I was wondering what was up. Randomly it seemed I woudl get a pop up ad from my site!! I finally decided to do a closer look. The only script that ran on my site that was from an external site/service was my Nedstat (now Webstats4U) stats counter. Decided to do a little creative googling and found this site that explained all I need to know. Turns out when Webstats4U bought Nedstat, they changed the hit counter code to do the following:
(Patrick Cooper) If you hadn’t hit a Webstats4u-using site in the previous 48 hours, the program hit another couple Javascript files, more programs, at a site called falkag.net. “A prime purveyor of Web advertising, including popups.”
BASTARDS!
So Nedstat/Webstats4U is gone from this site. It’s still on a couple other of my sites but I’ll ditch that ASAP. Sorry if you were seeign popup ads and wondering what the hell was up with me. I’m going to look into StatCounter as a replacement. If you use Nedstat/Webstats4U I suggest you dump it as well.
Okay, I don’t really like the Pacers’ new uniforms. I loved the pinstripes. Thought it was really classy and even a vote on NBA.com last December said that the Pacers were the best dressed in the NBA. The new unis are awfully plain. The new font is nice, but that’s about it. Otherwise it’s just…boring. Ah well. As long as they’re winning they could be wearing leisure suits.
Okay on to some NFL geekery.
Whenever teams are ranked in the NFL in terms of offense and defense, invariably the stat used is “total” offense and “total” defense. This means total yards or total yards allowed, respectively. But this is such a poor ranking, considering it’s not yards that win you the game, it’s points.
But if you just rank on points, it really doesn’t tell you the efficiency of the team’s offense or defense. That’s why I decided last year before the playoffs to try and rank the teams by points/yard. More specifically:
For offense: Rank by offensive points scored per yard (OPSPY). Offensive points scored is: rushing and receiving touchdowns, point after, field goals and 2-point conversions minus safeties (as a penalty to the offense). This will benefit teams with efficient offenses as well as teams with defenses and special teams that give their offense good field position.
For defense: Rank by offensive points allowed per yard (OPAPY). Offensive points allowed is: rushing and receiving touchdowns, point after, field goals and 2-point conversions. This eliminates kick returns, int returns, etc. from the equation and doesn’t punish defenses for offensive or special teams mistakes that lead to scores (it will punish teams that have offenses or special teams that leave their defense in poor field position, though)
I also made an “aggregate” ranking where defensive points allowed per yard are subtracted from offensive points scored per yard. (PPYA)
So I decided in some down time to do it for this season through Week 3. There are some surprising results.
(more…)
I have a theory that if the majority of the Religious Right Republicans (RRRs) had to choose between the two following scenarios:
- George W. Bush is found in bed, in flagrante delicto, with another man
- George W. Bush is found with a dead 12 year old girl in his bed and a pile of coke on the table
My theory is that the majority of RRRs would choose the latter.
Too harsh? Eh I’m in that sort of mood today.
Note to Republicans: Ronnie Earle, the Texas prosecutor who just recently indicted House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, is NOT a partisan going after Republicans. He has indicted four times as many Democrats as Republicans in his tenure, among other things that paint him as hardly a liberal partisan.
On a related note DeLay’s “temporary replacement,” Texas Rep. Roy Blunt, has financial ties to a consultant who was indicted along with DeLay in the same scheme.
And Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is under investigation by the SEC for possible insider trading. Any bets if his investigation gets as much press, continuing coverage and made for TV movies as Martha Stewart’s has? DAMN THAT LIBERAL MEDIA!!!!
How much corruption can one party have before it crumbles to the ground?
Oh, and [you know who I’m talking to], is this the party you support? The party with insane amounts of corruption at every level? I guess as long as they give you tax cuts you can overlook anything, hmm?
…avoid prosecution later.
Jeebus Horatio Crisco, this is what Republican-controlled Florida thinks is a good idea?
The new Florida Shoot First law eliminates the duty to retreat and allows a person not engaged in unlawful activity who is attacked in a public place to “stand his or her ground” and use deadly force if “he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or to another person or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony.” Thus, even if the shooter could have safely avoided the threat by walking away or seeking refuge elsewhere, the Shoot First law permits him to shoot the assailant and gives him immunity from criminal prosecution and civil suit if he does so.
Good God this isn’t the Wild Fucking West anymore. It’s not like we need to shoot first to protect ourselves from the bandits in the mountains because there isn’t any law enforcement around. But hey, that’s the modern Republican Party for ya - deregulate anything that protects people’s interests (life, economic health, bodily health, environment) but regulate everything you do to your own body or in your own home. Anyone else see the disconnect here?
Haven’t pimped it on here in awhile, but remember that Drinking Liberally: Indianapolis is tonight, 7pm-whenever at the Union Jack Pub in Broadripple. Would love to see some Indy area progressive bloggers stop by!
Someday I want an Airstream. Seriously. That would be super rad times 12.
One of the first things I’ve read on Mark Cuban’s blog in awhile that wasn’t self promotion or self ego stroking.
How to lower the price of gas.
Very Simple. Take out the speculators.
Make it a requirement that only those who actually are hedging their use and sale of oil and gas are able to buy and sell oil and gas futures.
Its that simple. There is plenty of liquidity in place, the market wont miss the speculators and prices will go down.
It amazes me that while watching all the talk about oil prices on the QVC for stocks channels, that no one I have heard has talked about the role of speculators.
Really, what male wouldn’t want to be Matt Leinart right now? He’s practically a God on a campus full of probably the most beautiful co-eds in the country.
