Friday, March 28, 2008

My Take Getting Support

I had predicted earlier that the Phoenix Suns would win it all in an earlier blog. This was based on what I thought would happen to Shaq's health when he got there. Well it seems at least one other source has noticed that same medical staff. Check out what one ESPN analyst says about that...

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/080326

If you watch any Shaq interview, he keeps harping about that medical staff. So I don't know why more people haven't picked up on it.

Unconvinced? Well check out this Sports Illustrated article on Shaq's health and the medical team. In fact what Shaq has been saying about the medical team versus the Miami Heat's team is causing some to pay attention.

So... all you need to know is, you hear it HERE first. :)

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Saturday, March 22, 2008

Nice!

This is strangely awesome...

... wait... and this is simply, and utterly THE greatest prank ever.
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Monday, March 17, 2008

Morgan's funny/true Speech

Click this link before it's taken down...

It's Tracy Morgan, from SNL and his take on Barack and Clinton. In responce to Tina Fey and her take on Clinton.
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Sunday, March 16, 2008

Rocket's Red (Hot) Streak

I don't know how much I can add to the articles that hasn't already been said.   The Laker's Kobe phrased it best when he said (to the critics who keep saying it's not that big a deal, cause the competition has been weak) "if it's so easy, then why hasn't someone else done it"?   A good point.   The just beat the same Lakers to extent the streak to 22 straight wins and take the top spot away from them.

Mind you critics (who are these guys, I can't seem to find any article myself from these "critics"... are the invisible or something?) also point out that the Lakers were without their second best player (and the spark to the arms race in the Western Conference that saw 6 of the top 7 teams trade/acquire someone new).

But wait a minute.

The Rockets lost a small 7'6" centre 10 wins ago.   And they have been without one of their key bench players in Landry.   When you lose a combined 31 points and 16 rebounds from two of your better players you usually take a dive.   The Rockets haven't.   In fact they won their last  11 games by 10 or more points.   So if they've had to deal with back fortune as much as anyone else.  

I will add that people thought that McGrady had a bad game.    He was 0-6 in the first half, and didn't score until near the end of the 3 quarter.   He managed to score 8 in the 4th though.   So was that a bad game?   Let me be bold... no.

They won, and no, not inspite, but because of him.   Rafer Alston AKA Skip-to-my-lou (from And1 fame), was on fire cause of the Lakers insistence on double teaming T-Mac and leaving him off alone to wander the 3 line in his lonelyness.   Result?   Alston was alone on the 3 point line all night, he hit 8-12 and a total of 31 points (both career highs). 

"I felt that the attention was going to be on Tracy," Alston said. "I thought if I could get going early, maybe that would shift the attention a little away from him, maybe they wouldn't leave me out there at the 3-point line. But they stayed glued to him all night."

That Sir/Ma'am is team ball.   And that is why they have won and earned their 22 game win streak.

I'll summerize it in three words*:  McGrady for MVP.  


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*I'm not sure MVP counts as a word, but for my purpose, It'd do.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Great Video

'there's still living ... unfortunately"

Wow... a great video, lots of info. True Knowledge.

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Monday, March 10, 2008

Vista Sucks: We finally have Proof

Well I (and everyone else) was right... Vista sucks (in case there was any doubt). How hard does it suck? Well, a Microsoft VP and a Microsoft Board member couldn't get theirs to work. Incredible? Well just read the article*. There is more than is sucking. Apparently Microsoft is being (class-action) sued for mis-presenting their "Windows Vista Capable" stickers. An interesting read.
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*Membership required, but it's free and easy. However, my link will work for a while. If you want a text version of it, let me know.

Hygiene, Europeans and Customs.

So I was looking into Roberto De Nobili, an Italian Jesuit from the 17th century... a few things came out, but one thing in particular stuck out to me.   After finally befriending a schoolmaster, he finally understood why only the Paravas or current outcastes, untouchables or those lower than commoners were converting to Christianity only.

