- One of my favorite pro wrestlers, Randy "Macho Man" Savage, is being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a part of Wrestlemania 2015.I missed the last 45 minutes of Monday Night Raw, but based upon reading this analysis of the final segment where heels Brock Lesnar, Seth Rollins, and face John Cena gathered to sign their contract for their 3-Way-Dance (I like that phrase better than the more commonly used "Triple Threat Match") at the Royal Rumble on January 25, 2015, I am content.
- The OSU Buckeyes defeated the Oregon Ducks 42-20. The OSU QB began the season as the third string QB and last night, in the national championship game, he was making his third career start. He's a sophomore. All I could think is, "Wow, why can't the Iowa Hawkeyes recruit a third string QB like that?!?"
- Heart has announced a concert in Cedar Rapids at the US Cellular Center with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts opening on Saturday, 03/21/2015.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Recap from Last Night
I was having a decent night, going through some old folders in a futile attempt to locate a folder with our wedding ring and other jewelry information, but at 9:15 last night, I gave in. I turned off the TV and told Karen I was going to bed. Here's what I can recap in the world of sports.
Monday, January 12, 2015
Reminder to Myself
I subscribe to an email newsletter called "Daily Writing Tips" and I really like the daily reminder to pay attention to the words I use. As a technical writer, my goal is to make each word communicate to the reader / user. Today's tip is about en dashes.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Dallas v Green Bay
I added a new tag for posts on this blog: "Football." I did so because of this analysis of a play during the Dallas Cowboys v. Green Bay Packers game in Green Bay.
http://deadspin.com/dez-bryants-overturned-catch-ruined-our-fun-1678854513
http://deadspin.com/dez-bryants-overturned-catch-ruined-our-fun-1678854513
Storing CDs
I'm revisiting the idea of storing CDs and the best way to do it. Right now, thanks to no foresight into the planning of my CD reconversion, I have CD cases that are empty, CD cases that are not empty, 30+ spindles of 100 CDs each, 3 3-ring binders that came with the CDs I bought from at NCYC in Indy back in November 2013, and other miscellaneous piles of music. I need a consolidated way to organize my music because if I wanted to find Metallica's "Death Magnetic" or Lamb of God's "Sacrament" or Van Halen's "OU812", I would have no idea where to look. I thought about using a user-defined field in Windows Media Player, but the problem with that is I don't really want to be tied to a proprietary software. I don't consider myself a likely candidate for using Ubuntu or a Mac on a daily basis so, unless something extremely odd happens, I will continue to use Windows. That said, my fear is that if I do add a user-defined field to WMP, I would lose that information if I needed, for some reason, to switch to a different tool.
I googled "storage for massive cd collection" and read this, but I was underwhelmed. I was equally underwhelmed with this article.
Products don't seem to be jumping out at me either. There's this binder system where you get 6 binders, each holding 48 CDs, for $58.99. That's 288 CDs. I have 4000 CDs. I would need 13.88 (let's say 14) to give me 14 x 6 = 84 of these books.Yeah, that's not going to work. I am glad I didn't have pop in my mouth when I read about this system. Each drawer holds 15 CDs; 20 of these drawers would hold, yep, 600 CDs and would cost $529.80... except I would need 7 orders of 20 of these 2 drawers 7 x [20 x2] = 280 drawers, which would cost $3708.60 to store my 4000 CDs in groups of 15 in 280 drawers.
Just for the record, even if I had $3708.60 laying around, burning a hole in my pocket, I wouldn't spend it on 280 drawers!
I bit the bullet and posted an inquiry to Facebook. My friend Phil replied that he used this product: http://shop.spacesavingsleeves.com/main.sc, which look promising. You can buy 1000 sleeves for $160 (roughly) so I'd need to invest $640 to put all my CDs in this system.
I googled "storage for massive cd collection" and read this, but I was underwhelmed. I was equally underwhelmed with this article.
