Of Our Own Device

Needlessly stirring the pot

2011-03-29T20:57:00.001-04:00

for the money he's paid, it's reasonable to expect him to show up for player introductions, am I wrong?

Amplify’d from probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com

Not sure I’ve ever seen this before.

During the player introductions for LeBron James second return to Cleveland, he ducked the players’ introductions.

When the Heat intros were taking place and it got to LeBron, the stadium announcer called his name but he was nowhere to be seen. There were plenty of boos but some confused faces as well. Follow this link for the video.

James entered on to the court when the lights were down for the Cavaliers introductions.

Who knows his motive (smart money says James says he was back getting something out of the locker room and couldn’t be there for player intros). And it’s really not that big a deal, but it’s going to feed into the LeBron hate that comes from Cleveland and other parts of the nation. And you can bet it’s going to be a story for the next 24 hours.

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Stormy Saturn

2010-12-27T18:39:00.001-05:00

It's amazing we have the opportunity to see things happening at over 740 million miles away!

Amplify’d from cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com

This Dec. 24 picture from the Cassini orbiter shows a huge storm on Saturn as a bright-colored whirl on the planet's disk. The raw, unprocessed image, which was received and released today, also shows the dark shadows of Saturn's rings on the disk.

Huge storm spotted on Saturn

Alan Boyle says:So you think this week's East Coast snowstorm is a biggie? Get a load of the monster storm system that astronomers are seeing on Saturn. Some astronomers have suggested that this is shaping up as a "Great White Spot" — a rare occurrence on the ringed planet — and now the Cassini orbiter has gotten its first good look at the phenomenon.
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2010-12-26T10:28:00.001-05:00

Holiday greetings from Charlotte, NC ... the birds seem to be enjoying the snow that arrived overnight http://amplify.com/u/jjit

All I Want for Christmas...

2010-12-25T17:08:00.001-05:00

I like my Chia Pet after all.

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The worst gifts ever

At this point I would hope that all of the shopping has been done for Christmas and you are feeling pretty good about your gift-giving choices. However confident you might be, I suggest taking a look at the following gifts just to make sure that nothing even remotely similar turned up on your list this year. Seriously, these gifts are so horrible that it has the power to bring down holidays, friendships and relationships. Even a box full of coal would be an upgrade.

Animal weighing scales

Common sense dictates that you should never give someone a gift that could be misinterpreted as a hint that they might need to lose a little weight. This includes gym club memberships, exercise equipment and, most importantly, scales where pounds are represented by farm animals. Seriously, I don't think I could stress that last example enough. $41.38 -
Lazybone

Handerpants

Don't be surprised when you are written out of someone's will after showing up for Christmas bearing a pair of tighty whitey underwear that is worn on the hands. Plus, much like your actual underwear, these have holes in them — so they aren't even going to be very warm. I'm more of a boxer guy anyway — but it's really hard to use your hands in the cold with boxing gloves on. $11.95 -
Archie McPhee via
Fashionably Geek

Personalized toilet bobblehead

Having a bobblehead custom made using a friend or family member's likeness isn't necessarily a terrible gift (especially if the person in question is kind of conceited), but go ahead and scan to the far right of this product image. Yeah, who wouldn't want a bobblehead of themselves on the toilet? Your mother would love it! $99 -
Entertainment Earth via
Nerd Approved

Razor blade soap

Soaps, lotions and oils are old standby gifts during the holidays, but this soap helps you clean those hard to reach areas … like the ones underneath your skin. Yes indeed, that's a real razor blade in there — and the glycerin in the soap will oxidize the metal over time. So how about a simultaneous shower and a shave with a rusty metal blade? Let's just hope that it comes with a tetanus-fresh scent. $6.95 -
Feto Soap via
Nerd Approved

Nothing

And now, the worst gift of them all — probably the worst gift of all time. It's Nothing — packaged nothing to be more precise. A bubble filled with air. The person that gives this gift isn't even trying to disguise their intentions. I mean, even getting coal is getting something. I could burn it for heat. But nothing … you can't do anything with nothing. And since it comes in one of those dreaded blister packs, you actually have to work hard to get at your nothing. Someone paid $9 to give you nothing. It's holiday cruelty of the highest caliber. $9 -
iwoot via
Nerd Approved
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Roller Coaster Ride for Kicker

2010-12-23T11:40:00.001-05:00

I tip my cap to Kyle for hanging in there through this. No one player should be held responsible for a single win or loss. Hold your head high, Kyle!

