Random Thoughts From This Week (6-12 Feb)

World Events

• Iran - What Iran is doing is seriously getting scary. Whether they have enriched uranium to weapons grade is not the point. The point is what the Israeli's think. If Israel thinks Iran is getting close to a bomb, have no doubt they will strike. Then what happens...?

Technology

• Google Buzz - I'm not sure Buzz is going to succeed where Google wants it to: create an entry into the social media realm / challenge Facebook. Buzz's key, scalable feature is that it uses existing contacts within Gmail for your network, but I don't think enough users have Gmail accounts to make it truly a tool for the masses like Facebook. Also, I'm not sure users want their online presence to be consolidated in one place. I think people like checking email in one place and going somewhere else for their social networking experience. It's kind of like when speaker technology started to miniaturize. You could get equivalent sound from smaller speakers, but people were loathe to give up their big speakers because they just felt right.

Sports

• Danica Patrick and NASCAR - Honestly, I don't know much about car racing, but I know Danica Patrick has won exactly one IndyCar race. So I'm not sure what all the hub-bub is regarding her joining the NASCAR circuit; other than she's hot.
• Winter Olympics - Shamefully, I really have not taken note of the Winter Olympics until today. And the reason I did today was because a luger from Georgia was killed in a practice run. I don't think I can name a half-dozen winter Olympic athletes. Is that sad?
• Cincinnati Bengals - Okay, we'll file this one under "some people/teams just don't learn." The Bengals are signing wide receiver Matt Jones, who has a cocaine problem AND they worked out Adam "Pacman" Jones, who can't stay out of jail, or away from strip clubs. This is the same team, who a couple years ago, couldn't keep their players out of jail. Do they really need either one of these guys.

Entertainment

• Captain Phil - RIP Captain Phil.
• Alec Baldwin - How many times will the fifty-one year old Alec Baldwin torment his fourteen year old daughter? I've seen this guy in interviews, and people applaud him for his political savvy and acting, but have you listened to the audio of the voicemail where he berated his daughter. And now this incident. Whew!