Another game, another halfhearted analysis thrown together by SM because he didn’t see any of the game. My apologies. Like an idiot, I opted to not skip any of my classes to leave school early yesterday, and it ended up taking close to 7 hours to get home thanks to a traffic jam that started on 95 in Norwalk, CT and didn’t end until I got on the Garden State Parkway 42 miles later.  Beej actually watched the entire game and was texting me updates, but I don’t expect much out of him anymore.

Anyway, turns out I didn’t miss a whole lot. I thought maybe I’d make it home for the end of this one, but apparently the game ended with 18 minutes left in the second half. Seriously, check out the game flow chart over at Friarblog which I’d repost here except StatSheet doesn’t support embedding on WordPress blogs. This game turned into a blowout largely because of the efforts of Marshon and Greedy, who are absolutely taking over this team, especially given Sharaud Curry’s mysterious “injury” that has kept him from doing anything (a side note, last night at dinner, my dad asked me, and I quote, “Has anyone drawn a picture of a basketball for Sharaud Curry yet?”) Marshon had his usual 45 points in the first 8 minutes (not really) and The Greedy Ratio was a STELLAR 2.22, thanks in large part to his 3-3 performance from behind the arc (um… what?). The threes were falling all night for just about everyone, in fact, with Marshon hitting 4 of his 5 3 point attempts and the legendary Kyle Wright hitting 3 of his own, contributing to his 13 points/6 rebound performance that literally no one saw coming. Oh, by the way, Sharaud Curry was 0-2 from 3 and scored 9 coming off the bench. He did pace the Friars with 5 assists, however, so I’m not going to gripe too much. For now. Bilal Dixon and James Still did their jobs down low, bringing down a team leading 7 boards a piece, combining to record 3 blocks, and not getting into foul trouble for the first time in several games (2 PFs for Bilal, 3 for Still). Instead, it was Chainsaw that got in foul trouble, and quite honestly, if he’s picking up the personals, it means Bilal isn’t, and I’m kind of OK with that. If there’s one complaint I have here, it’s with Johnnie Lacy, who is not exactly living up to having Ryan Gomes’s number on his back. 1-7 shooting ain’t gonna do it, pal. I understand he’s a freshman, and I’m not going to sit here and completely pick him apart for one bad game. All I’m saying is that with several other new guys (Bilal, VC and his 4-1 ast:TO, Duke Mondy, James Still, and apparently, Kyle Wright) stepping up in a big way, he’s gonna have to keep pace to get minutes.

Clearly, the offense was on last night, and that’s what this team was built for. The defense was apparently clicking as well, however, which is an added bonus. This is a lineup, as it has been in years past, that is capable of shooting the lights out on any given night, but it’s nice to have some defense to fall back on in case the shooting isn’t there. When the shooting is there and the defense steps up, you get 42 point wins. Simple as that. Just looking at the stats, Vermont couldn’t buy a bucket, especially from 3 point range (36.7% FG, 14.3% 3pt), and no one not named Marqus Blakely did ANYTHING offensively. Blakely put up a respectable 24, and only two other players, Maurice Joseph and the hilariously named Brendan Bald scored in double figures. None of them had especially stellar shooting nights. Two starters were shut out entirely. Additionally, Vermont turned it over 23 times, 19 of which were directly caused by Friar steals. Marshon led the defensive effort with 5 steals, followed by Duke and Sharaud, who had 4 and 3 steals, respectfully. It’s worth mentioning the Friars had 19 turnovers of their own, but in their defense, it appears the majority of them came from the bench in garbage time, so I won’t put too much stock into that. One other thing worth mentioning, walk-on Chris Carter got 3 minutes in the game. I’m reasonably sure he was the team manager last year. Good for him. Someone’s gotta fill the giant shoes of “Big Bus” Brian Beloin.

-SM

Here is the debut of Lindsay Carl’s X-Files review on Heath’s World.  Lindsay is a Film List podcast listener who has sent me some great genre Top 10 lists.  AS we continued to talk, she has recently started to watch the X-Files.  Oh yes, for the first time!  To get a fresh perspective on the amazing TV series, I asked Lindsay to write her thoughts as she explores each season.  Lindsay will contribute to Heath’s World as she completes each viewing of an X-Files season. 

Remember, there are a lot of X-Files fans out there.  Especially the ones who watched the show from the beginning.  So for someone watching the show for the first time in 2009, it may not have the same effect.  Or will it?  So go easy.  But all is fair in love and the X-Files.  And remember, the truth is out there……

Lindsay is the first blogger I have brought on to the site.  So check out her debut below, X-Files Review : Fresh Eyes.

LINDSAY’S X-FILES SEASON 1 REVIEW :

I am thrilled that Heath asked me to contribute to his blog in
discussing my first viewing of The X-Files. So first things first:
Heath, thank you for the opportunity, and for suggesting this show to
me in the first place!

*Note: I apologize in advance for my love of commas, semicolons,
parenthesis, brutal honesty, and sarcasm =)

I began watching Season 1 this of The X-Files this October, not
knowing much about the show other than what the title suggests. In the
pilot episode, I got a better feel of what the premise would be: Agent
Fox Mulder (probably the coolest name ever, next to Wolfgang Puck) is
an FBI special agent who has been assigned a special set of
unexplained or mysterious cases called the X-Files. Agent Dana Scully
is assigned to work with him on these cases, but is a woman of
science, and completely opposes belief in the supernatural. This
premise alone struck interest in me.

The first unavoidable thing I noticed was how dated it was; in
quality, special effects, and the atrocious 90’s attire. But this is
entirely my fault for watching it a decade too late, I suppose. My
first reaction: Ahhh! Fox Mulder’s hair is SO 90’s that it hurts. And
don’t even get me started on Dana Scully’s dated, shoulder-padded
trench coat. But once I got past that, it got better.

A suggestion to any other new, first-time watchers, DO NOT base your
opinions on the Pilot; or the first several episodes for that matter.
Here are some episodes that really stood out to me (for better or
worse):

Deep Throat (Ep.2) – I wasn’t a big fan of the pilot, but this
episode was far more my style. I have a special place in my heart for
government conspiracies, and this one delves into the possibility that
the government is already WELL aware of UFOs, to the point where
similar vehicles are being tested at an air force base.

