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# Muttroxia

Critical Thinking

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://muttrox.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Why Does Trump Want These Documents So Bad Anyhow?](https://muttrox.com/2023/06/why-does-trump-want-these-documents-so-bad-anyhow/) - Having read the entire indictment, I am still left with the biggest mystery in the whole Trump and the classified documents. Why did he want them? What is in them that he wants to hold onto? In the early stages, it could have just been a mistake. Trump is impetuous. Trump is stubborn. Trump is
- [Book Recommendations #5 (with SF/Fantasy)](https://muttrox.com/2022/12/book-recommendations-5-with-sf-fantasy/) - American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America, by Colin Woodward. Books like Hillbilly Elegy have had breathless reviewers salivating over how they explain Donald Trumps support. Poo on that. If you want to understand what is going on in the USA (and some of Mexico and Canada), read this.
- [Tesla Physics: Long Drive Charging Strategy](https://muttrox.com/2026/07/tesla-physics-long-drive-charging-strategy/) - On long trips, the Tesla navigation automatically incorporates when and where to charge. It’s a great feature. It’s quite smart. On the drives to and from Gulf Shores, Tesla recommended stopping many times to charge up. We could have done the whole drive in one or two stops, but it said to make four or
- [A Tesla Emergency Adventure](https://muttrox.com/2026/07/a-tesla-emergency-adventure/) - When I talk to the electro-curious, the first question is “What happens if you run out of battery?” The answer is, I don’t know. It hasn’t come up. My relatively old Tesla holds 230 miles of charge. That’s a lot. There’s plenty of superchargers on every highway and anywhere enough humans live. We’ve driven to
- [The Jaylen Brown Trade](https://muttrox.com/2026/07/the-jaylen-brown-trade/) - Like many Celtics fans, I’ve been struggling to make sense of the Jaylen Brown trade. At face value it is about the dumbest trade possible. This is my attempt to justify it. (I'm writing this in the early morning just before a vacation, I haven't been able to review it much... be kind.) Brad Stevens
- [My Latest Favorite Song #34: Stairway to Heaven - Heart live version at Kennedy Center Honors](https://muttrox.com/2026/07/my-latest-favorite-song-34-stairway-to-heaven-heart-live-version-at-kennedy-center-honors/) - Stairway to Heaven. Every guitarist tries to learn it. It was so common that the Wayne's Worlds reference isn't even a joke. It's such a cliche. It was voted the greatest rock song a million years in a row in my youth. It's so overwhelmingly popular and so well known. It's easy to forget that
- [Uber Logbook: Volume VII](https://muttrox.com/2026/07/uber-logbook-volume-vii/) - March 26, 2026: At 2:30 in the afternoon, I picked up two sassy fat black ladies from a brunch place (Barneys). They were taking the afternoon off to daydrink. I loved them instantly. They were terribly disappointed by Barneys “weakass brunch”, so they got an Uber (me) to hit up a different brunch. The fare
- [Imperative Albums](https://muttrox.com/2026/06/imperative-albums/) - An old high school friend and I turned out to both have had the same experience. We both got the album "Listen Without Prejudice" by George Michael. We both listened without prejudice. And both of us love it. The album is best known for Freedom, but They Won't Go When I Go is wonderful, far
- [Brad Stevens and Jaylen Brown Trades](https://muttrox.com/2026/06/brad-stevens-and-jaylen-brown-trades/) - In the last couple weeks I’ve been hearing over and over about what a crossroads the Celtics are at, specifically around Jaylen Brown. The Celtics built a package to get Giannis that featured Brown. That didn’t work out. Now Brown is disgruntled. By looking at trades with him, they’ve poisoned the waters. They’ve been forced
- [Muttrox Goes to England: Drink up, Mate](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/muttrox-goes-to-england-drink-up-mate/) - Obviously, the English have a different attitude about alcohol consumption than Americans. They drink so much more and it very open, but there is not as much over the top behavior. A much more civilized approach. Why do they drink so much beer? Because the tap water is so awful. Good lord, the stuff is
- [Why NBA Homecourt Ain’t So Big a Deal](https://muttrox.com/2026/06/why-nba-homecourt-aint-so-big-a-deal/) - On his last couple podcasts, Bill Simmons wonders why home court advantage doesn't matter anymore. He listed several possible reasons, which were mostly moronic. Bill, if something impacts both the home and visiting team equally, it has no explanatory power. Obviously. Let's look at this a bit more rigorously than he did. Is it true?First,
- [Liberals Should Calm Down About Trump Going to MSG](https://muttrox.com/2026/06/liberals-should-calm-down-about-trump-going-to-msg/) - Several of the people I follow are worked up about Trump attending Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden tonight. Because he is attending, they changed the security systems at the game and you can't bring any bags at all in. Traffic will be shut down all over. MSG is right over
- [How Trump Leaves Office, Ranked](https://muttrox.com/2026/05/how-trump-leaves-office-ranked/) - If ever a post will get me in trouble, this is the one. I’ve had arguments with MAGA friends about the assassination attempts on Trump. Do they reflect what liberals want? Do ordinary Democrats support it? How much does your average Trump hater actually want him dead? How much do they support his assassination? It
- [Uber Logbook: Volume VI](https://muttrox.com/2026/06/uber-logbook-volume-vi/) - March 8: A large black woman gets in my car while yelling into her phone, “I’m telling you I need you to be cool when the cops show up! They can’t know you’re drunk, you cannot get a DUI and go to jail again! Stay cool!” She repeats this a few times. “Chew some gum.
- [Let’s Stop Mentioning the 25th Amendment. Please.](https://muttrox.com/2026/04/lets-stop-mentioning-the-25th-amendment-please/) - The 25th Amendment. Everyone’s favorite escape hatch. Surely this latest behavior will impel the sane and reasonable patriots around our President to see the threat he represents and jointly remove him from power? It’s a complete and utter fantasy. It will never happen. It will never ever ever ever [add several more evers and nevers]
- [Judging a Book by the Cover: Democrats and Republicans](https://muttrox.com/2026/05/judging-a-book-by-the-cover-democrats-and-republicans/) - Who you vote for is private. But the choice of which primary you vote in is not private. As a poll worker, I see in real time who is voting in the Republican, Democratic, or Nonpartisan primary races. Of course this inevitably leads to making guesses. I wonder which party this guy is in? My
- [Muttrox Works the Election](https://muttrox.com/2026/05/muttrox-works-the-election/) - Yesterday I worked the Georgia General Primary Election. It’s a long day. You report for duty at 5:30 am and go home around 8:00 pm. I’m not so young anymore, by hour fifteen I was struggling to stay locked in to the job. I worked with this same group last year, and will work with
- [Thunder/Spurs Lives up to the Hype](https://muttrox.com/2026/05/thunder-spurs-lives-up-to-the-hype/) - Everyone has correctly touted this as one of the best games of the year, maybe of the decade. They're right, it was! I had to watch it two days after it happened (I was working the election, more on that soon). I already knew who won, who was transcendental, and so on. Normally I'd move
- [Uber Logbook: Volume V](https://muttrox.com/2026/05/uber-logbook-volume-v/) - Another repeat passenger. I remembered her because her depressing life. She works long hours at Family Dollar and is so tired she can hardly talk. She is in her late twenties but she is already haggard. She lives right next to a MARTA stop in a dump of an apartment and doesn’t have much hope
- [Hawks 2025-2026 Season Post-Mortem](https://muttrox.com/2026/05/hawks-2025-2026-season-post-mortem/) - There’s not much to say about the actual playoffs. The Hawks are a good team. They are not a great team. The Knicks showed them the difference, they were much better. I was (un)fortunate enough to watch the historic Game 6 bludgeoning from the first 10 rows with the most active commenter at www.muttrox.com. Still,
- [Muttrox Goes to Court](https://muttrox.com/2010/08/muttrox-goes-to-court-2/) - Why was in court? Because I failed to pull over for emergency vehicles. This was a law no one had told me about. Everyone knows you should pull over for emergency vehicles. But most people don't know that you need to pull over for stopped emergency vehicles. And most people don't know how far you
- [Muttrox (and son!) Goes to Court](https://muttrox.com/2026/05/muttrox-and-son-goes-to-court/) - It’s been sixteen years since I did this last. I got old, I don’t blatantly break traffic laws as much. Today was second generation “Muttrox Goes to Court”. My son did an illegal U-turn. No one was around, it was perfectly safe. But a cop was right there and got him. The logistics of his
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2026/05/links-o-interest-136/) - Been a while. Random collection of funny or interesting links. Guinessun Dorma Bad Space comics. Dark, depressing, and memorable. Teaching gets Real Gen Alpha graduation speech Oregon Trail! For real! This was cutting edge technology in my childhood. Mr. Big covers Baba O’Riley. Paul Gilbert is amazing. On a Plate. I repost this every few
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2025/07/links-o-interest-135/) - I last did a batch of funny links in 2018, seven years ago. Let's go. 84-year old handwritten letter IT Helpdesk sends salespeople to hell Spidey Why Draco went bad Beautiful setup S.O.S. Energy saving light, not voice-activated light Trump losing at rock-paper-scissors So darkly true Shopping cart aggression This is business I’m going to
- [Celtics 2025-2026 Season Post-Mortem](https://muttrox.com/2026/05/celtics-2025-2026-season-post-mortem/) - Celtics lose game 7 to Philadelphia 76ers The Celtics lost to The Philadelphia 76ers yesterday in Game 7 to get knocked out of the playoffs in round 1. It’s easy to see the bad side. Going into the playoffs, The Celtics were favored by many to win the East. Instead, they didn’t even get out
- [NBA Improvements, Volume 3](https://muttrox.com/2026/04/nba-improvements-volume-3/) - Most of the ideas in my first and second iteration of this still hold up. Here’s another batch. Fouling: The fouling system gets worse every year. Every sport has penalties to discourage players from breaking the rules. That makes sense. But when players deliberately leverage the calling of penalties to get the other team in
- [Uber Logbook: Volume IV - Shea](https://muttrox.com/2026/04/uber-logbook-volume-iv-shea/) - Shea. Buckle up. It was Nov 22, 2025. Shea was out of her fucking mind. She was already ranting as she got in the car. The police keep putting her in the mental hospital (as she related it). Why? Because she walks outside her apartment in bare feet to touch grass. Then interfering neighbors call
- [Dune (the book) is Great. Donald Trump Should Read It.](https://muttrox.com/2026/04/dune-the-book-is-great-donald-trump-should-read-it/) - I read Dune back in high school or college. Many years later I have loved the movies. It was time to reread the original. Muttrox’s verdict? It’s bloody great. I whipped through the five hundred pages in two days. It’s an achievement. It deserves every accolade. Although I love the movies there are too many
- [Uber Questions Answered (Volume I?)](https://muttrox.com/2026/04/uber-questions-answered-volume-i/) - Uber Economics, finance, and strategy is complicated. It's complicated enough that I don’t know where to start. I deliberately avoided it. But there is an actual reader question in this wasteland of a blog! I have to try. Context: My answers are likely wrong for many drivers. I am an unusual Uber driver. Most notably:
- [American Sportsbook Odds are Terrible UX](https://muttrox.com/2026/04/american-sportsbook-odds-are-terrible-ux/) - When I was but a wee lad, the odds on a bet were presented as a ratio. The ratio was profit:bet. A bet that paid at 2:1 meant that for every dollar you paid, you would get two dollars of winnings, plus your original dollar. A bet that paid at 1:2 means that for every
- [Uber Logbook: Volume III](https://muttrox.com/2026/04/uber-logbook-volume-iii/) - Aug 23 2025: I pick up Juwan from a church at night for a 30-minute trip to his home. We’re both very tired. It's my last trip of the day. I am playing my standard shuffle of my personal music library. Juwan doesn’t care, he is just being quiet. Five minutes from his house we
- [National Popular Vote Passes in Virginia](https://muttrox.com/2026/04/national-popular-vote-passes-in-virginia/) - Big news! One of Muttrox’s pet causes is The National Popular Vote. I first wrote about NPV in 2023. At that time we were at 195 votes (out of 270). Two years later it was at 209. Virginia and Governor Spanberger just signed HB 965. The count is now 222. It’s getting realerer! The Path
- [Uber Logbook: Volume II](https://muttrox.com/2026/04/uber-logbook-volume-ii/) - June 2025: I started earning at $20/hour, it's now up to $25. Gradually learning this system. July 2025: I go into a housing complex. I text the passenger for the gate code. (This is an ongoing frustration. I’ll idle at the gate waiting for a response so I can pick them up. The clock isn't
- [Uber Logbook: Intro and Volume I](https://muttrox.com/2026/04/uber-logbook-intro-and-volume-i/) - I drive part time for Uber. Everyone is fascinated by that. Now that I'm retired it seems to be the most interesting thing about me! The most interesting things to me are the economics, the product fit, how it results in a driver strategy and such. That’s very hard to write up, to articulate clearly,
- [Celtics Hawks Recap and Random Thoughts](https://muttrox.com/2026/04/celtics-hawks-recap-and-random-thoughts/) - Monday we went to see Celtics Hawks. No Jayson Tatum or Neemis Queta, but everyone else played. It was tied up at 54-54 at the half. Then the Hawks destroyed the Celtics in the 3rd quarter and withstood a 4th quarter push to win it fairly easily. The Hawks are for real. Don’t kid yourself.
- [Ted Kennedy](https://muttrox.com/2009/08/ted-kennedy/) - I feel like I should say something. I was a big fan of Kennedys. He lived by his brother's words “For of those to whom much is given, much is required”. None of the Kennedys ever needed to lift a finger for anyone else, they were born with everything. Nevertheless, they all entered public service.
- [Muttrox Goes to No Kings Day Rally 3: March 2026](https://muttrox.com/2026/03/muttrox-goes-to-no-kings-day-rally-3-march-2026/) - No Kings continues to grow. We went in October and went again yesterday. Here are the estimated USA totals: It would have been one higher but Mrs Muttrox had to work. Thanks for subbing in with me, Holly! Some Gemini insights below point to a broadening of the message away from stereotypical attendees and towards
- [NBA Win Predictions](https://muttrox.com/2025/10/nba-win-predictions/) - Tonight is NBA tipoff! Following Bill Simmons format, I am predicting which teams will be over or under their projected win total. Denver Nuggets: 54 or over. Jokic with better players around him... of course. Minnesota Timberwolves: 50 or over OKC Thunder: 63 or over San Antonio Spurs: 44 or over (and if they don't
- [NBA Tanking](https://muttrox.com/2026/03/nba-tanking/) - There was a lot of talk for a few weeks about Tanking in the NBA. It’s horrible, every team is doing it, it must be stopped. I don’t think it’s so bad. Why does tanking happen? It starts with parity. The system in the NBA (like most leagues) is designed to keep the rich from
- [2025 Muttroxia Predictions: Final Score](https://muttrox.com/2026/03/2025-muttroxia-predictions-final-score/) - 2025 original predictions are here. I made 20 predictions. I got 13 right, missed on 5, and took 2 out. Thirteen out eighteen is 72%. That's a bit worse than last year (80%). I'm happy with that score. I didn't get any wrong in politics and the economy. Sports was the weakest subject. Sports The
- [How to Legally Win with Stock Manipulation](https://muttrox.com/2006/12/how-to-legally-win-with-stock-manipulation/) - Many of my readers know the drill by now. Criminals buy a bunch of some random penny stock. They send out spam email to hundred of millions of people, touting the stock. Almost all those people are just annoyed, but there are always a few suckers. They buy the stock. Stock goes up. Within a
- [The seven-year old understands the subversive power of music](https://muttrox.com/2012/11/the-seven-year-old-understands-the-subversive-power-of-music/) - This is my new favorite song: I learned most of it last night. This morning, the seven year old watched me practice the riffs. Naturally, I started hamming it up with mini-windmills, big swipes, grunts, and the machine gun move just over his head. He ducked, looked up at me and said, "Dad, sometimes guitars
- [Random Thoughts on the Trae Young Trade](https://muttrox.com/2026/01/random-thoughts-on-the-trae-young-trade/) - I’ve watched Trae Young play for the Atlanta Hawks his whole career. And for most of it, I’ve been saying this guy needs to be traded. The front office wasted 3-4 years while his value declined, but they finally dumped him to Washington. Trae Young is a net negative and has been for years. Yes,
- [Normalizing Bad "Democracy"](https://muttrox.com/2025/11/normalizing-bad-democracy/) - I've written about the terrible Hastert rule before, and a notable exception that put Speaker Mike Johnson in power.. It's still a normal part of politics. Not all politics. Only Republican politics. Here's the latest on extending Obamacare subsidies: And Speaker Mike Johnson, who has called them “a boondoggle,” has shown little enthusiasm for bringing
- [Oh, the fun of gerrymandering madness](https://muttrox.com/2025/11/oh-the-fun-of-gerrymandering-madness/) - Federal Court Blocks Texas’ Republican-Friendly Congressional Map Try to follow the background: Trump asks Texas to skip ahead five years and do re-districting now, to pick up five additional seats for the GOP. Blatantly corrupt. He does the same for some other states. Democrats freak out. California passes a referendum to do their own redistricting
- [Muttroxia Rates the Atlanta Hawks](https://muttrox.com/2025/10/muttroxia-rates-the-atlanta-hawks/) - The Atlanta Hawks were widely picked to have had the best off-season in the NBA. They are presumed to be among the elite of the Eastern Conference. Just yesterday I picked the "over" on their win total. I went to see them against the Houston Rockets last week in pre-season. I was hoping to see
- [Jeff Jacoby Disgraces Himself](https://muttrox.com/2007/02/jeff-jacoby-disgraces-himself/) - Jeff Jacoby is one of the better conservative columnists out there. He is reality-based, not particularly dogmatic. He also wasn't afraid to call Yasir Arafat out for what he was, a man of evil and the father of modern terrorism, while others were feting him after his death. ("Arafat the Monster") Sadly, his last editorial
- [Muttrox Goes to No Kings Day Rally](https://muttrox.com/2025/10/muttrox-goes-to-no-kings-day-rally/) - We (Mr. and Dr. Muttrox) took to the streets yesterday for the No Kings Rally/March in Atlanta. What did we think? We arrived right at the opening bell (10:00 am). People were pumped; the attendance and atmosphere were excellent. They had just gotten permits approved, so we were going to march to the State Capitol
- [The Dark Tower (Steven King)](https://muttrox.com/2025/08/the-dark-tower-steven-king/) - Today I finished The Dark Tower, Steven Kings epic answer to The Lord of the Rings. With 7 1/2 books totalling 4,300 pages, that took some time. What does Muttrox think? Muttrox thinks it was pretty dang good! King said he always want to write a large epic, but at age 19 didn’t know how
- [Gerrymandering: American Democracy goes the wrong way](https://muttrox.com/2025/08/gerrymandering-american-democracy-goes-the-wrong-way/) - Gerrymandering is terrible. "Voters should choose candidates, not the other way around." It's fundamentally undemocratic, removing the ability of citizens to choose their represantatives. As usual, it is the Trump and the GOP who decide to take the next step to degrade American Democracy. At Trumps direction, Texas is stepping away from the every ten
- [F1 Movie Thoughts](https://muttrox.com/2025/07/f1-movie-thoughts/) - It's a great movie. It's Top Gun: Maverick, but with cars instead of planes. I mean that in a good way.Question 1: Who is the best racer?a) Sonny Hayes (F1)b) Cole Trickle (Days of Thunder)c) Lightning McQueen (Cars)d) Ricky Bobby (Talledega Nights)e) Dom Toretto (Fast and Furious)f) Speed RacerThe movie spent serious money on licensing
- [Urban Deli Hotel: The Worst Hotel in the World](https://muttrox.com/2025/06/urban-deli-hotel-the-worst-hotel-in-the-world/) - Urban Deli in Stockholm, Sweden, is the worst hotel I've ever encountered. (I'm excluding discount motels and last second we-have-a-coupon-somewhere hotels. This is a "regular" hotel, right in the city center.) First the good: Urban Deli has good ratings (4.5 on Trip.com and Google, 4.3 on Trip Advisor). And credit where credit's due: the staff
- [2025 Muttroxia Predictions: Mid-Year Report](https://muttrox.com/2025/06/2025-muttroxia-predictions-mid-year-report/) - Muttroxia 2025 PredictionsAt the mid-point I have 6 correct and 2 incorrect. The rest are yet to be decided. Sports All NBA predictions refer to the 2024/2025 season that ends June 2025. The NBA MVP will once again be Nikola Jokic. No. It should have been though! The Thunder win the Western Conference. Yes. The
- [Deep History](https://muttrox.com/2025/04/deep-history/) - 1968: Deep Purple releases their first album, Shades of Deep Purple 1972: Deep Throat (Watergate) 1972: Deep Throat (The porno) 1979: Deep Thought (from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) 1983: Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey 1993: Deep Space Nine (Star Trek series) 1997: Deep Blue (IBM computer. The name is derived from Deep Thought)
- [6th Man of the Year Award: The Stupidest NBA Award](https://muttrox.com/2025/04/6th-man-of-the-year-award-the-stupidest-nba-award/) - Why does this award even exist? Many internet sites claim it was a cunning strategy invented in the middle of last century by Red Aurebach. By keeping a starter player on the bench, he could maintain pressure throughout the game for more wins. Or perhaps it was to soothe egos. Frank Ramsey was a good
- [My Latest Favorite Song #33: Allison Russell, Springtime](https://muttrox.com/2025/04/my-latest-favorite-song-33-allison-russell-springtime/) - What can you say, just a totally groovy tune. Makes ya sing along. Springtime: Check out the live versions also.
- [Project 2029](https://muttrox.com/2025/04/project-2029/) - One of my smarter very-liberal friends posted on Facebook about a proposed Project 2029 plan. I posted a similar list two years ago. It’s not a platform, they are things to improve American democracy: Removing the Hastert Rule The National Popular Vote Approval Voting SCOTUS Term Limits Leftovers I’m also mostly aligned with the “Common
- [2024 Muttroxia Predictions: Final Score](https://muttrox.com/2025/01/2024-muttroxia-predictions-final-score/) - 2024 was a good year for Muttroxia predictions. In 2024, I made a change. Although I gave confidence levels for each prediction, I am scoring as simply right or wrong. There isn’t enough of a difference between the levels and the sample size is far too small to conclude anything. Interestingly, Matt Yglesias came to
- [2025 Muttroxia Predictions](https://muttrox.com/2025/01/2025-muttroxia-predictions/) - Sports All NBA predictions refer to the 2024/2025 season that ends June 2025. The NBA MVP will once again be Nikola Jokic. (I drafted that a couple weeks ago. SGA is now the favorite, but I’m sticking with Jokic. His stats are better this year than last year, c'mon.) The Thunder win the Western Conference.
- [AI: Featuring The Muttroxia Podcast](https://muttrox.com/2024/11/ai-featuring-the-muttroxia-podcast/) - I have been actively engaged with AI over the last few weeks. It's simply incredible. In about 45 minutes, I used Co-Pilot for Github to write a decent Hangman game in HTML and Javascript. The key is that I never referenced the code or anything technical. Instructions were simple English: "Make the letter choices a
- [National Popular Vote: Now is the Time](https://muttrox.com/2024/11/national-popular-vote-now-is-the-time/) - Last year I posted about the National Popular Vote. This is a cool constitutional hack. State by state, a state agrees that it will gives all of its electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote. This only goes into effect once enough states have entered into the deal that their combined electoral
- [Which Football Teams Muttrox Follows](https://muttrox.com/2024/09/which-football-teams-muttrox-follows/) - This year I'm following seven different football teams. I can't stay on top of every game! Here's my order of priority: Old School Fantasy Football League: Now that the Patriots aren't so great, most of my focus goes here. I've been playing fantasy football with this group of people since 2008. This league has a
- [Tesla: Driving Across the Country](https://muttrox.com/2024/07/tesla-driving-across-the-country/) - Last Friday we were supposed to fly to Detroit for the wedding of a good friend. But last Friday was the Crowdstrike issue. Yikes! Our flights were cancelled and there were no others. What could we do? Simple. Throw the bags in the Tesla, head on out to Detroit, 700+ miles in either direction. How
- [Stuff Like This is Why John McCain is Going to Lose](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/stuff-like-this-is-why-john-mccain-is-going-to-lose/) - The New York Times magazine had a great article on the re-branding of John McCain. This particular quote stuck out at me. Reviewing the tape, it didn;t concern Davis that Palin seemed out of her depth on health-care issues or that, when asked to name her favorite candidate among the Republican field, she said, "undecided."
- [Buffet Lines](https://muttrox.com/2008/02/buffet-lines/) - Meat McBeef said: Here's a related question for you, Muttrox. I'm in a buffet line, which starts out with the salad section, followed by the hot dishes. I'm not eating any salad, so do I need to wait for the person ahead of me to pile up his plate with salad, or can I leap
- [The Patriotism of (most of) the Democratic Party](https://muttrox.com/2024/07/the-patriotism-of-most-of-the-democratic-party/) - Joe Biden is being feted by all. What a sacrifice he has made! What a patriot! Like George Washington, Biden was willing to walk away from power for the good of the country. I'm not as convinced, walking away from a campaign that will certainly lose isn't seem incredibly heroic, though it's something. The heroes
- [Biden Drops Out, Kamala is In](https://muttrox.com/2024/07/biden-drops-out-kamala-is-in/) - Just a couple weeks ago I predicted that Biden would not drop out of the race. I was wrong. History is made. I did predict that Kamala would pick up endorsements from everyone in the first 48 hours, would get to the convention fully anointed and in control of both Democratic money and delegates. Sadly,
- [The Supreme Court Ruling on Presidential Immunity is [UPDATE: NOT AT ALL] Correct](https://muttrox.com/2024/07/the-supreme-court-ruling-on-presidential-immunity-is-correct/) - UPDATE (July 10): Well, this is what happens when you do your own take without doing enough research. Everything below holds up just fine through page six of the decision. The expectation was for the Supreme Court to lay out these guidelines and then send the case back to the lower courts. The lower courts
- [The End of the Hastert Rule?](https://muttrox.com/2024/05/the-end-of-the-hastert-rule/) - Fans of my multi-part series last year about fixes to American Democracy may remember the Hastert rule. Named for former Speaker Denny Hastert, thsi odious strategy said the Speaker won't t bring any legislation up for a vote unless it held a majority within his own party. This kept any bill that had general support
- [Biden Won't, and Can't, Withdraw](https://muttrox.com/2024/06/biden-wont-and-cant-withdraw/) - The best candidate for President is different than the best Presidential Candidate. Right Hillary? I didn't watch much of the debate and didn't need to. Biden looked shockingly old, and brought the worst version of himself. Trump is an incoherent liar, and brought the best version of himself. The calls for Biden to withdraw from
- [US Law: Racism is bad. So is Democracy.](https://muttrox.com/2024/05/us-law-racism-is-bad-so-is-democracy/) - Is this the least surprising headline ever? Supreme Court Sides With Republicans Over South Carolina Voting Map. Gee, who could have seen that coming. The current interpretation of the Constitution is just insane. Think hard about this sentence: Republican lawmakers acknowledged that they had redrawn the First District for partisan gain. But they said they
- [Trump Should be Acquited in the NY Hush Money Case](https://muttrox.com/2024/05/trump-should-be-acquited-in-the-ny-hush-money-case/) - The case against Trump has these major elements: He had an affair with Stormy Daniels. He covered up the affair. He falsified business records. His cover up was election interference. Are all these elements true and proven? He had an affair with Stormy Daniels: Unquestionably true. The evidence is strong, consistent with Trump's past behavior
- [Donald Trump Jr. is 100% Correct](https://muttrox.com/2024/03/donald-trump-jr-is-right/) - “I think the RNC is gonna be a little bit more of that old-school establishment. That Republican Party frankly no longer exists outside of the D.C. Beltway. But it takes a little while to make that transition,” Trump Jr. said on Newsmax’s “The Balance.” Yep. The RNC was already paying the legal bills for Trump,
- [2024 Muttroxia Predictions](https://muttrox.com/2024/03/2024-muttroxia-predictions/) - Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future. Old Danish saying (not Niels Bohr or Yogi Berra) This was fun to do last year. Let's do it again. Here are Muttroxia predictions for 2024: Sports The NBA MVP will be Jokic (70%). The NBA MVP will be Jokic, Luka, or Giannis (90%). I’m sorry Jason
- [Supreme Court says Trump Stays on Ballot: Keeps Ducking the Real Question](https://muttrox.com/2024/03/supreme-court-says-trump-stays-on-ballot-keeps-ducking-the-real-question/) - The Supreme Court this week ruled unanimously that Donald Trump could not be excluded from the Colorado primaries, or any others, on the 14th amendment grounds. The court was understandably troubled by the idea that each state could decide their own interpretations of an Federal law/amendment for a Federal election. States shouldn’t each have their
- [Tesla "Fuel" Cost: Update](https://muttrox.com/2024/02/tesla-fuel-cost-update/) - After a month or two of being a Tesla owner, I tried to figure out how much money I was saving in gas money. I've been driving it for almost two years, here are the updated numbers. Total Distance Driven: 19,858 miles. Total Energy Used: 4,918 kWh (energy per Mile: 0.248 kWh/mi) Cost of Electricity:
- [2023 Muttroxia Predictions: Final Score](https://muttrox.com/2024/01/2023-muttroxia-predictions-final-score/) - In the beginning of 2023, I published several predictions about the year. 2023 is over, so how'd I do? Let's find out (in order of highest to lowest confidence) with pass/fail scoring... Biden officially announces his re-election campaign (90%): Pass. Donald Trump doesn’t spend any time in jail, house arrest etc. He lives the year
- [My Latest Favorite Song #32: Rolling Stones, Hackney Diamonds](https://muttrox.com/2023/10/my-latest-favorite-song-32-rolling-stones-hackney-diamonds/) - So, there's a new Rolling Stones album out. And it's good! I honestly didn't expect that. I saw them in 2021, and Keith was terrible. I couldn't even finish listening to the last album by The Who. 80-year old classic rock masters of the past do not have a great record. But dang, this is
- [My Latest Favorite Song #31: Ben Folds - Cologne](https://muttrox.com/2023/10/my-latest-favorite-song-31-ben-folds-cologne/) - I've seen Ben Folds around six times in all kinds of different formats. It's discouraging how he faded from the national view after Brick, because that's not even one of the top 20 songs in his career. I didn't much care for this album (Way To Normal) despite it's decent performance, but Cologne is a
- [My Latest Favorite Song #30: Johnny Cash- When the Man Comes Around](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/my-latest-favorite-song-27-johnny-cash-when-the-man-comes-around/) - I already did this one, number 23. The Man in Black, underrepresented on Muttroxia! This track is not a typical song from his career. This is a remake from late in his life, the title track of American IV. I'm not sure it's his best. But it's a good one, I like it enough,
- [The Power of a Good Lie: Kitty Litter for Trans Kid](https://muttrox.com/2023/09/the-power-of-a-good-lie-kitty-litter-for-trans-kid/) - On a recent trip, we found ourselves chatting with a retired principal in West Virginia. At some point, he told us how nuts things were getting. 30 miles away from him, in Louisberg West Virginia, there was a school where they had actually put out a tub of kitty litter to accomodate a six year
- [George Winston, R.I.P.](https://muttrox.com/2023/06/george-winston-r-i-p/) - I distinctly remember the first time I heard George Winston. Working on Folio (the school annual arts magazine) at Howard Shen's house, someone put on a cassette tape of Autumn. It was distracting enough that I stopped working. It had been a long day, I might have even drifted off. I asked who this pianist
- [Dear Marc Thiessen, Crimes Aren't Mistakes](https://muttrox.com/2023/08/10746/) - Marc Thiessen has a very strange editorial in the Washington Post. The basic thesis is Democrats have politicized and weaponized the Department of Justice in the Trump indictments. But, to be fair (says Thiessen), Trump has made some mistakes that allowed that to happen. Though the prosecutions are obviously unfair, he made some tactical errors
- [2023 Muttroxia Predictions: Mid-year Report](https://muttrox.com/2023/07/2023-muttroxia-predictions-mid-year-report/) - In the beginning of 2023, I published several predictions about the year. Let's see how we're doing. Sorry about the numbering. Biden officially announces his re-election campaign (90%): Yes. Donald Trump doesn’t spend any time in jail, house arrest etc. He lives the year free. (90%): Yes. It's likely that none of the pending cases
- [Democrats on the Debt Ceiling: Your Problem, GOP](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/democrats-on-the-debt-ceiling-your-problem-gop/) - Three weeks ago, I wrote this: This will not go well for anyone. The GOP will not fund the government or raise the debt-ceiling without concessions from Biden and the Democrats. The Republicans can’t seem to make policy when they are in charge, instead they wait until they are in the minority then put a
- [Too Much TV Insight](https://muttrox.com/2023/02/too-much-tv-insight/) - Whatever I have, I sure hope it's moderate to severe.
- [Muttrox Goes to England: Travel and Leftovers](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/muttrox-goes-to-england-travel-and-leftovers/) - I love double decker buses. I love the subways, trains, and buses are well integrated and they all run very frequently. Public transport is easy and quickly fades to the background. The subway (tube) has frequent exhortations to "Please mind the gap!" What a wonderfully polite way to remind people not to fall in between
- [Bad Calorie Math at the Costco](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/bad-math-at-the-costco/) - What's wrong with this sign? There are two mysteries about the numbers on this sign. It's very odd that the cheese pizza has more calories than the pepperoni. Do pepperoni slices have negative calories? Could those numbers reflect reality? Well, yes, they could. The pepperoni pizza could have less cheese in it. It's not a
- [Muttrox Goes to England: Trash](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/muttrox-goes-to-england-trash/) - This trash can has a specially built area to dispose of cigarettes. While leaning on it and yakking on her cel phone, a young banker actually threw her lit cigarette on the ground next to it. Wow. That may be the worst person in the world. True grit. Why would I post a picture of
- [The Meanest Thing I've Ever Said](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/the-meanest-thing-ive-ever-said/) - Today I was angry with our dog. I told our dog, "You're a bad boy. A bad boy! And you know what? We're not even your real parents. That's right, YOU'RE ADOPTED!!"
- [Muttrox Goes to England: Tourist Stuff](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/muttrox-goes-to-england-tourist-stuff/) - Speakers Corner is a wonderful idea. On a corner of Hyde Park, anyone can set up and begin talking to anyone who wants to listen. It has been going for two hundred years or so. It is free speech at it's best. I was looking forward to hearing the English citizen intellectual tradition continued. Only
- [Why I'm a Liberal, in one comic](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/why-im-a-liberal-in-one-comic/) - I've likely posted this before and likely will again. I read this several times a year. Nothing encapsulates my views on fairness and equality better. Credit to Toby Morris (The PencilSword), who maybe doesn't have a real website.
- [Muttrox Goes to England: The Money](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/muttrox-goes-to-england-the-money/) - (This post may be out of date since Brexit.) It was fun figuring out the English money system. It’s very straightforward. They appear to have got rid of shillings and quids. That makes it a lot less romantic, but easy to understand. And the actual coins are great. Just the right heft to them. They
- [My Latest Favorite Song #29: Isolation (Jeff Beck with Johnny Depp)](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/my-latest-favorite-song-29-isolation-jeff-beck-with-johnny-depp/) - As you might imagine, the last week has led to more Jeff Beck. The genres he had mastered, the incredible tones he created, his amazing control of pitch, it's incredible how deep down the rabbit hole you can get. Did he ever play a song the same way twice? Go listen to multiple live versions
- [Proposed Changes to the American Democratic System: Leftovers](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/proposed-changes-to-the-american-democratic-system-master/) - I posted four proposals over the last few weeks: The Hastert Rule The National Popular Vote Approval Voting Supreme Court term limits To conclude the series, here are others that don't get their own post. Reducing Incumbency: Remember the exciting 2022 midterm election we just had? Incumbents won 94.5% of the races. That's absurd. In
- [My Favorite Late Artist: Jeff Beck](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/my-favorite-late-artist-jeff-beck/) - Another giant has passed. Jeff Beck is dead. Beck was a musicians' musician, and a guitarists' guitarist. He looked away from superstardom, instead following his artistic instincts again and again to make immensely original music throughout his career. He invented the template that became Led Zeppelin, he blended fusion jazz with rock, and probably a
- [Yuval Levin Misses the Point](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/yuval-levin-misses-the-point/) - Yuval Levin has an interesting editorial in the New York Times, "Some Good Can Come Out of the Kevin McCarthy Fiasco". It's a good angle for a liberal paper. It tries to point out that not everything being asked of McCarthy was awful. But a few of his supporting point, well, do not hold up.
- [Proposed Changes to the American Democratic System: Supreme Court Term Limits](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/proposed-changes-to-the-american-democratic-system-supreme-court-term-limits/) - That's "Democratic" as in "Democracy", not the political party. As a systems guy, I tend to look at problems with our Democracy as being natural consequences of the systems where it is embedded. I have come to settle on a few aspects of our system that have outsized influence. These changes are all big. But
- [Learn the Learning Curve](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/learn-the-learning-curve/) - I tire of having to explain this. If the learning curve is flat, it means it is difficult to learn. If the learning curve is steep, it means it easy to learn. If the learning curve is flat, it means you are spending a lot time and effort without the learning going up much. If
- [Proposed Changes to the American Democratic System: Approval Voting](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/proposed-changes-to-the-american-democratic-system-approval-voting/) - That's "Democratic" as in "Democracy", not the political party. As a systems guy, I tend to look at problems with our Democracy as being natural consequences of the systems where it is embedded. I have come to settle on a few aspects of our system that have outsized influence. These changes are all big. But
- [Kevin McCarthy will be the Speaker who destroyed The House of Representatives](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/kevin-mccarthy-will-be-the-speaker-who-destroyed-the-house-of-representatives/) - McCarthy is now the speaker, but will be far and away the weakest speaker in US History. He let twenty crazies (less than 4% of the membership) extort him. Let's look at the concessions he made to become speaker. (This list is incomplete.) A return to a rule that would allow rank-and-file lawmakers to force
- [Proposed Changes to the American Democratic System: National Popular Vote](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/five-proposed-changes-to-the-american-democratic-system-national-popular-vote/) - That's "Democratic" as in "Democracy", not the political party. As a systems guy, I tend to look at problems with our Democracy as being natural consequences of the systems where it is embedded. I have come to settle on a few aspects of our system that have outsized influence. These changes are all big. But
- [Proposed Changes to the American Democratic System: The Hastert Rule](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/proposed-changes-to-the-american-democratic-system-the-hastert-rule/) - That's "Democratic" as in "Democracy", not the political party. As a systems guy, I tend to look at problems with our Democracy as being natural consequences of the systems where it is embedded. I have come to settle on a few aspects of our system that have outsized influence. These changes are all big. But
- [Muttrox Goes to England: Harrods is Amazing](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/muttrox-goes-to-england-harrods-is-amazing/) - Harrods is amazing. We ended up going three separate times. We thought it was just a big department store and could not understand the appeal. Boy, were we wrong! It was incredible. They claim they can get you anything that is for sale in the world in 48 hours. We believe it. There was original
- [My Latest Favorite Song #28: Olivia Rodrigo](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/my-latest-favorite-song-28-olivia-rodrigo/) - I don't usually do current music. It's very rare for me to like the same music as my co-workers and kids. Here's a big exception. Olivia Rodrigo is incredible. She's a great songwriter, a great singer, and a great lyricist. The style has modern touches and tones but is firmly based in melody and harmony
- [These Republicans are Crazy](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/these-republicans-are-crazy/) - Watching the GOP try to govern is so fun and so sad at the same time. What a sorry excuse for a political party.
