10 Movies Roger Ebert Really Hated | Mental Floss →

5. The Usual Suspects, one-and-a-half stars. Once again, my comprehension began to slip, and finally I wrote down: "To the degree that I do understand, I don't care." It was, however, somewhat reassuring at the end of the movie to discover that I had, after all, understood everything I was intended to understand. It was just that there was less to understand than the movie at first suggests.

 This one really surprised me. All the rest make complete sense though.

Is Moleskine Inc Replicable? →

...Moleskine is not selling a notebook, it’s selling customers on the identity of being the type of person who uses a moleskine - someone whose cultured globetrotting is reminiscent of Hemingway.

All the of the most successful companies pretty much just do this. Sometimes it helps when someone points out the obvious.  So obvious that many never even notice...

via [parislemon]

Never Give In

As the baseball season approaches I (and many fans like me) are filled with a renewed hope for the season. The slate has been wiped clean and this year could be any team’s chance for glory (as long as you aren’t an Astros fan, yeesh).

Recently I came across a Winston Churchill quote that reminded me of one of my favorite Dodger moments, and also my favorite parts of baseball.

Never give in–never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. - Winston Churchill

No matter how bad a game is going you will always get your chance to even the score. There’s no kneeling on the ball, no running the clock out, or any clock at all for that matter. Even in this game the Orioles got to go up there for their last at bats in the bottom of the ninth[1]. While the Orioles still lost that game, there was always the chance they could come back.

Which is what brought me to this post today. Back in 2006 the Dodgers were playing the Padres, and down by four runs going into the bottom of the ninth inning. Only, they did not go quietly into that good night. They did not yield, they did not give in. So here’s to baseball, glad to have you back.

As Stephen Caver said:

This is what happens when you don’t have a lame clock in your sport…

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1. What do you think the manager said just before that half of the inning started though? “Ok guys, we only need 27 more to stay in this! Everybody score three times!”  ↩

Spent Fuel Pool →

“You’d die pretty quickly, before reaching the water, from gunshot wounds.”

 - Randall Munroe asking his friend (who happens to work at a nuclear power plant) how dangerous it would be to take a dip in the radiation containment pool.

I love this stuff.

Free transportation for life →

During that time I realized that we, the humans on planet earth, were hoodwinked, duped and bamboozled by the political industrial complex that electric vehicles were not feasible.

 While the post is mildly hyperbolic, as Calacanis is known to be, he does make some very good points.  I am pretty interested to see where electric vehicles are going in the next few years.  I hope to have purchased my last fully gasoline powered vehicle.

I do like how he quotes numbers for how much he used to spend on gasoline each month but the recharging stations cost "very little to install."

A few good men … and one jackass

Reader, Jason Christie writing in to Uni Watch regarding UVA Coach Mike London's honoring of veterans.

After seeing today’s display, I’ve changed my opinion on the issue of camouflage uniforms. If you want to appreciate the military, give out some free tickets, send some care packages, hook up with the USO and go overseas, even give a locker room tour or something. But leave the uniforms on those who should wear them.

I couldn't agree more.  Between the camo designs, flag backed emblems, or pink and blue paraphernalia it always just feels hollow.  I am sure both the NFL and MLB have given far more to veteran's groups and many cancer awareness groups that I could ever hope to in my lifetime, but I just don't see how these items that ruin the aesthetic of the uniforms of their respective sports helps.  Maybe you can enlighten me?

I think we can all agree that players and coaches should refrain from full military uniforms (or what they think is the best attempt).

How the Secret Service Said Goodbye to Mitt Romney →

"Javelin, Jockey details, all posts, discontinue."

This is a pretty interesting article.  These are the little details that are invisible to the average American.

[via Riz]

George R.R. Martin Interview →

Do you know the ending?

I know the ending in broad strokes. I don’t know every little twist and turn that will get me there, and I don’t know the ending of every secondary character.  But the ending and the main characters, yeah. And [Game of Thrones producers] David Benioff and Dan Weiss know some of that too, which the fans are very worried about in case I get hit by a truck.

So it's possible you will have to watch the show if the worst happens.  Here's to hoping Martin can power through and finish this thing.  Still kind of a dark thought though, "Just in case I'm dead before I finish, this is what I have planned for the ending."

Division Series predictions

Just a quick post to get my predictions in writing before the Division Series start. I honestly thought Atlanta was going to walk away with one but their defense and the umpires ensured that didn't happen. As for Baltimore and Texas, come on. Who didn't see that game coming a mile away?

We can talk about the current Ranger and mid 90's Buffalo Bills comparisons later though. Today is about putting my predictions on the table to be used for future claim chowder.

AL:

• Yankees over Baltimore (as much as I hated typing that)
• A's over Tigers

NL:

• Nationals over Cardinals
• Reds over Giants

Book it

Lime Cracker Pie →

It's as dangerously edible as it is easy to assemble.

This looks way too good. Might have to give it a shot

Jiro Dreams Of Sushi (your orders for today) – Andy Ihnatko's Celestial Waste of Bandwidth (BETA) →

It’s a beautifully-shot documentary about an 85-year-old sushi master in Tokyo, and his tiny, nine-seat restaurant that has won a rating of three Michelin stars. A three-star Michelin rating means “this restaurant is so good, it’s worth a special trip across the planet.”

I’m already saving up my pennies to go.[1] Who wants to come with me?

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1. I hear it’s around $400 per diner.  ↩

xkcd: Click and Drag →

I just didn't expect it to be so BIG.

