Bag of Randomness

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  • That photo above if from this article – Astronaut Scott Kelly shares photos of Texas shot from space
  • I noticed Stonebriar Centre Mall in Frisco has a new Lego store.  In the very back they had them grouped in different colors which I think you could buy in bulk.
  • One of our dogs got out yesterday but luckily he was pretty easy to find.  I haven’t seen my neighbor that’s employed by our local NFL franchise in a while, but when he saw I was looking for my dog he got out of his truck and offered to help.  So far I haven’t seen him work on his lawn this year, but I poop you not, he got out of his truck shirtless only wearing jeans and footwear.  Compared to what I’ve seen in the past, he hasn’t manscaped in a while.
  • Kurt Cobain’s daughter has recently spoke about her father’s death publicly for the first time, this part stood out – I don’t really like Nirvana that much [grins]. Sorry, promotional people, Universal. I’m more into Mercury Rev, Oasis, Brian Jonestown Massacre [laughs].
  • I think ISIS is starting to understand they can do a lot more damage with cyber-terrorism than with brick-and-mortem terrorism.
  • I recently discovered an option in the Chrome browser that allows you to mute a tab, you just have to enter enter the following into browser bar: chrome://flags/#enable-tab-audio-muting
  • One more Chrome note, if you like to comparison shop, check out the ShopGenius extension.
  • I got a good chuckle last night when Scott Pelley started his conversation about retirement with 78-year-old Bob Schieffer, “Bob, I hail from ’60 Minutes’ where people don’t usually retire at such a early age.”  Schieffer replied, “Well, I thought I was finally old enough to be on ’60 Minutes’ if they want me.”
  • There’s a Grantland article about Dale Hansen – You Stay Classy, Dallas: How a Texas Sports Anchor Became an Internet Sensation – Some people will be upset this will just inflate his ego, I’m just thankful we have the guy.  He’s far from perfect and often irritating, but he’s passionate about local sports at the pro and high school level and he just so darn entertaining.  I actually thought the article was be some fluff piece, but it’s pretty thorough with comments from Randy Galloway, Mike Rhyner, Brad Sham, Chuck Cooperstein, and Ed Bark.  It was interesting that he called Troy Aikman before going on his Jim Garrett criticism, the father of the Cowboys head coach, and I’m surprised his salary of $300,000 is mentioned.  It use to be $445,00o back in 2012.
  • I really, really enjoyed the music on last night’s ‘Louie’, and I hope Morgan O’Kane’s music will start to sell.  That show also made me crave fried chicken like all get out.
  • Today’s dose of ‘MURICA!
  • The 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, which was yesterday, sure was downplayed.
  • The White House modernizes its homepage with new responsive design
  • VP Joe Biden with a pacifier in his mouth
  • This Former Nazi Neighborhood on Long Island with Adolf Hitler Street Still Exists
Posted in Personal | Comments Off on Bag of Randomness

Former UTEP Coach Career Spirals Downward, Mysteriously Dies in Vietnam

I saw this ESPN article referenced over at LiberallyLean.com this morning, but haven’t read it yet in full.  What caught my attention is the reference to Saigon in the article, which is a big thing if you have Vietnamese roots, like this chubby-half-Vietnamese-blogger. After the fall of the country of South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam), the capital, Saigon, was renamed Ho Chi Minh City. Many Vietnamese Americans, my mother included (when she was alive), and many in the southern region of Vietnam, still refer to it as Saigon out of spite against the communist government and don’t recognize the name change.

I’m not so surprised at the name on the jersey, but how the city is referred in the article which is a journalistic no-no, me thinks. Everytime I hear a news report about the city from various news organizations, it’s always Ho Chi Minh City, its official name. A quick word find on the article lists “Saigon” 39 times, though some of that might be tied to the name of the team, and “Ho Chi Minh City” is just referenced once, when the author states that’s what most locals call it.

Something like this actually makes my day, and I wish I could show this article to my sainted mother.

