Local Love

It's not everyday that a kid from Jeannette is on the front page of SI.com! They say he's not committing to a school today, because he wants to visit Happy Valley first. Could it be that Terrelle Pryor will become a Nittany Lion?!

Also note the thumping that the Gators took last night in Knoxville.

Starbucks bathroom

I wanted to share a fantastic, Seinfeldesqe observation by Bill Simmons that he just randomly interjected in one of his columns. Enjoy.

"By the way, I'm writing a big chunk of this column in a Starbucks that always has a bizarre older customer sitting at the biggest table near the front door, almost like it's an office or something. There's a 95-percent chance he's completely insane because he spends the time crumpling and uncrumpling pieces of paper, making phone calls to people who might not be real and reading the same page of the same book for hours on end. (OK, maybe it's a 99.9 percent chance.) I have never been to this Starbucks and NOT seen Crazy Guy at that table.

Anyway, as I was typing the last question, I noticed him grab a New York Times from the newspaper rack, pull off the front section, then head over to the bathroom, go in and shut the door. Horrifying, right? So about five minutes pass, and I'm typing away, and finally a female customer walks over there, realizes the bathroom is locked, and decides to wait for the door to open. Another five minutes pass, and a third customer joins her, and some more time passes, and now they're exchanging looks like, "My God, I wonder what's going on in there?" Around the 15-minute mark, there's a flush. About 45 seconds later, the door opens and Crazy Guy comes out holding the Times.

I'm telling you this story for two reasons:

1. You know someone has logged too much time in the same Starbucks when he feels totally comfortable grabbing a newspaper, hanging out in the bathroom for 20 minutes and walking out in front of multiple people with that same newspaper. It's the final stage. It's like getting to fourth base with Starbucks.

2. When the guy walked out with the paper, the female customer who had been patiently waiting for 10 minutes immediately turned into Jerry Jones after Romo's final interception in the Giants game. She didn't move, she didn't flinch -- she just stared straight ahead and tried not to have an aneurysm. And I'm sitting here thinking, "I wish time could stop right now because I'd love to wager on this with the two baristas and offer them 2-to-1 odds that she says 'Screw it' and doesn't go in there." But she took a deep breath and waded in there. The entire sequence was incredible. And you wonder why I write in public places."

Party, my house, be there... PIG ROAST!

Can you attach any other two words to a party theme to let your guests know that you mean business about partying? I mean, if you say "I don't know... I'll just throw on some burgers and 'dogs, or something." That is not very impressive. But if you say your are going to put in the effort to get the hog, equipment, and spend time roasting the porky bastard... then you are damn serious about having this party! You are essentially guilting people into coming. You know that they are thinking, "Damn... how can I miss this?! I can't let him down!"

I know that birthday, graduation, and goodbye parties are all very worthy reasons to have a good time, but adding a Pig Roast to the mix only amplifies the original level of party. I suppose pinatas could be popular as well, but that is fleeting fun. Roasting and devouring the hog is lasting fun.

Sadly, this comes at the expense of one unfortunate swine. Wilbur is certainly not having any fun during all of this. It is quite the barbaric act, but it still can take a party to new heights. I shall try this sometime... until then, I'll rely on Jenga and Guitar Hero as my headline attractions.

Playing Catch-up

I've been quite dormant on the blogger, so now is time to get things started back up. Let's begin with some linkage...

- I visited Seattle in September, but didn't get to ride the SLUT train.

- Marilyn Manson decapitates robotic girlfriend on stage. Wonderful.

- If you don't know Gus Johnson, you should watch this to see what he's capable of. He's an excellent announcer who has his own website with some very interesting items. How about... Gustones for your phone?!... yeah, that's ridiculous.

- No World for Tomorrow? Well maybe... but no Coheed massacre yet.

- This is a very old story regarding the Falcons... but that's of no consequence. The real story is DeAngelo Hall's impeccable use of the word "asinine."

