Saturday, July 10, 2010
I Can't Believe I Put That In My Mouth
Jelly Belly's coconut-flavored jelly beans taste like accidentally getting tanning lotion in your mouth. Ech.
Red Dwarf vs. ...
A "Red Dwarf" (season 7) marathon was a better option than what was available on cable/FiOS, today.
Where's the Rest?
Just been presented with a glass of chianti ...Reasonably certain that fava beans are not to follow (thankfully).
Tattoos on Covert Operatives
If you're a spy, a criminal, a terrorist or anyone who needs to remain unidentifiable: does it make any sense to have any/lots of tattoos? Any time I see movies (from the modern era) that depict super criminals and terrorists as being tattooed or otherwise exceptional/memorable, It just makes me shake my head. I mean, how super (i.e. "successful") can you be in a covert operations field if you're easily identifiable? It feels like identifiability is inversely-proportional to ability to be covert.
Cynical Turns of Phrase
I'm one of the bajillion people that has a login on LinkedIn. I'm even part of a couple professional groups - mostly "alumni' type groups. That said, I occasionally get emails of the various groups' digests. In a couple of the groups, there's people that like to post about "social media strategy".
This has got to be one of the most cynical turns of phrases of the current tech era. I mean, I get that businesses are always looking for new ways to reach potential customers. But, this seems like such a bald-faced statement of looking to exploit things.
And, in particular, it seems cynical when applied to social media that were never really meant to be "direct advertising" avenues.
In the context of LinkedIn and other business-oriented sites, I get that you might want to have a social media strategy.
I get that you might even want people to "like" your products/pages on Facebook or to follow your "Tweets" on twitter. But, the reason that we, the people that participate in social media sites, fan/or follow someone is because it's entertaining to do so. So, really, there's not that much of a "strategy" to social media. Make your stuff fun and interesting and people will pay attention. Other than doing that and it comes off like you're trying to trick us into paying attention to you and THAT is what I find so cynical about "social media strategies".
This has got to be one of the most cynical turns of phrases of the current tech era. I mean, I get that businesses are always looking for new ways to reach potential customers. But, this seems like such a bald-faced statement of looking to exploit things.
And, in particular, it seems cynical when applied to social media that were never really meant to be "direct advertising" avenues.
In the context of LinkedIn and other business-oriented sites, I get that you might want to have a social media strategy.
I get that you might even want people to "like" your products/pages on Facebook or to follow your "Tweets" on twitter. But, the reason that we, the people that participate in social media sites, fan/or follow someone is because it's entertaining to do so. So, really, there's not that much of a "strategy" to social media. Make your stuff fun and interesting and people will pay attention. Other than doing that and it comes off like you're trying to trick us into paying attention to you and THAT is what I find so cynical about "social media strategies".
Chemistry Be Damned
So, I'm looking at this year's off-season moves made by the Flyers. I look back at this last season, where we had a team that took till, pretty much, the playoffs to gel, and it seems like the Flyers' ownership/management is intentionally trying to create a team with no interest in winning.
First, we take a team that was 1 OT and one game away from getting a Stanley Cup, and make wholesale changes.
While I understand that we got to and through the playoffs on the backs of non "elite" goaltending, the effort to improve the team by way of goaltending was conspicuous in its absence. Still, the moves to create a 3-pair deep defensive core was understandable. Keep the pucks away from the goal tender and field a defensive grouping that opposing coaches can't juggle lines around is a sound strategy.
However, what I don't get is the moves that seem to be aimed at destroying any chemistry the team had.
Jody Shelly, by himself, isn't a horrible pickup. Paying Jody Shelly the kind of money they've chosen to - exacerbating their already tight cap space in the process - seems like a deliberate slap in the face of team members that produce more, have more heart and are paid considerably less. Carcillo's already gone to arbitration (almost assuredly) because of the Shelly "deal". Given the Flyers' track record, Carcillo's, now, not long for the Orange and Black.
The moves with respect to Gagne send the message that, no matter what agreements you have in place with a guy, no matter how much a player puts into being a team-guy, it means nothing. I understand pro sports are "a business", but there needs to be a certain level of respect shown, even in business. This shit's made a lie of the whole "team as family" thing that the Flyers have at least, previously, given lip-service to.
