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Do you like to play lottery? I think it's a fun games, but it can make me feel resentful. But, don't worry guys, I will share to you and we can know more about lottery. Let's read it! ^^

In the United States, 38 states and the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.) have lotteries. A lottery is a form of gambling that is run by the state. Most states have several different games, including instant-win scratch-off games, daily games and games where you have to pick three or four numbers.

The game with the biggest jackpot is almost always Lotto. This game usually involves picking the correct six numbers from a set of balls, with each ball numbered from 1 to 50 (some games use more or less than 50).

Ever wonder why the lump sum payout amount is about half of the actual jackpot amount, or how to calculate the odds of winning the Lotto? In this article, we'll learn the answers to these questions, as well as how the ball-drawing machines work and how much money you could expect to take home if you win.

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Lottery Odds

Let's take a look at how to calculate the odds of picking the right number for a typical Lotto game. In order to win our example game, you have to pick the correct six numbers from 50 possible balls. The order in which the numbers are picked is not important; you just have to pick the correct six numbers.

The odds of picking a single correct number depend on how many balls have been chosen already. For instance, let's say none of the six numbers had been picked yet and you had to guess just one number correctly. Since there are 50 numbers to chose from, and since six balls are going to be picked, you have six tries at picking the number correctly. The odds of picking one number correctly are 50/6 = 8.33:1.

Where Do Lottery Proceeds Go?

Most U.S. lotteries use the proceeds to help with their education budget. For instance, between all of the different games the New York Lottery runs, the total sales in 2002-2003 were about $5.4 billion. Of that, 57 percent was given out as prizes, 33 percent went to schools and the rest went to expenses related to running the lottery (see New York Lottery: Where the Money Goes for more details).
­Using a similar calculation, we can determine the odds of picking another number correctly after one number has already been drawn. We know there are 49 balls left, and that five more balls will be drawn. So the odds of picking a number correctly after one­ has been drawn are 49/5 = 9.8:1.

Now let's say five numbers have been picked and you have to guess what the last number is going to be. There are only 45 balls left to choose from, but you only get one shot at it, so your odds are only 45:1.

In a similar manner, we can calculate the odds of picking the right number when two, three, four and five balls have been drawn. You know the odds of a coin toss resulting in heads are 1/2 = 2:1. The odds of two consecutive tosses both resulting in heads are 1/2 x 1/2 = 4:1. The odds of three consecutive tosses all resulting in heads are 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2 = 8:1. The odds of picking all six lottery numbers are calculated the same way -- by multiplying together the odds of each individual event. In this case:

50/6 x 49/5 x 48/4 x 47/3 x 46/2 x 45/1 = 15,890,700:1

Some states have been increasing or decreasing the number of balls in order to change the odds. If the odds are too easy, then someone will win the jackpot almost every week and the prize will never grow.

Large jackpots tend to drive more ticket sales. If the prize is not large enough, ticket sales can decrease. On the other hand, if the odds against winning are too great, ticket sales can also decline. It is important for each lottery to find the right balance between the odds and the number of people playing.

If you add just one number to our hypothetical lottery, so people now have to pick from 51 balls, the odds increase to 18,009,460:1.

Some states have joined together to run multi-state Powerball lotteries. Since so many people can play, they need a game with really large odds against winning. In this multi-state lottery game, the winner has to pick the correct five numbers from a set of 50 balls, and they have to pick the single correct number from a separate set of 36 balls. So the odds of picking the correct number in this game are:

36 x (50/5 x 49/4 x 48/3 x 47/2 x 46/1) = 76,275,360:1

Some people try to increase their odds using a variety of strategies. Although these strategies probably won't improve your odds by very much, they can be fun to experiment with. Check out How to Play the Lottery to learn more.

So let's say you pick the right six numbers and win a $10 million jackpot -- you're going to get $10 million, right? Well, sort of; somehow, you end up with about $2.5 million. In the next section, we'll look at where all the money goes.

A record-breaking 750 million photos were uploaded to Facebook over New Year’s weekend, the social network announced Tuesday afternoon.

The news follows a much bigger announcement made Monday: namely, that Facebook (Facebook) has received $450 million in a new round of funding from Goldman Sachs and $50 million from Russian investment firm Digital Sky Technologies.

Photos is arguably Facebook’s most popular feature, and one that the social network has improved through a number of product updates this year.

Most notably, Facebook began displaying “related photos” on a right-hand sidebar to encourage further photo exploration (and page views) in May, and in late September, users were able to upload high-resolution photos to the network, as well as view full-size photos in the News Feed. The last major update, released in October, brought drag-and-drop album organization to Photos, one of the most-requested features for the Photos product.

