The year is early, but it's never too early to have some tech thoughts to take with you into 2012. I am now personally an owner of three tablets of three different OS flavors (maybe soon two, we'll see), and each has distinct advantages over the other. But, with all that said, here's some thoughts on them:
* The iPad 2 Is That Much Better Than The iPad 1 – On the surface, you wouldn't initially think that this was true. The screen resolution is the same, the apps (of course) look the same, and as of now, you're still getting the same updates. But, the speed difference is really astounding, and with the original iPad selling for a good amount (I sold mine to my dad for $300 and that's a gift price), and with the iPad 2 now constantly $450 at Micro Center, it's not an expensive upgrade, and even with an iPad 3 looming, worth it.
* The Nook Color is a Solid Android Tablet – Once you do the right [hacker] thing and remove the installed Nook software and give this tablet stock Android 2.3 via CyanogenMod, it really becomes a very nice, albeit slightly underpowered tablet. I bought mine off of eBay as a direct from B&N refurb for $150, and that price still looks pretty solid. The screen is really nice quality (1024×600), the battery still has good life on stock Android, and it ups the CPU speed to 1.1 GHz (and sometimes 1.2 GHz), as well as adds Bluetooth support. Plus, the reformat gives you over 4GB of space for apps, more than on any other Android device I have ever seen.
* Why Didn't HP Ship The Touchpad At 1.7 GHz? - I finally got around to overclocking my HP TouchPad the other day, and the difference going from 1.2 to 1.7 (and now 1.8) is pretty incredible, and it didn't kill battery life all that much. If they could have marketed this as a super-powerful 1.7 GHz (or even slightly less) tablet back in June or July when this launched, it would have absolutely been the fastest tablet in the world, and maybe that selling point could have helped it differentlate itself from the pack. As it stands, this likely is going to be a niche item in my house, but as it has a pretty darn good web browser (and maybe the fastest rendition of Flash that exists), I'll keep it around. And hey, it could have Ice Cream Sandwich soon!
I'd love your thoughts on tablets in the comments, have at it!
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- iPad vs.other tablets (gcmchow.wordpress.com)
- Nook Tablet vs. Kindle Fire vs. iPad 2 vs. Nook Color (q-ontech.blogspot.com)
- The Great Tablet Debate (techland.time.com)
It’s time for a tradition that really is unlike any other, older than Verne Lundquist’s drinking habit. It’s our yearly look at what college football would be like right now, if you really had a playoff! In past years of this post, it’s been done as an eight-team playoff with home games in the first round, as I believe that’s the perfect number of teams if you want to truly determine a national champion. However, with all of the conference realignment and craziness, I’ve begun to wonder if a 16-team playoff would actually be better, but we’ll get into that in a later post. As for now, we’ll do eight teams, with these rules:
1) The “Big Six” conferences get an automatic qualifier for their conference champ.
2) Undefeated teams from non-AQ conferences get in if you have a good enough BCS ranking.
3) Highest BCS rankings fill out the rest.
4) Seeding is strictly based on where you finish in the BCS.
(In my perfect world, this is all done by the computers, no voting, at least by coaches, would be allowed in the formula. But, that’s also for another day.)
By this formula, the eight teams would look something like this:
#1 LSU (SEC Champion)
#2 Alabama (At-Large)
#3 Oklahoma State (Big 12 Champion)
#4 Stanford (At-Large)
#5 Oregon (PAC 12 Champion)
#6 Wisconsin (Big Ten Champion)
#7 Clemson (ACC Champion)
#8 West Virginia (Big East Champion)
Initially, without thinking, I was pondering how Boise State got screwed in this formula, and even considered adding a rule saying that only two teams could go from any conference, should it end up applying to the SEC, and it almost did (Arkansas at #6 in the BCS would’ve been the next At-Large). But, due to the lowest eligible at-large being #4 in the BCS, it’s hard to be sympathetic even when the loss came to a ranked team on a last second field goal miss. In this format, they make the field goal, they’re in on an automatic, they’d knock out Stanford, and probably would’ve gotten a home game too. Just going through those hypotheticals in your head, you can see how such a format would not take anything away from the regular season, it would be just as dramatic as ever before.
