PANICSTREAK

Panicstreak Blog RIP (2009-2012)

2012-01-15T08:15:00.001-08:00

http://panicstreak.tumblr.com/

On Hiatus

2011-03-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

This blog on hiatus until further notice. Items needed- redesign, inspiration, etc.

Need a linkfest? Here's a linkfest

2011-02-09T17:11:00.000-08:00

As always a selection of some of the finer articles I have come across on the interwebs over the previous few months...

Basketball coaches should not remove players once they reach a critical point of fouls. (Theory Class blog)

How to smuggle cocaine into the United States (Wired Mag)

A look at the "next big thing" in Vegas sports betting - the In-Game Wager (Y! Sports)

Flashback to 1992 and the rise of Pearl Jam (AV Club)

The actual science behind the 3am booty call (Salon)

Think you hate Ticketmaster now? Wait til you read this. (Wired)

A bio of 58 year old veteran big wave surfer Ken Bradshaw.(Vanity Fair)

The new business model of the ever evolving world of internet porn. (New Yorker)

Ever wonder about "The Code" by which NHL goons live by? Here are the rules. (Philly.com via PuckDaddy)

How one man was able to crack the code on scratchoff lottery tickets - identifying winners without having to scratch the ticket. (Wired)

Beer Batter > Any other kind of batter. Scientific fact. (Scientific American via Boingboing)

Super Bowl XLV Propfest

2011-02-06T11:06:00.000-08:00

Same rules as last year, I'm going to do a hypothetical $10 propfest. I'll throw a few more wacky ones in there for entertainment purposes.

For the record, at the present moment bodog.com has the Packers as favorites at -3 (-135/+115) and an over under of 46 (-105/-115)

Based on those numbers I am going to lay the points and play the over, despite their relative lack of value. Overall there are 24 proposition bets below, coupled with the total and spreads, so thats a total of 26 wagers and $260 laid at the betting window.

Packers -3
Over 46

Christina Aguilera's National Anthem MVP
Over 1:54 Rodgers 3/2
Under 1:54 Jennings 12/1
   Driver 25/1
MVP Will Thank First Matthews 16/1
Coach +900 Woodson 20/1
Nobody +300 Roethlisberger 7/2
Family +400 Mendenhall 15/2
God Even Ward 20/1
Teammates +150 Polamalu 14/1
   Harrison 25/1
Winning Coach Will Thank First Field 16/1
Staff +700
Nobody +250 Total Passing Yards Roethlisberger
Family +800 Over 240.5 -125
God +120 Under 240.5 -105
Team -150
   Total Rushing Yards Mendenhall
Coin Toss Over 77.5 -130
Heads -105 Under 77.5 Even
Tails -105
   Total Passing Yards Rodgers
Win Opening Coin Toss Over 275.5 -140
Steelers -105 Under 275.5 +110
Packers -105
   Total Rushing Yards James Starks
First Score Over 50.5 -115
Steelers Even Under 50.5 -115
Packers -130
   Longest Jennings Reception
First First Down Over 27.5 Yards -130
Packers -125 Under 27.5 Yards Even
Steelers -105
   Team With First Challenge
First Team In Redzone Steelers -115
Packers -125 Packers -115
Steelers -105
   Result of First Challenge
Highest Scoring Quarter Overturned -110
First +425 Play Stands -110
Second +180
Third +325 Color of Gatorade Shower
Foruth +220 Yellow 4/5
   Orange 2/1
Total Points Red 12/1
Odd -135 Blue 20/1
Even +115 Water 8/1

Longest Touchdown Longest Field Goal
Over 43.5 yards +135 Over 43.5 Yards -125
Under 43.5 yards -115 Under 43.5 Yards -105

Total Touchdowns Total Sacks Both Teams
Over 5 Touchdowns -125 Over 5 Sacks -135
Under 5 Tocuhdowns -105 Under 5 Sacks +105

Total Field Goals Made Total Punts
Over 3.5 (-115) Over 9 Punts -115
Under 3.5 (-115) Under 9 Punts -115

Jim Cantore Blows His Load For Thundersnow

2011-02-02T16:05:00.000-08:00

Now, I love weather. Last night's 20" blizzard was pretty effing cool. But Jim Cantore from The Weather Channel... well, I'll let the vid speak for itself.

Human Planet

2011-01-30T12:31:00.000-08:00

Consider me psyched for the new BBC series "Human Planet". BBC, the creators of groundbreaking nature programs Blue Planet, Planet Earth, and Life are back with a look at how humans survive on this planet. The series looks at how humans survive in often harsh environments, and how humans are able to push themselves to incredible lengths in order to live.

Recently I was in Panama with my lovely wife. To make a long story short, a fellow staying at one of the hotels we were staying at was a free dive spear fisherman. He came back from a dive with a huge red snapper he caught at about 30 feet or 10M. That is about half as far as the guy in this video goes. This fisherman holds his breath nearly two and a half minutes(!) as he descends the depths to catch lunch. Check out this great vid from Human Planet.

Hockey Tributes to Classic Video Games

2011-01-27T16:01:00.000-08:00

Stellar work here by the Dallas' American Airlines arena game crew, as they break out the music on the overhead from Nintendo's 8 bit bestseller Mike Tyson's Punchout during this tilt between the Oilers Zach Sortini and the Stars Krys Barch.

Much respect to the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League who broke out a choreographed celebration paying homage to the scene that happens when you win a game in SEGA's classic NHL94. Props to #3 for being the one guy that was always celebrating on his own.

These dudes are on fire.

2011-01-23T07:28:00.001-08:00

No really.

Burn Ignite :: Ride :: feat Steve Berra (OFFICIAL HD) from Burn on Vimeo.

Don Kirshner's Rock Concert

2011-01-20T15:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Don Kirshner passed away at the age of 76. Kirshner was a producer, publisher and promoter in the music industry for over 50 years. Kirshner worked with Prince, The Eagles, The Monkees, The Rolling Stones and The Ramones.

Kirshner had been a producer of NBC's
"In Concert" series which ran in 1972. In 1973, Kirshner left In Concert to host his own program - Don Kirshner's Rock Concert premiered on ABC. Over the course of 230 episodes and 9 seasons DKRC featured dozens of rock's heaviest hitters. The premiere episode featured The Rolling Stones.

Below, you'll find a selection of my favorites on youtube. (If you're searching use "DKRC" as well as "Don Kirschner's Rock Concert")

The Ramones (1977)

Steve Miller Band (1973)

Black Sabbath (1975)

The Police (1980)

Devo (1980)

Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne and The Eagles (1974)

See also Burt Sugarman's Midnight Special

When Beer and Innovation Meet

2011-01-19T17:05:00.000-08:00

Check out this gadget which fills beer from the bottom up! The gadget fills a beer in mere seconds, with the perfect amount of foamy head. Dan Wetzel posits that if every stadium had this setup, it would be the end of the dreaded beer line. Of course, the only stadium named after a beer company, Busch Stadium in St. Louis already has it.

Check out how it works.

Now check it cranking out an amazing 56 beers in 1 minute.

Timelapse NYC

2011-01-17T17:37:00.000-08:00

Thanks to @laughingsquid for this one. Two of my favorite things. Time lapse photography videos and NYC. Beautifully done.

NYC - Mindrelic Timelapse from Mindrelic on Vimeo.

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-12-23T14:12:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas folks- Happy 2011. See you after the new year.

Louis CK on the Tonight Show

2010-12-20T17:30:00.000-08:00

This is from about 2 weeks ago, but worth putting up. Louis CK is my favorite living comedian. Thanks NBC for splitting this into 3 parts so you're forced to sit thru 3 internet commercials.

The First "Walkoff" Punt Return in NFL History

2010-12-20T16:50:00.000-08:00

Tecmo version.

Steve Porter gives Don Cherry the Steve Porter treatment

2010-12-19T10:58:00.000-08:00

From last night's Coach's Corner. Hockey Night in Canada.

