Scott Adams.......................

....................................is pushing some buttons:

One folksy definition of “crazy” is that it involves trying over and over again a solution that has never worked while hoping it works next time. President Trump is doing something closer to the opposite of that. He’s doing something new, both strategically and verbally. To be fair, new things can be crazy too. But usually only if they don’t work. When a new and unexpected thing works out well, we call it genius. And that begs the question: Is President Trump’s approach to North Korea working?

Just crown him Champ......................

Gamification............................

"Unsuccessful people make decisions based on current circumstances while successful people make decisions based on where they desire to be."

-Benjamin P. Hardy, as excerpted from this post, wherein he offers strategies to make personal growth fun.

via

As well as anybody.........................

..................................................football coaches understand hurt.

Raise your hand..................

..................if you have ever "flipped" a Monopoly board because of the "obnoxious" behavior of one of your game mates.  Hmm.  Okay, raise your hand if any of your game mates has ever "flipped" the Monopoly board on you. 

                Interesting post here (Crazy Math Fact #8 out of 9) about whether all spaces on a Monopoly board should be considered "equal".  Note the fine print at the bottom of this slide:

Spoiler alert (too late):

thanks Craig

It may well be............................

"It may just be human nature to attribute certain accomplishments to skill instead of luck."
-as extracted from this article debating the nature of gambling and fantasy sports
via

No kidding........................

.................So, it turns out that the massive fantasy football (etc.) leagues are creating only a teeny number of winners.  One version of the story is here.  Of course, what else should one expect from a "skill game".

But the data says that if you're looking to make money, DFS is a losing bet for most people.

According to data put together at Sports Business Daily, a small portion of players take home the cash.

Should have figured this would happen:

 The top players will risk $100,000 a day in entry fees. Why? Krejcik says that some tournaments allows users to enter hundreds or thousands of lineups in a tournament that has a fixed number of entries — meaning that players with deep pockets can enter 5% to 10% of lineups. In many tournaments, the top 1% to 10% of winners get the outsize payout, making all that investment worthwhile. He estimates top players get 30% ROI — not much when you're betting $100 but quite a bit when you're getting into six figures.

From the cheap seats, it would appear that the real winners are the TV stations raking in millions of dollars in advertising fees from a source that was non-existent only a few years ago.
thanks craig

GoooooooooooooooooooooooooOAL..........

We played a lot of foosball back in college.  This is a first:

via

Choices..........................................

"Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

gif via

Me thinks he is over-thinking this...............

Our intrepid statistician calculated the odds on winning the $500,000,000 Powerball prize and decided it just wasn't worth the investment.  I think he makes his mistake in looking at a lottery ticket as a financial investment.  Having already bought my ticket (and in full rationalization mode), I look at it as an investment in an enriched fantasy life.  From that vantage point, I can't think of a better way to spend $2.00. Trust me when I tell you, one can spend hours fantasizing about how to spend/gift the money.  As far as the odds go, two thoughts:   the odds improve the most when you buy the first ticket, and, somebody will eventually win the jackpot.  May the odds be with you.

Sort of like life its ownself..............................

"Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated.  A child can play it well and a grown man can never master it.  Any single round is full of unexpected triumphs and perfect shots that end in disaster.  It is almost a science, yet it is a puzzle without an answer.  It is gratifying and tantalizing, precise and unpredictable;  it requires complete concentration and total relaxation.  It satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect.  It is at the same time rewarding and maddening -- and it is without doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented"
-Arnold Palmer

Games......................................

"There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.   And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all."
-Dr. Seuss

“Life is more fun if you play games.” 
-Ron Dahl

“We do not stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing!” 
-Benjamin Franklin

Real life...........................................

We religious types, even those who detest organized religion, pray for deeper faith and a greater sense of oneness with God.  Once when I was about to fly to the other side of the world and asked my church for prayers, my pastor said, "By the time you get on the plane, it's too late for beggy prayers.  It's time for trust and surrender."  These two things are almost all I want, but unfortunately, neither is my strong suit.  I am very strong on blame, and wish this were one of God's values, but trust, surrender?  Letting go, forgiveness?  Maybe just after a period of prayer, but then when the mood passes and real life rears its ugly head again?  Not so much.  I hate this, the fact that life is usually Chutes and Ladders, with no guaranteed gains.
-Anne Lamott,  Help  Thanks  Wow:  The Three Essential Prayers

It's simple..............................................

"The more complex the mind, the greater the need for the simplicity of play."

-Captain James T. Kirk, as channeled by William Shatner

A sign of the times......................................?

via

More than you ever wanted to know......

...about the odds of the USA advancing to the knock-out round -- from Nate Silver.

On the importance of knowing things......

via

Stuff you always wanted to know............

Why do Americans call the beautiful game "soccer" instead of "football"?  Read this article and you will know more about the subject, and get a short history lesson as part of the bargain.

But who's going to clean up the mess.....................

courtesy of

Fifty years ago.............................

What's My Line?............................................Liberace