Upgrading Your iPhone with Multiple Apple IDs

I recently received my iPhone 4S in the mail and was as excited as I imagine anyone would be when they receive the best mobile device this side of Romulus. I backed up my existing iPhone 3GS in iTunes and after going through the initial setup on the 4S hooked it up to iTunes to do the restore. When it was finished I flipped through my new phone and noticed that I was missing over two thirds of my apps. WTF! I tried backing up and restoring a few more times but no dice. The only thing I could figure was it must have something to do with my having multiple Apple IDs.

I have multiple IDs because I work at AOL and Apple at some point (not sure if they still do it) promoted AOL users being able to easily create an Apple ID with their AOL account. I also have another ID which I setup using my personal e-mail address. Sadly I unknowingly purchased apps and music on both accounts which led to this recent dilemma. I don't use iTunes (I loathe it) so almost every purchase I make is made directly on the phone. Never syncing my phone and my library made this even more complicated.

I did some research and the only thing I found was this statement from Apple:

"Apple IDs cannot be merged. You should use your preferred Apple ID from now on, but you can still access your purchased items such as music, movies, or software using your other Apple IDs."

Lame :/ There's a lot of talk about them allowing it in the future but for now it's not possible. Fortunately for the handful of people out there who have this problem and haven't figured out a workaround there is an easy solution.

I'm going to walk through how to restore your Apps but this also applies to Music, TV Shows, etc as well.

Open up iTunes and click 'Store' on the top menu bar. You should see 'View My Account (your.apple.id)'. Make a note of which account you're currently signed in as.

Now look under 'STORE' on the left menu bar and click on 'Purchased'. In the bottom right of the iTunes window you'll see a 'Download Previous Purchases ->' link. Click on that.

You'll get a nice page that breaks down all of your previous purchases by category. On the top right you'll see 'All' and 'Not in My Library' buttons. Click on the 'Not in My Library' button. You should get a list of all of the Apps that you've purchased but haven't synced up with your Library. In the bottom right you'll see a 'Download All' button. You can do this to make things easier on yourself or you can click the Download/Cloud button beside each App if you want to do them individually.

Once you're finished downloading everything you need on this account, click on 'Store' again on the top menu bar and then 'Sign Out'. Click 'Store' again on the top menu bar and 'Sign In' with your other Apple ID. Repeat the steps above to get all of your content downloaded to your Library.
Now click on your iPhone that's listed on the left menu bar and then click the Apps tab. Make sure 'Sync Apps' is checked. You should see all of your Apps listed here now. Click the 'Sync' button on the bottom right of iTunes and voila - you're all set!

New Pepsi Logo Makes Me Want to Buy Girl Scout Cookies

I experienced the new Pepsi logo at the Harris Teeter the other day and it immediately reminded me of the Girl Scouts logo. I wonder what the thought process was there. Apparently Pepsi shelled out $1 million for the logo which took 5 months to design and is going to end up costing them over $700 million worldwide to make the switch. Silly PepsiCo. I'd have done it for $1,000 and a few cases of Dew.

Another Step Towards Racial Unity

Earlier today I pressed my finger to a screen and cast a vote for Barack Obama. This isn't remarkable in itself as I was but one of over fifty million who helped elect Obama to the office of President of the United States. What is remarkable is that I was able to, without any hesitation, vote for an African American man after having grown up around family and friends who in one way or another subscribed to racism and hatred of anyone who wasn't white.

From a young age I was exposed to racism by my extended family. It was a pretty common occurrence at the dinner table during family gatherings to hear my Grandfather tell a story about a dumb nigger he had busted up on the job that week or some silly nigger he had seen on Television or niggers in general and their niggardly ways. My Uncle would crack racist jokes of the "How do you stop a nigger from drowning? Take your foot off his head" variety. This always made me extremely uncomfortable and being exposed to it at such an early age unfortunately had some impact on the way I viewed people of color.

My father to his credit never wanted that level of racism to exist in his household. He made it clear at some point to my Grandfather that he didn't want his children exposed to it and over the years my Grandfather has definitely gotten better, at least around the grandchildren. I am very thankful to my parents for raising me with a certain level of tolerance. That being said, my parents were still racist just in a different way.

