Friday, September 30, 2011
NFL Week Four Pick 'Em
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Sady Doyle and Avengers Prime
I'm such a fan of Sady Doyle. As always, this isn't a statement of overall approval; for instance, I'm a bit shocked that she totally missed the point of Sucker Punch, and I'm sure she's probably written some other things I strongly disagree with. It would be really weird if she hadn't.
But I absolutely loved these ones:
Guardian: Star Trek: warp factor sex
But I absolutely loved these ones:
Guardian: Star Trek: warp factor sex
All in all, what we're getting this summer is Star Trek in the (younger, handsomer, CGI-enhanced) flesh, but not in spirit: to live up to the aspirations of the series, the movie would have to boldly go a lot further than its source ever did.
Global Comment: In praise of Joanne Rowling’s Hermione Granger series
It’s the end of an era. The entertainment which has stretched across books, movies, and countless marketing tie-ins, which has captivated children and adults for well over a decade and which has, for better or worse, managed to become the defining myth for an entire generation, is winding to its close. I speak, of course, of the Hermione Granger series, by Joanne Rowling.
And finally, the best one of them all:
Tiger Beatdown: Enter Ye Myne Mystic World of Gayng-Raype: What the “R” Stands for in “George R.R. Martin”
Because here’s how it goes, when you criticize beloved nerd entertainments: You can try to be nuanced. You can try to be thoughtful. You can lay out your arguments in careful, extravagant, obsessive detail. And at the end of the day, here is what the people in the “fandom” are going to take away: You don’t like my toys? I hate you!
Yeah. To be scrupulously fair, I think that at times she slightly exaggerates in that last one. But having read the series, except for the latest book that I didn't even think would ever come out, I agree with 99% of what she's saying. When I briefly reviewed A Song of Ice and Fire earlier this year, it was to answer someone who asked me if they should read it, so I concentrated on its literary merits. When it comes to the politics of it, though, I'm with Sady. Her post is simply brilliant.
**
On the topic of feminism and popular culture, I'd be remiss if I didn't link to this excellent post:
Comics Alliance: The Big Sexy Problem with Superheroines and Their 'Liberated Sexuality'
Since pointing out my issues with Starfire yesterday, I have received numerous e-mails -- from men -- accusing me of slut-shaming. Since there are a lot of people who don't understand the sexual dynamics that are in play here both creatively and culturally, I'd like to dissect this a little bit and explain why these scenes don't support sexually liberated women; they undermine them, and why after nearly 20 years of reading superhero books, these may finally have been the comics that broke me.
Yeah. For me, what I can't get over is how many of the poses the female characters are drawn in are straight out of porn. I just read Avengers Prime, and it felt like the comic was being occasionally interrupted for something that, frankly, looks like a latex porn shoot more than a superhero comic. Every time we meet the Enchantress, we specifically meet her ass; when she's not contorting herself into positively liefeldian porn star poses, she's on all fours, with her behind facing the reader. In fact, she's in that exact same position in every scene she's in bar the first (and brief last), making me think that her superpowers are magic and doggystyle. As for the main villain, Hela, she's wearing a rubber porn outfit throughout:
"Now you see". I do indeed.
To echo the point made in the blog I linked to above, what makes this intolerable is the double standard. For the majority of the book, the male characters are decently dressed and engaged in an epic comic book adventure; the two principal female characters, on the other hand, look like they're in a porno. That's pretty bleak.
The New DCU
I have yet to read any of the DC comics with the whole new universe crap. Everyone I have talked to and articles I have read, basically have said about the same thing: meh. The only thing I took out of what everyone is saying: weird sex.
Apparently it is implied that Batman may have a premature ejaculation problem. Also, do their suits have holes that they can quickly have sex? This is weird.
I am guessing that in the DC Universe, Starfire is an absolute slut. Actually, I have no problem with a girl wanting sex, but come on, the way she ends that sentence. She is implying that she can go out and find a random dude to bang. I thought they were trying to attract younger readers or something.
I guess my other question, does this make women look good or bad?
Needless to say, I am less than enthused about reading anything when they go into trade form.
I guess my other question, does this make women look good or bad?
Needless to say, I am less than enthused about reading anything when they go into trade form.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
So Many TV Shows...
A pretty busy week of television, I will just get started...
Boardwalk Empire
I thought the premiere was pretty slow. Enjoyable, but slow. The big thing that we see happening is Eli and Jimmy working with the Commodore to bring down Nucky. They pretended to be some KKK guys and shot a bunch of Chalky's people. This has the entire city close to a state of war. Now it is on Nucky to fix the problem.
Also, I think that Jimmy is starting to regret his decision to try and bring Nucky down. He looked at Nucky as a father and now the Commodore wants to be that father. I see things getting very interesting, very fast.
Breaking Bad
Now this was not a slow show. Where do I even start with this one? Jesse and Gus head back to the States. Gus decides to point out the he believes Jesse is ready to run the lab on his own. Jesse does not like this and informs Gus that he cannot kill Mr. White. Gus does not really like to be told what to do.