                   "[The] Parangis [or foreigners who were outcaste and untouchable, lest the Hindus themselves become unclean, not, as the Portuguese thought, Tamil for "Portuguese"] were despised, the schoolmaster explained, because they ate meat, drank wine (usually to excess), bathed irregularly, wore leather shoes, and ignored the rules of social intercourse.   Thus by proudly referring to themselves and their coverts as "Parangi Christians," the missionaries had unwittingly erected an insuperable barrier between themselves and the Hindus.
   Besides learning of this linguistic faux pas, Roberto came to understand through the help of his mentor the significance of the caste system, namely that it was the cornerstone of all Indian society and culture.  To violate it was the equivalent to threatening the divinely ordained structures of life.  To the Hindus the single most important aspect about a person was his or her caste
   When the Portuguese first came to India the initial question asked about them was, to which caste do these foreigners belong?  Is soon became evident, at least to the Hindus, that the Portuguese were ignorant, uncouth, unscrupulous people who were unworthy to associate with anybody except the outcastes.  How else would one explain their total disregard for basic religious and social principles?  No indian, it was said, who valued his rank in society or who esteemed his religious faith would ever consider adopting the ways of these foreigners.   This was the reason, according to the schoolmaster, why the Hindus avoided all contact with the Portuguese except when necessary for trading purposes.  For to be touched or even gazed upon by a Parangi, Roberto learned, was believed to be contaminating.

The Indians were put off by the fact that the Portugese --and apparently this applied to most Europeans except Jewish ones --bathed irregularly.   Sure there were other things (and you can argue that this quite easily I'm sure), but the fact that it was even a topic I found interesting.   My impression of people back in the day was that a lot of people didn't necessarily take that many baths.   No easy access showers makes it harder.   One of the many customs Roberto took on was bathing everyday.   Now, this was interesting to me.   I thought, wow the Indians are really a clean people.   I'm impressed.   Then I told my friend that I thought this was a funny thing, that the Indians thought that the Europeans stunk (essentially).   She commented that it was actually something that the Europeans were known for... bad hygiene.   Apparently Queen Victoria once admonished some natives somewhere (if someone knows the refers I'll be glad to hear it), for bathing everyday.   So she told them to stop (I don't know if she had authority to make them so).   Then.... wow...

Then... wow...

Then I read this article...

I mean wow...

Then my roommate told me another piece of interesting tid-bit.   That the Europeans would throw out the human waste out the window of their house right on to the street.   I don't know how true this is, but the fact that (as stated in the above article) they would only take a bath when ordered by a Doctor, or the fact that everyone got used to a certain level of funk... blows my mind!!!   Now this is Worse Than Failure!  

The final thought I had, was that it's interesting that I assumed that how the Europeans were, must have been how everyone else was.   Clearly most peoples (Arabs, Indians, Jews etc) didn't necessarily feel averse to washing.   So why did I think this was the normal rather than the exception?   That this problem was no only part of the cause, but a continuing factor in the Black Plague of Europe (and it seems-- but I'm guessing here-- Europe alone).  


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Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Microsoft to Sue Linux Users: Patent Armageddon on the way...

So I was reading this incredible article. The summary of it, is pretty much what the title of this blog says. Apparently the Linux world is in violation of "235" patents. They wont be specific (it's all out war you know, you don't give your secrets away free... it's more ominous to be vague), but the idea is much like the music industry suing individuals... except for one huge difference. Instead of the music industry suing you for illegally downloading, they are instead suing you, for even listening to music made by independant artists. Because they own the patents to "music".

I've always said that Microsoft is evil. This sorta thing only confirms it.

One interesting argument I've heard is that Bill Gates is using a lot of his money (that he made from the company) through his foundation to donate a lot of money to AIDS funding in Africa. And so at least one person told me they would continue using Windows for that reason. However, I'd say that is a waste. I do think at least some of that money being used for AIDS stuff is great. However, if you want to actually make a difference do this: use free software, and the money that you were going to use to buy that software donate directly to AIDS research somewhere. That way 100% of it goes to AIDS, instead of 2% (I'm randomly guessing here, but I'm sure it's not even close to this figure). Now imagine if the whole word decided to use freeware, and donate that money to all sorts of thing. Freeware would improve, more things would be compatible. And lots of NGO would benefit (as well as poor folks everywhere).

Anyway, read about patent Armageddon.
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