Posted inMusic

Concert Vault – Where Live Music Lives

by Deck

Concert VaultIf you are a fan of classic live music, you owe it to yourself to check out the Concert Vault site, which bills itself as “the world’s greatest collection of vintage concert recordings.”

As I type this, I am listening to a streaming audio feed of Bruce Springsteen’s concert at the Winterland in San Francisco on December 15, 1978. And there are literally hundreds of other live shows available on the site ranging from .38 Special to Neil Young, with more recordings added every week. How cool is that?!?

Where does it all come from? In 2003, the Wolfgang’s Vault vintage music and memorabilia site acquired master recordings from the archives of Bill Graham Presents. Bill Graham launched the rock and roll concert industry in the mid-1960s. From then until his sudden death in a 1991 helicopter crash, he promoted more than 35,000 concerts worldwide at venues including the Fillmore West and Winterland in San Francisco and the legendary Fillmore East in New York City. Graham’s first venue, the ground-breaking Fillmore Auditorium, was home to many of rock’s greatest performers; Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Doors, The Grateful Dead, Otis Redding and Jefferson Airplane.

Graham recorded thousands of these live performances and stored the tapes in the basement of the BGP headquarters. No one is quite sure what he intended to do with these recordings, but now they (and additional collections as well) are available for our listening pleasure. Free!

Now if you will excuse me, I want to listen to a couple more songs before I head off to bed. BRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCE!!!!!!!!!

Posted inGames / Sports

Red Zone Wrap-Up (Week 13)

by Deck

Red ZoneThe Springfield Bullhawks (10-3) managed to steal the Norris Division title from the Houston Inferno (10-3) with a 112-52 win. The Inferno only had one player in double-digits this week. I assume the Inferno players just decided to coast the week before the FFL playoffs start. The ‘Hawks enter the playoffs next week as the #1 seed, while the Inferno have to settle for #3.

The P’burg PrairiePride (7-6) wrapped up the Long Division title with a 80-68 victory over the Peoria OrangeCrush (4-9). Reggie Bush had the first monster game of his career with a 41 point performance. Unfortunately, Reggie sat the ‘Crush bench this week. The ‘Pride go into next week’s playoffs as the #2 seed.

My Spooky Boogeymen (7-6) decided to wake up just in time for an important win over the Kentucky Mad Max (5-8). Marvin Harrison and Tony Gonzalez came up with big performances for the Boogeymen. With the win (and a loss by the Outkasts), the Boogeymen have somehow managed to qualify for the playoffs as the #4 seed.

The Petersburg PowerPuff Girls (7-6) knocked the Shelbyville Outkasts (7-6) out of the playoffs with a 95-70 defeat. The PowerPuffs got even scoring throughout their lineup, with the Steelers Defense leading the way with 20 points. The Outkasts held their fate in their hands, as a victory this week would have put them into the playoffs. With the loss, the Outkasts end up with the same record as my Spooky Boogeymen. However, a 3-point win in week 6 gives the Boogeymen the head-to-head edge and a pass into the playoffs. Sorry Jack! ;-)

The Batavia Bulldogs (6-7) defeated the Foreign Bodies (4-9) by a score of 66-48. The Bodies could have used some of the 46 points that were left on the bench this week. However if that were legal, the Bulldogs could have fought back with 81 bench points of their own.

Here are the final regular season standings…

NORRIS DIVISION
Springfield Bullhawks (10-3)
Houston Inferno (10-3)
Spooky Boogeymen (7-6)
Shelbyville Outkasts (7-6)
Batavia Bulldogs (6-7)		 LONG DIVISION
P’burg PrairiePride (7-6)
Kentucky Mad Max (5-8)
Petersburg PowerPuff Girls (5-8)
Peoria OrangeCrush (4-9)
Foreign Bodies (4-9)


As I might have mentioned once or twice above, the playoffs start next week. Unlike the regular season, each playoff game is two weeks long and there are two playoff games (for a total of four weeks). Here are the brackets…

Winner’s Bracket
#1 Springfield Bullhawks vs. #4 Spooky Boogeyman
#2 P’burg PrairiePride vs. #3 Houston Inferno

Consolation Ladder
#5 Shelbyville Outkasts vs. #6 Batavia Bulldogs
#7 Kentucky Mad Max vs. #8 PowerPuff Girls
#9 Peoria OrangeCrush vs. #10 Foreign Bodies


Good luck!

