tintedpane.com

“Bryant added that he is also working on a special new kind of jump shot that is ‘indefensible and can only be done by me.’”

“Commissioner David Stern applauded the decision to select ‘only one greedy, self-serving, ball-hogging, stat-padding superstar instead of the usual 20,’ saying that Bryant’s behavior both on and off the court is an accurate reflection of the current state of American basketball.”

Complete article.

Please don’t criticize me for using comprise the way I did :p.

The Wärtsilä-Sulzer RTA96-C makes over 100,000 horsepower and is over 51% efficient. Wow.

BTW, I got the stupid * title from Pentax. They have a line of DSLR’s called the *ist. And you’re supposed to fill in the * with an adjective like fast or best or dumb — fastest, bestest, dumbest [brand name ever!] — to make it a “superlative adjective”.

It’s one thing to hear about Tiger Woods benching 300 pounds. Even more so to hear that Earl Boykins (5′5″, 135lbs backup PG for the Denver Nuggets) can do the same. But to hear that Sasha Cohen can legpress 400 lbs. Wow. That makes me feel weak. I was squatting 115lbs yesterday haha.

And, ok. Yeah I admit I did read about figure skating.

Hannibal at Ars Technica just made a post about having the tech industry start up it’s own content production and take it out of the DRM loving Hollywood scene.

It all started with an outburst at a DRM panel discussion in Barcelona by a member of the audience:

bq. “Why are you such a bunch of big girls?” asked Birch. “Why don’t you tell the content owners to just get stuffed?” He continued unabated: “You’re too seduced by the content industry, Hollywood is not even a $10 billion industry. Hollywood is small compared to the telecom industry. Why don’t you take a stronger line? Consumers don’t want DRM at all. You can’t sell DRM.”

I hope someone gives this a long and hard thought. You know I hate DRM — any kind, for especially for music. Where are our fair use rights going? This along with eternal copyright extension acts (search for Sunny Bono copyright extension act) continue to be big pet peeves of mine.

This is the second time I’ve been approached by a MLM IBO. (multilevel marketing independent “business owner”)…

I had gotten early to the park for football, but felt some pressure on the old bladder so I got back in the car and drove to the nearest gas station. While I was filling up the tank (since I was low anyways), an asian guy approached me and asked me about my car. Won’t give you the specifics in case he’s STALKING me, but what a nice segueway into asking what I did for a living and if I’d be interested in working for him on the side. Being the optimist that I am, I said sure and we exchanged some info.

The guy contacts me on Monday and invites me to an info session that’s apparently “very limited” in seating and a “private session” at that. So I wait for his email with directions and futher instructions. I get the email which is from the domain bww.com. Hrm. Now this is suspicious. I thought this guy worked for a small company. How the hell did a recent startup get a short name like that. So I do a little search (not googling, cause that would be brand name dilution haha). Alarms go off in my head when Quixtar is associated with this search…

For the uninitiated, remember back when Amway commercials were quite popular on TV? Amway was a multilevel marketing company. Basically, where you sell stuff sold by Amway, get 5 people under your belt and and sell stuff and you get a discount for having brought those 5 people into the group. They do the same thing…and on and on…At least that’s how they define it. It’s mostly about making money off of membership fees from the people you sign up. So (if my facts are mostly straight) Quixtar is an internet offshoot of Amway.

So the whole thing is a get rich quick scheme. And bww.com — Britt Worldwide looks to be another spinoff. As I scoured the internet, Bill Britt’s name showed a lot of association with Amway, and as it turns out, he’s a major executive. What a scam. Glad I saw this one coming before I wasted another hour of my life.

I love the power of the internet. A few quick searches. A couple of entries from wikipedia. Bam. I have [almost] all the answers.

So watch out for those people that approach you at gas stations. Unless they’re hot and asking you for a date (and even if they are), be careful!

Sources:
wikipedia
msnbc

See also wikipedia’s definition of multilevel marketing and pyramid scheme.

Thirteen straight. We pounded Miami tonight.

And I just found out Mark Cuban is going to reduce upper level ticket prices for next season.

We’ll even have $2 tickets! LOL –

bq. “I am excited to announce that we are lowering all upper bowl ticket prices starting next season,” said Mavs owner Mark Cuban. “I’m anticipating a reduction in payroll next season and want to pass on the savings so more fans can experience the fun of a Mavs game at American Airlines Center. My goal is to keep the Dallas Mavericks an exciting and affordable source of entertainment regardless of what your entertainment budget is. With $2 tickets, Mavs games will be more affordable than ever.”

http://www.songbirdnest.com/

more at boingboing.