Kurt's Thoughts

I thought I was done with this, and then the power of the Internet dragged me back in to this pursuit.  Former USC Professor Arspoetice discovered this blog thread and added her own talent & mojo to the recipe, filling in some blanks that I believe did in fact close the case on this investigation of “how exactly do you make Killer Shrimp at home?”

She added several ingredients for a more authentic cajun flavor & kicked in a bit more of the umami we were searching for.  But to quote Ars:

“The most important outcome of these changes, we feel, was that the kitchen smelled like Killer Shrimp. We could close our eyes, picture ourselves in the Marina or Studio City. Perfect!”

So anyway, Arspoetice’s mods are highlighted in BOLD.  Thank you, Ars, from a UCLA Bruin.  See?  Trojans & Bruins can work together.  (Just don’t discuss athletics, I guess.)  I guess we’ll never really how close we came, but I do know that the resulting recipe is damned good.  And after being in pre-release since April 2010, here’s what I’m calling the “v1.0”:

Killer Shrimp
(version 1.0 – RELEASE)

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ small onion, diced
• 1 celery rib, diced
• 1 moderate sized carrot, diced
• 5 cloves Garlic, chopped/diced small
• 3/4 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (This was originally 1/2 cup)
• 2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoon FRESH – not dried – Rosemary
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper (3/4 teaspoon if PREVIOUS batch of Killer Shrimp is available)
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (3/4 teaspoon if PREVIOUS batch of Killer Shrimp is available)
• 8oz clam juice
• 3 tablespoons (3 oz) of tomato paste
• 2 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. oregano
• 1 cup beer (ale)
• 1 ½ pounds shrimp, with tails
• 1 (1 pound) loaf French bread
• 2 cups of PREVIOUS batch of Killer Shrimp broth – if available

DIRECTIONS:

1. Fry onion, celery, carrots, garlic in a small pad of the butter until fragrant and soft in a large pot. Do not use more than a pad here.
2. Take all the spices (rosemary, thyme, pepper, celery seed, fennel seed, pepper flakes) and cut/crush them enough that they remain whole but are broken to more easily release flavor.
3. Pour in broth, and mix in rosemary, thyme, pepper, celery seed, fennel seed, clam juice, pepper flakes, & tomato paste. Place cover on pot to maintain consistency.
4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
5. Stir beer into the broth mixture as well as PREVIOUS batch of Killer Shrimp and continue to simmer and occasionally stir 2 hours.
6. Just before serving, stir in shrimp. Continue cooking 3 minutes, or until shrimp are opaque. Remove and place in serving bowl.
7. Add remaining butter in pads. Stir until all pads are melted. Once melted, quickly turn off heat and serve broth with previously separated shrimp in bowls.
8. Serve with bread.

Yum.  Internet wins!  …Flawless victory!

Today, our son’s daycare teacher asked the class, “Do you have any siblings?  Or pets?”  Kids in the class said that they had a sister & a cat.  Or two brothers.  Or two dogs.

When asked, my son dipped his head & told the teacher:

“I had a dog.”

Confused she asked him, “You had a dog?” and he nodded & said nothing.  When my wife came to pick him up this afternoon, the teacher asked her about that, and suddenly it became clear to her what had happened.

My wife came home to tell me this story during dinner.  I had a hard time choking back the tears to finish my meal.

2 YEAR OLDS DO REMEMBER THEIR FRIENDS
We often wondered how much our son understood when Sheepa, the family dog, passed away.  He was very gentle and was always friendly with our son, never biting him or barking at him even though my son would pull his fur or yank an ear.  He’d be annoyed but for some reason, he always knew who this little person was, much like he’d know when my wife was ill.  Whenever my wife would stay home in bed, Sheepa would sit or sleep next to her closely & quietly.

When Sheepa had passed, I had trouble sleeping & slipped into a depression which I eventually pulled out of by focusing on the positives of Sheepa’s life.  What I didn’t realize was that during the first week in particular, my son had night terrors that were probably caused by Sheepa’s passing.  He would wake up screaming and be inconsolable.  I kinda thought that the connection between Sheepa’s passing and our son’s sleep issues was weak… after all:  How does a 2 year old understand concepts of death & ‘forever’?

TALKING TO SHEEPA… ON THE PHONE
Later, while changing his diaper on the changing table, our son grabbed in the intercom phone on the wall.  He put it to his head and said, “Hello Sheepa”, and I froze.  I asked who it was on the phone and he replied, “Sheepa”.

This has happened at least a dozen times now.  Again, I thought it was a stretch that he did or didn’t understand the permanence of Sheepa’s departure from us.  But this was… different.  He actually seemed to have conversations with him specifically and only when on the intercom handset.  I can only imagine what it sounded like if there was anyone downstairs listening in on our intercom conversation with our dog.

BUT THERE’S THE PROOF:  RIGHT FROM DAYCARE
So that’s why, when we heard that our son had said sadly, “He had a dog,” we knew he understood.  He remembers Sheepa and knows that he’s gone.  His friend no longer lurks under his seat waiting for falling food.  He no longer sneaks into our son’s bedroom to patrol or say ‘hi’.  And he no longer comes to the park with him to walk through the grass on sunny days.

I guess that shouldn’t come as such a surprise, but I also now know he’s sad about it too.  And there’s part of me that’s sort of comforted by that because I think it means Sheepa affected him in a positive way, in his own way taught him to appreciate dogs, and most of all, the value of friendship from a very young age.

I know memories fade easily at this age… but I hope he remembers him.

