Wednesday, August 31, 2011
David Ferrer, 5-9, Makes Up for Height Disadvantage With Speed
At least three inches shorter than any other top player, fifth-seeded David Ferrer?s small stature has not kept him from success.
Stop the patent insanity -- now!
Earlier, I confidently declared that 2011 would be the year of the hacker. I seem to be dead-on accurate with that one. But what I missed completely was another scourge that is in some ways worse: 2011 is also the year of patent insanity.
UFC 134 a huge hit: Beach workouts, huge crowds, radio and Times Square viewing
The UFC made it a priority to return to Brazil. Well, the time is here and it looks like the first event since 1998 is paying off in big ways.
Yesterday's workout on Copacabana beach was insane. Anderson Silva got a rock star's greeting. By the looks of these photos from MMAjunkie, the crowd stuck around for most of the fighters who were working out.
There's also now talk of an August return in 2012 where an event may be held outside at a stadium. Initial reports place the mega-card in Manaus where the city's "sambodrome" at the Convention Center can hold upwards of 100,000.
Meanwhile, back here in the U.S. The UFC continues to take steps to creep into the mainstream. The promotion is going to show the preliminary fights on big screens in midtown Manhattan:
UFC 134's bouts will be screened for thousands in Times Square's Little Brazil ? reflective of the fight's base in Rio de Janeiro and the Brazilian birthplace of mixed martial arts. Spike TV's preliminary fights will broadcast on the digital sign above The Doubletree Hotel on the East side of Duffy Square's red steps, 47th Street & 7th Ave Saturday, August 27 from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m EST. Never before has UFC offered a viewing of this magnitude.
After celebrating in the streets of Times Square, fans and interested viewers are encouraged to finish watching the fight at neighboring bars in Little Brazil such as Bowlmor Times Square (W 44th between 7th and 8th Aves.).
Dana White also broke the news that UFC fights will be debuting on radio as well. In a conversation with the "Petros and Money Show" on FoxSportsRadio, it was confirmed the fight's broadcast will be simulcast in some form on the network (1:40 mark).
"We're going to put these fights live on the radio, which really hasn't been done since the old days before television when everyone would sit around and listen to the big fights from MSG. We're going to bring that back," said White.
White also spoke at length about the FOX deal and ruffling feathers a bit at ESPN.
Vanessa Minnillo Vanessa Simmons Veronica Kay Veronika Vaeková
D-backs tie team record with 11th home win in row
3 reasons the feds are avoiding cloud computing
A New York Times article does a great job defining the issues around cloud adoption within the U.S. government -- or, I should say, the glaring lack thereof. As the Times reports, "Such high praise for new Internet technologies may be common in Silicon Valley, but it is rare in the federal government."
What you really need to know about 4G LTE
As the hype around 4G cellular networks begins to really heat up -- AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, and even cheapo carrier Metro PCS are flogging its faster speed and greater bandwidth in their ads -- it's time to be clear on what 4G really does for you and if it's worth factoring into your smartphone and tablet plans. The short answer: not yet.
Milla Jovovich Minka Kelly Minki van der Westhuizen Miranda Kerr
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
2011 Season Kicks Off
Qatar in March is an oddity. A race in the cooler evening air, floodlit. If that’s not different enough for you, throw in a covering of sand which makes any excursion from the thin, black racing line an adventure in optimism or blind faith depending on the rider. So Qatar is not a good race [...]
Windows Phone 'Mango': Ripe or rotten?
As soon as September, we may see the first smartphones based on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7.5 "Mango" release, the OS update with what CEO Steve Ballmer says has more than 500 new features. The first version of Windows Phone 7 had a compelling UI but fell far short of the iPhone and even Android devices in many areas critical to business users. It was a flop in the market, but Microsoft asked everyone to give it a second chance. "Mango" is that second chance, and Microsoft sent the final "reboot" OS to smartphone makers a month ago.
Freshman QBs pitted vs. Hogs
Missouri State Coach Terry Allen had hoped to redshirt Kierra Harris after signing the quarterback who started for Texarkana the previous three seasons.
Lorenzo?s Gamble at Brno
From Randy Mamola’s column for Alpinestars: I talked to Lorenzo?s crew chief Ramon Forcada after the race about the choice to run the softer front tire and he said it was Jorge?s call after morning warm-up, as he did a good run of low 1:57?s on a tire that had 25 laps on it and [...]
