Base10Blog

Smoker Follow-up

2008-07-07T19:14:00.002-04:00

Since the turkey came out well, I've decided to post my recipe for smoked chicken salad. Here goes:

Smoked Chicken Salad
One boneless chicken breast
2 tblsp hickory chops
salt & pepper
one cup smart balance mayonaise
six romaine lettuce leaves

Dry rub chicken breast with a small amount of slat and pepper. Smoke chicken breast in Cameron smoker with wood chips under drip oan (I used hickory) about 20 minutes. Remove smoker to oven and roast at 350 for an additional thirty minutes or until cooked through. remove and let rest until at room temperature. Dice chicken. Chop romaine leaves as if makng a Cobb salad. Combine chicken, mayonaise, lettuce. Mix thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Note that this recipe really benefits from a little extra fresh ground pepper.

I got the idea for this recipe from a little deli one Centre street by the courthouse. They serve a chicken salad that is heavily peppered where lettuce is mixed in with the salad. (I think they use iceberg). This makes an excellent sandwich served on crusty bread.

Recipe of the Day

2008-07-06T12:54:00.002-04:00

One of Base10's buddies recently bought an outdoor smoker. We were chatting about it and I decided to break out my Cameron Stovetop Smoker to try a few ideas. Anyway, I smoked a chicken breast and made chicken salad (good) and then tried a thin piece of skirt steak (really good). After that I decided to try something different. I smoked a turkey breast and made soup out of it.

Smoked Turkey Breast
1 small turkey breast half (without skin)
2 tblsp hickory chips

Dry rub the turkey with salt and pepper. Place woodchips in center of smoker below drip pan. Put drip pan on top along with rack. Spray lightly with cooking oil. Place turkey on rack. Close smoker. (I was able to close the smoker, but you can also seal with foil if it's too large). Place on stove on medium to high heat. Smoke until wood stops burning (about 20-30 minutes). Place entire device in oven a roast until cooked through (approx 30 minutes).

This was delicious sliced. But I was curious how it would translate to soup.

Smoked Turkey Soup
2 qts water
1 small onion
1 medium sized potato
4 stalks celery
Teaspoon chopped frozen basil
Teaspoon Chopped frozen garlic
1/2 lb smoked turkey meat
2 stock cubes
1 large bay leaf
1 medium carrot
1 cup egg noodles
Salt & pepper to taste

Place all ingredients (except noodles) into a large soup pot. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to a steady simmer. Let cook for about an hour. When done, soup should have a nice smokey flavor permeating all ingredients. Add noodles and simmer until tender, stiring occassionally.

Kindle Review

2008-07-06T12:38:00.002-04:00

Base10 broke down and bought a Kindle with his stimulus check this week. I just got it and have been using it steadily. While I had my doubts, I must admit it is a pretty neat device. Whether it is the future of reading as some people claim remains to be seen. YOu can check out the official product page here.

The "e-ink" technology that is used by this and other devices is remarkable. I was able to read on the device for an extended period of time without getting the eyestrain that I normally get when reading off of an lcd or crt screen. With the good come the bad though. There's no backlight. While the device is easy to read in daylight, you need good ambient light to read (much like a real book). BTW, it's excellent on the subway.

The kindle store is very well done, having all of the current bestsellers. The device also has potential in the academic arena. Princeton has announced its support for textbooks on the device.

As far as other content goes, you can get subscriptions to magazines (I tried Time) newspapers (I tried the Times and the Journal) and blogs. The blog feature seems superfluous since you can read RSS feeds with the browser on the device. I also don't see the need for the magazines, since the content will at most be updated only weekly. I do find myself reading the newspapers on the device regularly. It's nice to have the Times available on the subway without having an internet connection.

It is not a perfect device. It seems to toy-like. I would like the device to have aq little heft to it. In addition, the side buttons that control paging are overly sensitive. In addition, the design team should have taken a lesson from Apple--the color scheme for this device is rather dull.

All in all, I'm happy with it. But I'm still learning how to use it.

Tonight's Recipe

2008-06-12T17:07:00.003-04:00

Base10 is cooking tonight and Mrs. Base10 is at her weekly ballroom dancing course I have had a corned beef in the fridge for a while, so I decided to make it.

Ingredients:
2-3 lb. corned beef (I'm partial to Freirich--they're very good quality).
2 large carrots
1 1/2 lbs small red potatos
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic

Preparation:
Chop onion and peel garlic. Add to crock pot. Lay brisket over onion and garlic fat side down. Add water to barely cover. Add chopped carrots and whole potatoes. Cook on low for 8 hours. Thin slice corned beef. Serve with vegetables.

Option 1: You can take a cup of the fluid and reduce. Add a tablespoon of flour to 2 ounces of cold water and mix vigorously. Add to reducing stock. Add dash of gravymaster to taste.

Option 2: Quarter a whole head of cabbage and place in crock pot one half-hour before completion. I'm not particularly fond of corned beef and cabbage (the so-called boiled dinner) but some people are.

Base10 loves crock pot recipes because--unlike most recipes which require some degree of precision--they are incredibly vague about cooking times. Some recipes leave the range of cooking times from 8-10 hours. Eight to ten hours! Anyway, I'll get back to you about how it turned out.

Protesting Discrimination Against Short Native Americans!

2007-11-27T19:53:00.000-05:00

Not exactly. A high school in Ohio has canceled a student production of Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians" because of protests by the local NAACP chapter. The reason for censoring this production? The original title of this classic murder mystery was "Ten Little Niggers" in 1939, although most people are more familiar with the 1940 title "And Then There Were None." Just a couple of points here: (1) there are no racial issues in this story whatsoever, (2) it is the world's best selling mystery novel of all time, and (3) the n-word does not have the same connotations in the UK as it does in the US--in 1939 or now. This is just appalling.

Shitake and Asparagus Quiche

2007-11-27T19:19:00.000-05:00

This recipe went over very well on Thanksgiving. I thought I'd share.

1 bunch asparagus spears (large)
3/4 lbs Swiss cheese
8 eggs
2 frozen pie crusts
16 shitake mushrooms
1 cup heavy cream
milk as needed

Grate Swiss cheese, thinly slice shitake tops and trim asparagus spears by breaking in half. Discard root ends of asparagus. Cut head ends lengthwise. Blanch in boiling water for 1 minute. Combine 8 beaten eggs with heavy cream. Add salt and pepper. Place equal amounts of mushroom slices, grated cheese and blanched asparagus in each pie shell. Pour egg and cream mixture over pie contents. (Depending on size of pie crusts, add milk or eggs if additional fluid is needed). With a fork, carefully mix contents so they are evenly distributed in pie crust. Place in 350° oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center is dry. Remove and let set for at least 20 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 2 pies.

This is delicious served with a salad and a glass of white wine.

Enjoy.

The Power of Stock Options

2007-11-27T19:05:00.000-05:00

Google apparently thinks it can violate the laws of physics by putting a little "g" in front of any newly produced invention. They believe that renewable energy that is cheaper to supply than coal can be achieved in a few years. Good luck. And remember this is a company that's trading at fifty-two times its earnings.

I Blame Global Warming

2007-11-27T09:36:00.000-05:00

"Iceland best place to live, Africa worst: UN" - Reuters.

Creepy Transvestite Story of the Day

2007-11-27T09:33:00.000-05:00

"McDonald's Worker Attacked By Cross-Dressers" - Fox News.

Absente!

2007-11-26T21:48:00.000-05:00

Base10 did get to try some absinthe over the weekend. Review: surprisingly palatable. It is however certainly not a drink for the faint-hearted. I tried it neat, but the traditional way to serve it is with water and a dissolved sugar-cube (not the melted, as I thought). I'll try that soon. But not too soon.

Kindle Success?

2007-11-26T21:37:00.000-05:00

Base10 posted this item about the new Amazon ebook reader Kindle and speculated it might be the next big thing. It might not be the next big thing, but it did sellout real fast. This in spite of poor reviews and much tech guru criticism. Interesting

You Decide!

2007-11-26T18:00:00.000-05:00

Do Americans prefer a president who watches Sportscenter or one who watches HGTV? I think the answer is clear.

