Reader Luqman thinks he can top Topps. I'll let him tell you about it.
"This one’s rougher than most due to my near total lack of image editing skills, but I think you get the idea. Obviously the text should gradually get larger from left to right on the team name bar, and vice versa on the player name bar, however to do that competently is well beyond my skill level.
A few design points:
1. Since this is base Topps, there is going to be foil somewhere, therefore the player name, position, and Topps logo are in “foil”.
2. In terms of general card design, I like white borders, large pictures, and a splash of color
In terms of grading the design, I think if someone competent worked on the text, this could be a solid Topps design similar to a mix of 1974 and 1980, but at this point it kind of looks more like a marginal improvement on 1990 Fleer."
Not thrilled with the thick white borders of 2008 Topps? Think you could do better if only given the chance. Boy are you in luck. Send me your design and I'll post it on the blog!
Reader Dave of Suburban Chicago thinks he can top Topps, even though he admits to liking the real 2008 design.
"I actually dig the '08 Topps design, just looking for an excuse to design a card. I was influenced by the 1980 and 2001 Topps designs."
I've got to tell you, this is about as professional-looking as I've seen yet. Dave's submission begs the question: does he secretly work at Topps or one of the other manufacturers?
Think you can design a better card than 2008 Topps? Or maybe just want to share a design with the rest of the world? Send me your design and I'll post it on the blog.
Reader Adam thinks he knows how to top Topps: with simplicity.
(Looks like a mix of 1984 Topps and 1993 Score, if you ask me.)
"I have always preferred simple - here's my view of 2008 Topps"
Not thrilled with Topps 2008? Think you could do it better, if only given the chance? Well, that's the spirit!
Send me your designs and I'll post them on the blog!
Anthony in Tennessee thinks he can top Topps–without losing the foil.
"I tried to emulate gold foil for the city name and silver foil for the player name. Foil-crazy Topps might appreciate that."
Not thrilled with Topps 2008? Think you could do it better, if only given the chance? Well, you're in luck. Send me your designs and I'll post them on the blog!
Props to Mr. R. Anderson for sparking the memory associated with today's post.
So, I think there was an episode of Coach where Luther was over at some dude's fancy apartment. I don't remember who this dude was, maybe an old buddy of Coach's who was totally successful, or maybe it was just someone's apartment like Christine's uncle or whatever. Anyway, for whatever reason everyone left the apartment except Luther. I don't know why Luther wouldn't have left, maybe everyone went to dinner but Luther just wasn't hungry? That doesn't make much sense, it seems like an obvious character trait for Luther would have been just to always have him be hungry. Maybe there were all kinds of jokes at the beginning of the episode because Luther had a stomach ache or sore throat or something that required him to take medicine with hilarious side effects. That's probably what it was, that way Luther wouldn't have had to not be hungry, but he could easily pass up going to dinner. "I'll just lie down on the couch," he probably said when everyone was leaving, shortly after trying to cover up whatever his reaction was to the medicine. The audience found this hilarious I bet.
Anyway, the main focus of the episode I think was that after everyone left, Luther spilled something on the carpet like grape juice. I was tempted to remember him spilling wine, but Luther seems like he wouldn't really drink wine, so I think it was grape juice. Anyway, for basically the remainder of the 26 minutes or whatever Luther was trying to get the stain out, but everything he did only made it worse. Like, probably he wanted to poor club soda all over it but they didn't have club soda in the apartment so he used cola and then when he tried to sop it up with towel or something he ended up just spreading it around. Eventually the people came home and he tried to hide the stain by moving a couch or furniture or something, but I think he couldn't keep this up so he had to admit to what had happened. Since the show had to be resolved, by this point, in like two minutes, whoever owned the carpet probably got really mad and then forgave Luther almost immediately by giving him a semi-patronizing castigation with overtones of friendliness.
I also think there was a dog that Luther was talking to the whole time he was trying to clean the carpet.
NaBloPoMo comes to an end. While I didn't manage to post every day, the missing days were accounted for by computer issues, so I still feel pretty good about keeping my promise to myself.And now, I think I need a little break for a few days, so I can look through the list on the NaBloPoMo website and find some new and brilliant blogs to read, instead of partaking of all this navel-gazing.
Kirk in Pennsylvania thinks he can top Topps 2008.
"I generally like the '08 Topps design, but thought I'd give this a stab anyway. Perhaps this is a little too '90s, but…alas."
Not thrilled with the 2008 Topps design? Think you could do better, if only given the chance? Well, the world is your oyster, friend. Send me your designs and I'll post them on the blog!
Reader Joe thinks he can top Topps – and not just with a base card design. He's even included two possible insert sets.
"I had a few ideas for inserts that Topps has not done yet. The base is sort of Plain Jane. Grill Stars w/Manny and his Grill-A-Later 300 and Ballpark Idolizers."
Not thrilled with the new design for Topps 2008? Think you could have done it better if only you had the chance? Well here it is, buddy. Send me your best designs and I'll post them on the blog!
a few more pictures before the December Polaroid Collages. This was taken with a Cannon Mark II. Why is it, when I get rid of a camera, I start to miss it? This is the case for both my digital cameras, Nikon D100, and the Cannon Mark II. Once I sell themI want them back. I have the Cannon 5D now, but I'm just not happy with it....
Yesterday I packed up my belongings and shipped them to the other side of the office. I'm far away from the Thug, and while I felt a twinge of guilt at taking Ernie (my plant), my world map and my London Underground map with me, I didn't look back.My new desk is great! It features a sea view, plus pin-board and white-board. Once I'd been on the scrounge and secured myself a coat-rack,
I can't seem to stay motivated to write about cards lately. Maybe it's because when I moved, most of my collection found its way into boxes currently sitting in my parents' basement. Or maybe it's because I've started watching Red Dwarf and I can't seem to stop. Or maybe it's because I'm too busy reading everybody else's card blog and can't make time for my own. If 2006 was the year of the re-emergence of the baseball card, 2007 is the year of the baseball card-themed blog. There's Cardboard Junkie, Stale Gum, Cardboard Gods, The Brill Report, Thorzul Will Rule, Indians Cards, White Sox Cards, the 1983 Fleer Project – hell, even Beckett has got into the act. Next thing you know, Topps is going to roll out Bazooka Joe's Blog. Hopefully by then blogs will be passe.
My not writing doesn't mean that I haven't been doing card-related things. I'm in the process of putting together an ebook as sort of a "collected blog." I've still got a lot of layout and editing to do, so it probably won't be ready for download for a while. I'm giving myself February as a launch date. My best guess is that it will be 200 pages or so. One of the obstacles will be figuring out how to keep the file size down for easy loading and viewing. I'm sure I'll work it out.
Before we get to the next installment of The 792 (with Checklister's Notes), I just want to add that I don't normally address comments left on the site. I welcome any comments you want to leave on any given post (as long as they have to do with the subject matter and are not vulgar), though if your only reason for leaving a comment is to tell me that my writing isn't up to par with your expectations, well, thanks for that. Sorry my writing about baseball cards has put a damper on your day.
The 792: #151 - 200
151. Dave Stapleton, 1986
It still gets me that Stapleton–the Red Sox late-inning defensive replacement–wasn't in the game at the end of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. He was on the team for a good reason: he didn't have creaky arthritic knees like Bill Buckner. Instead, John McNamara left Buckner in and the rest is sad, torturous history. In any event, this is a great card of Stapleton.
