Over the last year I've been capturing photos of the construction of the new ballpark to make into a kind of slideshow movie. I just finished it-I made it with MS Movie Maker. The song is Lights by Ellie Goulding. I hope you enjoy it:
Friday, April 12, 2013
The New Regions Park in Birmingham
On April 10, 2013 the Birmingham Barons played the first home game of the season in their new stadium. It opened to a sold out crowd. The Stadium cost a reported $64 million in construction costs. It had been about 30 years since the Barons have played in a ballpark in Birmingham-since last playing at Rickwood Field, which is now used for some high school games and the annual Rickwood Classic=a game played during the summer where the players wear throwback uniforms.
Over the last year I've been capturing photos of the construction of the new ballpark to make into a kind of slideshow movie. I just finished it-I made it with MS Movie Maker. The song is Lights by Ellie Goulding. I hope you enjoy it:
Over the last year I've been capturing photos of the construction of the new ballpark to make into a kind of slideshow movie. I just finished it-I made it with MS Movie Maker. The song is Lights by Ellie Goulding. I hope you enjoy it:
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Basketball Fever Has Gone Away
Well, college basketball is thru for another year with the completion of the NCAA mens and womens tournaments. Louisville beat Michigan for the men, while Connecticut beat Louisville for the women. I had high hopes for my bracket picks this time-of which I made about 30-but as usual none of them came to fruition. This was thanks in large part to such teams as Florida Gulf Coast (15), Harvard (14), and La Salle (13) upsetting the higher ranked teams in their regionals. I picks a good many upsets in the collection of bracket contests I entered, but in none of them did I pick any of these 3 teams to win past the first round. Florida Gulf Coast will probably be remembered as the cinderella team of the tourney, beating both Georgetown (2) and San Diego St. (7), to then be beaten by Florida (3). I guess next year, when I enter these bracket contests again, I'll need to make a few more upsets if I'll have any hope of picking a perfect bracket.
Check out all info about the tourney at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_NCAA_Men%27s_Division_I_Basketball_Tournament
Check out all info about the tourney at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_NCAA_Men%27s_Division_I_Basketball_Tournament
Saturday, March 30, 2013
I Got My CoCo Swag
About 2 months ago the Conan O'Brien show aired the Occupy Conan episode (where fans submitted their own user created content in hopes of winning a VW Beetle if chosen for the best submission). My own submission was a little cartoon-like animation sequence featuring Conan and Andy Richter as dogs & Anne Hathaway (the first guest on the show) as a cat. I saw a glimpse of it during the airing and my name in the credits of those whom sent in submissions. Needless to say I didn't win the bug, but I didn't come away empty-handed either.
Today I received an unexpected package at my residence, and upon opening it up found that I had been chosen as a runner up in the contest. This earned me some "CoCo Swag". Amongst the three items sent were a sticker, a shirt, and a coffee mug. I'll probably end up giving the shirt away to someone-as it is way too small for me to wear (its like a child's shirts & I'm a 3x size guy, lol). I might find some use for the sticker & mug however-even though I don't drink coffee (I can still keep them as souvenirs from the show). It was a fun experience at any rate and I hope the Conan show does it again someday.
Today I received an unexpected package at my residence, and upon opening it up found that I had been chosen as a runner up in the contest. This earned me some "CoCo Swag". Amongst the three items sent were a sticker, a shirt, and a coffee mug. I'll probably end up giving the shirt away to someone-as it is way too small for me to wear (its like a child's shirts & I'm a 3x size guy, lol). I might find some use for the sticker & mug however-even though I don't drink coffee (I can still keep them as souvenirs from the show). It was a fun experience at any rate and I hope the Conan show does it again someday.
Monday, March 18, 2013
MARCH MADNESS!
Here we are again - it's March Madness time! And with the college basketball comes all the pickem contests & the prizes you could win that go along with em & make it all worth the time & effort we put into choosing. Last year I entered 16 of these contests, more or less, but had no luck at winning anything. Well, I'm upping the ante this year by entering 26 contests - eleven of which have a $1,000,000 grand prize for picking a perfect bracket. I'd be happy to win any of these contests however. There were actually even more contests than the ones listed here, but those I could find had prizes of less than $1,000, so I skipped entering them. Good luck to all & let's hope for some greatly entertaining basketball to watch whatever may happen!