- [Muttrox Goes to England: Old People](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/muttrox-goes-to-england-old-people/) - This was meant to be a warning the elderly might be moving slowly across the street. But maybe it's a warning to look out for aged pickpockets? There is nothing more English than the obsessive puttering around the garden. Our next door neighbor was usually out all morning futzing with her roses. One night we
- [Un-Actionable Analytics: Georgia Roadway Fatalities](https://muttrox.com/2022/12/un-actionable-analytics-georgia-roadway-fatalities/) - These signs are terrible. What would you, as a driver, do differently if the number was 10,000? 2,000? 600? 50? Nothing! There is no context. There is no sense if this number is too high or too low. Georgians will drive 133 billion miles in 2022. Is one death per 112 million miles a lot?
- [Muttrox Goes to England: The Loo (bathroom)](https://muttrox.com/2023/01/muttrox-goes-to-england-1/) - I found random notes from our family trip in 2014. At the time I thought they were blog-worthy, let's find out. Our first installment is about bathrooms! This bathroom reeks of class. Easily the most sophisticated entrance I've seen. I loved the books all around it. Sadly, they were fake. It would have been even
- [2023 Muttroxia Predictions](https://muttrox.com/2022/12/2023-muttroxia-predictions/) - Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future. Old Danish saying (not Niels Bohr or Yogi Berra) I have been inspired by Philip Tetlock and Matt Yglesias about the value of making public predictions. Predictions should include a degree of certainty. Predictions must be specific enough to be measurable (at the end of 2023, it
- [Worst Fortune Cookie Ever](https://muttrox.com/2022/12/worst-fortune-cookie-ever/) - I was RIF'd that week.
- [Working 9 to 5 (work-hours)](https://muttrox.com/2022/12/working-9-to-5-work-hours/) - This movie did not age well. Almost nothing in it makes sense anymore. Doesn't that movie title sound quaint? I don't anybody who actually works 9 to 5, do you? The casual sexism and subordinate abuse is not gone, but hardly there. My kids didn't understand why they didn't just get HR and lawyers involved.
- [Terribly Overrated Terrible Songs](https://muttrox.com/2022/12/terribly-overrated-songs/) - (Rules: Song must be in frequent radio rotation, or were in frequent rotation for a long time. Hating random deep cuts doesn't count.)Freefallin' (Tom Petty): She's a good girl, crazy about Elvis. Good lyric. But it all goes downhill from there. Over-processed guitars, stupid chorus and stupid lyrics. When I found out it was written
- [Why were the Trump tax returns released to the public?](https://muttrox.com/2022/12/why-were-the-trump-tax-returns-released-to-the-public/) - If I win the election I will gladly show my tax returns. Donald Trump, 2016 Should Trump have released his tax returns as every other presidential candidate did? I think so, but there's no law. He was within his rights to say no. Should the House (Ways and Means Committee) have demanded and fought for
- [On Elon Musk](https://muttrox.com/2022/12/what-i-think-about-elon-musk/) - I get asked this a lot. Muttrox, what is your take on Elon Musk? Up or down? You have his cars, you've given him lots of money, how do you feel about that? The bad: He's an asshole. Personally and professionally. Even worse than an asshole, he's an asshole unnecessarily. Just because he is and
- [What is wrong with The Celtics?](https://muttrox.com/2022/12/what-is-wrong-with-the-celtics/) - Last year, the Celtics had the greatest in-season turnaround ever, that lead to an NBA finals outing. They worked over the summer. And for the first 25ish games of this season, the Celtics have been unstoppable. They have lost their last three. Not understandable losses to strong teams, but repeatedly to teams they should have
- [My Latest Favorite Song #27: Beck - Nobody's Fault But My Own](https://muttrox.com/2022/12/my-latest-favorite-song-27-beck-nobodys-fault-but-my-own/) - It's dreamy. It uses strings with Indian sounds that make me think of George Harrison. I could swear he preformed this on SNL but I can't find the video.The story behind the song? Beck said, "Well I went down to my basement. It was raining outside, and I wrote it." Thanks Wikipedia, we're all smarter
- [Book Unrecommendations](https://muttrox.com/2022/12/book-unrecommendations/) - Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey For decades, I've been told I need to read the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. It's one of the greatest fantasy series ever they said. They were wrong. This book is utter trash. It reads like a 12-year old girls fanfic about her favorite horse. A decent premise, with
- [Corporations and Political Donations](https://muttrox.com/2022/12/corporations-and-political-donations/) - Political donations from corporations either are, or aren't, effective. If they don't work, they should be banned by shareholders. You shouldn't spend shareholder money for no gain. If they do work, they should be banned by society. As political donations undoubtedly work, political donations from corporations should be banned. Despite nutty Supreme Court rulings, money
- [McCain again](https://muttrox.com/2005/03/mccain-again/) - This comment from Jabley on on my first McCain post deserves a full reply: To his credit, it sounds as if much of the talk centers around "negotiating" not cramming the Bush plan down the country's throat. It's pretty much accepted that support for Bush's plan as initially-conceived is insufficient to win approval; I perceive
- [Muttrox's Vote](https://muttrox.com/2007/06/muttroxs-vote/) - Sid asked a fair question: So are you officially a Hillary fanboy? Haven't kept up here for some time, but I believe you were of the "She can't win, so why bother" persuasion when last we talked. I still don't think she can win the general election; Obama, Edwards and Gore all have a shot.
- [The Lion King: Plot Point](https://muttrox.com/2011/07/the-lion-king-plot-point/) - We watched The Lion King on Broadway last night. It was exactly as good as advertised. The costume and set design was incredible. It also reminded me of one of my annoyances with the plot. Nala is a better fighter than Simba. She pins them when they are children and then pins him again as
- [Improving Soccer (Football), still the same](https://muttrox.com/2022/12/improving-soccer-football-still-the-same/) - Muttroxia: How to Improve Professional / World Cup Soccer: I said it all four years ago. Nothing has changed. All these ideas would make the sport better. Viva La France! Let's go!
- [Five Misunderstood Rock Songs](https://muttrox.com/2022/12/misunderstood-rock-songs/) - How many of these did you know already? Born in the USA (Bruce Springsteen): This song is not a patriotic anthem. It's a rather depressing tune about a veteran who's having a hard time in life. Extra points for the Reagan campaign cluelessly using an anti-America song as their theme. More Than Words (Extreme): This
- [Financial Book Recommendations](https://muttrox.com/2007/04/financial-book-recommendations/) - I read a lot of financial books. Personal finance, economic theory, the stock market, real estate investing, all sorts of stuff. Here are five of the best, in no particular order. The Wealthy Barber (by David Chilton): This is the one that started it for me. At age 25, I came across this in the
- [Watching the News](https://muttrox.com/2012/01/watching-the-news/) - We decided that our kids are old enough to learn about the grownup world. We recorded the evening news and sat down with them to watch it. Here are some of the stories that day: Iowa Caucus voting underway (lots of talk, no one knows anything of course) Rookie cop catches the person setting fires
- [An Appropriate Response to Camila Cabello](https://muttrox.com/2022/12/an-appropriate-response-to-camila-cabello/)
- [1 out of 4 is not a good thing](https://muttrox.com/2006/11/1-out-of-4-is-not-a-good-thing/) - I usually like Matt Bai's work. And there is a lot to like in this story. But a large part of it is that Bush's extremism finally caught up with him, and that voters are pretty bright after all. Hogwash. This kind of thinking perpetuates some of the worst memes out there in political thinking.
- [Voting Suppression](https://muttrox.com/2006/10/voting-suppression/) - For those who don't know, the GOP has been gunning for some time to require photo IDs and create other barriers to voting. In a previous post, I came out for photo ID. Now, I'm not so sure. There are a few reasons. One, I've become convinced that many citizens don't have photo ID for
- [That ain't no chickenhawk](https://muttrox.com/2006/09/that-aint-no-chickenhawk/) - One of the most infuriating things about the right-wingers in power is that they relentlessly beat the drums of war, throw slime all over true war heroes, all the while refusing to join the military themselves. The hyprocrisy is overwhelming. It's a pleasure to see a counterexample. Jon Paton, a 2nd term representative from Arizona
- [Hell Freezes Over, Pigs Fly, etc.](https://muttrox.com/2006/09/hell-freezes-over-pigs-fly-life-goes-on/) - So, the president admitted we've been holding more prisoners in foreign countries purely to evade the law. First he admitted Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11, now this. This might start a trend! Next thing you know, he'll be coming clean about his drug history and the National Guard. From there he’ll move up
- [I coveteth your frenched fries](https://muttrox.com/2006/09/i-coveteth-your-frenched-fry/) - Recently I went to lunch with a friend from work. We both got the same meal, your basic burger and fries. They were both good, but they didn't give us nearly enough fries. I'm a quick eater, and my friend had a lot to vent about, so I was done well before him. I was
- [My Latest Favorite Song #26: Kacey Musgraves - Rainbow](https://muttrox.com/2022/12/my-latest-favorite-song-26-kacey-musgraves-rainbow/) - I have no idea how I stumbled on her. Musgraves doesn't write the most sophisticated music. Simple chords, simple melodies, simple playing... but done well. Nothing wrong with that! I was surprised to find out she's categorized a country artist. Her voice has that lilt but the music isn't particularly country. Her other songs haven't
- [Warnock wins the runoff (again)](https://muttrox.com/2022/12/warnock-wins-the-runoff-again/) - A few thoughts on Warnock beating Walker. First, the national media continuously contrasted this race with Kemp/Abrams, but they had it all wrong. Kemp had enormous advantages. He was the incumbent. There has to be a convincing reason to unseat the incumbent. There wasn’t. Note that Warnock was also an incumbent and won. The Governors
- [Bad Game Theory in the NBA](https://muttrox.com/2018/03/bad-game-theory-in-the-nba/) - “He’s got two fouls in the first quarter, he’s going to the bench.” “They are taking a risk starting him in the second half, he’s already in foul trouble with three” I don’t know a single NBA team that deals with “foul trouble” correctly. The correct approach is to mostly ignore it. The logic is
- [How to improve the NBA, Part 2](https://muttrox.com/2018/01/how-to-improve-the-nba-part-2/) - I recently listed a few ways to improve the NBA. Here are a few more. Get rid of jump balls. Use the possession clock. This has been used in college for a long time and it works. It is fair. It is easy. It is tested. Jump balls are hard to administer. And the less
- [My Latest Favorite Song: #14](https://muttrox.com/2016/07/my-latest-favorite-song-14/) - Have you ever had a song that you didn't really like, and then one day you just "got it"? This week, I suddenly "got" Babylon Sisters by Steely Dan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2mGhbz6JAc The drumming is particularly wonderful. Go look up the Purdy Shuffle. This drum beat is also in Rosanna (Toto) and Fool in the Rain (the
- [Muttroxia on Rand Paul on Obama on Trump](https://muttrox.com/2015/12/muttroxia-on-rand-paul-on-obama-on-trump/) - So the White House said Trump disqualified himself with this deplorable statements on Muslims. Rand Paul took this as an opportunity to give ten reasons why Obama should be disqualified. I like Rand Paul because he is guided by policy, not politics. And I agree with many of his policies. Sadly, the remaining ones are
- [Cosmos: Done](https://muttrox.com/2014/08/cosmos-done/) - Last night, we finished watching the Cosmos series. I remember watching the Carl Sagan version as a child. It you weren't affected by it, you weren't paying attention. The new version is wonderful as well. We watched it as a family. The kids got different things out of it, and didn't understand many things, but
- [The Five Year Old Correlates Nutrtition with Life Outcomes](https://muttrox.com/2014/03/the-five-year-old-correlates-nutrtition-with-life-outcomes/) - I asked, "Are you the best girl in the world?" She replied, in all earnestness, "Yes. Because I eat Mac and Cheese and that is healthy for me!"
- [My Latest Favorite Song #6](https://muttrox.com/2013/10/my-latest-favorite-song-6/) - I've been on a bit of a Rolling Stones kick lately. I'm most of the way through Crossfire Hurricane, a pretty great documentary. This live version of Tumbling Dice is incredible. Wish the video was more interesting, but there you go.
- [My Latest Favorite Song (#1)](https://muttrox.com/2013/06/my-latest-favorite-song-1/) - First in an ongoing series. This is what I'm playing over and over and over. Turn this mother up. Slash is one of the all-time guitarists. He shreds with the best of them, and has that melodic touch as well. The guitar tone is pure Les Paul, you'll never get that snarl singing out of
- [That's how they get you](https://muttrox.com/2013/05/thats-how-they-get-you-2/) - Look at the fast one they're trying to pull with my favorite cereal. In nearly every situation, stores incentivize you to buy more product by giving you a discount for getting larger quantities. Super-size meals and Costco are good examples. But every once in a while, they count on your being overly inured to that
- [How to Improve Professional / World Cup Soccer](https://muttrox.com/2018/07/how-to-improve-professional-world-cup-soccer/) - Even the most popular sport in the world could stand some tweaks. Overall, I want fewer games decided by chance and referee decisions. Two referees: Twenty two people is a lot to keep track of. Too many. Get two referees out there, maybe three. They could split the field similar to NBA referees. They can
- [A Few Thoughts on the Pardon Power](https://muttrox.com/2021/01/a-few-thoughts-on-the-pardon-power/) - “The President… shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.” For the most part, the pardon power is a wonderful thing. How nice to give an ‘out’, where injustices can be corrected? But there are bad pardons also. How could we make Pardons better?
- [The Celtics should dump Danilo Gallinari](https://muttrox.com/2022/12/the-celtics-should-dump-danilo-gallinari/) - How about them Celtics, eh? I am a hardcore fan and these last couple years have been amazing. Barring serious injury, this years edition will go down in the history books as one of the best teams ever to take the floor. I have also followed Danilo Gallinari in his Hawks career. Gallinari is a
- [Trumps End-of-term Final Report Card](https://muttrox.com/2021/02/trumps-end-of-term-final-report-card/) - This is the 3rd Trump Report Card. I did it once before he took office, and once at the end of year one. I'll stick to the same categories. (Also at the end of year two, I tried to list 10 good things about Trump.) Global Warming: F. From Day One, Trump did everything he
- [Peter Rabbit had it coming](https://muttrox.com/2022/07/peter-rabbit-had-it-coming/) - Peter Rabbit was asking for it. He went into Mr. McGregor's garden, "ate some lettuces and some French beans; and then he ate some radishes". He deserved everything he got. He is made out to be a hero, he's not. He's stupid selfish vermin. He should have been put in a pie like his filthy
- [My Latest Favorite Song #25: Styx– Snowblind](https://muttrox.com/2022/06/my-latest-favorite-song-25-styx-snowblind/) - Everyone has their odd loves. One of mine is Paradise Theater, by Styx. This is a great album. Maybe you know Too Much Time on my Hands, or Best of Times. You should learn the rest. It's a great album, with just about every track a winner. One of my deepish cut favorites is this
- [Neapolitan Ice Cream is Terrible](https://muttrox.com/2007/03/neapolitan-iced-cream/) - How does this sell? You can buy chocolate, or vanilla, or strawberry, in any proportions. But instead, you choose to get exactly equal portions of each, all shoved in the same container, why? Why would you limit yourself like that? You can't even eat your favorite flavor in isolation. You eat vanilla, some strawberry's gonna
- [Tesla Product Experience Schizophrenia](https://muttrox.com/2022/03/tesla-product-experience-schizophrenia/) - A Tesla costs a lot of money. Mine costs far more than any other car I've ever bought. It was two and a half times as much actually, and I got the cheapest Tesla you can get. You get a lot for that money. It's an amazing machine. It shouldn't be called a car. It's
- [How cost-effective is a Tesla?](https://muttrox.com/2022/03/how-cost-effective-is-a-tesla/) - I recently got a Tesla. It may end up being the subject of many posts because I am indecently in love with it. How much cheaper is it to operate? This does not account for purchase price, tax incentives, cost to rewire a garage outlet to 240v etc. Or that I can charge for free
- [Tesla and Time Arbitrage](https://muttrox.com/2022/03/tesla-and-time-arbitrage/) - It was six months from the order to ownership of the new Tesla. That’s very different than other makes. I can’t just walk into a Tesla dealership and drive out in my new car. Six months is a long time! A couple months in, I wanted to change the color. That would have meant going
- [My Latest Favorite Song #24: Joseph – White Flag](https://muttrox.com/2021/11/my-latest-favorite-song-24-joseph-white-flag/) - I thought I had mentioned this one already. I don't know anything about this band, but this song is great. I watched the video just now for the first time. They look exactly like the music made me think they looked. Posting this, then going to see if their other material is also good.
- [Rolling Stones in Concert Review](https://muttrox.com/2021/11/rolling-stones-in-concert-review/) - I saw the Rolling Stones for first time in 2015, and it was maybe the best show I’ve ever seen. Mindblowlingly good. I got to see them again this week. How was it? Honestly, not nearly as good. But still a great show. Mick: Amazing. At 78, looks and moves like he is 50. Especially
- [My Latest Favorite Song #23: Johnny Cash – The Man Comes Around](https://muttrox.com/2021/03/my-latest-favorite-song-23-johnny-cash-the-man-comes-around/) - Who doesn't like a little Johnny Cash? I'm particular to his later career. This is a simple song done well. Crazy catchy, and the the mix of pop sensibility and sincere spirituality is a winner.
- [The Celtics should dump Semi Ojeleye](https://muttrox.com/2021/02/the-celtics-should-dump-semi-ojeleye/) - The Celtics need to make some moves. Things aren’t going so well this year. Instead of competing with Philly and the Nets, they are barely ahead of the Knicks. For the last several years, Boston has had too many decent players. We’ve gotten a million draft picks, and so we've had lots of players that
- [On the Kia Soul](https://muttrox.com/2021/01/on-the-kia-soul/) - If you drive a Soul, you have no soul.
- [My Latest Favorite Song #22: The Record Company – Off the Ground](https://muttrox.com/2021/01/my-latest-favorite-song-22-the-record-company-off-the-ground/)
- [Trumps Final Pardons](https://muttrox.com/2021/01/trumps-final-pardons/) - Like so much with Trumps presidency, it could have been much worse. It was terrible, but. The worst ones are the pardoning of other high officials who used their office to enrich themselves, also known as corruption. Some of these Trump didn’t even both to defend. (Interestingly, I can no longer access the actual text
- [Top Priorities for the Biden Adminstration](https://muttrox.com/2021/01/top-priorities-for-the-biden-adminstration/) - As Joe Biden takes office, his three biggest priorities should be: COVID-19: Biden is lucky here. It is actionable – simply having federal policy and coordinated focus will go a long way, above and beyond what the particular policies and spending are. Additionally, the timing of the vaccines is perfect. Biden shouldn’t get credit for
- [Wonder Woman 1984 Review](https://muttrox.com/2020/12/wonder-woman-1984-review/) - SPOLIERS I liked it. But. Whereas the first one had a plot and characters that mostly made sense, enough to suspend disbelief, this one was bloated and much more nonsensical. The whole intro scene on Amazon Island was really cool, but had nothing to do with anything.Wonder Woman develops the power to fly, by listening
- [Seasonal Songs](https://muttrox.com/2020/12/seasonal-songs/) - Mrs. Muttrox was listening to Sarah McLaughlin’s Wintersong last night, one of her joys of the season. I nerded out. Here are the songs in my rotation, Summer vs Winter. Summer Songs: Summer Song (Joe Satriani)Promise of Summer (JackoPierce)All Summer Long (Kid Rock)Summer Overture (Requiem for a Dream) (Mozart)Suddenly Last Summer (The Motels)Hot Fun in
- [My Latest Favorite Song #21: The Tea Party - Winter Solstice](https://muttrox.com/2020/11/my-latest-favorite-song-21-the-tea-party-winter-solstice/) - A wonderful guitar instrumental. I have no idea who this band is, just stumbled across this track. Yes, this is just one guitar.
- [Dems and GOP Should be Unified in Wanting Better Elections](https://muttrox.com/2020/11/dems-and-gop-should-be-unified-in-wanting-better-elections/) - The GOP suddenly wants to count every legal vote. Suddenly they are aghast at all the problems in how elections are run. It warms the heart. We can see in their actions whether they are hypocrites or not. Now, they should be supportive of efforts to make things better, eh? The Federal Election Commission is
- [Florida was Almost a Stolen Election](https://muttrox.com/2020/11/florida-was-almost-a-stolen-election/) - Trump took Florida by 375,000 votes. Florida illegally disenfranchised about 1.5 million ex-felons.If that hadn't happened, what would have been the impact? The voting rate among ex-felons is around 30% (better sources welcomed). Let's goose that to 35% given the high participation rates in this 2020 election. That's 525,000 voters. How do they vote by
- [At the deKalb Recount](https://muttrox.com/2020/11/at-the-dekalb-recount/) - I spent yesterday and today as an observer at the deKalb county recount*. A few random observations: The system is very good. Every step has multiple independent workers who check each others work. Each part is checked and cross-checked in a few different ways. There is simply no way for anyone to commit meaningful fraud
- [Something Nice to Say About this Election](https://muttrox.com/2020/11/something-nice-to-say-about-this-election/) - Back in 2016, Garry Kasparov said this, and it applies today as well. "That nervous feeling you have about tomorrow, Americans? That’s democracy working. Unpredictable elections, what a luxury!"
- [Trumps Voting "strategy" is Immoral... and stupid.](https://muttrox.com/2020/11/trumps-voting-strategy-is-immoral-and-stupid/) - On the day before the election, my thoughts go back six months. The Democrats had proposed a stimulus package for COVID-19 that included many provisions to maintain and improve voting systems during the pandemic. Trumps response: “The things they had in there were crazy. They had things, levels of voting that if you’d ever agreed
- [Kavanaugh is profoundly wrong about voting](https://muttrox.com/2020/10/kavanaugh-is-profoundly-wrong-about-voting/) - The Supreme Court decision on Monday barred the counting of mail-in ballots in Wisconsin that arrive after Election Day. That was probably the right decision. State do have the rights to run their elections as they please to a large degree -- tie goes to the state. But Kavanaughs opinion is ridiculous and disturbing. He
- [Welcome Canadian Army!](https://muttrox.com/2020/09/welcome-canadian-army/) - Nice to have a few more readers.
- [My Latest Favorite Song #20: The Shelters - The Ghost is Gone](https://muttrox.com/2020/09/my-latest-favorite-song-20-the-shelters-the-ghost-is-gone/)
- [My Latest Favorite Song #19: Frank Turner - Recovery](https://muttrox.com/2020/03/my-latest-favorite-song-19-frank-turner-recovery/) - Acoustic punk is a thing I guess? Wonderful lyrics with attitude.
- [Fifty years of The Who: An Appreciation](https://muttrox.com/2019/09/fifty-years-of-the-who-an-appreciation/) - Seeing The Who again this week got me thinking about my relationship with my favorite band. I was born the same year as Tommy. The Who has been my favorite band for thirty six years, I’ve been seeing them live for most of that time. Writing about this last show made me remember many of
- [The Who: Moving On Review (Sept 18, 2019)](https://muttrox.com/2019/09/the-who-moving-on-review-sept-18-2019/) - The Who (now in their 70s) performed with an orchestra. They kicked things off with a suite of Tommy songs. Overture/Didn’t Hear It: The first notes of the overture played with a full orchestra had the audience going early. Unfortunately the mix was poor, a common complaint of mine the last few tours. Except for
- [Muttroxia's Retirement Calculator](https://muttrox.com/2011/05/muttroxias-retirement-calculator/) - The retirement calculators you find all over the web are good. But they never seem to answer the questions I want answered. I created my own. It is designed for someone who is out of debt, actively saving for retirement, and trying to figure out if they are saving enough. Click here to download the
- [Nine Thoughts on the Mueller Findings](https://muttrox.com/2019/03/nine-thoughts-on-the-mueller-findings/) - My overwhelming reaction is positive. It’s been easy to lose track of what the investigation was about. It’s not about getting Trump out of office. I’m glad that Trump is essentially cleared of collusion. Our president shouldn’t be working with Russia and shouldn’t be betraying America to be President. I’m glad he didn’t. (Yes, yes,
- [On the 2018 Midterms](https://muttrox.com/2018/11/on-the-2018-midterms/) - What does Muttroxia think about the midterms? Not much. Glad to see the Democrats got the House. It could have been better, it could have been worse. Get ready for two more years of gridlock, partisanship, and dysfunction. Three takeaways from the midterms: The Democrats overreached on Kavanaugh: For all the legitimate reasons to fight
- [Low Tech and High Tech Collision](https://muttrox.com/2018/08/low-tech-and-high-tech-collision/) - This is from a food truck. Rather than having a sign made up with their menu, they put in a large electronic display. Then they put tape over the items that aren't available. Instead of editing the file that is being displayed. Rich.
- [A Bathroom Puzzler](https://muttrox.com/2018/08/a-bathroom-puzzler/) - You are out at neighborhood restaurant. It's the trivia tournament playoffs. he bathroom is a single, only one person at a time. Security is tight, there's only a few minutes for everyone to go. There is a line of five men waiting to use it. Which is worse? A) Wash your hands appropriately, using precious
- [Manafort, Cohen, Trump: A Few Thoughts](https://muttrox.com/2018/08/manafort-cohen-trump-a-few-thoughts/) - What does it all mean? The case against: It doesn’t mean very much. Paul Manafort: His crimes are bad, but so far have little to do with Trump or Russia. Just another white-collar criminal. The important phase is the next trial, which directly relates to his relationship with Russia. He used his position as campaign
- [Laying out Donald Trumps Strategy](https://muttrox.com/2018/08/laying-out-donald-trumps-strategy/) - Steve Schmidt was a GOP operative for many years, who recently 'defected', believing Trump to be a threat to liberal democracy and the American Experiment. In a wonderful episode of "Stay Tuned with Preet" this especially stood out. For audio, start at around 38:00. I've attempted to transcribe this because I think it is so
- [French Sundries #1: Fatties](https://muttrox.com/2010/09/french-sundries-1-fatties/) - They sure make them big in France.
- [French Sundries #2: Proper Reverence](https://muttrox.com/2010/09/french-sundries-2-proper-reverence/) - We found five comic book stores within a few blocks of each other. I particularly liked this one that specialized in Tintin. We got a Tintin notebook for one of the kids.
- [French Sundries #3: The Cost of Coke](https://muttrox.com/2010/10/french-sundries-3-the-cost-of-coke/) - This receipt from a brasserie (restaurant) points out one of the oddities of French economics. Coke is a luxury item. Their marketing and sales team is on the ball. A regular Coke with dinner costs 3.70 euros, a little over $4. Notice that the beer costs only one dime more.
- [French Sundries #4: Noam Chomsky](https://muttrox.com/2010/10/french-sundries-4-noam-chomsky/) - This picture is really just to annoy my Dad. Yup, the French still think Noam CHomsk is all that and a side of imperialism.
- [French Sundries #11: Automated Hotel](https://muttrox.com/2010/10/french-sundries-11-automated-hotel/) - After a full day, we had been driving for 7 hour straight to get as close to Paris as we could for the end of the trip. At 11:00 pm, we finally pulled over at a highway hotel. They were full up, and pointed us across the way. We shambled over to the front door
- [French Sundries #6: Speed Limit Sign](https://muttrox.com/2010/10/french-sundries-6-speed-limit-sign/) - I loved this sign. You don't need to be French to understand that the speed limit is 130, 110 if it's raining. Very simple and effective design.
- [French Sundries #8: Downtown Bikelanes](https://muttrox.com/2010/10/french-sundries-8-downtown-bikelanes/) - I think having the cross symbol on the stop light instead of a solid color is confusing. Paris is a biking city. They have velo stations every couple of blocks. You can rent a bike for 30 minutes and it only costs one euro. We loved it. Despite the scarcity of space Paris has bike
- [French Sundries #9: Toilet Paper Dispenser](https://muttrox.com/2010/10/french-sundries-9-toilet-paper-dispenser/) - The heavy metal piece is serrated on the inside. When you pull on the toilet paper, the motion pushes the metal piece out of the way. When you stop pulling, it falls back, and the serration cuts the toilet paper. You don't have to rip it off, it naturally cuts itself just how you want
- [Patriots Defeat Saints](https://muttrox.com/2013/10/patriots-defeat-saints/) - My new favorite face
- [Ten Good Things about Trump](https://muttrox.com/2018/07/ten-good-things-about-trump/) - Muttrox is not a fan of Trump. He’s a singularly awful President and person, in a multitude of ways. And yet, that doesn’t mean that everything he does is wrong. In the spirit of even-handedness and checking my own thinking, here is a list of some good things from the Trump administration. Please add on.
- [Why Show Customers How Much Better They Could Do?](https://muttrox.com/2018/05/why-show-customers-how-much-better-they-could-do/) - As a connoisseur of junky pizza places, I feel positioned to make this claim: An inordinate amount of cheap eating places leave televisions on at loud volumes during all hours. The televisions are not big enough to see the picture clearly. And most oddly, they are tuned to cooking shows. I don’t understand this. Perhaps
- [The Avengers Are Not Heroes. They Are Selfish Genocidal Morons.](https://muttrox.com/2018/05/the-avengers-are-not-heroes-they-are-selfish-genocidal-morons/) - I loved the movie. But. These are heroes? Time after time in the movie characters are given a choice. Save the one you love and risk all life in the universe. Time after time the so-called-heroes choose to save the ones they love and let everyone else die. What a bunch of pussies. The more
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2018/04/links-o-interest-134/) - Been a while since I did one of these. Random links from around the internet. Lois Lane and Facebook Battleship Paul McCartney, Beck, and Taylor Hawkins denied entry at rappers post-grammy party. “How VIP do we got to get?” 2016 Underwater Photography Winners (yes, this has been sitting around for a while...) Lost film from
- [Book Recommendations: Thinking Books](https://muttrox.com/2018/04/book-recommendations-thinking-books/) - This post isn't ready, but a friend was asking me, so... Here is a list of books that are vaguely about how we think and act. I covered a few of these back in 2009. Thinking Fast and Slow: Daniel Kahneman basically invented behavioral economics. A bit long, but will consistently blow your mind. Many
- [Music Quiz #3](https://muttrox.com/2018/04/music-quiz-3/) - How much do you mean now? Where do I get my kisses from? What do I want to do when I wake up? Why are people trying to put us down? Who Started the Fire? How does “Make Love, not War” sound to me? What is all we have to do now? You walk over
- [In Praise of BRITA Water Pitchers](https://muttrox.com/2018/03/in-praise-of-brita-water-pitchers/) - The Muttroxia household has had a Brita water pitcher for years. It’s easy to use, the water seems to taste better, it fits in the fridge nicely. And at 12 cups, it has generous capacity. What is the downside? The downside is that our pitcher was bought somewhere around 2002. It just seems gross. Nothing
- [Doctors Offices Are Just Awful](https://muttrox.com/2018/04/doctors-offices-are-just-awful/) - I hate going to the doctor. But not because of the medical stuff. It’s the administrative part. The processes and systems are terrible. So much arrogance, so much stupidity. Let’s skip the endless forms, that’ll be a post for some other day. (Sample stupidity to whet your appetite: Enter both your birthdate and your age.
- [Why Don't Sport Leagues Let Children Watch Their Finals?](https://muttrox.com/2018/04/why-dont-sport-leagues-let-children-watch-their-finals/) - What moron puts the final game of your sport on at 9:20 PM on a Monday? The NCAA basketball tournament, that's who. Ridiculous.
- [Sunday Morning Thoughts](https://muttrox.com/2018/04/sunday-morning-thoughts/) - I am dominant in the "shuffling like an old man and puttering around for an hour before anyone else is awake" event.
- [More of "our" Blogs (Cross-Promotion)](https://muttrox.com/2018/03/more-of-our-blogs-cross-promotion/) - Many of the readers of this blog (okay, just about all the readers) are personally known to me. Since we all know one another, here are a few other blogs run by ‘us’. The only thing we all have in common is low readership and infrequent posting, so get in there and inspire the authors
- [LinkedIn Weirdness](https://muttrox.com/2018/03/linkedin-weirdness/) - Linkedin has large elements of a social media platform. I was advised that liking and commenting on others folks posts would elevate my own profile, and I should also write papers and contribute original content. They were right. Consider this graph. A few weeks ago, I started actively liking and commenting. Last week, I posted
- [Odds of Trump Collusion (Predicting Muellers Findings), + 4 months](https://muttrox.com/2018/03/odds-of-trump-collusion-predicting-muellers-findings-4-months/) - To end 2017, I predicted the results of Mueller investigation. Four months later, new angles and findings are coming out every week. Overall, I think those predictions are holding up well. People in Trumps close orbit were guilty as sin. They worked with the Russians and betrayed America. Trump himself is a dupe and a
- [Chinese Food Delivery Economics: A Puzzle](https://muttrox.com/2018/03/chinese-food-delivery-economics-a-puzzle/) - Consider the following menu (from our default Chinese dining choice). Consider the incentives on that recurring question, “Should we pick-up or get it delivered?”. The puzzle is this. Getting the food delivered is higher cost to the restaurant. They have to hire a driver to support delivery. There is no additional revenue, nothing but more
- [Book Recommendations #2](https://muttrox.com/2008/02/book-recommendations-2/) - A Walk in the Woods (Bill Bryson): I reread this for the second time. Still the funniest travel book you've ever read in your life. Bill Bryson is your average middle-aged person, who decides one day that he wants to hike the Appalachian Trail. After all, he takes good long walks every day, this will
- [Book Recommendations #3](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/book-recommendations-3/) - Been some time since I did one of these posts. Wonder how many I forgot? One of my favorite genres of books is a new breed. Exemplified by Freakonomics and Blink, these books tell us where the new areas of thought are developing, how you can view phenomona through different eyes, or explore an everyday
- [Book Recommendations #4](https://muttrox.com/2018/03/book-recommendations-4/) - We haven't done of one of these for a long time, this list has been percolating in the background for years while Muttroxia was on the shelf. There are so many good ones missing... I'm bad at book reviews, so just plug in "It was awesome!" for all of these. Science-Fiction (or Fantasy) Story of
- [What Does This Sign Mean?](https://muttrox.com/2011/09/what-does-this-sign-mean/) - Honestly, I have no idea what this is telling me to do.
- [Best Cover Versions of “Africa” (by Toto)](https://muttrox.com/2018/03/best-cover-versions-of-africa-by-toto/) - What a wonderful song this is, eh? I’m not the only one who thinks so. Much like Yesterday or Hallelujah, everyone wants to take a crack at covering it. Here are three of my favorite versions. Mike Masse and Jeff Hall: This duo has several great covers, getting a lot out of two instruments and
- [Hurray for *not* attacking Trump](https://muttrox.com/2018/03/hurray-for-not-attacking-trump/) - Democrats like Conor Lamb and Doug Jones (over Roy Moore) are winning deep in “Trump Country” without talking a lot about Trump. They are talking about local issues. They are spending less time attacking Trump and more time talking about what they would do. They are not coming from the Bernie Sanders wing, they are
- [Tom Brady on Analytics](https://muttrox.com/2018/03/tom-brady-on-analytics/) - While watching the excellent Tom vs. Time documentary, I was startled to find that Tom "gets it" with analytics. He really is the greatest of all time! I have been parts of lots of analytics projects and work that don't result in any real-world application. Analytics is a means to end. If it's not usable,
- [Why Don’t Any Prominent Republicans Defy Trump?](https://muttrox.com/2018/03/why-dont-any-prominent-republicans-defy-trump/) - I don’t get it. Let’s take it as a given that everyone in Congress sees that Trump is unfit for office on multiple levels. They see and understand the real threat he poses for American democracy. None speak out. The only ones who have are a few retiring Senators (Corker, McCain, Flake). Why none others?
- [“Please listen to these choices carefully, as our menu has recently changed”](https://muttrox.com/2018/03/please-listen-to-these-choices-carefully-as-our-menu-has-recently-changed/) - Dear voice tree programmers: Stop this. Just stop it now. No one memorizes the numbers. When someone calls, they listen to the choices, they pick the one and proceed. No one dials the main number, then quickly starts punching in “3-7-*”. Even if that’s wrong and people do memorize the sequence, it’s not a big
- [Infomercial Bad Math: Fur Wizard](https://muttrox.com/2018/02/infomercial-bad-math-fur-wizard/) - The Fur Wizard is different than other lint brushes. You see, instead of having the lint brush on one side, it has one on each side. That’s a total of two sides! Wow! During the course of their ad touting all the amazing things this brush can do, they say this (around 0:20): Fur Wizard
- [YMCA Track Math: Part II](https://muttrox.com/2018/02/ymca-track-math-part-ii/) - Slow people who won’t stay on the inside irritate me. But this kills me every time. The track is 19 laps to a mile. 19. A prime number. It makes it impossible to easily run quarter-miles, half-miles, any interval smaller than a mile. It also doesn’t divide into kilometers. For a numbers guy like me,
- [YMCA Track Math: Part I](https://muttrox.com/2018/02/ymca-track-math-part-i/) - At my local YMCA, slower people are to stay on the inside of the track. There is a clearly posted sign. I do walk/sprint intervals and need to dodge around folks when I run. The last two sessions the same woman has been briskly walking, sticking to the outside of the track. The first time
- [Super Bowl LII Post-Mortem](https://muttrox.com/2018/02/super-bowl-lii-post-mortem/) - The Patriots lost to the Eagles last night. Darn shame. As usual, a couple plays here and there made the difference. The Patriots tried a sneaky pass to Tom Brady, it bounced off his fingers. The Eagles tried a sneaky pass to Nick Foles, he caught it for a touchdown. In the end, the better
- [Trump at One Year: Report Card](https://muttrox.com/2018/01/trump-at-one-year-report-card/) - (This was written two weeks ago, it was somehow lost and been rewritten from memory) As Trump was taking office, I laid out the crucial things to keep an eye on. There are so many bad things, you need to step back and get a fuller perspective. (I use Trump and the GOP interchangeably, since
- [My Latest Favorite Song(s) #18 - from Sons of Anarchy](https://muttrox.com/2018/01/my-latest-favorite-songs-18-from-sons-of-anarchy/) - Sons of Anarchy had some pretty good songs on it. Here are two cover versions I particularly like: Lyle Workman & The Forest Rangers did this very soulful instrumental version of Fortunate Son. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoHDp8BK4JE Other good covers include Hey, Hey, My, My, Gimme Shelter, Someday Never Comes, and (below) White Buffalo's version of House of
- [Wolff on Mental Fitness](https://muttrox.com/2018/01/donald-trump-at-one-year/) - The most interesting revelations from Michael Wolf’s book (Fire and Fury) about Trump are about his mental fitness. Besides the constant (and well-deserved) speculation and pushes for impeachment ever since the inauguration, there is another path to remove Trump from power. The idea that a president is not mentally competent to do the job has
- [A S*ithole of a Post](https://muttrox.com/2018/01/a-sithole-of-a-post/) - That’s our wacky president! “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” And he added that the United States should admit more people from places like Norway. Let’s unpack this: 1. He used vile profanity. Not a big deal. Plenty of presidents used salty language. This one is predictably much more
- [This Has Gone Too Far](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/this-has-gone-too-far/) - Inspirational puzzles!? And Chicken Soup for the Soul dogfood? Can we officially call a halt to this? Maybe Chicken Soup for the Soul Shark Jumping? Anyhow, everyone knows that matzoh ball soup is much better.
- [Just Keep Thinking Long-Term](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/just-keep-thinking-long-term/) - I check in on my financial accounts (bank accounts, retirement accounts, 529s) every month. We lost 20% in October. Brutal.
- [Music Quiz #2](https://muttrox.com/2018/01/music-quiz-2/) - There is a thematic flow to this round. It helps to say the questions out loud, hearing the rhythm often makes the answer obvious. 1. How much is one plus one? 2. How much is one plus one plus one? 3. What feeling should you hide away? 4. Will you hide your feelings? 5. What
- [Fun with Fitbit Math](https://muttrox.com/2018/01/fun-with-fitbit-math/) - “I wonder how many steps I need for one calorie?,” I idly thought. I have a Fitbit data, I wonder how many ways there are to approach this. Let the math geekdom commence! Assumption: Fitbit uses a linear algorithm. You get some credit for living, and then extra credit for steps. Exercise figures in, but
- [Is Scarcity a Word?](https://muttrox.com/2018/01/is-scarcity-a-word/) - Oddly enough, this seems to be a real question. A number of people at work maintain that there is no such word as "scarcity." Go figure.
