Now I know I shouldn't complain about the Simpsons after all these years (I just got Season 8 on DVD! Hank Scorpio, you are my hero.), but I'm a little annoyed about the last night's episode. It involved Bart torturing Skinner by forcing him to do demeaning things because of his deadly peanut allergy. As a way to get back, it showed Skinner breaking into Dr. Hibbert's office to find out Bart's allergies. I immediately turned to Steph on the couch and said "butterscotch and imitation butterscotch", in reference to the episode "Blood Fued" when the family is quizzing Marge about her knowledge of the family. (Doing the research for this blog entry I also discovered that I had forgotten the extra "and glow-in-the-dark monster make-up".) Would it have been that difficult to make a small reference to the old school episode? I'm sure I wasn't the only person who thought of it when they showed this. And have the climax involve some sort of delicious butterscotch-coated shrimp candy. Mmmmm...
And the Jets are 2-1. Not too bad. Don't be fooled by the record, they aren't a good team. But 2-1 is better than 1-2 and certainly 0-3. Maybe they'll end up 6-10 or 7-9 this year. That would mark improvement, and if the offense can find some sort of player called a "running back" they may begin to get consistently better. One other random thought after watching Sunday Night Football is that Tom Brady isn't looking like Tom Brady of '01-'05. He shouldn't be throwing 55 passes in a game, and I'm surprised by the amount of (what appears to me to be) complaining, both to the refs and his teammates. They're still going to win the division (the 'Fins just aren't living up to the hype the end of last season brought them, and the Bills and Jets aren't good teams), but are looking at another early post-season exit.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Canto XIII
See, this is why I didn't want to blog. Suddenly a week flys by and I feel like I have to talk about a million things. Okay, time for quick shots...
1) Okalahoma-Oregon. Well, OU isn't the first team to get screwed by a bad call and lose and they won't be the last. Sorry 'bout that, hope the Ducks make the most of this season. But man that was a crazy game.
2) Great party for my birthday. Although it went to a weird place and, no, I don't think I'm going to elaborate. And now I'm 26. Just 3 more to the next prime number...
3) My brother has left for jolly old England. I saw him last month, and as of right now I don't know when I'm going to see him again. That makes me a little sad, but I'm happy he's persuing what he wants to do and I'm really proud of what he's done so far. (I moved 3000 miles to do what I want to do, so why can't he go 6000?)
4) Classes have begun in earnest. I'm now a Harvard student. Sigh.
i. Beyond the SM -> Quantum Mechanics and Spacetime. Nima Arkani-Hamed has decided to teach us all about why the cosmological constant is small, but non-zero. We had our first "real" lecture today on Quantum Mechanics. He's very animated while lecturing (which keeps me awake at a minimum), and it was interesting stuff. I think I'm really going to enjoy this class.
ii. Intro to String Theory. Andy Strominger is much more subdued while lecturing. But methodical and very understandable. We may not finish as much in a term with him teaching, but you'll understand what was done, which you can't always say after some classes. And if string theory is in my future, this will obviously be an important class.
5) Watched the Weird Al video for "White and Nerdy", and sadly understood just about everything he was talking about. (Except I hadn't heard the song he was parody-ing. Hmmm.) I particularly enjoyed the Schroedinger Equation for the hydrogen atom in the background, "getting freaky with the bubble wrap" and the Star Wars Holiday Special.
Well, that's enough for tonight kiddies!
1) Okalahoma-Oregon. Well, OU isn't the first team to get screwed by a bad call and lose and they won't be the last. Sorry 'bout that, hope the Ducks make the most of this season. But man that was a crazy game.
2) Great party for my birthday. Although it went to a weird place and, no, I don't think I'm going to elaborate. And now I'm 26. Just 3 more to the next prime number...
3) My brother has left for jolly old England. I saw him last month, and as of right now I don't know when I'm going to see him again. That makes me a little sad, but I'm happy he's persuing what he wants to do and I'm really proud of what he's done so far. (I moved 3000 miles to do what I want to do, so why can't he go 6000?)
4) Classes have begun in earnest. I'm now a Harvard student. Sigh.
i. Beyond the SM -> Quantum Mechanics and Spacetime. Nima Arkani-Hamed has decided to teach us all about why the cosmological constant is small, but non-zero. We had our first "real" lecture today on Quantum Mechanics. He's very animated while lecturing (which keeps me awake at a minimum), and it was interesting stuff. I think I'm really going to enjoy this class.
ii. Intro to String Theory. Andy Strominger is much more subdued while lecturing. But methodical and very understandable. We may not finish as much in a term with him teaching, but you'll understand what was done, which you can't always say after some classes. And if string theory is in my future, this will obviously be an important class.
5) Watched the Weird Al video for "White and Nerdy", and sadly understood just about everything he was talking about. (Except I hadn't heard the song he was parody-ing. Hmmm.) I particularly enjoyed the Schroedinger Equation for the hydrogen atom in the background, "getting freaky with the bubble wrap" and the Star Wars Holiday Special.
