Happy Labor Day Wire Style

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and  thought I' share.

- David Simon's original pitch to HBO for The Wire

- Noah Smith with an interesting look at innovation and employment

- 15 things you may not know about Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man

- The "experts" on inflation.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- My new favorite custom jersey (and yes I have the sense of humor of a 12-year old boy)

- Matt Taibbi: Let the Apes have Wall Street

- Heh Heh

- Borepatch: Why Voting No Longer Matters. A pretty dark perspective (but not without merit) 

- Some The Wire humor

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Not to pat myself on the back but I called that the Russian Bountygate story was BS from day one. I suggested that both the White House and the Pentagon should have immediately pulled the NYT press credentials until they substantiated their claims. It was and remains a completely irresponsible act by the NYT - shame on anyone who buys that paper... So the current woke generation seems to have no problem with pulling Mark Twain's classic Huck Finn from schools and libraries - so how likely will it be the future generations will likewise "cancel" classic TV shows like The Wire? I hope that doesn't come to pass... Haunted Tabasco would be a good name for a band or even better name for a hot, hot sauce...  Heh Heh... Why does it seem that those who are quickest to denounce others as fascists are also the same ones who have fantasies about seeing people "frog marched" to prison?... 

Stringer Bell Explains Name Change to "Climate Emergency"

 

This helps explain why all of a sudden the climate alarmists now want to change the name to "Climate Emergency." Climate Change is the new Worldcom (or Death Grip if you prefer).

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Norman Borlaug - the man who helped feed the world

- Heh Heh

- Physics is cool - the bead chain experiment

-  Cool - David Simon's pitch to HBO for The Wire

- Much has been made about Hollywood LOUDLY threatening to move TV and movie production out of Georgia because of the new abortion law. But do you recall how QUIET Hollywood was when they moved TV and movie production completely out of the US because of the passing of Obamacare?

- Did Trump just revolutionize healthcare in the US and nobody notice? Love this change. One thing I'd add - any unused HRA or FSA funds should be able to be rolled into IRA or 401k retirement plans at the end of the year without penalty. "Use it or lose it" is so silly and wasteful. Maybe this change will even help the Hollywood hypocrites to move some of their TV and movie productions back to the US.

- So awesome!

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Still one of the greatest scenes in TV history

- Steven Pressfield: How to overcome resistance & why talent doesn't matter

- Getting ahead by being inefficient

- Heh Heh

- Perhaps the headline of the year

- Interactive map plots your address over 750 million years of Earth's history

- From a Church in Philadelphia, Sports Reference Informs the World. Cool story on one of my favorite web sites.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- I love stories like this about famous dive bars

- Tom Brady shaves his head for charity

- Elon Musk is right - China's trade rules are unfair to US manufacturers

- Steve Francis's story - from The Wire to the NBA

- The 5 elements of effective thinking

- The "middle class" isn't "disappearing". The middle class is just moving up in tax bracket.

- The "Trump Dossier" is crap. Anyone still pushing this BS is either willfully lying or suffering from incapacitating ignorance.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Tips on how to get better laptop battery life

- Surely this scientific argument can be used in paternity suits! Your honor technically I never touched her!

- Mayor Tommy Carcetti never would have spent Baltimore city money this way.

- The responses to this were pretty funny.

- I'm pessimistic that the "bottle opener" look will ever catch on.

- Interesting - the history of Boston in 1968 with an unusual protagonist - Van Morrison

- Very cool - circumnavigating Maine's National Monument. Another thing added to my bucket list.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

For the record I have no problem with Josh McDaniels walking away from the Colts Head Coach job at the last minute. You know there was doubts about leaving a great organization for one run by a buffoon. McDaniels now gets to stay and continue to work with the best QB and best coach of all-time and I'm sure Robert Kraft gave him a very nice bump in pay. No problem at all... Heh heh... Breast Milk Cheese would be a good name for an all female punk Barry Manilow cover band... Heh heh... "I went to my doctor and told him 'My penis was burning' he said 'That means someone is talking about it'" - Garry Shandling (one of my favorite quotes)...  One of the greatest scenes in TV history... OK - I'll be honest - I've watched this several times and I still don't know how to fold a fitted sheet. I'm not just the domestic sort I guess...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

If I was Dana White I'd have the UFC make a $100 million offer to Floyd Mayweather to fight Ronda Rousey in the octagon. I bet more people would pay to watch that than Saturday's fight. Of course Mayweather wouldn't take the deal but then the UFC could claim that Mayweather is afraid of women who fight back. It would be another nail in the coffin for boxing and great publicity for the UFC... Reconsidering The Wire amidst the violence in Baltimore... Who knew? The reason dealers at casinos clap their hands when leaving the table is to show the "eye in the sky" that they aren't taking any chips away from the table cupped in their hands... Heh heh - Don Pardo's old business card... The Mayan calendar was so exact it was only off one day every 6,000 years... I wonder if Cubs fans are starting to feel about Jon Lester the way some older Red Sox fans felt about Mike Torrez...