It’s no surprise that Facebook is breaking new records given the massive acceleration of user registrations in 2010, but the improvements to the product, we think, can also be attributed to its growing success.

Born and raised in New Jersey I watched in horror, as did all Americans on Sept. 11, 2001. Like everyone else I also felt the need to go back and help. Not being a construction worker or having any other skill that was particularly needed there wasn’t anything I could do but watch helplessly over the next six months as the World Trade Center site was excavated. During that time thousands made pilgrimages to site, each for these own reasons, so many in fact that the City of New York set up special viewing platforms and with timed entry to handle the crowds.

Although I am a photographer whose specialty is photographing ancient ruins and sacred sites around the world, I felt no desire to photograph this site and add to the nations collection of destructive images the came out of the attack. But then something changed.

On the sixth month anniversary a coalition of city leaders, architects and lighting engineers came together with the simple concept of installing spotlights near the site that would, for 30 days only, recreate the towers in beams of light. When the 88 lights that formed the new Towers of Light were turned on that first light I realized that it marked a turning point in the painful process that started on 9/11 and a now a compelling new, more hopeful image had arisen from the destruction. It was now time to back and photograph this new sacred place.

By the time I had made the travel arrangements only 4 nights remained for the memorial light display and they were only illuminated until 10:30 each night, which meant that I could only photograph them from one location each night. The first night was clear and I was able to capture a beautiful image of the massive beams rising into infinity over downtown. It was a spectacular site to see. From Liberty State Park in New Jersey where I chose to shoot that first night the view was incredible and hundreds of people came down just to stare across the river at the twin beams. There were also scores of other professional and amateur photographs shooting the display. I wasn’t expecting to create an image any different than that of the thousands of other photographers that sought to preserve the event.

The next several nights brought clouds and rain, which made it difficult to capture the ethereal beams. On the final night the weather cleared a bit and the City of New York announced that the lights would be illuminated until they faded in to the dawn. Things still were not going well. The rains had cleared the skies so much that the beams of light appeared very weak. After trying several locations without success, I decided to go to one final location, a location that held a unique memory for me.

For the turn of the century we had celebrated in Times Square, and that first morning of 2000 I wanted a special shot. With the city asleep we drove downtown past the deserted financial district and the giant twin towers and across the Brooklyn Bridge. For my Millennium picture I wanted the classic view of these 20th century icons rising over the bridge completed over a century ago in 1883. A bridge now to the 21st century. I got the shot, added it to my collection and forgot about it. I couldn't imagine that only 21 months later I would watch this view change forever.

Memorial LightsIt was about 1:00 AM by the time I got to that location again. The lights of the bridge sparkled and reflected in the water below. And where the twin towers once stood the twin beams rose silently in the sky. A few people milled about but soon left as clouds and rain started falling. I was about to leave to when something magic began to happen in the sky. The mist in the air gave the lights something to illuminate and they began to glow brightly. And fast moving low clouds passed through the beams creating various shapes that quickly appeared and disappeared. For a fleeting moment while my camera shutter was open, a faint heart-shaped spot formed on the clouds over the city.

The rain grew heavier so I left and drove back across the bridge. The road home took me right past where the spotlights were installed. Despite the rain the area was filled with people standing under the lights that appeared much different when viewed from so close. Like curtains they shot straight up into the sky. Looking up you could see birds circling through them. And falling down over the tear drenched faces of the crowd the rain fell, each drop glowing with the lights’ illumination.

While another Towers of Light are not planned to be part of what ever permanent memorial is ultimately built on the site, they will forever be remembered as the turning point in the painful process that started on September 11, 2001. During wartime cities were told to turn down the lights and what does New York do? It sets up the brightest lights in the country, a beacon that could be seen from 20 miles away! It was, at once, a defiant gesture and spiritual recognition of the lives lost. And we will remember.

71 percent assessed smartphone users never use the features that are available. Users simply use their smartphones to make calls, sms, messaging and check up.

In fact, there are many smartphone capabilities that can be explored again by the user. Call for banking purposes, or order tickets online. Thus was launched Dailymail, Sunday (12/26/2010).

"Only 10 percent of smartphone functions are utilized by users," wrote Envirofone, a research firm that conducted the study.

The study, involving an estimated 2,000 users from the BlackBerry smartphone to the iPhone.

"Mobile phones have become status symbols newest visible but not fully used," said Jon Butler from Envirofone.

Though in future smartphones will be a tool for pemembayaran tickets, especially tickets transportation company A joint alliance Inside Secure and several technology companies in Europe also is developing a chip that can turn mobile phones into 'wallet'.

