Urrrgh. While football season is off to a good start around here - UT sitting at 2-0 going into the Tech game, OU and Oklahoma State already stumbling, Cowboys with the road win - the fantasy football season is off to a rough start.
My one money league team is already got me worried after one week. The Hanging Chads only posted the sixth best point total for the week en route to a 119 - 96 loss. My third pick selection of LaDanian Tomlinson is not looking so hot, with Darren Sproles already soaking up a lot of touches. You know it's not good when my two leading RB scorers were my RB3 and RB4 (Julius Jones and Tim Hightower).
The biggest issue, though, is the injury to Donovan McNabb. He wasn't looking horrible (no yards but three TDs) before his injury, but with him being out for some unknown amount of time, I'm now down to Jason Campbell. Off to the waiver wires, although my next game is against the low scorer for week one.
Elsewhere, my Yahoo! 14-team league also posted a loss, and the third-worst point total. What a disaster - I have Darren McFadden and Michael Bush, and it appears they will be splitting the rock (and the points). Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson means I need better numbers from the Texans than they showed against the J-E-T-S.
As for my two generic public league teams, the NFL.com team won by 104-57 behind the monster day from Adrian Peterson. Even a zero from Anthony Gonzalez (another injury) didn't make a difference. My FoxSports team lost by 123 - 109, mostly thanks to a six-touchdown performance by Drew Brees.
So, only 1-3 in Week 1, and the Money League team is already on the downslope. Not a good start.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
I Exist In All The Wrong Places
So, besides my ever-popular PS3-to-Mac post, I have actually found a couple of links to some of my review postings out on Teh Intertubes. Unfortunately, they're not quite linked correctly.
Mahalo linked into my review of Cape Fear - except that I was reviewing the original 1962 version starring Robert Mitchum, and their page labels the link as a review for the 1991 remake starring Robert DeNiro. The site claims to be "human-powered", but the few times I've looked into it, I haven't figured out how to get this corrected.
And then last week, I found that someone had added me in as an external review link on IMDb. Well, that's good - I use those links all of the time, maybe that would bring in some traffic. So someone added a link to my Police Story review - but added to the Police Story 2 page. Sigh. I've put in requests on IMDb to move the link over to the correct movie, but it hasn't been acted on yet.
So near, and yet so far.
Mahalo linked into my review of Cape Fear - except that I was reviewing the original 1962 version starring Robert Mitchum, and their page labels the link as a review for the 1991 remake starring Robert DeNiro. The site claims to be "human-powered", but the few times I've looked into it, I haven't figured out how to get this corrected.
And then last week, I found that someone had added me in as an external review link on IMDb. Well, that's good - I use those links all of the time, maybe that would bring in some traffic. So someone added a link to my Police Story review - but added to the Police Story 2 page. Sigh. I've put in requests on IMDb to move the link over to the correct movie, but it hasn't been acted on yet.
So near, and yet so far.
Friday, September 4, 2009
I Exist One Thousand Times
Well, I actually made it:
One thousand hits, as reported by Site Meter. Of course, about 99 percent of them are coming into my first posting about streaming from iTunes to my Playstation 3 - for some reason, they aren't flocking to my Jackie Chan reviews, Doctor Who reviews, or Corgi puppy posts. Oh, well, gotta take what you can get.
One thousand hits, as reported by Site Meter. Of course, about 99 percent of them are coming into my first posting about streaming from iTunes to my Playstation 3 - for some reason, they aren't flocking to my Jackie Chan reviews, Doctor Who reviews, or Corgi puppy posts. Oh, well, gotta take what you can get.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
If You Don't Like The Weather, Just Wait Three Months
Normally, the first few Longhorn football games are characterized by hot, humid weather, even into October. So imagine my surprise when I check the forecast for this weekend's first game:
A high of 90 degrees? Yeah, I know - that sounds hot. But after three straight months of 100-105, 90 degrees sounds like downright chilly conditions.
A high of 90 degrees? Yeah, I know - that sounds hot. But after three straight months of 100-105, 90 degrees sounds like downright chilly conditions.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Officially Smart
Wylie had his graduation match last night from puppy obedience. He goes to Joyce Morgan's school at Austin Canine Central. The puppy class is nine weeks learning basic heeling, sit-stay and down-stay, recall on leash, and a sit for examination. And also, of course, it's for some basic puppy socialization. Wylie's been having a few issues with his down-stay (three minutes is a long time for a puppy), but last night he managed to hold it together pretty well, and got 87 points out of 100 on his final exam, which was good enough to get his first blue ribbon.
