It's kind of funny that you're talking about hazelnut flavoring. My mom is coming for a visit in a few weeks. She always makes biscotti when she's here. I'm not a fan of anise, so she usually makes it with vanilla or hazelnut flavoring. This sparked a search for hazelnut extract that sent me all over Oahu and my mom all over southern & central NJ. She ended up ordering some online which arrived at my house yesterday.
TIL: Today I Learned
- Thread starter Gilgamesh
- Start date
So it begins..
Pretty tasty! Much much better than the prepacked crap.
My son, who had never had chestnuts, and I sat down and ate some while we were shelling them. We had to stop to leave some for my wife when she gets home.
They kind of look like squirrel brains
They kind of look like squirrel brains
Secret fact: all squirrels you see are actually zombies.They kind of look like squirrel brains
I had one that was extremely brain-like. I set it apart to photograph it separately. Then I absentmindedly ate it while I was shelling the rest. 
I'll try anything once. Sometimes twice..you know, just to be sure. 
Hell, I tried chestnuts at least 6 times before I actually liked them this latest time.
Hell, I tried chestnuts at least 6 times before I actually liked them this latest time.
TIL someone made a show based on Mysterious Girlfriend X...I honestly thought this was that kind of weird that flys under the radar, but okay.
TIL there is a bird called the Bathawk. AWESOME!
A few months ago, I noticed all the lottery signs got replaced with new ones:
I took a picture of one, intending to write something about it later (because that's when I always get to everything). These new signs made me question the ethics of the people in charge of running the lotteries. Why? Let me call your attention to the following spots:
When you look at those highlighted areas, you can see they are flippable panels just like the numbers which I presumed would reveal decimal points and change the "Million" into "Billion" (as of this past weekend, this was revealed to be fact). My ethics quandary was that these changes suggested to me that they would be changing the game in such a way that they were going to expect some need to have to use decimal points and "Billions," and as I also discovered on Saturday, this is indeed the truth. They say this is to raise the big jackpot in order to increase ticket sales, but I have to question why they are actively trying to drive more people to buy lottery tickets. I mean, sure, it's their actual business, but in my opinion, this is one business that doesn't need growing. I can think of no reason to increase ticket sales except that someone somewhere told someone else, "We need to increase this revenue stream," and this is the solution they came up with, and that attitude makes me unhappy. The State should not have to depend on lottery monies to the extent that they start dreaming up new ways to increase the amount of lottery money that comes in. They are taking advantage of people who can't do math (either way...statistics OR budgets) and seem to have no problem with this, and this makes me seriously question where their priorities lie.
--Patrick
I took a picture of one, intending to write something about it later (because that's when I always get to everything). These new signs made me question the ethics of the people in charge of running the lotteries. Why? Let me call your attention to the following spots:
When you look at those highlighted areas, you can see they are flippable panels just like the numbers which I presumed would reveal decimal points and change the "Million" into "Billion" (as of this past weekend, this was revealed to be fact). My ethics quandary was that these changes suggested to me that they would be changing the game in such a way that they were going to expect some need to have to use decimal points and "Billions," and as I also discovered on Saturday, this is indeed the truth. They say this is to raise the big jackpot in order to increase ticket sales, but I have to question why they are actively trying to drive more people to buy lottery tickets. I mean, sure, it's their actual business, but in my opinion, this is one business that doesn't need growing. I can think of no reason to increase ticket sales except that someone somewhere told someone else, "We need to increase this revenue stream," and this is the solution they came up with, and that attitude makes me unhappy. The State should not have to depend on lottery monies to the extent that they start dreaming up new ways to increase the amount of lottery money that comes in. They are taking advantage of people who can't do math (either way...statistics OR budgets) and seem to have no problem with this, and this makes me seriously question where their priorities lie.
--Patrick
Today I Learned some people are much worse at math than I am.