A Drudge twofer!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T14:13:00.000-05:00

Base10 is with his inlaws with a pork loin and some quiches. (One is asparagus and shitake mushroom. I may post the recipe online if it turned out well). Football is on, the food is on and the annual tryptophane high is coming. Life is good. Happy holiday to everyone!

Market Pessimism Roundup

2007-11-21T13:31:00.000-05:00

If you're in the market, today's roundup of news and analysis will not give you confidence. First, Nouriel Roubini recently predicted losses of up to a trillion USD and a hard landing recession in the US. Today, he is gloating that one of the Financial Times bloggers picked up on his forecast of a "generalized systemic financial meltdown."

While it's not hard to dismiss Roubini as a doom-and-gloomer, it's much harder to dismiss Nobel Laureate Paul Samuelson. He concurs that the US is headed for a hard economic downturn in a piece in the IHT. Other economists have commented on his column. Greg Mankiw called it "surprisingly pessimistic." Tyler Cowen writes: "It is amazing how pessimism and the desire to blame will cloud men's minds."

But, Goldman Sachs estimates that total mortgage related losses to financial institutions may be over $2 trillion. It should be noted that this particular economist, Jan Hatzius, predicted that US housing was overvalued by 20% back in March of 2006. (No stretch there really, but it's not like he's not being consistent).

At least what happened to China won't happen to us. The Chinese economy just shrunk by 40%, which, I suppose, is equivalent to the US overcounting GDP by everything west of the Mississippi.

Kindle Reader

2007-11-21T09:30:00.000-05:00

I was discussing this with my students last night and thought it was interesting. Amazon has just begun selling the Kindle, an ebook reader that they hope will become the next big thing.

Maybe it will be--if not this device, maybe the next version. Even though it does look kind of dorky and given the $400 price point, it's tempting to say that this is Amazon's Foleo, I don't think so. The Foleo didn't fill a niche, this device does. The ebook market is a tiny fraction of the publishing industry. If the industry can get people to shift to reading books electronically, printing and distribution costs disappear. But why would one use this device instead of a laptop or tablet? As someone who uses a tablet and reads a lot of academic papers in pdf format, I can tell you that this is not an option. It is very difficult to read on an LCD screen for any length of time--especially when you're on the wrong side of forty. The high contrast e-ink that these devices use is supposedly much more readable.

The other issue is battery power. If you need to read a lot or need access to a lot of reference material (like a physician, say), but don't need the computing power of a laptop, this device is for you. According to the product page, you can get two to three days of battery life out of it as opposed to the two to three hours of a laptop/tablet. The other innovation is that the devices are connected to Sprint's EVDO network with no cellular contracts or fees to the end user (costs apparently picked up by Amazon). Users buy books, or magazines and newspapers for a monthly subscription, and the material is downloaded instantly. There is experimental pdf support (this is what's stopping Base10 from buying it right now) and even an experimental text-based browser.

There is a market for a device like this. Base10 has looked at the Sony Reader, another device of this type, and didn't think it was all that. If this is different, and pdf's are readable on it, I would buy it instantly.

UPDATE: Arnold Kling on the economics of the Kindle.

Why Christmas Comes Before Thanksgiving

2007-11-21T09:22:00.000-05:00

Gregg Easterbrook--one of Base10's favorite football and political columnist who has alas been neglected lately--ponders in a touching way why Christmas comes earlier and earlier every year:

Why does the Christmas celebration start earlier every year? The commercial reasons are obvious; many retailers do a significant portion of their business during Christmastime, so the sooner the sleigh bells ring, the happier stores are. This year, retailers are said to be worried that gasoline and home-heating prices are poised to soar, so they hope holiday shoppers will spend before that happens. But there is a deeper reason Christmas starts earlier each year: We want to live in the Christmastime world, and this has nothing to do with religion. In the Christmastime world, children are happy, family is gathered round, and all the year's exhausting and stressful overwork has at least led to a pile of presents. Candles are lighted, and we listen for a sound in the distance. Just as our ancient ancestors must have dreamed of living always in the moment of the harvest, we want to live as long as possible in the moment of the holidays -- regardless of faith, since Santa comes to everyone. Christmastime also evokes the strongest positive memories of most people's childhoods -- of presents, singing, anticipation, and the adults forcing themselves to get along. The Christmas weeks are the time we believe all is right with the world, whether or not we actually go over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house. We want to enter the time of believing all is well, so every year we push up the start date.

This explanation resonates. The harder we work, the more we want the at-least-faux goodwill during the holidays.

Who You Callin' Vermin?

2007-11-21T09:19:00.000-05:00

It would sure take a lot of Raid to get these out of your house.

Thanksgiving Plans

2007-11-20T11:01:00.000-05:00

Mr. and Mrs. Base10 are going over to Mrs. Base10's sister for Thanksgiving and will be making some food for the event. Tomorrow may bring some recipe blogging. I'm thinking of a pork loin and some roasted vegetables. I also have a tradition of making quiche for Mrs. Base10's mom, so that'll get done too.

In the mean time, today is a busy day for Base10.

Bad News in Lebanon

2007-11-20T10:43:00.001-05:00

Reuters reports that the Lebanese parliment has once again delayed a vote on the Lebanese presidency. Although the French have been pushing for a compromise candidate, the report indicates there is an impasse. Security forces have begun taking positions around Beirut.

I Can Quit The Internet Anytime I Want

2007-11-20T10:35:00.000-05:00

The South Koreans have created a ~~re-education~~ rehab camp to treat internet addiction, according to the Times.

MOKCHEON, South Korea — The compound — part boot camp, part rehab center — resembles programs around the world for troubled youths. Drill instructors drive young men through military-style obstacle courses, counselors lead group sessions, and there are even therapeutic workshops on pottery and drumming.

But these young people are not battling alcohol or drugs. Rather, they have severe cases of what many in this country believe is a new and potentially deadly addiction: cyberspace.

And what's with the whacky headgear in the picture?

Forget the Election, Who'd You Rather Eat With?

2007-11-20T10:25:00.000-05:00

There's an interesting item in the Journal. A Quinnipiac survey shows who leads in the polling numbers that really count: who would you prefer to have Thanksgiving dinner with?

With 27% of the vote, Clinton is the presidential candidate most Americans would want at their dinner table this Thursday, according to a survey of 1636 voters. Sen. Barack Obama received 24% of the vote, while Rudy Giuliani came in at 22%. Down the line, Sen. John McCain of Arizona received 17%, followed by Fred Thompson with 14%, John Edwards at 13% and 7% for Mitt Romney. “Both Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain do better as dinner guests than they do as candidates,” observed Maurice Carroll, director of the polling institute, in a release. However a notable 14% of voters polled volunteered that they “wouldn’t eat” if any of the presidential candidates joined the table.

I think the last part is the most telling.

Creepy CCTV Story of the Day

2007-11-19T10:47:00.000-05:00

The Palm Beach Post has this story today about using talking CCTV cameras to both catch and deter people seeking--ahem--sex on the beach. The best line of the story is here:

[County Commissioner] DiTerlizzi's call for surveillance also comes after several high-profile arrests statewide and nationally involving elected officials soliciting sex in bathrooms.

The commissioner said he wants cameras watching everywhere on the beaches and parking lots but not in the public bathrooms because it would be an invasion of privacy.

Invasion of privacy. You think?

Two Wins, Baby!

2007-11-19T10:33:00.001-05:00

The Jets are about to take off! What with the season two-thirds over, it looks like the New York Jets are finally making their move. That's right. They beat the Steelers yesterday 19-16 in overtime. Take that you non-believers.

The Giants also took a win yesterday over the Lions, beating them 16-10. The big game was, however, the late game where the Pats beat the Bills 56-10. That's not a typo.

While it may be somewhat anti-climactic, it's good to have a win. It wasn't a particularly good game, but they tied it up when they needed to, and sucked it up and scored at the end. Good job, but remember, they face the Cowboys on Thursday.

In other anti-climactic sports news, Jimmie Johnson won his second straight Nextel Cup yesterday, and everyone is wondering what happened to "The Chase."

Creepy Girl-Robot Video of the Day

2007-11-19T10:30:00.000-05:00

Words fail at describing this video on Gizmodo.