“There’s a bridge connecting Heaven and Earth.  It is called the Rainbow Bridge because of its many colors.  Just this side of the Rainbow Bridge is a verdant land of meadows, hills, and valleys with lush green grass.  When a beloved pet passes, the pet goes to this place.  There is always food and water and warm spring weather.  Old and ill and frail animals are made whole.  They play all day with each other in the beautiful sunshine.

They are happy and content, but there is one thing missing.  They are not with their special person who loved them on Earth.

So, each day, they run and play until the day comes when, suddenly, one stops playing and looks up!  The nose twitches!  The eyes are staring!  And this one suddenly runs from the group!  You have been seen, and when you and your special friend meet, you take him or her into your arms and embrace.  Your face is kissed again and again, and you look once more into the eyes of your trusting pet.

Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together, never again to be separated…”

UCLA electrical engineering ranked no. 1, UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science ranked no. 4 by Microsoft Academic Search

The UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science is currently ranked highly in several research areas by Microsoft Academic Search. This includes a no. 1 ranking worldwide for electrical engineering by H-index over ten years. This dynamic worldwide ranking also places aerospace engineering at no. 8, and computer science at no. 9 and the school at no. 4 overall, throughout the same time period by H-index. H-index measures both the productivity and impact of published work.

“These rankings are a testament of the kind of impact being made by our faculty,” said Vijay K. Dhir, dean of UCLA Engineering. “It is apparent based on these rankings and others, that our faculty’s research is regularly disseminated and referenced on a global scale. I could not be more proud of what the school has accomplished over the last decade especially.” 

UCLA Engineering faculty, students and researchers all consistently publish papers on their research in top professional and scholarly journals, and are regularly invited to present their work worldwide at symposiums. They have authored numerous books, many of which have been translated to various languages and are regularly called upon to serve as experts to the media. 

The Microsoft Academic Search, currently being beta tested, is a search engine developed by Microsoft Research Asia to help users quickly find information about academic researchers and their activities. With academic search, one can find top researchers, their papers, conferences and journals. It also contains visualization features like co-author graphs, co-author paths, paper citation graphs, domain trends, and organization comparison charts.

At present, one can explore nearly 39 million publications and find more than 19 million authors with information being updated regularly.  

Microsoft Research Asia is a subsidiary of Microsoft Research, which was founded in 1991. Since its founding, it has grown into one of the largest and most respected software research organizations in the world. Currently, more than 850 computer scientists, sociologists, psychologists, mathematicians, physicists and engineers work in eleven labs, across four continents, in an effort to advance the state of the art in computing through a combination of basic and applied research. In addition, researchers at Microsoft work across more than 60 disciplines within areas like: communication and collaboration, computational sciences, design, economics, education, health and well-being, search, security and privacy.

The UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, established in 1945, offers 28 academic and professional degree programs and has an enrollment of more than 5,000 students. The school’s distinguished faculty are leading research to address many of the critical challenges of the 21st century, including renewable energy, clean water, health care, wireless sensing and networking, and cybersecurity. Ranked among the top 10 engineering schools at public universities nationwide, the school is home to nine multimillion-dollar interdisciplinary research centers in wireless sensor systems, nanoelectronics, nanomedicine, renewable energy, customized computing, and the smart grid, all funded by federal and private agencies. (www.engineer.ucla.edu | www.twitter.com/uclaengineering) 

This is just the best video ever.  Reminds me of my ol’ friend. 

Not just because of the ‘singing’ or his appearance, but because of the whining he does.  My pal Sheepa used to whine just like that.  I remember hearing that whine like it was yesterday.

I’m just astounded that people still use Google Drive, despite the jaw-dropping news about their insidious privacy policies on content you post to the service.

In a nutshell, if you use Google Drive, you give Google the right to use your content in anyway they see fit – including giving it to partners. 

It effectively shreds any implicit privacy you might otherwise expect from a commercial online service.

Read it yourself – and take a look at the policy for Skydrive, Microsoft’s cloud storage service, in comparison:

• “When you upload or otherwise submit content to our Services, YOU GIVE GOOGLE (and those we work with) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works (such as… those resulting from translations, adaptations or other changes we make so that your content works better with our Services), communicate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute such content.”
  – Google’s Privacy Policy for cloud storage(https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/terms/)
  
• “You understand that Microsoft may need, and you hereby grant Microsoft the right, to use, modify, adapt, reproduce, distribute, and display content posted on the service SOLELY TO THE EXTENT NECESSARY TO PROVIDE THE SERVICE.”
  – Microsoft’s Privacy Policy for Cloud Storage
  (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-live/microsoft-service-agreement)

——————-
Original article:  Comparing Skydrive and Google Drive’s privacy policy
http://www.neowin.net/news/comparing-skydrive-and-google-drives-privacy-policy

If you recall back in 2011, Sheldon Adelson, the owner of Sands Resorts & Casinos, (a.k.a. the Venetian & the Palazzo hotels in Las Vegas) SHUT OFF everyone’s juice.

All of a sudden, no one I know got any comps at all.  All the mailing offers for room/food/beverage/bennies dried up overnight.  And with a single statement, Sheldon Adelson explained everything on Feb 3rd, 2011:

“We’ve essentially cut all of our comps except our most highly-rated players,” he said. “No more comped rooms. No food and beverage. No showroom credits. We’re selling rooms. We see it’s resulting in a substantial increase in cash income.”

THE DEATH OF A LOYALTY PROGRAM
Their player loyalty program, “Grazie”, all of a sudden became utterly WORTHLESS.  I called casino marketing to ask them for a couple nights based on my previous play and I was completely denied any respect.  Understand that I play the tables with mostly black chips with a historical wager north of this due to my changing betting patterns so this came as shocking news.

