Wednesday, August 31, 2005

BlogDay 2005

August 31 is BlogDay

So try these five blogs out:

1 - Jets Blog (where I found out about this "BlogDay")
2 - Google Blog - How long will it be before Google goes from "Company That Makes Cool Stuff I Like" to "Powerful Media Conglomerate That I Hate Due to Privacy Abuses?"
3 - Funny photos
4 - Ars Technica - Technology
5 - Med Student in the Midwest. He sort of babbles a little bit.

Hmph. . Can I get more hits?

Sunday, August 28, 2005

Game Recap

Here's a screen capture of the Yankees game recap from their 8/26 game against Kansas City. What a great headline! See the original link here.



*Thanks to the friend who pointed this out to me.

Friday, August 26, 2005

Cell Phones in the Subway

I guess this means we'll have to retire the white lie, "Uh sorry, I was in the subway and couldn't talk to you."

The Who

The Who should make another album and call it, "Who's Left" or "Who's Remaining."

*ba dum bum*

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

To: Mike Mussina

Mike,

I need you to come through for my fantasy team. I know it's not your highest priority right now, but you're a key contributor to the staff. We're in the home stretch and we've put together a nice run recently for first place. You are one of the aces of my pitching staff. Sure, Kris Benson and Carlos Zambrano are there to help anchor things, but they are just too inconsistant to rely on. I need wins from you, Mike because I don't like to finish second, just like your boss.

Tonight's outing was a bit disappointing, to say the least. When you had the bases loaded in the fifth inning, it reminded me of a start that you had on August 3 against Cleveland where you were cruising along and suddenly imploded in a game the Yankees eventually lost. The same thing seemed to happen tonight. What happened? Please don't let this happen again. I know you're doing your best but I need you to try even harder.

Thank you,
Blogman

China - Part 4

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Welcome to my fourth posting related to ten days in China. This one has quite a few images, but if I think there may be about two more posts to this virtual vacation slide show and I really only want to do about two more.




These first two photos are from the city of Chongqing, which faced a lot of the troubles in WWII. Now, it's a pretty big manufacturing center. There's not a lot of bicycles because the landscape is so hilly. Instead there are a lot of motorcycles, and even motorcycle taxis! What was striking about the city is that you would see a lot of development coupled with a lot of poverty. You can see a little of this in these two photos, taken from about the same area of the city. The first shows more commercial development, and the second has a bit more of a run down buildling.

We went to a Szechuan hot pot restaurant that was pretty cool. You wouldn't see anything like it in the states. The pot in the center had a spicy broth, and then a little conveyor belt (only this was small wooden boats in water) would bring around a bunch of ingredients you could cook in the hot pot. Lots of different, unidentifiable meats, including some organ meat (we also saw brain float by). Might not have been that sanitary. Fortunately, none of us got sick.

The reason we were in Chongqing was that we went on a Yangtze River boat cruise. The scenic highlight are the Three Gorges along the river. There's a hydroelectric dam that will be completed in 2009, and this may affect the way the gorges and other upstream sights appear since upstream water level will rise about 175 meters.



The photo above is of the first of the three gorges. On the ten yuan bill, there is a photo of this area. Here's one scan I found on the 'net of the bill.





The two photos above come from the second gorge, which has a number of sights such as the rhinocerous gorge (first photo) and the goddess gorge (second photo). The "goddess" of the goddess gorge is the little nub to the right of the two large protrusions. Pretty tiny, and we were fortunate it wasn't too foggy.








As the weather got better that day, we made a stop off, got on a ferry and travelled down the Shennong stream. The first three photos are photos of the stream. The ferry took us to these 15 person boats with four-man crews. When the water got really shallow, instead of rowing, the guys got out and pulled the boat (see the fourth photo). Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of the boats these guys were pulling. I was also sad that I didn't capture them taking cigarette breaks while there was a little bit of a break.

No Respect?

Sometimes I hate how people say the NFL Champs don't get any respect. They are one of the most covered football teams in the league. But today I saw a poll on ESPN.com that made me think that maybe they the "no respect" mantra isn't just talk.



They've won three out of the last four championships, have a coach who is considered a defensive "genius" and don't even make it on to espn.com's crummy little poll. I suppose that is the definition of "no respect."

Here are the poll results. Maybe they need a few more crooks on the team so they can be "noticed."

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

24

As I watch the third season of 24 (the only season I have not seen in its entirety) it dawns on me that much of the show's success isn't just from the action and plot twists, but much of the drama is predicated on relationships, particularly family relationships. Primarly it seems to be the parent/child relationships, but inter-sibling and husband/wife relationships are also quite common.

Spam Comment

I just got a spam comment! What a hassle.

Troops

I'm in a little bit of a political mood.