Well, that's enough for tonight kiddies!
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Canto XII
So the week has begun. And is now halfway over. I'm trying to teach myself about differential forms, which doesn't seem like it should be too hard (I've got a cute little book from Dover about them) since I already know the math, it's really just learning how to use notation. But it's been slow going. On the up side, yesterday I had one of those "ah-ha!" moments where suddenly the whole chapter made sense. I then finished off the whole rest of the chapter and did all the problems. It felt good. One of my favorite moments is reaching that point where suddenly you understand something that you didn't just 5 minutes earlier. Great feeling.
I need to stop with the hacky sack. At least twice a day we waste 20 minutes kicking that damn bag around. I just learned that hacky sack was invented in Oregon! How cool is that! And we've been playing some squash lately. I need to get a new racket as the old one I'm using (and I mean old, the thing is a freaking antique) is giving me blisters.
Classes start next week which means that I will no longer be able to goof off as much. String Theory and Physics Beyond the Standard Model, up at Harvard. Yes, I'm becoming a Harvard student. This is slightly angering. I'm not mad at Harvard or myself, but really MIT and the CTP - they just didn't offer any extra particle physics courses this fall. Next week also marks the begining of the study group for the Part III exam. And I need to find a research advisor. I feel like if I can get out of this term hitting my goals, then everything else will fall into place. But I've felt like that the last 2 years here. I keep meeting my goals, but more keep showing up. Where's the finish line? I suppose that's the PhD thing they keep talking about...
I need to stop with the hacky sack. At least twice a day we waste 20 minutes kicking that damn bag around. I just learned that hacky sack was invented in Oregon! How cool is that! And we've been playing some squash lately. I need to get a new racket as the old one I'm using (and I mean old, the thing is a freaking antique) is giving me blisters.
Classes start next week which means that I will no longer be able to goof off as much. String Theory and Physics Beyond the Standard Model, up at Harvard. Yes, I'm becoming a Harvard student. This is slightly angering. I'm not mad at Harvard or myself, but really MIT and the CTP - they just didn't offer any extra particle physics courses this fall. Next week also marks the begining of the study group for the Part III exam. And I need to find a research advisor. I feel like if I can get out of this term hitting my goals, then everything else will fall into place. But I've felt like that the last 2 years here. I keep meeting my goals, but more keep showing up. Where's the finish line? I suppose that's the PhD thing they keep talking about...
Monday, September 11, 2006
Canto XI
Profootball time! I know everyone is as excited as I am...
The Jets won, despite CBS' efforts to destroy my life. So I watched the Bills-Pats game, which ended in predictable fashion after Buffalo was looking frisky for a little while. They then cut to the Broncos-Rams game, when Denver was driving down by 8 late in the 4th quarter. When Jake threw his 3rd INT of the game, they decided to let this one go as well. After some studio banter, they went to the Jets-Titans game, where the Jets are up by 7 with the Titans in possesion and driving with under 2 minutes to go. They pick up one first down. Then another. So now there's 40-some-odd seconds left and the Titans are at the Jets 12 yard line with a first down and one timeout. Then...
I don't know what happened. CBS cut away saying that due to contractual obligations, they were not allowed to show the end of the game!!! WTF?!? Does the NFL really contractually obligate the willful destruction of it's fan base? So they went back to the studio where Bryant Gumble would try and give a play-by-play (not his strong suit), which would then be followed up by a replay immediatly after the play was over. Why is this allowed but, you know, showing the freakin' game, isn't? Two dump off passes, then two imcompletes, and the Chad Pennington comeback has officially begun. I'm quietly optimistic, although this team is really a wait-for-next year team.
Not much to say about the games. A few upsets here and there. I'm most impressed with the Ravens. I have them as a wild card, but boy if that kind of play keeps up, they might be looking at a bye week in January. Denver stunk it up for the second year in a row to start off, but I wouldn't write them off just yet. And how 'bout them Panthers. No Steve Smith, no W. I'm pretty convinced that he should have been MVP last season. Since he didn't, that means WR can't win the award. Plenty of other good games, including one that apparently involved brothers or something like that.
The Jets won, despite CBS' efforts to destroy my life. So I watched the Bills-Pats game, which ended in predictable fashion after Buffalo was looking frisky for a little while. They then cut to the Broncos-Rams game, when Denver was driving down by 8 late in the 4th quarter. When Jake threw his 3rd INT of the game, they decided to let this one go as well. After some studio banter, they went to the Jets-Titans game, where the Jets are up by 7 with the Titans in possesion and driving with under 2 minutes to go. They pick up one first down. Then another. So now there's 40-some-odd seconds left and the Titans are at the Jets 12 yard line with a first down and one timeout. Then...
