In order of decreasing utility:
1) Prescription sunglasses
2) Another laptop
3) A katana
4) A Tesla roadster
5) An electromagnetic can crusher
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Thursday, October 14, 2010
It's that time of year again!!!
DAVID BOWIE TIME!
A brief precis of his film career has thoughtfully been provided by Slate. (Vampire video not recommended. I'm sorry I watched it, myself. o_o) And the man himself features in Before and After: the Rock Star Game, over at verbaldoodles.
A brief precis of his film career has thoughtfully been provided by Slate. (Vampire video not recommended. I'm sorry I watched it, myself. o_o) And the man himself features in Before and After: the Rock Star Game, over at verbaldoodles.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Un angel cayo', un angel se fue
When the angels weep
It rains on the city and on the fields
Because someone has died...
An angel fell, an angel died, an angel left us,
Flying into the morning.
It rains on the city and on the fields
Because someone has died...
An angel fell, an angel died, an angel left us,
Flying into the morning.
Monday, July 12, 2010
The World Cup is over. *tear*
Of course, it has been ending for a long time, in the context of the cup itself. Once you get past the quarterfinals and the games are no longer played every day, the best part is already over. The more so as the semi-finals and finals are often very tentative, at least for a while--the games mean so much that the teams are often playing not to lose rather than to win.
Which is why the 3rd place game is usually one of the best of the tournament. Certainly it was this year. After the departure of the United States from the tournament I pinned my hopes on Uruguay, and they did well--not well enough to beat the Netherlands in the semi-finals, nor Germany in the third place game, but well enough to challenge both. Not bad for a country only a little bigger than Utah in its population. Their star player Diego Forlan is my new favorite player (non-Arsenal division), and deservedly carried off the Golden Ball, awarded to the tournament's best player. From what I hear through the Internets, he is also a really good guy. Here is a little back-story on him.
Spain are champions, and deserved to be. Mostly. They are unusual--perhaps even anomalous--in their style of play, which has been described as "beautiful" by many. I think "hypnotic" might be a better word. If you like soccer you probably watched them and don't need a description, and if you don't it may be hard to get a mental picture just from a verbal description of what they do, but essentially their strategy is to pass the ball around among themselves until the other guy falls over from exhaustion and they can walk the ball into the back of the net. Their midfielders (Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Xabi Alonso) are from another planet in terms of their ability to maintain possession of the ball...a planet full of Catalonians playing keepy-uppy and drawing little triangles on the grass with their passes to each other.
But...and this is a big "but"...they had exactly one player (David Villa) who was willing to shoot the ball--an activity generally regarded as central, even crucial, to winning soccer games. Villa scored five goals. All other Spaniards scored three. Since they didn't benefit from any own goals, we can therefore conclude that Spain scored eight times in seven games. Under ordinary circumstances, one goal a game is not going to get it done for you. Spain, to their credit, got it done; and yet their style, despite its polish and technical brilliance, was curious soporific, as if they smothered each opponent with a silk pillow.
Holland, with whom they disputed the final, did not smother anyone with silk pillows. They kicked them into submission. Mark van Bommel should probably have been sent off in each and every game he played. Arjen Robben, Evil Genius, too, although for diving rather than for kicking people. Nigel de Jong should certainly have been sent off in the final for kicking Xabi Alonso in the chest; probably only an entirely understandable reluctance to see the Netherlands finish the first half with nine players kept the red cards in referee Howard Webb's pocket. Robben and Wesley Sneijder (one of the three to escape the opprobrium of a booking, and the scorer of five goals himself) are certainly geniuses with the ball, but Robben in particular tends to make his living by the dark arts.
The Germans, on the other hand, played beautifully, and that's a role reversal to raise anyone's eyebrows. The Germany-Spain semifinal was remarkable for its flowing play and general sportsmanship; there were fewer fouls (eight) in that game than yellow cards just for the Netherlands (nine, including Heitinga's second) in the final. Thomas Mueller, who is only 20 (I feel old!) won the Golden Boot as top goalscorer, and Germany's team, who are all very young, will certainly look to make their mark in Europe 2012.
So, in the end, alien metronomes seize low-scoring victory, the pantomime villains fall at the last hurdle, while the people's favorites scrum over the leftovers and go home reasonably well satisfied.
Which is why the 3rd place game is usually one of the best of the tournament. Certainly it was this year. After the departure of the United States from the tournament I pinned my hopes on Uruguay, and they did well--not well enough to beat the Netherlands in the semi-finals, nor Germany in the third place game, but well enough to challenge both. Not bad for a country only a little bigger than Utah in its population. Their star player Diego Forlan is my new favorite player (non-Arsenal division), and deservedly carried off the Golden Ball, awarded to the tournament's best player. From what I hear through the Internets, he is also a really good guy. Here is a little back-story on him.