Products don't seem to be jumping out at me either. There's this binder system where you get 6 binders, each holding 48 CDs, for $58.99. That's 288 CDs. I have 4000 CDs. I would need 13.88 (let's say 14) to give me 14 x 6 = 84 of these books.Yeah, that's not going to work. I am glad I didn't have pop in my mouth when I read about this system. Each drawer holds 15 CDs; 20 of these drawers would hold, yep, 600 CDs and would cost $529.80... except I would need 7 orders of 20 of these 2 drawers 7 x [20 x2] = 280 drawers, which would cost $3708.60 to store my 4000 CDs in groups of 15 in 280 drawers.
Just for the record, even if I had $3708.60 laying around, burning a hole in my pocket, I wouldn't spend it on 280 drawers!
I bit the bullet and posted an inquiry to Facebook. My friend Phil replied that he used this product: http://shop.spacesavingsleeves.com/main.sc, which look promising. You can buy 1000 sleeves for $160 (roughly) so I'd need to invest $640 to put all my CDs in this system.
Legendary TV
I think "Breaking Bad" will be one of those legendary series, like "Lost," "Cheers," "ER," "M*A*S*H*", and "Alias" (and several more I'm not thinking of at the moment) and the more I read this article, the more I was convinced.
Some New Old Files
During the process of fine tuning my music collection, I had to download the following from youtube.com because the original files I downloaded were corrupted.
- Dream Theater_Octavarium full album
- Exodus_Bonded By Blood full album
- Fastway_Trick or Treat full album
- Iron Maiden_Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son full album
- Kim Wilde_Kim Wilde full album
- Megadeth_Rust In Peace full album
- Megadeth_So Far, So Good...So What! full album
- Mercyful Fate_Don't break the Oath full album
- Mercyful Fate_Melissa_25th Anniversary Reissue full album
- Motley Crue_Too Fast for Love full album
- Motorhead_Inferno full album
- Ratt_Invasion of your Privacy full album
- Shinedown_Us And Them full album
- The Damned_Damned Damned Damned full album
- Vanilla Fudge_Vanilla Fudge full album
- W.A.S.P._The Last Command full album
Friday, January 9, 2015
Perspective
Whenever I (mistakenly) think that I've progressed as far as I can as a drummer, I need to remember this Buddy Rich solo. If I can play this solo, note for note, then I have progressed as far as I can. Otherwise, I need to practice.
https://youtu.be/ 9esWG6A6g-k - Buddy Rich Impossible Drum Solo
40 Not 20
At the half of the Iowa v. MSU game, Iowa was winning 39-28. I really wish the game would have just been "called" with that score
because the second half of the game was dismal. Here's how Fox News
described it:
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Travis Trice scored 25 points and hit seven three-pointers as Michigan State rallied to pound Iowa 75-61 on Thursday night, its ninth straight win over the Hawkeyes. Branden Dawson had 14 points and 15 rebounds for the Spartans (11-5, 2-1 Big Ten), who came back from an 11-point halftime deficit to post one of their biggest wins of the season. Michigan State opened the second half on a 25-9 run and never looked back. The Spartans were 8 of 9 from 3-point range in the final 20 minutes. Gabe Olaseni tied a career high with 18 points for the Hawkeyes (11-5, 2-1), who were outscored 47-22 in the second half.
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Unfortunately for the Hawkeyes, they play at MN on Tuesday, which is never an easy place to play. The next game is OSU on Saturday @ Carver but as last night proved, there isn't such a thing as "home court advantage." Also, there is a "revenge" factor for OSU. Iowa defeated them in OH to open the Big Ten season and they are a very good team. They could easily be 2-5 after that game, though I haven't looked ahead to their game after that.
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Travis Trice scored 25 points and hit seven three-pointers as Michigan State rallied to pound Iowa 75-61 on Thursday night, its ninth straight win over the Hawkeyes. Branden Dawson had 14 points and 15 rebounds for the Spartans (11-5, 2-1 Big Ten), who came back from an 11-point halftime deficit to post one of their biggest wins of the season. Michigan State opened the second half on a 25-9 run and never looked back. The Spartans were 8 of 9 from 3-point range in the final 20 minutes. Gabe Olaseni tied a career high with 18 points for the Hawkeyes (11-5, 2-1), who were outscored 47-22 in the second half.
