1)  Colts (10-0) – LW 1

They haven’t played particularly well of late, but they keep finding ways to win.

2)  Saints (10-0) – LW 2

The Saints high-octane offense might meet its match next week against the Patriots and Tom Brady.

3)  Vikings (9-1) – LW 3

The old gunslinger isn’t playing like a 40-year-old.

4)  Patriots (7-3) – LW 6

The Pats hope to crush the Saints quest for an undefeated season.

5)  Chargers (7-3) – LW 8

The Chargers lead their division and are playing solid, complete football.

6)  Cardinals (7-3) – LW 7

At 7-3 the Cardinals have a healthy 3 game lead in their division.

7)  Bengals (7-3) – LW 4

Bad loss in Oakland last week, but they can get back on track as they face the Browns.

8)  Cowboys (7-3) – LW 10

Ugly win against the Redskins last week, but they are still in first place in the NFC East.

9)  Steelers (6-4) – LW 5

Bad loss at home against KC and Roethlisberger’s status is uncertain.

10)  Eagles (6-4) – LW 11

They won a close game and kept pace in the tight NFC East.

11)  Giants (6-4) – LW 16

They snapped their 4 game losing streak at home against Atlanta last week.

12)  Packers (6-4) – LW 14

The defense has played better of late, but the Packer’s success lies in the hands of the offensive line.

13)  Broncos (6-4) – LW 9

After a 6-0 start the Broncos have lost their last 4 games.

14)  Jaguars (6-4) – LW 17

They’ll get a test next week on the road against the 49ers.

15)  Ravens (5-5) – LW 12

A tough schedule and an inability to win close games has the preseason Super Bowl contenders at a mediocre 5-5.

16)  Falcons (5-5) – LW 15

Another tough loss for the Falcons, this time to the Giants in overtime.

17)  Dolphins (5-5) – LW 18

With Ronnie Brown out for the rest of the season, Ricky Williams has to step up and play like he did in his first 4 years in the NFL.

18)  Texans (5-5) – LW 13

They have to learn how to close out games.

19)  Titans (4-6) – LW 21

The combination of the reemergence of Vince Young and the MVP candidate Chris Johnson have the Titans on a 4 game winning streak.

20)  Panthers (4-6) – LW 19

The ground game has been carrying them this season, but in order to win Delhomme has to show that he can stretch the defense.

21)  49ers (4-6) – LW 20

Alex Smith and Vernon Davis have shown great chemistry, but they have to start scoring sooner rather than later.

22)  Jets (4-6) – LW 22

Too many turnovers have put the defense in a position to fail.

23)  Bears (4-6) – LW 23

The Bears have lost 5 of their last 6 games and look to be spiraling downward.

24)  Chiefs (3-7) – LW 27

They get better and better every week and they showed their progress with a win against Pittsburgh last week.

25)  Seahawks (3-7) – LW 24

They get a great chance at win number 4 against the Rams next week.

26)  Redskins (3-7) – LW 25

With Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts injured it’s hard to picture a late Redskins run at a playoff position.

27)  Bills (3-7) – LW 26

They’re searching for a new head coach and Mike Shanahan is a very appealing option.

28)  Raiders (3-7) – LW 29

Bruce Gradkowski got the Raiders a much-needed win against a very good Bengals team. Is this the end for JaMarcus Russel?

29)  Lions (2-8) – LW 30

Matt Stafford exploited the porous Browns defense to the tune of 400+ passing yards and 5 tds including the game winner with no time left on the clock.

30)  Bucs (1-9) – LW 28

First they fire the offensive coordinator 10 days after hiring him, now they fire the defensive coordinator 10 weeks into the season.

31)  Rams (1-9) – LW 31

With Marc Bulger out at least 3 weeks, Kyle Boller will start for the Rams who will be searching for their next franchise qb.

32)  Browns (1-9) – LW 32

A pass interference call in the end zone gave the Lions a chance to win and they capitalized on the Brown’s mistakes.

Alright last week’s Kibizters picks resulted in a tie. Both Gen and Greg had 10 picks correct and 6 incorrect. Andrew was the odd man out with only 9 correct picks but claims a moral victory by almost predicting the Dallas/Redskins game to a T, until SOMEONE HAD TO GO AND MISS TWO FIELD GOALS!!!! YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE!!!! GOD!

Anyway hoi polloi, it’s time to bet the house because the Kibizters aren’t going to lead you astray.

Thursday Nov. 26, 12:30 PM:

Green Bay Packers AT Detroit Lions – The Packers just lost two superstars in cornerback Al Harris and linebacker Aaron Kampman to season-ending knee surgery. Not to give themselves too much of an advantage, quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson are sitting out another practice due to their own ailments.

Andrew’s pick – Green Bay Packers. The Detroit Lions just made Brady Quinn look like a real quarterback, throwing for 304 yards and four touchdowns. Aaron Rodgers IS a real quarterback, so expect the same or better from him.

Greg’s Pick – Green Bay Packers. Stafford is out – enough said.

Gen’s Pick – Green Bay Packers. Even though the Detroit Lions are coming off of a win (oh boy), and a regular team could take that momentum and push for another, the Lions are without their rookie quarterback and well, they’re just not very good. Then again, Lions did win in 2003 over Green Bay (22-14). REPEAT?!

*Update: ESPN just announced that Stafford WILL be starting today.

Thursday Nov. 26, 4:15 PM:

Oakland Raiders AT Dallas Cowboys – The Cowboy’s prolific offense has only two touchdowns in the past two games while the Raiders mixed it up at GB last week and pulled a win out of their ass against the Bengals.

Andrew’s pick – Dallas Cowboys. Dallas should be able to thoroughly establish the run against the Raiders which will allow for some play action deep passes. People will start jabbering about Miles Austin again while Roy Williams (WR) fades further into the background.

Greg’s Pick – Dallas Cowboys. Possibly a trap game for Dallas, but after the last two weeks without an offense, the ‘boys show up big.

Gen’s Pick – hmm…uhh….Oakland Raiders. Oof. If Dallas puts on the same performance as last week and Oakland repeats what it did to the Eagles, then well – I’m right. But if these two teams decide to play the way they usually do, well then nevermind!

Thursday Nov. 26, 8:20 PM:

New York Giants AT Denver Broncos – Both teams know what it’s like to feel four losses in a row this season. The Giants have slowed the bleed with a win in over time last week whereas the Broncos have started to point fingers internally.

Andrew’s pick – New York Giants. Internal strife can make or break a coach and rookie coach Josh McDaniels seems like he stopped coaching after the bye week. Since then, Denver has been out-scored 117 to 37 and they’re facing another tough (although injured) defense with the Giants.

Greg’s Pick – New York Giants. I like seeing both of these two teams lose a lot, but will Denver ever be able to get out of this tailspin?

Gen’s Pick – Denver Broncos. I’m putting my trust in Denver’s explosive wide-receivers against the, sometimes, easily punk’d Giants’ secondary.

Sunday Nov. 29, 1:00 PM:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons – The Falcons are 12th in the league in terms of rushing yards. The Buccaneers are last in rushing defense but are looking to improve that stat by having head coach Raheem Morris call the defensive plays and changing back to Tampa Two defense (I wonder why they call it that……).