I don't know what happened. CBS cut away saying that due to contractual obligations, they were not allowed to show the end of the game!!! WTF?!? Does the NFL really contractually obligate the willful destruction of it's fan base? So they went back to the studio where Bryant Gumble would try and give a play-by-play (not his strong suit), which would then be followed up by a replay immediatly after the play was over. Why is this allowed but, you know, showing the freakin' game, isn't? Two dump off passes, then two imcompletes, and the Chad Pennington comeback has officially begun. I'm quietly optimistic, although this team is really a wait-for-next year team.
Not much to say about the games. A few upsets here and there. I'm most impressed with the Ravens. I have them as a wild card, but boy if that kind of play keeps up, they might be looking at a bye week in January. Denver stunk it up for the second year in a row to start off, but I wouldn't write them off just yet. And how 'bout them Panthers. No Steve Smith, no W. I'm pretty convinced that he should have been MVP last season. Since he didn't, that means WR can't win the award. Plenty of other good games, including one that apparently involved brothers or something like that.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Canto X
College Football time! It was a full day of action, and I didn't miss much of it...
Games I watched: Massachusetts Maritime Academy @ MIT (19-0), Penn State @ Notre Dame (17-41), Clemson @ Boston College (33-34), Minnesota @ California (17-42), Ohio State @ Texas (27-7), Oregon @ Fresno State (31-24).
1) MIT lost their home opener 19-0. I only caught the second half due to a late brunch, but apparently the first half was much better. Twice inside the 5 yard line and they couldn't finish. Shut out at home, that hurts. MIT, we must protect this house!
2) Penn State had their chances and blew them all in the first half. Midway through the 2nd quarter ND found their rythem and it was over in the 3rd. Not a good showing from the Nittany Lions. Not sure how much this tells us about Notre Dame, though since fumble recoveries are random and they all went NDs way early. How is this team any different from Texas Tech last year? Lots of offense, spotty defense that will surprise at times but is really just average. The Michigan game next week will tell me a lot more. Also, for Penn State, the announcers kept raving about #2 Williams as a great athlete, but he just screwed up any time he took the snap as part of a mix-up sceme on offense, and dropped several key passes including one for TD. Why is this guy so special?
3) Clemson should have won this game, but a few key mistakes kept the game close, it went to OT, and blocked PAT decided it. I met some Clemson fans on the T in the morning, it's going to be a long trip back to South Carolina today...
4) The Bears made plenty of mistakes early, but finally showed why they actually deserved to be ranked. The offense looked like a Tedford offense of old, the defense played up to the hype, only giving up 2 drives for a TD and FG (and the opening one for TD was a blown assignment on the first play from scrimmage resulting in a ~50 yard gain). The Bears will be getting a lot better and will challenge for the Pac-10 title. The Tennessee game will be seen as an abberation due to a young team going on the road in a hostile environment. In other news, the Gophers finally played a team not in the bottom 20 (or D-IAA) for a non-conference game. Their big knock (similar to Kansas State) the last few years has been the cream puff 3-0 and 4-0 non-conference schedule. Here's betting Glen Mason doesn't do that again.
5) The game of the weekend didn't really live up to the hype in my mind. It wasn't a bad game, but no one will be calling this the game of the season. Two trips to the red zone by Texas resulted in a lost fumble and what should have been a FG turned into a TD by a questionable roughing the passer penalty. That was the best they could do. The Buckeyes are looking pretty good this season, and the offense stayed in control most of the game. Texas without Vince Young will go back to the Mack Brown teams of old: 10 or 11 wins and choking away the big ones. Enjoy last season Longhorn fans, it was pretty special.
Before we get to the Ducks, something for some of my Big Ten friends. Illinois got waxed by the State College of New Jersey 33-0 while Northwestern lost 34-17 in their home opener against... D-IAA University of New Hampshire (Wildcats Vs. Mildcats!). I'm not sure which is worse. I've got to say the the Big Ten is looking a little top-heavy, but I'll hold off judgement for a few more weeks. Not too many other games to comment on except for the two near-upset let-down games by Tennessee and FSU. Soclose. And UW hanging tough against Oklahoma. Nice try Huskies.
6) Last but not least, the Ducks. I was pretty nervous about this game. I think everyone knows what Fresno can do at home, and you have to worry about how much everyone is thinking about Oklahome next week. Of course, the big play was the fake field goal. Great call. When they lined up for the FG, I was a little angry about not going for it to really give themselves a cushion or at least pinned Fresno deep. But then the miracle happened. I guess this was an "audible" by Brady Leaf - he read the defense and if they were overloaded he could pick it up and run with it since they had blocked an earlier attempt - the only problem is he's the only one who knows! Martinez didn't even know what was going to happen until it was happening. If you look at the replays he takes 2 steps as part of his normal wind up, then realizes that he better start running the other way to score the TD! Great call, great execution, and a great win for the Ducks. Bellotti's Bag-o-Tricks comes through in the clutch. I breathed a huge sigh of relief, even at 2am my heart was pounding for that last hail mary. By the way, good use of the clock by Pat Hill at the end - the Ducks should have realized he was going to do everything he could to win and kept pushing the ball.
