This is an independently-made, no-graphics party game using Playstation Move controllers. Those playing have to hold their controllers steady and only move at the pace of Bach music that randomly speeds up and slows down, and make other players lose steady control over their controllers. Played during a Juegos Rancheros show on Dec. 10, 2011, at the Highball, South Lamar, Austin. jsjoust.com juegosrancheros.com Sorry for the weird lighting/color correction, it was the only way to make it visible in low light.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
The Exploration and Discovery of Baptizing Spring
I started off like any other tourist cave diver; diving all the big caves, thinking Florida is all about crystal clear springs, big tunnels and that is has long ago been tapped out... as it turned out I was wrong on all accounts. I found myself searching for caves further afield. and this led me to many off-the-beaten-track sidemount caves out in the middle of the woods.
Baptizing Spring was one of those caves. It has never got much traffic or interest from the hordes, as it is only a few hundred feet long. It is just as well that in my book, any cave is a good cave and I decided to go and check it out. Baptizing Spring has an upstream and downstream section and the exploration of each is a completely different story. So first let's go with the flow and head downstream.
No one has managed to negotiate the downstream section before and my buddy, James Toland and I were keen to check it out. James went in first with an 80cf tank and not much else but had no luck getting through. He looked at me and asked, 'so do you want to have a go?' No need to twist my arm, so down I went.
At first glance the crack looked impassable, not even big enough to fit a tank through, let alone a person. However, on closer inspection I realized that to the right was a low flattener. I rearranged a few loose rocks and had a go at pushing through. Next thing I know - POW - I was in! So I tied off the reel and off I went down the passage. At this point I had no BC, no fins... a tank and a light in one hand and a reel in the other. I was roof walking for about 12m and then I reached a big pit. That's when I thought, this puppy goes! I tied off the reel and made my way back to get some proper gear and my buddy. I popped out of the water and was so stupidly excited I could hardly get a full sentence together. The gist of the babble was - grab your gear we're going diving!
I had to push the 95s in front of me to get in there, which was no surprise. But then I had an interesting predicament... I could not fit with the Nomad on. The harness came off, I was real happy about the quick release buckles let me tell you, and then all the gear got stuffed down the hole. As I was dressing myself on the other side of the restriction, it became apparent that my buddy was struggling to get in. He eventually waved me off, so I set off down the passage, picked up the reel and descended down the pit.
It is difficult to describe the burst of energy and pure adrenalin that I was feeling at this time. It was all I could do to settle down the pounding heart and calmly tie off along the way. Nothing can beat the moment you unwind a reel into completely new and unchartered territory. One feels pure, unadulterated joy and happiness, all peppered with a bit of a thrill.
While I had laid a bit of line here and there, further in and deeper down, typically I was just tagging along on other people's projects. This time it was different. In the end I laid 200m of line and had to work for every inch. The entrance restriction is just the beginning. The whole place was choked up with sand so the going was tough; a few of the restrictions took a significant amount of time to negotiate. As the downstream is a siphon this meant that the vis in front of me was non existent. Several times I had to stop and chill for a while, hoping the vis will clear enough for me to see which way was onward, after I had wedged myself into dead end corners and crevices.
As it turned out James did follow me in eventually, he squeezed in with no gear and just the single tank, keen to have a look. But as he put it, I had redefined a restriction; he had to breathe out to get through the tight stuff. Needless to say, the process of removing gear and pushing it back up the hole was repeated on the way out and a celebratory drink followed.
It was certainly an exciting discovery, to be able to push through the tightest of restrictions. Yet, it was the upstream section of the cave that is the leading lady of this story. The upstream section had been on my list of places to visit for a while, and finally X-mas day I decided to do just that. By all accounts there was only about 100m of passage, but I heard it was a pretty little cave. Well, imagine my surprise when I got to the end of the line and saw that whilst the line stopped, the cave clearly didn't.
So I tied off a reel and spooled out. At first it was hard yakka, very low passage, filled with sand and then muddy clay. There is a good 300m of wriggling, in between a rock and a hard place; the restriction is unrelenting. Yet I pushed it, I persevered, I believed... and more to the point I fit! Eventually the cave opened up a little... then it opened up some more. My third day there I was swimming in quite a sizeable passage. It is here that I experienced the most awful of moments, the line on my reel ended, and yet the big cobalt blue passage ahead of me kept going. I dreamt about that passage that night and what could potentially be around the corner. Determined not to experience this disappointment again, the next day I took in two reels. Well, it seems not even that was enough.
I kept going back, day after day for two weeks and each day unceremoniously dumped reel after reel into the cave and yet it just didn't end. In a couple of weeks I laid over 1.8km of line, it was incredible. Those two weeks were amongst the best of my life, where I did very little other then sleep, eat, knot line and explore. I was keen to keep the discovery under wraps, given that in cave country secrets are hard to keep. I feared people could tell by the stupid and unrelenting grin on my face that something was up; either I was getting laid every hour on the hour or I was laying line in a virgin cave. Spending several hours a day at Wayne's (Amigos Dive Center) knotting line could also have given folks a bit of a hint. I feel extremely lucky to have gotten the opportunity to discover it all piece by piece without anyone breathing down my neck.
