Get ready, get set...go!

Submitted by Katharine Swan on 12/10/12 11:59am
Using a timer to maximize productivity.

During NaNoWriMo every year, I participate in write-ins, which is where participants get together just to write.  As part of those write-ins, we usually have what we call "word wars," which is where everyone writes for a set amount of time (usually ten or fifteen minutes), and then compares their word counts to see who wrote the most.

I often find that I am more productive when I'm participating in word wars - I write more, faster, than I do during write-ins that don't do these, or than I do at home.  This is a huge secret to productivity: focusing for short, extremely productive bursts.

The idea didn't originate with me - I remember getting a timer some years ago, when I was freelancing full-time, after reading in a writing newsletter that it can help with productivity.  The newsletter recommended working for hour-long bursts, using a timer to let you know when the hour is up, and then taking a break of ten or fifteen minutes in order to let yourself unwind from focusing so hard for so long.

This approach has never worked all that well for me, and NaNo may have given me a hint as to why.  I realized this year that when we do shorter word wars - 10, 15, or 20 minutes - I do a lot better than when we do longer than when we write for 45 minutes or an hour. 

I think this is because it's more difficult, especially with tasks that involve a lot of concentration, to focus that intensely for a solid hour at a time.  Ten or fifteen minutes, on the other hand, is easy to do -- though if you are the kind of person who has to have a few minutes to "warm up" before you can start really focusing on your work, a 20-minute (or even 30-minutes) interval might work a little better.

Timing yourself works great for writers, but it will also work for other jobs, too.  If you want to try it out, but you don't necessarily want to go out and buy a timer, you can use the one on your smartphone or iPhone.  Or, if you don't want your phone around as a distraction, check out this online timer. 

It's the one I use most frequently when I use this technique.  You can also break a large project up into smaller segments - research vs. writing, for instance, or individual sections of a project - and work until each segment is done, taking breaks in between.

This technique also can help you to put a lid on how long you spend checking email or doing other tasks that you use to "warm up" when you first sit down to work.  Give yourself 10 or 20 minutes, set the timer and when it goes off, move on to something else.

Good luck, and may you have a productive day!

"Friends Without Benefits"

Submitted by erika on 12/10/12 11:23am
Basically just one long rape joke.

So the topic of rape jokes is kind of a big one these days. Recent high-profile dust-ups have involved Penny Arcade, Daniel Tosh, and The Oatmeal. Every case goes the same way. And the fans - ostensibly the comedian's supporters - are always the worst.  

Personally, I believe that everyone has the right to joke about rape. I mean, I wish they wouldn't. But I also firmly believe in the First Amendment. Particularly when it comes to the arts. And in comedy, that's kind of how it works: you don't get laughs unless you push the boundary of what's acceptable. 
 
But I will say that if someone makes a rape joke, they give up the right to act petulant and annoyed when the audience responds badly. You can't use shock humor, then get pissed when people get shocked by it. Just apologize and move on. 
 
Sadly, rape jokes have become commonplace. That's part of what people mean when they use the term "rape culture." A lot of people (like the Penny Arcade guys) refuse to believe that there is such a thing as "rape culture," much less that it is central to American contemporary pop culture.
 
Allow me to offer the following evidence: This episode of Family Guy.
 
Family Guy has made rape jokes in the past. Most of them have been pretty shocking. That's their right, and it's part of what the show is about: being shocking. But this was an ENTIRE EPISODE that was one long rape joke. And it contained within it several smaller rape jokes. And you might argue that some of it was funny, but it was also 100% horrifying.
 
I guess that's better than being boring.
 
In this episode, Meg falls in love with a gay guy. She then proceeds to try to figure out how she can have sex with him, either literally or figuratively. (Strangely, it never seems to occur to her to roofie Kent and try it that way. Maybe the writers decided THAT would be going too far? That's the line now, I guess? Okey dokey.)
 
It has long been established that Meg's sexuality is weird and disturbing, and frankly I love it when the show just sort of revels in that fact. But in this case they had to neutralize Meg's sexual threat by making her the victim of circumstance. It gutted what could otherwise have been seriously cruel and disturbing, and was kind of a chicken move if you ask me. 
 
So overall, I'm going to have to call this episode one big failure. 

"The Day The Earth Stood Cool"

Submitted by erika on 12/10/12 11:18am
"Here, have a bracelet made of a '70s educational film strip."

Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein play an ultra-cool pair of hip parents with two sons, the elder of which (Bart's age) is named Tyrannosaur, and voiced by Patton Oswalt. Now I grant you, hipster bashing is not exactly a cutting-edge trend. (In fact, later that same night I caught a rerun of a hipster-bashing episode of King of the Hill which first aired in 2008.) But that doesn't make it any less funny when it's done right. 

