Togo Reinserts

Togo has decided to remain in the Africa Cup of Nations despite its government saying that it would withdraw from the tournament.

"In memory of the dead, the national team has decided to play in the African Nations Cup," said Dossevi.

No news on whether Adebayor is still going to play. Togo is in the so-called "Group of Death" with Ghana and the Ivory Coast.

More Info on The Nexus

Here's some new information:

The Google Nexus One will be sold directly through Google's website unlocked for $529.99 or $179.99 with a 2 two-year service plan on T-Mobile. It will also be available on Verizon Wireless in the spring, though pricing was not yet announced.

And some information about the manufacturing costs:

Hardware and components for the Nexus One costs $174.15 – a total that does not include expenses like manufacturing, software, box contents, accessories, or royalties.

This phone will undoubtedly be a hit. The reviews have been very positive. This will set the benchmark for Droid phones.

Life...

...is not like the movies.

This guy snuck past security to see off his girlfriend, and now he's been arrested. Here's what his friends had to say:

“He loves her very much,” Mr. Huang said on Saturday, outside the two-story house Mr. Jiang shares with five roommates. Mr. Huang added that his friend “just wanted to say goodbye to his girlfriend, so it was a very emotional moment. I don’t think he realized what he’s doing.”

****

“I think this man is very romantic,” Mr. Riu said.

“I just hope this doesn’t affect his future career path.”

In the movies, you always see people seeing their loves off or chasing after them to the gate. In reality, you can't do that. You can't get past security anymore. Obviously, movies wouldn't make sense if they had them catching up at security rather than at the gate. There's less urgency. I sympathize with this man, but he broke the law and he will be punished for it.

Togo Pulls Out...

...of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.

From the BBC:

Togo have pulled out of the Africa Cup of Nations as the death toll following the attack on their team bus in Angola rose to three, according to reports.
The driver and two non-playing staff have died. Two players were shot and injured in Friday's attack in Cabinda.

An unfortunate start to the tournament.

A Decade of College Football

Racism in Football

Racism in football is a continuing issue today. Despite efforts from FIFA to rid the game of racism, fans continue to berate players because of their race. At the center of the controversy in Italy has been Mario Balotelli. Balotelli is of Ghanaian descent, but was raised by Italian parents. He is Italian in every way and plays for the U-21 Italian National Team. However, he represents a change in a once homogenous country and it seems that people are not okay with that. He is also a target of controversy because of his behavior, but he is insulted because of his race. After the recent match against Chievo, Balotelli launched this claim:

"I do not apologise to those who insulted me," the statment on Balotelli's official website said. "But I do apologise to those who were innocent and whom I offended through my expressions of exasperation at the boos I received during the game and as I left the pitch.

"I should have made it clear that the fans in Verona and around Italy who boo me disgust me. Instead of enjoying a good game, they prefer to insult me.

"I am tired of always hearing racist chants when I'm on the pitch. It doesn't happen just at Verona. I was ashamed to hear my own Inter fans booing Chievo's Luciano. It's a disgrace which must end.''

There is no reason for racism in sport. It's a shame to see stuff like this occur still.

Conan Out, Leno In?

It looks like Conan might be out of the Tonight Show:

Jay Leno is going back to his 11:30 PM time slot, and it's looking like Conan O'Brien is the odd man out ... sources tell TMZ

Conan is probably my favorite late night host, so it would be an awful change for me. While I like Leno, it has less to do with him as an entertainer and more to do with the fact that we're interested in the same things (cars).

No Arsenal Match

Arsenal's match with Bolton was postponed due to adverse weather conditions in London:

A statement on the club's official website read: "Despite making every effort to stage tonight's match against Bolton Wanderers, the sudden and unpredicted adverse change in weather conditions in the Highbury area has left us no choice but to postpone the fixture.

I'm depressed. I was really looking forward to this. Gonna have to watch some Copa del Rey instead.

