rants from LA

Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!!!

2008-04-02T21:35:00.000-07:00

Mavs post the Warriors up 111-86 with a surprise return of Dirk Nowitski, who chipped in with 18 points. For those that counted the Mavericks out as dead, THIS is what we've been waiting on! Suddenly we have that spark....we're hungry again!!! =D

This game means more than just one win in the standings; with the tighter than a sphincter race in the West for the last playoff spots, this is huge in terms of us adding another quality win, one for morale in general, as well as head-to-head tiebreakers. Now if we can stay on our winning ways, we'll hit the 8 seed, take on the Hornets at 1 and hope for the best!

[ESPN recap]

(in my best Vin Scully voice) ITS TIME FOR DODGER BASEBALL!!!

2008-03-27T10:50:00.000-07:00

The excitement is so palpable, that I can taste the Dodger Dogs. Inevitably, every winter we go through a drought of enjoyable sports here in LA, particularly an outdoor sport. We have no football teams (save for SC but that's in the fall and only 6 games a season...and try getting tickets for USC now! I'm alumni and can't get tickets!). No one cares about soccer here. This is our saving grace, and what a savior!

Dodger fan all of my life, and this will be my 2nd year as a season ticket holder. Next year, we're moving Spring Training to Arizona, so Lord willing, I'll be at a bit of that as well. There's something about the team, and it all emanates from the history and background at Dodger Stadium. Sitting in those seats that have been through so much history, in the beaming, glorious southern California sun, watching the boys in blue take on other great teams....there's just something about it that's such a great draw!

My personal excitement is at levels that I've never experienced before. I always read about Opening Day for baseball in LA being the unspoken holiday with hundreds of thousands calling out of work to either attend the game or watch on TV in a bar. Now that I'm in the working world, this will be my 2nd Opening Day (there's no hotter ticket in LA -- period). But even before that, I get to enjoy the upcoming Dodger v. Red Sox game at the LA Coliseum. To make a long story short, the Dodgers played there for 3 years while Dodger Stadium was being built. Will have many pictures and hopefully video posted after the weekend. Cannot wait!!!!

Congressional Hearings turn into Perjury?

2008-02-27T14:42:00.000-08:00

Just for those that can't get enough of this story...

In the aftermath now of Roger Clemens' testimony to Congress about steriods, HGH, B-12, Winstrol, et al, Congress has now given an 18-page recommendation to the Justice Department that they investigate into possible perjury by Roger Clemens. In reality, this is an indictment being handed down by Congress, and they they did the legwork for it. Of note in the file from Rep. Waxman, are the facts that the abcesses on Clemens' buttocks (yes, buttocks) are not comparable to B-12 shots, rather HGH. There are numerous contradictions in his testimony, which at one point leads Congress to believe that he may have intentionally been trying to mislead the panel. Finally, they describe how his story doesn't match up with anyone else's regarding any of the events and circumstances surrounding everything. Add that to the fact that he reacted in certain ways in which a normal individual would not have acted in these circumstances, and you can see the noose tightening around his neck, so to speak. You can read the memo from the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform at the link.

[Referral via ESPN]

Bitch-slap from Washington!

2008-02-27T11:59:00.000-08:00

The FANTASTIC news of someone finally callling Comcast on its unregulated practices is the most welcome bit of info I’ve read in weeks.

After Comcast/Time Warner’s practice of throttling down BitTorrent and P2P data, regardless of legalities or not (some of us DO download open-source installers such as Ubuntu over BitTorrent due to constant updates and large sizes). After this practice was made public, then the experiments in charging customers based on bandwidth usage, the FCC is finally making good on their promises from CES and is clamping down. Serious charges could be pressed against Comcast from federal regulators, but lets hope it doesn’t get that far and Comcast just lifts its policy and frees up its internet again!!!

[via the NY Times]

Helloooo Petra!

2008-02-27T10:41:00.000-08:00

Having already enjoyed her spreads in the SI swimsuit edition a while back, new shots of Petra Nemcova are ALWAYS welcomed! Here’s her latest spread.

[Petra Nemcova shoot via The Superficial]

Absolutely ridiculous

2008-02-27T10:38:00.000-08:00

Apparently you’re not allowed to express emotion or excitement in sports anymore. A 9 year old in Australia was banned from a local tennis court center due to her ‘grunting’. Those familiar with Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and other tennis stars that exert a grunt noise when striking the ball, know that this is due to the extremes to which they push their bodies to deliver maximum force. Apparently, you’re not allowed to do it unless you’re a tennis superstar. Even the Queen allows it at Wimbeldon, but this court is too high-brow for it!

[via ESPN]

This woke me up today

2008-02-21T08:35:00.001-08:00

This gets funnier every time I watch it....

The Glory Days!

2008-02-01T10:15:00.000-08:00

This one sure takes me back.

The Sports Guy has a batch of links this morning, one of which presents an answer to the usual ‘Madden Sim’. For those that may be unaware, EA and the Madden team will annually have their simulation of the Super Bowl, and sometimes large games, on their flagship product, Madden Football. Sure enough, there was another edition of it this year to add to the Media Week for the Super Bowl this week.

The article I’m referring to though is a sim of the game presented on the “old school” Tecmo Super Bowl for the NES, with updated rosters for the 2007 NFL season. Yes, the Pats QB is Tom Brady, all 32 NFL teams are included, and its still a thrilling game! Highly worth checking out, the video is obviously split into the halves, and the 2nd half is a must-watch. You can find the video here:

http://www.armchairgm.com/Article:Tecmo-izing_The_Super_Bowl

What do you all think? Is that sim accurate?

Today starts...well....today, which is a new day

2008-02-01T09:15:00.000-08:00

After seeing the listing of the sites up for the Bloggie awards (http://2008.bloggies.com) I’ve come to realize that the standard setup by Blogspot, although meticulously setup and provided for our benefit, just doesn’t cut it. Perhaps I wont get a million readers, but at least I can create something a bit more personal to have on here. Today, I embark on updating this blog to reflect something of myself, of my own creation. To be honest, I don’t even know to what extent I can customize things here on Blogspot, but I’ll find out. Alot of these websites have the snazziest setups, that I was truly in envy of. We’ll see how long it takes....

Eli Manning laughs at all of Us

2008-01-20T23:42:00.000-08:00

For what it’s worth, this was one of the best playoff games in recent memory. I can think of numerous games that had highly memorable moments (Music City Miracle, Tuck Rule), or games that pushed players on the bubble into superstardom (Mike Vick at Lambeau just a few years ago), but I find it hard to remember a game that was this exciting and thrilling. Bearing in mind, neither myself or my girlfriend are fans of either the Packers or Giants, but we found ourselves switching alliances and cheering so much throughout the game, we might as well be bandwagon fans. Thrilling game all around, and by far, one of the most entertaining. The only thing I take from this is that the Super Bowl might be a let down now after this, and can only hope that this level of drama continues to follow the Giants around. They seem to make for good TV lately.

