February 2007 Archives

MIT's Foldable, Stackable City Car

FEBRUARY 19, 2007

The car is tiny and they plan for them to be sharable. I can easily envision this future but I think a lot of people will have a hard time giving up ownership over their cars. [via Tree Hugger]

Quick Post link: http://www.boston.com/cars/news/articles/2007/02/18/the_car_20/?p1=MEWell_Pos5

Posted in Quick Post at 10:09 pm.
|

Four Clocks for Heavy Sleepers

FEBRUARY 14, 2007

Jori would be happy to tell you that I am a very heavy sleeper. When I hear my alarm, if I hear my alarn, I typically hit snooze or turn it off in various states of semi-consciousness. The only way to make sure I am truly awake is to engage me in some way. In other words, my mind tunes out an alarm but if the cable guy knocks on my door at 8am I won't have any problem getting out of bed.

These four clocks force you to put your mind to work.

Clocky

Clocky is kind. He gives you one snooze to wake up before he rolls off your nightstand. Then you'll be forced to crawl under your bed to turn him off. Thankfully, he's fairly rugged and can withstand drops of up to two feet. While by far the cutest, Clocky doesn't require much mental exertion, just nimble feet. Buy Clocky for $50.

Danger Bomb Clock

Finally, I can realize my dream of being Jack Bauer. Each morning, you will hear a loud explosion and must choose the correct, randomly-selected wire to make the noise go away. Good idea kids, but only picking one wire is a little too easy. Though resetting it might be a pain, which means it might just work for me. You can buy Danger Bomb Clock on March 17th. (via Product Dose

Puzzle Alarm Clock

Finally, an alarm that gives you a challenge. Every morning, your alarm will begin to blare and four puzzle pieces will launch into the air. The alarm won't stop blaring until the pieces return to their original resting place. This one should wake me up, but I would have liked at least nine pieces. The Puzzle Alarm Clock is $59 at Bim Bam Banana, but out of stock until March.

Kuku Alarm Clock

Like the puzzle clock, but more fun! When the work day is nigh, the Kuku Alarm Clock will begin crowing and will lay its eggs. The clucking won't stop until those eggs make it home. While I don't think I'd enjoy the clucking, this would certainly wake me up. I guarantee these eggs would be impossible to find. You can get the Kuku Clock for about $40 US at Latest Buy.

Bonus Idea

My friend Tien posted a picture just after waking up a few weeks ago. Immediately, I decided there needs to be a clock that takes your photo every time you hit snooze or turn it off. No, this wouldn't help you wake up but it would still be awesome. And if you're a clock maker and reading this, just combine this with the puzzle alarm clock, give it the ability to email photos (flickr!) and I'll buy two.

Posted in Design at 1:43 pm.
5 Comments |

You Picked the Wrong Day to Be Crappy

FEBRUARY 5, 2007

Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images

Yesterday was rough. It was rough for me, the Bears and all of Chicago. In the end, I think it'll be roughest on our pal Rex. Rex, you started strong but crumbled under the pressure. It was certainly not all your fault (the pass blocking was shoddy at best and our defense couldn't get off the field), but if you hadn't freaked out and turned the ball over three times, I'd probably be eating chocolate and swimming in a huge pool in Happytown right now.

I've had enough. At the start of the year we thought we had a consistent QB, the one thing we'd need to win it all, and you didn't come through. This is why I suggest we continue our trend of dropping QBs with more than 10 wins to the bottom of the depth chart (see: Kyle Orton) and follow the advice of WBRS Sports — let's go after Jeff Garcia for next year. He may be aging, but what are our other options? Rex is losing games for us and I just don't have enough confidence is Griese to make him our number one. The only other option is going for one of the top QBs in the draft, but who are we going to trade to get there? Garcia still moves well and looked great this season, which is more than we can say for Rexy.

I think you're a nice guy, but your playing style is not suited for the Bears. You've got an offseason to work on your mechanics and prove everybody wrong, but I'm hoping the Bears organization wises up and tells you to shape up or ship out.

Posted in Sports at 2:13 pm.
1 Comment |

A Different Sony Ericsson Clamshell: W51S

FEBRUARY 5, 2007

I'm a sucker for Sony phone design and this is no exception. It's an upcoming clamshell that has pretty typical features (2mp camera, big screen, blah, blah, blah) but I just love front panel. It's hard to tell if it's real or simulated, but the textured front with three LED lights is perfect for a clamshell. The only thing missing is a clock on the outside. It's simple, elegant and gets you the information you need. I'm excited to hear more about this phone. (via gizmodo)

Posted in Design, Technology\Web at 12:46 pm.
1 Comment |

Watch All Five Best Picture Nominees for $30

FEBRUARY 3, 2007

On 2/24 AMC will play the movies back-to-back in select theatres from 11am to 11:30pm. If I hadn't already seen three of them I'd do it; hell, I've seen seven before.