I posted to Facebook:  “Eff you, Sheldon Adelson.  I’ll take my shows, my dinners, my bar tab, my wife’s shopping, my spa appointments, & my table play elsewhere.”  And with that I refused to go back in any capacity… & I haven’t played there since.  Oh, I’ve been to Vegas since then for certain, visiting Encore, Aria, Hard Rock Hotel, Monte Carlo, Cosmo, and Mandalay Bay (several times)… but never the Venetian or the Palazzo. 

And additionally, I told my wife to not hold any business events on Sands property.  They jacked my loyalty account so I’m jacking my loyalty to them.  Go “sell” your f’ing rooms to someone else.

THAT WAS A YEAR AGO
I opened my mailbox a few weeks ago. WHOA.  An offer.  Okay, not that big a deal right?  What is the offer?  It’s the standard 3 night deal with table match play matching my rating back at the end of 2010.  And a few other bennies to boot.

This is significant from the perspective that they actually kept my rating from over a year ago when they halted all comps to mid-level players.  Which is fascinating because they used to WIPE the slates annually.  It’s as if they froze time and decided to unfreeze it in the last month.

Then a couple weeks later, another offer.  Then just today, another offer.  They’re all different (one’s got a shopping bennie, another is a dinner comp, etc.) but all have roughly the same street value but target different months.  WTF?  Where did all of this come from?

BUT… WHY?
Now the sinister side of me thought, “AHA.  Vegas is sucking so badly that Las Vegas Sands must have reneged on their original statement about “selling rooms” and instead is just trying to get butts in rooms to play the slots.

But then I looked up Las Vegas Sands’ historical stock price over the past year:

For those of you aren’t good at reading graphs, this is roughly 50% growth over 4 months.  GULP.  Business has been gooooooood at Las Vegas Sands.

I must assume that this is the Chinese/Far East market that’s raking in the dough for Sheldon.  After all, it ain’t Vegas.  That being said, that doesn’t explain why Venetian/Palazzo suddenly turned the spigot back on on their comps and offers to mid-level players.

Then I read this article:

They’re back: Core gamblers are helping Las Vegas gaming industry recover
By Ron Sylvester (contact)
Sunday, April 15, 2012 | 2 a.m.

The core gambler is returning to Las Vegas.

At least, that’s what Michael Lawton saw when he looked at February gaming revenue reported across Nevada last week. As senior research analyst for the State Gaming Control Board, Lawton noted an increase in slot machine win on the Strip, which rose 10.3 percent in February — the 10th gain in the past 12 months. To him, that was a significant trend in a rebound for the state’s casinos and illustrated who was helping drive it.

…

Slots weren’t the only game producing more revenue for casinos, either. On the Strip, blackjack was up 24.2 percent, craps 19 percent and roulette 20.2 percent. Although baccarat was down 18.9 percent, the increases from other games more than offset that loss.

…

CONCLUSION
So I guess one would more likely believe that Las Vegas Sands is looking to capture that influx of players that are returning to Vegas to play, by incenting them with offers that had long been dormant.

I’m still a bit bitter about Venetian pulling the plug.  I had a lot of time logged at the tables there and they just dropped me like a bad nickel.  Whoever was in charge of the virtual shutdown of the Grazie program did it with all the grace of an inebriated Frankenstein.

But I’m taking one of the offers.  And I’ll play my requisite time… but no more.  I have no more loyalty to Venetian/Palazzo.  I’m kinda liking Mandalay Bay now.  They’re not as ‘upper crust’ I suppose, but they have nice amenities, a great spa, a wonderful buffet… and more pleasant restaurants.  Raffles Café, Red Square, Border Grill & Fleur rule.

Good job Adobe.  You added ‘automatic updating’ for your Flash Player updates in Flash Player 11.2. 

Just one question: 

Why’d it take you so long?

Was there a massive number of users that were begging to manually install Flash updates every time you publish them resulting in pop ups on everyone’s desktops worldwide?

Well, with a resounding ‘FINALLY!’ the personal computing world can now work without getting interrupted every week with an Adobe Flash Update notification.

No one knows how important it is to keep one’s software patched & updated to protect users from vulnerabilities and such but dammmmn dudes:  If there was ever a constant reminder of how buggy Adobe Flash was, it was the perpetual stream of update notifications that everyone got monthly for 10MB PLUGIN.  On every computer you use.  The work desktop.  The home office desktop.  The family computer.  The laptop.  Blahblahblah.

Well, that being said… it’s nice to see automatic updates implemented finally.  So good job.

“Sometimes it makes me sad, though… Andy being gone. I have to remind myself that some birds aren’t meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright. And when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up does rejoice. But still, the place you live in is that much more drab and empty that they’re gone. I guess I just miss my friend.”
– Red, The Shawshank Redemption

I guess I just miss my friend.  I hope you’re happy whereever you’re at now, Sheep.

The other day, I’d had some sort of energy drink and I was sitting there looking at the copy of Fallout: New Vegas sitting on my shelf collecting dust… the $59 I spent just wasting away… and I started to get upset. Frickin’ Obsidian/Bethesda just really screwed the pooch on this release. I don’t recall Fallout 3 being even CLOSE to this bad.

My complaints about it were as follows:

• Character creation lock up
  Not more than 2 minutes into the game, you set up your character as a wasteland courier, customizing his/her attributes and changing his/her appearance. If you deviated from any of the default facial/skin features (white anglo-saxon) the game would freeze completely and you’d have to start all over again. This was repaired 2 patches into the game.
• Failures to save game
  There was a period, that I can’t really get specific around, where save games wouldn’t save. They’d just say they saved, and you’d come back and WHOOPS! It ain’t there. I thought it was just my bad memory until I went online and discovered a lot of other people that had the same issue. Lots of expletives were used here. 3 patches into the game, I think this got fixed.
• Failure to load saved games
  This was the straw that broke the camel’s back: I had 120 hours invested into the game and after game update/patch #5, my recent game saves wouldn’t work. I’d try to load them and it’d just sit there with the game loading swirly for hours. I wanted to cry. This is what I wrote about in my last post about this. Lots of other people had the exact problem on Bethesda’s forums, crying out in outrage over the failure of their game saves to load.
  …then Bethesda/Obsidian said they were pulling the plug and weren’t going to work on fixing the game anymore.