Spain are champions, and deserved to be. Mostly. They are unusual--perhaps even anomalous--in their style of play, which has been described as "beautiful" by many. I think "hypnotic" might be a better word. If you like soccer you probably watched them and don't need a description, and if you don't it may be hard to get a mental picture just from a verbal description of what they do, but essentially their strategy is to pass the ball around among themselves until the other guy falls over from exhaustion and they can walk the ball into the back of the net. Their midfielders (Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Xabi Alonso) are from another planet in terms of their ability to maintain possession of the ball...a planet full of Catalonians playing keepy-uppy and drawing little triangles on the grass with their passes to each other.
But...and this is a big "but"...they had exactly one player (David Villa) who was willing to shoot the ball--an activity generally regarded as central, even crucial, to winning soccer games. Villa scored five goals. All other Spaniards scored three. Since they didn't benefit from any own goals, we can therefore conclude that Spain scored eight times in seven games. Under ordinary circumstances, one goal a game is not going to get it done for you. Spain, to their credit, got it done; and yet their style, despite its polish and technical brilliance, was curious soporific, as if they smothered each opponent with a silk pillow.
Holland, with whom they disputed the final, did not smother anyone with silk pillows. They kicked them into submission. Mark van Bommel should probably have been sent off in each and every game he played. Arjen Robben, Evil Genius, too, although for diving rather than for kicking people. Nigel de Jong should certainly have been sent off in the final for kicking Xabi Alonso in the chest; probably only an entirely understandable reluctance to see the Netherlands finish the first half with nine players kept the red cards in referee Howard Webb's pocket. Robben and Wesley Sneijder (one of the three to escape the opprobrium of a booking, and the scorer of five goals himself) are certainly geniuses with the ball, but Robben in particular tends to make his living by the dark arts.
The Germans, on the other hand, played beautifully, and that's a role reversal to raise anyone's eyebrows. The Germany-Spain semifinal was remarkable for its flowing play and general sportsmanship; there were fewer fouls (eight) in that game than yellow cards just for the Netherlands (nine, including Heitinga's second) in the final. Thomas Mueller, who is only 20 (I feel old!) won the Golden Boot as top goalscorer, and Germany's team, who are all very young, will certainly look to make their mark in Europe 2012.
So, in the end, alien metronomes seize low-scoring victory, the pantomime villains fall at the last hurdle, while the people's favorites scrum over the leftovers and go home reasonably well satisfied.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
England v USA
60 years ago, the USA beat England at the 1950 World Cup 1-0. It was quite possibly the biggest soccer upset ever. (Many in England assumed at first the score had been reported incorrectly, and it was USA 1, England 10.)
They had never played in a serious competition since, but England had won all the friendlies, save perhaps one or two draws mixed in there somewhere. The USA has come a long way since 1950, but England is still the big dog and the US the underdog in this match-up.
Thus for background. Now! Yesterday. We (my friend J and I) made our way to AT&T Park bright and early so as to get good seats in which to observe the Jumbotron, chant "U-S-A!", &c. We were among the first through the doors and grabbed seats in the shade, where we were promptly surrounded by a loud mother and her relations, including any number of lads in the 10-12 age range, most of whom were firm for the USA but one of proclaimed his allegiance to England through his Liverpool jersey (with Steven Gerrard's name all over the back of it).
The game got off to a miserable start when Steven Gerrard slipped past his man and buried a nifty little sidefoot shot in the 4th minute. Four minutes! And already the USA was shipping goals! They have formed the very bad habit of going behind early, and against a team like England it looked foreboding. However, the Boys in Blue (England was in all white, the USA in blue with a white diagonal on the chest) rallied nicely and had the better of it for most of the first half.
And then, DISASTER!
Not for the US. For the English goalkeeper, who made the most astonishing gaffe I have ever seen in a soccer game (yes, worse than Fabianski's dubious duo, tho it was a singleton). Here it is.
It was really shocking, but very welcome. (I kinda wished it had happened in some other way, because poor Mr. Green will see that one in his nightmares, and the English tabloids, for the rest of his life.)
Thus fortified, the US went into half-time level. And there they stayed. England woke up a bit and stirred the ball around rather well for longish stretches, but they never had any good shots to back up their good developments in play--and Tim Howard is not going to make a gift of a goal. Before the match I read in an English newspaper that the US had an advantage at only one position: keeper. Of course, if you can only have an advantage at one position, that is the one to choose, and this game illustrated why perfectly. Mr. Howard was man of the match; he made some good saves, despite getting kicked in the ribs at one point, marshalled the defense and generally brought home the bacon.