Now for more Duck stuff. The offense still doesn't look in-sync. It was like this last year the first few games. Some key drops also hurt. The announcers kept raving about the depth at the reciever position the Ducks have, but the reason they're so deep is because they're all mediocre. Williams led the team, but even he had some key drops (one would have been a first down and the other was a touchdown). There's really no stand-out guy, and I think that's going to hurt the Ducks. Stewart being out also didn't help, but Johnson wasn't bad. I'm not a big fan of the spread offense, especially because it doesn't use a tight end much (although they finally seem to have found some kind of role for Rosario). But 31 points will win you a lot of games, so lets hope they keep progressing. The denfense really needs some help stopping the run. We all knew they were going to miss Haloti, but watching Wright churn out the yards was really frustrating. We got them to 3rd down plenty of times, but just couldn't get off the damn field. But when you look at the numbers, it wasn't that bad. One long run by Wright was the biggest play given up all game (40 yards), and if you take that away Wright and the team as a whole only averaged 4 yards a carry and 4.5 yards per pass. That's not terrible against the run and phenomenal against the pass, they just need to work on their 3rd down defense: Fresno converted on 9-17 and went 1-2 on 4th down. Thats better than 50%, when it should be something like 30-40%. Aliotti has always been a stop-the-run-first kind of guy, so you better believe he'll be working on this over the week getting ready for Adrian Peterson. It also seems the Ducks are a little dinged up (Bates, Stewart, Strong), so hopefully everyone will be ready for next Saturday's big home match up. This opening is one of the hardest I've seen by the Ducks. After opening in-conference, on the road against Fresno, Oklahoma, road games at ASU and Cal, then UCLA at home. Wow. They're all winnable, but that's one tough schedule. The second half is a lot easier in theory, but features all our Northwest rivals and on the road against USC. And we don't have a bye week. What's our AD doing to these kids?
Okay, that turned out to be way more than I expected... Sorry about that.
Games I watched: Massachusetts Maritime Academy @ MIT (19-0), Penn State @ Notre Dame (17-41), Clemson @ Boston College (33-34), Minnesota @ California (17-42), Ohio State @ Texas (27-7), Oregon @ Fresno State (31-24).
1) MIT lost their home opener 19-0. I only caught the second half due to a late brunch, but apparently the first half was much better. Twice inside the 5 yard line and they couldn't finish. Shut out at home, that hurts. MIT, we must protect this house!
2) Penn State had their chances and blew them all in the first half. Midway through the 2nd quarter ND found their rythem and it was over in the 3rd. Not a good showing from the Nittany Lions. Not sure how much this tells us about Notre Dame, though since fumble recoveries are random and they all went NDs way early. How is this team any different from Texas Tech last year? Lots of offense, spotty defense that will surprise at times but is really just average. The Michigan game next week will tell me a lot more. Also, for Penn State, the announcers kept raving about #2 Williams as a great athlete, but he just screwed up any time he took the snap as part of a mix-up sceme on offense, and dropped several key passes including one for TD. Why is this guy so special?
3) Clemson should have won this game, but a few key mistakes kept the game close, it went to OT, and blocked PAT decided it. I met some Clemson fans on the T in the morning, it's going to be a long trip back to South Carolina today...
4) The Bears made plenty of mistakes early, but finally showed why they actually deserved to be ranked. The offense looked like a Tedford offense of old, the defense played up to the hype, only giving up 2 drives for a TD and FG (and the opening one for TD was a blown assignment on the first play from scrimmage resulting in a ~50 yard gain). The Bears will be getting a lot better and will challenge for the Pac-10 title. The Tennessee game will be seen as an abberation due to a young team going on the road in a hostile environment. In other news, the Gophers finally played a team not in the bottom 20 (or D-IAA) for a non-conference game. Their big knock (similar to Kansas State) the last few years has been the cream puff 3-0 and 4-0 non-conference schedule. Here's betting Glen Mason doesn't do that again.
5) The game of the weekend didn't really live up to the hype in my mind. It wasn't a bad game, but no one will be calling this the game of the season. Two trips to the red zone by Texas resulted in a lost fumble and what should have been a FG turned into a TD by a questionable roughing the passer penalty. That was the best they could do. The Buckeyes are looking pretty good this season, and the offense stayed in control most of the game. Texas without Vince Young will go back to the Mack Brown teams of old: 10 or 11 wins and choking away the big ones. Enjoy last season Longhorn fans, it was pretty special.