Many people like to suggest that we need to have an "end date" for our troops in Iraq. Setting any discussion of whether or not we should be in Iraq in the first place aside, if anyone thinks that there will be a complete US withdrawl of troops anytime soon, they're kidding themselves. As far as I can tell, the only major conflict of the last 60 years where we didn't leave troops behind was the Vietnam War. Germany, Japan, Korea, all have US troops still stationed there. Granted, in the case of the former Axis powers the roles of the troops have changed, but still, we have maintained our positions. We also still maintain a base in Cuba, although we just recently left the Phillipines. Let's face it, while the troop presence in Iraq may be reduced, some of our men are out there for the long haul. To expect we'll be completely gone in a year or even five years so seems unrealistic and unfair to public expectations, soldiers and Iraqis.

Doesn't Seem Very Christian

Pat Robertson suggested that if the US was planning on assassinating Venezuela's head of state Hugo Chavez, we should. Wait a tick, did he just say we should kill him? I'm no Bible expert, but...

He also goes on to say that Chavez would like to make Venezuela "a launching pad for Communist infiltration and Muslim extremism all over the continent" and that it's our responsibility to stop him because he is operating in "our sphere of influence." Amazing, he's able to draw references from the 1950's, current day, and the 1800's. I think the last time I heard the term, "sphere of influence" I was 15 and we were talking about the Boxer Rebellion in US History class. Who else in this world has spheres of influence right now anyways? Are the Spaniards making a come back?

Monday, August 22, 2005

Subway Talking

Recently I've had a knack for picking the subway car that has the person sitting on the end having the louder than normal conversation. Typically, this isn't a problem, it's just slightly annoying because the conversations are louder than my iPod volume. But occasionally the conversation is quite loud, filled with obscenities, and involves only one person. When a conversation involves just one person, you have to be concerned.

Saturday, August 20, 2005

Junk Mail

I respect the institution of direct-mail marketing that is junk mail. I accept that I will receive junk mail from time to time (including the possibility of daily). But I just received two pieces of junk mail that rub me the wrong way.

First, the pre-approval notices keep coming in for an American Express Blue card. Great, I can sign right up! Wait, I already have an American Express Blue card. Now I'm pre-approved for another one? As Charlie Brown would say, aaaaugh!

Second, I purchased something from the NFL store for someone and it was Patriots gear. Everything was fine except now I receive Patriots store mailings. I don't really like the Patriots, now I keep getting the Patriots junk mail catalog. Super. As if I need to be reminded again and again who the Super Bowl champs are. Side note: I'm getting pessimistic about the Jets given how often the national pundits are talking about their chances for the postseason this year. When the sports talking heads are enthusiastic about your football team, it's not always a good sign.

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Chicken Fries

What exactly are chicken fries? I saw an ad for them in a Burger King in Manhattan.



Are they chicken in the shape of french fries? Or are they some sort of fried chicken / potato combination, bringing together the best of both worlds? After looking them up on the internet, it's clear that they are purely chicken, and very reminiscent of the White Castle chicken rings.


Which part of the chicken is the ring?

Book Drop

It's been a while since my last post, but that's partly because for my 500th post, I wanted to create something worth reading.

Here goes:

I went to the library yesterday to return a book. I knew the library was closed at the time I went, but I figured I could leave the book in the book drop. That seems like a fairly reasonable expectation, after all, libraries invented the book drop.

When I got to the library, which has two sets of double doors at its entrance, I noticed that the book drop was between the sets of doors. Pulling on the outer door in order to reach the book drop, I found it was locked. I checked again. The outer door was locked, making the book drop inaccessible. What then, is the point of this book drop?

As a side note, I thought that perhaps the book drop was no longer used because people dropped more than books in it. After all, this is New York City.

Friday, August 12, 2005

This Week In Baseball

Summed up by three amazing plays and one semi-rare occurrence.

Three amazing plays. Sorry I don't have video / images of these.

1) David Wright's barehanded catch in Tuesday night's Mets / Padres game. He got an ovation from the opposition fans!

2) K-Rod's lapse of judgment and Jason Kendall's great steal of home to win the game for the A's in extra innings. What a great play by Kendall!

3) Mike Cameron colliding with Carlos Beltran in Thursday afternoon's Mets / Padres gams. Hopefully they are okay. Later in the game, Cliff Floyd was hit on the knee by a pitch and Roberto Hernandez had a ground ball hit him in the hand. The Mets also lost the game.

For the first time, post-9/11 a fan jumped into the net behind home plate at the Yankees game. There was a ton of press coverage about this, and the fan got put in jail. But, pre-9/11 this actually happened once before (and I hadn't noticed it in any articles until I checked google) but back then there definitely wasn't as much coverage of the event.

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Football Prediction

While I've got football on the brain following the Ty Law signing, and WFAN's visit to Jets camp, where they interviewed Herm Edwards, Terry Bradway, Donnie Henderson, Mike Heimerdinger, Chad Pennington, Jonathan Vilma, Eric Coleman, Pete Kendall and Ben Graham, here's a little prediction I cooked up from a discussion I had the other day with a friend.

*Out of the twelve playoff teams in the NFL in the 2005-2006 season, five to seven of them will have qualified in the playoffs from the 2004-2005 season.*

Not an "official" prediction, but it's likely that three of these will be New England, Indianapolis and Philadelphia. I just hope the Jets will be one of the teams as well.