Finally at the end of the two weeks I realized I had to stop and survey. This was a difficult decision as the allure of seeing more unexplored cave was great. Yet it had to be done, since as they say, if you don't survey you haven't really done it. So I figured out what the DADs (Depth, Azimuth, Distance) where all about and sunk my teeth into it.
Soon the thrill of pursuing virgin passage left me and I tackled creating the map with the same zeal as the initial exploration. I wanted and needed to see where the cave was heading. Laying line for the sake of laying line is not all it is cracked up to be, and the decision to stop to survey the joint was the best one I could have taken. The more time I spent in the cave the more I realized that I was having an impact and I began to struggle with an ethical and moral dilemma in regards to my presence. Seeing the cave in a pure, untouched state... and seeing the impact, however small, that I was having was daunting. While it is a phenomenal feeling to reach a place no other human has ever seen before, ones very presence robs it of its virginity and it will never be the same again.
In the end it was the completed survey that helped to ease my inner demons, as the information gained in regards to the extent and layout of the cave has proved to be useful to the management of the area. It confirms that the State made the correct decision in regards to the acquisition and protection of the land. Further the discovery illustrates rather neatly that while not every spring is easily accessible, some are too small even for me to squeeze into, nonetheless they are there and chances are they lead to long and extensive cave systems. This means that everyone, cave diver and layman alike should be environmentally aware and think about the Floridian aquifer during their day to day activities.
Despite this, it is difficult to dive the cave and not feel sad knowing that it will never be in its untouched and pristine state again. In fact, it is likely that many more folks will follow in my footsteps, as I have effectively paved the way. I don't like hypocrisy, I don't see why it is okay for an explorer to go blazing through a cave, where everyone else who follows is said to be trashing the place. While I do feel protective of the cave and hope that the all too fragile, scraggly passages will remain safe from wanton damage and destruction, I realize that in the end, despite everything, others will follow. The only consolation is that the cave itself will act as a natural filter. The system is not for everyone, it is an advanced sidemount cave to put it mildly. If you don't like tight, nasty cave with plenty of silt and Ts, you will not enjoy yourself. And if you do head downstream, keep in mind that there will be precious few who will be able to recover your dead body.
The exploration of the cave was a mind blowing experience, to turn a cave with just a few hundred feet to a cave with almost 3km of passage was quite an adventure. What is perhaps most remarkable about the exploration is that it did not involve hiking through the jungle and reaching the deepest, darkest, furtherest reaches of the earth. It did not require trimix, numerous stages, scooters or even a rebreather. It was old school and it was right here in Florida. The relatively shallow depth meant I could spend up to five hours underwater, and unlike the deep caves, the majority of my time was spent cave diving and exploring rather than hanging on deco... I say majority, as it seems eventually even at an average depth of 10m you run into deco.
In the end perhaps the most interesting section of the cave is right in the first 15m. Here scattered remains of days gone by lie in between the pebbles and stones at the bottom of the cavern. The cavern area can bring a diver closer to a significant historical period of America's past that is all too often forgotten. It is said that Baptizing is so named as the Spanish baptized the Indians in the spring. I cannot confirm or deny this, but I'm not one to let the truth get in the way of a good story, so let's go with it.
It is a fact, however, that the Spanish did set up a mission on the banks of Baptizing and much archaeological evidence has been found in the area that confirms this. It is possible that this site may have been the early 17th century mission of San Augustin de Urica (ca. 1610-1656). The Spanish ceramics from the site suggest that the greatest period of activity was around the early to mid 1620s. While the mission was small and less well off economically than others, it was nonetheless in the thick of things in terms of significant historical events, with epidemics, famine and finally the Timucuan revolt affecting its existence. When the Spanish missionaries baptized the Indians, they had hoped that they will begin a new type of life; for better or worse they certainly did.
Then there are the late 19th early 20th century artifacts - ironstone, transfer printed white ware ceramics, portions of glass jars and bottles - which indicate the site was occupied during that period. Interestingly this coincides with the boom of Luraville in the 1880s when it was a major shipping point for Sea Island cotton, bright leaf tobacco and vegetables. The plantations in the area were among the leading producers in the state at the time. Certainly the boom period didn't last long, as by the 1920s Luraville was a ghost town, and it seems to this day the area has remained a little sleepy, bar for the throngs of keen cave divers.
It is unfortunate that much of the surface artifact concentrations from around the sink have been removed by enthusiastic collectors over the years. I hope that history won't repeat itself and that the scant remains of the times gone by, that have managed to survive underwater against all odds, are not picked over by a few selfish divers. It would be an unfortunate event indeed, as seeing shards of Indian pottery inside the cave that date back to the 1600s - well, that is a hard one to beat.
