Who is a movie star? Bill Simmons debates whether Ryan Reynolds is one and ebates the greatness of Will Smith. Excellent piece
http://es.pn/iWmVYq
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
James Durbin - “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)” (Green Day cover)
I was fan of he did on Idol but I am not feeling this cover. His voice seems off on this cover to me. If this is the pretext for his album, not looking good in my opinion. However, it is just one song.
Bowling Bottle Incident
Not sure what is going on here. I guess Belmonte was making noises with his bottle when Rash would bowl. Never seen this behavior on a bowling telecast. Uncalled for by Rash in my opinion.
Barack Obama and Missed Greatness
Jeff Pearlman echos my beliefs on the job President Obama has done so far. Could have and should have been great but so far a disappointment in many ways.
http://www.jeffpearlman.com/barack-obama-and-missed-greatness/
http://www.jeffpearlman.com/barack-obama-and-missed-greatness/
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
RIM will go the way of the Dodo
http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2011/06/22/rim-youre-done-here/
I have to agree with John Biggs here. RIM has been late to the party in to many areas. I agree with his notion that they will get bought and expect that to be Microsoft which already basically owns Nokia. I do predict though that MS will not be able to parlay RIM into a profitable business. They will overpay and then never produce anything substantial. This is what they did with Nokia, Skype and soon RIM. HP did this with Palm and they too will see that their release of a tablet and new smart phones will make a tiny dent in the marketplace. While their OS is impressive, they have no app marketplace of significance and that is the key in the tablet race. APSS, APPS, and more APPS. The hardware on these devices will be similar. The OS and APPS are what differentiates and so far nobody comes close to iOS in the tablet market. I don't see a clear competitor as of yet but it will more than likely be a Android powered device. Palm and RIM will have minimal market share.
I have to agree with John Biggs here. RIM has been late to the party in to many areas. I agree with his notion that they will get bought and expect that to be Microsoft which already basically owns Nokia. I do predict though that MS will not be able to parlay RIM into a profitable business. They will overpay and then never produce anything substantial. This is what they did with Nokia, Skype and soon RIM. HP did this with Palm and they too will see that their release of a tablet and new smart phones will make a tiny dent in the marketplace. While their OS is impressive, they have no app marketplace of significance and that is the key in the tablet race. APSS, APPS, and more APPS. The hardware on these devices will be similar. The OS and APPS are what differentiates and so far nobody comes close to iOS in the tablet market. I don't see a clear competitor as of yet but it will more than likely be a Android powered device. Palm and RIM will have minimal market share.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Michelle Bachman's Holy War - Matt Taibbi
I love this part of his piece
In modern American politics, being the right kind of ignorant and entertainingly crazy is like having a big right hand in boxing; you've always got a puncher's chance. And Bachmann is exactly the right kind of completely batshit crazy. Not medically crazy, not talking-to-herself-on-the-subway crazy, but grandiose crazy, late-stage Kim Jong-Il crazy — crazy in the sense that she's living completely inside her own mind, frenetically pacing the hallways of a vast sand castle she's built in there, unable to meaningfully communicate with the human beings on the other side of the moat, who are all presumed to be enemies.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/michele-bachmanns-holy-war-20110622
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
The New Face of America
Two Clubs is back with a commentary on universal health care in America.
The New Face of America
Meet James Verone. James is a 59 year old convenience store clerk who robbed a bank so he could gain access to affordable health care. Let that sink in. Mr. Verone discovered the only way to get the health services he needed to deal with his personal pain was to trade his freedom for a jail cell. Have we hit bottom yet?
Mr. Verone is not some vagrant on the street. James is an upstanding guy who knows right from wrong. He worked for a soft drink distributor, as a driver, for 17 years. The company provided him benefits, including health care coverage, but as soon as the economy turned sour, he was deemed expendable. Along with his regular pay check his benefits disappeared. Access to affordable health care disappeared too.