Blue Lava at Kawah Ijen

2010-12-14T17:35:00.000-08:00

Kawah Ijen is an active volcano and sulphur mine in East Java, Indonesia. The sulphur is mined by hand and carried out of the quarry by the miners on their backs in 60 to 100kg chunks. Talk about a crappy job. The cool thing about Ijen however is that as an active volcano, it is currently spewing lava. When the burning, molten lava interacts with the sulphur from the mine - magic. As you might have learned in high school chemistry, sulphur burns blue in the presence of oxygen. These photos from the Boston Globe's Big Picture are fantastic.Oh, and check out how close to the lava the miners are working. (!)

Paul on SNL

2010-12-13T16:31:00.000-08:00

After his opening set with JET, Paul broke out Wings classic* "Band on the Run"

* really wished he had played "1985"

Paul then was brought back out for a 3rd set, and he played "A Day in the Life" and in tribute to John Lennon "Give Peace a Chance"

End of the year Linkfest

2010-12-13T15:30:00.000-08:00

Things are going to slow down here for a while, maybe a few posts this week and next, then from 12/25 through 1/7 As Jim Rome would say, Im going in the basement.

So this is probably my last link barf of the year. Good readings...

Heres an idea I can get behind. Orlando is re-purposeing old parking meters in to homeless meters. Thus eliminating panhandling... sorry there Hobo Joe, I just made a donation on your behalf to that parking meter there, I have no money to give you for your latest bottle of Thunderbird. (Orlando Sentinel)

So you're in the paper products aisle at the supermarket when you decide that you no longer want that package of Doublestuff Oreos. No worries, someoneelsewillputitback.

This will appeal to a certain segment of readers. SLACKERS UNITE! How to get paid to do nothing. (Forbes Magazine)

My favorite article of the bunch: Confessions of a paid academic paper writer.

If you've seen King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (and if you havent, good lord add that to your NFLX queue) you know about Billy Mitchell. Here's a great long profile of the 1980s video game savant. (LA Weekly)

The IMDB ranking for This is SPINAL TAP goes to Eleven. Not ten. Eleven.

What its like to smuggle three and a half tons of the finest Colombian cocaine aboard a semi-homemade submarine. Der Speigel

An excellent basketball discussion regarding the practice of fouling at the end of the game to regain possessions.

Nate Silver on the real costs of the new TSA security program.(NY Times)

An entertaining true story of a hacker who got busted, went to work for the secret service, then double crossed the secret service. (NY Times)

My 10 Favorite Albums from 2010

2010-12-06T17:17:00.000-08:00

Yeah well, thats just, like, your opinion man.

Its the end of the year, and everyone else is doing one, or has done one...

10. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

9. Beach House - Teen Dream

8. Hot Chip - One Life Stand

7. Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards

6. Little Dragon - Machine Dreams

5. Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More

4. Sufjan Stevens - Age of Adz

3. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

2. Yeasayer - Odd Blood

1. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Honorable mentions to:

The National - High Violet, Sleigh Bells - Treats, Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Black Keys, Brothers

I Love These Old Little Caesars Commercials

2010-11-30T18:39:00.000-08:00

Pretty sure these only aired in Detroit, most in the late 80's early 90s. These are my favorites.

Origami:

I Have A Brother?!?!

Its CHEESE!!!!

This Weeks Plays

2010-11-26T08:57:00.000-08:00

Kellen Moore as Shooter McGavin.

Quick Recap of the past few weeks:

Yesterday: 1-2 (-1 Unit)
Last week: 3-2 (+3 Units)
Year To Date: 24-35 (-3 Units)

Crazy, that as bad as that record looks (.406 winning percentage) the damage to the overall balance is only -3 Units. I guess at this point, I'll take a breakeven season moneywise, even if the total winning percentage is not good. Ive decided to try and track things even closer next year, working on an excel spreadsheet, where we'll track 3 units, 2 unit and 1 unit wagers. I think I have done reasonably well this season with my LOTW plays, and obviously much much poorer with my true gambling (one unit) plays.

So, away we go:

One Unit Plays:

Iron Bowl: ALABAMA -4.5 v. auburn: In the SEC, home field rules. Bama's two losses came both on the road, in tight games. Auburn's 3 road games so far, Mississippi St., Ole Miss, and Kentucky. No offense to any of those schools, but its not going to be the same atmosphere at Bryant-Denny Stadium today. Bama has won back to back Iron Bowls, and make it 3 in 2010. BAMA 30 - Auburn 21

boise st -14 @ NEVADA: When Boise sees Auburn go down today, they'll realize their door is open. (Well, hypothetically, because the BCS will find a way to exclude them). They'll need some style points today in outpointing Nevada. Their D will take care of business, and Boise still wins easily. Broncos 49 - Wolfpack 27

Two Unit Plays:
jaguars +8 @ GIANTS: The Jags have quietly won 3 in a row, seeming to have found their way on offense. Their D is still really soft though, but considering the Giants will be missing their two top receivers, and have benched Ahmad Bradshaw for fumblitis, I think this is a good spot to take the points. Not sure the Jags win, but they can keep it within single digits. Giants 24 - Jags 21

Three Unit Plays:
OHIO STATE -17 v michigan: As promised, this is the LOTW. Michigan turns the ball over too much, and their defense is terrible. They're simply not in the same class as OSU. OSU wins comfortably, and RichRod rides the bus back to AA uncomfortably. Buckeyes 48- Blue 28

btw: here are the rest of my office pool plays (0 Units)
CAL -7 v washington
ARIZONA ST. -13 v ucla
FLORIDA ST. -2.5 v florida
south carolina -3 @ CLEMSON

Have You Seen This Man?

2010-11-26T07:14:00.000-08:00

thanks @boingboing.

On Turkeys

2010-11-24T16:50:00.000-08:00

I could do a PTI-esque "turkeys of the year" but I'll save that for another post- Mike and Tony do it best anyhow. Link is 2010 version from todays PTI. A few notes on how to improve your turkey this thanksgiving.

1. White Castle Stuffing. I shit you not. It has to be HEAVENLY.

2. Turbaconducken. Suck on that John Madden. Yep., You got it. A cornish hen, inside of a duck, inside of a turkey WRAPPED IN BACON!

3. Lastly, if you must have a plain ol turkey. Baked turkey sucks. For god sakes, get with the program and make the moistest juiciest turkey you've ever had, and DEEP FRY that bad boy. Just don't do it like this:

Happy Thanksgiving:

Patrions -7
Bengals +9
Saints -3.5

All one unit.

Cookie Monster's SNL Audition

2010-11-23T15:17:00.001-08:00

Lol @ Macarooner.

This Weeks Plays

2010-11-20T06:07:00.000-08:00

Just one today and its a 3 unit wager. Wisconsin -4 @ Michigan. I have a couple more for tomorrow. Check here this evening. Im headed out to the NU/ILL tailgate at Wrigley.

Sunday Edit: Hope you got some of that free money yesterday on Wisconsin. If Ohio St is anything less than a -21 favorite next week, I would probably make that a 100 unit play. LOL.

So last week was another abomination (2-6 -4Units) driving the record down significantly, I think looking back, this is just going to be one of those years. (although the leader of the Leroys College Challenge is an outstanding 50-20 on the season. AMAZING)

So, here are my NFL plays this week.

1 Unit plays:

Lions +6 @ DALLAS: Have to respect Detroit's ATS record this season. They're 7-2 ATS, and have been tight to every line. They're losers again this time, but continue to cover. DALLAS 24- LIONS 20

2 Unit plays:

Ravens -10 @ CAROLINA: Brian St. Pierre is starting this week for Carolina. Deshaun Foster and Jonathan Stewart are out this week. Tell me how they break double digits with that roster. Its UNPOSSIBLE. RAVENS 31 - PANTHERS 6

Eagles -3 @ GIANTS: Gonna ride the Vick train. There's really no way to defend Vick at this point. If the Eagles run off their receivers, it creates almost too much room for Vick, so getting a solid pass rush is almost to your detriment. Eagles dont have the greatest D, but when you dont have to punt, you dont need a great D. EAGLES 34 - GIANTS 28

3 Unit Plays:

Raiders +7.5 @ STEELERS: Really love that hook line. The extra half point will come in handy. This line is the 2nd most popular pick on the Vegas Hilton supercontest plays after Baltimore (above) The Raiders rush attack really prevents them from being blown out. They can control the clock effectively, and have a pretty solid D to back it up. They dont win here, but cover easily. STEELERS 23 - RAIDERS 20

You look like... well, shit.