152. John Urrea, 1981
153. Jerry Koosman, 1983
154. Dave Henderson, 1984
155. Yogi Berra, 1985 MGR
For some reason, I really like cards of players wearing old-school aviator style sunglasses. Oh sure, players wearing wrap-around shades are cool, but they're a little too sleek, a little too safe. The old aviators remind you how baseball equipment has matured over the years. Remember when Bob Watson got hit in the face and part of the glass in his glasses ended up in his eye? If he played today, he'd be wearing contact lenses and wrap-around shades. Sure, he'd still get beaned, but, well, it wouldn't be so traumatic.
156. A's Team Leaders, 1982
157. Tom Glavine, 1989
158. Fergie Jenkins, 1981
When did Ferguson become Fergie? Also, does this mean that we should call Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas 'Ferguson'? I understand that her name is Stacy Ferguson, but that would be awesome... her name would be Ferguson Ferguson. That's almost as good as Thurman Merman.
159. Ken Clay, 1980
160. Eddie Murray, 1980
It's actually kind of shocking that it only took Murray two years to get to a 2nd tier number (160).
161. Gregg Olson, 1989 (RC)
My friend also wanted to form a band called 'Greg Olson: Catcher.'
162. Home Run Leaders, 1982
163. Cal Ripken, Jr., 1983
164A+B. Greg Pryor, 1980
165. Robin Yount, 1988
166. Dickie Thon, 1986
167. Jim Deshaies, 1987 (RC)
168. Leading Relievers, 1982
169. Larry Parrish, 1984
170. Bo Jackson, 1987 (RC)
This is one of the most iconic cards of the decade.
171. Giants Future Stars, 1982 (RC)
172. Ron Hodges, 1980
173. Alex Trevino, 1987
174. Doug Rau, 1981
175. Bob Stanley, 1987
176. Lee Smith, 1984
177. Monty Farriss, 1989 (RC)
178. Luis Tiant, 1983
179. Steve Garvey, 1982
I chose the Garvey over the Tiant Super Veteran because the Tiant doesn't have a picture of him on the Red Sox, the team he is most associated with. And yes, I understand that it wouldn't include him on the Sox, as he started his career on the Indians.
180. Don Mattingly, 1986
181. Roger Clemens, 1985 (RC)
182. Darryl Strawberry, 1984 (RC)
183. Dick Davis, 1981
This card of Davis is one of my favorites. He looks like a hobo. Actually, 1981 Topps is full of cards of guys who look like hobos.
184. Bobby Bonilla, 1987 (RC)
185. Phil Niekro, 1982
186. Bob Lillis, 1985 MGR
187. Darren Daulton, 1989
188. Doug DeCinces, 1981
189. Kevin Mitchell, 1989
190. Rusty Staub, 1985
191. Wally Backman, 1986
192. Cory Snyder, 1987 (RC)
193. Jimmy Key, 1985 (RC)
194. Tom Kelly, 1988 MGR
195. Paul Molitor, 1982
196. Lance Parrish, 1980
197. Jim Eisenreich, 1983 (RC)
198. Lee Mazzilli, 1987
199. Chuck Rainey, 1981
200. Rod Carew, 1983
Diggin' the headband.
Wow, I can't believe we're at 22 weeks already. We couldn't manage to fit in the ultrasound at the usual 20 weeks, that is, before vacation. So we had it today, instead. It was an absolutely crazy experience, especially watching the heart beating and being able to see the four chambers of it clearly, along with fingers and toes.
We did not find out the gender, we're leaving it as a surprise that we'll get sometime in March.
Here's a few images from the ultrasound...
Reader Matthew thinks he can top Topps.
"It seems to me that Topps has become wed to the idea of putting either the player's name or team name on the top of the card – '03 was the last time they didn't do this. That's fine, but I think they need to change it up some, which I guess they're trying to do with '08. So here's my attempt to make it a little different, but not leave it looking cluttered."
Not thrilled with the upcoming design for Topps 2008? Think you could do it better, if only given the chance? Well, today's your lucky day, my friend. Send me your design and I'll post it on the blog!
Reader Keith thinks he can top Topps 2008.
" I have collected cards for over 25 years and I am getting tired of the blah designs coming from all the card companies, especially Topps."
Not thrilled with the upcoming design for 2008 Topps? Think you can do better? Send me your design and I'll post it on the blog.
Dave in Vermont thinks he can top Topps 2008.
"Four variations of a potential '08 Topps design, with slight differences in border and frame colors. Make me appreciate the hard work that goes into designing cards, even craptacular ones such as '81 Donruss."
Not thrilled with the upcoming design for 2008 Topps? Think you can do better? Send me your design and I'll post it on the blog.
So far, Cowboy has driven Dino from the wharf where he arrived by ship, to the garage, to home, to the garage, and back home. Tonight we decided that now he's all fixed up, we should take Dino out for a little adventure. Four things have become clear in the wake of the excursion.Firstly, neither of us can stop smiling when we're driving about in Dino. There's something about this car that's
I've already received one response to the open call for designs. In fact, the response came merely hours after the post ... Hmmm ... seems like there are those of us out there who've been thinking about this for a while. This design comes from reader Frank. He writes: "It isn't great but its simple and to the point. I tried to somewhat model it after the 1975 set, which is one of my favorites, with the multiple colors at the top and bottom of the card based on team colors."
Some new polaroids coming to Rapidview for December. Finally got some scanned and I can't wait to share them with you. Like to put out a congratulation to Cannon and Leah Kirby on the birth of their new baby boy. Fin Lewis Kirby,8lbs 6oz. Destine to be a LB for the Tampa Bay Bucs. I"m so happy for you guys!
I have no words. I have literally run out of things to say. Nothing exciting happened today: nothing. At least the Thug caused minor amusement yesterday by wearing brown loafers with black trousers. But today was one of those days where I went to work, I sat at my desk, and though I appeared to be working, no tasks were crossed off the To-Do List. Click to enlarge
The baseball card pundits (including me) have weighed in on Topps 2008. Certain readers have also had their say. The checklist has been dissected, the inserts debated, the design questioned. Reactions have been mixed: some like the foil, others no, and still others don't know how they feel about any of it yet.
We've got some time between now and March when Bazooka Mike rolls out the first baseball product of his regime. So I'm putting out the call:
If you think you can create a better design for Topps Flagship 2008, email me a jpeg of your design. I will post all that I receive.
I will also try my hand at designing a front, though I'm not making any promises on quality.
Hey gang. This is just a personal note to say that -- like many of you -- I was out last week for the holidays. I'm back now, catching up on the stuff that accumulates while one is out of town, including reading everyone's comments that have been coming in for the time while I was getting ready to head out and while I was away. From first glance, lots of interesting feedback from you. Back in the groove soon.
Some times you hear things over and over but you really never get it. Then there are times when you hear it....and something just clicks. During my church service this Sunday, I heard this.
The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquites. For as high as the heeavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:8-12 (ESV)
This birthday has been borderline surreal. I have had an other-wordly experience, and I couldn't quite put my finger on why the whole thing felt like it wasn't really happening. Until yesterday, that is, when I realised that my every birthday thus far has been marked by cold and miserable weather. Even last year's NZ birthday, when Welly decided to unleash a level of cold and horizontal rain
Daily cartoon for the Dutch Nu.nl news website, about the political competition between chess grandmaster Gary Kasparov and the Russian president Vladimir Putin.
