Scrumtralescence http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/ A blog so amazing even James Lipton cannot think of a word for it. en-us Sat, 15 Jul 2006 22:02:26 EST Sat, 15 Jul 2006 22:02:26 EST daniel.tikk@case.edu daniel.tikk@case.edu http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Movable Type v3.121 A Visit to the Rock Hall http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/07/15/a_visit_to_the_rock_hall I spent 5 1/2 hours at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame today, and it was glorious. even though... http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/07/15/a_visit_to_the_rock_hall case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Sat, 15 Jul 2006 22:02:26 EST I spent 5 1/2 hours at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame today, and it was glorious. even though i've been living in Cleveland for three years now, i still hadn't visited during that time. i had been once, though, back in high school, so i didn't think i'd enjoy today's tour as much as i did. maybe it was the tour guide, who offered interesting insights into the exhibits and into bands which, for the most part, i was already pretty familiar with. the temporary bob dylan exhibit was great, the main exhibits in the basement are full of some great artifacts, but these weren't even the highlights for me. the first of these was the pink floyd stuff, which is very limited in the hall of fame, but the Division Bell heads and the Wall display are pretty awesome. i asked our guide why there wasn't more Pink Floyd stuff in the Hall, but he wasn't able to give me a very satisfactory answer, beyond the idea that since the band is still alive and touring (even if separately) they may be hanging on to their stuff. still, to have two giant artifacts there from my favorite band was great to see, both of which i don't remember from my first visit, somehow i must have missed them...
as for the second highlight, it was the hour long video presentation of all of the hall's inductees, presented with each year's induction class together. the video is just a montage of performances and videos of all of the inductees, but seeing them together like that was fantastic. i got really emotional during the video, and i'm not even sure why. maybe it was seeing all of those musicians who were gone before their time, wondering what could have been. jim morrison, janis joplin, hendrix, john lennon, marvin gaye, otis redding, buddy holly, richie valens, the big bopper, keith moon, john bonham, duane allmann, the list goes on and on. some people say that that is part of the mystique of these musicians, that seeing them playing for another forty years beyond their prime would be painful, and it's for the best that all we have is those brief flashes of brilliance. as neil young sang, it's better to burn out than to fade away. yeah, maybe, but i'm pretty sure stones fans are happy with the forty years that they've had to listen to new music from their favorite band. but maybe that wasn't even it, maybe it was just being assaulted with all of these images and sounds of some of my favorite music all at once. as i walked out, i heard some girls sitting outside complaining about the video because it was just a bunch of pictures and songs from the bands inducted. and yes, that is all it was, but to me, that is what the place is about. the entire rock hall exists to celebrate the music of these people, and what that music has meant to individual listeners and to the world, and that's what the video represented in one quick extravaganza of sight and sound. rock and roll has had a huge impact on the world, and maybe those girls wanted to see a video telling them about that, but sometimes the music is enough as it is. or at least it was for me. oh, and one other highlight, seeing the lyrics to Rockin' in the Free World written by Neil Young on a manilla folder, i actually teared up. i honestly don't think there are many better verses than the second one in that song: i see a woman in the night/with a baby in her hand/under an old streetlight/near a garbage can/now she puts the kid away and she's gone to get a hit/you know she hates her life and what she's done to it/there's one more kid that'll never go to school/never get to fall in love, never get to be cool/keep on rockin' in the free world

clearly, the title and chorus are not meant as some pro-american anthem. i wonder if any idiot politician asked to use it for his campaign, like reagen did with Born in the U.S.A., which if you actually listen to the lyrics, and have the mental capacity of an eight year old, than you'll realize that it isn't quite the USA lovefest that Reagen thought it was

to anyone who hasn't been there and enjoys music, even if it isn't the music you typically associate with the rock hall, take a chance and visit the place. it can help bring a better understanding of where music is today and where it has been, and how some things never change. the exhibit on teen idols, which has outfits ranging from ricky nelson to britney spears, and the exhibit on the negative reaction to rock and roll's emergence (you realize they used to burn beatles albums, right?) were particularly pertinent even today. see, cleveland does have something to offer the world.

and now, for a list of the coolest random stuff i heard while at the rock hall:
1. Prince wears a size 1 in women's clothing
2. Pearl Jam used to call themselves Mookie Blaylock, after the Atlanta Hawks guard, apparently just because they thought it sounded cool (while I already new this, i still think it's so cool it's worth mentioning)
3. in San Francisco they printed Janis Joplin caricatures on napkin-sized paper....that was perforated and used for dropping acid
4. Charles Manson wrote a letter to Rolling Stone after they featured him on the cover, he signed it with a swastika and asked for a free subscription
5. Otis Redding's plane that crased left from Cleveland on its way to Pittsburgh (only interesting cos now shards of that plane with his name on it reside in a display case in the rock hall, and cos cleveland is clearly bad luck for anyone who comes here, just look at otis, bill bellicheck, kellen winslow jr.)
6. the Rolling Stones and the Beatles switched images, as the Rolling Stones grew up rich while the Beatles were the punks of their day, but the Stones were the tough band while the Beatles had the clean image early on

