Everything wrong with 'Gremlins'

Embed soon.

Fan-made LEGO Joker Funhouse

Via Laughing Squid, with plenty of photos here.

2013 NFL Picks Week 17

Finished last week at 10-6, with several upsets. Overall % stayed at 58, and I will need to go 14-2 this week to finish above 60%. Hey, I can dream, right? Here's where I went wrong Week 16:

Miami, fighting for a playoff spot, was somehow shut out at Buffalo (who had nothing to play for). New Orleans lost against Carolina in the final minute, and I lost that toss-up. Kansas City already locked up the 5th seed in the AFC I believe, so they had nothing to play for and therefore lost to Indianapolis. In another upset, the New York Giants knocked Detroit out of playoff contention with a 3 point win on the road. And in the final upset, Seattle lost to Arizona, who was also fighting for a playoff spot (and still is). And although Green Bay lost to Pittsburgh, they are still in a "win and in" position against Chicago this week. That game along with the Philadelphia Dallas game, and other games with playoff implications, will factor heavily into my pics this week. 0-1 in upsets last week.

Spoiler Alert! Philadelphia will beat Dallas by 2+ TDs, and Green Bay will triumph with Aaron Rodgers back in action. And what do my picks mean for the remaining playoff spots? In the NFC: Seattle, Carolina, Philadelphia, Green Bay, New Orleans, and San Francisco are in, in that order. In the AFC: Denver, New England, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Kansas City, and Miami are in, in that order.

Sunday, 1pm
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons
Washington Redskins at New York Giants
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings
New York Jets at Miami Dolphins
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts
Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals
Sunday, 4pm
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears
San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals
Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers
St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks
Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders
Sunday, 8:30pm
Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys

no upset picks as of 12:30pm Sunday 12/29

Previous Results
Week 1: 11-5
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 7-9
Week 4: 8-7
Week 5: 8-6
Week 6: 9-6
Week 7: 8-7
Week 8: 9-4
Week 9: 7-6
Week 10: 6-8
Week 11: 9-6
Week 12: 7-6-1
Week 13: 11-5
Week 14: 11-5
Week 15: 8-8
Week 16: 10-6
Season: 140-99-1 (58%)

Eagles vs. Bears: Behind the Numbers 2013

TOTAL DOMINATION! Much like last week, though for the opposite reason, I won't be commenting much on this game. Despite knowing beforehand that the game essentially meant nothing to the Eagles, they came out in full force and completely dominated the Chicago Bears (who actually had something to play for). It wasn't even close, and it was 21-0 before you could blink. And I was lucky enough to be at the game.

As you can see, the dominating game by the Eagles is reflected wonderfully by the numbers. Despite each running 63 offensive plays, the Eagles gained double the yards the Bears did (average gain and total). In fact, the only offensive category that the Birds didn't best the Bears in was passing yards, though that was negated when sacks were factored in. Philadelphia did far better in the penalty department than they did last week, and won the turnover battle again (which resulted in 14 points including a pick 6). And obviously the rushing yards indicate that LeSean McCoy had another monster game, but so did Bryce Brown. Everything speaks for itself here.

Are we close to "Eternal Sunshine" memory erasing?

Believe it or not, there is technology being developed to erase memories, just like in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. From UPROXX:

It’s long been held that there can be benefit to erasing memories; after all, if you’re constantly reliving a painful memory, getting rid of it sounds like bliss. And now, there’s actual science that lets us do this.  

The basic idea is to blast your noggin with electricity while it’s transferring memories, like of like yanking the power on a hard drive while it’s transferring files. OK, so that’s an oversimplification, but that’s essentially how memory erasing works, according to Nature:  

"The team later prompted patients to recall only one of the stories by replaying part of that slide show. Immediately afterwards, when the reactivated memory is thought to be vulnerable, the patients received electroconvulsive therapy. One day later, when given a multiple-choice memory test, patients were significantly worse at remembering details from the reactivated story, performing near chance." 

If you were wondering, yes, electroconvulsive therapy is “shocking mentally ill people with electricity.” As bizarre as it sounds, ECT does actually work in specific cases, even if nobody really knows why, and it’s usually paired with drugs to treat depression. It is also the last resort, however.  