Back at the lab, Walt is being treated like complete shit since Hank is watching the laundry. Walt realizes that his time is up since someone has been cooking at the lab when he is not there. He deduces that it must be Jesse. He confronts Jesse at home, but he is told to get away from him. Tyrus comes and tases Walt. At this point, I started to have doubts as to whether or not Walt would survive. I know, the main character, but still. It would be insane.
They take Walt to the desert and Gus finally comes out to see him. Walt is informed that he is fired (what Jesse asked for) and that Hank will be killed. If Walt tries to warn him, his entire family will be murdered. Gus is one scary-ass motherf*cker.
Walt then rushes to Saul and wants the guy who can make him disappear. Unfortunately, when Walt goes home to get the money, Skylar informs him of the Ted thing. Way to go Skylar, now your family is going to be murdered. Oh, and now Marie calls Skylar to say that the DEA is there guarding them because they are in danger (apparently Saul made that call for Walt). The episode ends with Walt lying in his crawlspace, laughing hysterically. His only option is to go to the DEA, right?
Sons of Anarchy
We are finally starting to see what happened to JT. It looks like he was about to go back to Ireland to cancel the gunrunning deal with the IRA, unfortunately, he did died before that trip. Obviously Clay killed him.
Down in Arizona, we meet SAMTAZ (Sons of Anarchy Tuscon Arizona) and they are dealing meth. It turns out they killed a member and got one to patch out so they could vote it in. Clay does not like this and confronts the club about it. They get the two dicks out, but SAMTAZ still votes for dealing meth. As Bobby points out (very angrily): dealing and supplying are pretty much the same thing.
We are seeing a precedence, if it is discovered that Clay decided to mule coke before putting it to a vote, then he could be relieved as President and a new vote taken (I mean, how does Clay not feel like a complete hypocrite?). Also, what will the rest of the club think when Piney drops the bomb that Clay and Gemma murdered JT...hell, how will Jax react?
Person of Interest
I was pretty iffy about this one going in, I mean it sounded too good to be true: Jesus, Ben Linus, creator of Lost and one of the The Dark Knight writers. This just seemed like one of those shows that ends up being terrible.
Then all of sudden Jim Caviezel is dressed like a bum and beating the crap out of people on a subway. Also, Michael Emerson is a billionaire who created a program that helps track crime before it happens. Unfortunately, it worked too well and it was picking up all sorts of small crimes. The government made him filter it to just pick out terrorist activity. The other list is destroyed. He built a back door and that is the list he has, but he just has a social security number.
Luckily, Caviezel plays a former CIA super-spy. He pretty much has all sorts of tricks up his sleeve. I knew from the beginning that the first person they were trying to save (the hot Natalie Zea) would end up being the bad guy. I am sure there will be plenty of those kind of things each week.
I guess what I am trying to say is, I liked it, but I can see it becoming pretty silly after awhile. There has to be an overall story that has not been revealed yet. Maybe someone is monitoring these two...
Supernatural
What a disappointing premiere...Castiel was God for about 32 minutes. Then he is convinced to give up the power before he explodes. He gives up all the souls and all should be good. Unfortunately, the Leviathan's stuck around inside and have now taken control. Yep, Castiel is still a bad guy, but only now he is some kind of weirdo.
The only cool part was Dean, Sam, and Bobby binding Death the way that Lucifer bound him all those years ago. Needless to say, Death was not very pleased. The dude that plays him is absolutely awesome. Castiel broke the binding and then Death tells them to clean up their own damn mess.
Pan Am
I decided to give this one a shot as well. I figured that this and The Playboy Club would just be blatant ripoffs of Mad Men, well TPC seems to be (that is all that I have heard about it). PA was pretty good, I had no clue what it was about, but it seems like there will be spies involved as well. Also there are hot girls. Always a plus.
Terra Nova
Time-travel and dinosaurs! What else could a person ask for...although, when they started showing the crazy rock drawings, I pretty much thought they were going to hint at aliens. Luckily by the end we know that it is just Taylor's son who is out there being crazy. Also, there is some sinister plot about the real reason Terra Nova was created.
I must say that I enjoyed Jason O'Mara in Life on Mars (the American version, I know that is such a horrible thing to say). Anyways, I am glad that he has a big role.
Boardwalk Empire
I thought the premiere was pretty slow. Enjoyable, but slow. The big thing that we see happening is Eli and Jimmy working with the Commodore to bring down Nucky. They pretended to be some KKK guys and shot a bunch of Chalky's people. This has the entire city close to a state of war. Now it is on Nucky to fix the problem.
Also, I think that Jimmy is starting to regret his decision to try and bring Nucky down. He looked at Nucky as a father and now the Commodore wants to be that father. I see things getting very interesting, very fast.
Breaking Bad
Now this was not a slow show. Where do I even start with this one? Jesse and Gus head back to the States. Gus decides to point out the he believes Jesse is ready to run the lab on his own. Jesse does not like this and informs Gus that he cannot kill Mr. White. Gus does not really like to be told what to do.
Back at the lab, Walt is being treated like complete shit since Hank is watching the laundry. Walt realizes that his time is up since someone has been cooking at the lab when he is not there. He deduces that it must be Jesse. He confronts Jesse at home, but he is told to get away from him. Tyrus comes and tases Walt. At this point, I started to have doubts as to whether or not Walt would survive. I know, the main character, but still. It would be insane.
