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Football, Fandom and 'Friday Night Lights'

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Manti T'eo #5 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish waves to the crowd as he leaves the home field for the last time after a 38-0 win against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

By Claire Williams

2:43 pm

Mon November 19, 2012

'Life Of Pi' Star On The 'Duet' Of Acting

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Credit Peter Sorel / Twentieth Century Fox

Pi Patel (Irrfan Khan) looks back on the adventure he went on as a teenager in Life of Pi.

Credit Twentieth Century Fox

As a teenager, Pi (the younger version played here by Suraj Sharma) is lost at sea with a Bengal tiger.

By editor

Originally published on Mon November 19, 2012 3:54 pm

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You might think that actor Irrfan Khan — the co-star of the special effects-filled film Life of Pi -- performed his scenes by himself, or with inanimate objects that would later be transformed via CGI. Not so: As the older Pi in Ang Lee's new adaptation of the best-selling novel, Khan went back to the basics.

He tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross that he thinks of scenes as being like duets: "You strike a note, and somebody responds, and then you respond accordingly," Khan says.

2:38 pm

Mon November 19, 2012

Rubio Dodges Question On Earth's Age

Credit Charlie Neibergall / AP

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in Iowa on Saturday.

By Frank James

Originally published on Tue December 4, 2012 6:25 pm

According to scientists, the Earth is about 4.5 billion years old. Most of the people who vote in presidential primaries aren't scientists, however.

Indeed, a Gallup poll this year reported that 46 percent of Americans (58 percent of Republicans, 41 percent of Democrats and 39 percent of independents) held a nonscientific belief in creationism, the religious-based view that humans were divinely created within the past 10,000 years.

2:19 pm

Mon November 19, 2012

Could Nate Silver Predict How Good Your Pumpkin Pie Will Be?

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Credit Courtesy of Lada Adamic.

All out of nutmeg? The same algorithms that predicts your friends on Facebook can also figure out ingredient substitutions for your pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving.

Credit Courtesy of Lada Adamic.

In this food "social network," ingredients that are often in the same recipes sit close to each while foods that rarely appear together are far apart.

By editor

Originally published on Mon November 26, 2012 12:55 pm

We've been hearing a lot recently about how algorithms can predict just about anything. They find long-lost friends on Facebook and guess which books we'll buy next on Amazon. Algorithms hit the big time this month, when New York Times blogger Nate Silver used mathematical models and statistics to correctly forecast the outcome of every state in the presidential election.

2:17 pm

Mon November 19, 2012

Maybe Twinkies Do Last Forever: Union, Hostess Headed To Mediation

Credit Scott Olson / Getty Images

The big name in the Hostess lineup.

By Mark Memmott

Originally published on Tue November 20, 2012 7:43 am

"Twinkies Saved! Hostess, Bakers Union Agree to Mediation, Avoiding Shutdown."

That's the "alert" this hour at CNBC.com.

Reuters has issued this "bulletin":

"US BANKRUPTCY JUDGE SAYS PARTIES AGREE TO MEDIATION ON TUESDAY IN HOSTESS CASE."

And according to The Associated Press:

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2:54 pm

Mon November 19, 2012