Mr. Verone did exactly what so many other Americans have done during this economic down turn, he focused on survival. James found work when he could, but more often than not, and no fault of his own, those jobs didn’t last. Mr. Verone was finally forced to take a part-time job at a convenience store, which of course provided no benefits.
Time affects us all and for Mr. Verone the many years of back breaking work moving cases of soft drinks started to take its toll. He started to develop back problems and had a bad foot. He suffered from arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome. Not too long ago he noticed a lump on his chest, which became another source of pain. Finally his physical maladies became too much for him and he recognized he needed medical assistance.
Mr. Verone weighed his options. He could not afford a doctor visit and the idea of braving the emergency room was not what he considered an option. He did not want to burden his siblings and had no one else to turn to. He tried government programs, but they did not offer enough money to cover his medical problems. James had reached the end of his rope so he did the only thing he could think of.
The next day Mr. Verone walked into a bank, told the teller he was robbing the bank, demanded one dollar, and then sat down, waiting for the police to arrive and arrest him.
James knew that once in custody he would have access to doctors at the jail. He knew he would finally get the health care he so badly needed. He was more than ready to forfeit the freedoms so many Americans feel to demagogue over, just so he could find the freedom from something we all feel, pain.
The actions of Mr. Verone may be the greatest commentary on the failings of the great American experiment. This was an example of a man acknowledging the failings of the system and making the conscious decision to part with that one thing his countrymen consider most sacred (individual freedom) for that which the citizens of almost all western nations take for granted (access to universal health care). In Mr. Verone’s own words, “if you don’t have your health you don’t have anything.”
Sadly, this is the plight facing too many Americans. Health care is so expensive and access is so restricted, they are forced to make a choice. Insurance is so costly it becomes a major expense. It is up there with food, rent and transportation as the major expenses the average individual has to consider. All too often the average American is forced to forego health care to keep a roof over their head, food on the table, and access to transportation to maintain a job, if they are lucky enough to have a job. Health care becomes a luxury.
How in the world does health care become a luxury? How can anyone have freedom and liberty if they are held hostage by the health care system? Health and human services should never be a profit center. Money should never be made off of someone else’s bad luck or suffering. But in America, that is a cornerstone of the system. If there is a way to profit from someone’s suffering there is a corporation out there that will find the method and then milk it for all it’s worth. That is wrong and that is the greatest failing of American culture.
Someone is going to have to explain how a nation who spends almost $1 trillion on military and national security issues cannot scrape together the $80 billion it would take to institute universal health care? I’m sure Mr. Verone would like to hear the explanation. How can we, as a nation, turn our backs on our fellow citizens and their most basic of human needs? Is that not the least American and least Christian of actions anyone can take? We as a nation should be most concerned with our own common interests and forsake the nation building we allow our government to do beyond our shores. We need to find our values as a country again. We need to start caring for each other, regardless of ideology or other differentiators, and demand our government do the same. We need to stand up for the James Verones of the world.
We need to demand universal health care for our citizens. We need to make sure that the next generation, our children, have access to good doctors, because they are our future. We need to make sure the previous generation, our parents, receive the care they so greatly deserve, after doing so much for us. We need to make sure we do the right thing so people aren’t forced into making rash decisions to gain access to the life saving procedures they need to lead a fruitful life.
We need to demand these changes to the health care system and we need to demand them now. We need to think about this issue and the long term ramifications on our nation if we don’t act. We need to take a long hard look hard look in the mirror and recognize that we could easily be in Mr. Verone’s place if push came to shove. We need to pay close attention to that face in the mirror and realize the situation it finds itself. The possibilities aren’t pretty. Welcome to the new face of America.
Also cross posted at http://amoderndaydavinci.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/the-new-face-of-america/
The New Face of America
Meet James Verone. James is a 59 year old convenience store clerk who robbed a bank so he could gain access to affordable health care. Let that sink in. Mr. Verone discovered the only way to get the health services he needed to deal with his personal pain was to trade his freedom for a jail cell. Have we hit bottom yet?