More at Sevensheaven.nl
Audio
Disrupt - The stars are our destination - Werk
Coki - Spongebob - DMZ cdr
Pinch feat. Rudey Lee - Step 2 it - Soul Jazz
Ghetto Priest - Struggle - One Big Sound
Peter Cusack - Street cry 1- Kwanyin Records
Dougie Conscious - Dub struggle - One Big Sound
M.I.A.- Mango pickle down river - Interscope
Lee Perry - Lucky number - On U cdr
Kush Arora - Surf's up - Kush Arora Productions cdr
Habitat Sound System - Abulafia dub - Gematria Records
Gussie Clarke - Hot steppers - Auralux
Burial - Raver - Hyperdub
Tuxedomoon - Wading into love Crammed Discs
Mum - Marmalade fires - Fat Cat
vernon Elliott and the Vernon Elliott Ensemble - Cruising Theme Trunk
MJ Hibbett - Programming is a poetry for our time - from a Million Ukeleles - Artists against success 7
The Lovers - One-Two-Three - Fortuna Pop
The Ghost Frequency - Never before have I seen a man alive that looks so exactly like a skelton - City Rockers
Dashboard Confessional - These Bones -
The National - Apartment Story -
Barzin - Pale Blue Eyes - Monotreme Records
Stone Creek Radar with Gerry Burns - Light of other Days -
The Orch. - Without Trace -
Lupen Crook and the Murderbirds - Miss Page, I Love You
Fionn Regan - Put a Penny in the slot
Subtronix -AA4 - Brainquake Records
Ashtech - Buzz Dub - ichill
Thanks for all the birthday wishes, folks! They helped make my day much brighter.I'm back from the cave, and feeling very rested and at peace with my age. Things that helped including calling my mother from a call-box (no mobile phone coverage in caves, it seems), so that she could wish me happy birthday. That was $17 well-spent!I must have done something truly fabulous in a past life, because
Random thoughts for the day...
Dead people smell funny. Going to Recoleta Cemetary was interesting, but the freshly dead do have a funny smell in the heat of the day. Yuck.
Uruguay was very cool and we'll need to go back and spend more time there. We'll also be back to BsAs someday, this is one of our favorite places we've ever visited... but we still have a lot of the world to see.
I found some craft beers here in BsAs, I'll be bringing back a few for a tasting sometime in the near future. But for the most part beer in BsAs sucks. Salta Negra was the one exception, though its a bit sweet. Uruguayan beer also sucks.
We're headed to the airport in a few hours and will be back in the ATL tomorrow AM. I'll put together a slide show and a full trip report over the next few days...
My day started off pretty blue, but no doubt I'm better off than the moth. I do have a feeling that it will get much better, yes I do.....
On the illustrator's mailing list a discussion is going on about changes. And I just did one this morning, so I'll generate some traffic here. This client always asks for changes, it is like a matter of principal to them. This time the hairdo was "tuttig". I agree, but I have to confess it was a little on purpose.
Today, readers, is my 30th birthday. I have endeavoured to ignore this astonishing fact, but there it is. I'm old. Of course, I still think of myself as nineteen, at the same time looking at other people who are 30 and observing that they appear mature, confident, intelligent, and authoritative. What's that Atwood quote? "Everyone else my age is an adult, but I am merely in disguise."Later
At the tender age of 12, I first watched Aliens, and Sigourney Weaver became my personal hero. She's so statuesque, so strong, so wonderfully intelligent. I felt the same way the fifteenth time I watched Aliens. So I am very glad that Sigourney and I currently inhabit the same city. I hope to be swooning in the street near her soon. I may start carrying my box set of the Alien series around
The Thug's presence has been particularly wearing of late. I don't think he's enjoying his job, and believe it or not I sympathise with his predicament. But there's only so much negative aura a person can take, and I'm afraid my limit has been breached. The rate of under-the-breath swearing and quiet complaining about everybody in the organisation, as well as the organisation itself and how it
There's something about being with a group of women.Something indefinable, some bond of shared experience; the humour-filled freedom of just letting go and being. Without undertones of competition, however twisted. Without false laughter: only genuine, fun-filled enjoyment at the company of others to whom you know you can relate.Maybe I've had too much to drink. But I think that the fact that
Well, we're knee deep into The 792. Hope you're enjoying it. David over at Cardboard Junkie has been doing a great job supplying the scans. If you haven't been over there to see them, do so at once.
You know, it's funny, but I've been relying on my own memory for what these cards look like. Seeing them together reminds me again how well the ten different Topps designs go together, like a well-made mix tape.
As I said at the launch of this checklist, I choose a card based on a number of factors: whether it features a memorable photo, is of a memorable player (or a forgettable player with an unforgettable name or appearance) or is extraordinary overall.
Starting with tonight's portion of the checklist, I will include Checklister's Notes: editorial with some insight as to why I chose that particular card.
Let's get right to it.
101. Porfirio Altamirano, 1984
CN: This was a difficult decision. Super Veterans was one of, if not the cornerstone subset of 1983. Still, because they invariably fall on numbers that end in 1 or 6, they beat out common-level cards on star power alone. That said, Pete Rose's SV card is not really memorable. Porfirio Altamirano beat all comers based on his name alone.
102. Barry Larkin, 1988
103. Rick Aguilera, 1987 (RC)
104. Manny Mota, 1980
105. Kirk Gibson, 1982
106. Blue Jays Leaders, 1987
107. John Butcher, 1987
108. Fred Manrique, 1989
109. Mike Scott, 1981
110. Carl Yastzremski, 1981
CN: I've always felt that this is one of Yaz's great cards. Going in, I knew that there would be few open numbers for Yastzremski, Bench, and other Sixties and Seventies stars who retired early in the decade. Giving him his due, he beats out Fisk's first regular-issue card as a member of the White Sox.
111. Carlton Fisk In Action, 1982
112. Les Lancaster, 1988 (RC)
CN: I believe this card is in the Airbrushed Hall of Fame.
113. Neil Allen, 1987
114. Mike Brown, 1986
115. Rickey Henderson, 1985
116. Mike Stanley, 1987 (RC)
117. Pete Falcone, 1981
118. Expos Future Stars, 1982
119. Sammy Stewart, 1980
120. Kirby Puckett, 1988
121. Garry Templeton, 1989
122. John Denny, 1981
123. John Kruk, 1987 (RC)
124. Damaso Garcia, 1984
125. Andre Dawson, 1981
126. Joe Torre, 1983 (MGR)
CN: I've decided to make a concerted effort to include at least two team-related cards and one manager card per team. Plus, Torre looks so funny on this card that I had to include it.
127. Mark Gubicza, 1985 (RC?)
128. Rick Manning, 1984
129. Art Howe, 1981
130. Ozzie Smith, 1984
131. Batting Leaders, 1984
132. Father/Son Berra, 1985
133. Stolen Base Leaders, 1984
134. Carney Lansford, 1986
135. Dwight Evans, 1983
136. Strikeout Leaders, 1984
137. Chris Bosio, 1988
138. Roy Lee Jackson, 1987
139. Devon White, 1987 (RC)
140. Rich Gossage, 1980
141. Royals Leaders, 1988
CN: This one of Brett and Saberhagen is about as feel-good as you can get on a baseball card.
