October 27, 2008 by dave.

Gambling is a source of entertainment for many.  I remember my grandmother going to Bingo several times a week, I have friends who like to go to casinos, and I know others who play lotteries on a regular basis.  I have even been known to buy a square or two during for the Superbowl.  Beyond that I’m not much of a gambler.  I did attend a conference in Las Vegas once and hit the slot machines and blackjack tables for a little bit but that got old real fast.

As I was trolling the Internet for data on the upcoming Presidential Election I discovered a site making ‘predictions’ on the outcome that was designed much like a stock trading site.   It’s called Intrade Prediction Markets.  Basically, you can buy and sell ’shares’ in your candidate’s ‘chance at winning’.  If your candidate wins then you make some money….if they lose…then you lose.  It’s an interesting concept and it balances the price between those who feel the candidate will win and those who don’t feel they will win.  Side note: I have not done this….and I don’t plan to.

As I dug deeper I realized this site lets you ‘buy shares’ in a wide variety of ‘events’ including things like weather events, entertainment, the economy, sports, etc.  I can, for instance buy shares in the belief that the last named storm of this season will be ‘Teddy’.  It’s currently going at $12.30 for a share of this.

You need to go to the site and read up on this concept a bit more if it interests you.  It’d probably be a neat teaching tool for the areas of statistics or the stock market.  Here’s what puts it in perspective for me: Shares of Barack Obama are currently $87.70 and John McCain is going at $12.70….that should tell you something!  If I buy Obama at $87.70 and he wins then I get $100.00($12.30 profit)…..and if I buy McCain at $12.70 and he wins then I get $100.00 ($87.30 profit).  I believe Obama, despite the smaller potential return, is the best bet!

Posted in Politics, Web Sites | 1 Comment »

October 24, 2008 by dave.

I usually read my small town local paper (The Meredith News) on a weekly basis to keep in tune with local happenings and politics.  Additionally I have ritual like many others of reading a good bulky Sunday paper (The Citizen).  I never got into the routine of reading a local daily paper - solely because I never felt they presented me with anything enlightening on a daily basis….especially for the cost of the paper.

A few years ago a regional ‘Free’ newspaper called The Laconia Daily Sun came to be and it is outstanding!

The paper gives a quick update on the news….locally, regionally, nationally, and even internationally at no cost.  It is very well organized and very concise.  You can consume ‘all the news’ in about 10 minutes.  It’s available throughout the Lakes Region of NH and is also available online.  If you live in the area you should abandon any local daily papers (save some money) and patronize this paper…..kudos to the publisher!

Posted in New Hampshire, Web Sites | 1 Comment »

October 21, 2008 by dave.

 Ignore this entry.  It’s needed for a site to verify ownership of my Blog. I’m supposed to add this as a widget but that’s not yet enabled on my Blog.  I’ll get to that soon.

Posted in Web Sites, Technology | 1 Comment »

October 21, 2008 by dave.

The subject says it all.  I stumbled upon this site (www.electoral-vote.com) when I noticed it on the web site of Ohio University’s student newspaper (The Post).  Usually I don’t put much stock in these small things that come across as ‘ads’on other sites…but this one peaked my curiosity.  I dug in and realized it seems pretty reliable.  The site tracks how candidates are doing in national and semi-national elections and it does so on what appears to be a daily basis.  It uses a number of polling groups to gather the data and also gives high points involving the candidates campaigns and strategies for the day.  I’ll be following this until Election day on November 4th.

Posted in Politics, Web Sites | 1 Comment »