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Brotzman saves best, not-so-best, for last

Sports Xchange

BRIAN MURPHY

LAS VEGAS

Kyle Brotzman — Boise State’s kicker and the punch line to countless jokes in the last month — was bent at the waist, his hands clutching each side of his blue helmet.

Exasperation. Disbelief.

Brotzman was in the same position on Nov. 26, when he missed the second of two late-game field goals in an overtime loss to Nevada. The loss ended Boise State’s national title and Rose Bowl hopes. And it turned Brotzman, a previously little-known former walk-on, into a household name among college football fans. And now he’s the all-time leading scorer among kickers in Football Bowl Subdivision history.

Here he was again Wednesday night in Las Vegas bent at the waist, helmet in hands, having let a perfect first-quarter fake punt pass — a perfect Boise State play — fall through his hands a yard ahead of the first-down marker.

No. Not him. Not again.

Mercifully, the drop was a mere footnote, part of a busy day for Brotzman in the Broncos’ 26-3 victory against Utah in the MAACO Bowl.

He scored eight points against Utah on two field goals and two extra points to set the NCAA career record for scoring at 439, surpassing Louisville's Art Carmody. He had a perfect directional punt to Utah All-American returner Shaky Smithson. He made two tackles on kickoff returns. And one of his field-goal attempts was blocked.

It was an eventful end to an eventful career for Brotzman, one of Boise State’s key contributors during a 48-5 stretch the past four years. In addition to his kicking, Brotzman ended his career as the Broncos' all-time leader in punting average at 44.6 yards per punt.

Hopefully he becomes a name in the record book. Or perhaps a vague memory of that classic game in Reno. Maybe he's best remembered for his pressure-packed fake-punt pass on "The Riddler" in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl that led to the Broncos' game-winning touchdown.

We can hope that the end of his career marks an end as well to the stories about how Brotzman's miss cost the Western Athletic Conference about $8 million in a bowl payout. About how it cost Petersen a bonus for reaching a BCS game. About how it cost the Broncos a spot in the Rose Bowl.

But maybe it's just not that easy.

On the night Brotzman missed against Nevada, a 26-yarder that would have won the game on the final play of regulation and a 29-yarder on the first possession of overtime, his family received threatening and harassing phone calls. They called the police.

Then supporters created a Facebook page, "The Bronco Nation Loves Kyle Brotzman," and more than 45,700 people signed up — a backlash to the backlash. Boise's Bronco Stadium, home of the famous blue turf, holds just 33,500 people.

Maybe it resonates so much because we've all imagined being there. We've all shot one more basket or taken one final swing or putted one last ball. For the NBA title. With the World Series on the line. With a green jacket in the balance.

Very few get the chance to actually try. Even fewer wonder what would happen if they miss.

We'd probably end up bent at the waist, hands on the side of our head in despair.

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Where would you like to go today?

2010-11-12T10:35:00.001-05:00

would greatly appreciate suggestions for improving this destination finder!

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Aircraft Vapor Plume??

2010-11-10T21:22:00.001-05:00

an aircraft plume usually makes a continuous streak across the sky ... if it is an aircraft, why does the plume abruptly terminate?

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Pentagon: Mystery 'missile' likely a plane

Review concludes vapor plume that streaked across Calif. sky probably came from aircraft

Video

Trailgate: Pentagon insists mystery not a missile

WASHINGTON — A mystery vapor trail that was filmed off the coast of southern California and looked like a missile launch was likely caused by a plane, the Pentagon said on Wednesday, closing its case on the incident.

"With all the information that we have gathered over the last day and a half about this condensation trail ... we have no evidence to suggest that this was anything other than a contrail caused by an aircraft," said Col. David Lapan, a Pentagon spokesman.

