I'VE BEEN ACCUSED OF BEING IRRATIONAL AT TIMES: 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944592307816406286 208998628034825342117067982148086513282306647093844609550582231725359408128481 117450284102701938521105559644622948954930381964428810975665933446128475648233 786783165271201909145648566923460348610454326648213393607260249141273724587006 ...

BADGER BADGER BADGER: A general bleg, speaking of amusement parks:

I'm thinking of taking the Earthling clan on a little midwest trip this summer.  Specifically, going into and out of Chicago to see the Giants @ Cubs on Aug 8 (looking at you, Marsha!), but we're likely to head up and back to Minneapolis to see friends and see some minor league baseball as well.  Two questions:

(1)  The Dells: probably two nights at some water park lodge thing -- The Wilderness seems to be the inside track.  Last summer we went to Great Wolf Lodge in Washington state, and the kids had a grand time.  I know nothing of The Dells, so all comments useful.

(2)  The days we will be there, most of the minor league teams in eastern Iowa/far west Illinois will be in town.  To the extent anyone has an opinion on Quad City or Clinton or Cedar Rapids as a minor league facility, happy to hear any comment.

YOU WANT ME TO READ THIS OR NOT?  The Princess Bride/Game of Thrones mashup you needed.

ALL IN ALL IS ALL WE ARE:  Trailer for the new Kurt Cobain documentary, Montage of Heck, wow.  Still can't believe we're now almost 21 years later.

LIKE MAGIC: Wired explores the new WDW MagicBand, which is revolutionizing the park experience:

It’s amazing how much friction Disney has engineered away: There’s no need to rent a car or waste time at the baggage carousel. You don’t need to carry cash, because the MagicBand is linked to your credit card. You don’t need to wait in long lines. You don’t even have to go to the trouble of taking out your wallet when your kid grabs a stuffed Olaf, looks up at you, and promises to be good if you’ll just let them have this one thing, please. 

This is just what the experience looks like to you, the visitor. For Disney, the MagicBands, the thousands of sensors they talk with, and the 100 systems linked together to create MyMagicPlus turn the park into a giant computer—streaming real-time data about where guests are, what they’re doing, and what they want. It’s designed to anticipate your desires.

RUGBY IS COMING:  For its coverage of the Six Nations Rugby Championship, the BBC has created a Game of Thrones style intro.

SEND OUT THE TREBEK-SIGNAL:  Our good friend Rafael will be appearing on Jeopardy! soon. Given the number of veterans we've got here, any tips?

IF YOU WATCH FOXCATCHER BACKWARDS, IT'S THE STORY OF A MURDEROUS RECLUSE REDEEMED AND HEALED BY HIS LOVE OF SPORTS: Let's do this one again.