Snarky Tom's Rants, Raves and Ruminations

 The title is a Beatles thing. You need to be a fan to understand.  Well, Dec25 is almost here. And again, I have no idea what to get the few who I do shop for. However, I get a real kick out of the stereotypes that online big box stores like Walmart suggest. Adult Women: Perfume Jewelry Oversize Knit Sweater Instant Pot Another gaudy oversize sweater with giant hearts Another Instant Pot The Pioneer Woman 2-Piece Rectangular Ruffle Top Ceramic Bakeware Set A Blender Assorted beauty related hair doo-dads Air Fryer Do you see what I'm driving at? These are travesties for gifts. I think I would be unattached if I gave thoughtless phoning-it-in type of gifts like these. Would-be Walmart Christmas Slogans: When you truly no longer care, give crap.  To show how much your love has really waned, an Instant Pot.  It's not much better for men. Adult Men: A 44" Portable Basketball Hoop (for the guy who never exercises!) Apple Airpods with case (this may actually be a feasible ...

 I took August off. I just needed a break and truthfully, I'm not sure too many people are following this BLOG. Anyway. I'm back. Let's talk about some misconceptions with numbers and statistics.  I've mentioned this before. Numbers and statistics can be molded to say whatever it is you want to say. You can ignore criteria or include it. You can fluff it up or downplay your data to suit your needs, desires or the message you want to present. For instance, Hillary Clinton won the 2016 election. She did if we only counted the votes and not played into that horrible, out-dated, misaligned Electoral College. Maybe. Will we have the same results this time? Maybe. Maybe not. As of today, Labor Day, Biden is ahead in the polls. But so was Clinton in 2016. Polls can be deceiving. It discounts certain demographics or makes assumptions on others. For instance, there were a lot of people who just said, "Fuck it! I'm staying home and not voting." That is a real fact t...

Okay. A few months ago, I had $100 burning a hole in my pocket more like a-moldering in the bank. I spent it on DNA testing. The results are here . I decided I wanted a second opinion. Yes, like when a doctor tells you you're sick and you ask for a second opinion and then she tells you you're stupid too. That type of second opinion. I found another $100 doing nothing for me, so I put it to work. This time with 23andMe. After several weeks, I have results. I like these results better, like when the "Quack" says there's nothing wrong with you even when limbs are falling off. These results actually make more sense based on what I've learned about my heritage in the past. First, I have no Middle Eastern or Indian (India) blood (DNA). (That doesn't mean if you piss me off that I won't go all Jihad on your ass.) Second, 4% seems a lot of Indian for a very white guy. Lastly, these new results, I believe, state a more accurate, realistic me. I'm 99.9% Eu...

Well, this is correct, if we are to believe what AncestoryDNA from Ancestory.com's analysis results claim. I'll reveal more shortly. First, I'd like to take you on the journey I took to get to these results. First, I pondered this for over a year. Should I spend the $100, precisely $108.50 to ascertain my heritage. Finally, after a year of deliberation, I decided to bite the bullet. Step One. I went online and ordered my test kit. This was November 12th, 2015. Within two days I received an email alerting me that my kit was on its way. Over the next few days, I checked back via the UPS tracking site. My 0.345 pound package was shipped on November 14th. By November 16th my package was in Philadelphia, where I live. Later that morning it was in Bridgeport, NJ. [Wait. What??] By the afternoon, it was back in Philadelphia. [That's more like it.] By the 17th, it was in The Bronx, NY. [WTF??? How in hell did that happen?] Well, Ancestory.com ships via UPS Mail Innovations ...