While it wasn't ever blatant or overt, there was always an underlying level of fear towards people of color or other cultures. When we would drive by a group of black people on the street my Mother would lock the car doors. There was a palpable uncomfortableness whenever we were in a situation where we were in the racial minority. Blacks were still seen by my parents as less civilized and alien. My parents still behave this way and I would argue that it has impacted me in a much worse way than my Grandfather and Uncle's overt racism ever did. I say that because to this day I'm still not comfortable around groups of non-whites.

When I was in high school I fell in with, for various reasons, the metal-head/head-banger crowd. The racism in that group ranged from a general distaste for blacks to borderline skinhead, combat boots with white laces and all. Since the split at my high school was about 50% black and 50% white this inevitably led to some violent encounters. Now that I think back on it there were three things that really bonded that group .. racism, pot, and metal. While I never felt like I was truly a part of the group, I definitely played along where I had to lest I lose the only friends I had. I can recall recording a track with a couple of friends and screaming into a microphone a song that I had written about killing black people. Even though noone has ever heard that recording I still consider it to be one of the biggest regrets of my life.

Needless to say I had my fair share of exposure to racism. I even participated in it to an extent. When Barack Obama was running for President though it didn't even cross my mind that he was black. I didn't see an African American. What I saw was an extremely intelligent and engaging young man who captured my heart and spirit with his message of hope and change. It didn't occur to me until tonight how far I've come in my views on race.

While I still have a lot of learning to do I can say with confidence that I am more tolerant than my parents and their parents before them. What's so much more exciting than my own progress though is knowing that my children will have not just a tolerance but an appreciation for their neighbors' race and culture.

With all of my heart I thank Barack Obama for the work he has done and the work he will continue to do to unify our country but most of all I thank everyone who came before him who fought for civil rights, tolerance, and acceptance.

Thanks For Nothing Miles Austin

Week 5 is here and I'm playing against a buddy at work in our "co-workers and weird relatives that also happen to be uber fantasy footballers" league. We've placed a chicken bet on the matchup - lunch at King Pollo (mostly because I haven't been yet and he says the chicken there owns). Brandon Loyd is out with a bum knee and Plax is suspended so I need to grab someone off of waivers quicklike.

Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin are both available and I figure with the drama around T.O. right now at least one of them is bound to blow up. Austin had a great week last week so I'm figuring Crayton is ripe for a good outing. After I pick him up I remember that one of my other friends here at work is a huge Cowboys fan. I IM her and ask for her fan opinion - who will have the better game, Austin or Crayton? She thinks about it for awhile and eventually says Austin. So I go with her gut over mine, drop Crayton, and pickup Austin. Cool. I'm set for Week 5.

It's game on and I'm watching the 'Boys duke it out in a surprsingly close game against the Bengals. It's late in the 4th quarter and thus far Crayton and Austin have done absolutely nothing. No catches for no yards. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Dallas is up by 2 with 2 minutes left in the game and are threatening to score again - I still have a chance! C'mon dudes there's Peruvian chicken on the line here! Romo drops back to the 15yd line looks to his left and throws a bullet to a wide open Miles Austin who has strategically positioned himself on the 1yd line. YES YES YES!!! NO NO NO!!! Incredibly the ball bounces off of Austin's hands, past a defender, and right into the hands of ... PATRICK CRAYTON. Touchdown Patrick Crayton! Touchdown ... Patrick Crayton.

The same Patrick Crayton that I had added to my active roster and then dropped in favor of Miles Austin. Ugh. I'm sure Steve Sabol would have something funny to say about this. Funny, ironic, unlucky, all of that .. but six points isn't all that big of a deal, right? Except that I'm only winning my matchup right now by 7 points and he has Drew Brees playing tonight. Gee, do you think Brees will manage 7 points? To top off the irony I can't even root for Brees to have a bad game because he's my QB in the one other league I'm in and wouldn't you know it - I'm down by 7 points. Funny right? *sniffle*

I think it's safe to say I'll be buying the chicken this week. Thanks Miles Austin. I'll be sending you the bill. Douche.

Palin Wins Beauty Pageant; Biden Wins Debate

Prior to yesterday's Vice Presidential Debate the talking heads were going on and on about how low the expectations were for Governor Sarah Palin due to her lack of experience and jaw-dropping bad performances in recent interviews. Within minutes after the debate was over the commentators and bloggers were all-a-buzz about how the debate wasn't a game changer, how neither of the candidates really won the debate, and how Palin really exceeded expectations.

I'm calling bullshit.