Back in the Saddle

2007-11-19T10:25:00.000-05:00

Mr. and Mrs. Base10 were down in Baltimore for an extended weekend. Nice town. We stayed in a very old hotel in Fell's Point. Fell's Point is the historic district of Baltimore and resembles the seafaring town of centuries past. It also seems to have more bars per block than any other American city I've ever seen. And I mean that as a good thing. We had a fun time, but unfortunately I forgot the camera. Click here if you'd like to check out some activities in Baltimore. We did bring back some growlers from this establishment.

The Size of the American Economy

2007-11-12T15:41:00.000-05:00

Donald Luskin claims that "size does matter"--at least as far as the economy is concerned. Click on the link and check out the map of the US that superimposes comparable national GDP's with US state GDP's. The comparisons are surprising. It would be interesting to create this map with GDP's per capita.

Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder!

2007-11-12T15:03:00.000-05:00

Base10 didn't know this. Absinthe is currently available for sale in the US. According to the article:

The complete end of prohibition – which, as the Times reports, has already taken place in the E.U. – is thanks in part to studies concluding that the chemical thujone, found in wormwood and often blamed for absinthe’s rumored hallucinatory effects, was barely present in historical absinthe. It’s now believed that the delirious effects reported by some absinthe drinkers may have been due to the toxic artificial coloring like copper sulfate used in cheaper brands.

Base10 would like to try it, but has heard that it is horrendous tasting and requires a sugar cube to be melted into it to become palatable.

Weekend Sports Wrap

2007-11-12T14:04:00.000-05:00

The Giants disapointed fans on Sunday when they basically fell apart against the Cowboys. What should have been the must-see game this week, the performances weren't all that. Final score: 31-20.

In the other good game this weekend, the Chargers (in that whacky throwback uniform with the lightning bolts on the sleeves) beat the Colts at home 23-21.

Clearly, the biggest upset of the weekend was Ohio St. and Ilinois. The Illini beat the Buckeys 28-21. In what is looking like a wide open year for the BCS, LSU has takes the no. 1 spot in the rankings. How long they stay there is anyone's guess. The only undefeated team left is the third-ranked Jayhawks. Wow!

The Last Soldier

2007-11-12T11:49:00.000-05:00

Check out this op-ed piece in the Times about the extraordinary life of Frank Buckles, the last surviving member of the US Expeditionary Force in WWI. As the article points out, Buckles is one of only three surviving American WWI vets and the other two were in boot camp when the war broke out. Godspeed, Mr. Buckles.

As the saying goes, if you're reading this, thank a teacher. If you're reading this in English, thank a soldier. Have a good Veterans Day.

Weekend Sports Preview

2007-11-09T12:57:00.000-05:00

Base10 was watching the Louisville v. West Virginia game last night and it was pretty exciting. The Cardinals were trailing all night, but managed to tie it up in the last couple of minutes. They could not, however, hold on and lost on a last second TD. Good game and it shows that no ranked team is safe.

This weekend's NFL games do not include the Jets, so at least we can avoid another loss. Dallas v. Giants looks like the game to watch as well as the Indy v. San Diego game. The Chargers are struggling but are still a potential scoring powerhouse.

On the college side, the only ranked teams playing each other ar Georgia (18) v. Auburn (10), and USC (12) v. Cal (24). There is always the possiblity of an upset as well. The grudge match of the week looks like Florida v. S. Carolina pitting current Gator coach and NCAAF wunderkind Urban Meyer against former Gator coach Steve Spurrier.

We're certain the Base10 Cousin will be closely watching the Florida St. v. Virginia Tech. Florida St. is, of course, coming off an upset victory against no. 2 Boston College last week. Another upset could propel them back into the rankings.

In NASCAR Nation, there are only two races left in the Chase. Sunday's race is somewhat anticlimactic unless you're Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson. Base10 recently read a very interesting column by Jay Hart about the future of NASCAR. It is especially compelling given that Sam Harnish--the successful IRL driver--is switching to NASCAR next season.

I'm a Slimy Mollusc!

2007-11-09T12:00:00.000-05:00

At least today. See for yourself.

Bob Solow Quote of the Day

2007-11-09T10:30:00.000-05:00

Bob Solow's major contribution to economics was the Solow growth model and growth accounting. Did you know that he once said this?

"Everything reminds Milton Friedman of the money supply. Everything reminds me of sex, but I try to keep it out of my papers."
- Robert Solow

Trouble in Pakistan

2007-11-09T09:23:00.000-05:00

This can't be good. Musharraf has placed Bhutto under house arrest.

Nothing like internal instability in a nuclear power. Let people who think it would be okay for Iran to have a nuke ponder what that internal struggle would look like when the mullahs were finally overthrown.

I Really Am a Dork

2007-11-09T09:20:00.000-05:00

The Times has a very interesting article about Daniel Cassidy, author of a book on Irish slang in NYC. Cassidy's contention is that many slang words in use today derive from Celtic words used by Irish immigrants.

The article is a good read, but I question some of his assertions. "Twerp" has an Irish derivation? Sounds more Yiddish to me. Interesting article nonetheless.

Creepy Accident Story of the Day

2007-11-09T09:04:00.001-05:00

"Fall Into Wood Chipper Kills Tree Trimmer" - CBS News.

Kids These Days

2007-11-08T12:23:00.000-05:00

Megan McArdle on twenty-somethings and the irresistable urge to think that your generation is unique:

Somewhere in the past few years, I crossed the threshold at which I'm now old enough to remember how it used to be. Which makes it very hilarious to hang around people who think that they just invented sex and drinking binges. I was recently amused to be informed by a 28-year-old friend that, unlike the fogies I went to college with, people in his generation, frequently have friendly flings with buddies they do not actually intend to date seriously. No, really? Tell me more. And is it true that the people of your tribe slice the bread before you make the sandwiches?

Subprime Mess

2007-11-08T11:40:00.000-05:00

Base10 read this article (and it's predecessor) at Nouriel Roubini's website. I've seen Roubini speak and he is a very smart guy, even though he seems to be constantly predicting an economic meltdown (eventually he'll be right). In fairness. he may have a point this time:

Suddenly markets and investors are discovering that many financial institutions were parking a large fraction of their asset in the level 3 bucket where they avoid using market prices to evaluate such assets but rather rely on “model valuations” and “unobservable inputs”. But now the forthcoming FASB 157 regulation will prevent them (unless heavy political lobby leads to a postponement of its implementation on November 15th) from playing such accounting tricks and force them to use market prices – when available even in illiquid market conditions – to price these assets.

And guess what now? New reliable estimates suggest that using these market prices – rather than level 3 model gimmicks - will lead to losses of another $100 billion on top of hundreds of billions of subprime losses. And some market participants are already talking – quite realistically – about total losses from this credit disaster in the $500 billion range.

The scary thing here is that Roubini is not the most pessimistic analyst. Bill Gross, chief investment officer of Pacific Investment Management Co. predicts losses of up to $1 trillion. Ouch!

Weird Story of the Day

2007-11-08T11:27:00.000-05:00

"Priest arrested on charges of stalking Conan O'Brien" - CNN.

At least he's not underage. Come on. You were thinking it, too.

Rudy Wears Albatross Around Neck

2007-11-08T11:09:00.000-05:00

Federal authorities are expecting an indictment of erstwhile NYC Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik today. Charges reportedly include tax fraud, tax evasion, public corruption and false official statements (stemming from lying on disclosure forms during his abortive attempt to be confirmed as DHS Director). Way to go, Bernie!

Meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani said that Kerik's contribution in reducing crime outweight any wrongs he may have committed. Rudy, he was PC for sixteen months and most of his tenure consisted of standing behind you at press conferences in between sweaty sessions with Judith Regan.

Hillary and the Polls

2007-11-08T11:00:00.000-05:00

Ed Morrissey is parsing a USA Today poll and ponders Hillary's negatives:

Hillary Clinton's negatives put her in the most precarious position in a general election than any other Democratic candidate. Eighty-five percent of Republicans, a majority of married men, and over a third of all women say they will never vote for the former First Lady, worse negatives than any other major contender running against her. While her strategist attempts to spin those numbers, Democrats may be getting nervous.

Hope for the GOP?