Roundup: Victorino?s Homer in Eighth Lifts Phillies to Win Over Reds
Shane Victorino hit a tie-breaking, two-run homer in the eighth inning Monday night, leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 3-2 victory over the host Cincinnati Reds.
Shania Twain Shanna Moakler Shannon Elizabeth Shannyn Sossamon
A&M denies withdrawal letter was sent to Big 12
Texas A&M says it has not sent a letter of withdrawal to the Big 12 Conference.
Ducati Scrambler Concepts by Luca Bar & Lusca Custom
It’s been a while since we’ve seen a concept from the pen of Luca Bar, and in bringing us this design of a Ducati single-cylinder motorcycle, Luca also introduces us to Lusca Custom Designs, as the two designers collaborated on several designs that use half a Multistrada 1200 motor. With Luca penning the scrambler model and the motor configuration, and Lusca working the street tracker, we get at least an idea about the rumored small-displacement ...
Monday, August 29, 2011
VMware's buy of SpringSource has yet to pay off
When EMC VMware acquired SpringSource a little over two years ago, I worried that the hype surrounding the deal greatly overshadowed the real opportunities that SpringSource brought to VMware. I stand by that worry today. Although SpringSource technology now underpins VMware products like vFabric and Cloud Foundry, neither has helped move VMware's revenue needle in a noticeable fashion.
Yankees power past Orioles, earn split
Scarlett Chorvat Scarlett Johansson Selita Ebanks Shakara Ledard
2011 Indianapolis MotoGP Sunday Post-Race Press Release Round Up
Press releases from the MotoGP teams after the race at Indianapolis:
Year:
2011
UFC 134 picks, Vegas style: Okami is a huge underdog
The UFC stocked its Rio de Janeiro card with lots of Brazilian fighters, but according to the sports books and bettors that doesn't mean there's a ton of tight match ups at the top of card.
Yushin Okami is in the main event against Anderson Silva. He's got a 2006 win via disqualification over Silva, but he's still a massive underdog against the UFC middleweight champ.
This is also a big swing fight amongst sports books in Las Vegas and off-shore. Make sure you shop the odds. Some books have Silva as high as minus-625 and others have him at minus-450.
Okami is certainly intriguing as an underdog. The question is whether the Japanese grappling specialist can get the fight to the ground. Larry Pepe (ProMMARadio.com) and Damon Martin (MMAWeekly.com) on RawVegas.tv don't have a ton of confidence in the challenger.
UFC 134 betting odds (Courtesy Palazzo Sports Book Las Vegas):
Yushin Okami (+375) vs. Anderson Silva (-550) - UFC middleweight title
Forrest Griffin (+180) vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (-220) - Light heavyweight
Antonio "Rodrigo" Nogueira (+190) vs. Brendan Schaub (-240) - Heavyweight
Ross Pearson (+220) vs. Edson Barboza (-300) - Lightweight
Stanislav Nedkov (+170) vs. Luiz Cane (-200) - Light heavyweight
Spencer Fisher (+170) vs. Thiago Tavares (-200) - Lightweight
Dan Miller (+200) vs. Rousimar Palhares (-250) - Middleweight
David Mitchell (+300) vs. Paulo Thiago (-400) - Welterweight
Luis Ramos (+220) vs. Erick Silva (-300) - Welterweight
Yves Jabouin (+150) vs. Ian Loveland (-180) -Bantamweight
Felipe Arantes (+300) vs. Yuri Alcantara (-400) - Featherweight
Johnny Eduardo (+140)� vs. Raphael Assuncao (-170) - Featherweight
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Phoenix real-estate market a confusing environment
The housing market in metro Phoenix may never have been as confusing as it is today.
Pauly D -- PISSED Over Hollywood Walk Of Fame Ban
Pauly D has feelings too ... and dude tells us he was DEVASTATED when he learned that honchos at the Hollywood Walk of Fame have banned reality stars from receiving the honor.
The "Jersey Shore" star is in L.A. for the MTV VMAs -- but told us he's still thinking about his family on the East Coast ... who've had to board up their homes and evacuate because of Hurricane Irene.
Still, Pauly insists his hair is "Irene-proof!"
