12.20.2010

Played

Went last night at 10 to provide some cover for that indoor soccer team I sometimes associate with. My play was "meh." I got a goal (which was nice) and an assist (which was merely OK) and broke up a lot of plays coming towards our goal, mostly settling and putting the ball to an outlet on our team. Towards the end of the game, though, my concentration was a bit lax and I had a couple of errors that caused goals :( Boo.

Still, I didn't get hurt (though may revise that opinion later, if minor aches become major ones), and had some fun.

12.16.2010

Italian Soccer

Soren has apparently seen too much; he keeps kicking the ball and then laying down upon the floor.

12.13.2010

Progress

What is the root of improvement in mankind's lot?

12.10.2010

Hostage-taking for Fun and Profit

But we've proved it again and again, That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld You never get rid of the Dane.

12.08.2010

Soccer Wave Home Game Dimensions

Dad asked me for the dimensions when I was there. Here you go. At 1 inch intervals from the ground (I'll give the vertical height as the X and the distance from the very back to the surface of the ramp as the Y in an (X,Y) format).

  • (0,36)
  • (1,25)
  • (2,20 1/4)
  • (3, 15 3/4)
  • (4, 12)
  • (5, 10)
  • (6, 8 1/4)
  • (7, 7 3/16)
  • (8, 6 3/8)
  • (9, 5 3/4)
  • (10, 5 1/4)
  • (11, 5)
  • (12, 4 7/8)
  • (13, 4 3/4)
  • (14, 4 7/8)
  • (15, 5)
  • (16, 5 1/4)
  • (17, 5 1/2)
  • (18, 6)
  • (19, 6 7/16)
  • (20, 7)
  • (21, 7 9/16)
  • (22, 8 1/4)
  • (23, 9)
  • (24, 9)
The thing to remember, though, is that this is a bit rough, and you'll want to experiment a little. The top half of the return curve may lean just a tiny bit too far forward. Only a bit, though.

What to do About FIFA?

Their bizarre and Machiavellian choice to have Qatar host the 2022 World Cup Final is like a poisoned dirk lodged in my breast. I have nothing against the Qatari (is that right?) people, but apparently FIFA's ExCom do: the "government" of Qatar is apparently on the hook for tens and tens of Billions of dollars worth of extravagant construction--luxury items like giant stadia (which will somehow be climate-controlled and Carbon-neutral and disassembled after the WCF and shipped to a variety of deserving nations) as well as infrastructure (airports, rail, and roads) that will be dramatically out sized to their population (and therefore subject to decay immediately) and hospitality amenities that will go unused after the WCF--for which they will have just evanescent use, at tremendous opportunity cost!

I am hopeful that a short while in advance it will become apparent that this millstone is too heavy for Qatar, and FIFA will discreetly approach one of the few countries able to host a WCF on short/no notice (the US, UK, a few countries in Western Europe--maybeAustralia) and either be rebuffed, or have their disgusting manipulations turned back on them.

Imagine the US saying "Absolutely! We're all in!" and then threatening FIFA with canceling the tournament 26 days out unless FIFA charters/incorporates in the US. Then we introduce the fabulous ExCom to our little friends: RICO statutes.

12.07.2010

Chilly

I've been running home from the train station again. Since it has been colder out, it has been pretty uncomfortable. Generating my own (very modest) windchill in addition (sometimes) to whatever there is already tends to make the nose and all other exposed skin surfaces very very cold.

12.01.2010

Like Falling off a Table

The temperature when I left for work (around 8:00am today, due to a brain fart involving muting my alarm clock last night) was over 60 degrees Fahrenheit. By 3:00pm it had dropped around 16 degrees! In any event, it was brisk running home tonight.