Conduit (Ep. 3) – Not much to say about this one. It was a little
TOO sci-fi for me; definitely straddled the line between sci-fi and
ridiculous. But seeing ‘Horace Goodspeed’ made me smile.

Ghost in the Machine (Ep. 7) – I watched this one twice. The first
time, it didn’t keep my attention at all. But I really liked it the
second time. It reminded me of ‘Wargames’, which is one of my favorite
movies of all time. I love the idea of computers becoming so highly
intelligent that they can outsmart humans. We can certainly see this
happening now: computers get smarter, and people get dumber =)

ICE (Ep. – This was by far my favorite of the entire season. I
liked that it had the sci-fi aspect, but the idea of a creepy
prehistoric parasitic outbreak really isn’t beyond the realm of
reality.

EVE (Ep. 11) – I wanted to like this episode. I really did. But it
was just way too unrealistic for me. And the acting of those little
girls just got under my skin.

Gender Bender (Ep. 14) – As much as I disliked EVE for being too
unrealistic, on the contrary, I loved this one. The creep-factor was
awesome! There is something extremely disturbing to me about a group
of people who live outside of society, but in a good way. This episode
really pulled it off.

Shapes (Ep. 19) – For what it’s worth, I really noticed a big shift
in acting abilities with the characters in this episode. They cast the
supporting actors very well, which is something I kind of had a
problem with in past episodes. I also had big laughs when Mulder and
Scully tried saying ‘Mr. Goodensnake’ with a completely serious face.
Also, when the famous LOST line, “DON’T TELL ME WHAT I CAN’T DO!!!”
made a cameo.

Darkness Falls (Ep. 20) – I loved this episode for the same reason I
loved ‘ICE’. The realism in the idea that insects could take over the
world. I am actually surprised they haven’t already! Very good concept
overall.

Tooms (Ep. 21) – At first, I felt cheated when I realized that this
was a ‘part 2’ of a previous episode. But I enjoyed this episode much
more than its previous counterpart. They go a little deeper into the
relationship between Mulder and Scully on a much more personal level.
Scully showed a lot more personality than in episodes passed. Also
Tooms licking his fingers after picking up that decomposing rat:
grossest thing EVER! It was awesome.

The Erlenmeyer Flask (Finale) – This episode certainly hooked me,
for sure. It ended with an excellent cliffhanger, and it left me
wanting to see more. And again, the government conspiracy plot was
really interesting to me. The ONLY part I disliked was seeing the
monkey in cages, which made me shed a tiny tear. I also noticed that
the intro was different. Usually, the words “The Truth is Out There”.
In this episode, it said “Trust No One”. If this was an attempt to
peak interest in the viewer, it certainly worked for me. It leaves me
wondering if maybe season 2 will have this ‘trust no one’ theme. But I
guess we will see!

There are some general qualms I had with the show. First, I do not
understand this desexualization of Scully. She is a gorgeous woman,
and it seems as though they completely disregard this. She is always
so serious, unfeminine, unemotional, and ‘all business, all the time’,
it’s sometimes hard to watch. But I did notice that she breaks out of
her ‘beige trenchcoat’ of a shell  a little more at the end, and I
really hope her character develops a little more going forward.

The constant ‘serious-face’ glances between Mulder and Scully in every
episode EVERY time someone else is talking is a bit much. I understand
they are trying to dramatize the situation, but it’s overkill at
times. The fact that I watched two or three episodes at time may
contribute to this, making it seem like it happens a lot more often
than it really does.

And as I had mentioned before, the acting was often pretty horrible.
Although I could tell that Duchovny and Anderson are getting a lot
more comfortable in their roles and with each other toward the
seasons’ end. However, the rest of the casting could still use a
little work. I am guessing that the funding for the show will increase
in seasons to come, and better actors can be afforded.

I know, I know. I have a lot of complaints. I guess this might come
from the fact that I have been exposed to LOST which is the best show
in the universe. Yes, the UNIVERSE (What’s that saying about filet
mignon and bologna?) BUT alas, I am very excited to get into season 2
and continue watching. It is overall a very interesting concept as a
whole, and extremely entertaining. And I am confident that some, if
not all of the issues I do have with the show will be eliminated as
the series progresses.

Thanks for reading!
~Lindsay (youllshootyoureyeout)

X-Files – Voglio crederci è un film del 2008, diretto e cosceneggiato da Chris Carter, in collaborazione con Frank Spotnitz.

Leggi altre notizie su: | Chris Carter | David Duchovny | Gillian Anderson | Amanda Peet

Better Know a Foe is back! After taking a week off for the Louisiana Tech game, we hooked up with Fresno Bee beat writer Daniel Lyght to get his insights into the Fresno State Bulldogs.

Fresno State had a ridiculously tough start to the season, with tough non-con games and then Boise State. Is that paying dividends now that the WAC season is well underway and the Bulldogs are rolling?

It might be paying dividends in the sense that they now know they can play with anyone left on their schedule. They played Boise State, Cinci and Wisconsin tough, arguably the three toughest teams on their schedule, so that might have instilled confidence in the players.

Ryan Mathews — what makes him such a good RB and is there anything short of Kryptonite that can stop him?

He’s got breakaway speed, strength, vision, a lil bit of shake, the ability to quickly change directions, great balance, and a great stiff-arm. All he needs to do is stay durable.

Other than Mathews, who are the key playmakers for Fresno on offense and defense?

Well, QB Ryan Colburn has a strong arm and has proven to be a threat at points this year. Frosh RB Robbie Rouse is a really shifty back with a lot of jukes who can break some nice runs. Lonyae Miller is probably the fastest RB on the team, but his touches have been limited bc of Mathews’ breakout season and Rouse’s emergence.

Seyi Ajirotutu has proven to be the top receiving threat. He also led the team in receiving last season. He had a season-high seven catches for 124 yards last week. He’s about 6-foot-5 so he can cause some matchup issues on the perimeter and uses a nice stiff arm to pick up yards after the catch.

On defense, safety Lorne Bell’s a hitter. The star of the defense, though, has been DE Chris Carter. He has 9.5 TFL this season and draws the attention of the opposing teams in film study. He’s incredibly quick off the line and has a great speed rush.