$$$$$MILLION CONTESTS:$$$$$
https://americasfirstperfectbracket.mdmgames.com/tourney/
http://msn.foxsports.com/fantasy/collegebasketball/tourney/?nicmp=BC13&nichn=FSROS&niseg=HPFEATGAMES
http://bracketcontest.com/college-basketball-madness-contest/index_college-basketball-madness-contest.php
http://charlotteobserver.collegebasketball.upickem.net/collegebasketball/registration/login.asp
http://lowellsun.collegehoops.upickem.net/collegebasketball/registration/login.asp
http://790wtsk.com/ncaa-bracket-contes/
http://991wdgm.com/ncaa-bracket-contes/
http://theurbandaily.collegehoops.upickem.net/collegebasketball/registration/login.asp
http://wtug.com/ncaa-bracket-contest/
http://sportsillustrated.collegehoops.upickem.net/collegebasketball/registration/login.asp
http://www.libertymadness.com/
$$$$$100,000 CONTESTS:$$$$$
http://www.houlihansbracket.com//
http://fantasy.thescore.com/thescore/bracket13/home
$$$$$UNDER 100,000 CONTESTS:$$$$$
$60,000 = http://athlon.bracketbreakdown.com/ = athlon
$10,000 = http://www.isportslinks.com/ncaa2013/2013bracketchallengeentry.html
$10,000 = http://www.cleveland.com/marchmadness/brackets/#jsx-content-provider
$10,000 = http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/t1/reg_bracket?rfl=frontpage#
$10,000 = http://games.espn.go.com/tournament-challenge-bracket/en/
$10,000 = http://www.al.com/marchbrackets/
$10,000 = http://www.oregonlive.com/brackets/
trip worth $10,000 = http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/ncaa-tournament/brackets/games
$3,000 = http://www.realmoneyfantasyleagues.com/fantasy-basketball/free-march-madness-bracket-contest.php
$2,000 = http://madness.nbcsports.com/#thebracket
$1,000 in gift cards = http://poolhost.com/jiffytixmm/
msi gx60 laptop (worth about $1,000) = http://msi.pooltracker.com/tourney/
big screen tv = http://www.pbbracket.com/
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Lying Is Too Easy These Days
It has always been this way in trials for people on the stand - although many of them (especially those defendants who agree to testify, even though they don't have to) put their hand on the bible and answer the question, "Do you solemnly swear or affirm that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?", it is pretty obvious that responding "yes" is only the first of any number of lies soon to come out of their mouths.
Take for instance the current trial of Jodi Arias vs Arizona. She has been on the stand for weeks testifying to what she knows & doesn't know. She is a proven lier-that's a fact caught on tape by the police. And we're supposed to believe anything she has to say while she's on the stand? It seems very convenient for her that in her testimony 99% of what she says paints Travis Alexander (who she admits killing) as a sex-hungry pedophile who attacked her causing her to kill him in self-defense. And according to her word she should only be given a slap on the wrist for her crimes because none of it was really her fault.
It's a shame that she thinks we're so gullible that we'd fall for this. She must really think that people are either stupid or that her charms can just win over everyone. She's not the first to try this, nor will she be the last.
In the trial of James Holmes vs Colorado the judge has made a ruling that he be given truth serum when interviewed to see if he really is mentally deranged (or just faking it). Many oppose this decision. I personally don't know if it will work. What we really need I feel is something better than this truth serum.
What we need in court cases is some sort of device that can read the person and tell if they are lying & alert us to this fact. Perhaps something we've already been using in other capacities - DOGS!
Yes dogs could be the answer. They are used to detect things we humans cannot see, or hear, or smell already. (like hidden drugs). They also in some cases seem to be able to detect things in us that we cannot see. For instance, they can alert people with medical problems who occasionally have seizures of an upcoming episode, so that they can prepare themselves by lying down or something. I've also heard tell of dogs in hospitals who can detect when someone is going to die soon.
Things like this prove that dogs have sensory abilities that we do not & that might be utilized more extensively - like perhaps to detect lying.
Imagine a courtroom where next to the stand sits Fido, the truth detecting canine, who is given a treat when he senses someone giving false testimony. Oh, what a world that would be.
Take for instance the current trial of Jodi Arias vs Arizona. She has been on the stand for weeks testifying to what she knows & doesn't know. She is a proven lier-that's a fact caught on tape by the police. And we're supposed to believe anything she has to say while she's on the stand? It seems very convenient for her that in her testimony 99% of what she says paints Travis Alexander (who she admits killing) as a sex-hungry pedophile who attacked her causing her to kill him in self-defense. And according to her word she should only be given a slap on the wrist for her crimes because none of it was really her fault.