They take Walt to the desert and Gus finally comes out to see him. Walt is informed that he is fired (what Jesse asked for) and that Hank will be killed. If Walt tries to warn him, his entire family will be murdered. Gus is one scary-ass motherf*cker.
Walt then rushes to Saul and wants the guy who can make him disappear. Unfortunately, when Walt goes home to get the money, Skylar informs him of the Ted thing. Way to go Skylar, now your family is going to be murdered. Oh, and now Marie calls Skylar to say that the DEA is there guarding them because they are in danger (apparently Saul made that call for Walt). The episode ends with Walt lying in his crawlspace, laughing hysterically. His only option is to go to the DEA, right?
Sons of Anarchy
We are finally starting to see what happened to JT. It looks like he was about to go back to Ireland to cancel the gunrunning deal with the IRA, unfortunately, he did died before that trip. Obviously Clay killed him.
Down in Arizona, we meet SAMTAZ (Sons of Anarchy Tuscon Arizona) and they are dealing meth. It turns out they killed a member and got one to patch out so they could vote it in. Clay does not like this and confronts the club about it. They get the two dicks out, but SAMTAZ still votes for dealing meth. As Bobby points out (very angrily): dealing and supplying are pretty much the same thing.
We are seeing a precedence, if it is discovered that Clay decided to mule coke before putting it to a vote, then he could be relieved as President and a new vote taken (I mean, how does Clay not feel like a complete hypocrite?). Also, what will the rest of the club think when Piney drops the bomb that Clay and Gemma murdered JT...hell, how will Jax react?
Person of Interest
I was pretty iffy about this one going in, I mean it sounded too good to be true: Jesus, Ben Linus, creator of Lost and one of the The Dark Knight writers. This just seemed like one of those shows that ends up being terrible.
Then all of sudden Jim Caviezel is dressed like a bum and beating the crap out of people on a subway. Also, Michael Emerson is a billionaire who created a program that helps track crime before it happens. Unfortunately, it worked too well and it was picking up all sorts of small crimes. The government made him filter it to just pick out terrorist activity. The other list is destroyed. He built a back door and that is the list he has, but he just has a social security number.
Luckily, Caviezel plays a former CIA super-spy. He pretty much has all sorts of tricks up his sleeve. I knew from the beginning that the first person they were trying to save (the hot Natalie Zea) would end up being the bad guy. I am sure there will be plenty of those kind of things each week.
I guess what I am trying to say is, I liked it, but I can see it becoming pretty silly after awhile. There has to be an overall story that has not been revealed yet. Maybe someone is monitoring these two...
Supernatural
What a disappointing premiere...Castiel was God for about 32 minutes. Then he is convinced to give up the power before he explodes. He gives up all the souls and all should be good. Unfortunately, the Leviathan's stuck around inside and have now taken control. Yep, Castiel is still a bad guy, but only now he is some kind of weirdo.
The only cool part was Dean, Sam, and Bobby binding Death the way that Lucifer bound him all those years ago. Needless to say, Death was not very pleased. The dude that plays him is absolutely awesome. Castiel broke the binding and then Death tells them to clean up their own damn mess.
Pan Am
I decided to give this one a shot as well. I figured that this and The Playboy Club would just be blatant ripoffs of Mad Men, well TPC seems to be (that is all that I have heard about it). PA was pretty good, I had no clue what it was about, but it seems like there will be spies involved as well. Also there are hot girls. Always a plus.
Terra Nova
Time-travel and dinosaurs! What else could a person ask for...although, when they started showing the crazy rock drawings, I pretty much thought they were going to hint at aliens. Luckily by the end we know that it is just Taylor's son who is out there being crazy. Also, there is some sinister plot about the real reason Terra Nova was created.
New Movies Playing!
Courageous
What's It About?
Four cop friends struggle with the duties of their job, as well as with their duties as fathers.
Trailer:
PREDICTION:
"Even though it has the feel of a made-for-t.v. movie, the plot is touching. It may have it's cheesy moments but it looks like an inspiring movie, especially for men who are fathers."
"Even though it has the feel of a made-for-t.v. movie, the plot is touching. It may have it's cheesy moments but it looks like an inspiring movie, especially for men who are fathers."
*
Dream House
What's It About?
When a couple and their children move into a new house they think is their dream house.
Trailer:
PREDICTION:
"It looks more confusing that scary. It's hard to believe James Bond, aka, Daniel Craig is doing a horror and that such a great actress like Naomi Watts is even involved in one so so-so looking. The only reason I would see this is for Craig."
"It looks more confusing that scary. It's hard to believe James Bond, aka, Daniel Craig is doing a horror and that such a great actress like Naomi Watts is even involved in one so so-so looking. The only reason I would see this is for Craig."
*
Take Shelter
What's It About?
When a man starts having apocalyptic visions--- he doesn't know if they're real or just in his head.
Trailer:
PREDICTION:
"It looks interesting and creepy. Are the visions real or not?"
*
"It looks interesting and creepy. Are the visions real or not?"
*
What's Your Number?
What's It About?
A woman tries to find love with one of her many ex's.
Trailer:
PREDICTION:
"Cute funny girl Anna Faris is perfect- but the movie doesn't look cute or funny at all."