These are the two candidates for the Vice Presidency of the United States! If something should happen to their principles they could very well be President of the United States! We've all learned after watching Dick Cheney transform Washington into his own personal sandbox that the Vice President is no longer some silly figurehead standing on the sidelines. Whichever candidate wins will undoubtedly have a large hand in the fate of this planet. Does this not demand that we set the absolute highest expectations possible for these two people??

If we remove expectations and excuses from the equation - which we absolutely should - Biden was obviously the superior candidate last night. It wasn't even close. Biden was composed, factual, and disciplined.


Here's a breakdown of what I saw from Biden last night:

• Didn't bite on any of Palin's childish taunts and attacks.
• Promoted Obama's policies and was able to get into the specifics of those policies.
• Repeatedly noted similarities between Bush and McCain's ideals.
• Spit on the myth that John McCain is a maverick and a catalyst of change.
• Dissected Palin's claims and McCain's various policies and pointed out the absurdities in each.
• Reinforced his focus on the idea of fairness and the well-being of the middle class.
• Demonstrated in spades his knowledge and experience on all of the important issues.
  

Biden summed up the problem with Bush and McCain's policies with one brilliant line that came in response to Palin not wanting to discuss the causes of climate change: "If you don't understand what the cause is, how can you possibly come up with a solution?" Indeed.

Where Biden was a lion, all class and dignity, Palin was an evasive jackal - lying, cackling, and dancing around the issues. She even had the nerve to dictate to the moderator how she wanted the debate to go and only answered the questions she felt like answering. Palin looked came off like a cartoon character with her accent and folksy lingo. Her speaking demeanor seesawed from hockey mom to preacher and it was obvious that she was simply reciting lines that had been rehearsed many times rather than participating in an actual debate. Biden was
certainly guilty of throwing out some canned lines but Palin's entire performance was canned.

Here's a breakdown of what I saw from Palin last night:

• Didn't seem to be able to control her facial expressions, often seen giggling while Biden was speaking.
• When asked specifically if she agreed with Biden that same-sex couples should receive the same benefits of heterosexual marriages she refused to answer and instead agreed that there should be no "gay marriage".
• Lied and misrepresented Obama's past record on tax increases.
• Injected the inflammatory "redistribution of wealth" term into the debate to rouse Republicans even though it is a misrepresentation of Obama's tax proposals
• Attacked Obama and Biden's voting record on issues like energy independence, war funding, and tax relief when McCain often voted the same way on those exact issues.
• Contradicted herself by calling for more oversight and not blaming citizens for their financial woes but then going on to say in the same breath that we need less oversight and that citizens have to learn to be more responsible with their money.
• Mocked Biden by saying she respects his years in the Senate but the people are ready for something new. Palin offers up her 72yr-old white male Republican Washington insider as the alternative.
• Dialed up all of her gimmicky folksisms: "you betcha", "nucular", "get down", "darn right", "hockey mom", "joe six pack", "tap into 'em".
• Clearly reciting rehearsed lines, didn't look at Biden when addressing him.
  

Biden was able to draw from his vast experience in Washington and engage an intellectual dialogue with America while Palin recited lines from recall about things she obviously doesn't understand. Which one would better support the leader of our nation? How obvious can it be?

Why do people continue to tolerate this? Why do people keep giving Sarah Palin a free pass? Why do people feel badly for her as if someone put a gun to her head and told her that she had to accept the nomination? The past three weeks have painted a blindingly vivid illustration of how ill-equipped Gov. Palin is for the position of Vice President much less the office of President. Please stop making excuses for her. There are no acceptable excuses when it comes to the future of our Country.

I, Fidgeter

I am a fidgeter. If my hands and feet aren't flailing about of their own accord then something is seriously awry in my world. I'm convinced too that it's getting more intense with age. Meredith (my spousal equivalent) has to smack me every now and again when we're hanging out on the couch together to kindly bring to my attention the fresh hole that I'm boring into her thigh with my fidgety digits.

