So are you all like, Ahhhhhh Yeahhhhhh!! at the impending release of the Lasonic i931 iPod Boombox (aka Ghetto Blaster).
Or are you all like uh, yeah? Just don't sit next to me on the subway with this thing.
If boomers can continue to get all nostalgic for stuff from 1968, then why shouldn't folks my age and younger relive 1986?
07 January 2008
What About Levi Stubbs
Everyone's so wrapped up in Hillary's tears (or lack thereof), whatabout Levi Stubbs?
(Billy Bragg is bloody brilliant as a musician, even if he as bleedin' communist)
(Billy Bragg is bloody brilliant as a musician, even if he as bleedin' communist)
NFL Pick Results: Wild Card Weekend
Ouch. My picks weren't insensible, it was the results that were senseless.
Eli Manning figuring out how to win a playoff game? Never gonna happen. Seattle is really, really good? Can't be. The Pittsburgh game was a push, but it seemed like they were going to complete the comeback and make me look a bit smarter. At least San Diego played well and saved me from a weekend without any successful picks.
So I went 1-2-1 while My Nemesis Bill Simmons™ went 2-1-1. He was smart to ignore the 'team on a roll' aspect of the Seattle-Washington game, and picked according to home field, talent, and coaching (Gibbs was outcoached by Holmgren in that game).
Eli made 'the face', and yet his team still won going away. Tampa Bay just weren't very good.
I'm looking forward to next week's match-ups, though. Will New England roll, or will they be tight fighting history and a solid Jacksonville team? Will San Diego build off of their win at home and have success on the road against a beatable Indianapolis team (one they beat earlier this year)? Will the Cowboys be ready for the Giants, a team they handled easily twice this year, or will NY get the upset? Will Holmgren be able to bedevil the QB he coached to two Superbowl victories and beat Green Bay on the frozen tundra? Will I be able to make up for this week's miserable showing and go 4-0 with my picks this upcoming weekend?
Only time will tell.
Eli Manning figuring out how to win a playoff game? Never gonna happen. Seattle is really, really good? Can't be. The Pittsburgh game was a push, but it seemed like they were going to complete the comeback and make me look a bit smarter. At least San Diego played well and saved me from a weekend without any successful picks.
So I went 1-2-1 while My Nemesis Bill Simmons™ went 2-1-1. He was smart to ignore the 'team on a roll' aspect of the Seattle-Washington game, and picked according to home field, talent, and coaching (Gibbs was outcoached by Holmgren in that game).
Eli made 'the face', and yet his team still won going away. Tampa Bay just weren't very good.
I'm looking forward to next week's match-ups, though. Will New England roll, or will they be tight fighting history and a solid Jacksonville team? Will San Diego build off of their win at home and have success on the road against a beatable Indianapolis team (one they beat earlier this year)? Will the Cowboys be ready for the Giants, a team they handled easily twice this year, or will NY get the upset? Will Holmgren be able to bedevil the QB he coached to two Superbowl victories and beat Green Bay on the frozen tundra? Will I be able to make up for this week's miserable showing and go 4-0 with my picks this upcoming weekend?
Only time will tell.
06 January 2008
With Numbers Like That, Of Course That Means You Should Build Out Even More . . .
(hat tip Ed Driscoll)
David Freddoso blogging at the corner, points to this old post by Peter Gordon (Sept 2006) about the costs of light rail in Los Angeles and is highly critical of a LAT article (which he reprints in full, infringilistically, but given that LAT links get buried into their pay per view pages, what else can you do? seems like pretty fair use to me) that leaves out the costly details of what more light rail would mean with the desired Westside Expo Line expansion.
Our local politicians are enamored of rail, anyway. Doesn't matter that ridership is light, the effect on traffic has been minimal, and the ability for rail to lure people who can afford to drive out of their cars has proven elusive. We have too many traffic planners who are refugees from places with established rail systems that were built decades ago. They think because rail works in a city like NYC or Chicago, that it can work here, too. They're not entirely wrong, but the cost for rail today is prohibitive, if the old Red Cars stayed in operation and had been improved and expanded over the past 50 years, then rail would be great for Los Angeles, but that's not the world we live in. The reality is, light rail is a turn of the last century solution that is impossible to intergrate into a large urban/suburban area with a multitude of destinations and nothing that approaches a central gathering point. We are a diffuse city, a diverse city, with people going every which way, starting from every which place. Rail doesn't serve that kind of city well, and never will. Metro Rail is still based on the Downtown LA as a vibrant hub fallacy. Downtown is experiencing a rebirth, and is becoming more vibrant, but as a hub for travel for people going about their daily business around SoCal, it stinks. Even if the cost weren't prohibitive, the Los Angeles culture is car oriented now, and nothing short of a major change in the social and economic structure will change that.