Before we get to the Ducks, something for some of my Big Ten friends. Illinois got waxed by the State College of New Jersey 33-0 while Northwestern lost 34-17 in their home opener against... D-IAA University of New Hampshire (Wildcats Vs. Mildcats!). I'm not sure which is worse. I've got to say the the Big Ten is looking a little top-heavy, but I'll hold off judgement for a few more weeks. Not too many other games to comment on except for the two near-upset let-down games by Tennessee and FSU. Soclose. And UW hanging tough against Oklahoma. Nice try Huskies.
6) Last but not least, the Ducks. I was pretty nervous about this game. I think everyone knows what Fresno can do at home, and you have to worry about how much everyone is thinking about Oklahome next week. Of course, the big play was the fake field goal. Great call. When they lined up for the FG, I was a little angry about not going for it to really give themselves a cushion or at least pinned Fresno deep. But then the miracle happened. I guess this was an "audible" by Brady Leaf - he read the defense and if they were overloaded he could pick it up and run with it since they had blocked an earlier attempt - the only problem is he's the only one who knows! Martinez didn't even know what was going to happen until it was happening. If you look at the replays he takes 2 steps as part of his normal wind up, then realizes that he better start running the other way to score the TD! Great call, great execution, and a great win for the Ducks. Bellotti's Bag-o-Tricks comes through in the clutch. I breathed a huge sigh of relief, even at 2am my heart was pounding for that last hail mary. By the way, good use of the clock by Pat Hill at the end - the Ducks should have realized he was going to do everything he could to win and kept pushing the ball.
Now for more Duck stuff. The offense still doesn't look in-sync. It was like this last year the first few games. Some key drops also hurt. The announcers kept raving about the depth at the reciever position the Ducks have, but the reason they're so deep is because they're all mediocre. Williams led the team, but even he had some key drops (one would have been a first down and the other was a touchdown). There's really no stand-out guy, and I think that's going to hurt the Ducks. Stewart being out also didn't help, but Johnson wasn't bad. I'm not a big fan of the spread offense, especially because it doesn't use a tight end much (although they finally seem to have found some kind of role for Rosario). But 31 points will win you a lot of games, so lets hope they keep progressing. The denfense really needs some help stopping the run. We all knew they were going to miss Haloti, but watching Wright churn out the yards was really frustrating. We got them to 3rd down plenty of times, but just couldn't get off the damn field. But when you look at the numbers, it wasn't that bad. One long run by Wright was the biggest play given up all game (40 yards), and if you take that away Wright and the team as a whole only averaged 4 yards a carry and 4.5 yards per pass. That's not terrible against the run and phenomenal against the pass, they just need to work on their 3rd down defense: Fresno converted on 9-17 and went 1-2 on 4th down. Thats better than 50%, when it should be something like 30-40%. Aliotti has always been a stop-the-run-first kind of guy, so you better believe he'll be working on this over the week getting ready for Adrian Peterson. It also seems the Ducks are a little dinged up (Bates, Stewart, Strong), so hopefully everyone will be ready for next Saturday's big home match up. This opening is one of the hardest I've seen by the Ducks. After opening in-conference, on the road against Fresno, Oklahoma, road games at ASU and Cal, then UCLA at home. Wow. They're all winnable, but that's one tough schedule. The second half is a lot easier in theory, but features all our Northwest rivals and on the road against USC. And we don't have a bye week. What's our AD doing to these kids?
Okay, that turned out to be way more than I expected... Sorry about that.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Canto IX
Last night's game wasn't the best NFL game I've ever seen, but it was the first of the new season! I'm really not a fan of Willie Parker. He ended up with 4 ypc average, but he really wasn't running all that well until the 4th quarter. Just too many 3 yards or less carries. If it weren't for the 30 yard break earlier, those stats wouldn't be nearly as nice. That's the problem with backs like this, they'll tease you with a few big bursts, but really they aren't doing very much to help the offense. Of course, the Steelers just picked up Najeh Davenport as their "#2" back. But the sooner they get Ben back, the better. Then I'll have some faith in their offense. Miami will get better as well, and Nick Saban may even learn how to challenge better. Not that I saw much point to that challenge since it would have been 1st and goal from the 1 yard line. It just would have taken more time off the clock. The story of the game should really be Culpepper literally throwing away victory.
Oregon State got creamed by Boise State on the blue turf. The Pac-10 is really not looking so hot right now... Oregon better put on a good show at Fresno State, and Cal needs to redeem themselves against Minnesota. I don't mind if UW gets destroyed by Oklahoma, though. Those guys just suck.
Rarely has a comic more accurately portrayed my life.
Oregon State got creamed by Boise State on the blue turf. The Pac-10 is really not looking so hot right now... Oregon better put on a good show at Fresno State, and Cal needs to redeem themselves against Minnesota. I don't mind if UW gets destroyed by Oklahoma, though. Those guys just suck.
