That’s 1/2 of 77 years old. Clearly I’m due for a mid-life crisis. I need a Dodge Challenger bad.
Global Development Aid Flows – InfoViz
Culture, Found
/ aid, infoviz, international-studies, maps
14 January 2010
Gabriel Gianordoli created this elucidating info graphic which shows the top development aid donors (green) and recipients (orange). What’s interesting to me is that even if you take out blatant war-related spending for Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. still provides more than 30% more than the next highest donor (Germany).
A more telling statistic might be a GDP/capita figure – traditionally the Nordic countries give the greatest percentage of their GDP towards development and aid.
Five Year Old Clearly The Reincarnation Of Drum God
Arts, Found
/ drums, prodigy, videos
14 January 2010
I used to play the drums – never this good. I am jealous of his prowess. All bow and pay respect to Jonah – because Jonah Rocks (http://jonahrocks.com)
Video – Whale Wars Ship Cut In Half By Japanese Whalers
Editorial
/ television, videos, whale-wars
6 January 2010
The Whale Wars TV show depicts the ongoing efforts of the Sea Shepherds – an environmental/conservation organization focused on preventing illegal whaling in Antarctic waters. In a post last year, I commented that I felt they were being tremendously irresponsible in playing their games with the Japanese whaling vessels in possibly the most dangerous waters on earth.
The video below shows the Japanese whaling vessel Shonan Maru No.2 as it makes contact with the high-tech Whale Wars motor vessel, Ady Gil.
The commentary I’ve read online today seems to point blame at the Japanese. This video seems to show that the Japanese vessel alters its course drastically to starboard.
I wonder if when Whale Wars comes back for another season they will delve into this incident.
Google Drops Their Phone On The Universe
Culture
/ google, nexus-one, phone, software, technology
5 January 2010
Google isn’t cool or hip or trendsetting. Apple is all of those things.
Google is practical. Google is smart. Google isn’t high design – its public design. Its utilitarianism without any brushed aluminum or high tensile titanium.
Google breaks molds (ms office paradigm) and educates. It connects. It connects people and ideas and products.
I currently have accounts or profiles or have used 16 different Google sites and services. Last year, the company I worked for moved our mail server to Gmail and I now use Chrome, Gmail, Calendar and Docs as my mainstay at work. Google is infiltrating my life.
Practically everything I have ever touched that has the name Google on it amazes me and helps me be creative and helps me expand my knowledge.
The newly announced Google Nexus One phone, I expect, will do the same. Google people are ridiculously smart. I’ve been waiting for this convergent device since I bought my first IPaq Pocket PC in the mid 2000’s. That day has come.
PS – Alice is the love of my life.
Naps looking to have a banner year in 2010.
1 January 2010
Although early, Naps have started 2010 off with a bang. Naps are currently 1 for 1 in 2010. “There simply was no stopping us today,” remarked Naps. “Rob had a nice lunch, his bedroom was little on the chilly side, and he simply had nothing to do – that pretty much means he’s going to nap.”
Miami Hurricanes Fall To The Wisconsin Badgers 20-14 In 2009 Champs Sports Bowl
Sport
/ champs-sports-bowl, miami-hurricanes, wisconsin-badgers
30 December 2009
The Miami Hurricanes got beat for the second straight year in a post season bowl game last night. What started with a flash of the past in the form of a 90+ yard kick-off return soon turned into a slow, methodical pounding of the Miami defense. Unable to get things clicking on offense until the second to last drive in the 4th quarter, Miami played rope-a-dope throughout most of the game.
Glaring deficiencies included:
- Zero UM pass rush
- Hobbled QB Jacory Harris
- No running game
- Defense on field all night
The sun will rise another day for The U. Just not in 2009.
Coach Randy Shannon is on the right track with this team. 9-4 overall is an improvement. Miami is rebuilding and The U will rise again to national dominance – just not as quickly as this Canes fan had hoped.
District 9 (2009) – Movie Review
Arts, Editorial
/ movies, reviews
28 December 2009
District 9 (2009) puts us in Johannesburg, South Africa, some two decades since an alien race landed and took up residence in the city. The aliens have been marginalized by the humans and have taken up residence in a federally controlled area called District 9. They share this squalid locale with other unwelcome guests including a group of Nigerian refugees – although we are unclear as to how or why the Nigerians are in South Africa.
I found the film very enjoyable, not the least of which stemming from the irony of South Africa once again being placed in a position where they are placing entities within defined locations to cordon them off from the general population like they did during Apartheid. The bureaucratic machinery of institutionalized racism is the real star of this movie as is the parastatal multinational corporation charged with implementing the state’s plans.
Champs Sports Bowl – Miami Hurricanes vs. Wisconsin Badgers By The Numbers
Sport
/ champs-sports-bowl, miami-hurricanes, wisconsin-badgers
28 December 2009
The 2009 Champs Sports Bowl features two very evenly matched opponents: The University of Miami Hurricanes and the University of Wisconsin Badgers.Below, find various statistics and graphical representations of for each team.
POINTS FOR & POINTS AGAINST – 2009 SEASON
YARDS ACCRUED PER GAME – 2009 SEASON AVERAGE
Wisconsin brings a much more balanced offence to the game. Miami’s success is inexorably tied to the success of its Sophomore quarterback, Jacory Harris.
NATIONAL RANKINGS – CURRENT
Note the massive disparity in the ‘Strength of Schedule’ which seeks to provide a visual representation of how tough a school’s schedule is.
ESPN’s Bowl Preview: http://sports-ak.espn.go.com/ncf/preview?gameId=293630275
CBS Sports’ Bowl Preview: http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/bowls/champs-sports
Rob lives and works in the town of Jackson, MS where he leads the interactive department at an awesome advertising and branding agency. Life is slower than most places in Mississippi, and Rob tends to like it that way. Some of his favorite life experiences include sailing across the Atlantic Ocean in a 44ft sloop, learning to speak Swahili while living along the lower slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and zipping along the curviest of Mississippi country roads in his VW Rabbit.