Another amazing xkcd comic. If you don't feel like clicking and dragging you can see a google maps like version here.

[via kottke.org]

Rick Santorum is right. →

Former presidential candidate Rick Santorum attacked the media and "smart people" for not being on the side of conservatives in a speech to the Values Voter Summit on Saturday. "We will never have the media on our side, ever, in this country," Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, told the audience at the Omni Shoreham hotel. "We will never have the elite, smart people on our side."

How does somebody say something like that with a straight face? If I didn't know better I would assume it was a from an SNL skit.

[via Daring Fireball]

20Q: JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT →

The (500) Days of Summer attitude of “He wants you so bad” seems attractive to some women and men, especially younger ones, but I would encourage anyone who has a crush on my character to watch it again and examine how selfish he is. He develops a mildly delusional obsession over a girl onto whom he projects all these fantasies. He thinks she’ll give his life meaning because he doesn’t care about much else going on in his life. A lot of boys and girls think their lives will have meaning if they find a partner who wants nothing else in life but them. That’s not healthy. That’s falling in love with the idea of a person, not the actual person.

Great response to the heartthrob question and a really good interview over all.

Aaron Rodgers loses bet with Boyz II Men, will have to wear a 49ers jersey | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports →

Which is worse, having to wear an opposing team's jersey or being a Boyz II Men fan?

Cha Cha Hut BBQ

THE 3 PIGS ….. 8.00 We’re going a bit pig crazy with our latest special. Start with our buttery house roll – add pork belly – then pulled pork – & top with pig candy (that’s bacon glazed with maple & brown sugar). It’s a pork lovers dream come true.

Why do I not live near this place? Talk about a perfect Labor day sandwich.

[via @marcoarment]

A Close Look at Ball Sacks (no, not that kind)

I hereby nominate “bilaterally bagged” as the best uni-related term to show up here on the site in many a moon.

You know you were wondering about umpires and their balls.

Soul Mates

All in all, the world of random soul mates is an even lonelier one than ours. I prefer Tim Minchin’s take on things:

With all my heart and all my mind I know one thing is true: I have just one life and just one love and, my love, that love is you. And if it wasn't for you, baby, I really think that I would have somebody else.

I love Munroe's stuff, especially the new What If, but the close of the most recent post is my favorite.

Don't sell it, Gazelle it.

A lot of people are looking forward to the new iPhone that is most likely coming out in middle to late September. Two questions remain - how are you going to pay for that new iPhone, and what are you going to do with your old one? The answer to both of those questions is Gazelle.

The way Gazelle works is you tell the site what you want to sell, approximate quality (broken, good, flawless), and how you want your money. If you are selling more than $100 worth of gear, they will send you a box and shipping labels. If less than $100, they still pay for shipping but you supply the box. The site buys all kinds of cell phones, and pretty much any Apple product. But for now we really just care about iPhones, so let's look a little closer. Right now they are offering $64-$77 for the 3GS, $157-$170 for the 4, and $279-$290 for the 4S. Those are all for the 16GB models and the prices change as more people sign up to sell their devices, so make sure to check the site yourself.

Right now you're probably saying, "But I can't sell my phone now, I need it till the new iPhone comes out." Gazelle has you covered here, too. You can lock in your sale price now and as long as you send it to them before October 1st that's the amount you will get. Win-win for all sides. So what are you doing? GO SELL YOUR PHONE!

Big Day

Yesterday was one of those days that Twitter was just made for. Rumors of a giant trade started around 10 or 11 am. Not to mention the huge Apple/Samsung case was scheduled to wrap-up in the afternoon.

The Trade

It looked like something that could never happen. The Red Sox are really going to unload Adrian Gonzalez? As the day went on, sure enough. The final deal is pretty huge and multiple players had to waive no-trade clauses. Boston sent Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, and Nick Punto to L.A. for Rubby De La Rosa, James Loney, Jerry Sands, Ivan DeJesus Jr., and Allen Webster. Beckett and Crawford both agreed to waive their no-trade clauses and since De La Rosa was claimed by Toronto on waivers he will spend the rest of the season with the Dodgers AA affiliate until he can be sent to Boston over the winter as the "Player to be Named Later."

In L.A. the trade is largely seen in positive light with lingering thoughts of salary problems in the future. As for Boston, they seem to be overjoyed. I understand Boston's contempt of Crawford at this point and for the matter maybe even Beckett, but Gonzalez has been top-tier baseball player since he got there. Maybe a slow start is all it takes for love to be lost back east. Welcome back to California Adrian and Beckett here's to your resurgence in the National League. Crawford we'll see what you have to offer next season and Punto hopefully you'll push Juan Uribe out the door, if nothing else.

The Case

I didn't want to blog about this thing at all. If you're a nerd then you know what is going on. If you aren't a nerd then you don't care. Long and the short of it, Apple won big. Samsung has to pay Apple over $1 billion or as I saw someone say on Twitter, "Stealing from Apple will cost you one Instagram." To really find out what's going on here I recommend Nilay Patel at The Verge. The former attorney and current tech blogger is my go to read for anything legal and tech related.

The Day

Friday my timeline was discussing one of these two stories and that is it. I don't follow all that many people so I can usually read everything that's posted, but yesterday got crazy. I miss plenty of facebook posts and lord knows I "mark all as read" more often than not for my RSS feeds but Twitter really is the "pulse" of my interests lately. Seeing over 400 tweets that were all interesting to me was something to behold. Hopefully this doesn't change with all of the hubbub going on at Twitter land. Who knows, maybe we'll just move the whole conversation to App.net?