"Cute funny girl Anna Faris is perfect- but the movie doesn't look cute or funny at all."
*
50/50
What's It About?
Two best friends trying to deal with one of them being diagnosed with cancer.
Trailer:
PREDICTION:
"It looks okay. The plot is serious but only Seth Rogen could turn it into something comedic. I'd like to see how it would play out more if it were a comedy but a drama, particularly, seeing Rogen do a drama."
"It looks okay. The plot is serious but only Seth Rogen could turn it into something comedic. I'd like to see how it would play out more if it were a comedy but a drama, particularly, seeing Rogen do a drama."
*
Tucker & Dale
vs. Evil
What's It About?
Two hillbillies are thought to be killers.
Trailer:
PREDICTION:
"It looks dumb and then dumber."
"It looks dumb and then dumber."
***
E N J O Y
*the*
M O V I E S
*the*
M O V I E S
***
Worst New Movie Poster of the Week
(Official movie poster for upcoming movie 50/50.)
WHY THIS POSTER SUCKS!:
*The bad, unclear images and tagline doesn't give any real hint to what the movie is about (unless the viewer knows what the plot is already- Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character is diagnosed with cancer).
**A better poster could keep the images- but remove the tagline- and add a quote from Gordon-Levitt or Seth Rogen's character- so it's more clear to why Gordon-Levitt's character is shaving his head.
***
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
The DRS is killing F1
The DRS, or Drag Reduction System, is killing F1. Yes, I mean that stupid opening rear wing. The Singapore grand prix was a perfect example of everything that's wrong with it.
The DRS allows faster cars to overtake slower ones on the designated "DRS section" of the track. The reason for bringing the system in is that it allows more overtakes, and sure, it's done that. However, it's also teaching us that overtaking in itself doesn't make F1 any better. In fact, I think it's done the opposite.
First of all, I have to argue that it's not overtaking in itself that's exciting. If it was just overtakes, then you'd have to argue that lapping cars is exciting. It's the battle between two drivers that's exciting, and with the DRS, that's exactly what we're not seeing. Now, when drivers in faster cars are stuck behind slower ones, they don't need to make any effort to pass the drivers in front; just wait for the DRS zone and away you go. There's no battle involved, and no excitement whatsoever for the viewer.
Secondly, in this fetish for overtaking, few commentators seem to have considered is what the DRS actually does. In a nutshell:
The DRS more effectively sorts cars into an order of speed.
That's it. By making it much easier for faster cars to overtake slower ones, it effectively reduces the role that driver skill plays; a better driver in a slower car has no chance to defend himself against a poorer driver in a faster car when they go roaring past in the DRS zone. So it makes F1 even more about the car, and even less about the drivers. It also makes races more boring, as seen in Singapore, because the DRS zone allows faster cars to pretty much automatically make their way to the front of the race.
So by increasing overtaking, the DRS is actually making F1 more boring. Let's take an example. If, for instance, Sebastian Vettel spun out in Suzuka and then got a drive-through penalty, that would be great news for Jenson Button, who's still contending for the title. Right? Wrong. Vetel would use the DRS to easily pass all the slower cars in front of him, and while he might not catch up with the frontrunners, he'd finish nicely in the points. By giving such a massive advantage to the faster cars, the DRS actually makes it much less likely that we'll see races with interesting results. Last year's season finale at Abu Dhabi would never have unfolded the way it did with DRS, as Alonso would just have opened up the rear wing and blasted past Vitali Petrov. It's no longer possible for drivers in slower cars to create upsets by defending well against a driver in a faster car, because of the DRS.
The DRS is terrible and it needs to go. The number of overtakes in a race is not a reliable indicator of the quality of the race, any more than, say, the number of goals scored is an indicator of the quality of a hockey game. When overtakes are devalued, they become meaningless, and when the system as a whole has a deleterious effect on the world championship as a whole, it's a net loss. Get rid of it.
The DRS allows faster cars to overtake slower ones on the designated "DRS section" of the track. The reason for bringing the system in is that it allows more overtakes, and sure, it's done that. However, it's also teaching us that overtaking in itself doesn't make F1 any better. In fact, I think it's done the opposite.
First of all, I have to argue that it's not overtaking in itself that's exciting. If it was just overtakes, then you'd have to argue that lapping cars is exciting. It's the battle between two drivers that's exciting, and with the DRS, that's exactly what we're not seeing. Now, when drivers in faster cars are stuck behind slower ones, they don't need to make any effort to pass the drivers in front; just wait for the DRS zone and away you go. There's no battle involved, and no excitement whatsoever for the viewer.
Secondly, in this fetish for overtaking, few commentators seem to have considered is what the DRS actually does. In a nutshell:
The DRS more effectively sorts cars into an order of speed.
That's it. By making it much easier for faster cars to overtake slower ones, it effectively reduces the role that driver skill plays; a better driver in a slower car has no chance to defend himself against a poorer driver in a faster car when they go roaring past in the DRS zone. So it makes F1 even more about the car, and even less about the drivers. It also makes races more boring, as seen in Singapore, because the DRS zone allows faster cars to pretty much automatically make their way to the front of the race.