- [How to Improve the NBA](https://muttrox.com/2018/01/how-to-improve-the-nba-2/) - I watch a lot of NBA basketball now that Celtics games are broadcast frequently. I’m loving it. Basketball is a great sport. It is not close to broken, but the professional game can be improved easily. Make Games Shorter: Really, make more of the games actual play. Reduce stoppages of play, increase the flow and
- [Music Quiz #1](https://muttrox.com/2018/01/music-quiz-1/) - I annoy my wife with these quizzes. You’ll get the idea pretty quick. 1. She can wound with her eyes. How can she kill? 2. Where did she take the midnight train to? 3. Where did he take the midnight train to? 4. How do I feel about your ability to find a better mate?
- [My Latest Favorite Song #17: When I'm Married - Wilder Adkins](https://muttrox.com/2018/01/my-latest-favorite-song-17-when-im-married-wilder-adkins/) - The music is nice, and lyrics are even better. I rarely pay much attention to the words, but these are a cut above. This is a view of marriage that is much more mature than your typical love song. I have a feeling we'll be playing this at our anniversaries for a while.
- [Predicting Muellers findings](https://muttrox.com/2017/12/predicting-muellers-findings/) - We’ve all been following the Comey/Mueller investigation. What will come of it? Here are my predictions. Trump did not collude. (I’m using the term collusion loosely, including conspiracy and such.) Some folks within the Trump camp, including family members and higherups aligned themselves with the Russians, knowingly. They are guilty, and are traitors. Other higherups
- [William Cohan pile-on](https://muttrox.com/2017/12/william-cohan-pile-on/) - Back in 2015, I wrote a little piece ripping apart an editorial from William Cohan. Lo and Behold, Paul Krugman also lit into him, independently. Always good to have a Nobel Prize winner on your side.
- [Natural Selection in Toilet Paper](https://muttrox.com/2017/12/natural-selection-in-toilet-paper/) - Ever seen this? The toilet paper holder has two rolls. Its easier to keep toilet paper in the stall if one roll is completed all the way, so this sticker is placed on a random roll. That's the seemingly logical explanation. But the true explanation is that one roll has mutated, and by chance has
- [Unneeded Quotes #3](https://muttrox.com/2017/12/unneeded-quotes-3/) - This is ridiculous. ;
- [Sometimes Telling Jokes to Kids Just Wastes Time](https://muttrox.com/2017/12/sometimes-telling-jokes-to-kids-just-wastes-time/) - Me, telling a blonde joke: How many blondes does it take to change a lightbulb? Child 1: Two. Child 2: No, three. Me: Um. It takes four. One to hold the lightbulb, three to turn the ladder. Get it? Child 2: I was closer! Me: That's not the point! Child 1: Why does it take
- [My Latest Favorite Song #15: Mull of Kintyre (Paul McCartney and Wings)](https://muttrox.com/2017/11/my-latest-favorite-song-15-mull-of-kintyre-paul-mccartney-and-wings/) - This was one of the best-selling songs of all time in the United Kingdom. You've probably never heard it in the United States. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5626WzsfMw I don't know any other big hits featuring the bagpipes, does anyone else?
- [Six Flags is Very Stupid, or Very Funny](https://muttrox.com/2017/12/six-flags-is-very-stupid-or-very-funny/) - Cyclone, the wooden roller coaster at Six Flags over Georgia is closed down forever. Presumably it will be replaced by something more modern. Notice the estimated wait time. Over 60 minutes. This is true, the actual wait time is hundreds of thousands of minutes.
- [My Latest Favorite Song #16: Stevie Wonder Does the Beatles](https://muttrox.com/2017/12/my-latest-favorite-song-16/) - It isn't easy to improve on The Beatles. It takes some giant grapes to say you can do their song better than they did. Like many Motown artists, Stevie Wonder was a Beatles fan—of sorts. “Stevie loved the Beatles, mostly Lennon and McCartney for their writing,” Wonder’s childhood best friend John Glover says in Mark
- [More Kids Thoughts on Heaven](https://muttrox.com/2017/12/more-kids-thoughts-on-heaven/) - "When I go to heaven, I'm gonna have my own waterpark for my backyard." "Me too! We can all have waterparks!" "But you have to ask to go, you don't always get it, because it's heaven." "Or you could have a warm comfy bed to snuggle in!" You have a comfy bed all the time
- [Airplane Wings and Bernoulli's Theorem](https://muttrox.com/2017/12/airplane-wings-and-bernoullis-theorem/) - I don't understand how Bernoulli's theorem works with airplane wings. The top of the wing is curved. Therefore, the air going past the top has a longer path to travel. Which means that it is moving faster than the air going past the bottom of the wing. Which, by the theorem, means it is lower
- [How Weird are Medical Expenses?](https://muttrox.com/2017/10/how-weird-are-medical-expenses/) - Trivia: This summer, I dealt with a kidney stone and my son broke his arm. How much do you think the total charges were? One answer is: Just over $50,000. Another answer is: Just over $6,600. You see a few things when you look at the bills. 1) Lots of charges for things I never
- [Roy Moore Post-Mortem](https://muttrox.com/2017/12/roy-moore-post-mortem/) - Most of the obvious points have been covered already. I enjoyed this post from Matt Yglesias, particularly the role of luck and comparing it to Donald Trumps successes. A couple other thoughts: 1) Voter Suppression Turnout in the black and poor demographic was very high. If it hadn’t been, Moore would have beaten Jones. You
- [Enough is Enough](https://muttrox.com/2017/10/enough-is-enough/) - Stairway to Heaven and Welcome to the Jungle were deleted from my playlist. They are both self-evidently amazing songs, but at some point you don’t need to hear them a ten-thousandth time.
- [Goodbye Tom Price](https://muttrox.com/2017/10/goodbye-tom-price/) - Tom Price was a terrible congressman for Georgia. I don't mean he was ineffective, I mean he fought for terrible policies firmly in line with hard right ideology. It was a pleasure to see him go to Washington and fall on his face. After a hard fought race, the GOP retained his seat with a
- [Patriots: Greatest of All Time](https://muttrox.com/2017/02/patriots-greatest-of-all-time/) - There is no argument anymore. The best there has ever been.
- [Trump: Picking the Worst](https://muttrox.com/2017/01/trump-picking-the-worst/) - As Donald Trump prepares to become the most powerful person in the world, it is hard to know where to push back. There are so many aspects to the awfulness, you have to step back and prioritize the outrage. As bad as he is with women and other groups, the march on Washington is small
- [The Barry Gibb Talk Show](https://muttrox.com/2016/08/the-barry-gibb-talk-show/) - One of my favorite skits ever is The Barry Gibb Talk Show. From a comedic perspective, I love schticks like this that are several concepts piled on top of each other. The crazy voice, the great song, the anger issues, the juxtoposing of serious political though, the vapidity of Robin, that they are clearly the
- [The Internet Delivers: Glasses](https://muttrox.com/2016/07/the-internet-delivers-glasses/) - I stepped on my glasses this morning, a lens popped out. A little googling, a little youtubing and the below video showed me how to fix it easily. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-kC1UVj9yY It is amazing how I take this for granted. Ten years ago I would drive to a glasses store, and hope they would do it for
- [Too much Thievery](https://muttrox.com/2016/07/too-much-thievery/) - By complete coincidence, one of these two books is my next one to read: How to choose...
- [God, I Hate Poker so Much](https://muttrox.com/2016/06/god-i-hate-poker-so-much/) - I did some bar poker this week. Night one: In three hours, I had pocket 7s once, A-2 another time. That was the best I ever saw. Two bluffs did not work out. Blinded to death. Night two: A-K suited on the third hand. Raise 6x, two callers. Flop is A-9-8. Check to me, I
- [Meet the New Car, Same as the Old Car](https://muttrox.com/2016/06/meet-the-new-car-same-as-the-old-car/) - After eight years of driving a standard mid-manager Acura TL, I'd had enough. After months and months of test driving, I made a big decision. My new car would be... Another Acura TL. (Kids not included) I love it. The old one wasn't worth very much, so I took the 20% hit and painlessly sold
- [The New Muttroxmobile](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/the-new-muttroxmobile/) - My cover as a stereotypical yuppie grows ever deeper. Yesterday I got my first luxury car (entry-level, but give me a break). I'm the proud owner of the 2005 Acura TL below. I'm starting to learn my way around the car buying thing. The last one I got the dealers to compete amongst themselves. For
- [Milton Friedman vs. Bernie Sanders](https://muttrox.com/2016/06/milton-friedman-vs-bernie-sanders/) - I was not all the way convinced, but a great mix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_5uw0QzJNw
- [Plotholes: The Dark Knight Rises](https://muttrox.com/2016/01/plotholes-the-dark-knight-rises/) - Since I am constantly complaining at the absurdities that litter movies, this will start a new running feature. We just re-watched The Dark Knight Rises. Like most movies by the Nolan brothers, it is a great movie that should have been chopped down by 10-20%. Anyhow... Bruce Wayne must escape from the very same prison
- [My Latest Favorite Song: #13](https://muttrox.com/2015/12/my-latest-favorite-song-11-2/) - This isn't my latest by a long shot. When Mrs. Muttrox and I were vacationing in France five years ago, this song was on the radio and kept us going. When we got back to the States, it took a long time to track it down because (1) we couldn't remember the lyrics, and (2)
- [My Latest Favorite Song #12](https://muttrox.com/2014/08/my-latest-favorite-song-11/) - As long as we're hitting up Fleetwood Mac, here's another great unknown one. Steal your Heart Away, from 2003. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4EVEm-5vMI
- [My Latest Favorite Song #11](https://muttrox.com/2014/07/my-latest-favorite-song-10-2/) - I read Mick Fleetwood's autobiography. I've always loved Rhiannon, and hearing the back story and how they used to do it live got me curious. They were awesome at it. Just awesome. Watch the video below, particularly around 2:30 when the dynamics and jam start up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtPyk8_onO8 Here's a couple other good versions: Didi Benami
- [My Latest Favorite Song #5](https://muttrox.com/2013/08/my-latest-favorite-song-5/) - K.D. Lang covers Helpless by Neil Young https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5KRVtjgMkM Thanks big bro!
- [My Latest Favorite Song #4](https://muttrox.com/2013/08/my-latest-favorite-song-4/) - Shawn Colvin's cover of Crazy is fantastic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7ITHanhV6A
- [My Latest Favorite Song #3](https://muttrox.com/2013/07/my-latest-favorite-song-3/) - I can melt into this one. I listen to it three or four times in a row. Thank you Jamie, for turning me on to Gillian Welch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miIeU_kIljk The live version is also very fine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DjXRp36yrs
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2015/12/links-o-interest-133/) - How to appear smart during meetings This is great street art in Portland – many days I feel like this. And watching my kids go through the educational system reinforces it. This Grantland article is a wonderful history and overview of waterparks. The web design is very engaging as well. This schoolchilds Haiku is spot
- [Democrats, Republicans, and Lying*](https://muttrox.com/2015/12/democrats-republicans-and-lying/) - Paul Krugman had the same reaction to this article as I did. The conclusion is obvious, even if the editorial writer didn't want to say it. The Democrats and Republicans approach truth differently. One side cares about facts, the other doesn't. Another interpretation is possible. The lying also clusters around the folks who haven't actually
- [Wisdom from the Wife](https://muttrox.com/2015/09/wisdom-from-the-wife/) - Mrs. Muttrox came over holding the paper. "Hon, you'll love this. This article is so stupid! It reminds me of something you said last week." She had no idea she had just insulted me so cleverly.
- [I Saved a Life Today](https://muttrox.com/2015/09/i-saved-a-life-today/) - Last week, I was checking in on Clash of Clans. In my clans chat, there was a note from a girl who said "Is anyone there?", "I need advice". I asked her what she needed. I assumed it was the usual, should I upgrade a tesla or an archer tower, etc. But no, she said
- [How to Write a Deceptive Op-Ed, featuring William D. Cohan](https://muttrox.com/2015/08/how-to-write-a-deceptive-op-ed-featuring-william-d-cohan/) - The August 29th New York Times had an op-ed by William D. Cohan entitled, "Show Some Spine, Federal Reserve". It is a wonderful case study in how to write from a biased point of view. Let's go through it in a bet of depth, shall we? Our tour starts at the title itself. The basic
- [Wisdom from the 4-year old](https://muttrox.com/2015/05/wisdom-from-the-4-year-old/) - Long ago, we read Dr. Seuss' classic tale "The Lorax" to our four year old. It is still a great book. The message still holds up. When we had finished, we discussed the book. Mom looked him in the eye and said, "Do you see what happened? The Onceler was very greedy. He wanted more
- [The Who turns 50: Atlanta Review](https://muttrox.com/2015/04/the-who-turns-50-atlanta-review/) - Here we are in Atlanta, Georgia on April 23, 2015 to see The Who hits 50. I last saw them in 2012. I paid for the VIP tickets and watched from the third row. This time I was in the company suite, way up in the rafters. A very different experience! I don't have good
- [John Roberts: Most Qualified Juror Ever](https://muttrox.com/2015/04/john-roberts-most-qualified-juror-ever/) - Everything about this story makes me love America. Chief Justice John Roberts is called for jury duty and shows up. And this is not terribly unusual.
- [Wisdom From the Eight Year Old](https://muttrox.com/2014/08/wisdom-from-the-eight-year-old/) - Me: You're right, that pizza took a long time to get here. But you know what they say, "Better late than never" Him: Not if someone is trying to kill you!
- [Muttroxia Help Needed ](https://muttrox.com/2014/08/muttroxia-help-needed/) - With the recent upgrade, many image links seem to have broken. They are easily fixed, but they need to be tracked down one by one. If you happen to see a broken link, let me know. Thanks.
- [French Sundries #5: Digital Pricing](https://muttrox.com/2010/10/french-sundries-5-digital-pricing/) - I liked this innovation. Each product has a digital pricetag. That way all the prices can be updated automatically. I assume it is integrated with the cash register technology so that it always scans the right price. I've heard this is done in some places in the USA, but I've never seen it. A further
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2014/07/links-o-interest-132/) - Welcome back to the blog! As a reward, you get a big batch of links. World Cup: Traffic during USA Germany game Ten brands to rule them all Skydiver almost hit by meteorite Oh my god Alex Trebek makes a funny I wish this didn’t make me laugh Kafka’s joke book That is a wonderful
- [I'm Back!!!](https://muttrox.com/2014/07/im-back-2/) - It has been an epic struggle. I am back. I have lost anything posted since March 18th, but that is a small price to pay. Thanks to Sid, and thanks to the fantastic tech support people at GoDaddy.
- [Goal Achieved](https://muttrox.com/2014/03/goal-achieved/) - 315 / 45 / 165? 163.4 Yeah!
- [My Latest Favorite Song #10](https://muttrox.com/2014/03/my-latest-favorite-song-10/) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvGIMJyl4w4 Okay, it's not a new one for me. But this particular version kills. Just kills! Simon playing wah-wah adds so much. This seems to have been the highlight song from that tour. Eminence Front was unworldly at the Atlanta show "l'il bro" and I saw. I don't think there is any other Who song
- [Personal Best: Steps record](https://muttrox.com/2014/03/personal-best-steps-record/) - Best week ever for walking.
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2014/03/links-o-interest-131/) - Bille Jean is almost certainly true. Or maybe not. You know Yao Ming is big. But he’s really big. A truly wonderful essay on life as an old person. Reich Friends Troubles with a survey I don't know how this was done. I don't know why this was done. I am glad it was done.
- [Thoughts on Treating a Condition For Which I'd Rather Not Mention Specifics](https://muttrox.com/2014/03/thoughts-on-treating-a-condition-for-which-id-rather-not-mention-specifics/) - Land o' Goshen, that stuff works great. Witch Hazel, thank you very much!
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2013/11/links-o-interest-130/) - This is a very nicely presented video on wealth inequality in America. Among other things, compares peoples perceptions of how it is with their opinions on how it ought to be, and puts those both against reality. A bit slow, but eye-opening for most. A nice legal response from the Cleveland Browns. This petting zoo
- [My Latest Favorite Song #9](https://muttrox.com/2013/11/my-latest-favorite-song-9/) - I like Kings of Leon. They tend towards the harder side of rock and roll, but I also enjoy their quieter songs. Here are a pair of songs from them that I can play over and over. They are easy to sink into. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PzRpe36Qls http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWkYu-hYTZs Kings of Leon are great craftsmen. They don't do solos.
- [Distractions in Cars](https://muttrox.com/2013/11/distractions-in-cars/) - There are a few auto accessories that ought to be illegal. (Or if they already are illegal, enforced.) 1) The fancy rims. The rims keep turning after the vehicle is stopped. That gives false visual information. At some level it appears that the vehicle is moving when it isn't. 2) CDs and pendants hanging from
- [My Latest Favorite Song #8](https://muttrox.com/2013/11/my-latest-favorite-song-8/) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_tBHoRaxns
- [Thomas Covenant](https://muttrox.com/2013/11/thomas-covenant/) - I'm going back to the past. I haven't read these books for over twenty years. They were some of my favorites back then. So far they are worse than I remember, but better than I expected.
- [Bodily Fluids Analysis](https://muttrox.com/2013/10/bodily-fluids-analysis/) - I took two readings on my scale. I took them 1 minute apart, the only difference was my morning pee. Thus, I can now state scientifically that my morning pee weighs 8/10ths of a pound, and increased my body fat by 0.4%. Science has spoken! No skepticism will be tolerated!
- [The State of Political Discourse](https://muttrox.com/2013/10/the-state-of-political-discourse/) - Living in the South, my political views are a minority. I'm used to that. But I will never get used to the lack of subtlety. I respect the directness of the view. But yet. It lacks any sense of message of anything beyond Me-good-you-bad. Where is the beautiful wit of the "F the President" sticker?
- [This is What I Hate About Georgia](https://muttrox.com/2013/10/this-is-what-i-hate-about-georgia/) - When there is something that makes me say, "That is one stupid state", the odds are good it's my own state of Georgia. Sigh. Are you curious to know about those idiotic partisan kamikaze dolts who risked our countries good faith and credit and wreaked vast destruction on the country for no reason? Here they
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2013/10/links-o-interest-129/) - The Kids Meal A generic surprise party Sad boy does the unexpected on talk show Canadian police chase Advice for the newly pregnant and their spouses The Most Amazing Golf Shot Ever Charlotte’s Web Park bench dedication Jason Alexander shows Larry David how to play George Costanza Kiss Cam winner Look behind you Is your
- [Overheard at the Gym](https://muttrox.com/2013/10/overheard-at-the-gym/) - A: I can't believe it. I forgot to pack my work pants to change into. Ugh. B: I have an extra pair you can borrow. A: Really? How come you have an extra pair of pants around? B: My marriage isn't going well. I'm living out of the car these days. A: Wow, that's lucky!!
- [My Latest Favorite Song #7](https://muttrox.com/2013/10/my-latest-favorite-song-7/) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzBJQnD7TRM
- [My First Gym Class](https://muttrox.com/2013/10/my-first-gym-class/) - Despite the many hours of my life that have been spent in the gym, this is the first time I have ever attended a class. There was a spinning class, which I know now is a unnecessary alternative word for biking. As I have been biking regularly as part of my workouts I was looking
- [Context on the Shutdown](https://muttrox.com/2013/10/context-on-the-shutdown/) - Your viewpoint on the GOPs tactics depends less (or should depend less) on your feelings about the existential threat of Obamacare, and more on the precedent it sets. The precedent for using a non-partisan crisis as a hostage for partisan gains, and the precedent it sets for constitutional powers. This is a genuine constitutional crisis.
- [A rough one](https://muttrox.com/2013/10/a-rough-one/) - Days without breaking our garage door: 1 Days without backing into a mailbox: 1
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2013/07/links-o-interest-128/) - Virgin O’ Riley – mashing together Like a Virgin with Baba O’Riley. I’m amazed at how much I liked it. Awesome bachelor party prank, groom thinks he is bungee jumping blindfolded Perspective Incredible camouflage Louisiana literacy test from the racist 1960s. You couldn’t pass it today. Finding your meet cute Should you eat that meat?
- [The Pats (Almost) Perfect Season](https://muttrox.com/2013/07/the-pats-almost-perfect-season/) - It's taken over five years for me to come to peace with it. The scars have healed. Tonight I watched a show about the Patriots loss to the Giants in the 2008 Superbowl. Stupid Giants.
- [I don't understand the point of this post. I can't be the first one to do this.](https://muttrox.com/2013/07/i-dont-understand-the-point-of-this-post-i-cant-be-the-first-one-to-do-this/) - This is not my beautiful house. This is not my beautiful wife. As you were.
- [Goodbye Paul Pierce](https://muttrox.com/2013/06/goodbye-paul-pierce/) - It's a sad week for Celtics fans. We lost Doc, We lost Garnett, we're tanking the 2014 season to get ready for the future. It all makes sense. The one that gets me is Paul Pierce. Pierce has spent his whole career with the Celtics, starting in 1998. Most commentators have spoken about how Pierce
- [Why I'm leaving Barnes & Noble for Amazon](https://muttrox.com/2013/06/why-im-leaving-barnes-noble-for-amazon/) - I was getting ready for a trip and wanted a good book for the plane. I keep a list of books I want to read. It's usually 50-100 titles. I stopped by Barnes & Nobles to pick one up. Barnes and Nobles, the last remaining brick and mortar chain bookstore, went zero for ten. They
- [My Latest Favorite Song (#2)](https://muttrox.com/2013/06/my-latest-favorite-song-2/) - This is Justin Timberlake and Matt Morris from the concert for Haiti. A beautiful rendition of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. Here's some good trivia, apparently Hallelujah is the most covered song ever, it has taken the title from Paul McCartney's Yesterday. Anyhow, watch - and mostly listen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1LOm69hpR0 I mostly know Justin Timberlake for his acting
- [Chik Fil A Advertising](https://muttrox.com/2013/06/chik-fil-a-advertising/) - I am no longer amused by the Chik Fil A cows. Now they just annoy me. The initial idea was very clever, but it gets lamer over time. And weirder. Half of the joke is ripped off from The Far Side. The cows know English, but not quite. Will they ever get better at English?
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2013/05/links-o-interest-127/) - Arrested Development is back! Season 4 Trailer! Save the Date Perspective on Lance Armstrong Shake your head. Wow. Cute girl imitates her Celtics Dad Only 63% of America is working. What are the rest doing? The oddly terrifying laughing without smiling Hey Jude in a minor key. These are fascinating. Now it’s melancholy, but still
- [Our Litigious Society - Ruining Childrens Fun for no Good Reason](https://muttrox.com/2013/05/our-litigious-society-ruining-childrens-fun-for-no-good-reason/) - Our 4-year old went to a birthday party at HippoHop, a.k.a "The Bouncy Place". She finished her birthday cake early, and we went out to do some more bouncing. An employee stopped us shortly after we began. We weren't allowed to bounce anymore. "Why not?" "Because she just ate. She might throw up on another
- [New House = No Keys](https://muttrox.com/2013/03/new-house-no-keys/) - For the first time in many many years, I am living through a regular professional day without any keys. 1) I don't need car keys. I live less than a mile from work. I walked over this morning. I hope to do this more. 2) I don't need house keys. The front door is a
- [The New House: Scenes From the Move](https://muttrox.com/2013/03/the-new-house-scenes-from-the-move/) - As many of you know, the Muttrox clan just upgraded our living situation. Here are some scenes from the transition. We haven't sold the old house yet. They are getting it fixed up. Here are all the doors in a row, all painted white, all drying off. The most important move of them all! The
- [The Litter Paradox](https://muttrox.com/2013/02/the-litter-paradox/) - I love this. Whoever made this was clearly trying to say that trash should be thrown in here. So they labeled it litter. But it isn't! Litter is "Trash, such as paper, cans, and bottles, that is left lying in an open or public place." It was litter until you threw it in here, but
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2013/02/3236/) - Some pictures of Obama Why Coke cost a nickel for 70 years. How long would you last if you were unemployed? An interesting interactive experience. Underappreciated Christmas Card Evil Amazing half-court shot Evangelists Going up… The greatest game of tag ever The 25 best comic strips of all time. (I have my disagreements with the
- [I am Cursed at Superbowl Squares](https://muttrox.com/2013/02/i-am-cursed-at-superbowl-squares/) - Once again, I failed to win any money at SuperBowl Squares. I am a lucky man in nearly every way in life, but in this one way, I am ridiculously unlucky. Consider: I have been playing for approximately twenty years. Each year, I have four chances to win. Each year, I buy between 5 and
- [The Ten Year Old ](https://muttrox.com/2013/01/the-ten-year-old/) - Ten years. As of today, my oldest son is ten years old. Unbelievable to think about that little nothing ten years ago growing into the remarkable child that he is today. Him: There's someone at my school that I'm 7 minutes older than. Me: Really! Who is it? Him: It's Francisca Eason. Me: Huh. How
- [The Tyranny of the Innumerate](https://muttrox.com/2013/01/the-tyranny-of-the-innumerate/) - At a company event, there was a quiz question to win a prize. How much revenue did we make with product X in 2012? Closest guess wins (you can go over). My guess was 9.6 million dollars. The other guesses were $100,000, $150,000, $170,000. The actual answer was 3.3 million dollars. Naturally the host gave
- [Explaining Poker: Harrington is Brilliant](https://muttrox.com/2013/01/explaining-poker-harrington-is-brilliant/) - The first three sentences of Harrington on Hold 'em is about the smartest thing I've ever read about poker: Like all variations of poker, no-limit hold 'em looks like a card game. But it's not, really. No-limit hold 'em is actually a game of wagering base on imperfect information that uses cards to construct the
- [The GOP Gets Generous Media Framing](https://muttrox.com/2013/01/the-gop-gets-generous-media-framing/) - From today's New York Times. The party’s deficit-cutting agenda relies heavily on reducing taxes for the wealthy, which irks middle-class voters, and cutting spending on government programs, like Social Security and Medicare, that are popular with many voters. This has it exactly backwards. The party's agenda is not deficit-cutting that chooses reducing taxes for the
- [The Seven-Year Old Finds Adult Motivations Mysterious](https://muttrox.com/2012/12/the-seven-year-old-finds-adult-motivations-mysterious/) - Out of nowhere: Him: Dad, did you know there are naked ladies on YouTube? Me (taken by surprise): What? Him: Yeah, they just dance and stuff with no clothes on. Me (trying to be factual): Yes. Yes, I did know that. Him: It's weird! Dad, Dad - why would a lady take off her clothes
- [Muttrox Tells a Lie](https://muttrox.com/2012/11/muttrox-tells-a-lie/) - This is very loosely based on the short-lived show Penn & Teller tell a lie. I give a bunch of statements. Some are true, some are false, it's your job to figure out which is which. Unlike the show, there is more than one lie. I'm not telling how many there are, that's for you
- [Book Un-Recommendations](https://muttrox.com/2012/11/book-un-recommendations/) - The Road (Cormac McCarthy): Like being hit over and over and over. Unending depression and bleakness until it hurts to read anymore. Reading this book is like doing penance. He's a great author, but I still wish I had never read this. The Mary Russell mysteries (Laurie King): Other people I know love these. These
- [The Business World is run by Six-year Olds](https://muttrox.com/2012/11/the-business-world-is-run-by-six-year-olds/) - If it doesn't rhyme, it's not worth the time. Pump and dump Tease and cease Pan and scan Creature feature Feature preacher Burn and churn Market maker or market taker Learn more to earn more (A very sad way of looking at the world) Defend the spend How many more do you know?
- [The Who: Quadrophenia 2012 Review](https://muttrox.com/2012/11/the-who-quadrophenia-2012-review/) - The Who at Gwinnet Arena (Georgia) – November 5th 2012 Background: For the first time I ponied up to see The Who up close, with the Signature VIP package. I had never seen them close enough that I watched them consistently instead of the video screen. As part of the package, I had 3rd row,
- [](https://muttrox.com/2012/11/3121/) - This is about the most amazing crossword puzzle I've ever seen in my life. It picked the winner of the 1996 presidential election. Check out the details. It was right no matter who won.
- [Facebook Advertising](https://muttrox.com/2012/10/3111/) - The below ad was on my facebook screen. I find it brilliant. Why? Because the images are completely interchangeable. Any picture goes with any text. Brilliant!
- [Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Bankrupt](https://muttrox.com/2012/10/rich-dad-poor-dad-bankrupt/) - There's something priceless about this. When I first read this book, I felt I was alone in my skepticism. This somehow vindicates me. PHOENIX -- Robert Kiyosaki made himself a mogul with four little words -- Rich Dad, Poor Dad. The book, aimed to educate the masses with the goal of making them rich, captured
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2012/10/links-o-interest-126/) - 5-second films http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_554276&feature=iv&src_vid=saqO_ZqX6uY&v=-u4kwkWXrAU Jump Man – A fantastic time lapse project The McBain snippets from The Simpsons, shown in order, actually make a coherent story http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/216daf534a/mcbain-the-full-movie More random old celebrity pictures Great beer ad Missing woman searches for herself Carnival ringer – wins all the prizes and gives them away. Support for Dad at the
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2012/08/links-o-interest-125/) - Wonderful pictures from the first half of 2012 Powerball simulator. Pretty sobering. I ran it for a couple hundred years before moving on. What newcomers to America find incredible How the human face is formed. Animation inside the womb, amazing. Conversation with my 12-year old self Jesus on homesexuality Real life Wall-E How to get
- [My brother wins an Emmy!](https://muttrox.com/2012/09/my-brother-wins-an-emmy/) - Creative Arts Emmys | Movie Trailer | Review
- [Idol Gets Told Off](https://muttrox.com/2012/09/idol-gets-told-off/) - Just priceless. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5aCEe41Z6c
- [Wise Lyrics from the 4-year old](https://muttrox.com/2012/08/wise-lyrics-from-the-4-year-old/) - "You got to leave your heart on, so you won't get hurt!"
- [Worst Rapping. Just the Worst.](https://muttrox.com/2012/07/worst-rapping-just-the-worst/) - This has to be the least artful metaphor I have heard in my life. If I was an old school, fifty pound boombox (remember them?) Would you hold me on your shoulder, wherever you walk? Would you turn my volume up in front of the cops And crank it higher every time they told you
- [Fourteen Reasons Why This is the Worst Congress Ever](https://muttrox.com/2012/07/fourteen-reasons-why-this-is-the-worst-congress-ever/) - Written by Ezra Klein. Wonderful collection, and dead on. 14 reasons why this is the worst Congress ever
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2012/07/links-o-interest-124/) - How we die, 1900 - 2010. Go to Google. Search on "askew". Neat! You can also type "do a barrel roll" and here are some other tricks. Darth Vader and Son. Cute. 21 unexplainable things found on dating sites I'm a bus! Paul McCartney and David Gilmour at a Led Zep show. Color pictures of
- [Debts, Deficits, and Spending: Yes, Obama has Reduced Spending.](https://muttrox.com/2012/07/debts-deficits-and-spending-yes-obama-has-reduced-spending/) - There's an argument whether Obama has reduced spending or not. The answer is yes. This answer seems counter-intuitive to many, so let's run through it. There are two main points of dispute. 1) What years count? In particular, do you count 2009 towards Obama or Bush? Some try to put it under the Obama category,
- [Stop Saying "Happy 4th"](https://muttrox.com/2012/07/stop-saying-happy-4th/) - The holiday is Independence Day, not July 4th. It commemorates England's colony deciding to secede, not an arbitrary calendar day. You don't say "Happy 25th" on Christmas, do you? You don't say "Happy 1st" on New Years Day, do you? You shouldn't say it on Independence Day either.
- [A "Few" Thoughts](https://muttrox.com/2009/03/a-few-thoughts/) - I always thought these categories were clear. How many is a couple? Two. How many is a few? Three. Maybe four. A handful is five. Exactly. Several is seven. Maybe six or eight. A bunch is anywhere from 5-15. Usually means a bit more than you might expect. It turns out there's a lot of
- [Massachusetts is Wicked Pissa](https://muttrox.com/2012/06/massachusetts-is-wicked-pissa/) - This is a nice ode to how great Massachusetts is. As a proud product of a public school that seems superior to just about every private school graduate I've ever met (yeah, that's us winning the nations 2012 Science Bowl), I heartily agree with this: First up is education, the foundation of America’s meritocratic values
- [The Great Walt Disney World Loophole: Or How I Learned to Love the Rider Switch](https://muttrox.com/2012/05/the-great-walt-disney-world-loophole-or-how-i-learned-to-love-the-rider-switch/) - If you have a child the right age, the child swap ticket (officially known as the rider switch) is amazing. You get on so many rides and skip so many lines, it's like cheating. Here's how it works. You walk up to the line, children in tow. You show the worker that you have one
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2012/04/links-o-interest-123/) - Texts from Hillary. Hilarious. She is cool about it. Her husband does not inspire the same reaction, but c'mon Obama, did you have to take it out on Stephen. But ya gotta love him, 218 reasons to vote for Obama, from Forbes. O no! Tony! Harry Potter, with the save Lost phone Honest t-shirt Scooby
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2012/03/links-o-interest-122/) - Krusty the Clown as a child Cats and babies How to piss off a frog (Not) understanding Miles Per Hour. I imagine they broke up soon after. Rock and Roll map Incredible pic of the Southern Lights from the International Space Station Batman cruising in Maryland Warning sign The man who broke Atlantic City Pandas
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2012/03/links-o-interest-121/) - 218 reasons to vote for Obama, from Forbes Anger Issues O no! Tony! Harry Potter, with the save Lost phone Honest t-shirt Scooby Dooby don’t Let me get that for you Roommate thieves? Oh no he didn’t! There’s the guy Daddy! Automobile polo, from the good ol’ days Scare yourself every day – 365 days
- [Book Reccomendations](https://muttrox.com/2012/03/book-reccomendations/) - Nurture Shock:: What is the latest science saying about parenting? A lot. And you don't know most of it. How does language acquisition actually work? You know sleep is important, but how important. Having your kids lie to you can be a good thing. Each chapter takes a slice and educates you. The only bad
- [A Fine Poker Achievement](https://muttrox.com/2012/03/a-fine-poker-achievement/) - Well over $100 million. Whoopie doo for me!
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2012/02/links-o-interest-120/) - Too much awesome in this 2011 compilation Warren Buffett explains gold investing. As always, incredibly clear and insightful. I need a girl The end of MacGyver How greeting cards get written (interview) How casinos distract you Bieber Mary and Joseph 70s rock stars with their parents Tom Brady fail made me giggle Kissing Hanks Ass.
- [Kevin Garnett is even better than you think.](https://muttrox.com/2012/02/kevin-garnett-is-even-better-than-you-think/) - This is a very good article on how analytics are used in the NBA. Fans of Moneyball will especially enjoy it. An economist named David Berri, citing a stat he created called Wins Produced, which boils down a player's positive and negative contributions into one number, went so far as to argue that KG was
- [False Advertising at Caear's Palace](https://muttrox.com/2012/02/false-advertising-at-caears-palace/) - I'm a simple man. I like to use soap. Not hand lotion or body lotion or whatever trendy people call the stuff, I just want ordinary soap. So I was confused by Caesar's Palace. They had both a skincare bar and a cleansing bar. Which one was the soap? Come to think of it, what's
- [They'll be Profitable Any Day Now...](https://muttrox.com/2012/02/theyll-be-profitable-any-day-now/) - I get a lot of dumb solicitations at work. This is one of the best. Really? A whole company, just to sell an automated signature? Give me a break.
- [Great Caeser's Ghost, That's Yummy Branding!](https://muttrox.com/2012/02/great-caesers-ghost-thats-yummy-branding/) - The waffle at Caeser's Palace. Complete with a portrait of Julius Caesar in the middle. Amazing. Amazing because I had said to myself , "For $19, this waffle had better have a #$@*@! picture of Caesar on it!"
- [The Worst Day of the Year](https://muttrox.com/2012/02/the-worst-day-of-the-year/) - Putting away the Pats gear
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2012/02/links-o-intereest/) - My only Superbowl commentary: Madonna on the shoulders of a bald man Cartman We hate math! The Beatles: ready to make history Monopoly is an old game The page turner. I never get tired of these Rube Goldberg devices. Work it: The review. The show was cancelled shortly after. Death Star Assault. I giggled the
- [Super Bowl Bets](https://muttrox.com/2012/02/super-bowl-bets/) - I love being in Las Vegas! Lots of action riding tonight. Here are the bets I have riding on today's game. Pats to win (straight up moneyline) Pats to have five or less penalties The under (54 points) Eli will pass for less than 303 yards More second half points than first half points. I
- [Ron Paul, Straight Up](https://muttrox.com/2012/02/ron-paul-straight-up/) - Ron Paul. Even when you disagree with him, it's marvelous to hear coherent honest opinions.
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2012/02/poker-update-58/) - I always win at the casino. Despite my lackluster success the last couple years in home games, I never lose for real money in a real setting. Today was a personal best. Playing an hour and half at 1-3 no limit, I ended up $525. Oh yeah, baby! Why do I win in the 'real'
- [Muttrox on the GOP Candidates](https://muttrox.com/2012/01/muttrox-on-the-gop-candidates/) - Mitt Romney: Ruled as a centrist when he was governor of Massachusetts. Brings a great deal of good private sector experience. Not as slavish to the interests of the rich as the others. He has been socially right-wing for a long time, the question is always, is he truthful? There is a suspicion that if
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2012/01/links-o-interest-119/) - Church review Helpful advice from a sign Blatant discrimination He asked for his Dad to come home. Babe, I'm pregnant. Don't even know what to say about this A great intervention Tim Howard scores a goal from 100 yards away. Praystation Beatbox flute The many D'ohs of Homer Simpson An incredible game of tennis Sleeping
- [How the GOP candiates favor the rich](https://muttrox.com/2012/01/how-the-gop-candiates-favor-the-rich/) - A truly excellent post lays out the impact of the candidate's tax plans to various income levels. It is not a surprise they all favor the rich. It may surprise some readers to see that Romney's is the least unequal, keeping the distribution more or less like today. One more illustration that all the candidates
- [I've Hit the Meeting Tipping Point](https://muttrox.com/2012/01/ive-hit-the-meeting-tipping-point/) - The number of meetings at work have gotten way out of control. In a regular work day, I get invited to approximately 1.25 workdays worth of meetings. Somewhere we hit the tipping point. I am somewhat in the minority in believing that most meetings I am at are not like the above, they are actually
- [Bad User Interface: Toilet Paper Holder](https://muttrox.com/2011/09/bad-user-interface-toilet-paper-holder/) - How can you screw up a toilet paper holder? The 'bumps' where the holder goes into the wall are big enough that the roll rubs on them. The friction means that the roll doesn't roll. If it was a quarter inch wider or further from the wall... doesn't anyone test these things before they are
- [A Business Center Destroys the English Language](https://muttrox.com/2011/09/a-business-center-destroys-the-english-language/) - This is a sign for the business center at a conference: Man, I just want to make a couple xeroxes! Calm down, Hewlett Packard!
- [The Youngest One Nails It](https://muttrox.com/2012/01/the-youngest-one-nails-it/) - During SportsCenter, there was an ad for Victoria's Secret. A typical ad, come to our semi-annual something sale, while the models gyrate in the lingerie. As it ended, our three year old announced perkily - "Naked!" Yep, close enough.