Idaho had one of the conference’s best run defenses until Nevada came along and exposed their inability to cope with running quarterbacks and misdirection plays. Are the Bulldogs looking to exploit that weakness with more of an option attack?

We never know for certain what they’ll try to do (except of course pound the ball via the run), but if that’s a weakness Idaho has shown, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Fresno State try it. They haven’t used option QB Ebahn Feathers much in that capacity in several games. They’ve been more apt to put Mathews in the Wildcat and run motions with slot receivers. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see that again on Saturday.

Will the Bulldogs’ secondary be able to contain Idaho’s aerial assault?

A great question and a key to this game. Coaches say (Nathan) Enderle has developed into a very good QB, and is one of the main reasons the Vandals have succeeded this year.

As important as the coverage in the secondary is, equally important is whether the front 7 will be able to apply constant pressure and limit the amount of time Enderle has to pick the secondary apart.

Your thoughts on what each team has to do to win.

Fresno State has to establish the run game early and quarterback Ryan Colburn needs to balance it with enough plays in the passing game to keep the defense off the line. The Bulldogs also need to stay turnover free.

Idaho needs to keep Mathews in check. It would be a great plus if they used some option on offense to keep the Bulldogs off balance. Idaho will want to put points on the board because Mathews and the rest of the Bulldogs offense can score quickly.

What do you think the game’s going to be like?

It’s gonna be a close one and I think it’s gonna be a shootout with both teams scoring in the 30s.

Thanks, Daniel!

No surprises here either.

The increasingly erratic and absurd Chris Carter for his Red Alert blog post likening John Key to Mussolini.

Is Chris Carter mad, or merely demented.

Apart from anything else he seems to imagine homophobia everywhere he looks, has he not realised that what he is experiencing is not homophobia, but just distaste for a politician who is seen as totally irrelevant.

I had a rare night out night tonight, in a bookshop, perfect. It was to see a collection of crime writers talk about their books. I think that’s a great idea for author promotion, go round in packs, although at the book signing afterwards it’d be a bit depressing if everyone else was having massive queues to have their books signed and no one was queuing for you!

Under the title Kingston Killers, I saw three groups of three, the first was a trio of historical crime writers; Ariana Franklin (Mistress of the Art of Death series), Laura Wilson (Stratton’s War series) and Nicola Upson (Josephine Tey series). Franklin writes fiction set in the 12th century and Wilson and Upson write in the 1930s and 1940s. They all read excerpts from their books and they all sounded really good. In the Q&A afterwards, they talked about why the write historical fiction and they all pretty much agreed that we need to understand our history, to know where we’re coming from, how things have changed, I like that. Franklin in particular talked passionately about her chosen era and how she didn’t need to think about plots, it was all there already. I liked the sound of Wilson’s plans to have her Stratton series follow the career of an ordinary policeman (i.e. not depressive/gambler/alcoholic/etc) through the 40s and on into the 60s. And Upson’s books about the real life crime writer Josephine Tey’s supposed real life inspiration, sounded really interesting.

The next trio was Yaba Badoe (True Murder), Cathi Unsworth (writes books set in the 60s and 80s) and Johan Theorin (Echoes from the Dead, The Darkest Room). Badoe’s book is set around events in a girl’s boarding school and Unsworth writes books set in London with a heavy music influence. Theorin is the next big thing from Sweden in the current wave of Swedish crime fiction and writes quite spooky sounding, atmospheric books.

The final trio was Chris Carter (The Crucifix Killer), NJ Cooper (starting a new series about a forensic psychologist) and RJ Ellory (he of Richard and Judy fame). Carter’s Crucifix Killer sounded really good, apparently too gory for the US market. Cooper’s book had a really chilling openings. RJ Ellory’s reading, sounded well, like an RJ Ellory book (in fairness to him, of all the writers there, he was the only one I was familiar with, so with him it wasn’t a ‘learning something new experience’). In the Q&A afterwards though, they did ask Ellory a question I’ve always wondered, he’s British, so why does he write about the US all the time? His answer was that he thought British crime fiction had a tendency to fall into stereotypes, whereas crime fiction set in the US was more of a blank canvas and it’s such a big country that you could in effect write one story in one part of the US and then write the next in another part and it would be like writing about different countries (I’m heavily paraphrasing here). He was also quite inspiring when he spoke about the sort of book he wants to write; one that people still remember, weeks after reading and he was very inspiring when he said how many books he’d written before getting published (amounting in the twenties).

I could have easily have brought all the authors’ books, but could only buy three (and really shouldn’t have done that, but they were on a one night 3 for 2). Chris Carter’s book was sorely tempting, but I didn’t have the money for a hard back, I ended up getting books by RJ Ellory, Johan Theorin and Ariana Franklin and all three were very charming when I asked them to sign their books. It was a great night, basking a little in the glow of publish-ability, maybe some of it will rub off!

David Duchovny afirma que gostaria de fazer mais um filme

Em uma entrevista com o blog DailyBeast sobre o sucesso da série de TV Californication, David Duchovny foi assombrado mais uma vez com perguntas sobre o futuro de Arquivo X no cinema.

"Em relação ao próximo filme, o que eu gostaria de fazer, se tivermos uma chance, é retornar ao coração e à alma da mitologia da série, que são as conspirações de ufologia. Acho natural que Arquivo X tenha mais um filme em 2012, então vamos ver se a gente consegue realizar", disse.

Sobre a recepção pouco calorosa a Arquivo X: Eu Quero Acreditar, Duchovny disse que "ficou feliz com o filme". "Tenho muito respeito por Chris Carter [criador da série] e toda a equipe de roteiristas."

O produtor Frank Spotnitz também quer a volta dos alienígenas

Enquanto isso nós fãs continuamos esperançosos em ver nossos velhos Mulder & Scully de volta. Basta saber se a Fox acataria o projeto…

Inget gör grå betongförorter så vackra som den distans 100 mil hav och 30 år ger. Bilderna av det brittiska 70-talets tröstlösa tower blocks är en perfekt inramning till BBC4:s rykande färska dokumentär Synth Britannia.

Det var den miljö en generation brittiska musiker rörde sig i och tog inspiration från – de som hörde Kraftwerk 1975, slängde ut gitarrerna och skaffade förhållandevis billiga syntar på avbetalning. Eller byggde dem själva, som Joy Divisions Bernard Sumner eller Throbbing Gristles Chris Carter.

