Interesting news, posts, and movies from around the web...
- Superman showdown - ever wonder what would happen if Superman had to take on a Jedi, a Sith, the Death Star, the X-men, Galactus, Gandalf, or Harry Potter? Check out this article for some of the breakdown. We do know that Batman has taken Superman down before with Kryptonite-laced boxing gloves...
- Kong vs. 3 T-Rex's - View the entire wildly entertaining fight scene between King Kong and 3 tyrannosaurs from the movie "Kong". As one of the comments put it, "When did Kong take lessons from Steven Seagal?" You can see him using some aikido-style moves, utilizing the momentum of his opponents to throw them into each other.
- Transformers: The Movie teaser trailer - I have some grave misgivings about this live-action movie, but the fact that Spielberg is attached to the project gives me some hope. The trailer is kind of fun too.
- I'm suffering a little bit from NBA withdrawal... hm, just realized that I haven't commented on the league since before the end of the Finals! The Heat are a worthy champion, and Dallas just choked... but they'll stay among the elite level for the next few seasons. Dwyane Wade is one of the more entertaining players in the league to watch, but I wonder if his body is going to start breaking down before he turns 30 (in 6 years) due to the pounding he takes from his style of play.
Warriors may be in the running for Al Harrington or Richard Jefferson after trading Derek Fisher for essentially cap space. Either one would provide some punch in the starting lineup (the Dunleavy-Murphy pairing sorely needs upgrading), but the real impetus for change would be Baron getting in shape and playing a full season.
The Pistons lost Big Ben to the Bulls, in a move which appears to make Chicago a team to reckon with over the next few seasons. this writer has an interesting take on the reasons behind the perhaps-exorbitant deal for the not-so-young-anymore Wallace - basically, that teams in the Eastern Conference have a 2-3 year window to win a championship before Lebron, DWade, and Dwight Howard begin dominating on an annual basis, so basically you need to push your chips all-in now. Interesting hypothesis.
Awe-inspiring basketball video: This is labeled a 720 degree dunk, but is probably closer to 540 - it's still jaw-dropping all the same.
- When is it not distasteful to praise someone with $9.25 billion in the bank? When he gives the other $37 billion of his fortune to charity. Kudos to Buffett and Gates. Hey, even if you hate Microsoft's business practices and software, you have to give appropriate due to the charity work that Gates and his wife are doing.
- Here's an interesting read on gender roles within the church. Any thoughts on whether his take is on or not?
- Finally, try this link to see how fast you can type! Clicking on the text area will bring up a portion of text for you to type. If you make mistakes, you need to correct them before the timer stops ticking and gives you your words/minute rate (note: they only want 1 space after periods, rather than the customary 2 spaces). After familiarizing myself with the interface, I tried it maybe 5-6 times and got top scores of: 160.67 wpm w/ 0 mistakes, 143.92 wpm w/ 0 mistakes, and 142.67 wpm w/ 1 mistake.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Patriotism?
Happy Fourth of July weekend! Always nice to have four days off, unless you happen to be an Oracle employee... poor people. Check out MSNBC.com's special section on "What does it mean to be an American?" Try taking their citizenship quiz to see if you know the answers to some of the questions that would be on the naturalization test. I got 90%, missing questions number: (mouse-over) 8 and 16, which qualifies me for citizenship! Yay!
Patriotism has become an interesting topic to me over the last few years, particularly when observing America, the Evangelical Christian culture (while it might not seem like it in the Bay Area, there are quite a few Evangelicals in this country), and how a "religion" with so many adherents can heavily influence areas ranging from politics, to public policy, to entertainment, to the environment, and so on. Many Christians tie nationalism/patriotism in with their religion and consider America to be a "Christian nation."
I'll try to post more thoughts on this topic in future posts, but for now, as we sit down to our fireworks and barbeque and appreciate the history behind the struggle for freedom in this nation of ours, I would like to invite at least the readers who would call themselves Christians to check out this thought-provoking post and read the discussion afterward, and think about the question - Is my primary pledge of allegiance to a nation? Or is it to a King and a Kingdom?