- [Post Holiday Awkwardness](https://muttrox.com/2012/01/post-holiday-awkwardness/) - It was the first day back at work after the break. I was walking down the hall behind a female friend. Let's call her Alice. Another co-worker leaned out from her office, after we had passed. Her: Jennifer, you look great! [Jennifer is not around, so no one replies.] Her: Hey, Jennifer! Happy New Years!
- [Most Frustrating Product of 2011: The Oddly Not-Quite Right Water Dispenser](https://muttrox.com/2012/01/most-frustrating-product-of-2011-the-oddly-not-quite-right-water-dispenser/) - You can't see it in this picture, but the water switch is an on/off switch. This machine has the ability to give you: Ice only Ice and Water (which is 80% ice) It cannot give you water only. This is because there is no switch to control the ice, only the water. Why not? How
- ["Retrieve password" is not the same as "Reset password"](https://muttrox.com/2012/01/retrieve-password-is-not-the-same-as-reset-password/) - Dear Apple (and many others), When you tell me to click here to "retrieve my password", why won't you let me simply retrieve my password!? Instead, you make me change it. I don't want to change it. I have a good password that meets all your stupid criteria, I like it. My account has not
- [Rick Santorum is Pathetic](https://muttrox.com/2011/12/rick-santorum-is-pathetic/) - These are the funniest couple of paragraphs I've read in some time: Rick Santorum, who has seen his support rise sharply in several recent Iowa polls, was mobbed by reporters during an afternoon stop at a Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar in Ames, where patrons were gathered to watch Iowa State battle Rutgers in
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2011/12/links-o-interest-118/) - Deconstructing that great Beatles chord Milton Berle vs Warldorf and Statler. Milton loses. Christmas vandalism The most interesting economic graphs of the year. Turkey epiphany Accurate tattoo Fantastic epilogue to The Breakfast Club. Tollbooth speed demon Cheap toy Correlation vs Causation Accidental Optical Illusion Community and Beetlejuice. When the show seems stupidest, the clever stuff
- [Being Poor](https://muttrox.com/2011/12/being-poor/) - Being Pooris still one of the most powerful reads on the internet. Some excerpts: Being poor is hoping the toothache goes away. Being poor is knowing your kid goes to friends’ houses but never has friends over to yours. Being poor is going to the restroom before you get in the school lunch line so
- [More Sports Guy Idiocy](https://muttrox.com/2011/12/more-sports-guy-idiocy/) - His innumeracy marches on. You don't need any context. Just review the math. Theory 1: Probability 40% Theory 2: Probability 1% Theory 3: Probability 50% Theory 4: Probability 60% Theory 5: Probability 35% Theory 6: Probability 10% Theory 7: Probability 80% Theory 8: Probability 80% Theory 9: Probability 5% Adding up to a total probability
- [Paid Time Off](https://muttrox.com/2008/02/paid-time-off/) - This graph makes you think: And as I always have to point out, that final bar showing 10 is for Japan, not America. America has no bar, because Americans, alone in the developed world, aren't guaranteed even one day of paid vacation. I did not know that.
- [More Journalistic Innumeracy](https://muttrox.com/2011/11/more-journalistic-innumeracy/) - I suppose I'm demanding too much of our local paper. But this bugs me. 11/11/11 is very special to two boys and two moms Friday will have a date that occurs only once in a century: 11/11/11. Besides being the title of a movie thriller debuting this week, these numbers have significance for many people
- [Suitcase Full of Cash](https://muttrox.com/2011/02/suitcase-full-of-cash/) - A common trope in movies is the suitcase full of cash. Sometimes it's the protagonist stumbling across it (No Country for Old Men, A Simple Plan). Sometimes it's for ransom. But whenever you see it, the suitcase is full of cash. A briefcase is filled right to the brim, in neat piles that all happen
- [Useless Signage](https://muttrox.com/2011/11/useless-signage/) - Companion Care Restroom!? What on earth does that mean? I wonder if it got the ridiculous name because of political correctness when referring to a family, or some kind of bad translation. Either way, it's absurd. This is a bathroom. For a family. Family restroom. Done.
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2011/11/links-o-interest-117/) - Christmas spirit Drawing a spiral portrait. Wow. Occupy Wall Street fail How did we get seven billion humans on earth anyways (estimated to have happened Oct 31, 2011)? Ah, Vegas Your band sucks I thought that was metaphorical The number seven responds to the rumors A mean joke Great Halloween costume Mug shot of the
- [French Sundries #7: Labeling Floors in the Elevator](https://muttrox.com/2010/10/french-sundries-7-labeling-floors-in-the-elevator/) - Floor zero is the lobby. The basement is the "-1" floor. I was very confused the first time I saw this, but it makes a lot of sense.
- [Occupy Wall Street and Voting](https://muttrox.com/2011/11/occupy-wall-street-and-voting/) - I wonder what the voting participation rate is among the Occupy Wall Street crowd. Do you think it's higher or lower than comparable cohorts? After all, one answer to OWS is - why don't you go out an elect candidates who will support your interests? If you want to increase corporate taxes (for example), why
- [I'm Done with The Simpsons](https://muttrox.com/2011/11/im-done-with-the-simpsons/) - It had to happen sometime. It's just not funny anymore. I cancelled the season pass on TiVo.
- [Meet the Newest Addtion to the Family](https://muttrox.com/2011/11/meet-the-newest-addtion-to-the-family/) - We just adopted a puppy! Sweet sassafrass, this little guy is cute! Update: We named him Oliver.
- [I Could go for Some Knapps Right About Now.](https://muttrox.com/2011/11/i-could-go-for-some-knapps-right-about-now/) - Seriously. It would really hit the spot.
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2011/10/links-o-interest-116/) - Don’t make me sing! Zach get out-Zach'd. You know about Between Two Ferns, right? Is the NBA just millionaires vs billionaires? Did you know that 60% of NBA players declare bankruptcy within five years of retirement? A whole section for this!? Tom Hanks vs The Fonz. A batch of great old photos. And some more.
- [Rewarding Charity](https://muttrox.com/2011/10/rewarding-charity/) - This is the way you do a "Thank you for your donation" Makes a man feel good to help out.
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2011/10/poker-update-57/) - I haven't posted much about poker because there isn't much to say. Full Tilt got shut down, we don't have as many local games, and not much new to say. I've also been playing badly and who wants to blog how bad they are? Not me! The last few outings I've lost money for the
- [Elizabeth Warren](https://muttrox.com/2011/10/elizabeth-warren/) - This is priceless.
- [Rick Perry and Race](https://muttrox.com/2011/10/rick-perry-and-race/) - How does this not completely destroy him? In the early years of his political career, Rick Perry began hosting fellow lawmakers, friends and supporters at his family’s secluded West Texas hunting camp, a place known by the name painted in block letters across a large, flat rock standing upright at its gated entrance. “Niggerhead,” it
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2011/10/links-o-interest-115/) - Job interivew Why an old folk-music collector has the copyright for a Jay-Z song. Traffic stop joke Another great drumming video Great pole dancing move (seriously) Smooth recovery Michelle Bachman tapes a soundbite. Atheist bake sale. I like the last one. CNN soundtrack fail Nailed it. Deaf person hearing herself for the first time. These
- [Why Don't Hotels Have Overhead Lights?](https://muttrox.com/2011/09/why-dont-hotels-have-overhead-lights/) - I've never been in a hotel room that had overhead lighting. Instead the lighting is from a half-dozen individual lamps. Each of these lamps takes up a lot of space and only illuminates its own area of the room. Even within the same room, they are controlled by different switching interfaces - wall switches, base
- [Glee on Bohemian Rhapsody: Not so Good](https://muttrox.com/2011/09/2621/) - As long as I'm complaining, the Glee version of Bohemian Rhapsody (which I'm told is selling more than the original) is similarly bad. Cheesy and overblown, and that's before you have to suffer through the video. Clearly lip-synched (more so than usual), featuring a birth sequence that (as usual for bad television) features no pain
- [OK Go](https://muttrox.com/2011/09/ok-go/) - OK Go is vastly overrated. Their clever videos hide the fact that their songs aren't any good.
- [Goodbye to All That (Congress)](https://muttrox.com/2011/09/goodbye-to-all-that-congress/) - This goodbye piece, from a long time congressional worker, should be mandatory reading. James Fallows provides an interesting follow up. In a related piece, Joe Nocera has a fawning profile of Jim Cooper as "The Last Moderate". It reinforces one of my perennial themes, the perfidy of Newt Gingrich. "To Cooper, the true villain is
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2011/09/links-o-interest-114/) - The world hits seven billion (that’s 7,000,000,000!) people! A Texas senator I suddenly like. A lot. Oprah and the yelling goat made me laugh out loud. Beavis & Butthead are back. Here they are, watching Jersey Shore. Where the music industry makes profits – 30 years in one graph Magnetic soap bubbles. Eerie. On first
- [A Random Gastronomical Thought](https://muttrox.com/2011/08/a-random-gastronomical-thought/) - If they ever invent Cookies n' Cream pizza, I'll never eat anything else for the rest of my life.
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2011/08/links-o-interest-113/) - 90 Great Prince Phillip quotes Taiwanese Baseball is Truly Awesome Neat video: Everywhere on earth, 1 second per location Buzz Lightyear fun Another great 404 page Superman’s life story. Sticks with you. Honest protesters Oh Google, Who do you love? Seeing guitar string oscillations Arrested during haircut No, we can’t Extreme fishing Where is the
- [The Five-year Old and Theology](https://muttrox.com/2011/08/the-five-year-old-and-theology/) - Last night, we told the boys the story of the Garden of Eden, man's fall, original sin, baptism, etc. Of course there were lots of hard questions. Where is the Garden of Eden, is it in America? Why didn't God give Adam and Eve a time out? Was the snake big or little? Can we
- [A Powerpoint Template Booboo](https://muttrox.com/2011/07/2545/) - After weeks of asking, the vendor finally sent me the deck on the product they were trying to sell us. Here is Slide 2. Not a good impression...
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2011/06/links-o-interest-112/) - Great clone cover of Killer Queen Terry Pratchett is beginning suicide. Sadly, this is not a joke link. Japanese home at sea (after earthquake) Salad is funny Fight the power Water and Chemistry Real endings to fables Clever pickup approach Let’s flip a coin Cookies are a hell of a drug. Meth is even worse.
- [A Word About the Celtics](https://muttrox.com/2011/05/a-word-about-the-celtics/) - The Heat proved they were the better team. They beat the Celtics fair and square, and LeBron got the monkey off his back. Even if they lose in the next round, they're a different team now. The Kendrick Perkins trade just destroyed us. Before the playoffs I said that we wouldn't get very far without
- [The Limits of Knowledge](https://muttrox.com/2011/05/the-limits-of-knowledge/) - I really enjoyed this thoughtful look at how having access to secrets changes the way you see the world. The danger is, you'll become something like a moron. You'll become incapable of learning from most people in the world, no matter how much experience they may have in their particular areas that may be much
- [I'm Back](https://muttrox.com/2011/05/im-back/) - Did you miss me? Someone was repeatedly stealing a particular .mp3 file I posted. Strangely, it was the single worst .mp3 around, that was the whole point of the post. Go figure.
- [The Worst Cover Version Ever](https://muttrox.com/2009/08/the-worst-cover-version-ever/) - Uch. The worst part is that it's so sincere. Maroon 5 tries to cover Oasis Update: Had to take down the .mp3 file. Ironically enough, so many people took this file that it brought the site down. It's like 10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife.
- [French Sundries #10: Road Signs](https://muttrox.com/2010/10/french-sundries-11-road-signs/) - The highway exits for each town had graphics telling you something about the town. We loved this. Many of them were beautiful images. And we got a good laugh out of towns that couldn't muster anything better than a hill. On one strech of road, for no reason we could ever figure out, there were
- [Worst Graph Ever](https://muttrox.com/2011/03/worst-graph-ever/) - This may be the worst graph I've seen in my professional career. From a distance it looks like all the lines are heading down. I saw this on a dim screen. I initially thought the takeaway was that all the scores were going down. It is 3-dimensional for no reason. There is no extra information,
- [Poker Update: Poker Stats](https://muttrox.com/2011/03/poker-update-poker-stats/) - I've been playing a lot of Rush Poker at Full Tilt Poker. It records statistics for you. It doesn't actually log the hands in detail, but gives you some gross metrics. Here is a sample from a recent session: The problem is, I don't know what to do with this information. What is good, what
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2011/03/links-o-interest-111/) - Another TSA outrage Your brain on meth. But seriously, Meth can mess you up good. Joke book for math people The good old days Marching band win How did I ever miss this? Jerry Seinfeld rips an ignorant Larry King This is TV Stealth fighter We’re not in Kansas anymore… If Ikea made instructions for
- [The Kids Have Another Classic](https://muttrox.com/2011/03/kids-say-the-darndest-things/) - I came out of the shower. I was drying myself. The eight-year old says, "Daddy, you should always dry off your penis last." "What? Why?" "You should always do it last so the towel doesn't get the rest of you." "You mean because it's dirty?" "Yes!" "Even right after a shower?" "Yes!" "You mean, because
- [User Interface: Washer and Dryer](https://muttrox.com/2011/02/user-interface-washer-and-dryer/) - This is a picture of my new washer being installed. Notice that the vent for the dryer is to the left of the water lines for the washer. As a result, the easy way to hook them up puts the dryer on the left of the washer. I don't like it. It's just wrong. There
- [Good Business Lingo](https://muttrox.com/2011/02/good-business-lingo/) - Picking on business-speak is easy. But there are some good business terms. One of them is actionable. Actionable draws a distinction between knowledge that is interesting and knowledge that drives a decision. You wouldn't want to fund an expensive research study that isn't going to drive some action. You wouldn't to do an analysis that
- [Muttroxia: The Best of 2010](https://muttrox.com/2011/02/muttroxia-the-best-of-2010/) - 2010 was a pretty lame year for Muttroxia, and 2011 is even worse so far. But you know, there were a few okay posts here and there.... Learn how to play Craps (Parts 1 and 2) An analysis of website security questions The readers call me out for an odd poker play Muttrox goes to
- [The 7-year Old Scores a Point](https://muttrox.com/2011/02/the-7-year-old-scores-a-point/) - During the snowpocolypse (how do you spell that?) last month our family was stuck inside for a week. We were going stir crazy. Finally the seven year old had had enough. Him: Auuggh! I am so homesick!! Me: Me too. But the word homesick doesn't mean what you think, it's the exact opposite. Him: ??
- [Patriots Jets](https://muttrox.com/2010/12/patriots-jets/) - A good old fashioned whopping. Even The Blue Angels know who to root for! (look closely - there's a Patriots logo on the plane.) Update: Okay, does this help?
- [The Joys of Parenting](https://muttrox.com/2011/01/the-joys-of-parenting/) - Since the day our oldest child was born, I have been waiting until he was old enough to read him The Hobbit. Was five years old enough to understand it? Would he get it at six? I was always tempted to start it, but managed to hold off until he was seven and a half.
- [Another Innumerate Sportswriter](https://muttrox.com/2010/05/another-innumerate-sportswriter/) - Howard Beck get the idiot of the month award for this column. It is about how likely LeBron is to end up on which team. The reasoning is fairly good, but then he makes the mistakes of actually putting in numbers. Knicks: 40% Bulls : 75% Nets: 40% Heat: 30% Cavs: 60% That adds up
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2010/11/links-o-interest-110/) - Muttroxia says I'm not quite dead yet... Joe Biden cracks up at the idea of Sarah Palin beating Obama. And they say smoking isn’t cool. That's cool. Texas mailbox Bruce Lee playing ping-pong. With nunchuks! Mindblowing. Kids just ruin those special moments Conan O’Brien – He does his own stunts Objectified: He and his 5-year-old
- [How to Play Craps: A Simple Guide (Part II)](https://muttrox.com/2010/03/how-to-play-craps-a-simple-guide-part-ii/) - Last post we learned the basic pass line bet in craps. Now we're going to expand into a few other bets. Don't Pass: This is the exact opposite of the Pass Line bet. If it wins, this loses and vice versa. There is one exception so that the house can keep the edge. If a
- [Van Halen (Concert Review)](https://muttrox.com/2008/05/van-halen-concert-review/) - They still got it! Wow, do they got it! By they, I mean Alex & Eddie of course. They are incredible. As always, the high point of the show was when Eddie came out and noodled for ten minutes. Six minutes or so were devoted to riffing on Cathedral. Everything he does looks so effortless.
- [Bad User Inteface: Login Popup](https://muttrox.com/2010/10/bad-user-inteface-login-popup/) - This website has a standard box for a username and password. After typing the password I hit enter. Here is what happens: 99 out of 100 websites let you hit the enter key to submit information. Therefore, there must be a simple, well understood, way for that functionality to exists. It probably takes extra effort
- [The Ethics of Blogging](https://muttrox.com/2007/03/the-ethics-of-blogging/) - NYT's Ethicist column last week talked about blogging. Not surprsingly, he got it completely wrong. Here's the question: I interview high-school seniors who apply to my alma mater. I routinely Google these students and discovered that one posted information on his blog that reflects poorly on him. May I ask him about the blog? May
- [Thoughts During Another Cliche-filled Conference](https://muttrox.com/2010/10/thoughts-during-another-cliche-filled-conference/) - In any place, in any field, has there ever been a time where we weren't at a "critical juncture"?
- [NBA 2010](https://muttrox.com/2010/10/nba-2010/) - In case you didn't notice, last night the Boston Celtics crushed barely beat the Miami Heat. Who'd a thunk it? I have very mixed feelings about Shaq being a Celtic, but if he keeps playing like last night I will quickly come to peace with it. LeBron was roundly boo'ed during his introduction. What are
- [Gourmet Food](https://muttrox.com/2010/10/gourmet-food/) - (I'm stealing this story from my boss about his young daughter.) "Hey sweetie, we're going on a special father-daughter trip. We're driving out to a fancy gourmet doughnut place." "What does that mean?" "What does which part mean?" "Gourmet - what does that mean?" "Well, gourmet means... gourmet is like the word 'fancy', but just
- [Settle the Bet](https://muttrox.com/2010/10/settle-the-bet/) - I was about to go through airport security with a friend. We made a bet that the first one through security wins a dollar from the other. He beat me through the metal detector by 30 seconds. But it took him too long to put everything back together, I beat him out of the security
- [Business Lingo](https://muttrox.com/2010/10/business-lingo/) - Business people talk in weird ways. For instance, Mrs. Muttrox hated it that I call people “resources”. No, she says, they are people, call them that! But when you run projects, you quickly learn that you can adjust the timelines, the people, or the money. People are a resource you can utilize, and they are
- [Oh, Grow Up CNN (and Jon Stewart)](https://muttrox.com/2010/10/oh-grow-up-cnn-and-jon-stewart/) - Rick Sanchez got fired for anti-semitic comments. His sins appear to be: Saying Jon Stewart was bigoted. Which he later amended to "prejudicial". He claimed the Stewart is bigoted towards people that aren't from his wealthy suburban background. Saying that even though Latinos and Jews are both minorities, they are worlds apart in terms of
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2010/10/links-o-interest-109/) - Germany has finally finished paying off World War I reparations The Goodfellas guys reminisce, 20 years later. The US Treasury has turned a healthy profit from the Citibank bailout. Total cost of TARP program approaching zero. Court Hijinx Ouch Growing up That’s what friends are for This guys obituary is going to be awkward Watermelon
- [Understanding the Tax Debate](https://muttrox.com/2010/09/understanding-the-tax-debate/)
- [French Sundries #1.5: Sale Times](https://muttrox.com/2010/09/french-sundries-1-5-sale-times/) - Here are the two facts that most surprised us: The bloodline of Louis XIV is still alive. We assumed they had all been killed off. Not so, there are many descendants. They are the equivalent of Americans descending from George Washington. It's an interesting thing to know about someone, and that's it. Storekeepers can only
- [France Recap](https://muttrox.com/2010/09/france-recap/) - Allright, so Muttroxia is a little backed up! Our trip to France was 3 months ago, but we're finally sorting things out now. Sadly, our journal, a work of art, so very literary and insightful and humorous and... well, it doesn't matter because everything after page 4 got lost somehow. We're pretty sure our daughter
- [Selling in Suburbia](https://muttrox.com/2010/09/selling-in-suburbia/) - One of the perils of suburbia is Mrs. Muttrox getting invitations to things like Bunco (some people think this is a game of skill) and even Tupperware parties. I can't believe these things still exist. It feels like something from the Mad Men days. I imagine it is hard to sell the stuff. I mean,
- [How the Rich Stay Rich](https://muttrox.com/2010/09/how-the-rich-stay-rich/) - (or at least the fairly well-to-do middle-class) I missed a couple payments on my credit card. I called up and asked them to take off the late fees and interest charged. Sir, were there any special circumstances? No, I just don't want those charges. OK sir, let me see what I can do. 2 minutes
- [Just So Stories](https://muttrox.com/2010/09/just-so-stories/) - (As ad-libbed to the kids a few nights ago, when they demanded a made-up story.) Once there were a people who lived in the deep deep South. They were called Mexicans. The Mexicans were good people. They worked hard. They liked the same things we do. The liked their families, they liked Rajon Rando, and
- [Social Media done right: Star Wars Uncut](https://muttrox.com/2010/09/social-media-done-right-star-wars-uncut/) - There is a new category in the Emmys, interactive media. The first winner is Star Wars Uncut. Check it out. Star Wars was chopped up into 15-second segments. Then anyone who wanted to could film their own version of a 15-minute segment and send it back. Eventually, they ended up with the entire movie, redone.
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2010/09/links-o-interest-108/) - How to do Facebook wrong. A very pleasant walkway Very sad picture Girl quits her job on dry erase boards – fantastic HOPA resignation. It turned out to be a hoax, and you’ve probably seen it by now, but it’s still funny. Scissors beats paper You will never look at ducks the same way What
- [Bad Social](https://muttrox.com/2010/08/bad-social/) - Yes another high school classmate of mine has a novel out (there are at least 4 other published authors from my class). I went to the web to figure out what it was. I found his website. And couldn't log in. Yes, I had to log in. I am very confused by this. You'd think
- [Poker Update: Bad Reading](https://muttrox.com/2010/08/poker-update-bad-reading/) - My biggest flaw in poker is my inability to read people. I'm not an expert with the math and game theory, but I am more than strong enough for the level I play at. I've never been that kind of social person, I am not that great at reading cues from body language and tone.
- [Poker Question](https://muttrox.com/2010/08/poker-question/) - Last night I knocked out a player who was so stunned at how it went down he couldn’t talk for ten minutes. And if I had been in his shoes I would have felt the same way. But from where I stood, it was a perfectly logical sequence of events. Readers: Did I play this
- [Facebook Wasteland](https://muttrox.com/2010/08/facebook-wasteland/) - It's hard to believe that anyone would go out on a limb like this, for all to see: That ought to create some buzz!
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2010/07/links-o-interest-107/) - Dream girlfriend… one day will become a wife 18th century ship found at Ground Zero site Sad stormtrooper That it is a man who just doesn’t care The sequel to World War I was just ridiculous Nice resume, but… I never thought about sacrifice quite this way Incredible superhero CGI. Why go to the movies?
- [Useless Business Introductions](https://muttrox.com/2010/07/useless-business-introductions/) - At the kickoff meeting of a new project I witnessed a depressingly common phenomenon. The useless business introduction. Since some of us didn't know each other, we went around the room introducing ourselves. "Frankie Bellomer, Marketing." "Jackie Bouillabaisse." "Alex Alexis, IT." etc... This is next to useless. How about something about what you do, or
- [New Theme](https://muttrox.com/2010/07/new-theme-2/) - Wordpress's latest update includes this theme, which the developers seem very proud of it. I'll try it out for a while.
- [The Official Song of the France Trip](https://muttrox.com/2010/07/the-official-song-of-the-france-trip/) - It took us a solid week to track it down from the phrase or two we remembered. We could have sworn it was a French woman singing it. Whoops!
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2010/06/links-o-interest-106/) - PhD Challenge There's no ninja like an office ninja Gods feelin' happy Life before Google He wore just the wrong Eagle shirt My kind of cat Contra vs Tetris Calvin and Jobs "Love is like a water park" Zach Anner fooling around with Dennis Quaid. If you’re not familiar with Zach, he’s a comedian with
- [Balance the Budget](https://muttrox.com/2010/06/balance-the-budget/) - See if you can balance the budget. I got it done by 2020, but I would never get re-elected.
- [Celtics Lakers: Game 7 Predictions](https://muttrox.com/2010/06/celtics-lakers-game-7-predictions/) - The loss of Perkins is big. I put the Celtics chances at 40%. Halftime Update: Okay, maybe 50%! I love a good defensive struggle. And it's nice that the refs haven't made any egregious calls.
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2010/06/links-o-interest-105/) - Nothing goes out of style in Japan The University of television Ozzy Osbourne scares people at the wax museum Proofreading I’m not going to cry Kobe reacting to Chris Rock Passport rejection A personal letter from Steve Martin Ridiculous overreactions by sports parents Who’s at the door HoverCat? That newspaper article seems kind of familiar…
- [Peanuts: Still Sad](https://muttrox.com/2010/06/peanuts-still-sad/) - It's been over 10 years, but I still get sad thinking about Peanuts ending. Charles Schulz died on the same day his last strip was published.
- [Housing Jerks](https://muttrox.com/2010/06/housing-jerks/) - Increasing numbers of homeowners figure instead of fighting foreclosure, they should just maximize the time they can live rent free. The average foreclosure takes 438 days to finalize, 14 months of zero rent rent. Screw 'em all. You signed the loan papers. The bank didn't force a pen in your hand. Maybe they were deceptive,
- [Laundry Machines are a Great Deal](https://muttrox.com/2010/05/laundry-machines-are-a-great-deal/) - Both our washer and dryer broke this month. We quickly figured out the new ones we wanted. Because the memorial day sales were coming up, we decided to wait a week. I brought a weeks of laundry to the laundromat. We had 38 pounds of laundry, and it costs $34 to get it cleaned at
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2010/05/links-o-interest-104/) - Too big to fail Yo-yo trickster genius Ads for porn network (funny, and safe to watch) Bad day Frank Sinatra’s letter to George Michael. (By the way, Listen Without Prejudice is a great album.) Atheist cats, and my faithful sidekick… Then there’s Denny Amazing optical illusion Oh Tiger! Pinky is driving Ceremony fail Illusion of
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2010/05/links-o-interest-103/) - Graphs on the internet. I honestly lol’d several times. Every Woman’s magazine How to make Visa obey you. The truth comes out Couch cushion architecture Where’s Homer? Dolls vs Action Figures Running with the Bulls: Never again 14-year old new kid takes on school bully He’s giving a stock webinar while the market crashes, goes
- [Celtics in the Playoffs Update](https://muttrox.com/2010/05/celtics-in-the-playoffs-update/) - Against expectations, The Celtics took one from the Cavaliers yesterday, on their home court. The boys in green now hold home court advantage. Obviously, the huge factor is that LeBron's elbow is bothering him so much. It goes without saying that their team is LeBron and a bunch of guys. The Celtics may not be
- [The Celtics in the Playoffs](https://muttrox.com/2010/05/the-celtics-in-the-playoffs/) - The Celtics couldn't take game 1, where a) LeBron was off his game b) Rondo played out of his head c) Cleveland didn't know how we'd play It's over. There's no way we're stealing a game on their home turf now. It was a good season.
- [My Morning Jacket](https://muttrox.com/2010/04/my-morning-jacket-2/) - Friday night we went to see My Morning Jacket at Chastain. They are a modern current band, but a lot of their music is drawn from the same vein as the 70's classic rock I like. Thanks to the wife's connections, we were in the 9th row, and were able to walk through in front
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2010/04/links-o-interest-102/) - Off to My Morning Jacket tonight! Fighting a particularly horrible parking ticket Why all records sound the same How to make a Nicholas Sparks movie Orwell irony Baby kangaroos at the beach aww.... Sure it’s milk. Sure. You can’t be cynical about this. It’s all your fault The Batman on Chatroulette Things that look like
- [Security Questions](https://muttrox.com/2010/04/security-questions/) - Good security questions are not as easy to make as you might think. Many of them are terrible. Asking for your mother’s maiden name or the last 4 digits of your social security number doesn’t help at all. If someone else is impersonating you it is easy for them to find this information. A good
- [Social Security Update 2010](https://muttrox.com/2010/04/social-security-update-2010/) - The 2009 data is out. If you've followed any of my previous posts, you'll understand that this is the key figure, the long-term projections: Due to the economic crash of the last couple years, we are turning into the bad parts of the curve. We are no longer adding to the SS surplus, we are
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2010/04/links-o-interest-101/) - What makes a fart: Hands down the most edifying interview I’ve ever read. 3 invisible…. Jim Henson’s characters breakdown The untold story of the world’s biggest diamond heist The underseas internet map Bubbles Perv An interview with history’s youngest chess champion Drew Brees vs Olympic Archer. Guess who’s more accurate? Dew in the morning: Wonderful
- [This Speeding Law Sounds so Good](https://muttrox.com/2010/04/this-speeding-law-sounds-so-good/) - Georgia is proposing a law that makes it illegal to drive too slow in the left-hand lane. At first it sounds great. We've all been behind those people who just don't get it. The fast lane is for going fast. Let's go people! However, it's crazy as written. You can now be busted by the
- [The Four-Year Old: Clash of the Titans](https://muttrox.com/2010/03/the-four-year-old-clash-of-the-titans/) - Out of nowhere, the four-year old suddenly said, "Everyone got mad at God. Then they killed him with a cross." "Er, right." "Jesus is everywhere Dad. Even the air is Jesus!" "Okay. Sure." "Dad, I'm punching Jesus!" We turned around. Sure enough he was flailing his fists around, punching Jesus.
- [What is the Health Care Law?](https://muttrox.com/2010/03/what-is-the-health-care-law/) - This summary is as good as any. the things I think are most important—stuff readers may not know about, or may want to tell friends or family who don’t follow politics as closely: — Chief among these is the idea that kids will now be able to stay on their parents’ insurance plans until they’re
- [An Open Letter to Conservatives](https://muttrox.com/2010/03/an-open-letter-to-conservatives/) - This guy gives a good rant. A well-documented rant, even better. Whew.
- [Two Poker Updates](https://muttrox.com/2010/03/two-poker-updates/) - I was in New Orleans this past weekend. I managed to get to the casino for a little under one hour, at a $1-$2 no limit table. In that 50 minutes, I made $129. My kind of outing. Most of the table wasn't very good, they were overly aggressive. My motto is, "When they play
- [What Does Health Care Reform Mean To You?](https://muttrox.com/2010/03/what-does-health-care-reform-mean-to-you/) - I don't like the idea of this. The point of government policies isn't always getting "mine". The point of government is to think about the "ours". But nevertheless, The Washington Post has a neat little calculator showing how much reform will cost you personally. The answer is, for almost anyone reading this, absolutely nothing.
- [Obama's Comments to the Democrat Caucus](https://muttrox.com/2010/03/obamas-comments-to-the-democrat-caucus/) - I call it comments rather than a speech because the text was not prepared. It is worth reading in full. Go for it. The end is inspirational. And I decided finally to get involved because I realized if I wasn’t willing to step up and be true to the things I believe in, then the
- [Happy St. Patrick's Day](https://muttrox.com/2010/03/happy-st-patricks-day/) - Or, as Denis Leary calls it, "Amateurs Day". And a little less relevant, but funnier...
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2010/03/links-o-interest-100/) - Palin in 2012 Smee Where do all the f*cking roads go? Canadians going to the bathroom during the big hockey game. Fantastic graph. Single Ladies, done real Motown style I dream of owning this See your name as an equation. Math geek everywhere are drooling. Ladies room graffiti Why the GOP is scared of Obama
- [How to Play Craps: A Simple Guide](https://muttrox.com/2010/03/how-to-play-craps-a-simple-guide/) - Intimidated by craps? It looks like a hard game to learn. There is a lot of yelling and a lot of different bets going on. But the basics of craps are very simple. You can learn them in less than 5 minutes, and I'm going to show you how. The first thing to learn is
- [Another Ridiculously Bad User Interface](https://muttrox.com/2010/03/another-ridiculously-bad-user-interface/) - I enter my username and password and hit return. What do I get back? If the site is smart enough to understant I am trying to login, why doesn't it just log me in?
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2010/03/links-o-interest-99/) - God covers Beyonce This movie stars brands. Try it. Upside down celebrities Stay classy Canada Financial Planning Pirate vs Legal movies. Found in a 1st graders backpack Wes Anderson directs Spiderman Babies with laser eyes. Ouroborus. The real America. Sadly. Supercut of mirror scares Traffic girls from North Korea are hypnotic Redundant Clock A letter
- [Joe Scarborough has Issues](https://muttrox.com/2010/02/joe-scarborough-has-issues/) - Joe, we all feel the same way. P.S. Feel free to upvote this on Reddit.
- [The Who at the Super Bowl, a Last Addendum](https://muttrox.com/2010/02/the-who-at-the-super-bowl-a-last-addendum/) - I just found this. Much better, the show they gave at the press conference. And because I forgot to put it in before, the best show in recent memory: Superbowl XLI Half-Time Show Starring Prby Molsonxxx2
- [You Know How I Know I'm Not Gay?](https://muttrox.com/2010/02/you-know-how-i-know-im-not-gay/) - Because a rectal exam is just horrifying. It's not an interesting sensation, it doesn't make me curious, it just makes me wish I didn't have to get one every year.
- [The Who at the Super Bowl](https://muttrox.com/2010/02/the-who-at-the-super-bowl/) - If I were a 20-something who was seeing the Who for the first time, my main reaction would be "Their drummer is pretty good. The singers good for an old guy. I don't get the guitar player, is he a singer also?" They needed more practice. They needed it because of all the changes they
- [The Super Bowl](https://muttrox.com/2010/02/the-super-bowl/) - I publicly predict that The Who will be mediocre.
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2010/02/links-o-interest-98/) - The first Calvin & Hobbes interview in 21 years. Boring, but still. How a corporation became a person: An overzealous court reporter. Gravity sucks Unclear on how a dollar store works. An interactive visual look at bipartisanship in the Senate. Scale. No, forget that. Here’s scale a hundred times better. Truly mindblowing. Charlie Brown at
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2010/01/links-o-interest-97/) - Must.. buy.. groceries… Baby platypuses. Platypi? The final frontier Learn about blue whales Boy calls police to surrender his pacifiers. Press this in dire situations. Alzheimers The origin of evil What to do if I’m murdered Why did Sauron attack Middle-Earth? Self-defense against Gondorian aggression! They’re going to expect more of you 1. Go to
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2010/01/links-o-interest-96/) - Dear sailors The gathering Priorities 5 Insane Fan Theories that make the movie better The fake freeway sign that made the roads better Reddit’s comment of the year Jesus makes things so hard Whoa… Dirty Harry has a problem Maybe it’s just a phase Fun with Mormons The dungeonmaster of the rings This poor guy
- [I Love my Daughter](https://muttrox.com/2010/01/i-love-my-daughter/) - My little girl is 20 months old. I just got a call from the wife. She is singing along to Who Are You. I love my kid! And as usual, for no reason, here's a bonus track. The very cool demo version of "Athena". I love the funky guitars.
- [Poker Update: Even More Whining](https://muttrox.com/2010/01/poker-update-even-more-whining/) - Wow. That was a fun night, fun people, but boy o boy, the poker is just ridiculous. Plenty of good starting hands, plenty of good flops, and yet I was eliminated in 35 minutes flat. It went so fast I didn't have time to pay for my Coke, I had to track down a waitress
- [Poker Update: A Fine Whine](https://muttrox.com/2010/01/poker-update-a-fine-whine/) - That was the most frustratingly unlucky night of poker I've ever had. I didn't whine at all about my lack of cards in the neighborhood Tournament of Champions, but I am now. Is it possible to go three hours without connecting on one flop? Oh yes it is. Every hand I played, every single bloody
- [Criticizing the Critics](https://muttrox.com/2010/01/criticizing-the-critics/) - Can you be a music critic and not know The Beatles' "A Day in the Life"? I'm a bit of a classic music snob, but I think this is basic knowledge for anyone who makes their living reviewing music. It's one of the top five songs by the most influential band in rock and roll
- [Poker Update: Tournament of Champions](https://muttrox.com/2010/01/poker-update-tournament-of-champions-2/) - I started as big stack, with about 20% of the chips in an 8-person table. After an hour that was closer to 25 or 30%. Then it started going bad. I'm still not sure how. Hands like this I suppose. I have Q-8 as dealer. What the heck, I'll raise and see what happens. I
- [I May be Four Years Old, But I Have Standards](https://muttrox.com/2010/01/i-may-be-four-years-old-but-i-have-standards/) - My VP at work knows I'm a big Patriots fan and gave me this sweet mini-helmet, signed by Tom Brady. Today, the four-year old saw it on the beaureau. Instantly he grabbed at it. Me: Don't touch that! Him: What is it? Me: It's a helmet, leave it alone. Him: I want it! What does
- [After the First Quarter of the Patriots Game](https://muttrox.com/2010/01/after-the-first-quarter-of-the-patriots-game/) - It's a good thing we don't keep a gun in this house.
- [My Fantasy Football Season](https://muttrox.com/2010/01/my-fantasy-football-season/) - For the second year in a row I won our regular season and get eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. This is, to put it mildly, very annoying. I started the season with high hopes. My core of four players was incredible. I had to trade away Wes Welker and Donald Driver, but
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2010/01/links-o-interest-95/) - Danny DeVito will do another season, if… I’m getting some pussy one way or another Steve Nash does Derek Zoolander Yeah, so what? Notice The Golden Gate bridge, from a plane The science of willpower. Very relevant to New Years resolutions. Parents do not belong on Facebook. But Star Wars does! A personal all-time sport
- [If You're Having A Bad Day...](https://muttrox.com/2010/01/if-youre-having-a-bad-day/)
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2010/01/poker-update-56/) - Next week is the neighborhood tournament of champions. I am starting with 25% of the chips (based on my "regular season" performance). To keep my skills up I went to the local bar to play tonight. Not just to keep my skills up. Here's where I sit right now. I am one of the best
- [Muttroxia Awards Five Points to Fergie](https://muttrox.com/2010/01/muttroxia-awards-five-points-to-fergie/) - I hate the Black Eyed Peas. Have hated them ever since the first note they played. Wasn't really a note, was some kind of sampled noise. They are horrible. Fergie, on the other hand, is fantastic. And not just to look at. Look at her taking Merry Clayton's part in Gimme Shelter. Despite the lackluster
- [Why You Should Leave Statistics to the Statisticians](https://muttrox.com/2010/01/why-you-should-leave-statistics-to-the-statisticians/) - This post is over a month late. It's been bugging me all that time. I still can't figure out how to write it. Over the last year I have come to agree more and more with this guy; The Sports Guy sucks. This whole column was about the dumbest thing I've ever read in my
- [My Favorite Part of the Patriots Season](https://muttrox.com/2010/01/my-favorite-part-of-the-patriots-season/) - While we crushed the hapless Jets.
- [User Interface: Electronic Road Signs](https://muttrox.com/2010/01/user-interface-electronic-road-signs/) - One nice feature of the Atlanta roadways is the electronic signs. Every few miles on the major freeways there is a large sign. It tells you when there is a traffic jam, an Amber alert, construction, etc. They are incredibly useful for avoiding big problems and re-routing traffic properly. They have one small problem. They
- [Muttroxia: Best of 2009](https://muttrox.com/2010/01/muttroxia-best-of-2009/) - Here are the best posts of 2009. The criteria? Whether I like ‘em. 25 random things about me I turn 40 and go for the bald look. Funny sounding towns in Mass The geek and puzzles Valentines Humbug Fun with people who really don't understand Timezones. Ben Stein is an idiot. Hobby collection Burger King
- [Unneeded Quotes 2](https://muttrox.com/2009/08/unneeded-quotes-2/) - Why is roof access in quotes?