2010-11-18T17:49:00.000-08:00

Sorry about all the vids, I have a ton of stuff on backlog.

On Loyalty

2010-11-16T15:08:00.001-08:00

Wow, it got really dusty in here all of a sudden.

Another Epic Day At The Office

2010-11-15T16:31:00.000-08:00

Um, you guys put the dynamite on the right side, right? .... RIGHT!?!?!?

New Tron Legacy Trailer

2010-11-14T13:28:00.000-08:00

Just about a month away. Who's with me on Imax for opening night @ Navy Pier. Tickets should go on sale soon.

Well, Boss.. what happened was... I was digging with the backhoe, then...

2010-11-14T13:22:00.000-08:00

The whole damn thing collapsed into the sea. Whoops.

Someone had a rough day at the office. Specifically, the two folks who lost their lives here. Luckily, the collapse happened during lunch, and 25 other workers were spared.

This Weeks Plays

2010-11-13T08:24:00.000-08:00

Last Week: 1-5 (-3 Units)

Year to Date 20-31 (-5 Units)

Had to travel for work this week, so not much research. I've actually got no official plays, however, I'll list my picks for the office pool which is an 8 game ATS contest. These will all be for one unit, and will count towards my totals.

nevada -8 @ FRESNO STATE

UCF -10 v. southern mississippi

stanford -5 @ ARIZONA STATE

iowa -9.5 @ NORTHWESTERN

WESTERN MICHIGAN -18.5 v eastern michigan

BAYLOR +3 v. texas a&m

OHIO STATE -18 v. penn state

maryland -1.5 @ VIRGINIA

GLTA

6 year old can SHRED

2010-11-09T17:34:00.001-08:00

Asher Bradshaw is six years old... WOW

Mustaches Make a Difference

2010-11-09T16:02:00.000-08:00

In support of Movember- a worldwide charity drive for the month of November wherein men of all ages grow a mustache to show their support for research on cancer affecting men- the ad agency TBWA has created the campaign: Moustaches make a difference. As I myself am supporting the cause and wearing a mustache for the month of November, I got a kick out of the ad campaign. Check out their artwork below. Big fan of the Freddie Mercury, Hulk Hogan and Che Guevara ads. Thanks to @waylou for the pics.

New Blogger Theme

2010-11-08T17:59:00.000-08:00

After about a year, the old style was getting stale. Had to give the look a facelift. Let me know if anything is difficult to read. Had to stick with the similar layout due to the size of some of the videos I post. I like the black/grey/white minimalist look. You?

Wheel of Fortune Savant

2010-11-08T17:36:00.000-08:00

Talk of the internets today, so I figured I would post as well. Check this chick out who solves a 27 letter Wheel of Fortune puzzle with only the letter "L". WTF. I call shenanigans.

Thanks to @twbe, @goergs, @thebiglead, @twoeightnine who had this up today.

Edit (11/10): I knew it, she was a ringer. Not in the sense she was a puzzle memorizer, she's a Wheel savant. Good piece here: http://www.esquire.com/blogs/chris-jones/wheel-of-fortune-one-letter

This Weeks Plays

2010-11-06T06:54:00.000-07:00

Still struggling to get ahead...

Last week (3-3) (-1 Unit)
Year to Date (19-26) (-2 Units)

Not much to say here, just wanted to get them up for posterity.

ONE UNIT GAMES ($)

SYRACUSE (-6.5) v. louisville Did you know Syracuse is 6-2? Yeah me neither.
EAST CAROLINA (-3) v. navy Careful here, schizo Navy might show up this week.

TWO UNIT GAMES ($$):

oregon state -5 @ UCLA
TEXANS +3 v chargers

THREE UNIT GAMES ($$$)

steelers -4.5 @ BENGALS What? An NFL game in 3 unit territory? WTF? Yeah, gotta change up something.

Cee-Lo on Jools Holland

2010-11-04T17:23:00.000-07:00

God bless the BBC.

Cleaning out the saved items: Linkfest

2010-10-31T10:01:00.000-07:00

You know the drill:

A look at the tips and tricks in the recently declassified CIA guidebook. Dont miss the photo gallery.

How to work with stupid people. No, seriously. Skills for coping with dumb people in the workplace.

Further along the workplace line: Creating a Sick System. Or, how to keep your employees subservient and dependent. Quit your job when you find these symptoms occurring.

My favorite author, Michael Lewis, examines the collapse of the Greek economy.

How to lose $36,000 in 18 hours. Gambling and addiction nightmare story by poker pro Jay Kang.

Shocking infographic from the Washington Post. Why this current 'economic recovery' doesnt really feel like one, and what happens in our worst case scenario. I'll spill the beans. It wont feel like 2006 again until 2020.

A look at Jay-Z's empire by WSJ. As a businessman, much RESPECT.

A cool photo journal- Vanity Fair presents a behind the scenes look at the making of The Empire Strikes Back.

This Weeks Plays

2010-10-30T08:21:00.000-07:00

Last Week: 2-3 (-1 Unit)
Year to Date: 16-23 (-1 Unit)

Time running out in CFB to make some headway- NFL is always going to be tough to get ahead (witness Las Vegas Super Contest Records) Need to try and get double digits up in November. May have to put up more wagers - big 9 unit week.

One Unit Plays ($)
IOWA -6.5 v. Michigan State: Sparty's run ends here. They've cut it too close too many times. No trick plays to save them this time. Hawkeyes 27 - Spartans 13

michigan -2.5 @ PENN STATE: Michigan needed a week to get Denard healthy, and now that he is, Michigan should beat a undermanned PSU squad. If this game was in Ann Arbor, M would be a TD favorite. M 33 PSU 27

Two Unit Plays ($$)
NEBRASKA -7.5 v. Missouri: Missouri's run ends here. Nebraska, despite having one loss is the better team. Taylor Martinez runs wild and this one is not close. Huskers 37 - Tigers 24

MARYLAND -5.5 v Wake Forest: Wake Forest is terrible. Maryland, can be bowl eligible (!) with a win here. Turtles 31 - Deacons 13

utah -7 @ AIR FORCE: Gut play of the week. Utes 35 - Falcons 14

Three Unit Plays ($$$)

NAVY -14 v. Duke: Triple option power. Dukes defensive ranking: 114 out of 120. Middies 47 - Devils 17

Unintentional Dongage

2010-10-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

This made my morning. Thanks Deadspin.

If you enjoyed that, can I interest you in the worlds largest gummi worm?

Not sure I exactly know how to tag this.

Saturday's Plays Kinda Late

2010-10-23T06:12:00.000-07:00

Last week: 2-3 (+1 Unit)
YTD: 14-20 (Even)

Ok, so back to even after 7 weeks, 3 consecutive weeks in the red. Things are firming up, and the books have caught on, so tougher to find value from here on out. In years past, I would try and master a conference, usually the MAC and WAC. Things are a bit tougher in those conferences this year. The MAC because there are no good teams. Lots of average teams and quite a few bad ones. That makes for lots of road favorites which is not my preferred wager. In the WAC you have 2 strong teams and a ton of weak ones. I used to make my bread and butter Nevada and Boise, but they're both average laying about 35 points against conference opponents, and laying that much chalk week in, week out is hard to watch. So I think this year's record reflects my difficulty in finding a reliable group of teams in NCAA. Fortunately, my big wagers have typically come through, and I have been slaughtered on the smaller ones.

On that note, here come Saturday's plays.