This still needs a lot of research; the memories eventually come back, so this method of memory erasing isn’t perfect. But it seems likely that sooner, rather than later, we’ll all be living in a Jim Carrey movie. Hey, at least it’s not The Number 23.

Eagles vs. Vikings: Behind the Numbers 2013

Umm, I'm not even going to apologize for posting this 2 weeks late. Everyone know how the game ended up, and I'm really not going to comment much on it. It was an all around awful game by the Eagles, and no twisting or analyzing of the numbers will disprove that. Moving on...

Okay, so the offensive numbers are actually pretty close, with the Eagles coming out on top in total yards, average gain, and passing yards. But I digress: we all know the defense lost the game for them. Penalties were a factor as well, with 9 for 94 yards compared to only 3 for 25 for the Vikings.

The Auteurs of Christmas

20 Surprising Things You Might Not Know About 'A Christmas Story'

To celebrate the currently airing marathon of "A Christmas Story", here's some things you may not know about the classic movie:

Click here!

'Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee' Season 3 Trailer

View from the Eagles game

2013 NFL Picks Week 16

8-8 last week, which just isn't gonna cut it (though it didn't hurt my overall too much). It will be tough to raise my percentage considerably these last 2 weeks, unless I win 24 of the remaining 32 games (75%). But before I get on to this week's picks, let's take a look back at Week 15:

I was surprised by how poorly Denver played, as they lost by a TD to San Diego. I can't seem to pick Jacksonville correctly, as they were unable to continue their run with a loss to Buffalo. The Eagles were embarrassed by the Vikings, which came as a huge surprise to me. Miami is playing tough lately, and was able to overcome New England in another upset. New Orleans also played pretty bad, losing to lowly St. Louis on the road. I ended up losing the final 3 games on Sunday, with that ridiculous Green Bay comeback over Dallas, Cincinnati looking like crap against the Steelers, and Detroit losing at home to Justin Tucker Baltimore. I only had one upset pick and was wrong; 7 of my 8 losses were upsets so maybe I should have picked more!

Sunday, 1pm
Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills
Denver Broncos at Houston Texans
Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars
New Orleans Saints* at Carolina Panthers
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins
Cleveland Browns at New York Jets
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at St. Louis Rams
Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs
Minnesota Vikings at Cincinnati Bengals
Sunday, 4pm
New York Giants at Detroit Lions
Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks
Pittsburgh Steelers at Green Bay Packers
Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers
New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens
Sunday, 8:30pm
Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles
Monday, 8:30pm
Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers

*upset pick as of 12:45pm Sunday 12/22

Previous Results
Week 1: 11-5
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 7-9
Week 4: 8-7
Week 5: 8-6
Week 6: 9-6
Week 7: 8-7
Week 8: 9-4
Week 9: 7-6
Week 10: 6-8
Week 11: 9-6
Week 12: 7-6-1
Week 13: 11-5
Week 14: 11-5
Week 15: 8-8
Season: 130-93-1 (58%)

What does the Philly Phanatic say?

Full size working LEGO car?

If this is legit, it's amazing. Even if not, it's still impressive.

Between Two Ferns: Christmas Fucking Spectacular

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Happy Holidays Edition from Between Two Ferns

Zach Galifianakis makes a creepy Santa

The Mythbusters take on 'Star Wars'

Eagles vs. Lions: Behind the Numbers 2013

Last week's game against the Detroit Lions was called "The Snow Bowl" and for good reason. The first half was basically a blizzard, and the second half had to deal with half a foot of snow on the ground (and it was still snowing). After a sloppy start, the Eagles were able to put together a dominant second half and came away with a crucial win. With Dallas losing Monday night, the Eagles are in now in sole possession of first place in the NFC East, and in great position to win the division. Let's check out the numbers, but keep in mind the conditions of the game played a huge role:

Despite the conditions, the numbers look great for the Eagles. They accumulated nearly 500 yards of total offense, which is quite impressive considering they had a whopping 3 in the first quarter and only 92 in the first half. Passing yards were down for both teams, but that was expected. What wasn't expected was the Eagles finishing one lonely yard shy of 300 rushing yards on the day; LeSean McCoy was on fire late in the game and set a new Philadelphia Eagles single game rushing record (217). Detroit only managed 80 for the entire game. And while Philly didn't fare too well on third downs (25 vs 33%) they played a pretty clean game with only 1 penalty for a measly 5 yards and one turnover (Nick Foles' first interception of the year!). The Birds also ran more plays than the Lions, and averaged a tremendous 7 yards per play to their 3.9. Oh, and they had more than double the number of Detroit first downs (23 to 11). At the end of the day, the numbers here support the 34-20 win that the Eagles recorded.