The aspect that I’ll probably remember this game the most for, aside from being only the 2nd time history that an NFL playoff game ended with an overtime FG, is the overnight growth and coming out party of Eli Manning. Seriously, where did this guy come from? A month ago, we were knocking him for having the sourpuss expression, for being immature and possibly a bust, for never reaching potential and genetics that gifted him with a quarterback’s ability. Now, two MAJOR upsets later, he’s leaving GM’s scratching their heads at how this punk ruined their seasons. Have we reached the stage of Eli “Road Warrior” Manning? He’s led his team to 10 straight road wins, and although some were total cupcakes, and he was never his best, he’s never been better than the last three (Tampa Bay, Dallas, Green Bay). Even harder to believe -- for someone who’s perceived to be as shaky as he is, he’s thrown a total of zero interceptions this post-season. Seriously, who knew he had it in him?

I almost believed it last week, when we say Eli showing the poise of a veteran in a 2 minute drill at the end of the first half against Dallas. The talking heads on TV would go on and on later about how greatly Eli ‘managed’ the game. Game managers, the Trent Dilfers and Vince Youngs of the world could not have pulled this off. Not at any point in their careers. The real world equivalent of this would be Jeff Spicoli proving that he not only learned lessons in History class to get to go to prom, but goes on to make valedictorian, gets into Brown and writes a dissertation on the effects of drug use on teens -- you always wish he could do it, but when he does show it, you want to tell yourself that he always had it in him, but it’s still a shock. Eli was not managing this game though -- the offense ran through him. He picked apart the Green Bay secondary time and again, starting hot and staying hot throughout the game, making the throws when he needed. For as much as Plaxico physically abused, and possibly legally abused Al Harris (more on this topic later), Eli had to make all of those throws right on the money, and he did. Honestly, I expected him to defer to the running game in the cold weather, and anticipated Bradshaw or Jacobs to break the big run that would keep the Giants in the game. Instead, it was Eli quietly racking up 250+ passing yards, and spotting every coverage breakdown.

However, this wasn’t just about him proving himself, but he did it, again, in the worst possible scenario. Gametime temperature of -1℉, at famed Lambeau field, against Brett Favre and the improbable team of destiny, with a banged up Giants secondary, no Shockey, no Derrick Ward, and it being for all the NFC marbles. I half expected at the post-game on field interview for Eli to take his helmet off and reveal that it was Peyton playing the whole time and laughing maniacally, while Archie and the rest of the Manning clan followed suit in their box above the field.

But what of the counterpart, Brett Favre? This was the season he would guide his motley crew back to the Super Bowl, defying expectations of him at his age. He started well enough, slinging to receivers downfield, and it seemed as though he would leave them bruised just enough from his fastballs by the end of the game. By the 2nd half though, Favre was as cold as the field. In his post-game interview, he would talk about how disapointed he was, and rightly so. He was at his home field, in his own little Mecca that he created, and he couldn’t take out ELI MANNING with every advantage, save for the weather, in his favor. Will this affect his comeback for next year? Who’s to say...although I don’t think that he wants to go out on this type of note. He was quoted as saying that the last thing that would stick out in your mind is your last game, and that for him, the last play on offense would be the starting point for him (where he was intercepted on a horribly underthrown ball). It doesn’t feel as though Favre can leave on this note; on the legacy that he’s built, he can’t leave on a pick, he has to leave on his own terms. Even if he does leave, you cant say that he didn’t go out shooting.

For all accounts though, this wasn’t Favre’s loss, but a united team effort. After the 2nd quarter, I started telling myself that this Packer team didn’t seem like they wanted to earn the victory, rather they were entitled to it by virtue of being the team of Lambeau, and hoping that the stadium’s mystique would carry them to a victory. Not the case this Sunday, as the team failed on several points. Coverage in the secondary broke down time and time again, no one could stop the tailbacks if their lives depended on them, and special teams were atrocious. For the highlights (see the crazy Favre interception where the DB was stripped and one of the O-line guys recovered), there were so many low lights that would leave the coaches yelling till mini-camp in the Spring at their squads.

The run game was non-existent. Total of 28 yards on the ground. The coming out party held last week for Ryan Grant seemed to leave the worst hangover ever, as the Giants d-line didnt let a fly get by them. The Packers went a combined 1 for 10 on 3rd down conversions (last time I checked, that wont get it done, especially not in the game before the Super Bowl, although the Giants checked in at 6 for 16, but they converted when it mattered). In the end, it seems that the Pack were looking ahead to the Pats and wondering how they could beat them to solidify Favre’s legacy and send him off into the sunset a winner.

If we’re going to pick apart a team’s flaw though, the biggest thing all game was the absolute destruction by Plaxico Burress of Al Harris’ manhood. If not for the repeated catches and huge receptions, the Giants would be on a sad ride home, and Eli would be wondering when the next shrimpin’ boat would come into town back home so that he could get some fresh scallops. The closest way I can relate how badly Plax ate up Al Harris is the KFC ‘Big Box Meal’; if you’re planning on taking down that much, you have no zero remorse, as overwhelming as the task seems. Only difference being, instead of feeling sick after eating the whole thing, it’ll be Harris who’s gonna be sick for months after this performance. Only until the 3rd quarter did McCarthy pull Harris off of Plax, but by that point, the morale of the secondary was blasted all the way to Milwaukee. Harris seemed to bite on every one of Plax’s moves, to the point where it looked like the offense running drills against the scout team. Did Harris forget that Eli planned on throwing it to Burress from time to time, or did he think that the power of the dreads would catch Eli’s attention like a child suffering from ADD and would freeze him up long enough to get sacked? Needless to say, Eli wasn’t not only unshaken the whole game, he played with a poise and confidence that we’ve never seen from him. Give credit to Plax though; he made several amazing catches, but where was the vaunted defense from the Pro Bowler Harris that’s earned him praise? It looked worse than an overmatched college DB out there.

On the other side of the token, if Al Harris lost the game due to poor play, then Lawrence Tynes won with his leg. After nailing two early FG’s with a frozen ball and crazy wind conditions, who could blame him for missing two critical FG’s in the same conditions, and in Lambeau, in a situation that he’d never been in before. Kudos to Coughlin for keeping him in the game for the OT kick (granted, he might have even had another available kicker), but it speaks to the confidence the head coach has in his players when he sends them out for the biggest play of the season, 15 minutes after berating him on national TV. Practice must be tons of fun around these guys.

However, for everything that stands out in my mind, perhaps the one thing that will stand out in Green Bay infamy (or at least should for anyone with some sense), is the play that wasn’t made by Bush on the punt return fumble. So many times in this past season I’ve yelled at the TV for players to FALL ON A FUMBLE instead of trying to be a hero and being greedy, thinking of running it back for glory. You can’t stress it enough, and I can only imagine how many special teams coaches will make it their motto next season. With the game in the balance with a little over two minutes to go, Nixon fumbles the punt return, and Bush can fall on the ball to give Green Bay the ball back, with timeouts and giving Favre one last chance to march down the field and march into Arizona. Instead, he tries to pick the ball up and run, skipping over the ball, and knocking it further from him, allowing the Giants to recover. It was the one bad bounce that didn’t go Green Bay’s way all night. What happened after this? Why, Eli drove down the field to the GB 20 yard line, giving Tynes a chance to win it all (which he shanked). No matter. Tynes, Coughlin, and especially Eli, got the last laugh this night. And something tells me that Eli’s not done laughing.

