Diatribes by Joah

On the road, for work and for fun

I've been in the South on travel for work for the last few days and I'll be on vacation, also in the South, starting tomorrow so I probably won't have an update until early next week. In the meantime, enjoy this innovative video from Radiohead. According to Kanye, "No cameras or lights were used. Instead two technologies were used to capture 3D images: Geometric Informatics and Velodyne LIDAR. Geometric Informatics scanning systems produce structured light to capture 3D images at close proximity, while a Velodyne Lidar system that uses multiple lasers is used to capture large environments such as landscapes. In this video, 64 lasers rotating and shooting in a 360 degree radius 900 times per minute produced all the exterior scenes."

Friday Jam: De La Soul & The Native Tongues

Obama and McCain in a Marathon Finish

There's this faulty assertion that presidential elections are about character; that they're about finding out who these people are and how fit they are to lead the most powerful nation in the world. In reality, and as best evidenced by Sens. McCain and Obama in the last six months, presidential elections are more of a test to see how little character and integrity we need from our president. Said in another way, running for president is a race to see how much two people are willing to give up - family, friends, positions, money, values - to win the most important job in the world. The most important thing to find out from a presidential campaign is if our candidate of choice has what it takes to win that race no matter the distance (or sacrifice).

In the beginning, the campaign starts out with all the candidates lining up like sprinters in heats of a 100m race. Ultimately, much like Olympic qualifying, only the top eight will make the final. Of course, there are always pre-race scratches (people who choose not to run at the last minute) like soon-to-be Senator Mark Warner. These people realize that they'd rather save their energy for another, more winnable race. I relate this to the 100m dash because of its relatively short-lived nature. It didn't take us long to figure out that Dennis Kucinich wasn't a contender. This short race, it seems, is all about pride. Those who stay in may have too much, which isn't necessarily a bad thing because we love presidents who are prideful (Adams, LBJ, Bush).

However, once we narrow ourselves down to eight finalists - for clarity's sake let's go with Obama, McCain, Hillary, Huckabee, Edwards, Romney, Guiliani and Richardson - we make our way to the final event...or so we think. It turns out these 100m pros have to show they've really got what it takes in an even longer race, perhaps the hardest race of them all. The 400m dash. Unlike the 100m run, the candidates line up in a staggered form - some have already built advantages (i.e. fundraising, experience, etc.) - and must be both fast and strong. This is a chance to show that your success in the 100m race was no fluke, as was the case for Edwards in '04 and Huckabee in '08. If you make it out of this round, it will largely be due to the fact that you gave up a lot of money and your friends' money along the way.

Now that we're weeded out the group to five candidates - Obama, McCain, Hillary, Huckabee (Romney stayed in with his own money, but soon dropped out) - it's time for another difficult race: the mile. This race requires the kicking ability of a good 400m runner, but the endurance of a distance runner. This is where things start getting really testy and friendships are lost. Fellow Senators are no longer speaking, fellow Republicans are trading barbs. Ultimately, when the last lap of four comes around, it comes down to those who can do one of two things: sprint to the finish or fight the pain to the line. Obama, who has the most left in the tank after easy wins in February, and McCain, who learned to push through the pain in a Vietnam POW camp, live to see another day as Huckabee, who lasted longer than expected, is sent packing.

Huckabee's runner-up counterpart, Hillary, didn't go home so quietly, in a last bit of effort to re-take the lead from Obama, she gave up her last bit of integrity (not conceding defeat) only to have Obama help her up at the finish line after a third place showing (nice speech). It was the right thing to do on Obama's part and Hillary was able to still take the medal stand, albeit in defeat of her ultimate gold medal goal.

Next up is a true distance event: the 10,000 meters. Six miles and two-tenths to be exact. It was McCain's idea; he proposed 10 town-hall style debates with Sen. Obama. Perhaps this would be the best way to test both their strength (policies) and endurance (political savvy). The proposed format would have allowed both candidates to run on the same track with neither, most likely, being able to get an insurmountable lead (thanks to public financing). Unfortunately, Obama was too willing to give up his early promises to accept public financing and debating McCain "anywhere, anytime".