That’s when I said, f-ck it. It’s not worth playing a game where the creator’s aren’t supporting it any more, despite the unplayable nature of the condition it was in. It was just riddled with flaws, bugs, and problems – as documented on the Wikis – and for a game that requires this much time and investment in, that’s just not cool… and not worth playing in the end.

So it’d been 4 months since I’d touched Fallout: New Vegas, despite the fact that:

• I love Fallout
• I love Vegas
• I love Xbox 360
• I love games with expansion packs

I looked at the game a week ago and said, DAMMIT – I KNOW I CAN GET THIS WORKING. So what I did was I started attempted to load all 70 of my previously saved games one at a time. Sure, they’d lock up but at least I’d have the satisfaction of knowing I’d tried every possible scenario.

Then suddenly, around game save 50 “Game Save 126: The Strip”… IT LOADED.

Holy sh-t. It loaded! It actually loaded! Even with the patch #5 installed! It took about 60 seconds to do it, but it worked! The problem now was that I had 10 saved games in front of it with game play that I still had to recreate. And who knows if my game saves after that would stick, right?

Then I thought: I wonder if the more recent games (like “Game Save 149: Hoover Dam”) will load AFTER I load the working game save. Maybe there’s a chance that once you get past the game load issue, other game saves will load as well.

BINGO. It worked exactly like that. And after that, to load the game, I’d load “Game Save 126”, then “Game Save 159” or whatever was necessary to keep playing. In fact around “Game Save 169”, I noticed that I was now able to load NEW saved games directly without loading Game 126 anymore. So I’ve been playing Fallout: New Vegas again. I still have 5 expansion packs to play and I still haven’t played through the main quest.

Now, I’ve noticed some other ridiculous problems.

• Game lock ups upon new scene loads
  When you’d transitioned from one area to another, it was common to see the “screen loading” swirly appear. However occasionally, you’d wait and then suddenly the screen would go black. And you’re done. A complete reset of your Xbox 360 would be necessary. Fortunately, most of the time you’d have a game save before it that you could go back to, but most of the time, you’d load the saved game and it’d do the exact same thing – meaning it was something technical in the game. I’d find that if I did something different, like go to another area then come back, I’d be able to proceed.
• Game flow failures
  There’s been numerous times now where a game quest SHOULD proceed in a certain direction but no matter what I do, I can’t get the game to continue. “Oh Papa Khan” was one such situation where no matter what I did, I couldn’t get the quest to continue so the only scenario I had was to kill everyone in the clan to keep the game going.

At least I can still play it but this is arguably the buggiest and most frustrating title I’ve ever played on the Xbox 360. What a disappointment.

This video is like telling the story of my boy Sheepa, who was the dog no one wanted at the shelter.  We were told he was older, bit people, was bad around kids, had a lousy temperament, and was kept in the back in a kennel as a result. 

That was Sheepa, the dog we adopted.  He never bit me even once and licked me every day we had him – which I assume was gratitude.  Anyone can do this.  It’s just the GREATEST FEELING IN THE WORLD.

Watch the video below, and just imagine being responsible for something as amazing as this.  This is how I feel and you can too:

Heh heh… I miss my dog.

1. The later you are, the more excited your dogs are to see you.
2. Dogs don’t notice if you call them by another dog’s’ name.
3. Dogs like it if you leave a lot of things on the floor.
4. A dog’s parents never visit.
5. Dogs agree that you have to raise your voice to get your point across.
6. Dogs find you amusing when you’re drunk.
7. Dogs like to go hunting and fishing.
8. A dog will not wake you up at night to ask, “If I died, would you get another dog?”
9. If a dog has babies, you can put an ad in the paper and give them away.
10. A dog will let you put a studded collar on it without calling you a pervert.
11. If a dog smells another dog on you, they don’t get mad. They just think it’s interesting.
12. And last, but not least: 
    If a dog leaves, it won’t take half of your stuff.

It’d be stupid to make believe this article didn’t exist… so here it is:

• Special Report: Not the UCLA Way
  http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/magazine/02/28/ucla/

Other articles of note:

• Decay of UCLA under Ben Howland isn’t news
  http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-0301-plaschke-ucla-20120301,0,3899848.column
• UCLA basketball alums take measured view on criticism of Howland
  http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-ucla-basketball-drugs-20120302,0,4569228.story
• UCLA coach Ben Howland’s former players come to his defense
  http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-dagger/ucla-coach-ben-howland-former-players-come-defense-013050206.html

Comment by major UCLA.RIVALS.COM author/contributor:

Just read the piece. my reaction is certainly negative – though i don’t think anything in the article was new or that surprising as we’ve all seen much of what was written about – this just went inside and documented much of what we haven’t seen – causes as opposed to mere effects.