A sense of civility and renewed faith in mankind

2008-01-09T08:37:00.000-08:00

http://kotaku.com/342519/3-companies-bar-egm-from-coverage-following-poor-reviews

I read this story in the context of the dirt that was kicked up from the Gamespot/Jeff Gerttsmann debacle. Frank Provo, an editor at Gamespot, left about a week ago, citing the Jeff firing as his reason for leaving, saying that he wouldn’t want to be fired for being honest in a review.

Now comes the news that MAJOR video game publishers went ahead and threatened a publication with less ‘privileges’, so to speak, in an effort to get what they wanted. Seems that this publication wanted nothing to do with it though, and let the proverbial shit hit the fan, with a letter from their very editor, who said that his publication will not stoop to such levels.

Granted, yes, as a developer/publisher, you’re not going to like those that review you. Some that review you may be biased in their own way, dishonest. However, when you get to the point where you favor those that review you well, that’s when you’re double dipping and become hypocritical. It’s almost like Roger Clemens thinking that he can attack McNamee and believing that he’s immune from even potential criticism. Such is the world....

THE Gold Standard

2008-01-08T16:41:00.000-08:00

This is why John Holllinger is the absolute best....

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=EastAllStars-080108&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba%2finsider%2fcolumns%2fstory%3fcolumnist%3dhollinger_john%26page%3dEastAllStars-080108

desperation and disgust

2008-01-08T11:00:00.000-08:00

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3185701&categoryId=2521705

McNamee sounds like a completely devastated and distressed, desperate man. He’s essentially telling Roger Clemens that he’ll go to jail for him, just to get everything to go away and in the hope that Clemens will foot the bill for his son’s medical expenses. It’s sick and discomforting to hear this play out. These are real people with real situations; why does that have to be played. This tape does nothing to add to Clemens’ case, it truly detracts. He never once denies anything, and uses this to try to push the envelope. You can almost hear his lawyers in the background attempting to get McNamee to bite and have him take the fall for this and recant and go back on his word, so that Clemens’ name can be cleared, and this tape is the backup in case McNamee doesn’t do it. McNamee is smart enough to not lay out in full words that he’ll committ perjury, waiting to see if Clemens asks for it first. Either way, this is just a terrible and disgusting move on Clemens’ part. This adds nothing to his case, and his lawyers know it --- WHY would they play this for the national media?

I truly feel bad for McNamee and wish the worst on Roger Clemens and his failed, miserable life.

Absolute Fucking Awesomeness

2007-12-29T00:39:00.000-08:00

For as stupid of a title as I gave this post, its the only way I can really describe this video clip, titled "Night at the Starbury". Enjoy! =D

NFL Notes

2007-12-18T12:59:00.001-08:00

Dallas - the boys are falling on hard times and it seems as though it
may be harder with a must win situation this Saturday. Romo needs to
bounce back, but please stop with the "relationship" distraction talk
-- Romo's thumb was hurt for most of the game.

Giants - one more Eli game away from mailing the season in. Doesnt
help that Shockey is out with the broken leg and Plax is still hurt.
Won't be seeing anything past the first round of the playoffs. This
would be a great team to pick against in a 2 team tease. Speaking of
which...

Vikings - Tavaris makes way too many mistakes and doesnt have the
supporting cast to fight through it, akin to Rex and the Bears last
year. First round eliminees from playoffs, where they'll be on the
road with a rookie RB and a subpar QB. Depending on the defense they
play (at this point at Dallas or GB), there won't be much ado for them.

Packers - peaking at the right time with all the right pieces, and
everyone wanting to win for Favre. Dont be so shocked to see them ride
this fairy tale to the Super Bowl.

More later....

Suddenly....

2007-12-17T14:49:00.000-08:00

...The Dodgers are making all of the right moves :)

Again, for a season ticket holder, this bodes VERY well....

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3157581

Although, after years of rooting vehemently against Andruw Jones, I still don’t see how I will be able to cheer for him...maybe I’ll just stay neutral and “not” hate him when he comes up to plate?...oh well....

Giants move for Rowand in OF, Fukudome to Cubs, and SP Kuroda

2007-12-12T16:35:00.000-08:00

The SF Giants made a great move here, signing Aaron Rowand. Rowand, who’s 30, just won his first Gold Glove due to the recognition that the Phillies finally started receiving last season. What’s most important here though is that they are replacing the production cut by losing Bonds, and replacing it with a HUGE defensive upgrade. A quick look at their numbers tells the tale of the tape.

Dont let the OBP fool you, Bonds is a slug running around the bases, and him getting on base doesn’t mean much if teams are intentionally walking him with 1 or 2 outs and no power bats behind him. This is supported by the fact that his runs are extremely low for his OBP.

Overall, this is an upgrade for the Giants. Power numbers are better overall due to Rowand’s ability to drive in runs and to keep rallies going. For someone who follows the Dodgers, this is a new name to fear in the division.

As for the Cubs, they’re adding Japanese OF Kosuke Fukudome. It’ll be interesting to see how he deals. He’s 30 and a veteran in the Japanese Central League. He put up better than average numbers over there for his career, with two batting titles and four Gold Gloves. In fact for last year, he hit .351 with 31 HR and 104 RBIs. As with all other import players, their transition is risky as they may either flourish or flounder, but this guy has potential written all over him. The only downside is that he’s already spent realistically the first half of his baseball career in Japan, and we’ll only get to see him for so many years here.

Finally, P Hiroki Kuroda is fielding offers from MLB clubs, with one source saying that the Dodgers have all but wrapped him up. Bidding is expected to be in the $12M/year range, but for a pitcher that scouts are calling close to the talent and skill level of Daisuke Matsuzaka, this is a worthy venture. Quality starting pitchers are hard to come by these days, and if his skill can transfer over the to major leagues, he’ll provide another good arm in an already starving pool. His price tag seems a bit high for one who would essentially be a rookie, but obviously teams will not mind, given that they do not have to pay a signing fee to any Japanese club to lure him away, as was the case with Matsuzaka ($51M).

shill for free!

2007-12-11T13:24:00.000-08:00

Broke down today and bought an HD DVD player, Toshiba HD A30 from Amazon. Not to shill for the website, but you cant beat the deal! 10 free movies along with the player. As my friend put it, “you’re paying $20 roughly per movie, and you get a player for free.” Looking VERY forward to running 300 and the Bourne Ultimatum off that bad boy later this week.... =D

George Washington -- Yes, he was a Mason, but...

2007-12-06T16:07:00.001-08:00

We all know of the great George Washington, first President of the United States of America, and that he was a proud and upstanding Mason. Indeed, he held office in his lodges and thus was very involved, more so than people may think.

George Washington was initiated in 1752 at Fredricksburg Lodge No 4, Fredricksburg, VA in the first class of Entered Apprentices at this Lodge. He was installed as the first master of a new lodge, Alexandria Lodge No. 22 at Alexandria, Virginia, which was to be renamed later, in his honor, to Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22 in 1805. He was installed in November 1788, less than 6 months before his inaguration as first President of the United States. Quite the busy time for this Brother!

One question that Masons often ponder -- was George Washington ever a Grand Master? The answer is, yes and no. Wor. George Washington was nominated by the Convention of Virginia Lodges as Grand Master of the Independent Grand Lodges of the Commonwealth; however, he declined his nomination.

