Post hoc ergo propter hoc

Just because there's a correlation between two data sets doesn't automatically mean there is causation between the two. Take, for example, the various examples of spurious correlations at the blog Spurious Correlations. The site will even generate new correlations at your request.

correlation = -0.933

correlation = 0.992

 correlation = 0.993

These aren't from Spurious Connections, but they're relevant, too.

From Dinosaur Comics

From Glen Gilchrist

PS: In retrospect, maybe the title should be cum hoc ergo propter hoc rather that post hoc ergo propter hoc.

Another Lego blog?

Man, I love Legos, but there are a few reasons why I don't play with them very often.

First, building with Legos is an expensive hobby. Whether you're buying things from the direct market or from the grey market, Legos are quality built and appropriately priced. Heck, there are entire blogs pretty much devoted to telling you where you can find the best Lego sales.

Second, building with Lego bricks takes a bunch of time to get good. Some of the creations I've highlighted before took hundreds and hundreds of hours to complete. I may waste a lot of time in my life, but I have other ways to play around.

Third, the Lego creations I see on the web are awesome, and I'm kind of intimidated. Take, for example, the creations of Baron von Brunk, as shown on his tumblr.

The friggin' transformers actually transform.

Seriously...transformers made out of Lego...

I am humbled.

Chicken dinner...

Look who's got a $25 Busken's gift certificate (and apparently a $25 Graeter's gift certificate, too) coming to him.

Thank you, WineMeDineMe!

I've said it before (before I was a winner), and I'll say it again - anybody in Cincy should be checking Julie's blog.

This is a serious project...

Let's meet Liz...

Hello. My name is Liz and I know nothing about music.

You steal my Ipod right now and you've got enough music to last you...well...let's say you could get about halfway through a flight across the country.

67 songs.

What's on there? Well let's see. I have five songs I downloaded from the American Idol performances. I do love me some Adam Lambert but we're hardly talking the classics yet. We've got a series of Backstreet Boys and NSync.

Shut up. BSB is awesome.

And despite the fact I just wowed you with my awesome taste in music, I'm here to discuss my mission. There's a book out there that I've had on my shelf for years but never really touched. It's the "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". They start with Frank Sinatra's "In The Wee Small Hours" from 1955 and go all the way up to 2007. (List is over here!)

So here's the plan. 1001 Albums. 1001 Days. I'll listen to the whole album, start to finish, no skipping. I'll write about how I feel about the album, my thoughts about the music, my life, etc. We'll see how this goes..

On May 6, 2012, I'll have listened to the best thousand albums in history. Hopefully by the end of all this, I'll be 26 (wow...that's weird to write), and I'll have more on my Ipod than Danny Gokey and Justin Timberlake.

So tomorrow I listen to "In The Wee Small Hours" by Frank Sinatra (1955). See you then!

I admire Liz's dedication and stick-to-it-iveness. She's currently 522 days into the project.

Admittedly, her writing style isn't all that polished, but I can't imagine how hard it must be to fit in listening to and then commenting upon a full album every single day without fail.

She makes my burger quest seems lame.

More food porn...

Three things...

First, I understand that I probably shouldn't put word into the title of a post on a blog that's linked from my school page, but I'm taking a risk.  There's absolutely nothing in this post that's pornographic.  There are, you are warned, pictures of food that may make you drool, however.

Second, check out the Foodbeast blog.  It's a nice mixture of restaurant reviews (in and around SoCal where the blog seems to be centered), food newsish items, and food porn on their own.  When they do post food porn, they generally link to the recipe to make the item.

For example, there's the Peanut Butter & Jelly Nutella Tart...

...the chocolate chip sweet roll with peanut butter icing...

...the Inception burrito...(through which I found the blog)...

...bacon jam & cheese pannini...

...Frito-Lay Reese's Cup bark...

Ok, I have to stop now before I short my computer out from the drool.

Third thing, apparently there's this restaurant called Slater's 50/50.  I know because Foodbeast blogs about it from time to time.  I guess it's an Anaheim burger joint. 

Their burgers look phenomenal.  Check the menu and the pics...

...chili cheese Frito burger...

...venison burger..."bacon infused ground venison patty, topped with Granny Smith apples, red onions, candied walnuts and a house made blue cheese aioli"...

...Thanksgiving burger..."Ground turkey burger topped with stuffing, turkey gravy, cranberry sauce and a generous helping of sage mayonnaise"...

...vampire burger..."their special Vampire Dip (Garlic, Cheese & Artichoke) with minced fresh jalapenos and diced bacon, then STUFFED inside Sterling Silver beef and topped with two more slices of bacon on a warm flakey bun"...

...California burrito burger..."fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, a bed of french fries, Carne Asada seasoned choice ground chuck and topped off with a smokey chipotle sour cream between two flakey buns"

...even the chicken bacon flapjack burger..."a combination pancake + fried chicken + bacon infused country gravy + more bacon + pancakes as the buns and drowning in 100% pure Maple Syrup"

Yeah, I gotta go eat something.

And I gotta get to Slater's...

Word verification oddity

So, as I was commenting back to Katydid and Crimson Mirage, I had to hit the word verification because I hadn't logged in to the Google account just yet.

This time, however, the word verification was a word: verse.

Apparently you can go home now, google has run out of non-words.

Or, maybe it's time to revive this old thing.

Happy spring, folks

Get out and enjoy the gorgeousness...

In terms of blog redesigns...

I'll be dropping my use of "after the jump" 'cause it bugs DanEcht.  I'll probably still use them when I'm posting a bunch of YouTube videos, but other than that, I'll cut it out.

The current design (dark wood) will hang around a little while, mostly because I haven't been able to find a better version that I like.  Eventually I'll play around with something more in the black palette since that's apparently what I'm thought of as being.  Sorry for the background image, Ame, but I dig it, and I was getting pretty tired of the plain, flat background.

And if you are going to be indoors, check out Kyle's self-indulgence for a cool cover of INXS's "New Sensation" from Beck's record club.

Still working...

Let's try darker wood...

And I figured out how to hack the html and use my own photo...

Feedback, please

Ok, I gotta ask.

I'm the lone vote for "like it" in the poll.

Everybody is is either in "not feeling it" or "it sucks".

What're your issues with the wooden blog design?

Blogger Buzz Brings It

In case you hadn't noticed, new theme on the blog.

Nice new Template Designer over on blogger, so I spent Friday night playing around.

This one may or may not stay; it may or may not have some color adjustment.

Things You Wouldn't Know if We Didn't Blog Incessantly

Man there are some people who are far braver than I.

Take, for example people who ride motorcross bikes on the edges of mountains...



...or scramble across cliff sides to reach remote monasteries...



...of course, I've pointed out people like this before...



Big thanks to TYWKIWDBI for the source material.