Warning: If you are afraid of heights, you may not be able to watch the video.
And today, it’s all about the video.
Hats off (little cone party hats) to birthday boy Rick Cooper, who sent this from Hawaii, where I doubt you’ll find him taking part. This little clip was shot in Norway.
Check out this amazing video of someone literally jumping off a cliff—and coming as close to flying as humanly possible (or as Buzz Lightyear would say “Falling—with style!”)
It truly is controlled falling, but with cameras mounted everywhere, you’ll feel the ride with the sensation that you are about to wet your pants.
For this alone, I am grateful.
Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER1PGYe9UZA
Wow.
Makes my life seem boring.
And I am fine with that.
If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@cumulus.com
Monday, January 30, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Tim Thomas: You Let One Through, Dude
To be a top goalie in the NHL, you have to be quick----and fearless. Pucks are flying at you rapid-fire and even with a mask and pads, a hard rubber disc hitting ANY part of your body has got to smart.
For the Bruins’ Tim Thomas, his refusal to join his team at the White House yesterday may have been fearless, but it wasn’t smart.
Here’s a quick overview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkeTAKxsCyk
By now, virtually everyone has heard of Thomas, his snubbing of the Presidential ceremony that recognized the World Champion Boston Bruins—and his “reasons” for doing so. Unfortunately, they ring hollow, revealing a self-centered, pampered athlete who has the mistaken notion that anyone cares about his views re: the government.
Talk hockey, Tim and we’ll listen. Expound on matters outside your expertise and we’ll collectively yawn.
Let me see if I got this right: Thomas declined to appear with his team because he is upset with the U.S. Government. The politicians are cheating us, the system is corrupt and the problem is independent of party or individual. In short, it didn’t matter if a Democrat or a Republican was the Chief Executive. He was not going to take part in any ceremony held by a representative of a government he holds in contempt.
He had the right to say what he said.
He had the right to avoid the ceremony.
His assessment of the situation may also be dead-on.
Unfortunately, none of that matters.
In choosing to grandstand and draw attention to himself, he cheated his teammates out of the full measure of attention and honor they earned with their Stanley Cup win.
Selfish and rude, that’s what it was.
If the problems of our government are to be solved, you can be certain that the method to do so will involve committed individuals who will work WITHIN the system. It will not be changed by those who choose to hurl verbal bombs without even the suggestion of a solution.
In the NHL, there are plenty of players who hail from Russia and other formerly (or currently) communist countries. Maybe Tim Thomas should seek these individuals out and ask them about THEIR country—and its government. This country—and its government—“awful” as it is, has treated Mr. Thomas pretty well.
In a culture where athletes are glorified—and showered with untold riches, fame and recognition, Tim Thomas has been the beneficiary of these uniquely American opportunities. The working middle class gains entertainment from sports (at no small cost, I might add)—and they collectively finance the extravagant lifestyles of these prima donnas, elevating their status and influence far beyond what would be reasonable to expect.
Scientists, teachers and social workers often toil in obscurity, barely making ends meet.
Athletes and entertainment stars are obscenely compensated—and worse, their opinions are often sought out on moral, social and political issues for which they have no expertise whatsoever.
Just to be clear: Tim Thomas’ sole job responsibility is to keep a puck from getting past him and into the goal. Without a doubt, he may be the very best in the business at this task. It’s worth a Stanley Cup—and an MVP trophy.
What it DOESN’T qualify him for (in my opinion) is the right to ruin the experience of his teammates at the White House. He knew that his “statement” would be a distraction, that it would create controversy and that it would draw attention away from the TEAM and instead, direct it to HIMSELF.
Bad form, crappy timing and exceedingly bad manners.
I’m still a Bruins fan, but no longer a Tim Thomas fan.
You let a big one through, dude.
If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@cumulus.com
For the Bruins’ Tim Thomas, his refusal to join his team at the White House yesterday may have been fearless, but it wasn’t smart.
