My picks went 8-5 with only remaining game being MNF.  I’m content with that.  Yesterday was a great day to relax and I needed it desperately.  After church, I spent the afternoon watching football and then following the games online.  Around 6 I stopped at Tera’s and then went to her Grandma’s for her brothers birthday party.  It was fun.  I got dragged into painting Tera’s nails and surprisingly didn’t fail.  Her nails turned out much better than the time she wanted me to dye her hair.  We left her Grandma’s and watched a movie.  Today it’s work from 9-5, pick up Tera’s rings, then probably to Cambridge.  I came in early this morning so I could work on my OS project in the labs and managed to get what I couldn’t get to work for hours Saturday to work in about two minutes.  The day is starting out good, I just hope it continues.  Check out the Media Page to see the saddest safety in the history of football.

Games in BOLD represent correct picks thus far:

Atlanta over Chicago
Miami over Houston
Baltimore over Indy
Minnesota over Detroit
New Orleands over Oakland
NYJ over Cinci
Tampa Bay over Carolina
Washington over St. Louis
Denver over Jacksonville
Dallas over Arizona
Phili over San Fran
Green Bay over Seattle
San Diego over New England
NYG over Cleveland

2007 has come to an end. Looking back on it, I would definitely call 2007 a great year. Classes went well, summer was amazing, and I moved out of Cambridge. New Year’s Eve was uneventful at the apartment. If everyone we wanted to invite would have been on campus it may have been better but oh well. Still, we had a good time.

I had a dentist appointment yesterday that I was incredibly nervous for. Prior to my last appointment I had never had a cavity. I suppose that is one event in 2007 that I don’t want to remember. Even though I didn’t have any toothaches, I had a bad feeling about it. After finally getting my teeth cleaned, Fender came in and reiterated to his assistant that I’ve never had any problems (except the last one) and that I was good for another 6 months. That was a relief.

But the day would soon turn the other direction. Getting out of my car after getting home, I heard a loud hissing sound out of my car’s back left tire. I had managed to get a screw stuck in my tire and had to have it patched. The good news was that it was only $15 to patch. The bad news was that both back tires were in terrible shape and need to be changed sometime in the near future. That will rip about $200 out of my pockets.

Work was been boring for the entire break. My friend, Adam, who I work with has been playing Desktop Tower Defense the entire time. I played it a lot in the beginning of break but I just couldn’t take the disappointment of playing one game for about 30 minutes only to end up losing. Basically, you have to build weapon towers to prevent the bad guys from getting across the desktop. If you play it, you will realize how addicting it can become. I then stumbled upon another game called Flight of the Hamsters that I found to be much more relaxing. You have to fly the furthest distance while getting power ups to bounce you further. Good stuff.

My New Year’s Resolution is to update the site at least once a week even if it’s just to the media section.  There’s now something new up so check it out here!

My stomach is starting to grumble so I think it’s lunch time.

In what has to be one of the funniest lawsuits of all time, South Carolina prison inmate Jonathan Lee Riches is suing Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick for $63,000,000,000. Yes, that’s $63 BILLION. Riches, serving time after being convicted of wire fraud, claims that Vick stole two of his pitbulls from Holiday, Florida in order to use them as part of his dogfighting contests. Not only did Vick allegedly steal the dogs, but later sold them on eBay and “used the proceeds to purchase missiles from the Iran government.” He would reportedly need these missiles after pledging allegiance to Al Qaeda in February. Do prison inmates really have this much time on their hands? The handwritten lawsuit can be read by clicking here. I definitely recommend checking it out. You won’t regret it.

In this day and age, just about everyone has used the internet for health information. But how many truly rely on it as the go-to resource? Ask.com recently released their survey showing that out of 3,000 online adults polled, 70 percent use the internet as their main source of health information. 72 percent still consult their doctor first. Many big names online are jumping on the health bandwagon by starting up their own health sections. AOL has launched AOL Body, a new health site with Healthline networks. Ask.com themselves have also partnered up with Healthline. Google reportedly has a health site of its own on the way that has been code-named “Weaver.” With increased health information available, many who cannot afford (or simply don’t want to) make a trip to the doctor may find out what they need and save money doing so.

The wait for Barry Bonds to break the home run record will have to wait a few more days as the most controversial man in baseball failed to hit number 756 last night at home in San Franciso. He went 0-3 with a walk against rookie pitcher John Lannan, who didn’t seem afraid to go against Bonds. The crowd was hot all night with flashbulbs going off for every pitch. The pressure continues to build up as history stands one home run away.

Global Software Applications recently released a new screensaver for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) that is unlike any other. When activated, the screensaver displays up to date images and information of missing children. Cases both old and new are being shown in hopes that they may be solved. According to Bob O’Brien, executive director at NCMEC, 800,000 children are reported missing each year in the United States. “We’re offering this new tool because we know that photos work. In fact, one in six of the children featured in our photo distribution effort is recovered as a direct result of the photo.” Implementing the milk carton concept into a screensaver is certainly an innovative way to help missing children.