that's it for today, enjoy the heat

]]> Superheroes http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/07/15/superheroes The imperfection of Superman logic: I had this conversation with someone recently, and since i'm watching Unbreakable on TV right... http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/07/15/superheroes case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Sat, 15 Jul 2006 21:15:27 EST The imperfection of Superman logic: I had this conversation with someone recently, and since i'm watching Unbreakable on TV right now, superheroes are on my mind. While watching Superman Returns, i was taken out of the movie during one fairly crucial scene. Spoilers to follow. He lifts what is essentially a continent of crystals out of the ocean and hurls it into space, but the thing that bugged me was the fact that he is shown to be working hard and struggling to move this sizeable object. this comes after he stops a plane that's lost control and is about to crash. he is shown having to work to stop it. superman struggling to move something suggests a limit to his strength, which actually goes against the understanding that he his powers are infinite. if he is struggling to lift a continent, what is the limit of his physical strenght? can he stop a planet? the assumption is that he could, but then his displays of exertion are illogical. i understand that watching a superhero, even if it's superman, effortlessly lift a continent would bother more people than him sweating to lift it, but it really took me out of that scene and got me thinking about how superheroes are depicted. in Unbreakable (which is actually my favorite Shyamalan movie), Bruce Willis is testing his physical limits by lifting more and more weight while bench pressing, and he is shown exerting more and more effort to lift those weights. but that doesn't really bother me, because even if he has superhuman strenghth, it doesn't imply that he has limitless strength, so the scene still rings true to me, unlike the scene in superman. and yes, i'm a huge dork.

more on shyamalan: the trailer for his newest movie, Lady in the Water, is out, and it's available here. and i think it looks fantastic. but, and here's the rub, so did the trailers for Signs and the Village, both of which, i feel, fail to deliver on the expectation set forth by the trailers and the first halves of the movies. it is the endings to each of these movies that don't really do it for me. while some people would argue with me on that opinion for Signs, I don't think too many would for the Village, which i found to be very dissapointing, mostly because he unnecessarily complicated the story. honestly, wouldn't it have been a shitload better movie if there really were monsters in the woods? but the reason i'm sticking with him, at least for a few more movies, and will go see Lady in the Water, probably opening weekend, is because he is damn good director. my main issue is with him as a writer. he has relied too much on the big twist so far in his career, when he should try making an entertaining movie that is a little more straightforward. making an audience think is commendable and a worthy cause, but forcing the issue with stories that just make the audience laugh when the big twist is revealed (i was witness to this in the Village, more than a few people laughed outloud) makes me wish for a simpler, but more enjoyable, movie. so anyway, here's rooting for a keeper with Lady in the Water.

]]> Headbutts, Vampires, Magic, and a lack of football http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/07/14/headbutts_vampires_magic_and_a_lack_of_football so the World Cup ended last Sunday, and i was obsessed with it while it was going on, but, just... http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/07/14/headbutts_vampires_magic_and_a_lack_of_football case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Fri, 14 Jul 2006 21:47:50 EST so the World Cup ended last Sunday, and i was obsessed with it while it was going on, but, just as with most sporting events, my interest quickly fades as something else catches my eye. i watched the final of course, which will most be remembered for Zidane's headbutt. it's an unfortunate ending to a great career, but i've already lost interest while writing this sentence...

so i'm watching From Dusk til Dawn right now, and i've come to realize that it is an amazingly guilty pleasure that is a helluva lot of fun to watch. and i must admit, i find the 2/3 of the movie that doesn't deal with vampires to better than the third that does. george clooney is a badass. so's harvey keitel. tarantino isn't much of an actor, but he does play a damn good crazy guy. he can still write though, and seeing it again makes me even more excited about Grind House. read an interview Entertainment Weekly had with them (Robert Rodriguez and Tarantino) here.

wow, i just found out that Volver, Almodovar's new film, won't be coming out for a while, with the NY and LA openings November 3, meaning that where I am, the relatively podunk Cleveland, I will be lucky to see it by Thanksgiving.

also, the trailer for The Prestige, Christopher Nolan's new movie with Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman (and yes it's about magic, but you can't tell me it looks dorky), is now online. check it out
i hope the final countdown and will arnett make appearances in this one....

is it football season yet?....sportscenter sucks this time of year

]]> Muzak http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/07/13/muzak So, The Eraser's arrival came and went, although I don't know with how much or how little fanfare, all I... http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/07/13/muzak case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Thu, 13 Jul 2006 22:04:11 EST So, The Eraser's arrival came and went, although I don't know with how much or how little fanfare, all I know is that there were plenty of them at Best Buy when I went after work. For those who don't know, The Eraser is thom yorke's first album without the rest of Radiohead. my mind is not yet made up on the greatness of the album, but it does harken back to the kid A and amnesiac days for the band, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. somewhere, i read a description of the album as electronica with thom's singing overlaid, which is fairly accurate, yet i like the songs a lot more than that description makes me think i would. until i have a chance to fully digest the entire thing, it stands as another memorable entry into my music catalogue but, hopefully, it is just a stepping stone to the ultimate radiohead album, which i had expected to have come out by now. it's now been three full years since their last album, which is unfortunate for me because that's when i first got into the band. i've had a fairly extensive discography to delve into over those three years, including six albums, a few EPs, and more singles and b-sides, but the world is due for a great radiohead album, which there really hasn't been since 2000's Kid A.

