Friday, January 31, 2014

Next for LEGO? Ghostbusters!

Specifically, ECTO-1 and the 4 Ghostbusters themselves:

Lego Ghostbusters is now official!
The HQ is NOT included unfortunately
And here's the announcement video:

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Jonathan Banks joins 'Better Call Saul'

From Uproxx:
Banks will be a series regular on the show conceived by Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan and Breaking Bad writer-producer Peter Gould. The prequel series, slated to debut on AMC in November, will chronicle the evolution of Saul before he ever became Walter White’s lawyer. The deal with Banks means that Saul will have his trusted private investigator/fixer Michael “Mike” Ehrmantraut by his side.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Deal of the Day: 'Jurassic Park' Velociraptor cage for only $100,000+

That's right, if you bid $100,000.10 right now you can be in line to win the eBay auction for the prop velociraptor cage from Jurassic Park. So yeah, good luck with that! Regardless, it's a pretty cool prop from a cool scene, so take a look below.

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It's seen better days...

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Shoot her!!!

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Custom made Chewbacca (seat)belt

It's available at Etsy, and there are only 10 available. Awesome idea, and it seems easy enough to make on your own if you're not quick enough to buy one. Check it out below:




Saturday, January 25, 2014

My thoughts on moving the Super Bowl

STUPID. To put it bluntly. It's not like the NFL had no idea what they were doing; there is a reason the game has been held in a warm weather/dome stadium every year. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that it may be cold and snowy in January in New Jersey. So with that in mind, the NFL should live with their decision. They decided to hold the game at MetLife Stadium, so why change it when nothing surprising may happen? It's like changing Christmas, or some other holiday. Super Bowl Sunday is essentially a holiday, and absolutely should not be moved no matter what. Both teams will be playing under the same conditions, so what does it matter?

More here.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Monday, January 20, 2014

Beck - Blue Moon

You have to sign up for Spotify (it's free) but it's worth it to hear Beck's new single from his upcoming album Morning Phase:

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Parks & Rec renewed for a seventh season

From UPROXX:

NBC Chairman made the announcement when pressed by critics at TCA about the future of well reviewed by ratings-challenged Parks & Recreation. He initially said he was “bullish” on the show’s chances before going a step further, stating that “Parks & Recreation is going to have a seventh season.”
Good news, of course. At this point it's unlikely, but hopefully more people watch the show, since it absolutely deserves more season. It's a smart, dumb, and funny show all in one, which can't be said for a lot of the somehow popular comedies on TV right now.

2013 NFL Picks for Conference Championships

I redeemed myself at least a little bit last week, as I went 3-1 after a terrible 0-4 start to the playoffs. Once again, I can kick myself for going with an upset pick, as that was my only loss (San Fran beat Carolina on the road). Much like last year, all 4 games were entertaining. Now for the Conference Championship picks:

Sunday
AFC: New England Patriot at Denver Broncos
NFC: San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks

no upset picks this week


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
Week 17: 13-3
Season: 153-102-1 (60%)


Wild Card: 0-4
Divisional: 3-1
Playoffs: 3-5 (37.5%)

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Bill Murray's Reddit AMA

Originally posted at the Bill Murray Blog:


Last night, Bill Murray pleasantly surprised us with a Reddit AMA in an effort to promote The Monuments Men. View the whole AMA here, and read below for a few highlights:

On Wes Anderson:
“I really love the way Wes writes with his collaborators, I like the way he shoots, and I like HIM,” Murray said. “I've become so fond of him. I love the way that he has made his art his life. And you know, it's a lesson to all of us, to take what you love and make it the way you live your life, and that way you bring love into the world.”

At the time it came out, Groundhog Day was underrated:
“The script is one of the greatest conceptual scripts I've ever seen,” he wrote. “It's a script that was so unique, so original, and yet it got no acclaim. To me it was no question that it was the greatest script of the year. To this day people are talking about it, but they forget no one paid any attention to it at the time. The execution of the script, there were great people in it.”
Interesting thoughts on marijuana:
When asked what he thought about the recreational use of marijuana, Murray didn't exactly answer the question—instead, he discussed the American penal system and the failure of the war on drugs. "Now that we have crack and crystal and whatnot, people don't even think about marijuana anymore, it's like someone watching too many videogames in comparison," he said. "The fact that states are passing laws allowing it means that its threat has been over-exaggerated. Psychologists recommend smoking marijuana rather than drinking if you are in a stressful situation. These are ancient remedies, alcohol and smoking, and they only started passing laws against them 100 years ago."
Pickles and peanut butter:

"I'm big on pickles, but I've never had them with peanut butter," he says. "I really like peanut butter though. I'm kind of surprised because I like them both so much that I haven't combined them.”

Awesomeness:
When one user asked Murray what it was like to be so awesome, Murray replied, “Nothing prepared me for being this awesome. It's kind of a shock. It's kind of a shock to wake up every morning and be bathed in this purple light.”