Posted inRant n' Rave / Sports / WTF?

BCS = Better Change Soon

by Deck

BCSI am definitely not a Michigan fan. In fact, every time I hear that damn Michigan fight song (too often unfortunately when they play the Illini), I can’t help but think of the alternate, highly unflattering version one of my roommates taught me back in college. But that doesn’t change the fact that Michigan was one of the best teams in college football this season. In fact, I believe they were the second best team in the country and deserve a rematch with undefeated #1 arch-rival Ohio State. Instead, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) will feature OSU and Florida in the Tostitos BCS Championship Game on January 8th.

Personally, I think Michigan got robbed, but that’s not exactly what this entry is about… What I am ranting about is the BCS itself. Why is Division I-A college football the only organized sport I know of that absolutely refuses to adopt a playoff structure to decide the season championship? The answer, of course, is money.

The existing Bowl games and their inevitable sponsors have lots of dough invested in keeping the games where they are. To get an idea of how out of hand the current bowl system has gotten, take a look at this list of scheduled bowl games. C’mon, the “San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl”? All due respect to the fine folks who work at the San Diego County Credit Union, but that has to be the most ridiculous excuse for a Bowl game that I’ve ever heard.

What I don’t understand is why the NCAA is so resistant to a college football playoff. Think “March Madness” at Christmastime. It would be huge. It would definitively answer the question of who is the best football team in the country every season. It would still be possible to have a number of Bowl games featuring teams that didn’t make it into the playoffs. And at this point, I think it’s just a matter of time before popular demand for a playoff system forces the NCAA to rethink the outdated and overcommercialized Bowl games. Can’t wait!

BTW, I’m rooting for both Ohio State and Michigan to win each of their games by embarrassing margins. :-)

Posted inGames / Sports

Red Zone Wrap-Up (Week 12)

by Deck

The Houston Inferno (10-2) earned their tenth win defeating the Petersburg PowerPuff Girls (4-8) by a score of 118-52. The Inferno got 31 points from the Ravens D and 43 points from superstar quarterback Tony Romo. (Donovan McWho? ;-))

I am seriously considering changing the name of my team from the Spooky Boogeymen to the Sucky Boogeymen… I was resoundingly whupped by the Springfield Bullhawks (9-3) by a score of 79-119. Three 0’s didn’t help the cause at all. With three losses in a row and one more week in the regular season, it will take a minor miracle to get into the playoffs.

The Shelbyville Outkasts (7-5) picked up their fourth win in a row beating the Batavia Bulldogs (5-7) 97-83. QB Drew Brees led the way with 30 points. The Outkasts hold their playoff fate in their own hands… A win next week against the PowerPuff Girls gets the Outkasts into the playoffs as a wild-card team.

The P’burg PrairiePride (6-6) snatched victory from the jaws of, uh, a 87-87 tie with the Kentucky Mad Max (5-7). The PrairiePride got the win by way of tiebreaker… The ‘Pride’s bench outscored the Max bench 46 to 43. Next week will decide whether the PrairiePride or the Mad Max come out on top of the Long Division.

The Peoria OrangeCrush (4-8) knocked off the Foreign Bodies (4-8) by a 74-67 score. With the victory, the OrangeCrush have tied the Bodies and the PowerPuff Girls for next season’s #1 draft seed (i.e. last place in the league).

Posted inMovies

You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out…

by Deck

A Christmas Story‘Tis the season… for A Christmas Story. Check out the following sites to get your Christmas Story fix…

A fan named Brian Jones is obsessed enough with the movie that he couldn’t resist paying $150,000 for the Cleveland house that appeared in the film when it came up for sale on eBay. He has restored it to look like it did in the movie, and is opening the house and a related museum with much fanfare this weekend. Visit the A Christmas Story House Website for details.

The house isn’t the only way that Brian Jones is profiting from his obsession with the movie. A few years ago, Brian set up a site to sell reproductions of the infamous “major award” coveted by Ralphie’s father, a lamp in the shape of a shapely glowing leg. It comes in various sizes complete with fringed gallery shade, sexy fishnet stocking, and an elegant stiletto heel. Check out the Red Ryder Leg Lamps site for ordering info on this and other memorabilia.

To find out more about Jean Shepherd, the writer and narrator of the movie, visit the FlickLives site. It includes information, news, events, and memorabilia about “Shep’s” life and career, including lots of interesting trivia about A Christmas Story.