We were at a rock concert not too long ago and she endured a most ruthless onslaught of fidgety hands because I had no idea what else to do with them. I was sandwiched on all sides by screaming sweaty girls half my age so the only places for my hands were 1) around Meredith's waist, 2) around Meredith's shoulders, or 3) in the air. Putting them in my pockets wasn't an option because that's just lame and you can only wave your hands in the air for so long before you look like a total moron. Meredith was rhythmically and unmercifully pummeled from shoulder to waist for over 2 hours of live We Are Scientists. She's so cool though because she didn't even mention it until long after the show was over and her bruises were in full bloom :D

When I'm at work if I'm not thrumming away loudly on my keyboard I'm adjusting my position in my chair. I must shift positions at least once every other minute or so. Right leg folded over left. Left leg folded over right. Both feet on the floor with back straight. Legs fully extended in maximum relax mode. Constantly changing. I wouldn't doubt it if the exercise I get from my fidgeting is a good part of the reason I'm not a gigantic fat ass.

Beyond the constant shifting around though it really seems my legs have a mind of their own. Earlier today I was jamming out to a random mix on my iPod. The track I was listening to faded out to silence and was replaced by these aweful "SCREEK EEEEEK EEEK SCREEEEK" sounds. I looked down towards the source of the sounds and saw that my entire lower body was engaged in some sort of bizarre dance ritual. This gyrating was causing my chair to perform a symphony of loud screeching noises and I imagine everyone within 30 feet of me was wondering what the hell I was going on to in my cube.

I won't even get into what happens when I pack it in for the night and try to go to sleep. Let's just say it's nothing short of amazing that the bed hasn't caught on fire yet from my feet frantically rubbing themselves together :X

On one hand it's a pretty hilarious sight to behold. On the other hand it's a constant discomfort :< I've read that cutting down on caffeine intake, especially at night, can help with this. I'm admittedly a caffeine addict and drink sodas late into the evening so I'll probably try to cut back a bit. But until that happens ... "SCREEK EEEEEK EEEK SCREEEEK"!

Update: Meredith wanted the record to show that I also mangle her fingers when we're walking and holding hands and when we're both on our computers in the den my fidgeting often sends her computer monitor into shaking fits. Tee hee :>

The Renewed Mind is the Key

Picture if you will: A music director at a waspy ministry in rural Ohio decides that he wants to add a "hip-hoppy" piece to his upcoming show. You know ... something that the kids will love ... something that will really bring God's word to the next generation. He remembers the local Cro-Magnon Steve telling a funny story recently about how he had once danced in a high school musical and immediately enlists him to choreograph his show and take the lead role (he also insists that Steve clean himself up because noone likes watching Cavemen).

Steve then recruits Debbie (the ministry MILF) and his Aunt Harriet (not a MILF) to form one bad ass holy hip-shaking trinity. For fresh new beats they recruit Debbie's older brother Jordan (who has an electronic drum kit in his basement), Ralph who rocks a mean Casio, and Tom (noone really knows where Tom came from but he once owned a lot of dcTalk albums and thus must have an intimate grasp of hip-hop).

Oh and to add to the intensity of the show let's have a city-leveling-sized dove swooping in from the heavens to smite the unfunky in the background. kthx.

It's opening day for the show; as the curtains come up and 6,000 crackers stare on with as much excitement as a bunch of church-going crackers can muster, a legend is born:

Apparently this video was put together and released to the world in March of 2007 by The Way International but only recently started gaining momentum in the realm of viral video. Someone posted the video on YouTube (titled "The Renewed Mind is the Key .. to bad dancing) and it got some attention on the blogs but it was soon yanked due to copyright claim. A high-quality version of the video can be viewed on The Way's website.

The music, the church ladies, Jon Travolta, the whiteness - perfection. The video is absolutely hilarious. I mean I could see someone putting it together as a joke but as far as I can tell it was done in all seriousness (there are 3 other parts to the show that don't involve dancing around like a total douche). It's too good not to share so please pass it around.

Update: It looks like The Way have pulled the video off of their site. Thankfully we have it preserved here for all time. Or until they put the fear of God in Blogger :<

Space Invader Yeti

rawr.

New Cleaning Lady : The First Encounter

It's 10:32am on a Tuesday and I'm at work. I'm getting my slouch on in a chair that is entirely too small for me and my stomach is making horrible burbling noises. Outlook reminds me that I have a meeting at 11 but if I don't take care of business soon things could get ugly. And yes I mean ugly in my pants. I set my mouse aside, kick back my chair, and head towards the restroom. As I pull on the large metal door handle a co-worker comes rushing out. "Oh .. sorry .. hi" he squeaks as he brushes past followed closely by a thick hot gust of pungent air.