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Heh heh - Happy Saint Patrick's Day from Mobile, Alabama

- 20 facts about Monthy Python and the Holy Grail

- Mitt Romney to box Evander Holyfield. No really - he's going to box Evander Holyfield.

- 23 things you might not know about The Wire

- Vince Wilfork was one of the classiest guys to ever wear a Patriots uniform. He will be missed.

Robin Williams

Some tributes and remembrances of Robin Williams that I wanted to share.

- Robin's now poignant appearance on Louie

- Slightly NSFW bloopers from the first season of Mork & Mindy. Williams at his manic peak.

- Norm MacDonald's very personal tribute

- Ken Levine's thoughts on the passing of Williams

- David Simon's brief encounter and how Williams changed his life. It may not be a stretch to say without Williams' sacrifice in trying to help a friend's struggling show there may not have ever been The Wire

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

After the reported trade between the Celtics and Nets - Boston went from a 33-1 bet to win the NBA championship to a 75-1 longshot. Meanwhile the Nets went from 40-1 to 10-1...  Big Bang Theory meets Firefly... If I were an MLB player - my "walk up" music would be God Bless America just to see if people would stand when I came up to hit... Cool - David Simon's original pitch for The Wire... MMA Jesus would be a good name for a Christian rock band... Heh heh - it's funny because it's true... Bill Simmons should give his Chippers season tickets to Jeffrey Ross whenever he's in town just so he can heckle Doc Rivers...  Interesting interview with Neil Gaiman...

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Why Japan really lost WWII

- Why the NHL is better than the NBA

- Marine General speaks from broken heart at memorial's dedication.

- Excellent long read of Muhammad Ali's biggest fan finally getting to meet him. Cool anecdotes of Ali in private.

- David Simon (creator of The Wire) on the NSA tracking Verizon call records. He makes some very good points which I agree with but I think misses the forest through the trees. I may post my thoughts on this at a later time.

- Cool story of 19 families that moved to a then uninhabited North Carolina island in the 70's.

- If D-Day failed Eisenhower was going to take full responsibility. When it succeeded he deflected the credit.  Sounds like the polar opposite of today's leaders.

Lego Wire

The Wire if it was based in Legoland.

Beyond awesome.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I normally like crunchy food but not when that food is Sausage Egg McMuffins... Another reason to like Kevin Durant - him playfully swatting the ball out of Kate Upton's hands... Combined the total area of the 27 countries that make up the European Union would still only cover half of the USA.... Cool - Pop Icons in a Different Light... With summer upon us here's a handy tip. In the wilderness dusk with crickets chirping in harmony - if you count the number of chirps in 15 seconds and then add 40 you'll get the air temperature in degrees Fahrenheit... Heh heh - its funny because it is soooo true...  One of my favorite little factoids - "Britney Spears" is an anagram for "Presbyterians"... Classic - Toy Story meets The Wire... Acifex is a product pronounced "ass-effects" whose possible side-effects could include gas, infection and constipation. That always cracks me up... This is also funny (to guys at least) because its true... I'm not really upset that HBO and Game of Thrones had a bust of President George Bush on a spike. I am upset that they switched actors playing Mountain Clegane between seasons 1 and 2... Interesting - How do they decaffeinate coffee?

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

How the real Jaguar marketing people felt about their car being the center of Mad Men attention.

The Wire - The Musical (and I know everyone on the Internet has linked to this but that's because its good)

Cool story of original  E Street Band drummer Vinny Lopez being a caddy at the US Open

Inspiring story of high school sportsmanship 

Good story on Anthony Bourdain moving to CNN

Jack Twyman - the greatest teammate in NBA history. Words cannot do justice to how great a human being Jack Twyman was. The world is poorer for his passing. (Thanks to Keith for the link.)

The Wire

It has been exactly 10-years since The Wire debuted on HBO.

Maxim had an excellent oral history of show. Must reading for any real fans.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Interesting look at "working stiff" Hollywood director

- Now I finally understand why the Obama Administration is so high on train travel - they are probably afraid planes will be shot down by stolen surface to air missiles

- Heh heh - this is definitely my favorite Obama speech

- Gummy Bear + Potassium Chlorate = Awesome

- The actors from The Wire - where are they now?