I want to thank Wayne Kinard, Wes Skiles, Mike and Sandra Poucher, Lamar Hires and James Toland for providing me with equipment, knowledge and support throughout the project.
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Saturday, December 3, 2011
Two Unconventional Offline Marketing Tricks That Work Like Crazy
I have become a recent student and fan of Larry Beacham, aka The Stonecold Millionaire. Larry Beacham is not only a top network marketer, but the man is a genius when it comes to thinking up new and innovative ways of marketing your network marketing business offline. That is, he is brilliant at lead generation and cold market prospecting. I want to share just two of his unconventional marketing methods that I have started using and which really work!
Offline Marketing Strategy #1: Postage Stamp Marketing
One of the innovative marketing strategies Larry Beacham first shared was prospecting with the use of postage stamps. By creating custom stamps at Stamps.com, you can add a simple ad about your business. This little stamp will make its way to many different parts of the country/world and bear your message to its recipient, who hopefully will notice your message and take action.
Instead of using online bill pay services, place your customized stamps on all your bills and mail them through the postal service instead. Just think about all the different people who may see your unique stamp as your envelope is in transit before it reaches its final destination. You never know whose life you may change with just a simple little stamp.
This is a great way to spread the word about your venture and peak interest in prospects, getting them to call you without you having to chase people with your opportunity. Did I mention rejection-free?
Offline Marketing Strategy #2: Post-In Notes Marketing
The second creative trick that Mr. Beacham has shared recently is another cost-effective way of prospecting high quality leads for your business. It requires you to purchase only two, inexpensive items to begin: Post-It or sticky notes (any brand), and a customizable ink stamp kit.
Bearing the same simple ad as the postage stamp, you strategically place the sticky notes at various gas station pumps, ATMs, newspaper stands, vending machines, and more. Get as creative as possible.
As far as what message both the stamps and the sticky notes will display, get the details on my blog post, "Rejection-Free Marketing Tip Using Sticky Notes". I share exactly how to use sticky notes to include in your arsenal of best offline marketing strategies.
So you see my friend, offline marketing is still around and used by the vast majority of network marketers who have no clue how to market online. Even still, when you start using the two methods above, you will be light years ahead of your competition when it comes to recruiting. So, get started today!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Outdoor - A New Medium For New Audiences
It was written off as a dead industry, particularly with the demise of tobacco advertising. It has been called a blight on the American landscape. It even earned the nickname "pollution on a stick." But things have changed with outdoor advertising and we're not talking about your father's billboards.
Today, the outdoor billboard industry includes not just the small 8-sheet poster along your local rural road; it includes mammoth signs that tower above the tens of thousands of people who pass through Times Square each day. It includes rolling advertisements on the sides of trucks and buses. It includes a plethora of signage at speedways, and in sports stadiums. And it includes "outdoor furniture" signage comprised of bus shelters, benches and just about anyplace else where people congregate.
Like them or not, outdoor billboards are here to stay and the industry has never looked brighter. Overall spending on outdoor advertising is nearly billion, a ten percent growth rate and more than double a decade earlier. Moreover, billboards are the place to see some of the most creative work in advertising, in spite of the fact that you have only a few seconds to capture the viewer's attention. To those in the industry, outdoor is in.
A Mobile Society
Contemporary social trends favor billboards. Americans are spending fewer hours at home, where TV, cable, magazines, newspapers, books, and the Internet all clamor for attention. People are spending more time than ever in their cars - daily vehicle trips are up 110% since 1970, and the number of cars on the road is up by 147%. For most people stuck in traffic, the only media options are radio and billboards.
Anyone who is old enough to remember the old Burma Shave signs along the highway knows that outdoor billboards can be very engaging and today's outdoor billboard industry contributes millions of dollars of space to various public service causes.
The new computer-painting technology used by the industry is making outdoor billboards brighter, more exciting, and upbeat. Their messages are typically more clever, humorous and artistic - there's even a significant awards programs called the "Obie" to recognize outstanding outdoor creative, including a category for PSAs.
The new single-column structures have cleaner lines than the old telephone pole or I-beam structures, and are supporting and complementing today's crisp, new, bright, architecturally-designed stores, buildings and malls.
Like other rising stars of the information age, billboards have gone high tech. Digital technology developed at MIT has transformed the way billboards are made. Until the 1990s, most billboards were hand-painted on plywood. Quality was inconsistent and when paint faded and wood chipped, billboards became eyesores. Today, computer-painting technology has all but eliminated the old-fashioned sign painter, and plywood has given way to durable vinyl that can be cut to any size, then rolled into tubes for easy shipping. Huge graphics can be produced more quickly and at lower cost, and digital printing ensures faithful reproduction--so that an ad for Levi's blue jeans looks precisely the same everywhere.
