Madden Cones

I think Jamie is cheating in Madden.

Here's the player he uses and his passing cone. The lighter area is the cone. That's the QB's field of vision. Bigger the cone, easier the pass.


Here is the last two guys I played as:




I may have to be the Patriots after seeing this:


Just to even things out a bit...

interesting goal

I think this would be an interesting goal. To visit all of the highest points in each state. Click here for the locations.

odd superbowl

Seattle and Pittsburgh. What an odd superbowl. I don't have anything against either team. Both teams are playing well but if I had to pick the team of destiny I would go with the Steelers. The ball just seems to be bouncing their way right now.

Interesting story from 2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles 21:

18 After all this, the LORD afflicted Jehoram with an incurable disease of the bowels. 19 In the course of time, at the end of the second year, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great pain. His people made no fire in his honor, as they had for his fathers.

20 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He passed away, to no one's regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

I won't watch if Nate isn't in it

Newsday.com: "It's rumored that 5-9 Knicks rookie point guard Nate Robinson will be asked to take part in the slam dunk competition during All-Star Weekend Feb. 18-19 in Houston, but he has yet to hear anything from the league. 'Hopefully, I'll get an invite,' Robinson said yesterday. 'I just want to be in it. It's going to be interesting if I get invited.'"

Gojira

SnapStream : "“How can we beat the Medusa PVR, our 6 tuner beast, and our Hydra PVR, our 10 tuner monster?”

Why, by making an 11 tuner system with HDTV support, of course! This is when the Godzilla PVR system, king of all monsters was born. How do we top the Hydra PVR? This system is an ultra high end HTPC showcasing Beyond TV 4 and capable of recording 11 shows, 4 high definition and 7 standard definition, at once. With Beyond TV 4’s HDTV support and with its unlimited tuners, you can create your own monster system."

Genius

Ask A Ninja: "Sandeep asks the Ninja about what kind of food Ninjas eat."

Todd is

I think Todd could fit into one of the bus' ankles (cankles?)

Home Movie

Our documentary of the week was Home Movie. Highly recommended. It shows 5 different houses and their eccentric owners. I think the cat people were the best. The woman said she only had two goals in life. One was to be a girl scout, but when she was a brownie someone told her that to become a girl scout she would have to fly up. Since she didn't know how to do that, that was out. So her next goal was to become a teenager. Once she reached teenage, she retired. I still don't know what that means. I'm not sure I could've lived in any of those places. I guess the missile silo was probably the closest to something I would have wanted. The electric house was kind of cool, but too ugly.

jerking around

Fox brings back 'Idol' as curtain falls on sitcoms - Yahoo! News: "Fox television, roaring back to prime time with mega-hit 'American Idol' on Tuesday, said it was likely to scrap Emmy-winning ratings dud 'Arrested Development' even as other networks made bids to pick up the comedy.

Speaking hours before the premiere of a fifth edition of 'American Idol,' the No. 1 U.S. TV show last season, Fox Entertainment President Peter Liguori voiced disappointment that 'Arrested Development' was headed for the chopping block.

'It's highly unlikely the show is coming back, but no definitive final answer has been made on that,' Liguori told a gathering of TV critics in Pasadena. 'It's regrettable we couldn't find an audience that the show deserves.'

A spokesman for the network's sister studio, 20th Century Fox Television, which produces the show, said two other networks -- ABC and Showtime -- had approached producers with bids to carry the series next year.

'We are currently considering the offers on the table,' the spokesman, Chris Alexander, told Reuters.

Added Liguori: 'It ('Arrested Development') is a studio property, and there is interest at other networks. It's the studio's right and (the executive producer's) right to put that up to bid.'

He suggested that 'Arrested Development' might be an especially good fit for premium cable channel Showtime, where the comedy's current average audience of just over 4 million viewers would rank it as a major hit.

'From a numbers standpoint, if Showtime were able to migrate the numbers 'Arrested' gets on Fox to Showtime, that would be by far its No. 1 show,' he said.

