That Looks Heavy

July 29, 2012

Zulfiya Chinshanlo

According to this article, she's Chinese, but competes for Kazakhstan.
She said she wouldn't have had this opportunity if she stayed in China, thought that sounds like there wasn't room on the team for her, which seems crazy since she won the Gold.

She weights 117 pounds, but lifted 289 pounds in the Clean & Jerk.
I can't do that.

Spoilers
I know the Olympics aren't live.
And I know that trying to maintain media silence is difficult.
But I don't understand the psychology of someone who posts results on social media.
When all you say is "Go USA! Way to get a gold gymnasts!", you are not contributing to the conversation.
There's no fresh take in that comment.
No genius insight into the situation.
It seems to me to be a simple case of informational bragging.
"Guess what I know that you don't."
Except I'm sure that information wasn't hard to come by.
There is no reason to share that piece of information

I get that news is news, and the media has to cover this in a timely fashion. And I also understand that most people think the NBC coverage is shit, so why would you wait for them to bring you the event on tape delay when you could just stream the events online?

Farewell Bucky balls

NPR
Everything is dangerous if you use it wrong.

Little Red Hen Dancing Schedule

Saw this in the paper today.

Even Soccer Doesn't Allow That

July 30, 2012

Abby Wambach was punched in the face today.

Ummm... that's a foul, right?

Field Hockey

Field Hockey seems to combine the worst parts of soccer and ice hockey.

It's a lot of passing, wide open play, and probing to find appropriate times to shoot (like soccer).

But it's also got frequent turnovers, goals that come out of nowhere, and plays that end with random turnovers (like ice hockey.

The only good part is the penalty corners, which you can see above.
Notice the extra gear they wear.

Werner Schager

This Austrian table tennis star is helping European youth to challenge the Asian dominance of the sport.

He even has his own academy.

Spider Tech

A bunch of athletes are wearing this crazy neon tape.

Once just the tool of the beach volleyball players (Kerri Walsh was the first person I remember using this) Spider Tape is all over these Olympics.

They run an ad during EVERY commercial break.

So what is Spider Tech?

 It's non-medicated and made of cotton.

So it's cotton tape.

Maybe it's amazing and I'm an idiot, but I do not understand this product.

Much like Phitens, It doesn't matter if this product does anything, but kids will buy it because they see the pros wearing it.

OLYMPICS OVERLOAD

July 28, 2012

The Games of the Thirtieth Olympiad are here.
Multiple TV networks are showing the games ALL DAY!
That means in a 24 hour day, there is almost... (six networks... times 9 hours each... plus online... somedays have way more events...) like A MILLION hours of coverage
I plan on completely gorging myself on this rare sporting event.

In short, I'm going to watch the shit out of these Olympics.

Fencing

Three disciplines of fencing all have historical roots.
Today was Foil.
Which must be French for, "Run and stab at your opponent with no strategy"
You can only score by hitting your opponents vest in this discipline.  Striking them anywhere else results in no points and a reset.
Seriously, I can't tell you how many times the two girls collided, resulting in two white lights and thus, no points.
Also, it's pretty cool that they fight inside the TRON computer world.

Ties are settled by a sudden death extra time period.
I thought that meant they take their armor off.
It doesn't.

And the screaming.
Oh my god, the screaming.
 A point would last two seconds followed by five hours of ear-splitting, brain-crippling, banshee shrieking.  
The most embarrassing part was that half the time when they screamed, no one actually scored.
One girl ripped her helmet off thinking she'd won four separate times.

Team Handball
Bill Simmons wrote all about this phenomenal sport.
This needs to be the next collegiate sport that emerges.

The pace is super fast and action packed.
In fact, the ref can force a turnover if he thinks you are being passive.
On defense, as long as you are directly in front of the offensive player, you can do almost anything you want.
And despite that advantage, there is still a ton of scoring.

Badminton
I love badminton.
But everyone needs to invest in a sweat band.

They constantly wipe all the sweat off their face with their hand, and then just flick it onto the court.
It's super gross and is probably the only reason why this isn't the most popular sport in the world.

Archery
TV was only showing the archers face, and the arrow hitting the target.
Obviously those are the two most interesting things to look at during archery.
This does not give you a sense of how far these guys shoot.
It's 70 meters to the target, or three quarters of a football field.
The arrow travels in a huge arc to get to the target.
And they still only miss by inches centimeters.
Also, they settle a tie by each firing one arrow, closest one to the bullseye wins.

Rowing
Not a great spectator sport.  Maybe this is just because it's prelims, and no one is really trying their hardest.

Dressage
No.

OLYMPICS!! - Day 1

July 27, 2012

Daily Show

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Just enjoy.

Opening Ceremonies

If you watched the whole thing, and listened to the announcers, it was pretty cool.
I know some people came in part way through, or didn't listen to Matt Lauer, and they were confused.

