blog game: page 123 of nearest book

...(found this meme at the Burglar's mentioned in blogroll at right.)

Perhaps you've seen this circulating in the blogosphere. I've decided to play.

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
5. Don't search around and look for the "coolest" book you can find. Do what's actually next to you.

Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon happened to be sitting on my lap. (It's what I've been reading on the bus lately.)

Of particular interest has been the subject of just how much information can be extracted from seemingly random data.

commitment, $73 at a time

Took the plunge and bought a bus pass last week. Finally got to use it today.
According to my arcane calculations (using a spreadsheet natch), it will pay off as long as I ride about 15 times or more per month.

I say "about 15 times," yet some events enhance the value, like using it to run an errand during the day. Or to take a different route with an extra leg. Or using it on the weekend (ok, I've never done that yet.)

My workplace awards $40 per month as a "commuter incentive" for who use alternate transpo--and the minimum qualification is only 8 times per month. So that, plus the gas savings definitely makes it worth it to me. I shouldn't complain, but they've been awarding that same $40 for the last 10+ years, and it doesn't buy quite as much as it did 10 years ago.

One other challenge to bus-riding (besides deciding to commit to a monthly pass) is figuring ways to get to the bus stop faster. Considering bike, skateboard, ...