Professional Blog

Uses of Generalized Linear Models for Linear Regression

Jared Korotney

December 14, 2015

            If you are currently, or will eventually, work as a statistician or another job that involves data and statistical analysis, you should probably be familiar with generalized linear models that allow for the modelling of certain kinds of data as well as using distributions to model data sets that involve positive quantities (ex. the population of a country). 

            The concept of generalized linear models (GLM's) was formulated by John Nelder and Robert Wedderburn, and was originally used bring various types of models together, such as logistic regression models and Poisson regression models. As a form of regression analysis, generalized linear models are quite useful for evaluating dependent variables, each of which is assumed to have been created from a certain type of distribution. In these models, the mean of each distribution is dependent on the independent variables. 

            A GLM will typically consist of three components. The first component is a probability distribution from the exponential family. The most common distribution group in this case is what is known as the "overdispersed exponential family of distributions." This group is also a branch of the exponential dispersion model, which allows this distribution family to use a dispersion parameter that is typically related to the variance of distribution. The second component is the use of a linear predictor, which incorporates the independent variables into the GLM. It is directly related to the expected value of the data (the reason that it is called the "predictor"). However, the third and final component needs to be involved with assisting the linear predictor in evaluating the data in order to use the independent variables, and that component is known as a link function. Link functions are used for comparing the linear predictor with the mean of the data set. Many link functions can be used in these situations, and they are also commonly used for "linking" its domain to the mean range. 

            There are several extensions to the GLM that should be noted. One point to make about the GLM is that in terms of clustered data, it guesses that the information and measurements used in the data are not correlated. The use of extensions in this scenario is for allowing the correlation to be visible in the data among various observations. a second extension to the GLM is a generalized additive model (GAM). These models are used in a manner such that the linear predictor is not restricted to just being linear. 

            Many times, the GLM will be confused with general linear models (general, not generalized). Although the general linear model is also a generalization of the multiple linear regression model, the biggest difference between this and GLMs (although both are abbreviated in the same way) is that the general linear model follows a multiple linear regression pattern, as opposed to the GLM which uses a single linear regression pattern. Also, the GLM is an extension of the general linear model in order for it to incorporate response variables that are a follow-up to any distribution in the exponential distribution family. The general linear model is also encompassed by the GLM, which also allows for the expansion of linear least-squares models.

            With the GLM, there will usually be estimations and tests that must be performed to receive the best and most logical answers. The parameters that are used for estimation can be examined by the "maximum likelihood method", which is a mathematical method used just for estimating the parameters of a data set. In this case, the method will use a selected set of values of a group of model parameters used to maximize the likelihood function, which is simply the statistical model of a given set of parameters.

            Today, many advanced technological systems use the generalized linear model in accordance with many other types of statistical models, with the main models being logistic regression, multiway frequency analysis, logit models, and Poisson regression. In logistic regression, a binary response variable is modeled as a part of a logit link function. Speaking of which, the logit model uses these variables are modeled as "binomial random variables", which are variables that lie in accordance with binomial distribution. Multiway frequency analysis refers to the response variable typically being modeled as a Poisson random variable, which also goes the same for, obviously, the Poisson regression model.

Literary Analysis: "The Man Who Was Almost a Man"

Literary Analysis: "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" by Richard Wright

Jared Korotney

November 30, 2015

            A lot of people can make good arguments as to which theme best suits the story, such as "quit while you're ahead" or "think before you act". While these themes do fit in with the story, I feel that the best theme to have the biggest impact on the story is "maturity is determined by your actions". I feel that this perfectly describes the story because it is an accurate description for the main character, Dave Sanders. He truly believes that he is mature enough to handle a gun, but his killing the mule shows otherwise, and to add insult to injury, he decides to run away from his problems, showing that he is not mature enough to handle his situation.

            Moving on to the setting. The short story stars, as I mentioned earlier, Dave Sanders, a 17-year-old African-American farm worker who tries to prove to his parents, boss, and his community that he is old and knowledgeable enough to buy and utilize a gun in order to orient himself into the Southern adult society that he is about to enter, age-wise. The plot starts out with Dave begging for hos parents to lend him two dollars in order to pay for the gun. Although they are very hesitant at first. they decide to let him buy the gun on one condition: it should belong to Dave's father. After he successfully buys the gun, he hides it from his parents and brings it to work with him the next day where his boss, Mr. Hawkins, tells him to go out into the field and bring the farm mule with him to plow the fields. While in the fields, he tries to shoot the gun, which he does, only to realize that he accidentally shot the mule and killed it. When he is coerced into confessing the shooting to his parents, boss, and community, Mr. Hawkins forgives him, but orders that Dave pay him two dollars a month in order to buy another mule. That night, he becomes irritated with the fact that he is now viewed as more of a child that he was before, as well as having to pay Mr. Hawkins for more than two years. He then runs away and jumps on a train in order to prove that he is a true man.