This episode had the perfect combination of rapid-fire one liners ("Portland… I've heard of people being from there") plus a madcap energy that carried the plot along too fast for second-guessing some of its odder turns. (There's no time to question Marge's decision not to breast feed Maggie! Hurry - The Decemberists are about to play a hipster mostly-acoustic version of the Star Trek: TOS fight scene music!)
 
Aside from being entertaining, and changing up the show's dynamic in interesting ways, this episode also managed to get right at the heart of why hipsters are so hatable. Most hipster-bashing episodes rely on annoying catch phrases and the impenetrable-to-outsiders hipster culture. But The Simpsons knows that hipsters are hatable because they are mean-spirited to things that fall outside the Hipster Approved List (witness T. Rex's behavior towards Homer's gift), and they exhibit a patronizing sort of domineering behavior (Marge vs the self-righteous breast-feeders, and I can assure you, that incident was not too far from the truth). 
 
In other words, hipsters aren't just "cooler than thou," they're also not very nice people. And putting the Simpson family up against mean people who are also socially successful is a recipe for funny.
 
The clash between the Simpsons and the hipster army also highlights something that's easy to forget: the Simpsons are a blue-collar family. They can't even afford to buy a Mapple MyPad, and they certainly can't afford the hipster lifestyle. 
 
This episode could easily have failed. What really saves it is the relentlessly specific satire of hipsterdom. It's easy to make lazy jokes about hipsters, but in every single case, the writing team obviously pushed itself just a little farther. From the pitch perfect New York Times headline ("Under The Cooling Towers, A Trendy Oasis Beckons") to Marge's bewilderment upon first encountering The Onion, to Disco Stu strolling past in a Daft Punk helmet. The amazing bevy of little details is what really kicks this episode into the upper echelon for the last few seasons. 
 

Things You Should Probably Know: Physics Misconceptions

Submitted by brodiemanthe1st on 12/10/12 11:00am

Sometimes we take the current scientific world we live in for granted. We often just accept facts based on very little empirical evidence. Today, let MinutePhysics take us on an enlightening journey as they point out some of our current misconceptions when it comes to basic physics.

Australian Rules Baseball!

Submitted by Spectator on 12/10/12 10:56am
Let's Go Bite! ... and other diversions from the Hot Stove

[Those of us of a certain age will recall the early days of ESPN when it had to scrounge around for programming to fill 24 hours of sports every day.  Overnight, they would show Australian Rules Football.  For me, Australian Rules Football is closely aligned with Hardee's breakfast biscuits, as a sliver of history interesting to ponder, but not really necessary to revisit in any depth.  So there.]

[Furthermore ... there is no Australian Rules Baseball.  It's just baseball, but played in Australia.  But it makes for a fun headline.]

There are Mariners playing baseball in Australia, and they are members of the Adelaide Bite.

I don't know what you call them other than "members of the Bite" ... Nibbles?

But one of the Nibbles is our man Ji-Man Choi, and you know we love us some Ji-Man!

12 G, 14-for-41, 3 doubles, 8 walks, 5 strikeouts

.341/.442/.415

Choi and fellow Korean Seon-Gi Kim were slated for the Bite earlier in the winter, but got delayed due to visa issues.  Kim ended up making one appearance in the Arizona Fall League in the interim.  Both are now in Adelaide.  Kim has made three appearances and not done much of interest:  13.0 IP, 5.54 ERA, 8 K, 6 BB

Also there is Andrew Kittredge, who was briefly a "developing story" during the regular season.  If you recall, Kittredge was a star at the University of Washington before falling all the way out of the draft and signing with Seattle as a free agent.  Kittredge bounced up and down the minors, getting two brief stints in Jackson before settling in the High Desert bullpen.

He finished with 9.21 K/9 and a High Desert-inflated 4.07 ERA. 

He's not lighting up Adelaide, with seven earned runs in 9.0 IP, but the fact that the organization sent him half way around the world shows that they think there's something of interest there.

Of course, the topic of Australian baseball brings to mind the Golden Age of Mariner Australian prospects.  Where are they now?

  • Chris Snelling has never officially retired, but he has not played since 2009.  He last played in the Mexican League after being let go by both the Pirates and Padres that year.
  • Ryan Rowland-Smith is still active, and played last year in the Cubs organization.  He hasn't pitched in the majors since appearing for Seattle in 2010.
  • Travis Blackley ... well, you probably know where he is: starting 15 games for Oakland with a 3.86 ERA and helping Bob Melvin get a 94-win season.

Were the days of BoMel, RRS and "Doyle" really that long ago?

Oh No They Didn't: Gymnast Refuses To Quit

Submitted by brodiemanthe1st on 12/10/12 10:00am

Generally, giving up is a bad thing. However, I think this individual should have given up a few injuries ago. Watch this gymnast simply not give in to what should be clear signals from pain receptors to his frontal brain. Some minor wounds/gore from about :20-:50.