High School Was Never Like This

2007-11-08T10:59:00.000-05:00

"Stripper Mistakenly Sent to School, Whips Teen" - Fox News.

Science Marches On

2007-11-07T14:40:00.000-05:00

"Extra weight said won't raise death risk " - AP.

"Being Fat Causes Cancer Says Study" - Daily Record.

We Don't Need Another Heroes

2007-11-07T11:34:00.000-05:00

Base10 watched Heroes the other night and frankly, didn't care for it. You would think a show with props like Hayden Panettiere would be a little better, but the plot was indecipherable and the premise is such a rip-off of X-Men that I'm surprised they aren't getting sued. I've seen the show once before during the first season, but I think it suffers from a common ailment of American TV--when the show get successful, the writers tend to write themselves into a corner with over-the-top plot twists.

The Jets Really Stink

2007-11-07T11:00:00.000-05:00

Base10 finally has enough psychological distance from Sunday's fiasco to write about it. You know, if we were playing .500 ball, it would be one thing to lose a close game against a physical team in overtime. But the Jets are not a .500 team and they have won only one game so far this season.

Amid the echoes of the Rich Kotite years, it's hard to put a finger on the causes. The terrible season has already cost Chad Pennington his job, although in fairness to him, Kellen Clemens wasn't any ball of fire in his second start, although it was good to see a QB that could actually throw a long pass and run for some yardage. The only thing you can hope for at this point is to regroup after the bye this weekend and retool for the end of the season. The Jets can build for next season by going out with a bang.

Back in geek mode, Wapo columnist Shankar Vedantam writes that Washington should have gone for it on fourth down in the last few minutes before the Jets tied it up--based on the economic reasoning of David Romer. Romer actually studied the phenomenon of kicking rather than going for it and concluded that teams are almost always better off going for it. Click here to read the original Romer article (pdf).

Speaking of Greg Mankiw

2007-11-07T10:42:00.000-05:00

Base10 has decided to follow the econo-bloggers a bit more and finds Greg Mankiw's blog to be particularly interesting (no surprise there--his macro textbook is one of the best intermediate texts out there). Mankiw has a great op-ed in the Times the other day about the mischaracterization of healthcare statistics. On the rising cost of healthcare:

Fortunately, our incomes are growing, and it makes sense to spend this growing prosperity on better health. The rationality of this phenomenon is stressed in a recent article by the economists Charles I. Jones of the University of California, Berkeley, and Robert E. Hall of Stanford. They ask, “As we grow older and richer, which is more valuable: a third car, yet another television, more clothing — or an extra year of life?” Mr. Hall and Mr. Jones forecast that the share of income devoted to health care will top 30 percent by 2050. But in their model, this is not a problem: It is the modern form of progress.

(link in original)

Good article. Here's a link to his blog.

Krugman Smackdown

2007-11-07T10:35:00.000-05:00

There is perhaps nothing sweeter than a 92 year-old still active economist giving Paul Krugman a smackdown. The economist in question is Anna Schwartz whom I have had the pleasure of meeting on a couple of occasions.

Via Greg Mankiw.

The Dry Spell is Over

2007-11-03T18:41:00.000-04:00

They've been beaten by great Notre Dame teams. They've been beaten by lousy ones. But they have always been beaten. Fourty-three consecutive times. But not today. Go Navy!

You Will Certainly Add This Link To Your Favorites

2007-11-03T16:29:00.001-04:00

Hoiw could this be under Base10's radar? Purusing Instapundit today, Base10 came across a link to drinkboy--aka Robert Hess. His website is a cornacopia of cocktail information. Watch the video on how to make a Manhattan and learn about the history of the Marascino cherry. It's funny, but it seems like the cocktail world changed drastically after Prohibition.

Tragedy at the Marathon

2007-11-03T16:26:00.000-04:00

US marathoner Ryan Shay died during the Olympic trials today in NYC.

Disturbing News

2007-11-03T15:55:00.001-04:00

The breaking news this morning is the institution of a "state of emergency" in Pakistan. President Pervez Musharraf fired the country's chief justice and essentially declared martial law. This is certainly not the kind of instability that you want to see in a nuclear power. Here's a link to coverage at the Times.

Newly returned opposition leader Benazir Bhutto is facing a likely return to exhile or jail. Stanley Kurtz has what I think is the most succinct analysis at the Corner:

Left free, Bhutto would lead a movement in the streets for Musharraf’s
overthrow. So more likely she will indeed be jailed or deported, either option
establishing her as a martyr and, she hopes, successor to Musharraf if he is
deposed. But at this point, anything could happen, from a "successful"
emergency, to a democratic revolution, to a military coup, to an Islamist
takeover, and quite possibly some combination of the above.

Comforting.

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-11-02T10:05:00.000-04:00

"Beer after sport 'is good for the body'" - Telegraph.

Robert Goulet, RIP

2007-10-30T22:08:00.000-04:00

Robert Goulet, famed crooner, passed away today. I'd go out and rent "Camelot" if it wasn't that infernal Richard Harris in the lead role.

Joe Torre Update

2007-10-30T21:53:00.000-04:00

Now that Joe Girardi is reportedly the new Yankee's manager, speculation abounds about Torre's future. The rumor--that Torre did little to discourage--is that he is going to the Dodgers. And it may be that Mattingly is going with him.

In other sports news, Brett Favre had a OT performance that was reminiscent of his prime. He threw an 82-yard TD pass ending the extra period and winning the game.

No major sports tonight.

Go Joe!

2007-10-29T16:01:00.000-04:00

According to IGN entertainment, the upcoming live-action GI Joe movie is a little different than what we've come to associate with the action figure: "G.I. Joe is now a Brussels-based outfit that stands for Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity, an international co-ed force of operatives who use hi-tech equipment to battle Cobra, an evil organization headed by a double-crossing Scottish arms dealer. "

In case you think this isn't an insult to the US military, read this story by Vin Suprynowicz.

It's Official!

2007-10-29T15:28:00.001-04:00

The Times reports that the Yankees have selected Joe Girardi to replace Joe Torre as manager.

Disturbing Technology Post of the Day

2007-10-29T14:49:00.000-04:00

PC World reports that a recent Zogby poll tells us that 25% of Americans think their PC could substitute for their significant others. In addition, 11% would use a device that would enable direct brain to computer access. We are one step closer to the Asian girl-robot, my friends!

Collectivism Anyone?

2007-10-29T10:54:00.000-04:00

Eric Haas has a piece on Hufpo about SCHIP and the evil insurance companies. We can pretty much assume anything on the Huffington Post is going to be devoid of economic content, but this is so over the top it's not even funny. To get a sense:

But the huge profits are killing health care. We all know that now.
Profit-maximizing insurance companies are bad economics. They make money by denying care, which is a terrible way to try to keep us healthy. And, profit-maximizing health insurance does more harm than that. It is also killing our sense of community. It pits us one against another to get the limited number of insurance policies, strangling the trust and cooperation we need to thrive. If we can't come together when we need each other most--when we're sick, injured or dying--without our vulnerability being used as an opportunity to maximize profits, then the U.S. is a hollow shell. The community that makes our nation a family is dead.

Forget about competition forcing prices down. Forget about basic microeconomics. Forget about profit motivation as the reason that that happens. Forget about the fact that US spending on healthcare as a percentage of GDP is double that of coutries like Great Britain and Canada. All we need to do to solve the problem is to come together. And we all know this is the case.

I'm not saying that health care doesn't need reform, but let's start by engaging in serious debate.

Jets Officially Suck Eggs

2007-10-29T10:36:00.000-04:00

It's true. There's no denying it. Yesterday's 3-13 loss to Buffalo proves it. Interestingly, at least among Base10's friends, was the speculation about a quarterback controversy when Kellen Clemens was put in at the end. Jets fans cheered, but Clemens threw two picks. No speculation there. I think the big thing is to focus on next week against the 'Skins before going into the bye. The bye gives a little time to regroup and try to end the season with a bang to build for next year.

The Giants played Miami in London yesterday for an NFL first. The Gints prevailed 13-10 in what was a proverbial mud bowl. The announcers pointed out that the turf on a soccer pitch is not durable enough for pro football--no matter what they call the sport in merry old England.