The image was
caught on tape by a KCBS news helicopter on Monday evening at rush hour. Video showed a billowing contrail apparently rising from the water about 35 miles west of Los Angeles and north of Catalina Island.
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2010 NLDS

2010-10-11T21:05:00.001-04:00

Giants pitchers seem to get more of the marquee coverage, but these are two good pitching staffs.

Amplify’d from www.sfgate.com

Game 4 is underway in Atlanta

So it's Madison Bumgarner vs. Derek Lowe just getting going in Atlanta, and as you all know, Brooks Conrad is out of the lineup and Troy Glaus is in.

Conrad has the yips, no question, but Glaus is not a real defensive stalwart at third anymore. So that's a potential storyline to watch. Speculation is that this might be a more high-scoring affair tonight, but neither team is killing the ball so far in the series. The Giants are hitting .225, the Braves .165 (thanks, Tim Lincecum!).

UPDATE: Everyone's talking about Glaus as his potential defensive shortcomings, and it's Mike Fontenot who makes an error at third for the Giants.

Giants Home

Fan Forum

The Splash

Stats

Standings

Schedule

Roster

Scoreboard

Shop

Tickets

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Kentucky Beats Auburn Tigers 1984 SEC Tournament

2010-07-21T21:46:00.001-04:00

Rest in peace, Big Dipper. Missing you.

2010 British Open Result

2010-07-19T00:20:00.001-04:00

A great swing, and it didn't look like he felt any pressure at all. Most impressive, well deserved champion.

Amplify’d from nbcsports.msnbc.com

Oosthuizen runs away with British Open title

South African wins by seven strokes after Casey blows up on par-4 12th

Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa kisses the Claret Jug after his seven-stroke victory at the 139th Open Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews on Sunday.

Richard Heathcote / Getty Images

By Doug Ferguson

updated 5:33 p.m. ET, Sun., July 18, 2010

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland - Louis Oosthuizen walked over the Swilcan Bridge toward a victory that was never in doubt Sunday at St. Andrews, another big moment in sports for South Africa.

This celebration, though, carried a different tune.

The drone of vuvuzelas, all the rage at the World Cup, was replaced by the skirl of bagpipes coming from behind the Royal & Ancient clubhouse. For the 27-year-old South African, the sound could not have been sweeter.

With a performance that rivaled the dominance of Tiger Woods at the home of golf 10 years ago, Oosthuizen led over the final 48 holes and blew away the field by seven shots to capture the British Open.

"To win an Open championship is special," Oosthuizen said. "But to win it at St. Andrews ... it's something you dream about."

The timing could not have been better — one week after South Africa concluded a wildly popular World Cup, and the day Nelson Mandela celebrated his 92nd birthday.

"It felt a bit special, really," he said. "When I walked down 18, I was thinking about his birthday."

By then, the hard work was done. Oosthuizen (WUHST'-hy-zen) made only two bogeys over the final 35 holes in a strong wind that swept across the Old Course. He closed with a 1-under 71 for a seven-shot victory over Lee Westwood, who was never in the game.

ove the green on the par-4 ninth. Oosthu

e only challenge came from Paul Casey, who got

Slideshow
British Open champions
These golfers have conquered the field to claim top honors at the oldest major.
more photos
The only challenge came from Paul Casey, who got within three shots after the eighth hole, then drove the green on the par-4 ninth. Oosthuizen answered by hitting driver onto the green and knocking in a 50-foot eagle putt to restore his cushion.

Three holes later, Casey hit into a gorse bush and made triple bogey, while Oosthuizen holed an 18-foot birdie putt.

Oosthuizen spent the final hour soaking up an atmosphere unlike any other in golf with his caddie, Zack Rasego. He finished at 16-under 272 and became the first player since Tony Lema in 1964 to win his first major at St. Andrews.

Just as Lema did when he won, Oosthuizen ordered bottles of champagne for the press.

Never mind that everyone struggled to pronounce his name. All that mattered was the spelling on the bottom of that claret jug. And yes, the engraver used the abbreviated version — Louis — not his given name of Lodewicus Theodorus Oosthuizen.