Patriotism has become an interesting topic to me over the last few years, particularly when observing America, the Evangelical Christian culture (while it might not seem like it in the Bay Area, there are quite a few Evangelicals in this country), and how a "religion" with so many adherents can heavily influence areas ranging from politics, to public policy, to entertainment, to the environment, and so on. Many Christians tie nationalism/patriotism in with their religion and consider America to be a "Christian nation."
I'll try to post more thoughts on this topic in future posts, but for now, as we sit down to our fireworks and barbeque and appreciate the history behind the struggle for freedom in this nation of ours, I would like to invite at least the readers who would call themselves Christians to check out this thought-provoking post and read the discussion afterward, and think about the question - Is my primary pledge of allegiance to a nation? Or is it to a King and a Kingdom?
Random questions
Is there any situation where it's acceptable to wear something other than sneakers or sandals with shorts? If it is possible to wear loafers or casual shoes, must the socks be white and ankle-high only?
Are there any situations where it is acceptable to wear white socks with black shoes, with the possible exception of if you're planning to impersonate Michael Jackson?
When you pass by someone in the office or on the street, do you purposefully look down at the ground or somewhere other than at the person? If your eyes happen to meet, do you ignore the person or give some sort of acknowledgement (like the only-guys-are-capable-of-doing-it upward head nod)?
How much do you tip? If the server does a poor job, do you tip less than 15%? Do you tip at buffets? How far away would you park to avoid having to do valet parking (I actually had this one flit through my mind last weekend at Olivia and Jonathan's wedding)?
Are there any situations where it is acceptable to wear white socks with black shoes, with the possible exception of if you're planning to impersonate Michael Jackson?
When you pass by someone in the office or on the street, do you purposefully look down at the ground or somewhere other than at the person? If your eyes happen to meet, do you ignore the person or give some sort of acknowledgement (like the only-guys-are-capable-of-doing-it upward head nod)?
How much do you tip? If the server does a poor job, do you tip less than 15%? Do you tip at buffets? How far away would you park to avoid having to do valet parking (I actually had this one flit through my mind last weekend at Olivia and Jonathan's wedding)?
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Vacation?
My manager just sent out an email to ask if anyone is planning to take significant time off in the next 2-3 months. Since work has been so busy, I haven't even thought of a possible vacation to take. Any suggestions?
Friday, June 23, 2006
Pain kills inspiration
My apologies for the lack of musings lately. On top of a busy time at work (that should hopefully be lessened with a release this past Wednesday), I've been experiencing some old, familiar, and unwelcomed RSI-type pain in my left hand/wrist, so I've been avoiding spending as much time on the computer as I usually do. Hope you don't hold it against me... heh.
I was thinking of working from home today, but decided against it when I realized that the office has AC and home does not. Did this happen to anyone else?
I was thinking of working from home today, but decided against it when I realized that the office has AC and home does not. Did this happen to anyone else?
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Tuesday randomness
I was so wiped after a long, active weekend, that yesterday at work, I found myself experiencing some dizziness whenever I leaned over - feeling quite faint. So, after going home (had no problems driving, thankfully), I cooked a quick dinner, watched the Sunday Dallas-Miami game on fast forward, wrote up the mystery blog (which has turned out to be quite entertaining for this Tuesday), and fell asleep at 10:30 pm, earliest that I can remember. Not only that, but I woke up at 8:45 on my alarm's 4th snooze. So this is what it feels like to eradicate sleep debt...
Although I'm rooting for the Mavs, here's hoping the Heat can turn this into a series by winning the next two games. It just feels like such a great playoffs ought to be capped by an outstanding Finals. Aside from a general lack of aggressiveness, Shaq did everything right in the post - his teammates just missed a lot of easy layups.
On the side of the Mavs offense, Coach AJ has done a great job making adjustments at getting Nowitzki and Howard more catches and looks on the move. Next time you watch a game, try not watching the guy with the ball. Every player is moving, cutting, setting screens, coming off a curl or double curl... it's a great offense that leads to an inordinate number of wide-open 12-foot jumpers or runners that their guards, wings, and Dirk can make.