The big news, of course, is the Red Sox sweep of the Rockies last night. Although Base10 was nodding off at the time of victory (I hate 8:35 starts), he was reminded by Mrs. Base10. Boston 4-3. Not so much talk about curses these days, eh?

In other baseball news, in a surprise announcement, probable AL MVP and post-season choke artist Alex Rodriguez opted out of his contract with the Yankees. The Yanks have pretty much ruled out signing him if it wasn't in the context of an extension. Speculation about where he will end up will keep the sports pundits in business the entire off-season. I find it curious, though., He had three years and $150 million left on his contract. A-Rod's a great player, but statistically at least, at 32, he will likely get worse from year to year rather than better.

Ready for Some Football?

2007-10-28T11:33:00.000-04:00

Maybe the Jets can win this one? Would you have believed that Buffalo would have a better record at this point? Base10 is traveling to Florida for the Jets-Miami game in December and it's quickly shaping up to be a battle for the bottom.

In baseball news, Boston won again last night and could seal the deal with a victory tonight. Bring your brooms.

Noooooooooo..................

2007-10-27T11:11:00.001-04:00

"Micro Brewers Faced With Hops Shortage to Raise Beer Prices, Alter Recipes" - Fox News.

Midterm Blogging

2007-10-25T19:40:00.000-04:00

Base10 is giving a midterm, and due to blogging technology, can actually make posts from here. Judging by the long faces, it's not going very well for many.

I was hoping that today would go early, but it doesn't look good. I wanted to catch the Red Sox game as well as a very good NCAA football game between no. 2 Boston College and no. 8 Virginia Tech. There's about thirty minutes to go, but there's still about a quarter of the class here.

California Wildfires

2007-10-24T17:11:00.000-04:00

I blame the Bush administration.

Pot. Calling. Kettle. Black.

Bring the firefighters home!

UPDATE: A good start?

Game One

2007-10-24T14:52:00.000-04:00

Tonight, the Red Sox face the Rockies in game one of the World Series (which is defined as the series of games between the best two teams in the US or Canada). Start time: 8:35. Click here for a preview. In series news, Josh Beckett gets the start while Time Wakefield is off the roster with an injury. Interestingly, even after going into a three-game hole in the ALCS before eventually winning, while the Rockies had two consecutive sweeps, the Bosox are the overwhelming favorites.

Naturally, to make a stupid political point, the New York media notes that Rudy told a New Hampshire crowd he'll be rooting for the 'Sox. Kind of a lame story, really. He said he's an AL fan (but would root for the Mets if they were in it). What's controversial about that?

Meanwhile, Joe Torre replacement watch continues. They have already interviewed Mattingly and Girardi who are considered the favorites. News reports indicate that a decision may come this week--if only to take some wind out of a Red Sox World Series win.

UPDATE: Maybe Giuliani has lost it.

UPDATE: Some people take their baseball very seriously. Check out the last photo. It's going to be a long night from the look of things.

Gadget Update

2007-10-24T14:21:00.000-04:00

Base10 remarked a few months ago that he was gadgeteering some new computers. The current setup:

A core duo Mac-mini running Ubuntu 7.04. I've successfully set up Parallels running Windows XP on this machine as well.
A core duo Mac-mini running OSX and being used as a DVR. I have this HD from LaCie connected as well as EyeTV and an Elgato 250 video tuner/encoder. Good stuff. I can remotely set up recordings and compress to a handheld device. The only thing that it doesn't support is recording in high-def, which is okay with me since it makes up too much disk space.
I have relegated the Toshiba Libretto to desktop duty. The Fujitsu slate that I have was just too noisy to have on all the time as a desktop. I have the docking station for the slate so I can connect it to the network easily.
I have the Libretto and the Ubuntu machines connected to an HP flat screen 15" monitor through a 2-way KVM switch. I may upgrade this to a four-way at some point.
I can remotely connect to any of the machines through NX and ssh (for the linux box) and UltraVNC (for the mac and the windows box).
I'll be upgrading the wireless network soon. I've been using Linksys 802.11b router for some time, but I'll upgrade eventually.
My next computer update will probably consist of getting rid of the slate and the Libretto and upgrading. I have my eye on the new model Fujitsu slate as well as the new model Fujitsu convertible. They're both sweet, but I'll probably wait until the end of the year before I buy one (or both).

UPDATE: Mrs. Base10, please ignore that last sentance if you read this.

Book Me a Flight

2007-10-24T14:20:00.001-04:00

to western Australia.

Beauchamp a Fraud

2007-10-24T14:08:00.000-04:00

Drudge has a breaking story about the results of The New Republic's investigation into the dispatches of erstwhile war correspondent and soldier Scott Thomas Beauchamp. Beauchamp's bogus tales of US military cruelty in Iraq have been noted here and here. It will be interesting to see how TNR handles this. Personally, Base10 likes TNR and reads it occassionally. It is not The Nation, after all, but this whole affair smacks of nepotism and bias in reporting.

The Market is Up/Down

2007-10-24T13:56:00.000-04:00

Bad news on Wall Street today included a substantial write-off by Merrill Lynch as well as news that existing home sales have tumbled to their lowest levels since they started keeping track (only 1999, actually).

What does this mean? Some would see this as the cause of today's stock market decline. Why? How could they know this? Did they poll every investor that bought and sold today? It is interesting to note that the S&P 500 is down a little over one percent as I write this. It was up, as I recall, a bit more than one percent yesterday. I guess it's hard to write a column that says, "Stock market moves in random direction."

Historical Lens

2007-10-24T13:37:00.000-04:00

Base10 has taken to reading Megan McArdle quite often. She is an MBA and an economics writer at The Atlantic. She recently wrote about the increasing dissillusionment of the left that the "activist" movement is not what it once was in its ability to solve the world's numerous ills. She responds:

First of all, the notion that this is some sort of uniquely horrible moment
in world history is absurd. I grew up with the very real fear that one day,
without much warning, I would simply vanish in a radioactive cloud. The fear of
nuclear annihilation was the ever-present undercurrent to the lives of children
living in major urban areas, or near military installations, in a way that you
simply cannot comprehend unless you've lived it. Compared to the threat of
global thermonuclear war, any of the world's current problems, including climate
change, are trivial.

But why do today's crop of potential "activists" feel that we are in such a moment? McCardle has an answer:

But of course, people now in their early twenties don't really remember
anything before the late Clinton administration; no wonder everything seems
like it's going to hell in a handbasket. Their baseline is an unsustainable
economic bubble in an unprecedented peacetime lull following the collapse of
the Soviet Union.

I've come across this same thing when talking to my students. Their view of politics and the economy often has no historical perspective.

It's Official

2007-10-24T12:06:00.000-04:00

Eric Mangini has decided that QB Chad Pennington will get the start next week against Buffalo. No big surprise here.

I blame the Bush administration.

First Kurdistan and Now This!

2007-10-23T19:11:00.000-04:00

"Wild Turkeys Take Boston, Surrounding Suburbs a Month Before Thanksgiving" - Fox News.

California Wildfires

2007-10-23T18:59:00.000-04:00

Base10 has been looking at the devastation caused by the wildfires in California. So far, up to a half-million people displaced and up to a billion dollars in damage. Base10's sympathy to all the victims. Some would point out that the same people suffering today are those who will be the first to blame the Bush administration tomorrow, but Base10 thinks it's too early for this type of thing. There'll be time tomorrow.

Hmmmm Beer....

2007-10-23T18:07:00.000-04:00

The Times has a good article on cask-conditioned ale. Base10 has had some very good experiences with cask-conditioned ale--well, what I can remember of them. For the uninitiated, cask-conditioned ale is finished in the cask. The brewer adds finishing sugar which causes the carbonation in the beer. It is not pasteurized and is served using gravity taps since it is not pressurized. Best places to try it, in this order:

Blind Tiger Ale House
In my opinion, the best beer bar in New York. Their new location is on Bleeker Street and they apparently can only serve beer and wine. That's okay though, because the beer is awesome and the staff is very knowledgeable. Well worth a visit.

dba's
In years past I would have given the best beer bar award to dba's, a craft beer bar on 1st Avenue. It's not a bad place, but it's changed over the years. I remember going there on a Sunday afternoon and having a bagel nosh with the manager before settling down to a pint. It's still a pretty good place and usually has two or three cask-conditioned offerings. They also have an extremely extensive bottled beer and scotch collection. The website has the tap list as well as the date it was tapped.