With the fifth victory of his career, Oosthuizen moved to No. 15 in the world. And as a sign of just how global golf has become, it's the second time this decade that the four major championship trophies reside on four continents.

"Nobody was going to stop him," said Casey, whose adventures in the gorse sent him to a 75 and a tie for third with Rory McIlroy (68) and Henrik Stenson (71). "He didn't miss a shot today. I don't know if he missed one all week. That was four days of tremendous golf. He didn't flinch today."

No, there was only that gap-tooth smile that earned him the nickname "Shrek" from his friends. And there was amazement across his face when he cradled the oldest trophy in golf, a silver claret jug with his name etched alongside Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, and the other South African winners — Gary Player, Bobby Locke and Ernie Els, his mentor.

Slideshow
Tiger at the British Open
Relive Tiger Woods' British Open performances since his first appearance in 1995.
more photos
Without the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation in South Africa, the son of a farmer could not have afforded the travel required to reach the game's highest level.

"It was great to have a South African winning it on Mandela Day," said Dennis Bruyns, the chief executive of the Southern Africa PGA. "And there was a great sense of satisfaction in having a South African caddie with him, too."

It was the fifth major for the Springboks dating to Retief Goosen winning the U.S. Open in 2001, and the first at the British Open since Els won at Muirfield in 2002, a victory that inspired Oosthuizen.

"Shrek is on the move," Goosen said. "I knew he had a lot of talent. He grew up in an area (Mossel Bay) that's very windy, so for him, these conditions are normal. The guy's got one of the best swings on tour. I think he'll be around for many years to come."

Some 45 miles away, Player was returning from a golf outing and listening to every shot on the radio, proud as can be. He saw the potential during a practice round they played at the Masters this year.

Player called Oosthuizen on Sunday morning and gave him a pep talk.

"I told him he's got to realize that lots of people are hitting bad shots," Player said, not knowing how few of those the kid would hit. "And I told him the crowd was naturally going to show a bias. But I reminded him when I played Arnold Palmer in 1961 at the Masters, only my wife and my dog was pulling for me. I told him he's got to get in there and be more determined to win."

Oosthuizen was relaxed as he could be, putting his arm around Rasego after hitting off the 18th tee and walking over the Swilcan Bridge, thousands of fans packed into the grandstands, along the road and peering out the shop windows.

"It's a proud moment for us, especially with the Old Man, winning on his birthday," Rosega said. "Winning at St. Andrews, it's unbelievable. He deserves what he's just done."

Slideshow
The British Open
A look at the record performances — both good and bad — at golf's oldest major.
more photos
The 150th anniversary of golf's oldest championship was memorable in so many ways.

Ilroy tying the major championship record w

It began with Rory McIlroy tying the major championship record with a 63 in some of the calmest conditions at the course. It ended with someone other than Woods hoisting the claret jug in front of the R&A clubhouse.

Woods tapped in on the final hole and removed his cap to salute the gallery, just as he did the last two Opens at St. Andrews. Only this time, the tournament was still two hours from finishing. Woods made two double bogeys on his way to a 72 and tied for 23rd.

It was his seventh tournament of the year without a victory, matching the longest drought of his career.

"I'm not going to win all of them," Woods said after his worst 72-hole finish in a major in six years. "I've lost a lot more than I've won."

No way he was going to win this one. Neither was anyone else.

Oosthuizen might have been nervous, but it didn't show. Charl Schwartzel, his best friend from their junior golf days in South Africa, ran into him on Saturday and said Oosthuizen was showing him comedy videos on his phone.

"This was about an hour before he teed off," Schwartzel said.

Slideshow
What were they thinking?
Check out some of golf's wildest on-course outfits
NBCSports.com
If anyone showed nerves, it was Casey. With the warm applause from a British gallery that had not seen one of its own holding a claret jug in 11 years, he hit wedge to 4 feet below the hole at No. 1 to send a message. The birdie putt caught the right lip, however, and it took until the sixth hole before Casey could make a birdie.

He wasn't alone. Of the final 10 players to tee off, only Goosen made a birdie on any of the opening five holes.