Mr. Verone is not some vagrant on the street. James is an upstanding guy who knows right from wrong. He worked for a soft drink distributor, as a driver, for 17 years. The company provided him benefits, including health care coverage, but as soon as the economy turned sour, he was deemed expendable. Along with his regular pay check his benefits disappeared. Access to affordable health care disappeared too.
Mr. Verone did exactly what so many other Americans have done during this economic down turn, he focused on survival. James found work when he could, but more often than not, and no fault of his own, those jobs didn’t last. Mr. Verone was finally forced to take a part-time job at a convenience store, which of course provided no benefits.
Time affects us all and for Mr. Verone the many years of back breaking work moving cases of soft drinks started to take its toll. He started to develop back problems and had a bad foot. He suffered from arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome. Not too long ago he noticed a lump on his chest, which became another source of pain. Finally his physical maladies became too much for him and he recognized he needed medical assistance.
Mr. Verone weighed his options. He could not afford a doctor visit and the idea of braving the emergency room was not what he considered an option. He did not want to burden his siblings and had no one else to turn to. He tried government programs, but they did not offer enough money to cover his medical problems. James had reached the end of his rope so he did the only thing he could think of.
The next day Mr. Verone walked into a bank, told the teller he was robbing the bank, demanded one dollar, and then sat down, waiting for the police to arrive and arrest him.
James knew that once in custody he would have access to doctors at the jail. He knew he would finally get the health care he so badly needed. He was more than ready to forfeit the freedoms so many Americans feel to demagogue over, just so he could find the freedom from something we all feel, pain.
The actions of Mr. Verone may be the greatest commentary on the failings of the great American experiment. This was an example of a man acknowledging the failings of the system and making the conscious decision to part with that one thing his countrymen consider most sacred (individual freedom) for that which the citizens of almost all western nations take for granted (access to universal health care). In Mr. Verone’s own words, “if you don’t have your health you don’t have anything.”
Sadly, this is the plight facing too many Americans. Health care is so expensive and access is so restricted, they are forced to make a choice. Insurance is so costly it becomes a major expense. It is up there with food, rent and transportation as the major expenses the average individual has to consider. All too often the average American is forced to forego health care to keep a roof over their head, food on the table, and access to transportation to maintain a job, if they are lucky enough to have a job. Health care becomes a luxury.
How in the world does health care become a luxury? How can anyone have freedom and liberty if they are held hostage by the health care system? Health and human services should never be a profit center. Money should never be made off of someone else’s bad luck or suffering. But in America, that is a cornerstone of the system. If there is a way to profit from someone’s suffering there is a corporation out there that will find the method and then milk it for all it’s worth. That is wrong and that is the greatest failing of American culture.
Someone is going to have to explain how a nation who spends almost $1 trillion on military and national security issues cannot scrape together the $80 billion it would take to institute universal health care? I’m sure Mr. Verone would like to hear the explanation. How can we, as a nation, turn our backs on our fellow citizens and their most basic of human needs? Is that not the least American and least Christian of actions anyone can take? We as a nation should be most concerned with our own common interests and forsake the nation building we allow our government to do beyond our shores. We need to find our values as a country again. We need to start caring for each other, regardless of ideology or other differentiators, and demand our government do the same. We need to stand up for the James Verones of the world.
We need to demand universal health care for our citizens. We need to make sure that the next generation, our children, have access to good doctors, because they are our future. We need to make sure the previous generation, our parents, receive the care they so greatly deserve, after doing so much for us. We need to make sure we do the right thing so people aren’t forced into making rash decisions to gain access to the life saving procedures they need to lead a fruitful life.
We need to demand these changes to the health care system and we need to demand them now. We need to think about this issue and the long term ramifications on our nation if we don’t act. We need to take a long hard look hard look in the mirror and recognize that we could easily be in Mr. Verone’s place if push came to shove. We need to pay close attention to that face in the mirror and realize the situation it finds itself. The possibilities aren’t pretty. Welcome to the new face of America.