Billionaire John W. Kluge, a major force in the billboard business for four decades, brought computer painting to the market via his company, Metromedia Technologies. From 1959 to 1986, Kluge owned Foster & Kleiser, then the nation's biggest billboard operator, and Metromedia is now the world leader in large-scale imaging. Other innovators are adding three- dimensional structures, digital tickers, and continuous motion to outdoor ads.
Even though outdoor is only two percent of overall ad spending, its effect is growing, particularly in one-of-a-kind locations such as Times Square and Sunset Boulevard, where exposure is impossible to calculate. Signs there can pop up on the news, in movies and in magazines, and that doesn't even take into consideration the millions who walk through the areas weekly. "We can't even tell an advertiser how many impressions they are getting," says Brian Turner, president of Sherwood Outdoor, which sells 60 site "spectaculars" at One and Two Times Square and 1600 Broadway, making it the 12th largest outdoor company in terms of revenue.
Outdoor Goes Green
This New Year's Eve revelers at Times Square will have a close-up view of the country's first environmentally friendly billboard. Powered entirely by wind and sun - 16 wind turbines and 64 solar panels - the sign is expected to save ,000 to ,000 per month in electricity costs. Multiply this by all the other cities in the country using electrical power for outdoor illumination, and it amounts to a signficant cost savings and eco-friendly outdoor.
A wide range of advertisers such as General Motors' Cadillac, Samsung, Prudential, NBC, Budweiser, New York State Lottery, even the New York Times pay six-figure monthly rates to hold space for 10 years, a far cry from the days when the signs used to turn over every six months. Times Square is so much in demand that Inter City built a 50 story hotel and 300 foot tower at Broadway and 47th Street with a total of 75,000 square feet of outdoor advertising. "The tower is the largest structure ever built exclusively for advertising," says Bob Nyland, president of Inter City Premiere. Advertisers include American Express, Apple, AT&T, HBO, Hachette Filipacchi, Levi's, Morgan Stanley, Nokia and the U.S. Postal Service.
The Morphing of Outdoor
"Outdoor used to be known as the beer, butts, and babes medium," says Andrea MacDonald, president of MacDonald Media, a New York agency that specializes in out-of-home advertising. Now, she says, "everything's changed. New technology has made us more creative, and advertisers are seeing billboards in a new light."
To make sure they stand out in the crowd, modern billboards are taking even new forms. In Chicago, Transit Display International (TDI), wrapped a two car, 96 foot long commuter train with an ad. And in some areas, no space is left uncovered. For example, in New York's World Trade Center, TDI helped Dodge take over every possible space of the rail station floors, walls, posters, banners, escalators to create a single exhibit. The World Bank draped its building in fabric to support World AIDS Day. Billboards, transit kiosks, posters and other forms of outdoor can be strategically placed around Washington, DC Metro stops at the Pentagon or an executive branch agency such as the Department of Transportation to make a statement about a campaign or issue.
"We've had requests for moving, smoking and smelling boards," says Pat Punch, who is a co-owner of Minneapolis-based Atomic Props, a company that specializes in unique spectaculars. For Poland Springs, Atomic Props created a 30 foot water bottle and an outdoor poster for Jell-O in Times Square serves up a giant spoon with 4,000 smaller spoons.
In Minneapolis, home base for Target, people look forward to a new three dimensional billboard object every month, such as Old Faithful, complete with spray every 10 minutes, which symbolizes Target's donation to the nation's parks. Minneapolis retailer Dayton-Hudson once had three dimensional boxes of candy that emanated a mint scent. Says Punch: "Over the last 10 years, our business has tripled as people see the possibilities."
Since 1996, the Big Four of billboards--Outdoor Systems, Eller, Clear Channel and Lamar--have spent more than billion to gobble up dozens of mom-and-pop operators, as well as the outdoor divisions of big companies like Gannett and 3M. Together they control about 40% of the revenues generated by the 400,000 or so billboards across America. As industry giants, they can operate efficiently and provide one-stop shopping to national advertisers. Goodwill Communications's outdoor database has been reduced from over 600 outdoor companies two years ago to just over 400 today, due to consolidations and buy-outs.
PSA Communications Advantages
Outdoor is perhaps the most overlooked medium of all when it comes to launching PSA campaigns. Admittedly, the cost of printing billboard paper can be expensive, but given the typical results we have experienced for clients, we believe that outdoor provides excellent exposure opportunities.
When used to inform the public about public causes, outdoor billboards provide many different communications advantages, and the total universe of outdoor opportunities is almost unlimited, as shown by the following table provided by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America.
First, outdoor is typically available even in towns that are too small to have a radio station or a local newspaper.
Second, billboards can provide communications reach right down to the neighborhood level. This may be useful if your campaign is concentrating on inner city residents or high school students and you can convince the outdoor billboard company to post your PSA messages nearby.
One media buyer for a major advertising agency demonstrates the flexibility of outdoor: "I'm running Russian copy in a New York neighborhood, Filipino in San Francisco, Arabic in Detroit."