Oosthuizen plodded along with pars.

"He's doing all the things he needs to do," said Woods, who has more experience than anyone playing from ahead in a major. "He's being consistent, putting all the pressure on Paul to come get him. He doesn't need to go out there and shoot a low round today."

Oosthuizen went 24 consecutive holes without a bogey until his streak ended on the par-3 eighth hole by missing a 6-foot par putt. That trimmed his lead to three, and Casey hit driver onto the par-4 ninth green.

Whatever momentum he had didn't last long. Oosthuizen also drove the ninth green and holed his 50-foot eagle putt to restore the lead to four shots, same as when he started. And this Open effectively ended three holes later.

Casey drove into the gorse bushes left of the 12th, took a drop back toward the seventh fairway, came up short of the green and wound up making a triple bogey, dropping him eight shots behind.

Oosthuizen spent the final hour with a big grin on his face, although he started out that way, too.

The biggest smile came on the 18th green, with a hug for Rasego, and an embrace with wife Nel-Mare and 7-month-old daughter Jana. It will be years before the child can appreciate the magnitude of this moment.

"I will say, 'That's the day Daddy makes us the proudest,'" his wife said. "And we'll never forget it."
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Untitled

2010-07-19T00:03:00.001-04:00

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Scientists to make detailed map of Calif. coast

Laser beams, software and airplanes to focus down to even telephone poles

updated
7/18/2010 8:46:57 PM ET

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Scientists will be using laser beams, computer software and airplanes to piece together what they say will be the most detailed map ever assembled of the California coastline.

State and federal scientists are set to begin work next month on a map of the state's 1,200-mile coastline.

Doug George, a project manager with the state's Ocean Protection Council, says the images will be so detailed that the new map will identify boulders and telephone poles. The data gathered will be used to track ocean levels, beach erosion and flooding risks.

The $3.3 million project will be supervised by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The work is expected to be finished in December, with the images posted to the Internet by next summer.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Read more at www.msnbc.msn.com

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4 Creative Projects that Bend the Reality of Street Scenes

2010-07-17T18:39:00.001-04:00

Would be a very pleasant commute!

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#1: empty L.A. by Matt Logue

This project, created over a four year period starting in 2005, gives an interesting glimpse at what Los Angeles would look like if people and their vehicles instantly disappeared off the face of their earth.

There’s are a few ways you could accomplish this.

First, you can stack neutral density filters on your lens to enable extremely long exposure times. The long exposure would cause everything that moves (i.e. people and cars) to disappear from the scene.

However, it doesn’t look like Logue employed this technique, since the clouds in his photographs are clear and well defined. You would also expect trees in long exposure photographs to be soft and blurred, since the leaves are constantly moving.

A second option is to take a very large number of photographs, and then use an image editor to combine only the portions that don’t contain any people or cars. Doing this at a time when the road is least busy would obviously be easiest if editing by hand, though Logue has quite a few shots from busy hours of the day. Photo editors like Photoshop or Enfuse can also help you automatically stack images and filter out non-constants.
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The Macroeconomic Foundations of Microeconomics

2010-06-20T01:46:00.000-04:00

The Macroeconomic Foundations of Microeconomics: "

At MoneyWatch:

The Macroeconomic Foundations of Microeconomics

This is something I've been thinking about, but I'm not sure I have it
completely worked out (and there may be more work on this topic than I am aware of). In any case, hopefully it's a start, and comments are certainly welcome.

Short Sale: Agent "takes advantage" of Bank of America?

2010-06-20T01:24:00.000-04:00

Short Sale: Agent "takes advantage" of Bank of America?: "Jim the Realtor thinks Bank of America was taken on this deal. This 4,374 sq ft house, on two acres, is in a great location in Rancho Santa Fe (upscale San Diego). The loan was $3.2 million, and the short sale was for $1.575 million.

This was another '5 second' listing. Some agents list short sales for less than a minute to show the bank the listing ... and then keep the entire process secret. I've heard stories of sales to relatives, friends, or the listing agent just wanting both sides of the deal. If this was listed on the open market, Jim thinks it would have sold for substantially more.