Monday Musings Addmentum - August 30, 2010

I felt really bad about not including a funny video in this week's Monday Musings. Luckily for me, the comic strip Luann came through with quite possibly the most horrible song/music video in a long time. May I present to you Hey Boy!

Monday Musings - August 30, 2010

• Little known fact about me - I'm a Star Trek: The Next Generation geek of sorts. So this casing note fascinated me in so many different ways. I mean, it's one thing to imagine J.D. Roth as the unintentionally annoying Wesley Crusher, but Reggie Jackson or Wesley Snipes as Geordi? Denise Crosby as empath Troi? MY MIND IS BLOWN!


• Most shocking thing about this Michelle Beadle profile at Fanhouse? She spent 3 years in Peterborough "listening to Our Lady Peace." Peterborough always struck me as more of a Tragically Hip town.


• I still have to write about the Montreal Canadiens' Mount Puckmore entry (cliff notes - I only have one complaint though I understand the choice). I can conclusively say that it was miles better than the New York Rangers entry. Jaromir Jagr, really?


• There is a lot of truth in this letter/article by Tim Rindlisbacher. My one fear is that he is singling out MMA only because it is the flavour of the week. When boxing still exists, it needs to be included in any discussion about concussions.


• This just in: The Western world is weird. It's actually an interesting article about different cultures react to the Ultimatium problem, and how that might reflect upon our cultures.


• Playstation designer explains what the symbols mean on the button, disappoints geeks around the world with lame explanation.


• PokerBob provides an interesting wrinkle to the "poker is a skill game" discussion.

The contradiction that is Rob Ford

Compare and contrast:

• Peter Worthington, Sunday: By presenting himself as a blunt-talking, straight-arrow, tell-it-like-it-is guy who radiates honesty, Ford leapt into the lead among Torontonians fed up to the gills with the spending and self-justifying nonsense of our present mayor and many in council.


• Toronto Sun Editorial, Friday: Rob Ford's honesty in question

Oddly enough, this is one of those rare times when the Toronto Sun Editorial Board gets one right. Ford can be the biggest straight shooter in terms of what the city needs. The problem is, his actions whenever faced with a possibly negative story is to deny first, then admit guilt when faced with evidence proving his guilt? An honest man would own up to his transgressions when first given the opportunity, not deny and hope that it is not followed up on. This is even more troublesome when you are running a campaign with a basis on trust.

Worthington acknowledges that there's an issue with Ford's honesty, but waves it away by saying "There’s a difference in not being blatantly honest about embarrassing incidents in your own life, and looting the public till and not being honest with taxpayers’ money." This doesn't deal with the pattern that Ford is setting, nor does it acknowledge that Ford is actually willing to spend cash that city council identified as a savings.

(In a related note, how bad are things when the city's conservative newspaper calls out the front-running conservative mayor candidate?)

I also have to wonder about Ford's move to not officially comment about anything to the Toronto Star. Aren't you just opening yourself up to even more one-sided reporting due to not giving a response to any story brought by the newspaper?

Rob Ford's ideas might be what the city of Toronto needs. I'm not sure that his other actions are needed though.

Covering all the bases - a photo essay

English and French instructions for earbud headphones

Front of the full instructions for earbud headphones

Back of the full instructions for earbud headphones

Monday Musings - August 23, 2010

• I don't care what you do CJ Spiller, I refuse to get excited about this Bills' season and your fantastic team oriented attitude.


• Adventures in bad headlines, part XVII...
  Headline: Sexy video gets Shakira in trouble.
  Story: Shakira was filmed dancing in a Barcelona fountain for a promo video for her latest song. She failed to get a permit from city hall and now has been fined.


• The Toronto Star brings up a valid comparison of Chicago's waterfront to Toronto's.