With such an illustrious member of our Fraternity holding such an important place in history, we can only speculate how much Masonry influenced his life. However, there is an interesting anecdote....

In grand fashion, George Washington, presiding as Master, laid the cornerstone for the original Capitol Building in Washington DC in 1793 in the exact site chosen by the building's architect and surveyor, Pierre Charles L'Enfant, a Mason. He performed the duty in full Masonic regalia, surrounded by Masons and fellows, and dedicated the stone with an offering of corn, wine, and oil. What a grand fest this must have been!

Masonic teachings would have us assume that this first stone, in keeping not only with architectural, but Masonic tradition, would be laid in the Northeast corner of the footprint. However, this particular cornerstone for the Capitol Building was dedicated by George Washington in the Southeast corner. For an overtly Masonic event, headed by Masons and spurred by centuries of rich tradition, this seems to raise a red flag, if you will. Was this an oversight on L'Enfant's and Washington's part, or was there a reason they chose to not lay the cornerstone in the Northeast corner?

Settling now?

2007-12-06T09:39:00.001-08:00

More sports related news....

So the Dodgers have come clean and signed Andruw Jones to roam centerfield in Chavez Ravine next season. For everything involved, I've been an ardent Jones critic and sometimes hater since he came into the league. Also doesnt help that my season tickets are right behind centerfield. I won't lie and say that my stance has changed, but how do I root for the guy? He's now our big bat for two years...

http://www.dodgers.com

Random rant -- this mornings drive time radio show featured a rant from one of the personalities that described his frustration with people that do not commit to invitations for events and seem very iffy on it. The point that he was trying to make was that people do that to see if there is anything else that they can do instead of what they're being invited to, typically giving the excuse of "oh I dont know what my plans are for that day yet", etc. I found myself yelling in agreement at the frustration from people that do not commit and are very subtle about giving an answer. Its ok, I think to myself when talking to these types of people -- I understand, you dont want to go! Just come out and say it instead of dicking us around! Dont tell someone that youre not sure what youre doing that day yet, which means that the invitation doesnt merit you even checking your calendar, which means that you do not wish to go. Just say so and dont be such a dick about it!!

Something Serious

2007-11-30T16:33:00.000-08:00

From the advent of the internet, the discussion of whether or not something can be deemed “legitimate” or truthful is prickly. While there are certain areas that are peer-reviewed, its faced by the awful wild side of the internet where anything goes, anonymous people say whatever comes to their minds, and there’s no arbiter to distinguish amongst all of the madness.

When it comes to the burgeoned “e-zines” or community websites, such as CNN.com, msn.com, aol.com, wired.com, engadget.com, etc etc., we’ve grown to an extent of trust based on their familiarity, and the fact that they run as legitimately as either their physical counterparts, or anyone else that is involved with media.

This week, a trust was broken, not unlike things we’ve seen before. A whistleblower getting the short end of the stick for “telling it like it is.”

Jeff Gerstmann, editor of Gamespot.com, was fired suddenly and unexpectedly yesterday. Neither side will comment on why he was fired, but the paint is on the wall, and its redder than the blood in the Kane & Lynch ads.

Jeff reviewed a highly-anticipated, highly-promoted game “Kane & Lynch” from Eidos. Essentially, he wrote that it was a terrible game, and he is not alone in his sentiments, as the rest of the gaming community, as can be seen by metacritic, generally agrees.

Why did Jeff get it?

For about the last 3 weeks, Gamespot.com has been BLANKETED by Kane & Lynch ads, no doubt funded fully by the publisher to build up publicity. Naturally, getting a low-rating on a website such as Gamespot, with its enormous following can be a death knell to many a game. In fact, many games are discovered after having zero publicity due to a positive review on Gamespot.

Now, Jeff knocks a game that was helping to fund his paycheck, and he is axed the day after. Many times, a game with this high of a profile will have an accompanying video review, and this one was no exception. However this morning, you will not find the video review posted anywhere. CNet, the parent company of Gamespot, claims that it was taken down due to innaccuracies, and that the text review was edited for such reasons. However, there are many games with video reviews that have had the video edited, not deleted entirely from the face of the planet. Odd move on their part.

There was no indication Jeff would be leaving. There are, however, several rumors that Eidos had funded the current ads to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars, and that Eidos would no longer advertise with Gamespot, costing them future revenue. In looking at this ordeal from the vantage point of Eidos, this makes sense. Why fund a publication that knocks your product? Its backwards. Their move is legitimized by profit seeking, which is fine.

However, Gamespot (CNet) has a different take on it. A rogue editor who wishes to say that a game which is earning them money is bad, will still say its bad, no matter the amount of money.

Where does this leave the reader?

People read a review based website such as Gamespot because they have invested trust into the writers and staff. They believe that they can read their opinions, which will be unbiased, fair and straightforward. However when a corporate check is involved, where can you go? How can people be expected to accept something that is being fed to them?

Granted, Gamespot’s bottom line is hurt by having less revenue, but where does this really hurt? Their credibility? Maybe...people will return to the site, and new visitors will know nothing of this ordeal... Their user population? Users come and go all the time.... Loyalty? That’s not changing.... What will change is how some of the supporters and advocates of truth in media and unbiased reporters view management here. They would rather that you buy a product and feed lies about it (acting as a fan website rather than media) than have you believe that they are honest and are running by integrity.

Integrity. The word and feeling that’s been lost ever since the first anonymous person logged onto the World Wide Web. Integrity is long gone, and its been replaced by naivety. That’s where the problem lies now. In those with less integrity preying on the naive. But we were only naive to begin with because they had our trust and we followed blindly. Now that their motives involve the advertising dollar, what of the readers, which are the sole reason they are funded.

We’re back to square one here. who can ya trust?

help????

2007-11-30T16:28:00.000-08:00

Where the HELL are the Dodgers these days???? With all of the rumors/moves for players such as Johan Santana, Miguel Cabrera, Phil Hughes, Dan Haren, Jimmy Rollins, Torri Hunter and others...why are we so silent?!? Why is the front office doing nothing to rectify this????? Dammit....

From a season ticket holder, this isnt looking too promising...our biggest off-season upgrade is going to be calling up Clayton Kershaw, making Matt Kemp the everday left fielder, and hoping Jason Repko heals (dammit all...)

Holy Crap!!!

2007-11-28T13:24:00.000-08:00

I knew it!!!! The season finale for South Park (Ep 1114 - “The List) seemed like it ended shortly before it should have, and there is a reason why....never known Comedy Central to do this to anything, but there is the deleted ending for the episode, and its available online!

http://www.southparkstudios.com/downloads/preview/?id=7607

Perfect way to end it....fuckin Butters....

What else do they want?

2007-11-16T13:13:00.000-08:00

Could the Yankees possibly be getting more press these days, without any major new signings, deaths or fights? First, the A-Rod deal looks like its about to go through and he’ll remain a Yankee (a Dodgers dreams go down the toilet along with it...). Next, Rivera has the nerve to turn down his ludicrous offer and ask for another year and more money! And now....

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3113901

Looks like Mr. New York, Derek Jeter might have been cheating on his taxes the last few years.... stop messing with the gummint! Don’t play around with taxes! They WILL take everything!....