Rarely has a comic more accurately portrayed my life.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Canto VIII
Today we went on a balloon ride in the city, called Aeroballoon. It's tag line was "Defy Gravity". I don't think I want to defy gravity. After all the GR reading this summer, I have a new found appreciation for gravity on all scales. And it keeps me safe, including ensuring our atmosphere stays attatched to the Earth. Plus, I thought the principles of bouyancy were pretty well understood? Is this really defiance on the part of us mere mortals, or just explotation of a loophole? Don't thumb your nose lightly at laws of nature!
There was a WMAP colloquium today. It's good stuff. The most I got from it (the plots were rather confusing I felt) was that the data requires cold Dark Matter. The first round of WMAP data left some room for alternative theories, but the new constraints on the data (especially the l=2 "anomaly" from before) don't leave much wiggle room. So I guess it turns out the rotation curves were right after all. He also talked a lot about the polarization part of it, but this doesn't seem to be limiting much yet, and it's my understanding the WMAP won't be able to do much in this area. I'm sure they would disagree, but I didn't follow all that well during this part of the talk so I can't say for sure. I'm very excited for PLANCK, which is designed to improve the WMAP measurements and specifically look at the polarization of the CMB.
Tonight is the opening night for the NFL, the 'Fins at the Steelers. I'm rooting for the Steelers, but I'm just excited that football is back! I'm going over to a friends house for some beer, pizza and the game. Yes!
There was a WMAP colloquium today. It's good stuff. The most I got from it (the plots were rather confusing I felt) was that the data requires cold Dark Matter. The first round of WMAP data left some room for alternative theories, but the new constraints on the data (especially the l=2 "anomaly" from before) don't leave much wiggle room. So I guess it turns out the rotation curves were right after all. He also talked a lot about the polarization part of it, but this doesn't seem to be limiting much yet, and it's my understanding the WMAP won't be able to do much in this area. I'm sure they would disagree, but I didn't follow all that well during this part of the talk so I can't say for sure. I'm very excited for PLANCK, which is designed to improve the WMAP measurements and specifically look at the polarization of the CMB.
Tonight is the opening night for the NFL, the 'Fins at the Steelers. I'm rooting for the Steelers, but I'm just excited that football is back! I'm going over to a friends house for some beer, pizza and the game. Yes!
Canto VII
Pro Football Predictions!
Here's a quick list of my picks for winners this year. I'm curious to see how it pans out.
AFC
West: Denver Broncos (12-4)
Still the best team here. Chargers may see some improvement with an easier schedule, but they will also be starting a new quarterback. If Drew Brees were still taking the snaps I think I would be picking the Bolts. KC's offense, even with LJ, will see a dramatic decline as age, injuries and retirements take their toll. The Raiders will lead the league in penalties.
South: Indianapolis Colts (13-3)
Again, still the best team. I don't think Jacksonville will compete with a tougher schedule (they were rather lucky to go 12-4 last year) and finishes a dissapointing 9-7 this year. The Titans and Texans both have a long road ahead.
North: Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5)
Not much change from last season. But then again, the top teams didn't have enough happen to make me question their playoff potential, and the teams at the bottom have a lot to do to prove themselves. This division probably has the most interesting questions around it. Will Big Ben be ready to play at the level he was at to close the season (Superbowl excluded)? And will Carson Palmer play at the level of last year or two years ago? Will Steve McNair finally give the Ravens any semblance of an offense? And the Browns behind Charlie Frye are looking a little frisky, with the exception of their centers.
East: New England Patriots (11-5)
Still the best of the division, but the Dolphins will be making gains on them this season. The Pats defense should be better than last year, but I just don't think it will be good enough to get past the divisional round of the playoffs. The Jets and Bills... Well, at least the Jets seem to be building towards the future, not sure you can say that about the Bills.
Wild Card: Baltimore Ravens (10-6) and Miami Dolphins (10-6).
Really no team is perfect in the NFL, and both of these teams have their share of question marks, but the only other teams I really see competing for a playoff berth are the Chargers, Bengals and Jaguars. The AFC is really full of Haves and Have-Nots. Parity, RIP.
NFC
West: Seattle Seahawks (13-3)
Finally breaking the Superbowl Losers curse. The 49ers and Rams are not good football teams, and while the Cardinals may be moving into the vicinity of actual professional football play, the offensive line needs a lot of improvement. Good luck, Edge. You're going to need it, given the only way you're going to be able to find a hole there is by taking a shovel into your backyard.
South: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (12-4)
Everyone is high on the Panthers, and I'm making them a wild card team, but I think the Bucs were looking pretty good by the end of the season, and if Chris Sims keeps progressing the offense will be alright. The defense is OLD, but should be able to make it one or two more seasons before completely hitting the wall. The Falcons are making some improvements, but I don't really trust Micheal Vick as a QB and their run defense is still extremely suspect. The Saints will have a few highlight reel screen passes to Reggie Bush to brighten an otherwise abysmal season.