Finally, if you’ve never seen A Christmas Story and have no idea what I’m talking about, enjoy a 30-second version of the movie in Bun-O-Vision (i.e. starring rabbits)…

ACS in 30 seconds

Posted inGames / Sports

Red Zone Wrap-Up (Week 11)

by Deck

The Houston Inferno (9-2) dropped their second game of the season, losing to the Batavia Bulldogs (5-6) by a score of 47-55. The Inferno managed to leave 82 points on the bench, including the week’s leading scorer Lee Evans (46 points). Unfortunately, the Inferno also lost Donovan McNabb, the league’s top-ranked quarterback, for the rest of the season due to injury. Sorry Jeff…

The Springfield Bullhawks (8-3) extended their win streak to four games with a 125-107 victory of the Kentucky Mad Max (5-6). The Bullhawks’ success can be summarized easily in just two letters… L.T. The Bullhawks’ last loss came four weeks ago, which was the last time LaDainian Tomlinson scored less than 40 points. Here’s hoping that the Chargers give L.T. plenty of time to rest during the last few weeks of the season… ;-)

The Petersburg PowerPuff Girls (4-7) outlasted my Spooky Boogeymen (6-5) for a 63-59 win. ESPN screwed me two weeks in a row… Last week, Mike Bell was benched with little or no mention from ESPN prior to gametime. Result: zero points. This week, ESPN still had Bell listed as Out. Result: 22 points sitting on my bench. Frakkers!

The Shelbyville Outkasts (6-5) knocked off the Peoria OrangeCrush (3-8) by a 84-69 score. Drew Brees and Jamal Lewis had big days for the Outkasts, who have now won three games in-a-row and are making a late run for the play-offs.

The Foreign Bodies (4-7) won a 92-71 victory over the P’burg PrairiePride (5-6). The Bodies had five players in double-digits for the win.

Here are the updated standings after 11 weeks…

NORRIS DIVISION
Houston Inferno (9-2)
Springfield Bullhawks (8-3)
Spooky Boogeymen (6-5)
Shelbyville Outkasts (6-5)
Batavia Bulldogs (5-6)		 LONG DIVISION
Kentucky Mad Max (5-6)
P’burg PrairiePride (5-6)
Petersburg PowerPuff Girls (4-7)
Foreign Bodies (4-7)
Peoria OrangeCrush (3-8)


Two more weeks, and then we start the playoffs! Good luck everyone. (Except Alan, of course.)

Posted inToys

Xbox 360 = 100 Xbucks

by Deck

As part of the Amazon Customer’s Vote program, one-thousand Xbox 360 game consoles will be available for $100 from Amazon.com at precisely 1:00 PM (central time) on Thanksgiving day. The Xbox 360 Core System currently lists for $299.99 on Amazon, so such a limited number of units are going to sell out in seconds at this price.

Good luck!!!

UPDATE: This promotion was too much even for Amazon to handle, according to this BroadbandReports article.

Posted inTechnology

Keybored No Longer

by Deck

Check out the Optimus Keyboard…

qwerty Photoshop Quake

Each key is a tiny LCD display that can be reconfigured and labeled as desired for whatever language or application (or game) is in use. How cool is that?

According to this blog entry from the designer, the Optimus-103 keyboard will be available for pre-order on December 12th. No pricing has been announced yet, except for the cryptic “It will cost less than a good mobile phone.”

UPDATE: According to this article on Engadget, the Optimus-103 keyboard will cost $1,200. And the LCD keys will not be in color. WTF?!? So much for costing “less than a good mobile phone.”

Posted inTelevision

Groundhog Day meets 24!

by Deck

Just got done watching the premier of ABC’s new series called Daybreak. Taye Diggs plays a police detective who discovers he’s being framed for murder. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the bad guys are also going after his loved ones to get him to confess to the crime. Sounds like just about every other cop drama you’ve ever seen, right? The twist in this one is that Diggs’ character wakes up every morning at 6:17 AM to relive the same day and over over again until, presumably, he can right what’s gone wrong.

I can just imagine the producers in a pitch meeting with ABC. “It’s like Groundhog Day meets 24!”

UPDATE: Apparently I should be writing for CNN, which published an article about Daybreak called ‘Groundhog Day’ meets ’24’ — but will it succeed?