A Curse Broken!

Bulls vs. Nets is always exciting to watch, especially when it's an away game. The Bulls have not won in the Nets' homecourt since 2001. It's always a playoff feel on my end when I tune in. Going into tonight's game, the Bulls had a terrible away record and the Nets had a terrible home record, so the outcome would depend on which team is really into the game. Luckily it turned out for the best and the Bulls broke the 7-year curse!

The 1st quarter was a running of the Bulls. They did everything they were capable of. Gordon and Noc came out and nailed 3's. Rose broke some ankles. Thomas and Noah played some tough defense that we're hoping to see every game. The Nets made a good run in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. The 4th was close until the final 4 minutes when the Bulls went on a 14-0 run. Gordon was red hot with 24 points and 5/8 from 3. Rose had 21 with a lot of highlight reel plays. Hughes and Nocioni also added the the 3-point party off the bench with 17 points each. Something noteworthy is that the Bulls were able to get off to a quick start in the 1st quarter and still finish strong in the 4th... no something we're used to seeing. So hopefully this experience carries over to future games. Tonight, they broke a 5-game road losing streak and a 13-game NJ losing streak... good reasons for Bulls fans to be excited!

NYPD Physical Fitness Test

Part of the reason why we have so many bad cops roaming the streets is because of the low salaries they get. It doesn't attract quality applicants... just people looking for a cheap way to get power (gun & badge). Another indication of the lack of standards is the fitness level of many of the officers. I was waiting on the subway platform for the train to arrive. It came to a stop and this large cop, the width of the entire doorway walked out. Luckily the platform wasn't crowded and I always step aside to let passengers off first, otherwise bodies would be falling all over! So it made me think... how did this guy make it as a field officer? He couldn't possibly outrun a thief or reach for his gun fast enough. Some tips for the NYPD.

• raise cop salaries to attract better people
• some kind of physical fitness test
• personality screening
• ban jelly doughnuts
• redesign those movement-restrictive uniforms

Tech Deals of the Week (12/28-1/3)

New Store Abbreviations
I'm going to start abbreviating the store names since I use them a lot on these posts. Here's the key...
BB = Best Buy
CC = Circuit City
CU = CompUSA.com
DI = Directron
NE = NewEgg.com
OD = Office Depot
RS = Radio Shack
ST = Staples
TG = Target

Flash Drives
It seems like these drives have permanently gone down again in price since Black Friday. The 8 GB models have what used to be 4 GB prices. I'm also seeing more sales on the 16 GB ones that no one used to buy.
- 4 GB SanDisk @ BB for $12.99
- 8 GB SanDisk @ BB for $19.99
- 8 GB SanDisk @ RS for $24.99
- 8 GB Corsair @ CU for $16.98 ($10 rebate) [click here]
- 4 GB PNY @ ST for $14.99
16 GB SanDisk @ OD for $44.99

Acer LCDs @ OD
- 19" for $139.99
- 22" for $159.99
- 24" for $249.99

Logitech MX Revolution @ BB for $39.99
Many Black Friday prices are sticking, but I never thought it would for this item. It's actually $10 lower than Black Friday too! If you're still holding out on getting a wireless mouse, get this one now. It still retails for $100 or higher in many other stores. This is the best mouse in the world and is the only rechargeable wireless model. I'm guessing it will sell out on day 1.

Case Logic Portable HDD Case @ BB & OD for $9.99
Portable hard drives are more compact, but they're still hard dries with moving parts. That means they're breakable. So $9.99 is not too much to pay for some extra padding.

Logitech 2.1 Speakers @ CC for $29.99
This is a basic 2.1 system that comes with an iPod dock. Other stores have it on sale for $39.99, so you save an additional $10 from CC.

iPod Shuffle @ TG for FREE
...when you buy the 32 GB iPod Touch. With Apple products always staying firm in pricing, this is actually a great deal. It's basically like getting $50 back.