for the record, my ever-changing list of favorite radiohead albums:

1. OK Computer: top to bottom their strongest album, never straying far from pure genius
2. The Bends: more of a pure alt rock record than the later albums, which makes it a little more accessible
3. Kid A:
4. Pablo Honey: a great debut, the purest and simplest rock from radiohead, which is not intended as an insult, and is much more than just the one-hit-wonder that wasn't of Creep
5. Amnesiac: musically, it's tied to but lacks the appeal of Kid A, but still some great songs
6. Hail to the Thief: just doesn't do it for me; tried to find a compromise between the electronica tendencies of Kid A and Amnesiac and the rock of OK Computer and earlier, but it fails, not horribly, but it just doesn't have the qualities to make you keep going back

remember when you were young?
you shone like the sun....

the other big news on Tuesday, in my life anyway, was the death of Syd Barrett, Pink Floyd's co-founder and original leader. he gave the band direction and meaning in the early years, even though those weren't the years for which I, and most of the world, love the band. in fact, his leaving the band made room for Roger Waters to spread his wings and for David Gilmour to join, thus forming one of the great rock pairings in history. but pink floyd wouldn't have become the greatest band in history (my personal feelings) without syd barrett, even if you don't take into account his inspiration for the entire Wish You Were Here album as well as countless other songs. he was undoubtedly a genius, even if i didn't like most of his songs. he's left a lasting legacy through his catalogue as well as the members of Pink Floyd he influenced and inspired.

shine on you crazy diamond

]]> Thoughts for the Day http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/07/11/thoughts_for_the_day there's only two kinds of people in this world: those who don't give a shit about anyone else The Eraser... http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/07/11/thoughts_for_the_day case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Tue, 11 Jul 2006 22:33:25 EST there's only two kinds of people in this world: those who don't give a shit about anyone else

The Eraser has arrived, more on that in the future.

Rest in peace, Syd.
More on him, too.

]]> Why I Will Be Broke in Six Months http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/07/01/why_i_will_be_broke_in_six_months Movies. this is going to be a helluva year for movies, even if a bunch of the ones i'm stoked... http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/07/01/why_i_will_be_broke_in_six_months case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Sat, 01 Jul 2006 17:52:51 EST Movies. this is going to be a helluva year for movies, even if a bunch of the ones i'm stoked about end up getting delayed to next year/spring/summer. regardless, the upcoming six months to year are absolutely loaded with top notch directors, actors, and films. just to give you an idea, the following directors have movies that are already in production coming out in america, at least according to the latest info from IMDB, sometime between now and early 2007: Richard Linklater, Kevin Smith, Shyamalan, Michael Mann, Woody Allen, Oliver Stone, Michel Gondry, Mike Judge, Broken Lizard (collectively), Brian De Palma, Christopher Guest, Scorcese, Darren Aronofsky, Sofia Coppola, Clint Eastwood, Christopher Nolan, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Linklater again, Richard Kelly, Steven Soderbergh, Mel Gibson, Robert De Niro, David Lynch, Werner Herzog, David Fincher, Danny Boyle, Soderbergh again, and Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez.

the summer blockbuster season consists of fun but mostly mindless movies that don't become lifetime favorites. the true quality flicks start up in the fall and continue into oscar season. even during the summer season, though, some of the biggest directors' films are coming out. while many of the movies i'm excited for will, inevitably, disappoint me and many others, the real question is how much money am i going to be spending to see all of these damn movies...i think i should start saving now.

all of these dates are very tentative and will change so don't quote me, use a reliable source instead

June 23 (??): Pedro Almodovar's Volver
Technically this one doesn't count, since it was released a while back in Spain, but it's new to me so i'll take it. The release date seems incorrect, considering it's yet to play anywhere near me, but I'm still excited about it. After All About My Mother and Bad Education, he's clearly making films that are unlike anything i've seen from a U.S. director, and i haven't even seen what's his apparent masterpiece, Talk to Her.

June 28: Bryan Singer's Superman Returns
Only reason he's on this list is because of The Usual Suspects, still one of my all-time faves with, possibly, one of the greatest endings in movie history. Already saw this one and enjoyed it. I had missed the Superman boat growing up, so I am still relatively new to the character. Singer made me want to learn more about him.

July 7: Richard Linklater's A Scanner Darkly and Strangers with Candy
Too bad those financial commercials have already been using that style of animation. This looks like an interesting movie, but i'm still unsure about how I feel about the look. Strangers with Candy: I thought the show was funny, which is all i have to base my interest in it on, considering i haven't even seen a trailer.

July 14: The OH in Ohio
I love Parker Posey and I'm in Ohio.

July 21: Kevin Smith's Clerks II and M. Night Shyamalan's Lady in the Water
Kevin Smith: oh how the mighty have fallen. Makes me sad that he has to resort to a sequel on the cult classic.
Shyamalan: Can he make a movie that actually delivers? I disqualify myself from objectively analyzing Sixth Sense since I knew the secret going in, but The Village was a huge disappointment, and Signs failed at the end for me, so his last complete movie in my eyes is Unbreakable, probably his least successful movie overall. Lady in the Water has a damn intriguing trailer, but who knows if it will deliver.

