Mar 14 2010
Well, the start of the Formula One season is here.
I’m no expert, but I have to watch the races so I have something to talk about with Richard, my Dad, who even watches Turn Left Racing (NASCAR) if nothing else is available.
Me? I like Figure Eight in School Buses or with Trailers.
Flaming Chunks of Twisted Metal!
Feb 16 2010
What NBC did tonight to the premier event of Alpine Skiing was just inexcusable.
Half an hour of coverage, 4 or 5 skiers, puff bios and a crash reel.
Followed by Polar Bears.
The Olympics is not worth watching and I’m not going to encourage you to do it. In fact I’m going to encourage you to watch something else by providing alternatives.
I had hoped this would be a fun event we could share.
Instead I find I have better things to do with my life and so do you.
If we will not vote with our eyeballs against the elite smirking assholes and morons who control our media, what sacrifice are we prepared to make?
I will be busy tomorrow all day.
Caribou, I’m sorry that I involved you in this. You can make your own decision as can everyone else, but I will not be insulted.
Update: a petition from TheMomCat.
Feb 16 2010
Well the good news about the Canada v. Switzerland game on MSNBC is that it cut Tweety to only half an hour.
The bad news is that I had the misfortune to watch him at all.
Of course if you tune back in at midnight, you’ll get to see that fatuous gasbag for a full hour.
Be still my heart.
No changes in schedule since this afternoon, it’s still pretty much, Men’s Downhill, Pairs Free Skate (Long Program), Snowboard Cross, and Speed Skating (Men’s 500m).
The Snowboard Cross should be much more like NASCAR than this afternoon’s time trials but don’t expect asphalt collapses and flaming chunks of twisted metal (though it is entirely possible someone will slide across the finish line on their roof head).
But it’s really a failure of imagination, pure sports ignorance, and pandering to the “Bubba” audience not to compare it with Moto-Cross which it was modeled after. It’s a twisty obstacle course with double jumps you have to carry by far enough or FAIL and frankly I saw a lot of people landing short. The bottom of the turns tend to get rutted too so maybe asphalt failure is not that bad a metaphor (but a major NASCAR FAIL! at Daytona).
4 Boarders to a heat so you get some interaction, but in Moto-Cross they start them 8 or 16 at a time so it’s no worse than that. In NASCAR you get 32 Cars in 2 Lines wrecking each other 4 or 5 at a clip in the last 2 laps which they have to restart over and over and over and over again until they get a clean White Flag (next to last) lap.
After that it doesn’t matter how many of them wreck eack other, the race is done. The other 495 miles are just for shits and giggles.
They actually did stick with the (yawn) Cross Country this afternoon which surprised me, especially when it ended early. Of course they did it out of crass calculation.
NBC Ruins Olympics Men’s Downhill For Millions Of Fans
Henry Blodget, Business Insider
Feb. 15, 2010, 2:17 PM
(A)s usual, NBC wants to maximize its revenue by delaying the event until the most people will watch it: This evening in primetime. The live finals of the figure-skating pairs competition and other events presumably weren’t enough to ensure the massive audience NBC needs to lose less of its shirt on these Games.
…
Someday, perhaps, the NBC Sports brass will understand that the world has changed in the past 25 years. Within an hour or two, the name of the winner of the Men’s Downhill will be everywhere–on the radio, on other TV stations, on the Internet, on news sites. Even people who want to play along with NBC’s self-serving little game will have a hard time avoiding the news. Thus, for most of them, the most exciting event at the games will be ruined.
And there’s some skating too.
Tomorrow evening Caribou Barbie will be handling Olympic coverage. I urge you to make it a fun and exciting experience.
Feb 15 2010
Well, you have to hope this is more exciting than it sounds.
On NBC main they’re covering Men’s Snowboard Cross (think Moto-Cross) and Cross Country (Women’s 10k and Men’s 15k).
The Women’s 10k is supposed to run from 1 to 1:30 pm. Snowboard Cross preliminary heats, which NBC likens to NASCAR racing (yay, more twisted chunks of flaming metal and holes in the asphalt), from 1:30 to 4 pm. The Men’s 15k is from 4 to 5 pm.
While they will finally be holding Men’s Downhill this afternoon, the indications are that since it’s a very high profile event they’re going to tape delay it until tonight’s prime time segment.
Of course the schedule also says that they’ll be covering Pairs Free Skate (Long Program), more Snowboard Cross, and Speed Skating (Men’s 500m).
I have no faith at all in the schedule because as it turns out MSNBC did repeat the USA v. China Hockey game last night at 3 am. Not that you missed much unless you like blowouts.