'Interstellar' - Christopher Nolan's latest

'Naked Gun' reboot with Ed Helms?

From Vulture:

Variety reports Helms has signed on to star in a new Naked Gun movie, playing the part of Detective Frank Drebin made famous by Leslie Nielsen. Thomas Lennon and R. Ben Garant will write the script. The Naked Gun franchise, which was created by the parody trio of Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker (ZAZ), was a modest hit in the late eighties and early nineties, with the second film, Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear, becoming the highest grosser, earning nearly $87 million domestically. There's no word on a director or whether anyone from the original movies, including ZAZ, will be involved. O.J.'s excited, though.

2013 NFL Picks Week 15

Deja vu! Finished Week 14 the same as the previous week at 11-5, which also raised my overall by 1%. I have 3 weeks left to keep up the trend, and hopefully I can make it to at least 60%, if not to 65% to match last year's total. Here's where I went wrong:

Much like last week, the majority of my losses were in 1 score games. The exception? Tampa Bay blowing out Buffalo 27-6; so much for that upset pick. Houston was unable to beat Jacksonville (again). Miami was able to upset Pittsburgh on the road. Seattle lost only their second game of the year, this time to San Francisco on the road; unfortunately Atlanta was unable to do the same at Green Bay. 0-3 in upset picks, which isn't as bad as it sounds considering there were only 2 upsets all week (Jacksonville and Miami). Hopefully Week 15 bodes a little bit better:

Thursday, 8:25pm
San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos
Sunday, 1pm
San Francisco 49ers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars*
Seattle Seahawks at New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins
New Orleans Saints at St. Louis Rams
Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts
Arizona Cardinals at Tennessee Titans
Washington Redskins at Atlanta Falcons
Sunday, 4pm
Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders
New York Jets at Carolina Panthers
Green Bay Packers at Dallas Cowboys
Sunday, 8:30pm
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
Monday, 8:30pm
Baltimore Ravens at Detroit Lions

*upset pick as of 3pm Thursday 12/12

Previous Results
Week 1: 11-5
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 7-9
Week 4: 8-7
Week 5: 8-6
Week 6: 9-6
Week 7: 8-7
Week 8: 9-4
Week 9: 7-6
Week 10: 6-8
Week 11: 9-6
Week 12: 7-6-1
Week 13: 11-5
Week 14: 11-5
Season: 122-85-1 (58%)

26 Interesting Facts About Beer

The Hobbit (South Park season finale)

NEW YORK, December 9, 2013 - Wendy tries to fix up one of her girl friends with Butters on an all-new episode of "South Park" titled "The Hobbit," premiering Wednesday, December 11 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central.

Wendy tries to prove a point about how much pressure little girls feel to look like celebrities. Her latest soapbox issue gets her in trouble with everyone at school. It also gets Clyde a new girlfriend.

(SPS)

One way to spice up those NFL player intros

Just wait for it. Be sure to have the sound on, 4th guy in:

Star Wars + Bohemian Rhapsody =

Surprisingly not bad!

How useful were 'The Walking Dead' characters so far this season? INFOGRAPHIC

Via

2013 NFL Picks Week 14

Finally, another great week. I finished Week 13 at 11-5, which was my best since Week 8 (9-4). It raised my overall by 1% to 57 and put me over 100 correct predictions for the season. Let's hope the trend can continue in Week 14, but first I'll go over the 5 incorrect predictions from last week.