Obama's campaign had a different race in mind: the marathon. Over 26.2 miles, Obama's campaign believed, there was no way McCain could win. In fact, many believed the margin of victory would be substantial (8-to-10 points the polls said). And in a bit of foolishness, McCain's campaign accepted the challenge without any training, having spent the presumptive nominee's congratulatory weeks (since Huckabee's departure) doing only light workouts. They called it fundraising.

Still, even with a comfortable lead the marathon is a difficult race. Obama, even while in the lead, has had to shed countless pounds of weight - his ethnicity, his church, his lofty positions, even his lovely wife Michelle - in order to protect his margin as McCain's most staunch supporters (along with some of Hillary's) throw rocks at the racing Senator determined to cut into his lead. Obama pressed on.

But even the best-prepared and best-funded candidate faces tough challenges during the marathon. Maybe its the Kenyan part of Obama keeping him in front, but it's the inexperienced campaigning part of  him that is cramping up. Now, much past halfway through the race, but not yet at the 20-mile mark, the young Senator has faltered from his record-breaking pace by pandering to the center and giving up his positions on the DC gun ban, the eavesdropping bill and other significant issues of the day. Right about now, Obama is praying for a water station to show up on the course really soon to give him another boost of energy before McCain catches up.

What the front-running Senator doesn't know is that McCain is having his own struggles a few minutes back. His experience and straight-talking ways make him a constant threat, but his age and lack of funds have hurt him early in this race and he is not cutting into Obama's lead as quickly as Republicans would have liked. He's tried a few policy switches to see if any of them help cut into the margin, but none have worked. He's tried changing his campaign staff, but we're still not sure if that will work either. His last resort may be his choice for vice president.

With the right VP nomination, McCain could very easily get Obama back within his sights. But does "right" mean conservative? Someone like Mike Huckabee. Or does "right" mean the opposite with someone more popular and centrist. Perhaps Mayor Bloomberg, who himself was a scratched from the race early on. No one can be certain.

One thing we do know...Obama has never run anything close to this kind of race before and the signs of inexperience and ego (perhaps from beating the once-unbeatable Hillary) are starting to show. McCain has never had his name on a presidential ballot come November, but with 22 years in the Senate and much more entrenched and vocal and experienced supporters along this last 10 or so miles of the course, it will be interesting to see if he'll be able to make it a sprinters race at the end.

No matter who wins, we'll know that both men gave up more than they ever expected to give themselves a fighting chance in November. This race is about competitive will as much as it's about character. And, you know what, that just may be a good way to figure out which one of these candidates is more deserving and fit to represent our county in something a lot more important than the Olympics.

Clutch vs. Great

Every time I watch a great athletic performance - like this past weekend when Michael Phelps won all five of the events he entered at the Olympic Trials and Rafael Nadal finally bested Roger Federer in a five-set classic at Wimbledon and last month when Tiger Woods, torn ACL and all, won the U.S. Open - I'm reminded of greatness. Or is it clutchness?

After seeing oft-great, seldom-clutch miler Alan Webb fail to make the Olympic team in Sunday's  1,500m final, I'm even less certain of what the difference is, if any, and which one matters most.

For a little context, Webb is the guy who, as an 18-year-old, ran a mile in a high school record 3 minutes and 53 seconds. Six years later he broke the American record by running that length in under 3 minutes and 47 seconds. Oh, and in 2004 he won the U.S. Olympic Trials. Also in 2007, he finally beat his nemisis, Kenyan-born, U.S.-citizen Bernard Lagat, to win the U.S. championship in the 1,500. Later that summer, he ran a 3:30 1,500m which was good enough for the best time in the world last year. It seemed Webb was not just another "could've, should've, almost, not quite" American distance runner.

Entering 2008, an Olympic year, Alan Webb was poised for greatness.

But Webb is clearly not clutch. In 2004, after winning the trials, he didn't make it out of the first round. And not only did he fail to make the top three at last year's world championships, but he also failed to make top three in his own country's trials to make it to Beijing next month. Now, all Webb can do is wait another four years until London. He may even keep up his one-second-per-year improvement and break the current world record of 3:43 in the mile, but I think he's officially missed the boat on ever being considered clutch.

