Friday, September 29, 2017

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Jon Snow and Ygrette from Game of Thrones are engaged in real life.

- Heh heh

- Cool - design for a new McMurdo Antarctic base

- Perhaps my favorite GIF of all-time

- I absolutely love these

- Awful homeowners association hassles man over street legal upside-down Camaro

- An oral history of the classic Rodney Dangerfield movie Back to School. I loved Rodney.

Ted Williams

Yesterday was the anniversary of the final games of the 1941 season which saw Ted Williams go 6 for 8 in a double-header to raise his season batting average to .406. Williams went into the day will a batting average of exactly .400 and was given the option to sit out the day to protect the mark. Instead Ted Williams played both games - because he was Ted freaking Williams.

Ted Williams may perhaps be the last man to ever hit .400 in MLB history. It should also be noted that Williams didn't even win the MVP for his historic 1941 season (.406 BA, 135 R, 37 HR, 120 RBI). Williams' batting average, runs scored and home runs all led the league but 1941 was the season that Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak caught the imagination of the nation so the MVP went to the Yankee Clipper. Even though Williams actually had a higher batting average than DiMaggio during those very same 56-games.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman

Richard Feynman was a very interesting character and I enjoyed his "autobiography". I use the words in quotations because it was really more a collection of stories. Feynman, along with two others, won the Nobel Prize in 1965 for his work on quantum electrodynamics. But that's barely a blip in the book. In fact I don't think it is even mentioned until there were about 50-pages left in the book.

Feynman was a one-of-a-kind character. A man who was always curious and always learning. As a kid he was interested in how radios worked and soon became the go-to person for adults to see to get their radios fixed (back in the days before TV). While working on the Manhattan Project he became interested in becoming a safe cracker and soon became expert on that too. Drumming, Samba music, Portuguese, Japanese and painting became other interests of his. Can you see why Feynman was considered so unique?

Recently Feynman has come under some criticism because the Don Draper misogyny of the 60's isn't tolerated by today's PC culture. But Feynman was a man of his time and a man who enjoyed the company of beautiful women. I wouldn't hold that against him.

Someday I am interested in trying to make it through the Feynman Lectures on Physics which Cal Tech has been kind enough to post online.

I enjoyed Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman and would recommend the book.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

If Colin Kaepernick was actually any good in the eyes of NFL evaluators wouldn't it have made sense for the Colts to have signed him instead of trading away potentially valuable receiver Phillip Dorsett to the Pats for QB Jacoby Brissett?...  Diabolical? Yes. Funny? Also yes... Breaking: Aerosmith cancels tour over Steven Tyler "health issues". Me: I though Aerosmith stopped touring a decade ago... I'll be buying a set of these... If Colin Kaepernick is being denied a job in the NFL because of his views on protest - does that mean that Darrelle Revis and RG3 are also protesting something?... I will also be buying this t-shirt...  Recently I was at a bar (surprise!) and someone played Cheyenne Anthem by Kansas on the juke box. That is easily the worst song I have ever heard played in a bar... In 5-years people who still use Microsoft Word will be looked at the same way we look at people who still use typewriters...

Sunday, September 24, 2017

NFL Sunday - Week Three


OK so that's actually not a real statement from Robert Kraft (here's his real one) but even as a Pats fan I found that amusing. And the situation has gotten so ridiculous you have to laugh. Today is going to be about who kneels and how many players kneel and not so much about football and that's just fucked up.

If you were at a public gathering and the organizer of that gathering asked the crowd to observe a moment of silence but if in the middle of the moment of silence you yelled out "Black Lives Matter!" - you wouldn't be exercising your right to free speech. You would be being an asshole.

Now kneeling silently during the anthem isn't even close to that sort of rudeness in my mind but to many others it is. Personally I think the guy who doesn't take his hat off during the anthem is being much more disrespectful than the player taking a knee (and much more ignorant). I honestly didn't even care that the players were protesting. That's their right as far as I'm concerned. This is America.