Also cross posted at http://amoderndaydavinci.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/the-new-face-of-america/
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Norman Chad - We Poker Players Deserve Respect
http://www.sundaygazettemail.com/Sports/NormanChad/201106191221
Excellent piece by Norman Chad. Bill Frist and John Kyl should read this!
Excellent piece by Norman Chad. Bill Frist and John Kyl should read this!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 8 Trailer
Can't wait for season 8. I was a late comer to this show starting in season 5 or 6 but I've been trying to catch older episodes. Sometimes the show misses but for the most part it is hilarious.
Windows 8 Demo
Windows 8 video is the first released by Microsoft. The OS is rumored to be out late next year or 2013. It is a combination of touch and standard mouse based OS it appears but leaning heavily on the touch aspect.
Techcrunch has more on it.
Uh oh Coldplay, expect more plagiarism claims
I am a huge huge Coldplay fan. However, I must admit their new single sounds a lot like some crappy Simon Cowell tune which apparently was ripped off of a Peter Allen song. Not a good start to their new album which I presume will be released this summer.
http://www.antiquiet.com/news/2011/06/fuck-you-coldplay/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+antiquiet+%28Antiquiet%29
Edit 11:46am
From Coldplay's website when viewing the lyrics to the song. Looks like credit is being given where it is due.
Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall
I TURN THE MUSIC UP, I GOT MY RECORDS ON
I SHUT THE WORLD OUTSIDE UNTIL THE LIGHTS COME ON
MAYBE THE STREETS ALIGHT, MAYBE THE TREES ARE GONE
I FEEL MY HEART START BEATING TO MY FAVOURITE SONG
AND ALL THE KIDS THEY DANCE, ALL THE KIDS ALL NIGHT
UNTIL MONDAY MORNING FEELS ANOTHER LIFE
I TURN THE MUSIC UP
I'M ON A ROLL THIS TIME
AND HEAVEN IS IN SIGHT
I TURN THE MUSIC UP, I GOT MY RECORDS ON
FROM UNDERNEATH THE RUBBLE SING A REBEL SONG
DON'T WANT TO SEE ANOTHER GENERATION DROP
I'D RATHER BE A COMMA THAN A FULL STOP
MAYBE I'M IN THE BLACK, MAYBE I'M ON MY KNEES
MAYBE I'M IN THE GAP BETWEEN THE TWO TRAPEZES
BUT MY HEART IS BEATING AND MY PULSES START
CATHEDRALS IN MY HEART
AND WE SAW OH THIS LIGHT I SWEAR YOU, EMERGE BLINKING INTO
TO TELL ME IT'S ALRIGHT
AS WE SOAR WALLS, EVERY SIREN IS A SYMPHONY
AND EVERY TEAR'S A WATERFALL
IS A WATERFALL
OH
IS A WATERFALL
OH OH OH
IS A IS A WATERFALL
EVERY TEAR
IS A WATERFALL
OH OH OH
SO YOU CAN HURT, HURT ME BAD
BUT STILL I'LL RAISE THE FLAG
OH
IT WAS A WA WA WA WA WA-ATERFALL
A WA WA WA WA WA-ATERFALL
EVERY TEAR
EVERY TEAR
EVERY TEARDROP IS A WATERFALL
EVERY TEAR
EVERY TEAR
EVERY TEARDROP IS A WATERFALL
Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall contains elements of I Go To Rio written by Peter Allen and Adrienne Anderson
http://www.antiquiet.com/news/2011/06/fuck-you-coldplay/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+antiquiet+%28Antiquiet%29
Edit 11:46am
From Coldplay's website when viewing the lyrics to the song. Looks like credit is being given where it is due.
Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall
I TURN THE MUSIC UP, I GOT MY RECORDS ON
I SHUT THE WORLD OUTSIDE UNTIL THE LIGHTS COME ON
MAYBE THE STREETS ALIGHT, MAYBE THE TREES ARE GONE
I FEEL MY HEART START BEATING TO MY FAVOURITE SONG
AND ALL THE KIDS THEY DANCE, ALL THE KIDS ALL NIGHT
UNTIL MONDAY MORNING FEELS ANOTHER LIFE
I TURN THE MUSIC UP
I'M ON A ROLL THIS TIME
AND HEAVEN IS IN SIGHT
I TURN THE MUSIC UP, I GOT MY RECORDS ON
FROM UNDERNEATH THE RUBBLE SING A REBEL SONG
DON'T WANT TO SEE ANOTHER GENERATION DROP
I'D RATHER BE A COMMA THAN A FULL STOP
MAYBE I'M IN THE BLACK, MAYBE I'M ON MY KNEES
MAYBE I'M IN THE GAP BETWEEN THE TWO TRAPEZES
BUT MY HEART IS BEATING AND MY PULSES START
CATHEDRALS IN MY HEART
AND WE SAW OH THIS LIGHT I SWEAR YOU, EMERGE BLINKING INTO
TO TELL ME IT'S ALRIGHT
AS WE SOAR WALLS, EVERY SIREN IS A SYMPHONY
AND EVERY TEAR'S A WATERFALL
IS A WATERFALL
OH
IS A WATERFALL
OH OH OH
IS A IS A WATERFALL
EVERY TEAR
IS A WATERFALL
OH OH OH
SO YOU CAN HURT, HURT ME BAD
BUT STILL I'LL RAISE THE FLAG
OH
IT WAS A WA WA WA WA WA-ATERFALL
A WA WA WA WA WA-ATERFALL
EVERY TEAR
EVERY TEAR
EVERY TEARDROP IS A WATERFALL
EVERY TEAR
EVERY TEAR
EVERY TEARDROP IS A WATERFALL
Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall contains elements of I Go To Rio written by Peter Allen and Adrienne Anderson
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
I was unaware a new movie was being made. This is about their origins.
Internet usage stats are staggering
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20067979-93.html
More devices. Driven by demand for mobile phones, tablets, smart appliances, and other connected gadgets, the number of Internet-connected devices will be twice the number of people on the planet in another four years.
More people. By 2015, almost 3 billion people will be surfing the Net, more than 40 percent of the world's total population.
Faster speeds. The average broadband speed is expected to jump to 28 megabits per second in 2015, up from 7 Mbps now.
More videos. In another four years, 1 million minutes of video, or 764 days' worth, will cross the Internet every second.
Computers accounted for 97 percent of all traffic last year. That number will drop to 87 percent by 2015, as more mobile devices hop online. As a result, mobile Internet traffic around the world will jump 26 times, to 75 exabytes per year or 6.3 exabytes per month in 2015.
More devices. Driven by demand for mobile phones, tablets, smart appliances, and other connected gadgets, the number of Internet-connected devices will be twice the number of people on the planet in another four years.
More people. By 2015, almost 3 billion people will be surfing the Net, more than 40 percent of the world's total population.
Faster speeds. The average broadband speed is expected to jump to 28 megabits per second in 2015, up from 7 Mbps now.
More videos. In another four years, 1 million minutes of video, or 764 days' worth, will cross the Internet every second.
Computers accounted for 97 percent of all traffic last year. That number will drop to 87 percent by 2015, as more mobile devices hop online. As a result, mobile Internet traffic around the world will jump 26 times, to 75 exabytes per year or 6.3 exabytes per month in 2015.
Sara Palin: Why does she even have a voice
Saw this post on Jeff Pearlman's blog. I have to agree with him 100%. She is just pandering to a group of people she knows nothing about in the hope of getting a few votes. She has no shot of winning the presidency. What a dolt!
http://www.jeffpearlman.com/the-audacity-of-sarah-palin-and-her-jewish-star/
http://www.jeffpearlman.com/the-audacity-of-sarah-palin-and-her-jewish-star/
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