I'd probably benefit personally from a rail line that came close to my house (which the proposed Expo Line would), and use it pretty frequently, but that doesn't stop me from thinking that it's a really bad idea.
David Freddoso blogging at the corner, points to this old post by Peter Gordon (Sept 2006) about the costs of light rail in Los Angeles and is highly critical of a LAT article (which he reprints in full, infringilistically, but given that LAT links get buried into their pay per view pages, what else can you do? seems like pretty fair use to me) that leaves out the costly details of what more light rail would mean with the desired Westside Expo Line expansion.
Our local politicians are enamored of rail, anyway. Doesn't matter that ridership is light, the effect on traffic has been minimal, and the ability for rail to lure people who can afford to drive out of their cars has proven elusive. We have too many traffic planners who are refugees from places with established rail systems that were built decades ago. They think because rail works in a city like NYC or Chicago, that it can work here, too. They're not entirely wrong, but the cost for rail today is prohibitive, if the old Red Cars stayed in operation and had been improved and expanded over the past 50 years, then rail would be great for Los Angeles, but that's not the world we live in. The reality is, light rail is a turn of the last century solution that is impossible to intergrate into a large urban/suburban area with a multitude of destinations and nothing that approaches a central gathering point. We are a diffuse city, a diverse city, with people going every which way, starting from every which place. Rail doesn't serve that kind of city well, and never will. Metro Rail is still based on the Downtown LA as a vibrant hub fallacy. Downtown is experiencing a rebirth, and is becoming more vibrant, but as a hub for travel for people going about their daily business around SoCal, it stinks. Even if the cost weren't prohibitive, the Los Angeles culture is car oriented now, and nothing short of a major change in the social and economic structure will change that.
I'd probably benefit personally from a rail line that came close to my house (which the proposed Expo Line would), and use it pretty frequently, but that doesn't stop me from thinking that it's a really bad idea.
The Petland on W. Charleston in Las Vegas Thought It Was a Strange Request . . .
. . . but nevertheless fulfilled the order for 2 corgi, 1 labrador, and 3 jack russell terrier puppies to the suite occupied by Prof. Reynolds.
Mmmmm, blended puppies.
(and yes, I'm jealous, I should be the one getting paid to gawk at electronics, type cryptic missives, and drink free booze in Vegas this week)
As far as CES 2008 coverage, I'm favoring Gizmodo's coverage, anyway.
.
.
.
.
.
(and had they known Prof. Reynolds' reputation with regards to puppies and blenders, they never would have sent the doggies over)
Mmmmm, blended puppies.
(and yes, I'm jealous, I should be the one getting paid to gawk at electronics, type cryptic missives, and drink free booze in Vegas this week)
As far as CES 2008 coverage, I'm favoring Gizmodo's coverage, anyway.
.
.
.
.
.
(and had they known Prof. Reynolds' reputation with regards to puppies and blenders, they never would have sent the doggies over)
05 January 2008
And Now For Something Completely Standard . . .
(with apologies to LGF, who used this gimmick recently)
Wii Stuff, Let's Talk Virtual Console
I'm a big fan of the VC. I like being able to download fairly inexpensive versions of classic games from the 8bit and 16bit era (and even the Nintendo 64 games, which while 64bit weren't really much more advanced than the 32bit PS2).
So far I've downloaded Super Mario 3, which I didn't pick up first time around, so it's new to me. It's a fun take on the original, with lots of twists, it's probably the apotheosis of Miyamoto designed side-scrolling action.