Burned by the Heat

With tonight's loss, it was another 2-game losing streak for the Bulls. This time, it was against the Miami Heat... another team they owned last year. Miami is a lot different though. They're not great, but much better than last year as they've already equaled their win total. Dwayne Wade has been healthy and consistent this year, which plays a large part into their winning edge. The Bulls actually played well tonight and kept the game close until the 4th quarter. It was very non-typical. They're supposed to fall behind in the 1st and then catchup. When the Bulls end the 1st with a lead, it actually worries me. I'm more confident when they're getting beat by 10 in the first half! For 3 quarters they did everything right though. Gordon & Noc were hitting their 3's. Rose was driving. Thomas and Noah even had some great moves on both ends. Then nothing was falling in the 4th. Overall, they had 5 guys in double digits, but there was no dominant scorer tonight putting up over 20. They needed either Rose or Gordon to get about 10 more for a win.

Could this be the end of the streak the Bulls have over the Pistons and Heat? It seems like the magic wore off this week.

Contender Asia Holidays

A funny Happy Holiday message from Dzhabar Askerov & Zidov Dominic:

Road Losses Continue

Last night's match against the Pistons was a very odd game and the loss was hard to swallow because AI had 5 points on zero field goals. He normally kills us. So on a very off night, I would expect the Bulls to pull off a big win. They've played Detroit well for about 2 years now, but the Pistons are a much different team this year. Perhaps that caught the Bulls by surprise. They had no answer for Rodney Stuckey, who had a career night scoring 40 points. The Bulls did OK with their scoring. They had 5 guys in double figures, but the key to Detroit's win was getting Rose in early foul trouble.

Going by their home record, one would think the Bulls are leading their division. But as usual, their road record is terrible... the exact opposite. They need to learn how to win on the road if they're going to get over the .500 hump.

Yankees Movement

Yesterday, the Yankees signed Chien Ming Wang to a one-year deal. I'll be happy to see him back in pinstripes nice and healthy. As good as he is though, he'll be the 3rd man this time, behind CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett. Now that's a rotation! I think Wang deserved a multi-year contract though. He's done nothing but win. With the exception of last year (because of injury), he's been their best pitcher since he came into the league. Not only that... he's one of the best in the league.

Just this afternoon, they signed up Mark Teixeira to another fat contract... $180 million over 8 years. That was a nice early Christmas gift for the fans. This fills 1st base with one of the best players in the league. As always, signing a top player doesn't only mean increasing the talent level. It also means bumping the Sox from signing up the same guy! The Red Sox have had the better moves over the past 2 years. So it was nice to see the Yankees front office make some big moves.

The signing of Tex reduces the chances of the Yankees making a move for Manny Ramirez. Many fans only look at the baseball stats when they hope Manny makes the team. I actually don't want him onboard. He's one of the biggest assholes in baseball and doesn't fit in with the Yankees' image of professionalism. He's the polar opposite of Derek Jeter and would be a bad influence on the young guys.

Bulls Over Jazz

"He's been doing it all season. He's a great player. He's not playing like a rookie. I don't think he's a rookie anymore. He's one of the best point guards in the league and he definitely took it over."
- Deron Williams (Utah Jazz)

That was All-Star guard, Deron Williams talking about Derrick Rose after last night's game. Rose had 24 points, 10 of which came in the 4th quarter when he took over the game. This of course took attention away from Gordon again, who had a quiet 26 to lead all scorers! Nocioni had another good game... 15 points & 8 rebounds. Sefolosha was good too, adding 10 and some great defense. Even Noah pulled down 9 rebounds! The key last night was point in the paint though. It wasn't a typical Bulls win where everyone was on fire from the 3-point line. We saw a lot of cutting, layups and dunks. It's amazing how contagious Rose's playmaking can be. When he cuts and slashes, the opponents defense gets so scrambled. What's important is that his teammates are in the right place.

So the Bulls improved to 13-14 after last night's game. They seem to be stuck at trying to get to .500 again, but the good news is they didn't have a big losing streak yet. As long as they don't dig themselves a hole again like last year, they have a good chance at making a playoff run. I think things will get even better when Hinrich returns since he can add relief to point guard and shooting guard duties.

Tech Deals of the Week (12/21-12/27)

Flash Drives
- 8 GB SanDisk @ Radio Shack for $19.99
- 4 GB SanDisk @ Office Depot and Staples for $14.99
- 8 GB SanDisk @ Office Depot and Staples for $24.99
- 16 GB SanDisk @ Staples for $44.99
- 4 GB SanDisk (2-pack) @ Staples for $24.99

Monitors
- 24" Acer @ Staples for $279.99
- 22" Acer @ Best Buy for $169.99
- 19" Samsung @ CompUSA.com for $141.98 [click here]

Gigaware Webcam @ Radio Shack for $9.99
This basic VGA camera comes with a built-in mic. Even though the resolution is low, it covers 2 devices in one for just $9.99.