So it goes on...

2007-11-14T16:30:00.000-08:00

After writing yesterday of the Yankees overpriced offer to the catcher, Jorge Posada, today comes news of an even more absurd offer for Mariano Rivera, the aging past-his-prime closer. He’s been tendered an offer for $48M over the next 3 years -- FORTY-EIGHT MILLION!?!

This would make him the fourth or fifth highest paid pitcher in the game -- not reliever, not starter, but pitcher in general. How is $18M a year for a washed up reliever good sense? No wonder they’re negotiating with A-Rod once again, he’s going to end up getting his $350M for 8 years and NY will have no championships or camaraderie even in the clubhouse to show for it.....

I can see that the Yankees will be in <i>great</i> control for the years to come under Steinbrenner’s kids!!!

American Gangster

2007-11-13T12:21:00.000-08:00

Told a friend a couple of weeks ago that I gave this a solid 9.0/10....I’ve since raised it to a 9.5. It embodies what I loved about the movie (its realities, the grime left on me after watching it), without any of the filler. THIS could have been the soundtrack for Casino, Goodfellas, Scarface, etc. In short, the seminal gangster movie soundtrack.

Terms of Failure

2007-11-13T10:42:00.000-08:00

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3107197

This, in a nutshell, is why the Yankees are built for piling up runs and not doing much else. This is why they are not built for the ultimate success, and are chastised for overspending. $52M on a 36 year old catcher? Never-mind the fact that he did have a career year for his hitting, but his defense is declining, and all catchers start to feel the burn of the position in the mid-30s, so he is just about due for a knee or ankle to start leaving him gimpy.

I don’t knock his merits or doubt that he’s still a good ballplayer, but you’re going to be paying him an average of $13M a year until he’s 40? Where’s he going to be then? How does this affect your long-term payroll? Why not spend this money on a front-line starter or middle relief like you need, instead of protecting something just so no one else can covet him and sign him? This, coming from the outsiders perspective, is what’s wrong with the Yankees in general; when you see a small cut, you throw money at it to bandage it. With a large gash or open wound, all you do is provide some gauze and hope that it clears up. Good luck with this and the Girardi move, since he’s so accomplished.

Equal Opportunity Haters

2007-11-09T14:58:00.000-08:00

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=3097324&sportCat=ncf

Notre Dame administration should bow their head in shame for as long as this charade goes on. Three years ago, they fire Ty Willingham for having a semi-decent record at Notre Dame and not fulfilling dreams of a national championship immediately. Charlie Weis is now going through a somewhat similar record, although it includes what will amount to be the worst season in Notre Dame history, and was very close to being a winless season. However behind Weis, there is no dissension; he is not on the proverbial ‘hot seat’. No, in fact, he has supporters. There are many within the administration that feel he should be treated fairly and given five full years to show what he can do at the helm as coach.

My question for them -- where was this compassion and patience with Willingham??? Where were the supporters and boosters at his side when he was going through a decent season? Weis’ only success came as a byproduct of Willing-ham; Weis won with players that Willing-ham recruited.

This is absurd to me. Weis should be treated equally by the demanding athletics officials at Notre Dam, the program that once was. At this point they’re living off reputation alone, and if they’re going to be this impatient and hard lined about their coaches, perhaps they should dismiss them all equally. If they’re all under the gun to make something happen, perhaps they should all be treated as disposable as Willingham was. I’m not advocating that Ty was the best, but he didn’t get his fair shot; so now with a coach who’s having the absolute worst season in ND history, and with a bleak outlook on the upcoming years based on recruits, why should we believe he’ll do any better? Why not cut the cord now and start the manhunt for a new head coach. Unbelievable....

Because it wasn't magical enough the first time around...

2007-11-09T14:32:00.000-08:00

Random notes....

-Today’s subject line refers to the Dodgers re-signing ‘famed’ pitcher Chan Ho Park. The man who was shadowed behind Hideo Nomo in the mid 90s as the first pack of major league players to come from southeast Asia to the US. Park never really panned out, and while he had a few shining moments, and it garnered him a HUGE contract from the Texas Rangers, he never lived up to the hype. Although this is only a spring training invite and there are no guarantees, I wonder why they would go after him of all people....

http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071108&content_id=2296564&vkey=news_la&fext=.jsp&c_id=la

-For the past couple of years since I heard its announcement, I’ve been looking forward to ‘Hellgate: London’, a game from the original creators of the Diablo series from Blizzard. The game has now been released to mostly tepid reviews. While it doesn’t sound like a terrible game by ANY stretch, I think everyone on board with the game really was expecting a bit more from this cast.

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/hellgatelondon/review.html?page=1&sid=6182588&tag=topslot;title;1&om_act=convert&om_clk=topslot

-Finally, to wrap up on video game news, today it was announced that Cap-com would be releasing ‘Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney“ in the US early next year. While it was confirmed about a month ago for Europe, there was speculation that it might not be released in the US, pending sales of the earlier games in the series which were titled ”Phoenix Wright“. Honestly, I never doubted the game would come here, even when people were naive enough to think that it was still in the air for the US after the European announcement; the European version has English in it, it would absolutely not make sense for there to be a US model.

http://www.gamespot.com/ds/adventure/gyakutansaiban4/news.html?sid=6182634

For those unfamiliar with this series, its a text based adventure wrapped in a very nice package that allows to play as the defense attorney in a myriad of cases, usually revolving around murder. You find clues, interrogate witnesses and grill people on the stand. Very good times, can become very addictive, especially when the drama in the courtroom grows greatly.

-Lastly, from TMZ by way of The Superficial, a brief shot of Britney Spears running a red light with kids in tow. Normally I hate this kind of news, but in LA you cannot avoid this type of gossip, and in the end it actually really is pretty funny, especially since the court-appointed parenting coach was in the car at the time. Worth the read for that.

http://thesuperficial.com/2007/11/britney_spears_runs_red_light_with_kids_in_the_car.php

=)

2007-11-05T11:00:00.000-08:00

Hopefully larger pics up soon...

Introduction was done this morning with much fanfare and media. Great article on sports scene in LA and its undertones of the moment and great potential here....

'Agent Zero' indeed....

2007-11-02T12:56:00.000-07:00

It began as fresh and funny. 'Hibachi' and 'Agent Zero' brought out the realiziation that this was a guy who never got his merit. He was always overlooked by those who were louder than him.

Now he's the loudest of the bunch, and its annoying. You are no longer "undervalued" in your talent or skill, and yet you have no credibility or accomplishments to back up all of your claims and demands.

You truly are agent 'Zero'. You've gone from nothing, to a star, to someone who we wouldn't mind being without.

Here's the lastest example of his insincerities and need to be heard for nothing...

espn.com article regarding Gilbert Arenas and his predictions

GO CELTS!!!....

YES!!!!!

2007-11-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3090266&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines

The supporting cast speaks

2007-10-31T21:29:00.000-07:00

Quotes from former Dodger Eric Karros, and current player Scott Proctor, from today's New York Times....

"They’re absolutely capable of winning the N.L. West,” Karros said. “I think a lot of what went wrong at the end of last year was just clubhouse friction, and I don’t think Torre would allow for that.”

