Football....football....overdosing on real football....

Absolutely gorging myself on European football on my days off this week. Watched Manchester United pound Roma 7-1. Watched Chelsea come back from behind to best Valencia. Watched Liverpool dispatch PSV Eindhoven. Watched Tottenham Hotspur bow out to Seville. Champions League, UEFA Cup, plus the EPL and MLS games over the weekend, and I'm overdosing.

Speaking of MLS, here are the naysayers:

http://www.davesfootballblog.com/post/2007/04/10/mls-better-than-ambien/

http://soccernista.com/2007/04/10/first-kick-first-impressions/

http://deadspin.com/sports/soccer/hirshey-staying-awake-for-the-mls-halfway-anyway-250689.php

Some of the complaints are silly/beside the point, ie: gridiron lines, no alcohol, etc., where Real Salt Lake plays. Newsflash, fellas: they are building a new soccer specific stadium (SSS) in the Salt Lake area for RSL to play in. Once that is complete, you will be able to enjoy gridiron-free football pitches and all the beer you can drink. Until then, exercise some patience, gorramit!

We all know MLS is not up to EPL or other top-level league standards. People follow lower level leagues anyway; it isn't that hard to "get into" MLS if you are a soccer fan, but it does take a bit more effort than merely watching a few games on TV and writing about it in a blog.

I've been following soccer off and on since the 1970's and the NASL. We've come so far these past 30 years. We aren't where we want to be yet, but let's have a little perspective and remember how far we have in fact come, so far.

MLS debuts.

Caught a bit of the Colorado Rapids vs. DC United MLS season opening game on TV before going in to work. Will have to watch the rest of it on my TiVo later. The new SSS in Colorado (Dick's Sporting Goods Park) looks very nice, but the weather was frigid and icy and although a "sell out" in terms of ticket sales, there were a lot of empty seats.

This brings up one of my pet peeves about all of the SSS built so far: either there is no roof at all, or the roof is purely decorative and serves no practical purpose. This is especially true in Colorado, where the roof is very nice looking indeed, very artistic, but doesn't actually protect the fans from the weather. The only sign things might be changing in that regard are the drawings of the new Red Bull park in New Jersey, which depict a completely enclosed park, with a roof over all of the seating. That will be very sweet indeed once it is built.

Here are some photos of the new stadium in Colorado:

http://www.ibiblio.org/footy/2007a/0406_col_dc_sab.php

http://www.ibiblio.org/footy/2007a/0406_col_dc_sab.php?page=1

http://www.ibiblio.org/footy/2007a/0406_col_dc_sab.php?page=2

Very, very nice looking little park. Congrats to the Rapids.

Chivas Girls!

Haha. Funny video to get in the mood for new MLS season:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pNWXN9NoDE

This was from back in 2005, I think, Chivas USA's first season, the LA Galaxy fans were having a bit of fun. Apparently the comedian Drew Carey is a LAG fan and he supplied the blowup dolls, or so I recall reading somewhere....will have to investigate further. Sounds like an interesting story.

Office of Special Plans = Iran Directorate

It is easy to forget with all the right-wing neo-con talk about terrorism, that these same neo-cons are quite happy to fund terrorists when it suits their purposes (see for another example, neo-con support for the terrorist Mujahideen-e-Khalq or MeK).

http://antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=10774

Speaking of provocations: now that the Democrats are in command of Congress, can they stop ladling out the pork long enough to look into Seymour Hersh's allegations that U.S. tax dollars are going to subsidize al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist groups in Lebanon and remote sections of Iran? Or is that too much to ask?

Word is out that the same "Office of Special Plans" gang that lied us into invading Iraq is now embarked on a new project, under a new name: the "Iran Directorate." Is there such a thing as congressional oversight anymore, or am I just dreaming of a halcyon and unrecoverable golden age of American politics?

Cheney Sticks to His Delusions

Cheney still out to lunch:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2007/04/06/BL2007040601116_pf.html

Faced with overwhelming evidence to the contrary, even President Bush has backed off his earlier inflammatory assertions about links between al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein.

But Vice President Cheney yesterday, in an interview with right-wing talk radio host Rush Limbaugh, continued to stick to his delusional guns.