Many men (and women) have gone on to have great sports careers, but very few ever get a chance to earn the designation of clutch. Clutch is an even more elite club than great.

Michael Jordan. Joe Montana. Reggie Jackson. Tiger Woods. Anyone I'm forgetting?

Oh, there is one guy I left out of that group who could definitely make a case for inclusion: Robert "Big Shot Rob" Horry.

With the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, Horry has been a big reason for their winning the seven NBA titles he's been a part in the last 15 years. Not even Shaq has that many and he thinks he's the best basketball player in that span. Long story short, you couldn't name the 10 most clutch athletes of all-time and leave out Horry.

Still, no one will ever argue that Robert Horry is worthy of making an Olympic team as Kobe and Lebron have. You wouldn't find any ESPN analyst saying he got snubbed from the All-Star team like Albert Pujols this year. And if you re-drafted the entire NBA, Robert Horry - arguably at no point in his career - would have made the first two rounds.

But he's clutch. And by my count, Horry has seven rings while Webb would settle for five rings, like the ones on the Olympic symbol.

So maybe clutch is more paramount than greatness. I am, of course, defining greatness as being (or at least approaching) the peak of your particular sport. A-Rod, Karl Malone, and, most famously, Dan Marino are perhaps the most prolific players to ever play their respective positions, but they each have as many championship trophies as you and I do. I'm assuming Robert Horry isn't reading right now.

Even some of the great players that did win titles at latter stages in their careers wouldn't be considered clutch. John Elway, where are you? Oh, stop hiding behind Kevin Garnett.

It seems clutch is like a one-way window where even the greatest athletes, like Charles Barkley and Ken Griffey, find themselves on the wrong side looking in at guys like Robert Horry.

Of course, there are those pundits who point out that Horry may have the career-long glory of winning, but Barkley and Griffey will always be able to call themselves Hall of Famers as if to demean the importance of clutchness. Meanwhile, sports fans from Chicago to Shanghai lament when even their favorite players don't show up in the big moments. Why? Because we could care less about the Hall of Fame when our teams are down in the closing minutes of a long, grueling season and we're praying for just one clutch play.

I guess the truth of the matter is that being an athlete isn't as simple choosing between greatness and clutchness. You cannot choose between Alan Webb or Robert Horry when you're putting in long days of training. Unfortunately, you cannot foresee if you will have more in common with Joe Montana or Dan Marino until after your career is over. Similarly, you cannot expect to know if John Stockton would trade his Hall of Fame career for the one clutch, NBA-title-winning play of Steve Kerr.

Alan Webb may have lost his chance on a legacy of clutchness, but greatness has not yet alluded him. And when the cameras stop flashing, the tears stop flowing and the family and friends stop well wishing, I think he'll get back on that track gunning for the world record and Olympic gold in 2012.

Here's a mantra Webb should consider using for the next four years: If there's a will there's a (El)way.

Boston, Better than Usual; City Ratings Upgrade

I think many of you know I'm not the biggest fan of Boston. I've written about this in the past and let's just say the Celtics' win over Kobe and the Lakers didn't smooth things over. Nevertheless, I went to Boston last weekend with an open mind or at least my best attempt.

Once I got there after two hours stuck on the runway at Reagan thanks to some thunderstorms, it was a pretty chill weekend. I've been to Boston enough to not need to do touristy stuff every trip up the coast. And the laid-back nature of the weekend made it, quite possibly, my most realistic visit to the city they call Beantown. Oh, and by realistic, I mean I felt less like an outsider visiting the city and more like a local who'd been away for awhile, but was coming back to somewhere that I realized had changed a lot since my last visit. If that makes any sense at all.

Mostly I hung out with my good friend Peter and his girlfriend Kristie. We played some tennis. We went to Bodega, a really fresh store with old school Nike dunks and windbreakers. Althea was in town for a work conference, which was awesome, so we met out at Red Line and danced a good bit. We ate at The Mission, where I had probably the best meal I've ever had in Boston (pork chops, sweet potatoes and spinach), and The Pour House for brunch. We went to a barbecue at one of Kristie's friend's house. Althea and I met up with Nadya and her family in town from New Mexico and had a nice brunch at some half-decent place in Beacon Hill. Then Althea and I went up to the Arboretum and walked and talked, which was nice. Then we went back to Peter's place and watched the Euro Cup final. Then Althea and I spent an extra hour in Logan (those storms again) and made our way back to DC.