Little and Torre are popular with players, but with Torre’s résumé, he should command more respect. The feeling around the Dodgers is that players took advantage of Little.

“Grady is a great man,” Proctor said. “He’s definitely a players’ manager in the fact that he cared about what the players wanted. I think Joe’s really good at letting the players be who they are, but yet you have to be who you are within the parameters of the team. I think that’s what he’s going to be better at than Grady.”

This speaks alot to the fact that Little just didn't command the respect that Torre does; its that intangible, unexplainable attribute that will immediately draw people in; in the baseball spectrum, Torre is the quitest leading charismatic figure in years....

new york times article says Torre deal nearly done

Magic Castle!!!

2007-10-31T21:20:00.000-07:00

Yet another trip to the Magic Castle this past Saturday for their annual Halloween celebration, ahh good times! If ever in LA, this is the one place above all else that I would recommend to anyone. Beware though, admission is by invitation or membership only, and neither are easy to come by. In other words, if you ever meet a member, make sure to make friends so you can visit!!!

Unfortunately I cannot post pictures, they are forbidden inside the mansion (oooooooh...spooky and enthralling, I know). Take my word for it though, it's not what you would think the inside would look like at all.

And yes, on any given night you can see a cavalcade of celebrities, both from the world of magic and otherwise.

website for the Magic Castle, or as I refer to it, the happiest place on earth!

Torre to the Dodgers? How the LA fan sees it...

2007-10-31T20:45:00.000-07:00

Will Joe Torre end up with the Dodgers?

The idea has fascinated and taken over the sports media and sports blogging sphere for the last week. After a classy leave from the Yankees (turning down a contract that demanded results in exchange for continued work in an uncertain and unpredictable field), he immediately said that he had no plans on staying at home and watching baseball from afar.

The Latest reports have him coming to the Dodgers, to fill the void created by the recently resigned Grady Little. In two years of managing, the Dodgers went from blossoming contenders to a regular season implosion. Infighting and lack of direction, combined with hundreds of terrible on-field calls left Little no choice; it was forgone that he would be fired and bought out even if he hadn't resigned. He saw the writing on the wall and took the high road -- leaving on his own terms. Whether he'll be back in baseball is to be seen, but he shouldn't be without work for more than three months.

Now, Torre has an opportunity to sign with the Dodgers, another storied franchise, and bring his own managing team with him. Critics of the idea note that Torre couldn't get it done in NY with a no-limit payroll, superstars and a strong fan base. Proponents point at the major difference -- age and lack of depth in NY, in contrast to youth and rising stars with depth from veterans in LA. Critics then call Torre's record outside of the Yankees into play. Torre had several terrible seasons with moderate squads. Grady Little at least took underachievers to the playoffs last year with a team that was supposedly three years away from reaching the next level with the upcoming prospects.

The bottom line from a modest observer who bleeds Dodger Blue: while it's true that we can't be worse off with Torre than Little, we would in fact be MUCH the better with Torre. The current team could have finished the season with 10 more wins, had there been some decisions made differently regarding lineups and role players. Tack on 4-6 more wins if the infighting and egos had been squashed at the end of the season, and you're looking at a 90+ win team that would've gone into the playoffs with a resurging starting pitching roster, youth and solid play at the top of the lineup with speed and contact hitting.

Hindsight is 20/20, but Torre brings something special to the plate; he has the celebrity, the aura, the wherewithall and the steely reserve to make the right call, in defiance of hurting the feelings of a self-absorbed celebrity. Seeing this opportunity has to be too tempting for the Dodgers General Manager, Ned Colletti. Although the Dodger squad is not built around spending money in a hasty fashion (the past's mistakes are clearing up), this is somewhere that our money would make a return on the investment. Younger players would listen and learn; veterans would recognize their role and play for the ultimate goal. Considering the damage the Dodgers can do in the National League as opposed to having to deal with the superior players in the American League, they could dominate with just a couple of changes (yes, the A-Rod deal has to be done).

Grady Little never connected with the Dodger fan base; Torre would instantly be the 2nd coming of Lasorda. Tough, firm, smart, demanding respect and that special aura that has your players, fans and managment take notice to respect the game, and play to win on a nightly basis. For the intangibles, not even considering any statistics, Torre is the best possible move LA brass could make. I've secretly been pining for New York to let Torre go for years, as he would immediately be placed on a pedestal in LA. If he takes us to the playoffs within the first year, then we'd give him the crown.

How about that -- he couldn't quite do it back East, where Christopher Walken holds the crown, but within 10 months, Torre could truly be 'King of LA'.

Can you say Desperation?

2007-10-30T16:01:00.000-07:00

From the top people...desperation, desperation, desperation!

From Tyler Durden, who surmises it pretty accurately:

http://www.wwtdd.com/post.phtml?pk=3072

Phantom Game Letdown

2007-10-30T15:56:00.000-07:00

Had a terrible dream last night....

Dreamt I was playing 'Phantom Hourglass', and realized that as the game was winding down, the max amount of time for the hourglass suddenly grew exponentially after all of the struggling through the game. It suddenly became one of those games that makes you grind for dozens of hours, then all of a sudden becomes too easy, painting a picture of disappointment....

...It's been a day for disappointing thoughts. Thankfully, the actual game is not like that. Praise be to Jeebus!

Boy, was this a let-down

2007-10-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

As an avid (I use the term loosely) video game player, I've been subject to the candy-coated addictive heroine that is Guitar Hero. Looking forward to the next iteration in its spiritual successor, Rock Band, curiosity ran abundant on how the controllers would plug in. Early on, we were informed that there would be no wireless, at least for the Xbox 360. This sent many a heart crashing -- everyone would have to be within a USB cord's length of the console with 2 guitars, a drum set and a mic? How could this work?

Well, today they announced this, and suffice it to say, I'm slightly disappointed:

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/30/sexy-shots-of-xbox-360-rock-band-usb-hub/

Although it's a functional working, would it really have been that difficult to add on the wireless capability? Raise the price on the bundle, I could care less, but give me some sweet, un-tethered, ground shaking, wrist snapping rock-god action while possibly inebriated!!! Not only that, the USB hub is not powered by the console, rather having its own power supply. While this makes sense, because there isn't enough power in one USB port assuredly for all four devices, this just conflicts the situation further. Taking into consideration as well my particular living room/play area setup, there isn't that much room as it is, and electrical outlets are running low. Time to punch some holes in the walls?

::sigh:: While hoping for an iteration of wireless, we are meantime stuck with this USB hub...hopefully the cords on the instruments are long enough. Although I gripe greatly about this, its not as terrible as it sounds in all honesty, but I would've gladly paid more for an extra bit of love.