It's a shame that she thinks we're so gullible that we'd fall for this. She must really think that people are either stupid or that her charms can just win over everyone. She's not the first to try this, nor will she be the last.
In the trial of James Holmes vs Colorado the judge has made a ruling that he be given truth serum when interviewed to see if he really is mentally deranged (or just faking it). Many oppose this decision. I personally don't know if it will work. What we really need I feel is something better than this truth serum.
What we need in court cases is some sort of device that can read the person and tell if they are lying & alert us to this fact. Perhaps something we've already been using in other capacities - DOGS!
Yes dogs could be the answer. They are used to detect things we humans cannot see, or hear, or smell already. (like hidden drugs). They also in some cases seem to be able to detect things in us that we cannot see. For instance, they can alert people with medical problems who occasionally have seizures of an upcoming episode, so that they can prepare themselves by lying down or something. I've also heard tell of dogs in hospitals who can detect when someone is going to die soon.
Things like this prove that dogs have sensory abilities that we do not & that might be utilized more extensively - like perhaps to detect lying.
Imagine a courtroom where next to the stand sits Fido, the truth detecting canine, who is given a treat when he senses someone giving false testimony. Oh, what a world that would be.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Bad Plot Idea For The Walking Dead
AMC's The Walking Dead is a popular tv show, maybe because stories about zombies/infected are popular now, and from what I've seen of it it seems fairly well made. I'm not that into this type of story myself, however, which is why I don't regularly watch the show. But, while flipping the dial so to speak I caught a glimpse the other night. And what I saw made me really question the writer(s).
From what I think I understand the show is adapted from a comic book. This is unimportant. I saw a sword-wielding woman walking along chopping the undeads heads/arms/etc. off left & right. I assume that she's supposed to be somehow special-I don't know her comic universe history-and perhaps she is therefore better at this than most people. The problem I have is that I just don't buy it. Sword swinging in my humble opinion can be easily taught to most normal people, just get a sword and swing it for a while. Of course some people will be better at it than others, like anything else, but you don't have to be a samurai to get the job done. Especially considering the zombies/infected move very slowly & are nearly impossible to miss since they don't try to dodge or anything.
When I first saw the show it began with a guy with a gun shooting the zombies in the head. To me this was a scary situation: guns run out of ammo eventually. When they do you either have to run away, club them with the gun butt (very dangerous since they then get real close to you), try to find more ammo & reload so you can shoot again (possibly dangerous if you fail), or fail worst of all & let the zombie get you & kill you. There were no sure-fire easy kill methods to dispatch these monsters-even though you had guns you could miss with your shot/run out of ammo/etc. But now, after the show I saw the other night, that's all gone. All you need is a big sword & the will to swing it & no problemo. Zombies heads will go flyin'. So I say that putting this into the show was a major mistake-they should have never done this-because I feel that any reasonable person would see that all you'd need to do is arm everyone with samurai swords from the local sword emporium or whatever place sells them, learn how to swing em for a bit, and then your zombie problems are no more! Hell, let's go zombie hunting! Turn the tables on them for a change.
So, ultimately, introducing the use of a sword to so easily clip heads off to eliminate the zombies basically kills the show for me & there's no reason to watch it-not saying I did much before anyway. It makes the zombies too weak. Of course, to counter this I guarantee that this stroke of brilliance won't occur to the other characters (IE: they'll not realize that they could just all arm themselves with swords & go head chopping like Michonne (the woman with the sword in the show). Instead they'll let the zombies remain threatening by doing what they've been doing like idiots. The thing about her using the sword is that she's a baddass & it looks cool. Well, why can't everyone be like her-she doesn't have to be unique. Are there for some reason no other swords available?
Too bad The Walking Dead-you've lost me by reason of absurdity.
From what I think I understand the show is adapted from a comic book. This is unimportant. I saw a sword-wielding woman walking along chopping the undeads heads/arms/etc. off left & right. I assume that she's supposed to be somehow special-I don't know her comic universe history-and perhaps she is therefore better at this than most people. The problem I have is that I just don't buy it. Sword swinging in my humble opinion can be easily taught to most normal people, just get a sword and swing it for a while. Of course some people will be better at it than others, like anything else, but you don't have to be a samurai to get the job done. Especially considering the zombies/infected move very slowly & are nearly impossible to miss since they don't try to dodge or anything.