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Unfortunately for the Hawkeyes, they play at MN on Tuesday, which is never an easy place to play. The next game is OSU on Saturday @ Carver but as last night proved, there isn't such a thing as "home court advantage." Also, there is a "revenge" factor for OSU. Iowa defeated them in OH to open the Big Ten season and they are a very good team. They could easily be 2-5 after that game, though I haven't looked ahead to their game after that.
Batman & Robin
Batman & Robin is usually included in lists of "bad" movies. This article breaks down why it's not Joel Schumacher's fault.
Chemo Forced
In a follow-up from the other day, the government is forcing the girl who refused chemotherapy - to have that treatment, essentially against her will. Read the comments section for additional perspective.
Country Music Mashup
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY8SwIvxj8o
I just want to be clear that this Mashup is all in good fun. I am not bashing these songs. I understand and even appreciate why the "formula" continues to dominate the airwaves- not only in country music, but in pop and other genres as well. I simply enjoy mixing and producing on Pro Tools, and when I heard the striking similarities of these particular hits, I thought it would be fun to throw them all in a mix and see what I could come up with. And it looks like people are having fun with it too, so I couldn't be happier!
"Sure Be Cool If You Did"- Blake Shelton
"Drunk on You"- Luke Bryan
"Chillin' It"- Cole Swindell
"Close Your Eyes"- Parmalee
"This is How We Roll"- Florida Georgia Line
"Ready, Set, Roll"- Chase Rice
As an aspiring songwriter/producer living in Nashville who, like so many, has had a hard time getting a bite from the "gate keepers", my current experiment is working on a song specifically designed to become the 7th entry to this mashup formula (hence the "To Be Continued" at the end of the video). I figure hey, at the very least, they won't be able to say it doesn't sound like a hit! :)
I just want to be clear that this Mashup is all in good fun. I am not bashing these songs. I understand and even appreciate why the "formula" continues to dominate the airwaves- not only in country music, but in pop and other genres as well. I simply enjoy mixing and producing on Pro Tools, and when I heard the striking similarities of these particular hits, I thought it would be fun to throw them all in a mix and see what I could come up with. And it looks like people are having fun with it too, so I couldn't be happier!
"Sure Be Cool If You Did"- Blake Shelton
"Drunk on You"- Luke Bryan
"Chillin' It"- Cole Swindell
"Close Your Eyes"- Parmalee
"This is How We Roll"- Florida Georgia Line
"Ready, Set, Roll"- Chase Rice
As an aspiring songwriter/producer living in Nashville who, like so many, has had a hard time getting a bite from the "gate keepers", my current experiment is working on a song specifically designed to become the 7th entry to this mashup formula (hence the "To Be Continued" at the end of the video). I figure hey, at the very least, they won't be able to say it doesn't sound like a hit! :)
Free, but Not Free
"Free Community College Tuition" from the same President who said if you like your health care plan, you can keep it.
Not holding my breath.
What about kids who don't want to go to a community college - why isn't it a flat-out voucher of, say, $3800 x 2 that can be used at any college?
You can read more here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/01/08/president-proposes-make-community-college-free-responsible-students-2-years
Not holding my breath.
What about kids who don't want to go to a community college - why isn't it a flat-out voucher of, say, $3800 x 2 that can be used at any college?
You can read more here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/01/08/president-proposes-make-community-college-free-responsible-students-2-years
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Classic Rock Predictions for 2015
I absolutely despise the URL syntax for this series of articles. If it were up to me, the first URL in the following list would be http://ultimateclassicrock.com/classic-rock-2015-forecast-1/ & the third URL in the following list would be http://ultimateclassicrock.com/classic-rock-2015-forecast-3/. I would have that naming convention because sometimes it's easier to change the number in the address bar to go to the next page of the article.