            The story is told in limited third-person point-of-view, which the outsider telling the story in Dave's perspective. The characterization of the story mainly applies to Dave, as his character is more developed to show that his view on what he wants to be seen as overshadows his realistic personality: an inexperienced, immature teenager who requires more knowledge about the real world in order that he can be accepted into the adult civilization in the South. There are also a few key points in the story in which irony is made prevalent. For example, situational irony occurs when at the very end of the story, Dave decides that in order for himself to be viewed as more mature and manly, he must run away from his responsibilities. 

            The biggest symbol in the story that can tie back to the theme of "experience versus inexperience" is the gun. The gun is a huge symbol for maturity, because only the strong-willed can accept full responsibility for using a loaded rifle. Dave is not mentally capable enough to handle the maturity that this gun brings, and it showed when he fired only one bullet and it hit the mule and killed it. Dave needed to be mature enough to also listen to his parents when they said that he must give the gun right to his father, a man who truly understands how dangerous handling a gun can be.

            So now, it's time for an overall analysis of the short story. Richard Wright did an outstanding job detailing a story of experience and maturity that many people could relate to to this day. If you ask me, the best group of people who should be reading this story are high-schoolers, because they are on that transitional path to adulthood, and many of them still lack the experience to understand the adult-oriented society. In fact, knowledgeable teachers and parents/guardians should also be involved in this story as they will have their own experiences related to this story that teenagers will need to know if they want to be ready for manhood. In terms of who would like this story, I would have to say an adult that lives in the South, because the story's location and plot can be very relatable to these adults, which is also beneficial in the sense that if these adults have kids, they can educate them in a "the boy who cried wolf" manner that relates to the story. 

Product Reviews

Product Reviews

by Jared Korotney

November 16, 2015

Product 1: GameBoy Advance GameShark

If you're the kind of person that does not like to work out that ridiculously complicated maze in that one video same, and you would rather cheat you way through the levels, this product is right for you. The GameBoy Advance GameShark was released at around the same time when the GameBoy Advance was released, back in 2001. With over 16,000 hacks already implemented into the device for many GameBoy Advance games, the GameShark is aimed towards children primarily between the ages of nine and sixteen, and can be used for competitive gaming, but the majority of buyers use it casually to access the next stages of a game. The device was use for hacking your game cartridge into doing things that would normally be impossible from standard play. These hacks included, but were not limited to, walking through walls, buying items for free, winning boss battles without actually battling them, having all the items in the game available to you with just a click of a button, and granting you every possible power-up that existed in the game. You insert you game cartridge into the GameShark slot, after which another external slot from the GameShark is inserted into the GameBoy Advance system, allowing you to cheat your way through your selected game. Another added bonus to the cheating device is that if you want to implement new codes into the GameShark, you may do so, and the device will save the cartridge for you, so you can use the cheat for a selected game at your leisure. There one noticeable flaw to this product, however. The GameShark is known to occasionally crash before your game is powered on, most likely due to an overbearing amount of cheats implemented into the cartridge at the same time. As a whole, it is a great product to have is you want to experience getting what you want when you want it, without any regrets (except for the system possibly crashing).

Product 2: Coca-Cola Jukebox

I got this particular miniature tabletop jukebox as a collection of Coca-Cola products from my grandfather a couple of years ago. However, I wasn't too sure of how well it would actually function. I was surprised to find out that not only is the music player in great condition, but it is decently valuable, able to sell for at least fifty dollars on sites such as eBay and Amazon. This particular model of a miniature Coca-Cola jukebox was made in the 1980's. The jukebox works like this: you insert a dime in the slot on top of the jukebox for one play or a quarter for two plays, and then you press one of five buttons that allows music to play through the back speaker. The system also required three double-A batteries for proper functioning. The best part about this product is that once the tune is finished playing, you can receive your coins back by clicking a red button on top of the jukebox, which opens a door on the back for you to retrieve your spent coins.  This product is more suited towards collectors and anyone interested in jukeboxes and/or the 1930's. The product is not entirely meant to act like an iPod or any other music player, but rather as a unique collector's item that can easily be accessible on popular selling sites like the ones mentioned, earlier. The only complaints about this product are that the song choices areextremely limited to five or ten songs. Also, when you play these songs, they only play for about ten seconds at a time. But, hey it's a collectible. It should not be too expected for a large abundance of music to come from this product, so having this product as a collectible is satisfying, nonetheless. Overall, I would highly recommend this as a rather unique collector's item to purchase.

