electric cars

The other day, there was an article about a new electric car called the Triac. I love the idea of electric cars and anything that reduces our dependence on oil and reduces the pollution generated by combustion engines, although I am wary of whatever other problems and challenges may arise as a result. In the case of electric cars, I wonder: what becomes of the batteries after they have outlived their usefulness? is electricity easily enough generated to recharge these vehicles? But all in all, it seems to be the right direction in which to go.

In my case though, I'm afraid that I'd be too self-conscious to drive around in a vehicle as conspicuous as the Triac - it's awfully unique looking. Perhaps someday when there are many more on the road, I'd be comfortable being seen in one, but I know that for awhile, vehicles such as that would get many looks and nearly just as many people pointing. The Prius is unique enough; why can't hybrid/electric cars be designed to look more traditional?

Now in my Utopian vision, I'd be okay if everyone drove around in electric vehicles. Then I wouldn't stand out for driving something that looked so odd, and wouldn't it be nice if we all drove cars that didn't spew smog into the air and weren't such a big part of our dependence on foreign oil (and all the political and war-related conflicts that come with that?). As long as they are safe to drive around and aren't worse for our environment than cars already are... including after they are put out to junkyards, the aforementioned used and dead batteries, etc. the world could be a better place. Maybe someday, the technology will be such that electric vehicles will be large enough for practical uses such as moving trucks and cement mixers - I know a lot of people would take one look at an electric car and think, "What can you get done with that?" It's a good start though.

tears and sniffling

Last night was the annual Kennedy Center Honors - at least the broadcast on television was; they actually took place earlier this month. And just like every year, I found myself welling up with tears. I just love these kinds of tributes.

In one instance, a moment reminded me of something else entirely, but this show does that to me. During the tribute to Oprah Winfrey, her partner Stedman, who was sitting behind her, leaned forward and put his hands on her shoulders. I thought he was about to rest his head on her shoulder (well, realistically he wasn't going to) - and it brought me back to when my mom was in a wheelchair in her last year with us, after she had suffered a stroke and also had brain cancer. To prop her head straight up, I sometimes found myself sitting behind her tiny wheelchair and placing my head upon her shoulder; she would then lean her head next to mine. I was fearful of putting too much weight upon her shoulder and wouldn't do this for too long, but now that she has passed on, how I wish I could do so again. Anyway, this was a moment I found the tears welling up - in fact, they are welling up as I type this.

There were other moments I found myself getting emotional during last night's telecast, not so personal in nature, but still touched all the same. The tribute to Paul McCartney was quite special, and I really enjoyed the performances. They did a nice job with the video too - when so much has already been done to honor the Beatles, how can one possibly create something new? But they managed to.

I found myself wondering last night how much of the show was shown on television and whether the performances were actually longer at the time they occurred. Did Chris Rock's comedy bit for Oprah last longer but was edited for TV? He was funny, and it seemed to be too brief.

Week 16 - 49ers vs. Rams

Well, a loss isn't just a loss, but a new regime for the 49ers... Mike Singletary was let go as head coach of the team after yesterday's game. In losing to the St. Louis Rams, the Niners were officially eliminated from playoff contention which was tenuous at best anyway. Considering it was highly unlikely that even had the Niners made the playoffs that they would have gone very deep, it was probably for the best future-wise.

Will I be rooting for the 49ers to win next week's game? Of course I will! I rooted for them to win yesterday - it's instinctive. "You play to win the game" - Herm Edwards.

It will be an interesting time watching a new head coach on the sidelines and I wonder where the team's emotions are going to be. Will they play more loosely and driven? On the other hand, just like yesterday, there will be an easy fall-back going on in my mind... if they lose, I can't help but think, it could only help their draft status in next year's draft. And next year, there is likely to be a clear cut number one choice, Andrew Luck of Stanford (should he choose to leave school early). He is a prospect at quarterback, the likes of which isn't seen too often. For the 49ers to have even the remotest chance of drafting him, the stars would really have to align (Luck declaring this year, draft day trades, etc.). Then again, with the season yet to finish, any thoughts are wayyy too premature.