All in all though, I'm looking very forward to the drum set, as I've never touched a set of drums in my life, but there's a raw connection there between them and I, which I can't explain. The tribal noise and primal urge draws me in. Meantime, I'll continue rocking out with my wired Guitar Hero 2 controller and hoping for picky, yet better days.

thoughts of enstranglement

2007-10-26T16:40:00.000-07:00

if that’s a word...

frustration is easily attainable; you can be pissed that someone cut you off, or wont pay attention when bowling over your kid walking in a hall, or a loudmouth that wont shut up in a movie palace.

its even more cumbersome and nasty if you’re frustrated by someone in particular who will not heed advice, listen or even accept that you can have a differing opinion.

i’ve been in a situation lately where i feel like reaching out and choking someone, based on mounds of evidence and a lack of a listening and TRUSTING ear. perhaps this person will get the message before its too late. otherwise, it hurts to feel that they refuse to listen because they’re under a cloud of illusion and falsities.

when it gets to the point, and it will, of no return and this person is hurt, it wont be a situation to point out an “i told you so” based on what’s happened; what i would like to point out then, is that beyond the fact that i knew it would happen, that i warned them from the beginning; that they failed to trust me, and overlooked our friendship, which i assumed ran deeper than it was treated

Couples

2007-10-21T19:47:00.000-07:00

Its interesting that with couples, oftentimes, there’s no such thing as building up karma, or “brownie” points, or a good reputation. In a relationship, we often value one another as being only as good as their last move, as though it were a business.

I admit that I’m at fault of the same downfall, but we never truly think About it. If our significant other does something to annoy or upset us, although its only human to be upset by something, we take for ranted the entire past and history with the other person. At that point, where does the love and respect that they've thus earned, go?

Is it because we only expect more from them and are hurt at feeling “betrayed” by something that would upset us, or is it just because relationships nowadays fall into the pitfall of being a “win/win” situation, where one person only does something, in the hopes that they will return the favor with an equally strong message. Have relationships deteriorated to something this bad?

Optimash Prime

2007-10-21T19:40:00.001-07:00

After hunting for a few weeks, finally found the damn doll at a local
KB Toys. Hooray for 80s reminiscing for only 9.99!!!

Japanese on Sundays

2007-10-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

Is the new discovery (and at least I'm not alone) that Google/Blogger will on occassion default to a random language...

Mine is Japanese....and it only happens and ALWAYS happens on the Sabbath....very very odd....

chuck?

2007-10-20T21:58:00.000-07:00

after being subjected to a "viewing" of chuck, NBC has just been on a roll, I realized... Terrible writing, horrible acting, plots and situations as campy as the original batman eps...

How can this type of show make it this day in the age of tv? Where has the good writing gone? Nbc has been desperate since friends has gone off the air, and was lucky to have scrubs and the office fall into its laps, especially after nearly being canceled. Ugh...from the same network that gives us joey fat-one every week.... Ugh...

trying out new software

2007-10-18T14:15:00.000-07:00

merely a test...if this works...much ranting to follow.....

Why arent the original Cavemen in the sitcom?

2007-10-03T13:12:00.000-07:00

Aside from the fact that the show is absolutely terrible (had great inspiration but seems to be trying too hard and in your face about it), I just found out the original actors are not in the sitcome; how did this happen!?! The new guys playing it are either slacker galore or someone with a stick up his rear who is too emotional about things and overly sensitive (think 'Half Baked' but without the comedy). My only assumption is that they didnt truly license or pay for the rights from Geico's ad agency that created the characters and these guys are just a ripoff, which would explain the terrible nature of the writing; there is no subtlety in the punchlines, its painstakingly overtly obvious.

Plus these guys are just annoying. It's like watching any other early-30s guy with no ambition; is this really entertainment?

now that the votes are in....

2007-09-26T07:22:00.000-07:00

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3036756

"Bonds' 756 ball to get Branded with Asterisk"

The only question remaining now -- will Bud Selig be present for the branding? If so, will he look away in disinterest or stand and cheer? The photo shoot for the presentation to the Hall of Fame is going to be really interesting though.

The Singing Bee

2007-07-14T20:05:00.000-07:00

Five minutes in... Most over-produced piece of shlop... Has the attention span of three seconds or less. Sucks all of the possible fun out of guessing songs lyrics in a charde-type game. Merv Griffin, on behalf of this show, MTV, and other criminals, we apologize.

time to do nothing

2007-06-12T14:16:00.000-07:00

the problem with having too many interests is that you spread yourself thin and cant keep up with it all. lately there's been a glut of music and movies released, and between reality and bills, its hard to make yourself available to handle it all. even worse is when you find one new addiction that supercedes the rest, and then you dont even want to make time for yourself, be it a new addictive website, a laundry list of youtube videos, or a good book. i wonder sometimes how busy people make time for everything in this world, other than slurping coffee like air and the occassional red bull or monster. in any event, in an effort to keep up (who realliy does keep up these days anyway) i'm going through a ton of new music, and have taken a good liking to the new maroon 5 album. not great, but good, decent enough anyway. adam levine is a very horny man, to say the least.

there also seems to be a growing revival for nostalgia within "pro" wrestling. suddenly there are many fans coming out and demanding to see old school WWF and WCW matches, promos, theme songs, you name it. i was a great fan of all this stuff back in the 80s, and could never really get into the newer stuff after the mid 90s, way too much posturing and interviewing, instead of 2 minutes of posturing and a knock-about 30 minute match in a cage. there was more heart instead of playground bullying, to put it into those terms.

entrance theme for the 'million dollar man' from the early 90s

about.com post for new golfers

2007-05-28T00:43:00.000-07:00

as a semi-experienced golfer, i've forgotten the thrill and joy of the game....here's to learning it again and getting back on the green!

http://golf.about.com/cs/beginnersguide/a/beginnertips.htm

updates since you last read this....

2007-05-28T00:22:00.000-07:00

have done the following since last october.....

-joined the masons

-been to the happiest (and drunkest) place on earth, the magic castle several times

-got trashed in SF for new years and got my friend kicked out of her apt

-saw Wicked in LA

-vacationed in Cabo for the hell of it

-found many more reasons to be annoyed by idiots

-become even more obsessed with video games/gambling/sports

-gotten a great job with a hell of a raise (a job i can rely on)

-realized my body just isnt the same anymore

-nearly passed out from joy with my new home theater setup (114" projected image in full HD, 7.1 channel surround sound, leather couch, oh yea)

-understood and acted on the importance of investing for the future, with the hope that the US will be around long enough for me to realize the fruits of my investments

-put myself on path to pay off student loans and buy a house

.....so life has been crazy and busy...here we go...

(thoughts for the future) jesus, i want an iphone! but i dont want to pay a total 1500$ USD to switch over my entire plan to cingular just for the sake of an improved phone, so i hope verizon comes with something better... i need to be able to text, use google maps and chek email...that too much to ask? all this at the time that my trusty palm has died, so i'm relying solely on my iCal now, so i'm somewhat hindered....not good.....

i'm ITCHING to enter competetive, sanctioned racing...not drag or nascar, more along the lines of rally racing (any suggestions?)

need to become more organized

have begun to learn how to cook, need to continue

need to stop writing posts about self and back to social commentary...

MNF: Chi v. Ari

2006-10-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

WOWWWW!!!!! What was Dennis Green thinking???? Is this forgivable????? Is he on the hottest seat in coaching or not.....this should've been the launching for Leinart & Co. into the BIG-time stage with the biggest upset of the NFL season...they did everything right, except to ignore the coach at the end of the game....what the hell just happened :-/....

tech stuff

2006-10-10T17:01:00.000-07:00

technology is amazing.....blogging from a widget on my mac on a virtual space hosted limitlessly by google....amazing...

i usually hate...

