World Cup Thoughts

 

World Cup season is upon us.  My television is full of games, repeats of those games (condensed and not condensed) and a whole lot of commentary about those games.  My students, often proudly wearing their nation's jerseys or waving flags, are chatting non stop about the game.  They have begged me to watch the game in class on at least one occasion.  I suspect in the coming weeks, this will become a regular occurrence.

There are positives and negatives to all of this.  It is great to see such enthusiasm in people.  There is a hum in the air, and electric vibe if you will.  In most cases, I can tell they are talking about the World Cup, even though I can't hear what they are saying.  They are either discussing the latest controversial calls, the penalties or lack of penalties, the game, or making plans to watch the game.  All in all, that's pretty exciting.

There are a few negatives, sadly.  One downside is that my students are not really paying attention to school.  The begging to watch the game which seemed cute on the first day, will grow pretty tiring by the end of it all. 

Also, probably since I am not a fan, the marketing looks rather insincere.  When the Olympic hockey was on, the sports channels proudly proclaimed it "our game".  For the Soccer World Cup, the same station is calling it something similar.  While I guess it might be true for some, it doesn't ring true for me.  It just seems like shameless marketing.  Of course, what this means is that I am a victim of marketing.  They manipulated me before, and now they are manipulating someone else.  I guess I am more upset at myself than them.

In the end, I hope my students and everyone else enjoys this month of soccer.  I hope no ill feelings are created by these games.  I hope this tournament creates some happiness in the world.

 

Yahoo vs YouTube

So I have heard that Yahoo is going to offer a competitor to YouTube.  I am kind of excited about this idea.

Don't get me wrong.  I love YouTube.  Anyone who has read this blog knows that I watch a lot of JVloggers, and spend more time than I should watching old TV shows and clips online.  I even have some videos on YouTube.  I think I have about ten.  They haven't gone viral (and I wouldn't receive any money even if they did) and only one of then has had a really strong number of views--though I am not sure what the attraction is, and nobody has commented on it.

I guess I just want to be there, on the ground floor when it happens.  While it won't be a new thing (like YouTube was), I would like to say I was there from the beginning.  I want to be one of the originals, even though the idea won't be that original.

There are problems, however.  What kind of content should I put up?  I am not in Japan, so JVlogging is out.  I live in Canada, and while I love my country, I cannot see any blogging potential there.  I love my hobbies, but since I switch them around so much and am rather lax on completion, I am not sure there is anything there either.  I love to rant (check out my other blog site to see what I mean) but I have a face for radio--and who would want to see a static image of a wall or picture while I rant away?

I am excited and I want to participate, but I don't know how.

On another note, I still don't know what they are going to call this thing.  YouTube is a brilliant name.  Yahoo tube sounds derivative.  YahooTV doesn't sound cool.  They already have Yahoo Screen--so I guess that's not it.  I suppose, if I were to name it, I would call it OnYahoo.

A Modern Day Dilemma

I can be a bit of die hard.  I can hang on to technology far longer than some.  I haven't gotten a Blu-ray player or flat screen TV yet.  On the other hand I have an eBook reader, and I was the first to get a DVD player.

The question is whether it is time to go completely digital where my music is concerned.  I already have an MP3 player and have most of my library on my laptop.  I could put every single CD I have onto my computer and then either store or get rid of my CDs.  This would have been unthinkable years ago, but now...

When cassettes became passé they ended up in the trash (or recycling box...which then probably got put in the trash) or got sent to people who still had cassette players in their cars.  I didn't get rid of my LPs and now they seem to have come back in fashion.  I may have to go and dig them out of their storage/hiding spot.

This is such a first world problem.

Passion Lost

 

I just finished watching the Indy 500 on television.  I have to say that there was a time in my life when that was really important.  There was a time when I looked forward to it all week.  There was a time when I planned my snacks for the big event, like I do for the Grey Cup.  That time seems like a long time ago.  I guess it just doesn't capture my imagination like it used to.

I still like motorsports.  I dedicatedly watch the British Touring Car Championships.  I love the speed and the technology.  When I write like that, it is hard to understand why the 500 just doesn't do it for me.  I can hardly understand myself.

I am not going to repeat those oft cited 200 laps of left turns.  Those never made sense to me before, and they aren't going to start now.  I also am not one of those people who watch for crashes.  Thankfully safety technology has cut down on the fatalities in auto racing.  Sadly, they have not been eliminated entirely.

Maybe it is the commentary.  Despite the in car views, telemetry and abundant stats, I find some of those racing comments like nails on a chalkboard.  I don't blame the commentators entirely.  I blame them (and all commentators) for relying on cliche and hackneyed expressions, but I know that some of those are directed at less than knowledgeable and casual fans.  In this great high tech, high bandwidth TV universe, couldn't we have a secondary channel where they didn't state the obvious, didn't speak to me like I was five years old?  Let me choose, I might surprise you.

