The Extraneous Factors NFL Betting Strategies Guide

The 2023/24 NFL season is on the horizon! This new season is primed to kick off in September, and for the fans, it is an incredibly exciting time! However, a few well-placed bets could make it even more so.

From the preseason through to the Super Bowl, there are a number of opportunities to place a wager and make the games a little more exhilarating. The teams play once a week, and the odds are released on a Sunday. For beginners and experienced bettors alike, betting on the NFL is a great choice worth considering. If you want to increase your odds of your bet coming in, then you need to employ the use of the right strategies, so read on to learn more.  

Tracking the Odds

NFL odds are constantly in flux; they are continually adjusting even as they are being posted by sportsbooks. A team could be a favourite in the days before the game, but it could all change before kick-off. Of course, you need to find the best odds for your bet, which is why finding the right time to bet is really a skill. This is why you must closely monitor the odds and do your best to stay on track with trends. You can see these odds looking at a sportsbook like the one from BetUS, which outlines NFL public betting.

When it comes to over and under bets – a bookmaker sets a specific number for the total amount of points scored during a game, and you place a bet on whether you think the actual number will be over or under this. Football has a scoring system; field goals are three points, and touchdowns are worth seven – if you count the extra point. This means that a lot of games in the NFL are decided by either three, six or seven points. These are significant numbers in the game and should be thought of as such. Line movement and point spread using those numbers tend to be key.

Using Extraneous Factors

Using extraneous factors, such as betting strategies or following betting trends, can be good and bad. These patterns are merely observational, and some bettors do not give them any credence, whereas others swear by them. While their validity is called under question, they can yield results. This is especially true for long-term trends that hint that these patterns are worth following.

The Home-Field Advantage

In the world of football, this is a hot topic, does playing on the home field really give an advantage? It is largely thought to, but how much of one? It is mostly believed to be worth only three points when it comes to NFL spreads. There is some speculation that it comes down to the fans; teams tend to have more fans present when playing at home, which helps to spur them on. This idea was reaffirmed during covid when there were little to no fans present, and this advantage all but disappeared. So, if you are thinking of placing a bet, it could be worth taking into account.

The Weather

Another environmental factor to take into consideration when placing a wager is the weather. The weather can actually have a pretty significant effect on the outcome of the game, and since football season runs from the autumn through the winter, this means that the weather can be pretty unpredictable. This does mean that there could be some rain and snow, and they do indeed affect the player's performances, but it is actually the wind that can be the most disruptive to the game. This is why you should keep an eye on the forecast in the days leading up to kick-off and factor this into your wagers.

Player Injuries

Football is obviously an incredibly physical sport, and, as such, there are injuries from time to time, and these injuries can put players out of commission, changing the line-up and therefore impacting the outcome of the game. Quarterback injuries tend to have the biggest bearing, followed closely by running backs and receivers. Other than these skilled players playing key positions, player injuries to other players don't tend to have much bearing at all. Keeping a close eye on the line-up is important. You should also look for cluster injuries that put several players on the bench in any one team. 

Prepare For The Next Season

There is, of course, more to betting on the NFL than simply using the extraneous factors listed above. You need to know the game, the teams, and the players, inside and out. However, if you are already pretty knowledgeable about the game, then applying these factors can certainly give you an edge. It is all about assessing the odds and making calculated guesses – well, that's all betting ever really is anyway, after all, but taking these factors into account can definitely help to provide you with a more comprehensive view.

Watermelon Carving

This is one of those videos which should really come with a statement saying do not try this without being accompanied by an adult. However, for most of us that would not make much difference as we would lack the necessary skill to recreate something like this.

The amazing Vid Nikolic takes us through how he carves a melon from the whole fruit to the finished product. The skill needed to do this is something else entirely – so, adult or not – I wouldn’t bother trying this at home. Just sit back and watch Vid do it instead!

The Last Temptation of Chris

Yes, you read correctly – this isn’t that film it is something else entirely. It tells the story of Chris, who has found happiness being a marriage guidance therapist. One day, his first girlfriend and her husband walk in looking for his help. Old flames are rekindled. Now Chris has to choose between the job and the married woman.

