Swans on Tea

The Physics of Surfing (Part Two: Tubes and Barrels)
But why do some waves break as hollow grinding tubes while others crumble more gently and forgivingly? Let’s examine a little wave dynamics in order to assess the situation. Ocean waves are created by wind blowing over the ocean surface, as the kinetic energy of the air [...]

The Physics of Surfing (Part One: Dropping In)
[P]addling by itself doesn’t get you into the wave, because you actually cannot paddle as fast as the wave is moving, and you need to match the speed of the wave if you want to ride with it. In order to catch up to that wave speed, it’s [...]

Check out yesterday’s “PhD Comic” comparing the average salaries of University administrators, professors, grad students and football coaches.
Here’s a different graphic, focusing on the professors and coaches

(sort of my own mini cartoon-off, like between Randall Monroe and Farley Katz)

Rabbit wins half marathon
A runner dressed as a white rabbit caught 12,000 runners on the hop - by winning a half marathon in London.

The Lake Wobegon Distribution at The Universe of Discourse
[T]he remark reminded me of how many people do seem to believe that most distributions are normal. More than once on internet mailing lists I have encountered people who ridiculed others for asserting that “nearly all x are above [or below] average”. This is a recurring [...]

Stealing bases - head or feet first?

Chad’s got a post up about how Baseball Statistics Are Crap. I’ve got a different beef.
(There are, certainly, a lot of dubious statistics in baseball. I just don’t agree that things are as bad as Chad says but maybe it’s just that I’m used to the idiosyncrasies. I do understand the infield [...]

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When the hell did I identify myself as a Ravens fan?
DOLPHINS! (Say, how are things up in New England these days? Having fun?)

Oregon State 27, USC 21 (USC being ranked #1 going into the game)
Way to go, Beavers! (Of course, they couldn’t do this sort of thing when I was there; they were busy having something like 30 straight losing seasons)

Most of what follows falls (as it were) under the heading of “what happens when you fail to keep the center of mass above the supports.” The “ooh, that’s gonna leave a mark” cringe-o-meter registers noticeably in some scenes.
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(The male gymnast’s vault at [...]

CBS sues NFL Players over fantasy football
CBS has filed a federal lawsuit in Minneapolis to clarify who can use the statistics that underlie fantasy football leagues.
The lawsuit filed earlier this week claims the NFL Players Association has threatened to sue the company if it does not pay licensing fees for the statistics.
CBS Interactive seeks a [...]

NFL TV Distribution maps
Maps showing what games are scheduled to be televised in that area.
What do the grey areas mean?
Welcome to the world of blackout rules. The short answer is: no game at all. This can be due to one of two rules: a) no games can air at the same time as a local [...]