Andrew’s pick – Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons are healthy and piiisssssedd after losing in overtime. Josh Freeman will still give the Bucs something to cheer about, but again will come up short.

Greg’s Pick – Atlanta Falcons. Matt Ryan against a weak defense will lead to a rout.

Gen’s Pick – Atlanta Falcons. I think Atlanta will try harder to bounce back from a weak couple of weeks.

Miami Dolphins AT Buffalo Bills – The Dolphins blew up the Bills the first time around in week four. The Bills lead the AFC in interceptions with 17 but the only thing that matters in this game is stopping Miami’s fourth ranked running offense, and the Bills are 21st in the league.

Andrew’s pick – Miami Dolphins. I picked against Miami once before and got burned, plus I think the Bills have bigger things on their minds. If you have TO in fantasy football though I’d start him. He’s going to keep this game close by tearing through the Miami secondary.

Greg’s Pick – Buffalo Bills. The Dolphins make the trek up north, I still think the loss of Ronnie Brown will come back to hurt them – this is the week.

Gen’s Pick – Buffalo Bills. I think TO will continue his recent success on the field this Sunday.

Cleveland Browns AT Cincinnati Bengals – The Bengals overlooked the Raiders last week and got stabbed in the heart by one of those weird raiders nation guys. Brady Quinn started his 10th game in three years and had a career day with a passer rating of 133.1%, 304 yards, and four touchdowns. Maybe he had some help?

Andrew’s pick – Cincinnati Bengals. Last week was a fluke, let this ship right itself and move on.

Greg’s Pick – Cleveland Browns. Call me crazy, but I liked the way Quinn played last week (even if it was against the Lions). He’ll pull out a low scoring squeaker.

Gen’s Pick – Cincinnati Bengals. Quinn had a great game last week, yes, but that was against the Lions. I don’t think the Browns will be able to repeat their “success” against Cincinnati.

Seattle Seahawks AT St. Louis Rams – In week one the Seahawks blew the Rams out of the water 28 – 0. Both teams are chalk full of injuries but the Rams might have it the worst with Bulger being replaced by Kyle Boller after Bulger broke his leg.

Andrew’s pick – Seattle Seahawks. Even though Steven Jackson will run around like the predator, if this game gets close the Rams will need a QB and they just don’t have one right now.

Greg’s Pick – Seattle Seahawks. The Rams are just bad. There is such a disparity in this league of good and awful quarterbacks, the Seahawks have the latter.

Gen’s Pick – Seattle Seahawks. The Rams won’t do anything this game again despite the best efforts of Steven Jackson (or the Predator, as Andrew put him).

Carolina Panthers AT New York Jets – Both quarterbacks have trouble throwing the ball to their own team and each have lost three fumbles. Luckily, both teams can run the ball.

Andrew picks – New York Jets. The catch here is that the Panthers can’t stop the run and the Jets can, kind of.

Greg’s Pick – Carolina Panthers. Sanchez will once again throw interceptions, even though he only throws about 20-25 pass attempts per game.

Gen’s Pick – New York Jets. Inside sources have said that Rex Ryans has threatened to eat everyone’s children if the Jet’s don’t pull a win. Realistically, you can’t rely on just running the ball. Let’s hope Sanchez can go back to eating hotdogs during games.

Washington Redskins AT Philadelphia Eagles – The first half of the first game the Eagles embarrassed the Redskins on all fronts. The second half the Redskins showed some life before falling flat again. The only thing that has changed since then is that the Redskins have lost several key players.

Andrew picks – Philadelphia Eagles. The Redskins have had problems finishing games for the past two years and with Chris Cooley, Clinton Portis, Chris Samuels, Ledell Betts, Randy Thomas, and Chad Rhinehart out with injuries, the offense is full of holes. Even Colt Brennan is injured! When did that happen!?

Greg’s Pick – Philadelphia Eagles. Remember the first time these two met? Look for a repeat. If Andrew is even picking the Eagles, this cannot be good news for the Redskins.

Gen’s Pick – Philadelphia Eagles. There’s a fine line between supporting your team and looking like a fool. I have to be realistic here and predict that the Eagles will run all over the ’skins.

Indianapolis Colts AT Houston Texans – The Colts have gone 10-0 by being nearly perfect on offense and allowing the leagues lowest points per game on defense. The Texans would like to not miss the field goal that would tie the game this time around.

Andrew picks – Indianapolis Colts. I keep waiting for the Colts to over look a team and lose an easy win, but it won’t be this game.

Greg’s Pick – Houston Texans. This is the game Houston has been waiting for. They have everything in place and aren’t a cakewalk anymore. The Colts have been getting closer and closer to losing – this is the week it happens. Bye perfect season!

Gen’s Pick – Indianapolis Colts. They have great weapons on the field, but enough with these close games!

Sunday Nov. 29, 4:05 PM:

Kansas City Chiefs AT San Diego Chargers – San Diego took charge (get it) of the AFC West after beating down the Broncos. The Chiefs surprised everyone with a come-from-behind-reach-around-rinky-dink-….wait what? The Chiefs beat the Steelers in OT is what I’m driving at…

Andrew picks – San Diego Chargers. The Chargers do this every year it seems like. Start slow, win their division, and then burn out in the playoffs. Last time the Chiefs just rolled over and played dead and I don’t expect anything different this time around.

Greg’s Pick – San Diego Chargers. I really hate this team, there is literally no one on the team who is likable at all. But sadly they are the better team against the Chiefs.

Gen’s Pick – San Diego Chargers. I haven’t heard of anything the Chiefs have done this year that’ll make me think that they’ll have a chance against a team that has continually been to the playoffs.

Jacksonville Jaguars AT San Francisco 49ers – Jacksonville ranks 6th in the league in rushing yards and the 49ers rank 6th in the league in rushing yards allowed.

Andrew picks – San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers lackluster offense will match up well against the soft Jacksonville defense. I think this will be a good game for Alex Smith as he continues to try and prove that he was worth that number one pick for the 49ers. (He wasn’t).

Greg’s Pick – San Francisco 49ers. Singletary claims his team is good, well go out there and prove it! They won’t this week, they’ll barely get by a mediocre team in the Jaguars.

Gen’s Pick – Jacksonville Jaguars. Singletary won’t be able to rally his troops the way he did the end of last season. Let’s just hope the Jags don’t start slacking halfway through the game, the way they usually do.

Sunday Nov. 29, 4:15 PM:

Chicago Bears AT Minnesota Vikings – The Vikings 3rd ranked rush defense will put the ball primarily in Jay Cutler’s hands. Although considered to be, and certainly paid to be, the franchise quarterback, it seems that Jay Cutler is actually trying to challenge George Blanda for the single season interception record.

Andrew picks – Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings are probably one of the most complete teams in the NFL. Given all their options on offense, it would take a long series of mental mistakes for them to lose to the Bears.

Greg’s Pick – Minnesota Vikings. I almost want to pick the Bears thinking Cutler might have another 5 TD game. But the Vikings are just too good to pick against.

Gen’s Pick – Minnesota Vikings. Minnesota has too much going for them. They’ll take this game no problem.

Arizona Cardinals AT Tennessee Titans – The Superbowl that could have been. The Titan’s defense is 31st in the league at stopping the pass but Vince Young is looking like the pro bowl, rookie of the year, quarterback he once was by leading the Titans to four straight wins. Or maybe they just have the league’s best rushing attack….