North: Chicago Bears (12-4)
Someone has to win this division. The defense is the same as last year, and the offense can't be any worse than it was, so they should repeat. The Lions are looking to improve everything, and they may, but they still will have a hard time clearing 7 wins. The Packers are in a similar situation. The Vikings looked good down the stretch thanks to an easy schedule, but haven't done enough to improve into a playoff contender.
East: Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
Lots of questions about their offense, especially the recievers, but they'll be back from first-to worst-to first. The Cowboys made some moves, and I think even with their offensive line questions will be a good team. The Redskins keep doing a salary cap dance, but will it really translate into some playoff wins? Eli Manning is another QB I'm just not sold on yet, and as he goes, so go the Giants.
Wild Card: Carolina Panthers (11-5) and Arizona Cardinals (10-6)
The Cards win a tie-breaker with the 10-6 Redskins to scratch their way into the playoffs.
And now for the whole tamale...
Super Bowl: Indianapolis Colts defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-17.
Does the Dungy/Manning effect finally wear off this year?
Here's a quick list of my picks for winners this year. I'm curious to see how it pans out.
AFC
West: Denver Broncos (12-4)
Still the best team here. Chargers may see some improvement with an easier schedule, but they will also be starting a new quarterback. If Drew Brees were still taking the snaps I think I would be picking the Bolts. KC's offense, even with LJ, will see a dramatic decline as age, injuries and retirements take their toll. The Raiders will lead the league in penalties.
South: Indianapolis Colts (13-3)
Again, still the best team. I don't think Jacksonville will compete with a tougher schedule (they were rather lucky to go 12-4 last year) and finishes a dissapointing 9-7 this year. The Titans and Texans both have a long road ahead.
North: Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5)
Not much change from last season. But then again, the top teams didn't have enough happen to make me question their playoff potential, and the teams at the bottom have a lot to do to prove themselves. This division probably has the most interesting questions around it. Will Big Ben be ready to play at the level he was at to close the season (Superbowl excluded)? And will Carson Palmer play at the level of last year or two years ago? Will Steve McNair finally give the Ravens any semblance of an offense? And the Browns behind Charlie Frye are looking a little frisky, with the exception of their centers.
East: New England Patriots (11-5)
Still the best of the division, but the Dolphins will be making gains on them this season. The Pats defense should be better than last year, but I just don't think it will be good enough to get past the divisional round of the playoffs. The Jets and Bills... Well, at least the Jets seem to be building towards the future, not sure you can say that about the Bills.
Wild Card: Baltimore Ravens (10-6) and Miami Dolphins (10-6).
Really no team is perfect in the NFL, and both of these teams have their share of question marks, but the only other teams I really see competing for a playoff berth are the Chargers, Bengals and Jaguars. The AFC is really full of Haves and Have-Nots. Parity, RIP.
NFC
West: Seattle Seahawks (13-3)
Finally breaking the Superbowl Losers curse. The 49ers and Rams are not good football teams, and while the Cardinals may be moving into the vicinity of actual professional football play, the offensive line needs a lot of improvement. Good luck, Edge. You're going to need it, given the only way you're going to be able to find a hole there is by taking a shovel into your backyard.
South: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (12-4)
Everyone is high on the Panthers, and I'm making them a wild card team, but I think the Bucs were looking pretty good by the end of the season, and if Chris Sims keeps progressing the offense will be alright. The defense is OLD, but should be able to make it one or two more seasons before completely hitting the wall. The Falcons are making some improvements, but I don't really trust Micheal Vick as a QB and their run defense is still extremely suspect. The Saints will have a few highlight reel screen passes to Reggie Bush to brighten an otherwise abysmal season.
North: Chicago Bears (12-4)
Someone has to win this division. The defense is the same as last year, and the offense can't be any worse than it was, so they should repeat. The Lions are looking to improve everything, and they may, but they still will have a hard time clearing 7 wins. The Packers are in a similar situation. The Vikings looked good down the stretch thanks to an easy schedule, but haven't done enough to improve into a playoff contender.
East: Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
Lots of questions about their offense, especially the recievers, but they'll be back from first-to worst-to first. The Cowboys made some moves, and I think even with their offensive line questions will be a good team. The Redskins keep doing a salary cap dance, but will it really translate into some playoff wins? Eli Manning is another QB I'm just not sold on yet, and as he goes, so go the Giants.
Wild Card: Carolina Panthers (11-5) and Arizona Cardinals (10-6)
The Cards win a tie-breaker with the 10-6 Redskins to scratch their way into the playoffs.
And now for the whole tamale...
Super Bowl: Indianapolis Colts defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-17.
Does the Dungy/Manning effect finally wear off this year?