A Valiant Effort

I am not really a basketball fan, but the Toronto Raptors certainly had my attention.  Although they did not win game seven and will not advance to the next round, they have earned everyone's respect and should be thanked.  They brought a winning, can do attitude to a city that seems stuck in a sporting slump (except the Argonauts or the Rock).

I was shopping today and I heard the stock boys and cashiers discussing the score.  Every few minutes another voice would ring out, begging for an update.  I don't remember the last time I witnessed something like that.  It was great.

They might have lost, but they aren't losers.  They along with the fans (die hard and bandwagon types alike) are the winners.  It was a great playoff series, and they deserved to win.  They deserve some respect.  They earned some respect.

Thank You.  You have done an amazing job.

What One Season of Darts Has Taught Me

 

My first season of darts is over and I see a need to reflect on it.  There were highs and lows, and some genuinely warm moments.  I decided to play darts in February after watching it on TV.  I joined two leagues and three months later, my latest obsession is still going strong.

Apparently there are two seasons of darts.  Fall through spring, and summer.  As you might guess, the summer season is only about half as long as the other season.  I guess lots of people go on holiday in the summer, so I don't expect the shortened season to be as serious, or as well attended.

What I have learned:

Ø      Darts, like many other activities, gets better with practice.  In the past few weeks my three dart average has increased, and my ability to hit doubles and triples has gotten better.

Ø      Competition makes you better.  Despite not being that competitive, wanting to win makes me a better player.  Unlike some, I don't get down on other players, and try not to let my performance get to me.

Ø      With any activity there is a whole new lexicon to learn.  Without knowing it, I have added a lot of dart related words to my vocabulary, much to the chagrin of my coworkers.  Of course, they use a lot of ESL related vocabulary that other people in their lives don't understand....so it's pretty much a wash.  I throw around words and phrases like treble, three in a bed, checkout, double out, oche, flights, sisal, double bull, 9-darter and so many others. 

Ø      Leagues only work because so many people put in a lot of work.  Casual or not, a lot of organization and stats keeping is needed to keep the league going.  It seems like a lot of the people who I play with are retired, but it still requires a lot of their time.  Thanks.

Ø      The temptation to buy lots of equipment exists whenever you start a new hobby or pastime.  Fortunately, I have resisted the urge to spend a lot of money.  I've got some darts, a board at home, a small case for the darts, and a few extra parts.  Most people I have seen have several sets of darts, a rather large executive case, a large number of spare parts, and various tools.  Knowing me the way I do, I am sure I will get there, but for now, I am keeping it simple.

Ø      There are a variety of people and people types involved.  While most of my experiences have been good, some have been bad, and I have to accept that clashes will happen in the future.  Hopefully calm heads and rational thinking will prevail.

Ø      There is a huge world of darts out there.  There are professional leagues and huge tournaments.  I have only encountered the tip of the iceberg.  I may or may not make that big jump in the next year. While being a professional anything appeals to me, I know there are drawbacks to taking something you enjoy to a level like that.  Friendly competition is good, but intense competition may not be so great.

I have enjoyed darts, and I will be playing summer darts.  I will let you know how that goes.

The Age of Superheroes

 

I went to see the second Captain America movie the other day, and I must admit, being a comic book nerd who has read too many comic books lately, this is a great time for Superhero movies.  The technology has caught up with our imagination, allowing for some pretty amazing scenes.  It is certainly a far cry from when I was young.

I grew up watching the campy  Adam West Batman series.  I enjoyed it then, and have a deeper appreciation for it now.  It certainly can't compare to what we've been treated to lately, but it managed to work in a low tech era.  Not forgetting of course that Julie Newmar was a fantastic Catwoman. (Anne Hathaway looks great too.)

Other attempts to bring the heroes to the big or small screen were less successful.  Those Captain America movies were pretty bad.  The Spiderman TV series was.... well, let's just say I can't watch them again.

Animation did a much better job of capturing my heroes than live action film did.  Though looking back on it, sometimes the effort just wasn't there.  I guess most network executives were trying to sell toys and sugary cereals rather than bring the best to Saturday morning television.

 

I have enjoyed most of the recent comic book movies.  Green Lantern didn't really work for me, but I have a special fondness for that character that is often disappointed.  I guess I just like science fiction concepts too much, and can't bear it when they just aren't treated as reverently as I would like.  There is so much potential..... but I guess that's all that it really is.

Like most "nerds" out there, I am eagerly anticipating the next Avengers movie.  It's going to be more than a year away, but at least I have the next Xmen movie to tide me over.