• Hugh MacIntyre makes a valid point about there being no majority government in Canada in the near future. However, he misses the mark when he says that playing to the soft nationals in Quebec won't work because the Harper government tried that in 2006-2008 and the soft nationals still voted for the Bloc. Harper did himself in by cutting funding to the arts, which ended up killing him in Quebec. We don't have a good test of whether the soft nationals would be amenable to the wooing of the federal government.


• I can't wait for Cougar Life's response to this.


• Vivid is trying to make a 3D porn parody of Avatar. It's actually a good (SFW) article which helps to lay waste to the claim that porn drives advancements in technology.


• Ryan Durling at Something's Bruin puts together a summary of what has happened between the Toronto Sun and the Pension Plan Puppets, explaining why it's so infuriating.


• Jay Mariotti was arrested on suspicion off domestic assault on Saturday. Sports by Brooks compiles many of Mariotti's columns on the subject of athletes and domestic abuse.


• And finally, how to catch a foul ball like a man. (h/t: Dustin Parkes at The Score)
  

JayRo Reads: The Bullpen Gospels

The Bullpen Gospels
by Dirk Hayhurst

This is by far the most interesting book I have read in the last year. It is one of the best baseball books that I have read. It might be one of the best books that I have read.

The book is a recounting of Hayhurst's 2007 season, which was spent in the San Diego Padres' minor league system. In it, you get a great look at what minor league baseball is like, with most of the stories of sex, drugs and alcohol you would come to expect.

What isn't expected is Hayhurst's own story of overcoming his anxiety, his overcoming his family situation, to produce results on the field. Hayhurst approaches this in the same way that he approaches the minor league portion of the book - with honesty. What could have been a book that was filled with the antics of a minor league is instead an honest portrayal of not only the minors, but one man's struggles to exceed at baseball but also determine what his ultimate goal is for his life.

Even if you aren't a baseball fan, you should read this book. I can not recommend it enough.

Monday Musings - August 16, 2010

• MTV tries to explain whythe Expendables topped box office while Scott Pilgrim vs. the World failed. They basically nail it, but I can't believe I missed the obvious comparison: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist.


• The Mill-town looking to steal from the Steel Town!


• When the Joe Posnaski/David Cameron war of words was raging, I was going to post something. But the folks at Fire Jerry Manuel sum up my feelings here


• David McKee reads the tea leaves and comes to the conclusion that the Rio is going to be sold to Colony Capital. While the Star Trek convention move to the Rio does seem to indicate that something is up there, I'm not sure that it means that the Rio is sold. It could just mean that Harrah's is going to move the World Series of Poker, and they don't want to announce it until the November Nine, when all the attention will be on them. (Of course, now that I've committed this to the interwebs, the Rio sale will be announced tomorrow.)


• Will Carroll contemplates the dichotomy of being categorized as a blogger, but not actually having a blog.


• News that I might be too excited over: Johnny Carson's Tonight show footage is hitting the web.


• One of the best Toronto Star headlines ever: Hello girls! Bounce is back


• The Ontario government seems to be trying to lock up my vote. First, they start down the path of legalizing online gambling, and now they're allowing MMA events in Ontario.


• And finally, a tribute to the Montreal Expos (h/t Toronto Mike)
  

Breaking News!

Not only is Polkaroo on Twitter, Polkaroo has a Tumblr account!

JayRo Watches: Kick Ass

Kick Ass is almost the perfect popcorn movie. You go in, essentially shut off your brain, and enjoy yourself. Yet, there's something distracting while you're watching the movie, especially the climax. That's what happens when you are watching an 11-year old girl get beaten up by a middle age man.

This is the dichotomy of the movie - if you can get past the 11-year old girl - who is admittedly the most threatening fighter in the movie - getting beat up, you'll have no problem with Kick Ass, and you will enjoy it. Otherwise, you might want to take pause; the movie has its merits (especially with the evolution of Kick Ass as a crime fighter), but Hit Girl might end up distracting you from the film and stopping your enjoyment.

(In a related note, if Roger Ebert had just stayed on this line of thought, I would have had no qualms about his review. Instead, he went down the "won't you think about the children" route and the "controversy" ensued.)