At the intersection of technology and privacy

Submitted by Justine Flaherty on 12/10/12 9:55am
Where (and when) does the legal sector intervene?

After reviewing the fascinating panel discussion hosted by The National Press Club last week, Attorney Report continues the important examination of the notion of privacy, individuals and privacy-eroding technology.

The basic question at hand is just how far new technologies will go in stripping away an individual’s privacy and right to contain personal information; and whether governments, the legal system, or the people affected will step in to keep these new-tech companies in check.

If you had a chance to watch the panel discussion in full –and it’s definitely worth the watch –then you probably concluded that governmental agencies, including federal agencies as well as Congress, will not be the likely candidates for stepping up to the challenge of protecting individual privacies.

That leaves the individuals themselves, and the legal sector.

A lot of commentary by experts and the well informed on these issues tend to suggest that people will only become actively organized to protect their data when some near catastrophe or majorly disruptive event involving their personal data occurs.

I disagree. In the United States, users of information technology can be divided into two groups: The minority group of well-informed users, and the majority group of uninformed, blissfully unaware users.

That is to say that the majority of IT users, in America, at least, have no real knowledge of how the technology they use daily actually works, or how it can be applied to work against their best interests.

If the majority of users gained such understanding, we’d probably see a strong, concerted push-back upon the accelerated erosion of their digital privacy, and against the companies spear-heading that erosion.

In case you think that’s an over-reaching prediction, consider the following:

Ars Technica, the online technology publication, reports that Internet Service Provider companies (ISPs) will now begin “throttling” their customers on a regular basis. If you’re caught visiting a piracy website, or uploading copyrighted files, your connection will be throttled, or significantly slowed down. You’ll receive email warnings from the ISP –supposedly, until you either stop such behavior or provide an accepted response.

Or, consider that Facebook users don’t actually own copyrights to their personal photos uploaded to the social networking site. According to an updated clause in their User Agreement, Facebook co-owns the rights to those photographs with you. And, their right to use your pictures however they want supersedes your personal copyrights.

What happens when more users of social networks endure experiences like that of Abraham Riesman, a Twitter user whose profile and tweets were hash-tag referenced then posted to an article on a major news site about a convicted rapist with the same name?

Countless other conflicts exist, and more are headed down the pike. The fact that the Ars Technica report was filed under the imprint “Law and Disorder | Civilization & Discontents” doesn’t increase edification of the masses.

Nor does the Twitter story posted to BetaBeat | The Lowdown on High Tech. Even when Mr. Riesman tweeted about the dicey mix-up and received help from a follower and fellow journalist, the majority would not have benefited.

That’s because when the educated, informed information technology user communicates about such privacy infringements, their voices are heard only by those already in-the-know.

A centralized system for educating the masses on information technologies is sorely needed. I.e., it needs to be an integral part of the curriculum in public school systems nationwide.

Perhaps when that happens, new generations will have a solid understanding of ubiquitous technologies and use them with more care, or demand that their personal information be under their strict control.

And if governments turn a deaf ear, it will be up to the next generation of lawyers and jurists to take heed, stand with them and take (legal) action.

 

 

Johnny Manziel ... Johnny Football ... Johnny Heisman

Submitted by Spectator on 12/10/12 9:26am
Tracking the freshman wonder

No, that is not a picture of Johnny Manziel with his Heisman.  At least I don't think so.

But I thought it would be interesting to go back and see what we said in this space about "Johnny Football":

Week Five (first time we mentioned him):

Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M got a healthy dose of statistical inflation after playing [Arkansas].  Manziel went 29-of-38 for 453 yards and 3 TDs with 0 INTs.  Manziel moved up to fourth in the conference in passing efficiency and No. 11 in the nation.  The freshman probably won't get Heisman notice this year, but he'll certainly start making some lists in the near future if he keeps it up.

Week Seven:

  • The emerging star this week is Johnny Manziel of the Aggies.  The freshman had 181 yards rushing and 395 yards passing in that Louisiana Tech shootout, and, this week, he has taken the conference lead in rushing with 112.7 yards per game.
  • He's also second in the conference in passing efficiency with 14 TDs and 3 INT, a 67.4 completion percentage and 8.8 yards per attempt.

Week Eight:

Right behind [Mississippi State's Ladarius] Perkins [for star of the week] is future Heisman candidate Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M.  He has more than 700 yards rushing and is on the verge of getting 2,000 yards passing, after just seven games.  He'd be flying up the list if he weren't a freshman, and if Collin Klein of Kansas State weren't doing the same thing for the undefeated Wildcats.