"If that's the case ... they can probably cut me too," Hall said. "They need to cut all 53 of us. Nobody is playing the way they should be playing right now, obviously. I mean, we're 1-6. To sit there and single out Grady is just asinine. It's ridiculous." – DeAngelo Hall

- I had the chance to catch and episode of Assume the Position. This HBO show covers significant historical events in a fresh, fun manner. I'm a new found fan of good presentation and enthusiasm and this show delivers both. Give it a watch.

- This link has been on my shelf since June! But since it's hockey season again... I suppose it's relevant. My favorite Patriot's fan, Bill Simmons, decided to do an impromptu running diary of the NHL draft. He knows nothing of hockey... and that's what makes it great. There are many comments on adolescent mustaches, Canadian-isms, and a freakishly, accurate prediction of corruption in the NHL.

- Speaking of Bill Simmons... don't hate him too much for the Pat's thing. He repeatedly has stuck up for the 'Burgh and I think genuinely respects and enjoys our fine city. Just look at what he had to say in a chat about the ladies of the 'Burgh.

Mike (Dayton): I was slamming beers in Pittsburgh this weekend to make the girls hotter. Did I make the right decision? SportsNation Bill Simmons: Come on, you can't diss the 'Burgh like that! Pittsburgh girls are underrated.

- Another blogger/author that I read regularly is Seth Godin. His blog is extremely well-written, concise, and thought provoking. He writes about marketing, but his observations and thoughts are usually universal. Anyway... I greatly enjoy his blog (which is currently ranked #15) and you check it out. What makes me like him even more, is that he practices what he preaches. I recently emailed him a question regarding a post he responded within only a few hours. It speaks very well for him, considering how much effort he puts into his work. Something I think we can all improve on.

- I went to Epcot for their food and wine festival in October. While I was there, I was introduced to the concept of "drinking around the World" while at Epcot. If anyone comes down to Florida and wants to give this a shot, I am definitely willing to participate. Also, while I was there... I found my Halloween costume while I was hitting on a Norwegian employee (unsuccessfully).

- Finally, I want to end this post with a mysterious photo. What do you think this glove does?

The Curveball Challenge

Bring it!!! curveball-game.com

Beek's best:

The Rise of Un-News.

After the nonsense regarding Anthony Smith's conditional guarantee last week and the breaking news on Les Miles not doing anything, ESPN has probably reached a new low. Please read the following sentence from espn.com, regarding T.O. and Keyshawn:

"Terrell Owens reacts to comments that Keyshawn Johnson made about T.O. disrespecting Bill Parcells -- then Keyshawn reacts to what T.O. had to say about him."

A reaction of a reaction? You have got to be kidding me! I intentionally did not include the link, because I don't want to promote any more trafficking of their website. Until further notice, I am done with SportsCenter and espn.com. If anyone knows of a more readily updated sports news source, I would gladly like to hear it.

in_rainbows

Since I have such an interest in novel ways of marketing CDs, I had to make a brief comment about Radiohead’s new album, “In Rainbows.” First, I should say that I have no loyalty or interest in Radiohead for the most part, but that may change now. Radiohead announced yesterday that their new album will be available for download on October 10th, and a special CD box set will be available later in the year. What makes this insanely unique is that Radiohead is letting YOU CHOOSE THE PRICE! This is phenomenal! I am so impressed with their self-confidence and trust in fans, that I will undoubtedly purchase these MP3s. I haven’t decided what I will pay, but it will probably be in the 5 to 7 dollar range; since I believe that purely digital music should be about half the price of a physical CD.
I’ve seen this technique work first hand during my undergrad entrepreneurship class. For one class, we were sent out on the streets of State College with $40 per group and were asked to make as much money as possible in an hour… any way possible. Our group decided to buy roses to sell for $2 or $3 each. After some time of being frustrated and shot down, we decided to approach people with the roses and just ask for a donation. The response was much better and on average we probably received about $3 per rose… with some people giving only a buck and others $5. The latter method was less aggressive and people were more willing to participate. This is essentially the same idea that Radiohead is doing and I am very interested and excited to see how it turns out for them.