Rush Limbaugh; once a shill, always a shill. I listened to Rush when he was just a local radio host in California. He actually did a good job of pretending to be a conservative back then, but one by one he abandoned his old positions to make himself more attractive for use as a neo-con tool.

A Provocation Backfires: Were the Brits ginning up a pretext for war in the Gulf?

Justin Raimondo:

http://antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=10774

The Telegraph complained editorially that "the seized personnel lost no time in admitting to having trespassed and in apologizing for their mistake," echoing Col. Stewart's lament that the name-rank-and-serial-number tradition "has obviously been abandoned." Somehow I doubt that any of the fifteen will face charges, because their likely defense – "we merely told the truth" – would prove embarrassing to the Blair government.

In any case, that was some pretty powerful – and convincing – video that the Iranians put out there, with relaxed and completely natural-looking-and -acting British sailors basically backing up what the Iranians said from the beginning. I agree with John McLaughlin: the Brits haven't been "entirely level with the world." Not that this would come as a surprise: as McLaughlin points out, Blair has long been among the chief manufacturers of alibis for the Bush administration.

The statements of the British sailors merely tend to confirm previously expressed doubts as to the actual coordinates released by the Brits. And now we hear the news – just released by Sky News – that they had been withholding an interview with one of the captives, Chris Air, filmed before his capture, in which he said they were indeed gathering intelligence on the Iranians. What it all adds up to, given what we know so far, is an incursion into Iranian waters that was in all likelihood deliberate.

Upon the release of the fifteen, Blair wasted no time taking advantage of what appeared to be a diplomatic opening on the part of the Iranians: instead, he raised the threat level by accusing the Tehran of having been behind a recent attack on the British that killed four in the southern region of Iraq. Far from signaling a let up in the escalation of tensions, we are bound to see more such incidents – one of which will prove to be the tripwire for war.

The Bush administration, and its British enablers, seem hellbent on war in the Gulf, and it is only a matter of time before they provoke the Iranians into crossing the line. Such a disastrous outcome could be avoided, however, if we establish whether or not this most recent incident was a provocation. I agree, for once, with National Review, which is calling on the British government to repudiate the statements of its sailors and marines. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for it, however: my guess is that the whole matter of who crossed into whose waters will be quietly dropped, at least by the British side, while the 15 former captives are muzzled or otherwise intimidated into silence. Unless, of course, there is an investigation, which can establish once and for all who is telling the truth – the fifteen sailors, or their government.

This is important, because if it was an incursion, then we get into the subject of whether it was intentional. And the only way to do that is to deepen the investigation, and find out whether – or, rather, to what extent – Western governments are trying to push us into war with Iran.

MLS-07-Rama

MLS 2007 season opener is almost upon us, here is a review of the league:

http://thatsonpoint.blogspot.com/2007/04/mls-07-rama.html

TiVo Plays a Trump Card: Web Smarts

David Pogue review of TiVo's non-DVR features:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/technology/05pogue.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=business&pagewanted=1&adxnnlx=1175914927-IukyDCSYsINfOPVb1M6xJQ

This is new and sounds very interesting indeed:

BROADCAST HOME MOVIES This feature, only one week old, lets you send home movies and photo slide shows from your computer directly into the “Now Playing” lists of TiVo owners who might enjoy them.

You upload your raw material at OneTrueMedia.com, where you can add a musical soundtrack, if you like. Then you’re given a numeric password, which you supply to any TiVo owner who wants to be able to tune in to your new “channel.”

The rest is automatic. From now on, any new movies that you upload automatically appear in the TiVo owners’ Now Playing lists.

Grade: A–. It’s too bad that you, the uploader, have to pay by the month ($4) or year ($40) for this service; a fee for each movie would make more sense. Even so, this service opens up a magical new conduit to other people’s TV sets that’s never been available. It would be hard to imagine an easier, faster way to let parents or grandparents watch their distant offspring grow up.

Other features he reviews: Cell Phone Programming, TiVoCast, Amazon Movies, Weather and Traffic, Movie Listings, Internet Radio, Podcasts, Guru Guides, Music and Photos. Pogue's conclusion:

THE BOTTOM LINE This Internet stuff is a lot of icing on an already delicious cake, and more is coming.