I've also downloaded Tecmo Bowl, cause it's Tecmo Bowl, and anyone who knows what that means know how important of a game that is (screw those fancy-schmancy people with their Tecmo Super Bowl). It's a shame that the tiny pixellated players and teams aren't identified by their real world names anymore, retired players aren't under the NFL license exclusive to EASports, but guess Tecmo and Nintendo didn't want to negotiate with all the individuals. But I know that when I play Denver, the QB is Elway, even if he's not identified in this version, and I know that if I play as Los Angeles (which is basically cheating in this game), their RB is utterly unstoppable, just look at these real world examples from back in the day. I was still a Raiders fan back then, it was pretty easy to be in those days.
The last downloaded game, I haven't tried yet, but it gets crazy good reviews and has topped more than one list of best games of all time, so I figured it was worth $10 to sample.
Now they just need to support external hard drives so that they can offer larger games for download. Sega is supporting Virtual Console games, and I'd love to see Dreamcast games available, but they're probably too big for the current flash based storage set up. Let me hook up a 250gb hard drive, and I'd be happy to download reasonably priced Dreamcast, Gamecube, more expansive new WiiWare content, and maybe some really accurate arcade ports from the golden era all the way up to the late 90s. I know you can do it Nintendo, make it happen already.
So far I've downloaded Super Mario 3, which I didn't pick up first time around, so it's new to me. It's a fun take on the original, with lots of twists, it's probably the apotheosis of Miyamoto designed side-scrolling action.
I've also downloaded Tecmo Bowl, cause it's Tecmo Bowl, and anyone who knows what that means know how important of a game that is (screw those fancy-schmancy people with their Tecmo Super Bowl). It's a shame that the tiny pixellated players and teams aren't identified by their real world names anymore, retired players aren't under the NFL license exclusive to EASports, but guess Tecmo and Nintendo didn't want to negotiate with all the individuals. But I know that when I play Denver, the QB is Elway, even if he's not identified in this version, and I know that if I play as Los Angeles (which is basically cheating in this game), their RB is utterly unstoppable, just look at these real world examples from back in the day. I was still a Raiders fan back then, it was pretty easy to be in those days.
The last downloaded game, I haven't tried yet, but it gets crazy good reviews and has topped more than one list of best games of all time, so I figured it was worth $10 to sample.
Now they just need to support external hard drives so that they can offer larger games for download. Sega is supporting Virtual Console games, and I'd love to see Dreamcast games available, but they're probably too big for the current flash based storage set up. Let me hook up a 250gb hard drive, and I'd be happy to download reasonably priced Dreamcast, Gamecube, more expansive new WiiWare content, and maybe some really accurate arcade ports from the golden era all the way up to the late 90s. I know you can do it Nintendo, make it happen already.
BluRay v HD-DVD, Is the Battle Over?
Probably so, the Warner Bros. announcement to go exclusively with BluRay is probably a big deal. This gives BluRay a huge market share advantage over HD-DVD when it comes to exclusive titles on the HD disc formats, and given that BluRay players sold much better over the Christmas season (the numbers are distorted by PS3 sales, but plenty of people by those for the movies and the games), BluRay is well positioned.
Sony finally won one of these format wars, good for them.
I guess porn wasn't the deciding factor some thought it would be.
Sony finally won one of these format wars, good for them.
I guess porn wasn't the deciding factor some thought it would be.
No Comment
Male Monkeys 'Pay' for Sex With Grooming
(OK, one comment, and that's different from human behavior how?)
(OK, one comment, and that's different from human behavior how?)
Laker Chat III: The Boys II Men Edition
Are we seeing the boyish Lakers (3rd youngest roster in the league, and if you tossed out Derek Fisher, the youngest), finally turn into manish Lakers?
I think so, and since their fantastic performance came against the lowly Philly 76ers, seemed like a natural time for a Boys II Men reference.
The Lakers box score from Friday night was a thing of beauty, 10 players suited up, 10 players scored, no player played more than 30 minutes, no player played less than 10 minutes (even Coby Karl played 12 minutes and scored 4 points. Not only that, they scored 124 points while holding their opponent to 93, and no player scored more than 20 points, Javaris Crittenton, their seldom used rookie point guard was the high scoring Laker at 19. Coby Karl was the only player to shoot less than 50% from the field (1-3), and the team's field goal percentage was a remarkable 66.2% (largely thanks to lousy Philly defense).
