Since this article that mentions the "predictive analytics" used by Target Stores appeared in the NY Times Magazine, people have periodically asked me how well all of this stuff works. They're usually keying off this anecdote:

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This one's for all the haters who say that hockey is too violent.

Nocera is doing a great job illuminating the many ways that the NCAA exploits its athlete/employees. I'm amazed at the number of commenters on the piece who don't seem to understand that the mere fact that athletes receive a free education (or "education") does not mean that they are somehow fairly compensated. Pro sports have generally entered into agreements where 40-60% of revenue is shared with players aka employees. I don't know what the corresponding number is for NCAA football and basketball, but given the salaries that schools can pay coaches, I'm guessing it's well-below 10%.

This piece in the New York Times Magazine by Tara Parker-Pope has drawn a lot of interest in the last week. The basic idea is what Pope calls "a sobering reality" - "once we become fat, most of us, despite our best efforts, will probably stay fat." Getting to and maintaining a desired (and reasonably healthy) weight is simply not possible and it's not because of a lack of discipline but because your body burns fewer calories at a given weight if you once weighed more. I don't think we have a good handle on how people who drop from say 300 pounds to 150 do in the long run, but that's an extreme and atypical story - the average American male weighs 17 pounds more than he did in 1960, adjusting for changes in height, so most weight loss regimes are in the 20-30 pound range.

You know we love data at this site, so let's look at Pope's citations:

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It has been an auspicious quarter for New Years. First we had to start signing our checks 5772 right at the end of September, then 1433 rolled up with Halal pizza right around (American) Thanksgiving, and now we've got this Gregorian one tomorrow, followed up by the Chinese version just three weeks later. So this seems like as good a time as any for some blog- and hockey-related New Year's resolutions:

1. Get on the ice at least 100 times this year. I didn't even make it to 70 in 2011. More time on the ice means less time running on a treadmill. (And running sucks...)

2. Not talk about shot quality for the entirety of 2012. The $150 Shot Quality prize is still out there for the taking, though. I will just never speak its name.

3. Clean up Behindthenet.ca. I know it's poorly-documented and a pain-in-the-ass to use. Any readers with web design skill who'd like to help change that? Judging by the volume of email I get alerting me to errors on the site, you'll have many appreciative fans. I can even pay a pittance for your efforts. Email me (info at behindthenet.ca) if you're interested in helping out.

4. Find a new team whose failure I will become emotionally-invested in. According to angry emails, in 2009-10, that was the Colorado Avalanche; in the first half of 2010-11, it was the Washington Capitals; then it was the Dallas Stars (though nobody cares enough about them to send me emails); and this year, it's the Minnesota Wild. Who should be next?

5. Finally publish grand unified player ratings. This will cause much anger and consternation, no need to say more.

6. Get super-jacked, like 10% body fat. We all need stretch goals, don't we?

Edit: I forgot #7. Watch all of the Jets even-strength goals against again and assign blame for allowing the goals.

So there you go. Got any more for me? Got any interesting ones yourselves?

On behalf of all the writers for Arctic Ice Hockey I'd like to wish you all a Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noel, Happy Hanukkah, Krazy Kwanza, a Tip Top Tet or a Solemn Dignified Ramadan.

And there's always Festivus for the Rest of Us!

With this time of the year comes the World Junior tournament, and the highly regarded Spengler Cup.

I mean it in the least biased way possible when I say: Go Canada Go! But far more importantly...

GO JETS GO!

I signed up to play in what I thought was a charity fundraiser last night. Turned out it was full contact hockey, and the other team thought it was full cheap shot hockey. At the end of the second period, one of their players got tossed for punching the ref. All I could think was "where am I?"

And of course today I was up at 6 am with multiple body parts requiring ice packs. I'm not sure how I played contact hockey when I was younger...But I'm certainly never doing it again when I'm older!

Papalote is a "taqueria" near me that long had the following on their menu:

"Guacamole and Chips - Market Price"

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