We have all criticized certain things – playing favorites (or has anyone forgotten what we all – ALL – said about all the minutes Dragovic got while pretty much ignoring defense? or the criticism of Honeycutt for the same things?) – odd substitution patterns at times – like not playing Stover at all even when opponents were going on scoring runs. Allowing Gordon and Nelson to get away with behavior that in JRW’s day would not have been tolerated from day one. Knowing something is very wrong when ALL those guys bail on the program so early – some transferring out, some going pro even without a guaranteed contract (esp. Honeycutt – even Mbah a Moute who would have been a first rounder had he stayed one more year but he had just had it; Holiday was a first rounder but he clearly was disillusioned with Ben and the program as was his family).

i’ve commented here – not in articles but here in the Lounge – that insider friends of mine have gone 180 degrees on Ben since his first years, that he aliented a whole bunch of people – altho my impression is he has worked to clean up that part of his behavior. So, not shocking.

Some of it you have to wonder about taking with a grain of salt – like the injury to Alex Schrempf – a player is hacked from behind while going for a shot and falls to the floor. This is not rare in basketball – happens all the time. i would not be certain the hacker purposely intended that the heckee be injured. Nor have i never seen one player step on another while the guy was on the floor. i don’t like that sort of —-, but it happens in competitive environments.

But if you follow my comments here, i think it’s been apparent for quite a while that Reeves Nelson has some emotional problems. i really don’t think it’s simply a matter of lack of steady discipline. i know his parents have tried with him all along. The comment that stands out in the article is the other unnamed player’s comment about Reeves, that he was a nice guy but then would do these crazy things – something to that effect. i think that’s telling. i hope Reeves gets help and support he needs and learns to control his emotions – his demons – whatever – but clearly there are problems there. The Gordon situation seems more clear-cut to me. Yes, Howland should have stepped in quickly with Reeves, noticed what was happening and that it wasn’t simply a matter of “guys going at it hard” or that sort of thing.

But to me it was more obvious with Gordon. That one was clearly a situation that should – and that COULD – have been nipped in the bud and dealt with early on. Gordon’s okay under Steve Alford. Alford listens to his players, talks with them. No, he hasn’t been able to get Gordon to go hard every time out or to avoid taking plays off here and there in every game. But he HAS gotten Gordon to be productive, to actually rebound – and on OUR team only the Wears – who aren’t natural rebounders – at least work hard at it every game.

Those who already wanted Howland gone will seize on this article as a “reason” why. No doubt. For me, it’s not that black and white. As the author said, struggling teams have these sorts of issues. This isn’t unique in college basketball, especially today with all the young egos blown out of shape.

But i DO think the article finally has put a spotlight on the program’s problems so it’s no longer two separate camps – a few with inside knowledge and others frustrated by all the transfers and failures to perform as a team the last few years in one camp and a group of others who say “where’s the proof?” or point to former National Coach of the Year Ben Howland’s record and the three straight final fours in the other. Now the problems are out on the table for discussion.

i DO think it’s going to be hard for Ben to survive this – “this” being the problems of his own making and not just the publicity about them which is now national. Until now, national (Eastern-based) bb personalities shrugged off the concerns of UCLA fans by pointing to his Pittsburgh years and his three straight final fours and refusing to believe allegations that Ben was the OPPOSITE of a true disciplinarian. He wasn’t that way at Pittsburgh perhaps. NOW they won’t jump to his defense. And that leaves him pretty much on his own.

NOW there have to be significant changes made in the way the program is run. But i agree with those who think Ben’s tenure is hanging by a thread. i think a whole bunch of it comes down to the 2012 recruiting class. If it comes in intact – including Muhammed and Parker – Ben actually has a chance for a fresh start. The Wears are team players and hard workers – seem to me to be in the Mike Roll mold: focused and give their all all the time. Those two plus the four frosh form a nucleus. Hopefully Powell and Lamb will return. Hopefully Smith will acquire focus and some maturity and return in basketball shape.

If so, Ben can make some changes in how he treats ALL players and he can survive.
But if this recruiting class falls apart – especially if there are some transfers out after the season – i just don’t see how Dan Guerrero can give him much time. With new Pauley opening next year, an average – or worse – team won’t bring in the fan and booster support the program absolutely requires. Just won’t. And then there’s no choice at all left.

i think some of the extreme immediate reactions to the article are over-blown. Every teacher knows you can always ease up on discipline but you can’t successfully start without it and then   add it later on – doesn’t work. Also that discipline has to be reasoned and fair – NOT treating every person the same way but treating each fairly and not allowing anyone to “knock the train off the tracks” at the expense of others. But i ALSO believe the situation has gone on more than long enough for everyone to understand that it’s extremely serious and might just be irreparable.

i really do think it all hangs on this year’s recruiting class. i could be wrong about that, but what would be best for everyone involved would be for Ben to make the necessary changes and right the program and take UCLA back to the top. Resurrection. All of that. Replacing him will be highly traumatic. It’s as unlikely as it ever was that UCLA can successfully walk up to its top choices – like say Brad Stevens at Butler – and say here, come and take over our program. Stevens seems a lot like Chris Petersen at Boise State, a guy quite content to live and work in a smaller market, focusing on his craft rather than being a media star. Guys whose ambitions are focused on doing the best job they can rather than “getting to the top of the media-driven pyramid in their profession.”

But if things don’t turn around in a real hurry, i don’t see any other outcome

http://ucla.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=671&tid=153507640&mid=153507640&sid=1012&style=2

Comment by another significant UCLA.RIVALS.COM reader/contributor:

I have read most of the other posts on the topic, talked to other UCLA grads, and given this some thought. My opinion does not matter but I will give it anyways.