Product 3: GameBoy Color

The Nintendo GameBoy Color handheld gaming system was released on November 18, 1998, in North America (October 21 in Japan). It was the first handheld console of its time to present full-blown monochrome colors like never seen before. As a sequel to the original GameBoy, the GameBoy Color kept several key functions from its original, such as the same control pads and link cables to connect with others. The system is more oriented towards (pre)teens, and allows for more casual play compared to more competitive gaming systems at the time, such as the PlayStation or the Nintendo 64. However, there were some aspects of the system that were frustrating to work with at the time. One prime example of this is the use of batteries. At the time, both systems required double-A batteries to allow the system to run properly, which became nightmare fuel when it came to working with the system. Luckily, Nintendo changed this aspect in 2003 with the release of the Gameboy Advance SP. Speaking of batteries, many gamers have complained about many of the games released for the system, not in terms of the content of the game, but because of the short battery lives the cartridges had, meaning that if you haven't played your games for a while, and you want to continue where you left off, you probably couldn't, because it would be a likely case that the memory would be wiped from the card, meaning that you would probably have to start your adventure all over, again.  Finally, a plaguing problem that affected the majority of GameBoy products was screen lighting. You need to have some sort of bright light, whether the sun shining through your window or a flashlight, to allow for proper viewing of the system, and the GameBoy Color was the worst offender of all of these products since color was just implemented into these games, and many consumers struggled to have a proper viewing experience worse than the original GameBoy. These were the biggest complaints about the new, colorized GameBoy system. It was a great system, but these bad features tainted the image of the system's performance capabilities. 

Influential People

Influential People

by Jared Korotney

November 2, 2015

            When it comes to defining who or what can be considered "inspirational", it is all dependent on a person's perspective. Everyone, at one point or another, had somebody in their lives that they looked up to, whether it was a parent or parental figure, a pop star, a Nobel Prize winner, or anyone else that affect how we view the world, today. The three people that I compiled together are individuals that have personally shaped my life, been an affluent figure for greatest equality in our society, and influenced the field of my major by introducing laws and methods that people in my field still use to this day.

A Personal Hero

            This category was the toughest one for me, because there are too many figures, whether I personally know them or not, to count for how they have shaped my perception of the my surroundings and my community. So, narrowing it down to one was a challenge in determining who had the biggest impact on me to date. I finally determined that the most influential person in my life has to me my father, David Korotney. I know that I have talked in my writing class about how strict he is in making my decisions in college for me (just some of them, not all of them, if you were concerned about my well-being), but he's doing this because he wants me to have the best possible career that is not only something that I can enjoy, but also provides a decent amount of pay for me, just like how he ended up with his job. 

            My dad has worked at the Environmental Protections Agency (EPA) for the past 25 years, and as of right now, he is our family's main source of income that allows our family to have food every night on our plates. My mom lost her job in 2006, so my dad had to work harder just to give our family the necessities. Now, he is at a top position in his company, and it has gotten to the point where I no longer desire to have anything more that what I have, because I feel that almost everything that I have wanted in life, I received because of how hard working of a man he is. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have been the hard worker that I see myself as, today. I probably would have been a big procrastinator and received dismal grades. He pushed me to work hard and appreciate what I have, because I know that it will not last long. Another important aspect of hard work that he taught me was that hard work builds character. That has been my motto for years, and I want that to be my motto for my kids when they go off to college and get jobs of their own. My father is one the smartest and most hard-working human beings I have ever seen, and I hope to step in his footsteps, someday.

A Public Figure

            There are many public figures, whether dead or alive today, who have shaped the way we look at the United States and the world that we live in. One of the most influential figure of all time, in my opinion, is the man who brought us into a society of growing and growing equalities, Martin Luther King, Jr. King won over the heart of millions around the U.S. and the world (and also gained enemies) through his peaceful demonstrations for repairing a broken society with ludicrous inequalities towards people of color.