Not all of it will appeal to the masses or people who just want to watch “Saturday Night Live” on Sunday morning. And these enhancements make a TiVo fan’s attempts to explain, in a nutshell, what the TiVo is an even more hopeless task.

But if TiVo’s aim was to differentiate itself, it’s been successful. As you’ve probably noticed, not everything worth watching these days originates on TV. But thanks to these unheralded and unadvertised improvements, the TiVo is the first set-top box to present all the good stuff on a single screen — the one across from your couch.

Marginalising Conservatives

I can't find a permanent URL for this acticle on Taki's website; no doubt it will be put into the archives eventually, so if the link does not work try the archives.

Edit: nevermind, third URL down looks like the permanent URL.

http://www.takistopdrawer.us/

http://www.takistopdrawer.us/index.html

http://www.takistopdrawer.us/2007/march/article_2007-March-31.html

Anyway, this is worth quoting, for those who don't understand the role that the neocons have in creating the current mess we are in:

Following Gottfried into bat is a bit like going to bed with a woman who has just had sex with Rubirosa. One is bound to feel diminished. Never mind. I gave it my best shot. (As I’m sure I would have, had I ever followed Rubi in bed.) Paul’s thesis was that the neocons are here to stay. The Old Right, the true conservatives, will have to mount an effort equivalent to the Soviet counterattack at Stalingrad to get rid of the enemy that the conservative movement invited in to occupy its territory. Alas, it is so. The terrible harm these wretched people have done to the country is nothing compared with the damage they’ve inflicted on anyone of the Old Right who knows them for what they are. People have lost their jobs and their livelihoods, and a palaeoconservative on a TV political chat show or a column in a major newspaper is as rare as a necktie around the ludicrous Dave Cameron’s fleshy neck. Better yet, they have acted brutally, breaking the bones of those on the Right, while at the same time maintaining a neighbourly dialogue with the Centre-left, a strategy which is integral in marginalising the real Right.

Mind you, the Kristols and Podhoretzes of this world are many bad things, but one thing they’re not is dumb. They and their ilk knew from the start that the country was turning conservative following Vietnam and the excesses of the Sixties. Their plan was to pretend to have seen the light of conservatism, marginalise the real conservatives using well-meaning people who abhor anti-Semitism (the neocon Trojan Horse) and continue the party line only with a different name. Big intrusive government, open borders, large state spending, non-person status for dissenters, worldwide interference and if need be military invasion — Mr Trotsky himself could not have done better even without that spike on his head. In fact, they are quite admirable and far less contemptible than those who serve them.

If life were fair, of course, especially after the Iraq fiasco, bums like Frum, Podhoretz, Kristol, Wolfowitz, Feith, Perle, the Kagan brothers and the rest of the galère would now be making a living asking customers whether they would like regular or super. Instead, they have not only kept their jobs or been pushed upstairs — as in the case of Wolfowitz — but they also continue to shape public opinion with their columns, TV shows and various other means of exposure. The palaeoconservatives are outside the stadium looking in through peepholes.

What If Iran Had Invaded Mexico?

http://www.lewrockwell.com/engelhardt/engelhardt270.html

Unsurprisingly, George W. Bush's announcement of a "surge" in Iraq came despite the firm opposition to any such move of Americans and the even stronger opposition of the (thoroughly irrelevant) Iraqis. It was accompanied by ominous official leaks and statements – from Washington and Baghdad – about how Iranian intervention in Iraq was aimed at disrupting our mission to gain victory, an aim which is (by definition) noble. What then followed was a solemn debate about whether serial numbers on advanced roadside bombs (IEDs) were really traceable to Iran; and, if so, to that country's Revolutionary Guards or to some even higher authority.

This "debate" is a typical illustration of a primary principle of sophisticated propaganda. In crude and brutal societies, the Party Line is publicly proclaimed and must be obeyed – or else. What you actually believe is your own business and of far less concern. In societies where the state has lost the capacity to control by force, the Party Line is simply presupposed; then, vigorous debate is encouraged within the limits imposed by unstated doctrinal orthodoxy. The cruder of the two systems leads, naturally enough, to disbelief; the sophisticated variant gives an impression of openness and freedom, and so far more effectively serves to instill the Party Line. It becomes beyond question, beyond thought itself, like the air we breathe.

