Are Your 2010 NCAA March Madness Brackets Better Than President Obama’s Barackets?

Digital Citizen 2 Comments

Please click here to see President Obama’s 2010 Barackets, and get analysis after Round 3

President Barack Obama has finally revealed his 2010 NCAA Brackets today in a much anticipated event. I know how anticipated it was. My posts on his similar actions last year has been getting lots of hits since Sunday from people searching for Obama’s picks this year.

Please click here for the printable 2010 NCAA March Madness Tournament Brackets PDF

Obama’s picks deserves to be highly anticipated, though! The Prez has had a great track record when it comes to picking winners of big American sporting events. He picked the Steelers to win the 2009 Super Bowl, North Carolina Tar Heels to win 2009 March Madness, and New Orleans Saints to win the 2010 Super Bowl. Obama did reasonably well in last year’s tournament, despite picking poorly in the first rounds and picking mostly favourites otherwise, since March Madness is traditionally a tournament of upsets. His track record suggests that you don’t bet against da Prez when all the money is on the line, though!

Looking at the Barackets this year, Obama has generally played it safe again. Where he has upsets, I can see reasons why like Sienna over Purdue with the Boilermakers not playing well right now. Obama has picked all the #1 seeds to go to the final four except Duke, despite the general opinion out there that Duke has the easiest road to the Final Four. I suspect that Duke elimination pick has something to do with Obama’s fondness for North Carolina, who he had rightly picked to win it all last year, and had played some hoops with them. Of course, Duke will be seeing Villanova for a third time if it comes to that, when the Prez has the Wildcats beating the Blue Devils this time around, so it’s not just some pick out of the blue. Still, not a lot of experts are picking Duke to lose to ‘Nova. Obama has also picked #1 overall Kansas Jayhawks to win, despite having played hoops with Kentucky on Jan 27 2010.Β  Keep one thing in mind, though, playing it safe with the rankings in March Madness is a risky move because it’s not called March Sanity for a reason!

So, looking at Obama’s Barackets, I want to know if you think your brackets are better than his, or if you’ll be taking some advice from him? I’m going to assume that if you’ll take some advice from him, you’ll be intending to make your brackets better than his so don’t claim it as being better if you used some advice from his picks… unless you’ve already submitted and are now having second thoughts, hehehe.

Now, last year, I kept track of Obama’s performance through several popular point systems, each of which would cause you to pick very differently. I’m going to do the same after each round again so please do come back and see how you fared against da Prez, pending which scoring system you will be playing (if you play one of the systems below)!

We’ll see what you’ll be saying then!

Oh, btw, I’ll be making my picks soon and coming back to share. I’ll compare them to Obama’s Barackets to see if I’ll change anything.

Just keep in mind, I beat da Prez last year! πŸ˜‰

Scoring System 1

(32 points per round like CBS Bracket Challenge, or 320 points per round like ESPN)

If you are in a betting pool with your NCAA brackets, chances are you are using this scoring system. This system rewards 1 point for a win in the first round, 2 in the second, 4 in the third, 8 in the fourth, 16 in the fifth and 32 to the ultimate winner. Upsets gives nothing extra. ESPN uses 10 points instead of 1 per game. I don’t know why. Maybe they think their audience is better at math or something???

The maximum points is 192 for CBS, and obviously 1920 for ESPN.

Scoring System 1 + 1

(scoring system 1 + 1 point for each upset)

Some pools reward upsets in a minimal sort of way with one point for each upset. It’s not much but it could make the difference between similar results of correct games picked.

Scoring System 1 or D

(scoring system 1 or ranking difference for upsets)

This system is used by the Canadian channel The Score in its pool. It allows you to get some separation in the first few rounds by picking the upsets because it’s not worth it to risk the upsets in the latter rounds, where the high seed teams tend to go through so their ranking difference is minimal, meaning you’d get the same points if you pick the higher or lower team.

Scoring System 2

(1 point per game)

This European style scoring system values the overall judgment and minimize fluke results of someone selecting the correct ultimate winner despite performing not so great otherwise.

The maximum points for the first four rounds is 63.

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Happy Pi Day! How Are You Celebrating?

Digital Citizen 2 Comments

Today, March 14 (when this was posted), is Pi Day. March 14th’s date is often written as 3-14, which contains the first three digits of Ο€, so it is chosen as Pi Day. Coincidentally, but rather symbolically appropriate, it is also Albert Einstein’s birthday, and few other dates could be more appropriate in my opinion. That is unless you count Feb 7 as 2-7 and really approximate the natural logarithm e to a useless 2 digits. Geekier people can celebrate Pi Minute at 1:59 AM (24 hour clock only) or 1:59 PM (12 hour clock) on March 14, since 3.14159 is a longer extension of the Pi decimal. I would argue for something like 3:54:32 PM because on the 24 hour clock, 15.935 hours is that time, but that’s probably too geeky even for the mainstream Pi Day celebrators. Mind you, some of them celebrate Pi Second at precisely at 1:59:26 AM or PM on the 12 hour clock, with decimals of a second being really optional to any number of 5-3-5 tenths, hundredths or thousandths of a second. Too short to even let out a scream, though!