As good as 11 wins was, it could have been better. The 5 losses were by a combined 19 points, or about 4 points per game on average. All 5 were within 1 possession, with the largest deficit being only 7 points. Baltimore was able to hold on at home against Pittsburgh in a toss-up. Minnesota upset Chicago in OT. Jacksonville was able to win its 2nd in a row, beating Cleveland on the road. Buffalo was unable to beat Atlanta at home in a toss-up, and likewise for San Diego losing to Cincinnati. 1-3 in upset picks.

Week 14 picks below:

Thursday, 8:25pm
Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars
Sunday, 1pm
Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers
Detroit Lions at Philadelphia Eagles
Oakland Raiders at New York Jets
Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots
Minnesota Vikings at Baltimore Ravens
Kansas City Chiefs at Washington Redskins
Buffalo Bills* at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Bengals
Atlanta Falcons* at Green Bay Packers
Sunday, 4pm
Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos
St. Louis Rams at Arizona Cardinals
Seattle Seahawks* at San Francisco 49ers
New York Giants at San Diego Chargers
Sunday, 8:30pm
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints
Monday, 8:30pm
Dallas Cowboys at Chicago Bears

*upset picks as of 8pm Thursday 12/5

Previous Results
Week 1: 11-5
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 7-9
Week 4: 8-7
Week 5: 8-6
Week 6: 9-6
Week 7: 8-7
Week 8: 9-4
Week 9: 7-6
Week 10: 6-8
Week 11: 9-6
Week 12: 7-6-1
Week 13: 11-5

Season: 111-80-1 (57%)

Eagles vs. Cardinals: Behind the Numbers 2013

4 in a row! The Philadelphia Eagles won their 4th consecutive game, with the last two at home. They held on to beat the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 24-21, and once again sit atop the NFC East tied with the Dallas Cowboys. In reality the division will probably come down to that week 17 matchup, so the Eagles do control their own destiny. Enough of that; the Birds actually beat a team with a winning record, and will look to do the same next week. Let's once again dissect the numbers from the game, in which trends, both good and bad, have continued:

Once again the final score was closer than the game actually was. The Eagles may have only won by 3 points, but this game was essentially over after the first drive of the 3rd quarter. Wow, I sound like a broken record, but it's been the case the last few games. And much like the last few games, the numbers were closer than one may think. In fact, Philadelphia was outgained and outpassed, achieved one less first down, and fared worse on third downs. Astonishingly Arizona actually ran less plays than the Eagles, which may be a first for the season. Normally the Birds capitalize on their plays, but in this game they gained about a yard less per play. On the upside they did fare slightly better than the Cardinals in the penalty department (5 for 48 yards vs. 6 for 55) and were able to force 3 turnovers, which resulted in 7 points. (Keep in mind the penalties for both teams came at key moments and cost their respective teams.) Despite the evenness of the numbers the Eagles outscored the Cardinals, which is the most important stat of any game.

Titties and Dragons

NEW YORK, December 2, 2013 The doors to the mall will finally open THIS WEEK and ONLY ONE GAMING DEVICE WILL BE THE WINNER on an all-new episode of “South Park” titled “TITTIES AND DRAGONS,” premiering Wednesday, December 4 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central.

Princess Kenny’s charm has brought more and more support to THE PLAYSTATION CAMP. Cartman and Kyle HAVE NOT WAVERED IN THEIR LOYALTY TO X-BOX. BUT NOW, THE WAIT IS OVER. It’s time for everyone WHO HAS LINED UP to seize their opportunity for Black Friday sales. it’s going to be a bloodbath AND ONLY one side will be left standing.

(SPS)

Morgan Freeman: Painting or Photo?

Take good look at the portrait of Morgan Freeman below. If you had to guess, would you wager that it is a photograph or a painting? You may be surprised at the answer. Find out after the jump!

Why are bad words bad?

We'll have to wait until February 9th for more 'The Walking Dead'

From Vulture:

When it comes down to it, the only thing worse than the prospect of too many zombies is the prospect of no zombies at all. AMC revealed that The Walking Dead will have its mid-season premiere on Sunday, February 9, meaning you'll likely have to turn to your loved ones or religious belief system or other source of deep strength in order to make it through the next two months. Good luck, everyone.

Ron Burgundy anchors a real news broadcast

Clip below, with the full broadcast at the link (won't embed).

KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Breaking Bad caricatures

Via

From artist Anthony Geoffroy, with more here

25 Little Known Facts About Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all the readers of the B Long Blog! Enjoy your days!

 

2013 NFL Picks Week 13

The bye weeks are over, so from here until Week 17 there will be 16 games each week. Time for me to get some wins since Week 12 I finished 7-6-1 -thanks to a tie between Minnesota and Green Bay- and dropped my overall % by 1. I won't count that as a loss, but in the end it won't really have much if any effect on the season average. But speaking of counting losses...

How Houston failed to score a TD against Jacksonville is beyond me, but regardless they lost. Bad pick on my part picking the NY Jets over Baltimore, but it was a toss-up for me. St. Louis surprised everyone again, and doubled up Chicago 42-21. Another big surprise was the back and forth shootout between San Diego and Kansas City; unfortunately for me, Kansas City lost in the final minute. Tampa Bay continues to surprise and play well as they beat Detroit on the road. Finally, Denver blew a huge lead and wound up on the losing end of a 31-24 game with New England. 2-2 in my upset picks.

Like I said above, 16 games this week including THREE on Thanksgiving. Let's get to the picks:

Thanksgiving Day, Thursday 12:30/4:30/8:30pm
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions
Oakland Raiders at Dallas Cowboys
Pittsburgh Steelers* at Baltimore Ravens
Sunday, 1pm
Arizona Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles
Miami Dolphins* at New York Jets
Chicago Bears* at Minnesota Vikings
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs
Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers
Sunday, 4pm
Atlanta Falcons at Buffalo Bills
St. Louis Rams at San Francisco 49ers
New England Patriots at Houston Texans
Cincinnati Bengals at San Diego Chargers
Sunday, 8:30pm
New York Giants at Washington Redskins
Monday, 8:30pm
New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks

*Upset picks as of 8:15pm Wednesday 11/27

Previous Results
Week 1: 11-5
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 7-9
Week 4: 8-7
Week 5: 8-6
Week 6: 9-6
Week 7: 8-7
Week 8: 9-4
Week 9: 7-6
Week 10: 6-8
Week 11: 9-6
Week 12: 7-6-1
Season: 100-75-1 (56%)

Ron Burgundy to host SportsCenter December 5th

Will Ferrell Ron Burgundy is set to host the 6pm edition of ESPN's SportsCenter on December 5th. I can only hope it will be largely improvised, and have no doubt it will be hilarious.

From The Wrap:

Will Ferrell will guest-host the 6 p.m. “SportsCenter” in his famous “Anchorman” character on Thursday, Dec. 5, a person with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap.

The person said that the details have not been finalized, but it is unlikely that Ferrell will break from his Ron Burgundy character.

Somebody is making "Bob's Burgers" burgers of the day!

If you haven't seen the cartoon Bob's Burgers yet, do yourself a favor and watch it, if only for the "Burger of the Day" running gag. Every episode features a burger of the day for Bob's restaurant, and it is always a cheesy pun (is there any other kind?). Some of my favorites include "if looks could KALE", "Mediterr-ain't misbehaving", "don't get CREME FRAICHE with me", and Bob's favorite "new BACON-ings - comes with bacon". Someone brilliantly decided to actually make these burgers, and has listed recipes for 12 burgers along with pictures. The next one on the horizon will be the "Child Molester - comes with candy!". My only complaint is the lack of good buns (seriously). Check out a few of them below!

"Don't you FOUR CHEDDAR bout me"

"Foot FETA-ish"

"I've created a MUENSTER"

More at The Bob's Burgers Experiment, via Neatorama.

Eagles vs. Redskins II: Behind the Numbers 2013

Holy crap, the Eagles won a home game! They did so in dominating fashion (at least for the first 3 quarters, more on that later) by winning 24-16 over the Washington Redskins. Over the last 3 games, the Eagles have recorded 3 wins and the stats have also revealed some interesting trends. Does it matter? The Birds are in first place in the NFC East, but we'll take a gander anyway (bonus graph included!):

Like I mentioned above, fairly even numbers for the third week in a row. Despite winning the game, the Eagles ran 15 fewer plays, gained 25 less yards (including 65 on the ground), had 1 less first down, converted less third downs, and committed more penalties for more yards. However, once again, Philly made the most of their plays and on average gained a whole yard more per play. They also forced an RG3 fumble that led to 3 points, and sealed the game with an interception in the end zone. While they could do better in the penalty department, they managed to play a turnover free game, which usually leads to wins as it did here. Even the score ended up being close, with the Eagles only winning by 8 over the Redskins. In the end, the Eagles had control of this game for 3 quarters, and got a huge division win while essentially putting an end to the Redskin's playoff hopes.