Starring Ed Stoppard, directed by Marcus Markou and produced by Sara Butler, The Last Temptation is a classic love story shot on location in beautiful London Town – but will Chris choose his career or the married woman? You won’t find out until the end, but believe me, it is worth staying with until then.

Peacock Spider – Australia’s Show Off Super Hero Spider

Image Credit Flickr User Jurgen Otto

Over at our sibling site, the Ark in Space, there is a feature on a spider which can only be described as beautifully bizarre. This tiny species waves it legs when first in courtship mode – and you might think that strange enough. Then, he raises a pair of patterned flaps and his elaborate courtship process goes from the comically strange to the extraordinary. There is little wonder why its common name is the Peacock Spider.

To read more, click the picture or here.

Chester - Learn about Europe's 5th Prettiest City (according to Readers of USA Today)

A decade or so ago, the readers of USA today voted the city of Chester in England as Europe’s fifth prettiest city.

While this may have come as a surprise to many (it beat Prague, Budapest and Venice for starters), for those acquainted with this historic city, founded by Roman invaders almost 2,000 years ago, it came as a long overdue recognition of one of the UK’s best kept secrets.

While Oxford, Cambridge, Bath and York hog the spotlight as England's premier historic towns, Chester is sometimes overlooked.  As someone born and brought up there I believe I can help explain why this city came so surprisingly high in the USA Today poll.

Image Credit Flickr User Shya

Image Credit Flickr User Tania Ho

Chester is tucked away about twenty miles under Liverpool on the map of England and it is true that it is often overshadowed by its larger, more famous neighbor. It is difficult to compete with The Beatles, after all. However, Chester has charms that are all its own so I would like to invite you to a short tour of the city.

Cicada Princess

This very lovely animation tells the story of the cicada – under the earth for sixteen years and then, briefly, winged and abroad.

Yet you won’t find David Attenborough narrating this – instead it’s the lovely Steven Fry who lends his dulcet tones to tell us this charming tale.

Sit back and enjoy.  This is wonderful.

Twins

Sometimes, before we can grow up, we have to give something up. This beautifully animated short is both straightforward and enigmatic. As a visual metaphor in motion one could possibly read a number of meanings in to it.

Directed by Ho Tsz Lam, the sheer loveliness of the colors used and the gentle flow of the action is something quite special.

The Most Mysterious Esports Superstitions and Curses

The world of competitive gaming is undergoing a boom time the likes of which we’ve never seen before. This industry, which was valued in the hundreds of thousands in the 2010s, now commands a market presence in excess of $1 billion, and is projected to break $3 billion by the end of the decade.

In fact, esports is objectively considered to be the fastest growing sport in the world today. In so doing, it outstrips the likes of T20 cricket, which made headlines in 2022 for a record breaking broadcast deal that made it the most valuable licensed sport globally with the exception of only the NFL and MMA— which for over two decades has been irrevocably supplanting boxing as the world’s favorite combat sport. 

Esports’ rapid growth even carries over into wagers, with the comparison platform OddsChecker citing the sport as its fastest growing metric year-on-year for betting volume since 2020. Online bookmakers now offer more markets for esports than ever before, with free bets available to use on competitive gaming events, attracting traditional sports fans as well as a new demographic.

While most people only began to regularly hear about esports in the past few years, the community has been around for as long as there have been games to compete in. Over that multi-decade span of time, legendary teams and players have earned their stripes, globe-spanning events and tournaments have risen to prominence, and select games and genres have grown in prestige.

Alongside all this myth-making comes a more enigmatic dimension to the scene—that of superstitions, and, depending on who you ask, even curses. This should come as no surprise to sporting fans. From the FIFA World Cup Champion’s Curse, to Michael Jordan wearing his NCAA shorts beneath his Bulls attire, beliefs in hidden forces underlie much of the supposedly rational sporting industry, and competitive gaming is no exception. 

