Animator vs Animation: Story of Life

As a Flash animator, I really appreciate the amount of time Alan Becker must have put in on this little movie. Plus, it’s a great concept. Don’t we many times battle God? Then again, I don’t think He’s out to blast us to smithereens. Check it out!

Kobayashi Wins Again, Sets New Record

Guess it’s a strange obsession I have, but after watching Kobayashi take the Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Contest back in 2003, 2004 and 2005, you would think I’d be tired of the whole thing by now.

No way! Kobayashi wins again in 2006, setting the new record at 53¾ hot dogs consumed in 12 minutes. Astounding!

Dojo Info 7/3/06

1. NBA unveils new ball, first change in 35 years
   According to Kenny Smith, it’s like a worn-in leather jacket out of the box.
2. Senate deals blow to Net neutrality
   “Net Neutralilty” isn’t. It’s new government regulation. Big surprise that the Democrats come up with a misleading name for this legislation then work to add more bureaucracy to our already bloated Federal government. Leave free markets alone!
3. Yahoo! Answers
   Neat idea. Now, let’s see how long it takes the spammers to infiltrate… crap!… too late.
4. Weighted Toys May Help Burn Calories
   Seriously?!?
5. NBC to run fall TV promos on YouTube
   Umm… so those things we skip over with our TiVo we’ll go hunt for on YouTube? Right.

2006 Draft Predictors

Richard Lu over at 82games has put together an index based on statistics designed to predict future NBA performance. Here’s his Top 10 with a few low performers.

1. Ronnie Brewer SG, Arkansas
   % Chance to Start – 61.40%
2. Rudy Gay SF, Connecticut
   % Chance to Start – 56.71%
3. Shelden Williams PF, Duke
   % Chance to Start – 41.35%
4. Rajon Rondo PG, Kentucky
   % Chance to Start – 40.81%
5. Shawne Williams SF/PF, Memphis
   % Chance to Start – 39.60%
6. LaMarcus Aldridge PF, Texas
   % Chance to Start – 37.63%
7. Kyle Lowry PG, Villanova
   % Chance to Start – 34.88%
8. Brandon Roy SG, Washington
   % Chance to Start – 29.00%
9. Marcus Williams PG, Connecticut
   % Chance to Start – 24.52%
10. Darius Washington PG, Memphis
    % Chance to Start – 23.38%

• Patrick O’Bryant C, Bradley
  % Chance to Start – 18.65%
• Adam Morrison SF, Gonzaga
  % Chance to Start – 17.51%
• Rodney Carney SF, Memphis
  % Chance to Start – 14.40%
• Randy Foye SG, Villanova
  % Chance to Start – 10.19%
• J.J. Redick SG, Duke
  % Chance to Start – 4.34%

Of course, anytime you make predictions about the future it’s tough to expect accuracy but I always find this stuff so interesting. I’d have to say Redick should be far better than his rating and I doubt Brewer will be the best player in this draft. I’m really going out on a limb with those predictions, huh?

Jewel Quest and the Addicts Dilema

Those of us with addictive personalities need to be on the constant lookout for snares that may trap us. Let us just say, Jewel Quest snuck up on me.

World Cup Is Fancraptic!

I just wasted three hours of my life that I’d like back. I watched England play Portugal in the World Cup tournament. Only reason I did it was to give soccer a chance, a fair shake. But when the highlight of the first 90 minutes was whether or not someone stomped on someone else’s groin, that’s not a good spectator sport.

The other 89 minutes was wasted with players passing the ball around, running up and down the ginormous field, and getting off maybe a shot every 10 minutes. I could scarcely contain myself.

How the ref called the game turned out to be more important than the players in the game. So after a scoreless regulation, we were “treated” to two 15-minute periods, also scoreless. My blood sugar levels have never been lower. I’d rather watch Olympic curling, or heck, a spelling bee. A WNBA game would be a treat by comparison. Never thought I’d hear myself say that.

So to all the fans of soccer, I have no idea what you see in the sport. I gave it a look. I served my time and now I’ve learned my lesson. Never again.

Does Hollywood See Christianity as Dangerous?

I’m sure some of you have heard about the chatter on Facing the Giants. It’s a football movie about a Christian high school team and their coach relying on their faith in God to help them face life’s challenges. The fuss is about whether the film deserves a “G” rating or the “PG” rating it was actually given.

The MPAA ratings board goes on record with, “Rated PG for some thematic elements.” I’m not really sure what that means, but some think that any movie that tries to positively communicate Christianity deserves a parental warning. Others speculate that it’s because the film has “football violence” and deals with topics like depression and infertility.

As I see it, the biggest issue is the lack of accountability on the part of those actually making these judgements. Who are these people? Other than the chairperson, they are completely unknown. Do they publish details on how these decision are made? Nope. Is there a recourse for those who feel their film has been incorrectly labeled? Uh uh.

Sounds like they’ve got something to hide, no?