Category: On the Web

Almost enough

I freaking love that the folks at Grantland [1] embed the hell out of some links in their articles. Sean McIndoe‘s [2] hockey writing there is just so much richer for it. For example, in his latest article in re 10 greatest single team players [3] he links to several Mario Lemieux videos.

Including this crazy goal [4]. It’s almost enough to turn me into a Pens fan, that.

Almost.

[1] http://www.grantland.com/
[2] http://www.grantland.com/contributor/_/name/sean-mcindoe
[3] http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/77368/the-10-greatest-one-team-nhl-players-ranked
[4] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0OCTC03Vzo

International radio

Because I lack a good bookmarking system, here’s a few Internet broadcasts I want to remember. Perhaps you will as well.

[1] http://www.fipradio.fr/
[2] http://www.novaplanet.com/
[3] http://ask.metafilter.com/225547/NonUS-radio-please
[4] http://ask.metafilter.com/248260/Eclectic-music-Radio-recommendations-please

Potter fodder

Something like this is better suited to being handwritten on vellum with illumination and gilt edged pages and bound in a leather tome. Barring that, this page is all you need to craft a regular expression to match (or not match) any thing or set of things in the universe. Behold the Regular Expressions Cheat Sheet.[1]

[1] http://www.cheatography.com/davechild/cheat-sheets/regular-expressions/

OMNI Reboot

Remember OMNI magazine? The one with the vvvveerrrryyyy late 70’s computer age affectation font used in its logo:

omni-logo

I think I mostly encountered this magazine in the dusty corners of some of the more nebbish teachers’ classrooms in junior high (that’s middle school to you whippersnappers). I didn’t read it much then. I don’t even know why because it seems to have been exactly square in the middle of what would pique my interest. Perhaps it was too sciency and not enough fantasy for my liking. At any rate, it was reportedly one heck of a rag in its day. I think it was mothballed in the late 1990’s but can’t be arsed to Wikipedia up an answer.

Side note: can we use wikipedia as verb in the same way we use google? Because I tend to want to.

Right. So. The point of all of this is that about a month ago there was a “reboot” of OMNI as a web publication. You can read it here[1]. And, folks, let me tell you. It is freaking awesome! I’ve been loving it. It sits in my RSS reader and sends me goodness about once a day. In the event you were a fan of OMNI back in the day and/or enjoy the intersection of science, technology, culture, design, and fiction then I highly recommend you check it out.

[1] http://omnireboot.com/

The PUACF

I’m not the most rabid football fan out there. I live in an area where it is hard to root for the dominant program for $REASONS while none of the other programs provide much reason to root. My other alma mater has a joke of a program so rooting for them is even more depressing. Also, football isn’t my favorite contact sport even though Elizabeth will tell you I’ve wasted enough time on the couch the last two weeks sleeping through games.

But THIS1 right here is where I think college football needs to head. And stat. Not to mention the affectation used in the writing is brilliant. Also personally funny/relevant in that one of the few competitive impromptu speeches I gave in high school competition was on the topic: Football Is a Communist Plot.

We need the People’s Union of American College Football!

So, yes, bring on the level of competition is greater. Bring on the is no cupcake schedule. Eliminate inefficient capitalist driven competition and bring on true competition of team verses team in fair combat where every game is exciting and a single loss does not eliminate you from nationally broadcast bowl of fruit championship game.

1 People’s Union of American College Football

Eating crow…sort of

In the past I’ve made no bones about rather having Cory Schneider in goal rather than Roberto Luongo. Schneider is the more technically adept goalie. He has likely has better instincts. Most importantly, however, he isn’t prone to the kinds of meltdowns that turn Luongo into merely an above-average NHL goalie.

On the other hand, over the last year or so I’ve really come to appreciate the man Luongo is. In a very public way his team demoted him and dangled trading him for a year. By virtue of signing him to possibly the stupidest contract of all time, Luongo was basically untradable. Despite all of this, he remained a good natured guy, stepped into his backup role with aplomb, and worked hard to show there was no ill will between Schneider and himself. He has been the very definition of a standup guy.

In his first public comments since the Schneider trade1, he continues to show he is a bigger guy than the Canucks deserve. He was even talking about voiding his crazy-ass contract just to help Vancouver and he move on.

But now that the team wants/needs him, he’s committed to the Canucks–at least publicly. He says all the right things. He’s motivated to repeat his 2010 Team Canada performance in the 2014 Olympics. It’s hard to not like the guy. I even follow him on Twitter2 because he’s a funny guy. I notice he still has the goalie wearing the “?” uniform as his avatar. So maybe there are some underlying hard feelings.

Not that I blame him.

I’d still rather have Schneider as my goalie though.

But I’ll feel some vindication if Luongo puts together the solid, no-head-games season he can. And I’ll enjoy the Stanley Cup celebration that such a season would bring.

1 http://o.canada.com/2013/08/23/roberto-luongo-breaks-silence-on-canucks-drama-considered-voiding-contract/
2 https://twitter.com/strombone1

A close approximation

The mighty M-981 available as a 1:35 plastic model:
http://www.scalemates.com/products/product.php?id=107510. The mighty M-981

Notable features:

  • Two realistic crew figures
  • Plentiful accessories

For the sake of realism I hope those plentiful accessories include cans of beer, pr0n magazines, tins of smoked oysters and other potted meats, and goth chicks to provide entertainments on the weekends.

Additional models not shown:

  • The Metropol®, your very own tanz cafe
  • Wolfgang’s Clunky Cab taxi
  • Bravo Two, a run down military barracks building
  • Mr. Kim’s Korean House restaurant and watering hole. Comes with many small pieces meant to be drunkenly secreted out and hidden at Bravo Two.
  • The Bottle Shop, your connection for contraband liquor and single-packs of smokes. Comes with your very own ration card and paper punch.

Collect Them All!