Strange how much things can change in just the course of one season. I can still picture in my mind a team function that was put on for the fans before the season began. It was team president Jed York, Coach Mike Singletary, newly appointed man in charge of the draft Trent Baalke, and one or two others on stage for a sort of team pep rally. And Coach Singletary got the most rousing ovation - I think many fans stood up and clapped for him (I watched on television). After an 8-8 season and expectations of even more improvement, it was such a time full of promise and visions of a team headed for greatness...

And then the team crashed and burned. And Singletary fired before the end of the season.

I watched today's press conference that featured Jed York making the formal announcement of Singletary's firing and the promotion of coach Jim Tomsula to interim head coach. And I remain impressed with Jed York as the leader of the team, his resolve and poise in the face of difficult circumstances. Throughout this tough season, many people have blamed him most of all for the team's difficulties. But I can see his desire to improve the team and make the right choices; he's still learning on the job himself. And most of all, for my own peace of mind at least, I can see a lot of his uncle Eddie DeBartolo, Jr. in him. As long as Jed doesn't go crazy and want to change the team logo, I am confident things will turn out all right!

commercialism

Well, okay, I actually mean too many commercials. Kind of both.

There are special edition DVD's of 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' out and I have wondered what scenes in the show I haven't seen in years. Because as the years have gone by, more and more time has been allotted to commercials whenever it's been broadcast on network television.

Which is just a bit ironic since the story is about how the Christmas holiday has gotten too commercial for Charlie Brown.

Week 15 - 49ers vs. Chargers

What can I say? The 49ers aren't good enough to beat teams with winning records - that's already been said. And yet it's also been mentioned time and again that the 49ers still have a chance to win the NFC West - only now, it will depend on division rivals losing some of their games... it's not up to the Niners themselves. And if the Niners were to win the NFC West, it would be with a losing record of 7-9. Heck, there's still a chance they finish the season at 5-11.

At this point, I wouldn't want them to go to the playoffs with a losing record, it's just not right. There are other, better, more deserving teams from more competitive devisions that should go instead. An 8-8 record I was okay with for the Niners making the playoffs, but not a losing record.

Eying the future and next year's NFL Draft, even if the Niners were to qualify for the playoffs, they would no longer select in reverse order of their finishing win-loss record, but would be tiered in with the group of teams that qualified for the playoffs and then in order of elimination. Does that make sense? It goes something like that from what I've heard.

Last night was a team loss. It wasn't all on the quarterback; it wasn't all on the lack of pass rush or the secondary. Key plays weren't made (whether it's a nicely thrown pass or a gift-wrapped interception opportunity: Catch The Ball!), and the team overall wasn't good enough to overcome them. The offensive line seemed out of sync. In fact, the entire team appears out of sync, coaching and game-planning included. One of the announcers said that San Diego head coach Norv Turner can find a way to get a player open on every pass play - with all their talent, why can't the 49ers do the same? Why can't a match-up nightmare like Vernon Davis get open? Are the Niners so easy to game-plan for and defend? If they can't beat any team with a winning record, how could they possibly beat a playoff team?

Some people have stated that this has been the worst stretch of seasons for the 49ers ever, precisely because their expectations are higher having won 5 Super Bowls... that it was easier to take their losing in the 1970's because they weren't expected to be good. I disagree. It's much easier for me to cope with the current downturn of the team because I can always look to the 5 Super Bowls (I had to mention that phrase again!) and all the great memories the team has given me. They're far better off than the teams that are struggling and have struggled for years and don't have multiple championships under their belts. Although I sure as heck am embarrassed by their level of play right now...

Week 14 - Seahawks vs. 49ers

The 49ers played like a dream yesterday... I sure hope that it was real and it's not still Sunday morning and I'm about to wake up with the game starting later today.

I know what I'm thinking (not what you're thinking, but it could well be the same thing): Why can't they play this well every game? Sometimes I watch other teams' games, just to watch some well-played football; well, yesterday the Niners were the ones playing good football. I feel like I'm rambling and that feels good too. The offense looked smooth, the game-planning looked diversified and creative, there was good blocking, if one player wasn't contributing (Crabtree) another one was picking up the slack (Morgan), the defense got a flurry of turnovers, and Alex Smith tantalized us with a glimpse as to why the 49ers drafted him in the first place.

