Random Thoughts 12/5/06

• Are you on the list? I am. I have the power to make people fall asleep! I use my special ability every Sunday.
• So what does the Academy do? Mel Gibson has made a movie that is unique and well done (not to mention gory and shocking, a recurring theme for Mel) in Apocalypto. Amidst all of the mediocrity, such a movie ought to be a shoe-in for Oscar nominations, except that Mel Gibson is persona non grata lately. So does the Hollywood establishment vote for the film or the filmmaker?
  
• What is the one advantage to having your driveway coated in ice? Taking the trash to the curb is less like a chore and more like Olympic Curling.
• KU has been inconsistent this first month, losing to lowly Oral Roberts while beating #1 Florida. But I was encouraged watching the win last night over USC for an entirely new reason. The Jayhawks played scary defense in the backcourt. I can't remember a game where a team so harrassed the guards and stole the ball so effectively. KU had 15 steals causing 25 turnovers. Though not quite a record, the effect it had on the game was noteworthy. There have been several recent seasons where KU had a better offense than what they have this year, but I can't remember the last great defensive team. Chalmers, Robinson, Collins, Rush, and Wright regularly take the ball away and it's a blast to watch.
• I often receive emails claiming to keep track of who reads these emails and passes them on. Some of these are petitions wanting as many signatures as possible for some good cause, while others claim that if you forward this email to enough friends Bill Gates or somebody will send you money. Remember, there is not and never has been a way to track all of those emails and collect all of that information back in one place. The only way to do so would be a huge invasion of your privacy – they would need to know the destination and the content of every email you send. Yikes! So any kind of promotion or petition email that requires you to forward it to your friends is almost guaranteed to be a hoax or just not work.
• Being the nerd that I am, I keep track of all the guys who play cards at my house and how many games they've won. Since June, we've had about 75 people over, some of whom come twice a week almost every week. Not only are we becoming fairly accomplished card players but we're building a lot of relationships, especially among the young men in our church (the target audience).