What the Heck, Man?: Another Crazy App

First off, I invite you all to check out this link:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57364875-1/wotwentwrong-on-that-date-app-gets-the-dumpers-explanation/

If I've read that correctly both times I've read the article, WotWentWrong is an app that essentially provides an easy, convenient way for someone to find out why their date went wrong.  Obviously, as the article says, this request can be ignored by the dumper, so the dumpee won't necessarily receive the answer that they think they want.

In this age of information, we're always looking for the answers.  Some of us are so dissatisfied with not knowing an answer that we'll keep our smartphones and our data plans in tow at all times, ready to Google-search any question we might have, from the hibernation patterns of a grizzly bear to the middle name of Lady Gaga's dog.  Incidentally, I don't know if Gaga has a dog, or if it has a middle name, so feel free to look that up.  Right now...

Got it?  Let me know.  Anyway, WotWentWrong is another enabler for our human nature's never-ending quest for information.  If we can find out all of these random facts online, why shouldn't we have easy access to reasons why we failed on a date, right?  I know that all of us have thought to ourselves, at one time or another, that we'd be so much happier if we just knew the facts.  "It's not you, it's me" just isn't satisfying!  We want to be told what's wrong with us, so that we can change it and present ourselves better for the next person!

Yeah, we don't actually want that, nor do we really want to know WotWentWrong on our date.  Luckily, I can't see this product lasting very long on the market.  First off, I would suspect that only about 15% of dumpers will actually fill out the email and reply to their dates, and 98% of the time, they'll reply under the assumption that they'll never have to see or hear from the person again.  I pray for the dumpees who think this app is a good idea, as there are few things more falsely reassuring than knowing what someone might not like about you.

However, for the mere fact that someone had the idea to put this app together, I must say... What the heck, man?

Superfine Seven: Voices

I like to pretend I'm a good singer, but when I listen to any of the seven upcoming names, I go hide in my corner and encourage myself until I'm ready to face the world again.  But when I'm not using my ears to crush my own ego, I enjoy every second of these seven peoples' voices.  Not much commentary on my end this time around; I'll just embed a favorite example of each person's voice, and maybe say a bit as I feel necessary.

Let's be clear: I do NOT believe that these are the seven greatest voices in the world or of all time.  These are just my own personal favorite.  Thus...


Superfine Seven: Voices
1. Jon McLaughlin
Yeah, the amazing piano playing is a part of it too, but this guy's voice is both strong and soothing.



2. Alejandro Manzano (Boyce Avenue) and 3. Kina Grannis
The second most viewed band on YouTube, Boyce Avenue is mostly known for beautifully-arranged covers of popular music from several generations.  Kina Grannis is another sensation born from YouTube, starting to become more known for her original music, but also gaining popularity through some cover work.  One of my favorite videos of all time, here is both of them:



4. Phil Wickham
Certainly not the cleanest voice around, but the blemishes in the character of his voice create the raw power and emotion that brings out his equally beautiful and spiritual poetic lyrics.



5. Jeff Buckley
A prodigy who left our world too soon, Buckley will always be remembered for his rendition of this song, along with the amazing talent in his voice that still hasn't been heard by enough of the world.




6. Kanye West
This may seem like a curveball, but there's no doubt that the enigma that is Kanye West has a very outspoken voice.  For me, it's a little more than his strong opinions: clever lyrics and use of inflections in his voice help him to be one of the great hip-hop artists of our generation.  I definitely don't agree with the messages in some of his music, but I can't deny how smooth he is.



7. Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, Audioslave)
For those who know me, power and energy are two of the elements in music that I search for the most.  Chris Cornell has those elements in one of the most unique voices in history.  Again, not a fan of everything he sings about, but when he sings, I can't stop listening.



I encourage you to take a second to think of your seven favorite voices too.  It can be fun to share!

The Superfine Seven: NFL Players to Watch This Weekend

So you know how they have quirky, alliterative phrases for lists?  "Top Ten" and "Fave Five" are probably the ones you hear most commonly these days.  I wanted to get creative, so I went to synonym.com and searched the word "best".  One of the returned results was "superfine".  Thus, here is my first Superfine Seven of the year.

I always welcome disagreements and/or alternate opinions and/or agreements, so please feel free to comment on this list!

The Superfine Seven: NFL Players to Watch This Weekend
1. Alex Smith - QB, SF 49ers
After an unexpected and impressive performance in the 4th quarter of last week's game against the Saints, many are declaring that veteran QB Alex Smith has finally arrived and is living up to being picked #1 overall in the 2005 NFL draft (note: 23 picks before Aaron Rodgers).  Yes, the 49ers are a defensive-minded team with a run-first strategy, but like last week, I anticipate that Smith will be called on to make some big plays.  The spotlight has fallen on him, and this is his chance to shine.  Can he prove that he can do enough (aka avoid mistakes enough) to help a team to a championship?