It does bug me that so many teams and the NFL are issuing "statements". This is the same NFL that didn't allow the Cowboys to wear stickers to honor fallen police officers. NOT EVEN DURING A MEANINGLESS EXHIBITION GAME! The hypocrisy turns my stomach.

If Donald Trump wanted to be a unifier he should have gone after Roger Goodell. Everyone would have supported that. But he didn't. He took a side on what he knew to be a very racially divisive issue. And the other side took the bait. The first rule of the Internets is DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS. Today we get to witness the biggest feeding of the trolls ever.

You have to laugh.  

Anyway back to actual football - my picks for today:

Atlanta -3 at Detroit
Oakland -3 at Washington
Kansas City -3 at LA Chargers

Three road (slight) favorites.

I also like a 6-point tease - Miami pk at Jets and Philly pk vs Giants. The pro football teams in NYC suck. Why not try to make a few bucks off that fact.

For the season 1-3. Good luck!

Thursday, September 21, 2017

Bill Murray


Bill Murray turned 67 today. Here's some of the stories through the years about Murray that I found interesting or amusing.

Bill Murray call's Kelly Lynch's husband each time the sex scene in Roadhouse comes on

Bill Murray once got lost for years in the persona of Hunter S Thompson

Bill Murray on the last time he saw Gilda Radner

Seven Steps to living a Bill Murray life, by Bill Murray

Casting Bill Murray

Fantastic review of Bill Murray's film career

Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen would have turned 83-years old today. I think may people associate Cohen with the song Hallelujah (especially maybe with the  Jeff Buckley version). I always first think of this collaboration with U2;



Today would be a good day to revisit this 2016 New Yorker profile of Cohen.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- If you are interested in Bitcoin or Block Chains - this article is a MUST read

- Sorry Hillary - history remembers

- They say alcohol often reveals your "true self" - if that's true than one-third of vegetarians are completely fooling themselves

- Ronald Dahl was an asshole

- Jake LaMotta has passed away at age 95. Maybe I'm an asshole but I cannot think about him without this bit by Doug Stanhope coming to mind. Yup I'm an asshole (at least not as big an asshole as Ronald Dahl)

See you in hell Dahl!

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

National Enquirer says that Betty White, 95, is battling a debilitating illness. By any chance could that "illness" be old age?...  Tom Brady has an interesting diet... If low-calorie beers were called "skim-beer" instead of "light-beer" they would be much less popular. Michelob Ultra is should definitely be called "skim-beer"... Heh heh... Love the acronym WEIRD for countries like the US and Canada (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic). WEIRD nations should stick together... Still say that if ESPN really wants to boost their ratings on SportsCenter - they should have Strong Bad host. Or Rick and Morty... This is awesome! On the show in real-time I didn't notice the dagger flip from hand-to-hand... Proctodeal trophollaxis is such a cool way to say "ass-licking". The MSM did a lot of proctodeal trophollaxis of the Obama Administration... Ice hockey - fighting global warming one arena Zamboni dump at a time!...

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Talk Like a Pirate Day

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day mateys!

You really don't hear the phrase "shiver me timbers" anymore - not even on Talk Like a Pirate Day. The phrase probably gained its original popularity via the character Long John Silver in Treasure Island.  I understand the phrase "well blow me down" is still popular in certain circles - not that there's anything wrong with that.

Many people have heard of Talk Like a Pirate Day but did you know that April 23rd is Talk Like Shakespeare Day?

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Interesting - do probiotics really work?

- Cool - Traffic with Jerry Garcia do Dear Mister Fantasy (1994)

- The magic of the book - Herman Hesse on why we read and always will (long read)

- How to properly do box jumps (need to add these to my exercise routine)

- The Dyatlov incident - some freaky X-Files type true shit

- Heh heh - agreed 100%

- NASA Cassini scientists pick their favorite photos from the mission

- This guy might be my spirit animal

Sunday, September 17, 2017

NFL Sunday - Week Two


What I've learned over the years of doing this blog is if I post my picks there's a much greater chance that I'll lose. If I don't post them - there's a much greater chance that I win.  Kind of like Schrodinger's Cat (Lynch's Bets?). I keep asking myself why bother?