The quirky comedy about a dysfunctional family has been a critical favorite since its launch in 2003, but has continued to flounder in ratings. A two-hour season finale, which is expected to be the show's swan song, is slated to air February 10."

excellent

Jason Statham Goes "Rogue" (January 17th, 2006): "Jason Statham will topline 'Rogue', an action-thriller with his 'The One' co-star Jet Li in the title role, according to Production Weekly.

The storyline centers on Jack Crawford (Statham), whose partner Tom Lone and Lone's family are killed by an assassin for the Chang crime family. Crawford becomes obsessed with finding the elusive and brutal killer, Rogue (Li)."

final episodes?

Trade Breaks:: "Arrested Development' will wrap its third -- and likely last -- season on Fox next month with a two-hour swan song slated to air opposite the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics. Fox has decided to package four episodes of 'Arrested' and air them as a two-hour season finale from 8-10 p.m. on Friday, February 10th. Scheduling the broadcast opposite the first night of the Olympics sends another strong signal that the net has given up any hope of reviving the show.."

Should be a fun few episodes. Maybe we should party.

evansville likes to eat

14 WFIE, The Tri-State's News Leader: What's for Dinner?: "Hungry Tri-staters continue to fill many Evansville restaurants.

Old Chicago is reporting record breaking business. Since its opening last year, business hasn't slowed down, and there's usually a 30 minute wait every night.

And established restaurants, like Lone Star, say business remains good despite the growing competition.

So, how long can this last?

Old Chicago's general manager, Jimmy Fagnant, replies, 'I think it's all going to depend on how fast Evansville grows. If the population stays the same, then obviously restaurants are going to quit coming in. But as long as Evansville keeps growing, as long as the economics are good, people will keep coming.'

Stavro's Italian restaurant is scheduled to open soon in the Eagle Lake Drive area. Jimmy Buffet's Cheeseburger in Paradise is schedule for construction next door, and another steak house is also looking to build in the same area this year."

Montana Mike's

News-Sentinel | 01/12/2006 | Montana Mike’s to open: "Montana Mike’s is described as “specializing in big appetites and great value,” on the Stockade Web site. The restaurant ages and slices its meat on site. The featured 12-ounce sirloin costs about $10. The restaurant also serves a 44-ounce sirloin.

There are plans for only one restaurant.

“Long-term there is potential for two in Fort Wayne, but currently we would want to get that one great site,” Jobe said.

Including Fort Wayne, the company plans to open 12 locations throughout the state over the next five years, targeting Evansville, Terre Haute, Lafayette, South Bend, Elkhart, Muncie, Bloomington and Indianapolis."

I'm pretty sure this won't last, either.

Chronicles of a Novice Blogger: "I suppose a fresh start is in order. A new look... a new post... and a New Year's resolution to try and blog a little more. "

I'm pretty sure this won't last.

Create an e-annoyance, go to jail | Perspectives | CNET News.com: "Annoying someone via the Internet is now a federal crime.

It's no joke. Last Thursday, President Bush signed into law a prohibition on posting annoying Web messages or sending annoying e-mail messages without disclosing your true identity.

In other words, it's OK to flame someone on a mailing list or in a blog as long as you do it under your real name. Thank Congress for small favors, I guess."

Here's the relevant language.

"Whoever...utilizes any device or software that can be used to originate telecommunications or other types of communications that are transmitted, in whole or in part, by the Internet... without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any person...who receives the communications...shall be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than two years, or both."

"To grease the rails for this idea, Sen. Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, and the section's other sponsors slipped it into an unrelated, must-pass bill to fund the Department of Justice. The plan: to make it politically infeasible for politicians to oppose the measure.

The tactic worked. The bill cleared the House of Representatives by voice vote, and the Senate unanimously approved it Dec. 16.

There's an interesting side note. An earlier version that the House approved in September had radically different wording. It was reasonable by comparison, and criminalized only using an "interactive computer service" to cause someone "substantial emotional harm."

That kind of prohibition might make sense. But why should merely annoying someone be illegal? "

Prince Caspian - Narnia

"Narnia" Sequel Moving Forward (January 10th, 2006): "A few days ago word leaked out but was shot down, today though it seems pretty official - 'The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian' is moving forward.

With 'The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe' having already earned $530 million worldwide, the trades report that Disney Pictures and Walden Media are currently working on a script and are expected to tap a director within a few weeks.