Stay Thirsty Wins Travers After Uncle Mo Loses King?s Bishop by a Nose
Mike Repole, who owns Stay Thirsty and Uncle Mo, was able to exhale after Stay Thirsty won the Travers to move to the top of the 3-year-old class.
Motomatters.com: Preziosi Not For Turning
From MotoMatters.com’s transcript of the Q&A session with Preziosi: We are exploring different solutions, though I don’t think material is the key point. But for sure, shapes, stiffness, distribution of the stiffness through the length are concepts that we want to explore in order to build up knowledge. The clearest indication yet that Ducati are [...]
Lincicome Wins Canadian Women's Open by 1 Stroke
Brittany Lincicome sank a par putt on the 18th hole in a driving rain Sunday to win the Canadian Women's Open by one stroke.
It takes a disaster to prove a techie right
To say the least, tech pros' expertise is not always compatible with managers' egos. The head honchos reject the reports, plans, budgets, recommendations, arguments -- and common sense. But sometimes, letting nature take its course can be the best way to make the point.
Thunder, dust storm warnings issued for Valley
The National Weather Service has issued a dust storm warning for southwest Maricopa County and the northern portion of Pinal County through 8 p.m.
Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones combines football, faith
Oklahoma QB Landry Jones and college football's No. 1-ranked team make a run at the Sooners' first national title since 2000.
Cabrera's 3-run HR lifts Indians past Royals 8-7
Litchfield bus driver cleared of wrongdoing after turning off AC
Parents complained she left about 50 kids without air-conditioning for nearly 10 minutes.
Jennifer Morrison Jennifer ODell Jennifer Scholle Jennifer Sky
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Bats: Extra Bases: Matsui's Milestone; Rating the Rookies
Jim Thome's 600th home run landed in the bullpen. Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit - a home run - found a fan who gave the ball right back. The Oakland Athletics' Hideki Matsui was not as lucky.
S.M.I.L.E.3E Presents "Let's Talk" - Aug 28,2011
Talking about real life issues with Evangelist Cecelia & Minister Brandon and Living St. Matt 6:33!!!
Let s Talk
| Minister Brandon | Evangelist Cecelia | SMILE3E | ST MATT 6 33
Let s Talk
| Minister Brandon | Evangelist Cecelia | SMILE3E | ST MATT 6 33 New jersey number, opportunity for Pryor
Terrelle Pryor has a new number and a new beginning in Oakland.
Chandra West Charisma Carpenter Charli Baltimore Charlies Angels
Facepalms of the week: ?Mayhem? and Bellator prospect arrested
It's been a while since Cagewriter has awarded the facepalm of the week award, but it's time to give it out for two fighters who were arrested recently.
The first one goes to Jason "Mayhem" Miller, the fighter who also hosts "Bully Beatdown" and will be featured as a coach on the upcoming season of "The Ultimate Fighter." TMZ reports that he was arrested in North Carolina for false imprisonment and simple assault after he reportedly put his sister in a headlock and wouldn't let her leave a party.
The second, heartbreaking facepalm goes out to Rasul Mirzaev, a Russian fighter who was expected to make his American debut in Bellator this fall. He was reportedly arrested and charged in the death of a student in Moscow. Mirzaev allegedly was in a verbal altercation with the student and threw a single punch, which knocked the student out. He died four days later, and Mirzaev faces up to 15 years in jail.
In both cases, fighters used their physical skills outside of the cage against people who weren't equipped to defend themselves. A facepalm isn't strong enough to show disgust in these cases.
Anna Kournikova Anna Paquin AnnaLynne McCord Anne Marie Kortright
Pat Curran talks about Bellator, gameplanning and that KO
CRYSTAL LAKE, Illinois -- Pat Curran, Bellator's new featherweight tournament winner, was back at Curran Martial Arts for the first time since knocking out Marlon Sandro on Saturday night. The gym built by his cousin Jeff was now Pat's home, too, and the several congratulations he received over the course of our interview showed just how happy Curran Martial Arts was to have Pat on the roster.
Now, Curran credits the preparation he did with Curran Martial Arts as the reason that he has won two straight Bellator tournaments. The difference for him in the featherweight tournament, in which he submitted Luis Palomino, and won by decision over Ronnie Mann before knocking out Sandro, was film study and game planning.
Curran knew Sandro's weaknesses before Saturday night, and envisioned a knockout win.