- [The New Me](https://muttrox.com/2009/03/the-new-me/)
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/12/1857/) - Why men shouldn’t write advice columns This dubbing made me giggle. Incredible one-shot lip dub with a whole high school. And it’s filmed backwards! Tower explosion conspiracy Condescending If I had one hour to live… The Iron Man 2 trailer is out The D.E.N.N.I.S. system really works Guitar hero for Christmas – great idea. Asshole
- [LinkedIn Abuse](https://muttrox.com/2009/12/linkedin-abuse/) - I just removed my first connection from LinkedIn. LinkedIn is not Facebook. I do not need to be informed when you are traveling to Puerto Rico, Augusta, or the bathroom. I don't need to know about the endless societies you are joining. It's for professional and career updates. You haven't had one of those this
- [Family Fame](https://muttrox.com/2009/12/family-fame/) - I opened up the New York Times today and my sister in law was there! She's the redhead in the second row, right next to the main person. (She's also in the image two other times, see if you can find her.)
- [Thought for the Day](https://muttrox.com/2009/12/thought-for-the-day-2/) - Whatever happened to The Strokes? I thought they were supposed to be the biggest band in the world by now.
- [Getting Older](https://muttrox.com/2009/12/getting-older/) - The first night of Hannukah I got a tie. The second night I got a nice shirt. The third night I got matching pants. What do I think of getting clothes for presents? "Allright! Just what I wanted! Thanks hon!"
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/12/links-o-interest-94/) - Darth Vader’s diary The Muppets cover Bohemian Rhapsody Deadlock The dangers of a local Twitter feed Man marries a videogame Unrelated captions The earth with rings. The cool part starts at 1:00 Spinal Tap and Engineers Shark with people teeth Do Re Mi Gay-bashing woman humiliated for hideous skirt Um, that’s not what really happened
- [The Season's First Holiday Card](https://muttrox.com/2009/11/the-seasons-first-holiday-card/) - Wow. It's not even December, and we just got our first one. Hey, Curtis family, you're making all of look bad!
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/11/links-o-interest-93/) - Billy Madison lives on (go to page 2) Statutary rape You can’t afford to be skinny… ah, it was a different time. Selection bias: Why your friends have more friends than you 35 Interesting Science Fair Experiments 101 best music videos of this decade Miracle Whip vs. Colbert Enough clips of kids welcoming back their
- [Poker Update (it's a good one):](https://muttrox.com/2009/11/poker-update-its-a-good-one/) - Thanks to a nut flush and trips and not playing many hands, at one hour in I have 7,000 in chips (avg is 5000). We're at 100-200. With two raisers to 600 in front of me, I have a pair of 10s. I think the correct play here is raising, but I just call. Both
- [That Patriots Game](https://muttrox.com/2009/11/that-patriots-game/) - This guy says it well: The game was really lost in the third quarter. It is not hard to fathom that the defense would wear down in the final quarter, but when it happened, the Patriots should have had a bigger cushion on the scoreboard. The Maroney fumble was the most devastating play in the
- [Aerosmith Breaking Up?](https://muttrox.com/2009/11/aerosmith-breaking-up/) - Here Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry has said that singer Steven Tyler has quit the band "as far as I can tell". Perry's comments follow those of rhythm guitarist Brad Whitford, who last week (November 6) said that Aerosmith are to hold crisis talks about their future after relations with Tyler became strained. Update: I should
- [A Bit About Healthcare](https://muttrox.com/2009/11/a-bit-about-healthcare/) - I try to follow the healthcare stuff. I read a lot. My father is an expert, my wife knows a fair amount, I'm good at economics. And yet it's nearly impossible to understand it. There are too many threads. It's because prices aren't transparent. No, it's because of fee for service instead of fee for
- [More on the Death Penalty](https://muttrox.com/2009/11/more-on-the-death-penalty/) - This guy sums up my feelings on the matter, probably better than my own rant. Every time I start to waver on my support for the death penalty — as I did in the wake of another New Yorker piece, about a possibly-innocent man who was executed — I see a story like this and
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/11/poker-update-55/) - Tonight I went out to bar poker. There were about 25 players, we start with 1,000 in chips. It's funny how being in a different venue messes me up. I screwed up the chips a couple times, and at least twice thought I was raising big when I was only min-raising. It didn't help that
- [That Did Not Just Happen](https://muttrox.com/2009/11/that-did-not-just-happen/) - I was listening to The Rolling Stones "Can't You Hear me Knocking" at my desk. This is one of the hardest rock songs in the canon. It was playing the saxaphone solo near the end. Someone stopped by my cube and asked (I swear), "Are you listening to Christmas music already?" Sometimes you just don't
- [College Life](https://muttrox.com/2009/11/college-life/) - Last week my father sent me a big box full of all my stuff from college. Textbooks, journals, notebooks, even my picture of a young Claudia Schiffer that used to be on the wall. It's striking how much more talented I was back then. I'm a fair doodler today, but my college cartoons are minor
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/11/links-o-interest-92/) - A day with the Obama flickr feed. Great commentary. I like how this guy handled it. Cat trap C is the new B. How everything goes to hell in a zombie apocalypse Oh my god. Swine flu overreaction Let me touch him Tina Fey’s favorite jokes from 30 Rock Cheer up emergency phone Katy Perry
- [Blog Update: Where's all the posts?](https://muttrox.com/2009/11/blog-update-wheres-all-the-posts/) - How come there hasn't been much content lately? I can't come up with much to write about. Any topics you want to hear me riff on? I'm just not inspired lately. I know there's a bunch of people who read this and never comment, bit it's discouraging not to get any feedback. It's my job
- [The Fu-fu-Four Year Old](https://muttrox.com/2009/11/the-fu-fu-four-year-old/) - I like to play word games with the kids. It's fun, and helps build their vocabulary. We have a little song to set the questions to. For example, "I'm thinking of a word, it sounds like 'lake'. It's something you eat, it's...?" "Cake!" Or "I'm thinking of a word, it rhymes with 'tree'. It starts
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/links-o-interest-91/) - Dear Dr. Ruth… That’s going to be a great Halloween costume Dad, why can’t we be Jedis this year? Bankers vs. the President How to pick your religion Arnold wouldn’t sign this bill. And he added a bonus, read the first letter in each line. (Yes, this is true.) Baby language development Hey Jude flowchart
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/poker-update-54/) - I was bubble boy. At 3-handed, I had A-4. I raised preflop and got an Ace on the flop. But the other guy had A-Q. Oh well. WSOP: How about Ivey completely missing the flush? Right now my money is on Shulman to take it all, even though I am 3-degrees removed from Eric Buchman
- [Fun with YouTube](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/fun-with-youtube/) - This is really neat. On any YouTube URL, replace "watch" with "warp.swf". You'll see a cloud of related videos. Clicking on any of them brings up more related videos. Example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkoTCVrbSD8 turns into http://www.youtube.com/warp.swf?v=CkoTCVrbSD8
- [Basketball is on](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/basketball-is-on/) - This is my favorite time of year. Professional football and basketball are my favorite sports and they will both be on for a few months. On opening night the Celtics beat the Cavaliers. The Cavaliers were 39-2 at home last year, that's a heck of a win. I would rather have Rasheed Wallace than Shaq
- [Thought for the Day](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/thought-for-the-day/) - I liked it so I put a ring on it. I like this cover version.
- [The Adventures of Mr. D](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/the-adventures-of-mr-d/) - What if Joey D and Captain D are the same person? You’ve never seen them together, have you? And there's some talk that he may be the same person as been Davy, who was once in the Navy. Everyone thought he'd be in it for life.
- [Just Kill the Guy Already](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/just-kill-the-guy-already/) - This is offensive. An Ohio death row inmate won a stay of execution on Monday, three days before he was to have been put to death for killing a Cleveland-area woman in 1994, because the state was unable to carry out the execution of another prisoner three weeks ago. Ridiculous. The doctors couldn't find a
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/links-o-interest-90/) - Don’t annoy a nerd Fat kid stuck in skate bowl. It’s the new “stuck in a well”. Extremely slow motion videos of bullets. Fascinating. Type anything and have it sung back to you. Oddly entertaining. Superheros in war photos Another addictive internet game Scientists create the most annoying song ever Pacman explained Close call for
- [Things Parents Know](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/things-parents-know/) - Wet-vacs work great on vomit.
- [Six Year Old: Getting Your Priorities Right](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/six-year-old-getting-your-priorities-right/) - The six year old was in a very bad mood. He stormed upstairs. "I hate everything! I hate every person and every thing in the whole world! Everything! Except for Wii!!"
- [Football Jersey Awards](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/football-jersey-awards/) - The Winner: (Ron Mexico is the name Michael Vick used when he checked into clinics to see if he had VD. Which he naturally did not tell his girlfriend about.) The Loser: If you don't know what Bukkake is, you are a good person. Don't click this at work. This leads to the follow-up question:
- [Patriots Win, 59-0](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/patriots-win-59-0/) - I could not take much joy in this game. Sure it was great at first. The hook up to Moss. Lawrence Maroney on fire. The Patriots understanding how to play in snow and ice and rain against a fair-weather team. The flea flicker was fantastic. But after that it was no fun. It was like
- [Quote of the Year](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/quote-of-the-year/) - The wife likes to watch The Rachel Zoe Project. I watched with her a few minutes. One of Rachel's assistants was mad at some interns she was in charge of. Things weren't going well, and she had to say something to them. She spoke slowly, thinking carefully about what she was saying. And she said
- [It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia/) - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a fantastic show. Although nothing will ever measure up to it's first two seasons, it's gotten very close. Of four episodes this season, two have been funny and two have been amazingly crying-from-laughing funny. Go online and watch Frank's Intervention (maybe here also). Classic TV. The best thing about
- [Boy Drifting over Colorado in Homemade Balloon](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/boy-drifting-over-colorado-in-homemade-balloon/) - Wow. FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- A 6-year-old boy is floating over northeastern Colorado in a homebuilt balloon and authorities are racing to try and rescue him. Update: I saw a few seconds of footage last night. Even in those few seconds I could tell there was no one in it. A balloon that size would
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/poker-update-53/) - These have gotten kind of boring, huh? I don't remember many hands tonight (I gave blood earlier)... there were bad beats and lucky draws, there were bluffs and such bla bla. We have accelerated the blind structure, so near the end of hour 3, there were 30 big blinds worth of chips in play with
- [Open or Closed?](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/open-or-closed/) - Make up your mind.
- [Even More Good User Interface](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/even-more-good-user-interface/) - A year ago, I enthused over my Acura's windshield wiper controls. Specifically, that the intermittent wipers fastest setting was the same as having them on continuously. I discovered it's even better than that. First it senses whether the car is moving. If it is, it puts them on continuous wiping. If it's not, it leaves
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/links-o-interest-89/) - A very pointless machine. If you turn it on, it turns itself off. Insider trading Surely, this economic correlation is a coincidence. Right? People still do this? Oh, I get it now. Daddy’s Girl New business meeting Best riot picture All kinds of non-prejudice World’s worst glamour shot. Or something. Geek love The English go
- [Lunch Follies](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/lunch-follies/) - I had lunch with some new people. I sat at a different people so I could get to know some co-workers I usually don't associate with. Lunch was delicious: meatloaf and mashed potatoes.* I was wiping up some of the sauce on a piece of roll. As I bit into it, it somehow fell out
- [Democrats Demand Public Option](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/democrats-demand-public-option/) - 30 Senate Democrats stand up for a public option. We have spent the better part of this year fighting for health reform that would provide insurance access and continuity to every American in a fiscally responsible manner,” the 30 Democratic Senators wrote in the Oct. 8 letter. “We are concerned that — absent a competitive
- [The 3 Best Poker Shows on TV](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/the-3-best-poker-shows-on-tv/) - World Series of Poker:The obvious choice for the number one poker show. The tournament itself is so interesting that ESPN would really have to blow it to not make this entertaining. They have not blown it. In fact, the growth of poker can be traced to this tournament and program. They have synergistically supported each
- [Van Halen II: The Case for Rehab](https://muttrox.com/2008/05/van-halen-ii-the-case-for-rehab/) - Eddie Van Halen went from looking like the Wicked Witch of Rock: To Ray Liotta: Check out this cancer weirdness. Rock n' Roll baby! During the late 1990s Eddie Van Halen was treated twice for tongue and mouth cancer. During an interview with Howard Stern on September 8, 2006, Eddie claimed that holding a metal
- [Poker Update: Omaha](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/poker-update-omaha/) - We mixed it up tonight with a little Omaha. Omaha is identical to Hold 'em, except for two things. You have four hold cards instead of two. You must use exactly two of your hole cards. No more, no less. That last one is really hard to wrap your mind around. For example, having four
- [Why Does Chicago Want to Host the Olympics?](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/why-does-chicago-want-to-host-the-olympics/) - This article from 2005 is probably still relevant: STATE and local officials may be hanging their heads about the announcement that London, and not New York City, will be playing host to the 2012 Summer Olympics, but New Yorkers should be breathing a sigh of relief that the Games are now somebody else's worry I
- [Me and the President](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/me-and-the-president/) - The "Barack" in Barack Obama means "blessed". So does my Hebrew name ("Baruch"). Just sayin'.
- [How About Them Patriots, eh?](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/how-about-them-patriots-eh/) - The Pats have just had two straight wins over quality opponents. They are at 3-1 already. Not too shabby. Brady is looking good. The first game he looked bad, the second game he looked mediocre, now he looks good. Not fantastic, but good. Balls are starting to hit receivers in stride again, Wes Welker is
- [Time to Start Teaching Civics in Business School](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/time-to-start-teaching-civics-in-business-school/) - In recent years, it has become fashionable for venture capitalists, big shot attorneys and corporate executives to run for public office after having conquered the business world. Consider it a midlife crisis of sorts. For most people, buying a Corvette or going to an Eagles reunion concert and maybe even smoking a joint or two
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/links-o-interest-88/) - Drive-thru villainy. Odd that his name is so close to Robert Mugabe. Inmate escapes by dressing as lawyer The miracle of conception. Truly incredible. The Kanye meme wins again The streaker scores Very cool CSI opening 100 Greatest Hits of YouTube The vacation stress graph The money you could be saving That’s a real thinker.
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/10/poker-update-52/) - We all thought that last weeks game took too long, so we eliminated three of the blinds levels. This moved things along pretty quick. It was the kind of night I like. I didn't get any lucky draws, and I didn't get any bad beats. That's not to say there was no luck, but that
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/09/links-o-interest-87/) - The American Gothic subjects posing with the picture. For no good reason. I give you, man in rainbow chicken suit going over cliff on bicycle. Dinosaurs and everything in this sand sculpture. How to do the Moulin Rouge "Keep fucking that chicken." A very inappropriate CAPTCHA for a dating site Infinity and recursion Needs help
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/09/poker-update-51/) - We started the next "season", which will run until around January 1st. We have updated our neighborhood’s game’s format. We are now using deeper stacks, slightly accelerating blind structure, and adding antes. We’ll also be experimenting with 7-2 bonus, cracked ace bonus, and bounties. The night started poorly. On the third hand I had 9-10
- [Real World Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/09/real-world-update/) - The downside of having Vonage is that when the internet goes down, so does the phone. Lightning hit our neighbors house, fried our system. We're mostly back, but still have no phone service.
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/09/links-o-interest-86/) - Poker is off this week, and I wanted to get this up before the Kanye jokes got old. Kanye, cut it out. No really! Stop it! Okay, that’s over the line. Even Obama thinks you're a jackass. 11 interesting musical yearbook photos How many people are in space right now? Make a commercial in two
- [Powerpoint Problem: Reading Aloud](https://muttrox.com/2009/09/powerpoint-problem-reading-aloud/) - Never read Powerpoint slides aloud. Nothing is worse than a presenter back the slides out loud to the audience. It is patronizing. I can read. I've been doing it for a while. I don't need your help. It shows your lack of expertise.If all you can do is read aloud it says that you literally
- [Are You Ready for Some Football? (Part 2)](https://muttrox.com/2009/09/are-you-ready-for-some-football-part-2/) - I am so glad the NFL is back. I hate baseball and golf, so my summers seem long. I am forced to be with my family playing in the pool and watching them grow up... yuck! Tonight the Patriots season begins. Hopes are high. Expectations are high. I will settle for nothing less than getting
- [Are Your Ready for Some Football (Part 1)?](https://muttrox.com/2009/09/are-your-ready-for-some-football-part-1/) - Fantasy Football: Once again, it looks as though I am primed to take the league by storm. I kept my top five from last year. I still I had a lot of talent that I couldn't hold on to (you can only keep five), but I was able to convert them into draft picks, which
- [Deceptive Gas Pump Labeling](https://muttrox.com/2009/07/deceptive-gas-pump-labeling/) - Two years ago I complained about an Indiana gas station that arranged the different grades of gas in reverse order. Unless you were paying attention you could easily end up buying premium gas accidentally (as I did). In the last two years, it's only gotten worse. I've seen reverse ordering at a few other gas
- [Why the Quotes?](https://muttrox.com/2009/07/why-the-quotes/)
- [The Washing Hands Prompt](https://muttrox.com/2009/08/the-washing-hands-prompt/) - One day this appeared in the bathroom. This is incredibly patronizing. I know when to wash my hands. I know how to wash my hands. I don't need to be reminded that washing my hands is a good idea. The time to teach me this was when I was four. By a happy coincidence I
- [I Find this Ineffective](https://muttrox.com/2009/08/i-find-this-ineffective/) - Why does this bother me so much? So what if the American Red Cross messes up basic English? You had an effect on people's lives. Not an affect.
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/09/links-o-interest-85/) - Impact of Obama’s school speech Get educated about sweat in tennis. I will not read your fucking script. The real Star Trek Just one comma off Chuck Klosterman repeats the Beatles. “I was initially confused by EMI’s decision to release remastered versions of all 13 albums by the Liverpool pop group Beatles, a 1960s band
- [Poker Update: Tournament of Champions](https://muttrox.com/2009/09/poker-update-tournament-of-champions/) - I wore my Tom Brady jersey for the big poker tournament tonight. The kids asked about it. I said, "The New England Patriots are winners. Tom Brady is a winner. Tonight, I hope wearing a winners shirt will make me a winner." They completely understood. And the shirt delivered! I played well. I did indeed
- [Could the GOP get any Worse?](https://muttrox.com/2009/09/could-the-gop-get-any-worse/) - Holy cow. Michael Duvall is a conservative Republican state representative from Orange County, California. While waiting for the start of a legislative hearing in July, the 54-year-old married father of two and family values champion began describing, for the benefit of a colleague seated next to him, his ongoing affairs with two different women. In
- [Bryan Reesman Blog](https://muttrox.com/2009/09/bryan-reesman-blog/) - A lot of you readers know my ol' buddy Bryan Reesman. Bryan has made a name for himself in the review writing world. He focuses primarily on music, but steps out for general pop culture once in a while. His work has appeared just about everywhere you've ever heard of. Bryan started a blog this
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/09/links-o-interest-84/) - Man, that is one great looking cupcake We’ll always have the Batman Beavis and Butthead return Finding common ground Another guy who goes to extremes to avoid nagging wife: robs bank Don’t piss off the guys with the bulldozers Amazing Beach Boys recording sessions. Up for 14 days only. Disturbing motherhood That is a bad
- [Something About NPR](https://muttrox.com/2009/09/something-about-npr/) - I need more test posts to see if I have fixed the problem. And this old one attracts spam, so I'm deleting the original and pasting the text below (from 11/29/2007). I was listening to NPR today, and there was a story about the arrest of some people who were allegedly plotting to blow up
- [Muttrox is Hacked](https://muttrox.com/2009/09/muttrox-is-hacked/) - Let me know if you follow this blog with any RSS feed, particularly Google. I got hacked somewhere along the way. I am looking for more information about the hacking. Among other measures I just deleted a bunch of weird user accounts. If you can't log in, that's why. Just set up a new account,
- [Book Recommendations (Non-Fiction)](https://muttrox.com/2009/09/book-recommendations-non-fiction/) - Gaming the Vote: Why Elections Aren't Fair (and What We Can Do About It) by William Poundstone: I have always been interested in the mathematics of voting. It is not a simple problem to figure out the best way to select a winner based on a group of preferences. What you think of as the
- [Why are toeclippers convex?](https://muttrox.com/2009/09/why-are-toeclippers-convex/) - Fingernail clippers are concave, to fit the curve of your fingernail. Why would a toe clipper be different? I don't understand this. My toenail still curves outward. I just don't understand this.
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/09/poker-update-50/) - Update: Ole ole convinced me I'm being a whiner. At the bottom I'm adding in some of the mistakes and good plays I made last night. I remember a lot more of the hands the day after then I did that night when I was cheesed off. Very frustrated. I played the whole night very
- [Charity](https://muttrox.com/2009/09/charity/) - For no good reason, the Muttrox family gives charity in lumps. At some point in the year we sit down and figure out how much we're going to give, pick out our favorite causes for the year, and write a few checks. If you want to do good, there's always a tension. There are two
- [Money on Friends](https://muttrox.com/2007/02/money-on-friends/) - Two of my favorite episodes of Friends are ones about money, who has it and how it's going to be used. "The One With Five Steaks and an Eggplant": (Full transcript) Chandler plans a birthday party for Ross at an expensive restaurant. Phoebe, Joey, and Rachel don't have very much money, but they grudgingly go
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/08/links-o-interest-83/) - Garfield randomizer Now that’s just mean. And this takes brass ones. The people of Walmart Clever programmers uses PC desktop CD tray to rock baby Hit and run fail Make up your mind Spiderman in court Trolling is an art. (You have to know internet culture well to get this one.) Shitmydadsays Where? The pills
- [More about Taxes and Days](https://muttrox.com/2009/08/more-about-taxes-and-days/) - If you divide the top graph by the bottom, you get something useful. But I'm not sure what. Something like the government revenue that comes in divided by the money that's spent? Is the light blue line on the first graph the same as the second graph? I think maybe it is...
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/08/poker-update-49/) - I had a plan going in. Or at least something to work on. Objective: Play less hands. On the hands I do play, play them more aggressively. I achieved my objective. It worked well. Every hand I played I felt confident I had the best hand or could bluff the other folks out. I did.
- [Our New Credit Card](https://muttrox.com/2009/08/our-new-credit-card/) - We've had the Delta American Express Card since 2001. We're done with it.The rewards it gives are frequent flyer miles, one per dollar spent. That's not good enough. Why? We don't always fly Delta anymore. We fly AirTran a lot. Miles aren't easily transferable. Mrs. Muttrox and I have separate ledgers based on our individual
- ["All the Help the Law Allows"](https://muttrox.com/2009/08/all-the-help-the-law-allows/) - That's the slogan of Joel and Associates. Aren't lawyers required to give you all the help the law allows? If a lawyer were to give you less than what the law allows, couldn't they be disbarred?
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/08/links-o-interest-82/) - These make me giggle I like my women the way I like my coffee Spot the dictator! Don’t swallow your gum. Total Eclipse of the Flow Chart Scottish man at U2 show Fun with Bob Dylan translations 25 thinks I promise never to put my child through Ow! That isn’t how it’s played. Are you
- [Pentagon Assesses Global Warming-related Threats](https://muttrox.com/2009/08/pentagon-assesses-global-warming-related-threats/) - the Pentagon is being ordered by Congress to study threats that arise out of global warming. This is a bi-partisan mandate. It presumably starts from the Pentagon, who has been warning the White House for years of the potential effects of global warming. I wish I knew the voting on this measure. I think this
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/08/poker-update-48/) - Last Week: I had 9-A. The flop was 9-4-2. I raised, he went all-in. I figured him for pocket Js, called for some reason. He had pocket 4s. But I caught a 9 on the river to knock him out. That was a lucky draw. An hour later I had about 2,800 with the blinds
- [Happy Cost of Government Day!](https://muttrox.com/2009/08/happy-cost-of-government-day/)
- [On Health Care](https://muttrox.com/2009/08/on-health-care/) - "How American Health Care Killed My Father" is long, but worth it. It's a very thoughtful look at health and health care, and questions many of the assumptions that are going into the reform packages.
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/08/links-o-interest-81/) - The sexist computer It doesn’t work like it says How men and women argue 131 reasons David Banner turned into the Hulk Alex, what are "Brass Ones?" OK, that last guy has a point. An honest end-user license agreement It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia gets a spinoff (sorta)! True evil The internet made you stupid
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/08/links-o-interest-80/) - Lots of good ones today... Reimagining of Peanuts Barack Obama’s birther-day card Feel the snark. Epic neighbor lawn chair war. Read the emails. Are you there printer? Facebook Genesis Cool ad I never cared for John Hughes that much. But this is still touching. You think turtles are slow? That’s what they want you to
- [Economy Predictions](https://muttrox.com/2009/08/economy-predictions/) - Feeding of Ole's comment from the last post: What are your predictions for the US economy? I'm not sure I have a prediction, but I have an observation. I was criticized last year for breaking up my viewpoint in three parts: Financials, Fiscal, Fundamentals. Tough, I still think it's a good way to look at
- [This Housing Market](https://muttrox.com/2009/08/this-housing-market/) - Deutsche bank just put out a very depressing report. Over 25% of mortgages are under water (the house is worth less than the outstanding amount of the loan). That's an incredible statistic. One out of every four loans. They expect this to rise to 48% in the 1st quarter of 2011. (To be fair, keep
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/08/poker-update-47/) - A weird night. All kinds of bad beats and weird draws. I've forgotten most of the hands, except this one. Blinds are at 300-600. There are only five players left and play is fairly tight. The blind is raised to 1,600. I have A-9 in the small blind. I call. The flop is A-10-8. I
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/08/poker-update-46/) - For the sake of completeness. $20 profit at a lame Friday night game. Picked the wrong night to host, everyone was out of town.
- [Book Reccommendations (Fiction)](https://muttrox.com/2009/08/book-reccommendations-fiction/) - And Then we Came to The End (Joshua Ferris):When we first starting reading this, we didn't know what to think of it. The whole book is written in the first person plural. We wondered if they could keep it up, but they did. And we never did find out anything about the protagonist. We thought
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/07/links-o-interest-79/) - Douchebag name generator. You Suck at Craigslist Soccer Mom from hell Poor Horses McDonald’s latest product offering A funny Palin supporter The international space station, clearly seen against the Sun. Avoid dry-cleaning bills: Donate your clothes, then buy them back on the cheap. I doubt more than one of my readers will get this article.
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/07/poker-update-45/) - In the early going I had Q-Q. The flop was J-x-x. I called an all-in bet. He had J-A and caught the Ace on the river. That was my bad beat for the night, I was glad to get it out of the way early. I played well tonight. I believe I made good decisions
- [The Wizard of the Washroom](https://muttrox.com/2009/07/the-wizard-of-the-washroom/) - I recently realized that I can go to the bathroom at work without touching anything. The toilet flushes without me touching it. The water is dispensed without me touching it. The soap is dispensed without me touching it. The paper towels are dispense without me touching anything. I understand why it's there. Most people seem
- [Book Review: The Grapes of Wrath](https://muttrox.com/2009/07/book-review-the-grapes-of-wrath/) - That may be the best book I have ever read.
- [Where's the Printer?](https://muttrox.com/2009/07/wheres-the-printer/) - When I came back to work from vacation the printer was missing. There was a note on the wall where the printer used to be. The same message was sent to me as an email, subject "Where's the Printer?". In order to save cost, time, and energy xxx received permission from xxx and his direct
- [The Ethics of Kidney Donation](https://muttrox.com/2009/07/the-ethics-of-kidney-donation/) - Why are there so many people waiting for kidney transplants? Is it ethical to pay donors (Muttroxia gives a hearty "Yes!") for their organs? This very readable article dives into some of the problems and solutions. One of the things I liked about it is it's sense of moral outrage. This is a solvable problems,
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/07/links-o-interest-78/) - The ad that Microsoft should be running. Why I won’t be going to my high school reunion. Fortunately I always got along with everyone at school, but I certainly knew people who could have written almost every word of this. JK Rowling must register as a potential pedophile. Government gone mad. She’s not coming back
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/07/poker-update-44/) - Just for the sake of completeness. Second place. Mostly by staying out of the way and letting others knock each other out. Tonight: $71 Running Total: Haven't the vaguest. Probably a little down?
- [Assisted Suicide](https://muttrox.com/2009/07/assisted-suicide/) - From the New York Times today: LONDON — The controversy over the ethical and legal issues surrounding assisted suicide for the terminally ill was thrown into stark relief on Tuesday with the announcement that one of Britain’s most distinguished orchestra conductors, Sir Edward Downes, had flown to Switzerland last week with his wife and joined
- [Links of Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/07/links-of-interest/) - Dr. Dooms brilliant stand-up act. Why Kanye West is a douche Town officials can’t figure out what 2/3 of 206 is Fantastic commercial. NSFW audio, but don’t bother without audio This is a great first car because… Minimum wage In emergencies Gary: Landlord of the flies Emails from an a-hole Humorous toilet directions Graduation shirt
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/07/poker-update-43/) - I can’t complain about the hands last night. I had more than enough to play. It was the kind of night for weird hands – good beats and bad beats with unlikely draws. On the third hand I limped in with A-7. The flop was 7-7-6. With a set of 7s and the best kicker,
- [The Two Presidential Surnames Puzzle](https://muttrox.com/2009/07/the-two-presidential-surnames-puzzle/) - On vacation, my friend (and frequent Muttroxia commenter) and I were chatting and Harrison Ford came up. He noticed that both his names were the surnames of Presidents (Benjamin Harrison & Gerald Ford). We tried to come up with any other famous people who were the same. A few hours later he got one. I
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/06/links-o-interest-77/) - The Muttrox clan and one our main commenters will are on vacation through July 5th or so. Enjoy the links! The death of Michael Jackson, 1, 2, and 3. When good bananas go bad: A banana scaring people. More fun with Facebook: They pimp your wife Twitter Creator On Iran: 'I Never Intended For Twitter
- [Getting Old Means Not Knowing What's Going On](https://muttrox.com/2009/06/getting-old-means-not-knowing-whats-going-on/) - I never really learned what a hernia was until my last medical checkup. I never needed to know. It's never explained anywhere. There's a whole list of bodily ailments I never gave much thought to, they were things that only old people had to worry about. Now that there are more things to worry about
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/06/poker-update-42/) - On the second hand I had pocket kings, converted for a nice pot. Twenty minutes later I had pocket queens and a queen came on the flop for another super tidy profit. I bluffed everyone out with J-5 and found myself with a nice healthy stack as we moved to the medium rounds. I was
- [The Source of the National Debt](https://muttrox.com/2009/06/the-source-of-the-national-debt/) - Where does the US National Debt come from? The New York Times had a good article a couple weeks back that analyzed the sources of the debt. It only starts after Clinton left office (presumably to make Bush look worse), but it's still an interesting take. Here are the categories. Before looking, take a minute
- [States Educational Systems as Countries](https://muttrox.com/2009/06/states-educational-systems-as-countries/) - Matt had a post about this interesting paper. It takes each state and treats it as it's own country. Then it can compare them to other countries. Some US States fare mighty well, some don't. For instance, we moved from Massachusetts to Georgia ten years ago. Massachusetts was ranked #1 in the United States by
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/06/links-o-interest-76/) - (A couple new ones added at the bottom) Bad news on Facebook. So dumb I can’t stop laughing Those lovable Japanese, ready to serve you. Brilliantly confusing choose your own adventure comic. London Calling cassette tape Nuanced and subtle bumper stickers Do it yourself lawn The Happiest People Ever photoblog. It goes well with the
- [Curious George](https://muttrox.com/2009/06/curious-george-must-be-irish/) - (This one is for the parents) I love the Curious George books, I never mind reading them to the boys. The originals still stand up, and even the TV show is good. But let's face it, Curious George is one stupid stupid monkey. He's a disobedient stubborn idiot with obvious psychological disorders. This is the
- [Poker Update: The Aces Giveth and The Aces Taketh Away](https://muttrox.com/2009/06/poker-update-the-aces-giveth-and-the-aces-taketh-away/) - Nothing worked. No hands, no bluffs that worked. Getting whittled. Raised with A-J. The flop was K-Q-J. Decided to raise again and was called. Skip to the end, he had A-10 and had flopped the straight. I was down to 200. On the next hand I went all-in with K-3. I figured there was 8
- [Parenting at it's Best: Bringing up Daughter](https://muttrox.com/2009/06/parenting-at-its-best-bring-up-daughter/) - "While you were gone I pissed on your daughter." Thus began the email to my wife while she was out of town. It made me laugh even while I was typing it. I was watching the kids by myself. Our one-year old daughter takes a lot of attention of course. Well I had to go.
- [How to Improve the NBA](https://muttrox.com/2009/06/how-to-improve-the-nba/) - Yes congratulations to new NBA World Champions, The Los Ang.. [choke, gasp] The Los Angele [gu-huk!].. to Kobe Bry[bleearargggh!] I can't do it. Stupid Lakers! How is the NBA as a whole doing? Well, the NHL is catching up. Here are two things the NBA could do to that would improve the experience. Enforce the
- [Movie Review: Up!](https://muttrox.com/2009/06/movie-review-up/) - Up! is fantastic. If you aren't close to crying a few times during that movie, there's something wrong with you. Good filmmaking is good filmmaking, regardless of the media. That's all I got to say. Here's a link to the opening short.
- [Poker Update: Social Night](https://muttrox.com/2009/06/poker-update-social-night/) - It was Teela Brown night or something. There were three experienced players at a table of nine, there was a low buy-in with unlimited rebuys, and alcohol was involved. People would go all-in at the drop of a hat. I couldn't have been luckier. I had Q-A, the flop was Q-Q-x. Doubled up. I had
- [Poker Mini-Update (minor news)](https://muttrox.com/2009/06/poker-mini-update-minor-news/) - Our group is doing a Tournament of Champions this year. Each week a little money is pulled out of the prize pool. The top players each week get a few points, and you get a point for showing up. After 15 weeks, the top 8 players will have a winner-take-all tournament for the winnings and
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/06/poker-update-41/) - The omens were horrible. I had been battling Montezuma’s Revenge all day. I untwisted the front wheel of my bike to ride it to the poker game and the entire brake caliper snapped in half. Not good omens at all. I was determined to play tight. I didn’t play many pots. I didn’t have to
- [Laundry Math](https://muttrox.com/2009/06/laundry-math/) - I was folding laundry for the kids. Because it was slowing me down so much I noticed that most of the shirts were inside out. Why is that? Is there any reason they should all be inside out? What are the odds of this happening randomly. Time to run some numbers. 33 shirts 24 or
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/06/links-o-interest-75/) - Skydyne tech support emails Stupid crook of the month The one thing duct tape won’t work on. Book review Beatles Rockband is here Superhero economics. Really. How come as soon as someone in the comics gets rich, they buy some crazy suit and start trying to destroy or save the world? Clearly having five million
- [Busted by the Six-year Old](https://muttrox.com/2009/06/busted-by-the-six-year-old/) - (We have a Power Wheels Jeep we bought at a yard sale a couple years ago. The battery died recently. It wouldn't take a recharge. We bought a new battery. They've been driving it around all morning.) Him: Dad, we stopped using the Jeep. Me: Why? Him: We didn't want to waste the battery. We
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/06/poker-update-40/) - In the early going I min-raise in with A-9. Only one other caller. The flop is K-J-7. I bet a couple hundred and he calls. I figure he has K-x. The turn is an A. I figure I have him beat. I have him read as K-x. Now my Aces beat his Kings. I put
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/05/poker-update-39/) - One bad hand. That's all it takes, just one hand played badly... I started strong. It was one of my best outings ever. Within an hour I had doubled. By 90 minutes I was at 3x the starting stack. Everything was working. I connected on flops. I bluffed when I didn't. I folded to hands
- [Pink Floyd](https://muttrox.com/2009/05/pink-floyd/) - I learned a beautiful new song on guitar this week. Lovely picking, interesting mournful melodies, clever ways of picking up the sus4 and major7. I played it for Mrs Muttrox. She agreed it was a very pretty song. Only it isn't. Because it's a Roger Waters song. The song is Goodbye Blue Sky from The
- [NBA Playoffs](https://muttrox.com/2009/05/nba-playoffs/) - Did you see LeBron sink that shot? Did you see that!? If you are even a casual basketball fan, you should be watching the playoffs. For the last two weeks nearly every single day has featured a memorable game. Both games of both conference finals have been terrific. Do yourself a favor and tune in.
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/05/links-o-interest-74/) - The covers for W’s briefings. Scary. Rumsfeld starting putting these Bible quotes on the covers of briefings to reinforce his points with the religiously inclined Bush. Go Montana go! Butterfly wish It's official. No one cares about your garage band This math was not needed. Very harsh roommate confession Play them off Keyboard Cat!: Unlucky
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/05/poker-update-38/) - I'm having a bad run. It's been a long time since I finished in the money, much less won. Some of it is bad cards. Last week my best hand in two hours of play was A-J. Last night I did get some good starters. K-A twice. Pocket 3s twice and pocket 6s once. That's
- [Bye-bye Celtics: Losers Pyschology](https://muttrox.com/2009/05/bye-bye-celtics-losers-pyschology/) - Pierce did not play well. Celtics shots did not go in. Magic shots did. End of story. I'm glad it was a blowout. If we had only lost by one or two shots I would be reliving all the could-have-beens, Howard not getting called on at least two goaltending, bunny shots that didn't go in,
- [Bathroom Shelf](https://muttrox.com/2009/05/bathroom-shelf/) - The human-designed world is often not well designed. One of the canonical examples of using design well is the newspaper stand at an airport or train station. In many of them it is surprisingly difficult to actually process your transaction. If you have a briefcase or suitcase with you, the things you want to buy
- [5<strong><em>1</em></strong> State Quarters?](https://muttrox.com/2009/05/51-state-quarters/) - I was having a bad day last week. It was turned around at Quizno's. Not because of their subs, though they are good, but because I was handed as part of my change the state quarter for Hawaii. That was the last one. Mrs. Muttrox and I have been collecting the state quarters since 2000.