Walden CEO Cary Granat says 'We're planning on starting production by the fourth quarter of next year' though whether he meant 2006 or 2007 is unsure."

Ugh.

Arrested Development: Save Our Bluths - TV Squad: "4. According to Fox's press site (foxflash.com, non-free login required), the last two episodes originally scheduled for next Monday are off the schedule (replaced by a repeat of House). Here's the relevant bit:

'[EDITOR'S NOTE: The last Monday telecast for ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT will be Jan. 2; airdates for remaining original episodes are TBA.]'"

So very frustrating.

no please

Marshall On Bourne 3, Indy 4 & JP4 (January 9th, 2006): "'Frank Marshall confirmed to IESB this past week that 'The Bourne Ultimatum', the third film in the Jason Bourne spy film franchise, will begin shooting on August 1st.

Whilst the plot will have no relation to the Robert Ludlum book of the same name ('The Bourne Supremacy' had no relation either), Marshall's only hint of the storyline? 'There may be a relationship starting up between Julia Stiles' character and Matt Damon'.

He also confirmed that expected 'Indiana Jones' will happen immediately after 'Bourne Ultimatum', and once Indy is done then will come a fourth 'Jurassic Park'."

Credit Cards are the Devil

How Your Credit Card Rate Can Go Through the Roof for No Apparent Reason: "Most consumers know that your credit score affects the credit card rates that you are eligible for. What you may not know is that if your credit score is lowered, then the interest rates on existing credit card debt could increase significantly. How? Universal Default.

It’s not a phrase that most are familiar with, and it’s certainly not one that’s used in day-to-day conversation. And although you may not even know what it means, it is very possible that you could learn about universal default any day now—the hard way.

Buried in the fine print of the credit card terms and agreements, a universal default clause generally states that if you default (are late paying your bills) to the credit card issuer or any other lender the interest rate on the credit card could be raised. Banks that utilize the universal default clause periodically check credit reports of their cardholders. If a credit score is lowered for any reason—late payments, high debts on loans, etc.—then the universal default can be activated. Yes, even if you have a perfect bill-paying record with the card issuer.

According to Linda Sherry of Consumer Action, more banks than ever use universal default policies to increase interest rates based on their customer’s credit performance with other creditors. “Banks seem to be saying that if there is even a shadow of a doubt that a cardholder might not pay, they are going to get a premium on their money while they still can.”

“We (Consumer Action) believe the real purpose of these policies is to maximize revenue at the expense of those who are least able to afford it.”"

No more seekers

CourierPress: Business: "After two years in operation, Seekers Coffee House and Cafe, has closed in the Burkhardt Plaza strip mall along Burkhardt Road, north of the Lloyd Expressway.

Ruth Stout, who owned the business with her husband, Mark, said a lack of customers brought on the recent closing."

keep your computer spyware free

ZDNet.com: "Got a new computer for Christmas? Are you worried about all the spyware horror stories you've read? You should be. I've heard varying numbers, but it's said that putting an unprotected computer on a high-speed connection results in getting infected within a few minutes. I just read that the time is getting longer, but that's not much comfort. By all means you should have a router if you're on a high speed connection. A router provides some protection, but is only the beginning. Ok, now the new machine is booted up the first time and ready to go. It's on the net. In this order, here's what to do."

Goals for 2006

• sell our house


• buy new house


• lose 30 lbs


• run 1/2 marathon


• run tristate 5k


• dunk basketball


• go see third day/david crowder band


• learn a song on the guitar


• watch season 1 miami vice


• watch all 3 extended editions of LOTR


• Band of Brothers


• Watch one documentary a week


• Make for rent dvd


• convert old home movies from super 8 format to dvd


• convert vhs-c to dvd


• finish reading the bible


• read 1 book a week (specifically one's we own but haven't read)


• go on vacation


• get an ipod


• get a mac mini


• create a theme for firefox


• make all book, movie and music references links to amazon on bbr


• post 3 times a week to cardinals blog


• start a podcast


• Go to a Cardinals game one home, one away


• Take a marriage class at church


• win national championship on college hoops 2k6


• Win 2006 Fantasy Football League