Week Nine:

The Aggies are No. 5 in the nation in [total offense], behind dazzling freshman Johnny Manziel.  Manziel is No. 30 in the nation in rushing, with 99.1 yards per game, and is No. 29 in the nation in passing efficiency with a 64.3 completion percentage and 16 TDs.

Week Ten:

  • Texas A&M and budding superstar Johnny Manziel romped past Mississippi State, 38-13.  It was the second consecutive loss for the Bulldogs after a 7-0 start.
  • There are two quarterbacks of note in the SEC now.  Apologies to pretenders like Aaron Murray  of Georgia and Tyler Bray of Tennessee, but A.J. McCarron and his zero interceptions and Manziel and his all-around dazzle are the whole story now.
  • McCarron is third in the nation in passing efficiency, with a 66.7 completion percentage, 19 TDs and 9.1 yards per attempt to go with that goose egg in the INT column.
  • More importantly, he led the game-winning drive in the all-important win at LSU.  McCarron completed four of five passes on the 72-yard drive, including the winning 28-yard TD to T.J. Yeldon.  A.J. to T.J.
  • Manziel, meanwhile, leads the SEC in rushing after getting 129 yards against Mississippi State.  It was the fifth time this year he's gone over the century mark.  And, oh-by-the-way, he was just 30-of-36 passing for 311 yards.  You kinda expect this guy to have a Heisman in his collection by 2014 (he's a freshman).
  • Yes, they play each other this week.
  • How will Manziel do against the 'Bama defense?  It's a good question, and it's making folks glad that A&M joined the party just in time for Manziel's arrival.

Week Eleven:

"Johnny Football" is A&M QB Johnny Manziel.  We predicted a few weeks ago he'd have a Heisman by 2014.  He may be ahead of schedule.

Bowl Season Overview: Independents & MAC

Submitted by Spectator on 12/10/12 9:03am
Domers will face Tide for national title

Independents

Notre Dame (12-0) completed its perfect season with a win over Southern Cal, and finished as the only bowl-eligible undefeated team.  Overtime survivals over Stanford and Pittsburgh saved the Domers’ perfect mark.  Alabama awaits in the Irish in Miami on January 7.  

Brigham Young (7-5) completed its first independent season with the 5th-best scoring defense in the nation.  Only Oregon State put up more than 24 points against them.  The Cougars will head to San Diego for clean-living entertainment before taking on San Diego State in the Poinsettia Bowl.

Navy (8-4) outlasted Army, 17-13, in their traditional year-end struggle.  The Midshipmen now head to San Francisco and the home of the world champion Giants (AT&T Park) to face Arizona State in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.


Mid-American Conference
 

  1. Little Caesars Bowl
  2. GoDaddy.com Bowl
  3. Famous Idaho Potatoes Bowl


The MAC, of course, outdid itself in every way in 2012.  First, by sending Northern Illinois into the Orange Bowl to take on Florida State.  And, second, by using its depth to pluck off a number of other bids left unfilled by the major conferences.

Northern Illinois (12-1) lost only by a single point to Big Ten member Iowa (although, admittedly, not a particularly strong Big Ten member), and then ran the table.  The Huskies capped off the 12-game run with an overtime win over Kent State in the MAC title game.  Of course, NIU only averages about 17,000 per game at its home games, so a huge turnout in Miami is unlikely.

The loser in that conference title tilt, Kent State (11-2), was on the verge of grabbing that BCS spot itself, and the Golden Flashes at least had a significant win (over Rutgers).  They now head to the GoDaddy.com Bowl to face Arkansas State.  Not name brands, but two of the better teams in a “lesser” bowl.

Although the Little Caesars Bowl is listed as having first choice, somehow it ended up with 6-6 Central Michigan.  Apparently other bowls bid more for the other teams.  The Chippawas will face Western Kentucky.

Ball State (9-3) may not know what a Beef O’Brady’s is (did you guess it’s a restaurant? right!), but it’s about to find out.  The Cardinals face Central Florida in the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl in St. Petersburg.

Toledo (9-3) will rocket to Boise to face Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potatoes Bowl on the blue turf.

Bowling Green (8-4) might have been confused playing on blue turf (what with the “green” in the name … or not), but it will head to Washington, D.C. to play San Jose State in the Military Bowl.

Ohio (8-4) finished the year in a disappointing slide (losing four out of five), but didn’t slide enough to miss out on a chance to play in the Independence Bowl against Louisiana-Monroe.

Pulling At My Heartstrings: Dog Patiently Walks Kid

Submitted by brodiemanthe1st on 12/10/12 9:00am

I would be hard pressed to find a video of an infant walking with an older dog and not be overcome with feelings of cuteness. This video is no exception. Watson, the 12-year-old Shar Pei, patiently waits while little Arthur investigates a nearby puddle.

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