While I can see what you mean and agree... There's practically no-one who'll self-limit to "sustainable". Be it "lumberjack in the Amazon rain forest", grave digger, or oil driller....People will always choose their own short-term profit over long-term sustainability.
Of course that's an exaggeration, and there are businesses that limit themselves or try to think long term...but they're rare, and usually end up being pushed out of the market.
fade
Staff member
I saw this and wondered if it might be down to different meanings of the word "billion" around the world, but it still doesn't work out.
GasBandit
Staff member
I find it hilarious and bewildering that they were talking about "if we don't make this change to lower your chances of winning powerball, we'll have to cancel powerball, because of poor ticket sales."
You are literally selling nothing but an infinitesimally small chance at a portion of the money you collect. It's all profit for you. Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining. I'm also still rather dismissive of the logic hoop-jumping required to outlaw gambling and fantasy football cash prizes, but all these different lotto games are completely permissible. The only real difference is who's making the profits. Sounds to me like the government just doesn't like competition, but what else is new?[DOUBLEPOST=1452547968,1452547575][/DOUBLEPOST]TIL: Tigerdirect got bought by PCM, a company I'd never heard of previously, but PCM did not buy tigerdirect's inventory stockpile... so right now, shit's dirt cheap on tigerdirect because they're liquidating but the selection sucks because they're just flat out of most of the things I'd want.
You are literally selling nothing but an infinitesimally small chance at a portion of the money you collect. It's all profit for you. Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining. I'm also still rather dismissive of the logic hoop-jumping required to outlaw gambling and fantasy football cash prizes, but all these different lotto games are completely permissible. The only real difference is who's making the profits. Sounds to me like the government just doesn't like competition, but what else is new?[DOUBLEPOST=1452547968,1452547575][/DOUBLEPOST]TIL: Tigerdirect got bought by PCM, a company I'd never heard of previously, but PCM did not buy tigerdirect's inventory stockpile... so right now, shit's dirt cheap on tigerdirect because they're liquidating but the selection sucks because they're just flat out of most of the things I'd want.
I find this interesting, since TD took over Computer City, CompUSA, and Circuit City.
PCM does a lot of to-business sales, just like CDW and PCMall.
--Patrick
GasBandit
Staff member
Well, technically, that is correct... the more tickets you buy, the higher* your chance to win.
*infinitesimally
Scary fact? The Canadian government ran public service ads a few years back to tell us that lottery tickets are not an acceptable retirement plan...
That actually happened before with a local lottery in the New England states area. A coalition got together and purchased all the tickets, they had like 80% bought but ran out of time.
http://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/25/u...-to-hedge-bets-in-lottery.html?pagewanted=all
The tickets which most increase your chances of winning...are the ones you buy near the beginning. But as the number of tickets you purchase increases, the amount by which you improve your chances with each additional ticket goes down logarithmically (Asymptotically? I'm no mathematician).
Buy one ticket = chance to win increases infinitely.
Buy a second ticket = chance to win over a single ticket doubles.
...etc.
--Patrick
Buy one ticket = chance to win increases infinitely.
Buy a second ticket = chance to win over a single ticket doubles.
...etc.
--Patrick
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GasBandit
Staff member
An infinite number of mathematicians walk into a bar. The first one says, "I'll have a pint." The second one says "I'll have half a pint." The third one says "I'll have a quarter pint." The barkeep pours 2 pints and goes home.[DOUBLEPOST=1452566020,1452565892][/DOUBLEPOST]Also, check this out, everybody.
http://graphics.latimes.com/powerball-simulator/
It has a polar bear AND @WasabiPoptart !
TIL Virginia is in New England.
But really, I was in Norfolk back then and it was really bizarre. The local news was reporting on people buying boxes and boxes of tickets and wondering what the hell was going on.
Hey, I only recently mastered that New England wasn't itself a State.TIL Virginia is in New England.
But really, I was in Norfolk back then and it was really bizarre. The local news was reporting on people buying boxes and boxes of tickets and wondering what the hell was going on.
Wakko showed me the way.