2. Wes Welker - WR, NE Patriots
Anyone who's been watching the Patriots this year will tell you that last week's 3 TD outburst by Rob Gronkowski was no surprise.  He has been the equivalent of a #1 receiver for the Patriots this year, causing headaches for defensive coordinators around the league.  However, Gronkowski would not have the opportunities to experience this success if it weren't for Wes Welker.  He is still the #1 guy in this receiving core, and he is still the guy that defenses draw their plans around.  That said, the Ravens are a proud defense, and would love to be the team that said they "shut down Gronk".  To what expense?  That depends on the rest of the gang (Branch, Hernandez, Woodhead) but most heavily on Welker.

3. Ed Reed - Safety, BAL Ravens
The Patriots pass offense is devastating.  Every player in that offense understands and buys into the system, and Tom Brady knows how to utilize each skill player to their full potential.  To win this weekend, the Ravens need to find a way to disrupt the flow of the Patriots offense.  While the easy answer is to rush Tom Brady heavily, the Patriots will certainly be anticipating that.  That's why the Ravens need Ed Reed to be disruptive.  It's not all about big plays and interceptions, but if Reed can be in the places where Brady doesn't expect him to be, he'll be the greatest catalyst in disrupting the Patriots offense.

4. Joe Flacco - QB, BAL Ravens
Everyone knows the Patriots defense stinks, but didn't they just cause 14 negative plays against a Broncos offense that the Steelers defense couldn't stop?  If they play near as effectively as they did last week, Joe Flacco will need to shoulder the load for this offense.  Without taking Ed Reed's comments this week out of proportion, Flacco will undoubtedly feel a little extra pressure this week to perform well.  He doesn't necessarily need to throw for 300 yards, but he needs to make the big plays on 2nd and 3rd down that help the Ravens keep the ball.  The best defense against Tom Brady is taking the ball and keeping it as long as you can.

5. Hakeem Nicks, WR, NY Giants
Hakeem Nicks has been a monster in the playoffs so far.  With so much attention devoted to the emergence of Victor Cruz this season, Nicks came into the playoffs and decided that he would remind everyone why he might be a top-5 receiver in the league.  Big guy, good speed, amazing hands.  Nicks is everything you could want in a #1 receiver.  Against possibly the best defense in the league in the 49ers, including their Pro Bowl cornerback Carlos Rogers, Nicks will need to make some special plays.  When I say special, I mean plays that no ordinary receiver could make: catches in double coverage, one-handed catches around a defender, etc.  Don't be surprised to see an amazing catch by Nicks on Sportscenter the next day, because he's going to have to make at least one special play if the Giants are going to win.

6. Aldon Smith, DE, SF 49ers
What a splash the rookies have made this season.  Beyond Cam Newton and Andy Dalton, we've seen plenty of other rookies emerge and play big roles for their teams this season.  Aldon Smith is one of those guys, and he'll be key to the outcome of the Niners/Giants game.  Smith recorded 14 sacks this season, just a half sack shy of tying the rookie record.  He plays across from an elite defensive lineman in Justin Smith, who had a big presence and impact last week.  The Giants understand the power that Justin Smith can have on the field, and so I think they'll look to take Justin away first.  That leaves Aldon with opportunities, and he must capitalize on them to help the Niners' defense succeed.

7. Antrel Rolle, S, NY Giants
Just as Ed Reed and the Baltimore Ravens need to watch the tight ends of the New England Patriots, the Giants have to deal with Vernon Davis, one of the best tight ends in the league.  There is consideration of switching a cornerback on to cover Davis, but Davis' superior size and strength makes that a dangerous proposition.  Linebackers might be able to contain Davis short, but if he gets downfield, they have no chance.  This is where the safeties come in.  All of the safeties for the Giants have been playing pretty well, but Rolle is their veteran who's been on this stage before.  He'll be an important piece in creating confusion for Alex Smith and limiting Vernon Davis.

That's it for the first Superfine Seven list.  Let me know what you think!

"What the heck, man?" Awards, 1/18/12

 Some things in life are puzzling.  Some are troubling.  Some just don't make any sense.  Here are my first "What the heck, man?" awards for January 18th, 2012.