I approach the second stall (my favorite) and am pleased to see that the toilet seat isn't covered in anything I don't want to sit in. I peel off a sanitary toilet cover, place it down, and kick my feet up. That damned "Time of My Life" song from Dirty Dancing is playing on the radio. Nothing puts me in mood to dump out like really bad love songs from the 80s. I pull out my cellphone to get in a some quality texting but almost drop it when I hear a woman's voice just outside.

"Hola?" says this mysterious intruder. I freeze. My pulse quickens. I tightly clinch my buttocks together and stare at the stall door in front of me. This is awkward. This is new. This is ... frightening. What do I say? I can only assume that this is someone trying to get in to clean the bathroom but for 3 years a dude has cleaned our bathroom and he never asked to come in. "No I neeeeeever felt this way before .. yes I swear". Ugh.

"Hola?" she says again. If I don't respond she's going to stroll in here and that could violate some sort of business conduct rules or something. I lean forward - as if that will help somehow - and speak: "Um .. I'm in here" I say, much too loudly considering I'm in an empty bathroom. My voice echoes off the bathroom walls and mocks me - "I'm in here" - as if she's going to know or care who I am.

"Oho .. I'm sorry!" The door closes and I relax my buttocks. Crisis averted. "And I owe it all to yoooooooou". Unngh I hate that song.

I finish my business, give my hands a rinse, and approach the door. As I reach for the handle I hesitate. I can feel her presence looming on the other side of the door .. waiting for me. Waiting to look me in the eyes and cast judgment upon me for my bathroom antics. Would I be allowed to pass? Would I be accepted into her good graces? Or would I be banished from the bathroom for all time?

I open the door and gasp - she's standing right there! I try to make a run for it but smack right into the side of her cart, giving flight to a stack of paper towels. I gather my senses and try to resume my escape only to realize that she's blocked off the doorway with a hanging "closed for cleaning sign". It's worse than I thought! I haven't been banished - I've been captured! I turn to face my captor and see that she is laughing .. maniacally .. in Spanish. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!". I turn and haul ass, ducking underneath the sign and never looking back.

As I return to my chair - which I seriously need to have replaced - I collapse. I'll have to warn the others. I may have survived my first encounter with this new cleaning lady .. this Keeper of the Cans .. this Lady Lavatory .. this Harpy of The Head .. but what will the next encounter bring? Only time .. and perhaps toilet tissue .. will tell.

Warhammer Online's Launch Site a Masterpiece

Mythic Entertainment released its highly anticipated MMORPG this past Thursday. Having been one of the gamers who got wrapped up in all the Age of Conan hype only to be left wanting, I have admittedly been on the fence about playing Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. However, after visiting their launch/introduction site today, I was convinced that this was something I need to experience. It may sound a little silly that a website could influence me in such a way but please take a look at the site if you haven't already.

When the site loads your browser blanks out to white and the Warhammer logo is gradually painted on the screen in blood-red to illustrate the load progress of the site. Once the loading is completed you are hit with the tag line "War is coming" which is followed by a randomly selected "tendril" that represents various elements of one of the six factions in the game. The inky black tendril flows across the screen with a wonderfully creepy alien symbiote-esque liquidity and tries to consume as much of the white background as it can.

This is just a teaser as the tendril moves back to make way for the remaining factions. The other factions' tendrils slide into the screen towards each other and stop just short of colliding. At the top of the screen a bronze circular shield appears which when moused over allows you to select one of the six factions. This can also be done by mousing over and clicking on one of the factions' tendrils.

When you click to find out more about a faction the other five factions fade out and you are presented with a small loading screen. After the short wait you are treated with a very large high quality version of the tendril and get an excellent overview of the style and feel of the faction. I can't praise them enough for the very classy job they've done here of cramming so much imagery about the faction into such a relatively small space. The various classes are represented here along with their armor and weapon styles. In addition to classes the faction's banners and emblems are also here along with mounts, weapons, blood, men in battle formations, towers, fortresses, and lots and lots of skulls. I have never seen such a complete representation of a race or faction as they've done here on this site. Gorgeous. Respect.

As you mouse over the different sections of the tendril some of the characters are highlighted by introducing new colors onto their person. Clicking on the characters will give you one of three things: a class overview featuring beautifully hand-drawn /painted artwork, in-game screenshots of the class in action, or a teaser trailer. The interactivity is compelling and rewarding.