Below we’re going to take a run down of the most surprising, mysterious and intriguing superstitions and curses held to be common knowledge among the esports faithful. While some of these are found in the wider sporting world, others are altogether unique to the world of competitive gaming.

Always the Bridesmaid

There is a popular superstition in the community which suggests that players or teams that habitually finish second place in tournaments may ultimately be doomed to repeat this pattern indefinitely, failing to break through to achieve definitive victory. 

Prominent examples of include Lee ‘INnoVation’ Shin Hyung’s struggle to place higher than second in top flight StarCraft II tournaments in 2013, while in League of Legends the ROX Tigers enjoyed a consistent run of form that saw them place second in both 2015 and 2016, despite being considered favorites for first place.

The Caster’s Curse

This popularly held belief maintains that when a commentator praises the performance of a player in-game, this can in effect jinx them and cause their present success to falter. 

For example, in the 2018 North American LCS Summer Split, a broadcaster praised Team Liquid player Pobelter for his skilled use of the character Malzahar. Immediately afterwards, Pobelter made a crucial mistake that resulted in him being killed and the team losing the game.

Underdog’s Advantage

Another superstition that is commonly found across the sporting world is the underdog advantage. This purports that teams or players deemed unlikely to succeed on merit or previous track record can often cause a surprise upset by defeating tournament favorites in top flight bouts. 

In the 2016 League of Legends World Championship, a minor team from Central Asia—Albus NoX Luna—broke through to the knockout stages with a series of surprise upsets that saw them best the likes of ROX Tigers and Counter Logic Gaming. 

Likewise, one of the major stories of The International 2018 was the success of Team OG. Despite an impressive squad, including Johan ‘N0tail’ Sundstein and Jesse ‘JerAx’ Vainikka, a series of setbacks and roster changes made them rank outsiders who miraculously went on to walk away with what was, at the time, the largest single prize pool in esports history.

Cerro de los Siete Colores - The Hill of Seven Colors

The colors could have come from the palette of a painter. Yet the Cerro de los Siete Colores (The Hill of Seven Colors) is quite real.

Millions of years of geological activity followed by erosion have created something magnificent on this Argentinian hillside.

Marine sediments combined with lake and river flows, elevated with the movement of the tectonic plates, combine to produce a dazzling array of color for the eyes to take in.

William Shakespeare Presents: Terminator the Second

I think I may have been waiting for this all my life.  An unashamed fan of The Bard – not to mention The Terminator movies this hybrid of the two combines Shakespeare and Schwarzenegger seamlessly.  In fact, William Shakespeare Presents Terminator the Second is the premiere production of the Nashville performance collective, Husky Jackal Theater. A product of nearly a year of exploration and alteration, the script tells the strange history of a boy and his cyborg guardian completely in lines and phrases taken from the works of William Shakespeare.

Each line and phrase is taken from original folios, with only proper nouns, pronouns and corresponding verb tenses subject to change. In doing so, the authors were able to accurately recreate the story of Terminator 2: Judgement Day, while remaining true to the words of Shakespeare in form, if less so in intent.

I have never really felt the need to live in, move to or even visit Nashville before now, but that is where WSP: TTS (brevity being the soul of wit as Will would say) is going to be previewed on October 22 – at the Belcourt Theater. 

The film above was made in front of a small audience to promote the show and received standing ovations worthy of a Springsteen-at-his-peak concert. It looks like it is all done with tongue firmly in cheek and despite being a parody, with great fondness both for the works of William and of Arnold. I guess I am just going to have to make do with this wonderful preview instead…

The Ennedi Plateau: Secret Stones of the Sahara

Rising from the sands of the great Sahara Desert, the Ennedi Plateau is a revelation.  Situated in the north east of Chad and surrounded by sand on all sides, this extraordinary, other-worldly place presents vista after vista of stunning rock formations.
Ennedi is little visited – there is nothing you could realistically call a road for many miles. The plateau is frequented only by local nomads and a handful of foreign visitors in their 4x4s.

Yet even though the landscape resembles somewhere the crew of the Enterprise might find themselves on an away mission, these rocks – as you will see - hide something perhaps even more astonishing.

