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LobowolfXXX Inner circle La Famiglia 1196 Posts |
The Lottery, by the way, is not a purely mathematical exercise. If you had a billion dollars, and you played the Lotto a billion times, you'd have a lot less than a billion dollars when you finished. There's no question that it's a highly negative expectation game. However, the value of money is relative. At some point, you get to the point where you pretty much have all the money you'll need for the rest of your life. If you live reasonably moderately and get some basic investment advice, that point is below many, if not most, Lotto payouts. So now, for practical purposes, the equation is $1 vs. infinity, not $1 vs. $20,000,000 with true odds of 49,000,000 to 1 again. And while 20 million is smaller than 49 million, infinity is "bigger" than 49,000,000. If you're working some back-breaking job you hate, or not spending enough time with your kids, or whatever, and you give up smoking, or get small Cokes instead of large, and save a dollar or two that you would have used for consumption and whose value would have been quickly lost and forgotten, it could not only sound like a good deal, it could BE a good deal. Furthermore, the purely mathematical evaluation fails to take into account the enjoyment that a person may get out of checking the numbers, feeling like he may win, etc. Who's to say that the guy who buys a Lotto ticket for a dollar and loses is "worse off" than the guy who buys a movie ticket for nine dollars and walks out 2 hours later thinking it was a pretty mediocre movie?
So one may say that the Lotto is for people who are poor in math, but as someone quite familiar with combinations, permutations, game theory, and mathematical expectation, I would suggest that perhaps the Lotto is for people who assign different marginal values to dollars, and realize that the cost/benefit analysis of the Lotto involves more than "just" math. Or to look at it another way, is a retired person living on a fixed income, who remains in Los Angeles, where things are more expensive than in most other parts of the country, "poor at math"?
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley. "...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us." |
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Dannydoyle Eternal Order 21219 Posts |
Quote:
On 2007-05-07 05:15, plasticdestiny wrote: It is indeed easy for comedians to edit and show the dumbest among us. No doubt. Remove the indignation and superior attitude of some and taken as it is, it does have humor without doubt. But seriously, how can anyone call a country who embraced the "pet rock" stupid? The guy made millions selling them. In one fad it is all that is great and spooky about this country all wrapped in a nice little package LOL.
Danny Doyle
<BR>Semper Occultus <BR>In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act....George Orwell |
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kregg Inner circle 1950 Posts |
Quote:
On 2007-05-09 10:56, mrbilldentertainer wrote: I caught up on Nietzsche; on a slow reed down denial.
POOF!
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Andy the cardician Inner circle A street named after my dad 3362 Posts |
What defines an Americam?
Cards never lie
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abc Inner circle South African in Taiwan 1081 Posts |
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On 2007-05-09 21:08, Andy the cardician wrote: Tricky question A camera made in America and not in Taiwan, Japan or China? A happy camera? I have no idea. On a more serious note that question should be asked regarding the Virginia Tech slayings much rather than about a humorous video on youtube? I love the way Lobowolf puts things. I love reading his and Jonathan's posts because they are much smarter than me and I usually learn a few words. I agree on the lotto though. I play darts on a dart machine once a week in a local pub. It costs me about a dollar a game. Expensive but nothing takes away the ability to relax and enjoy it. |
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LobowolfXXX Inner circle La Famiglia 1196 Posts |
Thank you, my abecedarian friend.
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley. "...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us." |
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kregg Inner circle 1950 Posts |
Quote:
On 2007-05-09 21:08, Andy the cardician wrote: Unlike African's, we're not all thumbs ... unless, we're playing video games. Even Canadian's are of the America's, Much like Democrats calling their party The Democratic Party. Societies, general reference to American is to the people of the United States of America. When traveling, we're the loud ones! All in jest, except for the part where I was being serious.
POOF!
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MagiClyde Special user Columbus, Ohio 871 Posts |
It really would have been nice if they could have ended their little (very little) joke by showing someone answering all the questions correctly.
Magic! The quicker picker-upper!
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Destiny Inner circle 1429 Posts |
Apparently they wanted to, but the only Australians available were either asking the questions or working the camera.
Destiny |
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DStachowiak Inner circle Baltimore, MD 2158 Posts |
Quote:
On 2007-05-11 09:10, plasticdestiny wrote: (Rimshot)
Woke up.
Fell out of bed. Dragged a comb across m' head. |
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Magnus Eisengrim Inner circle Sulla placed heads on 1053 Posts |
Let's see how "intelligent" you all are. Argentina has 24 provinces. Without using outside resources, how many of these provinces can you name?
John (Before composing this question, my answer was zero, by the way. I now know a couple because I had to look up the number of provinces).
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.--Yeats |
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abc Inner circle South African in Taiwan 1081 Posts |
Quote:
On 2007-05-10 01:31, LobowolfXXX wrote: Why are you reffering to me as an Anabaptist who has a disrespect for knowledge. OK that is the only definition I had of the word until I searched for other definitions. Just proves my point. Thanks for the new word. You should actually have a word of the week post and Jonathan should have an "interesting fact about magic" post every week. |
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ed rhodes Inner circle Rhode Island 2885 Posts |
The question; "What is an American?" reminded me of Ben Franklin's comments from "1776." (Quote from imdb.com )
John Adams and John Dickinson are having a heated debate in which Dickinson refers to the colonists as "Englishmen." Finally, after a bit of byplay, Franklin speaks up. Dickinson has one more line before him. John Dickinson: Fortunately, the people maintain a higher regard for their mother country. Dr. Benjamin Franklin: Higher, certainly, than she feels for them. Never was such a valuable possession so stupidly and recklessly managed, than this entire continent by the British crown. Our industry discouraged, our resouces pillaged... first of all our very character stifled. We've spawned a new race here, Mr. Dikinson. Rougher, simpler; more violent, more enterprising; less refined. We're a new nationality. We require a new nation.
"...and if you're too afraid of goin' astray, you won't go anywhere." - Granny Weatherwax
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kregg Inner circle 1950 Posts |
Then they broke into song, "Sit down John, Sit down John. For god sake John, sit down."
What is more impressive is the speed, (231 years) at which we have grown. We've attracted the likes of every countries commoners, as well as, a genius or two along the way.
POOF!
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ed rhodes Inner circle Rhode Island 2885 Posts |
Actually, the song was <much> earlier in the film.
Dickinson can never match wits with Franklin. Adams, he can bluster with but Franklin always has him at a loss. I also like Bill Murry's comments in Stripes; John Winger: We're all very different people. We're not Watusi, we're not Spartans, we're Americans. With a capital "A", huh? And you know what that means? Do you? That means that our forefathers were kicked out of every decent country in the world. We are the wretched refuse. We're the underdog. We're mutts.
"...and if you're too afraid of goin' astray, you won't go anywhere." - Granny Weatherwax
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Destiny Inner circle 1429 Posts |
The same comedians this thread started about became the first threats to national security arrested at the APEC summit today when they managed to get through two police checks and within 10 metres of the Leader of The Free Worlds hotel by driving in an official looking motorcade with a Bin Laden impersonator as the VIP.
Destiny |
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