Andrew picks – Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals should be able to put enough points on the board to stay ahead of Chris Johnson. BTW he has 1,242 rushing yards right now, good lord son!

Greg’s Pick – Tennessee Titans. A few key turnovers by the Cardinals will be the story of this game.

Gen’s Pick – Arizona Cardinals. I just went on NFL.com and they’re reporting Kurt Warner has an “injured head”. I had to laugh at that. Not that I think concussions or head injuries are funny, I just like to think he has a headache. Either way, Warner is a better quarterback than Young. Should be a decent game to watch, but Arizona will win.

Sunday Nov. 29, 8:20 PM:

Pittsburgh Steelers AT Baltimore Ravens – Both teams need this win to keep their AFC playoff wildcard spot alive. Statically the Steelers are the better team but have lost games due to a myriad of injuries.

Andrew’s pick – Baltimore Ravens. Big Ben took a hard knee to the head this past Sunday in their second consecutive loss to the Chiefs in over time. The Steelers expect to play him on Sunday, but I don’t think that will help him throw the ball any faster.

Greg’s Pick – Baltimore Ravens. Big Ben is just a moron, throw the ball and stop scrambling as if you’re fast. He’ll get another concussion today and be out til playoffs. Ravens stomp out the Steelers.

Gen’s Pick – Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers lost to the Chiefs. The Chiefs. His injury last game probably helped Rothlishamburger remember the time when he crashed his motorcycle and felt like a meat patty on the road (too soon?). Expect to watch Ray Lewis remind Big Ben about his accident again this Sunday. Boom goes the dynamite.

*Update: ESPN just announced that Ben Roethlisberger WILL NOT be playing At the Ravens.

Monday Nov. 30, 8:30 PM:

New England Patriots AT New Orleans Saints – The Saints are 1st in the league for total offensive yards and points scored. The Patriots are 2nd in the league for total offensive yards and 3rd for points scored. Wow-wa-we-wah this is going to be a crazy game of football!

Andrew’s pick – New England Patriots. This game could go either way. To be honest, I’m just excited for it. I will gladly take a loss if the Saints win.

Greg’s Pick – New England Patriots. They are finally clicking; running on all cylinders; a seemingly unstoppable force (in the first half). While the Saints are an amazing team, I don’t see them stopping this offense. This is the Saints final test, the rest of their schedule is extremely easy (cough NFC sucks cough). Expect Belichick to pull out all the stops and play spoiler to New Orleans perfect season run.

Gen’s Pick – New Orleans Saints. Drew Brees and Tom Brady have similar QB stats, with Brady throwing about 300 more yards than Brees, but Brees throwing two more TD’s than Brady. Both teams are, undoubtedly, good teams. But I think the Saints’ drive to go perfect this season will help them win this game. Either way, this game will be good. I hope it’ll be as good as the Pats/Colts one.

vodafone

• La VI Feria de Movilidad de Vodafone España presenta más de 100 soluciones que incorporan la tecnología más avanzada al servicio del cliente
• Destaca el proyecto piloto con Renfe para el acceso a las estaciones de cercanías mediante tecnología de pago por contacto
• Los visitantes encontrarán soluciones adaptadas a su sector mediante códigos bidimensionales y notificaciones en su móvil.
• Se muestra el proyecto de monitorización cardiovascular Holtin, premio al Desarrollo e Innovación en Comunicaciones de la Fundación Vodafone

La Feria de Movilidad Empresarial MOVE’09 de Vodafone España acerca a los visitantes los principales avances en innovación en cada sector. En esta sexta edición, los dispositivos y los códigos bidimensionales toman una vez más protagonismo y guían al visitante a través de las diferentes propuestas y soluciones innovadoras de movilidad para sectores tan variados como el transporte, la sanidad o la banca que se pueden encontrar en el recinto. La feria cuenta con una treintena de stands y más de un centenar de aplicaciones para entornos móviles, diseñados específicamente a la medida de cada cliente.

Así, Vodafone España presenta proyecto con Renfe para el acceso a las estaciones de cercanías mediante tecnología de pago por contacto, códigos de acceso bidimensionales o un servicio de tele-monitorización para pacientes con enfermedades cardiovasculares.

Piloto de NFC con Renfe

Vodafone España y Renfe están realizando un proyecto piloto de NFC (Near Field Communications) como paso previo para la futura implantación de esta tecnología en los núcleos de cercanías de la ferroviaria. Gracias a este sistema, el usuario podrá acceder a las estaciones con sólo acercar su móvil a los tornos de acceso. Este proyecto proporcionará un considerable ahorro de tiempo y permitirá un mejor flujo de viajeros en las estaciones de cercanías de Renfe, sobre todo en horas punta.

Esta tecnología NFC supondrá una evolución a la tarjeta cliente sin contacto (TSC) que emplea hoy en día Renfe en algunos núcleos de cercanías. En las tarjetas SIM de los terminales móviles provistos de tecnología NFC se almacenarán de forma segura datos del viajero como títulos del transporte y tarjetas de crédito, de forma que podrán tener toda la información en un solo dispositivo.

La tecnología  NFC supone la última revolución en tecnologías que facilitan la vida al usuario, al proporcionarle un acceso sencillo e intuitivo a múltiples servicios. Con tan sólo acercar un móvil preparado con NFC al lector, se pueden realizar pagos en  el punto de venta o de manera virtual, comprar entradas, pagar un transporte como puede ser taxi o tren o  identificarse en sitios web para descargar información. La solución que promueve Vodafone utiliza la tarjeta SIM como módulo de seguridad para albergar las aplicaciones.

Códigos bidimensionales: la rapidez y comodidad puesta en práctica

Innova Telecom – ITSOFT ha desarrollado junto con el departamento de Innovación de Vodafone la plataforma de gestión de códigos bidimensionales, 2D-Factory, que entre sus múltiples usos se está empleando para gestionar el control de acceso a los eventos MOVE, además de facilitar el recorrido a los visitantes a través de los distintos stands según el sector al que pertenezcan.

Los códigos bidimensionales permiten a las empresas reducir costes en la gestión de servicios. Se trata de una innovadora herramienta que permite, con tan sólo el reconocimiento de un código a través del móvil, servir como ticket electrónico, tarjeta de embarque o llave de acceso, entre otras funcionalidades. Sus usos pueden ser tan variados como la gestión de los servicios como el transporte público, como herramienta de marketing para envíos de publicidad o control de asistentes a un evento, entre otras aplicaciones.

En MOVE 09 Vodafone ha puesto a disposición de los visitantes el sistema de acreditación con códigos bidimensionales, que permite a los inscritos en la web http://www.movevodafone.com/formulario.cfm acceder de forma rápida a la feria mediante un SMS o MMS recibido en el móvil y registrado por  un lector situado a la entrada del recinto.

Servicio puntero en control del ritmo cardiaco en pacientes

El servicio de Cardiología del Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Dr Negrín, dependiente de la Consejería de Sanidad del Gobierno de Canarias, ha puesto en marcha un nuevo dispositivo, denominado Holtin, que sirve para diagnosticar las arritmias cardiacas de los pacientes sin necesidad de realizar un ingreso en el Hospital. El nuevo mecanismo permite al paciente informar a su especialista de cualquier cambio en su ritmo cardiaco mientras desarrollan su vida diaria, con sólo pulsar un botón, ya que el dispositivo registra los datos y realiza la transmisión vía Bluetooth y GPRS.