On Sunday, a few of us went up to Golden Gate Park in the city for a free, Alice 97.3-sponsored concert featuring "Cake", best known for their song "Long Jacket" (ask Mike P to sing it for you sometime, he's dead on with all the lyrics). While I wasn't familiar with most of their songs, one of their band members was quite impressive:
The guy on the left, on the keyboard? Depending on the song, and even a particular section of the song, he'd switch between singing harmony, playing keyboard, playing a percussion instrument that makes a sound kind of like a frog's ribbit, playing a trumpet, and playing a tambourine. The versatility displayed, often within one song, was pretty awesome... he'd be holding the trumpet in one hand while playing a keyboard interlude, then back to the horn, etc. If only I could be that talented...
Although I'm rooting for the Mavs, here's hoping the Heat can turn this into a series by winning the next two games. It just feels like such a great playoffs ought to be capped by an outstanding Finals. Aside from a general lack of aggressiveness, Shaq did everything right in the post - his teammates just missed a lot of easy layups.
On the side of the Mavs offense, Coach AJ has done a great job making adjustments at getting Nowitzki and Howard more catches and looks on the move. Next time you watch a game, try not watching the guy with the ball. Every player is moving, cutting, setting screens, coming off a curl or double curl... it's a great offense that leads to an inordinate number of wide-open 12-foot jumpers or runners that their guards, wings, and Dirk can make.
On Sunday, a few of us went up to Golden Gate Park in the city for a free, Alice 97.3-sponsored concert featuring "Cake", best known for their song "Long Jacket" (ask Mike P to sing it for you sometime, he's dead on with all the lyrics). While I wasn't familiar with most of their songs, one of their band members was quite impressive:
The guy on the left, on the keyboard? Depending on the song, and even a particular section of the song, he'd switch between singing harmony, playing keyboard, playing a percussion instrument that makes a sound kind of like a frog's ribbit, playing a trumpet, and playing a tambourine. The versatility displayed, often within one song, was pretty awesome... he'd be holding the trumpet in one hand while playing a keyboard interlude, then back to the horn, etc. If only I could be that talented...
Monday, June 12, 2006
A mystery...
I've been assaulted!
FACT: my bedroom was in a normal state when I got home on Sunday night (around 11:30 pm) and changed.
FACT: At the time, Mike P, Joy, and the roomies (Hanlin and Chris) were also here.
FACT: I went out into the common area to chat with them until rather late. Owing to the late hour and the fact that I had a rather tiring weekend (see Chris' recap for a brief summary), I did not notice who left the room at any given time.
After seeing Mike and Joy out the door, I came into my room and lo and behold, the crime scene.
Who do you think did it?
1) Chris
2) Hanlin
3) Mike P
4) Joy
5) Some combination
Results when one of them confesses, or when the DNA tests get back from the lab, whichever comes first...
FACT: my bedroom was in a normal state when I got home on Sunday night (around 11:30 pm) and changed.
FACT: At the time, Mike P, Joy, and the roomies (Hanlin and Chris) were also here.
FACT: I went out into the common area to chat with them until rather late. Owing to the late hour and the fact that I had a rather tiring weekend (see Chris' recap for a brief summary), I did not notice who left the room at any given time.
After seeing Mike and Joy out the door, I came into my room and lo and behold, the crime scene.
Who do you think did it?
1) Chris
2) Hanlin
3) Mike P
4) Joy
5) Some combination
Results when one of them confesses, or when the DNA tests get back from the lab, whichever comes first...
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Assorted thoughts on the NBA
I've been an avid NBA fan ever since David Robinson entered the league back in 1989, just as the Jordan Era was beginning (up 'till then, I was primarily a Giants/baseball diehard... I've totally lost touch with that sport though). I've watched hundreds, if not thousands of games, and I have to agree with the numerous media folks saying that this year's playoffs have been one of the most exciting of my fan lifetime. Some assorted thoughts from all rounds...
- Every year in March, you have some people who claim that March Madness is the best basketball in America. While the one-and-out tournament format makes for some exciting drama, in terms of the quality of basketball, nothing can touch the NBA playoffs, where the best players, the best teams, and best coaches rise to the top over the course of 7-game series with individual adjustments, coaching tweaks, and matchup shifts. The chess match of dynamic strategies employed by the teams is almost as interesting as watching individual stars raise their games in the clutch.