Starting at 5:30 MSNBC will be hosting Canada v. Switzerland which I expect will be another one.
A much less frenetic day than yesterday when we had America’s Cup and the Daytona 500 in addition to the 2 rounds of Olympics. I should be able to crank out an Afternoon Edition.
Tomorrow will be less forgiving as I have a training seminar to conduct which will occupy me from about 6 to 10 pm.
We’ll see how it goes.
Feb 15 2010
Who doesn’t like kittens, bunnies, and little baby seals?
Me!
So you already know I don’t much like Figure Skating. Richard does though and tonight we have one of the two hardest and most technical disciplines- Pairs (the other is Ice Dancing).
The Chinese are the overwhelming favorites, people won’t shut up about them, and of course since it’s Figure Skating the Judging is a joke. About as credible as a Sunday Morning pundit and just as focused on celebrity and buzz and asskissing sychophancy.
The big difference is at least if they crash and burn Figure Skating Judges have the shame to deduct a tenth or two.
So I think it’s all as real a sport as professional wrestling.
Tonight is the Short Program that at least has the virtue of being short, though I’m certainly not going to guarentee to keep even one eye open after spending 6 and a half hours starting at 4:30 am drumming my fingers watching repeats of the pre-race show waiting for America’s Cup to start (we crushed Alinghi like a bug as I predicted).
Among the other offerings attempting to entertain me (starting at 7 pm on NBC main) are Freestyle Skiing Men’s Mogul, the last run of Men’s Single Luge (flaming twisted metal from the ladies tees), and Speed Skating (Women’s 3000m I think. Did I mention how useless the website is?).
Those are all on tape delay because they’re actually happening right now (6 pm).
Prison documentaries are far more important than anything happening in Vancouver so MSNBC is not carrying even a repeat of the Finland v. Russia Women’s Hockey that at least CNBC will put aside their paid programming and beat sweetening business biographies grudgingly aside for at 7:30 pm.
At the end of the evening nothing original, only a recap and anthem trivia medal ceremonies which will last but a merciful half hour before all the prancing sequined costumes we’ve seen before starts again.
If they have local news at 11:30 and don’t arbitrarily go off schedule again I’d like to recommend The Venture Brothers. It’s not the best episode, but they’re all good.
Feb 14 2010
What? You’re not watching the Daytona 500 on Faux?
What kind of ‘murican are you? Traitor!
In other news- yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ll get to it when I do. There’s only a 1 hour break from 6 to 7 pm between the Afternoon and Evening shows today and America’s Cup kept me dinking around this morning from 5 am to 10:30 waiting for them to decide not to start.
Assholes. Don’t they know I need my power nap?
Anyway on NBC main Olympics kicks off today at 1 pm, an hour after the start of the Daytona 500, and I’d have put this up earlier except that like all NASCAR races there will be nothing important happening until the last 5 laps (around 4 or 4:30 pm) except for the wrecks and what kind of sadistic ghoul are you to be watching motor “sports” for the flaming chunks of twisted metal anyway?
It’s kind of the opposite of America’s Cup in that respect. In the name of “parity” (and close racing to make flaming chunks of twisted metal more likely) they even have built in caution periods to allow the slower cars to catch up.
Pfui. If I want to watch real racing it’s figure eight School Buses for me (or Trailers which are almost as much fun).
And I suppose I’ll have plenty of time to nap tonight when we’ll be featuring my least favorite sport of all (yes, even less than NASCAR though it’s hard to imagine)- Figure Skating.
I guess us red blooded ‘muricans can amuse ourselves by pointing and hooting at the French judges.
This afternoon we’ll be watching Men’s Downhill (postponed from yesterday when even Robert Redford wouldn’t have raced), more Colbert Nation sponsored Speed Skating (Women’s 3000m), Biathalon (Men’s 10k), the exciting part of Nordic Combined (the Ski Jumping), and 1 more run of Luge.
They’re saving the last run for the evening show to keep us chromosome damaged ‘muricans from tuning out in a NASCAR tailgating induced stupor. Hopefully there will be plenty of crashes and flaming chunks of twisted metal.
On the aptly named USA Network, Team USA will play their opening game of non-chromosome damaged Hockey against China between 3 and 5:30 pm. While it’s nice to root for your homies I can’t help but hope it’s a little closer than last night’s 18 – 0 blow out.
Umm… just because I’m totally getting my testosterone induced rage on doesn’t mean everyone else has to shut up. It’s still ok to talk about politics and stuff.