Smart Phone Showdown: Follow Up

PC World published an article stating why the Nexus is better than all other smart phones:

With such major differences in hardware between the Nexus One and older generations of Android phones, it's likely that the 2.1 update will take a while to filter down to the other Android phones, some of which were not speedy even with the initial release of the OS. To back this up, Android phones manufacturers are still using inexact timeframes for the arrival of 2.1 on older devices.

It also goes onto praise the iPhone and its users' ability to download the latest software:

Take in comparison Apple - even on the original iPhone (2007), you can still run the latest software update (3.1.2), albeit not as fast as on the iPhone 3GS and without certain features such as GPS or video recording. However, iPhone users, old or new, have always had the choice to freely upgrade to the latest software version, usually within days of the launch of the new version.

It should be interesting how effective Google's software updates are in comparison to Mac. We already know that Mac has a very effective way of offering updates.

New AD At The University Of Michigan

It officially announced yesterday that David Brandon, CEO of Dominos has been named the new athletic director pending Board of Regents approval:

“This is a new era, and I think David Brandon really is positioned well for the challenges that we’re going to face in the future,” Coleman said.

Coleman said though there were many candidates vying for the position and others were nominated for it, she felt Brandon’s experience made him the right person for the job.

“Times are different now than they were when Bill took over,” Coleman said of Martin. “I think (Brandon) has a lot of management skills that, as the department has grown and it’s become more complicated, we’ll need to pull on.”

President Coleman goes on to say:

“One of the things that David talked about during his interviews was really quite intriguing — how to enhance our fan experience,” Coleman said.

“There are all sorts of things we need to be looking at for the future because people are going to have choices about what they do with their leisure time and we want to keep people connected to the University,” Coleman said, adding that athletics is a key way to keep people active in the University community.

I will add more about my take on the new athletic director later today, but this is exciting news.

The Unbeatables

Have fallen.

ESPN 3D

ESPN is introducing ESPN 3D.

Sports broadcasting will enter a new dimension in 2010 ... the third dimension, as ESPN will unveil the industry's first 3-D network.

ESPN 3D will showcase a minimum of 85 live sporting events during its first year, beginning June 11 with the first 2010 FIFA World Cup match, featuring South Africa vs. Mexico, ESPN and ABC Sports president George Bodenheimer announced.

Other events to be produced in 3-D include the 2011 BCS National Championship Game, college basketball and football contests, up to 25 World Cup matches and the Summer X Games. Additional events will be announced at a later date.

"ESPN's commitment to 3-D is a win for fans and our business partners," Bodenheimer said in a statement. "ESPN 3D marries great content with new technology to enhance the fan's viewing experience and puts ESPN at the forefront of the next big advance for TV viewing."

I called this after watching Avatar. This is going to be awesome.

Repo Man Trailer

This movie looks like it will be pretty good, although I'm not in love with the title

Have You Ever Heard A More Foul Sound...

...than this?

Nevermind the creaming. She sounds like a deaf goat.

New Security

People asked about the new security measures.

The Solution?

Gas prices are high. And they continue to rise. In my home state of Massachusetts, gas prices have increased substantially:

AAA’s Jan. 4 survey of prices in Massachusetts found self-serve, regular averaging $2.62 per gallon, up three cents from last week. The price is four cents below the national average for self-serve, regular. A year ago at this time the Massachusetts average price was $1.62, a dollar lower than today’s average.

You think three cents in a week in Massachusetts is bad, just look South. In Jacksonville, gas prices rose five cents:

Jacksonville gas prices rose 5 cents over the past week as severe temperatures throughout the country increased demand for crude oil to produce heating oil.

The average price of a gallon of regular gas is $2.65 in metro Jacksonville, $2.68 in Florida and $2.66 nationally, according to AAA Auto Club South.

The increase in the price at the pump is reflective of the price of a barrel of oil. Oil prices continue to progress to highs and the seasonal conditions have not helped either:

Crude oil climbed above $81 a barrel for the first time in two months as freezing weather and improving economic prospects around the world bolstered the outlook for fuel demand.