First round
- Arenas vs. LeBron. This was the series for casual fans of the sport, as barely a lick of defense was played by either team... but two incredibly talented offensive players just took over. Watching Arenas dominate with speed and outstanding shot-making ability made me long for the days when he and JRich were tearing up the floor at the Oakland Arena... now we have Baron Davis in a suit.
- Kings vs. Spurs. Wells made himself a lot of money in this series, but fortunately the Kings have Kevin Martin waiting in the wings so they don't have to give him all that much money this offseason. Also, the Spurs were severely tested in this round... ironically, despite fighting so hard to achieve home court throughout the entire Western Conference, they ended up drawing a more difficult first-round opponent than Dallas (Memphis laid down and took their whuppin').
- Kobe is, without doubt, the most skilled individual player in the world, and for most of the series against the Suns, he showed some promise that he could indeed be a team leader and player. The problem is, nobody wants to go and play with him, which will hamper even the Lakers' renowned ability to attract primetime players (contrast this with both Duncan and Shaq, where players are taking less money to play with them).
Second round
- The Spurs were beaten by a team that played a better series. I watched almost every game, and despite a heroic, turn-back-the-clock performance from Duncan, they just got beat by a younger and faster team with a coach who knew their system inside and out. I think that's one reason why I didn't begrudge the Mavericks their win - their grit and defensive toughness was very familiar, as it echoed Avery Johnson's playing style back when he won the '99 title for the Spurs with his Game 5 jumper against the Knicks. Plus, Dirk stepped up his game big time - he's finally taking advantage of his height, strength, and quickness, and become truly unguardable. His tough drive and-1 against Bowen and Ginobili in Game 7 is a play that can go down in history, particularly if the Mavs end up taking it all. (BTW, Spurs? You're still my favorite team, but you still whined quite a bit about foul calls this year. It's unbecoming. Stop it.)
- The Clips-Suns series was immensely entertaining - finally got the chance to see Elton Brand work his magic in the post. He now needs to develop a little baby hook in the lane, but every other part of his game is prototypical four-man. In a couple of years, we may be asking the question, "Chris Paul or Shaun Livingston?"
Conference finals
- Classy show by the Pistons going over to congratulate the Heat bench after being soundly thrashed this year.
- Boris Diaw and Josh Howard played themselves into my list of favorite players during these playoffs with their all-around games (doesn't hurt that I had them both for at least some, if not all, of the season on my fantasy team). With Amare coming back next season and Nash getting older, Diaw will probably end up taking a larger role in running the offense - I could see D'Antoni trotting out a second period lineup of Diaw, House, Jones, Marion, and Thomas to give Nash/Bell/Amare a rest.
- Howard = mini-Pippen, without the passing ability.
General thoughts
- The Spurs and Pistons, in general over the past few seasons, both play the game with the right amount of competitiveness, sportsmanship, commitment to defense, and execution on offense, which was great for basketball purists. The thing is, there's not a lot of charisma or charm that would draw the average sports fan, unlike this year's finals matchup between Dallas and Miami, with fresh blood, some old/recognizable names, heroes, villains, redemption stories, and three of the brightest basketball talents on the planet. I'm rooting for Dallas to take it this year, to begin an in-state rivalry with the Spurs over the next 4-5 years as Duncan winds his career down.
- I'm awfully optimistic about the NBA as it moves into the next decade. There's some great talent out there, up-and-coming stars, established veterans, coaching innovation on offense and defense, worldwide appeal... it's going to be fun. Now if only the Warriors could get in on this tidal wave of good feeling...
- Every year in March, you have some people who claim that March Madness is the best basketball in America. While the one-and-out tournament format makes for some exciting drama, in terms of the quality of basketball, nothing can touch the NBA playoffs, where the best players, the best teams, and best coaches rise to the top over the course of 7-game series with individual adjustments, coaching tweaks, and matchup shifts. The chess match of dynamic strategies employed by the teams is almost as interesting as watching individual stars raise their games in the clutch.