Exakt hur betongen, massarbetslösheten och den grå tillvaron i Hackney, Sheffield eller Basildon tog uttryck i musiken skiftade naturligtvis. Human League och Depeche Mode försökte fly vardagen och drömde om listettor, Throbbing Gristle och Cabaret Voltaire försökte beskriva det de såg och hörde omkring sig i ett Storbritannien statt i förfall.

Gemensamt var attityden till elektroniska maskiner som utgjorde ett brott med den rådande ordningen. Ett veritabelt skred som kan kännas otroligt avlägset nu när maskinen jag skriver detta på med rätt programvara kan användas för att producera mer avancerade saker än många av de här banden kunde i studion. Samtidigt är det lätt att känna igen sig än i dag i attityden från musikpressen som avfärdade syntmusiken som plastig, artificiell och oautentisk. I själva verket var det både lättare och svårare att göra något av värde med dåtidens maskiner.

Lättare, eftersom – som Daniel Miller påpekar i programmet – medan det krävdes av punkbanden att de kunde tre ackord kom en syntmusiker undan med att trycka på en knapp för att åstadkomma något intressant. Svårare eftersom maskinernas begränsningar innebar att det var komplicerat att göra själva musiken mer avancerad utan en hel maskinpark. En monofonisk synt kan bara spela en ton i taget, innan samplern tvingades den som ville spela ackord helt enkelt skaffa flera exemplar av samma maskin. Resultatet, för den som inte hade Keith Emersons resurser, blev ofelbart punkigt.

De tidiga syntbandens attityd till sina maskiner varierade. I ett gruppsamtal i Sounds från tidigt 1981 sammanför journalisten John Gill bland andra Human Leagues Phil Oakey, Genesis P-Orridge från TG och Boyd Rice för en tidvis hätsk debatt. Det var efter att Human League sparkat Martin Ware och tagit stegen mot popstjärnestatus, och Genesis P-Orridge har bara förakt för dem.

För första och antagligen sista gången: Boyd Rice och Human Leagues Phil Oakey på samma bild. Bakre raden: Karl Blake (Lemon Kittens), John Fothergill (Nurse With Wound), Paul (Two Daughters), Adrian Wright (Human League), Cosey Fanni Tutti (Throbbing Gristle), Phil Oakey (Human League). Främre raden: Boyd Rice, Danielle Dax (Lemon Kittens), Anthony (Two Daughters), Chris Carter (Throbbing Gristle). På golvet: Genesis P-Orridge (Throbbing Gristle).

Genesis deklarerar att Throbbing Gristle hatar “synthesizers”, Cosey fyller i att hon tycker de som använder dem är lata. Det framgår allt tydligare att det de syftar på varken är ett garageportstort System 100 eller Chris Carters hemmabyggen utan de billiga keyboards som nyligen har börjat dyka upp. Ironiskt nog har Genesis tidigare i diskussionen hyllat Wasp för att den billiga lilla apparaten befriat musiken – och ännu mer ironiskt är naturligtvis hans totala omfamnande av acid house några år senare. 303:an var billig när den kom och ännu billigare när den plockades upp för en spottstyver av de första houseproducenterna.

Diskussionen, som utmynnar i ett gräl mellan TG och Human League visar med all tydlighet att det höll på att bildas två huvudfåror inom den tidiga syntmusiken – konstnärerna och popbanden. Detta trots att de fortfarande delvis låg på samma små indiebolag och från början kände sig som en del av samma scen. Mute Records gav ut både Depeche Modes tonårspop och Boyd Rice mörka experimentmusik, för att ta ett exempel.

Det blev, precis som Lemon Kittens Karl Blake förutspår i gruppdiskussionen, den urvattnade popmusiken som tog över. Human League och Depeche må ha varit hatade på sin tid, men deras hitsinglar är trots allt bra pop – särskilt om man ställer dem bredvid plågsamma syntförsök som Howard Jones och Thompson Twins.

Runt hörnet låg dessutom den revolution som billiga samplers med bra ljud innebar, och som egentligen kanske betytt ännu mer än syntpopen.

Vi går tillbaka till Soundsartikeln. Boyd Rice säger något mycket viktigt alldeles i början:

“Folk verkar vara för medvetna om att de jobbar med elektronik och de blir för involverade i elektronisk musik. Det blir som surfmusik eller nåt, som att sjunga om att surfa, eller om elektronik eller teknologi… Det verkar som att många låtsas antingen vara alienerade av teknologi, eller att de älskar teknologi.”

Här sätter han verkligen fingret på något viktigt. Oavsett hur häftigt det är att se livebilder på Kraftwerk i dokumentären, eller bara att se de gamla pionjärerna visa upp sina syntar, så är problemet Boyd Rice pekar på bara alltför välbekant. Antingen det är nostalgi hos de som är tillräckligt gamla, eller nyväckt fascination hos de yngre så är genrens självupptagenhet fruktansvärt motbjudande. Det borde vara grundregeln för all konstutövning att aldrig någonsin vara självrefererande – nog för att den bryts konstant. I fallet med elektronisk musikproduktion betyder det att den som – undantaget Kraftwerk – över huvud taget nämner sin utrustning i texter, låttitlar eller albumtitlar gör bort sig totalt. För att vara på den säkra sidan – undvik teman som har med teknologi att göra över huvud taget.

Syntar är lika lite som gitarrmickar eller trumskinn ett självändamål, utan medel för att uttrycka känslor. Den som inte begriper det kommer aldrig att vara något annat än en tekniknörd.

Angående BBC-dokumentären
BBC tar det här med tv-licens på blodigt allvar, och har blockerat filmen för tittare utanför Storbritannien. Vill man inte tanka filmen, går det att komma runt blockeringen genom att följa de här instruktionerna, som jag snodde från 99musik:

Jag tror inte att surfa på proxy för att titta på synthdokumentärer är olagligt, så här kommer en liten how-to!

(om det nu är det så får JGB helt klart ta bort den här informationen, jag tycker inte heller att sånt hör hemma här)

Jag googlade “free+proxy+list” och fick fram en fungerande (och mycket snabb!) proxyserver.