One Unit Games: ($)
TEXAS -20.5 v iowa state: ISU is on the last leg of a brutal 3 game stretch. Utah at home (L 68-27), @ Oklahoma (L 52-0), now this week @ Texas. They're beat up phyiscally, beat down mentally, and outmatched against a solid Texas club. Longhorns 38- Cyclones 10

CALIFORNIA -3 v. arizona state: No commentary here, its a gut play. Bears 24-Devils 17

Two Unit Games ($$)
UTEP -10 v. tulane: UTEP playing very well at home in the Sun Bowl, winning on average by 17. Granted their home wins have been against crappy teams, fortunately here, Tulane comes in at 2-4 (1-3 on the road) Miners 44 - Wave 21

Vikings +3 @ PACKERS: Little Sunday night action. Packers D is really beat up, and the Vikings might finally be getting on the right track. AP grinds out a strong game, and the Vikes come away with a road win. Vikings 23 - Packers 20

Three Unit Games ($$$)
EAST CAROLINA -12.5 v. marshall: Marshall comes in 1-5 and has pretty much been bombed in their 3 road losses, drubbings by Southern Miss, Ohio St. and even Bowling Green. ECU can light up the scoreboard, with the nations 14th ranked offense. ECU's defense however is swiss cheese, which is fortunate in this case because Marshall comes in with the 112th ranked offense. Buccaneers 41 - Herd 24

Tilt-shift Cochella

2010-10-21T17:39:00.000-07:00

Master of tilt-shift, Sam O'Hare, who's work The Sandpit was featured here previously, has compiled a look at the Cochella Music Festival. HD and full screen is a must. Dig it.

Coachelletta from Sam O'Hare on Vimeo.

This Weeks Plays

2010-10-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

Headed out of town this weekend, just wanted to get these up really quick.

Last week: 3-3 (+4 Units - Gotta keep hitting the 3 unit bets)

Year to date: 12-17 (-1 Unit)

ONE UNIT GAMES ($)

maryland +15.5 @ CLEMSON

FLORIDA STATE -22 v. boston college

TWO UNIT GAMES ($$)

INDIANA -11.5 v. arkansas state

utah -20.5 @ WYOMING

THREE UNIT GAMES ($$$)

iowa -3.5 @ MICHIGAN

And if you're a totals guy, Nevada/Hawaii O73.5

October 14th

2010-10-14T15:03:00.000-07:00

2006.

I was sitting in the Monte Carlo Casino in Las Vegas, with a dozen of my best friends celebrating my 30th when this happened. Across from our table was a whole other table of Tigers fans. We destroyed the sportsbook when this happened. Eat 'em Up Tigers, Eat Em Up.

Epic surf film making

2010-10-12T16:17:00.000-07:00

Behold, the winner of TransWorld Surf's Imaginarium contest. The rules were simple. 3 teams were assigned a color motif, and 5 minutes to tie it together with images of pro surfers doing their business. Even if you aren't into surf vids like me, its worth a view. Its well shot, and very well edited. The song selection "The Difference Between Us" by Dead Weather isn't too shabby either.

Ungu from Blake Kueny on Vimeo.

Best Dad Ever? Best Dad Ever.

2010-10-11T17:36:00.000-07:00

So yeah, my Dad is a pretty solid dude. When I was a kid, we used to put together Estes model rockets, and launch them skyward. A good flight would go 700 maybe 800 feet in the air. Not bad, thats as tall as an 80 story building.

This dad however, puts those model rockets to shame. He built a weather balloon for his son, attached a video camera, and sent it aloft. The results are awesome. Cheers to Mr. Geissbuhler. 2010 Dad of the Year nominee.

Homemade Spacecraft from Luke Geissbuhler on Vimeo.

This week's plays quickie edition.

2010-10-09T06:50:00.000-07:00

Last week: 2-4 (-4 Units)
YTD: 9-14 (-5 Units)

One Unit Games: ($)

BOISE -39 v toledo
SMU -6 v tulsa
indiana +22 @ OHIO STATE

Two Unit Games ($$)

UTEP -9 v rice
alabama -6.5 @ SOUTH CAROLINA

Three Unit Games ($$$)

NC STATE -10 v. boston college

On crapping your shorts

2010-10-08T15:26:00.000-07:00

Well, its Chicago Marathon weekend again, so its time to bring to you another clip of immense dedication and epic toughness. However, before I do, let me first point you to the inspiration for this year's post.

In this month's "The Body Issue" of ESPNMagazine, David Fleming tells the tales of athletes pushing themselves beyond the limits of sphincteral control. When you're at the height of competition, you just cant stop and take a crap. The main subject of Flemings article is Julie Moss, who in 1982 was leading the Hawaii Ironman, with only a few miles to go when gastrointestinal disaster struck:

Exhausted and dangerously dehydrated, Moss was losing control of her body with every step. But she trudged on, pushing herself toward victory. The legs went first. A quarter mile after passing the Sizzler, Moss wobbled, then her knees buckled inward and she telescoped to the ground like a dynamited building. The moment she hit the pavement, her bowels cut loose, emptying against her will. The torrent breached her dainty, light-blue running shorts and moved down her legs, where the hot, acidic fecal matter stung her skin and the putrid stench tattooed the inside of her nostrils.

She was eventually passed when her body forced her to crawl the final lengths of the marathon, and she finished second. Look, in all seriousness folks, I know poop is funny, but this is a really good and inspiring article. Read it HERE.

And, as promised, the Julie Moss clip.

I Hope You've Already Eaten

2010-10-05T17:55:00.000-07:00

A 13 day timelapse of food rotting. We shoulda stuck a camera on the inside of our fridge at Fox Run. God knows what was growing in there. (via)

Dark Side of the Lens

2010-10-02T08:53:00.000-07:00

Inspiring video. Full screen necessary.

DARK SIDE OF THE LENS from Astray Films on Vimeo.

Those Canon 5D's are incredible filmmaking/photography cameras. Drool.

This Weeks Plays

2010-10-01T14:54:00.000-07:00

Week 3

Last week: TRAINWRECK 1-5 (-6 Units)

Year to Date: 7-10 (-1 Unit) .411 Winning Percentage

It only takes one bad week to really cripple momentum. Last weeks bad beat: Florida Atlantic, losing outright at home, to North Texas who was a 10 point underdog. Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. So now, back in the hole, digging out.

Last night was a push, so here’s the rest of the action:

One Unit ($)

ALABAMA -8 v. Florida: Florida got 4 creampuffs before having to go to Bryant Denny Stadium this week. They sleepwalked offensively through 3 of them before finally putting it together for Kentucky last week. Any sort of sleepwalking or intimidation this week against Bama will put them in a big hole. Bama figured things out in the second half against Arkansas, and scored on their last 3 possessions, all fairly impressively. Bama imposes their will on a young Florida team. BAMA 27 Florida 14

Texas Tech -7 @ IOWA ST: Just a gut play on this one.

Two Units ($$)

INDIANA +10 v. Michigan: This one is going to be a shootout. Neither team has any D. Indiana has enough offense to stay close. Michigan 38 – Indiana 33

Three Units ($$$)

CENTRAL MICHIGAN -18 v. Ball State. CMU is 4-0 ATS this year. Ball State is terrible. Just playing the odds here. CMU 41 Ball St. 10

Colts – 7 @ JAGUARS: Colts are primed to explode on someone and hang half a hundred. It could be this week. Colts are averaging 30ppg against good competition, good for 3^rd in the league. Jacksonville is 29^th in the league in defense, surrendering 28ppg. Bad Combo. COLTS 47 – Jacksonville 13

SEND IT IN, JEROME!!!

2010-09-30T15:57:00.000-07:00

Now that I've spoiled #1, let me tell you this is still worth 15 minutes of your time. Some incredible feats of atheleticism, and coordination on display here.

Thanks @thebiglead

Early play tonight...

2010-09-30T15:34:00.000-07:00

Okie St. -3 v. Texas A&M (1 unit)

This play brought to you by Mike Gundy. BTW- this vid - 1.8M views!

5 Reasons I Love Hockey

2010-09-28T16:15:00.000-07:00

Puck Daddy Has been running a feature for the past year called "5 reasons I love hockey". Hes had TSN's Bob McKenzie, NHL.com's Carrie Milbank, Toronto Globe and Mails' James Mirtle, and several others during the feature. Here are mine (along with a few? honorable mentions).