Assassination Reenactment

This is a hilarious reenactment of the shoe throwing assassination attempt on President Bush:


The TNT guys are always entertaining. They always manage to be funny yet informative about the game. The ESPN guys could take a few pointers!

Best Bang for Buck... MSI Wind

Big surprise... I reevaluated my netbook opinion again! After turning my attention to the 10" HDD models last time, I never really factored in the cost and concentrated too much on design. While the Eee PC 1000H and Samsung NC10 are the best looking models, the MSI Wind is actually the best buy for its power. All of the other 10" models are roughly the same spec, but the one item that isn't listed that often is that they have a maximum RAM capacity of 2 GB... but there's only one slot. And there are no default configurations with the max RAM. In other words, you have to buy the system with 1 GB RAM. Chuck the default RAM and buy a 2 GB module. The MSI Wind also has a maximum capacity of 2 GB, but it has 2 slots and the default configurations only take up one slot. So if you buy the Wind, you don't have to throw anything out... just get an additional 1 GB module. The price difference is significant enough for me to live with the slightly worse design. So that's where I stand now.

Gordon for Four!

What an exciting game! This one sure made up for the last heartbreaker. Nocioni probably has his best game of the season so far posting 22 points and vintage 4th quarter hustle. Derrick Rose bounced back with 16 points and a key 3 point play in OT. Gordon also had 22 points and had a game tying 4-point play to send the game into OT. He's been playing great all year, but that 4-point play is what I think he needed to really get his confidence up. I expect Gordon to play at an all-star level now. Even Noah contributed 3 blocks and 6 boards!

The Clippers did some great things too. Randolph had 30 to lead all scorers. Camby added 19 and 27 rebounds... that's right... 27! The Bulls got outrebounded 55-39, so they were fortunate to win with their big time shots.

Paterson's Tax Proposal

Way to go... you're good for NYC!
- luxury cars, yachts, private planes
- jewelry & fur
- beer and wine
- cigars
- eliminate jobs (just make sure you fire the lazy ones)

You a-hole! I'm glad SNL made fun of you!
- non-diet soft drinks
- clothing under $110
- cut school aid
- increase college tuition
- driver's license renewal fees

Bull's Lose to Jordan's Team

It was a tough loss tonight since the Bobcats played without Gerald Wallace and even more so because we had a lead within the final seconds of the 4th quarter. Derrick Rose had one of his worst games as a pro, but I guess it is unrealistic to expect him to be on fire forever. Some good signs were that Gooden, Gordon & Deng were consistent. Thomas also had a great game... his second in a row. This one would've been a win if Rose hit his averages. With a 94-91 lead and 35 seconds left in the 4th, Rose fouled Augustin on a 3 point shot. The Bobcats tied and forced OT where they had the momentum and won 110-101.

A Quiet High
This whole season has been about how great Derrick Rose has performed. He's been showing signs of a great point guard. He can drive to the basket and create Jordanesque shots. He's a pretty good shooter too. But there's also another important hidden positive. He's driving media attention away from Ben Gordon. With all the focus on Rose, Gordon is quietly having a career year... 21 points, 4 assists & 3.5 rebounds per game. He was always good at scoring, but I can also see that his point guard skills are getting much better.

Assassination Attempt

Everyone knows that I'm anti-politics, but this was too funny not to post. A couple of days ago an Iraqi reporter threw his shoes at Pres. Bush, shouting, "this is a gift from the Iraqis, this is the farewell kiss, you dog!" Bush was able to dodge both shoes. Then the reporter was beaten down by guards and cried like a baby.