Third, when used in conjunction with other forms of outdoor - sports stadium signage, transit and place-based media - they can provide the communications effectiveness of a local network, giving you reach and frequency throughout the community.
Fourth, public service messages on outdoor billboards are often available because outdoor companies don't want to have an ugly sign with blank paper staring out at motorists for an extended period of time.
The Foundation for a Better Life, (FBL) in partnership with the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA), launched a nationwide PSA billboard campaign with a dramatic kickoff on the NASDAQ electronic billboard in Times Square. With a theme of "Pass It On," the billboards are part of a continuing PSA campaign to promote positive values via viral techniques. Over the course of a year, OAAA member advertising companies around the country donated space on more than 10,000 displays for the Pass It On campaign, with an estimated ad value of more than Million.
Created by Jay Schulberg, well known for his famous Milk Mustache ads, each billboard in the Pass It On campaign is meant to underscore a simple, yet galvanizing message. According to Gary Dixon, President of The Foundation for a Better Life, "The Pass It On campaign was created to promote positive values and encourage people to pass them on to others. We're thrilled to launch it on the NASDAQ board in the very city where the resilience of the American spirit has shown so brightly for the entire world to see."
Some of the personalities featured in "Pass It On" billboards include: Wayne Gretzky, Muhammad Ali, the Tianamen Square Protester, Mother Teresa, Albert Einstein Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln..
Airport Dioramas & Mall Posters
Perhaps the area where outdoor has seen the greatest growth is at airports. The total number of visitors at the top 44 airports in the U.S. tops 765 million passengers and over a half a billion people pass through just the top 10 airports. There are message opportunities now aboard the airlines via in-flight videos, on the drop down tables in each seat, the napkins placed on the tables, and even on the bottom of the security bins where passengers place their items before going through security screening. There are dioramas (backlit signs) in the terminals and on video screens while you wait for your luggage. Like it or not, the messages are inescapable.
One of the leading firms that fabricates the Duratrans material used in airport dioramas is TKO Visual Communications. Manufactured by Kodak, Duratrans is designed for making brilliant display transparencies from color negatives or internegatives. It is available in sheets and rolls which are fabricated to fit various sizes for posting in airports.
"Duratrans is generally regarded in the large format graphics display industry as the benchmark for quality in translucent, backlit graphics," observes Tom Ortolano of TKO. "It is intended for large format, full-color display of photographic content in a controlled, backlit environment, so that light passes through and illuminates the graphic display, providing maximum color saturation and contrast."
TKO works closely with the two largest companies controlling signage at airports and shopping malls - J.C. Decaux and Clear Channel Communications. "Since availabilities and sizes are constantly changing almost daily, the best way to get PSA messages posted at these venues is to contact the two companies, share the creative with them and they will order specific sizes to fit their available locations," Ortolano points out.
According to Ortolano, "the most common size for the initial request should be 62" wide x 43" in height overall, with 58"x38" viewing size, which will work with both companies controlling airport locations. Typically they will order dioramas in five other larger sizes which will be used in key airport locations," he said.
Shopping Mall Displays
Mall displays come in a variety of different formats and sizes ranging from overhead banners, to exterior signage. Mall banners are large format, double-sided 12'Wx 16'H and 9'W x 12'H frames hung in the atrium of a mall offering commanding exposure to virtually every mall shopper. Faces are printed digitally using high resolution reproduction that vividly recreates each piece of creative. Banners are presented in the vertical "magazine" format and are proportionately identical to magazines (12'x16', 9'x12') so only one piece of artwork is required.
Mall posters, the most dominant mall media, measure 4' wide x 6' high, are backlit and located at eye level at major decision points in the mall - usually associated with a directory unit. Specialty mall advertising consists of a range of media formats - trumpet banners, decals, escalator wraps - that enable marketers to dominate the mall environment. Located in in major urban malls, specialty media provide a unique branding opportunity to provide consumers with multiple exposure opportunities.
Rail/Transit/Bus Stop Signage
Transit advertising - and corresponding PSA availabilities - are the confluence of several factors. Increasingly transit companies and municipalities that control the space, need more revenue and advertising can provide a hassle-free income stream. Also, due to rising gas prices, the "go green" movement and highway congestion, more people are using mass transit. To reach busy commuters, transit advertising now takes many forms. These range from subway platform signage, ads on the sides, back and interiors of passenger busses and subways. Even the columns and floors of waiting areas are being covered. Similar to airport dioramas, the placement of PSAs in these venues requires a customized approach, working with the various companies that control the space such as CBS Outdoor, and then providing customized signage to fit the various availabilities.