1. The Lingo: No other sport has lingo like hockey: Goon, dangle, the biscuit, barn, chiclets, deke, lumber, shorty, grinder, top shelf, the slot, the stupid zone, wrister, slapper, snipe, bucket, saucer, pipe, sweater, ankle bender...the list goes on and on. Use any of these in a sentence, you instantly earn hockey cred with any other fan. You know what you're talking about.

2. Hockey Night in Canada. Bob Cole and Harry Neale. The old CBC blue blazers. Maple Leaf Gardens. Coach's Corner. The theme song. No, not the new one, the original one.

3. The sound of the puck hitting the post. It can be the goalies favorite sound or the worst sound ever. Its a sound that's not replicated anywhere in sports. It can be a sniper picking a corner and banking one in, or a misplay by the goalie resulting in the unmistakeable clang. It's either the sound of sweet relief or utter dismay. Its the sound Jon Casey probably hears in his sleep.

4. Hip Checks- The open ice hipcheck is a lost art. It can change the momentum of the game, and the energy of the fans as quickly as a fight or a goal. They're clean, the impact rarely results in the concussions that happen with hits against the board, and executed properly - are things of beauty.

Florida Panther Keith Ballard has a full 5 minute highlight reel of hipchecks worth checking out:

5. The smell of the rink. Its a combination of diesel fuel, freon, carbon monoxide, stale, sweaty equipment, burnt coffee and fresh popcorn. Growing up and spending countless days and nights at the rink, the smell has been burned into my nose. Its a smell that feels like home, and one that I find myself missing as I don't see the inside of a rink as much as I used to.

Like I could contain myself to just 5. I could probably do 20.

6. The original 6. Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Montreal, New York, Toronto. Any NHL fan would be able to rattle them all off on memory. They represent the heritage of the game. When they're good, the NHL's fortune and popularity ride with them. If you grew up in my father's age, and didn't grow up in a Original 6 city- you had one of 6 teams to root for.

7. NHL 94. The best hockey game ever created. It is without peer.

8. The old names. The Prince of Wales Conference, The Clarence Campbell Conference. The Norris, Patrick, Adams and Smythe Divisions. The Art Ross, Calder, Norris, Smythe, Adams, Selke, Vezina and Hart Trophies all convey a sense of history of a game that's spanned nearly 100 years.

9. Rivalries. Red Wings/Blackhawks. Bruins/Canadiens. USA/CCCP. BU/BC. Michigan/Michigan State. Minnesota/North Dakota. Rangers/Devils. etc.. The list is long and full of epic battles. Its must see TV, and always highlighted on the schedule. Fights in the stands, fights on the ice. Tough hard nosed hockey. It seems like hockey rivalries last longer than any other sport. Once a rivalry is born, its forever.

10. When it all comes together. The perfect breakout, the stretch pass through the neutral zone, a powerplay that controls the puck for 2 minutes, the blind one timer. Hockey is a game of anticipation. One player reading the mind of another to make something happen. Its being at the right place at the right time. When those things come together, the result is a thing of beauty. It can happen with 10 year old squirts, 40 year old beer league vets, and at the highest levels of competition. When it happens any hockey fan knows what went into that play to make it happen.

11. These sweaters:

This Weeks Plays (Little Giants Edition)

2010-09-24T12:39:00.000-07:00

Stupid Ed O'Neill....

Last week: 4-2 (+4 Units)
Year To Date: 6-5 (+5 Units) .545 Winning percentage

Last week’s bad beat: Lions backdooring me after Eagles went into prevent mode. Man, was I praying for that 2 point conversion to fail. Jim Johnson would’ve never had the Eagles playing safe D. You blitz until the game is over. RIP Jim Johnson.

This Weeks Plays (lotsa road favorites again. Ugh):

One Unit ($)

Alabama -7 @ ARKANSAS : See Alabama last week. Ride #1 til they fail to cover. Alabama 31 – Arkansas 17

Oklahoma -13.5 @ CINCINNATI: Cincy was dominated by NC State’s offense last week, only getting on track once NCSU had put in their scrubs on D, up 30-7. Cincinnati doesn’t have enough offense to cover their defensive lapses. Landry Jones carves UC up, Sooners 37 – Bearcats 20

Two Units ($)

Lions +10.5 @ VIKINGS: Not hating on Favre, because I think finally he’s going to have a good game but what allows the Lions to remain close is Jahvid Best, and their pass rush. (Impressively the Lions are 2nd in the NFL in sacks, with 9) Vikings still aren’t good enough to blow anyone out. This one is closer than most people think. Vikings 27 – Lions 23

UTEP -11.5 v. Memphis: I had this one marked down early in the week, Memphis a notoriously weak road team makes the trek to El Paso to face UTEP who has offense coming out of their eyeballs. The Sun Bowl is a tough place to play, and the Miners have enough D to cover 2TD. UTEP 41 – Memphis 28

Three Units ($$$)

Nevada – 4 @ BYU: This is another mismatch of stats (See last week’s KSU/ISU matchup). Nevada has the nations #5 rushing offense, and #3 overall offense. They average 302 ypg on the ground. BYU is having a hard time tackling people- they are allowing 271 ypg on the ground. This is not a very good combination for the Cougars. (Theyre also having a hard time scoring- only 14 vs Air Force, and 10 vs. Florida State) Nevada pummels the Cougars 38 – 14.

Florida Atlantic -9.5 v. North Texas: I kinda feel sorry for UNT. They're perennially bad, but they try really hard. This year in the process of trying, they’ve really been crippled with injuries. 9 regulars injured, and now they’re forced to go to their 3rd string QB, who got moved to WR in the off season because he needs TOMMY JOHN surgery in his throwing elbow. Florida Atlantic is healthy and ready to rock, coming off a bye and making their home opener. FAU 27 – UNT 7

Unknown Russian schools Michael Bay

2010-09-23T15:28:00.000-07:00

Check out this amateur Russian filmmaker who's cranked out a Transformers style short film, using a commercial grade camera, and some CGI software. Really well done. Remember this next time you have to pay $15 at the movie theater for a movie thats all in CGI. Michael Bay is ripping your ass off.

Transformers from repey815 on Vimeo.

The Fighter

2010-09-20T16:06:00.000-07:00

A boxing movie I'll have no trouble getting the wife to go see.

Me: Lets go see The Fighter
Her: Eh, cmon, is it going to be like The Wrestler? I dont need to see Mickey Rourke's bitchtits again.
Me: It has Mark Wahlberg in it.
Her: I'll buy the tickets.

Mark Wahlberg presents the story of one of my favorite boxers, and all around good dude - "Irish" Micky Ward.

Here's a clip from one of my favorite fights of all time. Fight of the year 2001: Micky Ward v. Emmanuel Augustus. Most people would probably know Micky from his epic trilogy with Arturo Gatti - but for my money, this was Ward's most incredible fight. Toe to toe for all 10 rounds.

James Marshall Hendrix November 27, 1942– September 18, 1970

2010-09-18T08:03:00.000-07:00

40 years. Jimi would be 68 and still rocking today*, if his friends had rolled him over.

*ok, probably not. he was dying an early death one way or another. RIP Jimi.

Happy Birthday to This Stupid Blog

2010-09-18T05:44:00.000-07:00

It was actually September 2, but hey, I'll give myself a pat on the back now. Some quick stats:

Total posts in a year: 259
Total visits in a year: 3964
Total unique visits: 1535
Visits from 44 states, missing Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, North and South Dakota. (maybe they don't have internet there)
Visits from 46 countries including Azerbaijan and the Faroe Islands?

Anyhow, I dont know long I'll keep this going, my personal challenge was to get this to a year, and now that Ive met that, well- we'll see. I still have cool stuff that I find on the internet worth sharing, and I guess this place is as good as any for them. Probably beats spamming all my friends emails with that stuff.

Football Picks for the Weekend

2010-09-17T15:18:00.000-07:00

Last Week/Year To Date: 2-3 (+1 Unit) Winning percentage: .400

Comfortable enough to throw a couple NFL bets in if that's your thing. Otherwise, heres your weekly dose of Chalk. Take it easy this week - might be too many road teams below...