Protect Me from... Me

"I swore an oath, and I will protect you. Even if it means I must protect you from yourself."
- Jacopo (Luis Guzmán in Count of Monte Cristo)

There's a tool we have on the Intranet that automates the publication of some updates. Not that many people have access to it, so there was no need to put any security features on it... until the other day. For no reason at all, our business development guy just went to the page and clicked one of the links. It kicked off an huge update process. It didn't damage the portal or anything, but it took up a lot of resources an prevented several groups from development work for several hours. So after that happened, he asked our boss to have us add alerts to all of the links. Of course he never said it was his fault for wandering aimlessly and clicking on random links. So we basically put alerts in place to protect the application from employees who come across it in a drunken stupor. Note that this has not happened for 5 years since the creation of the tool!

Stargate Atlantis 518 (Identity)

Swapping bodies is typical of the sci-fi theme. Every series has to do it at least once. In last Friday's episode, they took a device that was first seen in Stargate SG-1 and repurposed it to swap the minds of Dr. Keller and a murderer, Neela Casol on a different planet. It was also similar to another Stargate SG-1 episode where a barber gets visions of Jack's adventures and vice versa. But in Identity the situation is more of an emergency because there was a murderer loose in Atlantis... stuck in the body of the most unsuspecting person.. Jennifer Keller. And Keller's mind was in great danger the whole time, being stuck in a murderer's body and about to get caught for her crimes.

This episode got confusing at times because of the way they worked the points of views. The whole time Casol was in Keller's body, they used the actress for Casol. That worked for story-telling purposes. It only got confusing when the 2 were actually together in the same scene.

Winding down to the end of the season, this was a weird episode to play. It had very little to do with the larger Wraith saga, but still a fun break.

Bulls Comeback!

We know the usual result of a Bulls-Nets game, but there was a chance of a different outcome last night since we have Derrick Rose now. And that's how it played out. As usual, the Bulls got off to a slow start. They were down by over 10 points in the 1st quarter, but I wasn't worried. They do that all the time and then go on a run. The entire first half was a alternation of runs and droughts for both teams. The 4th quarter was the difference though. Ben Gordon and Derrick Rose both hit huge shots to tie the game and secure a comfortable lead. The defense reminded me of the years before last year... it was actually good. They had 13 blocked shots... which translates to at least a -26 points for NJ! Thomas & Noah did a great job, responding to Del Negro's kick in the butt earlier in the week. The offense was red hot with 6 players in doubles, lead by Gordon (29) and Rose (22).

In the final seconds, the Nets were down by 8 and had no chance of coming back as time was against them, but they kept fouling and extending the game to setup plays. I respect that about Lawrence Frank's Nets. They play every second until the end... just like the Bulls. Also noteworthy is that Carter scored his season high of 39, bouncing back from a poor 3-point performance the previous night. He represented the only hole in the Bull's defense. We were able to keep Yi to just 2 points. I noticed that if Yi doesn't play well, the Nets usually lose.

Tech Deals of the Week (12/14-12/20)

Flash Sales
- 8 GB SanDisk @ Radio Shack for $24.99
- 4 GB SanDisk @ Radio Shack for $14.99
- 8 GB SanDisk @ Best Buy for $24.99
- 4 GB SanDisk @ Best Buy for $14.99
- 8 GB SanDisk @ Staples for $24.99
- 4 GB SanDisk @ Staples for $14.99
- 8 GB Lexar @ Circuit City for $24.99
- 4 GB Lexar @ Circuit City for $12.99

Acer Aspire One @ CompUSA.com for $349.99
The Acer model actually surpassed the original netbook... Asus Eee PC in sales recently... probably because of their prices. Now those prices were just reduced even further. I'm currently looking for a 10" model, but if I was going for a 9" one, this would be the best buy. [click here]

Acer 22" LCD @ CompUSA.com for $159.99
This is equivalent to the Black Friday price! A great price for a great monitor. The $1.99 shipping is still in effect too. [click here]

Acer 21" 16:9 LCD @ CompUSA.com for $199.99
This is more expensive than the one above because it has the HDMI input, which means you can use this as a TV. While monitors are not made to be TVs, this is still good enough and a great way to get 1080p resolution on a small TV. The actual TVs at 1080p won't reach sizes smaller than 28" until later in 2009. [click here]

Logitech V450 Laser Mouse @ Radio Shack for $14.99
This model is the little brother of the VX Nano. It's about the same size, has a tilt wheel and the small dongle. It's missing the gaming options... side buttons & fast scroller, but still pretty good for $15. There's an $8 mail-in rebate involved with this deal.

