Today at work, I postulated to my co-worker JMO that the PAC-10 actually wasn’t as bad as everyone thought. The PAC-10, usually bearing the brunt of crappy conference jokes, has had a recent (and by recent, we agreed on the past five years) surge in success. JMO, of course, claimed the PAC-10 still sucked. Running it through my head, I was thinking USC has always been incredible, but with Oregon, UCLA, and the occasional Oregon St. screwing around, I was sure they had a shot at being better than the Big 10 and surely ahead of the ACC and Big East.

Either way, JMO crunched the numbers, and I was surely wrong.

Here are the details of the study:

1. We used AP rankings for no reason whatsoever. If a team is really that great, they’re most likely close enough in any poll. Plus, AP ranks were easier to copy and paste into a spreadsheet.
2. We only used BCS eligible teams. (This was to help eliminate the argument that teams who play in non-BCS conferences play too many “weak” teams. This is an entirely debatable point; just accept this one for the sake of argument.)
3. The teams for each conference were totaled up in five-team-tiers, e.g. conferences with teams in the Top 5, conferences with teams in the Top 10, etc.
4. They were then averaged across the five years of ranking (2005-2009).
5. And don’t forget: These are ranking at the end of the year. They’ve played their full conference schedules at this point.
6. This would give us an average number of teams per conference in each tier for the past five years.

Analysis? The SEC is far and away the best (restated: toughest) conference in the nation.

The Top 25 Teams of the past five years

You can download the full Excel spreadsheet with the data used to create our results.

Interpretation of the graph (so you don’t have to do the hard work):

1. The SEC we could clearly state as standing alone in a Tier 1. There is an incredible jump at the Top 10-15 range, meaning there are constantly a LOT of SEC teams ranked in the Top 15, making them the deepest conference in the nation, consistently. (Notable rankings: Alabama national championship, 2009; consistent mid-level rankings from Auburn, Ole Miss; an LSU-Georgia 1-2 punch in 2007; a Florida-LSU 1-3 punch in 2006.)
2. We would put the Big 10 and Big 12 in Tier 2. This brings us to the most surprising fact of the whole experiment: The Big 10 has never dipped below the Big 12, and the Big 12 never surpasses the Big 10.
   • People always want to just default to the SEC and Big 12 as the superior conferences, but it just isn’t true. Ohio St. and Michigan were probably on your mind, but Michigan does not help you out (NR, NR, #18, #8, NR from 2009-2005 respectively).
   • Penn St., Wisconsin, and recently Iowa, however, have been upping the mid-level rankings to get the boost needed for depth.
3. And unfortunately, my postulation was wrong: The PAC-10 does suck, coming in at a Tier 3 with the ACC and the Big East.
   • The Big East is clearly the worst conference. They average 0.2 teams in the Top 5 (which, oddly, is greater than the goose egg laid by the ACC), but quickly stagnate from there.
   • The PAC-10, outside of USC and Oregon, just needs to hope that someone else has a good year. PAC-10 specific, here are the people you forgot about that gave you a shot outside of USC and Oregon: Arizona St. makes an appearance in 2007, finishing at #16; Cal dropping in at #14 in 2006 (the DeSean Jackson and Marshawn Lynch years); and UCLA at #16 in 2005 (Marcedes Lewis anyone?).
   • The ACC clearly has some above average teams, but never enough to be elite. In the lower half of the Top 25, they just surge; it’s like they’re good, but never good enough to break through the Top 15. Miami (FL) hasn’t lived up to its name; Georgia Tech, Florida St., and Virginia Tech just screaming mediocrity getting a taste a the Top 10 but never finishing off strong. (Virginia Tech and Boston College made a run in 2007; Virginia Tech at #7 i 2005.)
4. And as a Gamecock, I’m just not going to give Clempson any credit.

Either way, go fool your friends and tell them to look up the last five years. Just make sure you’re on the SEC side.

I have been holding on to this theory all year and am finally getting around to posting it. I can accurately determine who will be kept around each week based on previous vote trends.

Here’s the trick: No one ever voted into the bottom three has ever won the competition. Translation: Once you’re voted into the bottom three, pack your bags.

