Unsolicited Opinions and Thoughts

In Defense of the 2016 Patriots

I’m a spoiled Patriots fan.  So completely over having to deal with 14 days of fluff between the Championship games and the Big Game.  We’ve just been through it so often.  It has become exhausting.  I will miss these days in 10 years when the Patriots become mediocre again, but I’m fully planning on celebrating another Super Bowl Championship on Sunday night.

The 2016 Patriots are the best team…

Maybe I’m Not Ready for Real Science in a Movie

Sometimes I can hear TIE fighters in my sleep.

Not all the time, of course (occasionally, though).  I reference the TIE fighters because I shouldn’tbe able to hear them at all.  The void of space lacks the molecular structure for sound to travel.  So when Darth Vader’s TIE fighter hurtles after Luke Skywalker down the trenches of the Death Star, we shouldn’t be able to hear the firefights or…

With all of the fake news news coming out, it’s easy to dismiss the American public as a collection of complete idiots.  But I think it’s wrong of the mainstream press to start pointing fingers right now after what happened November 8.  The truth of the matter is that Americans do not trust the real news anymore.

I’m sure there are a lot of people who are mad that so many media outlet rooted for…

So, my wife wanted to learn more about politics…

About a year-and-a-half ago, my wife told me that she wanted to follow the 2016 presidential race.  She felt out of place in political conversations and wanted to be a better citizen.  Thus began a journey into obsession that I may never properly recover from.  I’m in, and I can’t get out.

I can’t blame my wife.  She’s the typical gorgeous gal sometimes underestimated by men and women alike as a…

The Real Ghostbusters were cartoons, and the Backlash over the Backlash

Being a dad with busy summer plans and limited funds, I have not seen the new Ghostbusters film yet, but I will, and will post again.

I’m rooting against the all female led Ghostbusters remake.  It’s partially because of who’s in and behind the film, but mostly because of the legacy of the first film.  Does that make me a terrible human being?

Famously, Aykroyd had been trying to get it made…

Why Everyone is Right and Everyone is Wrong about the Delegates

We live in a democracy, but as the 2016 presidential election begins to reach one of its most important climaxes (party conventions), we are reminded that our democracy can be a bit quirky.

Donald Trump has been outspoken about the Republican party nominating process, arguing that the deck is stacked against him.  He’s a clear frontrunner, losing ground during closed door conventions of party…

My First Python Program

Quiz programs are relatively simple.  All you need to do is ask a question, give some possible solutions, and then calculate whether or not the answer given is correct.  But now that I’ve studied python for a few hours, I consider myself a bit more advanced than that…

Rather than write out the same code for every question, the program can do some of the heavy lifting, which is really the whole…

Getting Started – Data Science

Some say that a data scientist is a computer programmer who uses math to help solve problems.

Others say that a data scientist is a mathematician who uses computer programming to help solve problems.

I don’t fit either of these categories.  Prior to this journey I’d taken one html intro course in college (I didn’t learn anything because it was very basic and I’d already learned a bit on my own),…

Your Outside Back is Out of Position - Youth Soccer Coaching

One of my pet peeves when observing youth soccer matches is a back line with poorly defined roles or no defined roles and no coach intervention.  A good attacking team can kill a back line with players out of position, and there are developmental implications for young players.

Frequently I see the outside back in particular pressuring the ball in the wrong areas of the field.  Like in this…

What is Data Science?

In my ‘About’ page, I talked a little bit about where I am right now with a new/young family and uncertain career path.  I’m in my late thirties and time is not on my side.  Better get busy!

At one point a couple of months ago, I was thinking of becoming a lawyer.  I like arguing.  I had just watched ‘Making a Murderer,’ and thought that I would have loved to have been involved in that innocence…

Technically, this is not really my first blog.  I have blogged before.  I always thought it would be cool to have my thoughts out there.  And then I became very private and didn’t.  So I deleted blogs, and started new ones and deleted them.  There may be a couple that you can find right now, but why on earth would you look?

I’m on the fence regarding this idea.  Am I a blogger?  I’m not now, but…

One of the challenges of coaching girls is getting them to recognize superiority.  Girls tend to assume that the opponent is good, and capable, regardless of how strong the opponent is.  In contrast, boys are often too confident, and a good coach can capitalize on this confidence resulting in weaker players beating stronger players.  Not only do girls often lack this confidence, it can get worse if something is else is bothering them off the field.  Positive feedback to build confidence is critical, however, girls are very literal, so a reality check can be useful.  I coach a team that up until recently was not in the position of superiority as often, but they’ve improved a ton and now find themselves the better team more often than not.  Still, we’ll struggle at times despite 1 on 1 advantages that the girls just refuse to see.  I have become more forceful in these situation, building them up by flat out pointing out how much better my player is than her opponent.  I’ve even gone to National Geographic for visual reinforcement.  The cheetah always gets the antelope, she doesn’t respect the antelope, she doesn’t play around hoping the antelope gives up.  She knows she is stronger and faster, and she just takes the antelope.  It’s a solid visual for the girls, and they get a kick out of it.