Trouncing a lousy team at home normally isn't something to point at, but the Lakers of the past few years used to have let downs in these situations, and so far this year, these Lakers have been much better at stepping on the throats of bad teams and not letting them get back up. For a team to get to 50 to 55 wins, that's what they need to do consistently. Of course, they also need to play better when faced with an elite team like when they played Boston last Sunday. That game was a nightmare, and not just cause of the unfortunate short shorts experiment.
And cause you know you're probably humming this tune, here's the link to the video.
I think so, and since their fantastic performance came against the lowly Philly 76ers, seemed like a natural time for a Boys II Men reference.
The Lakers box score from Friday night was a thing of beauty, 10 players suited up, 10 players scored, no player played more than 30 minutes, no player played less than 10 minutes (even Coby Karl played 12 minutes and scored 4 points. Not only that, they scored 124 points while holding their opponent to 93, and no player scored more than 20 points, Javaris Crittenton, their seldom used rookie point guard was the high scoring Laker at 19. Coby Karl was the only player to shoot less than 50% from the field (1-3), and the team's field goal percentage was a remarkable 66.2% (largely thanks to lousy Philly defense).
Trouncing a lousy team at home normally isn't something to point at, but the Lakers of the past few years used to have let downs in these situations, and so far this year, these Lakers have been much better at stepping on the throats of bad teams and not letting them get back up. For a team to get to 50 to 55 wins, that's what they need to do consistently. Of course, they also need to play better when faced with an elite team like when they played Boston last Sunday. That game was a nightmare, and not just cause of the unfortunate short shorts experiment.
And cause you know you're probably humming this tune, here's the link to the video.
04 January 2008
It's Friday Foreign Culture Time!!!
I don't know enough Japanese to really know what the hell is going on here, but certain things transcend language, and one of those things is young attractive women robing and disrobing in various outfits. But that's not all, you also have many close ups of cleavage for no discernible reason, inappropriate use of slo-mo, and guys oil wrestling in their underwear in the foreground.
Please to enjoy Merry Merry! Getting Dressed Outfit Game!
(If Callimachus can do his Friday Cat Blogging each week, I figure I might as well show my appreciation for all the great cultural treats available on YouTube from around the globe as well)
That Ain't Right . . .
. . . in the Daily Mail this week was an article on a report that indicated that female genital mutilation is being practiced in Great Britain with alarming regularity and under appaling conditions.
Not much to say, other than this is what multi-culti "all cultures are alike and equally good" thinking will get you. If assimilation was the goal for immigrants, than disgusting tribal tortures of this kind wouldn't be practiced in a 'civilized' country. This practice is primarily (though not exclusively) an Islamic practice prevalent throughout Northern and Western Africa to varying degrees, though almost universally banned officially, is still practiced with alarming regularity.
Woman at Point Zero, by Egyptian author Nawal El Saadawi, is a short novel that will leave you very depressed (but it's well written and worth reading) and full of hate towards the kind of men and women that would force this on a child, but it's the kind of hate you should be filled with.
Not much to say, other than this is what multi-culti "all cultures are alike and equally good" thinking will get you. If assimilation was the goal for immigrants, than disgusting tribal tortures of this kind wouldn't be practiced in a 'civilized' country. This practice is primarily (though not exclusively) an Islamic practice prevalent throughout Northern and Western Africa to varying degrees, though almost universally banned officially, is still practiced with alarming regularity.
Woman at Point Zero, by Egyptian author Nawal El Saadawi, is a short novel that will leave you very depressed (but it's well written and worth reading) and full of hate towards the kind of men and women that would force this on a child, but it's the kind of hate you should be filled with.
NFL Playoff Picks: Week One --- Wild Card Weekend
Four games this week, it's Wild Card Weekend. Next week is the best week the NFL has to offer, but this is a close 3rd or 4th (1st is next week, 2nd is the Conference championships, and 3rd or 4th is the Superbowl itself depending on the matchup).
Saturday's games
Washington at Seattle (Washington +3.5)
Seattle is excellent at home, but Washington has been playing very well lately, and I think that solid play will continue. This isn't a sensible pick, it's more of a gut feeling pick.
Jacksonville at Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh +2.0)
Jacksonville has been playing pretty well, and beat Pittsburgh once this season already (in Pittsburgh). The field will be a mess, the score will be low, and I think Pittsburgh has more experience in these situations and that will help them prevail in this contest.
