Debunking a Craps System

The No Risk Don’t Come system has been known for years under a variety of different names. It claims that the player can establish a Don’t Come point with little or no risk, thereby having a bet that is always to their advantage. Unfortunately, this system, like all craps systems, does not deliver its promise and leaves the player at the mercy of the standard house advantages. Nevertheless this particular system has many avid followers. It has an interesting premise and appeals to seasoned players and their understanding of the game. Reviewing and ultimately debunking this system is a rewarding exercise in probabilities and is also an intriguing demonstration of what makes systems compelling to gamblers. Here I give you for free a system that unscrupulous or ignorant people have sold to millions, and I also give you the explanation of why my price is the right one!

Nature’s Nontraditional Families

In nature most families start when a male and female mate and have offspring that combines genetic characteristics of the parents (sexual reproduction). But nature is full of exceptions even for this basic rule. Some animals employ asexual reproduction, also called parthenogenesis, in which only one parent, usually a mother, is needed. It occurs throughout nature in many forms among reptiles, birds, and insects. Remarkably, mammals (including people) are the only creatures in which this virgin birth cannot occur due to a special way that our genes work.

Splenda and Marketing to the Gullible

Splenda (sucralose) has overtaken Equal (aspartame) in the artificial sweetener market thanks to a marketing campaign that claims Splenda is closely related to sugar and is by implication safer and less artificial. Splenda’s slogan “Made from Sugar. So it tastes like sugar.” can be found on every packet and appears in every ad. But that claim is misleading and was even the subject of a highly publicized lawsuit. Should advertisers be permitted to take advantage of gullible consumers by making misleading claims, even if those claims are based on truth?

Switch Pitching

Many great players have been switch hitters. Pete Rose, Mickey Mantle, and Mike Schmidt are just a few who could hit effectively from both sides of the plate. Switch hitting is an advantage because it’s easier for a right-handed hitter to bat against a left-handed pitcher and vice versa – it’s easier to hit a breaking ball that breaks toward you rather than away from you. Often a relief pitcher will be chosen primarily based on which side of the plate the next batter bats from. So where are the switch pitchers?

Possum or Opossum

I finally tired of not knowing whether a possum and an opossum were the same creature and if not, what was the difference. In the process, I found some really interesting things about these animals.

Twins – sniwT

Twins are remarkably interesting but widely misunderstood. Twins result from an unusual pregnancy in which the mother gives birth to more than one child. The number of twins or multiples, their genetic similarities, and their similarity in appearance can all vary widely, as can the cause and mechanism for the twinning. Scientific and sociological interest in twins is intense because they help us learn about genetics, embryology, human development, and the effects of environment vs. heredity.

Platypus

The platypus is one of the most unusual creatures. It’s a mammal, but neither placental nor marsupial. Instead it’s a monotreme, an unusual line of mammals that diverged from other mammals very early on. It evolved on its own confined to the Australian continent.

Ways to get to first base?

An interesting baseball trivia question asks how many different ways can a player reach first base without getting a hit. Unfortunately, there is no conclusive answer. The ground rules of the answer are left to personal taste and there’s no absolute way to tell when one way is actually different from another. For example, you could judge a way to get to first different from another only if it was scored differently, or only if it fell under a different official rule, or you could use a more subjective measure that reflects so called common sense or conventional wisdom. All these methods are legitimate, but they often conflict.

Mentos Diet Coke Rocket

By now just about everyone is familiar with the fun that can be had by mixing Mentos with Diet Coke. If you missed it, search YouTube.com or google videos for “mentos diet coke”. Below is some improved advice on how to do it properly. But also futher on you’ll find my own innovation for an even more impressive controlled Diet Coke and Mentos rocket.

Word Dojo Megatouch Touchscreen Game

Word Dojo is a video game found on Megatouch touchscreen terminals in most bars. You score by forming words by chaining together neighboring letters that drop into the screen. The first round ends when time expires or you have used 75 letters or more to form words. The second round ends when time expires or you have used 99 letters or more to form words. And the third round is a bonus round with unlimited letters. In the bonus round there is also an ever-changing bonus letter that multiplies scores of words you form that include the letter.