Image Credit Flickr User marches-lointaines

Welcome to London - A Short Hyperlapse Film

Take a trip around London without getting out of your chair.  This wonderful hyperlapse by Mattia Bicchi features a number of the English capital’s well-known architectural features including a stunning shot of Tower Bridge.

Hyperlapse really is a labor of love so many thanks to Mattia for this superb example of a fairly new form.

243 Titles of Animated Feature Films

If you love animated movies then this is going to be an absolute treat for you.  Put together for the first (and probably last) time are 243 titles of animated movies.  Just the titles, one after the other – so blink and you will miss them.

This uber cool compilation was put together by Irina Neustroeva – and if you want to see the whole list, click here.

Death in D Minor

Some people are taken too early.  Jones has lived to a ripe old age but resents the death of his army buddy decades earlier. He has spent the intervening years planning something of a unique defense system. When death comes knocking, he is not going to go without a fight.  This animated short by five students from The One Academy does not conclude until after the credits, so keep watching right till the end.

Makeover

Horrie is old. His wife is dead.  His dog is dead. Yet he has life in him yet and decides that perhaps it is time to date again.  He finds the woman (with dog) of his dreams in a dating magazine but soon realises that her expectations may be greater than what he has to offer.  So, Horrie embarks on a makeover of such extremes it may make you wince but I can assure you that the denouement of this funny short film, written and directed by Don Percy, will make you smile.

MTO – Street Art Labor Intensity

His mother calls him Mateo but most of the world knows the mysterious street artist whose extraordinary work you see here as MTO.   French born but Berlin based, MTO’s work is characterized by incredibly detailed renditions of über cool actors and musicians with a dash of red as his signature or around his work as a signifier of its boundaries (we are guessing to allow other artists to work around him).

Image Credit Flickr User Garrett Alfert

A visit to the Spanish city of Barcelona was the kick-start for MTO’s work on the streets.  There, the vibrancy of the city’s exterior culture inspired him to create. Yet his work, although labeled street art, goes way beyond graffiti.

Nuttin Else Matters

When all you have on your mind is your next nut the last thing you want is to be captured by a nutty human girl who is intent on dressing you up as her heroes.  However, such is life for this poor squirrel in this funny animated short by Sebastian Pfeifer.

This animation features ‘appearances’ by Marilyn Monroe, Bruce Lee, Arielle, Alien, Hulk, Rambo, Wonderwoman, Darth Vader, Jason, Mary Poppins, Dr. Evil, King Kong, the Terminator, Psycho, Edward Sscissorhands and Raoul Duke.  It’s nuts.

Cooped

When you’re a house-dog you don’t get to go out much, perhaps not at all if your human is a workaholic who can’t keep his eyes open most of the time. So for this dog, the discovery that there is a world outside of his cooped-up four walls is a revelation which creates an insatiable thirst in him to travel.  This entertaining not to mention thought-provoking animation was written, animated and directed by Mike A Smith.

What are the Advantages of RFID Chips?

Radio Frequency Identification chips embed processor in to everyday objects but what are their advantages? Here we take a look at 8 advantages in a short video I put together for my students (I’m a teacher in the ‘real’ world).  This is aimed at Level 2 BTEC students so is more of an introduction than an in-depth look and works towards their Online World exam.

 Although there are also many disadvantages to RFID (which I hope to go in to in another video as people get truly het up about these things!) this only puts one side of the story across!

The Future of Learning: Embracing Technology in the Classroom

Discover the benefits and challenges of using technology in the classroom with our informative guide. Learn how technology is transforming the educational landscape, and explore the latest trends and innovations in edtech.

The Implementation of Technology in the Classroom: Is It Effective?

Technology has become an inevitable part of our everyday life. It can be seen in every sphere of human activity. The educational sector is no exception. It has utilized the creations of the industry for many decades and regularly enjoys success. Technology in the classroom seems to be utterly efficient. Nonetheless, is it really so?