Maybe you can find a way to hate on the French.
Feb 14 2010
Well, I’m going to start off by bitching about the fact that from 3 to 5:30 am MSNBC is carrying the repeat of Canada v. Slovakia.
You see until then they have to broadcast their oh so important schedule of Prison documentaries.
Hey Zucker! Who the fuck do you think watches that shit?
Moran.
CNBC will be showing Canada v. Slovakia live starting at 8 pm. I must say I’m starting to get into the Women’s game. Fundamentals, who cares that they can’t body check or dunk?
Anyone who thinks its not more dangerous than ski jumping is a fool.
Short Track Speed Skating is a sure thing. They’re going to try and do Freestyle Skiing and Freestyle Women’s Mogul and I think that’s a big mistake.
If you’ve ever skied moguls in low visibility you know that’s just a recipe for crashes and injuries. The NBC site (which by the way is as poorly designed and uninformative as it could possibly be) says that they won’t postpone it, they’ll just cancel and let the off camera preliminary results stand.
After are they’re just Women, it’s not like they’re real athletes or anything.
Downhill is postponed due to slush. As I mentioned earlier that’s how I blew out my first knee. Soft snow is no good.
Apparently they’re going to fill with Luge from the ladies tees (no offense meant ladies) stealing it from their midnight broadcast.
Goodness knows what they’ll do with the rest of their time. I predict they run off their inventory of sappy and irrelevant bios and national anthem trivia medal ceremonies.
You know, the reason people don’t watch TV anymore is it’s BORING!
AND THAT BARACK, is why ARod is worth more than Blankfein and Dimon put together. They’re just arrogant, boring, bloodsucking assholes.
ARod is not boring.
Feb 13 2010
No, Opening Ceremonies don’t count even if they have some ski jumping prelims.
Coverage today starts on NBC at 2 pm and on CNBC at 3.
In the main NBC afternoon block from 2 to 6 pm Shani Davis (who thinks Stephen Colbert is a jerk and Chad Hedrick compete in Speed Skating (men’s 5000m). Plus, Ski Jumping (K-90 individual) and Biathlon (women’s sprint).
Medals will be awarded in all those sports, but medal ceremonies are just as boring as the Opening and Closing unless you’re playing some kind of national anthem trivia game.
K-90 means they will be using the 90 meter hill.
On CNBC we have Women’s Ice Hockey from 3 to 5:30 pm. The featured match is between Sweden and Switzerland.
We can also see some of the broad outlines of the main NBC late night coverage emerging.
Each night they’ll have a post-primetime show from midnight to 1 am with original coverage, and then a repeat of their primetime broadcast from 1 am to 4:30 am.
You could be watching Adult Swim and if you’ve already watched the Olympic prime time it will probably be more entertaining. A never before seen episode of Full Metal Alchemist tonight, followed by a Bleach marathon. Of course the new episode is up against original Olympic coverage, but it looks like they’ll re-run it at 4 am after FLCL, Cowboy Bebop (never much got into that), and Ghost In the Shell.
I’ll be back with a post outlining tonight’s prime time coverage a little before 8 pm if I can manage it. Depending on how compelling the Olympic action is Weekend News Digest may have to wait for the 6 – 8 pm break to assemble. TheMomCat has a This Week in Health and Fitness ready for publication at 4 pm anyway so WND would not go up before 5 pm in any event.
Feel free to talk about what you see and happy blogging.
Feb 08 2010
First of all, the only reason I watch the Super Bowl is for the Ads.
This year all the controversy is about future CFL washout Tim Tebow and the lies his mother told him about his birth.
Abortion is illegal in the Phillipines so it was never an option.
This year’s ads are not up on teh intertubz yet but here are some past years’-
Though I prefer the Bissell Kitty Halftime Show some of you may be interested in this year’s performers, Pete Townsend and Roger Daltrey- abused as a child and researching internet child porn for his autobiography and not at all guilty thank you very much.
A much better performance than you will see today-
Oh, and I understand there is also a game.
Oct 24 2009
The point of this diary is to alert the Orange-reading public to the “McKibben-Hedges debate,” from a recent piece in Alternet. Yeah, I know, it’s not really a debate. The Alternet piece makes some important connections and I think you should all read it carefully. What this core contention between the two writers is really about, I argue, is power.