Versitile Metal Drummer Needed
From the los angeles > central LA > community > musicians site on Craigslist comes an ad that makes me wish I was in Los Angeles for the simple reason that playing with this guy would be an experience. Caution: Adult language follows...
Ok, Here I am once again posting to this bullshit Craigs shit trying to find someone who has their shit together and good metal attitude.
Here is what Im seeking:
Metal,: all eras, all speeds, all styles, all attitude, all kickass, from early Scorpions to Mercyful Fate, Death, Venom, Carcass, Sepultura, Napalm Death, Judas Priest, Maiden, Black Dahlia Murder, you love metal of all eras and are not limited to one style. You are beyond just blast beats and also like to be creative and dynamic, music that creates an atmosphere beyond just the mosh pit.
Versatile,: you can also play other styles of drums and have some technique under your belt, rudiments, classic chops, know other peoples songs note for note from the best eras of rock. You are a real drum nerd and take drumming fuckin serious.
Style:, You got it, people can tell you are a musician because you dress it breathe it live it, and are not some junkie loser poser, hipster douchebag. You are rock n fuk'n roll and proud of it You like chicks, alcohol, partying socializing but are not some kind of attention whore, you are just fukn cool like that
Loyalty,: No band whores please, nothing worse than a fukn drummer who gets in your band and then a week later theyre like "hey man, I got to split early and go rehearse with my other project"
Fuck your other project man, this is your project if you are in, because this is the one where you are going to shine!! You aren't in my band to be a slave you are in my band because you like the challenge and enjoy the creative process. You are valued and important and your input is important.
I am not going to tell you how to play your instrument like some douchenozzles do. I want you to fukn play like your ass depends on it. Think Phil Collins, Neil Peart, John Bonham, Les Binks, Clive Bunker, Bill Ward, Steve Smith, Mikkey Dee. Joey Kramer, Butch Trucks, Bill Bruford
Anyways, I realize I am asking a lot but what I offer will be worth your time. There is opportunity to make good money. Besides playing original music I have a hundred cover songs to play paying functions and paying clubs. This ad is seeking drummer who wants to play with a musician who is not some johnny come lately or a hack. I am very accomplished musician and this is great opportunity to play with someone who can play anything.
Here is a link to my original music. Remember I am not limited even by myself. I can write complex arrangements as well as three chords bangers. I just like songs period. If my shit is not challenging for you then tell me, and believe me I can write something that will stretch your limits
You'll regret telling me that, haha.
Cheers brothers in music and good luck on your paths!
https://soundcloud.com/real-diaz
Any feedback appreciated even if its trolling me and talking shit, haha
Ok, Here I am once again posting to this bullshit Craigs shit trying to find someone who has their shit together and good metal attitude.
Here is what Im seeking:
Metal,: all eras, all speeds, all styles, all attitude, all kickass, from early Scorpions to Mercyful Fate, Death, Venom, Carcass, Sepultura, Napalm Death, Judas Priest, Maiden, Black Dahlia Murder, you love metal of all eras and are not limited to one style. You are beyond just blast beats and also like to be creative and dynamic, music that creates an atmosphere beyond just the mosh pit.
Versatile,: you can also play other styles of drums and have some technique under your belt, rudiments, classic chops, know other peoples songs note for note from the best eras of rock. You are a real drum nerd and take drumming fuckin serious.
Style:, You got it, people can tell you are a musician because you dress it breathe it live it, and are not some junkie loser poser, hipster douchebag. You are rock n fuk'n roll and proud of it You like chicks, alcohol, partying socializing but are not some kind of attention whore, you are just fukn cool like that
Loyalty,: No band whores please, nothing worse than a fukn drummer who gets in your band and then a week later theyre like "hey man, I got to split early and go rehearse with my other project"
Fuck your other project man, this is your project if you are in, because this is the one where you are going to shine!! You aren't in my band to be a slave you are in my band because you like the challenge and enjoy the creative process. You are valued and important and your input is important.