IP: 93.93.128.50

PORT: 3128

Sen är det bar att i Firefox (vet inte hur det är med övriga) gå in i inställningar -> avancerat -> nätverk och klicka på [settings...] (hur firefox kopplar upp till nätet, eller något- Jag har allt på engelska)

Välj manual proxykonfigurering och fyll i HTTP Proxyn (IP:t ovan) och PORT, markera sedan använd denna proxy för alla protokoll and then you’re good to go!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00n93c4/Synth_Britannia/

Mer om Synt, Synth Britannia, Throbbing Gristle, Genesis P-Orridge, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Chris Carter, Human League, Boyd Rice, Daniel Miller, Kraftwerk

That went horribly.  That went horribly, and October is not the time for “horribly.” Lester took the loss.  He gave up three runs on four hits in six innings with four runs and five strikeouts.  I should mention that those three runs scored courtesy of a Torii Hunter home run.  By the way, Lester threw one hundred pitches.  In only six innings.  In October, one hundred pitches should be getting you through the seventh inning.

But wait, it gets worse.  Ramon Ramirez, Mr. Struggle-in-September, came to the mound and proceeded to pitch to three batters and allow two more runs without recording an out.  Saito and Bard were both solid.  Make no mistake: our bullpen is a huge advantage over any opponent we face.

The lineup did nothing.  We got four hits all night, none of which were for extra bases.  The final score was 5-0.  We need Ellsbury to give us something.

We made three errors.  Gonzalez, Bay, and Lowell, all throwing.  It reminds me of that game in October 2004 when we made more errors than we could count.  (On the bright side, October 2004 was, to make the understatement of the century, a really good October.)

And now let’s talk about the umpire, shall we? Let’s start with first-base umpire CB Bucknor.  As the similarity between his last name and a certain someone else’s during the 1986 World Series doesn’t make me uneasy enough.  Both of these calls involved Howie Kendrick at first.  And you can watch replays of both and see that Howie Kendrick was about as out as you can possibly be.  Question mark number one: with two out in the fourth, Kendrick hit a grounder up the middle, which Gonzalez fielded very schnazzily (it was a sliding catch; very nicely done) and fired to Youk at first.  But the throw was wide, so it pulled Youk off the bag.  So Youk applied the tag, but Bucknor called Kendrick safe.  Question mark number two: in the sixth, Kendrick grounded to Lowell, who fired high to first.  Youk jumped up to catch it but came back down on the bag about four feet before Kendrick got there.  And yet somehow Kendrick was safe? Tito had some words for Bucknor, and rightfully so.  Fortunately, neither of those plays cost us runs, the first one because Lester struck out Jeff Mathis to end the inning and the second because Jacoby Ellsbury made an absolutely spectacular diving catch of Chone Figgins’ fly to end the inning.  But that’s not the point.  I don’t want any more of this going forward.

Speaking of defense, it was awesome.  Everyone was spot-on, which was a sight for sore eyes, given all of our recent health concerns.  JD Drew got in on the action and gunned down Kendry Morales at the plate in the seventh.

Byrd is on the roster, and Delcarmen is off because of, you guessed it, the car accident.  Baldelli is also off, replaced by Brian Anderson and Joey Gathright.  The Billy Wagner trade is finally complete; the Mets picked up Chris Carter and first base prospect Eddie Lora.  Don Orsillo did a fantastic job, as always.

Believe it or not, there are some silver linings to last night’s horror show.  First of all, we shouldn’t worry about Lester.  It’s the first game of the playoffs, we were away, he’s got some nerves.  Secondly, the outcome of last night might play directly into our hands.  To borrow some logic from hockey, Andy Brickley said yesterday on NESN that the Bruins’ bad loss to Washington was a necessity for us to remember who we are and how we play, and it facilitated our running wild all over the Hurricanes.  (Brickley said that before we lost to Anaheim, 6-1, which is eerily similar to our good score against Carolina and last night’s outcome against the Angels, but again, that’s not the point.) So last night, in many important ways, was a wake-up call.  It reminded us that October is not all fun and games.  You can’t just waltz into the playoffs and expect the series win to be handed to you on a silver platter.  You have to earn it the hard way, and sometimes, that means you won’t sweep.  So, okay.  The first game is over, the jitters are gone, we’re comfortable in the Angels’ park now.  The Angels is throwing Jered Weaver tonight, but forget that.  Tonight, Josh Beckett makes his first postseason start of 2009.  He threw a bit the other day and says he feels great.  This is what I was talking about when I said I liked the Thursday schedule.  We lost yesterday, but we’ve got another chance right away to remember who we are.  And there’s no pitcher out there who can make you remember faster in the postseason than Josh Beckett.

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Incontrovertibly Chris Carter, the butt of jokes about travel costs and hotel bills, his inability to even recognise a problem coupled with his failure to understand he is no longer in government render him a real Wally.

Hi everyone,

Just recently I had my first MMA fight. It was an amazing experience and the culmination of a dream I have had for the past 3 years.

Me getting ready to go!

The journey to the fight was one with some pretty major physical, emotional and mental challenges. What I want to talk about today, is some of the physical and training lessons I  learnt and how these lessons can be applied to improve the quality of your training and maybe help you if you decide to step in the ring one day!

One of the most important qualities for a fighter to develop is an appreciable level of maximal strength. Now this does not mean you have to compete in a powerlifting competition but it means you have a good solid strength base to work off. I found that by developing my maximal strength in a few key lifts (dead lift, chin up and front squat) it helped improve my conditioning by making each movement a little bit easier. The increased strength in the chin up helped with clinch situations, the dead lift helped with hip drive and power and the front squat was useful for improving my ability to fend off takedowns.

The next quality I really focused on was my anaerobic conditioning. An actual MMA bout is a combination of all energy systems (ATP-PC, anaerobic and aerobic) and there is a huge build up of lactate and other metabolic products during the match. My conditioning work allowed me to deal with this very effectively. Some key exercises I used were burpies, clubbell barbarian squats, kettlebell clean and jerks and jump squats. Performing these exercises in a circuit fashion, for timed reps and other methods really developed my conditioning to a really high level. In some future posts, I will publish and film some of my sessions so you can follow along if you dare!

The third quality focused on was single leg strength and stability. I felt this was important as a fight takes place in an uneven stance and it is important to maintain balanced strength levels in both legs. The main exercises I used were weighted pistol squats and bulgarian squats.