The history of power is a record of how various forms of power consolidated themselves into the current global state of domination. The outcome which the history of power has been preparing up until now will be a sort of massive humanity-wide global murder-suicide. The fundamental leap which will make the drama of human self-extinction possible, I argue, was capitalism. Capitalism made capitalist discipline possible as a form of power, and capitalist discipline will bring power to a point of confrontation between the global complex of control and the simplification of the biosphere which will signal our failure as a species at the art of taking care of nature. Thus it’s time to end capitalist discipline. Capitalism will take care of itself.
(Crossposted at Big Orange)
Oct 16 2009
Note: Much of this diary is notes taken directly from speakers … Some powerful stuff here …
Just back from listening to Michael Pollan and Sarah James (notes to be transcribed later) but reporting now on the incredible talk by Jack Hildary …
The day began with Kenny Ausubel, Nina Simons and Brock Dolman …. Liz Cunningham ..
Kenny’s Messaage: “It’s 2020 or bust”
Jack says its 2-degrees to 2-degrees! Astounding. Just astounding stuff!
Jack Hildary
Jack Hidary says a few weeks back he was bombarded with emails, tweets, phone messages and FaceBook contacts, all informing him that an electric car is now being featured in the catalog of all catalogs: Neiman Marcus!
“Neiman Marcus has recognized that electric cars are here. I’m very excited. I begin to open all tweets and emails and text messages. I find the electric car in the Neiman Marcus catalog is a ….cupcake. Light and fluffy. …. Two years before on the Playo at Burning Man I was distracted by 3-foot high movement. I look, I turn I first see a blueberry, then a second then a third…. The prototype of the electric vehicle. The Muffin mobile….”
Electric cars? What’s the reality of the energy revolution today? What is the reality of solar wind? Lets take a status
Stats: 250 million cars in America; in world there are 800 million; we have 30% of the cars in world.
GV will not reach 5% of US fleet before 2030.
Obama admin goal of 1 million PHEVs (plug in hybrid vehicle)by 2015 will only represent .4% penetration
Need a different approach. We are not on a pathway to sufficient change over, We are not there. How can we get there?
China currently has 65 million cars; 1.3 billion people in China and we are on the way to 300 million vehicles in next 6-7 years.
We must take hold of reality if we want to change this future
Energy. Where is our solar, where is our wind? We all know there is more solar energy available in 70 minutes than we need for entire year. Where is all the solar?
US produces 371,000 megawatt hours of energy every year How much is solar? Solar = 108 megawatt hours
How can we change this?
2 degrees for 2 degrees Nant’an
Milgram’s 1967 experiment “Six degrees of separation” actually found that we are only separated by 4 degrees. It was changed to six by a playwright because it sounded better …. It’s a play, it’s a movie. Voila.
Are we still in a world of 4 or 5 degrees? Let’s use Facebook as a Proxy
Users in 2007: 80 million, today: 300 million
One of the most significant things that has changed is that the number of friends people have has gone up, with the average number of friends at around 120 . Meaning that it is likely that within your group of 120 friends there is one friend who is “super connector.”
“We are probably moving to 2 degrees of separation.”
Facebook’s “Suggested Friends” got better, looking at many more variables to suggest friends for you so more people started connecting. It is now all about “search and discovery, “we have networks but these tools are accelerating. We are accelerating towards each other faster and faster. The mathematics is there!”
But this is not happening uniformly. There are communities at 2 degrees in Brooklyn, New York; Everyone knows everybody.
In Washington, DC because of influx of people following the campaign the estimate is 3 degrees. Here in Northern California communities no more than 4 degrees. Each of these communities is moving towards 2 degrees at different rates.
“What can we do with this 2-degree universe that we could not do before?”
He suggests a scenario of a fender bender en route to work. The hostility, frustration, inconvenience. Accusations. Involvement of the police, insurance companies … but then …
“What if …… we might have an application that doesn’t exist but will probably exist by the end of this lecture and the application will buzz, it will say you have 2 mutual friends with this individual. You are connected and you are probably both going to Bobby’s birthday party on Friday.In the 30 seconds it takes for me to walk over to this guy, the entire interaction has changed. Forget the police, I walk away, call over my shoulder “I’ll see you at the birthday party.”
When we think about changing energy it costs money and some of us might not have the money needed, so we need to find a scalable way to make this happen.
Enter the birth of pacenow.org in Berkeley, CA. the idea of a new bond with the proceeds of that bond going to people in the community so that they could install solar and retrofit homes and businesses.
Lets take this national!
Pacenow.org is now in 15 states in 6 months. Another 10 states are in the works.
“Your county will have ability to give you a low cost loan you will have 20 years to pay back.”