At the same time, supply is falling:

U.S. heating oil stockpiles have fallen for six weeks to 44.4 million barrels, the longest decline since April 2008, an Energy Department report showed Dec. 30. Supplies of distillate fuel, a category that includes heating oil and diesel, probably fell 2 million barrels last week, according to the median of seven responses in a Bloomberg News survey.

It is only natural that prices would increase from the resulting changes in the market. When economic pressures are present, it leads to new innovation or alternatives to relieve the stress. It's why economics are so central to the way our world works. With oil prices rising, we need a new innovation or an alternative to arise.

So is Oil Shale the solution? What is oil shale you might ask. Oil shale is a source rock that hasn't yet released the oil. We can obtain this oil through processing. Seems simple enough. However, complex engineering and economics have gotten in the way in the development of the industry. But with oil prices as high as they are, it is now feasible to explore ways to produce oil from shale.

Total SA, Europe's third largest oil company, seems to think so:

Total SA, Europe’s third-largest oil company, accelerated its expansion in unconventional energy by agreeing to buy a stake in Chesapeake Energy Corp.’s assets in the biggest U.S. natural-gas field for as much as $2.25 billion.

Here's some information on the Barnet Shale:

The Barnett Shale is the most productive U.S. gas field and accounted for 52 percent of Chesapeake’s third-quarter output. It was the first geological formation where improved technology enabled producers to bore sideways through thousands of feet of rock and fracture it with a mixture of water, sand and chemicals to make gas flow.

So it appears that companies are investing money into the resource. We'll see if it ends up paying dividends. We have only so many resources, and economics dictate whether we can produce something that is of use. Hopefully, oil shale will be a new economically viable resource.

World's Tallest Building

The world's tallest building has opened in Dubai.

It just towers over the other buildings. There really is nothing close to as tall as it. Here's some general information about it from the BBC:

The Burj Khalifa was revealed to be 828m (2,716ft) high, far taller than the previous record holder, Taipei 101.

Known as the Burj Dhubai during construction, the tower has been renamed after the leader of Dubai's oil-rich neighbour, Abu Dhabi.

Clad in 28,000 glass panels, the tower has 160 floors and more than 500,000 sq m of space for offices and apartments.
Construction began in 2004, at the height of an economic boom. But the opening follows a financial crisis which saw Abu Dhabi bail out Dubai.

The tower also lays claim to the highest occupied floor, the tallest service lift, and the world's highest observation deck - on the 124th floor.

The world's highest mosque and swimming pool will meanwhile be located on the 158th and 76th floors.

Looks as the kids say "sick."

This Show is Hilarious

Royle Family

Here are some clips from a recent Christmas episode. The whole first season and part of the second are on youtube as well:

I love this song now

My favorite video

FA Cup Recap

Arsenal won. It wasn't easy but Arsenal won.

First off, I want to say West Ham played amazingly. They played with conviction and though their priorities may be should lie elsewhere (not getting relegated), they were industrious and were not giving Arsenal any room to breathe. Considering the way West Ham played, I thought they deserved a replay at the Emirates once Ramsey scored. It was cruel when Eduardo got his goal. Behrami, who I've been impressed with in other WHU games, was absolutely all over the pitch. He was the man of the match for me even with Arsenal winning.

Alright, onto Arsenal.

I thought Fabianski played well. A keeper can only do so much when he's one on one with the attacking player. He almost deflected the shot wide. I've seen Arsenal use the offsides trap a few times, and I can't say I'm a huge fan of it. It can very easily leave you vulnerable if your defense is not on the same page. You saw that with Silvestre who hasn't played much with the other three. It pretty much gave a free pass to Diamanti and there was no way to recover from it.