            If it weren't for King, we wouldn't be living in the society that exists, today. Today, movements have been started to gain further equality in a society that many see as uneven through modern inequality issues such as income, housing, and voter ID laws. We still have much more growing to do as a society to become more colorblind (refers to the idea that we don't see race), but King started the revolution that lead to more rights for minorities and an overall greater sense of balance in our society that what we have known before, and only the memories of him and his impact on us will be the key we need to unlock the gate to a more equal society.

An Academic Icon

            Statistics is a very broad field of study with many different branches. My branch is mathematical statistics, and one of the greatest mathematical statisticians of all time was Karl Pearson. Pearson is known for establishing the discipline of mathematical statistics. His journal, Biometrika, was the foundation for his research on statistical theory. His contributions to statistics are all methods we use in performing statistical research today. If you have ever taken physics, you should know about the concept of "moments", but Pearson used his own method in order to estimate a sample drawing of population parameters that statisticians use to this day. Along with this, linear regression was advanced even further with his introduction of the correlation coefficient. The idea of "chi distance" allowed statisticians to study the distances of means and standard deviations, two concepts that are widely known in the statistics field, and the chi distance was also used in the formations of two notable theories: the statistical hypothesis testing theory, and the statistical decision theory. Lastly, the Pearson's chi-squared test acquired statisticians to view changes in discrete data to see if the changes occurred by chance or by something more practical. All of his contributions influenced how we study and research statistics and analytic data all together. His laws and methods were just the stepping stones for greater contributions to follow, and his effect on the field will last a lifetime.

Top 10 Worst SpongeBob SquarePants Episodes

Top 10 Worst SpongeBob SquarePants Episodes

Jared Korotney

October 19, 2015

On May 1, 1999, the first SpongeBob SquarePants episode, "Help Wanted", aired on televisions around the United States. From then until the 4th season, the show looked to be one of the greatest cartoon series of the 21st century. That all changed by the time SpongeBob SquarePants: The Movie aired in theaters in 2004, when fans complained about the quality of episodes airing after the movie's premiere, mostly due to a new board of writers for the series after the primary writers and director stepped down from the positions. Today, I have compiled a list of ten episodes that I consider to be the worst in the series, all of which aired after the release of the movie. Keep in mind, before I start off this list, that these are personal opinions, not just what the public directly wants to hear.

First, some honorable, or in this case, dishonorable mentions:

SpongeBob, You're Fired!

The most recent episode to be seen on this countdown, I couldn't quite make it on to my official top list. This so called "special" will probably be considered one of the worst excuses for a SpongeBob special ever. However, the reason it didn't get on the top 10 wasn't because of the content it possessed, but rather its weakness. The writers made an extremely lazy effort to put together a special, just for the sake of keeping their ratings up. Another reason for its low position is because of the actually interesting controversy it caused. Politicians wondered what message this episode was trying to send with its view on unemployment. That alone made this episode a standout in the sense that it was bad, but caused something to overshadow its awfulness.

Stuck in the Wringer

This episode didn't make the list due to the fact that I have been waiting for SpongeBob to get payback for all the trouble he's caused to the characters throughout the new seasons. Despite this, it was still highly mean-spirited and unfunny. Not to forget that this episode had, in my opinion, the second-worst ending to any episode in the series. The episode with the worst ending is one you will see on this countdown.

Pineapple Fever

This episode is a prime example of SpongeBob and Patrick's sheer stupidity. Much of this episode morphs from SpongeBob and Patrick turning their task of boarding up their house from a storm to making their version of what people are calling "Squidward torture porn". The humor is terrible, and it drags on for way too long. I was debating between this episode or the episode that took the number 10 slot. Ultimately, the other episode won, and you will see why, soon.

Now that I got my dishonorable mentions out of the way, here's what you've all been waiting for, so let's get started:

#10: Dear Vikings

This is the episode with, in my opinion, the worst ending to any SpongeBob episode, ever. You take Pineapple Fever's unfunny jokes that drag on for way too long, and then you have it mate with Stuck in the Wringer's bogus ending, and you get the elicit love child that is Dear Vikings. Here's the basic premise of the episode.