Every character on Sesame Street has a mental disorder

Via

Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston read the 'Breaking Bad' finale script

2013 NFL Picks Week 12

Week 11 turned out to be decent for me, finishing 9-6 with relatively few surprises. It was certainly an improvement from Week 10's sub .500 effort, as I increased my overall season average to 57%.  Let's break the week down:

Detroit lost on the road to Pittsburgh, but I wasn't shocked by that result as Pittsburgh has come on strong as of late (if only I applied the same logic to NYG). San Diego lost to Miami which was sort of surprising, but with both teams being very inconsistent it was basically a toss up. Houston lost a toss-up to Oakland at home. The Jets were blown out against Buffalo, thus continuing their trend of alternating W/L. Like I mentioned before, Green Bay lost a toss up to the Giants who have now won 4 in a row after starting 0-6. Though I honestly wasn't shocked, the biggest surprise was probably New England losing to Carolina, albeit with some controversy. 1-3 in upset picks.

The Eagles have a bye Week 12, so I can't pick their game wrong! Onto the rest of the NFL:

Thursday, 8:25pm
New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons
Sunday, 1pm
Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans
New York Jets* at Baltimore Ravens
Carolina Panthers at Miami Dolphins
Chicago Bears* at St. Louis Rams
San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs
Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions
Pittsburgh Steelers* at Cleveland Browns
Sunday, 4pm
Indianapolis Colts at Arizona Cardinals
Tennessee Titans at Oakland Raiders
Dallas Cowboys* at New York Giants
Sunday, 8:30pm
Denver Broncos at New England Patriots
Monday, 8:30pm
San Francisco 49ers at Washington Redskins

*upset picks as of 11:45am Thursday 11/21

Previous Results
Week 1: 11-5
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 7-9
Week 4: 8-7
Week 5: 8-6
Week 6: 9-6
Week 7: 8-7
Week 8: 9-4
Week 9: 7-6
Week 10: 6-8
Week 11: 9-6
Season: 93-69 (57%)

The math behind 'Where's Waldo'?

Write up soon, but click here to see if math can be used to find Waldo from Martin Handford's classic Where's Waldo books!

Monty Python is reuniting!

From Vulture:

The surviving members of Monty Python will reunite for a stage show, Terry Jones tells the BBC. The ensemble has a press conference scheduled for Thursday, when they'll make an official announcement about the exact nature of the reunion, but Jones says, "We're getting together and putting on a show — it's real." John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Jones, and Michael Palin have appeared together only rarely since Graham Chapman's death in 1989, most notably on a panel at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in 1998, but they have not officially performed new material together since the '80s. They have, however, always looked on the bright side of life.

A Song of Ass and Fire

NEW YORK, November 18, 2013 - Hordes of souless shoppers approach the mall in anticipation of the Black Friday sales in an all-new episode of "South Park" titled "A Song of Ass and Fire," premiering Wednesday, November 20 at10:00 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central.

The console wars are heating up in South Park. Princess Kenny's betrayal has left Cartman out for revenge. The kids prepare for an epic battle where one faction's favorite gaming device will come out on top. Will Stan and Kyle's friendship survive Black Friday?

(SPS)

I think this guy is confused

He's got an Eagles sticker, a Cowboys sticker, and I think the middle one may be a reference to Victor Cruz of the New York Giants. Although his loyalties may be mixed, we can safely say he doesn't care about the Redskins*.

*name subject to change.