Confirmed: The U.S. Census Bureau Gave Up Names of Japanese-Americans in WW II

From the "I told you so" department, albeit over six decades too late:

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=A4F4DED6-E7F2-99DF-32E46B0AC1FDE0FE

Despite decades of denials, government records confirm that the U.S. Census Bureau provided the U.S. Secret Service with names and addresses of Japanese-Americans during World War II.

Remember this next time government/corporations/whoever says that your information is "private".

How to Build a Pyramid

Fascinating theory about how the Great Pyramid was constructed; looks more practical than previous theories:

http://www.archaeology.org/0705/etc/pyramid.html

The Internal Ramp Theory
A radical new idea has recently been presented by Jean-Pierre Houdin, a French architect who has devoted the last seven years of his life to making detailed computer models of the Great Pyramid. Using start-of-the-art 3-D software developed by Dassault Systemes, combined with an initial suggestion of Henri Houdin, his engineer father, the architect has concluded that a ramp was indeed used to raise the blocks to the top, and that the ramp still exists--inside the pyramid!

Go Dynamo

Following the Pachuca vs. Houston game (2nd leg), CONCACAF Champions Cup, on two threads here:

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=512451&page=30

...and here:

http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2409585&pagenumber=5

Pachuca 3-1 Houston, or tied 3-3 on aggregate. There is no away goal rule in CCC so if tied they go to overtime and then to penalties.

Edit: Ching scores! Pachuca 3-2 Houston, Houston leads 4-3 on aggregate. Hang in there, Houston. I think there's about 10-15 minutes to go?

Edit: Ugh. Pachuca ties it up. Game ends Pachuca 4-2, tied 4-4 on aggregate. 30 minutes of OT next.

Edit: Final, in OT, Pachuca 5-2 Houston, Pachuca wins 5-4 on aggregate. Nice effort Houston, better luck next time.

The uncertain fate of the compact disc.

From Slate:

http://www.slate.com/id/2163646/

Daniel Gross writes in Moneybox about the surprising resilience and profitability of compact disc makers, given the creeping obsolescence of this audio format in an age of downloadable music.

The CD is obsolete? Not as long as the "legal" downloads come with DRM. I'd rather buy a CD I can rip myself, without any DRM, thanks.

The iPhone Wannabes: What Apple's competitors get wrong about the next generation of cell phones.

The iPhone frenzy contiues apace:

http://www.slate.com/id/2163510/

What Samsung, Nokia, and Apple's other competitors fail to understand, however, is that in a do-everything age, there's a downside to trumpeting new features. By announcing that your phone does two or three cool new things, you're also implicitly admitting that there's a universe of things that this particular gadget can't do. And that's why the iPhone is such a breakthrough. When Jobs touts the iPhone as three devices in one, he's selling it short: It's a computer, not some limited, specialized gizmo. That means that rather than a fixed set of applications—music, video, Web browsing, chat—it can, in theory, run any program that works on a Mac. The iPhone's killer feature, then, is probably something that doesn't even exist yet. It has the potential to spawn a mobile application as mind-blowing as the Web browser or Napster.

The writer does note that the cell phone carriers, in this case Cingular/AT&T, will lock down the iPhone, but he explains why he thinks the carriers will eventually open things up. I'm not convinced. And it's an awful lot of speculation for a product that hasn't even been released yet.

21 Biggest Technology Flops

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9012345&source=rss_news50

Don't Believe the Hype: The 21 Biggest Technology Flops

We fondly recall 21 overpromoted products and technologies that utterly failed to live up to their hype -- and we give you a chance to choose the biggest flop of all.

Some of these flops were just bad timing (Apple Newton) or were killed by DRM (Digital Audio Tape). Some are still in the "wait and see" category (e-books). Some were pure evil (DIVX) or just stupid (Microsoft Bob). An interesting tour of technology of the past couple of decades.