I thought Wilshere and Merida looked hopelessly lost on the pitch. Both of them need to mature more. At the start of the season, if you asked me about Arsenal's top young players, I would have said Wilshere and Merida without a second to think. If you asked me now, my answer undoubtedly would be Aaron Ramsey. It's not that I didn't expect anything from Ramsey, it's that I saw more from the other two and that I didn't expect the marked improvement from Ramsey. I'm disappointed in Wilshere and Merida because I have high expectations for them. I'd like to see Merida get more playing time, though I think his window of opportunity may be closing. I think Wilshere can't contribute to the team on the level that they need him to at this moment and that he would do well on a loan where he can gain experience and deal with the physical challenges of the premiership.

Vermaelen and Gallas were solid, especially the Belgian. The defense was constantly under pressure, and I think Vermaelen's fearlessness was important in guiding Arsenal through. The difference in the match was probably the substitutions. Diaby and Nasri definitely added a new element to the team that was missing with Wilshere and Merida. Diaby sometimes doesn't look pretty, but my is he effective.

Up front, I was once again very glad to see Eduardo score. That's two games in a row. I think the number one thing for him has been his confidence and getting his timing back. I think he's starting to get both back, but there's definitely some improvements to be made. I thought Vela was absolutely fantastic on the left wing. He didn't get to penetrate the box as much as I would've liked, but he drew West Ham out to the wing, opening up enough space for Arsenal to capitalize.

I can't say enough about Ramsey. He's easily becoming one of my favorite players on this team. It's hard to believe his only 19. He's very calm on the pitch and I think he will have a huge impact for Arsenal in the present and in the future. He too scored his second goal in as many games, though he definitely could have had more. I think there are big things to come from the Welshman and we should see him feature against Bolton on Wednesday for the game in hand.

Here are the match highlights if you missed them:

West Ham United v Arsenal
by ninofaye

Aaron Ramsey really has impressed this season and he continues to produce. The way he's developed over the course of a year and a half is just impressive. I thought he had talent, but I didn't expect him to grow up that fast. The media in Britain are rightfully in love with him:

That he is doing all of this while still a teenager is remarkable. Fabregas did it. Lionel Messi did it. Ryan Giggs did it. Wayne Rooney did it. Cristiano Ronaldo did it. The best of the best do it.

Garside goes onto say:

Wilshere lags a little behind Ramsey in temperament, not touch. As Wenger acknowledged, he needs games to quiet his urgency. Just now he is trying too hard to please. Ramsey is blessed with iron belief. Wales have another hero.

His performances have made him worthy of that praise, but he's not doing it alone. Carlos Vela, Abou Diaby, Eduardo, and Alex Song put forth a strong effort in attack as well.

To the big story of the FA Cup Third Round Proper, League One's Leeds United knocked out Manchester United. Jermaine Beckford scored the only goal of the game. Here are the full highlights of what was a great game:

Manchester United v Leeds United
by ninofaye

Sir Alex Ferguson was not happy with the added time:

But Ferguson, who this season has already called for the responsibility to award added time to be taken out of the hands of refeeres, was also angered by Foy's decision to signal five extra minutes. He said: "The referee gave five minutes. That is an insult to the game and the players out there."

He runs on a clock of his own. I would say the match was overall pretty even. I don't think United ever really had a clear chance on net and Leeds converted their one big opportunity. United have never lost this early in the competition under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Smart Phone Showdown: iPhone vs Google's Nexus

A showdown between two of the largest players in the high-tech industry appears to be on the horizon. Google appears to be ready to take on Apple with the introduction of their Nexus smart phone. The ongoing theme in the industry recently has been to compare the two in order to forecast a prediction about the Nexus' success. While the iPhone has been a huge hit and is probably the most popular phone in the industry, it is very likely for the search engine supernova's Nexus to receive a huge reception as well.