Okay team, and this is a team game, let's see you play like this, say, for the next three games! Because as I understand it, if you win the next three games, you're going to the playoffs regardless of what else happens in the rest of the division. You can actually go 8-8, which is the win-loss record you had last season. And this time, you'll be going to the playoffs. Takeo Spikes is playing with such desire; now, let's see the whole team keep up this elevated level of play and DO IT!

(and to think I was one of those people who thought the Niners should just be playing for next season... while here they are still playing for this season - although ideally they'd be playing for this season and all seasons in the future too, but that's for the front office to worry about).

********

Now for a gripe session: what was up with the FOX Sports telecast of the game? It got so bad that I had to hit the mute button and listen to the radio broadcast. What was so bad about it? I'll tell you: that incessant background music they played over everything except active play between the whistles. That is, during replays, player substitutions, it seemed over everything. I've put up with less than perfect telecasts before, annoying announcers and what-not, but this is the FIRST time I've ever had to mute the game and turn on the radio. What were those producers thinking? As long as I can remember, I've appreciated FOX Sports over the CBS game telecasts for their use of sound, but if this keeps up, I guess I'll have to rely on the radio broadcasts from now on. Even though the radio was around 30 seconds ahead of the video from the TV. No exaggeration, it was close to half a minute ahead. When I first contemplated turning on the radio, I figured the time difference might be a few seconds, but not 25-30 seconds. It was amusing at first, especially since the 49ers were playing so well (I could enjoy what was happening twice), but I'd rather just listen to the TV broadcast. How annoying was it? It reminded me of why I refuse to watch another show altogether.

Moderation, folks, moderation.

football playing patriots

A couple of observations:

First, isn't the name Tedy Bruschi a perfect name? I can imagine that back when he was in college, people would say, "Hey, the party doesn't start until Brewski gets here!" Right? From what I've heard, that's how it's pronounced - like slang for beer. And the name Tedy sounds friendly, like a Teddy bear or something.

Second, actually it's not so much an observation but a memory. Several years ago, I was in Redwood City, eating at an Applebee's (I think). Redwood City is down the peninsula from San Francisco, what I would imagine to be 49er territory. It was once the location for their training camp. So, yes, firmly what should be a 49er fan base. Yet there I was eating at Applebee's in Redwood City and what do I see on the walls? Some sort of tribute to Tom Brady. Framed photographs taking up more and more wall space all dedicated to Tom Brady. Yes, he could and should have been drafted by the 49ers but why pay tribute to him? Then I finally remembered... he's from nearby San Mateo. Okay, okay, fine - go ahead and honor him. But that still doesn't make him a Niner. Mr. Even-Better-Than-Montana. After last night's game against the Jets, that's what people are saying. Blech.

Week 13 - 49ers vs. Packers

Okay, now how to stay positive about the season? It'd be easy to sound like the guy on the radio right now (KNBR) and get down on the team, they stink, blah, blah, blah... [the Niners lost badly] Sure, that'd be the sane, realistic thing to do, but I'm going to try to stay positive about the situation.

First, I think even as people studied the game schedule before the season started that they probably would have marked today's game as a loss. It was a road game against a team that was projected to be very good. So, it's not like today's outcome was a surprise or some sort of let down. Second, let's wait and see how today's other games end up - maybe the Seahawks and/or the Rams end up losing too (although they went into this weekend expected to win their games). But the key to the Niners season is to win each of their remaining games against their division opponents, i.e. they'll have to beat the Seahawks and Rams themselves, plus the Cardinals for good measure. That's a given on their to-do list. And as for their game coming up against the late-season hot San Diego Chargers, even the Raiders (whom the Niners beat earlier this season) are handling them well so far. Unfortunately, the 49ers fate rests largely on how their division rivals fare for the rest of the season, so it's not completely in their hands.

