet

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 3, 2015 -> 05:35 PM) That's my dad. Without fail there is something wrong with his meal and he's 65 with no filter so he complains in the most rude way possible (without realizing he's being rude). I cringe. I've told him before to wait until my food comes to complain. My mom will give really vague criticisms like "I didn't really like it" or "it didn't taste right" that leave the waiter unsure whether the restaurant did something wrong

QUOTE (Brian @ Feb 3, 2015 -> 06:36 AM) Not really. He was getting about 10 mins a game on average. It's obvious Thibbs makes rookies pay their dues for a season or so, even if they are a lottery pick. I take those 10 minutes as a huge vote of confidence considering the extent to which we did not need him to play at all at that point in time

In fairness to Thibs, he was giving Dougie some minutes before his injury with the team at full strength. It's probably more about McDermott not being back into midseason form yet than Thibs's definitive judgment on his talent

As a person who hangs out with a few British ex-pats, The Daily Mail has such poor repute in the UK that I can't adequately compare it to an American publication. Something like The Blaze meets the Enquirer

I bought a pack while on vacation this summer when I saw Abreu on the cover of the pack. I tried to explain to my girlfriend the excitement that goes into opening a pack of baseball cards. Sifting through each one, wondering who will be next...