142. Father/Son Trout, 1985
CN: Familial subsets are great, and Father/Son from 1985 is no exception. I knew going in that I wanted to include the Berra card, simply because the text on the back of the card goes on and on about Yogi, but can't think of one nice thing to say about Dale. This one of Dizzy and Steve Trout gets in because both father and son are shown wearing glasses, and because Dizzy looks like a total nerd with the heavy post-war wireframes and Steve looks like he wandered out of a late Seventies drug party. I kind of half-expect him to be wearing a large astrological medallion around his neck.
143. Steve Boros, 1987 (MGR)
144. Doug Sisk, 1986
145. Dave Stewart, 1989
146. Don Sutton Super Veteran, 1983
CN: Another SV card ending in 6.
147. Terry Puhl, 1980
148. Mickey Klutts, 1982
149. Doug Dascenzo, 1989 (RC)
150. Wade Boggs, 1987
CN: I've committed the cardinal sin of unbiased checklisting: I included this card for sentimental reasons. I've never liked Wade Boggs. Never liked him when he was on the Sox, and really didn't like him when he jumped to the Yankees. He epitomized me-first, selfish baseball (a characteristic in great supply on those mid to late 1980s Red Sox teams). I included this card in The 792 simply because my copy had a gigantic, satisfying crease through the middle.
The weather thinks it's summer, and who are we to argue? So today we embarked upon what is assuredly the first a series of summer walks. This one was about 9.5km (which I believe is a little bit over five miles, but I'm too lazy to work it out), through some bush and down to a river-bed.On any walk in the bush in NZ, you need to carry- food (but of course: isn't food the point?)- water (beer
Hola!
Steph and I are in Buenos Aires, Argentina (BsAs to locals) for a week during the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays back in the states. We arrived this morning and spent the day getting acquainted with the city while walking around Puerto Madero, Microcento and Recoleta neighborhoods. So what's caught my attention so far?
FOOD!
Yeah, I'm obsessed with food and drink and this city is great for foodies. The food is good, plentiful and CHEAP! We just had dinner in one of the more upscale restaurants in Puerto Madero, La Caballeriza Puerto (yes, its almost midnight and we just finished dinner... that's typical here!). For the grand total of 120 ARS (slightly less than $40USD) we had a huge meal with more beef than two people should be allowed to eat, potatoes, salad and a bottle of Argentine malbec wine. I really am enamored with BsAs! And a bit tipsy too, since the bottle was mine to consume given Steph's current state.
More pictures and travel notes to come as the week goes on... look forward to stories about dulce de leche, dead people, side trips to Uruguay and yet more Argentinian beef! Just wait until I get a bit of mate in me for that extra caffeine boost before my next trip report!
Off to bed for now, a long day of shopping, sightseeing and eating is yet to come!
(Hold on to this idea for a moment: New York City has a very large diplomatic community, many of whom live and work in the city on very low salaries.)
Barring a major meltdown, Alex Rodriguez will play for the Yankees in 2008. It's also generally accepted that the total compensation of his new deal will eclipse the mammoth contract he signed back in 2001 with the Texas Rangers. And while Rodriguez's new contract will take care of the next ten generations of his family, why did he sign for so much? Is he that insecure about his ability? Or are the Steinbrenners that nervous that he'd jump to a rival? (And for the record, much of the Red Sox fan base hates Rodriguez with such a passion that it would have been a very risky move had the Sox tried to sign him.)
Signing for that much not only makes him look greedy beyond compare, it forever boxes him into a corner: if he screws up, he's a monstrously overpaid duffer. If he wins the MVP but fails in the postseason, he's a major letdown. And in the unlikely situation that the Yankees win the World Series despite his usual unfocused postseason performance, he's a deadweight. He's put himself in a no-win situation.
It's come out that Warren Buffett advised Rodriguez to sidestep his agent and approach the Yankees on his own. Now let's go back to my original thought. What if Rodriguez had gone down to Tampa, cap in hand, and asked for a symbolic salary of, say, $1?
I don't know how long Buffett talked to Rodriguez. But hopefully the idea of doing well versus doing good came up. If he had signed for a symbolic $1 salary, not only would he have become the ultimate Yankee and consummate international baseball diplomat overnight, Rodriguez would have set the press and the public on its ear, showing them that he was really playing for love of the game.
What is he playing for now?
Audio
Bunny Wailer – Jammins – Tafari
Mikey Dread – Israel (12Tribe) Stylee – Dread At The Controls
King Everald – Blood and hate – Kingston Sounds
Nathaniel Mayer – My last dance with you – Vampi Soul
Andre Williams – Bassology – Vampi Soul
Nathaniel Mayer – (I want) love and affection (not the House of Correction) – Vampi Soul
Andre Williams – Cadillac Jack – Vampi Soul
Nathaniel Mayer – Village of love – Vampi Soul
Big Joe & Bim Sherman – Natty cale – Pressure Sounds
Bim Sherman – Leggo natty cale – Pressure Sounds
I Roy – Cow Town skank – Attack
Scientist – Bo-yarka dub – Auralux
Brenda Ray – Swirlin' hearts – EM
Sly & Robbie – Silence is golden – Tafari
Dennis Alcapone – Forever version – Heartbeat
Unique 3 - Darkness Visible - (invasive signals) Fat Records
Coki - Spongebob - DMZ
Jackal & Hyde - 20,000 Freaks - Deletefunk
One Big Mob beats - Raise the Roof
Neil Young - Southern Man - Reprise
Kris Drever - Steel and Stone (Black Water) - Reveal
Kate Rusby - Blooming Heather - Pure Records
Helen Love - It's My Club - Elefant Records
Holy - Super Inuit - Young Turks
Trembling Blue Stars - Beautiful Blank - Elefant Records
Gym Class Heroes - The Queen and I - Atlantic
Vale Radio 1- track 1
Peppermint Conspiracy - Charcoal Man - Butterfly Recordings
for a newspaper article about bureaucracy in the european union. While working on it I tried to mime some features of silkscreen printing. I used two layers of color, the overlap being the darkest color. (the dark & white smoke I put in later)
Have you ever wondered what 'porringer' means? Have you ever wanted to do something about global hunger and poverty? Kill two birds with one stone over at www.freerice.com - addictive and for a good cause!
I'm in the UK for a visit with my friends and family, and one of the things I love here is real Cadbury's Dairy Milk, not that near but not quite stuff made by Hersheys. I just saw this advert for Dairy Milk featuring a gorilla and the music of Phil Collins, and loved it. Enjoy...
Many thanks to The Conscious Earth readers and subscribers over the past several weeks. News posts have been sparse as both the blog and my personal life have undergone some substantial changes.
The Conscious Earth began a year and a half ago, as an anonymous project to sort through the muddled reasoning and outright lies that infect environmental debate in the mainstream news. Through these months, I've remained anonymous to avoid any conflict of interest involving my 9 to 5 job, which until two weeks ago was directly involved in the environmental field. With my recent departure from that job its time to introduce myself to readers and bring you all up to date with the plans for the coming months.
For the past four and a half years I've been the chief fundraiser with Sierra Legal Defence Fund, Canada's leading environmental law organization. More recently I've played a leading role in their rebranding and name change project as they've successfully transitioned to Ecojustice Canada and continue to lead the Canadian environmental community in holding governments and corporations accountable to environmental principles and law.