Here’s a quick overview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkeTAKxsCyk
By now, virtually everyone has heard of Thomas, his snubbing of the Presidential ceremony that recognized the World Champion Boston Bruins—and his “reasons” for doing so. Unfortunately, they ring hollow, revealing a self-centered, pampered athlete who has the mistaken notion that anyone cares about his views re: the government.
Talk hockey, Tim and we’ll listen. Expound on matters outside your expertise and we’ll collectively yawn.
Let me see if I got this right: Thomas declined to appear with his team because he is upset with the U.S. Government. The politicians are cheating us, the system is corrupt and the problem is independent of party or individual. In short, it didn’t matter if a Democrat or a Republican was the Chief Executive. He was not going to take part in any ceremony held by a representative of a government he holds in contempt.
He had the right to say what he said.
He had the right to avoid the ceremony.
His assessment of the situation may also be dead-on.
Unfortunately, none of that matters.
In choosing to grandstand and draw attention to himself, he cheated his teammates out of the full measure of attention and honor they earned with their Stanley Cup win.
Selfish and rude, that’s what it was.
If the problems of our government are to be solved, you can be certain that the method to do so will involve committed individuals who will work WITHIN the system. It will not be changed by those who choose to hurl verbal bombs without even the suggestion of a solution.
In the NHL, there are plenty of players who hail from Russia and other formerly (or currently) communist countries. Maybe Tim Thomas should seek these individuals out and ask them about THEIR country—and its government. This country—and its government—“awful” as it is, has treated Mr. Thomas pretty well.
In a culture where athletes are glorified—and showered with untold riches, fame and recognition, Tim Thomas has been the beneficiary of these uniquely American opportunities. The working middle class gains entertainment from sports (at no small cost, I might add)—and they collectively finance the extravagant lifestyles of these prima donnas, elevating their status and influence far beyond what would be reasonable to expect.
Scientists, teachers and social workers often toil in obscurity, barely making ends meet.
Athletes and entertainment stars are obscenely compensated—and worse, their opinions are often sought out on moral, social and political issues for which they have no expertise whatsoever.
Just to be clear: Tim Thomas’ sole job responsibility is to keep a puck from getting past him and into the goal. Without a doubt, he may be the very best in the business at this task. It’s worth a Stanley Cup—and an MVP trophy.
What it DOESN’T qualify him for (in my opinion) is the right to ruin the experience of his teammates at the White House. He knew that his “statement” would be a distraction, that it would create controversy and that it would draw attention away from the TEAM and instead, direct it to HIMSELF.
Bad form, crappy timing and exceedingly bad manners.
I’m still a Bruins fan, but no longer a Tim Thomas fan.
You let a big one through, dude.
If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@cumulus.com
Monday, January 23, 2012
Frisbee: Cash Cow for Wham-O!
Was there ever an invention that required less actual thinking than the Frisbee?
Don’t get me wrong. I love the flying disc and am merely jealous that I wasn’t the one to cash in.
The Frisbee is 55 today—as this was the day in 1957 that new toy company Wham-O started turning out the plastic flying saucers. America has been buying them and losing them in lakes and trees ever since.
A little background is in order. William Frisbie opened a bakery in Bridgeport, Connecticut back in the 1870’s—fast-forward to the forties and it appears that nearby university students were flinging his pie plates around, screaming “Frisbie!” as they did!
Walter Frederick Morrison and his partner then created a plastic version and sold it to Wham-O as the “Pluto Platter”, trying to cash in on the public’s craze with outer space and UFO’s.
Wham-O renamed the disc “Frisbee” in honor of the pie company (even though they misspelled the name) The company that gave us the Hula Hoop and the Super Ball now had another hit on their hands.
Check out this old TV ad for Frisbee:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3rXoJdu_Ek
That’s hilarious—and the profits were ridiculous. Over 100 million of the discs were sold by 1977—and in the process, a new sport was born.
Variations of Frisbee competition, from Frisbee Golf to Ultimate Frisbee have proven that the appeal is still very much alive.
Although up to sixty manufacturers produce a flying disc, the official “Frisbee” brand is owned by Mattel, which bought the toy from Wham-O in 1994.
Something so simple---yet so much fun. And so darn lucrative, too!