July 28: Michael Mann's Miami Vice and Little Miss Sunshine and Woody Allen's Scoop
Michael Mann has yet to fail me with Collateral, The Insider, Manhunter, and the epic Heat, although Miami Vice is being bashed by everyone, but the trailer looked cool, and I'm a sucker for that. My only introduction to Woody Allen has been Match Point and Melinda and Melinda, both of which I loved, and Scarlett's in this one again, so I will be there. I paid to see The Island because of her, so now i'm pretty much obligated to see everything she's in.

August 4: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
Oh Will Ferrell, how many quotable lines are you going to be coining in this one?

August 11: Oliver Stone's World Trader Center and Michel Gondry's The Science of Sleep
Too soon? Maybe. I don't know if I'm ready to see it; crying for two hours straight doesn't sound that great to me.
After Eternal Sunshine, the production stills I'd seen, and the fact that Gael Garcia Bernal is in it, this could be a keeper.

August 18: The Illusionist and Snakes on a Plane
Edward Norton has yet to fail me.
How can you not be excited, seriously?

August 25: Broken Lizard's Beerfest
I don't want a large Farva, I want a goddamn liter of beer. That line better be in this movie.

September 1: Mike Judge's Idiocracy
Finally follows up Office Space.

September 15: Brian De Palma's The Black Dahlia
Once again, Scarlett. and it sounds interesting.

September 22: All the King's Men and Christopher Guest's For Your Consideration
Great book, great cast, delayed nine months though. That's a concern. As my English teacher, the immortal Shirley Ann Lyster, prompted us to consider while reading the book: who is Humpty Dumpty?
Christopher Guest movie, should be good as usual.

September 29: Employee of the Month
Dane Cook.

October 6: Scorcese's The Departed
Leonardo is his new De Niro, which I'm not sure how I feel about yet.

October 11: Running With Scissors

October 13: Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain
one of these dates has to be wrong

October 20: Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette and The Painted Veil and Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers
I heard Marie Antoinette got laughed at in France, which could be trouble.
Edward Norton, once again. and Naomi Watts, mmmmm

October 27: Christopher Nolan's The Prestige and Inarritu's Babel
Damn, this could be a good weekend. Both look great, but Babel is the one I've been looking forward to for a while now. I heard a Stephen Gaghan interview, around the time Syriana came out, about the use of these complex, large cast, interconnected stories to tell stories with a larger scope, and I have to say, I've enjoyed these types of movies. Inarritu did it with Amores Perros and 21 Grams, which were a little too similar, story-wise and stylistically, but Babel has some potential.

October/Novemberish: Richard Kelly's Southland Tales and Linklater's Fast Food Nation
Apparently all of the actors in Southland Tales don't even know what it's about, and it sounds huge, but Donnie Darko was too damn good to not give him the benefit of the doubt.

November 10: Stranger than Fiction
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Will Ferrell, Dustin Hoffman, and Tony Hale (Buster from Arrested Development). This could be very good.

November 17: Casino Royale and Tenacious D
Daniel Craig and, supposedly, a new direction to the character could makes this a good Bond Movie, which I really have not found impressive of late.
And Jack Black, always good.

November 22: Steven Soderbergh's The Good German
The stud George Clooney and post-WWII.

December 1: Bug

December 8: Mel Gibson's Apocalypto
If he hasn't completely lost his mind, this could turn out OK.

December 22: Robert De Niro's The Good Shepherd
The CIA, Matt Damon, Robert De Niro, and Angelina Jolie.

End of the year-ish: David Lynch's Inland Empire, Werner Herzog's Rescue Dawn, and Little Children

January 7: Steven Soderbergh's Guerrilla

January 12: The Blood Diamond

January 19: David Fincher's Zodiac
Also among my most anticipated, David Fincher and Jake Gyllenhaal.

March 16: Danny Boyle's Sunshine
He keeps changing genres and keeps delivering, so I have no reason to expect otherwise on this one.

April 6: Quentin Tarantino and Frank Rodriguez's Grind House
One of the most intriguing movie ideas I've ever heard of: Each is directing an hour long horror movie, with fake movie previews in between them. I'm imagining From Dusk til Dawn and Sin City on crack. Delicious, delicious crack.

Well, if you're still reading this, I'm amazed, and I hope you're as stoked about the upcoming movies as i am. Oh, and one final movie for next summer's blockbuster season, fresh off the new teaser trailer that's online: Michael Bay's live-action Transformers movie. Yes, I loved the Transformers growing up, and yes, I will probably see this along with all of the other nerds next year. Only 368 days and counting...

