Variety Pack.

[citruscommando]

Topic: Multiple
From the Freestyle department:

I feel like mentioning a few things in a freeform way today.

1. Consider this:
   1918: Boston Red Sox win World Series.
   1919: Stanley Cup not awarded - Finals canceled due to flu outbreak.
   ...
   2004: Boston Red Sox win World Series.
   2005: Stanley Cup not awarded - Season canceled due to labor dispute.
   Coincidence?
2. Super Bowl thoughts:
   
   • No, Rush Limbaugh was still wrong about Donovan McNabb. He is a good quarterback. He was not, however, prepared for the Super Bowl.
   • Speaking of which, doesn't it seem like the Eagles should get a better fitness coach? Most NFL quarterbacks don't go into the fourth quarter on the cusp of a reverse-peristaltic meltdown. It reminds me of the lacrosse players I played with in Philadelphia who would complain about cramps and nausea in the second period. Of course, in their case, it turned out to be their pre-game meal of 3 chili dogs from Wawa...
   • Freddie Mitchell seems to have a different take on reality than the rest of us. He fails constantly, and makes it sound like he's actually pretty good. He also derides his opponents, even as they prove that they are right, and he's wrong. Wouldn't Freddie Mitchell make a great Republican?
   • People seem to like talking about the Patriots being a "dynasty". But, they didn't even make the playoffs in the 2002-2003 season. What happened there? It's one thing if they went far into the playoffs, but didn't actually win the Super Bowl. But, they were downright mediocre that year. Don't get me wrong, most teams would love three championships in four years. There are teams in every sport that still haven't won one in a lifetime. But, to use a word as strong as "dynasty", I really think you have to explain that hole in the middle.
   • I certainly do have quite a bit more respect for Terrell Owens, after seeing him play through injury, and mouth off a lot less in the process than he's done in the past.
   • All told, wasn't it just a great football game?
3. Lacrosse thoughts:
   • Ryan Boyle, a possible Rookie Of The Year? Dan Dawson, a possible MVP? Who would have called any of that? Mazel Tov to both of them for having great seasons.
   • The Fox Sports North telecast team in Minnesota has been doing a wonderful job calling games for the Swarm. The Altitude Sports crew in Colorado? Yeesh.
   • The NLL All-Star game will be broadcast on Saturday, 2/26 at 2PM EST on NBC. The NLL Championship Game will also be broadcast on NBC, on Saturday, 5/14 at 3:30PM EDT. Just wanted you to know.
4. There's been a recall on the power cord for Microsoft's X-Box. Apparently, it can short and start a fire. Go to http://www.xbox.com to order a new one. And, please keep your current one unplugged until it is replaced.
5. Definition:
   Bluesnarfing (n.) The act of stealing personal information by exploiting a flaw in the "Bluetooth" wireless protocol. As yet, the only way to avoid this is to keep your Bluetooth-enabled devices turned off as much as possible. Or, turn off the Bluetooth functionality entirely. Or, of course, you can simply not buy any devices that use it in the first place.
6. From Collision Detection:
   A quote from Robert Frank's Luxury Fever:
   In an experimental study of private contributions to a common project, two sociologists from the University of Wisconsin, Gerald Marwell and Ruth Ames, found that first-year graduate students in economics contributed an average of less than half the amount contributed by students from other disciplines.
   
   Other studies have found that repeated exposure to the self-interest model makes selfish behavior more likely. In one experiment, for example, the cooperation rates of economics majors fell short of those of nonmajors, and the difference grew the longer the students had been in their respective majors.Economists? Selfish? Naaaah!
Clive Thompson, for his part, suggests that the problem is that, "economists actually believe economic theory".