Quick Post link: http://www.amctheatres.com/promos/showcase/

Posted in Quick Post at 12:52 am.
|

Spore is Coming to the DS

FEBRUARY 2, 2007

Quick Post link: http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/02/02/ea_confirms_spore_and_sims_for_ds.html

Posted in Quick Post at 5:44 pm.
|

Hilarious Trailer for Knocked Up, the New Judd Apatow Movie

FEBRUARY 2, 2007

He's the man who brought us 40 Year-Old Virgin. [via Buzz Feed]

Quick Post link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PVOSmxiGWI&eurl=

Posted in Quick Post at 5:39 pm.
|

George Dombek's Paintings

FEBRUARY 2, 2007

I love the colors. I'd like to go see these in person. [via Happy Mundane]

Quick Post link: http://www.georgedombek.com/pages/gallery.html

Posted in Quick Post at 3:51 pm.
|

Super Bowl Primer

FEBRUARY 2, 2007

Most of my friends aren't football fans and watch only one game a year — the Super Bowl. I've heard from several of them that the experience would be much better if they knew what the hell was going on. Well, since I'm having friends over to watch the game I thought I'd try and help out. Here is some helpful information for Sunday's game. May the best Bear win. (Note: I've also prepared a printer-friendly version for those who want a cheat sheet. It should fit on one sheet, front and back.)

Update (2/2/07): Anil just posted a Prince Primer. What a great companion piece!

What's Football?

It would take too long to cover this properly, but it looks like Mom's Guide to Sports has the basics covered. This guide assumes you have no knowledge of football whatsoever and has a good lingo section for those hoping to impress their friends.

If you've got the basics covered but would like to step it up, take a look at Wikipedia's explanation of offensive and defensive formations.

About the Super Bowl

This is Super Bowl XLI (41) and it's taking place at Dolphins Stadium in Miami, Florida. According to SuperBowl.com, this is the ninth time the Super Bowl has been in South Florida. SuperBowl.com also has recaps of the last forty Super Bowls for those who want to talk about past years' games. You'll likely hear talk about Super Bowls V, XX, XXXV and XL (last year).

Who's playing?

The Chicago Bears are playing the Indianapolis Colts. Although they are playing on neutral ground, the Bears are considered the home team. This means they get to choose which jersey they'd like to wear (home or away) and the Colts will call the opening coin flip. In regular season play when the two teams have matched up, the Colts have won 22 games and the Bears have won 17. (The Colts smashed them 41-10 two years ago in their last meeting). The teams have never met in the playoffs. Here's some background on the two teams.

More details are after the jump.

The Chicago Bears

The Bears have been in Chicago since the team's inception in 1920. They've won championships in 1921, 1932, 1933, 1940 (73-0!), 1941, 1943, 1946, 1963 and 1986. They have historically been a team that focuses on running the football and brutal defenses. Walter Payton and Gale Sayers are their best-known running backs and are both in the Hall of Fame. On defense, there is a history of fantastic middle linebackers with Mike Singletary and Dick Butkus. Their luck with quarterbacks and the passing game has been less fortunate, as Sid Luckman is their best known and he stopped playing in 1950. You'll most certainly have heard of Mike Ditka, the coach who led the Bears to win Super Bowl XX, but don't leave out George Halas, who helped start the NFL and was the Chicago Bears coach off-and-on from 1922-1967.

The 1986 Bears (Super Bowl XX winners) are universally considered one of the top five teams of all time. Their defense was unstoppable, giving up only 10 points in the whole post-season, and the team almost went undefeated. The team is responsible for the Super Bowl Shuffle and inspired Saturday Night Live to create Da Superfans.

This year's team is led by Brian Urlacher as middle linebacker on defense and Rex Grossman as quarterback on offense. They finished with the best record in the NFC (National Football Conference) at 13-3 and won their first two playoff games against the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints. They were dominant in the first six games of the season, winning them all, but began having trouble when Grossman started playing poorly. He is wildly inconsistent and fans and pundits have been suggesting coach Lovie Smith bench him for backup QB Brian Griese. The defense has been consistently strong, while slowing down a bit at the end of the season with injuries from two of their stars, safety Mike Brown and defensive tackle Tommie Harris.

Four players who have emerged this year are Bernard Berrian, Robbie Gould, Mark Anderson and Devin Hester. Berrian is a receiver and is known for his speed and ability to catch the long pass. Gould is the Bears' kicker and knocked in 26 straight field goals at one point this year. Mark Anderson is a rookie defensive end and has twelve(!) sacks this year in limited playing time. Devin Hester is a rookie and has blown people away by having six returns (punt, kickoff, etc.) for touchdowns. He's electric, people.

The Bears will try to win the game with their defense. They're known to play a Cover 2 style of defense, which focuses on gap protection (each defensive player is assigned to cover an area of the field). On offense, they'll focus heavily on the run with Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson and will use the deep pass to keep Indy on their toes. Many expect Hester's return skills to play a significant role as the Colts are very poor in return coverage.