El proyecto, que es fruto de una investigación desarrollada entre el Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Dr Negrín, el servicio de Planificación y Evaluación de la Consejería de Sanidad del Gobierno de Canarias y la Universidad de Navarra, con la colaboración de la Fundación Vodafone España, recibió el premio Vodafone al Desarrollo e Innovación en Comunicaciones que fue entregado por la ministra de Ciencia e Innovación el pasado verano.

Puesto en marcha en pacientes desde finales de febrero, este innovador sistema está destinado a pacientes con enfermedades cardiovasculares cuyos síntomas se presentan en forma de síncopes esporádicos o arritmias paroxísticas que requieren largos períodos de monitorización para poder ser detectados y diagnosticados.

Where do I begin with this game? A couple of weeks ago you could look at this game and say that Dallas (7-3, 1st NFC East) would run away with it, but after these last two weeks I am not sure about that.
Dallas is coming off of two games where they have put up a total of 14 points, 7 per game both scores coming extremely late in the game. Dallas got lucky verse the Redskins (3-7, 4th NFC East) whose old reliable Suisham did what he does best and missed big time field goals. For those who are not familiar with him that is the reason Dallas dumped him.
The Raiders (3-7, 4th AFC West) come into this game scoring 30 points their last two games with one victory over a very surprising 7-3 Bengals team that is currently in first in the AFC North. Two of the Raiders three wins have come against playoff caliber teams being the aforementioned Bengals and the Eagles (6-4, 2nd NFC East).
This is a big game for the Cowboys looking to cure their slump in play over the last couple of weeks, and what better way to show it then at home on Thanksgiving. With the season all but over for the Raiders, they are playing for pride. The Cowboys are playing for playoff hopes. Yes the Cowboys stand at first in the East, but they have a treacherous December yet to come and must pad as many wins as possible for getting there. In December historically the worst month for the Romo era Cowboys they are facing the brunt of their schedule; at Giants (6-4, 3rd NFC East), vs Chargers (7-3, 1st AFC West). at Saints (10-0, 1st NFL), at Redskins, and January at Eagles. Every team but the Redskins how took Dallas to the end pose a winning record. This is a must win for the Cowboys.
Tony Romo was shaken up on Sunday and with a short week it will be intresting how he comes out and preforms. I do not suspect Williams will continue to get the attention he has been getting these last couple of weeks. Notice a trend ball gets thrown to him now the offense is suffering? Could just be a coincidence.
The Cowboys will find a way to win this game, though they are facing a Graig Ellis (limited practice, knee) that would love to come home and embarrass them, after being let go this past off-season. The final Score Cowboys 17 Raiders 13.

Word on the street is that Visa is set for a major mobile payments announcement in next 6-8 weeks. Separately, US MNOs are also rumored to be collaborating on Near Field Communications (NFC) payments with acquirers. Could it be that the log jam on NFC is about to be broken? Is Visa developing new rails to support mobile payments? Let me say up front that this blog represents “connecting the dots” more than a definitive market projection.

The US market is ripe for a break from the 6 party political “fur ball” that is hampering delivery of mobile payment (Card Issuers, Acquirers, Network, Merchant, MNOs, Handset Mfg). For those outside the US, MNOs have substantial control over handset features and applications, and have been leveraging this “node control” to “influence” direction of payments. The central US MNO argument being: “it is our customer, our handset, our network we should get a cut of the transaction rev”. Unfortunately existing inter-bank mobile transfers/ payments are settled through existing payment networks that provide limited flexibility in accommodating a “new” MNO role and the network rules leave much room for improvment in: authorization, authentication and consumer “control”. 

Outside the US, the situation is much different, as consumers have great flexibility in switching MNOs, have ownership of their handsets, and are largely on pre-paid plans. The MNO challenge for payments in this environment is largely regulatory. Many countries (EU, HK, Korea, Japan, SG) have open well defined rules for MNOs role in payments (example: ECB ELMI framework within the EU), while other countries are highly restrictive and are in the midst of developing their legal and regulatory framework. Even in the countries where MNOs participation is defined, they have largely benefited from the complimentary role that the service plays with pre-paid plans (not in interchange at POS).

Globally, MNOs are looking for a payment platform where they can benefit from interaction between consumer and merchant, with flexibility to deal with a heterogeneous regulatory environment. The competitive pressures on Visa/MC are much different then they were 5 years ago (when both were bank owned). The network fee structures and rules were written with banks and mature markets in mind. Emerging markets present a much different set of opportunities, as MNOs lead banks in brand and consumer penetration within every geography.

All of this leads to the case for a new “Mobile Payments Settlement” network, a network which will alienate many banks. I expect to see Visa roll out the initial stages of this network in the next 2 months with an emphasis on NFC. Quite possibly the best kept secret I have ever seen from a public company. I’m sure many Silicon Valley CEOs are crossing their fingers (with me) on this, as a “new wave” of innovation is certainly close at hand that will drive growth (and valuations).

For those not keeping up with the 50 or so product announcements a day on NFC, handset manufacturers committed to have NFC enabled phones to consumers in mid 2009 in the GSMA 2008 congress. NFC capabilities are numerous (Vodafone YouTube Overview), and may represent a true disruptive innovation surrounding payments. There have been many very recent product announcements that will enable existing phones to use NFC, and P2P Capability. All of which will blossom in a more “fertile” mobile settlement environment. See one example “future” Visa mobile service here: http://tomnoyes.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/googleoff/

Side note: This is not all bad news for Banks, as the structure will certainly provide for existing cards (debit/credit) and may deliver substantial revenue through cash replacement (small < $50) transactions. More details on structure of MNO in settlement 2 weeks….

Select Product/Alliances Below:

• http://www.corporate.visa.com/media-center/press-releases/press921.jsp
• http://www.neustar.biz/pressroom/files/announcements/VISAFINAL.pdf
• Neustar http://www.americanbanker.com/issues/174_125/-383355-1.html
• http://www.nearfieldcommunicationsworld.com/2009/11/04/32152/zenius-adds nfc-to-standard-mobile-phones-with-bladox-waver/
• http://www.paymentssource.com/asset/article/2703061/att-certifies-charge-anywhere-mobile-payment.html?pg=
• http://www.morerfid.com/details.php?subdetail=Report&action=details&report_id=6376&display=RFID
• http://www.nfcnews.com/2009/11/18/attachment-turns-iphone-into-rfid-nfc-reader
• http://www.bladox.com/
• http://www.celent.com/124_1187.htm

I hate Brett Favre. With every fiber of my being I hate Brett Favre. I hate his God complex. I hate his Wrangler commercials. I hate that he sabotaged the summer sports news (again). I hate Brett Favre.

Which is why I believe the NFL should give him this year’s MVP award.

I know that doesn’t make any sense at all, but hear me out. Every time Brett Favre has retired (twice at this point) I have been ecstatic. The news filled me with such joy that I considered writing the world’s most sarcastic email to John Madden (although the odds that John Madden can check email aren’t great). But twice I have had this feeling thrown to the dirt when Captain Gray Bush decided he couldn’t leave the game for whatever teary-eyed reason. So it’s clear to me that Brett needs to go — and he needs to go right now.