]]> Danildo and Screech http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/07/01/danildo_and_screech First, the obligatory world cup update. The last few games haven't been quite as exciting as I'd hoped, but the... http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/07/01/danildo_and_screech case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Sat, 01 Jul 2006 17:03:29 EST First, the obligatory world cup update. The last few games haven't been quite as exciting as I'd hoped, but the semifinal matchups are doozies: Italy/Germany, France/Portugal. Too bad that Argentina and Brazil had to lose though, they are fun to watch, plus now that i found this website it's lost some of its appeal, although it's still pretty damn fun. variations on my name produce:
1. Danildo (kinda sounds like....)
2. Teca
3. Tson
4. Teta
5. Daniildo (still kinda sounds like....)

The second best internet find of the last week was this gem, the highlight of which is, obviously, the Zack Morris Time-Out power, one whose comedic and practical implications were never truly explored on Saved by the Bell. and as the article points out, Slater tea-bagging Screech is hilarious, which is especially poignant considering Dustin Diamond is soon to be homeless, unless you want to buy one of his crappy t-shirts. Read about it here. Oh, how the mighty have fallen....

Final note for this entry, if you are ever bored, like to read, and can tolerate or enjoy sci-fi absurdity, read John Dies at the End. It's funny, bizarre, unique, and longer than all holy hell. someday i might actually finish it...

]]> A Week's Worth of Material in One Entry: Redick, Capri Pants, Racism, and Poopy McGee http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/06/24/a_weeks_worth_of_material_in_one_entry_redick_capri_pants_racism_and_poopy_mcgee The past week or so has mostly been me working and being tired, so I've ignored this blog. Although I... http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/06/24/a_weeks_worth_of_material_in_one_entry_redick_capri_pants_racism_and_poopy_mcgee case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Sat, 24 Jun 2006 13:43:15 EST The past week or so has mostly been me working and being tired, so I've ignored this blog. Although I have checked in occasionally to see how many people are checking this site out, and surprisingly enough, it is way more people than had been visiting when this blog was a class requirement and the topic was commercial banking. Hmm...whowouldathought? The world cup and pop culture references are more popular than commercial banking discussions...I am so naive.

J.J. Redick will still be drafted in the top 20, maybe a lottery pick, but is anyone else getting ready for a Trajan Langdon like career? Although J.J.'s shooting abilities and motor (thanks to Bill Simmons for pointing out one of the many draft's overused buzzwords) give him a huge advantage over Langdon, I still don't see J.J. being much more than a higher energy Steve Kerr. Not that I'm rooting against him; he's got enough of the country on the Duke-hating bandwagon to have that covered. But I must say, I did lose some respect for him after he produced another example of idiotic athlete behavior after being arrested while driving under the influence. The timing couldn't have been more perfect with Roethlisberger's accident being just a few days earlier. Yet I'm sure "character" issues are not going to be brought up during the draft without the phrase "he does not have any" immediately preceeding it.

Which brings me to my next topic: the bullshit of necessary public apologies after celebrities say or do something stupid. Whether it's drive drunk, use a racial slur, belittle women, or make fun of gays, a day later the orchestrated and heartless apology always manages to piss me off way more than the actual act that caused the apology. Sure people make mistakes, and they say stupid things, but you know what, some people are racists or homophobes or drive drunk all the time and do stupid shit that the rest of society does not agree with. And they should be made to see the error of their ways; but issuing a public apology that's insincere and meaningless does nothing. Does anyone say, "oh, he's sorry, well than it's fine that he called that player a black piece of shit" (this occurence is true except for the fact that the person who said it did not apologize. it was the spanish world cup coach, Luis Aragones, yelling at one of his players and referencing Thierry Henry, a black player with France. He says he's not a racist and was joking around to motivate his player. Irony: Spain vs. France in the round of 16. I'm going to be rooting for France and Thierry Henry to have a hat trick.)

Now on to something delightful: British slang. I freaking love it. The best example of word usage that seems completely random yet I wished we used it in the States: pants. I picked this up from Michael Davies' blog on the World Cup for ESPN Page 2. Pants=bad in England. If someone is pantless, they are good. If someone is the pants, they are bad. It's bloody brilliant. He's gone through the English soccer team after each game, analyzing the players based on their pants-iness. (I doubt that is correct usage. My apologies.) Ranging from completely pantsless to "those girly capri pants that you sometimes see guys wearing" to pants and absolute pants. Can I begin using this on my own hoping to start the trend here in America? Although I imagine I will run into trouble during the first Colts game of the season when I call Peyton Manning absolutely pantsless. Whatever, I'm doing it...who's comin with me?....

After watching the World Cup and NBA Finals simultaneously the last few weeks I have come upon an earthshattering revelation: Ronaldo is the Shaq of the soccer world. Think about the following parallels:

1. In 2002, was either player more dominant for their respective sports? Shaq: finishing up his third straight title with the Lakers, sweeping the Nets. Sure he had Kobe, but he had taken over the league as the dominant bigman and dominant player. Ronaldo: led Brazil to the World Cup title with 8 goals along the way. Sure he had young up and comer Ronaldinho along with the best supporting cast in the world, but he was arguably the best player in the world at that point, and even if he wasn't, he had the aura about him that he was.