In conclusion, a society constantly in motion, more available locations, and the power of outdoor to convey a compelling message, are all trends that have contributed to the success of outdoor. One thing that hasn't changed - those who control access to outdoor signage do not want to see an empty sign or poster - and that is what creates almost unlimited opportunities for PSA placement.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Ruth, Aaron, Or Bonds - Who Really Is The Greatest
In the 2006 season, we watched Barry Lamar Bonds pass Babe Ruth for second place on the all-time home run list. Then this past season, we watched him overtake Hammerin' Hank Aaron for the top spot on that list. Now that he has eclipsed both Aaron and Ruth for sole possession of that cherished record, I have to ask "who really is the greatest home run hitter of all time?" Hopefully, by the end of this article, much light will have been shed on the answer.
The case has been up for speculation in my mind for some time, so I thought if I undertake this endeavor I better have all my ducks in a row. Statistics usually speak louder than words, so I've chosen the eight which have the most impact on the record books where grading the great sluggers of the game is concerned --- Games Played, At Bats, Hits, Home Runs, Runs Batted In, Average, On Base Percentage, and Slugging Average. Not wanting to delve too deeply into the biographical content of each player, I've tweaked things a bit to include career highlights and personal opinion.
George Herman Ruth was known as "The Babe", most likely because of how young he was when he played his first professional baseball game for the Baltimore Orioles of the International League. He was barely 19 years old at the time. His time there was only brief, and he was acquired by Harry Frazee, owner of the Boston Americans (Red Sox), and made his debut on July 11th, 1914. Appearing in only five games as a pitcher, he recorded four victories out of the five starts.
Between the 1917 and 1918 seasons, Ruth was shifted from the mound into right field so as to get more playing time due to his developing prowess as a hitter. Obviously, as the old cliché goes, the rest is history. Despite the fact that one of his pitching records stood for 62 years, it was his bat that ultimately did all the talking for him.
In the 22 seasons that Ruth played, he became one of the most dominant hitters that the game has ever seen. His stats were the following:
2,503 games played --- 8,399 at bats --- 2,873 total hits --- 714 home runs --- 2,213 runs batted in .342 batting average --- .474 on base percentage --- .690 slugging average
If you look at the numbers, he hit a home run every 11.76 at bats. Nearly 25% of his hits were round trippers but if you massage that a little, he drove in a run every 3.8 times at the plate and each home run accounted for 3.1 RBI's. From 1923 to 1932, he hit over 40 home runs in nine of those 10 seasons. The only year that kept him from doing it 10 years straight was 1925 when an early season illness cost him nearly a third of the season. He played in only 98 games and still hit 25 homers and had a .290 batting average. But worthy of note here is that he hit 40 or more homers for seven straight seasons from 1926 to 1932, and averaged 34 home runs per season during his 21 years in the bigs.
There were a number of legends that arose during Ruth's career, but the most noteworthy of all was his famous "Called Shot" in the third game of the 1932 World Series against the Chicago Cubs whom the Yankees swept in four straight. Ruth had already homered earlier in the game and as the story goes, he raised his right arm, pointed towards the deepest part of Wrigley Field and drilled the ball over the center field wall to the right of the flagpole and a reported 490 feet.
Other facets of his career include appearing in the first ever All Star Game in 1933 and hitting the first ever home run in All Star Game history. He was also one of the first five players (himself, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, and Honus Wagner) inducted into the Hall in its inaugural year of 1936, one year after he retired. In 1936 Ruth was hired by the Brooklyn Dodgers to coach first base, but quit at the end of the season. It was the last job he would ever have in major league baseball.
Now our topic of discussion shifts to Henry Aaron. Born of humble beginnings, Henry "Hammerin' Hank" Aaron played his first major league game when he was 20 years old. Aaron reportedly tried out for the Dodgers when he was still in high school, but he failed to make the team and returned to school. Prior to his debut with the Milwaukee Braves, Aaron spent a brief stint in the minors and played for the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League. Aaron spent 21 seasons with the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves, and finished his career in 1976 after two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers. It was only fitting that he would finish in the city that his career started in.
During his 23 years in the majors, Aaron was known more for his consistency rather than sheer power alone. The following are his statistics for those 23 seasons:
3,298 games played --- 12,364 at bats --- 3,771 total hits --- 755 home runs --- 2,297 runs batted in .305 batting average --- .374 on base percentage --- .555 slugging average
Looking at his numbers, he hit a home run every 16.38 at bats, 20% of his hits were homers, and each home run accounted for 3.04 RBI's. He hit 40 or more homers in eight seasons and 30 or more homers in 15 out of 17 seasons. Aaron, by the way is also the only player in major league history to record 30 home runs in 15 seasons, and he made the All Star team for 21 straight seasons from 1955 through 1975. In addition to all this, Aaron holds the MLB records for the most career runs batted in (2,297), the most career extra base hits (1,477), and the most career total bases (6,856).
The Hank Aaron Award was created to honor his contributions to the game, both on and off the field. It should also be noted that he was the last Negro League player to play in the majors, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982, his very first year of eligibility. Perhaps Mickey Mantle said it best when it came to a description of Hank Aaron. "As far as I'm concerned, (Hank) Aaron is the best ball player of my era. He is to baseball of the last 15 years what Joe DiMaggio was before him. He's never received the credit he's due."