All good things come to an end, and I've now departed from that role for an extended period of world travel. I'm currently writing from Nakuru, Kenya and over the next 7 months my travels will take me throughout Africa's lake district, through to Cape Town, and then on to India and the Himalayas. Posts will be less frequent through this time and will change substantially in focus. However, they will continue as I work to give The Conscious Earth's readers an on the ground look at the environmental challenges facing some of the worlds most critical developing areas.
I invite everyone to continue reading, and ask only for your patience as I cope with spotty internet access and a hectic travel schedule.
Sincerely,
Kori Brus
Vancouver, Canada (currently Kenya)
This post is brought to you with inspiration from Mrs. G, whose blog I cannot recommend highly enough. Mrs G resides in the category of bloggers who I fervently wish lived in the same town as me, so we could meet for mojitos.Here are a few of my favourite things.This painting is called "Birch Forest", and is by Gustav Klimt. If there was one painting in the world which I wish would swallow me
Lucy passed her Canine Good Citizen test last night! While my wife had no faith in our daughter (well, OK, neither did I!) because she's been acting like a canine bad citizen lately, she managed to put on a good show last night and actually passed her test. Now both of the dogs have CGC certificates.
Yay Lucy!
I have alluded in the past to the fact that I spent a few childhood years living on a commune in the countryside. It comes time to provide details of this incredibly happy period of my life. A period marked by minimal parental supervision, and countless hours spent pratting about in the countryside. Unfortunately I don't have any original photos because this was before the digital age, I don't
In case you haven't noticed, this year's Bowman Heritage set kicks ass. In fact, I'd have to say that Bowman Heritage has been consistently great. It's almost too bad that there weren't more designs from the Fifties that today's Topps designers could mooch off.
Anyway, I'm not entirely sure how I got on Clay Luraschi's public relations email list. But whatever, I'm not complaining. So I don't know if this has already been posted, but here's a release I just got from Topps HQ.
NEW BOWMAN HERITAGE SET FEATURES BACKGROUND TWISTS
Collectors ripping packs of the recently-released 2007 Bowman Heritage Baseball will find some very interesting and sometimes familiar backgrounds on certain cards (image attached). In addition to the backgrounds, a couple of players have added text to their photo including “Joba Rules” on Joba Chamberlain’s card. Following is a list of the cards with a description for each:
# 23 Carlos Delgado - Ebbets Field background
# 36 Paul Lo Duca - Ebbets Field background
# 40 Adam Dunn - Cornfield in background
# 50 Albert Pujols - Background from 1952 Bowman Stan Musial
# 51 Tom Glavine - New Citi Field Construction in background
# 68 Andy Pettitte - Old Yankee Stadium background
# 70 Roger Clemens - Yankee Stadium Monument Park background
# 75 David Ortiz - Background from 1952 Bowman Johnny Peske [sic; should be 'Pesky']
# 83 Greg Maddux – “4 CY” on glove
# 90 David Wright - Background from 1952 Bowman Gil Hodges
# 91 Ryan Garko – “Topps TV” on Microphone
# 100 Ryan Howard - Background from 1952 Bowman Richie Ashburn
# 110 Jose Reyes - Background from 1952 Bowman Pee Wee Reese
# 120 Jorge Posada - Old Yankee Stadium background
# 140 Carlos Beltran - Polo Grounds background
# 150 Derek Jeter - Background from 1952 Bowman Phil Rizzuto
# 155 Jimmy Rollins - Liberty Bell background
# 176 Johnny Damon - Old Yankee Stadium background
# 181 Ichiro - Background from 1952 Bowman Duke Snider
# 190 Alex Rodriguez - Background from 1952 Mickey Mantle Card
# 200 Barry Bonds - Background from 1952 Bowman Willie Mays Card
# 210 Joe Smith - Coney Island Ferris Wheel background
# 250 Daisuke Matsuzaka – Background from 1952 Bowman Maurice McDermott
# 251 Joba Chamberlain – “Joba Rules” written on baseball
Thanks to the work the Cardboard Junkie and friends are putting in, The 792 is moving pretty quickly from pipe dream 'fan set' to something Topps could easily put together as a specialty set (complete with little gold foil logo). David is up to #36 with scans. To whet your appetite, here are numbers 51 through 100.
51. Orioles Leaders, 1988
52. Onix Concepcion, 1983 (RC)
53. Len Dykstra, 1986 (RC)
54. Ivan DeJesus, 1981
55. Julio Franco, 1989
56. Brewers Leaders, 1987
57. Pete Vuckovich, 1980
58. Al Holland, 1983
59. Rich Gedman, 1982 (RC)
60. Johnny Bench, 1983
61. Johnny Bench Super Veteran, 1983
62. Alfredo Griffin, 1989
63. Ed Vande Berg, 1984
64. Joe Nolan, 1980
65. Jack Morris, 1983
66. Royals Team, 1980
67. Carmelo Martinez, 1986
68. Dave Dravecky, 1988
69. Jeff Ballard, 1989
70. Roger Clemens, 1988
71. Steve Carlton Super Veteran, 1983
72. Shawon Dunston, 1986
73. Jody Davis, 1984
74. Nick Leyva, 1989 (MGR)
75. Reggie Smith, 1981
76. Mario Mendoza, 1981
77. Dave Steib, 1980 (RC)
78. Mike Torrez, 1984
79. Juan Nieves, 1987
80. Wally Joyner, 1987 (RC)
81. Billy Martin, 1984 (MGR)
82. Tippy Martinez, 1986
83. Ryne Sandberg, 1983 (RC)
84. Curt Young, 1986
85. Tony Perez, 1986
86. Tom Hume, 1983
87. Pepe Frias, 1980
88. Darryl Hamilton, 1989 (RC)
89. Mike Smithson, 1984 (RC)
90. Nolan Ryan, 1982
91. Floyd Youmans, 1989
92A. Urbano Lugo (trademark wrong), 1987
92B. Urbano Lugo (trademark right), 1987
93. Don Schulze, 1985 (RC)
94. Calvin Schiraldi, 1987
95. Ozzie Smith, 1982
96. A's Team, 1980
97. Bill Lee, 1980
98. Clint Hurdle, 1981
99. Buddy Biancalana, 1986
100. Pete Rose, 1983
Collect all 792 and follow along at home!
A Folk Artist from Tampa, Florida. I got a chance to meet her about four years ago. It was a joy to meet her and hang out with her for a few hours. Here are a few simples of her work. If you want to buy some of her work you can go to the Mainstreet Gallery
With Summer rapidly approaching in the southern hemisphere, the news from Stuff.co.nz is that the first artificial insemination of Kakapos is planned with hope of boosting the Kakapo numbers up from 86.
Kakapo recovery programme senior technical officer Daryl Eason said he turned to artificial insemination after the last breeding season two years ago was hampered by high levels of egg infertility. Only four kakapo chicks were born from 26 eggs laid on Whenua Hou (Codfish Island), near Stewart Island, and 60% of eggs laid were infertile.
[...]
Just as for humans, kakapo breeding with closely related mates risk genetic deformities, such as infertility. Eason said all but one kakapo, Fiordland kakapo Richard Henry, were from Stewart Island or were their offspring. Genes from Richard Henry were particularly precious in improving genetic diversity.