- [Celtics - Magic](https://muttrox.com/2009/05/celtics-magic/) - Where's my props for calling this one? (Although I admit with 11 seconds left I said, "I can't believe we're going to lose this game.") I hate watching games decided by referees. There were only a couple terrible calls, but there were lots of calls on things they normally let go. The game wouldn't have
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/05/links-o-interest-73/) - I thought that was metaphorical You’re making as ass of yourself for all eternity.” How true. Play him off keyboard cat! Human Statue of Liberty Um.. what!? A kangaroo prank Mike Mulligan was somehow involved with this excavation. Star Wars at Disney World posters, clever! Donald Duck is a homicidal psychopath Pick the perp, for
- [Celtics Orlando](https://muttrox.com/2009/05/celtics-orlando/) - I'm going out on a limb. I predict the Celtics take Game 4, tying the series and regaining home court advantage. It's sad how these injuries have made a mockery of this team. I like Brian Scalabrine but let's be serious. He's a fine 11th man. He's not a fine 7th man. The key to
- [Burger King Wins](https://muttrox.com/2009/05/burger-king-wins/) - Today I had lunch at Burger King (it was a reward for the three-year old's progress in nighttime potty training). They had signs up all over declaring they had over 100 kinds of drinks. No way I thought. I don't think I could name more than 30 sodas and what else was there... it just
- [Celtics-Bulls](https://muttrox.com/2009/05/celtics-bulls/) - How is it I haven't commented on this incredible series at all? 6 games, 7 overtime periods, only 1 game decided by more than one point - this might be the best basketball series of all time! Only it isn't. Because when you get down to it, who cares. Either of these teams will probably
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/05/links-o-interest-72/) - You’ve doomed us all! Winnie the Pooh: 2009 update Obama: I am surrounded by idiots The hilarious true origin of Superman Epic animated gif Neat running video LOLWiggers How to Play Guitar. Enough to get you Laid. Satanism fail I don’t know how to answer this The water bridge trick Everything you knew about Columbine
- [DMB still has it](https://muttrox.com/2009/04/dmb-still-has-it/) - Dave Matthews Band sounds better every time I see them. (I've been seven? eight? times... not sure.) Last night was one of the best lineups I've seen. They now have two horn players to replace the deceased one, both of them are fantastic. Tim Reynolds was there. If you don't know Tim, he and Dave
- [Is this Spam?](https://muttrox.com/2009/03/is-this-spam/) - Some days it's hard to tell. I got an email promoting "The Webinar Webinar". Update: Consarn it, where's the link? I can't find it. Anyhow, it was an email promoting a webinar that would tell you how to use a webinar successfully. Update: Here's the link
- [Arlen Specter joins the Democrats](https://muttrox.com/2009/04/arlen-specter-joins-the-democrats/) - With Specter's defection, and Franken likely to be seated any day, the Democrats now have 60 Senators, a fillibuster-proof majority. Here are some reactions from around the web. It is a sing of the GOP that a centrist candidate switches parties. It is a sign of their ideological idiocy that they allowed Pat Toomey to
- [The Big One. Hundred.](https://muttrox.com/2009/04/the-big-one-hundred/) - Tomorrow we're heading to Boston to celebrate the 100th birthday of my grandmother. One hundred years old. Amazing. When she was bringing up her kids, the ice man would bring a two-hundred pound block up four floors on his back. She's seen so much. She's an incredible woman. Her body is failing her, but her
- [Children: Then and Now](https://muttrox.com/2009/04/children-then-and-now/) - I've read this piece several times now. It hits home. Read it now. Go ahead. Our oldest is six years old. He has never been left on his own in the house for more than thirty seconds. He is allowed to go to the house next door if he tells us about it ahead of
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/04/poker-update-37/) - I had the cards. I had the skill. I didn't have the luck. First hand of the night. Small blinds limps into my big blind, I call with Q-8. The flop is 8-6-5. With top pair I raise it, he calls. The turn is a 4. He had a 7, connecting his straight, taking 30%
- [A Day of Silence](https://muttrox.com/2009/04/a-day-of-silence/) - I have some kind of ungodly throat problem. It's been building for almost a week. Over the weekend it became serious. Swallowing burns. Saliva builds up until I have to make a disgusting dangling spit thread, or swallow and accept the pain as my own. It helps if I don't talk or use my voice.
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/04/links-o-interest-71/) - Alien vs. Predator Gif me your best smile Facebook APB catches drunk thief. Disney templates Welcome to Romania Deduping Amazing basketball shot Google Street View: Tall car, short bridge AP issues itself a cease and desist letter Atheist motivational posters Meth-lab Feng Shui Worst advertising slogan of the year One way to explain cocaine test
- [Customer Executive](https://muttrox.com/2009/04/customer-executive/) - I'm on hold with Comcast. In between the oddly un-soulful blues hold music, they play recordings to upsell me on various products. ..voice mail with web access and 12 popular calling features! Make Comcast for home phone service. Ask your Customer Account Executive about Comcast digital voice today! Now I don't know if I'll ever
- [An Activist Idiot](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/an-activist-idiot/) - The NYT Business section today has an article about repaying student loans. It's a good article. It points out how student loans are a special category of loans that come with a higher burden than others. Bankruptcy usually doesn't get rid of them. The lender can garnish wages, and the government can hold back stimulus
- [Random Beatles Thought](https://muttrox.com/2009/04/random-beatles-thought/) - They have a lot of songs about waking up. "Good Day Sunshine" "Good Morning Good Morning" "Here Comes the Sun" Then there's also the obscure "I'll Follow the Sun". And there's two more songs about days passing, "Yesterday" and "Tomorrow Never Knows". C'mon!
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/04/links-o-interest-70/) - Lost Cat: Reward Reaganomics Bill Gates on Facebook Michael Bay eats cereal Art from old cassette tapes A good woman can bring balance to your life. Nick Cage does Japanese Commercials 8 Awesome Cases of Internet Vigilantism Where Are They Now: 6 "Stars" of Embarrassing Viral Videos Clipart stop-motion movie Use Your Illusion III The
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/04/poker-update-36/) - The less said about the first round the better. I was physically exhausted and played badly. I let myself get sucked into pissing away money on a draw, played overly aggressive with marginal hands, and was unlucky to boot. Blech. After the rebuy I played much better. But the bad beats killed me. With J-10,
- [More Copyright Violation](https://muttrox.com/2005/08/more-copyright-fun/) - My latest fave rave musician is Josh Rouse. It's not the kind of music that hits you over the head with it's incredibleness the first time you hear it, but I find myself playing his stuff over and over. Simple lyrics have a way of hitting home. Here's a link to his terrible homepage. Doesn't
- [Harvard: Bastion of Liberal Orthodoxy](https://muttrox.com/2009/03/harvard-bastion-of-liberal-orthodoxy/) - From the Harvard Business School Working Knowledge newlsetter, here is how the executive summary of "Why Sweatshops Flourish": Everyone agrees it is wrong to buy things made with sweatshop labor. Yet many of us are willing to justify our decision when a product—a pair of jeans, for example—is something we really want. Bolding is mine.
- [I Like Obama's Pakistan Strategy](https://muttrox.com/2009/03/i-like-obamas-pakistan-strategy/) - Obama is planning to increase foreign aid to Pakistan to somewhere around 1.5 Billion per year. And we are stepping up our demands for them to root out extreme Islam and increase counter-terrorism on the Afghan border. At first glance, there's something a little sick about increasing aid to Pakistan. They've let Osama Bin Laden
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/03/links-o-interest-69/) - David Lee Roth soundboard. Fantastic! Google classic, pre-internet Swim practice just got a lot more intense. You’re a bad man, Chris Brown Fmylife Sturgeon faces Then hilarity ensued An honest criminal Getting the best of tech support Seth McFarlane, for Hulu German police have been tracking a nefarious serial killer for decades. The DNA has
- [Poker Update: Year Two Begins](https://muttrox.com/2009/03/poker-update-year-two-begins/) - Did I play this right? Let's just skip to the key hand. We're two hours in. I have exactly 2,500 and blinds are at 100-200. I'm on the dealers right. I have been quiet for a long time. Players have been respecting my raises. I have Qd-Jd. Instead of calling, or putting the standard 600
- [An Odd Collection of Hobbies](https://muttrox.com/2009/03/an-odd-collection-of-hobbies/) - Here's one of my favorite weird moments from Futurama. The aliens have announced they are coming to Earth and are going to eat all the humans. We will begin with the firemen, then the math teachers, and so on in that fashion until everyone is eaten! The joke is figuring out what "in that fashion"
- [Cry me a River, Ben Stein](https://muttrox.com/2009/03/cry-me-a-river-ben-stein/) - Ben Stein's column in The New York Times is a joke. Each one is stupider than the one before it. But in a crowded field of dumbness, this weeks column rises to the top. It is a defense of the business trip. The whole masterpiece is worth reading, but here's a couple choice paragraphs: Like
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/03/links-o-interest-68/) - A sitcom map of the US. See, this is why the internet was created. Porn Sting goes to the dogs. Awesome. My life with cables Misquotations Retro Watchmen Cake of resignation Irony: Police Spray Water Cannons at Protesters. They’re protesting for global water rights. You and your research: A great essay on what separates great
- [A Good Idea from the GOP](https://muttrox.com/2009/03/a-good-idea-from-the-gop/) - I first saw this in a long New York Times magazine piece about Newt Gingrich. Last week a Republican friend of mine (yes, I have a few) asked me about it. This article is well-worth reading in full. Frum is not the only Republican on the case. “If you want a quick answer to the
- [Muttrox's Mortgage Insanity](https://muttrox.com/2009/03/muttroxs-mortgage-insanity/) - We recently refinanced our mortgage. We changed from a 20-year to a 30-year loan, and reduced the rate by one percent. Along the way we talked to three different mortgage brokers as well as our mortgage holder, Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo was the worst of the lot. They couldn't even come close to the rates
- [The Three Year Old Comments on the Weather](https://muttrox.com/2009/03/the-three-year-old-comments-on-the-weather/) - It's been a dreary weekend. Rainy and wet and raw. Finally the three-year old reached the breaking point. "It is too wet! When I get to heaven, I am going to bite Jesus!"
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/03/links-o-interest-67/) - An honest interview answer God hates figs. Journey’s Separate Ways – shot by shot remake I accept your terms. The skeptics page for The Force Frank Miller does Charlie Brown Neat electric ad Fantastic Nissan ad (with Andy Richter) Widescreen Tetris. Ridiculous! 32 songs in 8 minutes. Very neat Youtube mashup, combining other people's Youtube
- [One Year of Poker: A Summary](https://muttrox.com/2009/03/one-year-of-poker-a-summary/) - My birthday is this weekend. I've been blogging all my poker games for one year now. (I started here and here.) After one year, how did I do? $689! Six hundred and eighty nine dollars. I did pretty damn good. Almost 700 dollars in the black! My usual games have only twenty dollar buyins. If
- [Poker Update: Las Vegas Edition](https://muttrox.com/2009/03/poker-update-las-vegas-edition/) - I spent last weekend in Las Vegas. I played in three poker tournaments. Tourney 1 (Sit and Go, $70 buyin): A Sit and Go tournament is a one-table tournament. There are only ten players. The blinds move up quickly and you aren't given many chips to start. Because of this, play is aggressive and the
- [Timezones: Unclear on the Concept](https://muttrox.com/2009/03/timezones-unclear-on-the-concept/) - There was a herd of highschool girls on the train into the airport. They were heading to Indiana. "Is Indiana in a different timezone?" "O my god, it's so weird, like half the state is in one timezone and one half in the other" "Can you imagine if your house was in one time zone
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/03/poker-update-35/) - Some nights nothing you do works out. If you raise with premium cards they fold. If you raise with marginal hands they come over the top. If you call with a low or medium pair, nothing comes on the flop. Could they have a read on me? I only made it to hour 2 because
- [Meanwhile, in an Alternate Reality](https://muttrox.com/2009/03/meanwhile-in-an-alternate-reality/) - Check this out. (If you're wondering, I also haven't decided on my policy about full nudity.)
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/02/links-o-interest-66/) - 99 things you should have seen on the internet already. Sure to be a 2009 Darwin nominee Amazing animation: voodoo doll martyr Firefighter inhales cat Wow. Robotic chair reassembles itself Lawyer of class action suit paid in gift cards. Fitting, I hope this catches on. Another reason I like being Jewish. Lord of the Rings
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/02/poker-update-34/) - Some days you play everything right and still lose. That's how it goes. I had stolen pots, I had limped in and gotten sets, I had made tough folds, I had played tight, I read the odds and the hands, but it didn't matter. I was dealt Qd-8d in the big blind, blinds at 150-300.
- [The Six-year old and Two Awesome People](https://muttrox.com/2009/02/the-six-year-old-and-two-awesome-people/) - If you haven't already, check out the hilarious video resume by Barney Stinson (from how I met your mother). Thanks to a facebook link from Matt, the boy and I watched it again together. Click here. Pay special attention to the closing shot. When the last note dies away and Barney stand before a waving
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/02/poker-update-33/) - 3 big hands: On one of the very first hands of the night I have K-Q spades. I raise. I'm re-raised, I call. Flop is As-x-x. He puts in another huge bet (we're at 25-50, he puts in 500). I sorta say what the hell and call him. The turn is another spade. He bets
- [Happy Valentine's Day.  Bah!](https://muttrox.com/2009/02/happy-valentines-day-bah/) - One of my favorite Simpsons bits starts off in the board room of a greeting card company. Manager: Okay, people. We need to cook up a new holiday for the summer. Something with, eh, gifts, cards, assorted gougeables. Woman: How about something religious? We had great penetration last spring with "Christmas II"! Man: Ooh, I
- [25 Random Things About Me](https://muttrox.com/2009/02/25-random-things-about-me/) - (slightly edited from the version I posted on Facebook) 1. I never wear a watch. Everyone else around me always has one and there are clocks everywhere you go. What do I need one for? Besides, they irritate my wrist. 2. I don’t really have a cel phone either. My wife has one. I have
- [Hottub Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/02/hottub-update/) - Yes, it's just as awesome as advertised. In fact, I'm going to go in right now. Probably just as well - I asked a semi-rhetorical semi-negative question about our CEO in a presentation that was being taped for podcasting to the whole company. Not terribly smart.
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/02/poker-update-32/) - A very good outing. I misplayed one hand badly, everything else was at least good. I started off with lots of blind stealing. There were a couple players that showed weakness, I jumped on them everytime. Things were going good. Up a little, down a little. I don't remember this hand exactly right, but it
- [Visionworks Rules](https://muttrox.com/2009/02/visionworks-rules/) - When I got glasses a couple years ago I went to Pearle Vision and Lenscrafters. I ended up buying glasses at Visionworks. They were much cheaper for the exact same product. One of the lenses fell out recently. I went to a local Lenscrafters to see what was the matter. After fooling around for a
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/02/links-o-interest-65/) - A hilarious Superbowl ad that wasn't aired. Scale Pepsi covers My Generation. Not half bad. Giraffe fight. Never seen one of those. Sarcasm Tough Guy Challenge: Shaming triatheletes 7-year old hopped up on dental drugs. And the animated version. "Is this real life?" Google finds some weird searches alright Differently abled crowd surfing This magazine
- [The bug in the car](https://muttrox.com/2009/02/the-bug-in-the-car/) - The bug wasn't in the car, it was in the service manual. My car tells you how much oil life is left. When it gets down to 15%, a message is activated. This message displays every time the car is on and stays on until you tell it to stop. It is very annoying. That's
- [The Night Sky](https://muttrox.com/2009/02/the-night-sky/) - One of the sad parts about living in the endless sprawl of Atlanta is the light pollution. I am a low-grade astronomy buff, but you just can't see very much here. Our children know Polaris, the Big Dipper, Venus, and Orion's belt. That's about it. We miss part of the richness of existence when we
- [Superbowl Halftime Show: Bruce Springsteen](https://muttrox.com/2009/02/superbowl-halftime-show-bruce-springsteen/) - I'm not a huge Bruce Springsteen fan. He's overrated. I want to like him more. I like his story, I like his attitude, I like his subject matter, hell I like him. He's a charismatic likable guy. But I just don't like most of his music. Once you get past the best four songs or
- [Super Bowl Prediction](https://muttrox.com/2009/02/super-bowl-prediction/) - (I just found this in my drafts folder. Somehow I never hit publish. Believe as you will.) Steelers by 13. I am not a believer in Arizona.
- [Vegas baby, Vegas.](https://muttrox.com/2009/02/vegas-baby-vegas/) - I'm turning 40 next month. To mark this blessed/cursed occasion, I have chosen to celebrate/mourn in Las Vegas. If you're reading this the odds are good that you are also right around that age, or fellow gambling addicts, or just generally fun enough that I want you along. We're going March 6 - March 8th.
- [Look What we Just Bought!](https://muttrox.com/2009/01/look-what-we-just-bought/) - Being a buyer in this economy is amazing. Talk about having "hand". Want to learn more? Feast your eyes on these specs (click through for details). It's bloody indecent. Oh, will delivery day never come!?
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/01/links-o-interest-64/) - The inauguration music was not actually live. The inaugural photo. Zoom to your hearts delight, 1,474 gigabytes of picture. Philadelphia Eagles trophy case Tibbles the cat, history's greatest killer. That’s why they call him The Magician (pool shot). But I like this one's tricks better. Hacking programmable road signs Street racer pwned by ticketing cop
- [Adventures in Geekdom: Puzzles](https://muttrox.com/2009/01/adventures-in-geekdom-puzzles/) - The Muttroxia family is into puzzles these days. Every few years we have a brief surge of puzzlemania. Puzzles takes some effort, but are relaxing enough to be able to talk to each other. At least that's the idea. I have a hard time with that, I get involved in the puzzle too much. As
- [My Beatles .mp3 List](https://muttrox.com/2009/01/my-beatles-mp3-list/) - This is not my top Beatles songs in order. But it will give you some idea of the Beatles music I like. Here's what currently on my playlist: A Day in the Life Across the Universe (two versions, plus a Rufus Wainwright cover) Because Day Tripper (plus a Jimi Hendrix cover and a ripping Oasis/Paul
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/01/poker-update-31/) - Let's get right into the hands o' interest (not to be confused with the Links o' Interest). With 9-10, I limp as the big blind. The flop is 7-8-J giving me the nut straight. I check. I call a moderate sized bet. The turn is a Q. I check. He bets, I go all in.
- [The Beatles Countdown](https://muttrox.com/2009/01/the-beatles-countdown/) - This link deserves it's own post. This person counted down every single Beatles song from worst to best. Truly gutsy. And so wrong! Dear Prudence at #11!? All you need is love at #6? She’s Leaving Home at #3? Are you insane? Of course a friend says that Tomorrow Never Knows should be at #1,
- [Towns in Massachusetts](https://muttrox.com/2009/01/towns-in-masschusetts/) - One of my relatives in Massachusetts moved to a town called Milford. Filthbag that I am, this made me laugh. The town founders could never have imagined that "Milf" would ever come to mean what it does. Massachusetts has a lot of towns with funny names. Some of them sound like dirty words (Athol). Some
- [Notarizing Fun](https://muttrox.com/2009/01/notarizing-fun/) - I am a notary. (Why? Why not. It's cheap and it's kinda fun.) My commission is about to expire. I downloaded the forms I need for renewal. They're very simple. Send in a check and a copy of your drivers license and this form. The form has two lines that need to be filled out.
- [Science Fair](https://muttrox.com/2009/01/science-fair/) - Tuesday Mrs Muttrox told me that she have volunteered me to be in the Science Fair. "Come up with something sciency". I was unclear exactly what was going on. But the kindergarten boy and I had done hovercraft once, so I went with that. This is not exactly high tech science. You cut a hole
- [Yes we Did, links version](https://muttrox.com/2009/01/yes-we-did-links-version/) - Cuz is right, electing Obama is only a start. But what a start it is! Day One: Reduce corruption. Day Two: Close secret prisons and detention camps. What will Day Three bring? Satellite imagery of crowd America’s new robots.txt file Presidential approval ratings since 1946. Classic Onion Headline Headline of the Day GTFO!
- [Yes we did!](https://muttrox.com/2009/01/yes-we-did/)
- [NFL Predictions](https://muttrox.com/2009/01/nfl-predictions-2/) - I'm 1-7 so far in the playoffs. Sports Guy matched me last round, here's his funny reaction. I don't much care about either of these games or feel strongly about either of them. But what the heck. I'm masochistic like that. NFC (Cardinals v Eagles): I still don't believe in the Cardinals. But the Eagles
- [Poker Update <del>(partial)</del>](https://muttrox.com/2009/01/poker-update-partial/) - 21 players. $25 buy-in. Very strict house rules. Looks like we're playing real poker tonight folks! I'll stick to the notable hands. I get A-J. I raise the 50-100 blinds up to 300. Someone else raises it another 500. Two more people call. I have decent pot odds with a decent hand, I call also.
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/01/links-o-interest-63/) - Ninja cat does it the hard way The Princess Bride continues to impress. Trivia about The Princess Bride Heavy Metal bandname flowchart Safe sex fail World’s worst firemen Terrible pre-med student I’m an idiot Now that is irony Winter Valentine Most embarrassing book How to steal a car with 3 drink cans Russian knife roulette
- [Confrontation at the Airport](https://muttrox.com/2009/01/confrontation-at-the-airport/) - Mrs. Muttrox is away for the weekend. The family drove to the airport to drop her off. Arriving there, I pulled alongside the curb near a walkway to let out Mrs. Muttrox. She said goodbye to the children. We both got out, exchanged hugs and kisses and well wishes. She walked to her terminal and
- [Selling the Old Car](https://muttrox.com/2009/01/selling-the-old-car/) - After buying my new car, I put the old one up for sale. It took me five months to sell it. This is a car in good shape with extremely low mileage. But the buyers just aren't there. I ended up selling it for a good thousand bucks below what I think it's worth. When
- [NFL Predictions](https://muttrox.com/2009/01/nfl-predictions/) - Fresh off my 1-3 outing, I'm back again with more bad predictions. Home teams win everywhere except the Chargers, just because I like them. Titans over Ravens Chargers over Steelers Panthers over Cardinals Giants over Eagles
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2009/01/links-o-interest-62/) - People who Deserve It Decline Buy our seats Of course Tintin is gay. E-bayers are not so bright How do I get out of this one? I’d be a little nervous also. The Seed (pleasant video) The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Sweatshirt) Funny bumper stickers Lies of omission Best bet loser New Media
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2009/01/poker-update-30/) - The first game of 2009 started off rather poorly. No cards. Nothing to play. So I didn't. I called the blinds once or twice, went 2 for 4 on bluffs, but basically did nothing. My stack got whittled down. With rebuy time running out, I chose to commit stack suicide with K-6. I knew the
- [Plotholes in Dumb Comedies](https://muttrox.com/2009/01/plotholes-in-dumb-comedies/) - How can anyone get upset at a plothole in a stupid comedy? I don't know how I do it, but I do it. Old School: The first big party is a Thursday, but in the great scene where we see Frank the Tank coming back, Frank says that he has a busy Saturday ahead of
- [Wildcard Weekend Postscript](https://muttrox.com/2009/01/wildcard-weekend-postscript/) - Cleary I am terrible at NFL predictions. One out of four, yeesh. Falcons/Cardinals: Turnovers. And poor defense by Atlanta in the second half. With the game on the line, you have them at 3rd and 16, how do you let someone catch a pass with no one even around them? Ridiculous. Colts/Chargers: I predicted this
- [Return from Exile](https://muttrox.com/2009/01/return-from-exile/) - I've spent the last year and a half in exile. I speak of work. With our company bursting at the seams, many people have had to move locations away from their normal groups. My group was the right size to get the short straw. In the summer of 2007 we were moved to a space
- [Playoff Predictions (Wildcard Weekend)](https://muttrox.com/2009/01/playoff-predictions-wildcard-weekend/) - Indianapolis Colts vs San Diego Chargers: The Colts started weak this year. Somewhere around Week 5 they have become the old Colts, the ones who are virtually unstoppable. They are 12-4 vs. San Diego's 8-8, they are clearly the better team. The Chargers have a bad habit of poor coaching and playing in the playoffs
- [Blog News](https://muttrox.com/2009/01/blog-news/) - New Links in the blogroll. They're all by people I know, arranged in order of how long I've known them. Katherine in Japan. My cousins blog. She is spending a couple years teaching in Japan. You may have to register to see it. My Zen Arcade. More like mine - just an old pal babbling
- [Enders Game](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/enders-game/) - A few of my readers may know Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. It is one of the most popular and honored science fiction books ever. I loved it when I first read it. Rrereading it as an adult left me feeling disoriented, and I've found his other books surprisingly childish. I recently came across
- [Welcome to Elise](https://muttrox.com/2008/05/welcome-to-elise/) - Elise was born very very early Sunday morning, May 25th. She's 7 lbs, 19 inches, and a whole lot of beautiful. She was a few days early, which took us by surprise. For instance, Daddy had been planning to study up on the labor phases on Sunday, which seemed like plenty of time for a
- [Muttroxia: Best of 2008](https://muttrox.com/2008/12/muttroxia-best-of-2008/) - The presidential race: Edwards quits, so I change from Edwards to Hillary. An analogy on choosing my candidate. I switch to Obama. Hilary gets screwed again by the media. Is McCain Bush’s lapdog? What do you think of Sarah Palin (lots of good comments)? We learned more later about howshe was picked. McCains fundamentals. I
- [New Years Day: Our Stupidist Holiday](https://muttrox.com/2008/12/new-years-day-our-stupidist-holiday/) - New Years Day is a pathetic excuse for a holiday. What is it celebrating? The arbitrary reset of our consensus calendar system. Who cares? This is a remnant of our superstitious past, where we thought the way we measured time affected the way time passed. This is cut from the same cloth as stupid Russians
- [Patriots Wrap-up](https://muttrox.com/2008/12/patriots-wrap-up/) - In 2009, the Patriots were both the best team ever to lose the Super Bowl, and the best team since 1985 not to make the playoffs. A couple posts ago I asked if it was good that an 11-5 might not make it, while (for example) the 8-8 Chargers got in. Even though my own
- [Muttrox Goes to Court](https://muttrox.com/2008/04/muttrox-goes-to-court/) - On tee-ball opening day, our mini-van was ticketed. It was a fitting end to an awful day since the minivan was in a clearly marked legal parking spot. Rather than pay $50, I took a half-day off of work to fight it. It isn't a smart financial decision, but I can't stand the idea of
- [Activist Judges](https://muttrox.com/2008/01/activist-judges-2/) - A judge ruled that MSNBC must let Dennis Kucinich in to their debate. I'm somewhat offended that a legitimate candidate was invited to a debate and then uninvited under circumstances that appear to be that they just decided to exclude him, the judge said. I think it's pretty rotten of MSNBC also. I think it
- [Great Logo](https://muttrox.com/2008/12/great-logo/) - This is one of the cleverest logos I've ever seen. The company looks ridiculous, and advertises at 5:30 am on Sundays (it's been a long travel day, let me tell ya), but whoever designed that gets my kudos.
- [Celtics Lakers](https://muttrox.com/2008/12/celtics-lakers/) - The preview of the finals was a great game. Too bad the refs were horrible. In the last few minute they called a charge on Rondo when Fisher wasn't even close to set, and called a block on Pierce when he clearly was. The last one iced the game for the Lakers. That puts the
- [Patriots Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/12/patriots-update-2/) - After Week 1, I predicted the Patriots would finish 10-6 or 11-5. With one game to go that counts as a bullseye prediction for ol' Muttrox. The Pats need to beat the Bills. Assuming they do, then we need the Jets to beat the Dolphins. If that happens, we're automatically in as division winners. The
- [AirTran has no Advertising Credibility](https://muttrox.com/2008/12/airtran-has-no-advertising-credibility/) - AirTran charged me $15 to check one bag for two people. It was expected but that didn't make any less annoying. Inside the terminal they had a coffee area. Above it was a big sign that said, "Free Coffee. One more way AirTran is saving you money." Screwing me for $15 and giving me a
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/12/links-o-interest-61/) - The best viral videos of 2008 Tom the Dancing Bug at it’s best European Scams ‘05 The Shoe attack on Bush. Try it yourself! And the Bushtrix version. Most likely to succeed: Malcolm Gladwell on predicting success Oh, that’s sneaky Mad Scientists A different take on It’s a Wonderful Life. It’s terrible. As Megan said,
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/12/poker-update-29/) - I never had my mojo tonight. My semi-bluffs got called, my bluffs got called, my one good hand did not. Blech. Already whittled away, I have Ah-6h in the small blind. I call a min raise, the flop is 9-6-4. The raiser raises again. I looked him over and made a read that he was
- [Good Customer Service Uses Sympathy](https://muttrox.com/2008/12/good-customer-service-uses-sympathy/) - A few weeks ago my beloved TiVo broke. It did not break all the way but it was not recording all shows properly. I called their support line. The person diagnosed the problem quickly - it was a "known issue". The fix was to reset my entire system, which would unfortunately delete all my season
- [Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving?](https://muttrox.com/2008/12/buzzed-driving-is-drunk-driving/) - No, it isn't. It just isn't. Buzzed driving is bad, but it's not as bad as drunk driving. Duh. I saw billboards for this all over our drive to Kentucky and back. This is one more reason far leftists are reviled. Not all bad things are the same. Double duh. Other commentary here and here.
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/12/links-o-interest-60/) - You wouldn’t buy… Things I'd like to tell students that would probably get me fired. Poor kid. Girl Accidentally Text Messages Her Dad After Losing Her Virginity. And the internet is hot on the parody trail already… 10 Greatest Videos of Animals Playing Sports The Drug Czar is forbidden, by law from supporting any drug
- [This Isn't Journalism](https://muttrox.com/2008/12/this-isnt-journalism/) - I hate sentences like this: I resolved to return to Lealtad in an attempt to understand the despair at Joys, but also in the conviction that the secret lexicon of 50-year dictatorships can be read only in the details of daily life. What a load of crap. What you mean it that you're writing a
- [Facebook](https://muttrox.com/2008/12/facebook/) - So far I am not super-impressed. It has one deal-killer flaw. Everyone is either friend or not-friend, there is no in-between. It does a good job of showing me who's in the system that I might want to contact. But there is no intermediary step where I can catch up, see their basic profile, and
- [The Best Feeling in the World](https://muttrox.com/2008/12/the-best-feeling-in-the-world/) - ...is having your baby daughter fall asleep on you.
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/12/links-o-interest-59/) - World War II Smoking sign fail Why you should check your kids homework December 9th is pretend to be a time traveler day. Excellent. Times are tough – the rich are cutting back on mistresses What causes War. Could have come straight from Collapse. Can all conflict be reduced beyond even team aggression and resource
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/12/poker-update-28/) - Things started off great. 20 minutes in I got K-K. I upped the blinds from 50 to 150, got two callers. The flop was K-x-x. I put in another 150. I was raised to 500. Gave the acting job of my life to reluctantly call. The turn was nothing. I checked, he checked. The river
- [Georgia Senate Election: And if I'm Wasting My Time](https://muttrox.com/2008/12/georgia-senate-election-and-if-im-wasting-my-time/) - I voted yesterday in Georgia's runoff election for Senator. I did it, but it felt like a duty I needed to fulfill rather than the palatable excitement on Nov 3rd. Mrs. Muttrox felt the same way. We already knew Martin was going to lose. And if he did, so what? Sure Chambliss is a complete
- [Did we Win in Iraq?](https://muttrox.com/2008/12/did-we-win-in-iraq/) - From Yglesias: ...it’s worth observing that absolutely integral to starting to achieve success in Iraq was the rolling strategic decision to abandon our main war aims. In particular, we’re now neither trying to create a strong Iraqi state, nor trying to create an Iraqi state that isn’t dominated by pro-Iranian forces, nor trying to create
- [Simpson Animation Changed?](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/simpson-animation-changed/) - Tonight's episode had different animation techniques. The changes were subtle but definitely there. I don't care for it.
- [I'm thankful for: Fantasy Football Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/im-thankful-for-fantasy-football-update/) - I won! I won the regular season at least. In our league the first 13 weeks are the regular season and weeks 14-16 are the playoffs. I won mainly because every random player I drafted on a whim turned out to be great. Notably, Michael Turner who became the heart soul and scoring center of
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/links-o-interest-58/) - Star Trek movie trailer. I didn't realize was Trekdom was so riled about this one. It's the story of Kirk and Spock, with new actors playing them. Looks very good to me. Cut and Paste The chosen people Funny, and wise What creature is this warning about? Bruce Lee playing ping pong. Incredible (but true?)
- [Patriots Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/patriots-update/) - I feel it's time to give some kind of report card on my beloved Patriots. My problem is that I haven't seen many games. Last year almost every Pats game was on national TV, this year there have been only two or three. It's hard to get a read. But lack of knowledge has never
- [The Bed-Couch](https://muttrox.com/2006/12/the-bed-couch/) - Most guys knows that the most comfortable bed in the house isn’t even a bed. It’s the couch. Naps are more effective. When I can’t sleep at night, I head off the the couch to get some Zs. That’s one of the great guy secrets: If you’re mad at us, we don’t mind sleeping on
- [Fun with Traffic Signs](https://muttrox.com/2005/04/fun-with-traffic-signs/) - Does anyone think before they put these signs up?
- [Muttroxia: Best of 2006 and 2005](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/muttroxia-best-of-2006-and-2005/) - As 2008 begins to wrap up, let's take a trip back a few years. This is my personal list of the best Muttroxia posts of the first couple years. Better to do this late than never. (Best of 2007 is here.) Politics & Government: My analysis of the 2004 Presidential Election. I still stand by
- [Top 5 Indigo Girls songs](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/top-5-indigo-girls-songs/) - I didn't realize what a strong Indigo Girls contingent there was in my readership. I haven't listened to them for a long time. It was a good excuse to play two hours straight of music. This is mostly their first two 'real' albums, because that's all I know. I have three more recent albums but
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/poker-update-27/) - Last night was a fun game. But I started off badly and it just kept getting worse. On my left was Jonathan. Jonathan (I think) and I were the best players at the table. And every time I had a hand, he had one also. His always seemed to connect and mine always seemed to
- [Amy Ray rocks](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/amy-ray-rocks/) - We caught her solo act last night. Awesome. Like the Indigo Girls, but electric and loud and hard. Girl can sing! No, she didn't do any Indigo Girl songs. At least none I knew, I haven't kept up with the Indigo Girls for a good 10 years or more. She had the keyboardist from the
- [Hillary Clinton - Secretary of State](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/hillary-clinton-secretary-of-state/) - I'm kind of apathetic about it. What do y'all think? (For no real reason, here's an old picture of the Clintons)
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/links-o-interest-57/) - “You’ve been misinformed” Overdue account Mozart through bottles on rollerblades. Yes, you heard that right. The perfect soccer throw-in Why you don’t steal from Cracked Children's letters to God This needs to be brought back Smelling Tayshuan Prince’s neck Why you should learn guitar Jessica – WAS worlds fattest child Sigh. It's getting harder to
- [Why I Love Aretha Franklin](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/why-i-love-aretha-franklin/) - From this interview: Q. There’s a big trend these days to use auto-tuned vocals. What do you think about that? A. The what? Q. Auto-tuned vocals — it’s a way to digitally correct pitch. A. I’ve never heard of that! I’ve never even heard of that. Love it!
- [Times are Getting Really Tough](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/times-are-getting-really-tough/) - Last week a door-to-door salesman came by. He was selling financial advice. That's right, a financial advisor was walking the neighborhood trying to scare up business. Wow.
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/links-o-interest-56/) - I can’t believe we still have to protest The Mayans were right about the world ending Crazy driving at abandoned airport Rowan Atkinson on the miracle of Jesus Man with hiccups for one year The End of Wall Street (by Michael Lewis) Incredible pilot and landing Chuck Norris Facts: The Opposing View The Office is
- [Ignorant Letter of the Month](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/ignorant-letter-of-the-month/) - Enough meta-blogging! On with the content! Our local local paper gets lots of interesting letters. Look at the third one here, about the election. I was surprised to hear that a state in the midwest (I think it was Iowa) did not have a winner-takes-all approach. It apportions the electors based on the popular vote
- [More About Themes](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/more-about-themes/) - I appreciate the feedback from everyone! I'm going to be switching around a lot over the next few days. Comments won't make much sense as they refer to things that don't exist. At the very bottom of the page, it usually says what software and theme is being used, try and reference that so I
- [Muttroxia is Back](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/muttroxia-is-back-2/) - Sort of. It started as a minor upgrade of Wordpress software and degraded into tech hell. I'm more or less back up and running now. I've lost the theme (that's the look and feel), but that's OK, I wanted a new one anyhow. (Update: I'm trying this ["Aeros"] for now, but expect it to change
- [How to spend money](https://muttrox.com/2005/09/how-to-spend-money/) - You wouldn't think that's a dilemna, but if you're a political party, it is. Do you put it all in close races (the conventional wisdom), or spread it around a bit more? This article is the kind of analysis I love, using the power of mathematics, statistics, and clear thinking to reach a seemingly obvious
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/poker-update-26/) - Early on, got A-A, got my chips in, got a caller, got doubled up. That was sweet. Much later: Blinds at 150-300. I get Kh-Jd. Bet 700, mostly hoping that others will fold. I get two callers. The flop is J-7-4, all spades. Player 1 checks. Player 2 thinks for a minute, bets 700. I
- [2008 World Series of Poker](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/2008-world-series-of-poker-2/) - Congratulations Peter Eastgate! You may be the most boring person to ever walk the earth, but you won fair and square! More commentary tomorrow, I need to sleep. * Youngest WSOP winner ever: I'm curious to see how Phil Hellmuth reacts to losing his title, but I doubt he cares that much. He's moved on.
- [Bear Naked](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/bear-naked/) - This (poor quality) picture is from an high-end hotel in Los Angeles. If they're going to charge me seven bucks for a bowl of breakfast, they can learn to spell.
- [Yes, We Can!](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/yes-we-can/) - Mrs. Muttrox was talking to the five-year old. She was trying to motivate him. Mrs M: Yes we can! Yes we can! That's what Barack Obama says and we believe it! The Boy looked contemplative. He has been following the election and voted for Barack Obama in school election. Mrs M was moved. She was
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/links-o-interest-55/) - Worst Best Man Zoo Instructions Parenting Fail Caught playing solitaire Amazon launches frustration free packaging An election summary Steven Seagal running MC Escher and Google maps Taking race out of the equation Trailer of the next Pixar movie, “Up”
- [Peaceful Transfer](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/peaceful-transfer/) - This expresses it better than what I was trying to say before. Every election year since I've been teaching, I've told the same story to my students to try to give them perspective. I went to a very conservative college, where probably 80% of the student body were registered Republicans. On the night of the
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/poker-update-25/) - There were only seven players last night, so I liked my odds. It was a strange night. I couldn't get people to bet how I wanted. I would have good cards, and they would fold. I would have good cards, they would stay in, and my good cards wouldn't hit anything. I hit the nut
- [Deal or No Deal](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/deal-or-no-deal/) - This is a liveshot from a video game for Deal or No Deal. So I can win twice as much, if I pay over twice as much money? No Deal. This facility also features a massage chair which is $1 for 3 minutes. It then goes on to tell you that it's $5 for 15
- [Election: Morning After Thoughts](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/election-morning-after-thoughts/) - I had an interesting conversation with a Republican friend of mine. He still thinks Obama isn't as good as McCain, but he's getting swept up in the moment. Even if you don't like Obama the candidate, you have to exult in Obama the movement, the historical moment, and the uniqueness of the country that allows
- [As Opposed to All the Other Upright Checker-Dropping Challenges](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/as-opposed-to-all-the-other-upright-checker-dropping-challenges/) - (If you can't see it, the tagline is "The Ultimate Upright Checker-Dropping Challenge!")
- [2008 Election: Barack Obama is President](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/2008-election-barack-obama-is-president/) - Okay, now it's over! Yee ha!
- [What to Look For](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/what-to-look-for/) - From http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/ Andrew Gelman of Columbia University has taken a recent set of our simulations to look at what may happen conditional on the outcomes of the first states to close their polls at 6 and 7 PM. The bottom line? If those states go roughly as expected (meaning, say, an Obama win in Virginia
- [Open Voting Thread](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/open-voting-thread/) - Nothing to say yet -- just figured I'd have a place for commenters to chat. I'll add more later.
- [Why McCain Can't Get Credit](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/why-mccain-cant-get-credit/) - I really liked this long Ezra Klein post. Imagine, then, what would have happened if Barack Obama had ended up running against the senator who brought the first cap-and-trade bill before the Congress, passed one of the most important campaign finance reform bills in history, voted against Bush's tax cuts, championed the Patient's Bill of
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/11/links-o-interest-54/) - The thumb-drive journey My kind of blog An interview with the creator of NBA Jam. Do not post this sign on the internet Scorpion kick Save The Stupidest Obama supporter Fewer than 100 survived Treblinka. I am the last one. In this vital election, Hollywood celebs say “Don’t Vote!” (funny) Guaranteed tears Wassup 2008 Science
- [Early Halloween Exit Poll Results](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/early-halloween-exit-poll-results/) - Kids don't like Almond Joy. I agree with them. Our mixed bag has Resse's Snickers, M&Ms (chocolate and peanut butter), KitKats, Almond Joys, Butterfingers, Hersheys, Baby Ruths, and Crunch bars. It's not even close.