2. Weight issues and occasional dominance: Both have ballooned over the past few years, helping to lead to their respective falls from dominance. Sure, Shaq is still dominant, when he has the energy and will to be dominant. Same with Ronaldo, as the Japan game proved. The announcer at the end of the game called it a decent performance from Ronaldo, yet he had 2 goals, and should have had a third. He doesn't have the energy to run the way he used to, as evidenced by one of his runs on the defensive end where he was embarassingly left behind trying to help out. But it doesn't matter, because he still has the ability to dominate on certain occasions. Just like Shaq's game 6 against the Pistons (28 and 16), there is that performance everyone once in a while that reminds you of how great they were, and how quickly they fell from the best of the best. Sure, Ronaldo's maybe gotten a little lazy and picked up a few pounds, but maybe he's still good enough to do his part in helping Brazil win it again.

3. Passing the torch: Shaq to D-Wade, Ronaldo to Ronaldinho. Moving from the best to playing with a teammate who's the best has to be difficult to players of this stature, but it happened, and it hasn't been graceless. As Bill Simmons wrote after the Finals wrapped up (Alpha Dogs), it was absolutely fascinating to watch. And just as Shaq won a title as second fiddle, it's not difficult to picture Brazil with the Cup again. And Kaka (Poopy Mcgee, credit to DJ Gallo for that one), Roberto Carlos, Cafu, Juninho, and Ze Roberto are a better supporting cast than Jason Williams, Haslem, and Gary Payton.

Final note: U.S. lost to Ghana, out of the World Cup. High expectations, unrealistically high after a great 2002, an inflated FIFA ranking, a group of death and piss poor playing in the Czech game and piss poor refereeing in the Italy game all add up to a deflated feeling following their bounce from the tourney. But as consolation, John Stewart and the Daily Show writers came up with this gem to make it all better: "Certainly there's no shame in losing to one of southwest Africa's least malnourished countries." Well, maybe there's a little....see you in South Africa in 2010.

Wow, I hope the World Cup never ends cos than I'm going to have to come up with some original material.

]]> damn you germany, damn you http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/06/14/damn_you_germany_damn_you 91st minute?!?! ughhhhhhhh uplifting quote of the day: "every living creature on this earth dies alone." somedays we live that... http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/06/14/damn_you_germany_damn_you case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Wed, 14 Jun 2006 22:37:52 EST 91st minute?!?! ughhhhhhhh

uplifting quote of the day: "every living creature on this earth dies alone."

somedays we live that way too....

wow, i just realized that that's two donnie darko references already. overkill?

]]> Night Moves http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/06/12/night_moves This has nothing to do with Bob Seger; it's just the first title i could think of with night in... http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/06/12/night_moves case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Mon, 12 Jun 2006 23:35:35 EST This has nothing to do with Bob Seger; it's just the first title i could think of with night in it. I'm tired, so nothing insightful, just a list of today's news stories (at least in my corner of the world):
1. Roethlisberger's motorcycle accident: hope he's ok, but no helmet?
2. USA gets demolished: 3-0 against the Czechs. Sadly, my TV/VCR combo's timer was an hour off, so I only got to watch the second half, but it was already 2-0 at that point, but it was clear they are not in the same class as the Czechs. Maybe it was an off day, but it was an all around poorly played game on the US's part. Good luck against Italy...
3. Cool soccer name watch day 4: Ghana's sub, Pimpong. Yup, Pimpong. And the announcers managed to not make a single joke about his name. Kudos, gentlemen.
4. Every person has some habit that i find excruciatingly annoying. tonight's experience: someone who sighed every 30 seconds during a movie when they got bored. did you ever think, maybe we're not all as bored as you, jackass?
5. The movie above was "Down in the Valley," which I'm not sure how i feel about yet. But I do know how I feel about Evan Rachel Wood, who I just found out is already 18, so my adoration for her isn't anything creepy. Whew.

First looks at Brazil (Ronaldo and Ronaldinho) and France (Zidane and Henry) tomorrow, oh boy oh boy oh boy....

]]> World Cup fever, catch it!! http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/06/11/world_cup_fever_catch_it but first, other names i considered for this site: the blogshank redemption tikk's picks (for the deadheads) nafinmo (for pana)... http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/06/11/world_cup_fever_catch_it case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Sun, 11 Jun 2006 22:19:24 EST but first, other names i considered for this site:
the blogshank redemption
tikk's picks (for the deadheads)
nafinmo (for pana)
if you don't get the reference of the title, than you haven't watched enough SNL and you don't love will ferrell with a passion.

and on to the world cup:
i'm not a soccer fan year round every year, but the world cup takes me by storm every four years. americans aren't big on soccer, but that's mostly because it's foreign and deemed boring because there's not much scoring, but hockey was doing fine in the U.S. before the lockout last year, so i'm not sure the scoring gripe is legit. i think it's just the fact that we have sports that we created and are traditionally the best at. with soccer, we haven't had a team to rally around because we've been ran off the field until about ten years ago. plus, our current national league has only been around for around the same time period. regardless, it's a great sport, i love watching it (particulary when it's 32 of the best teams in the world), and i'm gonna be busy for the next month keeping up with the games everyday.