Thus far in his life, Cowboy had succumbed to the subtle but insidious my-house-is-bigger-than-your-house peer-pressure nonsense that appears to be the special preserve of uptight middle English old-fart aspirants. Unfortunately for him, while his friends all got together with people with professional-sounding but incomprehensible job titles, he managed to hook up with some little hippie chick
Here is a poem I write on this day 3 years ago. I thought I would share it with you guys, if you want to leave a comment please feel free........
using humans as targets
Mr. Bluecoat and his 4 headed beast
transforming thoughts bringing about fake state
no signs of affection
fire speaking to you in cat-like Exits
program consumer without perceiving knowledge
earthholes with up side Down shadows
no signs of affection
walking with your Pal Big Eyed Alien
found yellow light containing human code
trying waves of xx pop.......digity angle appears
no signs of affection
You have been marked, tagged, traced... you LOST SOUL.
The InvitationIt doesn't interest me what you do for a livingI want to know what you ache forand if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.It doesn't interest me how old you areI want to know if you will risk looking like a foolfor lovefor your dreamsfor the adventure of being alive.It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon...I want to know if you have touched the
Facebook now allows companies and products to have "profiles" just like people. I'm not sure of the merits of this, but I tossed a Facebook page for Netflix up there, and if anyone would like to partake in this experiment, become a fan.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=6275848869
While I imagine the Facebook page will not replace the postings and discussions that go on here, on this blog, let's see if something organic happens there. (And don't worry - this took all of a minute to create, so it's got nothing to do with our development efforts here.)
The Nerd successfully fixed the computer! It's also faster, which is further anecdotal evidence, should you need it, that PC World are institutionalised con-artists and that their costly three-year extended warranty including yearly overhaul and service probably means that a caged monkey gets to take the lid off the battery compartment and spit in the cavity.I'm brimming with news but I can't
Numbers. Numbers everywhere. Crawling all over everything, getting into my dreams, playing with my thought process. Notebooks full of them, draft after draft, list after list. It's their ride I'm on, not the other way around, though I'm convinced there's meaning in there somewhere, in the patterns. Something important.
No, I'm not overcome with an especially prolonged episode of OCD. I'm checklisting. It's been a while since I last checklisted a set, and if last time around taught me anything, it's that I'm determining much more than just how a set should be assembled. I'm establishing a hierarchy, an easy way for anyone, not just collectors or those who follow baseball, but anyone familiar with the base-10 system of counting, to determine which cards are worth coveting.
Last time around my big thing was 'Hero Numbers.' First tier, second, third tier; they all took their lead from the heroes. The set was built around them, and I'm certain that when the meritocratic system of numbering is employed, this is always the case. A rising young star does well the year before, the next year he will have a third tier number. If he does well a number of years running, he may find himself given a second tier number. And if he proves himself to be in the upper echelon of the league, not just a star but a superstar, he may be rewarded with a hero number.
But it's been a few months since I did that checklist, and time away from the process has given me insight into something I may have missed: there are other numbers that are on the same level of importance as Hero Numbers. But because the numerical parameters for Hero Numbers have already been expressed, I'm going to call these others by a different name: Glamour Numbers.
I'm not entirely sure when Glamour Numbers started, and I'm not entirely sure they started with baseball. The 1992-93 Upper Deck basketball issue featured Magic Johnson and Larry Bird on numbers 32 and 33, respectively (their jersey numbers), as a way of honoring them. There are many other examples. In recent years, Topps baseball has reserved #7 for a card of Mickey Mantle, its patron saint.
The reason I bring this up is because as I've started work on The 792, unexpected numbers keep popping up as important. The most glaring example is #482. Why #482? Because of the ten cards assigned that number in regular-issue Topps sets between 1980 and 1989, two are rookie cards of Hall of Fame players: Rickey Henderson (1980) and Tony Gwynn (1983). It can probably be written off as just a coincidence, as such luminaries as Glenn Hubbard, Rick Lysander, Darryl Boston and Steve Peters have also graced the number. Does two out of ten constitute that number being elevated to Glamour Number? Probably not, but it is interesting, in a passing way, that two show-stopping rookies were checklisted on the same, random number. (Maybe we should call #482 a 'Lucky Number' instead of 'Glamour Number.')
A few informal rules of checklisting a set of this nature. First, the basics: there are ten years of sets that I'm pulling from, 1980 to 1989. I'm only considering regular-issue Topps, though when I'm done, I plan on checklisting a Traded set. Numbers for each card are their actual numbers. In fact, the whole purpose of putting together The 792 is to determine which card of the ten that were given that number is the best. 'The best' is open to interpretation. I'm defining it loosely: either the most memorable card, the most memorable player, or an important card from its year. Take the example above. I chose Henderson's #482 over Gwynn's because Henderson set the precedent. I'm not saying that the Topps brain trust monitored how well Rickey did and then gave the promising young Gwynn that number on purpose. On the contrary, I think there's a very good chance that Gwynn's numerical assignment was almost completely random: he was a rookie, so they buried him in the set. Another example of my thinking in terms of determining 'the best': You might say that giving #21 to Cal Ripken's 1982 Orioles Future Stars rookie is a no-brainer. I'd contend that you're wrong. There's a part of me that wanted to assign it to the 1986 card of Milwaukee Brewers' manager George Bamberger. Bambi's card from that set is one of my favorites. But how can you argue against Ripken's rookie? You can't.
I have a few expectations about how this checklist will turn out. Because there are ten sets from which to pull, I would imagine that the end tallies of cards from each set is roughly equal, for the first 726 cards (727 through 792 will pull from eight sets, 1982 to 1989). I don't expect this set to be made up entirely of stars. I expect there will be a healthy amount of common-level players. I also expect, though I have no reason to, that there will be a good level of representation from each team. I can tell you that I will not include more than a respectable level of cards of the same players. I'm putting together a set that is meant to symbolize the best/most memorable of the decade, not a set of Nolan Ryan's Greatest Hits (Topps beat me to the punch almost ten years ago).
So, before I go explaining this set away forever, below is a list of the first fifty cards from my fan set, Topps Decades: The Eighties, or simply The 792.
1. Roger Clemens RB, 1987
2. Rickey Henderson RB, 1983
3. Dwight Gooden RB, 1985
4. Eddie Murray RB, 1988
5. Nolan Ryan RB, 1982
6. Bench/Perry/Yaz HL, 1984
7. Kevin McReynolds RB, 1989
8. Don Mattingly (RC), 1984
9A. Steve Braun (yellow name), 1980
9B. Steve Braun (red name), 1980
10. Tony Gwynn, 1986
11. Bruce Sutter, 1989
12. Billy Sample, 1984
13. Joe Charboneau (RC), 1981
14. Sparky Anderson (MGR), 1988
15. Claudell Washington, 1987
16. George Vukovich, 1983
17. Mike Stenhouse, 1986
18A. Al Leiter (not him) (RC), 1988
18B. Al Leiter (him) (RC), 1988
19. Oscar Gamble, 1983
20. Gary Carter, 1987
21. Orioles Future Stars (RC), 1982
22. Pat Putnam, 1980
23. Bret Saberhagen (RC), 1985
24. Len Barker, 1986
25. Andres Galarraga, 1988
26. UL Washington, 1981
27. Ray Knight, 1986
28. Eric Davis, 1986
29. Tony Phillips, 1986
30. Vida Blue, 1980
31. Tom Seaver In Action, 1982
32. Gene Garber, 1982
33. Rob Deer, 1988
34. Jose Rijo, 1987
35. Rollie Fingers, 1983
36. Rollie Fingers Super Veteran, 1983
37. Rangers Team Leaders, 1984
38. Win Remmerswaal, 1981
39. Rowland Office, 1980
40. Orel Hershiser, 1988
41. Rangers Future Stars (RC), 1981
42. Gary Redus, 1987
43. Gene Michael (MGR), 1987
44. Britt Burns, 1982
45. Kent Hrbek, 1988
46. Dan Gladden, 1987
47. Rudy Law, 1984
48. Tony Fernandez (RC), 1985
49. Craig Biggio (RC), 1989
50. JR Richard, 1980
In a collaborative move, starting tomorrow morning visit Cardboard Junkie to view scans of the cards (in order).