So by increasing overtaking, the DRS is actually making F1 more boring. Let's take an example. If, for instance, Sebastian Vettel spun out in Suzuka and then got a drive-through penalty, that would be great news for Jenson Button, who's still contending for the title. Right? Wrong. Vetel would use the DRS to easily pass all the slower cars in front of him, and while he might not catch up with the frontrunners, he'd finish nicely in the points. By giving such a massive advantage to the faster cars, the DRS actually makes it much less likely that we'll see races with interesting results. Last year's season finale at Abu Dhabi would never have unfolded the way it did with DRS, as Alonso would just have opened up the rear wing and blasted past Vitali Petrov. It's no longer possible for drivers in slower cars to create upsets by defending well against a driver in a faster car, because of the DRS.
The DRS is terrible and it needs to go. The number of overtakes in a race is not a reliable indicator of the quality of the race, any more than, say, the number of goals scored is an indicator of the quality of a hockey game. When overtakes are devalued, they become meaningless, and when the system as a whole has a deleterious effect on the world championship as a whole, it's a net loss. Get rid of it.
Fantasy Football Week Three
What a fantastic week....0-2. I hate that the NFL does not force teams to announce if someone will play or not. They should let us fantasy folks know on Friday or Saturday.
Kevin's League
I got destroyed by Couch Potato Hero's 127-78. Since the NFL now hates running backs and only passing is encouraged, all of my backs scored a total of 11 points. Also, the Jets defense decided to play very well against the Raiders, and well that is about it.
The only player on my team to actually do anything positive was Matt Schaub who scored 30 points for me. That is not true, Mike Wallace put up 20 points as well, but all of those came early in the game. I half-expected him to catch a few more huge passes and give me about 40.
This week I take on Offord, who is 1-2. I am now 2-1 and in 4th place.
Steel City League
I lost to Hurricane Arians 90.64-75.26. This was the league where I was left wondering who would actually play. Arian Foster, Jacoby Jones, and Dez Bryant all questionable. I also did not have Mario Manningham.
It was pretty amazing that I even scored 75.26 points. Not one of my players (minus Fitzpatrick) scored a touchdown. You cannot win when that happens (obviously). This is a pretty deep league and players that other people might be able to pick up in other leagues have already been drafted in this one. I am left with picking up Nate Washington or maybe starting Danario Alexander.
I am now 1-2 and in 10th place. Hmm, this could be a long season for this team.
Kevin's League
I got destroyed by Couch Potato Hero's 127-78. Since the NFL now hates running backs and only passing is encouraged, all of my backs scored a total of 11 points. Also, the Jets defense decided to play very well against the Raiders, and well that is about it.
The only player on my team to actually do anything positive was Matt Schaub who scored 30 points for me. That is not true, Mike Wallace put up 20 points as well, but all of those came early in the game. I half-expected him to catch a few more huge passes and give me about 40.
This week I take on Offord, who is 1-2. I am now 2-1 and in 4th place.
Steel City League
I lost to Hurricane Arians 90.64-75.26. This was the league where I was left wondering who would actually play. Arian Foster, Jacoby Jones, and Dez Bryant all questionable. I also did not have Mario Manningham.
It was pretty amazing that I even scored 75.26 points. Not one of my players (minus Fitzpatrick) scored a touchdown. You cannot win when that happens (obviously). This is a pretty deep league and players that other people might be able to pick up in other leagues have already been drafted in this one. I am left with picking up Nate Washington or maybe starting Danario Alexander.
I am now 1-2 and in 10th place. Hmm, this could be a long season for this team.
Monday, September 26, 2011
inspirational
vena cava
vena cava
agent provocateur
http://www.badlands777.com/
vena cava
betsey johnson
agent provocateur
Baldassari
Agent provocateur
paz de la huerta proved to be more badass then i thought
after posing nude on a motor cycle for one of my favorite magazines purple.
When she first came on boardwalk i had trouble deciding wether i thought she was hot or not but after watching enter the void and seeing her agent provocateur campaign i was convinced i dug her. images from here
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Six Kilotons
We're proud to announce this exclusive special preview of Bruce Springsteen's upcoming album Red Dust.
Here's an exclusive look at one of the tracks, a reimagining of the country classic Sixteen Tons. These are the new lyrics!
Six Kilotons
Some people say a man is made outta mud
A poor man's made outta muscle and blood
Steel and circuits and a cyber jack
A mind that's a-weak and a plasteel back
You load six kilotons, what do you get
A Martian day older and deeper in debt
Space Peter don't you call me 'cos I can't go
I owe my soul to the corporation
I was born in the timeslip when the sun don't shine
Fired up my thrusters and flew to the mine
I loaded six kilotons of deuterium
And the straw boss said "Well, fiddle-dee-dum"
You load six kilotons, what do you get
A Martian day older and deeper in debt
Space Peter don't you call me 'cos I can't go
I owe my soul to the corporation
I was born in the timeslip on the Chryse plain
Fightin' and trouble are my middle name
I was raised in the arco by an ol' mama lion
Cain't no-a lo-grav woman make me walk the line
You load six kilotons, what do you get
A Martian day older and deeper in debt
Space Peter don't you call me 'cos I can't go
I owe my soul to the corporation
If you see me comin', better step aside
A lotta men didn't, a lotta men died
One fist of flesh, the other of steel
If the right one don't a-get you
Then the left one will
You load six kilotons, what do you get
A Martian day older and deeper in debt
Space Peter don't you call me 'cos I can't go
I owe my soul to the corporation
**
Friday, September 23, 2011
NFL Week Three Pick 'Em
Altoona Casino
If you want a good laugh, please head on over to the Altoona Mirror and read this article. Okay, the article itself is not very funny, but if you read the comments...wow. The people who comment there are probably some of the most well spoken individuals ever. This one is probably my favorite:
Personally I am down for a casino in Altoona, but only if they have three-card poker. I love all the people saying that it will bring crime into the city. There is already crime there and I have been to Rivers Casino, I do not see meth dealers standing outside, or prostitutes all over the place. People automatically assume that it will turn Altoona into Vegas overnight. Oh well, I doubt it will happen.