If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@cumulus.com
Don’t get me wrong. I love the flying disc and am merely jealous that I wasn’t the one to cash in.
The Frisbee is 55 today—as this was the day in 1957 that new toy company Wham-O started turning out the plastic flying saucers. America has been buying them and losing them in lakes and trees ever since.
A little background is in order. William Frisbie opened a bakery in Bridgeport, Connecticut back in the 1870’s—fast-forward to the forties and it appears that nearby university students were flinging his pie plates around, screaming “Frisbie!” as they did!
Walter Frederick Morrison and his partner then created a plastic version and sold it to Wham-O as the “Pluto Platter”, trying to cash in on the public’s craze with outer space and UFO’s.
Wham-O renamed the disc “Frisbee” in honor of the pie company (even though they misspelled the name) The company that gave us the Hula Hoop and the Super Ball now had another hit on their hands.
Check out this old TV ad for Frisbee:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3rXoJdu_Ek
That’s hilarious—and the profits were ridiculous. Over 100 million of the discs were sold by 1977—and in the process, a new sport was born.
Variations of Frisbee competition, from Frisbee Golf to Ultimate Frisbee have proven that the appeal is still very much alive.
Although up to sixty manufacturers produce a flying disc, the official “Frisbee” brand is owned by Mattel, which bought the toy from Wham-O in 1994.
Something so simple---yet so much fun. And so darn lucrative, too!
If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@cumulus.com
Friday, January 20, 2012
Etta James: Rest In Peace
Legendary jazz and R&B singer Etta James passed away today—just a few days shy of what would have been her 74th birthday.
A pioneer for both her race and gender, she was—and continues to be an influence on singers to this day. Current star Adele has credited James with being hugely influential to her style.
In fact, that style crossed the boundaries of several genres, from blues to rock. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame and the Grammy Hall of Fame (she won six)
The illegitimate daughter of a fourteen year old mother, Etta James had a tough life. From a broken home to substance addiction, James managed to rise to stardom even though her own life was anything but storybook.
Of all the songs she sang, there is none more identified with her than the hit “At Last”.
Here it is—the original, followed by a terrific rendition sung by Beyonce at a Fashion Rocks event in which Ms Etta James is sitting in the front row.
Goosebumps.
Enjoy both:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1uunRdQ61M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwp&NR=1&v=Vx_AhWeFcOU
Etta James---listed at #22 on Rolling Stones list of the 100 Greatest Singers of all time, she was a true original.
Rest in peace!
If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@cumulus.com
A pioneer for both her race and gender, she was—and continues to be an influence on singers to this day. Current star Adele has credited James with being hugely influential to her style.
In fact, that style crossed the boundaries of several genres, from blues to rock. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame and the Grammy Hall of Fame (she won six)
The illegitimate daughter of a fourteen year old mother, Etta James had a tough life. From a broken home to substance addiction, James managed to rise to stardom even though her own life was anything but storybook.
Of all the songs she sang, there is none more identified with her than the hit “At Last”.
Here it is—the original, followed by a terrific rendition sung by Beyonce at a Fashion Rocks event in which Ms Etta James is sitting in the front row.
Goosebumps.
Enjoy both:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1uunRdQ61M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwp&NR=1&v=Vx_AhWeFcOU
Etta James---listed at #22 on Rolling Stones list of the 100 Greatest Singers of all time, she was a true original.
Rest in peace!
If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@cumulus.com
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
SOPA: Over The Top
You can’t go to Wikipedia today. It’s not up.
Google?
It’s there, but there is a black “censor” banner across the logo today.
It’s all in protest of the legislation now pending in Congress that would affect virtually everything we do in our internet-focused, facebook-centered technological world.
SOPA—or the Stop Online Piracy Act—is meant to protect copyrighted material from being infringed upon—a reasonable outcome one would think.
Unfortunately, there are far-reaching unintended consequences. Check out this video, which explains the issue from the perspective of those who oppose the legislation:
http://www.ted.com/talks/defend_our_freedom_to_share_or_why_sopa_is_a_bad_idea.html
So, who’s for SOPA—and it’s related bill? It’s the content providers, the big media companies. While I’m not sure that they are somehow missing out, they've spent millions to lobby that they have in fact, been victims.