"What the heck, man?" award for 2012 (so far): The iPad 3
It's not so much that I'm upset that they're planning to release the newest iPad in March.  Actually, this "What the heck, man?" is more so in disbelief, for the genius of the product and this release.  Apple somehow keeps getting it right, and though they aren't perceived as such, they've become the power that Microsoft once was when we were all bickering about how powerful they were.  Apple completely dominates the market for tablets, smartphones, and mp3 players.  The release of the iPad 3 (if it is in March, as speculated) might come across as short-sighted, as we just passed the holiday shopping season, but it is nothing short of brilliant.  Tablets are a huge trend right now, and amazingly, the trend is still growing.  Personally, I don't see the trend slowing down until tablets are as commonly owned as laptops.  Given that this is #3, this product will not only be attractive to new iPad customers, but iPad 1 owners will feel more justified in purchasing an upgrade.  And, most importantly, with consideration of Apple's usual 6-month cycle for product releases, this sets up the iPad 4 to be released in September or October.

"What the heck, man?" award for iOS apps: GymPact
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57359919-71/new-iphone-app-makes-you-cough-up-for-missing-gym/?tag=cnetRiver
I'm assuming you've read at least a little bit of this link now, but a big "What the heck, man?" goes to society for this product's future (as I predict) as a mainstream product.  Yes, you put in your credit card information, and it punishes you for not going to the gym.. by taking your money.  Now certainly, it's a novel concept as a motivator.  Very few things motivate us humans more than the idea of losing money.  However, this idea both baffles and scares me when I think about it and its relation to the state of human kind.  Look, I'm no good at attending the gym, and this app would probably work on me.  But this is just another invention that can become a crutch, to the point that we end up confused or disheartened when it is absent.  Relying on GymPact will cause us to fail to develop the ability to push ourselves to the gym.  Theoretically, this lack of ability to motivate ourselves will also bleed into other activities in our lives, where we'll want apps to push us through our daily lives.  I wish we didn't need these sort of things, and that we could step up and do things on our own.  But I'll relinquish this much: maybe GymPact can just act as a temporary solution for building the habit of going to the gym.  I guess we shall see.

"What the heck, man?" award for football: Impatient executives
It's plagued football for almost as long as I've watched it, but there's just no patience in the football world anymore.  Hue Jackson, coach of the Raiders, got fired after one season where his team almost made the playoffs, despite a tumultuous season in losing owner Al Davis, and injuries to most of the starting skill players around mid-season.  The Colts fired Jim Caldwell after a 2-14 season, which is a little more reasonable given that he was there for a few seasons, but I thought they could've given him at least one more season with a healthy Peyton Manning.  The Broncos still seem to refuse to show confidence in Tim Tebow as their starting quarterback of the future.  Tebow helped the Broncos achieve great things this year, and has only been in the league for two seasons.  I understand that impatience is caused by the fear of making less money (key: not LOSING money, but making less), but continuity and chemistry can be major elements to success (just look at the consistency of the Patriots and Steelers over the years), and this fear of making less money is crippling team executives from allowing coaches and players enough time to build that continuity and chemistry.

Thanks for tuning in to the first "What the heck, man?" awards!

The Majesty of "What If?"

I had an interesting conversation last night where I had the chance to speculate about a few "what if?" situations I'd experienced in the last few weeks.  It made me realize that this speculation is beyond what our minds can grasp.  If one thing happened differently, it would set off a chain reaction of other things that would provide a different present world than what we see today, even if the difference is not immediately noticeable.  Frankly, I thank God that I don't have to understand the chain reaction for myself.  Otherwise, it'd certainly set off its own chain reaction where I'd spend day and night piecing together every little "what if" from my past.

Considering the "what if"s can be dangerous.  Dwell too much on the past, and you get stuck in a cycle where you'll scrutinize everything you do in the present.  I think that as a culture, we sometimes get too obsessed with the "what if" concept.  Sure, it has its positives: for instance, we all have embarrassing moments that we wish we could do over again, and understanding the "what if" in that situation usually prevents us from having a repeat moment.  However, spending too much time in the "what if" zone can cause us unnecessary stress.  If you want an example, just think about any failed attempts at romance in your life (unless you're batting a thousand... then you're just lucky).  But even in this last example, we can find more positives in considering the "what if"s.

I think that the concept of "what if", as long as it isn't an obsessive thought, is majestic.  As I mentioned previously, the idea of working out every single reaction to our "what if" situation is beyond the scope of what we can imagine.  Every "what if" can introduce a list of other "what if" situations.  The fact that I can't grasp it all... it amazes me.  I find joy in the idea that there is an almost infinite list of possible results for every situation, big and small.  It's a reminder that, at least for my beliefs, God is in control of my life, and only He is capable of grasping things that are so grand.

