12/4    It was the damn humans who ruined Cal's Rose Bowl. Machines
        were right!
        \_ We got screwed by some of the computers too. For instance, ASU's
           loss to Arizona lowered our scores on some of the computers.
           \_ What makes you believe that?
        \_ The humans have us ranker higher than Texas.
              \_ Some of the computer rankings take into account the records
                 of your opponents. ASU was the best team we beat.
                 \_ Yes, but we also played Arizona, so them beating ASU
                    made their record better. I think the effect on our
                    Strength of Schedule rating is a wash.
                    \_ Althouth the Arizona win probably didn't hurt us much
                       directly, it did boost Utah a considerable bit in many
                       of the computer polls.  That is because Utah played
                       Arizona (as one of their few non-conference opponents).
                       And in many of the polls, Utah was between Cal and
                       Texas, thus lowering our ranking by one slot, and thus
                       making our computer score about .04 less, which cost us
                       the Rose Bowl.  -phale
        \_ The humans have us ranked higher than Texas.
           \_ Overall, we are ranked ahead of Texas in the human vote.
              However, our #4 human ranking became weaker on Sunday - weak
              enough for the computer vote to move Texas into #4 overall.
              The human/computer rankings are not purely discrete.
           \_ Yeah, that was true last week, too, when we were still #4
              overall.  What happened was that our #4 human ranking became
              a little weaker on Sunday.
        \_ That guy on the motd banking on Cal vs. Wisconsin sure came out well!
           \_ yea, wisconsin was exposed as a fake, and I didn't quite
              understood the BCS rules.  I thought Cal would go as long as
              USC goes to championshp game and Cal is second in the
              conference.  I still think Cal should go to the Rosebowl.
              IIRC, Cal has won all the bowl games it went to since the
              early 90s (copper, aloha, citrus, insight, etc.?)
              \_ We lost the Aloha Bowl.  -tom   (I was there)
        \_ For the last two weeks all 6 BCS computer rankings have ranked
           Texas ahead of Cal.
        \_ BCS or electoral college system, which should go first?
         \_ if electoral college goes, so do the southern states
        \_ I was watching it on ESPN I think.  The announcers were really
           excited about Cal, talking up about how great they were.  Cal did
           it's usual "slow-start" first-half, and the announcers stopped
           talking about how great Cal was.  Suddenly, Southern Miss was the
           team that was completing all its passes and scored on the flea-
           flicker.  There went our Rose Bowl right there.
           \_ The ESPN broadcast pissed me off. They showed the _TEXAS_
              fans more often than they did the Cal fans. WTF?!
              \_ When Texas has the momentum, they show Texas fans.
                 Anyways, c'mon, people are like:  UC Berkeley?  Football??

12/5    So we know nothing good has come out of Texas since before the
        JFK shooting. What was the last good thing to come from Texas?
        \_ Liberal talk radio!
           http://www.radioleft.com
           "...from the liberal and progressive capital of the world: Dallas,
            Texas!"
        \_ Troll

12/5    williamc is an idiot.

12/5    any good book for gnome customization (not programming?)  thx