While this site doesn't have much depth to it, it achieves it's purpose perfectly - getting you excited about the game and picking what race/class you fancy yourself playing before ever installing it. I can't recall any other game taking such an artistically adventurous approach with their website. The style looks like something that Zack Snyder's visual production crew from 300 would put together. Very impressive. I hope to see more game companies showing this sort of ambition with their web promotions.

On a side note if anyone can convince Mythic to post a web developer position that'd be greeeeeeeeeat. Their office is about 15 minutes from my apartment. How fun would that be ;)

It's the Prairie Dog's World...

...we all just live in it.

At the request of Meg over at Cute Overload people have been putting together mash-ups of a really cute laughing prairie dog video and this one takes the cake thus far:

The prairie dog dances and lip syncs to Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust". What's not to love? The best part is when Freddie does his Aretha Franklin at around 2:20.

I'm still waiting for someone to do a Ninja Cat vs Dramatic Prairie dog mash-up >:)

4am Photoshop Fun

I was experimenting with the "Sin City" look but couldn't get the rain right so I ended up with this:


It's a picture that I took of myself in my apartment and a random castle image I found for the back drop.

Cleaning Up After Ed Hochuli

Since Ed Hochuli's brain fart at the end of the Chargers/Broncos game this past Sunday there has been plenty of commentary on his mistake, the righteous fury of San Diego fans, and what could have been. We know the league has taking action by downgrading Ed's place among his peers. We know noone is taking it harder than Ed himself. We know the fans of San Diego aren't going to get over this for a long time especially if it ends up biting them down the road come playoffs time. We know Norv Turner (pictured) went home after the game and kicked his dog.

But what people aren't getting into as much is what should be done to prevent it in the future. I've seen a few members of the NFL competition committee mention that they'll look into it before the 2009 season begins but we haven't seen much in the way of what exactly they'll consider doing.

The league under Roger Goodell has a healthy appetite for making updates to the game that make the fans and players alike feel like they're getting the best possible experience each week whether it's helping protect the players, letting defenders actually play receivers, promoting good sportsmanship, or lessening referee impact by eliminating some of the trickier judgment calls and instituting a system for reviewing plays. Some recent examples of these changes include a 2007 update that allows "down by contact" plays to be reviewed and a 2008 update that allows defenders to push players out of bounds if they try to catch the ball close to the out-of-bounds line.

As for the Ed Hochuli situation that happened this past Sunday I think there are two options worth considering. First is the obvious and easiest - the referees should be instructed (or more likely re-instructed) not to blow the whistle in that type of situation. If the QB's arm rolls back to throw the ball and the ball comes out just let the play run its course. Players know to play until the whistle blows and you can always review the play if it's within the last 2 minutes of the half or the coach's can throw a red flag. If the referee happens to be watching the cheerleaders instead of the play and makes the wrong call (not saying Ed did that .. but that would almost make it ok wouldn't it?) then have a coin toss to see who gets possession. I don't see any other way to handle it. Players know to stop playing once that whistle blows so whatever happens after the whistle has to be discarded. Period. The most you can do is then give each team a 50/50 chance to gain possession. It isn't a perfect solution but it's better than what we currently have.

The second option is a lot more controversial but I think would lead to a better game experience. The current NFL rulebook defines a fumble as "the loss of player possession of the ball." I think this should be updated to exclude when a QB drops the ball behind the line of scrimmage as Jay Cutler did against the Chargers. The QB is the leader of the offense! On most teams he is your most talented player. He has to lead his offense down the field. He drops back and scans his receivers and tries to get them the ball. That's a lot of pressure and the QB has several ways he can fail: he can be sacked, he can be intercepted, he can be forced to throw the ball away, he can fumble, and he can be forced to run at which point he takes on the role of a RB. Look at all of the other positions in football. A WR can drop a pass or fumble. A RB can fumble or be tackled behind the line of scrimmage. A K can botch his kick. An OT can miss the block on his defender. There just isn't any position where you have as much potential to turn the ball over as QB.

I really don't want to see a potentially game-changing possession change because the QB was running around trying to make something happened and dropped the ball because it was drenched in his Center's crotch soup. I think it's a harsh punishment for such a simple mistake. What I would propose as an alternative is counting the play as a sack with loss of down and have the ball placed at the spot of the drop. This would still penalize the QB and his team for his fumble while not taking away the Defense's motivation to get to him. Some might say this paves the way for shenanigans where the QB will intentionally fumble to avoid trouble but they can do that now anyway for the most part. A QB can throw the ball away at any time resulting in an incomplete pass or an intentional grounding penalty so this wouldn't be adding a new "out" for the QB.