So now we come to Barry Lamar Bonds, probably the most controversial sports figure out there. Right up front, this is not going to be a "bash Barry" tirade. I'm not even going to go there. The purpose of this article is to compare the accomplishments of the three best home run hitters in the game, not to demean any of them.
As most of you know, Barry is the son of former major leaguer Bobby Bonds, and is also the Godson of the great Willie Mays. He made his major league debut on May 30th, 1986 for the Pittsburgh Pirates being drafted sixth in the first round of the 1985 MLB draft. He also enjoyed a stellar career in college when he played for Arizona State University.
Barry is most recognized not just for breaking Hank Aaron's record of 755 career homers, but also for eclipsing Mark McGwire's single season home run record of 70 (set in 1968) when hit 73 round trippers three years later in 2001. He had an incredible .863 slugging percentage (a major league record), a .515 on base percentage, 17 home runs in the month of May, 39 home runs by the All Star break (a major league record), and finished the season with 177 walks (a major league record at that time).
His current up to date career stats through the 2007 season are as follows:
2,986 games played --- 9,847 at bats --- 2,935 total hits --- 762 home runs --- 1,196 runs batted in .298 batting average --- .444 on base percentage --- .607 slugging percentage
Not only are his numbers impressive, but he is still an active player, even though in 2008, you will most likely see him in another uniform since the Giants did not offer him another contract. According to these stats, Barry hits a homer every 12.92 at bats or once for every 3.85 hits. However, most of his homers are solo shots since he only produces 1.57 RBI's for each home run. He has hit 40 or more home runs in eight seasons (an average of 48.25 HR's in each of those seasons) and 30 or more homers in 13 seasons.
Bonds' other notable accomplishments include 2,558 walks and he eclipsed his own record for bases on balls in the 2004 season when he walked an astounding 232 times, 55 times more than the record he set himself only three years earlier.
We've come to the point in this article where I give you not only my opinion as to which one of these three sluggers was the greatest, but also my reasoning for the choice. Bonds will be playing in his 23rd season, Aaron played 23 seasons, and Ruth played 21 complete seasons with only 28 games played in what would have been a 22nd had he lasted until season's end. Also remember that when Ruth played, there were only 154 games played in a season.
Aaron's first seven seasons (1954-60) were 154 game seasons, but the schedule expanded to 162 games effective with the 1961 season. All of Bonds' career years have been 162 game seasons. Ruth played in that era of baseball when games were only played during the day while Aaron and Bonds played both day and night games.
Traveling and accommodations were anything but luxurious during Ruth's era, Aaron's were improved, and Bonds has obviously had the cushiest ones of the three. Equipment and training has gone from bottom of the barrel during Ruth's tenure in the game, to much improved during Aaron's career, to damn near technologically luxurious since Bond's has been playing.
Keeping all this in mind, one thing holds true --- statistics don't lie. If you look at just the following six statistics, Ruth clearly the choice hands down. Let's start with the homers per at bats factor --- one for every 11.76 for Ruth, one for every 16.38 for Aaron, and one for every 12.92 for Bonds. Ruth's homers totaled just fewer than 25% of his total career hits, Aaron was at 20%, and Bonds the highest with 26%. Each of Ruth's homers brought in 3.1 RBI's, Aaron's 3.04, and Bonds only 1.57.
Ruth had the highest career average with .342, Aaron's was .305, and Bonds is currently at .298. Ruth's on base percentage was .474, Bonds is .444, and Aaron's was .374. Ruth's slugging percentage was .690 compared to .607 for Bonds and .555 for Aaron. Of the six statistics I just mentioned in this paragraph and the prior one, Ruth is on top of five of them.
Continuing with this type of thinking, Ruth had 1,448 fewer at bats than Bonds and a staggering 3,965 less than Aaron. Also, Ruth played in 483 fewer games than Bonds and 795 fewer games than Aaron. Saying that Ruth was the most impressive of the three is putting it mildly. For all practical purposes, he is the greatest home run hitter of all time.
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Tuesday, November 22, 2011
HOUSES "REDS" (DIR. LAMAR+NIK)
FOR BETTER QUALITY (www.vimeo.com Official Promo for "Reds" by Houses ALBUM: All Night LABEL: Lefse (www.lefserecords.com) CREATED BY Nik Harper, Jesse Lamar High, and Nicholas Owen DIRECTED BY: LAMAR+NIK (www.lamarplusnik.com) PURCHASE itunes.apple.com Ice sculptures were made using a series of handmade clay molds. Soldering irons were used for details. Lighting was solely provided by TV's/Christmas Lights. Filmed all practically, NO CGI, in a normal two car garage for a little over 0 dollars. PHOTOS: www.flickr.com MAKING OF: www.youtube.com (housesmusic.tumblr.com
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Friday, November 18, 2011
Do Cats See Color and Other Feline Curiosities
Do Cats See Color?