Where this doesn’t hold true

Now before you go check me, there are two seasons where this theory doesn’t hold up. In season three (the William Hung season), Fantasia was voted into the bottom three the week of April 21. She went on to beat Diana DeGarmo in the final. (It should also be noted that this was the season with Jennifer Hudson who went on to do work in Dreamgirls.)

This is the most explicit case of going against my theory. However, I will say I don’t think Fantasia is any good. Out of all American Idol winners, she’s easily not at the top (Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood), but she isn’t the bottom either (Taylor Hicks). I personally think she’s screechy and, IMHO, if you ask most people, they probably didn’t know she was even a winner.

There’s only one other case where this theory doesn’t hold up and I can easily chalk this one up to being an outlier. In season eight, both Kris Allen AND Adam Lambert finished in the bottom three in the same week (the week of the Top 5).

These are easily two of the best contestants the show has ever seen; Adam Lambert could have easily been a winner in any other season. He’s so good, they even brought him back for THIS seasons as one of the contestants’ mentors. Easily an outlier that could be explained away by people assuming those two were going to be in the top two and America voting for other people assuming they’d be safe.

The current season (season nine)

And now, as I try to predict the future…

Below is a list of the Top 12 (conventionally known as the finalists, listed alphabetically). If they have a strike through them, it means they’ve landed in the bottom three and can no longer win season nine.

Update (May 20): Crystal and Lee in the finals. The only two the entire year never voted into the bottom three. The theory was 100% correct this year.

Update (May 13): Only one more week to prove my theory right! If Casey goes home and it’s Crystal vs. Lee in the finals, all will be right… Start putting your money down NOW on Casey James to go home.

Update (April 29): Sure enough, I was correct. Siobhan had no shot and I’m positive she was in the Bottom 3 that week. Also, it means we have our Top 2! Congrats, Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox. If one of you two wins, my theory holds up yet again!

Update: Your Top 3 (in theory) is set! DeWyze, Bowersox, and Magnus should technically be the Top 3. However, my sinking suspicion is that Siobhan should be out already; AI pulled a quick one on us the week after Michael Lynche was saved by NOT revealing the bottom three. So there’s one person out there who should be on this list (or might already have been ON the list).

• Didi Benami
• Crystal Bowersox
• Lacey Brown
• Lee DeWyze
• Andrew Garcia
• Casey James
• Aaron Kelly
• Michael Lynch
• Siobhan Magnus
• Paige Miles
• Katie Stevens
• Tim Urban

Photo courtesy of topgelato.com.

Don’t worry; I created the mash-up. You can listen for yourself here:

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Track available for download as well.
(You iPhone users can click that link to listen to it on your phone.)

This film shows the known universe as mapped through astronomical observations.

Every satellite, moon, planet, star and galaxy is represented to scale and in its correct, measured location according to the best scientific research to-date.

If you thought you felt small before, this video won’t help. A gorgeous, stunning video from worlds beyond ours.

Video courtesy of the American Museum of Natural History

Either way, from what many are calling one of the worst decades the US has seen, some damn good music still came out. These are my Top 5 favorite records from the 2000s.

5. *NSYNC — No Strings Attached (2000)

*NSYNC: Glory years at the turn of the century

Love them or hate them (I’ve always loved them), this was one of those defining musical moments, a schism that cemented the Boy Band Era and effectively ended the Nirvanas, Becks, and Smashing Pumpkins’ of the world. Justin Timberlake proved you could go through something that tweens obsessed over and come out on the other side a sex symbol, morphing himself into a career that aged with him instead of trapping him at 16. No Strings Attached’s 2.4 million sold in its first week set records for both Most Records Sold in a First Week, as well being the only album to have ever sold over 2 million records in one week. [Audio clip: view full post to listen]