Sunday's games
New York Giants at Tampa Bay (Tampa Bay -2.5)
In Garcia I trust? Not really, but the NY Giants are a pretty awful team (their performance against the Pats was an abberation) an awful lot of the time, despite their 10-6 record. Tampa Bay will play well at home, and win this game handily.
Tennessee at San Diego (San Diego -9.0)
In Norv Turner I trust? Not even close, but the Chargers are playing well, the Titans aren't, and are unsettled at QB. The Chargers should dominate this game from both sides of the ball, and the Chargers defense will bottle up the Brown and White show while the Chargers offense will see LT running wild. Should be a blowout.
Saturday should be a couple of low scoring, but close contests, while Sunday will be a day of blowouts. Home teams ought to do pretty well this weekend, I think Washington is the only road team with a chance at winning. If I had to arrange these picks in order of confidence I'd have them ordered as follows: 1.SD 2.TB 3.DC 4.Pitt.
My Nemesis Bill Simmons™ also makes his picks, after a long explanation of why he sucked so bad this year, and why he won't suck equally hard while picking the playoff games the rest of the way. We disagree on both Saturday games, and agree on both Sunday games, most likely we'll both go 2-2.
Saturday's games
Washington at Seattle (Washington +3.5)
Seattle is excellent at home, but Washington has been playing very well lately, and I think that solid play will continue. This isn't a sensible pick, it's more of a gut feeling pick.
Jacksonville at Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh +2.0)
Jacksonville has been playing pretty well, and beat Pittsburgh once this season already (in Pittsburgh). The field will be a mess, the score will be low, and I think Pittsburgh has more experience in these situations and that will help them prevail in this contest.
Sunday's games
New York Giants at Tampa Bay (Tampa Bay -2.5)
In Garcia I trust? Not really, but the NY Giants are a pretty awful team (their performance against the Pats was an abberation) an awful lot of the time, despite their 10-6 record. Tampa Bay will play well at home, and win this game handily.
Tennessee at San Diego (San Diego -9.0)
In Norv Turner I trust? Not even close, but the Chargers are playing well, the Titans aren't, and are unsettled at QB. The Chargers should dominate this game from both sides of the ball, and the Chargers defense will bottle up the Brown and White show while the Chargers offense will see LT running wild. Should be a blowout.
Saturday should be a couple of low scoring, but close contests, while Sunday will be a day of blowouts. Home teams ought to do pretty well this weekend, I think Washington is the only road team with a chance at winning. If I had to arrange these picks in order of confidence I'd have them ordered as follows: 1.SD 2.TB 3.DC 4.Pitt.
My Nemesis Bill Simmons™ also makes his picks, after a long explanation of why he sucked so bad this year, and why he won't suck equally hard while picking the playoff games the rest of the way. We disagree on both Saturday games, and agree on both Sunday games, most likely we'll both go 2-2.
Late Night Shows: The Returnination Part II (The Rest, Belatedly)
I posted the first part quickly since I watched it at broadcast. The rest I watched the DVR saved versions the following day, and since I mentioned Jimmy, might as well mention the rest.
First up, Letterman, he sucked. Writers don't help, as predicted, everything was about the strike, and the jokes weren't funny. Also, Robin Williams was as unfunny as he's been the past 25 years. I seem to remember a time when he was funny, but it's fading so far into the distant past, that it might just be an echo of a fond memory not really associated with Robin Williams.
Next up Craig Ferguson, he was goofy. He talked the solidarity game, but he also mentioned the horror that was Great Britain in the 70s and the endless, pointless, and violent strikes. Sounds to me that he's not fully behind the WGA in this matter.
On to the scabtastic NBC line-up. Leno was dancing as fast as he could. He was loose, and dumb, and mostly unfunny, but really sincere. He's one of the hardest working men in show biz, and it shows. Huckster came on and was his usual huckstering self. I really loathe him, but he's good at what he does, and that appearance probably did him a lot of good (it was one of the highest rated Tonight Shows in years, so much for labor solidarity).
Finally, Conan, he was absurd, and I liked it. Especially the little Rockband part in the segment embedded above. Who else but Conan would do Edith Bunker singing Beastie Boys? Saget was his usually Saget-y self. He's a really disturbing presence, which isn't entirely a bad thing.