We must confess that using technology in the classroom isn’t always successful for learners. There are many cases when it serves as a source of distractions and even some problems with health. Yet, it’s a mighty weapon if it is implemented and utilized correctly. Our article focuses on such situations. Let’s discover the main benefits of technology in the classroom right now!

Improved Time Management

Various kinds of technology in classrooms offer a great variety of advantages. one of them is a sufficient boost of time management. Merely every task or action you need to complete can be sped up. Let’s check how it is possible by reviewing a few examples.

• Example #1. You can find any data you need in a blink of an eye. Just open your browser, specify the search combo, and see the results that appear in a second.

• Example #2. Use a grammar checker to scan your text in 15 seconds. Check the underlined mistakes, click to see how your app suggests correcting them, and click if you agree. Everything is done instantly.

Access to Any Data

We guess the most valuable advantage of utilizing technology in classroom is the possibility to access whatever data a learner may require. Of course, we mean the all-mighty Internet. As we have mentioned right above, you can instantly find any data you may need. Just use the right search combo, familiarize yourself with the search results, and use what can help you to do your assignments.

One of the possible options is to use a reliable and affordable essay writing service where experts know how to do research, write a top-notch paper, or how to make an essay longer . We guess you know that such platforms can do everything instead of students. We don’t say that you should use them for this purpose. Yet, such platforms can be used just to learn the right tips and tricks on writing, editing, proofreading, citing, etc. They offer:

• Online consultations
• Prepaid samples (copyrighted)
• Free blog posts and articles

You can find the required tips and answers by using any of these forms of support.

Boosted Creativity

If you know how to use technology in the classroom, you know how to fulfill tasks creatively. Various apps and software provide learners with amazing possibilities, which were impossible some 20 years ago. Thanks to new options, youngsters can complete their assignments originally, and every learner can find a completely different method compared to his or her peers. It’s a great benefit, and all teachers welcome it.

Incredible Flexibility

The use of technology in the classroom maintains flexibility for learners and educators. Everything runs much faster because the exchange of data is carried out via instant messages, links, and helpful videos. A teacher can send the right materials to pupils. Youngsters can also access the Internet and share their results with classmates. Afterward, every pupil is able to fulfill his/her tasks quickly and in a convenient way according to one’s talents.

Engagement in the Process

The statistic says that lessons with technology attract students more than similar ones without it. This is surely true, and you can check it yourself by visiting a few lessons. Young minds are attracted by the unique and captivating capabilities offered by technology. They can even turn the execution of their assignments into some kind of interactive fun.

The Ability to Learn from AI

One of the most unbelievable benefits of using technology in the classroom is the chance to learn from artificial intelligence (AI). There are many ways this process is fulfilled. We’ll check some of them.

• Example #1. One of them is how AI gathers Big Data. It analyzes all the requests done from every corner of the globe. When it happens, AI divides all of them into logical categories. Thus, users enjoy the search results they really need.

• Example #2. Robo-chats mimic human behavior almost 100%. You may hardly distinguish when AI and a human answer. AI learns from our common answers, reactions, decisions, etc.

• Example #3. When you use a grammar checker or editor, you get feedback on your mistakes. The app offers corrections as well. Thus, you can quickly fix what’s wrong and memorize the right variants. You learn from the machine!

Virtual Reality

Many modern schools and colleges use tech in the classroom to provide learners with real-time experiences when they are supposed to be deprived of them. One of the greatest methodologies is the use of virtual reality (VR). It can easily take you into ancient centuries or conduct a laser operation in another part of the globe. Such experiences make all the experiments and tasks real. Students are involved in them with great interest and can feel how it works in reality.

Summing Up

The use of technology in the classroom is utterly beneficial to all its participants, especially learners. One can quickly find out how to make an essay longer, speed up, make the text unique, etc., just by making a few clicks and using the right tool. It seems to be a miracle, but it’s a pleasant reality! Just be sure you’re using technology wisely.

Image credit
Image credit

The Art of the Japanese Manhole

The Japanese have a wonderful relationship with their manhole covers: they treat them as art. Here is a selection of the ornate, the artistic and the slightly bizarre.