SaigonCoachCapture

Posted in Personal, Political, Sports | 1 Comment

Bag of Randomness

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  • I’m glad I saved money repairing our dryer because the repairs to our SUV will cost a little over $800 after tax.  A few weeks ago I posted an automotive question asking why the engine was having a hard time turning over, despite a new battery and that it would easily turn over using the remote start option.  The problem turns out to be a fuel pressure issue which involves a lot of engine dismantling and something about  depleted plutonium in the flux capacitor.
  • I’m going to Abilene this weekend to help select a scholarship winner that was created in honor of my late friend that was set up by his mother.  Normally I can crash at a friend’s house, but I found out recently that I’ll now be springing for a hotel room.  Once again, I’m glad I repaired that dryer on my own and also glad I resisted the temptation to just replace both the washer and dryer with a newer model.
  • During the workweek, I usually do a 20-minute workout on the elliptical that tells me I’ve gone a distance of about three-and-a-half miles.  Yesterday I dropped the SUV off for an oil change and decided to jog 0.45 miles home.  I can’t tell you the last time I jogged, maybe three or five years ago?  It was of course harder than then elliptical, and at first my knees were hurting, but once I got going it wasn’t as bad I thought it’d be.
  • On The TICKET morning show, Junior Miller went on a tirade about former OU, SMU, New Mexico, and Baylor basketball coach Dave Bliss was getting another coaching job at Southwestern Christian University and how the whistle-blower, Abar Rouse who did the right thing in stopping the Bliss cover-up, is still black-balled from coaching.  As Junior spoke I stood at attention with my hand over my heart.  The last I heard about Rouse he was working the night shift in a factory, but that article is pretty old.  I’m sure someone in the news will try to get a comment from him and provide his current career status.
  • The great Bob Schieffer will be retiring this summer.  I guess there’s no better place for the 78-year-old to announce it than at the Schieffer Symposium at TCU.  He’s probably the most like political reporter out there, and I’m gonna miss the guy, though he’s certainly deserves to enjoy retirement.
  • I keep getting a call from Minto, ND (population 604) which hangs up after the first ring.
  • Buzzfeed – 18 “Breaking Bad” Callbacks From Season 1 Of “Better Call Saul”
  • Buzzfeed – This Is How iPhone Texting Bubbles Work – A side-by-side test shows thats the typing indicator appears and lasts for 60 seconds regardless of how long you’re typing or if you abandoned your text.
  • Watch out Pete Delkus – This Weather-Anchor Used A Stick To Predict The Weather, Uncontrollable Laughter Ensues
  • Today’s dose of ‘MURICA.  But no one can argue this was pretty impressive, especially when you consider he’s wearing a vest that constricts movement.
  • If I were the type to post a YouTube video of a redhead in a bikini dancing to a song about donuts and donut holes, I’d post it here.
  • Americorpse.gov (And Other Deleted US Government Domains)
  • ‘Louie’ returns to FX tonight.
  • Twitter revamps trends to explain why a topic is popular
  • Apple photographed a flower over 24,000 times for a single Watch face
  • “We are not talking about little green men. We are talking about little microbes.” – ‘Definite Evidence’ Of Alien Life Within 20-30 Years, NASA Chief Scientist Says
  • I mowed the lawn for the second time this year, and for the first time in years, I did it without listening to the radio.  Sometimes it’s just good to clear the mind and appreciate the the good sound of lawn maintenance equipment.
Posted in Personal | 4 Comments

Commercial Bummer

DirecTV has ended their ad campaign with Rob Lowe and his funny yet creepy alter-egos after complaints indicated the commercials were misleading.

But DirecTV’s relationship with Lowe may not be completely over.

“We’ve talked with Rob about doing something else in the future,” Jon Gieselman, DirecTV’s senior vice president of marketing said Tuesday. “He loves the campaign. He’s completely gotten into the characters.”

Following multiple complaints from cable company Comcast, which were filed three months ago, the Better Business Bureaus’ National Advertising Division (NAD) ruled in their favor Tuesday and issued recommendations to DirecTV based on the claims.

The omission of Lowe’s signature line, “Don’t be like this me. Get rid of cable and upgrade to DirecTV,” was among the NAD recommendations because it “conveyed a comparative and unsupported superiority message.” They also found no evidence that DirecTV had greater signal reliablity, shorter customer service wait times and better picture and sound quality than cable, according to the L.A. Times.

“(DirecTV) continues to believe that the various Rob Lowe advertisements are so outlandish and exaggerated that no reasonable consumer would believe that the statements being made by the alter ego characters are comparative or need to be substantiated,” the company said in a statement following the NAD ruling, which they intend to appeal.

Full Article

Posted in Pop Culture | 2 Comments