An article in today's Los Angeles Times focuses on John Hood, the California Department of Transportation graphic artist who designed the immigrant "Caution" image. Times writer Scott Gold notes that while sign was meant to serve as a warning that drivers could encounter people racing across Interstate 5 in San Diego County, it has "become one of the most iconic and enduring images associated with the nation's war over illegal immigration." We felt the same way. ... Read More
Baseball’s Best Teams Are …
April 1, 2008 • By • 1 Comment
On paper, there are many quality suitors for Major League Baseball's top prize, but two teams have no chance at reaching the 2008 playoffs, let alone the World Series, according to one mathematician and baseball fanatic. Bruce Bukiet, a New Jersey Institute of Technology math professor, has released his annual Major League Baseball predictions based on a copyrighted mathematical model he developed in 2000. The model computes the probability of a team winning a game against another team, accounting for a team's hitters, bench players, starting pitchers, relievers and home-field advantage. ... Read More
Mounds of Trouble for Baseball Pitchers
March 25, 2008 • By • 1 Comment
The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee reports that the height of the pitcher's mound can affect the athlete's throwing arm motion, leaving a pitcher vulnerable to injuries because of stress on the shoulder and elbow. Dr. William Raasch, the college's associate professor of orthopedic surgery and head team physician for the Milwaukee Brewers, led the study, which was funded by Major League Baseball. "Our researchers employed a motion analysis system using eight digital cameras that recorded the three-dimensional positions of 43 reflective markers placed on the athletes' bodies," Raasch ... Read More
Analysis of Super Bowl Ads
February 7, 2008 • By • Leave a Comment
Earlier story: Predicting Super Bowl Ad Winners A spoonful of sugar may help the medicine, but not the message, go down, according to a cognitive scientist who specializes in studying that peculiar American confection, the Super Bowl TV spot. A collection of screaming critters helped one company’s advertisement become one of the most popular spots aired during this week’s Super Bowl XLII, which featured the second-largest viewing audience in television history. As a vehicle speeds down a rural road, a number of woodsy creatures, and one distraught passenger, join in a chorus of ... Read More
Predicting Super Bowl Ad Winners
February 2, 2008 • By • Leave a Comment
Super Bowl Sunday marks the annual American tradition of gathering to watch a stream of the latest TV advertisements while tolerating interruptions caused by football players, an over-the-top halftime show and some gaudy Roman numerals. Companies will pay $2.7 million for a 30-second ad this year in hopes of increasing brand awareness during the National Football League’s marquee event. Super Bowl XLII could break TV ratings records if enough curious viewers tune in to see if the New England Patriots defeat the New York Giants to become the first team in NFL history to complete a 19-0 ... Read More
