10) The Dunk Contest. I know I might be the only one who gets excited about this, but it's kind of like going to the thrift store. You might find gems amidst a bunch of junk.
9) Defensive strategies. They Play defense in the NBA. It's just harder to play a good defense than in college games because the area to defend is bigger with the 3 point line further away, the 3 second rule that forbids big guys from standing around the rim, the no-hand check rule, and the offense is much better. This is where teamwork counts in the NBA.
8) The triangle offense. People hate the Lakers, but they play one of the prettiest offenses around. I doubt you can dislike the triangle offense they play if you are a true basketball fan. It requires the players to make decisions and play smart while presenting multiple options. It's a thinking man's offense based on what the defense is doing. It's like water conforming to the container. Really.
7) Blocks. The players in NBA can block the crap out of the ball. The video below is not a typical block for a few reasons. The blocker is actually the defender defending the ball. This is much more difficult than the typical block where the blocker is not the one defending the ball (he has more time and space to jump). And the blocker in the video is a guard who usually doesn't block at all, let alone block a jump shot by a guy he was defending. And this happened at the end of hotly contested playoff game.
6) Behind the back passes. Clark Nova like them. This one is good because it happens during a fast break (less time for the passer to know where everyone is at), and he catches and passes in one single motion. LeBron makes it look easy, but there are probably 10 people on the planet that can make this pass.
5) No look passes. Because when it's pretty, it's pretty.
4) Crossover. This one is not just an ordinary crossover, but the most devastating crossover of all time. Ankle insurance started because of this.
3) Last second shots. Not many things are more exciting. And they can happen twice or more in a game. This is Kobe making one at the end of regulation to tie the game and making another at the end of overtime to win it.
2) Dunks. The players in NBA get creative on this.
1) NBA rules because this happens. In playoffs no less.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Things I hate right now, for Clark Nova of course
Scientific articles, especially the ones about trees. I hate them. Here are the things the articles are not: fun, easy to read, easy to understand, exciting, curiosity tickling, entertaining, hart warming, gut wrenching, life affirming, imagination soaring, and, again, fun. Here are the things the articles actually are: work, and crap.
Paper work. It exist only to cover people's asses. It's a double whammy of badness. Increases inefficiency while killing trees, the environment, and what ever they use to make ink (the Earth?). A professor said "it gets easier when you become a professor. The school will hire people to do them for you. Or you can get grad students to do them." What!? The school already hired people to make the paper work in the first place. They will then pay different people to do them? Why can't they hire more graduate students to make a robot to do this?
People who talk in my office. Most of the time, they talk to announce their presence. It's as if their mothers didn't hug them enough when they were babies. Maybe this is the root of why people want to be on TV. I wish they would just hug you or slap your butt or take their clothing off instead. They are much better ways of getting attention. Besides, that's what they really want to do.
Paper work. It exist only to cover people's asses. It's a double whammy of badness. Increases inefficiency while killing trees, the environment, and what ever they use to make ink (the Earth?). A professor said "it gets easier when you become a professor. The school will hire people to do them for you. Or you can get grad students to do them." What!? The school already hired people to make the paper work in the first place. They will then pay different people to do them? Why can't they hire more graduate students to make a robot to do this?
People who talk in my office. Most of the time, they talk to announce their presence. It's as if their mothers didn't hug them enough when they were babies. Maybe this is the root of why people want to be on TV. I wish they would just hug you or slap your butt or take their clothing off instead. They are much better ways of getting attention. Besides, that's what they really want to do.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Diversity theory of eudcation - Part 3, How bad is US education really?
Diverse populous requires diverse education system, and US has remarkably diverse AND flexible one. A student in US can be home-schooled for K to 6th grade, enter a charter school focused on science for 6 to 8th grade, go to public high school, enter liberal arts college studying history, and then go to business school and succeed. A student in Japan on the other hand has to go to a good kinder garden, go to a good private elementary school, take an exam to get into a good Jr high school to prepare for the entrance exam for high school, pick business concentration in high school to study for entrance exam for college, and then get accepted to an undergrad program at a college with good business school so she has a chance to get into one. Most Japanese graduate students did their undergrad at the same school because that's how you get into a good one. But here in US I was told to go somewhere else so I can diversify my views.
This diversity and flexibility offers opportunities at every level not seen in many other countries. In Hong Kong, students are put on a track, science, arts, or commerce, at high school level and have little chance of switching from then on. In Switzerland, students are separated into 3 levels based on their intellectual abilities at high school level. Where they go for higher education depends on what level they were placed. Same principles do exist in US but at much lesser degree.
Both Hong Kong and Switzerland almost always place high in measures of education, higher than US. But are we more stupid? We are slightly more productive than the two countries (GDP per capita). Given that we spend more money on education than any other country, we certainly are inefficient. But what if that inefficiency comes as a cost of diversity, fairness, and flexibility? For that matter, are we more fair? I think so because our education offers diverse options at every level compared to other countries, but isn't that question just as important as how we score in the tests?
The major flaw of the current state of education in US, and rightfully so the most damaging criticism of US education is it's illiteracy rate. Everyone should be able to read and write. But the debate on education focuses too much on test scores at the expense of combating illiteracy. Yes, US education is bad, but it's not because we score low on the tests. It's bad because we have a lot of illiteracy.