The whole weekend felt a lot different than my other trips to the city. I can't really explain it, but I felt a lot more comfortable in Boston this time around. The neighborhoods looked more interesting. The people seemed a little less exclusive. The city felt a lot less unfriendly.

Before this weekend, if someone asked, I would've given Boston a 6 on the city ratings scale I created for myself, but I think they've moved up to at least a 7, and could move up to an 8 if the Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics start losing again so their fans are more tolerable.

Here's how I rate some other cities:

Atlanta - 7, the '96 Olympics really introduced this city to the world, but they've failed to keep up with that level of momentum and prestige in the last decade or so...still I love the nightlife, the Braves and its proximity to both the South and the East Coast is preferable...

Austin - 8, fast population growth and strong economy have helped this city buck the housing crisis, but there's another housing crisis in the city - segregation...the underrated food scene, the nightlife, the college sports (and UT), the music festivals and of course the lakes...no public transportation, bad school system (and outlook) and lack of strong neighborhoods...

Boston - 7, the racial components aside, my major gripes are that city really shuts down early (stores at 7, bars at 2) compared to other East Coast cities and the locals put a lot of pressure on outsiders to assimilate ("like the Sox or else")...but I love the neighborhood feel, the runners (Althea pointed this out) and the sports fervor...and I like seafood...

Charleston, SC - 6, too small and not enough to do...its more of a weekend trip than a week's vacation...too segregated and Old South-y...but love the beach and the seafood and the bar scene and the hospitality and the women (if I were single, it'd be a solid 8)...

Chicago - 9, the arts scene is unmatched outside of New York and LA, the food is both diverse and delightful (and way cheaper than D.C.), and this may be the only city that can rival Austin in terms of where I'd rather be in the summer...downside is that the city politics have been corrupted by the elbow rubbing of business and politics (worse than DC) and the cold ass winters...

Dallas - 5, way too much sprawl, way too much "have/have-not"-ness, and not enough going on in the downtown area, I love the Cowboys though, and the dry heat isn't bad, and its not that long of a drive to Austin...

Houston - 6, much more to do than in Dallas, but the same problems with lack of connectivity within the city, bars charge covers in an effort to be more like LA, too much brand-shopping without actual fashion savvy, and no good public transportation...and the humidity (yuck)...pluses are that its easy to fly from Houston to anywhere, thanks to Continental and Southwest, and I have family and friends there...

Los Angeles - 7, way too dirty and big for my taste...it takes forever to get anywhere unless you plan it perfectly, people seem to put more value on connections than friendships and profession ("I'm a producer") than purpose ("I make good films"), and you don't get four seasons...I love the Lakers/Kobe and the drive to Vegas isn't all that bad, and I LOVE movies...

Minneapolis - 7, only visited for a weekend, but liked the outdoorsy/laid-back feel to it, reminded me of Austin in a way...I love lakes...I like that its not far from Chicago...I don't like the cold winters (I mean really cold) and the lack of a true bar/club scene...and you wouldn't exactly call it a fashion mecca...

New York - 8, there's something for everyone here; art, food, music, nightlife, sports, you name it, and people would always be willing to come visit you and its the fashion capital of the US...of course most of that stuff costs an arm and a leg, even the art, and it's cold in the winter and way too hot in the summer (on the Subway) and way too expensive to live anywhere in Manhattan and be truly happy with your job...

San Francisco - 8, some of the same reasons that I like New York, only it's a lot smaller=more manageable and accessible...weather is better...there's more to do outdoors...the shopping is almost just as good...there's a good mix of collegial/artsy/politically-driven/musically-inclined people there which is awesome...just too damn expensive to buy anything housing-wise that wouldn't require a drive...and too far from the next closest cool city, even Portland and LA are long drives away...

