¡Que golazo!

ESPN spits on net neutrality.

For those of you who want to watch the UEFA Euro Cup semifinal matchup
between Spain and Russia online: you can and you can't. Unfortunately, ESPN360 is only available to Verizon and SBC (AT&T) customers.

As a consumer, I am upset because:

1) I can't even subscribe to Verizon or AT&T in my neighborhood.

2) I already pay $20 (and soon $30) a month to AT&T for my phone's data plan.

3) I would happily pay the $3/month fee ESPN charges service providers.

But on a political and philosophical level, I am outraged because ESPN's decision is in flagrant disregard for the concept of net neutrality. Taken to it's logical extreme, this would be the equivalent of Google only offering its services to Comcast subscribers -- which would never happen, because sacrificing customers for short term corporate kickbacks is a terrible business model destined to fail (ahem ESPN!).

The U.S. Open provides an important counterpoint. When Tiger Woods forced Rocco Mediate into a historic fifth-day playoff, the PGA offered to show the entire event off its website. In brilliant streaming video. With a single advertisement upfront. This move engendered a tremendous amount of goodwill in golf fans, particularly for those following the game at work.

At best, soccer is a niche market in the United States. ESPN should be doing everything in its power to flourish American interest in the sport, so it can reap advertising windfall in future competitions -- particularly with the World Cup in 2010. [To be fair, UEFA is equally as draconian with its intellectual property rights.]

Instead, ESPN has decided to mimic the NFL Network with its obsession for exclusive rights and short-term profits at the cost of its fan base.

Trends of the moment

Hating Mike Myers

Hulu

Writing or airing stories about high gas prices

Complaining about high gas prices

Instant spin-offs

The PS3... and, of course, the Wii... but everyone knows that one

European Football Coaches (A Photo Essay)

Slaven Bilić (Croatia)



Joachim Löw (Germany)



Roberto Donadoni (Italy)



Luiz Felipe Scolari (Portugal)



Raymond Domenech (France)



Fatih Terim (Turkey)

On penalty kicks.

Like a vestige of the trial by combat or the wager by battle, the penalty kick is some last resort when a dispute seems to have no earthly means of resolution. When all you can do is protest to heaven for some form of arbitration. Where chance and shear caprice hold more sway at court than skill or justice.

Could there be anything more European?

"A nation army couldn't hold me back."

One of the many curiosities of watching the UEFA 2008 Euro Cup is hearing The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" transformed into a massive football anthem.

Certain songs are designed for the pitch. Freddy Mercury even admitted that "We Are The Champions" was written with football fans in mind.

Jack White's bass aping guitar riff, on the other hand, seems likely an unlikely candidate. It doesn't even have words.

But there it is every game: hundreds of thousands of hooligans chanting along: DUN DUN-DUN-DUN-DUN-DUN DUN.

Netflix Two Cents: It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Seasons 1 & 2

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Verdict: Nasty, brutish and short. And did I mention uproarious? Manages to (break/offend/molest) every taboo imaginable in a single season.

Things I Look Forward to Saying Now That I Am 26:

"I am getting too old for this shit."

Scene from a Utah airport.

Five reasons Hannah Montana is better than The Suite Life of Zack and Cody

Mark, you ignorant slut. You are just jealous of Miley Cyrus because she is a published author and accomplished humanitarian.

#5) According to Wikipiedia, Miley Cyrus has the "everyday relatability of Hilary Duff and the stage presence of Shania Twain." Those little turd kids probably still wet the bed.

#4) She introduced the world to the Jonas Brothers, a less sexually threatening version of Hanson.

#3) After being labelled a "bad role model" for not wearing a seatbelt in Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, Miley Cyrus and her father later apologized claiming that, "We got caught up in the moment of filming... Seat belt safety is extremely important." That is called responsibility!

#2) As noted in Christianity Today, Miley Cyrus has made huge sacrifices. In order to work in Hollywood and earn $18.2 million a year, she had to leave her church, her pastor, and her community!

#1) I don't recall Annie Liebovitz taking any photos of Dylan and Cole Sprouse.

Five reasons The Suite Life of Zack and Cody is better than Hannah Montana

#5) It gave those little turd kids from Big Daddy another job, and actually made them "overwhelming draws" among preteen and teen audiences (according to wikipedia).

#4) It doesn't have Hannah Montana or Miley Cyrus is in.