True, copying and sharing may cost the originator revenue in the short term, but who’s to say that legitimate SALES haven’t been positively affected by exposure that occurred via (illegal?) sharing? Those doing the sharing in most cases are not “selling” the content—and thus are not making a profit, but huge sites like YouTube and Google are making it hand over fist.
Of course, the distinction here is that these massive sites are merely aggregators—this simple function justifies the traffic—and the dollars earned from it.
A cassette copy of analog audio or a Xeroxed book is inferior in quality - and that fact alone mitigated the rush to create pirating legislation. However, in the digital age, there is no loss of quality from the first to the millionth copy.
Hence, there is a school of thought that says this boldly:
“Anything that can be copied infinitely-indistinguishable from the original---is inherently worthless”.
Think about it.
If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@cumulus.com
Google?
It’s there, but there is a black “censor” banner across the logo today.
It’s all in protest of the legislation now pending in Congress that would affect virtually everything we do in our internet-focused, facebook-centered technological world.
SOPA—or the Stop Online Piracy Act—is meant to protect copyrighted material from being infringed upon—a reasonable outcome one would think.
Unfortunately, there are far-reaching unintended consequences. Check out this video, which explains the issue from the perspective of those who oppose the legislation:
http://www.ted.com/talks/defend_our_freedom_to_share_or_why_sopa_is_a_bad_idea.html
So, who’s for SOPA—and it’s related bill? It’s the content providers, the big media companies. While I’m not sure that they are somehow missing out, they've spent millions to lobby that they have in fact, been victims.
True, copying and sharing may cost the originator revenue in the short term, but who’s to say that legitimate SALES haven’t been positively affected by exposure that occurred via (illegal?) sharing? Those doing the sharing in most cases are not “selling” the content—and thus are not making a profit, but huge sites like YouTube and Google are making it hand over fist.
Of course, the distinction here is that these massive sites are merely aggregators—this simple function justifies the traffic—and the dollars earned from it.
A cassette copy of analog audio or a Xeroxed book is inferior in quality - and that fact alone mitigated the rush to create pirating legislation. However, in the digital age, there is no loss of quality from the first to the millionth copy.
Hence, there is a school of thought that says this boldly:
“Anything that can be copied infinitely-indistinguishable from the original---is inherently worthless”.
Think about it.
If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@cumulus.com
Monday, January 16, 2012
The Three Stooges: Not For Women
Girls just don’t get it.
In my fifty-plus years of roaming the earth, I have yet to find a female fan of the Three Stooges.
Conceived perhaps just for children, I know that men and boys are all the same when the Stooges are on TV. We giggle and laugh out loud.
Most guys do a decent imitation of Curly –and all of us believe Shemp was an interloper.
Of course, the Three Stooges are everything that women hate in us men:
Rude.
Obnoxious.
Violent.
Stupid.
Juvenile.
That about sums it up. When many of these mini-masterpieces were produced, the United States was in the midst of the Great Depression—and we needed a laugh or two. That’s not necessarily a bad idea in 2012, although I will say that exposing very young children to this incessant slapping and physical violence is probably not a good idea.
For kids ten and up, though, it’s far less violent than the movies or video games they’re exposed to—and a tad better than your average hockey game.
Thanks to Q97.9 Music and Promotion Director Mike Adams, who supplied me with this subject as he forwarded a YouTube video of “The Curly Shuffle”, that horrible sendoff from the 80’s that gloried Larry, Moe and Curly! Here is that immortal song—spiced up with some great Stooges scenes—and a bonus clip of some truly memorable moments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBiHysKnvGs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FRsBa4KRkc&feature=related
OK, guys! How was that? Ladies, I already know what you’re thinking—and you are right.
We are idiots.
If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@cumulus.com
In my fifty-plus years of roaming the earth, I have yet to find a female fan of the Three Stooges.