Logo design for Tongless.com, a website where BBC radio mixes are offered, without DJ Pete Tong's claptrap through those mixes.
More at Sevensheaven.nl
Stacks are a cool new feature of Leopard when used in the dock. However, the implementation leaves something to be desired, since it isn't clear which directory the stacks belong to. Until now! These neat little icons serve as an overlay to give a container like appearance in the dock, making the stacks more visually appealing and a bit more intuitive.
This trade comes in from Chris in Macedonia, Ohio.
Giving: Chone Figgins, #192 (red back)
Getting: Wonderful Terrific Monds, 1995 Upper Deck Minors
I couldn't script a more perfect ending to The Great Goudey Trade-Away. Chris over in Ohio sends me a great card of a guy with a familiar face and a name straight out of central casting. Am I to believe that there is a real person named Wonder Monds, and that he's not actually Fred McGriff on injury rehab in the minors, pulling a hilarious Garth Brooks/Chris Gaines practical joke on the world?
Both Wonder's dad and grandad are named Wonderful Terrific, which leads me to believe that there will be Wonderful Terrifics for generations to come. Hopefully W.T. Monds, VIII will be a politician, so his campaign posters can say 'Vote for the Eighth Wonder of the World.'
I want to thank everyone who participated in the trade-away. Fifty-three trades! Awesome!
Audio
Jimmy Smith Trio - I got my mojo working - Bluenote
Georgie Fame - Somebody stole my thunder - CBS
Charles Earland - Leaving This Planet - Soul Brother
Secret Stealth - Stealth - Bocajito
Sly and Family Stone - Postive (Instrumental) - Epic
Wahoo (Ft. Paul Randolph) - Don't take it personal - Expansion Records - CD
Sister Sledge - Smile - Wounded Bird Records - WOU
Angie Stone - Baby - Matty's Soulflower Mix - Concord/Stax
Aretha Franklin - Sweetest Smile and The Funkiest Style - Atlantic / Rhino
Sharon Jones - Keep on Looking - Daptones
Family - Family Rap - Queen Constance Records
Nicole and Willis Soul Investigators - If this ain't love - ATC Recordings
Grant Green - Bottom of Barrel - Blue Note
Jorge Benjor - Porta de Lanca Africo (Umbabarauma) - Wrasse
Donny Hathway - Little Ghetto Boy - ATCO
? - Little Miss Soul - Motown / Universal
Winston Wright and the Upsetters - Jam #1 - Soul Jazz
Jacob Miller - Dreada Dread Dub - Motion
The Studio Sound - Give Me Some More - Soul Jazz
Chris Rob - Ghetto People - Tea Party Music -
Lee McDonald - I'll Do Anything for you - Patchworks Remix - Favourite Recordings
Kijk Kees: een plaatje voor nrc handelsblad (maar dat was al even geleden).
Nu zijn we benieuwd wat Kees gaat posten!
in English: now we're curious what Case will be posting.
It looks like I am out of NaBlo. Dammit, I was doing so well - planning my posts in my head on the way home, fretting if it got to 5pm and I still had nothing to write about. And on those days, I still managed to pull a Dilbert cartoon out of my arse. But it couldn't last. I tempted fate. I commented last week on Jonathan's blog that I was secretly hoping that my shitty old Packard Bell would
I just saw this comment on Hacking Netflix:
What I REALLY want to know (And don't think anyone at Netflix would answer me on) is what "Flagging a Review" actually does. When I flag reviews, I do it because they are either not a review, they posted a url in the review, etc. Am I wasting my time by flagging them, or does Netflix really go through and look at flagged reviews to find the junk?First of all, why don't you think anyone at Netflix would answer this? Have I made it appear this is a big company secret? I thought i had explained this in the past, but i'll take a new stab at it here:
Does anyone know, or is it a big company secret? Now that I've got that email address, I might use it, but I wonder if flagging does the same thing.
The flags are methods for you, the Netflix members, to self-police the reviews on the site. They are automated. We spot check them, but we have tuned (and continue to refine) the automated process triggered by flagging a review.
The short answer is that if a review gets a quantity of flags from different members, we move the review off the movie display page. It is not removed from the site, and will remain among the reviewers other reviews on their Profile pages. The algorithm that does this removing is the thing we keep refining. It would be too simple to say it takes X flags to get something pulled. It depends on a few factors, but particularly the helpful/unhelpful votes. If a movie has a quantity of helpful votes, for instance, it takes more flags to remove it. (We don't want the flags being used to remove reviews that are simply controversial, or irksome to a small group.) We also want to give new reviews a little bit of time to get seen, so on popular titles that period might be less than for smaller titles... but either way, it is automated, and really is working. Over the past few months we've changed the thresholds and we continue to find cases where folks are misusing the system and thus we revise the algorithm to account for this. The thresholds and algos are also different for "this is not a review" and "objectionable content" (etc) and we know some people who don't like a review just click on everything hoping this will accelerate the removal (it doesn't). I presume we will continue with internal tweaks to improve it over time.
There. Secret is out of the bag.
I've never seen anyone look so depressed about leaving the Kansas City Royals. Poor Melancholy Bo, sittin there in his Ray-Bans and gripping what is either a towel that he chews between innings like Jerry Tarkanian or a screenplay to his life story.
I definitely see this image as the first frame of a low-key, woe-is-me musical montage in Bo Knows: The Bo Jackson Story where Bo breaks into a heartfelt, smooth-as-velvet rendition of "My Funny Valentine." The montage would show him in the dugout, in post-game interview in the locker room, staring off into space while dining alone after hours at a swank restaurant (with all the waiters lined up behind him, just like in The Godfather), and sitting by a window in a smoking jacket with a glass of wine on a rain-soaked night.
At the end of the montage, he'd probably be out walking his lovable Jack Russell terrier when he bumps into Robin Givens or Vivica Fox and his life is changed forever. And of course before the movie ends there's a scene where he's sitting on his bed in his basement apartment, practicing scales on his trumpet in his tried-and-true wife beater and bathrobe, cane resting beside him.
Like most kids my age, my admiration for Bo Jackson was legendary. I mean, this guy could do it all. And then all of a sudden he was just another player. And then, not too long after that, he was retired, shaken up by bad knees. I want there to be a made-for-TV movie done about his life, replete with the requisite son or grandson-on-knee not stealing/not having sex/not fighting/good grades/visitation rights speech that starts "You think you know?" and ends with (of course) "Bo's been there. Bo knows."
