Friday, October 29, 2004
Did you know the Sox haven't won the series in over 39 hours?
As part of your ongoing celebration of all things Sox, go read about Theo. and if you're at all curious about why it was a good thing to trade Garciaparra for Cabrera, Mientkiewicz and Dave Roberts, then go read Moneyball by Michael Lewis. As an added bonus it explains why Bellhorn rules, even if he's got a lot of strikeouts under his belt. ;)
No, but seriously, it's a fascinating book, even if you're not much of a baseball fan. It's a great story about how MLB is resisting (both consciously & unconsciously) using the multitudes of player statistics to form a better baseball team. To me, it's stunning how much of the managing is done on gut instinct rather than analysing the data. But then, i've been brainwashed by my statistic-spouting, fantasy-baseball-playing, pretty-damn-intelligent college friends, so i guess i was biased before i ever read the book and had the importance of walks laid out for me.
(yes, Jon, it's your copy that i'm rereading. i'll get it back to you someday, i swear!)
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No, but seriously, it's a fascinating book, even if you're not much of a baseball fan. It's a great story about how MLB is resisting (both consciously & unconsciously) using the multitudes of player statistics to form a better baseball team. To me, it's stunning how much of the managing is done on gut instinct rather than analysing the data. But then, i've been brainwashed by my statistic-spouting, fantasy-baseball-playing, pretty-damn-intelligent college friends, so i guess i was biased before i ever read the book and had the importance of walks laid out for me.
(yes, Jon, it's your copy that i'm rereading. i'll get it back to you someday, i swear!)
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Thursday, October 21, 2004
each time i start to read this, i shudder
An article about the sutures they used to keep Curt Schilling's ankle together during Game 6. Cool science & medicine stuff, but i'm still sorta creeped that they would go to such lengths for what is, when you get down to it, a game. Don't get me wrong; Schilling is a trouper, and what he accomplished is amazing. But it just seems a little, well, short-sighted to me. I'm a firm believer in "there's always next year" and "if you haven't got your health, you haven't got anything".
before you all lynch me, let me reiterate: GO SOX!!
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before you all lynch me, let me reiterate: GO SOX!!
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Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Seriously.
I'd like to think that this didn't completely sum up my thoughts on the upcoming election, but i think i'm kidding myself.
(no, really, this won't turn into an all-politics-all-the-time blog, i swear. umm.... GO SOX!!!)
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(no, really, this won't turn into an all-politics-all-the-time blog, i swear. umm.... GO SOX!!!)
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Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Silly Amazon!
So Amazon just recommended "The Surrender: An Erotic Memoir" to me. Why?
Because i gave the original cast recording of My Fair Lady 4 out of 5 stars.
ooooooooookay then.
yeah, it shows a little more initiative than its usual effort of telling me "you liked a book by Steven Brust? hey, then maybe you should read another book by him!" but come on....
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Because i gave the original cast recording of My Fair Lady 4 out of 5 stars.
ooooooooookay then.
yeah, it shows a little more initiative than its usual effort of telling me "you liked a book by Steven Brust? hey, then maybe you should read another book by him!" but come on....
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Monday, October 18, 2004
sure this is old news
but how can i not record my love for Jon Stewart and his appearance on Crossfire? The transcript is great, but you'll realize that it doesn't do it justice when you watch the actual video of it. He's just so angry and disappointed and articulate about why he feels that way, even when the moderators try desperately to cut him off.
Yes, Jon, I'm with you. If i thought that the news media actually was providing useful reporting, i'd be much more likely to tune in. as it is, i'll stick to scanning the headlines at the NYTimes, watching occasional episodes of the Daily Show, and reading some informative blogs.
ETA another link pointed out by the boys at MacHall: JS being interviewed Ted Koppell after the Crossfire excitement.
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Yes, Jon, I'm with you. If i thought that the news media actually was providing useful reporting, i'd be much more likely to tune in. as it is, i'll stick to scanning the headlines at the NYTimes, watching occasional episodes of the Daily Show, and reading some informative blogs.
ETA another link pointed out by the boys at MacHall: JS being interviewed Ted Koppell after the Crossfire excitement.
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Friday, October 15, 2004
Honest Voices Reading List
The websites referred to in this week's Doonesbury strips have been collected online in the Doonesbury FAQ.
Just in case that page gets updated, here's the links listed out
Monday: John Eisenhower: Why I will vote for John Kerry for President
Tuesday: WSJ reporter Fassihi's e-mail to friends
Wednesday: Why conservatives must not vote for Bush
Thursday: Going to war in Iraq was a mistake
Friday: Kerry Will Restore American Dignity
Saturday: George Will: A Questionable Kind Of Conservatism
Me, i think both candidates are less than ideal. but what you call flip-flopping, i call being able to incorporate newly available data into your thinking. i want a president able to use his brain. of course, it doesn't hurt that Kerry also seems to think that not alienating the rest of the globe is a good thing (while i'm proud to be an American, i'm prouder to simply be a human being. call me a citizen of the world, thank you very much.) That's not all that's going on in my head, but i don't really feel like turning this into a political blog, so let's just say that for those reasons and many more, yeah, i'm voting for Kerry.
and yeah, Doonesbury rocks my world. :)
ETA: Saturday's article
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Just in case that page gets updated, here's the links listed out
Monday: John Eisenhower: Why I will vote for John Kerry for President
Tuesday: WSJ reporter Fassihi's e-mail to friends
Wednesday: Why conservatives must not vote for Bush
Thursday: Going to war in Iraq was a mistake
Friday: Kerry Will Restore American Dignity
Saturday: George Will: A Questionable Kind Of Conservatism
Me, i think both candidates are less than ideal. but what you call flip-flopping, i call being able to incorporate newly available data into your thinking. i want a president able to use his brain. of course, it doesn't hurt that Kerry also seems to think that not alienating the rest of the globe is a good thing (while i'm proud to be an American, i'm prouder to simply be a human being. call me a citizen of the world, thank you very much.) That's not all that's going on in my head, but i don't really feel like turning this into a political blog, so let's just say that for those reasons and many more, yeah, i'm voting for Kerry.
and yeah, Doonesbury rocks my world. :)
ETA: Saturday's article
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Wednesday, October 06, 2004
an idea i just may have to steal
not for myself. oh no. as a gift for my many friends who will soon be in a place to appreciate it.
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Monday, October 04, 2004
and all for the cost of a bright shiny quarter
I'm so disappointed in myself that i passed up the opportunity to use one of the nominees for America's Best Restroom. Yes, just this past summer as i was wandering around Charlestown, I noted the existence of one of these Germanic beauties -- i even walked all around it, peering at it, noting the strangeness of it -- but did i venture inside? no, gentle reader, i did not. and for that i am truly ashamed.
trust me, i won't make this mistake again.
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trust me, i won't make this mistake again.
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Friday, October 01, 2004
i don't even care if it's accurate
this is just a nifty cool idea with a sweet interface and that's enough for me.
Ranking of the 86,800 most popular words in English
fyi, stoat comes in at 44411. In fact words 44408-44411 are "megabyte hampering questing stoat", which gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside.
My actual given name comes in at the low 18000's. which is way higher than i expected. surely more people have to be talking about stoats than about the few people with my name?!? Stoats, people! STOATS!
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Ranking of the 86,800 most popular words in English
fyi, stoat comes in at 44411. In fact words 44408-44411 are "megabyte hampering questing stoat", which gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside.
My actual given name comes in at the low 18000's. which is way higher than i expected. surely more people have to be talking about stoats than about the few people with my name?!? Stoats, people! STOATS!
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