First round
- Arenas vs. LeBron. This was the series for casual fans of the sport, as barely a lick of defense was played by either team... but two incredibly talented offensive players just took over. Watching Arenas dominate with speed and outstanding shot-making ability made me long for the days when he and JRich were tearing up the floor at the Oakland Arena... now we have Baron Davis in a suit.
- Kings vs. Spurs. Wells made himself a lot of money in this series, but fortunately the Kings have Kevin Martin waiting in the wings so they don't have to give him all that much money this offseason. Also, the Spurs were severely tested in this round... ironically, despite fighting so hard to achieve home court throughout the entire Western Conference, they ended up drawing a more difficult first-round opponent than Dallas (Memphis laid down and took their whuppin').
- Kobe is, without doubt, the most skilled individual player in the world, and for most of the series against the Suns, he showed some promise that he could indeed be a team leader and player. The problem is, nobody wants to go and play with him, which will hamper even the Lakers' renowned ability to attract primetime players (contrast this with both Duncan and Shaq, where players are taking less money to play with them).
Second round
- The Spurs were beaten by a team that played a better series. I watched almost every game, and despite a heroic, turn-back-the-clock performance from Duncan, they just got beat by a younger and faster team with a coach who knew their system inside and out. I think that's one reason why I didn't begrudge the Mavericks their win - their grit and defensive toughness was very familiar, as it echoed Avery Johnson's playing style back when he won the '99 title for the Spurs with his Game 5 jumper against the Knicks. Plus, Dirk stepped up his game big time - he's finally taking advantage of his height, strength, and quickness, and become truly unguardable. His tough drive and-1 against Bowen and Ginobili in Game 7 is a play that can go down in history, particularly if the Mavs end up taking it all. (BTW, Spurs? You're still my favorite team, but you still whined quite a bit about foul calls this year. It's unbecoming. Stop it.)
- The Clips-Suns series was immensely entertaining - finally got the chance to see Elton Brand work his magic in the post. He now needs to develop a little baby hook in the lane, but every other part of his game is prototypical four-man. In a couple of years, we may be asking the question, "Chris Paul or Shaun Livingston?"
Conference finals
- Classy show by the Pistons going over to congratulate the Heat bench after being soundly thrashed this year.
- Boris Diaw and Josh Howard played themselves into my list of favorite players during these playoffs with their all-around games (doesn't hurt that I had them both for at least some, if not all, of the season on my fantasy team). With Amare coming back next season and Nash getting older, Diaw will probably end up taking a larger role in running the offense - I could see D'Antoni trotting out a second period lineup of Diaw, House, Jones, Marion, and Thomas to give Nash/Bell/Amare a rest.
- Howard = mini-Pippen, without the passing ability.
General thoughts
- The Spurs and Pistons, in general over the past few seasons, both play the game with the right amount of competitiveness, sportsmanship, commitment to defense, and execution on offense, which was great for basketball purists. The thing is, there's not a lot of charisma or charm that would draw the average sports fan, unlike this year's finals matchup between Dallas and Miami, with fresh blood, some old/recognizable names, heroes, villains, redemption stories, and three of the brightest basketball talents on the planet. I'm rooting for Dallas to take it this year, to begin an in-state rivalry with the Spurs over the next 4-5 years as Duncan winds his career down.
- I'm awfully optimistic about the NBA as it moves into the next decade. There's some great talent out there, up-and-coming stars, established veterans, coaching innovation on offense and defense, worldwide appeal... it's going to be fun. Now if only the Warriors could get in on this tidal wave of good feeling...
Upcoming
Poor blog. I've neglected you for quite some time. In between a busy season at work and a general writer's block when at home, I haven't been able to muster up as much inspiration as usual.
Some upcoming post topics:
Definite
- National Parks/LA vacation highlights
- NBA playoffs
Eventually/Potentially
- how to wisely spend time
- revisiting Myers-Briggs
Some upcoming post topics:
Definite
- National Parks/LA vacation highlights
- NBA playoffs
Eventually/Potentially
- how to wisely spend time
- revisiting Myers-Briggs
Sunday, June 04, 2006
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