“This is the scale we have been waiting for. This can change everything. But the loans alone will not do it. 2 for 2 means we are now more connected, each one of us sitting here today, all the other places where you are watching. We have ability to change things in a much bigger way.”
When you think PACE think about people you do not know as well …
Is PACE happening in your state? Are there low cost loans available now to make the difference?”
“Financial tools as important as solar and wind.”
You could put the charging stations in your vehicle, house, shopping center, We can actually make this happen
It all comes back to the Playa.
“We each can be leaders, now I have the tools; I have the tools to create a 2- degree universe. We are hurling towards each other. The technology and the tools are there. Do not wait!”
“Yes, we should continue conventional models of activism, but we must take it to another level, we cannot wait for government. The scale and the pace are not happening. WE NEED PACE TO PICK UP THE PACE.”
“We are now in a new 2 degree universe let us use to avoid those next 2 degrees in temperature.”
Why here, Why Now?
There has never been a more time in the history of our planet to find the solutions to such critical environmental and social issues. The Earth could reach an irreversible tipping point in less than a decade unless we quickly change our ways, according to NASA climate scientist James Hansen.
Proven by how much attention the recently released film Food, Inc., and other social and environmental indictments like it earn, the masses are starting to ask themselves what they can do to make a difference.
Bioneers goes beyond the dialogue and inspires, educates and calls people to action. From water security to social justice, from green building to green collar jobs, Bioneers mobilizes citizens across the globe by offering them the tools, resources, and inspiration to be catalysts for change in their own communities to reverse the damage before it is too late.
For the past 20 years, Bioneers has been a hub of breakthrough solutions and leading-edge ideas that celebrate the genius of nature and human creativity to create a healthy planet. The organization recognizes that the work never stops and the need for solutions to critical issues is infinite. To that end, Bioneers will continue to inspire and connect experts across the globe with everyday citizens, and spread the gospel that each person can be a change-maker for a better world.
Through its educational works on pressing issues of the day including biomimicry, integrative medicine, green building and fostering youth leadership to build a sustainable future, Bioneers will continue to broadcast across global channels the urgency of taking care of the earth and of one another. And if the past 20 years are any indication of the demand, the annual conference in San Rafael, California that draws thousands each year will continue to showcase the latest technology, social and scientific solutions needed to spark hope and inspiration and to turn education into action. Bioneers FAQ
Highlights of the 2009 Conference
• Dr. Andrew Weil, the nation’s foremost authority on Integrative medicine, and author of numerous bestselling books including Spontaneous Healing and Eight Weeks to Optimum Health. Drawing from his newest book, Why Our Health Matters: A Vision of Medicine That Can Transform Our Future (September 2009), Dr. Weil will illustrate how making the critical link between human and environmental health can transform the healthcare system to benefit public health, the economy and the environment.
• Because Bioneers was created with the mission to help improve the industrialized food system, there will be a heavy focus around food and agriculture. Presenting at this year’s conference is food expert Michael Pollan, author of Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food, and participant in the recently released production by Participant Media, Food, Inc., which will be shown during the conference’s Moving Image Festival. At the forefront of the modern day food conversation, Pollan will highlight front-line initiatives to redesign our destructive food system.
• Giving indigenous populations a voice for justice is one of the founding principles of Bioneers and primary focus of this year’s conference. Almir Narayamoga Surui is an Amazonian tribal chief who has spent more than 15 years fighting for the survival of his Surui tribe and the Amazon rainforest. Chief Almir will tell the astonishing story of how he connected with Google Earth Outreach and is using their technology to protect his people and preserve the rainforest with laptops instead of weapons.
Earlier Notes
Rehydration Revolution: Brock Dolman on Basins of Relations: A Reverential Rehydration Revolution
I am going to write later on Nina’s talk about the role women are playing in leading the world … and about Kenny’s amazing intro … but right now while it is fresh in my mind i want to report on Brock and the Rehydration Revolution ….
Water Institute
For starters, this guy is really head over heels in love with water!
Brock talks about ‘Hydro-illiteracy’ and how each of us much view our own watershed as a lifeboat; that each watershed is our true community and that the laws of nature operate from the bottom up… we need to outfit every lifeboat … He discusses a recent trip to Tibet and shows pictures of small Tibetan water (prayer) wheels which are predominant throughout the country. He shows the heartbreaking pictures of the Himalayas today and how millions and millions people will be impacted as the snow virtually disappears from the mountaintops and the rivers begin to dry up.
just think about it water three forms and as a solid it can float on itself.
we have kingdoms of life as opposed to kingdoms of life….
shows slides of Tibetan water wheels….