I have a Mac, but I use Google a lot and I'm intrigued by both phones. I have a friend who was a PC guy, but worked on Macs all summer programming iPhone applications. He bought a Mac computer as a result and has been itching to get an iPhone. However, since news of the Nexus came out, he has changed his wishlist to include the Nexus. Brand loyalty will certainly be a factor. Unfortunately, the iPhone is not offered on my network (Verizon), and the Nexus looks like it will be offered to T-Mobile and AT&T customers:

Virtually all the information on the Google Nexus One that come out so far indicates that it will fully support only T-Mobile's network, including its 3G network. The version that was approved by the FCC has support for only T-Mobile's version of HSPA, so AT&T customers using this device will limited to voice and the 2.5G standard EDGE.

However, an unconfirmed report says that Google is not going to put all its eggs in one basket, and will offer a second version of this Android OS smartphone with support for AT&T's 3G service.

Color me as one of the people that is kind of disappointed by this revelation. However, I'm glad that I will be able to see the kind of reception that the phones will get. I currently have a Blackberry, and I can't say that I'm at all disappointed with it. When I first saw the iPhone, I noticed that people were always on their phone to check everything. It's cool to have that tool at hand, but you just look so self-involved when you have it. I thought the same of Blackberry users.

Then I got the Blackberry, and I started doing the same thing. Then my Blackberry broke, so I was without a phone for a little while. It taught me to get back to who I was. Once I got my replacement phone, I started using it less than I had with my previous phone. Yeah, it's still a great tool to have. However, while I may still check my phone more than I should, I definitely check it less than before. The benefit of the Nexus not being on my network is that I won't buy it any time soon and that I won't be checking it all the time because of how proud I am to own one.

Early reports of the Google Nexus have come out from some Google employees who received them to try out. Reviews and reports have made it to media outlets, and Attack of the Show has this interview with engadget.com's Joshua Topolsky:

This was about a month ago, and as more information about the Nexus has come out, more comparisons, predictions, and analysis have been made about its impact on the cell phone industry and in particular its competition with the iPhone. A Gerson Lehrman Group analysis had this to say:

Existing iPhone users may find it hard to come up with any serious complaints on the new Google phone. However, the minimal differences are not likely to be enough for users to switch and go through the trouble of learning the new system. Still, if a new buyer that has not used either system compared them side-by-side, there may be a higher probability this time in choosing Google’s new version.

In fact, we anticipate that users will find it to be very iPhone-like. They are both about the same size, with perhaps the Nexus One, being a little thinner. They both will have a full soft keyboard touchscreen.

Of course, the Nexus One will not have nearly as many applications, but almost all of them are free. It has also been developed to be exactly opposite the iPhone, which is very locked down and in which so many people control the particular apps that can be put on the device.

While the Nexus appears to offer a high speed processor along with a better screen, camera, and two speakers, I think what will determine its success will be how it performs. What's more important than sales success for me as a consumer of a phone is my ability to get the most out of my phone. The iPhone offers so much, but with its exclusive contract with AT&T, AT&T's network has struggled to provide the support necessary for the phone. The iPhone signified a huge boost in the amount of data that AT&T's network had to handle. It has not been up to the challenge and its competitors have benefited as a result.

Why is it that people continue to buy Blackberry's when the iPhone is a better phone? The Network and ability to use a phone is paramount. Verizon is annihilating AT&T about its 3G network, and the reason why Verizon's 3G network is better is because of the iPhone. Whether Google's Nexus is tied down to a single carrier or whether it is unlocked for the world will have a significant effect on how it is viewed. Google could set a new trend by foregoing exclusivity. The idea of having a contract is that the carrier will subsidize the cost of the phone. It's a deal that works out well for both the carrier and the phone producer. However, the consumers suffer because they can't get the most out of their phone. If the Nexus is unlocked, users can be free to join whatever network they want without a strict long-term contract.

As far as news about the iPhone, it appears that Apple will try to get not renew its exclusive contract with AT&T and look to be available on other providers as well. It looks like Verizon could be in the future of the iPhone, according to CNET:

Gene Munster, senior research analyst for investment bank Piper Jaffray, said in a research note to clients 0Wednesday that he believes there is a 70 percent chance that Apple will launch a new iPhone with Verizon in 2010. Munster puts the timing of such a move around the middle of the year.