Everything you associate with Great Britain was represented.
James Bond, The Beatles, even Harry Potter all made appearances.
For a country that's been around so long, most of their best contributions have been made recently.

Even the Parade of Nations was better this year.

Meredith Vierra and Bob Costas kept marveling at the pace, saying this might be the fastest PoN ever.

Each nation's flag bearer was flanked by a creepy girl wearing a dress of faces carrying a tiara that hooked into her belt with the name of the country on it.
I wish I was making that up.
There was also some weirdo with a copper ice cream cone.

It didn't make any sense until all the flags filled Glastonbury Tor.

Oh, by the way, there's a fake hillside in the Olympic Stadium.
It's actually pretty awesome and super British.
Double win.

The copper ice cream cones each screwed onto a fuel rod...

and came together to form the Olympic Cauldron.

NBC cut 7/7 tribute
So, NBC thought an American audience wouldn't be interested in a tribute to the victims of 7/7.
Instead they ran an interview with Michael Phelps.
This might be one reason why Americans aren't very informed about issues in the rest of the world.
Sometimes, we aren't given a chance.

Things That Involve Smiles

July 26, 2012

PBS Digital Remixes
Mr Rogers

Bob Ross

Zelda 3 Music Remixed With Words
It's slightly vulgar but it's funny.

Also, it's pretty great that one guy with a keyboard 20 years ago wrote tunes that still resonate with me.

All the Zelda music gets me super excited.

The Match - Mark Frost
It's a golf book that was recommended to me.

I'm not quite ready to read books about golf, but I want to write this down as a reminder.

Today's Photo:

Froyo.
On the right is "Badtz-Maru".
On the left is "Tuxedo Sam".
They are both from the Sanrio world of characters.
You know, the Hello Kitty people.
They make me smile every time I see them.
I only know their names and that they look adorable.

Two In A Row

July 25, 2012

Science Cheerleader

These are women who are/were professional cheerleaders who also love science.

One network describes them by saying:

"Who says science and cheerleading can’t co-exist? Nobody, that’s who, and certainly not the members of the Science Cheerleaders. These are some seriously powerful women, who have lent their minds to fields in science and engineering. Oh, and somewhere along the way, they were cheerleaders too. So what? Can’t a lady contemplate string theory while dancing her pom-poms off?”"
When not profiling their various members, they are breaking down the physics of the Olympics.

Goooooooo FLUID DYNAMICS!!!

Today's Photos
Golf at Willows - Coyote Creek

Morning golf is where it's at.
It's cheaper, less crowded, and fewer singles join the group.
I also shot another par by driving a 5-wood on a 120yd par 3.
Then I lag putted from 40 feet and sank the gimmie.
Oh, I'm sorry. 
Is all my fancy golf talk confusing you?
Don't worry. I still have moments where I swing five times to get out of a sand trap.
You don't have to know golf at all to know that five is too many swings.

First Par

July 24, 2012


How To Be A Person
from the staff of The Stranger
August 7 - Elliot bay book release
(Here's a sample Lindy West wrote on Cracked.com)
"Heyyy, Kevin," (for the purposes of this speech your name is Kevin). "It's the real world calling. COLLECT. Yeah. It's this thing we had before cell phones. It's just- listen, shut up. I just wanted to call and let you know that this isn't Playpen 101 at Babies Academy anymore -- this is the real world, and in the real world, we play hardball. And fastball. And we take it to the limit, and also I'm not here to make friends. Look to your left. Look to your right. One of those people thinks that I am joking right now about taking fastball to the limit without making friends. Now, decide which one you think it is and punch that person in the junk-bag. Congratulations. You just passed your first pop quiz." CUH-LICK.

Today's Photos:

Golf is just hanging out in a big park.
If you don't care about your score, it's super relaxing.

Jefferson Park Clubhouse

That bottom "3"?
That's a PAR!
My first ever.

Goodbye, Ichiro.
I want you to get traded off the Yankees, then win multiple titles.

Summer Work

July 23, 2012

Ichiro Traded - Ben Gibbard Sings

It makes sense for everyone involved.

I guess I need to find a new favorite player.

Ecstasy of Order - Tetris Masters

Like "King of Kong", but for Tetris.