Wow are you all so small minded or just idiotic??? You really make so no sense at all. Oh- right this IS Altoona no-one should get ahead- no one should think outside the safety of 'give me evertyhing I haven't worked for because I am baentitled to*****it from working folks in this "God-forsaken"*****hole town"' Why be forward looking, why shouldn't people that work hard want to "better" themselves, why shouldn't they tell these welfare sucking pigs to get a job?? Why ids it I am so freaking tired of paying for these people?? Becaus ei waoirk my butt off at two jobs and so does my spouse - two jobs- two back breaking jobs to pay our own way- I hate seeing all these lazy generational people taking what I work for. Hey - I have a novel idea- Repeal welfare-repeal make people earn their way- yeah I know bring it I dont care I have lived here too long and the longer I am here the more I hate Altoona- disgusting people crawling around that apparently dont shower-
Personally I am down for a casino in Altoona, but only if they have three-card poker. I love all the people saying that it will bring crime into the city. There is already crime there and I have been to Rivers Casino, I do not see meth dealers standing outside, or prostitutes all over the place. People automatically assume that it will turn Altoona into Vegas overnight. Oh well, I doubt it will happen.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Money and jobs
In these desperate economic times, here's some interrelated economics articles for you to read. Enjoy.
Douglas Rushkoff: Are jobs obsolete?
Douglas Rushkoff: Are jobs obsolete?
I am afraid to even ask this, but since when is unemployment really a problem? I understand we all want paychecks -- or at least money. We want food, shelter, clothing, and all the things that money buys us. But do we all really want jobs?
The Economist: Social networkers of the world, unite
In the future, then, rather than a mystified system in which networking and fame lead to wealth only indirectly, the top economies will directly pay people to network and become famous. Economies that fail to institute such systems will naturally decay, collapse, and be digested, much as America's cash economy digested the non-cash economies of its aboriginal peoples, or as the global capitalist economy digested the state-socialist economies of the former communist world. Cash will become identical to social points, which is the ultimate point of the money system anyway.
The persistence of the barter myth is curious. It originally goes back to Adam Smith. Other elements of Smith’s argument have long since been abandoned by mainstream economists—the labor theory of value being only the most famous example. Why in this one case are there so many desperately trying to concoct imaginary times and places where something like this must have happened, despite the overwhelming evidence that it did not?
Comic Book Characters Should Play Baseball: Marvel Edition
Last time I looked at the DC characters, and it was pretty fun. This time I want to take a look at the Marvel characters, but I do not want to use the same types of characters.
Owner
Imagine if Tony Stark had decided to never take that fateful trip and instead bought a baseball team. Hell he would be like a drunken Mark Cuban. He is super-intelligent, so I imagine he would meddle with the team much like Jerry Jones, but during one of his drinking binges he could always pull off a crazy trade...
Also, I am pretty sure he would have some sexy cheerleaders.
Catcher
Durability is something that makes a catcher valuable. You do not want a guy like Chris Snyder or Ryan Doumit out there who could get hurt on every single play. Imagine Wolverine out there (hopefully he made it into baseball before getting an adamantium skeleton), getting down, blocking balls, having no problem taking a collision at the plate. He would easily break Cal Ripken Jr.'s record.
I picture him having a little bit of pop in his bat, and with his animal reflexes he might be able to be a pretty decent hitter. I would imagine a .275 average and about 25-30 HRs per year.
Also, he always seems to be crouching down into a catchers position. I think it is just a short leap for him to throw on a mitt. I just feel bad for the guy who gets into a fight with him and one of those creepy, boney claws pops out.
You want a big power-hitter playing over at first? How about the guy known as Power Man. Instead of becoming a Hero for Hire, what if he went into baseball? The dude would probably belt about 50 HRs per year. He has the strength, he would just have to work on being able to hit a baseball.
I picture him as a three true outcome kind of guy. Like Adam Dunn or Carlos Pena. Probably strike out a ton, walk a good bit, and absolutely crush baseballs. Also, since he has that enhanced durability, you do not have to worry about him getting hurt.
I would love to see what would happen if Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols tried to smack on him. He would probably have to give them a beat-down.
Second Base
Instead of going out and raising a fortune to help fun a silly club that wants to take over the world (or whatever the Hellfire Club wants), Sebastian Shaw would have made perfect second baseman. He could easily absorb the kinetic energy of the ball and then throw it to first with the same force (if I remember his powers correctly).