It once was believed cats were color-blind, but now we know they actually can tell the difference between certain colors. Basically, they see the world around them as shades of blue and green. But though they see color, cats don't pay much attention to it. In nature, color isn't particularly necessary to a cat's survival success.
Why Do Cats' Eyes Glow In The Dark?
Cat's glow-in-the-dark eyes seem eerie, mystical, even scary when they pop out at you from the black of night, especially since your cat is one of only a few animals that can return a human's stare. There is a simple explanation for that characteristic green or gold shine. A membrane, called tapetum lucidum, coats the eye and reflects light. When a cat is in the dark, its pupils open wide and light is reflected off them, but they're not actually "glowing." This ability along with their extraordinary sensitivity to ultraviolet rays, enables them to see well in the dark.
Can Cats Really See In The Dark?
They can't see in total darkness and their daytime vision is only fair. But they can see better than most humans in semi-darkness. They also can distinguish brightness seven times better than we can. As nocturnal hunters, their eyes are able to scoop up even the smallest scrap of available light. Their vision generally is blurred at the edges and they see best at six to twenty feet. When it comes to movement, though, a cat doesn't miss a twitch. By the way, feeding dog food to your cat is a no-no. Dog food lacks taurine, a substance crucial for your cat's eyesight. A diet without it will make your cat go blind.
Why Do Cats Flick Their Ears When They're Asleep?
A cat's remarkable ears each have 30 muscles that control the outer ear (by comparison, our ears only have six muscles). These muscles rotate 180 degrees, so it can hear without moving its head. Even though a snoozing kitty appears to sleep quite often, most of the time it's only dozing and constantly searching the air for messages that might mean it needs to spring into action at the spur of the moment.
What's The Purpose Of That "Pad" Midway Up The Rear Of A Cat's Leg?
It looks pretty useless sitting way up there on the back of the leg like that. But it does have a purpose. It's called the carpal pad, and it acts as an anti-skid insurance policy for crash landings (which, of course, are rare) or to keep your energetic kitty from hitting a wall as she speeds around the house.
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Sunday, November 6, 2011
A History Austin's Oldest Neighborhood Clarksville
One of Austin's oldest areas is the Old West Austin neighborhood of Clarksville. Its central location, between Lady Bird Lake and Enfield, and Lamar and Mopac, makes it highly popular with those looking to live in town, without having to go the downtown condo route.
Where Clarksville sits now was once part of the plantation owned by Texas governor Elisha M. Pease. At the end of the Civil war, it is said that Pease sectioned of a part of his land for his emancipated slaves, in hopes they would live nearby and continue working for him.
Clarksville was founded in 1871 by freedman Charles Clark, who built a house on what is now West 10th street. Clark subdivided his land among other freedmen from the Pease plantation and elsewhere, and Clarksville became recognized in the National Register of Historic Places as being the first freedman's town west of the Mississippi River.
In the early 20th century, the city of Austin grew, and a city policy was constructed to concentrate African-Americans to the east side of the city, once the land Clarksville sat on became more valuable. The city services would only be available to African-Americans on the East side of town and as a result, many who stood their ground were denied city services: most houses still used kerosene lamps as a source of light through the 1930s, and many dirt roads still existed in the area as late as the 1970s.
Many immigrants settled in Clarksville throughout the early 1900s resulting in a community that is still felt today. Anthony Colanetta settled in Clarksville and opened Anthony's Laundry & Cleaners at the corner of West 12th Street and West Lynn in 1950. Colanetta also built a drugstore that he leased to his friend Hylton Nau. Today both stores are still operating, and the soda fountain in Nau's drugstore is a rare find.
If Clarksville had a main street, it would be West Lynn. With many family-owned businesses, it would be easy to stay in the neighborhood without needing to venture more than a few blocks for all necessities. Sledd's Nursery, with their high quality plants and organic philosophy, and Jeffrey's high class, eclectic cuisine have been Clarksville staples since the mid 1970s. In 1979 Craig Weller and Mark Skiles opened Clarksville Natural Grocery, and a year later they joined forces with John Mackey to open the first Whole Foods. The Whole Foods grocery store and national office is now located at the corner of 6th and Lamar, within walking distance of Clarksville.
Many of the historic homes from Clarksville's past have been torn down since the average house size hovered around 850 square feet, and deemed too small for many modern-day homeowners. One of the few homes that have survived in Clarksville is the Haskell house, built by former Pease plantation slave Peter Tucker in 1875. Hezekiah Haskell, a former Union soldier, married into the Tucker family and moved into the house in 1885. Haskell's son lived in the house until 1976, and it stands as the last home in Clarksville built in the Cumberland style, with two front doors and a symmetrical façade.
This past year, the American Planning Association named the Clarksville area as one of the Great Neighborhoods in America, due to resident participation that keeps the neighborhood character intact, and keeps Clarksville thriving as one of the most popular areas to live in Austin.
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