Seattle - 7, I definitely think this could be an 8 if I spent more than one weekend here, I loved Queen Anne  (not that I could afford to live there yet) and Safeco FIeld and the city offers a cool mix of local-feel and tourist-to-dos...good music scene...diversity issue isn't as glaring as Boston or Minneapolis or other cities that owe most of their diversity to academics and immigration moreso than inclusion...the rain would get a little boring and so would the long flights to Austin, New York or DC...

Washington, D.C. - 9, I'm a political nut so that helps, the music scene is very underrated with some great venues and local acts...the arts/touristy stuff is all here...it's very accessible to the South and Northeast...flights are easy to get...neighborhoods are thriving and gentrifying...new mayor is putting an emphasis on good schools...government keeps the economy and job market strong...only downsides are that you can't ever get away from politics (even I have to sometimes) and, like LA, people put more emphasis on profession than purpose...

Quoteworthy: Ricky Williams

In Kirk Bohls' fantastic commentary for the Austin American-Statesman, Heisman winner-turned-pot smoker-turned Miami Dolphin backup Ricky Williams says, "People think if you are a pro athlete, that's the only thing you can do. Life is not about maximizing my athletic ability as much as it is maximizing my evolution and growth as a human being." Read more here.

Friday Jam: Janet Jackson's Alright

When I'm at work on a Friday morning and trying to start getting myself excited about the weekend, I like to have a throwback song...today it's Janet Jackson's 'Alright' from the Rhythm Nation album that solidified her as a mega-star along with her brother back in the late '80s/early '90s. I love videos that have stories to tell, especially when they entail dancing of some sort. This one is a perfect mix. Oh, and I love the Heavy D appearance. For those of you who don't know, Heavy D is a legend in the urban music game...from New Jack Swing to Notorious B.I.G. Without further ado...enjoy!

A lesson worth remembering

I figured I’d share this. Throughout the day, I get tons of emails from friends and colleagues around the country. I have a strong commitment to replying to emails in a timely manner or at least reading them promptly. My mom sends me at least one email a day; usually something spiritual or funny. I wanted to share this one with you all because it’s a little bit of both. And it’s a lesson worth remembering.

***

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.

Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up.

Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.
Free your mind from worries - Most never happen.
Live simply and appreciate what you have.
Give more.
Expect less.

NOW .......

Enough of that crap. The donkey later came back, and bit the farmer who had tried to bury him. The gash from the bite got infected and the farmer eventually died in agony from septic shock.

MORAL FROM TODAY'S LESSON:

When you do something wrong, and try to cover your ass, it always comes back to bite you.

You have two choices...smile and close this page, or pass this along to someone else to spread the fun.

Bright Shiny Morning Kept Me Up All Night

James Frey's new book, Bright Shiny Morning, is more than a novel. It's a city guide. It's a history lesson. It's a writing lesson. For those of you not familiar with Frey, you've been in a cave. The guy was made famous not once, but twice by Oprah who put his breakthrough memoir/novel, A Million Little Pieces, on her book list then stripped it of the designation (after it was a bestseller) which made it an even bigger draw in bookstores across the country.

Still, based on the writing talent and technique alone, I've recommended it to at least 100 people. His second book, a follow-up to Million, was titled My Friend Leonard after one of the previous book's characters. It was a strong showing.

But Bright Shiny Morning may be his best work thus far. In the 500 easy-to-read pages, Frey gives you the entire history of the City of Los Angeles. Fact. He gives you his own take on the city's strengths and weaknesses. Opinion. And he tells some wonderful stories about the kind of people who migrated to the City of Angels and lost their way (Amberton), their love (Maddie) and their will (Old Man Tom) along the way. Fiction.

A definite MUST READ.

Shaq Isn't New to Freestylin'

A lot is being made of Shaq's latest tirade, I mean freestyle, in which he says "last week, Kobe couldn't win without me." I have to admit, it's a pretty funny line because - so far - it's still true. But it shows Shaq's immaturity, lack of tact and inability to understand the sensitivity of the media. He should know better. But, you know, maybe he isn't lying and it was all in fun. Like this rap from the '99 title with the Lakers to start the three-peat with Kobe.