Rowlett 44, Lake Highlands 21

From 2015 09 04 Rowlett vs Lake Highlands

The Lake Highlands Wildcats lost their home opener to Rowlett, 44-21, Friday night, dropping to 0-2 on the season. The Wildcats jumped to a quick 7-0 lead on a 78 yard touchdown pass less than two minutes into the game, but from then on Rowlett contained Lake Highlands and showed their own offensive strength. Rowlett finished with 20 first downs to just 7 for Lake Highlands.

All the action, including the game, cheerleaders, drill team, colorguard, marching band and all the rest that make high school football the best value in sports entertainment, can be seen on Google Photos. Remember, without the band, it's just a game.

Overtime: Berkner 33, Naaman Forest 30

From 2015 09 03 Naaman Forest vs Berkner

Wow! What a game! This one game had more thrilling plays than a fan has a right to expect in a whole season. When was the last time you saw two safeties in a single game? Berkner pulled that off. Or how about two turnovers at the goal line? One an interception, one a fumble recovery. Naaman Forest pulled that off, killing two Berkner drives. Then, most improbably of all, with 36 seconds left in the fourth quarter and Berkner down by a touchdown, Berkner blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown to tie the score and send the game into overtime. Berkner scored first in overtime with a field goal, taking their first lead of the whole game, then sealed the win with an interception on a desperation fourth down pass by Naaman Forest. With this Thursday night win, the Rams move to 2-0 on the season. It's a great time to be a Ram!

All the action, including the game, cheerleaders, drill team, colorguard, marching band and all the rest that make high school football the best value in sports entertainment, can be seen on Google Photos. Remember, without the band, it's just a game.

POTD: Chào Buoi Sáng Vietnam

From 2015 03 22 Hoi An

Good Morning, Vietnam. Today's photo-of-the-day is from Hoi An, Vietnam. Robin Williams may be gone, but his memory lives on for every American of a certain age who strolls the streets of Hoi An and smiles when he passes the Chào Buoi Sáng restaurant.

From 2015 03 22 Hoi An

Mind Control with the Delphi Method

Hammer. Rake. Spatula. All tools. Tools that when used properly can be useful. But no guarantees. Here's another tool: Delphi Method.

The Delphi method is a structured communication technique or method, originally developed as a systematic, interactive forecasting method which relies on a panel of experts. The experts answer questionnaires in two or more rounds. After each round, a facilitator or change agent provides an anonymous summary of the experts' forecasts from the previous round as well as the reasons they provided for their judgments. Thus, experts are encouraged to revise their earlier answers in light of the replies of other members of their panel. It is believed that during this process the range of the answers will decrease and the group will converge towards the "correct" answer.

Source: Wikipedia.

I'm familiar with the Delphi Method from business. For example, when estimating how long a development project will take, the project team members use the Delphi Method to come up with a group estimate that is better than the estimate of a single project member, even the most senior. At least, it usually is. But no guarantees.

What the Delphi Method is not is mind control. It wasn't developed for the U.S. Defense Department "for use as a psychological weapon during the cold war" as one tinfoil hatter asserts. Nor is it intended for "manipulating ANY meeting toward a predetermined end." At least not any more than a hammer is, although I suppose someone could raise a hammer in the air at a meeting to get attention. But if that happens, don't blame the hammer.

What does all this have to do with Richardson?

POTD: Silk Lanterns of Hoi An

From 2015 03 22 Hoi An

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Hoi An, Vietnam. Hundreds of years ago, Hoi An was a busy commercial center. Silk cloth and silk products were exchanged for products from China, Thailand, India, and Europe. The silk lantern has remained a popular item in Hoi An ever since.

$8/Month for a Meter? Are You Kidding Me?

Some Richardson residents complain about having to pay $8/month for having a second meter at their home for outdoor irrigation, even in winter months when they don't water their lawn.

If instead of charging you $8/month, suppose the city charged you $96 once a year. You use the meter every year, don't you? Would that eliminate your complaint of paying for billing periods that you don't use the meter? Paying month to month, spreading the cost evenly over the year is just a convenient bookkeeping technique. Kind of like the electric company offering to take your variable monthly bills and evenly spread them throughout the year.

But is $8/mo or $96/year the right fee for a meter? I suspect it's a case of spreading the cost of supplying water to the city out in a lot of little ways. If the meter fee is too high that means the cost somewhere else is too low. Reduce the cost of the meters to zero and the city has to make up the lost revenue somewhere else to come out even. There's no free lunch. (By the way, the city isn't alone. I pay Time Warner a monthly rental fee for equipment that I suspect is higher than the cost of providing the equipment alone.)

Repeat Tweets: What Cecil the Lion Teaches Us About Health Reform

Repeat tweets from August, 2015:

• Aug 1 2015: Cecil the lion teaches us that "the ruling theory behind conservative notions of health reform is completely wrong." krugman.blogs.nytimes.com
• Aug 2 2015: Ironic, @DonMcLeroy accusing others of throwing gas on the fire. He is the arsonist. He and his revisionist history.
• Aug 2 2015: I don't know if Scott Walker is a sentient human being, but presume he is.
• Aug 3 2015: "GOP doesn't rush to defend Ken Paxton." Of course not. Paxton himself admitted guilt and paid a fine last year. abc13.com
• Aug 3 2015: Cruz: "Satellite data for last 18 years [shows] zero recorded warming." Obama: "2014 was the planet’s warmest year on record." One is right.
• Aug 3 2015: Jefferson Center Apt Homes: High-end, medium-density, single-use development near future Cotton Belt station. Meh. bizbeatblog.dallasnews.com

After the jump, more repeat tweets.