I went 0-2 last week but both games easily could have gone the other way. Cie la vie.

Today I like the Pats -6.5 (I bought the extra 1/2 point) and the Vikings +7. Bradford being a game time decision makes a dent in my confidence in my Minnesota pick but I'm taking them anyway (just for less money).

It should be noted that I was weary about taking Pittsburgh last week because everyone seemed to be picking them. The same seems true for the Pats and Vikings today and it does honestly concern me. I keep thinking of how everyone was picking BC to cover against Notre Dame yesterday and Wyoming to cover against Oregon. Both BC and Wyoming got smoked.

They say if 80% of the bets are on one side then the smart money will be among the 20%. Luckily only 60% seem to be taking New England today.

Good luck.

When We Was Fab - George Harrison



Hard to believe this song is now 30-years old. You really don't hear it often enough.

Saturday, September 16, 2017

Through the Looking Glass


"I'm outraged a white man would say the word Boobs on CNN."

Top 5 - Harry Dean Stanton Roles

The iconic Harry Dean Stanton has passed away at age 91. And I felt compelled to write something about him. Some have described him as "legendary" but that just doesn't seem to fit. I mean Clint Eastwood and Jack Nicholson are legendary Hollywood actors. Harry Dean obviously wasn't in their class but there was clearly something about him. Anyway - here's what I consider my Top 5 favorite Harry Dean Stanton roles.

1. Repo Man - Bud
2. Escape from New York - Brain
3. Kelly's Heroes - Willard (as Dean Stanton)
4. Alien - Brett
5. Red Dawn - Mr. Eckert

Missing from the list is what many consider his masterpiece Paris, Texas. I haven't seen that movie and have no desire to do so (not sure what that says about my taste in movies but so be it). Also not on the list is The Green Mile because even though I've seen that movie a few times - I forgot Stanton was in it.

Stanton was a cool guy and obviously well-liked by his peers. When he made a cameo in The Avengers I remember thinking "cool - that's Harry Dean Stanton". It was like unexpectedly running into a favorite uncle. The thing is - as cool as Stanton was he wasn't the memorable scene stealer like a Christopher Walken or Dennis Hopper. Heck even in the movie Repo Man it's Tracy Walter as Miller who had the more memorable role.

This is in no way a knock on the memory of Mr. Stanton. It's just that it seems to over glorify his memory seems phony and diminishing in some way. There's nothing wrong with remembering him as he was - an iconic character actor who was a man of character.

And what better tribute could an actor ask for if when people see him on the screen they remember him by thinking "that guy was cool."

Friday, September 15, 2017

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Cool? Gross? A sneeze captured at 1,000 frames per second

- Joe "Stringbean" McConaughy - the man who smashed the Appalachian Trail speed record. Impressive! BTW - FKT is "fastest known time" (had to look that up)

- The wisdom of Charlie Munger. You should bookmark this link and read it once a week - guaranteed to improve your existence!

- How can you not root for Marcus Mariota? As an aside - Oregon is just 1-9 as a double-digit favorite since Mariota left for the NFL. Oregon is a 14-point favorite vs Wyoming on Saturday.

- This is a problem

- The historic Cassini space probe "died" this morning. Here's an interesting article on the team whose job was to "kill" it.

- Heh heh

- Who knew? Louis CK has a new movie I Love You Daddy that could be considered a Woody Allen bio-pic


Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Just Saying

I'm pretty sure Iron Man could beat all three dragons from Game of Thrones single-handedly. Pretty positive about it.

Also pretty sure that even if Iron Man somehow fell under the control of the Night King - he wouldn't be that dangerous. Part of what makes Iron Man great is Tony Stark's brilliance and I'm guessing zombie Tony Stark would be pretty stupid. Like Wolf Blitzer on Jeopardy-level stupid.

Just saying.

Just Because



Some things shouldn't be lost to the memory hole of the Internet. Besides - what better way to start a Tuesday?

Monday, September 11, 2017

9/11


The Twin Towers on the evening of September 10, 2001.

The next morning the world changed and hasn't been the same since.