So far, I’ve written this article with only a link to Ο€, as if you knew enough about it to get the rest of that first paragraph. You probably do, but in case you don’t, here’s a shortened plain language version.

If you divide the length of a ring by the straight line distance across that ring through the centre, you will always get Ο€. The more precisely you could measure those distances, meaning like to some ridiculously small unit of measure and that you’ve got the correct measure of a perfect ring, the more precise a value of Ο€ you will get with more and more decimals. One beauty of Ο€ is that while it is always the same, its exact value will never be known because it is what is known as an irrational number, which’s decimals never repeat. You can see Ο€ to one million decimals here for yourself if you want to satisfy yourself (might be 100,000 when you find it pending traffic on the server)! Talk about a good way to impress your teacher! The University of Tokyo supposedly hasΒ  Ο€ calculated out to 200 million digits, but that takes 4.2 GB to download so I’ll leave it at that. In being an irrational number, though, no fraction can represent Ο€. It is sometimes approximated as a fraction of 22/7, but that is not correct. So thank goodness for symbolic representations, eh?

Pi has a lot of beauties to it, both within the number and without in relation to where it appears in the physical relationships of scientific phenomena. If you don’t believe there is a higher being of some sort, seeing the order of the universe involving Ο€ almost certainly will make you believe. If you’re still not convinced, I suggest researching the same thing for the natural logarithm e which is the base of all things as it occurs mathematically and naturally, unconstrained by cultures that count by 10, 2 (computers) or some other base. The previous link to Ο€ on Wikipedia will tell of many of the beauties of Ο€, with additional links. The Pi Search Page also contains a load, including trivia, frequency of repeating patterns of digit strings, etc. Really geeky stuff on both links, but you know you’d love it so click on through to learn and appreciate!

So with all the amazingness of Ο€ to celebrate, how could one sufficiently acknowledge it all? Well, simple, because Ο€ is all about simplicity despite its complexity. That is actually a life philosophy of mine, that the simplest things aren’t actually simple. They are only made that way by all the complex details behind it so you had better be prepared to be overwhelmed if you’re going to study or tackle the simplicity of anything, rather than thinking it’s going to be easy!

So to celebrate Pi Day, you just eat pie in keeping it simple!

Geekier folks will add discussing the importance, relevance, properties or other matters involving Pi. I’m coming close with blogging since that isn’t truly a “discussion”. But by discussing Pi, I mean Pi without an e, over Pie with an e, but I’ll take discussing Pi with an e over Pi with an e as well.

In this unhealthy age, walking around something would be good, if only to burn off the pie. Striving for a close to perfect circle as your walking path would be outgeeking yourself.

With Daylight Standard Time having gotten switched at 2 AM this morning, in places that switch, it was a momentous way to celebrate Pi Minute by altering time the minute after. Too bad it doesn’t occur every year!

I am posting this at 1:59 PM my local time as a second Pi Minute celebration. Am I geeky or what, eh???

I’m one hour short with the “spring ahead” clock change, so I’m going to metaphorically be running around all day. If you’re not familiar with English expressions, “running around all day” means keeping busy or doing all kinds of things, whether that is work, chores or someone else. Um, if you’re not familiar with English expressions, you can research that last one. I couldn’t help it with my sense of humour after all the geeky humour leading up to it.

My metaphorical running around all day will literally include a circular 12K running route that isn’t that circular in shape, but goes around part of the peninsula on which I live to end up where I started and close it off. The route will also go around several landmarks.

How will you celebrate Pi Day?

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Reading Level: 9.7

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Transformers Wallpaper Collection 8 (1920 x 1080 pixels and other sizes)

Digital Citizen 1 Comment

Click here to see my newΒ War for CybertronΒ video gameΒ wallpapers of the same size!

Click here forΒ Transformers 3: Dark of the MoonΒ wallpapers!

These are Transformers wallpapers I have found or made from graphics I found not originally made as wallpaper. Those I found I have modified in some way, often resizing and removing annoying fine print, though I have left names and/or links of original work. The quality and variety are terrific. Even if you didn’t care to have Transformer wallpapers, if you are a fan, many of these are definitely worth the click for full-sized look!

The Transformers wallpapers in this gallery are 1900 x 1080 pixels. Other size wallpapers can be found at the links below. The smaller sizes have many more options as big files can always be converted to smaller ones, but smaller ones can’t be made into much bigger ones than their original sizes.

Enjoy!

Get these wallpapers as 6″ x 4″ printable cards!