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Canto VI
So how about our most recent adventure in Chicago? We visited an old friend of mine, Nels, and his wife Val and got to check out the city. Walked around downtown and saw Millenium Park with the cool Bean. If you've never been, it's a highly reflective bean-shaped object. It's really cool. Although I really enjoyed looking at the sidewalk grid projected onto the Bean. It's not an isomorphism (there were points that seemed jumpy, but that may have been the lighting), it's still very smooth and beautiful. Also did two architecture tours of some of the famous buildings and Frank Lloyd Wright homes there. No, we did not go to the top of the Sears Tower or the Hancock Tower. But we did see them. Steph did not remember her Married... With Children, which features Buckingham Fountain in the opening credits. It was like my Graceland.
Our hosts were gracious enough to show us an all-you-can-eat sushi place (really just Maki, the rolls). With 5 people there, we were able to polish off 20 rolls. Keep in mind that one person gave up after only 2 1/2 rolls and Val quit after 3 rolls or so. Even Steph gave up after 4. It was up to Nels and me to make it to 20 rolls, and we did. I'm not sure I really remember any taste difference between the later rolls, but it was all good.
I don't know if I'm the only one who, after using chop sticks for an hour, wants to give up and just dive in with my hands. It seems that chop sticks only take away from your fingers, down from 5 to 2. At least with a spoon you can scoop better than with your hands, a knife cuts things your nails might not be able to, and the fork is able to spear things and bring them to your mouth. Really, at some point in the future our descendants will decide that KFC was onto something with the spork and just go with that, with one side sharpened to cut things. What can you do with chop sticks? You can't cut or scoop with them, and it's bad etiquette to stab things with them. It seems that they only take away from the food-to-mouth delivery system.
We also went to the Green Mill bar, where Slam Poetry was invented. From what I had heard about it, it was roughly what I expected but that meant it was a lot of fun. Someone got snapped off stage, The Wierd Sisters were hilarious and $10 was won (not by me). Frankly Nels, you made Chicago too much fun and now I want to go back and stay with you guys again.
Our hosts were gracious enough to show us an all-you-can-eat sushi place (really just Maki, the rolls). With 5 people there, we were able to polish off 20 rolls. Keep in mind that one person gave up after only 2 1/2 rolls and Val quit after 3 rolls or so. Even Steph gave up after 4. It was up to Nels and me to make it to 20 rolls, and we did. I'm not sure I really remember any taste difference between the later rolls, but it was all good.
I don't know if I'm the only one who, after using chop sticks for an hour, wants to give up and just dive in with my hands. It seems that chop sticks only take away from your fingers, down from 5 to 2. At least with a spoon you can scoop better than with your hands, a knife cuts things your nails might not be able to, and the fork is able to spear things and bring them to your mouth. Really, at some point in the future our descendants will decide that KFC was onto something with the spork and just go with that, with one side sharpened to cut things. What can you do with chop sticks? You can't cut or scoop with them, and it's bad etiquette to stab things with them. It seems that they only take away from the food-to-mouth delivery system.
We also went to the Green Mill bar, where Slam Poetry was invented. From what I had heard about it, it was roughly what I expected but that meant it was a lot of fun. Someone got snapped off stage, The Wierd Sisters were hilarious and $10 was won (not by me). Frankly Nels, you made Chicago too much fun and now I want to go back and stay with you guys again.
Canto V
Must do better about posting. But I figure football season should give me enough material to talk about. I'm even thinking about doing some college football rankings in a few weeks once the season has settled in (starting maybe a week before the first BCS rankings). I think it's crazy they have preseason rankings. What's the point? To measure who had the best and worst off-season?
Anyway, my friend Dave also blogs here and after an amusing anecdote, I now feel the need to compete in the blogosphere.
Not much news to report. It was a busy summer (well, that should make for a lot of news, but it's surprising how few people find stories about shopping at Bed, Bath & Beyond interesting). There were trips back to Portland, to Connecticut, Chicago, New York and all around town. I had a great time, and if I had been activly blogging you would have heard all about it. School-wise can't say I did much. We formed a GR reading group and I learned a bunch about gravity, but that's about it.
Right now, the only thing I have to say about football is that the Ducks looked decent in the opener, and if the defense comes together like it did last year, it should be a good year. I was also drinking the Cal kool-aid, but it looks like the QB stuggles will continue and so will the team.
Anyway, my friend Dave also blogs here and after an amusing anecdote, I now feel the need to compete in the blogosphere.
Not much news to report. It was a busy summer (well, that should make for a lot of news, but it's surprising how few people find stories about shopping at Bed, Bath & Beyond interesting). There were trips back to Portland, to Connecticut, Chicago, New York and all around town. I had a great time, and if I had been activly blogging you would have heard all about it. School-wise can't say I did much. We formed a GR reading group and I learned a bunch about gravity, but that's about it.
Right now, the only thing I have to say about football is that the Ducks looked decent in the opener, and if the defense comes together like it did last year, it should be a good year. I was also drinking the Cal kool-aid, but it looks like the QB stuggles will continue and so will the team.
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