This is why he needs to get the MVP award. We need to set up a scenario so that, at the end of the season, he feels he has achieved a note high enough to feel comfortable about retiring for good.

So give him the MVP. I don’t care if Peyton Manning and Drew Brees have far better numbers, just give it to Brett. It will make him feel special. He may even cry.

Come to think of it, the MVP may not be enough. We need to sweeten the deal. In that case, I would like to kindly ask the rest of the NFC to please let the Minnesota Vikings make it to the Superbowl this year. I know, I know. It’s a hard thing to give up and some of you may never have a shot at the title ever again, but it’s for the best. You have to understand this. As for the AFC, you all must fight it out to see who gets to let the Vikings win in February. You also have to let Brett Favre play one of the greatest Super Bowl performances in history. I’m thinking 30-32, 8 touchdowns (one on a 30 yard rush) and a 47-yard field goal. This will ensure that he is the MVP of this game as well.

That should do it. But in case it doesn’t, we have to make his season (hopefully his last) memorable. So let’s give him the defensive MVP as well. You know guys like Merril Hoge and Trent Dilfer would love to attempt to argue how he would legitimately deserve the award. Something along the lines of, “Well, think about it. He keeps the other team’s offense off the field for so long that he’s actually the best preventative defensive weapon they have.” Don’t worry, it’ll work. Darren Sharper might burn someone’s house down but these are the sacrifices that need to be made at this point in the story.

For insurance? Yes, you guessed it: The Heisman. Yeah, yeah, it’s completely against the rules of but we can make it happen. There’s no real standout Heisman candidate this year anyway, so let’s just give it to Brett because he was too busy pounding brewdogs to make it happen the first time around. This ought to do it.

Seriously, I see no other possibility here. Maybe if he has a career ending injury but that’s laughable. Brett Favre is incapable of getting hurt in any kind of serious way. He survived a car accident and countless Pro Bowl pass rushers slamming him into the frozen Lambeau ground. I think my way is our only hope.

Did you get all that, Roger? Good. Now get to work.

NFC stands for Near Field Communication [Wiki]. It is a wireless communication technology which enables the exchange of data between devices over about a 3-5 cm of close proximity. NFC device can communicate with smart cards (Contact less/RFID), readers and other NFC compatible devices. Currently there are limited number of NFC phones available in the market. But Nokia suggests by 2015 all handsets will have NFC as an inbuilt feature. With the contactless infrastructure in place, moible phones users will be able to do payments or buy tickets for public transportation/cinema using their phones rather paying by cash or credit cards. The governing body for NFC technology is NFC forum. It is a non-profit industry association that promotes the use of NFC short-range wireless interaction in consumer electronics, mobile devices and PCs.

Whenever people ask me on NFC examples, this is the main video that I show them. It’s called the ‘Parallel lives’. This is about the life of a woman with NFC technology and without. It gives a clear outline how this contactless wireless technology will simply lives of individual in the near future.

Sabre mobility NFC mission

Chandima Cooray, COO of Sabre has being the visionary/strategist for Sabre’s NFC mission. Our aim is to become a leading solutions provider on NFC/RFID technologies. Since 2008 Mobility Team of Sabre Technology’s has been working on NFC based product development. Currently we have built two enterprise/mobile products based on NFC and third one is on its way.

One of the products that received quite a lot of attention was NFC powered loyalty system developed for Triumph International. Currently through the Triumph Goddess Circle  programme over 1000 NFC cards have being issued  to Sri Lankan ladies. This card is used to identify customers at boutiques of Triumph and generate loyalty points for their purchases. Through loyalty system customers receive special discounts/promotions/voucher over various channels such as SMS/email/mobile updates. Currently Triumph boutiques are located in the following areas in Colombo and suburbs.

• Triumph Head office near British Council at Kolipity
• Triumph – Majestic City shop at Bambalapitiya
• Triumph – Liberty Plaza shop at Kolpity
• Triumph – Crescat shop at Kolpity
• Triumph – Singer Mega shop at Nugegoda

For ladies who are interested in sexy and comfortable lingerie; and receive loyalty points, please go to one of these boutiques and get your card. Here is link for for further details:

Sabre selected as a top 10 finalist for WIMA/NFC Forum Global Competition 2009

In Feb, 2009 we submitted the Triumph loyalty product to the NFC Global Competition 2009.  Out of 50 competitors we were selected as one of the  top 10 finalist of the NFC Forum Global Competition 2009. The final competition to select the winner was held in Monaco, 23th of April 2009. Both Chandima and I participated for this event. Lot’s of NFC promoters were there at this Global NFC summit. Unfortunately we didn’t win the competition. But this gave us ground to further expand our knowledge and competencies on this exciting Technology. With the Trackr product gaining momentum we keep our eyes open and fingers crossed for next year’s competition.

Notizia di questi giorni è il rilascio da parte di Wireless Dynamics di un nuovo accessorio (iCarte) che trasforma l’iPhone in un lettore RFID / NFC con funzionalità di pagamento contactless.

Con  iCarte è possibile scrivere e leggere le informazioni registrate nei tag RFID e comunicarli all’iPhone oppure attraverso la porta USB ad un comune PC.

iCarte dispone anche di un chip integrato che può essere configurato per funzionare come carta di debito, di credito, prepagata e carta fedeltà per la sicurezza delle transazioni contactless.
iCarte inoltre può leggere NFC Smart-Poster, scaricare o caricare coupon elettronici, biglietti o ricevute, oppure può essere utilizzato per applicazioni commerciali quali il monitoraggio delle attività, documento di monitoraggio, assistenza sanitaria, di sicurezza e controllo degli accessi, in pratica tutto quello che oggi NFC consente di fare nei telefoni che già integrano la tecnologia.

Le caratteristiche operative del sistema rispettano lo standard NFC già discusso nei precendenti articoli (NFC cosa offre). In particolare iCarte opera a 13,56 MHz e supporta una vasta gamma di tag (ISO14443A / B e ISO15693)  compresi NXP MIFARE e I-CODE SLI, Texas Instrument Tag-it HF-I, e altro ancora. Il dispositivo funziona con iPhone 3G e 3GS con la versione OS 3.0 o superiore e dispone di un connettore mini-USB che può essere utilizzato per caricare e sincronizzare l’iPhone con iTunes.

Già da tempo si parla di brevetti che iPhone avrebbe depositato e che trattano di tecnologie NFC o affini. Wireless Dynamics ha anticipato i tempi con questo accessorio che vista la rapida diffusione del terminale di casa Apple potrebbe avere un discreto successo.  Tutto ovviamente dipende dai costi e dalla data del rilascio…. stay tuned!

Until now, we’ve dissected the positions that aim to move the ball up the field, ultimately working toward a touchdown or field goal.  What we’ll discuss today are the men in tight(pant)s who want to avoid this at all costs.  This is known as the defensive unit.  Don’t call it the d-unit though.  That would make you a d-bag.  I’ve been getting some questions about formations: are we going to cover various formations, plays, etc.?  Let’s just say, in a world where I give out “Brownie Points”, identifying and analyzing formations would be “Triple Chocolate Cake Baked from Scratch Points”.  I am happy to include an entry on this topic, but only if I get a sincere interest.  Otherwise, I fear too many eyes would glaze over – even with the promise of chocolate cake.