Let’s get to those first round games however. This year’s playoff would produce an amazing scenario in two ways. Not only would it provide a rematch of a conference game (and think, we’re mad at that in real life too), it would provide two “return games” from regular season matchups. West Virginia would have to visit LSU, and Oregon would have to visit Stanford. We can argue the craziness of having a conference champion go on the road against an at-large team from the same conference all day, that’s just how it ends up shaking out. Along with that, you’d get a great regional game of Alabama-Clemson, and a fascinating offensive matchup between Oklahoma State and Wisconsin. All four of these bowl games would be compelling, the top seeds (and home teams) would be favorites by a fair amount, but the excitement would definitely be there.
You can play this out however you want to (and I invite you to do so in the comments, I will do so too), but you can certainly argue that this provides far more excitement than the current bowl setup ever could, and at least this year, has a very good chance of getting you to the matchup you’d see, but in the way it should be. On the field.
Now, about that 16-team playoff question. I am beginning to be convinced that a 16-team playoff would be a better solution for one reason, and one reason only: it would instantly end the rush for the superconference. If every conference currently in existence, be it a big or small conference, knew its winner would go to a BCS game, teams would be more willing to stay with their current allegiances, and less likely to jump to a superconference just for the desperate reach of one of the golden seats (read: Boise State). I think eventually, it would allow for an increase in the number of FBS teams to 132 (11 conferences x 12 teams per conference) without the risk of dilution, and would still not render the regular season as useless by any stretch. In this format, you’d be looking at five at-large teams, and with the rules I would put into place for this, just being a Top 10 team would not assure you of a trip.
Related articles
- College Football: Potential First-Round Matchups a Playoff Could Create (bleacherreport.com)
- 2011 BCS Bowl Games: 8-Team Playoff Version (bleacherreport.com)
- Weekend Review: Biggest losers in BCS mess are the fans (cbssports.com)
Yes, he had a horrible half of football, he looked like he wasn't ready for the stage, and you could tell it had been awhile since he's been on the field. After one half of football, it's easy to make that claim about …. Carson Palmer? Kyle Boller? Oh yeah, that Tebow guy too.
I get that he's popular, polarizing, and was madly successful in college. He's unconventional as a pro quarterback, and regardless of the praise put on him for this quirkiness by some, and the critical nature of many analysts, he's always going to be unconventional. I'm sure the delivery will get a little quicker over time, and the form will get a little better, but he will never be the robot we've come to know as Tom Brady. And so, I am attributing his Sunday game is this: 55 minutes of an offense that hasn't adjusted to his skill set, and five minutes of his improvisation and playmaking, both in rather extreme forms. '
The success of Tim Tebow for the remainder of the season, I believe, rests as much in the hands of John Fox and John Elway as it does in Tebow himself. No one doubts he will work on his form and his game and at least to some degree will mechanically improve, I'm sure to the chagrin of Merrill Hoge. But, if they don't form more of the offense around him because they don't believe he is the answer, then he is much much more likely to be a passer who has moments of running brilliance, complete with overthrown passes and constant drama.
So, next week before you make fun of Tebow's form next week, go back and ask some of those NFL Playbook guys about how good of a job John Fox did with building the offense around Tebow. You'll learn as much about his faith as you would in Tebow the next couple of Sundays.
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- N.F.L. Fast Forward: Developing Tebow and Ponder After Positive Starts – N.F.L. Fast Forward (nytimes.com)
- Broncos keep Tebow under wraps until late rally (denverpost.com)
It almost scares me to say this, it really does. But, the Carson Palmer trade has squarely put me back on the Bengals bandwagon. Why? Because it’s showing that Mike Brown is willing to come off his stubbornness and take advantage of situations he should.
This situation basically fell into his hands. An injury to Jason Campbell (at the hands of the Browns, some strange bedfellows now), a team direly wanting to stay in a playoff picture in a division they absolutely can win, and a team with the stones to make these kinds of bold moves, even with Al Davis resting in peace. All the leverage in the world was in the Bengals’ favor.
The reason that Mike Brown deserves this praise is because he used it, when he would not have in the past. When he could have had two first round picks for Chad Ochocinco, he turned it down. He has typically been stubborn to the point of wasting great opportunities to improve his team, either through free agents, trades, you name it. This situation, for this longest time, has been a case just like that, where stubbornness had outweighed smarts, and that’s why these kudos are fair. Strike when the iron is hot, when you hold the cards.