Never forget.

Sunday, September 10, 2017

NFL Sunday - Week One


JJ Watt has now raised over $31 million for disaster and flood relief for the City of Houston and other surrounding affected areas. $31 million! How can you not be rooting for him and the Houston Texans as they take on the Jaguars today? I'm not going to bet on the Texans because I don't want worrying about covering the 5 points soil my rooting experience.

Speaking of the $31 million Watt has raised (and he's not done yet) for Hurricane Harvey relief - compare that to the roughly $50 million raised during the celebrity telethon for Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Some of the biggest Hollywood names and musical stars were able to raise a combined $50 million while JJ Watt by himself has raised $31 million and counting. Incredible!

I would be remiss if I didn't mention Kayne West's comment during that celebrity telethon that "George Bush doesn't care about black people" and the media's letting that slide without any sort of condemnation is one of the reasons we have Trump as President today. If in the media's mind everyone's a racist then eventually in the public's mind nobody is.

Today I like Atlanta giving 6.5 vs the Bears. Yes I know the game is in Chicago and on grass but Mike Glennon is starting at QB for the Bears.

I also like Pittsburgh giving 9 vs the Browns. Yes that's a lot of points but the Steelers are motivated by a lot of things (the rivalry, the Browns starting a rookie QB and Joe Hayden getting cut by the Browns and signing with Pittsburgh). Another factor is New England's loss is also a wake-up call to Pittsburgh not to be complacent. That's a message I'm sure Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has made loud and clear. The only thing that bothers me is everyone seems to be picking the Steelers today.

Speaking of the Pats - yes the loss was a tremendous let-down and yes the team looked flat and unprepared. And yes I wasn't a fan of Mark Wahlberg pre-game presentation. But even more disgusting is the sports talk radio that the loss was sure to generate. Like puss to an uncleaned wound.

The Pats will be fine and I'll be sure to avoid the puss that calls itself Boston sports talk radio.

Friday, September 08, 2017

Wasting Beer

I love beer and I make no bones about it. As old Ben Franklin put it, "Beer is proof that God loves us." That's why I don't understand people who would waste beer.

Let me tell a story that illustrates where I'm coming from.

When I went to college one of the first side-jobs I took was working at a package store (that's what we call liquor stores in New England). My job was to stock cases and handle kegs - incoming and outgoing. On my first day someone brought back a keg and I tried to refuse it - because it wasn't empty! How could you return a keg if it still had beer in it? In my mind that was just wrong on so many levels. That was the day I learned that not everyone shared my beliefs about wasting beer.

One of the biggest ways beer gets wasted is when you are at a bar or a party and you put your beer down - you go to pick your beer back up but suddenly there's more than one. Which one is yours? You don't want to grab someone else's beer - so you just go get another while your old beer sits there wasted. That doesn't happen to me because when I open a can of beer (or a can of anything else for that matter) I automatically turn the tab to the left. More than one can sitting on the table? Mine's the one with the tab turned to the side. [If it's a bottle then it's always in front of me or in my hand.]

What got me thinking is that it is almost October and that means Oktoberfest. Hmmmm... Oktoberfest.

Thursday, September 07, 2017

Warren Zevon

Warren Zevon passed away 14-years ago. If you have a sandwich today - make sure you really enjoy it.

Wednesday, September 06, 2017

Monday, September 04, 2017

Labor Day Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations on this beautiful Labor Day!

If it was widely known in the NFL that QB Jacoby Brissett was available from the Patriots then Jacksonville should have made the best offer for him. Brissett immediately would be the best QB on their roster... Heh heh this is true!...  If Lonzo Ball doesn't license AC/DC's song Big Balls and alter the lyrics to Big Ballers - he's missing a huge marketing opportunity... Heh heh... It should be noted that if Cleveland called off the trade with the Celtics and Kyrie Irving refused to report to training camp then the Cavaliers would have had ZERO leverage moving forward. They would have had to accepted a deal worth less than half what Boston was offering... Metabolic Cascades of Dysfunction would be a good name for a fantasy football team. It's also a fancy way to say "concussions"... A rant from the past - how the teacher's unions have ruined Labor Day...

