finding that brilliant idea…

Over the weekend, I went to Victory Days, a step back in time to the mid-40s. It was truly impressive the lengths to which the reenactors were willing to go to realistically depict the era. The event featured everything from a front-line skirmish between U.S. and German troops, a fully-functional mess tent which fed the reenactors for three days, a field hospital, a small German encampment, a nod in the direction of the Japanese, and of course, the warbirds. Check out my shutterfly page for more pictures.

Victory Days 2008 Photo Album

I went with a friend from my last job who is somewhat of a WWII buff. He and I listened to a German reenactor talk about his MG-42 machine gun for about half an hour. It was interesting to see how some of the reenactors tried to stay in character while others just wanted to educate the spectators as much as possible. Mark sat on the ground under the “Memphis Bell” for almost an hour listening to a veteran tell stories about his experiences as the belly gunner in a B-17 Flying Fortress just like the Belle.

My favorite part of the show was the row of seven P-51 Mustangs. To have that many rare, operational P-51s in one place was unbelievable. Well worth the $20 at the gate. It was a very worth-while trip, and I highly recommend going if the show is within a reasonable driving distance.

- jay a. moore

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I was annoyed by Wendy’s this evening. I’m sitting there eating my spicy chicken sandwich and there on the sack it says “X^y – We figured out that there are 256 possible combinations to enjoy your hamburger. Luckily someone was paying attention in Math class.” or something very close to that. It’s been a while since Calculus class, but I knew that formula was just wrong. To figure out combinations, you have to use factorials and summations. “X^y” was not going to work to get you that answer. I don’t know why but it made me want to smack someone in their marketing department. Here is the equation I would have been expecting:

 

(http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=83309 and

http://www.themathpage.com/aprecalc/permutations-combinations-2.htm)

OK. Yes, I did have to look up the exact equation – like I said it’s been a while since I did any calculus. I did not realize that the summation to figure out this particular problem simplified to 2ⁿ. I can now see where Wendy’s got “X^y” but 2 is NOT a variable. From a purely mathematical standpoint, I still want to smack someone in their marketing department. If you’re going to tell your consumers you used some big math to figure something out, use the big impressive equation; don’t simplify 2ⁿ incorrectly. Yes, Wendy’s shorthand does convey that they used some kind of an equation to figure out the answer, and X^y does relate better to Jane and John Q. Public than 2ⁿ. BUT I would still argue that if you are going to provide a precise answer, then you should provide a precise formula. An exact answer equaling an ambiguous variable constitutes an unbalanced equation and at least one annoyed customer. Smack!

Wendy’s Marketing Department ≠ Brilliant

And that’s my final answer. I feel better now.

- jay a. moore

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