Eat the Head!

I'm a Verizon supporter, but the T-Mobile commercial series with Charles Barkley & Dwayne Wade is one of the best. In the latest one, they added Yao Ming to the cast as well.

CC, K and More!

CC & $$
A couple of big deals happened within the last day. First... CC Sabathia, one of the leagues best pitchers finally accepted the Yankees' gigantic offer. They agreed on $161 over 7 years. I have some mixed thoughts on this. First, I'm glad the organization is finally addressing their weak starting pitching and going out to get a big name for the rotation. Sabathia will likely take the #1 spot, bumping Wang to #2. The length and price of the contract is a bit too high though. The guy is overweight and 35 years old! Sabathia was always a big guy, but it all depends on the temptation of NY's many fine restaurants! Hopefully he brings us 20 wins per year or close to it. If he can do that and Wang can stay healthy, the we're easily in the playoffs.

K-Rod
The Crosstown Mets also signed a fat contract of their own, grabbing one of the best closers in the game... Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod). This makes me happy for 2 reasons. First of all, K-Rod has always pitched well against the Yankees. So sending him off the the NL means we won't have to see his face as much! I had the same reaction when Santana went there. If they're not Yankees, shipping them to the other league is the next best thing. The second reason is it puts Billy Wagner in his place. The cocky closer who blows saves left and right will lose his job!

Got No Milk
There were a couple of complications that extended negotiations, but the Yankees and Brewers swapped center fielders about an hour ago. The veteran gold glover Mike Cameron will be in pinstripes for the talented, but inexperienced Melky Cabrera. This is a big gamble on both sides, so could be somewhat of an even trade. Cameron is getting old. He still has good defense and good homerun power, but his average is terrible. Cabrera has shown signs of becoming a rising star, but has just as many bone-headed moves to go along with it. He also went on a slump last year that got a ticket to the minors. I hope this works out. Mike Cameron is an all around good guy. I always liked him when he was on the Mets and think his personality is a good fit for the Yankees.

Duhon Does it All, but Bulls Win

I was pretty happy with last night's game against the Knicks in that Duhon played great, but the Bulls got the win. Going into the game, both teams were dead even at 9-11. The Bulls got off to an early lead, but the Knicks fought back in the 2nd quarter to cut it to a 2 point lead at half time. The game was close all the way through with terrible 3 pt shooting and turnovers on both sides. The Bulls ended up on top because they were the deeper team with more spread out scoring. They used 8 players, 7 of which scored in double figures. Gooden had a double-double with 22 pts & 10 rebs. Gordon was as solid as usual playing his hometown team. Derrick Rose drove to the basket a lot and broke a few Knicks ankles on the way. Duhon had a career night for the Knicks, just 1 rebound shy of a triple-double.

Some Points of Improvement
I want to see more slashing to the basket. The Bulls shoot over 80% from the free throw line which is awesome. They just need to get there more often. Gordon needs to drive every time if he's not one fire from 3. They guy shoots over 90% from the stripe. If he cuts, he can get 20 pts per night just from free throws. The big guys need to throw it down. Gray is 7ft with a heavy frame. He needs to dunk it in his opponent's face instead of going for a soft layup. When he plays soft, I would rather see more minutes for Nocioni. Noc plays tough. He's just 6'7", but he'll rip down some rebounds from bigger guys. Lastly, I want to see the tough defense from 2 seasons ago. If Thomas & Noah are on the floor, they should concentrate 100% on blocks and rebounds because they suck at scoring. They should go for the block even if it means getting 6 fouls per game. They just need to foul the right guy and avoid and1's.

Weekend Knockouts

There were a lot of fights going on last weekend, starting with Friday Night Fights in NYC, Evolution 15 in Australia and De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao in Las Vegas. I missed FNF this time around because I was stuck at work. I always seem to be extra busy in December. I'll go over the Evolution 15 results since they've ben posted all over, but won't get to watch it until it replays on Australian TV in a month. I saw a fairly complete replay of the boxing match, so I'll go over that as well.

