META - Where do you find time for this stuff?
This is a question for all you statistics minded posters out there.
A question occured to me as to whether MBB's number of close losses this year versus top 25 teams (4), close being 2 possessions or less, indicated a likely improvement next season (early looking results say yess, but the post is still forthcoming). The question is not about this. I'm working on it, and the post and evidence will go up. Hopefully you will all find it useful.
The question is this: WHERE DO YOU PEOPLE FIND TIME FOR THIS STUFF?
Here I am pulling records for gamse from 05-06 trhough this year for teams and trying to match those up with end of season rankings to find results for the top 50 of basketball, counting up close wins and losses, comparing that to next season results and looking for reasonable trends, etcetera. I've barely made a dent in my data gathering and it's been three hours. I work 7-4:30 most days and I am married. Where do you find the time to put all this together? Are there automated tools that will pull the data you need? Software? do you just learn a lot of tricks when you do it over and over? AHHHHG!
Also, don't steal the idea and research it for your own post please. I'm quite pleased with the data I'm getting, and I will enjoy releasing it... when I can get it finished!
February 25th, 2011 at 11:23 PM ^
Not having a job and being single.
I keed I keed. But probably partly true.
February 25th, 2011 at 11:45 PM ^
February 25th, 2011 at 11:54 PM ^
In your post:
Drink + Post = RamblingTruth
In the title:
Drink + Post = Rambling Truth
February 26th, 2011 at 12:15 AM ^
I'm in a META mood so I'll bite. I read and post my plucky wisdom in my breaks between classes. Fortunately, those breaks happen a lot because I'm taking classes 10-12 hours a day on some days of the week. Basically I'm studying for pre-med exams in the fall and I still have a lot of pre-requisites to work through. MGoBlog is my break in the day that keeps me running. Like coffee, I suppose.
February 26th, 2011 at 11:02 AM ^
What does META mean?
February 26th, 2011 at 11:41 AM ^
It's Greek. It's a metaphysical concept meaning "about oneself". So it's used when we talk about the blog itself.
February 26th, 2011 at 11:47 AM ^
edit: I should probably just read the answer above.
February 26th, 2011 at 12:32 PM ^
I feel smarter now....
February 26th, 2011 at 1:04 PM ^
Ha! When I switched majors I figured all that philosophy was worthless, but it came in handy today I guess.
February 26th, 2011 at 1:33 PM ^
I can definitely tell you studied philosophy extensively. I didn't major but I studied it A LOT before I went to college and more in school. Have you ever read The Power of Myth? It's a series of interviews with Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers and it is an outstanding read.
February 26th, 2011 at 1:41 PM ^
Have not. I tended to focus more on political theory and ethics; I also liked logic, but apparently the feeling was not mutual.
I just went to look up Power of Myth and it seems interesting. Comparative mythology must be an exciting subject, it's insane that like 75% of world cultures have a similar flood story, and a lot of other things must be really close too.
February 26th, 2011 at 2:23 PM ^
People who lived near bodies of water have always had flooding as part of their mythology. It's almost a universal constant. What's even more striking is that almost every culture has some version of the life-death-resurrection story. The hero or heroine always undergoes death or some transformation before being resurrected for the final showdown with the forces of evil.
Don't get down on philosophy BTW. I majored in music, but now that I'm graduated I'm taking a year for all the science pre-requisites for med school. However, music is still a big part of who I am and I'm grateful I got to spend 4 years in Ann Arbor being a crazy clarinet-playing 2000s bohemian. That experience still shapes and reshapes the way I look at things today. It was such an eye-opening experience to see how life goes in another state and I wouldn't trade it for anything. True, it will take me another two years to get where I want to be but what is two years in the grand scheme of things? Plus I have an awesome Michigan diploma to admire on my wall as I type this. You are currently a third-year, correct?
February 26th, 2011 at 2:45 PM ^
I'm definitely not down on philosophy, just turned out I thought I should go in a different direction. I think it's sweet you have your undergrad in music and are looking to go to med school, by the way.
And yes, I am a junior, not at UM though.
February 26th, 2011 at 2:49 PM ^
Are you a bandwagoner fan or do you have friends/family who went to The U of M? (kidding...)
February 26th, 2011 at 2:59 PM ^
I joined the bandwagon in 08...(damn that would take some guts).
Haha I'm kidding. I was born in Michigan and my whole family went there. I moved out to Illinois when I was young; when I finished high school I was accepted at Michigan, which was my plan all along (fuck UChicago and Brown for not accepting me...) but I just couldn't make it work money-wise. I got a pretty good scholarship at Pitt, so I ended up there. While I was there, I had a public policy professor who got me really into that, and Pitt didn't have a public policy school. By this time things had changed, I could pay Michigan's ludicrous out of state fees, but the Ford school doesn't accept external transfers. I'm at IU now, and it's great, but my rooting loyalty will always be Michigan.
Nothing compares with some of your first memories being your grandpa singing The Victors with you when you can barely sing.
February 26th, 2011 at 3:49 PM ^
'08 and '09 were the only years I've had tickets (plus BGSU 2010). I dodged The Horror but got whacked by 3-9. Wait, did I say this was a funny story? Not really, but I'm sure we'll think it's funny in a few more years :-) Plus I got tons of first-hand looks and pictures of all the stadium renovations and got to use the famous trough urinals the last year they were there (2008).
Epic college adventure. I hope things work out for you at IU. I have a few friends in the Jacobs School of Music and they're good people. IU and Northwestern have the next-best music schools in the B1G besides Michigan IMO and I respect them for sure.
How about a funny story for real? I have a good friend who's an IU alum, got his professional degrees at Ohio State, and roots for the Blackhawks, so we're at loggerheads in multiple sports and eras. He has a plaque with a picture of the basketball arena and the record from 1975 to 1995--something like 229-75 I think. Last week I asked him, "What's the home record since 1995?" BOOM instant roasted Hoosier! :-)
February 26th, 2011 at 4:00 PM ^
Yea, I just had to come here after Bobby Knight left...But yea, everythings working out well. I've never made it to the Big House for a football game, but the Big Chill was epic. I'm holding out hope of snagging tickets for ND under the lights, though.
The ex I talked about before is at OSU and she's a Hawks fan, I can't really fault her for that, she grew up in Hawks country. It gets interesting talking to her sometimes just because her taste in sports is just so terrible.