The last quality I will talk about is speed of movement and rate of force development. A fight requires a high level of explosiveness and our fast twitch type IIB muscle fibers are ideal for this purpose. I took a leaf out of Chad Waterbury’s book and used his system for performing my strength exercises – terminate each set when the rep speed, range of motion or quality of form deteriorates. This emphasizes the recruitment of all muscle fibers and does not allow our explosive fibers to fatigue. The other added benefit of this repetition method allowed me to not to work to exhaustion and recover quicly. This was a key element with my other training (stand up, BJJ, flexibility, mobility and conditioning).

I hope this post has given you some ideas to improve your own training and also has helped give you an idea of what someone goes through when participating in the sport of MMA. Good luck!

There were a lot of familiar faces guest staring on Fringe last night (and last week for that matter) – let’s start with Kevin Corrigan who you may know from movies like Superbad or television shows like Grounded for Life.  He is currently playing Sam Weiss, the man Nina Sharp told Olivia could put her back together again (and how to score 300 in bowling).

Then there is Claudette Mink, who you may remember from earlier this years horror TV drama, Harper’s Island.

Finally, Lance Henriksen who portrayed Frank Black in the Chris Carter series that was released after the X-Files known as Millennium.

Another X-Files (esk) reference…

Fringe began with a human super bomb that was triggered by a combination of a weird serum tuned to the right frequency. You see, over in Iraq the military did a top secret study on some of their soilder – they injected them with this amber colored liquid that would freeze them and cause them to explode – just like a human bomb.

The problem… they didn’t know.

So Walter, Peter and Olivia head off to discover the truth. The Observer (a.k.a. “The Bald Guy” or Fringe’s “Cigarette Smoking Man”) made his reappearance tonight. It seems that The Observer is behind it all.

Collecting data on the human race so that “they” can fit in and then destroy us. Oh they and them… how they are known for that…

On a side note, when Peter was in Iraq – he wasn’t a nice guy and Olivia, with the help of Sam Weiss, is not only working on getting her memory back she is off the cain, as of the end of the episode.

The fidgeting of Walter was better this episode, they didn’t over do it with is “quirky food” references, but I still worry. The first season took a major turn so maybe this season will too, the one thing I did get is that the Bishops are here to stay.

Well, at least they’re moving out of their hotel room into an apartment.

Fringe airs on Fox, Thursdays @ 9pm - Next week, more Leonard Nimoy!

Shortly after the minor league season ended, I began to consider the idea of awarding a Bus Leagues Player of the Year. We are not, and never will be, well-versed in the art of baseball prospecting. What we do have, however, is “our trademark irrational sense of whimsy,” as Eric writes at the end of every Z-Meter, and it seemed we ought to be able to use that to use that to give somebody a meaningless fictional award.

I combed through a bunch of stats and narrowed it down to a highly subjective Top Ten.  At that point, five Bus Leagues contributors – Eric A., Eric M., Chris, Andrew, and myself – cast votes for our top three, with five points for a first place vote, three points for a second place vote, and one point for a third place vote.

From those votes came the results you see below.  Enjoy.

Jonathan Gaston, LF
Lancaster JetHawks (Houston)
California League
Class A-Advanced
Total Points: 0 (10th)

Gaston led the California League in games played, runs scored, triples, homeruns, and total bases. His 35 homeruns tied Albuquerque’s Mitch Jones for the highest total in all of minor league baseball.  These facts did not impress any of the Bus Leagues voters enough to reward him with a vote.

Jamie McOwen, RF
High Desert Mavericks (Seattle)
California League
Class A-Advanced
Total Points: 2 (9th)

McOwen made national headlines (and won the collective heart of the Bus Leagues audience) with a 45-game midseason hitting streak, the eighth longest in minor league history.  He picked up a base hit in every game he played for nearly two months (May 10-July 8).

What The Voters Said
“The hitting streak earned him official Bus Leagues man-crush status. I always feel that a guy who can dominate the tag cloud despite relative obscurity deserves an all-star vote.” – Eric A.

Ruben Rivera, C
Piratas de Campeche
Mexican League
Class AAA
Total Points: 3 (t-6th)

Even in an offense-oriented circuit like the Mexican League, Rivera’s 32 homeruns, 90 runs batted in, and .344/.461/.669 line stood out.

Mitch Jones, RF
Albuquerque Isotopes (LA Dodgers)
Pacific Coast League
Class AAA
Total Points: 3 (t-6th)

While Jones and Jonathan Gaston tied for the minor league lead with 35 homeruns, Jones won the Baumann Award because he topped Gaston in runs batted in, 103-100.

What The Voters Said
“Mitch Jones, although basically past his prime, was a former Yankee prospect turned career minor leaguer (even though his power numbers prove otherwise).” – Eric M.

Grant Desme, CF
Kane County/Stockton (Oakland)
Midwest/California League
Class A/A+
Total Points: 3 (t-6th)

Minor League Baseball’s only 30-30 man this season, Desme posted the majority of his stolen bases with Kane County and the majority of his homeruns with Stockton.

What The Voters Said
“It doesn’t matter that he did it while playing in two high offense leagues – a 30/40 season deserves our respect.” – Brian

Carlos Santana, C
Akron Aeros (Cleveland)
Eastern League
Class AA
Total Points: 4 (5th)

Santana has earned a mid-season All-Star selection, postseason All-Star selection, and Most Valuable Player honors in the past two years in the California and Eastern Leagues. Alas, in the Bus Leagues vote, he could do no better than fifth.

What The Voters Said
“I’m actually not picking him just because he shares a name with the guitarist (yes, I am capable of ignoring this). I’m impressed by Carlos’ consistency at Akron, where he had 90+ runs and ribbies on the season, kept his OPS near 1.000 from start to finish, and showed some power with 23 home runs. He’s a switch-hitter, which is also pretty cool. I also really like the idea of a guy named Carlos Santana playing in Cleveland, near the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame (OK, I lied.)” – Eric A.

Koby Clemens, C
Corpus Christi/Lancaster (Houston)
Texas/California League
Class AA/A+
Total Points: 5 (t-3rd)

Again, the California League – it’s a seriously offensive league – and again, the Lancaster JetHawks – one could argue that High Desert’s Alex Liddi is getting seriously shortchanged by being left out of our top ten. But it’s hard to argue with the counting stats Clemens posted this season.