2006-05-05T23:25:00.000-07:00

i find myself at the end of a VERY long week, with only a few days to go...in a mere week i'll finally be a college graduate, but not before at least: (2) two heavy nights of drinking and (2) two papers left to write, including my senior thesis on illegitimacy in jamaica....interesting stuff, i might post excerpts on here...

in any event, the days go by and i wonder what all this will amount to in the end....i wanted the college experience, and i DEFINITELY got it, its been the time of my life, i'm a completely different person now....

the changing of the guard from adolescence to sheltered student to real world is a scary and sudden one.....now, decisions bigger than what to eat are made on a daily basis, and yet, you start to find that the responsibility to take care of things has been in you forever, and you merely chose to ignore it.....

i know, its late, this seems pointless, and it is, but at least i'm living up to my blog posting :)

chuck norris is a BAD BAD man

late night gamer thoughts

2006-05-05T23:24:00.000-07:00

will this translate to lower cost games for the mass market? i figure downloadable small content will run the same, or even less, than the flash game offerings on xbox live, but since the sdk is a mere $2k for all developers across the board, and that its relatively easy (in their words, see the following link) to program for the system, then shouldnt this translate to lower msrp on software????

has nintendo yet mentioned how much games are going to cost? i know they're in it for the profit, but wouldnt it kill to retail all new games at 39.99 if its cheaper to make? they'd still have their profit margins.....just a random late-night thought of a gamer ANXIOUSLY awaiting the ninty/sony/ms conferences and e3 next week.....

this is DEFINITELY a great time to be a gamer.....everyone gets what they want =D

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6149154.html

nash, the mvp

2006-05-03T00:19:00.000-07:00

just saw an infomercial with steve nash peddling one of those "learn
sports the RIGHT way with me" videos.....

he teaches young boys how to dribble awkwardly like a white man, and
then (ha!) how to play defense....this coming from one of the weakest
defenders in the league...

not that i'm hating on nash, great player in my opinion, loved him
since his dallas days (go mavs!!!) just funny that he's selling this
stuff....i dunno....

www.hoopsking.com

funniest shit ever!!!

2006-04-30T17:53:00.000-07:00

big ups to one of my favorite blogs, usless things for posting this, this is insanely awesome....

http://uslessthings.blogspot.com/2006/04/bush-makes-fun-of-himself.html

more on the wii situation.....

2006-04-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

i'm not sure if anyone has read the "hoax" article on the "wii" yet, but it shows some interesting points...

link to article here

in it, the article claims this is a viral scam jsut to get us all talking about nintendo leading to E3 so that we acknowledge all oftheir announcements (which is working like GANGBUSTERS!!!) and the like.....they also note that no trademarks or patents have been filed on names or anything of that sort...

a reader then posts that nintendo of america has announced that they JUST registered the trademarks in the US...another says that they registered the trademark for gamecube jsut after announcing the name as well...

HOWEVER, 2 things.....

.....since when do you HAVE to use a trademark if you register it, ESP if its for a hoax...

two, if you go to revolution.nintendo.com, this is the only page to be found...there is no wii.nintendo.com, instead they purport of www.nintendowii.com, something illogical for the time being; they should have wii.nintendo.com

FINALLY, if you read the title, it says "revolution now called wii"....this implies that they had named the console the revolution but then changed it, but revolution has long since been acknowledged as a code name for the project within nintendo....when the GC came out, there were no notes of "dolphin now called gamecube", it was just "the new console is named gamecube", not that the name had been changed...

on final reflection of all this, it really seems that there is something awry with all of this naming business....i suspect we should all just ignore the "wii" talk until E3 when everything has to be official....nintendo (and their american subsidiaries) are not THAT stupid, they are in fact, geniuses...this is viral....they read gamespot/ign/gamefaqs, they KNOW what people think, and believe you me, if they see that NO ONE is approving of the name, do you think that they will take their CUSTOMER BASE lightly???? i think not....

something about texans...

2006-04-28T11:57:00.000-07:00

so apparently there's a proposed tax on VIDEO GAMES from a texas lawmaker to help support education and such....this from the same state that gives out vouchers to parents who wish to use private schools, while worthwhile, is ludicrious in its suggestions...

not all gamers are children...not all gamers have children....not all gamers care about education....what's more, this seems like some unruly double taxation that is illegal (something akin to gasoline taxes in california, with sales tax ON TOP of the state tax per gallon...but no one ever says anything about that...)

however, this is a terrible suggestion...why would they promote an idea that is individually targeting a product...why not tax cable additionally, or movies, or....how about having some of that BIG OIL down in texas get taxes worth the effort on their windfall profits lately from the surges in gas prices...how about making the people who can afford to pay take the shot, not those that are already struggling and are giving their money away to price gougers as it is...

www.gamespot.com

technology is grand

2006-04-27T15:33:00.000-07:00

learning how to use the simplest of technologies is a helpful
attribute, and i'm surprised and somewhat dumbfounded at people that
are frightened to try new things....i suppose it comes easier to
myself, an admitted technophile, but for the advantages i dont see
why it should be as hard to learn as buying a new cell phone or
something....

has anyone heard about the immigration protests on may 1st? i myself
am the son of immigrant parents and will be supporting...much of the
blame is shifted onto the scapegoat immigrant, and the voice should
be heard...we're under-represented as it is, so every bit
helps...perhaps this will put fear into republican's hearts and make
them listen, for a change...

i also heard today about something from the department of defense,
about offering $1000 as a "prize" to a citizen that can provide the
best suggestion on how to pull troops out of iraq....i heard this in
a class, and the prof noted that he heard it on the daily show (jon
stewart, man of genius), and am curious as to the specifics on
this....from what i heard, jon ripped it a new one when discussing
it....

www.comedycentral.com

and then go under "shows -> the daily show"

first post, i suppose...

2006-04-27T14:52:00.000-07:00

...athough i've probably been going through several ruminations in mind before actually writing it out.

i've long had several thoughts in mind, mostly of personal reference, so i'll just flush them and work on getting used to the posts...

this weekend i have a convention to attend in san luis obispo (i know, the seemingly most odd of places, but the guys i'm seeing there know how to party), where we come up with wonderful stories, such as guys coming out of their hotel rooms at 3 in the morning, completely sloshed (and naked), and deciding to pee over the balcony into a pool...then getting tackled by 3 security guards and threatened to be taken to the police station in just that state....ahh it's this type of fun we look forward to at conventions...

is anyone else paying attention to the video game developments? suddenly there's controversy from fans over what they want in video games, how they want it named and what they want....its almost democratizing, in a sense...before, we, the fans, would just buy whatever seemed appealing, and now we have demands....

being an avid sports fan, i'm usually hooked to the espn.com web page and i'm a huge fan of bill simmon's writing, he's one of the best...this week he has an interview with the writing team behind 'rounders' and 'knockaround guys', who also happen to be writing ocean's 13....in the interview, simmons poses the "why no rounders 2" question, where he gives his own pitch to what should happen....after reading it, i swore i couldve done the same, he described a perfect male fantasy movie - tons of money, gambling, hot women, gratuitous nudity and sex, along with controversy and vegas....i'll be the first to say that i think he's found the formula we can follow from now on....

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060420