Journal
- Randy Pausch died today of pancreatic cancer [∞]
An inspiration. I aspire to live life as optimistically as he did.
- Reporting from Camp Barwis [∞]
Hobson says of the new Wolverine staff, adding that Ann Arbor could have a Miami-like appeal amongst NFL players hoping to get in better shape during the off-season. “Word is going to get around, and that can only help the program when young recruits see a Braylon Edwards coming back here to train.
- The origin of Michigan’s winged helmet [∞]
The current Princeton helmet is patterned after the design which originated at Princeton but is most often associated with its 60-plus year run at Michigan. Princeton Coach “Fritz” Crisler is credited with designing the “winged” helmet in 1935 with the intention of helping his quarterbacks detect their receivers downfield; most teams’ helmets were bland and indistinguishable at that time, and Crisler’s design was one of the first to bear some distinction. The triangular shapes are said to represent the folded-back ears of a tiger, while the three stripes imitate those on the animal’s body. Although these features are purely ornamental on modern helmets, they coincided with physical features of the helmet during the 1930s. Crisler took the design with him to Michigan in 1938, and, as I understand it, Princeton ceased to use it at that same time.
- Unrepentant on Facebook? Expect jail time [∞]
The judicial system at its finest.
- Keys to the City Philly [∞]
Great mix from Diplo [Mad Decent] and ?uestlove of the Roots.
- WordPress for iPhone [∞]
The free, open source application will be available on iTunes shortly.
- Howland agrees to 7-year deal [∞]
The deal, which adds one year onto the agreement he signed last October, runs through the 2014-15 season and includes a guaranteed $1.97 million for next season, rising to $2.3 million in the final year of the contract. The incentive package from his previous agreement, a maximum of $235,000, is retained in the new contract.
[...]
“I have said this before, but there is no place I would rather be coaching than UCLA,” Howland said. “I grew up a Bruin basketball fan and this is my dream job.”
- EndNote X1 now supported in Word 2008 [∞]
I can finally remove Office 2004 from my PowerBook.
- The Verve unveil reunion album details [∞]
Fourth? They should have titled it Portishead Knock Off.
- The cost of the $199 iPhone: $10 more per month for data [∞]
[...] consumers will now pay $30 a month for unlimited data service from AT&T, compared to $20 under the plan introduced last year. So even though the phone will now cost $200, consumers will be out more cash at the end of a two-year contract compared to the previous deal.
Of course, that includes faster 3G data service, so the price increase may be worth it. But we should call it an iPhone price increase, not a cut.
I’ll hold on to my iPod touch and cheap cell phone, thanks.
- Nobska Lighthouse [∞]
Lovely photo of the famous Woods Hole lighthouse. I will be visiting the area in August.
- New hints that red wine may slow aging [∞]
Good news regarding resveratrol:
Separately from Sirtris’s investigations, a research team led by Tomas A. Prolla and Richard Weindruch, of the University of Wisconsin, reports in the journal PLoS One on Wednesday that resveratrol may be effective in mice and people in much lower doses than previously thought necessary. In earlier studies, like Dr. Auwerx’s of mice on treadmills, the animals were fed such large amounts of resveratrol that to gain equivalent dosages people would have to drink more than 100 bottles of red wine a day.
Potential complications with the current model:
The Wisconsin report underlined another unresolved link in the theory, that of whether resveratrol actually works by activating sirtuins. The issue is clouded because resveratrol is a powerful drug that has many different effects in the cell. The Wisconsin researchers report that they saw no change in the mouse equivalent of sirtuin during caloric restriction, a finding that if true could undercut Sirtris’s strategy of looking for drugs that activate sirtuin.
Dr. Guarente, a scientific adviser to Sirtris, said the Wisconsin team only measured the amount of sirtuin present in mouse tissues, and not the more important factor of whether it had been activated.
- All Radiohead albums now available on iTunes [∞]
Additionally, all of Radiohead’s music videos are available. Hopefully, their singles and EPs will be posted in the near future. EMI has made all tracks available for individual purchase. I remember the band saying a few years ago that they were holding off on iTunes because they prefer their customers to purchase their work in the album format. Radiohead has since moved on to distributing straight from W.A.S.T.E. and ATO Records/XL Recordings.
- Borders cuts 156 jobs at Ann Arbor headquarters [∞]
Borders Group Inc. eliminated 20 percent of its corporate workforce this week, including 156 jobs at its Ann Arbor headquarters.
Local employees were told this morning, the company said in a statement. The affected jobs involve positions across virtually all corporate departments in Ann Arbor but do not affect workers at the company’s Borders Books & Music or Waldenbooks stores.
One of my friends works for Borders corporate and I hope she still has a job by the end of the week.
- Life on Mars [∞]
BARMY Keith Sorrell is living proof that man can live on Mars – he’s eaten nothing but the choc bars for 17 years.
Keith, 37, munches a dozen a day for his breakfast, lunch and dinner.
He gets through more than 4,000 a year – even having Mars Bar drinks mixed with vodka or rum when he goes to the pub.
- In third overtime, Penguins stay alive [∞]
DETROIT — With the Stanley Cup only 34.3 seconds from being presented to the Detroit Red Wings, the Penguins staved off elimination with a stunning goal by forward Maxime Talbot and won the game, 4-3, in triple overtime on a goal by Petr Sykora at 12:47 Tuesday morning at Joe Louis Arena.
This was one of the craziest hockey games I have ever watched. I couldn’t believe the Red Wings gave up the game-tying goal at the end of the third. I can’t remember ever watching a game where the empty net strategy worked. And to top it off, Detroit outshot the Penguins in overtime just like in the third period but still lost the game. Game six should be a bloodbath.
- Researchers puzzled by Swedish chlamydia mystery [∞]
Two years ago, the diagnosed rate of chlamydia in Sweden plummeted 25 percent.
That, in and of itself, was puzzling as there had been no public health interventions or sudden changes in the sexual mores of the Swedish populace.
Researchers soon identified a new strain of the bacteria, which was missing the key snippet of DNA that diagnostic tests from Roche and Abbott used to detect Chlamydia trachomatis.
- Mourinho confirmed as new manager of Inter Milan [∞]
Inter Milan have confirmed the appointment of former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho as Roberto Mancini’s successor.
Mourinho, who was sacked by Chelsea in September, has been out of the game since then, biding his time until finding a suitable role to take.
The Serie A champions finally parted company with Mancini last week after months of speculation and the Portuguese boss, a Champions League winner with Porto in 2004, has signed a three-year deal at the San Siro.
Mourinho will be unveiled tomorrow at a press conference at 11.30am local time.
I bet Mourinho’s first act as manager is to acquire Didier Drogba from Chelsea.
- Ford sells off Land Rover and Jaguar [∞]
DETROIT (AP) - Ford Motor Co. officially unloaded its storied Jaguar and Land Rover businesses on Monday - netting the cash-strapped automaker a $1.7 billion boost that’s a mere third of what it paid for the two luxury brands.
India’s Tata Motors Ltd. said it had completed the purchase of the brands in a deal first announced March 26.
- Vinyl returns in the age of MP3 [∞]
In 2007, according to Nielsen SoundScan, nearly 1 million LPs were bought, up from 858,000 in 2006. Based on to-date sales for 2008, that figure could jump to 1.6 million by year’s end. (According to the Recording Industry Association of America, CD shipments dropped 17.5 percent during the same 2006-07 period.) Sales of turntables — which tumbled from 1.8 million in 1989 to a paltry 275,000 in 2006, according to the Consumer Electronics Association — rebounded sharply last year, when nearly half a million were sold.