1. If the 10 people you have had the hardest time working with were interviewed what would they say about you? How would that article make you look?
2. Obviously Howland is flawed. That does not mean he is not a good coach. Guy has won at 3 different D1 programs and his players are doing exceptionally well in the NBA
3. Male college students party and do drugs. A few of these kids partook too much but that is not really abnormal. Some of the best pro athletes who ever lived drank and consumed drugs on a consistent basis. No coach has or will ever be able to control this side of young men. Not even the great coach John Wooden.
4. Nelson is clearly a troubled soul. From the little bit I know, Howland gave this kid enough rope to hang himself with because there was always a glimmer of hope that this very talented kid (who could be very nice) would turn it around. Could he have handled it differently? Sure. But it is so tough to handle these types of situations, especially with a kid like Nelson.
5. Fighting in practice happens all the time. I saw Ed O’bannon throw a basketball at Toby Baileys face as hard as possible during practice. What was Bailey’s crime? He tried to block Obannon’s shot. Harrick sat Ed down for 5 minutes and then brought him back in. That was it. That team won a national championship.
6. The basketball manager deserved to be fired. He should have learned his lesson but instead he went and spouted off to an SI reporter. I have no respect for him. Howland gave this kids an opportunity. He blew it. Now he is crying about it.
7. No NCAA violations. Whew.
8. Howland is going to have to be better at personality evaluation and management if he is going to survive at UCLA. He needs to put a little more into character, focus on one or two players each class who have talent and character, and then fill other spots with role players. He needs to figure out a better way to deal with players with attitude/emotional problems. His past methods have not worked.
9. Assistant coaches are key. Based on the success and loyalty of some past coaches I am pretty sure Howland is not quite the A-hole the article makes him out to be. Sometimes, the most productive leaders are prickly. Look at the best coaches in the NFL. Not sure they have more than 1 friend between them. I think Howland improved his assistants this season and it is going to take a year or two before the benefits are reaped from this change.
10. It is about wins and losses. As long as the program is clean and we are winning most of the rest is just noise. It only becomes important when we lose. So, it is simple. Howland better win. I thought he would get two more years but this article might have cost him one extra year of rope.

Posts by Jon Gold at the Daily News UCLA Blog:

• Lorenzo Mata tweets in support of Howland
  http://www.insidesocal.com/ucla/2012/02/lorenzo-mata-tweets-in-support.html
• The Puppy Who Lost His Way
  http://www.insidesocal.com/ucla/2012/02/the-puppy-who-lost-his-way.html

ESPN LA 710 Radio Mason & Ireland [AUDIO]

Reeves Nelson: 3/2
Former UCLA Bruin Reeves Nelson who was in the SI story calls in to tell his side of the story. Nelson says he feels taken advantage of and wants to clear his name.
http://espn.go.com/espnradio/losangeles/play?id=7639368

Mason & Ireland: 3/2 [hr3]
Mason & Ireland replay their interview with Nelson Reeves. Steve and John are live from the Nokia Plaza for Lakers Live and a preview of tonight’s game against the Kings and Sunday’s big game against the Heat.
http://espn.go.com/espnradio/losangeles/play?id=7639805&s=la

[Fast forward – 15 minute mark]

NBCLA 4 Southern California [VIDEO]

Reeves Nelson Exclusive Interview
The fallout continues after Wednesday’s blistering attack on the UCLA Basketball program by Sports Illustrated. Other than Ben Howland, the focus of the article was on Reeves Nelson who was dismissed from the team in December. Reeves was portrayed as a kid who has anger problems and defied authority and he isn’t pleased. Fred Roggin talked exclusively with Reeves about the article.
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/video/#!/news/sports/Reeves-Nelson-Exclusive-Interview/141153553

Former USC Basketball Coach Tim Floyd (Now at UTEP):

Q&A: Former USC coach Tim Floyd praises and defends UCLA’s Ben Howland
Floyd, who also got caught up in controversy, says Howland has not lost control of the team and says Bruins’ issues have to do with poor backcourt talent pool. He says Howland is best man for job.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/usc/la-sp-pugmire-qa-20120305,0,5887985.story

I’m kinda over Bluetooth.  Seriously, I went ga-ga over Bluetooth for a long while and I’ve kind of realized that Bluetooth is really only good if you’re mobile.  Outside of that, if you’re at your desk… you really want a high quality, multi-purpose headset to do business calls on and other audio-related activities.

That’s where the Jabra BIZ 2400 Wired Headset comes in.  It’s Jabra’s new professional class wired headset.

I was a long time user of the GN Netcom 2000, which I figure is the early early early predecessor of the BIZ 24000 which is what Microsoft has standardized on for it’s field personnel (everyone at Microsoft has one) but I had no idea how much of an improvement they made in this technology… until I got this new headset.

(FULL DISCLOSURE:  I got this thing for free.  I didn’t ask for it or anything.  A Jabra rep found out I was using their old school tech – the GN 2000 – and upgraded my headset to this BIZ 2400.  I was under no obligation to blog about it, nor was any handshake deal made.  I’m just blogging about this because as a business minded geek – this thing is so cool.  When you hear about the level of detail that they improved the headset, you’ll understand what I mean.  It may sound like I’m shilling but I don’t really care… I honestly like this thing.)