"When he gets in exchanges, he starts going really wild. His chin is up in the air. I saw myself connecting with an overhand right, and knocking him out that way, but I also saw the head kick, too. That's exactly what happened. As he was bobbing and weaving, his hands were down and he ducked right into my kick. I saw that in the footage, but I give credit to my corners, too, because they gave me good advice," Curran said.
He knew from the moment the kick landed that the fight was going to be over soon.
"I felt it right on my shin. He dropped, and I rushed over him in. I didn't want him getting back up, so that's why I rushed over with those quick little shots."
That gave Curran his second tournament win with Bellator. He won their lightweight tournament, only to drop a five-round decision to champion Eddie Alvarez. Curran says that losing to Alvarez helped him rattle off three straight wins after that.
"I lost the fight, but I walked away with a lot of knowledge. I saw that I needed to mix up my gameplan instead of focusing on just one goal. I mixed up my gameplan, started to throw more takedowns in, throwing more kicks, start showing off my ground skills."
"I didn't have much confidence going through the 155 tournament. Nobody thought I was going to win. I was a filler fight. I ended up winning the whole tournament. I went up against Eddie Alvarez, and he was still favored to win the whole thing. I trained my ass off for that fight, and it still was a confidence booster. I stood with one of the best lightweights in the world, one of the best strikers in the world, and he didn't knock me out, and I was able to land my shots as well. Now I'm dropping down to the weight class that I originally wanted to fight at, and I was a tournament favorite. I had a lot of momentum and a lot of confidence going into it."
Those wins have catapulted Curran into the top-10 among featherweights. MMA Weekly's latest rankings put him eighth in the world.
"It is really cool to see myself in the top-10 or top-5, but I look at all the fighters in the top 5 and I see myself beating them any day. I see myself belonging with the high quality guys."
But just who he'll fight next, and when that fight will happen is a question mark. Joe Warren is Bellator's featherweight champ, and winning the featherweight tournament means that Curran should have a shot at him. However, Patricio Freire won the last FW tourney, but hasn't been able to fight Warren yet because of an injury. Also, Warren is entered into Bellator's bantamweight tournament, so Curran will have to wait and see.
In the meantime, he has no problem taking time off as he has already fought four times in 2011.
"I'm looking forward to a little time off. I had the Alvarez fight, and then I went right into the featherweight tournament. I really didn't get much of a break. I want to take a little time off and improve on my skills, and do some grappling tournaments."
He'll also help his cousin Jeff and teammate Bart Palaszewski get ready for their bouts at UFC 137. Though he'll be in Las Vegas to support them in the UFC, Curran doesn't have any questions about which promotion is right for him.
"The UFC was always a goal, but Bellator has been so good to me/ I'm making good money, I love Bjorn (Rebney, the Bellator CEO). He's treating me really well. Everyone over there is treating me well, and I see myself staying with them as long as they're around. They're a great organization."
Thanks to Eric Coleman and Bellator for the photos.
Herman works submission magic over Noke at UFC on Versus 5
MILWAUKEE -- Ed Herman has put together a fantastic summer, first TKOing Tim Credeur at the Ultimate Fighter finale in less than a minute in June, then submitting Kyle Noke in the first round at UFC on Versus 5 on Sunday.
Noke tried for an early takedown, and after being spun around by Herman, he took top position. Herman took advantage of that position and worked an armbar, but Noke's flexibility showed as he worked out of the tight lock. But Herman was not slowed, as he worked in an inverted heel hook that caused Noke to tap at 4:15 in the first round.
The sharks are circling HP -- can anyone save it?
The sharks are circling Hewlett-Packard. Last week's stunning twin announcements that it is giving up on WebOS devices and may spin off its PC unit have left buckets of blood in the water. If something radical doesn't happen soon, a one-time gem of Silicon Valley could wind up in someone's belly. Thousands of employees, not to mention shareholders, will be the victims. Customers -- I'm talking to you, readers -- likely won't fare well either.
Ducati Scrambler Concepts by Luca Bar & Lusca Custom
It’s been a while since we’ve seen a concept from the pen of Luca Bar, and in bringing us this design of a Ducati single-cylinder motorcycle, Luca also introduces us to Lusca Custom Designs, as the two designers collaborated on several designs that use half a Multistrada 1200 motor. With Luca penning the scrambler model and the motor configuration, and Lusca working the street tracker, we get at least an idea about the rumored small-displacement ...
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