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bjkrautk

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Everything posted by bjkrautk

  1. bjkrautk
    Ever since I heard about the TiVo service, I've liked the product...conceptually. I didn't buy one when it first came out, because they were only available in Standard definition, and it was pretty clear that this High Def thing was going to stick around. Then, when TiVo did come out with HD versions, they ditched the lifetime pass, and started charging ~$10 / month for service fees. (Without the TiVo service, the box can't schedule recordings, so it loses much - if not all - of its value.) Over the weekend, one of my friends clued me in to this. (For anyone not reading the link, it's a HD Tivo with lifetime service and the Wi-Fi adapter for roughly $700.) It's more than the cost of my PS3, which automatically makes me wary. But at the same time, it's hard to put a price tag on the device, and the value that I'd get from never missing one of my favorite shows again because I was out of the house that night, or because a Brewers game was on, and I didn't take the time to set up the VCR. Any TiVo users out there? I'd love to get some thoughts / recommendations from you.
  2. bjkrautk
    I hereby suggest we name today's IGT "Can Dave Bush Pitch?"
  3. bjkrautk
    In simplest terms, Brawl could be lumped into a category with other fighting games, like Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Soul Calibur, or Virtua Fighter. It's not a fair comparison, to me at least, because Brawl allows for 4 players at a time, and game mechanics that are more simplistic than your typical 'traditional' fighting game. Street Fighter has 3 punch buttons and 3 kick buttons; Smash Bros. has 1 button for basic melee attacks, and a second button for special attacks (which are different for each character, but are triggered by pressing the 'b' button by itself, or while pressing the left analog stick in one of the four primary directions). Brawl is generally considered to be easily accessible to new players. It also benefits greatly from the presence of 20+ years of Nintendo IP. The game is heavy into nostalgia, represented in characters, stages, and other collectables which date back all the way to the Game and Watch handhelds which pre-date the NES. The game also has a single-player mode....but most of the fun of the game comes from having real world opponents.
  4. bjkrautk
    I think trying to ID the 40 games in the middle of that aphorism is taking the matter a bit too literally. The win 60 / lose 60 mindset is meant to stop analyists and fans from trying to call an April game a "must win."
  5. bjkrautk
    I don't do crim law (not even a little bit), but the one thing that jumps out about your example is the presence of an accomplice. When two or more people plan the commission of a crime, and one of them goes through with it, you don't charge the crime itself; you charge a conspiracy to commit that crime. If the action was planned out, both the person committing the crime and all conspirators may be sentenced up to the full sentence for commission of the crime. It is possible that the non-pleading defendant could overcome that evidentiary burden, if the Jury doesn't find the conspirator's testimony as credible...it's just not particularly likely. (It's hard to allege that you were defending yourself against the guy you had made already been planning to kill.) As to the higher points of the justice system, this is why the conspiracy statute (939.31, if you're really curious) exists: they're both guilty. The wheel-man in a bank robbery is guilty as a party to the crime, even though he didn't actually take the money out of the bank. The Conspirator made a deal because he preferred the terms of the deal over the risk of a longer sentence if found guilty. (The "Prisoner's Dilemma" got its name in game theory for a reason.) The murderer, facing similar odds, decided to roll the dice, and got off. I'm sure the District Attorney would have preferred getting a sentence against both guilty parties in the interests of justice, but that's not always possible. That is, after all, why even guilty people have the right to a fair trial.
  6. bjkrautk
    The easiest way to get psyched about owning a Wii is to bust out Wii sports and play against your significant other (and kids, if you have them). There are a number of people who own a Wii just for that game (my parents would be in that group....if they could find one on store shelves). Personally, I'm partial to the bowling portion of Wii Sports, but I appreciate the tennis, golf, and baseball mini-games as well. (I'd need rotator cuff surgery if I played the Wii Sports baseball game regularly....pitching with constant velocity is hard.) Personally, I'd also recommend Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Mario Galaxy to any Wii owner. (Zelda: Twilight Princess, and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn are also worth the playthrough, but you have to be interested in those types of games to really enjoy them.)
  7. bjkrautk
    The first question: what are you using for e-mail now? (If you're already comfortable with MS Outlook or GMail on your computer, then the cell-phone equivalents are going to be easier to transition to. Outlook especially, since it already has calendaring software built-in.) Second question: what else do you want the phone to do? (Internet, GPS, music / podcasts, Instant Messaging, etc.) My recommendation, start looking at gadget review sites like Cnet.com, to see what they like and (IMO, more importantly) dislike about certain products. At the same time, non-professional reviews are starting to show up on more and more retailer websites, like Amazon.com; once you have a short-list of phones you'd be interested in, the variety of feedback is going to be much more helpful to you than anything one person on the site could recommend.
  8. bjkrautk
    You da' Man(ny)!
  9. bjkrautk
    Voted. (And, for the record, I've been rickrolling myself for nearly 20 years now.)
