中國沃爾碼

^(Chinese Walmart)^


Do you think Walmart (USA) is going to take over the world? It's not doing to well in other nations. link

After reading this article, think about the term "penitential narcissism." It is the attitude I observe from the world-traveling Americans that fear Americanization.

Would you shop at a Chinese Walmart? Could you be forced to shop there? It's too soon for me to give it a name, but it's globalization and invasion of North America is certainly impending. The economic potential is just to great for us not expect it.

A BCS Problem?

In the BCS system of college football an incentive is given to score as many points in 4 quarters as possible. People complain about this. They believe that in the old system, the object was to win the game by a comfortable margin (unless maybe you were playing an "evil" rival, in which case you were justified in obliterating them to your satisfaction). I did some reading, and I think that in the old system the teams also needed to win by a huge scoring margin. It made a difference in the pre-BCS days ('94):

Helen Wasiakowski of Sweet Valley, Pa., notes, "If only good sportsmanship were a factor in determining the BCS standings." Sadly, it's the other way around -- college polls penalize sportsmanship. Christopher D'Lauro of Boulder, Colo., notes that going into the final regular-season game of the 1994 season, Penn State was ranked No.1. In that final game, the Nittany Lions held a three-touchdown lead over Indiana in the fourth quarter; Paterno brought in his subs to make sure everyone got on the field during the season. (There are many on Division I teams who never actually play, and Joe Pa was concerned about his players in this category.) The result of clearing the bench was that Penn State won "only" 35-29. Pollsters sneered at the final score and elevated Nebraska to No. 1. Penn State went on to win the Rose Bowl, but Nebraska got the national championship because Paterno made the colossal blunder of being a good sport.

link

The BCS has other incentives for teams also: rewarding defensive achievement, rewarding stronger schedules, etc. It's not perfect, of course. I live in the Mountain West Conference. I believe the feeling is one of BCS-exlusion, although I can see how it's a bit reasonable.

In any case, running up the score is an issue beyond the BCS.

Did You Ever Dance with a Crocodile in the Pale Moonlight?

The news reports of the death of CROCODILE Hunter, Steve Irwin is spreading like wildfire.

How did he die? How did he cheat death for so long? Many questions would race into the minds of his fans and critics. It's no surprise that news of his death would move quickly. Let's be honest; we're curious to hear if it would be darwin award worthy.

Irwin death link1
Darwin Award link 2

A stingray apparently pierced his chest with its poison-tipped tail during the filming of his diving expedition. How sad, bizarre, amusing... a mixture of emotions.

We can all take comfort in the thought that Steve is in a better place. No doubt he is tramping recklessly through the big swamps in the sky. Meanwhile, we must find a way to move on with our lives.

precious

If your dogs or cats are in your house when it is on fire, then there can be great danger for your pets' lungs. In the past the pets just had to try and survive on their own: paramedics didn't offer health care to pets. Those days are done.
We now have a way to help pets that are suffering, or might be suffering from smoke inhalation:
link

Armadillo Run

I found this game. I think it was creative and fun.

"It's a game that's precisely as ambitious as it needs to be. No plot. No anti-aliasing. No in-store cardboard standee. Just you, a physics engine and an armadillo."
--PC Gamer UK

link to a review