Your friend,

Chalky McChalkerson

One Unit Wagers $:

Boise St. -23.5 @ WYOMING: Ok, so well you probably cant take much from Boise’s big win on the road at VT. (Thanks, James Madison). However what you can take from it, is that to remain in the conversation for a BCS title appearance, it is going to absolutely pound all the soft teams on their schedule. Boise had 2 weeks to prep for this game (and seethe while watching JMU beat VT). Boise brings the hammer 57 – 17.

KANSAS ST. -4 v. Iowa State: Just playing the numbers. KState is averaging 259.5 ypg on the ground. ISU is surrendering 215.5 ypg on the ground. Those seem like pretty good numbers for the home team. KSU 24 – ISU 14

Aaaaaaaaaaalabama -24 @ DUKE: Just going to ride #1 until they fail to cover.

Two Unit Wagers $$:

Chiefs +2 @ BROWNS: Funny, now that Seneca Wallace is starting for the Browns, you might see a big swing in the line. Jake Delhomme will do that to you. (maybe you can get it +3 or more?) In any event, I was mildy impressed by what KC is doing, they’re a rapidly improving club. The Browns, well, they’re the Browns. Chiefs go to Cleveland and win outright as dogs. KC 23 Browns 20

Three Unit Wagers $$$:

Houston -3 @ UCLA: I imagine this line will skyrocket now that Keenum has been cleared to play, because there’s something epically wrong otherwise. Houston has WAY too much offense to get bogged down with UCLA. Houston coasts 33 to 10.

Eagles -4.5 @ LIONS: Disclaimer, I got this earlier in the week. It opened at 3, shot to 4.5 and I got in then. Its now listed 6/6.5/7 depending on where you are. So basically I’ve bought 2 points in value. I don’t think its going to matter in either event. Sure the Lions hung around with the Bears last week, but the Eagles present a few different issues. Their WR core is simply better than the Bears, and the Lions DB’s are terrible. If they play deeper coverages, and only rush 4 or 5, the Eagles should be able to run the ball, and of course Vick’s scrambling abilities will present some significant issues for the Lions D. Wow, a whole paragraph without mentioning Shaun Hill, or the fact that the Lions averaged 1.2 yards per carry last week. Eagles 24 Lions 13

Total Outlay 11 Units

Take the red pill, Dude.

2010-09-14T16:44:00.001-07:00

Attn Fellas: You are fatter than you think.

2010-09-13T16:10:00.000-07:00

Not that that would be a bad thing. (Just sayin, ladies.)

Esquire mag did some research and found that most retailers/manufacturers are generous in their sizing. So yeah, tell the wife that all the work in the gym is paying off because you finally fit into size 36's comfortably, fatass.

Week 1 Picks - Mark May Sucks Edition

2010-09-10T15:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to the first of 17 straight weeks of gambling picks. Last season, I rallied down the bowl stretch to limp across the goal line at 43-39-2. (.524). This year, I am going to do things slightly different. As well as picking the game, I am going to assign a unit value to the play. The unit could be anything, but because this is my blog, a unit equals $100.00. Assuming every one of last years games were played at one unit I would have cleared a measly $400, before juice. At 90 cents on the dollar (-110), that’s more like $360.00. Therefore this seasons’ goal is to top last year’s winning percentage, and to clear $4000 in (imaginary) winnings.

I took last week off to get a lay of the college football land, and will not play an NFL game this week to do the same. NFL is too risky this week, no games with a spread larger than a TD, many in that dreaded 3-3.5 range. I’ll sit this week out on NFL and just try an figure out where everyone is this week. So, without further ado, here is my college football card this week- as always home team in bold, my pick in red:

One Unit Games: ($)

Brigham Young (PK) @ AIR FORCE: BYU opened the season with a tough Washington team, winning 23-17 in a tight battle. USAFA opened with a 1AA patsy in Northwestern State. (Crazy stat from that game: 17, repeat SEVENTEEN Air Force cadets got a carry in the game) Anyhow, BYU did a real nice job keeping Jake Locker and the Washington rushing attack in check, I think they can do the same against Air Force. BYU gets up early and hangs on. BYU 24- USAFA 21

Florida State +7.5 @ OKLAHOMA: I used to have a no Bowden rule. Never bet on any game in which a Bowden is head coach. Terry, Tommy and Bobby were all off limits. Im sure glad they forced Bobby into retirement. I think this game is going to be really good. Oklahoma 27 – FSU 23

Two Unit Games: ($$)

Georgia Tech -14 @ KANSAS: Kansas lost at home last week to I-AA Powerhouse North Dakota State 6-3. SIX to THREE. Enough said.

EAST CAROLINA -12.5 v. Memphis: Did you see any of that ECU/Tulsa game last week? Goodness, what a game. ECU can put up the points – they put up 49 in regulation against Tulsa last week. Memphis is coming off a 2 win season, and aren’t predicted to be much better. They might hang around for a half, but ECU should be able to pull away at the end. ECU 34- Memphis 10

3 Unit Games: ($$$)

ALABAMA -11.5 vs. Penn State

A freshman QB, making his first road start, against a ranked opponent, who is number one ranked, who is the defending national champs, at Bryant-Denny Stadium. I don’t see how that’s a prescription for anything good for Penn State. The Tide rolls (ugh, did I just type that?) ALLLLLLLLLLLLL-aBAMA /keithjackson 38 - Penn State 7

Total Week One outlay 9 units.

*image blatantly stolen from kissing suzy kolber

F*** Going on a Cruise

2010-09-09T16:26:00.000-07:00

I'll just stay on land, thank you very much. The video was take aboard the Pacific Sun, and Australian ship when it encountered rough seas and heavy storms off the coast of New Zealand.

In Praise of Sam Spence

2010-09-09T15:48:00.000-07:00

When most people think of NFL Films, the gold standard in sports theater, they typically think of John Facenda, the legendary voice of NFL Films. After that, they would likely think of Ed and Steve Sabol, the father/son braintrust of the multi-Emmy winning organization. However, Ive always respected 'Glue Guys' and Sam Spence is the glue that binds the visuals of NFL Films camera men, with the narration of John Facenda.

Sam Spence composed a majority of the early NFL Films soundtracks, composing such epic tracks as "Magnificent Eleven", "Up She Rises", "The Raiders", "Classic Battle", "West Side Rumble" , "A Salute to Courage" and my favorite "The Equalizer".

Tonight to mark the opening of the 2010 season, crank up some Sam Spence to get yourself fired up for your team's NFL Season.

"Up She Rises"

"The Equalizer"

"Magnificent Eleven"

"The Raiders"

"Classic Battle"

Linkfest : This Blog Is Not Dead Edition

2010-09-07T17:55:00.000-07:00

Sorry for delay in posting, I had taken a week off to recharge a bit, then had a family emergency with our beloved Basset Hound, Spike, then Labor Day was upon us. As I near the 1 year birthday of Panicstreak, the usual gamblin' feature will return this week for Friday. I have assembled about a dozen (maybe more) webpages, articles, and features that you might have missed over the past few months that would be well worth your attention. A fine mixture of current events, interviews, shocking stories, and sports. So without further ado, I present to you the latest linkfest....

Trader Joes is my favorite supermarket. I had known they were owned by the same German family that owns Aldi for some time, but Fortune Mag uncovered a few more nuggets about notoriously private TJ's worth reading. (BTW, my crack is their Spicy Hummus. I also am very fond of their Gyoza and the accompanying Gyoza Dipping Sauce. Try em!)

I did a post about some shocking airports back in the infancy of this site, and I am going to say this webpage did a much better job than I did. (Although I am granting myself bonus points for including videos). 10 Most Shocking Airports.

The 30 worst baseball card pictures of all time. Len Takata FTW.

One of my favorite baseball bloggers, local dermatologist and Royals fan Rany Jazayerli goes off topic and tells the story of a man named Abdul El-Kadr. (sound familiar? Im looking at you Justin Abdelkader). Its a tremendous read.

A GQ feature of the implosion (explosion?) of the Conan O'Brien Tonight Show as told from the inside.