FEATURES:

• BLOCK OUT ALL SURROUNDING NOISE
  This is a dual ear headset.  Big deal you say?  It is when you’re in a cubicle farm with 8 other folks talking at the same time.  This dual ear headset blocks out all the other conversations VERY NICELY.  Other people in the office may be bothered by my voice as I talk on concalls… but I sure as heck won’t hear their blathering because both ears are covered.  Additionally, if someone comes by that I don’t want to talk to, I simply hold my hand up as if I’m on call (even if I’m not)… and problem solved!
• CANCEL OUT SURROUNDING NOISE
  It’s got active noise cancellation on the microphone.  So just like traditional bluetooth headsets, surrounding background noise gets filtered out so nothing but your voice is transmitted to others.  Again, super important for folks that live in cubicle farms like myself.  (sob) 
• LISTEN TO CD QUALITY MUSIC
  Sure the headset’s great for high quality VOIP calls over Microsoft Lync, Windows Live Messenger, or Skype… but it’s also a high definition audio quality (80hz-16,000hz) headset for listening to my Zune Music catalog which is entirely in 192kbps ripped content.  A single headset for all my audio needs.  And it switches from my VOIP phone calls to my music and back and I don’t have to worry about “batteries” or anything because it’s USB connected.
• PLUG & PLAY
  No driver CD.  Everything comes off of Windows Update.  The USB connectivity is great and provides a pure digital signal instead of using my laptop’s audio/microphone ports.  Win.
• PLAY AROUND WITH THE BOOM MIKE
  This is gonna sound silly but it’s totally true:  People like to flip the boom mike around and swirl it around their ear.  The thing spins around and normally on the GN 2000, it stops at some point when spinning it and then you have to go the opposite direction.  This headset spins 360 degrees and keeps going.  It sounds dumb but it’s kinda important.  Having the boom mike stop was kinda frustrating and this 360 degree spin is like a new found freedom.
  360 degree boom mike rotation
• CONNECT TO YOUR CELL PHONE
  This is a trip.  The thing is Bluetooth-enabled.  It will pair with your cell phone so if you get an incoming call, even though the headset is USB connected to your PC for VOIP phone calls and music, it will also ring when you get a phone call on your cell phone… and you can pick up the call with ease.  Now THAT’S a good idea.
  (Requires downloading Jabra PC Suite from: http://www.jabra.com/na-us/support/Pages/JabraPCSuite.aspx_
• COMFORTABLE & SAFE
  Man, this thing is comfortable.  Way better than my GN 2000.  It’s got that soft leather padding around the ears that hug your head gently. 
  It’s also got this feature that I think is pretty cool:  If the audio level gets too high, it automatically levels it so you don’t damage your hearing.  It’s called “Intellitone” and it’s something that was installed because the audio levels that come in from other speakers on calls (and from MP3 files) vary so wildly that you kinda need the safeguard.

List price:  $219.  And for good reason.  This isn’t a play thing:  It’s a professional’s headset.  Go get one.  You won’t regret it.

WEB SITE:
http://www.jabra.com/na-us/headsetsolutions/Pages/JabraBIZ2400.aspx

DATASHEET:
http://www.jabra.com/pv_obj_cache/pv_obj_id_597EC15292EC50499BF448B1
B9D35D4B153A0200/filename/BIZ%202400%20FAQ%20LOWRES.pdf

SOFTWARE:
http://www.jabra.com/na-us/support/Pages/JabraPCSuite.aspx

SCORE #1
This is based on the following question:

Q: Please think about your overall satisfaction … Considering everything you know or have heard about the company, its products, its service, and support organization, would you say you are:
4 = Very Satisfied (VS)
3 = Somewhat Satisfied (SS)
2 = Somewhat Dissatisfied (SD)
1 = Very Dissatisfied (VD)

CALCULATION:
Score = (% of Very Satisfied) – (% of Somewhat Dissatisfied + % of Very Dissatisfied) + 100
(Range = 0-200, 200 being highest)

EXAMPLE:
Scores based on the following responses for all participants would be:

• 4, 4, 3, 3, 3 –> 40% VS, 60% SS –> NSAT = (40) – (0+0) + 100 = 140
• 4, 3, 3, 3 –> 25% VS, 75% SS –> NSAT = (25) – (0+0) + 100 = 125
• 4, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 –> 17% VS, 83% SS –> NSAT = (17) + (0+0) + 100= 117
• 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 –> 100% SS –> NSAT = (0) – (0+0) + 100 = 100
• 4, 3, 3, 3, 2, 1 > 17% VS, 50% SS, 17% SD, 17% VD –> (17) – (17+17) + 100 = 83

METRIC:
Our required value for score #1: 166
(In other words, even if all ratings are “Somewhat Satisfied”, the score would be 100, far below 166.)

—————————————————————————————-

SCORE #2
This is based on the average of 6 specific questions, multiplied by 10.  All questions are rated from 1-9, 9 being highest.

1. Invests time to understand the strategic priorities of my organization (*)
2. Works together with us to agree on a joint plan that addresses my organization’s top priorities (*)
3. Engages the right resources to deliver value to my organization, including using partners when needed (*)
4. Regularly seeks my organization’s feedback on ways to improve our working relationship (*)
5. Takes appropriate and timely action based on feedback I provide (*)
6. Provides information to help my organization optimize our technology infrastructure to maximize ROI (*)

CALCULATION:
Score = (Sum of all ratings)/6 x 100

EXAMPLE:

1. Invests time = 7
2. Works together = 7
3. Engages right resources = 8
4. Seeks feedback = 8
5. Takes action = 7
6. Provides information = 7

Score #2 = (7+7+8+8+7+7)/6 x 100= 73

METRIC:
Our required value for Score #2:  82
(Again, even if all scores are “8”, we only attain a score of 80, which is below the required score of 82.)

