Powered by glolg
Display Preferences Most Recent Entries Chatterbox Blog Links Site Statistics Category Tags About Me, Myself and Gilbert XML RSS Feed
Saturday, Nov 21, 2009 - 20:56 SGT
Posted By: Gilbert

Lie Long And Prosper

"Never argue with an idiot; they'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience"
- Anonymous


A second tip would be not to attempt past year exam papers from nearly a decade ago - the syllabus might have changed greatly since then, and having no idea how to proceed with half the questions doesn't do one's confidence much good.

Not having blogged seriously for some time means a buildup of material - to begin with, there's a fresh way to look at movies from xkcd, and a photoessay on what it may mean to be a run-of-the-mill soldier for two years (the guy managed to turnover a number of girlfriends in that period).

Then there's someone who's earning near US$70k a year just by wearing T-shirts, a bunch of Zen stories that kept me going through those early project mornings, a collection of projects far more interesting than mine, and something that I might have slipped into a project, given enough advance notice (from jq).

This is followed by some polar bear and dog action, and the Thierry Henry "Hand of Frog" incident (play a game inspired by it), which has escalated tensions between Ireland and France. I wonder how long it will be before FIFA allows video referees at high-profile matches, or at least a few more match officials; heck, tennis has at least six linesmen to help the umpire watch two players on a court maybe an eighth the size of a football field, and video replays on request on top of that.

There isn't much point blaming the referee otherwise, since it's likely near humanly impossible to catch all the minutiae that goes on. It's already amazing how linesmen get so many offside decisions right, since that they can't watch everything at once [referenced paper] (the linked article suggests that the linesmen keep an eye on the last defender, and listen for the sound of the ball being kicked, which brings with it its own issues, i.e. the speed of sound).

In Henry's defense, he admitted to the infraction readily enough and was up for a replay if FIFA would have it so, perhaps secure in the knowledge that FIFA were not about to grant one (and to make doubly sure, the French Football Federation rejected the Irish appeal too). The incident has at least done more for Irish reconciliation that any politician in living memory, so it seems that the luck of the Irish may simply have manifested itself in an unanticipated way this time.

Perhaps another way of looking at the incident is "If you're not cheating, you're not trying hard enough". Yes, yes, cheaters never prosper, but frankly rules are bent so often in football that it's a part of the game. I have seen too many respected players sneak in a tug at the jersey or a hand to the shoulder, or put in a snide little kick to the knees or fly just a bit too theatrically, to have any confidence in ever watching a really "clean" game.

From what I can see, openly fouling carries little stigma in sports, at least where there is no intention to escape the punishment - see Solskjaer "taking one for the team" when he put in a foul tackle as the last man in an effort to win United the title, for example, or the "Hack-a-Shaq" strategy employed by numerous NBA teams when Shaquille O'Neal was in his prime. If you pay for it, it's alright.

Therefore, it seems acceptable to cheat as part of a method of winning if the cheater is caught, but completely unforgivable to cheat to win if the cheater gets away with it. If an outfield player dives and uses his arm to punch a ball away in the final minute of extra time in the World Cup, getting sent off and giving away a penalty in the process, I doubt that he would be castigated, especially if the penalty ended up being saved (or missed).

This seems a good time to introduce Hajime no Ippo, a manga about boxing that I blazed through in the past week. The main character is a honest, hardworking and very hard-punching lad named Ippo Makunochi, who is at the same time completely uninteresting and is used mainly to monotonously drum in the morally correct statement that determination, grit and courage blah blah always wins out in the end. Almost all of his fights follow the script of a Power Rangers episode, where he starts out getting beaten badly due to some special ability of his opponent, before he regains the upper hand thanks to his prior hard work/trust in his coach/purity of heart (pick one) and he knocks the other guy out cold. Yawn.

My favourite bout in the entire series so far is then the one between Sawamura and Mashiba, and little needs to be told about them except that they are more or less huge bastards. Hey, if you're going to watch two men pound each other into the dust, it helps if they're both scary f**kers who probably deserve it. Sawamura then edges Mashiba (and the nigh-invincible Mamoru Takamura) as my favourite boxer of them all, due to being just a bit more of a f**ker.

Quick sketch time:


Ryuhei Sawamura


In the story, Sawamura suffered from a rather lonely childhood, thanks to being abandoned by his mother after stabbing her abusive boyfriend to protect her, and after that shunned by his schoolmates due to rumours of him wringing the necks of birds (though this was not confirmed, I think, but which was at least plausible given his image). Well, this is a society where twisting the necks of a few pigeons is the mark of an inhuman psychopath, but doyens of society shooting birds out of the air is a charming afternoon of entertainment, and slaughtering tens of thousands of wretched animals a day for the tastes of the public is simply good business. Shrug.