Now it's on to intermediate class, and hopefully more blue ribbons in the future.
Now it's on to intermediate class, and hopefully more blue ribbons in the future.
Monday, August 17, 2009
TV Review: Doctor Who, Season 14
And now on to season 14 of Doctor Who...
The Masque Of Mandragora: This one is a bit hit-and-miss. On the positive, it's another one of those historical settings that the BBC usually does well (both for the studio shots and the exteriors). The main players here were suitably over-the-top, with the astrologer Hieronymous and the evil Count taking top marks here. On the negative, the plot here is a bit coincidental, with the TARDIS just happening to capture the Helix energy, which just happens to find a suitable religious sect to take over, and so on. The script writer also seems to have run out of things for Sarah Jane to do - she spends the first half of the story captured and hypnotized and much of the last episode dancing or literally standing around in the background waiting for the Doctor to save the day. Still, the Doctor and the bad guys are generally good enough here to carry things along. Three stars.
The Hand Of Fear: Sarah Jane's final story is a definite improvement. Sarah is taken over and hypnotized for the second episode in a row, but at least she gets some things to do this time around while under control. Tom Baker is in good form, as well - for example, his casual attitude in watching the nuclear bombing run that he knows will fail. I also like the mysterious cold opening in the first episode (although I wonder if viewers at the time remembered that four weeks later - it's not like Lost today where we have wiki sites to remind us of everything). The defeat of Eldrad by his race was well-done, but not so much his defeat by the Doctor - tripping him into a chasm with his long scarf (a device also used two episodes in a row). And Sarah's send-off is still suitably sad and amusing. Four stars.
The Deadly Assassin: Yes, I know, I know - what other kind of assassin is there? Still, this is justifiably considered one of the classics, both because it is a creepy and interesting story and because of the job it does in filling in some of the back-story of the Doctor's home world. The whole surreal scene when the Doctor is trapped in the Matrix is very well-done, even if the ultimate plan of the Master is overly complex (why bring the Doctor into play at all? why does he need to actually get his man into the presidency to capture the relics he needed? and why does no one else around know about the relics' true uses?). Don't overthink it - just go with the style and enjoy. Five stars.
The Face Of Evil: After some pretty well-realized stories, it was past time for the show's production limitations to reappear. While the devolved Sevateem outfits are amusing enough ("Oh, I like the hat" the Doctor quips as the high priest dons a giant spacesuit glove on his head), the fact that there are only about three visible on screen at a time (and only one woman) makes the tribe look a bit thin on personnel. The cheap spaceship sets and horrible laser gun effects later in the story aren't any better. The overall idea (the Doctor's previous meddling causes disaster later on) could have been a very devastating storyline, but it really wasn't addressed as fully as it could have been. Considering the Doctor was responsible for everything that had happened, the other characters sure didn't seem too unhappy with him at the end. This really was a missed opportunity for something special. As it is, two stars.
The Robots Of Death: Ahh, this is one of my favorites. The hit-and-miss design work switches back to big hit - yeah, the spaceship corridors are the usually bare-bones, but I love the robot designs, the ship's common areas show some differentiation and thought, and even the goofy hats and makeup for the crew do a good job of showing a civilization that has become decadent and overly-dependent on its robotic underclass. The plot is really just a locked-room mystery, where pretty much the last man standing is the villian. One problem, though: why did he choose to start his robotic revolution on a mining ship in the middle of nowhere? Shouldn't he have started somewhere with, well, with a civilization to overthrow? And it's even a good start for Leela in her first shot as companion. This one's a definite five stars for me.
The Talons Of Weng-Chiang: And it's followed up with an even better five-star effort. Another historical story, which means good production design from the BBC. And even better supporting characters, with the duo of Professor Lightfoot and impresario Henry Gordon Jago being so good they were briefly considered for a spin-off show. Even the theater performances within the show were good - I love Chang's un-PC "one of us is yellow" as the Doctor slips off-stage rather than be skewered by swords during a magic act. Really the only mark against this one is the horrible giant rat - just a lousy special effect. Why did they keep trying it, giant animals never work out on a show of this budget! Five stars, and the best of a great season of shows.
So there you have it - maybe the best overall season of Doctor Who! Next season is inevitably a step down, but we do get to meet a certain robotic canine....