I'm thinking we could get Jamie Foxx to play Bo, and if he doesn't want to stoop to the small screen, then I guess we could settle for 50 Cent. Get Rich or Die Tryin' didn't fare so well, and going up against Kanye West didn't really pan out, either. Doing a cut-rate Bo Jackson biopic might just net him the international fame he's always dreamt of winning.
This trade comes in from Mike in Bethel, Connecticut.
Giving: Albert Pujols, #6; Francisco Liriano, #167 (red back)
Getting: Bo Jackson, 1991 Topps Traded; David Ortiz, 1999 Upper Deck MVP; Kirby Puckett, 2002 UD World Series Heroes; Cool Papa Bell, 2001 UD Cooperstown Collection; Latin Stars, 1993 Upper Deck
I'm calling this trade 'Latin Stars and Shades of Bo.'
First I want to focus on the Latin Stars combo card from the vastly underrated 1993 Upper Deck set. The copy on the back is all about the massive amounts of home runs each hit in 1992, and how they'd keep poundin them out forever. What's also of note is that Pudge, Juan Gone and Raffy all look like relatively normal big leaguers, while Canseco looks like a wall of bulk. ... and two quick notes on Canseco: First a theoretical question. Let's say Canseco played out his days without taking steroids. Would he still have been remembered as the more productive identical Canseco twin? Second, do you think the roids did anything to Jose's hair? Seriously, how come his hairstyle never seemed to change over his entire career? Also, can we re-name the sports flat-top/mullet 'The Canseco'? Or has Jaromir Jagr already laid claim?... what was I saying? Oh yeah, the mid-Nineties Rangers. I guess there's not much more to add.
There's plenty to say about this card of Bo Jackson. So much, in fact, that I'm going to give it its own post as the Fantastic Card of the Day.
a shot taken during the concert at The Social. This band was pretty cool, the lead singer played the banjo and he somehow rigged a telephone to sing through. That was pretty cool!
Illustration for an article about new ways of getting paid for freelance work. No normal invoices (factuur) anymore, the constituent decides what he thinks your work is worthed.
This may sound strange, but it gives the freelancer more freedom to come up with new ideas. And in the end the payment needn't to be less. In fact it is often better.
I can't believe I forgot to write about this! Monday night was Guy Fawkes Night. Guy Fawkes' plot to blow up Parliament, which he attempted to do on 5th November 1605, is commemorated with burning effigies and of course, letting off fireworks. See, we've had terrorism for a while in the Mothership and we know how to celebrate foiled plots to bring down society.This brought to mind one of the
This trade comes in from Scott in New Jersey.
Giving: Nolan Ryan, #202; Corey Patterson, #115 (red back)
Getting: A stack of fifty cards
That's right. Scott sent me a stack of cards. And begged that he only get one or two in return. Um, okay. I can live with that. These scans are only the tip of the trade iceberg. In particular, check out the Post cereal cards that are completely non-sensical, not simply because the name of this set is 'First Collector Series,' as if either Post forgot that they created cards in the Sixties (with significantly more licensing) or that they considered these cards for newbie collectors. (As a side note, If I was just starting out collecting baseball cards, I probably would choose a set where I could figure out each player's team, not one that might lead me to believe there were only two teams: blue and red...)
The other reason this set is non-sensical is because those baseball fanatics at Post came up with their own position shorthand. First base? FB. Second? SB. Check out this card of Wade Boggs of the Blue Team. Heck of a job, Postie. Way to teach those kids about this here game of baseball.
I have been illustrating softdrugs-related publications for some years now. I haven't, however, touched a single spliff all those years; too much paranoïa! This one is # 5 in a series about famous Dutch people being stoned, following a series of stoned pin-ups and one about stoned superheroes, all of them published in the dutch marijuana-promoting glossy High Life.
Do people in New Zealand speak English*? In a manner of speaking. It's as though everyone in New Zealand got drunk and someone swapped the vowels around while they weren't looking. Finally, after 13 months here, I am beginning to be able to tell the difference between an Australian and a Kiwi accent. There's also a fair bit of regional variation in NZ, though not as much as you find in the
Hey everyone. A few little fixes release this coming monday, mostly internal (non-visible stuff) like improving the ranking algorithm (btw: we probably should change the label- as it's not technically "reviewer rank" and more precisely "influencer rank" since some highly ranked folks are creating great Top 10 Lists, but not reviews...), and stuff like that. Noteworthy is this:
There are presently two ways to invite other Netflix members to be your Friend. One involves posting an HTML link that anyone can click on which will facilitate the connection. This is nice if you want to post it on your blog or MySpace page -- but the problem is that sometimes you want to be anonymous with people you still want to "Friend" -- so we're going to try something. If you invite people the "normal" way, they will be Friends the way they are today -- with their real name. But if you invite people using this HTML link, they will remain anonymous, and the connection will only feature their nickname. This way, you can exchange notes and see Queues with folks, maybe people who were mutual Faves, but they will remain nameless. I'd be interested to hear about your experiences using this link -- posted maybe to your profile statement, or your Facebook/MySpace/blogs, etc. Try it on Monday...
Has anyone used RSS to feed any Top 10 Lists or Reviews out to external sites? I'd also like to hear about that.
Been very busy with the next wave of community features, most of which won't be visible for awhile. I have appreciated your tips on improving the features we have (and they are duly noted), but hopefully the features presently available will hold your interests for the time being.
What a weekend for music! On Friday we went to St. Pete and saw Hank III and the Reverend Horton Heat. I enjoyed both bands, but the Reverend rocked the house down. Then on Saturday I drive to Orlando and watched illinois and Menomena. I have been waiting to see Menomena for months and couldn't believe the show they put on. If you haven't heard them check them out. More concert pictures to come.......
I'm thoroughly enjoying my latest toy, the new Sony Reader PRS-505
The beautiful electronic-ink screen is truly marvellous, and because there is no back-light there's no eye strain at all. When I'm tired at the end of the day, I sometimes boost the font-size up to "Large", so every book can be a big print book. It's a shame that the older generation who would most benefit from such a feature, are the least likely to be interested in such a device, but every "more mature" person I've shown it to really likes it. You'll still need a book-light if you want to read in the dark, but that's not something I do anyway.
It's a great device, solid of construction, but nice and light. It will be perfect for my trip back to the UK in November, and my carry-on luggage will be considerably lighter than it would be normally. I won't need to carry three or four bulging books with me, instead I'll have the three new e-books I bought from the Sony Connect store (Stephen Fry's "Revenge", Alan Alda's memoirs and Ewan McGregor's "Long Way Round"), plus a dozen of the "100 free classics", Jules Verne, Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin etc. In addition, there's also 2000+ public domain books available on MobileRead.com, where I picked up some of the less well known Jules Verne stories.
I also converted Stephen Fry's blog posts for the Reader by copying and pasting the contents to a Word Doc and then dragging them across to the Reader via USB. Stephen Fry's "blessays" are the longest and most entertaining blog posts on the web, and with a little jiggery-pokery they became almost like book chapters on the Reader. Very worthwhile train reading. The good folks at MobileRead.com have lots of other tools that can be used to convert or make content for the Reader.
Below you'll find a quick slideshow of my Reader in action, as well as the home-brew "softcase" I made from a $0.50 clearance item at Staples.
The Reader is available for purchase at SonyStyle.com, Borders and Best Buy stores, and online in various places. Purchasing from Amazon.com will help me with the up-keep of this site, and some other projects I'm working on.