Conceived perhaps just for children, I know that men and boys are all the same when the Stooges are on TV. We giggle and laugh out loud.
Most guys do a decent imitation of Curly –and all of us believe Shemp was an interloper.
Of course, the Three Stooges are everything that women hate in us men:
Rude.
Obnoxious.
Violent.
Stupid.
Juvenile.
That about sums it up. When many of these mini-masterpieces were produced, the United States was in the midst of the Great Depression—and we needed a laugh or two. That’s not necessarily a bad idea in 2012, although I will say that exposing very young children to this incessant slapping and physical violence is probably not a good idea.
For kids ten and up, though, it’s far less violent than the movies or video games they’re exposed to—and a tad better than your average hockey game.
Thanks to Q97.9 Music and Promotion Director Mike Adams, who supplied me with this subject as he forwarded a YouTube video of “The Curly Shuffle”, that horrible sendoff from the 80’s that gloried Larry, Moe and Curly! Here is that immortal song—spiced up with some great Stooges scenes—and a bonus clip of some truly memorable moments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBiHysKnvGs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FRsBa4KRkc&feature=related
OK, guys! How was that? Ladies, I already know what you’re thinking—and you are right.
We are idiots.
If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@cumulus.com
Monday, January 9, 2012
Presidential Bloopers!
On the eve of the Republican Presidential primary in New Hampshire, I though I’d share this funny video montage.
This young political season has already had its share of gaffes, bloopers and blunders—and we’re just getting warmed up! Lest we forget that the stupid comment or physical mishap is confined to this year, I give you a compilation of some pretty good ones from yesteryear.
Now, to be fair, it has to be tough to live your life in the public spotlight. Especially now, with cell phone videos and YouTube, there isn’t a waking moment that couldn’t end up on the evening news.
All of us trip, all of us misspeak and embarrass ourselves. If you’re a politician today, it’s just part of the process. We all wonder why candidates are so “stiff” and robotic. It may be fear of doing any of the following that causes such behavior----enjoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9L2rq3woXs&feature=related
You can load up the next 3 segments if you like---I’ve had enough tripping and slipping!
As Rick Perry would say: “oops!”
Don’t let that be you if you’re a New Hampshire Republican! Make sure to vote tomorrow!
If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@cumulus.com
This young political season has already had its share of gaffes, bloopers and blunders—and we’re just getting warmed up! Lest we forget that the stupid comment or physical mishap is confined to this year, I give you a compilation of some pretty good ones from yesteryear.
Now, to be fair, it has to be tough to live your life in the public spotlight. Especially now, with cell phone videos and YouTube, there isn’t a waking moment that couldn’t end up on the evening news.
All of us trip, all of us misspeak and embarrass ourselves. If you’re a politician today, it’s just part of the process. We all wonder why candidates are so “stiff” and robotic. It may be fear of doing any of the following that causes such behavior----enjoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9L2rq3woXs&feature=related
You can load up the next 3 segments if you like---I’ve had enough tripping and slipping!
As Rick Perry would say: “oops!”
Don’t let that be you if you’re a New Hampshire Republican! Make sure to vote tomorrow!
If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@cumulus.com
Thursday, January 5, 2012
HAPPY New Year!
Ah, the first blog of 2012!
I’ve been so darn busy of late that I have chickened out of the daily blog—and hope that I can ramp it up soon.
In the meantime, I may cheat a bit and really let the videos take over when I get something worth sharing. Thanks to Roberta Solomon for sending this one to me!
OK—the economy still stinks, prices may be headed north and Europe could be headed south. I’m sick of the bad news, so watch this—and smile:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXvJ8UquYoo
Hope that brightened your day!
If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@cumulus.com
I’ve been so darn busy of late that I have chickened out of the daily blog—and hope that I can ramp it up soon.
In the meantime, I may cheat a bit and really let the videos take over when I get something worth sharing. Thanks to Roberta Solomon for sending this one to me!
OK—the economy still stinks, prices may be headed north and Europe could be headed south. I’m sick of the bad news, so watch this—and smile:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXvJ8UquYoo
Hope that brightened your day!
If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@cumulus.com
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