SpongeBob wants to know about vikings, so Squidward makes up ridiculous information about vikings to keep SpongeBob out of his hair (wait, Squidward doesn't have hair; never mind). Then, SpongeBob ends up sending a letter to the vikings to see what their lifestyles are like. What follows is a combination of forced humor, lazy writing, and for the most part of the second half of the episode, a lack of a plot, which all leads up to a 1 minute conflict at the very end. To quote MoBrosStudios,

"Dear new writers of SpongeBob, either learn how to write, or don't write at all!"

#9: Atlantis SquarePantis

Now, people that look frequently at lists of Top 10 Worst SpongeBob episodes would know that this special is frequent to the top of most of these lists, so I know that a lot of people may be surprised by its low position, but that is mainly because I have a soft spot in my heart for musicals, which this episode is. However, that doesn't excuse the fact that much of the music was unnecessary and forced. Most of the comedy you will see out of this episode comes with Patchy the Pirate's antics outside of the episode. 

The idea for an episode where SpongeBob and his friends travel to Atlantis was actually a pretty interesting concept. It's just a shame that the execution of the special came off as not much more than a ratings trap. This special was terrible, but there is still one special that I feel triumphs as the worst special in SpongeBob history, which we'll get to in a little bit.

#8: Shuffleboarding

I'm not entirely sure if there has ever been another episode of any other kid's cartoon show where the plot was scrapped halfway through the episode.

Basically, SpongeBob and Patrick have to take over for Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy in a shuffleboarding tournament, but for some reason, win the tournament before even arriving. What?! What kind of cheap writing is this? What's even worse is the new plot the new writers come up with, where SpongeBob and Patrick lock up every single person in Bikini Bottom for ridiculous crap. Seriously, nobody under the age of 5 would find this entertaining. 

Whoever was in charge of directing and/or writing this episode deserves to get fired immediately. This episode is a prime reason why I feel bad for today's generation of kids. They only have this kind of crap to watch, and they will not learn anything from it, except for the crap that children's TV shows have become, today.

#7: The Splinter

Can I move on from this one? Please? No? Okay, fine. Let's get this one over with.

If there was a definition of "kid-friendly" gore, this episode would be it. SpongeBob basically gets a splinter stuck in his thumb and can't get it out. Things get worse when Patrick bashes the splinter further into his thumb, causing it to swell up to the size of a football. Once Mr. Krabs pulls the splinter out, we get a lovely image of green mucus spewing out of his thumb like a garden hose. 

When a TV episode makes an adult like me to want to turn away, wash my eyes out with soap, and cry myself to sleep, you know it's too much for a kids show.

#6: Squid's Visit

Squidward going crazy after his house burns down.

Remember when I said that The Splinter was the definition of "kid-friendly" gore? Well, Squid's Visit is the definition of "kid-friendly" psychological horror. For me, The Splinter was equivalent to The Human Centipede, while Squid's Visit was equivalent to The Omen. It is that much creepier and that much more psychotic. 

SpongeBob steals Squidward's vacuum cleaner and forces him to come to SpongeBob's house for a "visit". What Squidward didn't know is that SpongeBob remodeled his house to look entirely like Squidward's, and is so detailed that SpongeBob even remembered a crack in the wall from when Squidward first moved in. And then Squidward's house burns down so he has to stay in SpongeBob's house.

This is insane. This is truly something that came straight out of a horror film. I'm not entirely sure if the writers were high when they made this episode, but it sure as heck feels like it.

#5: House Fancy

I'll just let this picture below do all of the talking.

#4: Truth of Square

The other special on this list, this one is what I truly believe to be the worst SpongeBob special ever. It was supposed to be a 10th anniversary special, but unfortunately, this episode stands now as having the worst case of Filler's syndrome I've ever seen on this show, with 28 minutes of this 50-minute special being filled with extraneous and unnecessary amounts of stars and cartoons you might see in a behind-the-scenes reel of a DVD. Also, way too many gimmicks were thrown in to make the episode, well, special. The Krusty Krab is celebrating its eleventy seventh anniversary (not even going to point it out). The crew gets locked into the ventilation system, where they decide to recall past memories of the Krusty Krab, and subsequently, all the customers leave. 

I have never seen a special this poorly written and overhyped than this one, which makes this episode my worst SpongeBob special of all time.

#3: Boating Buddies

Brought to you by the same person who wrote and directed "Band Geeks", one of the most acclaimed episodes in the series. He must have gotten a demotion because of the crap of an episode he produced with Boating Buddies. This is an episode where SpongeBob is made to look like an antagonist with his absolutely stalker-like and, frankly, homosexual behavior towards Squidward. 