4. Eminem — The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)

Eminem on a TRL performance

…and right in the middle of that Boy Band Era, Eminem decided to step on the scene and change the rap game as we know it. Between this record and Jay-Z’s The Blueprint (which was released on the day the World Trade Center fell), a whole new era of hip-hop was popularized. Eminem was mobbed on TRL. Was starring in 8 Mile with even an Oscar mentioned in the same sentence. Was reaching suburban houses and was theoretically wreaking havoc, causing lawsuits left and right… and it just might be that he’s the greatest rapper of all-time. [Audio clip: view full post to listen]

3. Kanye West — The College Dropout (2004)

Kanye West, circa 2004

I started listening to this record non-stop while driving back and forth from my apartment to my bartending job just after graduating college, but still living in Columbia, SC. I even got the chance to see Kanye live at what was then called the Carolina Center when he came through on tour in 2004. It was literally just him and his DJ: No entourage, no band, nothing. Just his mic and his DJ, and it was entirely captivating. [Audio clip: view full post to listen]

2. The Killers — Hot Fuss (2004)

The Killers, circa 2004

I remember reading about The Killers in a Rolling Stone when I was in college. It was their annual “Hot” issue (where they tell you what, suprisingly, is hot). The Killers were named Hot Band in the 2004 issue. I never liked any band Rolling Stone was pimping out, but checked them out anyway. And Hot Fuss (right next to No. 3 above, The College Dropout), ended up becoming the soundtrack to my senior year in college. [Audio clip: view full post to listen]

1. August Burns Red — Messengers (2007)

August Burns Red on tour in 2007

What I believe to be the best metal record of all-time was released in 2007. Ever since hearing the 808 drop about two minutes into “Back Burner”, I was sold. To this day, this record is in my Top 5 records of all-time. Unbelievable songwriting. Quite possibly some of the best drumming I’ve ever heard. Crisp, clean production. An undeniable record. “Back Burner” “Composure”

Photos courtesy of , screen capture from Eminem performance on TRL, WPIX.com, Rolling Stone and a photo from my collection. Videos courtesy of Solid State Records.

1. I do think Alabama and Texas are 1 and 2, respectively.
2. I don’t think TCU and Boise St. have anything to prove by playing Iowa or Georgia Tech. Both TCU and Boise St. are better than Iowa or Georgia Tech.
3. It would’ve been fun to see a TCU vs. Florida game and a Boise vs. Cincinnati game, but I’ll still settle for a TCU/Boise St. match.

I also won’t cry that a playoff system is necessary (based on this year) because both Gary Patterson and Chris Petersen have said that they are in favor of the current system and believe in it.

So if I’m not getting excited about BCS chaos and underdog stories, what is there to get excited about? I think there’s plenty of good football and good story lines out there. I’ll give you the games I’m looking forward to the most (other than watching my alma mater Texas Tech stomp a suspension riddled Michigan State team) AND I’ll throw in some advice on how to beat Vegas in these games as well.

1. Colt McCoy

   1. BCS Championship Game (1) Alabama vs. (2) Texas Not hard to chose what I’m most excited about here. Number one versus number two. National Title on the line. Alabama seems to be peaking and Texas is playing some sloppy football. That being said, the teams have a month to prepare and get healthy. Let’s see if Mack Brown is worth that extra 2 million a year that UT just gave him. If Alabama wins, I have a feeling Nick Saban’s agent will be clamoring for a raise for his client too. Line Alabama by 5 Take Texas +5. Early line was Texas -3 until always tough rivalry against Texas A&M and Big 12 Championship game against a very talented NU defense.

2. Andy Dalton

   2. Fiesta Bowl (4) TCU vs. (6) Boise State In a rematch of last years Poinsettia Bowl, Boise State returns to the Fiesta bowl, where they last gave us perhaps the best college football game of our generation in a win against Oklahoma, to face a TCU team that some would argue should be playing in the National Championship game. Most people have not watched TCU this year and it’ll be exciting to see how they play with major media surrounding them for the first time this season. Most importantly, this game is exciting because it pits two great football teams against each other. If TCU beats Boise with style and Texas squeaks out a sloppy win against ‘Bama, then we might even see TCU share the National Championship. Line TCU by 6.5 Take TCU -6.5. TCU’s Jerry Hughes led defense will contain the Boise offense much like Oregon did. The safer play might be Under 54.5 though. TCU will shorten the game and create turnovers.

