How do you pronounce 2010?
So I've heard of some debate whether you pronounce this year Twenty Ten or Two Thousand Ten. The argument I've heard in favor of Twenty Ten is you would not have pronounced the full thousand in past centuries, like for 1910 you wouldn't say One Thousand Nine Hundred Ten. Let me present my argument for Two Thousand Ten. This past decade, you would rarely hear someone pronounce the year starting with Twenty, because it sounds awkward to say Twenty O Nine. Why would a new decade change the way you pronounce the year? Think about when you may be talking about several years in a row. Are you going to go say Two Thousand Nine and then Twenty Ten? It comes out awkward to pronounce consecutive years differently. So, any thoughts on the matter?
Rut vs Groove
So I tend to have this problem where I often settle into a rut. My life seems to turn into a routine that repeats itself on a weekly basis. I feel like I need to try new things, but the problem is I don't know what to try. This is one of the reasons I bought a skateboard at the end of last summer, although I haven't used it as much as I would have thought. Maybe if I had someone who could help me learn some tricks, I might do that more. I like to go bike riding, so anybody reading this let me know if you want to go sometime this Spring/Summer. Another thing I'd like to do more of is playing tennis. I've only played a few times, but found it to be quite fun. That'll probably have to wait for Spring/Summer too. I think another problem I've had is growing up in the south, I never really learned to participate in any winter activities. In the past, I have kind of just settled on coming home from work at night to play video games or watch whatever basketball game is on TV. I have an itch to do something else though, but I'm not sure what that something is.
iPad - the Apple product I probably won't buy
I like a lot of Apple's products - my Macbook Pro has been my most reliable computer and I haven't had any problems with my iPods. I've also found my iPhone to be much simpler to use than any Windows Mobile smartphone I have owned. But the iPad is a mystery to me. With the 10" (ok, really 9.7") screen, it's not really much more portable than a laptop such as my 13" Macbook Pro. In fact, I may argue that it's less portable because you have to worry about protecting the exposed screen, which is not an issue with a laptop because the screen simply folds over the keyboard. The device doesn't have a keyboard, unless you connect one when you dock it. Imagine trying to write a blog post on the iPad's touchscreen keyboard. Steve Jobs claims it's good for email, I beg to differ. I can pretty much guarantee that you would rather type on a full size physical keyboard than a touchscreen virtual keyboard any day. Steve Jobs also claims it's the best browsing experience... meh. It doesn't support Flash which is basically a necessity as it's the most commonly used format for online streaming video. Apple's solution for this seems to be something similar to the New York Times app they demoed during the Apple event. I don't believe people are going to want separate apps for many different websites that they visit.
The iPad to me seems like a solution looking for a problem. It's almost the size of a laptop, yet it's limitations are almost the same as you see on mobile phones. I'd also like to know why the 3G version of this device will carry a $130 premium. Does it really cost $130 to add that feature to the device? Why not offer the 3G version with a subsidized contract? For me, I could see myself playing with this device in the Apple store, but I have no plans to take this home with me.
Sports Section - You May Stop Here If You Don't Care
Saints Win Super Bowl
The New Orleans Saints won their first Super Bowl earlier today. Throughout the season I have discredited the Saints on many occasions, as I had a hard time seeing a team that was very average in 2007 and 2008 rising to the level of a Super Bowl winner. The Saints did excel at several things that Super Bowl winners tend to do, like winning close games and forcing turnovers. They weren't a stellar defensive team, but you don't necessarily need a stellar defense when you have the #1 scoring offense, especially if you have schemes that can force a lot of turnovers like they did in the NFC Championship game against the Vikings. It is a nice victory for the city of New Orleans given what's happened with Hurricane Katrina, and the Colts just barely won three years ago so it's not like we needed to see them win again.
NBA Update
The top of the NBA seems to be shaping out a lot like last year, with the Cavaliers currently holding the best record and the Lakers in a close 2nd. I am of the opinion that the Lakers should win the championship because of their superior talent, and if they don't it will either be because they underachieved or because they had severe injury problems. Injuries actually look like they could be a factor for the Lakers, as Kobe Bryant is currently trying to play through several injuries. Kobe will not miss a playoff game for anything he can possibly play through, but if something happened where Kobe couldn't play, the Lakers almost certainly wouldn't repeat as champions. Should the Lakers stumble, the Nuggets would seem the most obvious beneficiary as they have already given the Lakers problems this season, but don't be shocked if the Phoenix Suns make a serious push as well. The Suns are an inconsistent bunch, going from a 14-3 start to a 12-18 stretch to their current 5 game win streak (4 on the road). The come from behind in games, but they also blow leads. If you look at their rotation, they don't have glaring weaknesses, just inconsistent play from key players such as Amare Stoudemire and Jason Richardson. They also have a lot of young role players, but they seem to be playing very well now as Robin Lopez has moved into the starting lineup and Goran Dragic has had a few breakout games in recent weeks. The Suns look like a team that could lose quickly in round 1, or get hot and surprise a lot of people. I would be less optimistic about the Dallas Mavericks because of Dirk Nowitzki's past playoff failures, and the Spurs as age seems to be taking its toll on them now. Utah seems like another potential darkhorse depending on how the brackets turn out. They usually play the Lakers well in Salt Lake, although they rarely win in LA. The Jazz have also struggled against the Nuggets this season so their luck against both opponents would have to change.
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