The fact that this is up on YouTube, and will be seen by more folks that way then watched it as it aired is part of the problem with the negotiating stance of both sides. The producers will most likely get this pulled at some point, NBC has their own video service, but they don't let you embed it cause they want to force your eyeballs to their site and their banner ads. But consumers don't want that, consumers want what they want, and a low res replay of a segment that aired on free TV shouldn't be something that is unshareable in most people's minds. So you have the studios fighting to keep this stuff under their control, you have the writers demanding to get paid on a per viewer basis for this sort of use, and you have the producers saying that there aren't any satisfactory ways to count viewers or ensure profitability if they start dividing up revenue in that manner. The producers are right, they should pay the writers more up front, and in return benefit from more cost certainty as their product ages. That way, they could relax a bit about copyright issues, and be able to let consumers share low res versions all they want, however they want, while retaining control for sale or advertising revenue of the higher res versions. That's a business model that could work, but not if they have to worry about all the crazy residuals rigamorale as they do with TV and foreign rights. That's a model that doesn't fit the internet, and can only stiffle innovation and creative risk taking. If artists really want to reap the rewards available from the internet, then sell direct, don't do it through the studios, if you want to play with studio money, then you need to accept studio rules. The WGA doesn't have a monopoly on artistry, and the producers no longer have a monopoly on distribution, there's room for everyone to make money, and once the WGA caves on most of these issues, they will get back to making money again (though whatever deal is struck, the writers on strike now will never make back the money they've already lost, that's what you get for living your Eugene V. Debs dreams).
First up, Letterman, he sucked. Writers don't help, as predicted, everything was about the strike, and the jokes weren't funny. Also, Robin Williams was as unfunny as he's been the past 25 years. I seem to remember a time when he was funny, but it's fading so far into the distant past, that it might just be an echo of a fond memory not really associated with Robin Williams.
Next up Craig Ferguson, he was goofy. He talked the solidarity game, but he also mentioned the horror that was Great Britain in the 70s and the endless, pointless, and violent strikes. Sounds to me that he's not fully behind the WGA in this matter.
On to the scabtastic NBC line-up. Leno was dancing as fast as he could. He was loose, and dumb, and mostly unfunny, but really sincere. He's one of the hardest working men in show biz, and it shows. Huckster came on and was his usual huckstering self. I really loathe him, but he's good at what he does, and that appearance probably did him a lot of good (it was one of the highest rated Tonight Shows in years, so much for labor solidarity).
Finally, Conan, he was absurd, and I liked it. Especially the little Rockband part in the segment embedded above. Who else but Conan would do Edith Bunker singing Beastie Boys? Saget was his usually Saget-y self. He's a really disturbing presence, which isn't entirely a bad thing.
The fact that this is up on YouTube, and will be seen by more folks that way then watched it as it aired is part of the problem with the negotiating stance of both sides. The producers will most likely get this pulled at some point, NBC has their own video service, but they don't let you embed it cause they want to force your eyeballs to their site and their banner ads. But consumers don't want that, consumers want what they want, and a low res replay of a segment that aired on free TV shouldn't be something that is unshareable in most people's minds. So you have the studios fighting to keep this stuff under their control, you have the writers demanding to get paid on a per viewer basis for this sort of use, and you have the producers saying that there aren't any satisfactory ways to count viewers or ensure profitability if they start dividing up revenue in that manner. The producers are right, they should pay the writers more up front, and in return benefit from more cost certainty as their product ages. That way, they could relax a bit about copyright issues, and be able to let consumers share low res versions all they want, however they want, while retaining control for sale or advertising revenue of the higher res versions. That's a business model that could work, but not if they have to worry about all the crazy residuals rigamorale as they do with TV and foreign rights. That's a model that doesn't fit the internet, and can only stiffle innovation and creative risk taking. If artists really want to reap the rewards available from the internet, then sell direct, don't do it through the studios, if you want to play with studio money, then you need to accept studio rules. The WGA doesn't have a monopoly on artistry, and the producers no longer have a monopoly on distribution, there's room for everyone to make money, and once the WGA caves on most of these issues, they will get back to making money again (though whatever deal is struck, the writers on strike now will never make back the money they've already lost, that's what you get for living your Eugene V. Debs dreams).
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