I also have mixed feelings about how good the winner of the NFC West will be heading into the playoffs. I agree that a 7-9 (for instance) win-loss record for a division winner is kind of screwy. The way I understand it is the division winners host the first week of the playoffs. If that's true, then not only will the winner of the NFC West make the playoffs over more deserving teams with better records, but they will be playing at home too. But oh well, I can't be worried about that. And besides, whether it's the 49ers or not, a win in the first week of the playoffs should just about atone for which team has the better record. Not likely though, especially for the 49ers. Still, you never know...

So what it comes down to, and taking it week by week, is the 49ers go into next week's game in a must-win situation; they lose that game and the season will absolutely be a lost cause. Will they mathematically be eliminated? I don't know. But it's been amazing having a 4-8 season so far and still hear talk that the Niners are still in it, that going into this weekend, they were still only one game out of the NFC West lead. It comes down to next week's game against the Seahawks to determine whether or not they've buried themselves too deep a hole to climb out of. Some would say they already have.

Post-game reaction: I was flipping channels between the Raiders game and the 49ers post-game show. And there was Singletary talking about 'looking at the (game) film' again. In one sense, Singletary is coaching in the right era, because there were many years long ago that there was no game film to depend on. Not like today. Maybe one would have to go back to the days of leather helmets, but there used to be no film to speak of. On the other hand, Singletary is idealizing a game plan that isn't contemporary. Maybe it's the coordinators he has chosen to work with, but it all starts and stops with him. Well, we'll see next week. It's about making adjustments and utilizing the talent on the team to the best of their ability.

I had been thinking about Troy Smith's lack of height being a liability during today's game, especially when he stayed in the pocket, but then I remembered that Michael Vick is roughly the same height, and he's been tearing up the league. But I still feel comfortable with Troy in there. And though today's television announcers harped about the lack of accuracy of Troy's throws, I'm under the impression that Troy throws very accurate passes. He was often off-target today, but I didn't think that that was one of Troy's weaknesses. Time (hopefully will tell), but I still really like the guy's calmness and resolve.

billions and billions? not even close!

I just wrote about this subject on this blog: so small and insignificant, but not really

In today's paper, there is an article called Beyond 'billions and billions' by Seth Borenstein and according to it, a new study says that the number of stars in the universe (give or take, what, tens of billions? - me) is 300 sextillion. That's a 3 followed by 23 zeros. Or, 300,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

Another way of looking at it is illustrated by Harvard astro-physicist Charlie Conroy: the number of stars in the universe "is equal to all the cells in the humans on Earth."

How's that? Okay, there are about 6 billion people on Earth - now multiply that by the number of cells in the average human body: 50 trillion. And that equals 300 sextillion (according to the article - I didn't double-check this figure).

Which takes me back to the notion of 'little green men' and the idea of 'space aliens.' Now I've never been transported onto an alien ship, nor have I ever seen a UFO... as far as I know. But throughout time, people have been looked upon as certifiably crazy if they ever told anyone that they believed in extra-terrestrial life. Yet with 300,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars in the universe (is that in the 'known' or 'unknown' universe?) and even assuming that the tiniest fraction of those stars have planets that support any kind of life, wouldn't it make more sense to believe that other 'intelligent' life exists somewhere, elsewhere, anywhere out there?

Let's go back to the total number of cells in all the human beings on Earth: say that our sun is represented by a single person on the entire planet. And sifting through ALL the other people on Earth, she's the only person that supports a planet like our own, one that supports life forms. One in six billion people. Now take this one person that supports life forms and multiply her by 50 TRILLION. In our vast universe, isn't it easier to believe that there have to be other intelligent life forms out there? (I'm tempted to put the word intelligent in quotes - can we presume ourselves to be all that intelligent?).

And how does time figure into all this? How long have we humans been at it? Thank goodness we have yet to completely destroy ourselves or our planet - but how far advanced might these other alien beings be compared to us? Maybe space travel was solved by them long ago? Maybe, and I'm stealing a famous line here, "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..."

I've never been a voracious reader (had I been, my verbal score in the SAT would have been much higher), and more to the point, I've never read much science fiction (my verbal SAT score could well have been perfect) - but these concepts of space and time are probably 'old-hat' to the genre. Even as our understanding of space continues to expand.