Apple reportedly has revised its sales target in the first quarter in 2011. During the quarter Apple confident of being able to sell approximately 21 million units. At least this statement which is claimed by a company supplies components for Apple's iPhone. The company supplies components based in Taiwan, said if the initial global shipments of iPhones in the quarter is expected only to reach 19 million units. Launched by Digitimes, Tuesday (12/28/2010), the first quarter will be focused on Apple's iPhone to spawn a network based on WCDMA. Of these devices Apple would estimate there are approximately 13 million to 15 million iPhone units sold WCDMA.

Then, continued the source, CDMA iPhone will also be found at short notice in the first quarter of next year in North America and Asia Pacific. The device is predicted to be sold approximately 5 million to 6 million units.

Although not yet announced, the company's iPhone component suppliers, who do not want to be named, forecast fourth-quarter iPhone shipments reached 15.5 million units. Thus, overall sales of the iPhone has reached 47 million units in just over one year in 2010.

Today, still according to the source, Foxconn has shared with Pegatron Technology to manufacture CDMA version of the iPhone, while for the WCDMA-based iPhone is still held by a single by Foxconn alone.

All major airports in the New York metropolitan area who are busy re-opened on Monday (27/12/2010), after a long day closed due to snow storm, said Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Airport (Airport) John F Kennedy International and La Guardia Airport in New York City, and Newark International Airport in New Jersey, was closed after snow storms accompanied by lightning and strong winds began to hit the entire region on Sunday (12/26/2010) . However, on Monday afternoon at around 19:30 local time (or Tuesday at 07.30 pm)-badara airport was reopened, said the FAA.

Millions of people who will return to work after the Christmas vacation or are traveling to New Year holidays were stranded and delayed by the storm.

The Government believes is ready to anticipate the potential increase in crude oil prices. In addition to the exchange rate, volatility of food and energy are also factors that have been taken into account the government in an effort to ensure inflation is maintained.

The government is also optimistic that it will not impact on expectations of economic growth in 2011. Minister Hatta Rajasa suggests that when met after a limited cabinet meeting at the Presidential Office of Economic Affairs, Jakarta, Monday (12/27/2010).

"We can not assume that the price of crude oil in 2011 will stay at 90 or 100 dollars per barrel for crude oil prices are very volatile. But we also certainly have a policy response if the price is on top of that," said Hatta.

Nevertheless, he asserted, the policy response if oil prices continue rising trend is not necessarily in the form of rising fuel prices in the country. According to Hatta, there is no government thinking in that direction. "We look at what kind of food prices, energy prices, too. There is a simulation, what its policy response," he said.

Anticipating the potential for higher oil prices, Hatta said the government prepares measures of supply and demand sides.

From the supply side, the government is fully committed to encouraging increased oil production. While on the demand side management conducted among others by limiting the use of subsidized fuel. "Supply we increase, the demand was not there so we manage waste. Do not if there is an increase was always talking like a panic, whether the increased auto fuel, baseball, we can manage it, "he said.

The government remains optimistic that oil and gas production target set at Budget 2011 970.000 barrels per day will be achieved. "We've had oil price of 140 dollars per barrel, but we still survive, even grow," he said.

Meanwhile, the state oil and gas trade balance in 2011 quite alarming. "Overall, the investment climate and our imports in 2010 remarkable because all of the above target. Growth is quite nice, balance of trade (trade balance) is also still good, positive, though, we are also concerned about the balance of trade in oil and gas sector. Because increasing consumption, imports increased, "said Hatta Rajasa.

Risk of increased imports

According to Hatta, to mitigate the risk of increased imports of oil products, the government sure will do two step policy.

First, increase the production of oil products in the country. This can be done with the addition of two projects in Indonesia. "Second, set the subsidized fuel consumption and make savings," he said.

Earlier, Finance Minister Agustin Martowardojo remind potential increase in world oil prices because any increase in Indonesia's crude oil price (ICP) of 1 U.S. dollar will lead to soaring fuel subsidy needs Rp 2.6 trillion.

If a weaker exchange rate of Rp 100 per U.S. dollar, will encourage an increase in fuel subsidies to Rp 2.4 trillion.

Executive Director of the Institute Priagung Reforminer Rahmanto mentioned, the increase in crude oil prices in international market by itself will increase the budget deficit because it would increase the budget of energy subsidies (both fuel and electricity subsidies.)

Reforminer calculations showed that every one dollar increase in crude oil prices above assumption of Indonesian crude oil price (ICP) 80 dollars per barrel would boost energy subsidy budget of Rp 3.1 trillion.

"While the revenue from oil sales only increased by Rp 2.6 trillion. If policy restrictions on subsidized fuel to be implemented, also will not help. There would be burdensome to the community because the price could pertamax Rp 8,900 per liter. The government should raise fuel USD 200-USD 300 per liter, "he said. (DAY / Oin)

Source : Kompas