What The Voters Said
“It’s about time there was a Clemens that doesn’t have a needle attached to his butt…and because he had a great year.” – Chris

Brian Dopirak, 1B
New Hampshire/Las Vegas (Toronto)
Eastern/Pacific Coast League
Class AA/AAA
Total Points: 5 (t-3rd)

2009 was Dopirak’s second consecutive season with 25 homeruns, 100 RBI, a .300 batting average, and .900 OPS. He might have given Carlos Santana a run for his money in the Eastern League MVP race if he hadn’t been called up to Triple-A (clear across the country) after just 87 games.

What The Voters Said
“This guy has to be good, because I signed up to receive news updates from the Fisher Cats, and his name was in my inbox damn near every day he played there. Seriously, though. The guy can hit, and his average actually went UP, from .308 to .330 when he jumped up to Triple-A. It’ll be interesting to see if he can do it at the next level.” – Eric A.

Pedro Alvarez, 3B
Lynchburg/Altoona (Pittsburgh)
Carolina/Eastern League
Class A+/AA
Total Points: 8 (2nd)

Alvarez is 22-years-old and just hit .288 with 27 homeruns and 95 RBI in his very first professional season. It will be interesting to see how much time he spends in western Pennsylvania next season.

What The Voters Said
“Pedro Alvarez was bored in Lynchburg. He was all, “Screw it, I’m only going to hit .247.” So the Pirates decided to call his bluff. And they said, “Go to Double-A and let’s see if you can manage that.” And he destroyed 12 cars and the mayor is on the Altoona Curve’s ass. Why? Because Pedro Alverez tore Double-A up, Lethal Weapon style.” – Andrew

Chris Carter, 1B
Midland/Sacramento (Oakland)
Texas/Pacific Coast League
Class AA/AAA
Total Points: 12 (1st)

Carter earned the Texas League’s Player of the Year award by dominating the competition to the tune of 24 homeruns, 101 RBI, a .337 batting average, and 1.011 OPS. He celebrated the news of his honor by hitting three homeruns and driving in seven for Sacramento on August 31. Of course, Carter is no stranger to postseason accolades: he has earned a spot on the postseason All-Star teams in four different leagues in the past four years.  And now, he is the first ever Bus Leagues Player of the Year.

What The Voters Said
“They say that Robert Greene knows all about the 48 Rules of Power. These people are fools. The Oakland Athletics have the 36 chambers of the Wu-tang Clan, the 48 Laws of Power, the Alpha and the Omega in Chris Carter. He has a mighty bat. A great eye. Solid athleticism. Quite frankly, he will be Fantasy Baseball’s Answer to Adrian Peterson. He is…Green and Gold Jesus.” – Andrew

This speech is a speech I listen to when I don’t feel like training. Needless to say, it changes my motivation pretty fast!!

I just watched True Life:  I Hate My Tattoos on MTV and I’m … disgusted.

As per usual, they followed three lower class citizens in their daily life and watched them discuss the turmoil their tattoos have caused.

The first was a young Latina woman from the Miami area.  She stupidly tattooed the name of her boyfriend/fiance of four months onto her inner arm, just below her elbow.  He then broke up with her, emptied her bank account, and didn’t contact her for over a year.  She flip-flopped throughout the episode between her hatred of what he did to her and her supposed undying love for him, but still wanted the tattoo gone.  Rather than paying $400-$1000 to get the tattoo removed, she decided to cover it up with an even BIGGERtattoo.  She went from shop to shop, asking for advice and taking none of it.  The artist who seemed to have her best interests at heart advised her to reconsider having the tattoo at least lightened and to think long and hard about what she wanted the coverup to be.  Stupidly, she didn’t take his advice because … well, why would she?  She’s a dumb bitch who got some dude’s name tattooed on a very visible part of her body and then proceeded to exploit her stupidity for MTV and its viewers.  In the end, she got the name covered up with an even bigger tattoo (covering nearly all of her forearm).  What did she choose, you ask?  A monstrous blue koi fish.  Oh, and did I forget to mention that she also got back together with her lying, thieving ex?  Obviously, she’s not the brightest pinata at the fiesta.

The second subject was a young man who was “addicted” to getting tattoos.  Before I go further, I will tell you that tattoos can be highly addictive.  It’s not the ink itself, but the adrenaline rush that comes from getting one.  Your body releases adrenaline and endorphins to help tolerate the pain and it’s difficult to get that kind of sensation from any other legal activity.  For some, it’s also a form of cutting that won’t get you locked into a mental institution.  This dipshit, however, was just that … A DIPSHIT.  He had an alcohol abuse problem and oftentimes, after a night of partying, wound up at some fleabag shithole house to get a tattoo by someone not even closely resembling a professional.  The work itself was terrible, the kid spoke often of getting herpes/HIV tests because the “artist” often skipped needle changes, and the work was done on a dilapidated couch in the living room.  I can’t even begin to get into the the ethical/moral/health issues presented in this kid’s segment.  It was disgusting.  Not only is he a fool for continuing to get work done by that moron, the “artist” himself is disgusting for A) passing what he does off as real tattooing  B) repeatedly tattooing drunk “clients” and  C) continuously putting himself and others in harm’s way.  If the health department doesn’t shut his shit down after this, I’ll be surprised … and disappointed.  In the end, the kid served six hours of a four day sentence for public intoxication and supposedly got sober, stopped getting inked, and got his other tattoos removed.  If you’re thinking I should cut him a break, you need to see the episode.  Don’t cover yourself with visible, hideous tattoos and then complain because no one takes you seriously and everyone assumes you’ve been to prison.

The final subject wasn’t so bad … his fiance, however, needs to be slapped.  He was a former tattoo shop employee and claimed to have 70% of his body tattooed.  I think that was a bit of an overestimation, but he wore long pants the whole episode, so I could be wrong.  Anyway, he was no longer working in a tattoo shop because he needed higher, more stable income to support his family.  In the beginning of the episode, he was preparing for laser removal, but was scared.  Who can blame him?  I know people who have had them removed and they say that the lasers hurt ten times worse than the needle.  Despite his responsible attitude, his bitchy fiance couldn’t give him two seconds to muster his courage without immasculating him.  In the end, he started the process AND got a better job.  Here’s hoping he dumps her on her whiny, nagging ass.  Then they can film a new episode … True Life:  His Tattoos Weren’t So Bad.