3. Jim Harbaugh

   3. Sun Bowl (21) Stanford vs. Oklahoma I think this game excites me so much is because of how much I love Stanford and hate Oklahoma. (This game is also huge for the Sun Bowl after last year’s 3-0 snooze fest of Pitt v Oregon State.) I gained so much love for the Cardinal after they went for 2 against USC while already romping them. Sticking it to USC for all the little guys out there. Toby Gerhart is also a very exciting runner (would not mind at all seeing him in a Texans uniform). Sad to hear that Andrew Luck, son of Houston Dynamo owner Oliver Luck (whom I’ve shared a delicious Lone Star beer with), probably won’t play. This sets the table for Tavitia Pritchard to return for Stanford. Pritchard first charmed my heart when he led 41 point underdog Stanford to perhaps the biggest upset in college football history, beating USC 24-23 in 2007. Oklahoma’s defense is stellar, led by Gerald McCoy. They’ll have a tough task in containing Gerhart. This game is the underdog story I’m looking forward to. Line Oklahoma by 9 Take Cardinal +9. You might even want to take Stanford on the moneyline if Andrew Luck is cleared to play. A possible let down for the Sooners. Stanford is fired up.

4. Bobby Bowden

   4. Gator Bowl (16) West Virginia vs. Florida State This game is all about Bobby Bowden. Love him, hate him, apathetic? This is a game you won’t want to miss. A true legend is retiring. And how fitting to be playing against WVU. Excellent work by the Gator Bowl committee making this game happen. Line West Virginia by 3 Take WVU -3. I know it will be emotional with Bobby Bowden coaching his last game against his former team, but WVU’s team speed will pull away from FSU.

5. Terrelle Pryor

   5. Rose Bowl (8) Ohio St. vs. (7) Oregon I’m normally an Ohio St. hater, but I think they’re playing very good football lately. Lately being the operative word, as it will be over a month since the Buckeyes last game when they take on the Ducks. Oregon was in the Terrelle Pryor running before he decided to side with OSU, so it’ll be fun to watch Oregon prove to him that they didn’t need him. A win for Oregon could change the climate even more in the Pac-10. The Ducks could be the new powerhouse. Also, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I was excited to see what uniform Oregon decides to wear. Line Oregon by 3.5 Take Buckeyes +3.5, but not the moneyline. I think OSU has the speed to keep up with Oregon. Vegas has this one pegged. I think Oregon wins with a field goal with Jeremiah Masoli leading a late drive for the win.

6. Dexter McCluster

   Honorable Mention: Cotton Bowl Ole Miss v (19) Oklahoma State Two teams with great talent that did not live up to the preseason hype. Could a Mississippi loss propel Houston Nutt to Kansas? Would an OSU loss put the Cowboys back in the bottom half of the Big 12 South? This game is most interesting because both these teams seemed to be poised to be the next big thing in conferences with perennial juggernauts. A win for one team keeps that mojo going, a loss is a definite momentum stopper. Line Ole Miss by 3 Take Ole Miss -3. Dexter McCluster runs all over OSU. Ole Miss gets it done again in Dallas this season.

Note: This entry was written before the Army vs. Navy game. But either way, the Eagle Bank Bowl would assuredly not have made this list.

5. Black Eyed Peas — “I Gotta Feeling”

BEP’s The E.N.D. might be the best overall record released in 2009, right next to (if you count it in 2009) Lady Gaga’s The Fame. It’s good from the top down. It’s just unfortunate they’re not that great to watch live. [Audio clip: view full post to listen]

4. Shakira — “She-Wolf”

Shakira’s like fine wine and scotch in that it seems the older she gets, the better looking she becomes. Her latest She-Wolf phase is adorable and the music is so disco. [Audio clip: view full post to listen]

3. Soulja Boy — “Turn My Swag On”

I wanted to hate this song soooo bad. Like, really, really badly. Instead, I embraced the off-key singing and became a fan. As it would turn out, Soulja Boy released a freaking awesome record in “iSouljaBoyTellEm” (yes, that’s the real name of it). I’m going to go ahead and consider this one the 2009 version of “Ay Bay Bay”, where you’re like WTF? and next thing you know you’re singing it in the shower wondering how it infiltrated your life. [Audio clip: view full post to listen]