Bourbon Family Tree

More at GQ

New Wes Anderson short: Castello Cavalcanti

2013 NFL Picks Week 11

I sincerely hope nobody took my advice on picks last week, as I failed miserably and finished 6-8. It was only my second week finishing below .500 (Week 3 was the other) but it did drop my season average by 1.5% down to 56.5%. Let's see where I messed up:

It was the second week in a row that I failed to correctly pick the Thursday night game, as Washington blew a lead against Minnesota. Baltimore AND Cincinnati are both becoming hard to pick, as they both seem to underachieve when least expected, but then play well the next week. In this case Baltimore had the better game, which was unfortunate for me. St. Louis shocked Indianapolis, destroying them by 30. I'm sorry, but nobody picked that to happen. Jacksonville and Tampa Bay both got their first wins on the season in close games against Tennessee and Miami; I picked both to lose again as I'm sure many did. I was happy to incorrectly pick the Eagles, as they easily took care of Green Bay without Aaron Rodgers. San Francisco failed to score a TD against Carolina, and lost a 1 point game. Houston lost a toss-up with Arizona to round up the week (also my only upset pick of the week).

I really need a good Week 11, so we'll see what's in store:

Thursday, 8:25pm
Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans
Sunday, 1pm
Detroit Lions at Pittsburgh Steelers
Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles
San Diego Chargers at Miami Dolphins
Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans
Arizona Cardinals at Jacksonville Jaguars
Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers*
Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals
Baltimore Ravens at Chicago Bears
New York Jets* at Buffalo Bills
Sunday, 4pm
Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks
San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints
Green Bay Packers* at New York Giants
Sunday, 8:30pm
Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos
Monday, 8:30pm
New England Patriots* at Carolina Panthers

*upset picks as of 11:30am Thursday 11/14

Previous Results
Week 1: 11-5
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 7-9
Week 4: 8-7
Week 5: 8-6
Week 6: 9-6
Week 7: 8-7
Week 8: 9-4
Week 9: 7-6
Week 10: 6-8
Season: 84-63 (56.5%)

If there was a '30 for 30' documentary on 'Space Jam'

Eagles vs. Packers: Behind the Numbers 2013

Another away game for the Eagles, and another dominating win! The Birds have proven they can win on the road, as they now have a 4-1 record away from the Linc. Despite heading to Lambeau Field, Philadelphia took care of an Aaron Rodgers-less Packers fairly easily, winning 27-13. The game was essentially over before the 3rd quarter for the second week in a row, and the numbers were closer than the score would indicate just like the week before. Let's take a look:

Well, this looks familiar doesn't it? Last week's results looked pretty similar, albeit with a few differences. Despite coming out on top in score (27-13), the Eagles ran fewer plays than the Packers, threw for about 75 less yards, had less first downs, and converted a lower percentage of third downs. The Eagles running fewer plays than their opponents has become a trend this season, but it is usually coupled with a better average gain (7.2 vs 5.3 here) and more total yards. In this game, the Eagles ran for over 100 more yards, since they gave up on the passing game once they built up a lead (also why the Packers out-passed the Eagles). The Birds continue to play fairly clean games, as they only committed 5 penalties and had once turnover (to 2 for Green Bay).

The Eagles need to sign Ed Reed

Like, now.

He was just released by the Houston Texans today, and the Eagles are in need of a safety after Earl Wolff went down with an injury in last week's win at Green Bay. Ed Reed is experienced, and absolutely reminds me of Brian Dawkins in not only his playing style, but his leadership. He may not be playing great this year and was released because of negative comments, but his presence certainly won't hurt the suddenly improved defense. The Birds may have signed someone else today (Jack of all trades Brad Smith) but they need to find the funds to secure Ed Reed. He would no doubt be welcomed with open arms. Pull the trigger, Howie Roseman!

And I'm not the only one that agrees.....

Black Friday

NEW YORK, November 11, 2013 – Anticipation for the biggest shopping day of the year is building in an all-new episode of "South Park" titled "Black Friday," premiering Wednesday, November 13 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central. The dark days of winter are coming and that can only mean one thing: the fight to be the first in the mall on Black Friday has begun. The boys prepare to battle the crowds the day after Thanksgiving to get the best deal on the new gaming systems.

Meanwhile Randy gets a job working as a mall security guard to help control the insane number of people lining up to take advantage of the official first day of holiday shopping.

(SPS)

I won!

Can't say I never won anything before:

The new 'Star Wars' has a release date!

