Spread 'em

Most people in the U.S. know that the Super Bowl was this past weekend. Even I, who live in my own little world and dislike sports in general and watch far less TV than the average American, knew that something more than the typical football game was going on. That's because most of my coworkers are men who are sorry about their day-to-day existence and glean evidence of their machismo from watching 22 men being paid millions of dollars each to run into each other repeatedly.

Said coworkers also stake their pride and bragging rights on their luck/skill in football pools. I've never understood gambling. What's the point in risking money that you're more likely to lose than increase? You'd be better off holding on to it. Above that, it's more than placing money on which team will win or lose. These guys come up with grids more complicated than a Punnett Square with six alleles, and then, depending on which square you choose, and whether you check the score at the end of the game or at the end of one of the quarters, or if you switch the digits in the scores, you win -- but only if the full moon rises and falls three times in the third quarter and a black lynx tap dances the merengue on your head.

At least, that's how complicated it seems to me.

Another type of spread has captured my interest this week, and you'll be happy to know it is much simpler but just as amazing. I'm talking about the temperature spread. On Mon. 2/4/08, I mentioned that the temperature had reach 70 degrees the previous weekend. It is forecast to do the same this coming weekend. Still, that doesn't preclude the local radio station from announcing that it was 19 degrees this morning.