Right before CES 2012 started, I wrote a series of PSAs on Twitter for the noobs coming to Vegas for the first time.  Here’s a recap:

• When you get to your hotel room, task #1 is “Wipe down the TV remote with a Purell alcohol wipe.”
  There have been a variety of studies that have concluded that the most bacteria laden item in the hotel room is the TV remote control.  It’s never wiped down, it’s never cleaned, it’s in use constantly, and it’s next to the bed.  Yes, the sheets may get cleaned but that remote is definitely NOT clean.
• Before you leave your room for the 1st day, leave some $ for housekeeping w/ a Thank You note.
  Ask yourself, how much is your gear worth.  Is it worth at least tipping housekeeping $5 just for them to keep in mind that you’re not worth ripping off?  Don’t take the risk.  Besides… you may want to have them leave you an extra pillow or something.
• Ask the front desk for a humidifier to be sent to your room before everyone else does.
  Remember that you’re in the desert.  At night, the air gets even drier than it is during the day.  Dry air means static laden carpeting.  Static is badbadbad for electronics – not to mention your sinuses.
• Buy $25 gift certs for Mandalay Bay restaurants @ 60% discount using coupon code “FUN”.
  If you plan on visiting Mandalay Bay, it’s very easy to get restaurant discount certificates for at least $25 for only $2-$3 each.  http://t.co/ApMXugbE
• Picky about your pref for Coke vs Pepsi?  Here’s a map of what Vegas hotels sell which. 
  Nuff said.  This is a curiously fun map that provides the pickiest soft drink drinker with a guide to their favorite beverage.  Don’t laugh.  I’ve met more than my share of individuals that have a VIOLENT reaction when the waitress says that “they don’t sell Coke – only Pepsi”.  http://t.co/B11CjiGO
• To avoid getting longhauled, let your cabbie know that they have a sliding tip coming.
  The difference between a normal cab ride and a longhaul can be $10 or more.  Don’t get longhauled.  Pre-notify the driver that you’re going to tip him but only if he minimizes the fare.  http://t.co/qrgcD80j

Today, I put Sheepa’s leftover shampoo & conditioner in a box to send to my Mom.  This might not seem like a big deal but it put a big lump in my throat a couple times that I had to swallow.  I’d refused to ever believe that Sheepa would leave us so I always bought all his necessities (food, medicines, doggie bags, grooming supplies, etc.) in Costco level bulk.  So I have a lot that Sheep ‘left behind’.

So, in memory of Sheepa, I decided to turn this into something positive. 

• Is your dog constantly scratching/itching?
• Have you tried oatmeal shampoos?  Milk baths?  Cortizone-rinses?

Sheepa used to when we first got him.  But we found a ‘cure’.

THE CURE TO SHEEPA’S ITCHING
Sheepa’s left over shampoo and conditioner was from a group called “Isle of Dogs”.  This is a professional grooming shampoo & conditioner that our groomer, Irene, first used on Sheepa to make him stop scratching. 

We noticed that when he first came home after his grooming with Irene & the Isle of Dogs products, he just… DIDN’T ITCH.  It was a remarkable transformation: He smelled great, he completely STOPPED drying/flaking & scratching, and it made his fur virtually unnecessary to brush except for right after his bath – and we used a blow dryer to fluff him up while we brushed him out.  For weeks it would stay, untangled, unmatted (he NEVER had mats – EVER) and really soft.  We’d bathe him just so that he wouldn’t be smelly – and brush him only for his pleasure.  He loved being petted, stroked, or brushed.

Isle of Dogs.  Amazing stuff.  You could tell he was irritated & dry before we started using this stuff and he was a much, much happier dog after we switched away from all the cheap, oatmeal-esque garbage.  (Even the really expensive “milk baths” didn’t work for him – but this stuff did, so we became believers quickly) 

WARNING:  IT AIN’T CHEAP
It’s also fairly expensive at $30-$40 a liter bottle however one bottle can last for more than a year for a dog Sheepa’s size (20-22lbs) so it’s really worth it!  Here are links to refills for each:

• http://www.amazon.com/Isle-Dogs-Coature-Shampoo-shedding/dp/B002LAS6Z8/
• http://www.amazon.com/Isle-Dogs-Coature-Management-Conditioner/dp/B002LAS6ZS/

Here’s their web site.  They used to be professional groomers only, but apparently, they got so popular that they started to mass-produce their product. 

• http://www.iodogs.com/default.aspx?

Sometimes, I do an insta-copy into my blog from some email someone forwarded me.  This is one of those times. 

A Dog’s Purpose?

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker ‘s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.

Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ”I know why.”

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live.

He said,”People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” The Six-year-old continued,

‘‘Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”

I miss Sheepa so much. It’s been more than 4 months since he’s gone & it still hurts so badly.

I wish you were here, ol’ pal.

I thought this would be fun.  People talk about getting ‘longhauled’ through the ‘tunnel’ in Vegas but I’ve never seen it illustrated.  So here’s a map of where the tunnel is & why it screws visitors by taking them “out of the way” & increasing the cab fare.

Below you can see McCarron International Airport.  The main road that leads out of McCarron is Paradise which heads north past UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center, toward most of the strip properties.

Now if you look south of the airport, you can see a label that reads, “Freeway Tunnel Under Runway”.  This is the infamous tunnel people talk about and as you can see, it’s headed NO WHERE NEAR any of the hotels.  In fact, it’s headed in the opposite direction of of the strip properties.  Usually from there, an unscrupulous cabbie will take the freeway, running up the miles driven & further increasing your fare.

This ‘detour’ unnecessarily adds $5-$15 to your fare & no matter what the cabbie says, it’s NEVER NECESSARY.  Here’s a list of excuses I’ve gotten from cabbies that have attempted to explain why they want to take the tunnel:

• TRAFFIC:  There is no traffic jam bad enough that your taxi needs to take the tunnel.
• SPEED:  The tunnel will never get you there quicker than Paradise Rd (usually turning on Tropicana Rd or Harmon Rd.)  It may seem like you’re getting there faster due to the fact that you’re going at 75mph, but that’s because no one else is stupid enough to let their cabbie take them this route.
• SOUTH END HOTEL:  Even Mandalay Bay, at the southern most point of the strip, is best served by taking Paradise to Tropicana.