Hopefully we'll hear something about the possible solutions as the season goes on and that the decision is made in the same spirit of fair play that the NFL has embraced these past few years.

Leanne Ragdoll

I am convinced that Leanne from this season (5) of Project Runway is Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas come to life. These pictures don't do the comparison much justice but if you watch the show you might pick up on the resemblance:

Guns Don't Kill People. Ninja Cats Do.

If you're a fan of feline hilarity you'll want to check out this video that was posted on YouTube last week:

I made the mistake of watching it in the office and almost spit vitamin water all over my keyboard :D

Pointing Fingers in the Vince Young Saga

Perhaps at least some part of the reason behind the emotional issues that Vince Young is currently struggling with has to do with the "industry experts" continuing to place him on a very high pedestal even when he's proven he can't perform consistently at the Pro level. The hype machine has always been very high on "VY", especially after the glorious meltdown and dismissal of the NFL's previous golden child (Michael Vick).

Whenever Vince Young turns on ESPN or the NFL Network he sees the talking heads of the NFL praising him, pumping him up, and making excuses about the mistakes he might have made that week. This has to have a devastating effect on Vince as he looks in the mirror and into the eyes of his teammates, coaches, and fans, and knows that he can't live up to their (lofty?) expectations.

The Titans put a lot of faith in Young when they drafted him 3rd overall in the 2006 draft to take over for the aging Steve McNair. Before the draft some concerns were raised about Vince's posted score on the Wonderlic test and whether or not he had the mental agility to handle the QB position at the Pro level. Vince scored a 6 or a 16 out of 50 on the test depending on who you ask. Some feel the Wonderlic test as with other aptitude tests unfairly discriminate against athletes of color and there are questions as to how much weight should be given to the results (Dan Marino only scored a 16). Nonetheless concerns were raised and despite those concerns the Titans decided that Vince's physical potential was too great to pass up on.

Vince has a great arm and unmatched running ability at his position and his team is managing to win despite his turnovers so it's at least worth considering that part of his problem as a player might be his capacity to grasp the playbook and lead the offense. From the way the commentators and TV personalities still talk about him though you would think the rest of the team were to blame for his mediocre performances.

In 2006, Vince's first season with the Titans, he led his team to an 8-8 record by throwing for 2,199 yards, 12 TDs, and 13 INTs. He also ran for 552 yards and 7 TDs and fumbled the ball away 3 times. Those are respectable numbers for a rookie QB and almost spot-on with Steve McNair's first season as a starter for the Oilers back in '97. In his 2007 season however Vince took a step backwards passing for 2,546 yards, 9 TDs, 17 INTs, rushing for 395 yards and 3 TDs, and fumbling the ball away 3 times. The Titans managed a 10-6 record that season and were eliminated by the Chargers in the Wild Card Playoffs. Vince threw for 138 yards and a pick in that game and afterwards said: "Overall, I feel like I did a good job in the passing game".

Jeff Fisher knows how to build a Championship-caliber team and while the current Titans may not be at that level yet they certainly have the potential to be. Managing a 10-6 record when your QB turns the ball over 27 times while only scoring 12 times is a testament to what a strong team Fisher has built around Vince Young. I lived in Jacksonville during the Jaguars' inaugural season in '95 and was an avid fan until Brunell's departure in 2004. As a Jags fan I had a front row seat to what Fisher could do against a team and I, like all other Jaguar fans I've met, have come to despise him. I admire him greatly as a coach... but I despise him for what he did to my Jags.

I was listening to Jamie Dukes the other night (who I find very entertaining) comment on this situation and he wasn't able to finish the piece without covering for Vince, calling him a "Playmaker Quarterback" and making excuses for him by saying Peyton Manning and Tom Brady were surrounded by hall-of-fame players and that the Titans need to surround "VY" with that level of talent or let him go. Jamie seems to have forgotten that Tom Brady enjoyed six years of success before the Patriots gave him any hall-of-fame talent but I digress. Vince absolutely does have an adequate supporting cast otherwise they would have been lucky to win 4-5 games last season.

