Saturday, June 20, 2009

The Science of Patience

Walter Mischel, NYU and Harvard psychologist, explains some details of his devotion to the study of patience and attention, and how they both correlate with intelligence and success.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer?currentPage=all

Monday, June 15, 2009

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Barry O'Bomber

President Barack Obama in high school


Obama, #23, was referred to as Barry O'bomber. Although he didn't play a lot of minutes, here he is contributing to his team's state championship win:




Gold vs.USD

really? inflation anyone?

Monday, June 8, 2009

Roger Federer Wins French Open

With his first French Open title, Roger Federer strengthened the argument he’s the best tennis player ever.

He completed a career Grand Slam, something only five other men have done. He won his 14th major title to tie Pete Sampras’ record. He played in his 19th Grand Slam final to match Ivan Lendl’s record.

The stylish Swiss caught a break in Paris and made the most of it, winning the title by beating the man who beat Federer’s nemesis, Rafael Nadal. Federer swept surprise finalist Robin Soderling 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-4 on Sunday.

“I don’t know if we’ll ever know who was the greatest of all time, but I’m definitely happy to be right up there,” said the 27-year-old Federer, who plans to play into his 30s. “I think it should be judged at the very end, you know. How well did I do? Good? Great? Very good? Or medium? I don’t know. It’s for other people to decide.”

“I’m obviously happy for Roger,” Sampras told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Los Angeles, where he lives. “Now that he has won in Paris, I think it just more solidifies his place in history as the greatest player that played the game, in my opinion.”

Andre Agassi, the most recent man to complete the career Grand Slam when he won at Roland Garros 10 years ago, presented Federer with the trophy. The other men to win all four major titles were Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, Don Budge and Fred Perry.

The championship came after Federer lost to Nadal at the French Open and Wimbledon last year, and at the Australian Open in February. Federer also lost the No. 1 ranking to Nadal last August.

“Sounds like an Achilles’ heel, but at the same time, what (Federer) has done is unmatched,” Agassi said. “We’re watching two guys in the prime of their years compete against each other—and Nadal has an answer for him. But what criteria do you use to judge best ever? Roger’s numbers—it’s hard to disagree with. His domination on different surfaces—hard to disagree with.”

Federer was in top form Sunday, gliding across the court and whacking winners from all angles as he raced to a quick lead. Soderling’s strokes steadied, but Federer played a brilliant tiebreaker, hitting aces on all four serves.

“One of greatest tiebreakers in my career,” Federer said.

He broke again to start the third set and kept that lead the rest of the way, although it wasn’t as easy as he made it look.
Switzerland's Roger Federer poses with his trophy in the players dressing room after defeating Sweden's Robin Soderling in their men's singles final match and winning the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday June 7, 2009.
Switzerland's Roger Federe…
AP - Jun 7, 1:22 pm EDT

“It was very hard mentally for me to stay within the match during the match, because my mind was always wondering, `What if?”’ Federer said. “`What if I win this tournament? What does that mean? What will I possibly say?’

“I was very nervous at the beginning of the third set because I realized how close I was. The last game, obviously you can imagine how difficult that game was. It was almost unplayable for me.”

Still, Federer managed to hold in the final game. When he hit a service winner on championship point, he fell to his knees and was teary by the time he met Soderling at the net.

Debates about the greatest player ever usually include Laver, who swept the Grand Slams in 1962 and 1969. Sampras is another contender, even though he never reached the French Open final.

Soderling’s vote: Federer.

“I never played anyone playing that fast,” said Soderling, who is 0-10 against Federer. “He doesn’t have any weaknesses at all. He really deserves to be called the best player of all time.”

Source: Associated Press

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Obama Cairo Speech

President of Earth Barack Obama speaking his mind in Cairo, Egypt:

Oil price history 101



Full story from last year with active links: BBC NEWS | Business | Oil hits $100 barrel

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Is Howard The Next Great Endorser?


Now that Lebron has left the stage? Naturally. Waiting to see some new Dwight Howard commercials.

According to polls representing today's general population:
  • 10% know who Dwight Howard is
  • 36% know who Lebron James is
  • 63% know who Michael Jordan is
  • 84% know who Kobe Bryant is
Is Howard The Next Great Endorser? - Sports Biz with Darren Rovell - CNBC.com

Monday, June 1, 2009

Project Natal

Hours ago at the pre-E3 convention in Los Angeles, Microsoft presented it’s upcoming motion sensing system to compete with Wii Fit.

Microsoft's goal is to broaden the potential reach of Xbox360, betting that it can impress many of the millions of people who would never consider themselves gamers but who somehow ended up with a Nintendo Wii in their homes. Self-proclaimed gamers will be just as impressed.



Project Natal will work with XBox360 and eliminate the need for game controllers! It has full body motion control by tracking 3D movement. It also recognizes voices and lets you video-conference with other users. You can scan-in your own gear like a skate board. If the product works as smoothly as this video clip claims, Nintendo is going to have flashbacks of being dethroned and left eating video-game market dust.

Xbox Senior Vice President Don Mattrick said that Project Natal would be compatible with every Xbox 360, but didn't address how much it would cost or whether it would be backward compatible with older Xbox 360 games.

According to Brier Dudley at The Seattle Times, who's post went up soon before the press conference, the price will be around $200. The official price and release date are TBA