2. Jay-Z (feat. Alicia Keys) — “Empire State of Mind”

It hasn’t been out for that long, but it’s such a beautiful song—it’s hard to go wrong with one of the greatest rappers of all-time and one of the most talented singer/songwriters of all-time. It’s epic with a near-perfect melody for a hook. [Audio clip: view full post to listen]

1. Jay Sean — “Down”

In what might be the most predictable song of all-time, I still can’t stop singing it. (Staccato strings? Check. Verse Chorus Verse Chorus Bridge? Check. Lil’ Wayne cameo? Check.) If I even hear something that sounds remotely like it, I’ll have “Down” stuck in my head for the rest of the damn day. [Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Photos courtesy of Shakira.com, resonantdreams, the “I Gotta Feeling” music video, gossiponthis.com, and some random Web site that just repurposes content and most likely stole Jay Sean’s picture so if you know who actually owns that picture let me know so I can credit them accordingly.

It sounds simple, and with the power of WordPress’s custom fields, it would be. But the trick was that I didn’t want it to display anything at all if it was posted by myself (since I’m the author of almost 99% of the posts). Displaying my name then would be redundant. I only wanted it to show if it were NOT me, and I wanted it to be easy.

You can see this technique in use on this blog on the Top 5 Worst Trades/Acquisitions in the 2009 Baseball Season post, authored by my brother Barry.

Here were the non-negotiables:

1. The post author had to come from the Post Author option in WordPress—NOT from a custom field (e.g. the logged in user wouldn’t have to fill out anything to denote the post as written by them)
2. The bio WOULD come from a custom field, to be used on a case-by-case (post-by-post) basis so that the author information/bio could be changed based on the post topic
3. We WOULD NOT create a separate post template (e.g. post-guest-author.php) to do any of this—it had to come from within the single.php template

First Half: Display the author name (or not)

The Theory

1. WordPress would go to a post page.
2. It would then check a global variable to see if the author was one listed by user ID.
3. If it was listed (e.g. blacklisted), don’t display anything. (This would prevent the blog from showing my name if the post was by me.)
4. If it wasn’t the author listed, it would then print the Display Name of the author who did make the post.

The Code

Use this code within the Loop on your single.php template:

<?php
       global $authordata;
       if ($authordata->ID != 1) {
              echo '<p class="author-meta">By ' . $authordata->display_name . '</p>';
       }
?>

Notes:

• The number ‘1′ in the above code references the user ID. By default, the ‘admin’ user name that comes standard with every WordPress install is user ID ‘1′. If you choose to log in using a separate user name, make sure you reference the correct user ID.
• I’m choosing to wrap the author’s Display Name with the class “author-meta” so I can style it accordingly.
• If you want to print something other than the Display Name (their nickname, first name, etc.) you can use any of the following values instead (or combinations of them):

$authordata->display_name;
$authordata->first_name;
$authordata->last_name;
$authordata->nickname;
$authordata->user_login;
$authordata->user_nicename;

Second Half: Add in bio information from a custom field

Instead of just having the name of the author, I also wanted to be able to customize the bio for each post. This would allow me (or the author) to tailor their bio to the content of that specific post. If it were baseball-related, they could provide notes about their experience with baseball. If it were *shudder* health-related, notes about their health credentials, etc.

To do this, you have to create a custom field called “authorinfo” on the post itself. For the value, type in whatever bio your heart desires. (For more information on adding a custom field, check out the first part of ForTheLose.org’s How To: Custom Fields post.)