So this is my encouragement to you: when faced with a "what if" situation, don't let yourself obsess about it.  Remember that even if the choice you made doesn't yield your desired result, you're going to learn or gain something from it anyway.  You can go back and consider it all you want, but you're not guaranteed to have reached the result you wanted anyway.  Everything happens for a reason, and though you might not see it now, that "what if" happened to set something else in motion in your future.

NFL Playoff Predictions

Will we see a repeat?  Aaron Rodgers, the presumed MVP for this season and leader of a 1-loss Packers team, certainly hopes so.  The Packers capped off the season by winning in a 45-41 shootout with my Detroit Lions... and with Mr. MVP on the bench for the whole game.  So what's to stop this team from winning the Super Bowl again this season?  You might be surprised.

Each week, news and injuries can change the complexion of playoff games, but as much as I would like to change these predictions as those events unfold, this is the only time I'll post about it.  Here we go:

NFC Wild Card games:

#3 New Orleans Saints vs. #6 Detroit Lions: Saints look better on both sides of the ball recently, even though Stafford just put up 520 yards passing.  Lions are just glad to be there, and the Saints expect the Super Bowl.  Winner: Saints

#4 New York Giants vs. #5 Atlanta Falcons: Both teams finished strong, but the Giants have always had the winning playoff formula in a fierce pass rush and strong running game.  Eli Manning can also give them big plays when needed.  Winner: Giants

AFC Wild Card games:

#3 Houston Texans vs. #6 Cincinnati Bengals: Two rookie quarterbacks collide and while the Bengals' Andy Dalton might be better, the NFL-best rushing attack of the Texans will pound the Bengals D, who just gave up big rushing yards in their last game of the season.  Winner: Texans

#4 Denver Broncos vs. #5 Pittsburgh Steelers: Steelers almost ended up as the #1 team in the AFC, and the Broncos lost to the Kansas City Chiefs to finish the season.  Broncos offense looks to be in shambles, and the Steelers D is still one of the best in the league.  Winner: Steelers

NFC Divisional Round:

#1 Green Bay Packers vs. #4 New York Giants: Green Bay's defense looked weak against the Lions in Week 17, but they're the best at making turnovers happen.  The Giants offense can be very turnover-prone, so I think the Packers D makes enough plays to win.  Winner: Packers

#2 San Francisco 49ers vs. #3 New Orleans Saints: The 49ers defense is scary good, but so is Drew Brees.  The Saints defense can be great at times, but so can Alex Smith.  I like the Saints here because of two words: Darren Sproles.  Winner: Saints

AFC Divisional Round:

#1 New England Patriots vs. #5 Pittsburgh Steelers: Here's a test of the whole "defense wins championships" philosophy.  The Patriots don't really have a defense, and the Steelers are built around their defense.  I think that the Patriots' lack of defense finally catches up to them.  Winner: Steelers

#2 Baltimore Ravens vs. #3 Houston Texans: Another team built around their defense, the Ravens defense has had another solid year, led by their stud linebacker Terrell Suggs.  Houston's offensive line is one of the best in the league, but the Ravens are gonna force the rookie QB to beat them.  He won't.  Winner: Ravens

Conference Championship games:

NFC - #1 Green Bay Packers vs. #3 New Orleans Saints: These two teams played in the first game of the season, and I said back then that the loser of the game will go on to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.  The Saints lost in that first game, but I think that their defense is better than Green Bay's.  Winner: Saints

AFC - #2 Baltimore Ravens vs. #5 Pittsburgh Steelers: This is going to be a hard-nosed, bruising type of game.  The Ravens won both regular season matchups, but after the last matchup, the Ravens put up a stinker against the Seahawks.  The Steelers' only loss since then was to the 49ers, and that was with a clearly hurt Ben Roethlisberger.  I don't wanna pick the Steelers again, but it's the only thing that makes sense to me.  Winner: Steelers

Super Bowl:

New Orleans Saints vs. Pittsburgh Steelers:  This is a hard pick for me.  My gut tells me the Saints, but my brain tells me the Steelers.  Look particularly at the teams they each lost to: the Steelers lost to the Ravens (twice), Texans, and 49ers; the Saints lost to the Packers... Buccaneers, and Rams.  However, the playoffs are a different beast, which is why both teams avenged regular season losses to get here.  You never know what can happen, which is why I gotta go with my gut.  The Saints will bring the magic with them to Indianapolis.

Super Bowl Champion: New Orleans Saints