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/poker-update-24/) - When one of the best players gets lucky, everyone else is in trouble. Tonight that person was not me. I played well and it didn't matter. In the early going, 4 players limped in. I figured I would limp in with any connectors, pairs, high cards... just about anything. I had Q-7. Not that. I
- [The Election: It's Over (Part II)](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/the-election-its-over-part-ii/) - Since we all seem to be fans of fivethirtyeight.com, here's their money quote from a day or two ago: John McCain's chances of winning the election have dwindled to 3.7%, down from 6.5% yesterday. Even Scott McClellan is voting for Obama. Bill Weld too. Virtually every moderate republican has flipped sides. Muttrox curse aside, does
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/links-o-interest-53/) - Sports quote of the year Shopping cart fail A wonderful picture of Mt. Fuji Twins Terry Tate is back! Trying to get arrested by the TSA Ignorant parent of the year award. Just, ugh. Why you don’t friend your boss on Facebook Walking the Walk Early Sesame Street has been released. Not appropriate for children.
- [Rich Lowry's Idiocy](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/rich-lowrys-idiocy/) - On NPR, Rich Lowry gave one of the dumbest defenses of McCain ever. It's not even a defense of McCain. It's allegedly why McCain might win the election after all, but there's nothing in there to support it. It tells us what a great guy he is, it tells us how unfair the media coverage
- [2008 World Series of Poker](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/2008-world-series-of-poker/) - Last years post was so popular, time to get some WSOP commentary going. Sadly, I don't have much interesting to say yet. * I've been rooting for Phil Helmuth. I want to see a pro win, I want to see someone interesting win. I guess it's not to be. My next favorite is Mike Matusow.
- [Obama's Negative Ads](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/obamas-negative-ads/) - I was beaten to the punch by my commenter, I was going to post almost the exact same thing. His comment about Obama spending more on negative ads than anyone in presidential race history is probably accurate, and yet 2-to-1 people think that McCain is running a more negative race. Why - probably because Obama
- [The Election: It's Over](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/the-election-its-over/) - It's really been over for over a month. But this just put the final nail in the coffin. WASHINGTON — Senator Barack Obama on Sunday captured a forceful endorsement from former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and announced he had shattered campaign finance records in September, gaining an immense financial edge that will allow
- [Fiscals and Financials of the Economy](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/fiscals-and-financials-of-the-economy/) - This post from Ezra Klein (sourcing the CBO) lays out another interesting relationship between our fiscal and financial woes. We have a fighting shot at avoiding a large crisis by the various interventions we're doing now. All these interventions cost money. The money is not money we have, it's borrowed. It's borrowed in the form
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/links-o-interest-52/) - The customer is not always right (truly hilarious stuff. Go to the top quotes and start reading). Guaranteed workmans comp World Sunlight Map A great update on a great experiment about the beginnings of life. Roger Ebert’s review of “W” The Morality Test. Well worth taking, find out more about yourself and others. Metallica vs.
- [Another Weight-loss plan](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/another-weight-loss-plan/) - The other day at work I had a four-hour meeting. Two hours in I looked down and realized my leg was pumping. I am a fidgeter. Always have been, always will be. My leg had been pumping the entire time. Did you ever wonder how many calories are burnt by fidgeting? It turns out a
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/poker-update-23/) - I had five hours sleep last night. I gave blood in the morning. I went to play poker. I stunk. Early on, I limp in with J-9 suited. The flop is J-x-x, turn is nothing either. We raise each other a couple times until he puts me in. I suspect he has J-A. He probably
- [User Interface: A Good One](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/user-interface-a-good-one/) - I found a new feature on my car. The intermittent wiper has a great little twist. The settings range (of course) from least frequent to most frequent wiping. Here's the cool part. The most frequent is no delay at all. It's the exact same as having the wipers on low constant wiping. Until I used
- [Fundamentals of the Economy](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/fundamentals-of-the-economy/) - McCain has been roundly criticized over his belief that the fundamentals of our economy are strong. With a real threat of the Great Depression here, can anyone believe that? I can. The criticism is a bad one, McCain is more or less correct. There are (at least) three levels of economics and finance to think
- [One More about Entitlements](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/one-more-about-entitlements/) - I found a better chart. This is about Medicare particularly, and what is driving the costs. It's not people living longer.
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/links-o-interest-51/) - The literal version of “Take on Me” Political sign Yep, that's racism Shia LaBeouf. No. 15 gravity defying houses George Costanza's top 10 ladies It’s worth the extra $3. Facial attractiveness scale (composites from Hot or Not). If nothing else, this demonstrates the power of good lighting and eyeliner. The highest-earning dead celebrities Terry Pratchett
- [Post-Debate Thoughts](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/post-debate-thoughts/) - Points against McCain: BROKAW: Health care, energy, and entitlement reform: Social Security and Medicare. In what order would you put them in terms of priorities? MCCAIN: I think you can work on all three at once, Tom. Way to duck the question John! This is an interesting response from the man who is unable to
- [Yom Kippur](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/599/) - Today was Yom Kippur. I took the day off of work. However, there was one meeting I wanted to be in. I went in for an hour in the afternoon. I was already quite hungry. I was already very thirsty (no, you aren't allowed to drink either). The meeting was a presentation. To keep the
- [Debate Follow-up](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/debate-follow-up/) - As I expected, the earmark that McCain dinged Obama for, the $3 million "overhead projector" is in fact the central projector within the planetarium itself. These are sophisticated technical devices. The Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles' projector cost over $3 million. I'm pretty impressed that's the worst he could lay at Obama feet. Not very
- [Social Security is NOT Medicare!](https://muttrox.com/2008/04/social-security-is-not-medicare/) - This is an actual question from a Harris Interactive poll: 78 million baby boomers, now ages 44 to 62, are about to retire and will begin collecting Social Security and Medicare retirement entitlement benefits, putting tremendous strain on the resources available to pay benefits to future generations. How do you feel about the future of
- [Entitlements: Social Security vs. Medicare](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/entitlements-social-security-vs-medicare/) - I've been trying to find this graph for months. Take a look at that graph, and tell me the scariest part. That's right, Medicare. Social Security is not the problem, Medicare is the problem. Whenever you hear someone mention "Entitlements" or "Unfunded Liabilities", think of this graph. (I'm going to edit it into old posts
- [The Lawns and the Lawn-nots](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/the-lawns-and-the-lawn-nots/) - It started raining last night. It has been raining steadily for 20 hours and it's still going strong. At work, there are two groups of people. One group is gloomy and miserable because of the weather. The other group has aerated and seeded their lawns in the last two weeks. A solid day of rain
- [McCain the MetaCandidate](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/mccain-the-metacandidate/) - Matt Yglesias had a smart post about Palin as the metacandidate, always talking about how she's going to say things or who she's saying them to instead of you know, saying them. I noticed this last night with McCain also. And, again, I know those situations. I've been in them all my life. And I've
- [In Which I Infiltrate High Society](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/in-which-i-infiltrate-high-society/) - Some time ago, Mrs. Muttrox and I splurged on a high-end hotel for a night. We went to a $500/night hotel, and it was interesting to compare it to our usual hotel experiences. (By the way, Hotwire is amazing. We've consistently gotten incredible deals.) Business people vs. Personal Rich: The Muttrox family is doing just
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/links-o-interest-50/) - Judgment and Experience I am not surprised these folks are McCain supporters Biden training for the debate: How not to make girls cry One gutsy air conditioner installer Sometimes the headlines write themselves. Heart attack in a can Just too funny. Beware the orbs! Presidents before & after: The physical toll of being president The
- [On Rhetoric](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/on-rhetoric/) - Random thought on rhetorical styles Palin has no facts. She spews out rhetoric that meanders around a point but is never centered on anything, because she doesn't know anything. When there is a nugget of information buried in there it's often confusing or irrelevant. Example: She claimed Obama votes with his party 96% of the
- [VP Debate: Biden v Palin](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/vp-debate-biden-v-palin/) - Obviously Biden won it. Everyone knew he would. The excitement was wondering whether Palin would be so awful as to make it good entertainment. After all, The Office was pre-empted for this. If Palin turned out to be half-decent then it would just be a normal VP debate and those are hardly worth watching. I'm
- [Get ready for the VP Debate](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/get-ready-for-the-vp-debate/) - Yes, it's Palin Bingo! And follow along as the economy melts down with September Madness!
- [Death from the Skies (real)](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/death-from-the-skies-real/) - The other day a small plane crashed in the front yard of someone's house about a quarter-mile away from us. The pilot was killed. Yeesh. How terrifying would that be -- as either the pilot plummeting to Earth, or the resident of the house who suddenly has a plane coming down on top of her?
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/10/poker-update-22/) - I was thinking about throwing the game tonight. I've been killing these guys. They've noticed. It's a neighborhood game, it's bad form to be winning as much as this. I am a competitive person though. I didn't think I could. So I told myself to play much more aggressive than usual and if I get
- [Links o' Political & Economic Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/links-o-political-economic-interest/) - John Kerry’s bodyslam on McCain’s campaign suspension Video of Sarah Palin beauty queen tryout. (Completely irrelevant of course.) Palin’s retake with Katie Couric. Well, not so much, McCain sits in to make sure that Palin doesn’t screw up. It’s not much better. The Sarah Palin interview answer generator Why does factcheck.org suck so bad? I
- [Happy Birthday Social Security!](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/happy-birthday-social-security/) - Here's an excellent short write-up about what Social Security means. I demystified Social Security a while ago, part one and two.
- [Understanding Social Security - Part 1](https://muttrox.com/2007/02/understanding-social-security/) - Most people don't understand how the Social Security system works. Because of this, it's easy to believe untrue things about it. As a public service, Muttroxia is providing this Social Security timeline and "FAQ". Early 1980s: The Social Security Administration looks ahead (as it constantly does), and due to trends it forsees, notably the retirement
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/links-o-interest-49/) - A buttered floor and a slow learner. Cool percussive guitar Jump, you ***ers! Porn that’s safe for work I don’t understand this, but it made me laugh. Directions for revolt Best football play of the year 42 funny and dumb things with cars Chris Rock destroys Bill Clinton. Bonus dis on the Patriots. A bit
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/poker-update-21/) - I just couldn't get a hand. It was the kind of outing where A-3 seemed very strong. When I did have decent hands, they weren't working out. I had 6-6. The bet was raised, I called. The big blind pushed it another 3x. Everyone else called. I was getting 8-1 on my money, so I
- [Muttrox Woes](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/muttrox-woes/) - My home computer is undergoing catastrophic failure. If I can get to turn on and have it boot up all the way without a blue screen of death, it is an achievement. Getting it to shut down cleanly makes me feel good things inside. In between it whirs and whirs and thinks and I can't
- [Fantasy Football - Week 3 update](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/fantasy-football-week-3-update/) - No one gave an opinion on my fantasy football roster. So I suppose I will have to tell you the correct answer. The answer is: I'm amazing. After 3 weeks, I am 3-0. I'm the high scorer in the league. Two of those three weeks I doubled my opponents score. Two of those weeks I
- [Links o' Interest (Current Events)](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/links-o-interest-current-events/) - So many interesting links, I'm splitting it into two pieces. First the current events portion: Politics Who cares about the national poll numbers? We still elect presidents by aggregating 50 state elections. www.fivethirtyeight.com is my favorite website to see the state of the election. It has a sophisticated model that uses state polls and reputations
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/links-o-interest-48/) - Humor 50 greatest Charles Barkley quotes LeBron James gets whupped in Horse. We’re not that different South Park in Virginia Telemarketer Fax JuJitsu The worst job in the world Evolution Pie chart done right Graffiti removal Ricky Gervais takes his Emmy back Other Stuff What American accent do you have? (Apparently I have a midland
- [It's Talk Like a Pirate Day!](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/its-talk-like-a-pirate-day/) - Today is national Talk Like a Pirate Day! Need instructions? Learn more here. Don’t know how? Use the translator! Senator Obama has been able to develop innovative approaches to challenge the status quo and get results. Americans are tired of divisive ideological politics, which is why Senator Obama has reached out to Republicans to find
- [Restaurant Floor Managers](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/restaurant-floor-managers/) - You're in a restaurant eating your meal. Minding your own business. Just eating your meal, quiet like. You've just started the corn on the cob when it comes. "Everything OK?" The man asking is in his mid-forties with significant hair loss. You don't recognize him. He wears a nice outfit but he asks a little
- [Brady v Belichick](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/brady-v-belichick/) - But if you were starting a team right now, would you rather have Belichick as the coach or Brady as the QB? Who’s more valuable? That's a really difficult question. There are four people involved, not just two. Robert Kraft: The big guy has worked miracles with the salary cap. With 20/20 hindsight his pursuit
- [Poker Update (and more)](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/poker-update-and-more/) - The fourth hand I check from the big blind with 10-3. The flop is 10-7-3. Long story short, I double up. I was ahead early and kept a huge lead until we were down to four players. Lots of all-ins, bad beats, good beats, excitement and drama, and I can hardly remember any of it.
- [Nap or Mosquito?](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/nap-or-mosquito/) - The other day I had that rarest of prizes, free time. Mrs. Muttrox took the kids off for a couple hours leaving me alone in a quiet house. While reading a book (a disappointing one) I drifted off. The best kind of sleep. As Calvin says, "I like days where you sit under a tree
- [In Which We Are Smarter than the Minnesota Lottery](https://muttrox.com/2007/02/in-which-we-are-smarter-than-the-minnesota-lottery/) - This one was sent in by Mike, a faithful reader. Yes, I have at least one faithful reader! MAPLEWOOD, Minn. (AP) - An airline pilot from Maplewood won a $25,000 lottery jackpot - two days in a row. Raymond Snouffer Jr. matched the winning numbers 11-14-23-26-31 to win Saturday's Northstar Cash drawing with odds of
- [Patriots Predictions](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/patriots-predictions/) - I predict 10-6. 11-5. No, 10-6. Heck with it, 11-5. Why so optimistic? 1) We are an offensive powerhouse. We set every single record there was to set last year. Even if you take away 30% of our points, we're still very good. Remember when we won our first eight games by an average margin
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/links-o-interest-47/) - (I also added a couple more onto the political links from a couple days ago...) Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Comedy Mickey Mantle. All class (apparently true) Baby gets the evil look on More cowbell, please! Never ask the Internet for help Another Seinfeld/Gates ad, the long version 5 real world criminals who were supervillians You
- [Political Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/political-links-o-interest-2/) - An interesting reaction to Palin's first interview. Andrew Sullivan gives up on McCain (no surprise, but well-said) US Churches are getting ready to fight for their right to talk politics. But should they be tax-exempt then? Legal battle a brewin’ Approval Voting (I introduced this to my book club. It's much better than standard voting.)
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/poker-update-20/) - Another great outing. I'm starting to feel good about my game again. Once again my name strikes fear into their hearts. Early on I caught a nut flush on the river, took most of one guys chips. The very next hand I caught the nut flush on the flop, took down another huge pot. Both
- [Bed Bath & Beyond User Interface](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/bed-bath-beyond-user-interface/) - Recently I shopped off the Bed Bath & Beyond website. It was a pretty good experience. Up until the end I was going to give them a hearty thumbs up, but then they blew it. Good: Website want to get your information. It's worth real money to them. But they don't want you to drop
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/links-o-interest-46/) - It's a short list, but I wanted to get the political ones in here before they become even more obsolete! Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert on the Sarah Palin pick McCains VP Short List Conservative commentators on MSNBC discuss Sarah Palin after the cameras go off The new Google browser Chrome (in comic book form)
- [How Not to Write a Book:  Connie Willis' "DOOMSDAY BOOK"](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/how-not-to-write-a-book-connie-willis-doomsday-book/) - On the advice of my brother, I bought this paperback. He knows that I often wonder how long I could survive if I magically time-travelled to the medieval days. Could I teach the medievals some basic science that would vastly improve their lives before they burnt me at the stake for being a godless heretic?
- [Fantasy Football](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/fantasy-football/) - I got dragged into fantasy football. I don't really know what I'm doing, but I think I have a decent team. What do y'all think? (if you're in the league, keep yer yap shut!) Player Brees, Drew QB NO Rivers, Philip QB SD Gore, Frank RB SF Turner, Michael RB ATL Driver, Donald WR GB
- [The State of the Election (538.com)](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/the-state-of-the-election-538com/) - According to the national polls this has been a close race, only slightly in Obama's favor. You should be wondering how much the national poll matters. What does the situation look like if you go to each state and see where it's electoral votes are polling and add it all up? Ladies and Gentlemen, one
- [Sarah Palin: What do you Think?](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/sarah-palin-what-do-you-think/) - What do y'all think? I guess my overall take is that it reflects very poorly on McCain. McCain made a horrible pick, and made it without thinking about it or caring about the consequences. This is not a good sign for someone who's campaign is based on judgment. Another blogger used this analogy. Both Obama
- [Harley Follow-up](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/harley-follow-up/) - Before I dive back into poker n' politics, I wanted to thank all the well-wishers. It's appreciated.
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/poker-update-19/) - I played an error-free game. That feels so good to say. I'll say it again, because I've never been able to say it before. I played an error-free game. I can't think of one play that was a mistake. In the first two hours, I only showed my cards twice. Every other time I folded,
- [McCain votes with Bush 90% of the time, so what?](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/mccain-votes-with-bush-90-of-the-time-so-what/) - Is that 90% number true? Is it more than you would expect - after all, many laws are uncontroversial. I hate numbers without context. Here's some context. The claim is true. According to Congressional Quarterly's Voting Studies, in 2007 McCain voted in line with the president's position 95 percent of the time – the highest
- [](https://muttrox.com/2008/09/556/) - The Final Days [Bush] can flash anger over what he considers unfounded criticism or at something on his schedule he does not like, but he does not wrestle with his inner demons, at least not out loud. “He doesn’t second-guess himself,” Jim Francis, a longtime friend from Texas, told me. “I second-guess myself all the
- [Harley, R.I.P.](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/harley-rip/) - Our dog passed away during the night. We rescued her from the pound in early 2005. She was scheduled to be euthanized the next day there. We're glad we were able to give her a few extra years of happy family life. We don't really know what happened, but it appears to have painless and
- [The New York Times on Obama's Economics (sorta)](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/the-new-york-times-on-obamas-economics-sorta/) - The New York Times today has two opposing articles with views on what we can expect economically from Obama. Is History Siding With Obama’s Economic Plan? This article is based around two astounding facts comparing years under Democratic and Republican presidents. One is that the economy grows faster under Democrats. Surprisingly faster. Data for the
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/links-o-interest-45/) - Selections from HP Lovecraft's brief tenure as Whitman's sampler copywriter Slowmotion bitchslap I’ve been thinking… I’m the man of this house, so Remember Danny Alamonte, the “12-year old” pitcher in Little League World Series? Here’s a sweet story of baseball karma. Cheating (funny) Can this be true? Grazing cattle align north-south. Dial-A-Human: The codes to
- [Social Security Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/social-security-update/) - What's new in Social Security in 2008? In May, the trustees had their latest report come out. If you read my writeups (1 and 2) on understanding Social Security, you'll recognize this as the key figure: This is a model, under three different sets of assumptions, of when the SS surplus runs out. Not when
- [Olympics - The Unforgettable Moment](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/olympics-the-unforgettable-moment/) - This is my favorite moment of the Olympics. It's women's water polo. USA is ahead 12-11. China gets the ball with 8 seconds left. They do not score a point. They don't even take a shot. They don't even try take a shot. They do nothing. Their coach mocks them. Openly mocks them. On international
- [Olympics IX - Closing Ceremonies](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/olympics-ix-closing-ceremonies/) - Eh. Three weeks ago I might have been impressed. It was a pale shadow of the opening ceremonies. You can make a good case that the opening ceremonies were the biggest and best spectacle in all of human history. I suppose it's hard to top that. London looked pathetic next to Beijing. Wow, a bus!
- [Olympics VIII](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/olympics-viii/) - Marathon: I love the marathon. I'm not sure what it is about this sport that is so fascinating. There is nothing like the moment when the lead runner comes back into the stadium to soak in the adulation of the stadium crowd. There is something fitting about this sport coming at the end of the
- [Olympics VII](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/olympics-vii/) - Beach Volleyball: You gotta hand it to the ladies. That is one amazing streak. They really did look unbeatable. In fact, they didn't lose a single game on their way to the gold medal. That's impressive. The men may have had a loss along the way but they certainly earned that gold. Phil Dalhausser really
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/links-o-interest-44/) - So many links, so little time. Ice-Scream Tapestry-shopped Greatest Prank ever, it’s on you America! Ikea meets Escher Telescopic Text I’ve been a loser since I was 12 years old Top 10 Olsen Twin jokes from the Bob Saget roast. Say what you want about Gilbert Godfried, he never pushes the boundaries of good taste.
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/links-o-interest-43/) - Warning: Home Depot Scam Obama about to punch McCain 9/11 divorce A light show with building windows. Must be computer controlled, right? If he dies, it will be in style More political music mashups. Obama, Bush, and Tony Blair. That skyscraper in Dubai, 2008. Wow. Hockey fan karma, he gets his Who is Jennifer!? Stock
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/poker-update-18/) - The cards didn't run great, but I had a few good hands. My premium hands held up in big pots. I didn't bad beat anyone, they didn't bad beat me. Nothing special. Ended up in third place for $60, which is pretty good for eleven people and five rebuys. Running Total: $86
- [Olympics VI](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/olympics-vi/) - They showed 90 seconds of the hammer throw. 90 seconds! That's the kind of event I want ten minutes on. I wish they'd set up some of the events more. I love volleyball, but they don't even tell you when you're watching a gold medal match or a pool qualifying round. It's pathetic enough that
- [Olympics V](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/olympics-v/) - (Almost caught up... only a few hours behind) I feel like I should say something about Phelps. I can't think of anything. It's amazing he's incredible and so on. I was desperately hoping Mark Spitz would launch into a tirade on national TV about how shabbily he's been treated and Phelps is overrated and is
- [Olympics IV](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/olympics-iv/) - Nope, those Chinese gymansts are not 16. Who've thunk it? The interesting part is that there is nothing to be done about it. If China says they're 16 that's the end of the story. If we call China a liar we get nowhere. Why do divers shower after every dive? To keep their muscles loose.
- [Julie Child was a Spy!](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/julie-child-was-a-spy/) - Yep, she worked for our spy agency. Among others. Incredible. This is not a parody.
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/poker-update-17/) - Bad playing, bad cards. I called all-ins 3 times, and was wrong all three times. 1) From the small blind, I raise up 3x, I have As-3s. Big blind goes all in. I'm pot committed with decent cards. He has Q-Q, I get my A for the win. 2) At 100-200, three players have limped
- [Olympics III](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/olympics-iii/) - I am falling further and further behind. I had to throw away boxing (stupid point system) and skip some other stuff, I'm only a couple hours back now. Whitewater kayaking was fun. That's the kind of sport I like to see in the Olympics. Water Polo may not be a real sport, but this match
- [Olympics II](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/olympics-ii/) - My commenters are right, the 4x100 freestyle relay was incredible. I just watched it a few minutes ago. I still can't see if the USA anchor had an incredible leg, or the French anchor choked. Relatively speaking of course, since both teams crushed the world record. Just amazing. (Although - cheering louder than Celts/RS/Pats? C'mon!!!)
- [Olympics I](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/olympics/) - It's nice to see Bush there. He's such an ordinary guy in this setting. Iraq, ridiculously low approval ratings, crashing economy etc.. none of that matters. Being a shallow frat-boy jock is a plus instead of a minus. I haven't liked him this much in years. Update: I don't want to make fun of him,
- [Too Much Excel](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/too-much-excel/) - In a technology demonstration the other day, the presenter said they had started this project with a clean slate. In fact, he said, they "had gone all the way back to cell A1".
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/links-o-interest-42/) - Death’s blog Garfield, translated to Chinese and then back to English. And video tributes to Jim Davis. This is so weird I don’t know what to think. Closed for the holiday Dead End Deadlock Irony Keywords “oops”. I like the cat. Another nice evening at church --- aaauuggh, the dark lord is coming! This house
- [Fun with Science: Icebergs](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/fun-with-science-icebergs/) - I was watching another boring webinar at work the other day. A boring person was making a boring analogy about how something is like icebergs, most of the real story is hidden beneath the surface. Oh, what a clever analogy! It almost woke me up from my boring-fact-induced slumber! Anyhow -- the cool part was
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/poker-update-16/) - I've never played so conservative in my life. I already wanted to play tight in the beginning rounds and when eleven players came that made it easier to play tight. In the first two hours I played to the flop only twice and never saw a turn. I won exactly one hand by stealing the
- [Blogroll Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/blogroll-update/) - Paul P is gone. Paul went and got married and had himself a child. Since he hasn't updated for six months, he's outta here. Sorry Paulie! Matt is in. In addition to regularly commenting on this blog, he has his own. Be a doll and send him some traffic.
- [Okay, maybe he's not <b>all</b> evil](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/okay-maybe-hes-not-all-evil/) - It is well known how Dick Cheney has had his thumb on the scale for Halliburton throughout the Bush administration. A blatant conflict of interest. Only it turns out the conflict is not so blatant, as any profits he makes these days go straight to charity.
- [Kindergarten Placement](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/kindergarten-placement/) - Matt Yglesias talks about the growing trend of parents holding their kid back a year so that they'll be advanced relative to their class. With our oldest starting kindergarten in a couple weeks (by the way -- who decided school starts in mid-August!? Absurd!) we've noticed this kind of jockeying from many parents. I think
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/08/links-o-interest-41/) - Al Gore Places Infant Son In Rocket To Escape Dying Planet Don’t feed the pigeons Sandals plus Superglue equals awesome Lance Armstrong never did this You won’t count sheep to fall asleep after this Wheee! I don’t remember Iron Man drinking so many beers Something is off about photo #7 McCain is really old If
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/07/poker-update-15/) - I felt the pressure. After the discussions here, I was ready to go in, get an early lead and start pushing. It was a good plan. The problem was the first part - getting the early lead. Early hand: I have Q-7, call one player from the big blind. Flop is A-A-x. I figure I'll
- [Senate Holds](https://muttrox.com/2008/07/senate-holds/) - The New York Times recently had an interesting article about Tom Coburn, a Republican who puts holds in the way of lots of legislation. He is being dubbed Dr. No. In the Senate, Mr. Coburn has continued down his singular path, driving Democrats and some Republicans to distraction with his prolific use of the “hold”
- [The Stupidest Editorial Ever](https://muttrox.com/2008/07/the-stupidest-editorial-ever/) - Skepticism about U.F.O.’s may render us vulnerable to terrorists or espionage against the United States. ON the afternoon of Nov. 7, 2006, pilots and airport employees at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago saw a disc-like object hovering over the tarmac for several minutes. Because nothing was tracked on radar, the Federal Aviation Administration did not
- [More Poker Strategy](https://muttrox.com/2008/07/more-poker-strategy/) - What is the right number of bad beats to get? If you're not getting any, you're not playing aggressive enough. Let's say there is a situation where you are favored 4-1. You should be going all-in with that every time. And one out of five times you will get beat. If you are never getting
- [Poker: Strategy Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/07/poker-strategy-update/) - I've been hearing the same chorus of criticisms from the couple readers who care about my poker outings. So I reread all my poker posts and comments. Observations: 1) More bad beats in there than I expected. I really don't think I forget about my good beats - I was surprised to see how many
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/07/links-o-interest-40/) - The stupidest game show contestant. (The best part may be the 3rd grader laughing at her.) Cartoon ski accident Rapping Sesame Street French Lesson – at least it’s not lesson one. Effective camouflage Walmart codes for the intercom. Have fun! Seeing-eye cat All kinds of home-related breaks in the new housing bill On the Costs
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/07/poker-update-14/) - A killer of a bubble loss (that means: best player to not finish in the money). I started very strong. Within twenty minutes I have a healthy lead on the table of 11. Ad-Jd. Blinds are at 50-100, I bet 400. I'm called. Flop is a bunch of low cards. I continue the pressure, 600
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/07/links-o-interest-39/) - Happy Birthday bro! We'll start with a couple superhero links... I’m the goddman Batman! The first trailer for Watchmen. Dr. Manhattan looks awesome, the rest… eh, we’ll see. 20 Supervillain plans, as flowcharts Jib-Jabs latest masterpiece Five approved Barack Obama jokes Improv Everywhere, the human mirror 10 bands who should just stop (I disagree with
- [The Two-year Old Strikes](https://muttrox.com/2008/07/the-two-year-old-strikes/) - We were driving home. Him: This is the wrong way! Me: No it isn't. This is the way home. Him: No! This is the wrong way. Me: I'm sure this is the way home. Him: No! Me: [kidding] Do you know where all the roads in Georgia go? Him: [very certain] Yes! Me: [laughing] OK,
- [VH-1 Rock Honors: The Who](https://muttrox.com/2008/07/vh-1-rock-honors-the-who/) - First of all, if you want to hear the Who's music, don't bother with this weak tribute stuff. Go straight to the source. You want live, get Live at Leeds. You want insights, you should watch the Amazing Journey documentary (in heavy rotation on VH-1, and the source for most of the clips they showed.)
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/07/poker-update-13/) - I hosted a very fun poker game last night. Smaller buy-in, more alcohol, looser play. I ran into more "bad beats" than I can remember. That's not the righ term, they weren't bad beats. A bad beat is when you make the right plays, start out ahead and get caught from behind against the odds.
- [Free](https://muttrox.com/2008/07/free/) - Today I was at a vending machine buying M&Ms. Instead of using a dollar bill, I coincidentally had the exact amount in spare change in my pocket. I consider those M&Ms free.
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/07/links-o-interest-38/) - God this gangbang is awkward. Why the cavemen went extinct (Flinstones) 21 of the best mugshots How not to use the drive through ATM An unfortunate accident Creationist Science Fair A clip from Ricky Gervais's show with David Bowie at his funniest. Dogs hate The Who I-phone or Millionaire? Law and Order David Beckham gets
- [Ineffective Security](https://muttrox.com/2008/07/ineffective-security/) - I bought a new edger at Home Depot. They didn't demagnetize it correctly, and it went off as I was leaving. This was my only item. The door was right in front of the cashier, so I kept walking. I figured she remembered I had just bought it from her six second ago. No. She
- [So Close...](https://muttrox.com/2008/07/so-close/) - I composed a great song last night. It had a very catchy chord structure, the kind that sounds right on the first listen without being exactly like any song you've heard before. The lyrics were a clever take on aging, the verses naturally lead into the tagline. I was excited about this song. Sadly, the
- [We Must Balance the Books!](https://muttrox.com/2008/07/we-must-balance-the-books/) - I got this email today at work from our Accounts Payable department. Notice the date! Based on a review of outstanding expense reimbursement checks, our records show that a check issued to you on December 19, 2002 in the amount of $45 has not cleared the bank. In an effort to keep this unclaimed payment
- [How Does Al Gore Buy Sextoys?](https://muttrox.com/2007/07/how-does-al-gore-buy-sextoys/) - The thoughts that come to you while wandering the streets of Provincetown. Let's say Al Gore decides that he wants to buy a little something special for Tipper. For him and Tipper really, add a little spice to things after the beard thing ended. A vibrator, a sling, maybe some bondage gear. How does he
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/07/links-o-interest-37/) - Beatles lyrics, via Joe Cocker. Awesome. All-time sarcasm winner? 10,000th shoplifter gets parade. Larry David on religion Bottled Water WTF That’s harsh. Read the first letter of each line. Fantastic timing for hotels.com Irish Scarecrow Reaction to the Revelation That I Do Not Own a Cell Phone, By Year Renting vs. Buying Urban soccer goals
- [Torture News](https://muttrox.com/2008/07/torture-news/) - It is now revealed what was known. We copied torture techniques from the bad guys. I liked Andrew Sullivan's take, "But one thing is at least clear. The people who committed this form of "enhanced interrogation" knew full well it was torture. And they used that word. It's a good one. And it means what
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/07/poker-update-12/) - I'm getting sick of my own stories. In the last three outings: 1) Bleah game. Slowly chipped away, never had anything going on. 2) Looking great, in the upper half of the field. Get a bad beat, then couldn't crack a pair of aces underneath. 3) Average play, but worked the two big hands perfectly.
- [5-year old fun: That's Fair](https://muttrox.com/2008/06/5-year-old-fun-thats-fair/) - The 5-year old was recently exposed to the wonders of Eeny Meeny Miney Mo. It didn't do much for him. He tried it two times to see how it worked. Then he said, "This is silly. Whoever you start with wins every time. That's why it's not fair." We were duly impressed at his pattern
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/06/links-o-interest-36/) - It's a monster edition! Arranged more or less in order from funny to serious: Notorious Hitler back in ’34. Makin’ music with John Mayer Top 10 Amazon Bible Reviews Requiem for a Day Off I really like this guy. Fighting the HOA and parking boots in a clever way What’s on MTV these days? We
- [Speed Humps](https://muttrox.com/2008/06/speed-humps/) - Here's a real stupid idea for you: virtual speed humps. To be sure, there is something clever about getting drivers to slow down without having to go through the fuss of actually pouring cement. But what you are really doing is training drivers to ignore speed humps. That's using yer smarts Philly! (Or what this
- [The power of "logic"](https://muttrox.com/2008/06/the-power-of-logic/) - We were driving to a birthday party. Mrs. Muttrox was in rare form. Me: Those are some nice houses. A good sized yard for this area. Her: Sure, but they're over a million dollars. Me: Really? Her: Sure, this neighborhood is pricey. Me: I wonder why, it doesn't seem that great... a million dollars? Her:
- [Firefox 3](https://muttrox.com/2008/06/firefox-3/) - Firefox 3 came out today. It is allegedly already up to 6% of browser share, in less than 24 hours. I have used it for five minutes and I am already in the bag for it. The location bar is literally called "The Awesome Bar". It is. Get it.
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/06/poker-update-11/) - Tonight was big hands all the way. On the third hand, my nut flush lost to a full house on the river. We had a quad 8s, I got a quad 4s, there was another quad 8s. Every other hand was three of a kind or better. Eh, the details are boring. I lost last
- [Celtics: Random Final Thoughts](https://muttrox.com/2008/06/celtics-random-final-thoughts/) - * Some of my readers know I predicted a comfortable Celtics win. I wish I had documented it here in the blog. It might make up for some of my cursed political predictions. * By comfortable, I meant 20 points or so. Not 39! * Wow. I mean, wow. * Rondo redeemed himself. I haven't
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/06/links-o-interest-35/) - Pikachu, I choose yo... oh GOD NO Jon Arbuckle lays down the law with Garfield Great motivational(?) posters Iggy Pop’s concert rider. Hilarious. Famous pictures done as Legos. Tiananmen Square is my favorite. Old people (ex-movie folks) review movies. This isn’t comedy, it’s just good reviews. Update: They aren’t just any two geezers. The best
- [Celtics: It's Over (in the good way)](https://muttrox.com/2008/06/celtics-its-over-in-the-good-way/) - What a game! I mean -- wow, that was just amazing! No coherent thoughts right now!
- [Movie Review: First Blood](https://muttrox.com/2005/04/movie-review-first-blood/) - In contrast to my other posts about movies that get worse every time I see them, this movie always delivers. Even Mrs Muttrox agreed, and she is not overly supportive of action movies. Keys to success: 1) Stallone is ripped. Let's face it, he looks cool, and not in a Rocky III oily kind of
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/06/poker-update-10/) - I gave up on updates. Why? Because ever since I started blogging I've lost horribly. Last summer, I won more games than I can count. My Wednesday game is still scared out of their wits of me. In my first seven outings I won something like 5 games, 2nd place once, and once out of
- [My Morning Jacket](https://muttrox.com/2008/06/my-morning-jacket/) - They are my new favorite band. I watched them on Saturday Night Live. After their first song I said, "I liked every note of that. These guys are good." I felt the same way after their second song. Here's the one that sold me.
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/06/links-o-interest-34/) - Illustrated guide to the police for children (read the text) Every Simpsons Couch gag, in one continuous video Childtrader.com: A brilliant parody site. Yes, it's a parody. Fetish chart. Something is more than a little wrong with the mind that made this. On the Implausibility of the Death Star's Trash Compactor. Dear 19 year old
- [Celtics go to the Finals](https://muttrox.com/2008/05/celtics-go-to-the-finals/) - I can't believe I actually called this one right! Boy, we look like a completely different team when Allen is hitting his shots. Rondo and Garnett and Perkins call all be mediocre and it doesn't matter. That's the nice thing about having the big three. They don't all have to be on every night. Any
- [Hospital Nuttiness](https://muttrox.com/2008/05/hospital-nuttiness/) - While in recovery, a photography firm that works with the hospital tried to sell us their services. They were working with the hospital, they were allowed personal and direct access to the room and patients. It's must be a good business. Those announcement cards cost money. And especially with a first child, you naturally want
- [More Media Absurdity](https://muttrox.com/2008/05/more-media-absurdity/) - You may have seen some coverage of Clinton's enormous "gaffe" regarding Bobby Kennedy. Oh, it was so outrageous. Oh, it was so tasteless. Oh, it just shows what an uncaring manipulative crone she is! Watch the actual video. So, what exactly is the problem? She is clearly referring to the fact that Kennedy was still
- [Celtics](https://muttrox.com/2008/05/celtics-2/) - Way to go boys! I watched most of the game, but I was very distracted. More details on that coming up.
- [Movie Review: Indiana Jones and the... uh... Skulldome.  Or something](https://muttrox.com/2008/05/movie-review-indiana-jones-and-the-uh-skulldome-or-something/) - Warning: Spoilers ahead. Don't read if you don't want to know what happens. This was a lot of fun. Was it fun because it's one of our last nights out before the baby comes, or was it genuinely fun? I think the latter. Much like the first one there was hardly ever a rest of
- [Celtics](https://muttrox.com/2008/05/celtics/) - Well, that didn't go like planned. I guess we need to steal one. I am optimistic we will. A few notes after watching every playoff game: * Perkins picks up dumb fouls. After a switch, he will often find himself on a guard. He'll try for a steal as they blow past him, and pick
- [Celtics vs. Pistons](https://muttrox.com/2008/05/celtics-vs-pistons/) - Call me optimistic, but I think we match up better against Detroit than we did against Cleveland. Detroit doesn't have any superstars, just a lot of good players. They play good team ball, both on offense and defense. It sounds a lot like us. Except we have more raw talent. I think the Celtics finally
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/05/poker-update-9/) - Yesterday's excellent BBQ party turned into a poker game. This was not a surprise, as ten out ten attendees were players! We were playing with 3,500 in chips. One player had boasted how he always plays and wins the first hand. On that first hand, I had a pair of 5s and another came up
- [Housing Price Forecast](https://muttrox.com/2008/05/housing-price-forecast/) - According to Money Magazine, the value of my home is going down 2.3% next year. That sounds right. It looks pretty good against the national average of -9.7%. Florida looks the worst, the "top" three markets are Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale, and Miami. All are predicted to go down by over 20%. What think you, my
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/05/poker-update-8/) - I felt good going in tonight. I played tighter than usual. It seemed to pay off, I was looking good in the early going. Converted good hands, threw away weak ones, bluffed just enough to keep 'em honest. With K-Q suited I put in 3x preflop. Flop was K-J-6. I put in a lot. The
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/05/links-o-interest-33/) - A rather good essay on everyday vegetarianism. Strong ending. An interesting article on subconscious bias. Zip Decoding, a neat visualization of the USA zipcodes. A map of the USA, roads only. America’s Foreign Policy choices, as seen through The Godfather. Serious and insightful. 50 best ad parodies. I particularly enjoyed 41, 12, and 9. Subversive
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/05/poker-update-7/) - I hosted last night. It was with a different group of people. It was much looser and more social. How'd I do? I think I played great. I outplayed everyone else. (I think. You never really know.) In the first round, I dominated. I had some good cards and some good bluffs. I confused the
- [Knock-knock jokes](https://muttrox.com/2008/05/knock-knock-jokes/) - Tonight we did knock-knock jokes. Here's a typical knock-knock joke from a 5-year old: Knock knock! Who's there? Table. Table who? Table shirt! Ha ha! We did this for twenty minutes. Then the two-year old wanted to play. Him: Daddy, daddy! Knock-knock! Me: Who's there? Him: Sugar! Me: Sugar who? Him: (looking confused and desperate)
- [Political Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/05/political-links-o-interest/) - This might be the dumbest editorial I've ever read. An astounding display of sheer stupidity. I was looking forward to reading Caplan's book, now I'm not sure I'll bother. Read it and behold the stupidity. Bert & Ernie discuss the primary. Another brilliant mashup on the end of Hillary's campaign. The complete Democratic Primary, in
- [Poker Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/05/poker-update/) - Just a nightmare. Couldn't get a hand to save my life. I bluffed, everyone calls. I do the exact same bet with a good hand (A-10 suited), they all fold. I foolishly chased twice so it wasn't all because of bad cards. Just a lot of it. I went all-in with a pair of 9s
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/05/links-o-interest-32/) - Perspective The dumbest human being in the entire world. Kobe Byrant jumps over an Aston-Martin. ABC does the Lincoln-Douglas debates A collection of funny graffiti. It's the 30th anniversary of spam (the technology kind). Here is the first spam ever. Dissapearing Rabbit Trick (amazing pic) Dumb protester Here's another. Chickipedia. Fun for men. Fun with
- [The Lord is Everywhere](https://muttrox.com/2008/05/the-lord-is-everywhere/) - We were fifteen minutes into Game 6. The boy turns to me and asked, "Why does everyone keep saying Jesus?" "Who's saying it?" "Everybody!" "You mean, on the TV?" "Yes!" "They're saying Jesus?" "Yes, they all are!" I had no idea what he was going on about. I blew it off. "Sure, let's just watch
- [CSI: I Feel the Same Way](https://muttrox.com/2008/05/csi-i-feel-the-same-way/) - Yesterday I saw someone wearing this shirt: Rules of T-Shirts: 1. References to popular TV shows are uncool. The more people like it, the lamer it is. 2. TV shows referenced should be cool shows. The Simpsons, Arrested Development, etc. CSI does not fit this category. Ironic references are fine, Airhawk, Dallas, Happy Days, etc.