The Indianapolis Colts

I'll admit I don't know as much about the Colts, but I'll do my best. The team began as the Baltimore Colts in 1946 and moved to Indianapolis in 1984. They won championships in 1958, 1959, 1968 and 1970. The team is best known for their potent offensive attack and have had offensive stars throughout their history. Their single most famous player is Johnny Unitas, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. The team was also home to fantastic players like Jim Parker, Gino Marchetti, Raymond Berry and John Mackey. Don Shula probably the best coach of all time, started his career here before moving to the Miami Dolphins.

The Colts are centered around quarterback Peyton Manning. He is the most gifted QB in the league and led the Colts to 13-0 and 9-0 starts over the last two seasons. He is complimented by two fantastic wide receivers, Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne and a powerful running game. Their defense, especially run defense, was criticized all year as the team narrowly squeaked by in many games. In the playoffs, the defense has stepped up and played quite well thanks to defensive end Dwight Freeney, linebacker Cato June and safety Bob Sanders. They beat the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots to make it to the Super Bowl. Their game against the Patriots was critical as Manning has a history of cracking under pressure, especially against quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots, so the victory was especially sweet. The one player who could be a future superstar is rookie running back Joseph Addai. He runs alongside five-year veteran Dominic Rhodes.

The Colts use a hurry-up offense which is run by Manning (he's oftentimes calling the plays himself instead of the offensive coordinator). This style of play is very physically demanding on the defense and helps keep the offense on the attack. You can expect the Colts to test runs up the middle, as this has been a weakness for the Bears towards the end of the season, but it's safe to say their success rests on Manning's awe-inspiring passing skills. He hasn't played all that well in the post-season (six interceptions vs. Grossman's one), but he's likely to play incredibly tough. The teams previously soft defense has been playing well in the last month and will likely continue that trend. They also use the Cover 2 scheme (Lovie Smith, coach of the Bears, was a linebacker coach under Tony Dungy, coach of the Colts, which is why their style of play is so similar).

Interesting Points

This Super Bowl marks the first time a black coach has reached the big game and it so happens that the coaches of both teams are black. The media is also making a big deal about how nice Lovie Smith (Bears) and Tony Dungy (Colts) are. In a league where lots of coaches like to yell and make angry faces (e.g. Tom Coughlin of the Giants), these two guys play it cool.

This is a battle of the powerful offense versus the staunch defense. Las Vegas is telling us the Colts will win by 7 and most of the critics think they'll win too. Still, it isn't expected to be a lopsided game. Very few people expect either team to win in a blowout but think the skill of Peyton Manning will help Indy rise to the top. Since Peyton is just a nice guy and has had a rough go in pressure situations, the public seems to be behind him.

The key to the Bears' defensive success has been turnovers and pundits believe this will be the key to the teams' success. The Colts have given a lot of teams a tough time in the middle of the passing lane, where there are often holes in the Cover 2, but it's believed Brian Urlacher's physical prowess will make it difficult for Manning to find these spots.

Links

If you want to read more about the game, I suggest you check out ESPN for general news and opinions, Football Outsiders for in-depth, mathematical analysis and Deadspin for all the gossip and shenanigans surrounding the game. I also highly recommend you seek out the ESPN show Pardon the Interruption with Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser (they also have podcasts).

Posted in Sports at 2:29 am.
3 Comments |

Hey Boston, Take a Chill Pill

FEBRUARY 1, 2007

Yes, it's a post-9/11 world. No, we shouldn't jokingly claim to have a bomb when boarding a plane. But freaking out over an ad campaign? Get over it.

In case you don't feel like clicking through, the Cartoon Network had an ad company do some guerilla marketing for Aqua Teen Hunger Force. They put up devices that look a lot like Lite-Brite in various spots around the city. Fast-forward to yesterday when people were calling the police about suspicious devices and the bomb squad had to come out and you'll begin to see the insanity.

I would just think this is all hilarious if they didn't arrest the poor kid who was told by his bosses to put these up. It may be vandalism to hang these power lines, but don't take out your anger on some guy who likes LED Throwies and not getting fired. I might have some sympathy for the Boston Police if the same devices weren't up in ten other cities around the country. You screwed up, don't be a pussy.

Bonus! I just found a link to video of the press conference with the evil-doers. They would only talk about 70s hairstyles. Everyone in the media got all pissy and it made me happy.

If you would like to give the Boston cops the finger, you can buy this shirt that says, "Aqua Teen Hunger Force is the Bomb." Indeed it is.

Posted in Culture\Politics\Law, Technology\Web at 12:53 pm.
2 Comments |

Tecmo Bowl Predicts with Absolute Certainty: Bears Win!

FEBRUARY 1, 2007

Yay! [thanks dan!]

Quick Post link: http://dethroner.com/2007/02/01/tecmo-super-bowl-determines-sundays-big-winner-science/

Posted in Quick Post at 10:38 am.
|