Mugs
Mugs is in Williamsburg and like dba's, I liked it better years ago. (Maybe I've become more of a curmudgeon with age). It's also a little out of the way from Base10's digs in Queens. The strong point about Mugs is that their food menu is quite good. They also have cask conditioned ale, but I think it's offered a little more sporadically. Also, IMHO, they tend to have a bit more of an eclectic selection than the other two.

UPDATE: I thought I'd add this. If you're thirsty and in Queens, one of the best beer distributors in the borough that specializes in craft beers is Community Beverage located on Grand Avenue and 80th Street. (Sorry, no business website that I could find). The place has an outstanding selection of craft brews as well as serving growlers for four taps. (Right now, Base10 is finishing off some Blue Point Octoberfest. Delicious, but I'm still a little partial to the toasted lager). BTW, for the interesting history of the "growler," click here.

UPDATE: Link added for the original Times article. Also, the picture accompanying the article shows The Ginger Man, a beer bar on 36th Street off of Madison. Good bar, but the beer list is definitely an exercis in information overload. Plus, they have 66 draft lines so you have to wonder how fresh any given brand is. Last time I was there, they didn't have any cask-conditioned ale, so maybe I need to investigate....

Another Grim Milestone

2007-10-23T17:45:00.000-04:00

Captain Ed points out that today is the twenty-fourth anniversary of the Marine Corp bombing in Beirut by Hezbollah. He notes: "Twenty-four years of unacknowledged war against the US, and it started in earnest on this day."

What's Scarier?

2007-10-23T17:39:00.000-04:00

I don't know, what's more frightening: the idea that someone either hacked the CIA's website and created this or that someone in the DCI approved it for public display?

(Via Hotair).

A Park for Scooter?

2007-10-22T20:15:00.000-04:00

Base10 thinks this is an excellent idea:

Phil Rizzuto's daughter is reaching to out Mayor Michael Bloomberg for his support in renaming a Queens ball field in honor of the legendary Yankee shortstop and announcer.

Patricia Rizzuto sent the mayor a letter urging him to support changing the name of Smokey Oval Park in Richmond Hill to "Phil 'scooter' Rizzuto Park." She says the field used to be a sandlot where her father learned to play ball.

Base10 hates to admit it, but he has no idea where Smokey Oval Park is, despite having been a former resident of Richmond Hill.

Just End the Season

2007-10-22T19:13:00.000-04:00

Base10 has never been one to give up the game so soon into the season, but the Jets completely lackluster performance in yesterday's 31-38 loss to Cincy has driven me to deep depression as I ponder the future of my team. It was a game that the team desperately needed to win in order to have the slightest chance of being in playoff contention come December. That's not going to happen. They are 1-6 and this year will be marked by organizational failure.

What happened? It's easy to blame Chad Pennington. After all, he can't seem to throw anything over 5 yards and seems especially susceptible to interceptions at crucial points in the game (yesterday's late fourth quarter pick is only the latest example). Truth be told, though, the defense looked pretty ugly giving RB Kenny Watson a career high and in fairness to Chad, one of his receivers dropped a pass that hit him in the helmet. The Jets were so bad they didn't even need an opponent.

Where do we go from here? I tend to think that Chad did just enough to keep the starting job for a little while longer. Mangini has made it clear that he doesn't want to bench him right now. All well and good, but the coach also has to realize that he has to adapt to new circumstances. First, as much as it pains me to say this, Chad is not going to take this team to the Superbowl so the rest of this season is better spent finding out if Kellen Clemens is that man. Second, face it, your deployment of the 3-4 is gobsmackingly awful.

That being said, Base10 is looking forward to March Madness already.

In other sports news, the Sox got a stunning victory over the Tribe last night, defeating them 11-2. Boston goes on to play the Rockies on Wednesday.

A Prius Can Go 100 MPH?

2007-07-05T09:08:00.000-04:00

"Al Gore's Son Released From Jail" - CBS News.

We Knew He Was a RINO!

2007-06-20T10:03:00.000-04:00

Mayor Bloomberg has officially left the Republican party. Not that this should come as much of a surprise, Bloomberg was a life-long Democrat who only switched parties to avoid crowded primary race when he inittially ran for Mayor. He is obviously keen on a presidential run as an independent. Two issues: First, Bloomberg has absolutely no chance of winning, at least now. I relish the idea of him spending an innordinate amount of money on consultants that are telling him it's possible. Second, if he does make a run, how will it affect the major parties? My guess is it would hurt the Dems a bit more. Bloomberg has no real appeal to conservatives. He might have some appeal for moderate democrats. I hope he does run.

More Base10 Gadgetry

2007-06-20T09:51:00.000-04:00

I made mention a few days ago about my adventures with a Mac-mini. First, let me say, it is a zippy computer with a phenomenal form factor and I recommend it to anyone who does not need a high-speed gaming machine or photo editing box. While getting through some fits, starts and reinstalls, I have managed to do the following:

Dual boot the system with OSX and Windows.
Dual boot the system with OSX and Linux (specifically Ubuntu--I can't seem to get Knoppix to work).
Stand alone boot with LInux (Ubuntu again).

I still can't tripple boot, although I read that this was possible. The Mac partitioning system is different from the standard system and limits you to four total partitions. It seems one is occupied by the partition table so this limits you to three useable ones. It should be possible to set up a triple boot system but you'd have to not use a linux swap partition. You can triple boot from a CD distro if it's in the drive at boot-up. I'm still undcided on my final setup, but I figure I'll run a dual boot OSX/Windows box an I may get a second mini to run Linux full-time.

Note on Ubuntu: It is a pretty impressive distro. I admire the desktop integration. I've never used it before, but I plan on spending some time with it.

Base10's Paw

2007-06-20T09:48:00.000-04:00

After returnign to blogging after a long hiatus, Base10 didn't really post anything since the 14th. All Base10 can say is that he is having some intense arm pain (most likely engendered by some back problems that he has) and it is difficult to write of type. No cause for concern, but Base10 is taking steps to alleviate the problem.

Another Loss

2007-06-20T09:19:00.000-04:00

While Base10 was heartened by the Mets win against the Twins on Monday, they lost last night to Minnesota ace Johan Santana. Santana pitched a complete game shutout in a 9-0 win over the Mets. We fans hope that tonight's game which pits a hot Oliver Perez against a struggling Scott Baker will go the other way. Click here for a preview.

In other sports news, the Wimbledon seedings were announced. Hardin is the number one woman (with Base10 heartthrob Maria Sharapova as number two). Roger Federer is the men's number one seed. You can read all about it here. Play starts on Monday.

The Jets just completed a minicamp and the news is mostly good. According to reports, Chad Pennington looked pretty good. The biggest distraction so far is the Pete Kendall situation. Kendall wants to renegotiate his contract or be released. So far the Jets haven't indicated they will do so (bear in mind Kendall did sign a multi-year deal last year). Finally, in an interesting side note, the Jets met with several soldiers from Fort Bragg during the last day of camp. The soldiers even participated in some drills. Interestingly, Coach Mangini cancelled the last minicamp workout instead opting for "off-site teambuilding" with the army guys. Base10 takes this to mean that they went out drinking with the soldiers. Good for them!

Fastest Civil War Evah!

2007-06-14T10:03:00.000-04:00

The civil war in Palestine that the mainstream media has so far declined to name as such appears to be over--at least in Gaza. Reports indicate that Gaza has pretty much fallen to Hamas. Base10 is watching the news and while fighting is still going on in Gaza, it looks more like Fatah is consolidating in the West Bank. So much for the "unity" government.

The inference here is that Iran and Syria are funding and otherwise supporting Hamas in this takeover. It is striking how well organized this takeover was. Hamas systematically took over Fatah command posts in Gaza. This goes along with the resent car bomb assassination of Lebanese PM Walid Eido, a Druze lawmaker with strong anti-Syrian views. So Speaker Pelosi, should we still be talking to Syria?

