“It would be tempting to say Wisconsin has this year’s phoniest cupcake-enhanced sked, but that distinction goes to Clemson: The Tigers open by hosting North Texas, which is on a 5-31 streak, then the next week host Division I-AA Presbyterian, which finished 0-11 in 2009, including a 34-point defeat by Elon. Here is Clemson’s schedule — that’s the real schedule, not a spoof.”

Read more at ESPN’s Tuesday Morning Quarterback Eats Some Cupcakes

In brief, the Abilene Paradox is when a group of people collectively decide on a course of action that is counter to the preferences of any of the individuals in the group…each member mistakenly believes that their beliefs are counter to the group so no one raises objections.

It’s how totalitarian governments or institutions such as slavery stay in place so well, the information the people are given leads them to believe their views are not shared by a large group of people so they stay silent and in line.

In today’s society it works more that people assume, because of the media, their views are in the minority, and they don’t want to “rock the boat” and be called a racist, homophobe, islamophobe, etc. etc. so they keep to themselves.

This paradox falls apart when unexpected people begin to speak out in a prominent way (then you then start to get a cascading effect). When a Republican speaks out against Obama  or illegal immigration or ObamaCare -  no big deal, but when others begin to — that’s when it starts to break down (See former Obama supporter Mort Zuckerman’s “The Most Fiscally Irresponsible Government Ever“).

Bottom line – understand what you believe, why you believe it, and speak your opinion, without worrying about “rocking the boat.” It’s likely you’re not alone.

I’ve got Netflix. I’ve got iPhone. You probably do too. Well today is a day of happiness as the free app now allows you to watch streaming videos in the palm of your hand. On a really tiny screen that drains your battery.

A cool concept, but how does it play out? Download it for yourself, or check out Gizmodo’s stellar review of the new app. So exit question – even if it’s great…is watching movies all the time really yet another good thing to add to our deteriorating attention spans and lack of being wherever we physically are at any given moment?

- Here’s how Netflix streaming works on my 3GS: silky smooth over Wi-Fi, gimped over 3G. And I’m way more relieved about the former than I am concerned about the latter. Streaming video over 3G has always been untenable; I’m just glad they even offer up the option. But the interface is easy, the video is clear and crisp enough to make dream of retina displays, and it played back the first five twenty minutes of Futurama: Bender’s Game.

Can I fawn some more? I’d like to if you’ve got a minute. But not just about Netflix on the iPhone. That’s just one slice of the pie. It’s been on the iPad for months. It looks like it’ll be gorgeous on Windows Phone 7. Android can’t be far behind (right?). Then throw in WiMax and LTE speeds. Maybe a future in which studios embrace broad distribution instead of fight it—or Netflix pays up for earlier distribution rights, given how much money they save streaming rather than shipping. That’s when we can watch whatever we want, whenever we want, wherever we want. That’s the dream. And we’re so close.

- read the rest at Gizmodo

Now here’s a bitter rivalry that happens every year that no one’s ever going to win. I fall into the “College” football camp, myself, but if I were to explain why, clearly, it’s so much better than the NFL, I don’t think I could do it better than this article (the included image doesn’t have anything to do with the article, don’t worry).

Excerpt – #4 Lack of Parity

Parity sucks. Parity’s great in the sense that “every team has a chance”, but that’s where its virtues end. With parity, teams are less spectacular, teams are better matched, and consequently, the play is less exciting. Parity means that punt returns are stopped after five yards, that linebackers never block field goals, and that a running game is effectively neutralized by an opposing defense……..

………A lack of parity means there are Davids and Goliaths. But occasionally, the underdogs make a miracle happen (hello, Appalachian State!) that resonates so profoundly that it serves as a reminder of why it’s not always best when teams are evenly matched week-in and week-out.

Check out the whole list over at Total Sports.com

More at Instapundit

Checkout the Fiesta vs. Corvette segment. So much bang for the buck.

I’m more interested in this one

This isn’t a new concept, and it can be pretty obvious to anyone, especially economists. Which likely means that the intellectual class in Washington fully understands it, but growing jobs and wealth isn’t at all the goal of their economic policies.

For a population that doesn’t understand basic economic concepts like the broken window fallacy, what they do understand is getting free stuff, interpreting that stuff as wealth or accomplishment, and then voting for the party that gave it to them.

Not understanding what they can’t see on the surface, how that money would have been spent better and built a flurry of job opportunities for a career rather than a temporary handout, is what the politicians bank on.