Evolution 15
This event was straight to the point. We didn't see the usual 5 round marathons. Bodies were dropped left and right and matches were quick. Dzhabar Askerov KOed Bruce MacFie in the first round with his crazy right overhand/hook. Soren Monkongtong KOed Zig Zach in the first also, with a liver punch. John Wayne Parr gave Sean Wright a pretty good beat, landing everything including the kitchen sink. Sean failed to answer the bell in the 3rd. For the qualifier tournament, it will be Eli "Maddog" Madigan representing Australia in Contender Asia this season. Detail will come on this event when I get a chance to watch it.

De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao
The outcome of this one was pretty predictable. Pacquaio has 1 loss in what... 9-10 years? De La Hoya has been in and out of boxing for the past couple of years. I wanted De La Hoya to win because he represents my childhood era. He was the best and he was invincible. His downfall was the loss to Trinidad... a match I thought he clearly won. I always wanted him to bounce back, but the reality of Saturday's match was age. Pacquaio is the best pound for pound boxer in the game today. He's got all of the tools and no weaknesses. Any article written before the match that were talking about how De La Hoya could go for a hard punch KO was just hyping up the match. The outcome was just as the rational part of my brain thought... complete mismatch. Pacquiao won every round clearly and De La Hoya could not answer the bell at round 9. De La Hoya is not THAT old... he's 35. So can he make a comeback? The answer is yes... but he needs to be a boxer 100%. Pacquaio is a boxing machine. That's all he does.

On the other hand, this match, which is probably De La Hoya's worst loss could be symbolic of the end of a career. It's in some ways similar to the beating of Julio Cesar Chavez in 1996 and 1998. That was sort of a passing of the torch. Chavez was De La Hoya's idol just like De La Hoya is Pacquiao's. The future should be interesting. Will De La Hoya work his way up again? Who's next for Pacquaio?

Stargate Atlantis 517 (Infection)

They went back to the "Todd" saga with this episode. Complications with the gene therapy from Episode 11 gave Todd and his entire crew a disease. They put themselves in stasis in hopes that the Atlantis team could solve the problem. However, when some of the Wraith drones escaped from their pods, they were no longer under control of their masters and were missing the feeding element in their hand (due to the therapy). These very hungry Wraith had to feed the old fashioned way. Also, since the hive ships are part organic, plugging into the stasis pods infected the ship as well. In this Aliens-like episode, the team was stuck in a ship with a bunch of hungry, man-eating Wraith and had to figure a way out of a space that kept reconfiguring itself. At the end, the Atlantis team was able to get out with the help of Todd, but the story will continue in future episodes. The gene therapy has yet to be perfected. Todd is still ill and has lost everything, but still honored that Sheppard kept his part of the bargain and let him go at the end. Will Todd be a friend or foe next time?

Bulls Vets Come Through

Last night, the Bulls continued their ownership (this goes back to 2004, the year after being eliminated by them in the playoffs) of the Wizards by defeating them 117-110. The veterans shined in this game with Deng posting 26 points, Gordon 21, Hughes 24 and Nocioni 19. Gooden added 12 points & 10 rebounds. These are the guys we need to do this every night. The Bulls gave the hometown crowd everything they wanted to see. Gordon was all over the place. He hit a couple of 3's, drove to the basket, dunked and even had an emphatic blocked shot (remember, he's like 6ft tall). Deng played the value of the fat contract they signed at the beginning of the season. He's got to score 20+ per game! The starters were all solid. Gray didn't score points, but his 9 rebounds were very valuable. Hughes & Nocioni were excellent off the bench. Thomas was the only player that was ineffective. That could be a problem if the coach gives him too much floor time in hopes that he'll snap out of it. Of all players on the team, Thomas and Noah have the most work to do as far as consistency.

Next up is the Knicks on Tuesday. It should be an interesting matchup because Duhon is running the opposition now and doing a great job. So will it be the the Bull's advantage for being familiar with him or will it be the other way around? What will prevail, D'Antoni's all-offense Knicks or the historically defensive-minded Bulls?

Tech Deals of the Week (12/7-12/13)

Flash Sales
- 4 GB Sony @ Circuit City for $14.99
- 8 GB Sony @ Circuit City for $24.99
- 4 GB PNY @ Staples for $14.99
- 8 GB PNY @ Staples for $24.99
- 16 GB PNY @ Staples for $49.99
- 8 GB Ativa @ Office Depot for $24.99
- 16 GB Ativa @ Office Depot for $49.99

Acer LCD Sales @ Staples
These 2 deals are pretty close to Black Friday prices...
- 19" for $129.99
- 24" for $279.99

Memorex Upconverting DVD Player @ Radio Shack for $39.99
This is a pretty good price for a 1080p upconverting player. This model has some nice features like a card slot & USB port for music and photos.