first reason to love the world cup: the ivory coast. this story is freaking incredible. one of the all-time most emotionally-riveting stories in sports history. this country, in the middle of a civil war, has called a cease fire so that the entire country can focus on the team in the world cup. that is almost too dense to comprehend. while it's tragic that the country is in such a state, the fact that this sport is powerful enough to stop a war, even if temporarily, boggles my mind. it reminds me of the stories of soldiers in the first world war (WWII also?) halting fighting at christmas and singing together. that's powerful stuff. it's nice to see us overcome our tragic behaviors and actions with the occasional appeal to humanity. sometimes it's hard to tell what our true nature is, but i would like to think that the soccer and the christmas carols are more intrinsic to being human than the war part. but i digress. regardless, i'm rooting for ivory coast over the next month. the country needs it, and the longer that cease fire lasts, the better. unfortunately, they are in the group of death (although the U.S. group should be challenging for that title) and they're chances of moving out of the group stage seem slim. regardless, i hope they can make their country proud, and the fact that these men are even playing soccer considering what's happening at home is remarkable. side note: read this article from ESPN Page 2,
The World Cup Runneth Over
also read the world cup diary for Page 2 from Michael Davies, funny and interesting stuff straight from Germany. he points out that the German name for Ivory Coast is Elfenbeinkuste, literally meaning "elephant bone coast." oh those germans, so efficient. random family guy (i think) quote: you know those germans. if you don't join the party, they come get ya.

another reason to love the world cup: the official beer of la copa mundial is budweiser, which i'm sure the germans are real happy about. it'd be like the world series being sponsored by beck's, except it would be once every four years, would be a month long, 32 countries would be participating, the entire world would be watching, and american beer would be world renowned. which isn't the case for the world series.

third reason: trinidad and tobago. a country of 1.3 million people, in its first world cup, just tied against sweden. goddamn i love sports.

a reason to love/hate soccer/sports in general: the fans.
these people are insane, and not the cutesy you have to check if the door's locked four times crazy. this is the murder a player cos he had an own goal kinda crazy. i realize it takes one crazy fan to give all the rest a bad name, there are lots of incidents of ridiculously inappropriate things done my soccer fans all over the world. racial slurs, batteries, this is crazy shit you just don't see in the states. the sportscenter piece on racism in soccer was eye opening and depressing. i had never realized it would be such an issue, although the cultural aspects (the lack of a civil rights era and the relative lack of minorities) that exist in europe are ripe for such behavior, sadly.
on the positive side, those fans who aren't ignorant enough to yell racial slurs and get violent make soccer even more fun to watch. the outfits, the colors, the chanting, singing and whistling are so completely foreign to uptight american fans. one of the most amazing things i've ever seen is a video of an entire stadium singing "you'll never walk alone." watch it here:
YouTube
for the second time, goddamn i love sports. but i'm sure you already knew that.
enjoy the matches! U.S. vs. Czech Republic tomorrow, booya grandma.

]]> This Blog is Back!!! http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/06/11/this_blog_is_back Well, it's been a month and a half since my last post, but since i don't really have regular visitors,... http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/06/11/this_blog_is_back case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Sun, 11 Jun 2006 21:48:42 EST Well, it's been a month and a half since my last post, but since i don't really have regular visitors, i doubt anyone has noticed or cared. But i did plan to start using this site as a sort of journal and random thought place for me, so now's as good a time to start as any. i've been busy and tired with work since i got back to cleveland, so i have not been as quick to start writing entries as i had hoped.

the purpose of this blog is to get my thoughts on paper every once in a while. i don't know if i have much insightful or innovative to write about, but i don't really care. maybe i can build up some regular readers along the way, so we'll see how that goes.

one of my inspirations for starting to utilize this site for non-class requirements is this site:
Viddied Reviews
this guy used his college webspace to start a site as a requirement for some class, but he just kept working with it. he writes reviews for movies, except it's not the typical this is what happens in it and i like/disliked it. they're really just essays on a lot of his favorite movies, a lot of which match up with my favorites. in fact, the first time i came across his site was when i was googling "donnie darko and last temptation of christ," which he mentions in his donnie darko review. hopefully, down the line i'll feel inspired enough to write my own essay on the movie, including why i think you need to have seen or understood last temptation of christ to really get donnie darko, but that's for another day. side note: i overheard someone recently say that chumscrubber is the new donnie darko....i must admit i'm intrigued.
but anyway, the reason i mention the website above is that i want to get my ideas down on things that i truly care about. in particular, that'd be movies i love, but also random topics that take me by storm. today, that'd be the world cup, which i think i'll write about after i've finished this useless intro to a blog that no one will be reading.
so, if you're a friend, feel free to mock me in person for my ramblings. if you're a stranger, feel free to mock me in comments, but you can comment without mockery too.