I am not going to tell you how to play your instrument like some douchenozzles do. I want you to fukn play like your ass depends on it. Think Phil Collins, Neil Peart, John Bonham, Les Binks, Clive Bunker, Bill Ward, Steve Smith, Mikkey Dee. Joey Kramer, Butch Trucks, Bill Bruford
Anyways, I realize I am asking a lot but what I offer will be worth your time. There is opportunity to make good money. Besides playing original music I have a hundred cover songs to play paying functions and paying clubs. This ad is seeking drummer who wants to play with a musician who is not some johnny come lately or a hack. I am very accomplished musician and this is great opportunity to play with someone who can play anything.
Here is a link to my original music. Remember I am not limited even by myself. I can write complex arrangements as well as three chords bangers. I just like songs period. If my shit is not challenging for you then tell me, and believe me I can write something that will stretch your limits
You'll regret telling me that, haha.
Cheers brothers in music and good luck on your paths!
https://soundcloud.com/real-diaz
Any feedback appreciated even if its trolling me and talking shit, haha
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Stop the Crazy
As Congress begins its new session, with the Republicans controlling both the House and Senate, they need to stop with the crazy. This article talks about how the House passed a bill that prohibits scientific experts from giving advice to the EPA. That's just crazy. It blurs the line between "facts" and "facts that benefit / oppose my position on an issue because of politics." For example, I don't know if there is global warming. Like most things, you can find people saying, "Of course there is" as well as people saying, "There's no scientific facts to back up a claim that it is." Someone much smarter than me said, "We only have one planet. If we want to be confident that our grandkids and their grandkids and their grandkids have a world, we should take care of it. Not because of wanting to extract money from corporations with additional fines or fees or anything remotely political, but because we have the opportunity to do so now. Inaction now could result in bad things for future generations. Take the Keystone XL pipeline. The House is going to pass it and send it to President Obama's desk. Without seeing the bill, he has promised to veto it. Someone (I can't find the source) said, "Why isn't the President working with the Congress to find a compromise?" Good question.
Erick Erickson asked a great question in this article about the Republican Party. He opens the article with "Whoever the next President is, he will seek a second term in the year 2020. For the Republicans, they should take advantage of 2020 and tell us with foresight, not with hindsight, what their vision for America is." And that's an awesome idea. What is the vision for America. He goes on to say, "Republicans running in 2016 need to spend less time blaming Barack Obama and more time telling the public how the country will look in 2020. They should avoid the platitudes and instead paint the picture." What are the specifics? And when laying out this vision, I sincerely hope it is not a single candidate's vision. There needs to be a compromise between the different groups within the Republican party - establishment & Tea Partyers, I'm talking to you - so that the vision is not tied to a single person.
Can that happen? Will that happen? I don't know. I really don't know. If the Republicans waste the opportunity to lead instead of simply complain, no, it won't happen.
Erick Erickson asked a great question in this article about the Republican Party. He opens the article with "Whoever the next President is, he will seek a second term in the year 2020. For the Republicans, they should take advantage of 2020 and tell us with foresight, not with hindsight, what their vision for America is." And that's an awesome idea. What is the vision for America. He goes on to say, "Republicans running in 2016 need to spend less time blaming Barack Obama and more time telling the public how the country will look in 2020. They should avoid the platitudes and instead paint the picture." What are the specifics? And when laying out this vision, I sincerely hope it is not a single candidate's vision. There needs to be a compromise between the different groups within the Republican party - establishment & Tea Partyers, I'm talking to you - so that the vision is not tied to a single person.
Can that happen? Will that happen? I don't know. I really don't know. If the Republicans waste the opportunity to lead instead of simply complain, no, it won't happen.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Simple Complex Notes
With a thesis like "More evidence that, historically, albums featuring less complex instrumentation have enjoyed greater popularity", this article treads lightly on specifics. The only recording artist mentioned is Taylor Swift. I think the article could have delved deeper into examples. It seems to me that the entire 'metal bands releasing a ballad' movement fits into this. White Lion is certainly more than "When the Children Cry" but that's the song some think of when that band is mentioned. Mr. Big is more than "To Be With You," Extreme is more than "More than Words," and the list goes on. A typical Queensryche song does not sound like "Silent Lucidity."
