I’m not sure which is more remarkable: VCU making an improbable run to the Final Four, or someone reputable actually wanting my opinion on same.
Self-deprecation aside, I was lucky enough to be a guest on Spartan Nation Radio up in East Lansing, Michigan. We covered a fairly wide range of VCU-related information in the interview.
Here’s the clip:
The beginning of April brings with it many things. Spring weather. April Fool’s Day. The opening weekend of Major League Baseball’s new season. The impending resolution of March Madness, ironically enough.
We here at the Axis of Ego would like to shine a bright light on another aspect of the fourth month of the year.
As most of you who went to an accredited college know, April is Robot History Month. All month long, we’ll be celebrating the courage and sacrifices of these proud automatons as they paved the way for the androids of the twenty-first century and beyond to rise up from humble origins of servitude to one day subjugate humanity.
Keep watching throughout April as we present as much robot-related content as we can muster in recognition of the struggles and triumphs of the past—and the present. Check back next week for the first in a series of indeterminate number of articles.
Finally, to our mechanical brethren (and future masters): Happy Robot History Month!
I’m in for a treat tonight, as both The Office and 30 Rock were reruns. Why will that be a treat? Because I happened to have reviewed both of these particular episodes previously.
It’s cut-and-paste time! Maybe I’ll get to bed before 3:00 AM tonight!
On the other hand, Archer is all-new. Let’s find out if our favorite secret agent of indeterminate age and era can overcome two reruns from NBC’s flagship sitcoms. Here we go!
Here it is: Our WrestleMania podcast.
Now, you may be wondering how it’s possible that two fully-educated adults could care about a professional wrestling supercard. Wonder no more.
All the answers await inside, including a discussion of the build-up to the event, as well as the questionable contract law underlying one of the key match-ups. Word Life!
Download: The Axis of Ego Podcast 03-31-11
Here’s a video that’s been making the rounds over the past few days. Watch it first:
The most remarkable thing about this footage is the complete inability of anyone at this soccer match in Turkey to get the dog off the field. At the 0:30 mark, an official decides the best way to move a German Shepherd is to pick it up by the ankles and carry it off (naturally, it becomes apparent within two seconds that this is a terrible idea). The next method employed is dragging by the collar. This is a slight upgrade, but still ineffective.
Then, around the 1:10 mark, another official seems to have the bright idea “Well, maybe if
I rub his belly for a while, the dog will leave voluntarily!” Two of the players join in for some triple-team belly-rubbing, but, of course, this goes nowhere.
Most glaring: The people involved in this match appear as though they are entirely unfamiliar with the concept of a “leash.”
In fact, shortly after the belly-rubbing commences, the David Brent-sounding announcer helpfully reiterates that someone needs to “pick it up . . . and escort it from the field of play.” Incredibly, two of the players do just that, despite the fact that German Shepherds often don’t particularly enjoy being picked up and carried places. They are not lap dogs.
Finally, a couple of players manage to hoist the dog up and remove it from the field of play, much to the delight of the eight fans in attendance. Still, the dog nearly escapes from officials and returns to the field, since they have no way of fully capturing the animal.
Anyway, there’s some money to be made for anyone wanting to introduce leash technology to Europe and/or Asia Minor. (You’re welcome)
The crack of the virtual bat and the sight of pristinely trimmed e-grass can only mean that fantasy baseball season is just a few days away*.
I have a checkered fantasy baseball past. While I’ve always had a knack for football, my baseball acumen isn’t quite up to the same lofty level. That said, my performance is disproportionately bad. The Gypsy Scholar League of which I am a member is a highly competitive league populated by professional writers and academics.** In fact, James Frey was a very strong member of the GSL up until a couple of years ago, when he had, uh, some other matters to which he had to attend.
I usually finish somewhere in the bottom half of the league. I had easily my best season ever in 2010, but still slumped down the stretch and finished only in fifth. This lack of success in baseball would frustrate me even more were it not for the fact that football season descends like a deus ex machina right around the time I cease being competitive in baseball (shortly after the all-star break). Since there may not be football this year, I know that I better give baseball a little more effort than I have in the past.
Yet, my gameplan will include almost zero preparation.
I happened to peruse a New York Times article about Jimmer Fredette’s prospects as a professional basketball player this week. I don’t normally read much sports coverage from the NYT, so twice in one week is noteworthy.
In this case, the article itself was fine. What caught my attention was the way in which the various unnamed NBA front office sources assessed Jimmer and his chances of success at the professional level. Here are a few portions of the article that speak to this point, along with my translated version of same:
I’m not sure why the NBC shows would want to go head-to-head with the third round* of the NCAA Tournament, rather than waiting one more week to come back, but they didn’t.
Poor strategy aside, we got three new episodes for the first time in a month, and that’s never a bad thing.
Here’s a recap of the violent, bloody conflict of March 24, 2011:
Don’t let the title alarm you.
A few weeks back, I discussed a controversial magic trick involving Chinese goldfish and possibly magnets.* Another equally-impressive-slash-disturbing trick has come my way in the form of the video you see below. I don’t want to give it away, so please watch it for yourself. I suspect you’ll need to watch it twice. I also don’t want to do any research on what I’m seeing on this video, so I have no idea if this footage is brand-new or ten years old. The video was uploaded about three years ago. That much I do know. Here it is:
Here’s a different performance of the same trick, with a slightly better view of the minks dropping:
My theory: The fox-thing (wolf-thing?) is just a trained canid. No problems there. The minks (ferrets?) are held inside the coat, and are released by some mechanism controlled by the lady wearing it. This mechanism also flips the fur panels on the outside of the coat at the same time, making it look like the released minks were clinging to the coat, rather than merely contained inside it.
In other words, the things you see hanging outside the coat aren’t really the minks.
I don’t really have a point, here. I just wanted to post this video.
It’s either very cool or a little unsettling.
Ok, it’s both.
_____________________
The Axis of Ego 
MLB.TV for PS3 Somehow Got Even Better
Major League Baseball expanded its MLB.TV service to the Playstation 3 for the first time last year. Rarely does something revolutionize a sports fan experience overnight, but MLB.TV did the trick for me.
I’ve been a Major League Baseball fan all my life, but I was able to watch the game in all new ways.
For those of you not familiar with the service, the user was able to watch every out-of-market baseball game live, with DVR-like capabilities, including an on-screen line score just below the time graphic. Access to in-market games was also available, but only ninety minutes after the game ended.
Continue reading →
Share this: