The Powerball Department Is Now Open: 120 Tickets, 12 Brothers, and the Niel Tax™

I put together a lot more than just buying 120 Powerball tickets this week.

Somewhere between spreadsheets, probability calculations, payout estimates, tax assumptions, and trying to explain to a group of fraternity brothers why $4 divided by 12 doesn't make anyone rich, I may have accidentally become the Chief Financial Officer of the Tau Epsilon Phi Lottery Department.

The easy part is collecting everyone's $20.

The hard part is answering the important questions.

“What are our odds?”

With 120 unique tickets:

• Jackpot: about 1 in 2,435,012

• Percentage chance: 0.0000411%

• Any prize: approximately 99.27%

• Chance of winning nothing: approximately 0.73%

Then came the inevitable follow-up.

“What happens if we actually win?”

Now we're talking.

Using the current estimated $856 million advertised jackpot and an estimated $372 million cash option, with 12 brothers, everyone would receive approximately:

Prize Estimated Take-Home Per Brother

Jackpot $17.67 million

$1,000,000 $47,500

$50,000 $2,375

$100 $4.75

Then I looked at the remaining prize tiers.

A $7 prize split twelve ways is...

58 cents.

A $4 prize?

33 cents.

Unfortunately, Zelle has one tiny flaw in its business model:

It won't let me send you 33 cents.

Therefore, after careful consultation with absolutely nobody, I have created what will forever be known as...

The Niel Tax™

Any prize that works out to less than $1 per participant will be retained by the Lottery Commissioner — me — as a convenience fee for:

• Collecting everyone's money

• Buying the tickets

• Tracking the numbers

• Calculating the odds

• Estimating federal and South Carolina taxes

• Explaining for the fifteenth time that “1 in 2.4 million” is actually pretty good compared to one ticket

• And, perhaps most importantly, avoiding the embarrassment of sending eleven separate Zelle payments for 33 cents

Think of it as an administrative processing fee.

Or a beverage fund.

Or reimbursement for the gas it takes to drive to Harris Teeter while getting strange looks from the cashier after buying what appears to be enough lottery tickets to finance a small nation.

If we win the jackpot, I promise to waive the Niel Tax.

If we win $4...

Well...

Congratulations.

I just earned another Coke Zero.

Good luck, Lotto Dudes.

Somebody has to win.

The Stories We Need... and the Stories We Keep Getting

Let's agree these are great things.

🐾 Lost pets reunited with their families.

💍 Returning a treasured heirloom, wedding ring, or keepsake.

❤️ Checking on a neighbor after a loss, illness, or surgery.

🍔 Discovering a hidden local restaurant or coffee shop.

🏃 Neighbors exercising together.

👥 Clubs and groups bringing people together.

🛍️ Supporting local small businesses.

🎃 Reminding people to stay safe during holidays.

⛈️ Preparing for severe weather.

We also know:

Loud neighbors at 2 a.m. aren't considerate.

Cancer and other life-altering diseases are heartbreaking.

Kindness matters.

I could keep going.

So what's my point?

It's not that these stories aren't important.

They absolutely are.

My concern is that they're the same kinds of stories I repeatedly see promoted on LinkedIn, X, and the Nextdoor blog.

Feel-good stories have their place.

But I'd also like to see some journalism about the platform itself.

I want to read about:

How the unpaid moderator program actually works.

Interviews with moderators about their experiences.

How appeals are reviewed.

What quality assurance exists.

How moderation consistency is measured.

What metrics leadership uses to determine whether the current model is succeeding.

Those stories would help users, advertisers, and shareholders better understand the platform.

Those are conversations worth having.

Then, after we've explored how the platform works behind the scenes...

Let's absolutely celebrate the dogs finding homes, neighbors helping neighbors, and hidden gems around town.

There's room for both.

Join the discussion at NielFlamm.com/blog. Leave some feedback—I'd love to hear from you.

August 12, 2026: The Universe Is Showing Off

If you have plans for Wednesday, August 12, 2026, please consider canceling them.


Unless your plans involve sitting in a lawn chair, looking up, and pretending you understand astrophysics.


The universe has decided to put on a double feature.


During the afternoon, much of the East Coast of the United States will be treated to a partial solar eclipse. For most of the East Coast, the eclipse will begin around 1:00–1:40 p.m. EDT, reach its maximum around 1:50–2:00 p.m., and wrap up between 2:15 and 2:50 p.m., depending on exactly where you live. Here in the Charleston, South Carolina area, the action is expected to run from about 1:38 p.m. to 2:18 p.m., with the maximum eclipse at approximately 1:58 p.m. EDT.


No, don't stare directly at the Sun. This isn't one of those "life hack" videos where the ending involves a trip to the emergency room. Grab a pair of certified eclipse glasses and enjoy nature's version of someone taking a tiny bite out of the Sun.