Heineken

If I had a brewery that competed against Heineken - I would have a commercial of two skunks drinking Heineken saying things like Heineken is their favorite beer and how you don't even have to leave it out in the sun for hours to get it to the way skunks like their beer.

As you can tell - not a fan of Heineken.

Saturday, September 02, 2017

Marvel - Battle Royal



Awesome! Hi I'm Chris and I'm a fanboy geek. Hi Chris.

Cavaliers and Celtics Trade Official


The deal that's sending Kyrie Irving to Boston in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, the Nets 2018 first round pick and now Miami's 2020 second round pick is finally official. All that delay and anxiety for a lousy second round pick. Cleveland gets a "sweetener" but comes off much worse in the end.

The extra second round pick probably doesn't mean anything to Danny Ainge (another asset he basically picked up for nothing) but I bet he's pissed that Cleveland pulled this move when he thought the deal was agreed upon and announced to the public. It will probably be a long time before Ainge calls Cleveland about another deal. That's probably true for a number of NBA GM's. Even when they think they have a deal the opposite GM is probably going to ask for confirmation that owner Dan Gilbert has publicly signed off on the deal. The deal with Boston netted Cleveland an extra second round pick but the way they did it is probably going to cost them much more than that in future deals. The Cavaliers are going to have to pay a Dan Gilbert jerk tax going forward for the foreseeable future.

That might be unfair to say but I think it is true. Sure Cleveland could have had legitimate concerns about Isaiah's hip moving forward but the way they handled the situation insinuated that Danny Ainge and Boston were less than forthright about the severity of Isaiah's injury. The way Cleveland handled this has painted Isaiah Thomas as damaged goods which isn't exactly going to be helpful when it comes time to try and re-sign him after this season. The way the Cavaliers acted will make people think Dan Gilbert is an interfering ass who's not worth the aggravation.

That's the perception right now and in life often perception is the reality. And the reality is that the Cavaliers are worse off today than they were a week ago and they have nobody to blame but themselves. All for a lousy extra second round pick.

No wonder LeBron is in such a hurry to bolt for Los Angeles.

Photo from @Steve_Hewitt

The Kardashian Conundrum

"The amount I care about the Kardashians cannot be measured in Planck lengths." - Chris Lynch

The above statement causes a conundrum. Those who like the Kardashians probably think, "Cool he's mentioning the Kardashians but is planking still a thing?"

Meanwhile, those who understand Planck lengths have probably never heard about the Kardashians.

Friday, September 01, 2017

Houston

The devastation in Houston is heartbreaking. Everyone is trying to do what they can to help and it is bringing out the best in many Americans. But the recovery and healing will take years and years.

I have a simple suggestion for how the Republican Party can put their best foot forward in trying to assist with that healing - announce that the 2020 Republican National Convention will be held in Houston. Do it now! It would be an act that would have more real impact to the local economy than any individual gift or pledge.

The Democratic Party could do the same. That could be a great act of bipartisanship. Or they could beat the Republicans to the punch and take all the glory. My guess is it would be a tough sell for the Democrats though since they haven't had a National Convention in Texas since 1928.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- The Kyoto Protocol had "no verifiable effect on the CO2 emissions" for the nations who signed on to the "treaty".  Emissions trading and limits are all a sham and have nothing to do with science. Nothing at all.

- Heh heh

- Reminder of why The Far Side was so awesome

- It's the weekend - who up for a swim?

- Agree 100%!

Niall Ferguson: The 6 Killer Apps of Prosperity

Very interesting talk by economist/historian Niall Ferguson on the 6 killer apps of prosperity. He lists certain "apps" as the driving force explaining Western domination in the last century and also how these "apps" are why "rest-ern" civilizations are catching or passing Western nations today. The West's killer apps are:

1. Competition
2. The Scientific Revolution
3. Property Rights
4. Modern Medicine
5. The Consumer Society
6. The Work Ethic

I can also highly recommend Niall Ferguson's The Ascent of Money.