The Code

Next, use this code within the Loop on your single.php template to display the custom field:

<?php if ( get_post_meta($post->ID, 'authorinfo', true) ) { ?>
	<p><em><?php echo get_post_meta($post->ID, 'authorinfo', $single = true); ?></em></p>
<?php } ?>

The whole thing

…but I wanted it wrapped up in one nice, overarching if statement. So here’s the whole code, all wrapped up into one nice php snippet:

<?php
	global $authordata;
	if ($authordata->ID != 1) { ?>
	<p class="author-meta">By <?php echo $authordata->display_name ?></p>
	<?php if ( get_post_meta($post->ID, 'authorinfo', true) ) { ?>
		<p><em><?php echo get_post_meta($post->ID, 'authorinfo', $single = true); ?></em></p>
	<?php } ?>
<?php } ?>

Drop that sucker inside your WP Loop and customize it like whoa.

Done with help from my buddy Glen. Make sure to check out his blog!

Middle men exist to reduce the cost of getting a product from A to B, and as long as that cost is significant, they will be useful. However, the moment the middle man monopolizes the means of distribution, he becomes a gatekeeper, and creators can be made to fail not by the merits and popularity of their products, but by the whims and short-term interests of the gatekeeper.

In an interview with TechCrunch, he went on to say that his leaving was directly related to a philosophical, underlying belief, one which I share with them:

The web is still unrestricted and free, and so I am returning to my roots as a web developer. In the long term, I would like to be able to say that I helped to make the web the best mobile platform available, rather than being part of the transition to a world where every developer must go through a middleman to get their software in the hands of users.

Read Joe’s whole post “On Middle Men” »

via TechCrunch

Thanks for the hat tip, @glenbot.

In honor of that love, my (now) roommate, brother, and I created 25 Days of Horror. It’s a simple concept: We watch a horror movie every night, for 25 days, leading up to Halloween. There are no real rules except the following:

1. You must watch one movie a night.
2. You must watch Halloween on Halloween eve (Oct. 30).
3. Going out to the movies is OK; you don’t have to watch them at home.

We’d love to have the tradition spread. If you want to start your own, feel free to steal this year’s list (posted below), or even our list from last year. (We tried not to repeat many from the year before.) If you’re bored on any of the nights (or see a date where you’d like to see the movie, hit me up; you’re more than welcome to come by and check it out.

P.S.—Sorry for the smattering of different sizes for the trailers!

The List: 2009

October 6

Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers (1988)

Last year, we kicked the whole thing off with the first Sleepaway Camp. We figured we might as well kick this year off with the next in the series.

October 7

Joy Ride (2001)

October 8

Gacy (2003)

October 9

Zombieland (2009)

The first of the nights we actually head out of the house to the movies for the tradition.

October 10

Final Destination (2000)

October 11

Diary of the Dead (2008)

October 12

Friday the 13th Part II (1981)

October 13

The Shining (1980)

The Shining trailer could quite possibly be described as the greatest trailer ever.

October 14

Who Can Kill a Child? (1976)

Originally titled ¿Quién puede matar a un niño?

October 15

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

October 16

Night of the Demons (2009)

Apparently, it’s next to impossible to find a trailer of the 2009 remake of Night of the Demons. Rest assured, I’m going to keep looking.

October 17

Creepshow 2 (1987)

October 18

Inferno (1980)

The best horror film of all-time, Suspiria, is actually part of a trilogy called The Three Mothers. Inferno is the second installment featuring Mater Tenebrarum, said to be the youngest and most cruel of the Mothers.

October 19

The Mother of Tears (2007)

The final installment in The Three Mothers trilogy featuring Mater Lachrimarum, said to be the most beautiful and powerful of the three.

October 20

Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (2006)

October 21

My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009)

October 22

Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers (1988)

Trust me. There aren’t any trailers for this one available that I feel comfortable putting on this blog.

October 23

Antichrist (2009)

October 24

Drag Me to Hell (2009)

In what might be one of the greatest horror movies to come out in the past 10 years.

October 25

The Thing (1982)

October 26

Murder Party (2007)

October 27

Child’s Play 2 (1990)

October 28

The Exorcist

Bonus soundtrack time!

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

October 29

Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)

You’re going to want to see this. A for real rock opera where, in the future, Gene Co. manufactures and sells organs in an organ shortage. You short on your payments? They send out the repo man to collect. Only this time, it’s not a house or car they’re coming to get back.

October 30

Halloween (1978)

Happy horror-ing!