#3) Even if the original Suite Life is over, there's a spin-off coming soon.

#2) Ashley Tisdale. Pre-HSM and pre-nose job.

#1) The clever wordplay in the title. Their life is "sweet" and they live in a "suite."

Not "in" quite yet...

It's odd, to say the least. The idea that you can watch other people's OnDemand. But, having finally bought one of these, it's true. Although not nearly as titillating as the Slate article would leave you to believe.

Beyond the slight voyeurism of knowing what other people in my area are watching (while never knowing who is watching anything), it's more of a gauge of what's popular.

For instance, last weekend there were a half dozen people where watching National Treasure 2 at any given time. And Hannah Montana, South Park, Family Guy and Sex and the City seem to be perennial favorites.

In other words, it's a reminder that I'm still off with the mainstream. I can't imagine EVER watching National Treasure 2. I've watched all four of those TV shows, but none are something I'd actively seek out in order to watch them whenever I want.

Hmm... guess I need a few better ideas before I can write my mainstream hit.

Selective Memory: A Case Study

"I've never seen a game like that in all these years that I've coached in the Finals. Unbelievable."

Phil Jackson, in reference to the 36 to 10 free throw differential between the Celtics and Lakers in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

Let's take a stroll through memory lane, Phil, my boy.

Example #1:

Number of free throw attempts in the Utah Jazz and L.A. Lakers West Conference Semifinals.

Game 1: 46 - 30 Lakers + 16
Game 2: 43 - 16 Lakers + 27 (!)
Game 3: 37 - 28 Lakers + 9
Game 4: 25 - 45 Lakers - 20
Game 5: 42 - 28 Lakers + 14
Game 6: 38 - 25 Lakers + 13

Ahh. I see a trend.

Or better yet. Example #2:

2002 Western Conference Finals between the L.A. Lakers and the Sacramento Kings.

Game 6: 40 - 25 Lakers +15, including 27 fourth-quarter FTs for the Lakers. 27!

I think Sam's good buddy Donaghy might have something to say about that one.

At Home I'm A Tourist

One of my favorite spots in Salt Lake City is now a gigantic crater.

No. Not Crossroads Mall. Although it looks like an earthquake leveled downtown.

I speak of the neighborhood formally known as Sugarhouse, particularly the Granite block, one of the few stretches of city that showed any degree of counter-culture. [Barista joke: What is the difference between Salt Lake City and Vanilla Yogurt? At least the Vanilla Yogurt has culture. Wakka Wakka!]

Broadway seems to be emerging as the new focal point of low-rent hipster boutiques and coffee shops, particularly as Slowtrain has emerged from the ashes of Orion's Music. It makes sense that these uprooted communities would gravitate towards the local independent movie theaters (and which, I guess, will eventually elevate Junior's from dive to faux dive status).

Despite our (or maybe just my) propensity for forced nostalgia, I must admit the new location is quite keen. Especially, Signed & Number, which has to be the only dedicated concert poster art store in the universe.

So while I am a little sad (mostly because of its geographical location) that Sugarhouse will lose its reputation as the "Little Haight" of Salt Lake, it is exciting to see the peripheries of the downtown area continuing to develop.

About that bandwagon...

There's still room for me, right?

Obama!

Well, I guess it's finally time to celebrate.

Here's a grainy fist-bump dap video. I thought it was a really cool moment.

By the way, if you haven't seen Barack dance, you should.

The peripheral party

Rock Band is a lot of fun. So is Wii Fit.

On Rock Band, I was originally better at the drums than all of my friends. And I also have a knack for both types of guitar. Which sucks because I prefer to be the vocalist.

Then there's Wii Fit. One of those impulse purchases that can only happen when you grocery shop at a Super Target. I'm impressed by the depth of the experience. Although there are definitely problems with the way the "game" measures your BMI and calculates some of the activities. (It's easy to cheat) Of course, if you are actually trying to use Wii Fit as a fitness product, there's no advantage to cheating.

Both games are interesting and, perhaps, different. (Granted, Rock Bank isn't that different if you've been playing Guitar Hero for three years.) Still, I wonder what I'll do with all these peripherals.

It used to be hard enough to store four controllers. Now I have to find a place for a drum kit, a guitar, a microphone, a balance board and whatever the next big gimmicky thing is. And their's an arms race coming.