Monday Musings - August 9, 2010

• If only Law and Order wasn't cancelled - can you imagine what they'd do with this ripped from the hedlines story?


• John Moore enables crime and is personally responsible for the spending of $9 billion to build new jails.


• Speaking of Canadian Crime, Colby Cosh destroys the latest Conservativ plan to get tough on crime


• This new feature makes me want to go to Disneyland.


• Las Vegas is finally getting tough on the scourge of society: The Hula-Hoop


• And finally, the hit that's sweeping the nation...See My Dong! (Video from Deadspin; back story here.) (Also probably NSFW)
  

JayRo Watches: Salt

I remember when I first watched the Sixth Sense, I figured out the twist almost immediately. I noticed the little things throughout the movie to lay the back story for when they revealed the twist. It was a well produced film that unfortunately launched the career of M. Night Shyamalan to a level that we are still recovering from.

I bring this up not only for the unnecessary shot at M. Night Shyamalan, but also because the Sixth Sense might be the last great movie that had a twist which worked within the context of the movie and as an actual surprise. Salt is the latest to attempt to give the shock twist, and the latest to fail.

It fails because we're conditioned to expect a twist ending out of our thrillers; a misdirection which is supposed to shock us. What saves the movie is that the story itself is strong enough to last on its own, even with the knowledge that something will be flipped on you at the end.

Angelina Jolie stars as Evelyn Salt, a CIA operative. She gets a visit from a Russian operative who claims to have information on how the Russian President will be killed. Salt's interest isn't piqued until he reveals the name of the assassin: Evelyn Salt. This launches the movie into a frantic half hour chase, where the CIA attmepts to bring Salt back into custody. The story is at its strongest here, with Salt escaping not only by outsmarting her pursuers, but by getting lucky as well. We then follow Salt as the story of how we got to this point is unraveled.

Jolie is fantastic playing Salt, being able to balance the kick-ass heroine role with the emotional gravitas of being concerned for her husband's well being. Knowing that the role was first offered to Tom Cruise makes me thankful that he chose to do Knight and Day; if he were to have played the same role it could have come off as derivative of Mission:Impossible.

All in all, I recommend Salt, even if you won't be surprised by the end. The story is structured that it does not depend on the shock factor, and leaves you satisfied with the resolution.

JayRo Plays Batman: Arkham Asylum

Many comic book franchises produce video games that rely on the name of the comic book to sell the game, and then ignore gameplay all together. (Superman Returns springs to mind immediately.) Batman: Arkham Asylum actually goes the opposite way, producing a game with rich gameplay, multiple modes, replay value and oh, BTW, you are playing Batman.

The story begins with Batman escorting Joker into Arkham Asylum to be locked up. Of course, Joker escapes, and the story then revolves around Batman trying to take down the Joker. Along the way, you learn some things about what was happening at Arkham Asylum, and some come back to haunt you.

Gameplay is interesting. There's the standard brawling which takes up a lot of the game. There's also some puzzle solving, trying to find your way around barriers, etc. But the most intriguing part of game play is the Predator mode, which is a stealth mode. The point of this is to take down the enemies without being noticed. What makes it stand out from the others is the way it uses the Batman character. You are able to not only sneak around silently, but you can use the vents and any convieniently placed gargoyles to sneak around. The gargoyles are especially good, as you can swing from them, and (once you upgrade to it) use them to take out the enemies. There are also "challenge missions" that let you use these predator tactics in as quick as possible. This is the most interesting aspect of the game, and playing the challenges is all the more enjoyable.

Along with the Joker, you encounter some more of Batman's Rouge Gallery. The most interesting is the Riddler, who you never actually see. He leaves you with trophies to find and riddles to solve. These are in unusual places, and involve doing some interesting movements to get to them.

I realize I am late to the game with my praise of Batman: Arkham Asylum. Even still, if you haven't already picked this up, you should. There is enough there to keep your attention for a long time.