Unfortunately, he would probably have played back in the early 1900s with Honus Wagner and Ty Cobb (god, those two together would have been a pretty scary thing). I can see him being pretty decent turning the double-play and all he would need is some people to punch him in the dugout before he could go up to bat, maybe give him a little extra strength. I imagine a .250 hitter, with probably 10-15 HRs. I picture him being more of a defensive guy.
Third Base
Honestly, did you think I would create this team and not include the main man of the Marvel Universe? Obviously Captain America would be a perfect third baseman. He has range and agility, so he would make Ryan Zimmerman look like Pedro Alvarez. Also, tossing that shield around probably makes him a fairly accurate hitter and have a little zip on the ball (good thing Luke Cage is over there in case one misses a glove!).
Did I mention that he can probably hit a little bit too? I imagine him to hit for a ridiculously high average with plenty of home runs. I bet he would hit around .400 with 40+ HRs. Honestly, he had the perfect opportunity to make this happen. He could have been unfrozen and just disappeared from the world. Join a baseball team and make a fortune.
Sadly, he decided that continuing his career as Captain America was a smarter move than crushing baseballs and winning MVPs. What a loser.
Shortstop
Quick reflexes, photokinetic memory...hmm how could these serve a baseball player? Well just plop ol' Taskmaster in front of a TV for a few hours and allow him to watch every great SS and then watch him go out and perform perfectly.
His other skills are also enhanced, so he would probably be a great hitter. He would basically be just like Starlin Castro...minus the fact that he could field his position.
Dear Pittsburgh, please go out and sign this guy immediately! His weird skeleton face might be a problem...I really hope that is just some weird mask.
Left Field
This team definitely has some power in the infield, what they would really need in the outfield is a supreme defense. Some guys with canons who can just gun runners down. Imagine having Bullseye out in left-field. He can kill people by throwing a card at them. I am sure he could throw a baseball from left to home...I bet he could throw out Sid Bream...
Also, with his fighting skills and ability to hone in on an object, he could probably be a pretty decent hitter. I could see him hitting .300 and maybe hitting 20 HRs.
Right Field
So a similar type player, with probably a better arm over in right. Hawkeye would pretty much kick ass out in the field. He has that fantastic athletic ability from his circus days.
I would imagine that his years of doing all that crazy training with Captain America has made him pretty quick, so I could see him being a 20 HR guy, but his value would be his ability to get on base and steal bases. I am thinking maybe 60-80 per year. With these guys hitting behind him, he could probably score about 130 runs per year.
Oh, and come on, he wears this outlandish uniform and still manages to bang most of the girls in the Marvel Universe? Yeah, he would definitely enjoy the baseball lifestyle.
Center Field
Okay, this would not be a team if I did not include Spider-Man. Obviously, he could only play one position. Out there in CF, he could use his abilities a little bit and rob HRs all day. Also, he has enhanced speed and reflexes. I can imagine a ton of Web Gems from him out there. He would be like Andy Van Slyke out there, making constant great catches.
He has super-strength and the ability to dodge bullets. You think a 95 MPH fastball is going to phase him? I am guessing he would go down as one of the greatest players of all time. Probably club 50-60 HRs, hit around .450, and steal a few bases. Yeah, he would be good.
Oh and if you do not think he would do something like this, then you do not remember what Peter Parker did when he first received his powers. He joined a professional wrestling group. Maybe if Uncle Ben had not been shot, Peter may have realized that the real money is in professional baseball.
Pitchers
Remember in the last edition, I used the Arrow family as a group that would make great pitchers. I decided to go a different route this time. You need a pitching staff? I can give you two pitchers and that is all you will need.
Mystique would be able to copy pretty much any pitcher ever. Four days in a row, she could be four different pitchers. Clemens, Pedro, Randy Johnson, Verlander...all she needs to do is change the facial features a wee bit.
After that you might need to allow her an off day, maybe so she could go out just be herself. Being a guy for that long would probably get weird.
I say, you take a guy like Longshot and teach him a knuckle-ball. Think about it, his mutant ability is to make probability/luck go in his favor. Every time he tosses that sucker, things would be in his favor, it looks like it will be a ball, but it somehow drops in for a strike. A guy hits it and it just seems to go right to the SS.
Unfortunately, he might need to wear an eye-patch or something. Also, he just looks like an old 80s style pitcher with that great mullet. Hey Longshot, Doug Drabek called, he wants his hair-style back.
Well there is the team, who do you think would win: DC or Marvel? Hmm...
Imagine if Tony Stark had decided to never take that fateful trip and instead bought a baseball team. Hell he would be like a drunken Mark Cuban. He is super-intelligent, so I imagine he would meddle with the team much like Jerry Jones, but during one of his drinking binges he could always pull off a crazy trade...
Also, I am pretty sure he would have some sexy cheerleaders.
Durability is something that makes a catcher valuable. You do not want a guy like Chris Snyder or Ryan Doumit out there who could get hurt on every single play. Imagine Wolverine out there (hopefully he made it into baseball before getting an adamantium skeleton), getting down, blocking balls, having no problem taking a collision at the plate. He would easily break Cal Ripken Jr.'s record.
