It's 11/11/11, the lottery's lucky day

[The Straight Story]

It's 11/11/11, the lottery's lucky day

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- As the economy continues to struggle, more people are betting on a dollar and a dream -- and thanks to Friday's lucky date, Nov. 11, 2011, or 11/11/11, ticket sales are booming.

All those ones in a row are very attractive for lottery players, since that set of numbers won't roll around again for another 100 years. But good luck trying to buy a ticket full of ones at this late date.

To ensure every winner gets paid, the lotteries cap sales of certain number combinations. In New York, for example, the Win4, which caps sales on any one number combination at $5 million, already sold out of 1-1-1-1 tickets for the Nov. 11 drawing a week ago, according to Carolyn Hapeman, spokeswoman for the New York Lottery.

Dale Garrison of Kansas City, Mo. played on 9-9-09 and didn't win. He doesn't think he'll have much more luck on 11-11-11 either, but he still bought a ticket anyway.

http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/11/pf/lottery_sales/index.htm?hpt=hp_t2

[HopeHoops]

1. Um, don't people realize that the odds are the same every day, regardless of the date?

It doesn't matter what numbers you play. You have exactly the same odds as anyone else who played whatever numbers, including the same ones you did. There's also a difference between asking "What are the odds that I roll a six" vs. "What are the odds that I roll a six when my last roll was a six." The odds of rolling the six are the same either way, but the second question usually means "two consecutive sixes", and that's the product of the odds. It isn't weird when the lottery numbers come up identical two days in a row - that's just coincidence unless the bet was placed on that specific condition.

[The Straight Story]

2. You obviously don't understad magic, muggle

:rofl:

[HopeHoops]

3. I don't? I can turn on fading street lights from the street level.

It's a great Halloween trick. One year I dressed like a wizard (LOTR style, not fancy-ass store-bought) and kept a small flashlight under my sleeve. When I saw a street light that was REALLY trying to come on but the bulb was fading, I'd make incantation noises and wave the flashlight rabidly in the light's direction and it would come on!!!

Now there's no real magic here. The gasses inside street lamps have to be excited to ignite a stable illumination. Remember old fluorescent bulbs that had big-ass capacitors as ignitors? If it is showing any sign of trying, a few extra photons hitting it at a fast oscillation are that is necessary to kick off the burn. That's also true for old fluorescent bulbs. It doesn't last long, but it is long enough to really blow the kids' fucking minds. Shortly after I'd moved on my way, the lights would go back to off or dim. That was fun.