Seattle Escapade (and what not)

So… it’s been three weeks since my last post and looking at that post (“flying salmon action!!!”), I suppose I WAS quite excited about this year's fantasy football season. However, the picture to the right is more symbolic as to what is really happening to my fantasy team this year. But, I digress… so… yeah… I went to Seattle last week for a conference. Really good times. I was very impressed with all of the nice folks in the town. I met some really great people and drank some exceptional beer. Unfortunately, when I arrived in town, Ohio State just defeated Washington. Therefore, I had to deal with some cocky Buckeyes, but my Gator/PSU allegiance put me on the good side of Husky fans. On Sunday, I got to watch the Steelers’ game at 10:00AM… pretty sweet. I didn’t know what to do with myself the rest of the day. But probably the highlight of the trip was going out with some British guys I met at the conference. They were absolutely ridiculous. We had a few beers at this reception for the conference, but then it spilled out into downtown UDub. The beer selection was really fabulous. Every bar had only one light beer on tap (like Miller Lite or whatever), then the rest were a local selection. I drank far too much beer in the few days I was there. But luckily I had the state of mind to document my experience. Below is a list of all of the brews I tried while I was there. The most notable was the nitrogenated Hale’s Cream Ale and the Maritime Pacific Imperial IPA. I also put a few pictures online if you feel like checking those out.

Besides the trip… as usual I have a few comments about other items I’ve come across… so here they are:

- Don’t be cop hatin’ because of UF’s “don’t tase me, bro” idiot. He’s a Tom Green wannabe and has done stunts like this in the past. He even has his own web site, but I’m not including the link to promote his stupid, attention-grabbing, annoying ass.

- I found this outstanding web site documenting pretty much every football helmet design ever used. It has historic NFL, college, XFL, Canadian… whatever. It’s extremely impressive and worth checking out.

- I thought the story about the Oklahoma State coach going off on a sports writer to be mildly amusing and barely news-worthy. However, the first 11 seconds of this interview with the writer and editor are priceless. The editor inexplicably continues to stare at the camera doing his best Rock impression for about 7 seconds after the interview got rolling.

- It seems that more and more people I know are getting some sweet HDTVs, which makes me exceedingly jealous. But I did some research a while ago about getting HDTV over-the-air for on my laptop... but I backed down. However, I found a few sights that can help you get over-the-air HDTV for FREE (1, 2). I know that most of you who have a freakin' sweet ass TV can probably afford a good digital/satellite package... but I still think it's good information.
On a side note... how shitty is TNT HD?! Since when is like Tombstone, Mr. Deeds or Something's Gotta Give in HD? I suppose NBA games will be... but that's it! I think it's false advertising and there should be a daily quota of HD content to be called "HD"... and so does Mark Cuban.

- Speaking of Mark (and don't worry I'm not going to start discussing Dancing with the Stars), but he (and others) might have finally convinced me to go Apple. But not quite yet.

flying salmon action!!!

Even after the blistering start of my QB Drew Brees (yawn), I am still greatly excited about 2007 Fantasy Football League. And who couldn’t be in my position?... I am the proud owner of LDT (keep in mind this was an auction-style draft, so I wasn’t just blessed with the #1 pick). Am I guaranteed a trip to the playoffs? Am totally stoked to see if Edge and Ahman (sans Green Bay) Green have huge years? Am I looking forward to using all of Jeff Reed’s drunken antics to rip on his performance every week? Yes… I am.
Without further ado, I present to you…. FLYING SALMON ACTION!!!

He's out there...

The long lost Smars.