I picture him having a little bit of pop in his bat, and with his animal reflexes he might be able to be a pretty decent hitter. I would imagine a .275 average and about 25-30 HRs per year.
Also, he always seems to be crouching down into a catchers position. I think it is just a short leap for him to throw on a mitt. I just feel bad for the guy who gets into a fight with him and one of those creepy, boney claws pops out.
First Base
I picture him as a three true outcome kind of guy. Like Adam Dunn or Carlos Pena. Probably strike out a ton, walk a good bit, and absolutely crush baseballs. Also, since he has that enhanced durability, you do not have to worry about him getting hurt.
I would love to see what would happen if Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols tried to smack on him. He would probably have to give them a beat-down.
Instead of going out and raising a fortune to help fun a silly club that wants to take over the world (or whatever the Hellfire Club wants), Sebastian Shaw would have made perfect second baseman. He could easily absorb the kinetic energy of the ball and then throw it to first with the same force (if I remember his powers correctly).
Unfortunately, he would probably have played back in the early 1900s with Honus Wagner and Ty Cobb (god, those two together would have been a pretty scary thing). I can see him being pretty decent turning the double-play and all he would need is some people to punch him in the dugout before he could go up to bat, maybe give him a little extra strength. I imagine a .250 hitter, with probably 10-15 HRs. I picture him being more of a defensive guy.
Third Base
Honestly, did you think I would create this team and not include the main man of the Marvel Universe? Obviously Captain America would be a perfect third baseman. He has range and agility, so he would make Ryan Zimmerman look like Pedro Alvarez. Also, tossing that shield around probably makes him a fairly accurate hitter and have a little zip on the ball (good thing Luke Cage is over there in case one misses a glove!).
Sadly, he decided that continuing his career as Captain America was a smarter move than crushing baseballs and winning MVPs. What a loser.Shortstop
Quick reflexes, photokinetic memory...hmm how could these serve a baseball player? Well just plop ol' Taskmaster in front of a TV for a few hours and allow him to watch every great SS and then watch him go out and perform perfectly.
His other skills are also enhanced, so he would probably be a great hitter. He would basically be just like Starlin Castro...minus the fact that he could field his position.
Dear Pittsburgh, please go out and sign this guy immediately! His weird skeleton face might be a problem...I really hope that is just some weird mask.Left Field
This team definitely has some power in the infield, what they would really need in the outfield is a supreme defense. Some guys with canons who can just gun runners down. Imagine having Bullseye out in left-field. He can kill people by throwing a card at them. I am sure he could throw a baseball from left to home...I bet he could throw out Sid Bream...
Also, with his fighting skills and ability to hone in on an object, he could probably be a pretty decent hitter. I could see him hitting .300 and maybe hitting 20 HRs.
So a similar type player, with probably a better arm over in right. Hawkeye would pretty much kick ass out in the field. He has that fantastic athletic ability from his circus days.
I would imagine that his years of doing all that crazy training with Captain America has made him pretty quick, so I could see him being a 20 HR guy, but his value would be his ability to get on base and steal bases. I am thinking maybe 60-80 per year. With these guys hitting behind him, he could probably score about 130 runs per year.
Oh, and come on, he wears this outlandish uniform and still manages to bang most of the girls in the Marvel Universe? Yeah, he would definitely enjoy the baseball lifestyle.
Center Field
Okay, this would not be a team if I did not include Spider-Man. Obviously, he could only play one position. Out there in CF, he could use his abilities a little bit and rob HRs all day. Also, he has enhanced speed and reflexes. I can imagine a ton of Web Gems from him out there. He would be like Andy Van Slyke out there, making constant great catches.
He has super-strength and the ability to dodge bullets. You think a 95 MPH fastball is going to phase him? I am guessing he would go down as one of the greatest players of all time. Probably club 50-60 HRs, hit around .450, and steal a few bases. Yeah, he would be good.
Oh and if you do not think he would do something like this, then you do not remember what Peter Parker did when he first received his powers. He joined a professional wrestling group. Maybe if Uncle Ben had not been shot, Peter may have realized that the real money is in professional baseball. Pitchers
Remember in the last edition, I used the Arrow family as a group that would make great pitchers. I decided to go a different route this time. You need a pitching staff? I can give you two pitchers and that is all you will need.
Mystique would be able to copy pretty much any pitcher ever. Four days in a row, she could be four different pitchers. Clemens, Pedro, Randy Johnson, Verlander...all she needs to do is change the facial features a wee bit.
After that you might need to allow her an off day, maybe so she could go out just be herself. Being a guy for that long would probably get weird.
I say, you take a guy like Longshot and teach him a knuckle-ball. Think about it, his mutant ability is to make probability/luck go in his favor. Every time he tosses that sucker, things would be in his favor, it looks like it will be a ball, but it somehow drops in for a strike. A guy hits it and it just seems to go right to the SS.
Unfortunately, he might need to wear an eye-patch or something. Also, he just looks like an old 80s style pitcher with that great mullet. Hey Longshot, Doug Drabek called, he wants his hair-style back.
Well there is the team, who do you think would win: DC or Marvel? Hmm...
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