Monday, August 08, 2005

Two NY Sports Notes

Note 1

The New York Jets look to sign Pro Bowl CB Ty Law today, a move that should definitely improve the defense, even if Law still is not 100% from his foot injury last season. Unfortunately, it sounds like the team will also have to cut 10-year veteran Ray Mickens to make room for Law. While this move will add a spark to the recently one-sided Jets / Patriots rivalry, which has gotten a bit stale since Bill Parcells left the area, it's a bit sad to see Mickens, the Jet with the second-longest tenure on the team let go. Mickens has never been an outstanding player but he's been consistant and durable throughout his career (until last season's injury) and due to his smaller physical size (5' 8", 180 lbs) has been a bit of an underdog who has been easy to root for. Perhaps they can bring him back at a lesser salary.

Note 2

I try not to link to other blogs on this site, as an effort to keep the content fresh (no pun intended) but this transcript of banter between Ken Singleton and Michael Kay was too easy to pass up. I guess when the tv stations go to commercials, the microphones aren't always off on MLB.tv. It's too bad I can't get MLB.tv because the Yankees and Mets are blacked out for anyone living in NYC. Hearing this sort of banter would be worth the price alone.

Friday, August 05, 2005

China - Part 3 - Terra Cotta Soliders

When we last left off my China trip virtual slide show, we were in the city of Xi'an. Just outside of the city are many tombs of leaders and a very well known cultural site, the terra cotta warriors. They were found thirty years ago by some farmer who was digging a well. I thought that was both funny and remarkable. The government has invested a lot in trying to publicize the soldiers and the cultural value. I think the farmer who found the soldiers is still alive and signs autographs.

There are three main pits with soldiers in them. The "first pit" is the largest, and that is where the first three photos are from. The "second" pit is smaller and did not allow photography. The "third" pit was the smallest and the fourth photo is from that site. There was one area where soldiers were removed from the pit areas and put on display. The final photos are all close ups of those soldiers.

This entire site is pretty wonderous, from the garden outside to the large airplane hangar-like structures that house the soldiers. In the parking lot, it's pretty sad, as there are many peasants trying to sell you trinkets, and these peasants will swarm around you the moment they realize you're from out of town.

An amazing site, and a highlight of my trip. Enjoy the photos.











Switch Pitcher

The other night two baseball observations of mine came together to form one great dream.

The first, which was actually made by my brother, was that no modern player will ever be able to be called, "The Greatest Yankee Ever." Why not? Because Babe Ruth has that title. Not only was Ruth one of the best Yankees ever, he's one of the greatest figures in professional sports ever. This means, even if a player is truly great, and a Yankee, he would still probably have to share the title of "Greatest Yankee" with Ruth.

So how could a player become the "Greatest Yankee" beyond Babe Ruth? Well, they'd probably have to change the game so dramatically that there would be no option but to call him so. A player like Barry Bonds or A-Rod won't make it. Sure, they are great players, perhaps some of the greatest in their time, but they aren't on the level of Babe Ruth. When Ruth hit 59 HR in 1921, the second most HR were hit by Ken Williams. Williams only had 24 HR. Ruth was a pitcher before that as well!

In order to be considered "the best" you then would have to be so innovative and yet also play the game at a high level, much like Ruth. What would be the next innovation that could strike baseball this well? Of course, it would be the switch-pitcher. I dream of teaching my kids to throw with both hands so that they can one day be major league switch pitchers. Think of all the possibilities! If you were in a jam against a batter you could just "change your look" by throwing with the other arm. You could alternate R/L depending on the batter. Even better still, you could pitch game 1 as a right-hander and game 2 as a left-hander. After all, you'd be using all the muscles on the other side of the body. You could be your own relief pitcher. The next innovation in the game will be the switch-pitcher. How great would it be if you could pound someone with your left-handed fastballs and cutters, and then suddenly throw right-handed knuckleballs to the next batter? You would be valuable as two players in one. If you were on the Yankees and you were good, you might just be able to take that title from Babe Ruth.

Spoilers

What is the statute of limitations on spoilers?

(Warning, may contain some spoilers, depending on how they are defined)

When is it okay to discuss the ending of a book, movie or TV show? One might argue, you can never discuss it with someone if they haven't seen it, otherwise you've spoiled it. That's a good point, but what about media that is well-known? Can I discuss Darth Vader's relationship with Luke Skywalker and not worry about spoilers? What about the endings of "The Wizard of Oz" or "Rocky?" At what point do these pieces go from unknown to common knowledge? Certainly I can't talk about the ending to the newest Harry Potter book, but what about the ending to the first book?

With books, I feel that one indication that the book can be discussed freely is if the book has been turned into a movie. But still, is it okay to question the fate of Frodo and Sam in the "Lord of the Rings" or is that a spoiler?

A good friend of mine once spoiled "The Usual Suspects" but it was okay because I saw the Academy Awards before I saw the film, and the awards indirectly spoiled the movie anyways.

So what are good milestones to look for when trying to determine if something is spoiled?

The inspiration for this post is the third Harry Potter movie, which I saw last night. There's something about it that really bothers me, but I can't discuss it here because it really spoils the movie.