As I was saying, let’s go through a quick rundown of these defensive positions:

Linebacker (LB): (See: Ray Lewis, Elvis Dumervil, DeMarcus Ware) These guys are basically all-purpose defenders.  They can rush the passer (QB), cover receivers (typically the tight ends) and prevent the rush (RB or FB).  Within the linebacking world, we’ve got two basic varieties:  outside and middle/inside linebackers.  To take things a step further, outside linebackers are divided into strongside and weakside LB’s.  Weakside are charged with covering an open field and, as such, tend to be a bit quicker.  Strongside LB’s are the ones lined up across (the line of scrimmage – are you absorbing these key terms?) from the tight end.  More often than not, strongside linebackers are larger and, fancy this: stronger than their weakside counterparts.  As the name may suggest, inside/middle linebackers stick toward the center of the fracas.  Additionally, the MLB/ILB is in charge of making any necessary adjustments in formation based on what he reads from the offensive lineup.  With this in mind, he’s sometimes referred to as the “defensive quarterback”.  Cute, right?

One fancy football word you’ll want to remember is secondary.  The defensive secondary unit consists of the following three positions:

Cornerback (CB): (See: Charles Woodson, Quentin Jammer, Asante Samuel) CB’s are responsible for covering any pass play.  Various approaches include staying tight on a receiver to prevent any yards after completion, swatting passes to prevent completion, and picking the darn thing off themselves (“picking off” is synonymous with “intercepting”).  Your ideal cornerback is going to be incredibly quick, able to keep pace with even the swiftest of wideouts.

Free Safety (FS): (See: Chris Crocker, Darren Sharper, Ed Reed)  Free safeties thrive on covering deep passes.  Though also charged with covering the rush when necessary, free safeties are spry fellas who keep up when opposing receivers run deep routes.  This position is somewhat similar to the cornerback.

Strong Safety (SS): (See: Troy Polamalu, Bob Sanders, Adrian Wilson)  Strong safeties tend to stick a bit closer to the line of scrimmage, primarily covering running plays and pressuring the quarterback.  That being said, SS’s can be tasked with additional responsibilities depending how the play unfolds.

Below are the positions that encompass the defensive line:

Defensive End (DE): (See: Justin Tuck, Mario Williams, Jevon Kearse)    As the name may suggest, these boys play on either end of the line.  Their main goal is to prevent any movement on the outside of the field.  The DE who moves more fluidly will typically line up on the quarterback’s blind side (right if he is a lefty and vice versa).

Defensive Tackle (DT): (See: Jonathan Babineaux, Pat Williams, Albert Haynesworth) DT’s like to see themselves as QB kryptonite.  They strive to rush the passer, force fumbles and rack up the sacks.  If we’re all on the same page here, I’m sure you can imagine that these fellas line up nose-to-nose with the offensive linemen.

The WorldWide Investment in Online and Mobile Payment Technologies

SMS has been the mainstay of the Mobile Payments industry for over 10 years. Near Field Communication (NFC/RFID) is the emerging technology supported by Visa, MasterCard and the Global Banking community. It allows users to make payments by waving their mobile phone in front of a compatible reader.

But with the arrival of the Smart Phone other technologies are emerging. For example, Intuit’s GoPayment is an app that turns the iPhone or iPod touch into a credit card terminal that can process payments, track past charges, and generate electronic receipts for the customer.

Then there are the micro-payments players like MobillCash, Zong, Spare Change and BOKU. These start-ups support SMS mobile payments for micro-transactions on social network applications and gaming sites. For example Boku Mobile Payments Users enter their cell phone number on the site, reply to a text message and then all virtual charges are automatically charged to the user’s monthly cell phone bill. While MobillCash users pay by just entering in their phone number and then typing in a 4 digit code they receive via SMS.

Now don’t be fooled into thinking these micro-payment start-ups are minor players. TechCrunch reports that Zong has already processed mobile payments for over 10 million unique users worldwide in 2009. The size of that customer base would make Zong one of the top four banks here in Australia.

4 billion mobile phone users and only 1.6 billion bank accounts

Prior to the MasterCard announcement the big play this year had come from Nokia. In August they announced they would be launching Nokia Money, a new payment service powered by Obopay that allows users to send money to friends, merchants, and service companies simply by using their phone numbers.

The company’s aim is to Build a new ecosystem for mobile payments.

One of the biggest markets for this type of technology is in the emerging markets like Asia, Africa and South America. Places where many people have phones with pre-paid SIM cards but don’t have bank accounts.

As I said in my post A Telco you can Bank on?. The stakes are high. Visa has almost 5 times, and MasterCard almost 3 times, the transaction revenues of the Global Mobile Phone industry. If you are going to play in just one MobCon sector over the next 15 years then clearly forget media, forget software and forget telecoms. This is the game you should be in and it’s a game you should be playing to win.

Other Posts in the series

• A retailer you can bank on?
• A Telco you can Bank on?
• How the Commonwealth Bank made it happen

Here to encourage all forms of legal and illegal gambling are the Kibitzers predictions for week 11:

Thursday Nov. 19,  8:20 p.m:

Miami Dolphins AT Carolina Panthers - Both teams have rushing offenses that rank in the top 5, but Miami’s rush defense is ranked 7th whereas the Panthers rush defense is ranked 25th.

Andrew’s pick - Carolina Panthers. Ronnie Brown might be out for the season and Jake Delhomme hasn’t turn the ball over in two whole games!

Greg’s pick – Carolina Panthers. In a close game, Delhomme will turn the ball over, but the 1-2 punch of Williams and Stewart is too much to keep up with.

Gen’s pick – Carolina Panthers. I also agree that it’ll be a close game. If they keep to short passes for Delhomme, so that he won’t get picked off (fingers crossed for three games without turnovers) and let Williams run like a madman, they can get this.

Sunday Nov. 22nd, 1:00 p.m:

Indianapolis Colts AT Baltimore Ravens – The Colts offense verse the Ravens defense. This game will be exciting.

Andrew’s pick - Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens are coming off a short week…but they shut out the Browns so it’s not like they’re going to be that tired. The Colts may be too exhausted from the Patriot’s game to continue narrowly escaping their first loss.

Greg’s pick – Indianapolis Colts. They might be tired and coming from a rough game with the Pats, but Manning will pick apart the corners.

Gen’s pick – Indianapolis Colts. What a game against the Pat, right? But I think because of such a close game, the Colts will step it up this game to keep their undefeated streak alive. The o-line just needs to keep Manning safe.

Washington Redskins AT Dallas Cowboys - Dallas has the 6th best passing offense but will be going up against Washington’s number 1 ranked pass defense.

Andrew’s pick - Washington Redskins. The Cowboys are the big favorites in this, but IF the Redskins can stop the Cowboy’s run game we just might be in for another Green Bay game.

Greg’s pick – Dallas Cowboys. They won’t lose to the Redskins at home, plus Portis is out again.

Gen’s pick – Washington Redskins. As long as the Redskins defense can stop Barber and Austin, and if Cambell decides to not suck this Sunday and they establish a running game with Betts, they can pull of a win against their rivals.

Atlanta Falcons AT New York Giants – Giants are coming off their bye week but have lost four of their last five. The Falcons are out a bruising Pro Bowl running back with Michael Turner sidelined with a high ankle sprain.