Please click here to see the Generation One (G1) Autobots and Decepticons counterpart to this gallery.

Make your own customized screen saver from these Transformers wallpapers.

Please click here to see all the Transformers products (Generation One and Movie) on this site, which include:

  • Avatars, buddy icons and Facebook profile pictures
  • Collectible Trading Cards (print like regular 6″ x 4″ photo)
  • Facebook tagging pictures
  • Posters (18″ x 24″)
  • Wallpapers of many sizes

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Hello Viet Nam β€” the Best Song About Viet Nam Ever

Digital Citizen 9 Comments

Happy Asian New Year, everyone!

At the Vietnamese Association of Nova Scotia celebrations, one of their leaders and a friend, Lien, told me about this amazing song called Hello Viet Nam. It is sung by Pham Quynh Anh, with Pham being her last name and Quynh Anh being her first. The Vietnamese who had names outside the ordinal naming system tended to have duo names that were poetic in nature. Marc Lavoine wrote the original song in French called Bonjour Viet Nam. It was later adapted into English by Guy Balbaert, and is known by the Vietnamese title of Xin Chao Viet Nam, though there is not a Vietnamese version of which I am aware. The full story of Pham Quynh Anh and the song’s development is at the end of this post. And yes, Viet Nam is really two words the way the people of the Motherland spells it.

Hey, if your Mother spelled your name in a certain way, wouldn’t you want others to spell it the same way?

Now, I didn’t doubt Lien’s musical tastes or ability to judge music. I had just heard enough songs about Viet Nam over the years and none had really stood out to me. However, just a few seconds into this one, it hit home, I was hooked and knew I had found the best song about Viet Nam I’ve ever heard!

It only took me about 30 years. πŸ™‚

As a relatively new songwriter originally born in Viet Nam, I haven’t even come close to writing a song about Viet Nam. However, I can definitely tell you this one goes in my books as one I wish I had written. Any time you ever meet a songwriter, by the way, ask them for their list of songs they wish they had written. It’s a neat exercise! You can do the same, even if you weren’t one! But here’s Hello Viet Nam.

Tell me all about this name, that is difficult to say.
It was given me the day I was born.
Want to know about the stories of the empire of old.
My eyes say more of me than what you dare to say.

All I know of you is all the sights of war.
A film by Coppola, the helicopter’s roar.
One day I’ll touch your soil.
One day I’ll finally know your soul.
One day I’ll come to you.
To say hello… Viet Nam.

Tell me all about my colour, my hair and my little feet
That have carried me every mile of the way.
Want to see your house, your streets, show me all I do not know.
Wooden sampans, floating markets, light of gold.

All I know of you is all the sights of war.
A film by Coppola, the helicopter’s roar.
One day I’ll walk your soil.
One day I’ll finally know your soul.
One day I’ll come to you.
To say hello… Viet Nam.

And Buddha’s made of stone watch over me
My dreams they lead me through the fields of rice
In prayer, in the light…I see my kin
I touch my tree, my roots, my begin

One day I’ll walk your soil.
One day I’ll finally know my soul.
One day I’ll come to you.
To say hello… Vietnam.

One day I’ll walk your soil
One day I’ll finally know my soul
One day I’ll come to you
To say hello…Vietnam
To say hello…Vietnam
To say xin chΓ o… Vietnam

The song is about a Vietnamese immigrant who has never had a chance to know his/her home. S/he may have been born in the land to which his/her Parents immigrated, or may have been too young to remember when s/he left the country in search of a better life, most likely as one of the Boat People during the mass exodus from the late 1970s to early 1990s. The song captures a curiosity about one’s roots that all immigrants could relate to, though the song is specific to Viet Nam, of course.

Anyway, Hello Viet Nam is the best song about Viet Nam I have ever heard. That much is clear to me. The video I chose is not the official video. Please click here for the official video. I chose it because it shows some footage of Viet Nam about which Quynh Anh is curious to know, although some footage was from the movies. It was also the video with the best audio, and since most of my readers speak English, I chose the English version of the song first. The French version is below. The lyrics below look similar enough to the English that I think the English was a reasonably faithful translation, but I’m no French expert.

Of course, Viet Nam was once a French colony before the Americans came there so it is quite appropriate to have an English/French bilingual version. I’m just surprised the Vietnamese haven’t jumped on it to create a Vietnamese version. They have Vietnamese versions of far more English songs than you know, albeit often with rather adulterous translations (ie. not faithful).