In hold ‘em terms, the Bengals called the bluff today and won big. They weren’t bold like many would want, they were just smart and logical. As a Bengals fan, I will more than take that.
- Image via Wikipedia
Just got back from a really nice dinner and movie with my beautiful wife (it was our 4 year anniversary on Thursday), and got back to, unfortunately, a Reds loss. Unlike the recent extra inning affairs though, there is more to feel good about than the opposite.
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- Bailey lands on 15-day DL with shoulder injury (mlb.mlb.com)
- The Demotion of Edinson Volquez (red-hot-mama.com)
If you believe what Ray Small told 10TV today, no one has it harder than athletes. They cannot do anything, their life is terribly difficult, and you should feel sorry for them. In honor of his comments, and the challenge by the Common Man and Torg (and today, Craig Krenzel), something should be done about this!
They say that the best time to look at how your team really did in the off-season is in hindsight. This, however, requires patience, and we simply don't have any of that! I think now, we can begin to entertain just how all of those off-season signings are looking to pan out.
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- Reds transactions not gettin' it done (red-hot-mama.com)
- While We Were Away: The Ryan Hanigan Extension (red-hot-mama.com)
Not every day do you walk into Big Lots and expect to find something you've never seen anywhere else. But, that's exactly what happened this past week when I was there. I saw a type of rechargeable battery that I hadn't seen before. Different voltage, claimed to be better than alkaline. At $8 for a four pack with charger, it's too good to pass up and not try! Heck, they had eight packs of AA batteries for another $8! So, 12 supposedly better rechargeables for $16? Surely, there must be a catch.
- Image by Getty Images via @daylife
I'm not ashamed to say I'm not watching the Reds game just yet. Spending some time with Danielle watching some WWE wrestling (more on that soon). With the break currently, it gives me a chance to reflect on a nice 6-3 start, and what I hope happens this week upcoming.
SOPA / PIPA Didn’t End Wednesday, The War Shall Rage
For those of you, like myself, who believe in a free uncensored Internet that can responsibly understand what the words "fair use" really mean, and that don't want a bunch of suits in Hollywood as your totalitarian Internet bullies, what we saw Wednesday online was a beautiful thing. It took the war against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) to the people. They got the message, and politicians, at least for today, got it too. Some of the sponsors of these bills ran away from it like it was toxic. Public support against these initiatives reached its first tipping point. The online world spoke and gave the world our version of a Million Man March.
You probably feel vindicated, satisfied, maybe a little happy to see what you view as the comeuppance of Hollywood. But beware, this was the opening salvo, the war has merely begun.
I mean, you didn't forget that you're fighting with politicians and Hollywood lawyers, did you?
Here's the thing. There are still plenty of politicians who were very quiet today who would still be more than happy to vote yes to these bills. Their pockets are lined, and after today, I'm sure a few more bucks will head their way to ensure they're willing to stay the course. These men and women might even let the bills by these names die, spin them another way, drop provisions into other bills, you name it. Washington thinks it's smarter than you. Prove them otherwise.
Those lawyer types? The RIAA and MPAA dudes? They will do anything and everything to get these rules passed, and they really don't care what you think. RIAA lawyers were clowning the blackout of Wikipedia today, for crying out loud! Their reasoning on your media almost sounds like Chicago politics … If you don't pay once, pay twice (and we may still sue you). They may never give a crap what you say, but public opinion, and your pocket book to not support artists via their old traditional methods, that might get their attention. New models like Netflix and Spotify good, old models like iTunes and 99 cents per song, bad.
And, let's not forget, you have one atomic bomb left in your arsenal: a vote. It's an election year, even President Obama gets this by coming out and saying he would not approve SOPA as it stands now. Everyone knows that if they convince you at a surface level that they see your pain, you won't sway that vote. All I'll say is, use that bullet wisely.
So with the opening salvo, our Battle of Normandy if you will, in the books, do these three things. One, keep pounding the phones and emails of your lawmakers to remind them that these bills need to die. Second, stay in tune with sites like the EFF which will make sure to inform you when shady tactics are in play, and trust me, they will be. Third, use that vote in your primary and in November. Be willing to make this a top issue, and do your research to see how a lawmaker's stance has evolved, and vote accordingly. That's of course never a promise that the next guy will do better, but it beats the alternative.
So lace up your boots, and get out of your corner. This Ironman Match just started!
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