That makes sense, since Apple has used June and July to launch all three of its iPhone models. The company also used the summer months to debut the App Store in 2008. It seems reasonable to speculate that Apple would continue with its schedule of introducing a new iPhone in mid-2010.

Munster said a move to Verizon would more than double Apple's current potential market by 89 million subscribers, adding to the already 82 million available on AT&T.

Of course, at this point the big problem is Apple's arrangement with AT&T as its exclusive carrier in the U.S. That deal is widely thought to end in 2010, although talks between the two companies are said to be ongoing, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Here's the Wall Street Journal article, for reference. While the iPhone may still be locked into contracts with carriers, a move away from exclusivity would make a great deal of sense as it would open the phone up to many more potential customers. I don't know if I personally would buy a iPhone immediately, but it would be a welcome addition to the Verizon line up. Regardless, with the increased competition in the market for phones, the consumer is the one that should benefit. 2010 should introduce a Cold War type arms race to put the best phone with the best services on the market.

Get your popcorn out, it's a smart phone showdown.

Taylor The Destroyer

Phil Taylor won his 15th World Championship in darts. He won his 13th PDC World Darts Championship. Let me put this in perspective, there have been 17 PDC competitions. He has won 13 of them. That's just beyond ridiculous. He has won the last two years and is utterly the figure head of the sport. There are a lot of other good darters, but there are no other cold blooded killers like Taylor. Taylor on the win:

"It's everything I've ever dreamed of, ever achieved, ever practiced for, this is everything," Taylor told Sky Sports after the match.

"That's one of the greatest finals I've played in, no disrespect to the other finals, but he just kept on coming back at me - that was hard work.

"He kept saying to me during the breaks that he was coming after me and he did just that. He just never gave in, it was absolutely brilliant."

"I love everything about the game I love getting up every morning and practising and finding new ways of getting better - I love the competition," added Taylor. "I'm always motivated as it's my job and it's what I love doing."

I'd like to personally congratulate Mr. Taylor on a magnificent accomplishment.

Snow...

...it ain't what it used to be.

I remember as a kid, snow was cold, soft, and wet. Snow nowadays is so dry. It's sticky, but it's not slippery. You can't slide around in it. I can't imagine how it is to sled or ski. It's inferior to the snow of yesteryear. It's really sad and depressing, and I would have to guess that the change in the composition of snow is due to environmental changes from anthropogenic pollution. With rain, you don't really notice differences. It can be annoying and it'll make you have to go slower on the highway, but you don't see or feel the differences. With snow, you can hold it, you can play with it, you can play in it. Well, I don't think you can get the same enjoyment from snow as you could back in my childhood days. I can only imagine how good snow was in the childhood of those that lived here before me.

Little things that you notice have changed in your lifetime like this can be very disheartening.

How Sick...

...would it be if the best players from La Primera took on the best players from the Premiership?

What would the rosters look like?

La Liga:
-----------Casillas------------
Alves---Puyol-----Piqué---Arbeloa
-----------Senna--------------
-----Xavi---------Kaká---------
Messi--------Villa--------Ronaldo

Subs: David Silva, Iniesta, Agüero, Ibrahimovic, Marchena, Albiol, Valdes

How many subs do you get?

EPL:
--------------Freidel-------------
Bosingwa---Terry----Vidic-------Evra
----Lampard---Fabregas---Giggs----
----Rooney-----Torres----Arshavin--

Subs: Lennon, Tevez, Essien, Drogba, Vermaelen, Dunne, Howard

There's a plethora of talent that was untapped. The Primera is obviously dominated by Barca and Real. I snuck in some Valencia and Atlético players as well as Marco Senna from Villareal. There were some huge names i Left off. The Premiership has a Big Four bias, but both goalies I took are from non-Big Four sides. Probably the biggest missing player in this is Steven Gerrard, who I replaced with Aaron Lennon. I think Lennon gives something different to the club than Gerrard.