Following my return to Cambridge last weekend, I made sure to purchase the Two-Disc Special Edition 300 dvd’s that came out last Tuesday. I rarely buy any dvd, but 300 was an easy choice. Amazon.com says “The epic graphic novel by Frank Miller (Sin City) assaults the screen with the blood, thunder and awe of its ferocious visual style faithfully recreated in an intense blend of live-action and CGI animation. Retelling the ancient Battle of Thermopylae, it depicts the titanic clash in which King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and 300 Spartans fought to the death against Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and his massive Persian army. Experience history at swordpoint. And moviemaking with a cutting edge.” One of the most amazing parts of this movie for me is the amount of editing that went into making it appear the way it does. So much of the movie was shot with blue screens and limited sets, yet on the screen it is an entirely different world.

Suspended Tennessee Titan Pacman Jones has found something new to do in his time away from football: professional wrestling. Jones will debut Thursday night on TNA iMPACT! on SpikeTV. Of all the career moves he could have made, this has to be one of the worst. Don’t get me wrong, I personally don’t see anything wrong with wrestling; however, most people will see this move and completely write him off even more. This move shows to me that he doesn’t care anymore. If he truly wanted to return to the NFL he should be far out of the spotlight or be in the spotlight for something positive. By joining a wrestling world that is now being hammered with steroid accusations more than ever, Pacman is inviting more negativity into the wrestling world and his own.

The Media page has finally been updated again so go check it out!

The Electronic Frontier Foundation decided to file a lawsuit yesterday again the Universal Music Publishing Group in an attempt to protect the fair use and free speech rights of a 29 second home video featuring a toddler dancing to a Prince song.

The video was posted for family and friends to watch and enjoy; however, Stephanie Lenz, the mother who posted the video, received notice from YouTube that Universal had complained about copyright infringement.

“Universal should not be using legal threats to try to prevent people from sharing home videos of their kids with family and friends,” Lenz said.

Universal’s claim is pathetic. How can they view a 29 second clip as being infringement? Not only is the song being played in the background in the video, it is barely understandable. There is no need for groundless accusations in an attempt to scare people from posting videos with music. At least if the full song was dubbed into the video after being recorded I could see a reason. But this short clip easily fits into the fair use category.

The lawsuit demands judgement that Lenz’s video is not an infringement of copyright and that Universal drop all claims against the video.

Here is the video. You be the judge.

I’ve been incredibly busy since I got back so sorry for the lack of updates. I worked with the new video system at church for Vacation Bible School all of last week which left little time to be at home. After working 9-5 at CNS, I would head home for a minute before making it to church to work from 6-9ish. It was a lot of fun so I’m not complaining.

The new video system is amazing. We have 3 projectors with two in the front and one displaying an image in the back to allow whomever is up front to see. VBS mostly used it to play a DVD with songs and dances on it, although I put together a small PowerPoint slide show for them. For Sunday I set up a full schedule in EasyWorship which is a program for churches with songs and scriptures built in. Everyone seemed impressed and happy with it which was a big relief. Plus there were no major problems for the first day. As long as it continues to go smoothly, I think all of the skeptics will be proven wrong.

This weekend was just as busy. Tera and I watched The Matrix Saturday before going to Zanesville for the night to hang out at Andy’s. Joey, one of my friends that I grew up with while he still lived in Cambridge, stopped by on his way home and stayed for the day on Sunday. I gave him a tour of Muskingum and we went to Salt Fork to hang out.

As fate would have it, all of Muskingum’s new computers and monitors are set to come in today. Fan-freakin-tastic. I really need another vacation.

My vacation went by way too fast. Tera and I left Sunday morning around 8:30 and got back in around 5pm last night. I had a great time and it was a good break. We didn’t get lost too much and traffic wasn’t that terrible.

Soon after I got home I went down to church to work with the new video projection equipment we had installed. It was actually much easier than even I had imagined and I did a lot of quick work for Vacation Bible School that was going on. Everyone there seemed impressed which was good to see. I’m going back down tonight to work on it more so hopefully that goes as well as last night.

The Columbus Destroyers shocked the world yet again last weekend when they defeated the Georgia Force in Atlanta 66-56 to win the AFL National Conference and advance to Arena Bowl XXI. The Destroyers led 41-21 early in the second half and looked to make the game a blowout. But the Force seemed to recover from a shaky first half and rallied to pull within 6 late in the 3rd quarter. After losing their lead in the 4th quarter, it appeared that the clock was about to strike midnight for the Destroyers. But keeping their poise, Columbus didn’t give up and now has a ticket to the Arena Bowl July 29 in New Orleans.