Raconte-moi ce nom Γ©trange et difficile Γ  prononcer
Que je porte depuis que je suis nΓ©e
Raconte-moi le vieil empire et le trait de mes yeux bridΓ©s
Qui disent mieux que moi ce que tu n’oses dire
Je ne sais de toi que des images de la guerre
Un film de Coppola, des hélicoptères en colère

Un jour, j’irai lΓ -bas
Un jour, dire bonjour Γ  ton Γ’me
Un jour, j’irai lΓ -bas
Te dire bonjour, Vietnam

Raconte-moi ma couleur, mes cheveux et mes petits pieds
Qui me portent depuis que je suis nΓ©e
Raconte-moi ta maison, ta rue, raconte-moi cet inconnu
Les marchΓ©s flottants et les sampans de bois
Je ne connais de mon pays que des photos de la guerre
Un film de Coppola, des hélicoptères en colère

Un jour, j’irai lΓ -bas
Un jour, dire bonjour Γ  mon Γ’me
Un jour, j’irai lΓ -bas
Te dire bonjour, Vietnam

Les temples et les Bouddhas de pierre pour mes pères
Les femmes courbées dans les rizières pour mes mères
Dans la prière, dans la lumière, revoir mes frères
Toucher mon arbre, mes racines, ma terre

Un jour, j’irai lΓ -bas
Un jour, dire bonjour Γ  mon Γ’me
Un jour, j’irai lΓ -bas
Te dire bonjour, Vietnam
Te dire bonjour, Vietnam

.

The Story of Pham Quynh Anh and Bonjour Viet Nam

Pham Quynh Anh (born 1987) is a Belgium, ethnic-Vietnamese singer. Her parents were born in Vietnam and immigrated to Belgium, where they met, married and gave birth to Quynh Anh.
When Quynh Anh was 13 years old, her father persuaded her to compete in the TV singing competition “For Glory,” held by Belgium’s RTBF Television. Upon winning the competition, she met her manager, who introduced Quynh Anh to her producer. The producer made possible Quynh Anh’s duet “J’espΓ¨re” with French-hit singer Marc Lavoine. With “J’espΓ¨re,” Quynh Anh followed Lavoine on tour to France, Switzerland and Belgium. In 2002 she signed a contract with Rapas Centre, a French-branch of Universal.

Quynh Anh reached international popularity in 2006 with her French song “Bonjour Vietnam,” composed by Lavoine and co-written by Lavoine and Yvan Coriat, when it accidentally appeared on the Internet. It is stated that the people of Vietnam were especially moved by the lyrics and by the ethnic- and cultural-yearning of foreign-born Vietnamese.
Due to its popularity, “Bonjour Vietnam” was translated into English by Guy Balbaert and is called “Hello Vietnam.” The English version is also accompanied with a draft-music video In May 2008, Quynh Anh sang the English version of the song in Paris by Night 92, an on-going Vietnamese language musical variety show. It is claimed that a Vietnamese version of the song will be released.

Quynh Anh will release her first solo project with her first single as the English version “Hello Vietnam.” In an interview with “Oh My News,” Domenech, manager of Rapas Centre, said that Quynh Anh will release her album “Bonjour Vietnam” that will be composed of 15 songs. The album is stated to be released in the near future.

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I’ve Got a VEGAN-FRIENDLY Guitar Strap???

Digital Citizen 2 Comments

Planet Waves Beatles Vegan Friend Guitar Strap

I’m just too eco-conscious these days, to the point I’m eco-subconscious!

I just bought one of those Planet Waves Meet the Beatles guitar straps (in photo) on the weekend. I bought it because it felt nice, being synthetic leather (which I could tell was synthetic), it was stylish and it was really cheap. I don’t know why it was really cheap ($8 Cdn new when it should be at least $30 US), but I suspect it might have something to do with the potential coating on it interfering with lacquer finishes on vintage guitars (Vegetarian Star, July 24 2009). Naturally, it can be expected to be a problem worth noting because vintage guitars are expensive, but many of their players might also be of the generation who might buy one of these Beatles guitar straps.

I only found out about the potential problem while looking up more information about the authorization to create these things. The Vegetarian Star article linked above showed up on my search as Planet Waves Unveils Vegan Friendly Beatles Guitar Straps, Picks. That was too good to pass up for a second look, and that was how I found out my new strap was vegan-friendly at Sir vegetarian Paul McCartney’s insistence no real hide be used.

OK. I get the hide thing. I’m not into leather, either. I wouldn’t have bought this strap if it were real leather.

But vegan friendly???

Were they thinking they’d sell these things to environmentally conscious and ethical starving artists who might have to resort to eating their guitar straps to survive? And who would have no guilt about doing it?

Now that’d make an interesting photo for an ad!

Heh, that’s what I get for being cheap. I love the Beatles, though not as much as Bob. Dylan, of course. And I am loving my new guitar strap. I’ll keep the vegan thing in mind in case I have to eat it while out on the road. Not because I’m poor, but because as a marathon runner, I need to eat a lot, all the time, and eat healthy stuff, too! The vegan friendly strap might just be the only available to me at some point.

Now, should I eat it, who’s head should I bite off first? Hahahaha!

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Reading Level: 6.6

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