Andrew’s pick - New York Giants.  The Giant’s overwhelming defense just might be too much for Atlanta’s sophomoric QB.

Greg’s pick – New York Giants. The struggling Giants play the struggling Falcons. A win could save both teams’ seasons.

Gen’s pick – New York Giants. Atlanta has been struggling recently and the Giants can exploit that.

New Orleans Saints AT Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Drew Brees is looking to take another chuck out of the 4,000 yard passing mark while the Buccaneers are looking for their second win.

Andrew’s pick - New Orleans Saints. Credit to Josh Freeman for trying to lift up the Bucs but the Saints won’t rehash the Rams nail-biter from last week.

Greg’s pick – New Orleans Saints. Was there any doubt in this pick?

Gen’s pick – TAMPA BAY! Just kidding, New Orleans Saints. C’MON!

San Fancisco 49ers AT Green Bay Packers – The Packers have a pretty solid team despite having a 5 and 4 record. The 49ers need this win if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Andrew’s pick - Green Bay Packers. Enough whining about not having Brett Farve already! Aaron Rodgers is putting up solid numbers despite being slammed into the ground every play. This kid is definitely the future, if he doesn’t die first.

Greg’s pick – Green Bay Packers. This pick I could go either way in, but since it’s in Lambeau, I’ll pick the Packers.

Gen’s pick – Green Pay Packers. 49’s have a good defense but, well, the game’s in Lambeau…and it’s cold. Think about that.

Buffalo Bills AT Jacksonville Jaguars – The Bills fired Dick Jauron on Tuesday and named Perry Fewell, Jauron’s defensive coordinator, the interim head coach.  While their defense has been playing average, I don’t think Fewell will be able to solve the Terrell Owens issues. But maybe someone can?

Andrew’s pick - Jacksonville Jaguars. Don’t throw near Jairus Byrd and give the ball to Maurice Jones-Drew and the Jaguars should have this one in the bag.

Greg’s pick – Jacksonville Jaguars. MJD will destroy the Bills lack of a run defense.

Gen’s pick – Jacksonville Jaguars. I got nothing for this and I don’t care about this game. But with a new head coach halfway through the season, things might not go so well.

Seattle Seahawks AT Minnesota Vikings –  The Vikings rushing offense has slipped to 10th and Seattle’s rush defense is 11th. This one could turn into a wild west shoot out!

Andrew’s pick - Minnesota Vikings.  Even though it’s almost that time of the season for Brett to start showing his age, I think he’ll be able to hold out while in the safety of the dome.

Greg’s pick – Minnesota Vikings. The Seahawks really don’t have anything going for me to have any confidence in them.

Gen’s pick – Minnesota Vikings. Favre and Peterson all day against the Seahawks.

Pittsburgh Steelers AT Kansas City Chiefs – The Steelers are statistically better in almost every way, but winning is contagious and the Chiefs won against their rival last week while the Steelers got swept against theirs.

Andrew’s pick - Pittsburgh Steelers. The Chiefs rank 31st in sacks and 27th against the run. This should allow big Ben the time he needs to chuck it downfield to Santonio Holmes.

Greg’s pick – Pittsburgh Steelers. This could come down to the wire, with Big Ben continuing his streak of turnovers, but the Steelers defense is too swarming for the Chiefs offense.

Gen’s pick – Pittsburgh Steelers. If Pittsburgh’s o-line can keep their composure, Rothlishamgurger can pump fake all he wants and eventually just throw it down the field for one of his receivers to make a play so he can get credit for it.

Cleveland Browns AT Detroit Lions – One of these teams will double their win record.

Andrew’s pick - Detroit Lions.  The Redskins can’t be the only team to lose to the Lions over two seasons…right?

Greg’s pick – Cleveland Browns. This pick is pretty much closing your eyes and pointing, Quinn pulls out a squeaker.

Gen’s pick – Detroit Lions. This is like asking if you’d rather get shot in the right arm or the left arm. It sucks either way. But I’m going to pick the Lions simply because of what Andrew said.

Sunday Nov. 22nd, 4:05 p.m:

Arizona Cardinals AT St. Louis Rams - The Rams almost stopped the high-powered offense of the Saints in their tracks but Kurt Warner has thrown for seven touchdowns in the past two games.

Andrew’s pick - Arizona Cardinals. The Rams are averaging just 11.1 points per game, which is 30th in the NFL. Even when Kurt Warner throws five interceptions the Cardinals still put up 21 points.

Greg’s pick – Arizona Cardinals. The “two-face” Cardinals will show up with their offense and destroy the Rams.

Gen’s pick – Arizona Cardinals. Just make sure Fitzgerald’s open all the time.

Sunday Nov. 22nd, 4:15 p.m:

San Diego Chargers AT Denver Broncos – The Broncos would like to get the bitter taste of an embarrassing defeat out of their mouth and reclaim the top of the AFC west. Chargers are trying to keep a good thing going and win their fifth in a row.

Andrew’s pick - San Diego Chargers. If Chris Simms plays the Broncos are F-ed.

Greg’s pick – Denver Broncos. I still don’t believe in either of these teams, however with home field advantage and understanding this game will result in the AFC West title, Broncos will step it up and win.

Gen’s pick – San Diego Chargers. I think the Broncos will put up a fight but will eventually choke the way they did in Washington.

New York Jets AT New England Patriots – The Jets have won against the Patriots once this year but since then the Jets have fallen to mediocrity while the Patriots started doing what they always do – win.

Andrew’s pick - New England Patriots. The Jets should be shitting their pants right now. The Pats will be looking for blood after losing to the Colts.

Greg’s pick – New England Patriots. Exactly what Andrew said. Pats will cover the spread.

Gen’s pick – New York Jets. Call me an idiot or, better yet, an idiot, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that their first win wasn’t a fluke. I really shouldn’t drink so early in the morning…

Cincinnati Bengals AT Oakland Raiders – Cedric Benson is on the sidelines for the Bengals, thanks to Troy Polumalu, while Darren McFadden is returning to the Raiders. Just in case the running game was the reason behind the Bengals success in the AFC north they signed Larry Johnson who is pretty familiar with the Raiders.

Andrew’s pick – Cincinnati Bengals. I was pretty sure it was a fluke that the Bengals beat the Steelers, but twice? Either way,  the Bengals shouldn’t have a problem with the Raiders.

Greg’s pick – Cincinnati Bengals. It appears that the Bengals are for real now. And the Raiders are the Raiders.

Gen’s pick – Cincinnati Bengals. Al Davis can summon the powers of Castle Grayskull all he wants, but that won’t stop Ochocinco and the Bengals from scoring.

Sunday Nov. 22nd, 8:20 p.m:

Philadelphia Eagles AT Chicago Bears – Both teams have struggled to stay competitive in divisions that they could have topped. The Bears have lost 4 of their last 5 and Jay Cutler can’t seem to stop throwing interceptions. Luckily for the Bear’s run defense, Brian Westbrook should be sitting on the sidelines for this week.

Andrew’s pick -  Chicago Bears. The Eagles should win, but both teams have the tendency to perform either amazingly well or horribly. If both teams can’t get their offense going, this could turn into one sloppy game.

Greg’s pick – Philadelphia Eagles. Why is this game on Sunday night (sigh). McNabb will have a big game and carry the Eagles past the struggling Bears.