I think I now know why the article wasn't specific. There are a lot of examples and picking just the ones above excludes a lot of other examples.
I think I now know why the article wasn't specific. There are a lot of examples and picking just the ones above excludes a lot of other examples.
Will Kirk Go?
More rumblings about Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes football team: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2317660-why-iowa-should-rid-itself-from-kirk-ferentz-and-his-13m-buyout
Wanting Life More
From Foxnews.com comes a story of a 17-year-old cancer patient. She and her mother are locked in a legal battle with the Connecticut state government because the teen has refused to have chemotherapy. Here's the article: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/01/05/connecticut-teen-with-cancer-forced-by-state-to-undergo-chemo-treatments/
On a related note, here's a story. In high school, Mom signed me up for CRAA (Cedar Rapids Aquatics Association) so that I could train at the Coe College swimming pool during the summer. I remember telling Mom that I wanted to be signed up for CRAA because I believed training over the summer would make me an awesomely fast swimmer during the high school swim season. In the same breath as stating my goal of being a fast swimmer, I would recite a litany of reasons why I was skipping practice.
I don't remember Mom forcing me to go to CRAA practices. I think she understood what I've come to understand over time. I realize now that Mom couldn't want me to do something more than what I wanted to do. If I really wanted to be an awesomely fast swimmer, I would have rarely missed any practices. Neither Mom nor Scott, my CRAA coach, couldn't want me to be an awesomely fast swimmer more than I wanted to be an awesomely fast swimmer. That's just the way it is. I know life was busy during those summers but if I really wanted to train, I would have made sure I allowed myself time to train.
Coming back to the story in the first paragraph, does the state of CT want this girl to be alive more than she wants to be alive? Ponder that thought.
On a related note, here's a story. In high school, Mom signed me up for CRAA (Cedar Rapids Aquatics Association) so that I could train at the Coe College swimming pool during the summer. I remember telling Mom that I wanted to be signed up for CRAA because I believed training over the summer would make me an awesomely fast swimmer during the high school swim season. In the same breath as stating my goal of being a fast swimmer, I would recite a litany of reasons why I was skipping practice.
I don't remember Mom forcing me to go to CRAA practices. I think she understood what I've come to understand over time. I realize now that Mom couldn't want me to do something more than what I wanted to do. If I really wanted to be an awesomely fast swimmer, I would have rarely missed any practices. Neither Mom nor Scott, my CRAA coach, couldn't want me to be an awesomely fast swimmer more than I wanted to be an awesomely fast swimmer. That's just the way it is. I know life was busy during those summers but if I really wanted to train, I would have made sure I allowed myself time to train.
Coming back to the story in the first paragraph, does the state of CT want this girl to be alive more than she wants to be alive? Ponder that thought.
Monday, January 5, 2015
How Many Days are in a Week
My friend Jon had a link to this thread on Facebook. It has R-rated words within so if that bothers you, don't click the link. http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=107926751
Marty McFly's 2015 is Not My 2015
From my Fox News First newsletter:
It is finally 2015, that far off exotic time that Marty McFly transported to in the 1989 classic, “Back the Future II”. The Atlantic compares the future McFly expected to find in 2015 to what really exists. Many of the technological predictions in the film came true in varying degrees however two key components missed were the development of Internet and the evolution of mobile phone technology. Cell phones didn’t exist in the film instead featuring banks of phone booths. The internet didn’t seem to exist in the film at least not in the individualized devices as expected today. JVC glasses are pretty close cousins to today’s Google Glass though not nearly as mobile as the Google device. Fax machines dominated business communication in the film, a technology that is just about obsolete today. To their credit, the filmmakers did accurately predict a smart watch, flat screen televisions and facial recognition technology. Society has yet to see the Hoverboards and flying cars featured in the film but have no fear there is still time as McFly didn’t go to the future until 4:29 pm on Wednesday October 21, 2015.