Mr. Green, on the other hand, let the bacon slip through his nerveless hands. Alas!
So, England and the US take away a point apiece, and Slovenia, having beaten Algeria on a somewhat similar but less egregious slip-up by the Algerian goalie, goes into first place in the group. US-Slovenia next!
They had never played in a serious competition since, but England had won all the friendlies, save perhaps one or two draws mixed in there somewhere. The USA has come a long way since 1950, but England is still the big dog and the US the underdog in this match-up.
Thus for background. Now! Yesterday. We (my friend J and I) made our way to AT&T Park bright and early so as to get good seats in which to observe the Jumbotron, chant "U-S-A!", &c. We were among the first through the doors and grabbed seats in the shade, where we were promptly surrounded by a loud mother and her relations, including any number of lads in the 10-12 age range, most of whom were firm for the USA but one of proclaimed his allegiance to England through his Liverpool jersey (with Steven Gerrard's name all over the back of it).
The game got off to a miserable start when Steven Gerrard slipped past his man and buried a nifty little sidefoot shot in the 4th minute. Four minutes! And already the USA was shipping goals! They have formed the very bad habit of going behind early, and against a team like England it looked foreboding. However, the Boys in Blue (England was in all white, the USA in blue with a white diagonal on the chest) rallied nicely and had the better of it for most of the first half.
And then, DISASTER!
Not for the US. For the English goalkeeper, who made the most astonishing gaffe I have ever seen in a soccer game (yes, worse than Fabianski's dubious duo, tho it was a singleton). Here it is.
It was really shocking, but very welcome. (I kinda wished it had happened in some other way, because poor Mr. Green will see that one in his nightmares, and the English tabloids, for the rest of his life.)
Thus fortified, the US went into half-time level. And there they stayed. England woke up a bit and stirred the ball around rather well for longish stretches, but they never had any good shots to back up their good developments in play--and Tim Howard is not going to make a gift of a goal. Before the match I read in an English newspaper that the US had an advantage at only one position: keeper. Of course, if you can only have an advantage at one position, that is the one to choose, and this game illustrated why perfectly. Mr. Howard was man of the match; he made some good saves, despite getting kicked in the ribs at one point, marshalled the defense and generally brought home the bacon.
Mr. Green, on the other hand, let the bacon slip through his nerveless hands. Alas!
So, England and the US take away a point apiece, and Slovenia, having beaten Algeria on a somewhat similar but less egregious slip-up by the Algerian goalie, goes into first place in the group. US-Slovenia next!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
The big one
But I was not there to see Argentina-Nigeria--well, I was, kinda, but it was mostly to be on the scene for England-USA--probably the most anticipated match of the group stage.
Of which...more to follow!
Of which...more to follow!
I Love the World Cup
It is the television I will cross the street to watch.
Or go down the street to AT&T Park to watch on the JumboTron, which is what I did this morning. I went bright and early and hung around in the Public House, which is the restaurant attached to the stadium, and watched Argentina play cat-and-mouse games with Nigeria. The Nigerian goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama, was Man of the Match, as well he should have been, because he made at least three world-class saves.
The rest of the Nigerian team was fairly dire.
Argentina looked quite bright and sprightly, though they tended at times to kick the ball around just to look good. Lionel Messi (by acclamation, the current Best Player in the World) looked very good and got off several nice shots, all of which were parried by Enyeama. The redoubtable Enyeama had less luck with Gabriel Heinze, who snuck up from his defender position to head in a corner. Just when you thought you had contained all 5 or 6 or however many it is of Argentina's world-class strikers, the defender gets you.
So, 1-0 to Argentina, fair play to everyone.
Or go down the street to AT&T Park to watch on the JumboTron, which is what I did this morning. I went bright and early and hung around in the Public House, which is the restaurant attached to the stadium, and watched Argentina play cat-and-mouse games with Nigeria. The Nigerian goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama, was Man of the Match, as well he should have been, because he made at least three world-class saves.
The rest of the Nigerian team was fairly dire.
Argentina looked quite bright and sprightly, though they tended at times to kick the ball around just to look good. Lionel Messi (by acclamation, the current Best Player in the World) looked very good and got off several nice shots, all of which were parried by Enyeama. The redoubtable Enyeama had less luck with Gabriel Heinze, who snuck up from his defender position to head in a corner. Just when you thought you had contained all 5 or 6 or however many it is of Argentina's world-class strikers, the defender gets you.
So, 1-0 to Argentina, fair play to everyone.
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