Granted, it's not until December 18, 2015 but still, it's something to look forward too! Right?

The best time to drink coffee may not be when you think...

According to Steven Miller (not the Space Cowboy) it's not in the morning when you wake up! And the answer involves science: chronopharmacology -the study of the interaction of biological rhythms and drug action- to be exact.

Without getting too science-y, the best time to drink coffee (or a caffeinated beverage) is between 9:30 and 11:30am (based on waking up around 8:00am). Why? Here's where the science comes in: cortisol! Our bodies naturally produce this hormone throughout the day, and levels peak between 8 and 9:00am, right when most of us are waking up or starting our days. Cortisol follows our body's circadian rhythm, which most of you should know relates to sleep/wake cycles. It makes sense that our bodies would be most awake in the morning, and it's no surprise that cortisol promotes alertness.

Basically, drinking coffee during peak levels isn't helping, since it's effect on alertness is not needed (hence the jitters some people experience). It makes too much sense to have that coffee later in the morning, after your natural alertness has subsided a bit. Who couldn't use an extra boost before lunch?

More, including what a "zeitgeber" is, at Co.Design

2013 NFL Picks Week 10

Back to mediocracy! Finished Week 9 at 7-6, thanks in large part due to several big upsets. Stayed at 58%, so can't complain too much. Made a nice recovery after the Thursday and 1pm Sunday games though, when I went 3-4. Now on to those upsets;

Things didn't start off well Thursday night, as Cincinnati played nothing like they had the previous few weeks and wound up losing in OT to Miami. Then somehow the Saints lost to the Jets, a result I still can't believe. Washington pulled it out against San Diego, another team that underperformed based on previous weeks. Last for the upsets: Chicago over Green Bay, thanks to an Aaron Rodgers injury in the first quarter.

Aside from the upsets, I lost a toss-ups between the Rams and Titans, and Baltimore and Cleveland. 1-1 in upset picks last week, so let's move on:

Thursday, 8:25pm
Washington Redskins at Minnesota Vikings
Sunday, 1pm
Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers
Oakland Raiders at New York Giants
St. Louis Rams at Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans
Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers
Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears
Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons
Sunday, 4pm
Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers
Houston Texans* at Arizona Cardinals
Sunday, 8:30pm
Dallas Cowboys at New Orleans Saints
Monday, 8:30pm
Miami Dolphins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

*upset pick as of 1:30pm Thursday 11/7

Previous Results
Week 1: 11-5
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 7-9
Week 4: 8-7
Week 5: 8-6
Week 6: 9-6
Week 7: 8-7
Week 8: 9-4
Week 9: 7-6
Season: 78-55 (58%)

Eagles vs. Raiders: Behind the Numbers 2013

I'm at a loss for words after this game, but for a different, better reason than last week. The Philadelphia Eagles destroyed (not dominated - more on that later) the Oakland Raiders on their home turf, 49-20. And it wasn't even as close as the 29 point margin, either. Nick Foles clearly bounced back in a big way, throwing for over 400 yards and an NFL record-tying 7 touchdown performance. Peyton who? Nah, he's not on that level, but Eagles fans have to be at least somewhat excited to have him start at QB for the foreseeable future (with Michael Vick's status being unknown). Before we look at the numbers, keep in mind that a blowout in score may not be a blowout in stats:

Like I said, just because the Eagles dominated the scoreboard doesn't mean they dominated the game. I'll talk more about garbage time, which clearly played a part in the seemingly even (or even skewed towards the Raiders) statistics between Oakland and Philadelphia. However, let's look at them as is for now.

Aside from the massive difference in score, the first thing that stands out is the discrepancy between offensive plays, and average gain. "Holy shit" is the phrase that comes to mind: The Raiders ran a whopping 92 plays, a ridiculous 35 more than the Eagles, but Philadelphia gained an excellent 9.5 yards per gain to a very good 6.1 by Oakland. Despite outscoring their opponent by 29, the Eagles gained less net yards, somehow less rushing yards, and less first downs. Basically, they capitalized much better than Oakland on the chances they had, while also fairing better on third downs (40% to 33%), committing less penalties for less yards, and managing 2 takeaways. Enough numbers, let's get to the commentary...