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/12/the-actual-future-is-so-much-cooler-than-back-to-the-future-predicted/384073/
It is finally 2015, that far off exotic time that Marty McFly transported to in the 1989 classic, “Back the Future II”. The Atlantic compares the future McFly expected to find in 2015 to what really exists. Many of the technological predictions in the film came true in varying degrees however two key components missed were the development of Internet and the evolution of mobile phone technology. Cell phones didn’t exist in the film instead featuring banks of phone booths. The internet didn’t seem to exist in the film at least not in the individualized devices as expected today. JVC glasses are pretty close cousins to today’s Google Glass though not nearly as mobile as the Google device. Fax machines dominated business communication in the film, a technology that is just about obsolete today. To their credit, the filmmakers did accurately predict a smart watch, flat screen televisions and facial recognition technology. Society has yet to see the Hoverboards and flying cars featured in the film but have no fear there is still time as McFly didn’t go to the future until 4:29 pm on Wednesday October 21, 2015.
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/12/the-actual-future-is-so-much-cooler-than-back-to-the-future-predicted/384073/
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Messages to a File
Once again, it felt like I had to forge a new path. I tried to use http://www.androidphonesoft.com/resources/backup-sms-from-android-to-pc.html to get all of my phone's text messages to a file that I could store on my external hard drive so that I could keep my messages but not use up the space on my phone. I couldn't get it to work so I ended up finding an app called SMS to Text and, after firing it up, I created my backup.
Aftermath
When Iowa was down 21-0 at the end of the first quarter yesterday, I was shocked and dismayed. This article doesn't begin to summarize how hot Kirk Ferentz's seat is following the debacle that was yesterday.
The restless natives are out in full force, including Fire Kirk Ferentz on Facebook and articles like this one and this one which has this awesome line "Just when it can't get any worse, it somehow gets much, much worse." In addition to those articles, the http://www.firekirk.com/ website presents horrifying statistics about the Iowa Hawkeyes during his tenure as head coach. I really like this paragraph, especially the bold/italic text.
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For years, Kirk Ferentz has served as a top ambassador of the University of Iowa. The intent of this webpage is not an attack on his character, but rather a strict focus on the record of Kirk Ferentz as a coach. As one of the highest paid coaches in the country, we seek to ponder if the performance of his administration fairly reflects the lofty investment of $3.65 million per season excluding bonuses.
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I don't know what the answer is. I don't know whether the thesis of this article is correct - that Iowa should fire Kirk and replace him with someone else. I don't know what the answer is. I will say that there will be a lot of questions asked between now and the spring game about:
The restless natives are out in full force, including Fire Kirk Ferentz on Facebook and articles like this one and this one which has this awesome line "Just when it can't get any worse, it somehow gets much, much worse." In addition to those articles, the http://www.firekirk.com/ website presents horrifying statistics about the Iowa Hawkeyes during his tenure as head coach. I really like this paragraph, especially the bold/italic text.
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For years, Kirk Ferentz has served as a top ambassador of the University of Iowa. The intent of this webpage is not an attack on his character, but rather a strict focus on the record of Kirk Ferentz as a coach. As one of the highest paid coaches in the country, we seek to ponder if the performance of his administration fairly reflects the lofty investment of $3.65 million per season excluding bonuses.
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I don't know what the answer is. I don't know whether the thesis of this article is correct - that Iowa should fire Kirk and replace him with someone else. I don't know what the answer is. I will say that there will be a lot of questions asked between now and the spring game about:
- the coaching staff,
- the players. There's the quarterback "controversy" of playing both C.J. Beathard & Jake Rudock in the game and having neither put up enough good numbers to win the game. There's the Iowa player who was going out of bounds and threw the ball in bounds so that it could be recovered by TN, having that play reviewed and during the review, having a penalty assessed that it was a forward pass. There's the unnecessary roughing the passer when the TN QB had released the ball and the Iowa player grounded the QB anyway. There's the total lack of basic tackling skills where Iowa players missed tackles that allowed TN to do whatever the hell they wanted to do on the field. There's the inability for Iowa players to run without tripping, such as the Iowa player in a wide open field tripping on his own feet and falling down. There was the total breakdown of pass defense when the TN QB tossed the ball to a running back and he threw a bomb pass to a wide open receiver and an easy touchdown.