- [The Celtics](https://muttrox.com/2008/05/the-celtics/) - I can't believe we're going to Game 7. Unlike Games 3 and 4, where the Hawks played out of their head, the Celtics lost this one by choking in the clutch. In a 5-minute stretch in the fourth quarter everything went wrong. They suddenly turned into a bunch of cowards. There was no offensive movement
- [Tomorrow is Free Comic Day!](https://muttrox.com/2008/05/tomorrow-is-free-comic-day/) - May 3rd is free comic book day. Find a store near you and support the lowbrow arts!
- [Fair Division](https://muttrox.com/2008/05/fair-division/) - Suppose you had a piece of cake to divide up between two people. Each boy wants to get the biggest piece of course. Is there a fair way to make sure each gets half? Most of you probably know the classic answer. One boy cuts, the other chooses. That way the first boy is motivated
- [Poker Update #6](https://muttrox.com/2008/04/poker-update-6/) - Lordy, that was just awful. Playing from behind almost the whole night, I was knocked out after only 90 minutes. And I was 5th out 8, it was a brutal table. I've never seen so many high hands. Almost every pot was won by trips or better. One guy in particular got incredible hands the
- [Kids](https://muttrox.com/2008/04/kids/) - "Hon - why is there a kitchen knife stuck through my new library book?" (after a moments investigation) "Correction. Hon - why is there a kitchen knife stuck through my new library book,with peanut butter all over it?"
- [Poker Update #5](https://muttrox.com/2008/04/poker-update-5/) - Funny thing about poker. You don't need much skill when you get good cards. I didn't play as well as I did the last two weeks and yet I finished in the money. I had three monster hands and sucked out loads of money on each one. Monster Hand 1: With J-8, the flop is
- [Mystery Guest](https://muttrox.com/2008/04/mystery-guest/) - Once in a while, Mrs. Muttrox and I get ourselves a cheap meal by serving as Mystery Guests. We dine anonymously, answer questions about the meal, and get reimbursed most of the cost. The price is right, and it's fun. We haven't done it for a long time, because the surveys are such a pain.
- [Muttroxia: Best of 2007](https://muttrox.com/2007/12/muttroxia-best-of-2007/) - I'm copying other bloggers by doing a best-of-2007 list. These are my picks for favorites posts, not necessarily the readers picks. I found out I really like a lot of my posts, I had a hard time keeping this post short. I tstill hink my political ones make good points, and my funny ones still
- [Poker Update #4](https://muttrox.com/2008/04/poker-update-4/) - Some good news and bad news. Good: I went in determined to play position. I did. When I had position, I used it to bully people into folding. When I was out of position, I didn't go in with marginal hands. I bet out of position just enough to keep people honest. I showed good
- [The Economy](https://muttrox.com/2008/01/the-economy/) - Our retirement accounts are down about $11,000 in the last few weeks. That's a lot of lira. I've been surprised by our own reaction, we're just not that worked up about it. We have a long term perspective, this too shall pass. And last spring, we put a large proportion of funds into money market
- [Pulitzer Update](https://muttrox.com/2008/04/pulitzer-update/) - I haven't done so good with my resolution to read 10 Pulitzer prize winning books this year. With the year 30% over I've read two. The Shipping News (E. Annie Proulx): I just finished this a couple hours ago. It was good, but not even great. I don't understand how it won the prize. At
- [Any More "Good War"s?](https://muttrox.com/2008/03/any-more-good-wars/) - I'm reading Stud Terkel's "The Good War". I am entranced by this book, an oral history of World War II. Published in 1984, it simply records the words of veterans and others who were there. One amazing story after another. One theme that comes through is how many of them believe it was a good
- [Cabin Pressure: Book Review](https://muttrox.com/2008/04/cabin-pressure-book-review/) - Muttroxia gives a stamp of approval to Cabin Pressure: One Man's Desperate Attempt to Recapture his Youth as a Camp Counselor. It's a bit like Bill Bryson goes to camp. The odds are you know the author, Josh Wolk. Odds are good you went to high school with him. Odds are good you know he
- [Find the Fallacy](https://muttrox.com/2008/04/find-the-fallacy/) - Allstate insurance has a full page ad on the back of the business section of today's New York Times. It has a cartoon of a woman in a business suit chained to a rock. Here's the first two paragraphs of text: The number of women over 65 who are still working has increased by more
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/04/links-o-interest-31/) - Always clear your download history. Japanese barcodes. I can’t wait until these come to America. Beach policeman, circa 1922. Learn to play Go Interactively (I downloaded Igowin to teach myself.) A blog of Responses to the stupid questions you see in celebrity magazines. One of the weirder and sadder stories I’ve read in a while.
- [Employee Name Tags](https://muttrox.com/2008/04/employee-name-tags/) - One of the nice things about Disney World is the name tags. They have the first name, and where they are from. We had a wonderful conversation with a husband-wife team from a town just down the road from where I grew up. It's nice to see where people are from. In Las Vegas some
- [Elite Security Force in Action](https://muttrox.com/2008/04/elite-security-force-in-action/) - The building I work in has doors with electronic locks, you must flick your badge on a reader to get in. Today, one of the doors was broken and would not open at all from the outside. I went around to another door. After my meeting, I tried to go out the first door and
- [Star Wars III](https://muttrox.com/2008/04/star-wars-iii/) - (I didn't see it in the theatres. I caught the last half on TV last night.) Obi Wan and Darth Vader fight to the death, jumping around the molten mine planet of something-or-other. Darth leaps up, Obi Wan chops off his legs with the light saber. Instead of killing him (everyone else dies when you
- [Perspective](https://muttrox.com/2008/04/perspective/) - Me: Have I put you in timeout at all today? 5-year old: No. Me: Have I put your brother in timeout today? 5-year old: No. Me: Right. It's been a good day, hasn't it? I like days where I don't get mad at you and you don't get mad at me. 5-year old, after thinking
- [Poker Update #3](https://muttrox.com/2008/04/poker-update-3/) - That hurt. I dominated the first hour. Our starting stacks are $2500 and I had well over $5000 within 30 minutes. Some good hands, and some great bluffs. I didnt play much until we got down to 4 players. I now had about $9000, average stack was $6000. One player had 300. I was counting
- [Disney World: Worst Ride Ever!](https://muttrox.com/2008/03/disney-world-worst-ride-ever/) - Most rides at Disney World are great. A few are only so-so. One stands out as being just plain bad. The ride is Epcot's MAELSTROM! Leave present day Norway to journey back in time to the Norway of old aboard dragon-headed 16 passenger boats. Travel to a 10th century Viking Village and enter the shadows
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/03/links-o-interest-30/) - Was the Death Star an inside job? Joe Queenan on the worst movie ever. An essay to be reveled in. Street soccer? Unlike the bizzarre We are the World link, this one rocks. YouTube 2007 Winners: Most adorable Sea cow does Michael Jackson An elephant painting a self-portrait. Great web-game. BroomsticK Now that’s a social
- [Mortality](https://muttrox.com/2007/11/mortality/) - I had my 20th high school reunion this week. Many of the things I'd like to blog about, I can't, since a lot of the old high school gang reads Muttroxia. I'll switch to one morbid train of thought, for one of the coldest posts I've ever written. We've had four people from my class
- [Poker Update #2](https://muttrox.com/2008/03/poker-update-2/) - I had no business finishing in the money. Three times I sucked out a winning hand on the river. Two of those I had no business ever being in the hand in the first place. For example: 4 players left, blinds are 250-500, I have about 4,000. I am dealt 9-5 offsuit. I feel like
- [Highlighter IQ Test](https://muttrox.com/2008/03/highlighter-iq-test/) - If you use a highlighter regularly, I suspect you're not that bright. If you highlight more than 25% of the text, you've pretty much confirmed it.
- [Disney World Reflections](https://muttrox.com/2008/03/disney-world-reflections/) - Is it weird to clap for robots?
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/03/links-o-interest-29/) - Holy cow. Another Wow. I added one of these quotes to my taglines. Yahoo Questions: My girlfriend hasn't had period since she got pregnant? .... "Is the baby drinking the blood?" Everyone kills Hitler their first time. The shirt is priceless. Protest Angst. Some sophisticated political analysis from DMX. The real Homer Simpson The history
- [Papas](https://muttrox.com/2008/03/papas/) - Tonight we ordered a pizza from Papa Johns, a large cheese with one-third onion. Or rather, that's what we tried to order. Them: Sorry sir, we only do halves. Me: Just ask the guy to put on less. Them: I don't know how to do that. Me: (after pause) Ask him to put less than
- [Poker Update #1](https://muttrox.com/2008/03/poker-update-1/) - Let's start off with some context. Over the last nine months, with two different groups of people, I have been regularly finishing in the money. In my neighborhood game I won so much that I tanked it one night, just to stay on the good side of the people I live around. I lost my
- [Poker Updates](https://muttrox.com/2008/03/poker-updates/) - The count was 2-1 against poker blogging. After much careful deliberation drinking, I decided I don't care. It's my blog, I'll yak about poker if I please. Nyah nyah. You got a problem, get your own blog. (Or guest post here, the offer is always open.)
- [It's Over](https://muttrox.com/2008/03/its-over/) - I was planning to write about how Obama has it wrapped up. He has won more states, more voters, and more delegates than Hillary, and by leads that won't be given up. And then I listened to his speech, "A More Perfect Union." I hit my tipping point and then some. Just like everyone else
- [Eliot Spitzer](https://muttrox.com/2008/03/eliot-spitzer/) - Wow, sure didn't see that coming! It's a shame, he was about the only one out there taking on white collar crime. Sure, he was a smug arrogant bastard, but he was our smug arrogant bastard. The strangest part of his downfall is the prices he was paying. Up to $5,000 an hour. In my
- [Muttroxia Updates](https://muttrox.com/2008/03/muttroxia-updates-2/) - Not much content lately. I set posting records in February, and used up my reserve of material. I'm going on vacation, so unless I have something to say and figure out how to post on the road, this is it for a week. Question: I play poker a lot, I was thinking of giving little
- [Those Cheating Zeppelins!](https://muttrox.com/2008/03/those-cheating-zeppelins/) - I've always heard that Led Zeppelin took a lot of their ideas from others. I knew Dazed and Confused was by someone else, and that Willie Dixon had successfully sued them. I guess I didn't know. Check out these links, particularly the first video. One Two Three Four Five
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/03/links-o-interest-28/) - To the guy doing my wife Star Trek and White Rabbit. Homicidal Elmo Random funny pictures of kids. Hilarious plane crash picture Real life vs. Politics Who would Alex P. Keaton vote for? (by the producer of Family Ties) History’s greatest replies. Somehow the format takes away from many of these. I enjoyed some new
- [Rumsfeld, doin' bad](https://muttrox.com/2005/05/stop-rummy-stop/) - In a previous post, I gave Rumsfeld props for fighting to cancel the C-130J. Looks like he folded.
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/02/links-o-interest-27/) - Nemesis Wanted [Pic] I’m probably the last person in the world to see this, but here it is: The Evolution of Dance Redneck Mansion [Pic] Best of Craiglists: To the Crazy-bat-shit-lady who picked up the free fridge Confused by the subprime crisis? Let some stick figures explain it to you. I loved Nickel & Dimed.
- [Movie Review: Casino Royale](https://muttrox.com/2007/01/movie-review-casino-royale/) - Overall, it was great! For one thing, it's the first Bond movie in decades that's based on one of the actual Ian Fleming books. Loosely based, to be sure, but based. And they took the opportunity to "reboot" the franchise. Bond is now much more human in interesting ways. Sure, he's emotionless -- but that's
- [My View of New Age Literature](https://muttrox.com/2008/02/my-view-of-new-age-literature/) - Deepak Chopra's new book is "The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore" I'm gonna try.
- [A Bush Budget](https://muttrox.com/2008/02/a-bush-budget/) - Bush is a conservative, eh? Here's another typical budget from our small government champion. If President Bush's budget for fiscal 2009 is approved in its current form, U.S. government spending will have increased by more than $1.2 trillion since President Clinton left office; adjusted for inflation, that's a 35% increase. Bush has increased spending at
- [Vonage](https://muttrox.com/2008/02/vonage/) - Almost three years ago Jabley got Vonage. He's my guinea pig for cool new tech toys, and I've wanted it since then. The delay for most of that time has been over the 911 issue. Cel phones are actually tracking you all the time to know where you are, but Vonage doesn't. The phone number
- [A Political Analogy for my Vote](https://muttrox.com/2008/02/a-political-analogy-for-my-vote/) - When I'm asked who I support, my answer is Hillary but I really like Obama also it's a close call bla bla as long as it's a Democrat who wins the whole thing bla bla bla. I finally came up with an analogy I like: You and the guys are getting some dinner. You have
- [Media Narratives](https://muttrox.com/2008/02/media-narratives/) - This is a very good article on the media narratives surrounding Hillary and Obama. Worthy enough of your time to be a standalone post.
- [Book Recommendations](https://muttrox.com/2007/06/book-recommendations/) - In no particular order, here's some books I've read recently that I recommend. Sweet and Low (Rich Cohen): Rich Cohen's grandfather started the Sweet & Low company. He lifted the family from relative poverty to generating hundreds of millions of dollars of income every year. Along the way, Rich's branch of the family was cut
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/02/links-o-interest-26/) - Sauron’s Kingdom – Moscow The world’s greatest hacker I must say I’m quite upset... A very clueless thief. The anonymity experiment: Can you live for a week without leaving any traces? This is not a bad rendition of Hey Jude, considering. Water Balloon not exploding in slow motion Music with just MS operating system sounds.
- [The Shaq Trade](https://muttrox.com/2008/02/the-shaq-trade/) - Direct questions usually get answers:what’s your take on the Shaq trade? I think it’s a worthwhile risk. I don’t think the Suns were going to win it all with their roster/style. Nash is getting old (though he doesn’t show it yet) and their window is within the next 2 years. It’s wholly dependent on whether
- [Fountain Drink Lines](https://muttrox.com/2008/02/fountain-drink-lines/) - You're at a restaurant. They give you a drink cup and you walk over to the drink area. It's a drink dispenser where you put your cup under the particular soda you want and press the button to fill the cup. You wouldn't think it takes long to press the right button, fill the cup
- [My letter to JRR Tolkien's lawyer](https://muttrox.com/2008/02/my-letter-to-jrr-tolkiens-lawyer/) - If you hadn't heard about the Tolkien Trust's lawsuit against New Line, read here first. Dear Ms. Eskenazi, I read on DeadlineHollywoodDaily.com about the lawsuit you've filed against New Line on behalf of the Tolkien Trust for gross points that were never paid on the LORD OF THE RINGS films. It's a typical tragedy in
- [Happy Anniversary](https://muttrox.com/2008/02/happy-anniversary/) - Exactly 10 years ago today, Mrs. Muttrox and I kissed and started dating. We haven't looked back since. Happy Anniversary hon! I love you!
- [My New New Years Resolution](https://muttrox.com/2008/02/my-new-new-years-resolution/) - I've decided to trade in one of my New Years Resolutions for this one. I like it much better. I, Muttrox, declare that by the end of 2008, I will read 10 fiction and 10 non-fiction Pulitzer prize winning books. The lists of winners are here (fiction and non-fiction). What started this? I recently read
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/02/links-o-interest-25/) - Trench Warfare (pic) The top 10 strange Bible stories. Another ”duh” One for the guys. Sarah Silverman is really funny. So is Matt Damon. Holy cow – swimming at the top of Victoria Falls. Home library rules. I don't fully agree, but it may easily turn into a blog post of my own version. I
- [Edwards Post-Mortem](https://muttrox.com/2008/02/edwards-post-mortem/) - Here's a good interview with Joe Trippi. Trippi was Edwards' campaign manager and Howard Dean's back in 2004. It's all very good. Here's a quote that fits my view of the race. Were you surprised that, after the Philly debate, where Edwards really wailed on Hillary, that seemed to be the start of the Obama
- [A Unified Democratic Party?](https://muttrox.com/2008/02/unified-democratic-party/) - Look at this footnote : ...Neither Obama's unfavorables among Clinton voters (now 30%) nor Clinton's unfavorables among Obama voters (now 31%) have been rising noticeably . So it looks as if (so far) the bitterness of the battle is largely restricted to the political junkies who read and write blogs. It's easy to overlook that
- [Benford's Law](https://muttrox.com/2008/01/benfords-law/) - Benford's Law is a fascinating mathematical trivium. Take many kinds of seemingly random data, and look at the first digit of each datapoint. Intuitively, you'd probably think that there would be about the same amount of 2's as 3's and 7's and 8's and so on. But this isn't true. There are far more 1's
- [Muttrox's Primary Vote](https://muttrox.com/2008/02/muttroxs-primary-vote/) - I've been on the fence with Hillary vs. Obama. They're both great candidates, either of them will be immensely better than any of the GOP candidates. I toyed with the idea of sitting the primary out. I toyed with voting for Edwards anyhow, even though he has already withdrawn. But in the end, I went
- [Thoughts After the Pats go <del>19-0</del> 18-1](https://muttrox.com/2008/02/thoughts-after-the-pats-go-19-0-18-1/) - Oh, that hurt. It hurt so very much. ESPN had it right, I am going through the stages of grieving. I can't stand to do a full analysis of this travesty, I'll just mention a few points. * Our offensive line was not very good. They've been incredible the whole year, this game they were
- [Tom Petty](https://muttrox.com/2008/02/tom-petty/) - Tom Petty was awful. I have a soft spot for Tom. My first concert ever was Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers with Bob Dylan, at Great Woods in '85 or '86 with Steven Johnson. Sure, it's been 20+ years, but man has he gone downhill. It goes without saying, he's an ugly man. He looks
- [Thoughts before the Pats go 19-0, or Super Bowl Prediction](https://muttrox.com/2008/02/thoughts-before-the-pats-go-19-0-or-super-bowl-prediction/) - Pats 41, Giants 17. By the beginning of the 4th quarter, the game is never in question.
- [Edwards Bows Out](https://muttrox.com/2008/02/edwards-bows-out/) - I was planning to vote for John Edwards on Tuesday. I confess, I don't understand why he didn't wait until after Super Tuesday to drop out. However many delegates he got, it would have given him that much more power and influence. Perhaps he already knew was going to get clobbered and wanted to go
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/01/links-o-interest-24/) - A religious map of the USA. Fascinating. I really didn’t know how prevalent Catholicism is. The Civil War in 4 minutes. Each week is 1 second. An interesting and rambling interview with a hedge fund manager. The ”Beatniks” perform Stairway to Heaven. And a very cool version from Stanley Jordan What if ”24” had been
- [The Recession & Stimulus Packages](https://muttrox.com/2008/01/the-recession-stimulus-packages/) - Any economy needs a recession once in a while. When you have a bubble, the bubble needs to pop. You need to take some pain to get things on track. People and the economy suffer, but then you don’t have a bubble anymore, which is good. It’s foolish to think there will never be a
- [Picking Your Childrens' Sex](https://muttrox.com/2007/12/picking-your-childrens-sex/) - With our third kid coming, a lot of conversation revolves around gender. Since we have two boys already, we researched sex-picking. There are a lot of crazy theories out there. Really dumb ones. Unless they involve modern scientific techniques, I dismiss them. I don't need to listen to the details to know they're wrong. Consider:
- [Finding out Your Unborn Child's Sex](https://muttrox.com/2008/01/finding-out-your-unborn-childs-sex/) - It's like checking the 5-day forecast before going on vacation. Yes, you don't have to. Yes, it adds more surprise if you don't. But why wouldn't you?
- [Movie Review: Enchanted](https://muttrox.com/2008/01/movie-review-enchanted/) - Yesterday was the boy's 5th birthday, so we took him to the movies for a treat. He had already seen the few kids movies that were out, so we went a bit more adult and feminine and saw Enchanted. He hated it. But we loved it! It's a load of fun and very clever. My
- [Book Review: Soon I Will be Invincible!](https://muttrox.com/2008/01/book-review-soon-i-will-be-invincible/) - If you ever enjoyed reading a comic book, you owe it to yourself to read this book. If you used to enjoy comic books a lot, but found them getting a little juvenile for your taste, and then realized that you had gotten a little mature for comic books, you need to read this book.
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2008/01/links-o-interest-23/) - The Beast’s 50 Most Loathsome People of 2007. Always funny (especially #42). A long interview with John Edwards. Very substanstive, mostly on Iraq. The Legend of Cliff Young: The 61 Year Old Farmer Who Won the World’s Toughest Race Guess what song this is. This is very cool when you finally get it. A collection
- [Nice Brains, Gia.](https://muttrox.com/2008/01/nice-brains-gia/) - In an article about consumer spending dropping: Gia Trumpler, 37, a travel consultant who lives in Manhattan, shops at luxury chains like Saks. But she is trimming costs where she can by bringing lunch to work from home, rather than eating out. I'd guess it takes about 50 lunches made from home to make up
- [Thoughts after 17-0](https://muttrox.com/2008/01/thoughts-after-17-0/) - * Moss: Where the heck was Moss? He caught one pass for 14 yards, I don't even remember it. Why aren't we throwing to Randy Moss? And how can that not even be mentioned by anyone. Is he being single-covered, double-covered, what's the story here? Could we have one camera show him on a play
- [Predictions for Pats Jacksonville](https://muttrox.com/2008/01/predictions-for-pats-jacksonville/) - 41-10 Pats. Blowout, the outcome never really in question.
- [After New Hampshire](https://muttrox.com/2008/01/after-new-hampshire/) - Hillary: Glad to see the media got it wrong, but I'm not sure why. Oh wait, it's because I hate almost all political coverage and think 80% of commentators and editors should be fired. At least it will be a couple weeks less of stories about Hillary the robot. My Mom voted for Richardson -
- [Why I Like Georgia](https://muttrox.com/2008/01/why-i-like-georgia/) - Today is January 9th. I am not wearing a jacket today. I didn't make a concious decision whether I needed a jacket, it was obvious. Have fun with that whole winter thing.
- [Most Obvious Photo Caption](https://muttrox.com/2008/01/most-obvious-photo-caption/) - For some reason I can't get the image to load here, it's a great picture of the cast of L.A. Law. Check out the "duh" caption. No, you really think so?
- [After Iowa](https://muttrox.com/2008/01/after-iowa/) - Congratulations Obama! Not only did Obama win, but he did in convincing fashion, and did it by organizing better and bringing out new people, widening the tent. That's a great sign for him and the Democrats in general. Many have said it, and I agree, it's fantastic that a guy who wouldn't been allowed on
- [The Least Helpful Sign Ever](https://muttrox.com/2006/12/the-least-informative-sign-ever/) - This notice was taped up on various signs throughout the neighborhood. Just a thought, maybe you should tell someone how to get in touch with you? You know, to actually get the dog? As is, this is just an enormous taunt.
- [One of the proudest moments of my life](https://muttrox.com/2006/09/one-of-the-proudest-moments-of-my-life/) - 1000 and 0 baby! I'm a sad, small man.
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2007/12/links-o-interest-22/) - The fine art of Doctor slang. When I first heard that FLK ("Funny Looking Kid") was an actual term used on charts, I couldn't stop laughing. The Who play Won't Get Fooled Again, 27 years apart, in sync. This just reinforces how key John Entwistle and Keith Moon were, and that Pete is undisputably a
- [Cutting Off the DCCC](https://muttrox.com/2007/12/cutting-off-the-dccc/) - I've given a few hundred bucks here and there to the Democrats. I gave to John Kerry in the 2004 primaries when things looked hopeless. That money was well-used, since he became the front-runner just after cashing it. I should have given him a few hundred more after primary season, that undoubtedly would have been
- [Muttroxia Updates](https://muttrox.com/2007/12/muttroxia-updates/) - 1) The randomized tagline at the top. Suggestions are welcome. It's alarming how many hours of programming* it took me to make this happen. 2) The header image is just a color block, but I can control it now. Submissions for header images are welcome also. Note that the text and search box has to
- [Our Do-Nothing Congress](https://muttrox.com/2007/12/our-do-nothing-congress/) - Congress is widely viewed as having accomplished nothing. That's half perception and half truth. Guess why they haven't accomplished much? The chart is hard to read, so here's the gist. The reason why Congress can't get a lot going is because the GOP won't let it. It filibusters, or threatens to filibuster virtually everything. They
- [More on Paper Towels](https://muttrox.com/2007/12/more-on-paper-towels/) - One of my many pet peeves is advanced paper towel dispensers that make it harder to dry your hands. At a recent lunch outing, the dispenser had a big push button to get the paper towel. I pressed the button. I am right now looking at this piece of paper towel. It has a length
- [Late night thoughts](https://muttrox.com/2005/09/late-night-thoughts/) - When you are sleep-deprived, you come up with weird thoughts. I distinctly remembering last night thinking, "I wonder who invented the pillow? That man was a genius -- God bless him."
- [Links O' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2006/11/seven-links-o-interest/) - Drew Bledsoe’s blog. This is drop-dead hilarious for NFL fans. Don’t Vote.org - See if you are educated enough to vote. (I got 96%, missed the new UN President) This Cognitive Science graduate student used his mad brain knowledge to win on Who Wants to be a Milliionaire A funny look back at Donald Rumsfeld’s
- [On Shaving](https://muttrox.com/2007/01/on-shaving/) - OK Gillette, you got me. Your ads are annoying and absurd. Your product strategy is ridiculous (throw more and more baldes on a razor.) I am bothered that my beloved Patriots play in "your" stadium. And yet. A month ago, they sent me one Gillette Fusion razor in the mail. When I went on a
- [My Boy Channels Chris Farley](https://muttrox.com/2007/01/my-boy-channels-chris-farley/) - Him: ...is it true Dad? Me: What - what are you talking about? Him: Dad! Is it true! -- that if you try you get what you need, but you don't always get what you want? Me: Um.. It's kind of complicated. It's mostly true.
- [Efficient Worktime](https://muttrox.com/2007/02/efficient-worktime/) - Today I saw a maintenance man cleaning out an outdoor ashtray, the 80-pound cylinders with a few handfuls of sand-like substance on top. This man had a "grabber", and was slowly aiming for each cigarette individually, getting it firmly in the claw, transferring it to his bag, then starting over. I estimate this one ashtray
- [Thoughts on THE LORD OF THE RINGS extended DVDs](https://muttrox.com/2007/02/thoughts-on-the-lord-of-the-rings-extended-dvds/) - When I saw the LORD OF THE RINGS movies in the theaters, I was not ecstatic. I read my oldest brother’s copy of THE LORD OF THE RINGS three or four times during junior high and high school, and the trilogy completely dominated my childhood fantasy life, even more than the X-Men. I spent endless
- [Marketing at Work](https://muttrox.com/2007/02/marketing-at-work/) - Doesn't all paper have multiple uses? Kind of a step back if you feel that's a selling point of your paper.
- [Going After Borrowers](https://muttrox.com/2007/12/going-after-borrowers/) - From a NYT editorial today: It turns out the library can do more than just shush you. If you accumulate enough unpaid late fees, some New York libraries are ready to hit you where it really hurts: your credit score. They have reported millions of dollars in such bad debts. Most people make good before
- [Muttroxia gets Social](https://muttrox.com/2007/01/muttroxia-gets-social/) - You may have noticed Muttroxia's latest upgrade -- guest blogging. We kick it off with a movie review of Rocky by "LilBro". Enjoy! If you're interested in guest posting, drop me a line.
- [Fortune Cookies](https://muttrox.com/2006/01/chinese-rant-trilogy-the-exciting-conclusion/) - The other day I got a menu from a new Chinese delivery place. It said in big letters, "WE DELIVERY!" But that's not what I'm up in arms about. It's too easy, and I make too many typos to get preachy about it. Yes, it's the exciting conclusion to my Asian-themed trilogy o' rants! Here's
- [Xmas Thoughts from a 4-year old](https://muttrox.com/2007/12/xmas-thoughts-from-a-4-year-old/) - We did presents this morning, since we'll be traveling on Christmas day. * He can ruin your faith with his casual lies: Me: Kids, come on down! Look who came? Him: Who? Me: Look at the tree! Him: Presents! Santa! Presents! Me: That's right! Santa came by last night to bring presents early. Him: I
- [Was this on Purpose?](https://muttrox.com/2007/12/was-this-on-purpose/) - Does anyone else see the Star of David behind Ben Stein?
- [Did you know John Mayer Rocks?](https://muttrox.com/2007/12/did-you-know-john-mayer-rocks/) - You might not know that John Mayer rocks. After all, he made his reputation from a solid string of wishy washy nothing songs. On his breakthrough album, Songs for Pussies, every song sounded the exact same. True story: For our first child's birth, I bought this album so we'd have music to play during the
- [Challenge Accepted!](https://muttrox.com/2007/12/challenge-accepted/) - You want some action (see comments 6,8,10)!? Consider it laid! I hereby bet Sid $100 that in the 2008 presidential election, the national popular vote difference will be 5% or greater. That is, it must be 52.5% to 47.5% or greater. I'll put in one weasel term - the bets off if Ron Paul runs
- [The NPR Postulate](https://muttrox.com/2007/12/the-npr-postulate/) - Mrs. Muttrox had a conversation with a high school teacher friend of hers that confirmed a pet theory of ours. Mrs. Muttrox: Do the kids still say "bling"? Teacher: Not really. Mrs. Muttrox: I heard something about it on NPR. Teacher: If they use the word on NPR, the kids aren't saying it anymore. To
- [The Music Must Change](https://muttrox.com/2005/05/even-classic-rock-changes/) - I grew up on the immortal WBCN. When they changed formats (I forget the name of their new format, alternocrap or something), I switched to WZLX. Now I switch between "Dave FM" and 96.1, both of which play generous helpings of the music I like. One tradition I love is the Memorial Day top 500
- [Aerosmith Top 10](https://muttrox.com/2005/05/aerosmith-top-10/) - As I suggested, getting my Aerosmith Top 10 would be an interesting exercise. It was. I ended up with 20 contenders, so I just arranged them in tiers. As a special bonus, I have links to .mp3s of all these. Update: Some search engine decided it was cool to have people coming here to get
- [Framing the Story](https://muttrox.com/2007/12/framing-the-story/) - In the New York Times today, there's fairly prominent links to a video discussion entitled, "Who Can Beat the G.O.P.?: Mark Schmitt of the New America Foundation and Matthew Continetti, above, of the Weekly Standard debate who is more electable, Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton." Once again, we see framing in action. You only see
- [We're Having A Baby](https://muttrox.com/2007/12/were-having-a-baby/) - The Muttrox clan is growing, we're having a third child! Due at the end of May, stay tuned true believers! (This is for the few of you who don't know already.)
- [The Best Movie of 2007?](https://muttrox.com/2007/12/the-best-movie-of-2007/) - I'll come out and say it, ONCE might be the best movie of the year. A little movie from Ireland that nobody saw, including myself, when it first opened in selected theaters this summer. I kept hearing that it got rave reviews from every critic that saw it, but the poster was so non-descript that
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2007/12/links-o-interest-21/) - How to raise smart kids. Tunnel baby. You can buy houses in Detroit for $250. That's $1 a month. Really. Learn about the dangers of marijuana from Dewey Cox. The best lunch ever. The Bill of Rights under Bush: A Timeline Let’s think of those in need. The unfairness of Christmas babies. Christmas beer tree
- [Another Crazy NFL Rule Saves the Pats](https://muttrox.com/2007/12/another-crazy-nfl-rule-saves-the-pats/) - Well, we pulled it out somehow. Baltimore outplayed us on offense and defense and special teams, and somehow we got the W. We were lucky, and luck favors a disciplined low-error team like the Patriots. The worst point in the game was the Ravens stuffing Brady on 4th-and-1, only to have it called back because
- [The Pope and Atheism](https://muttrox.com/2007/12/the-pope-and-atheism/) - Yesterday, the pope issued a encyclical which came down pretty hard on atheism. Atheism may be “understandable” when mankind is confronted with evil and suffering, Pope Benedict XVI wrote in his second encyclical, issued on Friday. But the attempt to banish God, he wrote, “has led to the greatest forms of cruelty and violations of
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2007/11/links-o-interest-20/) - Pat Buchanan nails it. The dollar has plummeted in value, more so in Bush's term than during any comparable period of U.S. history. Indeed, Bush is presiding over a worldwide abandonment of the American dollar. Is it all Bush's fault? Nope. The dollar is plunging because America has been living beyond her means, borrowing $2
- [Mattress Shopping](https://muttrox.com/2007/11/mattress-shopping/) - I was buying a kids mattress yesterday. I took a casual tour of the store to see what the most expensive mattress was. $3599! Holy Belichick, that's a lot! Me and the two-year old were dumbfounded. Me: For that kind of money, this thing had better go down on me also! Him: em.. meh! Scoo-bus!
- [David Brooks on Globalization](https://muttrox.com/2007/11/david-brooks-on-globalization/) - It's a pleasure to read a David Brooks column and agree with it. He's absolutely right, immigration and globalization are good things, and the USA is still number one by a long shot. Apart from his bizzare obsession with giving every idea cute names (was there any reason to coin "Dobbsianism"?), Brooks gives a great
- [Bee Movie Review](https://muttrox.com/2007/11/bee-movie-review/) - Although I love Jerry Seinfeld, I was prepared to dislike this movie. The PR campaign had moved far past awareness and cleverness and into the realm of just-shut-up-already-I-get-it. And the first fifteen minutes of the movie looked like Antz with worse animation. But I was wrong. It was quite funny. You can never forget you're
- [I Can't Wait for my Midlife Crisis](https://muttrox.com/2007/11/i-cant-wait-for-my-midlife-crisis/) - I can't wait for my midlife crisis. I have a pretty conventional life. I want a motorcycle, the wife has firmly vetoed it. I've always wanted a Corvette, but instead we have 529 funds. Our big expense this year was a minivan. If I'm having a midlife crisis, that's my excuse to get all the
- [In Which I Appear in Playboy](https://muttrox.com/2007/11/in-which-i-appear-in-playboy/) - Or at least some of my questions do. A high school buddy of mine interviewed Pete Townshend via e-mail, and gave me the chance to submit some questions. The full interview is here, my buddy's website is here. Below are my (somewhat edited) questions and his answers, with a couple comments. Playboy.com: Some fans believe
- [Typing For Dummies](https://muttrox.com/2007/11/typing-for-dummies/) - Recently I was sitting with someone while he typed an email. He didn't use the shift key. Ever. Instead, he would hit Caps Lock, type the letter, and then hit Caps Locks again. I almost burst a blood vessel keeping my mouth shut.
- [As the Patriots Decimate Another Luckless Opponent](https://muttrox.com/2007/11/as-the-patriots-decimate-another-luckless-opponent/) - I went to bed with a few minutes left. We had been up by 46 points for a while. Apparently, a 45 point margin is when Belichick decided to lay back a little. The backup quarterback was put in, and they switched from almost exclusively passing to running virtually every play to run the clock
- [Expensive Cars](https://muttrox.com/2007/11/expensive-cars/) - I was at the Los Angeles Auto Show last week. While looking at some of the Lambroghinis and such, I had a fun conversation with a collegue about car prices. That led to this question. How much money would you have to have before you would buy a car for $1,500,000? How about a $300,000
- [Boy #2: I give up](https://muttrox.com/2007/11/boy-2-i-give-up/) - He's two years and two months old. I lost. His name is now officially "Teddy".
- [See Pat.  See Pat Win.  See Peyt.  See Peyt Lose.](https://muttrox.com/2007/11/see-pat-see-pat-win-see-peyt-see-peyt-lose/) - Random thoughts: * That was a great game. I enjoyed every minute of it. It was nice to watch it with some Colts fans, it added some spice. It made it extra sweet when we won. * What was going on with the Patriots tackling in the first half? We looked like a bunch of
- [Links o' Interest](https://muttrox.com/2007/11/links-o-interest-19/) - Sports links, a few hours before the big game: How to be an insufferable New England sports fan Adam Vinatieri : The life of a fieldgoal kicker (by Michael Lewis) Now that is a hook and ladder play. Wow, 15 laterals. And the usual stuff: Homework stinks. It also doesn’t help learning or nuthin'. It’s
- [Like Two Ships in the Night](https://muttrox.com/2007/10/a-typical-work-conversation/) - (I have this conversaton several times a week at work.) Him: Hey Muttrox. Me: Hey, how's it going? Him: Nuthin', what's up with you? Me: Good, good, I'm doing good...
- [Free Energy Audit](https://muttrox.com/2007/10/free-energy-audit/) - In most states, the local utility company will come to your house for free, inspect the house, and let you know the best ways to save energy and money. I just did this through Georgia Power (click here or call 1-800-524-2421). It was very helpful, and very non-partisan. Why do they do it? If you
- [Muttroxia Goes International](https://muttrox.com/2007/10/muttroxia-gone-international/) - I went to Technorati for the first time today. This is the site that technical types use to keep the pulse of the blogosphere. It let's you see which blogs are popular, rising fast, most linked, etc. It gives a set of stats for any site. Muttroxia is currently going strong at rank 3,915,745. You
- [Thoughts After the Pats are 8-0](https://muttrox.com/2007/10/thoughts-after-the-pats-are-8-0/) - It's still an hour to go, but congratulations Red Sox. Makes me wish I liked baseball! The NFL needs a mercy rule. That fourth quarter was barely fun to watch. I watched anyhow of course. Forget the Super Bowl, the real Super Bowl is next week. I've been drooling for Pats Colts, the only games
- [At Least He's Consistent](https://muttrox.com/2007/10/at-least-hes-consistent/) - In the 2004 election, St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke publicly declared that communion should not be granted to John Kerry. I thought is was an appalling thing to do. For an archbishop to insert himself into the presidential race was unseemly. And his stance was hypocritical. True, Kerry is pro-choice, but the Church and the

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