]]> Wrapping Things Up http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/04/22/wrapping_things_up I may still have an entry or two left in me related to the topic at hand, but I feel... http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/04/22/wrapping_things_up MGMT251 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Sat, 22 Apr 2006 00:29:34 EST I may still have an entry or two left in me related to the topic at hand, but I feel that it is as good a time as any to have a random entry not directly related to my topic of management strategies in the commercial banking industry. The semester is winding down and so is this project, but I think my blogging career may not be on the outs just yet. I have had many ideas for entries lately, but due to time constraints, I have been reluctant to devote much time to off-topic entries. Plus, while my professor is still visiting this site and assessing me on it, I am reluctant to delve into matters completely unrelated to the class. So, this is a compromise entry with the following semi-related areas of discussion:
I have been regularly checking the stats on the site to see how my efforts at boosting the readership have gone, which I will outline in the required paper for the assignment. Among the listed stats is a listing of the visitors' domains and countries, which, interestingly enough, to me at least, includes six visits from Hungary. I was born in Hungary so this caught my eye. I am not sure if this is pure coincidence or if someone back home is keeping an eye on me. Either way, this is my chance to acknowledge this occurence, freak or otherwise.
In other news, this blog was originally meant as a way to do some research in the field which I was considering entering upon graduation and may still do so. I was hoping that a summer internship in banking would be the first step toward the job after graudation, but the banking internship did not come through. However, I was lucky enough to secure an internship with Sirva Relocation for the summer having to do with accounting, so I am completely satisfied with the unexpected turn of events. Whether the banking industry is in my future is fairly irrelevant. The blog forced me to do research on the industry, which is useful whether or not I end up with a related job. Overall, I am pretty pleased with the experience and think that it has at least given me enough practice with blogging to turn it into a habit. That could end up being a bad habit, but for now, I look at it as an excuse to write my thoughts down and maybe vent every once in a while.
Speaking of which, I will now attempt to tie this into a class-related topic. A few weeks ago, we talked about stress, time and career management. Currently, all of these topics loom large in my life, considering it is that time of the semester when weeks (and months) of procrastination are catching up to me and others like me. I do not think I am in that bad of shape, but from here on in, it is going to be a struggle to finish the semester. The strange thing is, I have been busy all semester. I have never really felt as though I have been blowing things off, but the seven classes with their group projects and tests and papers are really taking their toll on me.
Hopefully another topic for 251 related discussion comes to mind, but if not, than this is it and hope you learned something. Look for some non-banking related topics in the future.

]]> An Even Faster Digital World http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/04/16/an_even_faster_digital_world As my previous entry outlined, digitalization has had a profound impact on the banking industry. However, the constant improvements in... http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/04/16/an_even_faster_digital_world MGMT251 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Sun, 16 Apr 2006 12:56:47 EST As my previous entry outlined, digitalization has had a profound impact on the banking industry. However, the constant improvements in technology indicate that there is a constant possibility for more efficient service. That is exactly what GemStone is hoping to capitalize on with its GemFire product, which, they contend, improves upon prior technology by offering real-time data. The product allows for "large amounts of data to be held in memory, ready for low-latency retrieval and analysis by multiple programs." Apparently, the program allows for each application to retrieve data "as if it were in one centralized location," and then brings up the data in the appropriate format. While I will not pretend to completely understand how this technology works, the benefits are clear. In the banking industry, GemFire allows for faster decision-making by integrating data from a variety of applications into one database. The results are faster decisions made regarding loans, better understanding of individual customers, faster access to data used in all departments, the ability to target customers based on real-time information, fraud detection at point of transaction, and many others. The digital world is one in which there are constant technological improvements that can have a substantial effect on the operations of a business. GemStone is one of the companies providing other businesses with the technology to constantly improve, making the digital world full of more change than ever before.
The link for the source of this information is available here:
GemStone

]]> The Problem with Paper http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/04/16/the_problem_with_paper I came across an issue in bank management that affects essentially every other industry as well that I had not... http://blog.case.edu/daniel.tikk/2006/04/16/the_problem_with_paper MGMT251 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Sun, 16 Apr 2006 12:36:49 EST I came across an issue in bank management that affects essentially every other industry as well that I had not thought of before this article: the costs of handling paper in the office. Here are some surprising figures:
"The average company spends between 7-14% of its total costs on document processing in a paper environment."
"An estimated 7.4% of staff time is spent searching for documents."
"The average company spends 280 hours annually per employee looking for lost documents."
Also, there are the costs of storing paper in the office, estimated at $30 per square foot, as well as the price of paper when a company uses thousands of sheets annually. These costs quickly add up to become a substantial portion of a company's costs.
Therefore, electronic storage has become a major factor in every industry. While this trend began decades ago, it took this article to point out the financial rewards of utilizing technology for this purpose.
This process of converting paper into a digital format falls under the umbrella term of Enterprise Content Management (ECM), which consists of the "imaging, document management, records management, archiving/repositories, and web content management." In the banking industry, initially this technology was used primarily for converting images of checks. However, as the technology has improved, banks can now utilize these capabilities for all of their documents. These documents include signature cards, account application forms, account statements, loan applications, employee records, etc.
The lowered expenses as well as improved efficiency with faster searching are the primary benefits of the technology. The efficiency benefits employees, who do not have to waste time filing through cabinets, and customers, who do not have to wait for employees to do so. Therefore, customer service is ultimately improved. Along with the cost ramifications, digital documents improve security in the sense that they cannot be stolen or damaged physically, although there is the new danger of hackers. Nonetheless, the move from paper to digital in the banking industry and others has had a significant impact on the way business is done. The source of this information is available at the following link:
Continental DataGraphics

]]>