I have great fear that I'm going to be paying for another regular season of half-assed play. I don't, yet, see indications that I'm going to have a 2-month playoff run or Cup to make up for another half-assed season.
First, we take a team that was 1 OT and one game away from getting a Stanley Cup, and make wholesale changes.
While I understand that we got to and through the playoffs on the backs of non "elite" goaltending, the effort to improve the team by way of goaltending was conspicuous in its absence. Still, the moves to create a 3-pair deep defensive core was understandable. Keep the pucks away from the goal tender and field a defensive grouping that opposing coaches can't juggle lines around is a sound strategy.
However, what I don't get is the moves that seem to be aimed at destroying any chemistry the team had.
Jody Shelly, by himself, isn't a horrible pickup. Paying Jody Shelly the kind of money they've chosen to - exacerbating their already tight cap space in the process - seems like a deliberate slap in the face of team members that produce more, have more heart and are paid considerably less. Carcillo's already gone to arbitration (almost assuredly) because of the Shelly "deal". Given the Flyers' track record, Carcillo's, now, not long for the Orange and Black.
The moves with respect to Gagne send the message that, no matter what agreements you have in place with a guy, no matter how much a player puts into being a team-guy, it means nothing. I understand pro sports are "a business", but there needs to be a certain level of respect shown, even in business. This shit's made a lie of the whole "team as family" thing that the Flyers have at least, previously, given lip-service to.
I have great fear that I'm going to be paying for another regular season of half-assed play. I don't, yet, see indications that I'm going to have a 2-month playoff run or Cup to make up for another half-assed season.
Long-lasting Snacks
A ham&cheese crepe and a blueberry muffin for breakfast really seems to carry you through the day.
Well, It Wasn't a Pixar Production
Heh... I'd assumed Despicable Me was a Dreamworks movie, given its quality. Still ...Easy to tell it wasn't a Pixar.
Guess It's More About Who *Didn't* Make It
In the end, Despicable Me was about what you expect from Dreamworks Animation. Ironically, it wasn't from Dreamworks. So, in the future, I guess I just need to remember to skip non-Pixar CG-animated titles.
Clue: It's Not Just Pretty Pictures
Dreamworks Animation is - on a storytelling level - a VERY poor substitute for Pixar. Animation's on par, but their storytelling SUUUUCKS. Sadly, Despicable Me was more like a Dreamworks production than a Pixar production. I know plenty of people liked it. But ..."meh": I couldn't even be bothered to remember who made it, other than to know, without looking, that it wasn't a Pixar.
Where'd the Day Go??
Weird. Came home from the farmers' market and was able to take a nice, multi-hour nap (woke up, for good, at 1600). 8hrs for the last 24.
Quantum Unity
It really makes one wonder whether different people have differing quantum makeups so as to have a greater or lesser presence of gravity about them.
Magnetic Personality?
There is an unusually high incidence of gravity-related events when Donna is around. :(
Is Umbrella Usage That Hard to Master
I really want to murder all the people that nearly ripped my eyes out or covered me with water with their inappropriate umbrella usage.
They're for OUTSIDE
Why does it not occur to most umbrella users to put their umbrellas down when they go into covered structures?
Rain Falls Further, thus, Hits Harder?
why are the people most likely to use umbrellas also the shortest ones?
Friday, July 9, 2010
Organizing the Flood
So.. Might be easier (and better formatted) to delink Plurk and Twitter and just group post to both (rather than chain-posting)
Fun Product Names
There's something immensely amusing about seeing "Koch's Little Gobblers" in your supermarket's frozen-foods section.
Were it a more "shelf-stable" product, I'd have had to buy one for the collection (got some Korean SPAM that goes by the name "Assi", some instant "cock-flavored" soup mix, and a few other fun ones).
Were it a more "shelf-stable" product, I'd have had to buy one for the collection (got some Korean SPAM that goes by the name "Assi", some instant "cock-flavored" soup mix, and a few other fun ones).
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