Then, after the Sun clocks out for the day, look up again because the Perseid Meteor Shower (not the Leonids—they don't show up until November) reaches its peak under wonderfully dark skies thanks to the new moon.


This year's show could produce 50 to 100 meteors per hour under ideal conditions. The best viewing time is after midnight, with the peak between about 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. on Thursday morning, August 13. The darker your location, the more you'll see. If you're in the middle of a city, you'll probably spend more time counting streetlights than shooting stars.


Think about it.


The Moon spends the afternoon photobombing the Sun...


...then spends the evening getting out of the way so meteors can steal the spotlight.


That's teamwork.


Of course, if you're like me, you'll probably spend the day checking the weather every 15 minutes, only for one lonely cloud to park itself directly over your house at the exact wrong moment.


It's astronomy's version of buffering.


So here's the game plan:


* Eclipse glasses? ✔️
* Lawn chair? ✔️
* Bug spray? ✔️
* Snacks? Preferably enough to survive until the meteor shower starts. ✔️
* Coffee? You'll probably need it if you're staying up until 5:00 a.m.
* Ability to control the weather? Still unavailable.


Whether you're an astronomy enthusiast or someone who likes free entertainment, August 12 is shaping up to be one of the coolest days of the year.


The best part?


Unlike concert tickets, the sky doesn't charge admission.


Just don't forget the eclipse glasses. The Sun doesn't accept "I was curious" as an excuse.


Join the sky watching on NielFlamm.com/blog.


#Astronomy #SolarEclipse #PartialSolarEclipse #PerseidMeteorShower #MeteorShower #ShootingStars #NightSky #Space #Skywatching #Science #EastCoast #LookUp #NielFlamm

From Learning & Development to Live Radio: ¡Buena Suerte, Sam!

There was a time when my social media presence was pretty much limited to LinkedIn. Life was simple. No Facebook Stories. No Bluesky. No endless scrolling. No random videos of people making tiny pancakes for squirrels.


Fast forward to today, and I'm apparently on just about every platform.


While watching Facebook Stories, I came across one from a familiar face — Sam Taylor. Years ago, Sam was on a Learning & Development team that I had the privilege of leading. She was smart, energetic, and definitely not afraid to speak up. In fact, now and then I'd have to gently remind her that meetings worked best when everyone else got a chance to talk too!


So when I saw she's now hosting a radio show, I laughed and thought, that makes perfect sense.


Sam now calls Spokane, Washington home, where she's not only an independent nail business owner but also hosts El Puente on KYRS 88.1 FM/92.3 FM every Monday from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM Pacific Time.


The show is entirely in Spanish and focuses on the local community. If you're in the Spokane area, speak Spanish, or enjoy community radio, give it a listen. If you're outside the area, you can stream the station live or download previous episodes here:


https://archive.kyrs.org/


Now, as for my Spanish...


Let's say it's... specialized.


I know enough Spanish to order food at a restaurant, survive a trip to a bodega in Harlem, and probably accidentally ask someone where the bathroom is when I meant to ask for ketchup.


So while I won't be critiquing Sam's grammar or vocabulary anytime soon, I can absolutely say congratulations. It's always fun seeing people you worked with find something that fits their personality so well.


Congratulations, Sam! I hope El Puente continues to connect the Spokane community for years to come.


And if you ever decide to do an English-language guest segment... call me. I'll bring my restaurant Spanish.


Listen online:
https://archive.kyrs.org/

$856 Million, Lucky 8s, and My Fraternity Lottery Dictatorship

The Powerball jackpot has climbed to $856 million, with the next drawing on Saturday, August 8, 2026 (8/8/26).

Now, I think the number 8 is considered lucky in Mandarin. I'm not entirely sure. I speak approximately three words of Mandarin, and two of them are probably pronounced wrong.

Still... 8/8? I'll take all the luck I can get.

I've also made an executive decision for the fraternity lottery pool. We've doubled the buy-in from $10 to $20 per person, which means twice the tickets and slightly better odds of one of us becoming completely unemployable.

To keep everyone informed, I've been posting the ever-changing odds in our Discord channel based on how many brothers are playing. It's educational. It's transparent. It's probably the most math some of us have done since college.

There has been one other policy change.

After weeks of organizing the pool, collecting money, driving to Harris Teeter, buying tickets, photographing them, and sending updates, one particularly ungrateful fraternity brother has been permanently promoted to... former participant.

Congratulations!

Your lottery odds with my pool are now exactly 0.000000%.

It's amazing how quickly the Fraternity Lottery Commissioner can become the Fraternity Lottery Dictator.

Long live the Commissioner.

Good luck to everyone else. If we win $856 million, drinks are on me.

Well... probably not. That's how people stay rich.

Join the fun on NielFlamm.com/blog.