Oh, Sawamura is a cheater too. He almost goes out of his way to draw blood, and will happily knee his opponent in the face if the opportunity presents himself (interestingly, it was once legal to stand over a downed opponent and hit him again once his knees left the ground). Not that I approve, but at least it's better than cheating to lose (as happened with the Black Sox, and also in the manga with one Malcolm Gedo, who due to his poverty in early life is motivated to get as much money out of boxing as possible)

The part that I actually admire about him is his total indifference to the opinion of the masses - to put it bluntly, he completely doesn't care if the crowd, or indeed the entire world, is against him. Much has been said about the virtues of teamwork, but whacking the whole of existence by oneself remains a seductive proposition. And of course, such a guy would be written to have a career-ending road accident right after he wins the title. Meh.

In the red again at $829/$900 after the international break...

$50 on Sunderland to draw Arsenal (at 3.75)
$50 on Aston Villa to beat Burnley (2.03)



comments (0) - email - share - print - direct link
trackbacks (52) - trackback url


Next: Data Basted


Related Posts:
A Defence of DotA
Back To Me
On the Theory of Games
Ad Libs
Making Up For Lost Time

Back to top




52 trackbacks


Trackback by Klonopin wafers.

Klonopin lethal dose. - Klonopin side effects. Klonopin survivors. Klonopin online. Klonopin. Klonopin overnight without a p...


December 28, 2009 - 09:57 SGT     

Trackback by Can you inject klonopin wafer.

Klonopin side effects. - Klonopin side effects. Klonopin survivors. Fed ex ed klonopin without a prescription. Klonopin and s...


January 3, 2010 - 13:23 SGT     

Trackback by Propecia finasteride precautions amp side effects.

Propecia finasteride. - Finasteride 1mg.


January 4, 2010 - 03:55 SGT     

Trackback by 7sultans casino.

7sultans casino. - 7sultans casino.


January 6, 2010 - 18:30 SGT     

Trackback by Klonopin.

Snorting klonopin. - Klonopin side effects. Klonopin. Does klonopin deplete potassium. Buy online klonopin without prescr...


January 7, 2010 - 16:18 SGT     

Trackback by Ativan xanax valuim trial pack.

Ativan xanax valuim trial pack. - Ativan. Order ativan with online consultation. Drug dosage for ativan. Ativan cheap. Can you give at...


January 16, 2010 - 00:26 SGT     

Trackback by Discount flight tickets chep ticket.

Tickets flight tickets to san salvador el salvador... - Fliights to scotland flight tickets. Cheap flight tickets to h. Cheap flight tickets. Flight tickets...


February 21, 2010 - 11:22 SGT     

Trackback by Klonopin overnight without a prescription.

Klonopin overnight without a prescription. - Klonopin under eye circles. Klonopin side effects. Klonopin asthma. Intravenous klonopin. Klonopin.


March 14, 2010 - 17:50 SGT     

Trackback by Klonopin side effects.

Klonopin side effects. - Klonopin side effects. Klonopin.


March 19, 2010 - 10:35 SGT     

Trackback by Buy ephedra online.

Buy ephedra online. - Buy online cheap yellow swarms with ephedra. Purchase ephedra online. Buy online yellow jackets with...


March 31, 2010 - 05:41 SGT     

Trackback by Fioricet cheap.

Fioricet cheap. - Fioricet cheap. Cheap fioricet.


April 4, 2010 - 08:52 SGT     

Trackback by Best online casino http.

Online casino sportsbooks. - Online casino game http.


April 6, 2010 - 18:37 SGT     

Trackback by Buy oxycodone without a prescription.

Buy oxycodone online. - Buy oxycodone without a prescription. Buy oxycodone. Buy oxycodone on line.


April 12, 2010 - 17:20 SGT     

Trackback by Buy fioricet online free fedex.

Online prescription fioricet. - Search results fioricet online. Fioricet online.


April 17, 2010 - 18:38 SGT     

Trackback by Buy soma online.

Soma buy soma cheap soma soma online. - Soma online sales. Buy soma online. Soma buy soma cheap soma soma online. Soma online. Soma online n...


April 25, 2010 - 06:08 SGT     

Trackback by Buy soma online.

Buy soma online. - Buy soma online. Online soma.


May 4, 2010 - 03:07 SGT     

Trackback by Ambien cr.

Ambien cr. - Ambien. Ambien cr addiction. Ambien next day delivery where us. Ambien hallucinations dizziness.


May 4, 2010 - 16:43 SGT     

Trackback by Buy fioricet online without a prescription.

Buy fioricet. - Buy fioricet online that ships to missouri. Buy fioricet online without a prescription.


May 5, 2010 - 20:51 SGT     

Trackback by Buy carisoprodol best prices limited time offer.

Buy carisoprodol online lowest price guarantee. - Buy carisoprodol online lowest price guarantee. Buy carisoprodol.


May 7, 2010 - 21:35 SGT     

Trackback by Buy soma online.

Buy soma online. - Buy us soma online. Online soma 150 tabs. Buy soma online no prescription.


May 8, 2010 - 12:12 SGT     

Trackback by Cheap vicodin.

Cheap vicodin. - Cheapest legal vicodin. Cheap vicodin. Buy cheap vicodin no prescription.