AV Club - Gateways to Geekery
Pop culture can be as forbidding as it is inviting, particularly in areas that invite geeky obsession: The more devotion a genre or series or subculture inspires, the easier it is for the uninitiated to feel like they’re on the outside looking in. But geeks aren’t born; they’re made. And sometimes it only takes the right starting point to bring newbies into various intimidatingly vast obsessions. Gateways To Geekeryis our regular attempt to help those who want to be enthralled, but aren’t sure where to start. Want advice? 
Batman Comics

Potential gateway: Batman: Year One (1987)

After introducing the world to a hulking, brutal future Batman in 1986’s The Dark Knight Returns, Frank Miller teamed with hisDaredevil collaborator David Mazzucchelli to tell the definitive Batman origin story, cultivating the gritty aesthetic that would stick with the character to the present day. Miller is at his best here, delving into the minds of Bruce Wayne and James Gordon to tell an emotionally dense, intensely dramatic story that reads like it could take place in the real world. Batman doesn’t take down any masked supervillains in Year One, but rather the mobsters that destroy Gotham City in less flamboyant ways. Mazzucchelli shows why he’s one of comics’ greatest talents with intensely detailed yet remarkably fluid artwork, and his masterful use of shadows makes him ideally suited to drawing the Dark Knight.Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins is heavily influenced by Year One, and fans of the most recent films will want to seek out this title as an entry point to the Batman comic-book universe. 

Stephen King

Possible gateway: The 1985 short story “Survivor Type,” from the anthology Skeleton Crew

Why: In his heyday, King was known for his uncompromisingly brutal, creepy images and plots, and his talent for propulsive, can’t-put-it-down thriller writing. At his absolute best, though, he also captures a sense of time, place, and character that rivals any popular American writer. The short story “Survivor Type” has all the above in an uncharacteristically tight, lean little package. It starts with a fairly ridiculous premise—a surgeon winds up shipwrecked on a tiny rock of an island with nothing but a supply of fresh water and a load of pure heroin—and takes it to its brutal, logical end as he realizes there’s nothing on the island to eat except himself. The last line of the story is one of King’s most memorable.

Today's Photo:

Back to work.  Filled up two dumpsters while unpacking all the new science gear.

Capitol Hill Block Party 2012 - Day 3 (Whew!)

July 22, 2012

Blouse
Portland driving dream pop

Lumineers
The "Ho Hey" song is heartbreaking, right?

Isn't she with somebody else now, and he's trying to be alone, even though he belongs with her?

Jaill
I only saw them because their biography included bits like "...they're not nearly as good at Excitebike as they said they were..." and "...first to adopt a bold new marketing strategy of giving away a free pair of Nike cross-trainers to anyone who steals it on the internet.  Take that, Radiohead."

Neko Case
It's tough to perform in the middle of a coconut cupcake high, but she's a trooper.  She also lost it in the middle of three songs because of a guy in an eagle costume. To her credit, when she sang, she sounded great.

The Dark Knight Rises

Everything you've heard about it is probably true.

I loved it. And any problems with it, I explained away with a simple "yeah, but that was cool anyway".  

Crossover
A great episode of DS9.

Yes, I'm watching Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Today's photos:

Hey! That's me on the twitter wall!

I had a spot on the curb for Neko.

Capitol Hill Block Party 2012 - Day 2

July 21, 2012


Lineup:
Nightmare Fortress
Why was this band playing at 2:00pm?


Absolute Monarchs


Pollens
White people performing African music.
Ok.


Nude


Beat Connection


Hot Bodies In Motion


Onuinu


Twin Shadow


Reignwolf
See him live.  
No, like, right now. 
I don't care that he's not performing right now. 
Find him and see him.


Grimes
Mainstage show.  Couldn't see a thing.


Lemolo
Felt like it was the wrong venue to see them.  They sounded good, but are SUPER mellow so it was a tough show to get super into.  The best part was either the drummer's watermelon shirt, or the guy in a rabbit suit.


Today's Photos:
Refuse to Abuse 5k at Safeco

Arthur.

Art instillation by Derek Erdman (a.k.a. Rap Master Maurice)
I wonder what the cops thought of it?

Reignwolf. Yes.

Capitol Hill Block Party 2012 - Day 1

July 20, 2012

Here's the list of who I saw today:

Father John Misty
Video with Aubrey Plaza from Parks and Rec

Spac3man

Seattle Rap. So Legit.

Fly Moon Royalty
Seattle electro-soul duo.

Three Oh Sees

Allen Stone
Totally falls into the Rick Astley Zone, where his voice and his face don't match.

Fitz and the Tantrums

The show sounded just like you'd hope.

Today's Photos:

Field Player

July 19, 2012

Lego Wire

Why Is It Hard To Make Friends Over 30?

ADDING children to the mix muddles things further. Suddenly, you are surrounded by a new circle of parent friends — but the emotional ties can be tenuous at best, as the comedian Louis C. K. related in one stand-up routine: “I spend whole days with people, I’m like, I never would have hung out with you, I didn’t choose you. Our children chose each other. Based on no criteria, by the way. They’re the same size.”

How To Change Your Mind Without Flip-Flopping

Flip-Flopping feels like a very recent construct.

Of course circumstances change over time. 