There have been plenty of teams that have had success with a mediocre offense and a strong defense. I present as evidence the 2003 Brad Johnson-led Bucs, the 2001 Trent Dilfer-led Ravens, and the 2006 Rex Grossman-led Bears. The Titans under Jeff Fisher have always been a hard-hitting defensive team that likes to lean on their running game. In those sorts of teams the most important job of the QB is to not turn the ball over. Vince has committed 36 turnovers in his past two seasons. That is not helping your team win no matter what ruler you measure it with.

If the "VY" era is going to continue in Tennessee I think two things need to happen:

First - the media need to stop hanging out in his jock strap and acting like he's the next Air McNair or Donovan McNabb because he's not. He has raw talent to spare but he's not performing at the Pro level and it's going to prevent the Titans from winning the AFC unless something is done to help him improve. Stop trying to make him something he's not. Please. And no more Madden covers!

Second - give him more time to study the playbook and the offense. Have him watch more tape on his opponents' defenses to get a better idea for the various schemes and packages. Work on his game IQ. Take the pressure off of him by letting Old Man Collins finish out this season. Wait until he is mentally ready to come back and not make costly turnovers.

Otherwise the Titans are better off letting him go. Perhaps he can find a cozy spot as a backup QB somewhere collecting a nice paycheck with a potential opportunity to come in and play hero just around the corner. Or perhaps he could hang out with Dukes on the NFL Network and help hype up the next Vince Young ;)

Rock Me Hugo Weaving

We need more Hugo Weaving.

I just finished watching V for Vendetta again and was, as always, hanging on every line uttered by Hugo Weaving. Whether he's inspiring the inhabitants of future London to stand up and fight against their oppressive government, whispering lines from Twelfth Night to his love interest knowing that love is unattainable, or easily reciting an insane tongue-twister with just the right amount of bravado he demands your attention and he rewards you for giving it to him.

There is something absolutely magical about Hugo's on-screen persona and the way he takes scripted characters and makes them his own. For his role as Agent Smith in The Matrix Trilogy he completely transformed himself into a cold and calculating piece of uberware that eventually unraveled and went mad. He delivered a line in the first Matrix movie with such contempt and disgust for the human race that I was right there with him cheering on the destruction of mankind - "There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You're a plague and we are the cure." Yes sir, Mr. Smith sir - it is futile for us to resit your supreme Hugocity.

The three things that I remember when I think back on that trilogy: 1) Take the red pill, 2) "I know Kung-Fu", and 3) Agent Smith. I mean, for months after the first Matrix movie came out we were all raising our eyebrows and growling "Mr. Anderson" at each other whenever the opportunity presented itself. Hell I still do it from time to time.

We didn't care who the actor was who was playing Agent Smith -- we just never wanted it to end! And isn't that what makes a great character actor?

In the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Hugo took on the role of Elrond the Lord of Rivendell and I have to admit that when he first appeared on the screen in Fellowship of the Ring I muttered "Mr. Anderson" under my breath. It was Agent Smith playing Elrond! That impression faded quickly though as Hugo transcended his previous character by putting together an impressive performance as Elrond even though the role was somewhat limited.

We almost didn't get to see Hugo in V for Vendetta as James Purefoy (of A Knights Tale fame?) was originally slotted for the role. Fortunately for all of us Purefoy backed out six weeks into filming and instead we were given a remarkable performance by Hugo Weaving. While he wore a mask for the entirety of the movie, Hugo managed to do an excellent job of expressing his emotions with his body language and really delivered on the beautifully-written dialogue. He fully embodied the character of V and once again we didn't care who the actor was, we just saw V and couldn't get enough of him.

Hugo hasn't had much mainstream success beyond the two trilogies and V for Vendetta. He's done a fair amount of voice-over work in his career and understandably so. If I were in the movie industry I would find a way to get Hugo into my movies in one form or another. Most recently he gave voice to Megatron in The Transformers. I had no idea that was him when I was watching the movie mostly due to the digital effects that were added.

He is listed as having a supporting role alongside Anthony Hopkins and Benicio Del Toro in a remake of Curt Siodmak's The Wolf Man (pictured) which will be released in 2009. While that's encouraging it isn't nearly enough to fill the current void of quality entertainment at our theaters.

Hollywood, for the sake of us all, please smarten up and give this terrific actor more opportunities to create endearing characters like the ones he's already gifted to us.