Highlights via Mental Floss

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Zach Galifianakis and Louis C.K. to have a pilot for FXX

From Vulture:
FX has ordered a comedy pilot from Zach Galifianakis, the network announced today. Galifianakis created and will star in the show, which will be co-written with Louis C.K., who will also serve as one of the show's executive producers. This is the first series from C.K. under his recent production deal with FX, and it's one of a dozen comedy pilots currently in production at FX and FXX. No word yet on the show's style, format, subject matter, or production schedule, but the important part is that it's a show from Zach Galifianakis and Louis C.K.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

2013 NFL Picks for Divisional Round

Well, last week was terrible. 0-4, no way around that. No sense in recapping either, since if there was a game, I lost it. 0-1 in upsets. Quickly onto this week's playoff picks:

Saturday
New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks
Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots
Sunday
San Francisco 49ers at Carolina Panthers*
San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos

*upset pick as of 3:45pm Saturday 1/11


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
Week 17: 13-3
Season: 153-102-1 (60%)


Playoffs: 0-4 (0%)

Friday, January 10, 2014

Eagles vs. Saints: Behind the Numbers 2013 Wild Card Game

Just because the Philadelphia Eagles weren't expected to make it to the playoffs doesn't make their Round 1 Wild Card loss to the New Orleans Saints any less devastating. They lost at home on a last second field goal 26-24, sending the Birds home for the rest of the playoffs. In the end, the cold weather didn't have much effect on the game, and it came down to the final possession which unfortunately placed the ball in Drew Brees' hands. Despite the result, it was an entertaining game after the first quarter, and capped a terrific season by the Eagles. On to the numbers:


Strictly looking at the numbers, the Eagles were lucky to be in this game as long as they were. They gained nearly 200 yards less than the Saints, including a surprising 105 less rush yards. That, to me, was the reason the Eagles lost this game. Everyone was worried about Drew Brees picking apart the Eagles secondary, but he had an OK game throwing for just 250 yards and 2 interceptions (which led to 7 points for Philadelphia). Mark Ingram ran all over the Eagles defense, gaining nearly 100 yards. The Eagles offense wasn't as explosive as it usually was, only gaining 4.5 yards on average and throwing for under 200 yards while LeSean McCoy was held in check. They played a very clean game with only 4 penalties and no turnovers, which absolutely helped them stay in the game until the final drive. If you take a look at first downs and third down % however, you can see the Eagles were unable to sustain drives like the Saints were. Philly was probably one big play, turnover, or defensive stop away from winning this game but it wasn't meant to be.

Monday, January 6, 2014

The Simpsons LEGO House

I don't watch The Simpsons much anymore, but I can't deny the appeal of this leaked LEGO set of The Simpsons' house. Based on my own wishful pricing point of 10 cents per piece, this set would run at least $250. In reality it will probably be even more, which doesn't change how much I still want this set:

The Simpsons LEGO set first look

The Simpsons LEGO set first look

(via)

Saturday, January 4, 2014

2013 NFL Picks for Wild Card Weekend

Last week wrapped up my first full year of NFL picks, and I fared OK in my book. I didn't live up to last year's totals, but I at least had a season statistically better than a coin-flip. I finished up at exactly 60% overall, down 5% from last year's partial season picks. I did manage to save the best for last, as I went 13-3 in Week 17, so hopefully I can ride that momentum into the NFL playoffs. A final look back at the regular season:

Detroit basically gave up in the late stages of this season, as they missed the playoffs with losses in their last 4 games (the latest being last week at Minnesota). Miami was in the driver's seat for the final AFC playoff spot, yet they failed to beat a roller coaster New York Jets team at home. My final loss was a toss-up between San Francisco and Arizona, and I incorrectly assumed that Arizona would come out on top since they had more to play for. I had no upset picks last week, and it turns out it was for the better.

Before getting to the Wild Card picks, a few things about the season I'd like to touch on. Since I implemented upset picks in Week 3, I finished a miserable 9-31. And no, that's not 9 FOR 31, its 9 AND 31, "good" for 22.5%. Had I gone with the favorites in all of those games I would have finished the season at 175-80-1, which would have been 68%. So upset picks accounted for 31% of all my losses, and only 6% of my wins. The payoff just isn't there, so I foresee much less upset picks next year, though I will say I never looked at the betting lines for the games until AFTER I made my picks.

Enough about what could have been, let's look ahead to the playoffs:

Saturday
Kansas City Chiefs at Indianapolis Colts
New Orleans Saints at Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday
San Diego Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals
Green Bay Packers* at San Francisco 49ers

*upset pick as of 12:45pm Saturday 1/4

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
Week 17: 13-3
Season: 153-102-1 (60%)

Friday, January 3, 2014

Eagles vs. Cowboys II: Behind the Numbers 2013

PLAYOFFS BABY! The Eagles did what they had to do, and won the NFC East crown thanks to a 24-22 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Though Kyle Orton was in for Tony Romo, the 'Boys still put up a fight and had a chance until the final drive. It was a close game throughout, but what do the numbers show?


Pretty even stats here, as the final score would indicate. The Eagles actually ran 2 more plays than the Cowboys, but gained about 50 yards less overall, and gained an entire yard less on average. This is unlike most Eagles wins this year, but they did win the turnover battle in this game (only 1 to 3 for Dallas) leading to 10 points. They also performed better on third downs, converting 38% of their chances to only 27 for Dallas. Surprisingly, Dallas gained nearly 100 more yards through the air with Kyle Orton under center, showing they were not afraid to test the Eagles' secondary. LeSean McCoy and the Eagles rushing game answered right back though, outrushing the Cowboys 137-59. And it's not like Dallas shot themselves in the foot with penalties: their only one went for 5 yards and was due to a clock malfunction. In the end, the Eagles were just the better team and they came out on top in the only stat that truly matters. The Philadelphia Eagles will live to play another week, and the Dallas Cowboys will be watching the playoffs from their couches... again.