Gen’s pick – Philadelphia Eagles. Cutler’s inexperience and McNabb’s experience will show Sunday night.

Monday Nov. 23nd, 8:30 p.m:

Tennessee Titans AT Houstan Texans – Vince Young and Chris Johnson have revamped the Titans offense but the Texans are coming off their late bye-week and have had plenty of time to prepare.

Andrew’s pick – Houstan Texans. The Titans are slated to win by a margin of 4 1/2 points. During the Titan’s three game winning streak people seem to have forgotten that the Texans still have a decent quarterback (sixth-rated passer with five 300-yard games) and Andre Johnson. I say look for the Texans to ruin Vince Young’s parade.

Greg’s pick – Houston Texans. Stop Chris Johnson, you stop the Titans, Young can’t carry them.

Gen’s pick – Houston Texans. Remember last season when this match-up would be considered laughable? Yeah, not so much this year.

Earlier we reported that the next generation of iPhone might have an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) reader built in, if rumors prove true. Well, there’s no need to wait that long, if near-field communications (NFC) is what you’ve got a hankerin’ for. Wireless Dynamics has announced a device called the iCarte that will add both RFID and NFC capabilities to the iPhone.

The device adds functionality to the iPhone via the dock connector, to which it connects without adding too much bulk or without being too much of an eyesore. In fact, it looks like the iCarte’s designers went out of their way to make sure the add-on looks like it’s a natural extension of the iPhone itself, rather than an apparent third-party accessory.

A chip embedded in the iCarte turns your iPhone into a portable electronic wallet, able to process contactless payments. It can also transmit any information it receives directly to enterprise databases using Wi-Fi or 3G network connections, so that orders and purchases can be automatically input into your company’s home server. Of course, in order to use the iCarte, you’ll need to be using iPhone OS 3.0, since only the latest major software update supports dock accessory connectivity.

The iCarte also has a mini-USB port to allow for pass-through charging and syncing, so you won’t have to constantly remove and replace the device, and it comes in both black and white, in case fashion is a concern of yours. To be clear, while Wireless Dynamics does talk about business applications, it looks like the iCarte’s functionality is aimed primarily at people on the consumer end of the retail equation:

iCarte has an embedded smart-chip that can be configured as debit, credit, pre-paid and loyalty cards, for secure contactless transactions. iCarte can also read NFC Smart Posters, download or upload electronic coupons, tickets or receipts. iCarte is ideal for iPhone users who want to use their iPhones for fast and secure contactless payments, transit payments, loyalty rewards, checking balances, top-up, discovering new services from smart posters or kiosks and exchanging information with other NFC phones.

iCarte’s web site is devoid of information regarding an official release date or pricing for the receiver, although it does offer contact info if you’re interested in finding out more about the tech. Presumably a companion iPhone application would be required for programming in payment card information, checking balances, etc., but as of yet no such app is available via the iTunes Store.

Of course, I had to walk away for 5 minutes to care to my kids and missed one of the “craziest” calls I have ever heard of. Thank you for Sportscenter!

The New England Patriots fell short on Bill Belichick’s decision to gamble on fourth-and-2 from the Patriots own 28, turning the ball over to Peyton Manning and the Colts with two minutes to go. As you should have expected, Manning drove the entire length of the field left (28 yards) and scored the winning touchdown with just 12 seconds to play.

Colts win 35-34.

So, was Belichick correct in trying to end the game with the fourth-and-2 play? Should he have punted?

Thoughts?

From the Associated Press:

“We were preparing to go 60, 70 yards,” Manning said. “It was a great play by the defense, shortened our field.”

Indianapolis (9-0), which trailed by 17 in the second quarter and 34-21 with 4 minutes left, got its most improbable win during the streak, which tied the Patriots for the second-longest in league history.

When Belichick decided to go for it instead of punting with 2:08 to go, Tom Brady threw to Kevin Faulk, who made a juggling catch but was pushed backward and came up just short.

“We tried to win the game on that play,” Belichick explained. “I thought we could make the yard. We had a good play, we completed it. I don’t know how we couldn’t get a yard.”

Manning needed just four plays before hooking up with Wayne for the winning score. Manning finished with four touchdown passes and Brady had three in the matchup of AFC division leaders.

While it was another magical comeback for Manning, this one was set up by Belichick’s bungled play-calling. Belichick called two timeouts on that key series, the second to set up the fourth-down play.

The Patriots (6-3) have now lost five of the last six in this series.

Arguably the best sports rivalry this decade was on center stage last night as two of the NFL’s best teams squared off. The undefeated Colts took on the surging Patriots for what was yet another instant classic. After the first quarter the score was knotted at 7, but the Patriots pulled away in the second quarter and took a 24-14 lead into halftime. After a scoreless third quarter the Pats opened up the fourth quarter with a 5 yard touchdown pass from Brady to Moss and it seemed that the Patriots had a strangle hold on the game. Peyton Manning responded with a touchdown pass two minutes later to Pierre Garcon, but after a Gostkowski field goal with 4 minutes remaining and the Patriots on the winning side of a 34-21 score it looked like it was too little too late for Manning and the Colts. But Peyton Manning never lost his composure as he led another scoring drive capped of by Joseph Addai’s second touchdown of the game with 2:23 left in the game. The Colts were now down 34-28 opted to kick it deep to the Patriots rather than try the onside kick because they still had three time-outs and the two-minute warning to stop the clock and potentially get the ball back with enough time to win the game. The Patriots ran the ball on first down and threw a short pass to Welker on second down. After the Colts stopped the clock on two time-outs the Patriots threw the ball on third and short in order to get the first down and basically seal the game. Brady took a quick three-step drop and threw to the right side in an attempt to hit Welker but rookie Jerraud Powers stepped in front of the pass and almost intercepted it. It was fourth down and 2 with 2:08 remaining in the game and with the Patriots backed up on their own 28 yard-line it was a no brainer to punt the ball away, but the mad-man behind the patented hoodie felt otherwise. After the Patriots burned their last timeout to think it over, Brady and the offense stepped onto the field and it was clear that the Pats were going for the fourth down conversion and the win. The Colts blitzed heavily on the play and forced Brady into a quick throw to the right side where he completed the pass to Kevin Faulk for what appeared to be a first down, but the referee motioned that Faulk was juggling the ball and therefore he doesn’t get the forward progress because he didnt have possession of the ball when he was initially hit. The play could not be reviewed by the booth because it came before the two-minute warning and the Patriots could not challenge the spot of the ball because they had just used their third and final timeout just before the fourth down play. Thus, the ball was spotted about a foot before the first down marker and the Colts took over on downs at their own 29 yard-line with 1 timeout remaining and 2 min left in the game, an absolute eternity for Peyton Manning. After a pass to Reggie Wayne and a Joseph Addai run the Colts were at the 1 yard-line with 4 chances at scoring the winning touchdown, but they only needed two chances as on second and goal from the 1 Peyton Manning threw a bullet on a slant route to Reggie Wayne who made a finger tip grab and the Colts took an unthinkable 35-34 lead. After a desperate lateral attempt by Wes Welker failed and the clock read all zeros the Colts emerged with an amazing fourth quarter comeback win, and the Patriots were left wondering and hoping that what had just happened was nothing but a dream.