Devastatin' Album Covers

I recently found a couple lists of the worst album covers of all-time (1, 2). Looking through these lists will no doubt cause you to run a gamut of emotions, from laughs to tears to horror. Most of these wonderful examples were either low budget, made in the 80’s, or both. However, has album art ever caused you to buy an album or not? For example, I was severely letdown when AFI posted the artwork for their most recent album, but I still bought the album. I suppose I just miss the Art of Drowning days. And I recently chose not to buy a Tiger Army CD because it was cheaply packaged in one of those basic cardboard cases with no frills. But I must say that some album covers have always drawn me to them to buy it. I can think of Trivium - Ascendancy or Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon, just off the top of my head. I love the artwork for both, but only purchased the classic Floyd album. More so, I appreciate extra goodies with CDs or unique packaging. For example, I am addicted to buying albums from this website that always offers autographed covers with CDs. Or if there is a DVD with the album, then that is extra incentive. However, some album’s covers are so uniquely presented that it makes you appreciate the album more. Such as, Thrice – The Artist in the Ambulance came with a postcard for each song on the album. Similarly, Prize Fighter Inferno – My Brother’s Blood Machine had cards for each track resembling the different cards in a deck. Also, Zao’s latest had two layers to each page, which overlapped different parts of letters to make a whole when combined. Nine Inch Nail’s Year Zero has thermo-chrome heat-sensitive paint on the disc that causes it to change appearance when heated by the CD player. I applaud such innovative efforts, but rarely do I know of these presentation details before opening the case.
Anyway… I’m curious if any aspects of a CD (beyond the music) made you want an album (or made you decide against it), and if so what was it?

Rapid Blog Assault!

WOW… How has it been this long since my last post? I have plenty of good excuses, but none of them are good enough. This is unacceptable. This won’t happen again. I will be bombarding you with buffoonery just to make up for it. First, I’m back in Gainesville, FL, USA. It’s good to be back to the comfortable life with a car, cell phone, and the same time zone as pretty much everyone I know. It was an excellent experience in France and I’m very glad that I was able to see my top two places to visit: Rome and Paris. There are a few final pictures posted (if you’re so inclined).

OK… enough French crap… let’s get on with some random thoughts.

- I flew home last weekend to spend some time with the fam and go to Zoo Brew and Kennywood. Zoo Brew was excellent on several levels. Not only were we drink beer at the zoo at night, but there were astonishing creatures like a Komodo dragon and gorilla lurking about. Creepy and fantastic. And it even went to a good cause (Mitochondrial disease). Kennywood was same ol', same ol'. Phantom’s Revenge was faster than I remembered and Danny Rea won me a sweet PSU #1 plush finger.

- On the flight home I had a layover in Filthadelphia. I thought that my disgust towards Eagles fans had long since dissipated from my State College years, however it was all renewed with an idiot wearing an Eagles cap in front of me on the plane. He was mid-30’s and wore a sleeveless shirt to show off his hairy, Philly cheese steak-lovin’ biceps. He kept wowing this grandma sitting next to him with the plethora of electronics he brought for his flight. It was like showing fire to a caveman. Grandma was amazed with ring tones and iPods. There was a ton of “Oh my! Oh my gosh! What will they think of next?” type of responses that only fueled his desire to impress. Of course he doesn’t turn off the keypad volume on his phone, just to notify everyone sitting around him when he was flipping through pictures. And thanks for shaking in your seat the whole time and torturing my knees all 130 minutes of the flight. What an ass. You suck and so do the EAGLES!!! (end rant.)

- I finally got my CD pre-order (and autographed booklet!!!) of Davey and Jade’s Blaqk Audio. Davey is at a homoerotic-Santa Claus level for me, so needless to say I am pleased. But seriously though, it is catchy, beautiful electronica. My personal favorite is Snuff on Digital, which goes through the mindset of a porn actress’ desire to be loved and immortalized, even at the cost of her life. (Machine sold separately.)

- I went to Steelers training camp with my lil’ sis, and it was pretty nice. Willie Parker is fast. James “Silverback” Harrison is colossal. Santonio Holmes looks much better on the field in person. I got St. Pierre and Sepulveda’s autographs. Also, Ryan Clark is a super nice guy. He signed autographs, posed for pictures with kids, and gave away his gloves by letting kids pull them off his hands. Too bad they all aren’t like him.

- Carey Davis is a freight train.

- Fantasy football is coming soon and I’m ill-prepared and ill-tempered.