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Plucky Tree

It’s the plucky ones that surprise you most

Favoritism in men’s tennis

Favoritism in men’s tennis

2019-09-04

For those that follow men’s tennis, you know it’s been dominated by 3 players for more than 15 years. Out of 60 grand slam tournaments that have been player, 85% of them have been won by these three players.

If tennis is not your sport, imagine that a single team or player won 85% of every major event for 15 years.…

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My favorite musical artists

My favorite musical artists

2019-06-27

When someone asks me this, I can always rattle off a few I’ve always loved, but then everything else is this giant soup and I can’t really rank them. So, I like to take a scientific approach.

I looked at songs I’ve liked in Spotify and found the artists with the most likes and this is the list I came up with for my Top 10:

  • VAST
  • Ludovico Einaudi
  • Enya
  • David Byrne
  • Brett Dennen
  • R.E.M.
…

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Dialogue in TV shows and movies

Dialogue in TV shows and movies

2019-06-12

So, I’ve analyzed a number of TV shows and movies and found 40 common lines of dialogue that I listed below. If we banned all of them, we could spend more time looking at the pretty pictures and listening to the soundtrack.

  1. Thanks.
  2. For what?
  3. I’m sorry.
  4. There’s nothing to be forgiven.
…

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Exam for contractors

Exam for contractors

2019-05-04

I’m working on an exam that contractors can take to become licensed. I’m open to suggestions.

To set this up, let’s say the exam is Monday at noon to 2pm. You fail the exam if:

  • You arrive before Tuesday
  • You call and let those running the exam that you will be late
  • You clean up any mess you may have made
  • You take less than 72 hours to complete the exam
  • You kill only one plant walking from your car to the exam
  • You have a vacuum, broom, or level in your car
  • You discard any of your trash into the correct bin when leaving
  • You write down any important things you are told
…

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Why do stocks go up and down?

Why do stocks go up and down?

2019-01-25

Note that I later wrote an article called Are we in a bubble? Is it going to pop? that is closely tied to this one.

I was motivated to major in Economics because I wanted to understand human behavior and how the world works. Especially things that don’t make any sense.…

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The last time I saw Steve Jobs

The last time I saw Steve Jobs

2019-01-12

I wrote this little anecdote shortly after Steve Jobs passed away. Despite it happening more than 7 years ago, it still is imprinted on my brain and does a great job of illustrating the person I felt he was.

I was leaving the main building on the Apple campus. Just ahead of me was Steve.…

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Fleeing Tumblr

Fleeing Tumblr

2019-01-11

Even though I never published “objectionable” content on my Tumblr blog, their censorship is so offensive I decided to move my blog under my own control at pluckytree.org

What Tumblr’s Porn Ban Really Means

…

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New tennis face for 2018

New tennis face for 2018

2018-02-01

Not since my 2016 pick of Alexander Zverev (now in the top 10!) have I been this excited by a new player. This year it’s Alex de Minaur. Currently ranked 208 in the world, this is definitely my biggest longshot of a pick ever.

He has a long list of things going for him:

  • He’s got a great attitude.
…

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New tennis face for 2017

New tennis face for 2017

2017-01-01

Denis Shapavalov is my pick for promising new player of the year. A very aggressive lefty, scrappy, and an excellent volleyer. Lots of positive energy although a bit too much temper.

Someone to watch in 2017. Currently ranked over 100 in the world.

Other predictions:

New tennis face for 2018
New tennis face for 2016
New tennis faces for 2011

Just eat real food

Just eat real food

2016-01-23

I still hear most people demonize fat (especially saturated fat), salt, and cholesterol (especially eggs) despite a significant amount of research that says otherwise. Perhaps many decades of having it pounded into everyone will take some undoing.

I thought I’d collect some references to recent research that covers these maligned nutrients.…

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About Me


I’ve been a bird breeder, a bicycle mechanic, bookseller, and a Software Engineer at Apple for 20 years.

Friends tell me I have interesting things to say.

You be the judge.

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