Scary. Awesome. Awesome scary, or scary awesome - this multi-part feature by the Washington Post about the United States Government's Domestic Surveillance program. Its a MUST READ.

Cleveland's Bud Shaw profiles the NBA's most powerful man. David Stern? Nope. Mark Cuban? Nope. William Wesley, aka Worldwide Wes.

Complex Magazine brings you the 50 best samples featured in rap music.

Maybe this one will only interest me, but a well written piece about Eagles QB Kevin Kolb. Make sure you read about how he kills rattlesnakes.

A rare, serious sit down interview with Bill Murray.

The story of a San Francisco bike messenger who happens to be addicted to LSD.

Author Michael Pollan (The Botany of Desire, The Omnivores Dilemma, In Defense of Food) explores growing opium producing poppies.

Jimmy Nielsen plays goalie for MLS's Kansas City Wizards. He's also a sports gambling addict.

Slate Mag does a multi-part deeper look at GOLF.

If you really, I mean REALLY want to understand how an NFL defense works, this article is for you.

Lastly, if the above did not give you enough to read - Here is a compilation of the 100 best magazine articles ever committed to print - stuff from authors like Hunter S. Thompson, Jon Krakauer, David Foster Wallace, and Michael Lewis.

Slap Shot Trailer (Inception Remix)

2010-08-22T17:14:00.000-07:00

F'in awesome. Also, I can't believe this is my first 'Slap Shot' post....

h/t: Puck Daddy

Im pitching a tent...

2010-08-19T17:27:00.000-07:00

Fantastic video. Fantastic car. Can't wait to see this in production. WOW. Blow this up to full screen HD. The Chevy Volt can suck it.

Another promotional video on the Porsche 918 project.

An old school techno mix from Moby

2010-08-18T17:59:00.000-07:00

Online music mag XLR8R commissioned Moby to dig deep into his vinyl collection to cook up a true old school rave mix from tracks that came out - with my best guess- sometime in the very early 1990s. Moby must have a great memory for this stuff, as he whipped up a solid hour of peak time techno. If you're still into this stuff (or need a soundtrack for your next run or cardio session) its worth a listen.

01 Messiah "Temple of Dreams" (Kickin)
02 Mentasm "I Need Release"
03 Altern8 "Frequency" (Network)
04 N-Joi "Mindflux" (RCA)
05 Ragga Twins "Hooligan 69" (Shut Up and Dance)
06 Awesome 3 "Don't Go" (City Beat)
07 Moby "Next is the E" (Instinct)
08 Hyper Go Go "High" (Hooj Choons)
09 Fierce Ruling Diva "You Gotta Believe" (React)
10 Bizarre Inc. "Playing With Knives" (Vinyl Solution)
11 Messiah "Xeroxed"
12 Dream Frequency "Feel So Real" (City Beat)

Have a listen for yourself HERE

On Voluntarily Ending Your Employment

2010-08-10T17:16:00.000-07:00

By now, everyone has heard the story of the JetBlue Flight Attendant, who yesterday, gave a unruly passenger a piece of his mind, grabbed a couple of brews, quit his job on the spot by opening the emergency exit, and using the emergency slide to escape he hell of work. Steve Slater immediately became a working man's hero for basically uttering what everyone wants to say at one point or another "Take this job and shove it up your...."

In honor of Mr. Slater, here are my 5 favorite clips regarding quitting your job.

George Costanza (The Revenge - 1991)

Scarface (Half Baked - 1998)

Jerry Maguire* (Jerry Maguire -1996)

Joanna (Office Space - 1999)

Lester Burnham (American Beauty -1999)

*yes, I know Jerry doesn't quit, he got fired, but the scene still applies.

The best sentence I have read in a while...

2010-08-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

Certainly a run on sentence- but who am I to be the grammar police?

Broadway Boxing is the closest thing the city has left to the regular club fights of yore, I guess, and for that we should appreciate it, even if wandering into BB King’s for such an event hits you like the realization that you accidentally went to the wrong club tonight, the club where all the real hardcore fucking Guidos are and where half the not-fun is trying to guess which of the hundreds of muscular baldies are real gangsters and which are fake-ass gangsters of most ridiculous sort, because both are well represented.

Taken from this tremendous article on The Awl, by author Hamilton Nolan.

500 roman candles going off at once

2010-08-09T16:52:00.000-07:00

Looks pretty easy to do. Epic results.

Bert Sugarman's Midnight Special

2010-08-02T17:41:00.000-07:00

EPIC YOUTUBE TIME WASTER ALERT!!!!

I've been meaning to write this post for months, but have been sidetracked by looking up classic clips from Bert Sugarmans' Midnight Special. Its like a vortex of classic rock, yacht rock, and comedy routines that can easily suck you in for hours on end. Midnight Special ran from 1973 to 1981 on NBC, following Johnny Carson on Friday nights. Over 450 episodes, everyone from George Carlin to Conway Twitty, to David Bowie, the Doobie Brothers, Seals and Croft, Steely Dan, Peter Frampton ... the list goes on and on. In short, anyone who is anyone in 1970s music appeared on the show.

You're free to search out your own, but below are some of my favorites:

Seals and Croft - Summer Breeze (1973)

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - I Need to Know (1978)

Heart - Crazy On You (1976) This might be my favorite version of this song ever recorded.

Gladys Knight and BB King - The Thrill is Gone (1974)

James Brown - The Payback, Cold Sweat, I Can't Stand Myself, Papa's Got A Brand New Bag (1974)

Return of Steve Porter: Press Hop 2

2010-07-29T15:28:00.000-07:00

Steve Porter breaks off another of his famous sports press conference remixes, right on the heels of "The Decision". Deion Sanders FTW.

Steve even got some E:60 love on ESPN for his remixes.

Fourth of July At Chris Kaman's House

2010-07-28T14:54:00.000-07:00

Or.... what $10k worth of semi-professional fireworks going off looks like. Our favorite former Chippewa has a thing for pyrotechnics....

"I guess what I'm saying is at some point, we've all parked in the wrong garage."

2010-07-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

Tonight, at 8pm, one of the best characters in TV history returns to the airwaves in Mad Men season 4. Roger Sterling played by John Slattery is probably the main reason I watch, although Joan Holloway played by Christina Hendricks, as well as Betty Draper played by January Jones doesn't hurt.

Below- the best of Roger Sterling.

Also- check out these prints done by Christina Perry as ads for AMC's Mad Men- Minimal and classy just like the show. Well done.

18 minutes well spent

2010-07-23T18:37:00.000-07:00

If you can find a more exacting live, one take cover of the entire side two of The Beatles masterpiece Abbey Road, I'll eat my hat. Close your eyes, they hit nearly every note. Once you open your eyes, switching it to full screen wouldn't be a bad idea.

The first rule of Ferris Club is...

2010-07-21T15:26:00.001-07:00

Cameron Frye in Ferris Club.

Its So Juicy... Its like a B12 Shot. Its a Linkfest

2010-07-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

I'm Back Baby!

Sorry for the long delay in posting. After 3 weeks, Id be surprised anyone remembers this blog exists. In any event, Ive promised myself I'd push Panicstreak to its year anniversary, and I only have about 6 weeks to go, so we'll Push on Till the Day.

I Figure the best way to catch up on roughly a month missed is to do a massive link dump of articles worth your time. Without further ado, you're poop reading material for the rest of the week:

A tremendous article in Esquire about Terry Kneiss and how he gamed The Price is Right with a perfect bid in a showcase showdown netting him over $56k in prizes.

Afraid of dying in a plane crash? Follow these directions to increase your chances of survival.

Some people have such terrible gastrointestinal issues that they require poop transplants. I checked my drivers license, there's no box for Poop Donor.

Those wacky Brits- they've mastered getting drunk without the physical act of drinking. Just pour grain alcohol IN YOUR EYE.

If you're a fan of Penn & Teller, this is a great interview.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Turns out- the Chicken. How this isn't front page news, I don't know.

This story is kind of old, but a cool short read.

Do not stand too close to the bass stacks at concerts or raves - the vibrations could kill you.