Gigaware Wireless Laser Mouse @ Radio Shack for $24.99
This is one of the best notebook mice out there. It's almost like the Logitech VX Nano in shape and has the tiny dongle. It actually looks better too, but lacks the extra buttons and til wheel.

JVC Gumy Earbuds @ Best Buy for $9.99
If you own a colored iPod Nano or Sansa MP3 player, you can pick up one of these colored earbuds to match your player's color.

Samsung 19" LCD @ CompUSA.com for $141.98
This is a little bit more than the Acer above, but Samsung's are better. The price includes CompUSA's reduced shipping cost... $1.99. [click here]

Repeated Survey ?'s for 2008-12-05

A repeat of 2008-09-18, but with new answers...

1. When was the last time you took a nap? 2 weeks ago
2. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? Mom
3. To text you?
4. What are you doing tonight? Stargate Atlantis & Sanctuary
5. What are you listening to? n/a
6. What did you do over the weekend? shopping
7. What did you have for breakfast? DD turkey eggwhite flatbread
8. Last book you read? Maximum Carnage
9. Last thing you bought? 22" Acer Monitor
10. Last movie you saw: Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Wasting Money in a Recession

2008's been a bad year for the economy, especially the last few months. Companies are going down and workers are getting laid off. Those that are still employed are sure to get low (or no) bonuses and pay increases. I know that's coming up for me and my colleagues. I can understand that though since the whole country is not doing well. What I don't understand is some areas my company spends money despite the recession. There's going to be a holiday party just before Christmas. They rented out a good sized space in Midtown Manhattan for the hundreds of employees in the NY office. The party is sure to cost tens of thousands. I was sure there wouldn't be one this year yet we just got the announcement today. Also, earlier in the week, I walked through the lobby in the morning and noticed a whole crew setting up Christmas decorations... 2 giant trees and pots of poinsettias lined up around the perimeter of the lobby. It's nice to get people in the holiday spirit, but they could cut down on the spending. Guess where this money is going to come from... our bonuses & raises for next year. Stuff the party... I'd rather have more $$$ in my pocket!

My company isn't the only one guilty of this either. I talked about this with several of my friends and many of their offices are also holding expensive holiday parties. This tells me that America is doomed because we have to party no matter what. No one has the sense and willpower for delayed gratification.

The Legend of Bruce Lee

I thought this was some cheap version of Bruce Lee's story, but after watching the trailer, it actually looks pretty good. They got an all-star martial arts cast including Michael Jai White & Ray Park. This isn't a movie though... it's a 50+ episode TV series. So that's 50 hours of Bruce Lee's story!


I'm not sure which of these scenes are meant to be movie shots and which are actual events, but it seems like they may have integrated some of his movie events into his life. So it may not be 100% true, but is sure to be entertaining.

End of the Road

...and back home! The Bulls didn't do great, but survived the Circus Trip and got 3 wins out of it to get up to 8-9 overall. This wouldn't have been possible without the late game heroics of Derrick Rose, the consistency of Ben Gordon and Luol Deng getting back on track.

In the finale, Rose really took over the game and did everything from assists, to scoring and blocking. He's been great throughout the year so far. What I like best about him is that he's doing spectacular things and the media is going nuts about it, but Rose downplays it every time. He's a perfect personality fit for the team. All of the Bulls are just about business and don't give out any dirt for the reporters to stir up... exact opposite of the Knicks!

Office Lingo: Launch

My latest bulls#$% office lingo pet peeve is "launch." There's a web producer that sits near me in the office and he completely overuses the word. Every single thing that makes it to a public web server is a "launch." We launched a new homepage photo... the new about page launched... etc... etc... etc! The word "launch" is another example of an attempt to make pathetic office life sound more exciting. Launching a spacecraft or missile is a big deal. "Launching" a web update just isn't! I can live with it if it's used to refer to larger scale projects like a full website or new application. I'm just extra sick of it when used to refer to tiny little edits.