Basically, the plot revolves around Squidward being sentenced to a day in hell with SpongeBob at boating school. Squidward is supposed to take an exam at the end of the episode, when SpongeBob gets him in trouble and lands him in a full body cast. And, surprise, Squidward fails the test because of it. 

Honestly, if someone asked me to either ride on the Titanic or watch this episode again, I would choose the Titanic. I also forgot to mention this rape face:

#2: A Pal for Gary

Gary and SpongeBob's new pet, "Puffy Fluffy".

Before I talk about this episode, let me just say that numbers one and two might as well be interchangeable. They are both that bad, and both are best friends with the worst episodes list.

Anyways, to describe how bad this is, this episode was the first ever episode that I made a rant about. There are absolutely no redeeming qualities of this episode. Mainly because of one scene where SpongeBob gets a new pet, names it "Puffy Fluffy", and it grows into a hideous monster. Gary fights it off, but is lifted into the air by the monster and is about to be eaten. Then, SpongeBob walks in and blames Gary for hurting the pet! I have never wanted to throw my TV out of a window before, but this made me cringe. This episode was the episode that made me lose all hope in SpongeBob IgnorantPants.

You know, this episode was flat out terrible, but there is still one episode that has content that should never be shown in any kids show.

#1: One Course Meal

You know that you've screwed up your show when you incorporate characters attempting suicide, and you expect your viewers to find it funny. Really, Nickelodeon? You allowed this?

Well, that's exactly what happened in this episode. Mr. Krabs realizes Plankton has a fear of whales, so he puts on a whale costume and scares Plankton into submission. That's when Plankton lies in the middle of the street and waits for a car to run over him. Mr. Krabs is a protagonist, right? Shouldn't he get repercussions for doing things wrong? Nope, not in this case. In fact, in recent years, Mr. Krabs has been labeled more as a villain than a hero due to his greed. Also, SpongeBob's obliviousness to Plankton's suicide attempt was used for attempted comedic affect, which had very little success. 

For me, these things make "One Course Meal" the worst episode in SpongeBob history.

     

Me by the Numbers

Me by the Numbers

by Jared Korotney

            I have a very diverse and unique lifestyle, so just picking four numbers would never be enough to describe who I am. However, one of the most defining numbers that represents me, in my opinion, is the number 3. 
This number is important for me for several reasons. I spoke my first word at the age of three (my first word was "trapezoid", if you can believe it). I graduated from high school on June 3rd, which was also the first day ever where I was able to pull an all-nighter. My AP Calculus AB exam in high school was the third AP exam I ever took, and I ended up getting my only 5 on that exam. Many important milestones in my life happened during the month of March, the third month of the year. The biggest thing was my discovery of Asperger's syndrome, which I was diagnosed with at the age of, you guessed it, three (At least I think. It was somewhere around that age.). March was also the month when my grandmother passed away, and it was the first time ever where I was able to mature myself up to comfort my mother when she needed it. My brother was born when I was three-years-old. And last, but not least, I believe strongly in the holy trinity in my religion of Judaism.    

                        Another number that comes to mind when I think about who I became today is the number 17. Almost all of the important things in my life that involve this number happened when I was at that age. At the age of seventeen, I was able to finally stand up for myself and realize that the friends that I was hanging out with were not good people, so I got myself out of that situation and into a new, good group of friends. Also, I started to learn how to take care of myself at that age, and it was also the age where I felt closer to God than any other time before that. I also got involved with many clubs during that age that helped to build me into the man that I am today, such as Key Club, a service organization that I am currently going further in getting involved, with me being a part of Circle K. One more thing to add is that I found out that I was diagnosed with Asperger's at the age of 17. 
            The last number that comes up on the top of my head is the number 13. When I was 13-years-old, I had my Bar Mitzvah (a Jewish holiday celebrating the transition from boyhood to manhood in Jewish tradition, which happens at the age of 13). Also, 2013 had my favorite collection of movies of the decade, so far. It was also the year where, in my opinion, the Best Picture winner was honored to the most deserving film of the decade, that being 12 Years a Slave. Also, I used to play trumpet in high school, and in my freshman year, there were 13 trumpet players. Finally, I love movies with a PG-13 movie rating, because the movie is not too childish, but yet not too mature to make me want to walk out of the theater, regretting the graphic content I had just witnessed (my first PG-13 film was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone; the Harry Potter franchise, from the first book to the last movie, lasted 13 years in the United States).