The Worst Possible Outcome

2007-06-14T09:49:00.000-04:00

The beleagered Mets were swept last night by the Dodgers 9-1. The Mets are off today and definitely need to do a little soul searching. The Mets have now lost 10 of their last twelve and face the Yankees on Friday. The Yankees have won eight straight. The only thing that's saved the Mets is the fact that the Braves are as bad as we are right now and as a result the Mets have maintained a two-game lead in the division. The bad side of this is that the Phillies are also not only two games back while Florida is still in the running at five back. The Mets are doing everything they can to insure a pennant race.

In other sports news, reports indicate that Yankee Jason Giambi may be suspended by Commissioner Bud Selig as a result of his steroid remarks. For those who do not recall, Giambi basically admitted steroid use and said baseball owes an apology to the fans. I personally thing this is the wrong approach to take. Giambi should be praised for being honest. A ham-fisted apporach to this would only discourage players from coming forward. One thing Selig should consider is an amnesty for players who admit to past use so long as they disclose what they know publically. After all, steroid use in the past was pretty much encouraged by the owners so long as nobody got caught.

Golf fans should note that the US Open starts today as well. Enjoy!

Can it Get Any Worse?

2007-06-13T12:18:00.000-04:00

Base10's beloved Mets lost again last night to the Dodgers, 4-1. This means they have lost 9 of their last 11 and have lost their last four series. In case you haven't paid attention, that means they have not won a series since May. John Maine--Mets pitching wunderkind--gave up three consequtive homeruns on three pitches, including one to the pitcher. Thankfully, Atlanta is having troubles as well and lost to Minnesota 7-3. It was good to see David Wright, who is emerging as a real leader on the team, say that the team had to start pulling things together during the locker room interviews.

In other sports news, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has announced that he will sign with Hendrick Motorsports.

Gadget Talk

2007-06-12T12:42:00.000-04:00

Base10 indicated yesterday that he would be getting a new computer and indeed he did. Base10 bought a 1.8 Ghz Mac-mini with a 120 gig HD and 1 G of ram. Cool. And it runs Knoppix linux right from the CD drive. I did try to wipe the hard drive and do a hard disk install of linux, but I couldn't get it to boot from the hard drive. Right now, I'm putting OS X back on the system until I can figure it out. I hate the idea of buying a licensed copy of Win XP for it, but you supposedly need one to do a Windows install. I'm still trying to figure out the system that I ultimately want.

On other gadget fronts, Base10 also upgraded his PDA phone to a Verizon xv6700. Very neat and it seems to have an even faster EVDO speed than the prior version the xv6600. I'm still exploring this device as well.

Still Not Amazin

2007-06-12T12:35:00.000-04:00

The Mets blew a three run lead last night and have now dropped seven out of their last eight. Final score: 5-3. Jeez! They are still two games ahead in the NL East, but this opening game is not promising. Let's hope they can recover tonight and tomorrow. Base10 has to admit he fell asleep when the game was still tied.

Oh the humanity!

Base10's Computer Adventure

2007-06-11T10:03:00.000-04:00

Base10's main home computer is, if not quite dead, is definitely under hospice care with a do-not resuscitate order stapled to it's power cord. He is exploring options and will keep a series of posts about it. First, Base10 is a gadget freak. And aside from Mrs. Base10's mac, has two other windows based computers: a Toshiba Libretto UMPC and a somewhat dated Fujitsu slate tablet. Neither of these machines is top-of the line in terms of computing power, but then again that's not exactly what I need. The real problem is that while both of them have niche uses (I use the tablet for reading pdf files and the notepad feature as well web surfing while I mostly carry around the Libretto since it is so small. However, you can't type on the Libretto.

I am leaning toward buying a mac-mini since it has the intel processor and can run Windows, OSX and Linux. Time for some experimentation. I'll keep up a series of posts about my adventures.

Not So Amazin's

2007-06-11T09:48:00.000-04:00

You know, there are many ways to lose a baseball game (really any sport for that matter): you can have a duel between pitchers, you can have an offensive slugfest, you can have closely contested one-run games. Or you can get kicked in the teeth. Twice. Then stomped on the head. That's the kind of game the Mets had yesterday in an embarrasing 15-7 loss to Detroit. What can you say? I shouldn't beat up on them too much. So they lost a series on the road to one of the hottest teams in the league right now.

Then to make matters worse, the Yankees won their game against Pittsburgh 13-6. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, Yankee fans. The Mets are still in first place while the Yankees--despite their recent six-game winning streak--still trail Boston by nearly ten games.

The Mets face the Dodgers tonight in a three-game series. (I hate West coast games). The Subway series starts on Friday.

zzz...zzz...Alive!...Alive I Tell You!

2007-06-10T10:46:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a long time, but the semester is over and I have a little more free time now. Life is good. More comments on sports, politics, and life in general very soon.

The Long Night Begins...

2007-02-08T10:04:00.000-05:00

Base10 has entered his annual depression at the end of football season. Sure there's the Pro Bowl on Saturday, but that's the post-coital snuggling of sports. All in all, it was a pretty good Superbowl. Although outclassed, the Bears remained in the game until the 4th quarter. Not shabby. Bears fans have a season to be proud of, even if they didn't win the big game. The biggest question mark is, of course, the fate of Rex Grossman. If Chicago can prevent losing most of that great defense to free-agency, a QB that can move the ball more consistently may be the only key for them to win the championship.

Base10 was rooting for Tony Dungy, the all around nice guy of sports. I always thought Dungy got robbed of a Superbowl when Jon Gruden basically took Dungy's team to the big game (haven't seen much of Gruden in the playoffs since, eh?) back in Tampa Bay. The Colts still have a problem with their cover-your-eyes awful defense, but even that unit stepped up to play with the elite teams in the playoffs. Payton Manning? Sure he won the big game finally. But let's face facts, Payton Manning is a first ballot Hall of Famer anyway. Can he make any more commercials?

Great Day of Football!

2007-01-22T14:07:00.000-05:00

The conference championships are over and the players for the big game are set. The Bears were surprisingly successful against a New Orlean team that should have outclassed them, winning 39-14. What was especially memorable was the late game snowfall at Soldier Field. Football the way it ought to be. As for the AFC contender, the game between the Colts and Pats ended in a barn-burner. Final score 38-34. Interestingly, for the first time, two black coaches will face each other in the Superbowl in the persons of Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy. Base10 will be rooting for Indy. Tony Dungy deserves a Superbowl after being displaced by Jon Gruden in Tampa (with Gruden going on to win the big game that year with basically Dungy's team).

The best day of football, but alas, one of the last. The Superbowl is often a big disappointment as far as the quality of the game--the conference championships are the two games involving the four best teams. Two weeks has the Superbowl, then another for the Pro Bowl and that's it. The long night begins. Sure there's the Draft in April, but football will be only a memory. Soon it's off too watch hockey and NCAA basketball until April and opening day in baseball. Oh the humanity!

In other football news, Bill Parcells has announced his retirement from football (this is only like the fifth time). Football has lost a legend--assuming he stays retired.

Urban Meyer is a Genius!

2007-01-10T10:57:00.000-05:00

Base10 didn't write about it yesterday (Blogger was out most of the day--Base10 must eventually switch to the new interface), but on Monday night, the Gators absolutely destroyed the Buckeyes 41-14. If you watched the game, it wasn't even as close as the score suggests. Although the Buckeyes scored first on the opening kickoff return, it was all downhill from there. Florida absolutely deserves to be the National Champ.

Alas, the season is for the most part over for Base10. Yes, there's still the Shrine game in college ball, and the continuation of the NFL playoffs, but what's the point? Base10's attention is already starting to shift to the NHL.

More later. Base10 must head to school for a bit.

Oh Well...

2007-01-08T18:41:00.000-05:00

The Jets just couldn't get it done yesterday falling to the Pats 37-16. Click here if you have the intenstinal fortitude to look at the recap. The final score is a bit misleading, the Jets did flirt with their archrival even briefly taking the lead just prior to halftime. The Pats however recovered in the fourth quarter. Even then, with a little over 5 minutes left, and down by two scores, they had a fighting chance until Chad Pennington through an interception that was run back for a touchdown. Boo hoo.