May 14, 2010 - 12:59 SGT     

Trackback by Buy ephedra online.

Buy online yellow jackets with ephedra. - Buy ephedra online yellow swarms. Buy ephedra online.


May 16, 2010 - 07:39 SGT     

Trackback by How to remove pseudo ephedrine.

Ephedrine faq. - Ephedrine. Ephedrine in salt licks and chicken feed. Ephedrine products. Caffeine with ephedrine. Ep...


May 18, 2010 - 21:07 SGT     

Trackback by Cheap fioricet.

Cheap fioricet. - Cheap fioricet online. Cheap fioricet.


May 23, 2010 - 13:42 SGT     

Trackback by Best online casino.

Online casino http. - Best online casino http.


May 24, 2010 - 14:59 SGT     

Trackback by Ephedrine buy online cheap.

Ephedrine buy online cheap. - Cheap ephedrine. Ephedrine buy online cheap.


May 26, 2010 - 09:35 SGT     

Trackback by Buy oxycodone without a prescription.

Buy oxycodone. - Buy oxycodone without prescription. Buy oxycodone without a prescription.


May 27, 2010 - 01:18 SGT     

Trackback by Order soma carisoprodol.

Soma mandal. - Soma snakeoil. Soma. Order soma.


May 29, 2010 - 07:23 SGT     

Trackback by Gamble online http.

Gamble online http. - Reasons to gamble online. Gamble online http.


June 1, 2010 - 16:51 SGT     

Trackback by Casino games.

On line casino http. - Casino royal http. Grand casino http.


June 25, 2010 - 05:25 SGT     

Trackback by Meridia side effects.

Meridia mexico. - Meridia. Meridia weight loss. Does meridia work.


July 15, 2010 - 08:00 SGT     

Trackback by Meridia.

Meridia home. - Meridia meridia. Meridia.


July 15, 2010 - 16:30 SGT     

Trackback by Animals sex animals.

Animals sex. - People havin g sex with animals.


July 16, 2010 - 23:48 SGT     

Trackback by Difference between vicodin and lortab.

Vicodin without prescription. - Buy vicodin online. Vicodin with no membership fees. Lorcet vicodin online. Vicodin. Liquid form of ...


July 17, 2010 - 11:36 SGT     

Trackback by Adderall.

Adderall. - Adderall.


September 3, 2010 - 17:36 SGT     

Trackback by No prescription adderall.

Adderall. - Adderall without a precscription. Adderall.


September 4, 2010 - 05:51 SGT     

Trackback by Hurricane irene 2011.

Hurricane irene 2011. - Hurricane irene 2011.


August 31, 2011 - 06:28 SGT     

Trackback by Hurricane irene 2011 track.

Hurricane irene 2011 track. - Hurricane irene 2011 track.


September 3, 2011 - 10:06 SGT     

Trackback by Hurricane irene 2011.

Hurricane irene 2011. - Hurricane irene 2011.


September 4, 2011 - 14:33 SGT     

Trackback by Free downloads.

Free downloads. - Free downloads.


September 4, 2011 - 15:28 SGT     

Trackback by Hurricane irene satellite image.

Hurricane irene satellite image. - Hurricane irene satellite image.


September 6, 2011 - 14:29 SGT     

Trackback by Hurricane irene 2011 path.

Hurricane irene 2011 path. - Hurricane irene 2011 path.


September 6, 2011 - 15:42 SGT     

Trackback by Free downloads.

Free downloads. - Free downloads.


September 7, 2011 - 10:07 SGT     

Trackback by Hurricane irene 2011 path.

Hurricane irene 2011 path. - Hurricane irene 2011 path.


September 7, 2011 - 15:34 SGT     

Trackback by Hurricane irene 2011 path.

Hurricane irene 2011 path. - Hurricane irene 2011 path.


September 8, 2011 - 10:08 SGT     

Trackback by Free downloads.

Free downloads. - Free downloads.


September 8, 2011 - 15:28 SGT     

Trackback by Public sex.

Public sex. - Public sex. Public oral sex.


October 27, 2011 - 17:44 SGT     

Trackback by Public sex.

Public sex. - Public sex. Public sex beach.


October 27, 2011 - 19:35 SGT     

Trackback by Japanese public sex.

Public sex. - Public sex. Public sex on boats.


October 28, 2011 - 13:44 SGT     

Trackback by Kids fucking in public porn.

Free porn mpegs public invasion. - Free public porn. Drunk public college porn. Public invasion porn. Public ameture porn video. Public...


October 29, 2011 - 12:46 SGT     

Trackback by Sex in public places.

Public sex. - Public sex. Couples having sex in public. Sex in public places. Mature taboo free porn sites and pub...


October 30, 2011 - 10:33 SGT     

Trackback by Public sex.

Public sex. - Public sex. Couples having sex in public. Public sex thumbs.


October 30, 2011 - 15:12 SGT     


Copyright © 2006-2024 GLYS. All Rights Reserved.