This diversity and flexibility offers opportunities at every level not seen in many other countries. In Hong Kong, students are put on a track, science, arts, or commerce, at high school level and have little chance of switching from then on. In Switzerland, students are separated into 3 levels based on their intellectual abilities at high school level. Where they go for higher education depends on what level they were placed. Same principles do exist in US but at much lesser degree.
Both Hong Kong and Switzerland almost always place high in measures of education, higher than US. But are we more stupid? We are slightly more productive than the two countries (GDP per capita). Given that we spend more money on education than any other country, we certainly are inefficient. But what if that inefficiency comes as a cost of diversity, fairness, and flexibility? For that matter, are we more fair? I think so because our education offers diverse options at every level compared to other countries, but isn't that question just as important as how we score in the tests?
The major flaw of the current state of education in US, and rightfully so the most damaging criticism of US education is it's illiteracy rate. Everyone should be able to read and write. But the debate on education focuses too much on test scores at the expense of combating illiteracy. Yes, US education is bad, but it's not because we score low on the tests. It's bad because we have a lot of illiteracy.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Chickens in Fort collins
This story appeared on NPR (Ed found it);
Yes, I know, I should have been one of more than 100 people waiting. It's for free chicken sandwiches for a year after all. I might have had to clime over the frozen bodies of those in front of me, but man, them chicken sandwiches...
In all seriousness, prosperity changes our connection to food. Food is food to anyone who don't have enough of it, but it is organic, local, trans-fat, complex carbohydrate, make my ass get big thing to those who have plenty. I understand that these differences do exist. But they become important only when you are wealthy enough to have plenty of food. To the poor and the hungry, it's not important that the food is organic or local or trans-fat free. They don't have that luxury.
Those who waited in front of Chick-fil-A were dead serious and maybe desperate for free food. I'm sure some of them were only there for the "fun" of it or shortening their lives eating poorly. But anyone who waits for free food - of any kind - in a blizzard has my respect. Shame on NPR for implying that they might be a little nuts. Some of them need help. (shame on me too for making fun of them above, but I'm no National Public Radio).
Chick-fil-A opened a restaurant in Fort Collins, Colo. As a promotion, it promised free chicken sandwiches for a year. That prize would go to the first 100 customers. More than 100 people camped out to get the prize. They remained outside the restaurant even though it was snowing. A blizzard dropped 17 inches. And still people stayed, surviving with propane heaters and hot chocolate provided by the restaurant.
Yes, I know, I should have been one of more than 100 people waiting. It's for free chicken sandwiches for a year after all. I might have had to clime over the frozen bodies of those in front of me, but man, them chicken sandwiches...
In all seriousness, prosperity changes our connection to food. Food is food to anyone who don't have enough of it, but it is organic, local, trans-fat, complex carbohydrate, make my ass get big thing to those who have plenty. I understand that these differences do exist. But they become important only when you are wealthy enough to have plenty of food. To the poor and the hungry, it's not important that the food is organic or local or trans-fat free. They don't have that luxury.
Those who waited in front of Chick-fil-A were dead serious and maybe desperate for free food. I'm sure some of them were only there for the "fun" of it or shortening their lives eating poorly. But anyone who waits for free food - of any kind - in a blizzard has my respect. Shame on NPR for implying that they might be a little nuts. Some of them need help. (shame on me too for making fun of them above, but I'm no National Public Radio).
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Diversity theory of education - Part 2, diversify!
I would like to think that I'm more informed than average Americans. But even I have not nearly enough information on many of the most pressing political decisions. Like the recession, the health care, and the war, and I imagine that I'm not the only one. Take health care for example. I don't even know what's on the current version of the proposed legislation, let alone the implications of it. I am not informed enough to make any sort of decision on it. On top of this, I don't have the time or the inclination to learn about this.
My strategy to get to an informed decision relies on other people to simply the matter. Newspapers, magazines, radios, the internet, have many experts summarizing health care reform. I can then make my decision accordingly. The key here is to remember that most (if not all) secondary information like the newspaper comes with intent. It might be to sell the paper (most of the time the intent is to profit, which is not bad) or to influence your opinion. As long I understand that, I can judge which resources to trust. This is much easier than to gather all the information my self.
This method fails when restrictions decrease the diversity of information. Just as more genetically diverse population (of say condors) can withstand variety of perturbations, the diversity of information increases the chances of the right and useful one existing. This is one of the reasons we guarantee the freedom of political speech.
The most fundamental way to have diversity of secondary information is to have diversity of people. We need people who understands health care. We need people who understands economics. We need people who understands governance. If the amount of information is overwhelming, then what we need is diversity of people.
My strategy to get to an informed decision relies on other people to simply the matter. Newspapers, magazines, radios, the internet, have many experts summarizing health care reform. I can then make my decision accordingly. The key here is to remember that most (if not all) secondary information like the newspaper comes with intent. It might be to sell the paper (most of the time the intent is to profit, which is not bad) or to influence your opinion. As long I understand that, I can judge which resources to trust. This is much easier than to gather all the information my self.
This method fails when restrictions decrease the diversity of information. Just as more genetically diverse population (of say condors) can withstand variety of perturbations, the diversity of information increases the chances of the right and useful one existing. This is one of the reasons we guarantee the freedom of political speech.
The most fundamental way to have diversity of secondary information is to have diversity of people. We need people who understands health care. We need people who understands economics. We need people who understands governance. If the amount of information is overwhelming, then what we need is diversity of people.
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