The  point I’m trying to make with this post is that not all tattoos are bad.  I have several and plan to get many more.  I think they’re beautiful.  I think it’s the most legitimate way to collect art.  I think it’s the ultimate form of self-expression.  I think ALL of this is true … when it’s done PROPERLY.  Getting ink just for the sake of getting it is ridiculous.  My personal rule is that I have to want something for at least a year before I’ll put it on my body.  Also, it’s important to shop around and find a talented artist in a reputable shop who’s willing to work with your vision.  Tattoos are truly ART; you wouldn’t pay your niece to paint you a picture if you had the opportunity to buy a Monet, would you?  Finally, don’t tattoo the name of a significant other on your body.  It’s a curse.  It’s a death sentence for the relationship.  Not to mention, it’s just plain TACKY.

Tattoos become more socially acceptable every year and I find it reprehensible that MTV chose to show people who dabble in a mockery of the true art form.  Get your tattoos and expose them with pride; they are part of you.

My latest work, courtesy of Chris Carter at Fate Tattoo. Columbus, Ohio

I was watching the premiere of the new season of Fringe the other night, and man, that show is still… it’s just not there, you know? There’s a nice little reference to The X-Files in the episode, entitled “A New Day In An Old Town,” and while watching it, I kept thinking back to The X-Files, and The X-Files when it was at it’s height, mind you. It’s not hard to let your mind drift like that when you consider how decent the production values on a show like Fringe are, and how horrible the writing is. That, and I was still thinking about the idea of Frankenstein, and that reminded me of the episode from season five of that series, “The Post-Modern Prometheus,” otherwise known as “the black and white episode” in which Mulder and Scully go hunting for a modern day Frankenstein monster in the heartland of America…

Though highly gimmicky, it’s actually one of my favorite episodes of The X-Files, both funny and weird, but still really getting to the core of the show. In fact, looking back now, you could almost say that the show did it’s fluffy light-hearted fare than it did some of the paranormal elements? Maybe.

This is how we all started to feel towards the end of this show, but when it was good, it was damn good.

I don’t want to say too much about the episode, other than it involves a Elephant Man/Frankenstein monster that’s not all that he seems, and who has a serious love for Cher, and it was from the season right before the movie came out. The season after the movie was an interesting one if, for nothing else, you could tell that Chris Carter was seriously bored with the show and just doing whatever he could to keep himself awake (examples being the body switching two parter with Michael McKean, which was excellent, and Mulder’s time travel Nazi hunting vacation in the Bermuda triangle, also excellent).

There’s a whole fansite, called Goodnight, Dr. Frankenstein, and it’s devoted to just this episode alone. Very interesting. Good stuff. I’d suggest you check it out if you get the chance and as for Frankenstein, I’m not done talking about the monster yet, or the literary mad scientists who created it…

Crédito: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Os fãs de Millennium (entre os quais eu me incluo), andam um pouco entusiasmados com a possibilidade lançada por Lance Henriksen em entrevistas recentes de a série regressar à televisão, na forma de uma quarta temporada, ou ao grande écran, na forma de um filme. De acordo com Henriksen, que protagonizou esta obra de culto dos anos 90, existiria um consenso em torno do elenco original, faltando um sim de Chris Carter para a execução do projecto.
Para os que não conhecem a série, Millennium foi a série que sucedeu aos Ficheiros Secretos na obra de Chris Carter, e se muitos identificam algumas semelhanças entre as duas séries, o facto é que ambas têm em torno do seu argumento base, e como única semelhança entre si, o facto de se centrarem numa realidade conspirativa, sendo que a partir deste facto ambas se separam…se Ficheiros Secretos segue as linhas da cultura UFO Folk dos EUA como espinha dorsal da sua construção, Millennium situa essa componente conspiracionista na temática do ano 2000 como data do fim da existência humana, analisando não apenas no presente mas através da história, a forma como a civilização se desenvolveu em torno desta ideia, e os fenómenos que na realidade presente surgiam como relacionados com este facto.
De facto, se Ficheiros Secretos foi comercialmente a grande série de culto de Carter, a realidade é que se a analisarmos bem dentro da linha de pensamento que a originou ( e mesmo da sua extensão para o paranormal), não existe grande “sumo” para além do que se pode ler nesse UFO Folk, embora existam episódios individuais escritos e realizados por Carter que procuram fugir a essa matriz dogmática, sendo esses episódios pontuais nas diferentes temporadas. Quanto a Millennium, Carter parte do que existe sobre a sua temática em particular para todo um conjunto de realidades consubstanciadas em variados argumentos muito bem escritos em torno não apenas da sua base ficcional, mas igualmente em torno da psicologia comportamental, da dinâmica do mito na sociedade moderna ou em torno da análise da questão do fim dos tempos em diferentes matrizes culturais, não sendo pouco frequente a associação destas três (ou outras) temáticas. Toda esta versatilidade é incorporada em  Frank Black, que não nos surge tanto como um cruzado pela verdade, mas como um pivot de personalidade muito marcada pela influência de todas estas variáveis, com influência directa na sua vida pessoal ao longo da série. Esta andou sempre um pouco omnipresente na saga Ficheiros Secretos, com o Jeep vermelho que caracterizava a personagem Frank Black a surgir em vários episódios, sendo que a própria personagem surge na sétima temporada num episódio onde se deslinda um pouco da história de Millennium. Apesar disto, Millennium está muito longe de ser um spin-off de Ficheiros Secretos, como por vezes, de forma errada, alguma crítica menos informada vai opinando.
Para ser franco, sempre gostei mais da fórmula de Millennium, e fico muito satisfeito por existir a possibilidade do retorno deste magnífico enredo, independentemente do formato. Preocupa-me, contudo, a possibilidade de um filme após os dois trabalhos muito fracos em relação à adaptação dos Ficheiros Secretos para filme, embora no caso particular de Millennium estejamos perante uma fórmula que não está de forma nenhuma desgastada para se colocar em filme, apesar das fracas audiências das últimas temporadas, fenómeno que se fez sentir também em Ficheiros Secretos. Logo se verá o que pode surgir. Certo é que estarei bem atento.