Falcons Quarterback Michael Vick will need to shift his focus away from football and more on what seems to be the new favorite past time for NFL players: legal troubles. After a thorough three month investigation, Vick has been indicted by federal authorities in connection with dog fighting in a home Vick owned in Virginia. While the indictment isn’t proof of Vick’s guilt, it certainly is a tough blow to one the NFL’s most exciting players. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has taken no prisoners when it comes to suspensions and player conduct. Cincinnati Bengal’s wide receiver Chris Henry and former Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson are each facing an eight game suspension for off the field incidents. Tennessee Titan’s running back Pacman Jones faces a one year suspension for his seemingly constant altercations with authorities. Regardless of what the final outcome is, Michael Vick may be facing a suspension sooner than later.

The mood at Microsoft just seems to go from bad to worse. After having to deal with the many hardware failures of the Xbox 360, the company announced that their goal of 12 million consoles by June 30 had not been reached. Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell stated that shipments came up just shy at 11.6 million. Although the goal was not met, Liddell claimed “we’re happy with that number.” I can name four friends off the top of my head that have had hardware problems with the Xbox 360. After seeing what they had to go through to fix their problems, it was an easy decision for me in figuring out that I don’t even want an Xbox 360. I can find much better (and reliable) ways to spend $400. There also aren’t that many games out that are worth the $60 price tag. A few good games have been released so far, but if Halo 3 doesn’t perform up to standards upon release, Microsoft might be in trouble.

Last night, Kobe Bryant stated that he has apologized to Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak for his comments regarding a trade from the organization. Bryant made the apology face-to-face instead of over the phone because he felt it was important. Still, Bryant still did not appear to be comfortable with staying with the Lakers. When asked about whether he still wants to be traded, he shifted the focus to his time with Team USA and noted that he hasn’t thought about a trade for a “long, long time.”

Tank Johnson will not face DUI charges in Arizona after his blood-alcohol level came back below the legal limit. I’ve heard a few people in an uproar about how the Chicago Bears should now let him back on the team. I don’t see how anyone could come to that conclusion simply because charges will not be filed. Johnson still was caught drinking and driving. He still put himself in danger and the lives of those around him at risk. The Chicago Bears stated when they released him that they wanted to help him but he didn’t seem to want to help himself. If Johnson really wanted to turn his life around, he wouldn’t have been out drinking and driving like that in the first place. I feel bad for him, but it is still him who is bringing the problems upon himself.

Happy Independence Day everyone. I’m not sure whether or not I’ll go to the fireworks here in Cambridge tonight. The weather does not look promising. Some nasty thunderstorms have blown through Columbus and are heading this way. Maybe they will blow over and the fireworks show can go on.

In additional iPhone rambling, the process of replacing the iPhone battery is laughable. Not only must you pay $6.95 for shipping, but you must also waste $79 on the new battery itself. Apple claims that it will only take 3 days, but that may not always be the case. To make the process even more of a headache, you must back up all of your data because it will be cleared when the battery is replaced. Why must the data be cleared? That makes no sense to me.

Tera and I watched “The Messengers” a few nights ago. It was the standard PG-13 horror movie. Nothing special about it. Many traditional plot lines were used, making it somewhat predictable. Add on to that a few obvious movie errors, and you have a average movie. I wouldn’t recommend it.

Rafael Nadal finally picked up the win against Robin Soderling after a few long days at Wimbledon. Rain was determined to interrupt the match and make it hard on the players. Originally scheduled for Saturday, Nadal and Soderling managed to pick up the victory in 5 sets. After problems such as this, I have to wonder why they don’t have some type of retractable dome. Forcing games to be played over days just isn’t fair.

The rain has begun. Again, everyone have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Apple finally released the new iPhone Friday. Thousands waited outside of stores prior to it’s release in hopes of getting one of the first. Luckily, Apple reportedly had a whopping 3 million available on release. Furthermore, they are expected to sell 12.4 million in 2008 as well as 45 million in 2009 according to Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster.

I have to admit, the iPhone does sound appealing at first. From what I’ve read so far, Apple has backed up everything that it boasted about. For instance, it has a larger screen than other handheld devices, as well as built in Wi-Fi and a complete browser. It certainly looks as if iPhone will be a contender with the other competition.

Where the iPhone really falls from the “oh I must have it” stage to the “yeah, I can do without” stage, is the price. To purchase a 4GB iPhone, you’re going to have to lay down $499 (not including the service plan that can range from $60-$100). For an 8GB, you can expect to pay $599. That’s way too much than what I’m willing to pay. Would it be worth it? In some ways, probably. But I’m not about to blow that kind of money on something from Apple.

Surely, the iPhone will turn out to be a success on some level. There are enough people out there willing to pay for it no matter what the price is. It’s the “next big thing” in the minds of most and you have to give Apple credit there. All of the advertising put it over enough to where people just have to have it.