We're out. What is there to say? There's plenty to be happy about if your a fan. The quarterback situation is not nearly as dire as was predicted in the beginning of the season. Chadwick can and should be the man under center for the next few years. Hopefully Clemens (or someone else) will develop. The Jet's defense if pretty good, but they could perhaps use an upgrade in the secondary and at linebacker to stop the run. The seem good on special teams and their offensive skill players seem to be a good mix of experience and youth. (Cotchery, in particular, looks like he's going to have a poductive career). I would like to see an upgrade at tight end but even here, there are only two guys named Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates. The biggest concern should be running back. The guys they have are doing the best job they're capable of, but I'd like to see an upgrade to a bruising every-down back. Hey, maybe Deuce McCalister will be available! Finally, Jets fans should be content that they gave the keys to the right guy in Greg Mangini and Mike Tanenbaum. Mangini should be the Coach of the Year.

In a final Jets note, Curtis Martin was clearing out his locker and finally admitted that he will not be back next season. I'll have more on this when he officially announces his retirement, but it is a sad day in Jetdom. Truly the gentleman to the end, Martin had great praise for Mangini:

Definitely, [Mangini] should be coach of the year. This is one time in my career that I've really seen, I won't say one time, I've seen it before, this time around with Eric, you talk about making a difference in a team, he made a huge difference in this team. Not to speak against any other coaches, but the Jets got the best coach that was out there. If I owned a team, Eric would be my head coach. I don't know how many coaches they could've got that would have been better, regardless of who was available or not.

In other news, the Giants also lost their playoff game 21-20. They were overcome by the Eagles on a last second field goal. The Giants are definitely not as confident in their future as Jets fans.

Base10 will have more on next weeks division championships as well as some final thoughts on the Jets season later in the week. Right now, he is off to see the NCAAF National Championship game.

The Jets, The Cowboys and a Late Homage to FSU

2007-01-07T11:45:00.000-05:00

There were great playoff football games yesterday. Last night's matchup between the Cowboys and Seahawks had the most exciting and bizzarre ending that I've ever seen. In the final moments, the Giants marched down the field and tried a figgie from the one yard line. Romo fumbled the snap and couldn't make the first down. The Seahawks took over on downs and basically ran down the clock, preserving a one-point lead. Final: 21-20. Very strange.

In earlier action, the Colts were surprisingly able to stuff the run against the Chiefs yesterday. Indy won 23-8, but it was actually much closer than that until the end. In a touching moment, when Herm Edwards and Tony Dungy met at midfield after the game. Being best friends, Edwards exhorted Dungy that "You better win this thing!" A true example of good sportsmanship.

A game unlikely to have a hug-and-kisses moment is the Jets and the Pats. Base10 can't wait. Click here for a preview.

Finally, in an effort to appease the Base10 cousin, who claims that Base10 didn't sufficiently compliment Florida St. on their Emerald Bowl victory over UCLA. Well, 'Noles, consider yourselves complimented. Click here for a recap.

Midweek Football Comments

2007-01-04T10:19:00.000-05:00

The Irish were crushed by LSU in the Sugar Bowl last night 41-14. Perhaps Charlie Weiss isn't all that after all. They have nothing to be ashamed of, certainly, but such a display is not what you would expect of a team that wants to be taken seriously as a national championship contender next year.

In other shocking news, Nick Saban, the soon to be erstwhile coach of the Miami Dolphins is heading on over to Alabama to coach the Crimson Tide. This comes, of course, after Saban repeatedly professed that he had no interest in the job and was staying in Miami. Of course in NFL speak that means I'll take the job if you offer more money.

Finally, in a moe that Base10 was glad to see, Chad Pennington was awarded the "Comeback Player of the Year Award" by the AP. You go, Chadwick!

The Jets, This Coming Sunday

2007-01-02T11:48:00.000-05:00

The Jets are set to play the Pats at Foxboro on Sunday at 1PM. The NYC media has chosen for today's theme: The Belichick--Mangini Feud. Check out the articles here and here. (Shoot, in the latter article Wallace Mathews described it as "Oedipal.") The controversy? Belichick supposedly urged Mangini not to go to the Jets as head coach. After Manging took the job, Belichick has repeatedly snubbed him. The most notable occassion was the last game at Foxoboro where the Jets won. It would usually be the case that a reunion of mentor-student coaches would result in a huggfest at the end of the game, regardless of the result. Not the case here. Belichick reportedly gave him a milisecond cold-fish handshake. Top this off with the fact that Belichick refuses to use Mangini's name at press conferences. This has even ticked off some of the players. Mangini for his part has mostly taken the high road--not that he isn't pissed off, who wouldn't be?--but rather because he would rather bear the brunt of the playoff distraction rather than having it on the team. It even yields a little motivational push. C'mon, let's win one for Eric. Mangini, at least to my kowledge, has never said a bad word about Belichick.

It is kind of petty. Belichick has become the modern day Bill Walsh launching the careers of many of the best coaches of our generation. (See Charlie Weiss and Nick Saban and Romeo Crenell and, of course, Mangini). He should be proud that it happened. In keeping up this little bit of nonsense, Belichick may be overplaying his hand if he's trying to use this as a motivational tool.

In other news about the game, star CB Rodney Harrison will likely be out due to an MCL injury sustained on Sunday. Harrison may miss the rest of the season as well. While I wish a speedy recovery for Mr. Harrision, the Pat's loss is our gain.

For his part, Steve Serby predicts that the Jets will beat the Pats but tank to the Ravens in the next round, the Giants will tank to the Eagles in the first round and the Cowboys will win the Superbowl. While I hope the first part is correct, I have serious doubts about the last part.

Gerald Ford

2007-01-02T11:44:00.000-05:00

Base10 has been catching the news coverage sporadically of the Gerald Ford funeral. State funerals are always impressive affairs and this one is no exception. And of course, any event where the media can take a pot shot at President Bush will naturally be loved by them, too.

But enough complaining, it's a day to remember Gerald Ford.

And Base10 Fell Asleep!

2007-01-02T10:20:00.000-05:00

Morning sports reports indicate that the Boise State beat Oklahoma last night in a wild finish. Unfortunately Base10 flew into the arms of Morpheus (the Greek god, not the Keanu Reeves character from The Matrix) at the begining of the fourth quarter. Final score: 43-42 in OT. Judging by the report, it looked like this was the most exciting game of the year--at least the part Base10 missed!

In other news, underdog USC crushed Michigan 32-18 effectively ending any "talk" about whether Michigan really belonged in the National Chamionship game. Speculation is, of course, swirling around whether Pete Carroll will flee USC for a job in the pro ranks. With the firing of Denny Green and Jim Mora, and the possible vacancy in Nick Saban's spot in Miami and possibly even Pittsburgh, there are a number of opportunities. Base10 always felt Carroll got the shaft in the NFL. He was a good coach who once got fired from the Jets to make room for Rich Kotite (what were we thinking?). He went on to win two National Championships and be a perenial BCS contender with USC and Kotite went on to--well I don't know what he went on to, really.

Tonight's BCS matchup pits Louisville and Wake Forest. Base10 has Louisville laying 9.5 points. In his pool, Base10 is now 16 of 27 against the spread. Not shabby, but likely out of the running for first place.

Happy New Year!

2006-12-31T17:38:00.000-05:00

The Jets are in! The Boys in Green defeated Oakland 23-3 in a decisive victory and got into the second season today. There is much rejoicing in the borough of Queens!

Seriously, what a great way to start the year. There'll be more to write about the Jets this week, but Base10 is just basking in it right now. We will likely face either Indy or New England, but even that question is undecided as of this writing. Whatever. We are playing next week, and that's the most important thing. Anything can happen in the postseason. You control your fate. Just win, and go on to play next week.

Global Warming! Ahhhhhh!

2006-12-29T12:18:00.000-05:00

Check out this article in CNN:

"Ancient ice shelf breaks free from Canadian Arctic" - CNN.

The "science" article contains such alarming phrases as "a dramatic and disturbing event," "crossing climate thresholds" and "consistent with climate change." However, unless you read closely you wouldn't see that this "dramatic and disturbing event" happened over a year and third ago. Nobody noticed until now.