- Gary Barta's leadership and what he can do to make the Iowa fans believe in the program again when he says he hears the discontent among the fans.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Rockers to Watch in 2014
So now, with 2014 officially over, let's look back at the year that was.
From an article that was published on January 1, 2014, these were the Top Ten Rockers to Watch in 2014:
From an article that was published on January 1, 2014, these were the Top Ten Rockers to Watch in 2014:
- Led Zeppelin
The band will launch a full catalog reissue campaign this year, with newly-remastered albums set to feature a companion disc of unreleased material, according to Jimmy Page. - U2
The band will return this spring with the follow-up to 2009’s “No Line On The Horizon.” Danger Mouse has been producing the project, and reports indicate U2 are currently shopping for brand partners to announce the album via a Super Bowl commercial. - Foo Fighters
Dave Grohl & Co. are working on the follow-up to 2011’s “Wasting Light.” Butch Vig is producing the project, which Grohl says is being made in a way that no one’s ever done before…without elaborating or giving that secret away. - Metallica
The metal icons have been busy touring the past few years while stockpiling riffs for future use, and they say they’re planning to hit the studio in 2014. At least one new Metallica track will surface this year, as the group has committed to playing one new tune on their summer "Metallica By Request" tour of Europe…while fans vote to select the other 17 songs for each concert. - KISS
The band will make the loudest noise at their induction into the 2014 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in New York on April 10. After years of slamming the institution, the band whipped the KISS Army into a frenzy to win the fan-voted ballot. Now, the question fans want to know is will the original lineup reunite one more time for the historical event. - Rolling Stones
With three-quarters of the band’s remaining members over 70 (Ron Wood’s the baby at 66), the Stones will continue to play live this year with dates already announced for the United Arab Emirates, Australia, New Zealand and Asia. - The Beatles
The band will sell 1964’s US invasion of Beatlemania all over again on its 50th anniversary. This month, the group releases a 13-disc box set, “The U.S. Albums.” The package celebrates the Beatles arrival in New York on February 7, 1964, and the February 9 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, which was viewed by more than 74 million in the States (40% of the population), a record at the time and considered a watershed moment in pop culture. A Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys will be issued later this month, as well. - Motorhead
The band returns to live action in February following a series of postponed shows and tours due to Lemmy’s health issues. All eyes will be on the legendary frontman as he returns to the stage in support of the group’s new album, “Aftershock.” - Queen
Queen have been working on unreleased tracks by Freddie Mercury for eventual release. Brian May and Roger Taylor are recording music to accompany Freddie’s vocals, as they did with 1995’s “Made In Heaven” album. There’s also a few songs Mercury recorded with Michael Jackson in the 1980s that are expected to see the light of day. - New releases
A short list of confirmed and possible new music and memoirs in 2014.
- The Scorpions – “MTV Unplugged” (Jan 14)
- Bruce Springsteen – “High Hopes” (Jan 14)
- The Beatles – “The U.S. Albums” (Jan 21)
- Metallica – “Through the Never” (DVD) (Jan 28)
- Paul Rodgers - “The Royal Sessions” (Feb 4)
- Heart – “Fanatic Live From Caesars Colosseum” (DVD) (Feb 25)
- Sebastian Bach – “Give ‘Em Hell” (Mar 25)
- James Durbin – “Celebrate” (Apr 8)
- Alice Cooper (covers album)
- Billy Idol
- The Cult
- Def Leppard
- Guns N’ Roses
- Judas Priest
- Metallica
- Robert Plant
- Rush – “Rush” (40th Anniversary Reissue)
- Slash
- Paul Stanley “Face the Music: A Life Exposed” (Apr 22)
- Joe Perry – “Rocks: My Life In And Out Of Aerosmith” (Oct 5)
- Carlos Santana (tba)
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