He gets much less credit than he deserves, he stands in the shadows of GMs like Billy Beane or Theo Epstein - love him or hate him, Brian Cashman knows what hes doing. Heres a good interview.

From the British Medical Journal - headbanging is hazardous to your health.

This cracked me up - the Recording Industry recoups $.02 (yes two cents) for every $1.00 it spends suing illegal downloaders.

Lastly - a multiple crap linkage. You'll need a full weeks worth of dookies to work through this article. An 11 part article on Internet Gambling in the Economist. It might have been the best thing Ive read in the past 30 days. Enjoy.

A little hiatus

2010-07-03T05:34:00.000-07:00

If you've noticed, things have been a little slow around here for the past week or so. Probably another week with no posts coming up- Im getting married next Saturday. As anyone who's planned their own wedding can tell you - your plate is kinda full the last two weeks out. Catch you all after the 10th. I do have a bunch of good stuff to share though.

Football Hero

2010-06-26T11:24:00.000-07:00

Check out these unnamed footballers who play a game of Guitar Hero, built onto a wall with the notes as targets. The track is Underdog by one of my favorite bands, Kasabian out of the UK.

Toy Story vs. The Wire

2010-06-25T17:00:00.001-07:00

Sick Bike

2010-06-25T16:54:00.000-07:00

And not the motorized kind.... My 2001 Trek mountain bike, while still serviceable, gives me a case of the blahs. Its pretty heavy at this point, and obviously, in the city that has as many bicyclists as it does, its easy to get bike envy. Id probably ride every day if my stupid office had a locker-room. I'm a sweaty bastard, and cant come rolling into the office drenched in sweat. There's not enough wet-wipes in the world to keep the stank off of me after even a moderately paced ride.

Right now, this is the object of my affection is this Kronan 3speed in all black. It just looks tough, despite its utilitarian stance.

It seems like more and more small boutique indie bike companies are sprouting up all the time - most of them fabricate from scratch and by hand. Lots of gorgeous stuff out there worth checking out...

Essential Items: A Good Knife

2010-06-25T15:56:00.000-07:00

I fancy myself as an *extremely* amateur chef. I like to fuck around in the kitchen with food. The one thing I have learned from reading, and multiple hours of Americas Test Kitchen viewing, is that you cant do anything in the kitchen without having a good knife.

Me, I go with the Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Chef's Knife. Top rated by both Amazon reviewers, and Americas Test Kitchen, it can be had for less than $30. Some Japanese chefs knifes can go for up to $300(!) and this knife rates just as good.

Now that I have pointed you in the direction of a good knife - two important pieces of information for your consideration.

This article posted in February's The Atlantic "How to Wield a Knife" is worthy read about knife selection, sharpening and safety.

And, some good knife tips from a guy whom Im a huge fan of Anthony Bourdain

And another non-embeddable clip from Bourdain on how to sharpen your knife.

If you suck with your knife and bleed more than a stuck pig, probably good idea to invest in some chainmail.

Joel and Ethan Coen vs. Quentin Tarantino

2010-06-21T15:08:00.000-07:00

This gets an instant bookmark, as the Coen Brothers and Quentin Tarantino are easily my two favorite movie directors. Quite the mashup.

The Kubrick vs Scorcese mashup is also worth a view or 8.

h/t: kottke.org

Tealight Animation

2010-06-17T15:08:00.000-07:00

Obviously if you haven't figured it out yet, I have a thing for stop motion animation. Check out this one, done only with tealights.

More vids of Peahi

2010-06-15T17:02:00.000-07:00

If you're a frequent visitor, you might remember THIS POST when the Jaws swell was going off in Hawaii. Today on @boingboing, they posted this vid, so I wanted to throw it up as a followup. Its really beautiful. I wish I could get one of those Canon 5D markII's that shot this vid. Unreal pictures.

Japanese Student Projects: Stop Motion Mario

2010-06-11T16:42:00.001-07:00

This one is for Ron T- Check out the final results from this student project. Japanese kids re-create the first level of Super Mario Bros. using sticky notes, and stop motion photography, moving Mario through their school...

Abandoned places: Six Flags New Orleans

2010-06-08T17:40:00.000-07:00

Five years ago this summer, Six Flags New Orleans had its last summer in the sun. In late August, Hurricane Katrina came in, and the park closed for the impending storm.

After 2 days of hurricane force wind and rain, followed by levee failures, the entire city of New Orleans, as well as Six Flags New Orleans was underwater. Five years later, as much of New Orleans is still in an abandoned or semi-abandoned state, Six Flags New Orleans is no exception.

The park was heavily damaged by the flooding of the 9th ward in which it sits. Six Flags estimated 80% of the structures suffered serious water damage. To complicate the matters further, Six Flags Corporation experienced financial issues, and entered bankruptcy in 2008, which effectively ended any efforts at re-opening the park forever.

Theres something creepy, yet totally cool about an abandoned amusement park of this size. Check out some of the photos from the abandoned park. AWESOME FLICKR SET HERE.

Classic spelling bee clips

2010-06-04T14:06:00.000-07:00

EUONYM

My personal favorite: NEGUS

Dont forget: NUMNAH

Dont forget the fainting kid...(thanks loyal reader Pwall)

Driving in Dubai

2010-06-03T18:18:00.000-07:00

Its one thing to see a guy purposely pulling donuts on a 5 lane highway, but things really get outta hand when another driver breaks out the two wheel action. It appears as though this is not an uncommon occurrence.

Jim Joyce, theres a Don Denkinger on line one for you...

2010-06-02T18:24:00.000-07:00

I'll take that Chesterfield now...

2010-05-29T14:05:00.000-07:00

Rough week for celebrity deaths... It was between this clip, and Shooter from Hoosiers, but this clip won out.

Whatchutalkinbout Messier

2010-05-28T15:00:00.001-07:00

RIP Gary Coleman.

How to take a crap in space

2010-05-25T17:53:00.001-07:00

Fascinating.

Nike for World Cup 2010

2010-05-22T09:29:00.000-07:00

Excellent 3 minute spot starring Nike athletes Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Wayne Rooney (England), Ronaldinho(Brazil), and Cristiano Ronaldo(Portugal) - with guest spot from soccer fan Kobe Bryant. Its only 2 weeks and change away. Really looking forward to it.

Do NOT play beer pong with these guys...

2010-05-19T17:41:00.000-07:00

I think I went to college a bit too early for beer pong. Seems like it picked up steam as a legit drinking game after I graduated. We usually spent time playing card games like Up and Down the River, Asshole or my favorite- Wheel of Death, and never had the kinda action games like beer pong and flip cup. Disappointing. Action games bring skill into drinking, and theres a lot to be said for that.

Check out these guys ridiculous skills with ping pong balls, and the ubiquitous red Solo cup.

These guys really need to buckle down, and train hard - I think they've got the makeup to compete in the World Series of Beer Pong. (as seen in the movie "The Last Cup") Held annually at the always classy, O'Sheas Casino in Las Vegas, NV.

They f'd with the wrong Mexican

2010-05-18T18:08:00.000-07:00

Im pretty sure this will be entertaining. Danny Trejo, Bob DeNiro, Steven Segal, Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Don Johnson, and Cheech Marin in MACHETE.(thx Ron)

Eyjafajallawesome

2010-05-17T17:14:00.000-07:00

Beautiful timelapse video of the Eyjafjallajökull Volcano erupting earlier this month. These are smaller eruptions than those which shut down air traffic over much of Europe in mid-April, but still impressive none the less. Make sure you blow up to full screen and watch in HD.

LINKFEST

2010-05-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

Been off for a few days out of town, so in an effort to catch up a bit, here's a linkfest full of good reading. Enjoy.

Bill Watterson's (Calvin and Hobbes) first public interview in nearly 15 years.
A photoblog of Mexico's drug war, by Time Magazine.
Ichiro Suzuki: An appreciation
Searching for Parliament/Funkadelic's lost Mothership
Insane profile of an ultramarathoner, or a profile of an insane ultramarathoner. I cant decide which.
Whatever happened to the the rest of NWA's Posse
What happens when you combine cocaine addiction with a Grand Theft Auto addiction