When I first saw the show it began with a guy with a gun shooting the zombies in the head. To me this was a scary situation: guns run out of ammo eventually. When they do you either have to run away, club them with the gun butt (very dangerous since they then get real close to you), try to find more ammo & reload so you can shoot again (possibly dangerous if you fail), or fail worst of all & let the zombie get you & kill you. There were no sure-fire easy kill methods to dispatch these monsters-even though you had guns you could miss with your shot/run out of ammo/etc. But now, after the show I saw the other night, that's all gone. All you need is a big sword & the will to swing it & no problemo. Zombies heads will go flyin'. So I say that putting this into the show was a major mistake-they should have never done this-because I feel that any reasonable person would see that all you'd need to do is arm everyone with samurai swords from the local sword emporium or whatever place sells them, learn how to swing em for a bit, and then your zombie problems are no more! Hell, let's go zombie hunting! Turn the tables on them for a change.
So, ultimately, introducing the use of a sword to so easily clip heads off to eliminate the zombies basically kills the show for me & there's no reason to watch it-not saying I did much before anyway. It makes the zombies too weak. Of course, to counter this I guarantee that this stroke of brilliance won't occur to the other characters (IE: they'll not realize that they could just all arm themselves with swords & go head chopping like Michonne (the woman with the sword in the show). Instead they'll let the zombies remain threatening by doing what they've been doing like idiots. The thing about her using the sword is that she's a baddass & it looks cool. Well, why can't everyone be like her-she doesn't have to be unique. Are there for some reason no other swords available?
Too bad The Walking Dead-you've lost me by reason of absurdity.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Taking A Little Break From the Trilogy
Over the last month or so, after publishing book two of the Andy Brighton and the Dragons of Wyrme trilogy (The Magic of Dragons), I've been busy coming up with ideas for book three-the final installment in which we'll see who wins the battle of the Light vs. the Dark/Danival & the Techanis vs. Andy Brighton, the Rysouri & the Dragons of Wyrme. The time has given me a lot of resources to work with, so to say, and I have a pretty good idea how book three will go. But I got an urge in the last few days to work on something other than the trilogy & it is too strong to ignore.
I think that I want to write a children's book-like of nursery rhymes. It is a project I had thought of earlier while writing book two. In writing my second book I came up with a few poems I call the Legends of Nyx. These are short poetic tales of a legendary dragon once told to the dragon younglings of the Golden Scales (Grandites). They are very old, as Nyx was a dragon from long ago when the world of Wyrme was still young, and they have been told many times over the eons and passed down through the generations as a sort of fabled folklore, but also as morality stories. The youngling dragons always found them enjoyable to listen to as well & so were likely requested whenever a mentor dragon would speak to them during weekly discussions.
I have three already, but for a whole book I imagine I will need 10 or more. So for the next few weeks I'll be working on them & also some illustrations to go along with the poems-it will be a children's book & needless to say it will need to be full of artwork.
Taking a little break to work on something different is not that unusual for me after finishing a long book. I did it after finishing my original book one (that I later reedited/retitled). I then spent about a month or so creating a novella called Tymespell. It detailed how & why the haunted forest of Wyrmewood was created & gave information on the magical people of Tyme who went into hiding because of it. I go into greater detail on these people (the Rysouri) in book two & Andy Brighton ends up meeting them & actually becoming one of them. This turn of events is pivotal to the story and has a lot to do with what happens ultimately.
I think that I want to write a children's book-like of nursery rhymes. It is a project I had thought of earlier while writing book two. In writing my second book I came up with a few poems I call the Legends of Nyx. These are short poetic tales of a legendary dragon once told to the dragon younglings of the Golden Scales (Grandites). They are very old, as Nyx was a dragon from long ago when the world of Wyrme was still young, and they have been told many times over the eons and passed down through the generations as a sort of fabled folklore, but also as morality stories. The youngling dragons always found them enjoyable to listen to as well & so were likely requested whenever a mentor dragon would speak to them during weekly discussions.
I have three already, but for a whole book I imagine I will need 10 or more. So for the next few weeks I'll be working on them & also some illustrations to go along with the poems-it will be a children's book & needless to say it will need to be full of artwork.
Taking a little break to work on something different is not that unusual for me after finishing a long book. I did it after finishing my original book one (that I later reedited/retitled). I then spent about a month or so creating a novella called Tymespell. It detailed how & why the haunted forest of Wyrmewood was created & gave information on the magical people of Tyme who went into hiding because of it. I go into greater detail on these people (the Rysouri) in book two & Andy Brighton ends up meeting them & actually becoming one of them. This turn of events is pivotal to the story and has a lot to do with what happens ultimately.
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