The Masque Of Mandragora: This one is a bit hit-and-miss. On the positive, it's another one of those historical settings that the BBC usually does well (both for the studio shots and the exteriors). The main players here were suitably over-the-top, with the astrologer Hieronymous and the evil Count taking top marks here. On the negative, the plot here is a bit coincidental, with the TARDIS just happening to capture the Helix energy, which just happens to find a suitable religious sect to take over, and so on. The script writer also seems to have run out of things for Sarah Jane to do - she spends the first half of the story captured and hypnotized and much of the last episode dancing or literally standing around in the background waiting for the Doctor to save the day. Still, the Doctor and the bad guys are generally good enough here to carry things along. Three stars.
The Hand Of Fear: Sarah Jane's final story is a definite improvement. Sarah is taken over and hypnotized for the second episode in a row, but at least she gets some things to do this time around while under control. Tom Baker is in good form, as well - for example, his casual attitude in watching the nuclear bombing run that he knows will fail. I also like the mysterious cold opening in the first episode (although I wonder if viewers at the time remembered that four weeks later - it's not like Lost today where we have wiki sites to remind us of everything). The defeat of Eldrad by his race was well-done, but not so much his defeat by the Doctor - tripping him into a chasm with his long scarf (a device also used two episodes in a row). And Sarah's send-off is still suitably sad and amusing. Four stars.
The Deadly Assassin: Yes, I know, I know - what other kind of assassin is there? Still, this is justifiably considered one of the classics, both because it is a creepy and interesting story and because of the job it does in filling in some of the back-story of the Doctor's home world. The whole surreal scene when the Doctor is trapped in the Matrix is very well-done, even if the ultimate plan of the Master is overly complex (why bring the Doctor into play at all? why does he need to actually get his man into the presidency to capture the relics he needed? and why does no one else around know about the relics' true uses?). Don't overthink it - just go with the style and enjoy. Five stars.
The Face Of Evil: After some pretty well-realized stories, it was past time for the show's production limitations to reappear. While the devolved Sevateem outfits are amusing enough ("Oh, I like the hat" the Doctor quips as the high priest dons a giant spacesuit glove on his head), the fact that there are only about three visible on screen at a time (and only one woman) makes the tribe look a bit thin on personnel. The cheap spaceship sets and horrible laser gun effects later in the story aren't any better. The overall idea (the Doctor's previous meddling causes disaster later on) could have been a very devastating storyline, but it really wasn't addressed as fully as it could have been. Considering the Doctor was responsible for everything that had happened, the other characters sure didn't seem too unhappy with him at the end. This really was a missed opportunity for something special. As it is, two stars.
The Robots Of Death: Ahh, this is one of my favorites. The hit-and-miss design work switches back to big hit - yeah, the spaceship corridors are the usually bare-bones, but I love the robot designs, the ship's common areas show some differentiation and thought, and even the goofy hats and makeup for the crew do a good job of showing a civilization that has become decadent and overly-dependent on its robotic underclass. The plot is really just a locked-room mystery, where pretty much the last man standing is the villian. One problem, though: why did he choose to start his robotic revolution on a mining ship in the middle of nowhere? Shouldn't he have started somewhere with, well, with a civilization to overthrow? And it's even a good start for Leela in her first shot as companion. This one's a definite five stars for me.
The Talons Of Weng-Chiang: And it's followed up with an even better five-star effort. Another historical story, which means good production design from the BBC. And even better supporting characters, with the duo of Professor Lightfoot and impresario Henry Gordon Jago being so good they were briefly considered for a spin-off show. Even the theater performances within the show were good - I love Chang's un-PC "one of us is yellow" as the Doctor slips off-stage rather than be skewered by swords during a magic act. Really the only mark against this one is the horrible giant rat - just a lousy special effect. Why did they keep trying it, giant animals never work out on a show of this budget! Five stars, and the best of a great season of shows.
So there you have it - maybe the best overall season of Doctor Who! Next season is inevitably a step down, but we do get to meet a certain robotic canine....
Thursday, August 13, 2009
They Have That On Computers Now?
From a news article about how the debate over health care reform has crashed the House of Representatives email system:
[A spokesman] said new technology called "load balancing" is in place to try to handle spikes in volume.
Wow, that newfangled "load balancing" technology! What will they think of next?
(And these are the guys we want in charge of health care? Right....)
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