  10. bjkrautk
    "Still Alive"- GLaDOS & Jonathan Coulton
  11. bjkrautk
    The original post mentioned Southland Tales, but Robert (?) Kelly's prior movie made just about as much sense: "Donnie Darko."
  12. bjkrautk
    Yes.
  13. bjkrautk
    It is possible to have the same kind of success in the A-10 as it would be in one of the "power conferences," but it is generally easier to recruit players to a Big East school than the A-10, especially with the amount of national media coverage Big East schools receive. It is certainly possible for a big name coach to have success in a smaller conference (e.g. Memphis....although C-USA was more of a basketball power when a lot of those kids were recruited), but a larger conference will provide some additional leeway. To make the tournament, A Big East school only needs to place in the top 5-7 teams in their division; right now, I'm guessing only 2-3 A-10 schools get in each year.
  14. bjkrautk
    Just to throw another name out for consideration: there's a certain, recently-fired coach who spent the last 12 years with a Pac-10 school, and also has Wisconsin ties. Granted, Ben Braun's program at Cal has had a few down seasons, and his Wisconsin ties are from his playing days with the Badgers....but I have to believe he'll at least be interviewed for the position.
  15. bjkrautk
    http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:AE3rGFRWeDrGOM:http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2006/writers/adam_hofstetter/02/15/scorecard.daily/p1_curling.jpg It's still a long season, but it's at least nice to start off on the right foot.
  16. bjkrautk
    If he pitched every fifth day, then yes, his next start after pitching Monday would be Saturday. Because the Brewers have decided to have each starter pitch ever fifth game, the off day Tuesday moves everyone back a day, so Sheets starts on Sunday (when I have tickets :D).
  17. bjkrautk
    On the flip-side, the Cubs could be up by 10 runs after 4 innings tomorrow. If that's the case, the Brewers are better positioned to survive the next few days (without a break) having only used two bullpen arms today. I'm not saying that it's likely to happen; I certainly hope it doesn't, but there are a multitude of possibilities when trying to look ahead. I have no problem with the decision to pitch Riske for an extra inning when he was already warmed up, but I see other people's point, such that I hope he doesn't have to pitch again until Saturday. Personally, I appreciate that Ned didn't have to (or feel the need to) warm up a bunch of relievers who didn't pitch in the game. They're not playing an excessive number of consecutive games without an off day, but limiting the number of pitchers who have to go today means there will be a more 'fresh' arms available over the next four games.
  18. bjkrautk
    Before it happens, what exactly would be considered 'retaliation' for the HBPs in game 3?
  19. bjkrautk
    The Cubs seem to be having catching problems. What ever happened to that guy they picked up last year?
  20. bjkrautk
    One Pitch, 1 HR. I like that ratio.
  21. bjkrautk
    I believe I'm now contestually obligated to mention Al's Ramblings.
  22. bjkrautk
    No wonder Tony Bennett wasn't interested. That, and he's already in a power conference....and the school has been turning over its coaching staff rather frequently....not to mention that he has some inside knowledge about the problems in the athletic department due to his sister's tenure as women's basketball HC. Tony has a great job where he is, and very little "win....or else" pressure, since the program went nowhere before he and his father took over. Honestly, unless he doesn't like life in Washington State....I can't imagine why he'd want to leave.
  23. bjkrautk
    http://www.newpastahut.com/ (It's more of a marketing gimmick than anything else....but I couldn't help but smile when I saw the ad in USA Today.) http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/wrath/features/bard/bardclass.xml WoW's new "Hero" class announcement for its upcoming expansion....almost makes me want to bring my L.60 out of mothballs.
  24. bjkrautk
    It's a bit circular; a lot of the people who think Tony shouldn't get the opportunity to start the bulk of these 25 games are the same group of people who thought he was drafted in the second round because he's Tony Sr.'s son. (I was one of the voices advocating the Brewers draft Anthony rather than letting San Diego take him with the next pick.) I'm speaking in generalizations, because I can barely remember who said what last season, much less when Gwynn was drafted. I wouldn't say that Tony's my favorite player...or even someone who's going to be an everyday starter. I do think he's good enough to be a bench player, and could start as a complementary guy on some teams. He's never going to be Carlos Beltran (or Mike Cameron), but I have a bias for guys who get on base....as fewer outs by your complementary guys means more AB's for your star players. For that reason, my gripe is not with people who question whether TGJr. is good enough to be a 162-game starter....that's an open question. My gripe is against people who don't think he should be starting for the lion's share of the next 25 games, as an injury (or suspension) of a starter is exactly the circumstances in which you should give the prospect an opportunity to show what he can do. Moreover, the difference between Gross and Gwynn isn't significant enough to justify starting the probably mediocre player over the might be decent player.
  25. bjkrautk
    For what it's worth, I think Tony looked pretty good out there today. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif 1 game out of 25, but give credit where it's due: he did everything right at the plate today: getting on base, getting the bunt down, and getting the ball to the outfield to score the go-ahead run. He even punctuated the win with a great defensive play.
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