What was a good idea a decade ago might not be a good idea now.

Today's Photo:

See that keeper?
See how it's not me?

You Wanted A Hit

July 18 

Dark Knight Rises 
with Pee Wee Herman

Proclatimation of Levesque Day
Roger Levesque is my favorite Sounder.
He tries hard, has a fantastic attitude, and by all accounts is a stellar teammate.
Who cares if he's only ok at soccer?

Jazz Night School
Featuring Jazz classes for all ages and abilities.
Fundraising using a Jazz-athon in Columbia City


Ezells Life Changing Chicken
Yes.


SAM GET OUT
Thursday Night lineup
Seattle Art Museum hosts free events at the Sculpture Park.




Today's Photo:
Shut Up and Play The Hits

A concert film about the last performance of LCD Soundsystem.
Chuck Klosterman interviews James Mercer throughout the movie.
Klosterman asks a great, meandering question about how people are remembered for all their successes, but ultimately defined by their greatest failure.  He gives Michael Jordan as an example of someone who is remembered for all of his winning, but defined by his relentless competitive nature, even when that competitiveness worked against him.
Mercer, who had decided to stop LCD Soundsystem because it just felt like it was time to stop, replied that he feared his greatest mistake would be quitting the band, even thought that mistake was entirely his own decision and was influenced by zero outside factors.  Essentially, Mercer is committing his greatest mistake while knowing that he might be doing that anyway.

Like Bumper Bowling For Golf

July 17, 2012

A Possible  NASA Logo Redesign

If anyone should have a super cool, timeless, future-proof, logo, it's NASA.

Golf at Twin Rivers

Very open course.

Most holes are bordered by these thick weeds, perfecting for holding your ball when it goes wildly a little off course.

I can now hit the ball consistently.
It doesn't go anywhere near where I want it to go.
But I can hit the ball.

It's Green and Shiny... What Could It Be?

July 16, 2012

Out to Lunch Concerts

Free concerts downtown from bands like the Dusty 45's, Pokey LaFarge, and Hey Marseillies

What Does Space Smell Like?

Jenny Lewis and the Twins
You Are What You Love

Heard this song is Starbucks today as I was selling our Sounders tickets.  I hear so many horror stories about Craigslist, but this was simple and painless.  The guy met me at Starbucks.  Here's the tickets. Here's the money. Done. 

Today's Photo:

Just for knowing the constitution was written in Philadelphia.
Also, shortening the town name to "Philly" helped me finish first.

Zombies, Run!

July 15, 2012

Light and Dark of Calvin And Hobbes

QWOP
You are trying to run one hundred meters.
There are only four buttons, two quads and two calves.
But it's so hard.


Zombies, Run!

Lebowski-fest tickets - Seattle August 10-11

Musicfest NW tickets - Portland September 5-9

Today's Photos:
I escaped the Zombie Horde...for now...

Every car should come equipped with these in the trunk.

Dragonfest Double Happiness Hour

July 14, 2012

Dragonfest
Ran into two ex-students here. Lauren works at Nico Nico, where she's some kind of Japanese language TV host. And Blake teaches video game design at a summer camp at UW. 

Takoyaki

I Love TV

July 13, 2012


TV is awesome.  
There is so much good stuff to watch.

Louie - Miami Review

Buffy Best Episodes
Star Trek DS9 Best Episodes
Star Trek TNG Best Episodes


When Seattle Invented The Future
Fantastic PBS documentary that highlights the 1962 World's Fair

Review from Seattle Times


Cover Up by Cienna Madrid
Article in The Stranger about a woman with a double mastectomy who was told she couldn't swim in public pools without covering up her non-existant breasts.


Today's Photos:

Batman: The Long Halloween - A new killer, dubbed "Holiday" commits murders only on holidays throughout the year.  
Pride of Baghdad - A group of lions escape the Baghdad zoo during the 2003 U.S. occupation of Iraq.  
Chew - A detective can see the history of an object if he can taste it.  So, working as a homicide cop, he's probably going to taste...things
Ex Machina - The mayor of San Francisco is a robot, or something.  I haven't started this one yet.

This combination of pictures always makes me smile.

Improving at Jackson Park

July 12, 2012


Roger Levesque Retires

He is my favorite Sounder. 
Was.
Was my favorite Sounder.

Why Are American Kids So Spoiled?

Because parents, families and communities spoil them?

AI To Stop Cyberbullying

If we didn't have spoiled kids, we wouldn't need this AI.

Today's Photo:
Golfing Jackson Park

Improving takes practice.  I improved 2 strokes over last week, which would be more impressive if I didn't shoot 125 last week.  I had a nice picture of Hole #3, where I shot a 5 wood from 150 yards, downhill, within 15 feet of the hole.  But my camera screwed up and the picture was lost.  
It's still a nice course.