ƒ(billwil)

The Blue Angels, Brian Terwilliger style

Bill Williams — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:16:00 -0700

Wow. Brian Terwilliger, the director and producer of the great aviation documentary film One Six Right, has done it again. This time in a very high quality web vignette about his history and his media ride with the Navy jet demonstration team, the Blue Angels. I can’t say any more that you won’t get from seeing, so just watch “Flying Full Circle”.

Feel free to watch it here if you’re pressed for time, but if not, do yourself a favor and watch (or download) a higher quality version at Brian’s site. Enjoy.

Hold on for a Second-Gotta Grab a PSP Before my Flight

Bill Williams — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:16:00 -0700

I know these have been around for a while…but I have never seen one, until this week. I ended up in Las Vegas a few days ago on business, and ran into my first Sony Vending Machine in the airport. I could not resist snapping a quick picture of it. While music videos looped on the LCD display, a myriad Sony electronic gadgets and accessories attempt to lure you into parting with your money. Look, I’m all for not having to talk to lame, pimple-faced teenager, uninformed store salesmen that you find in most electronic stores, but this takes half the fun out of shopping, or more accurately, returning, electronics. Who are you supposed to yell at? Additionally, this was in the Las Vegas airport, inside the terminal (i.e. the business side of the ever-so-vigilant TSA). Even if you could drum up the gumption from deep inside yourself to come back and yell at the machine, you’d have to buy some sort of airplane ticket for the privilege. I suppose there’s a phone number you can call if you have problems, but that’s not face to face yelling, so it’s not the same.

On the other hand, if you’ve just paid $5.00 to United/US Air/Delta/[Insert your dysfunctional airline here] for a $0.20 replica of a pair of headphones on your flight (along with $3.00 for a water and $7.00 for some crackers and cheese), you may be inclined to buy a pair of Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones from the vending machine (which they prefer to call a robotic storefront, but let’s be real) for $200. This is worth it because you get a return of $100 over your next 20 flights by not having to buy the crappy earphones that they are selling every time, and the other $100 of value comes from not having to listen to any of the announcements from the cockpit or the flight attendants asking you if you want to buy a $3.00 water. After all, these cancel noise, and that’s what you want. Another thing…what do you think the chances are that they pre-charge the electronic devices that need batteries. How disappointing to buy your new PSP for the 3 hour plane ride but you have no juice. This just helps prove my theory above…it’s for the disembarking airline spit-outs, not those all fresh for their travel. They expect your defenses are down AFTER the flight.

So, the next time you step off that plane all hot and bothered about just getting mugged by the airline, pull out the credit card (if you have any money left), and keep your eyes out for one of these Sony vending machines, and purchase your headphones/PSP/MP3 player/etc. Trust me, you’ll feel better. Or not.

Getting excited for ASU Football

Bill Williams — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 21:47:00 -0700

It’s August, and that means we’re in the month of the first ASU game of the 2008-2009 college football season. In Arizona, it doesn’t really feel like football yet because it’s still so hot…but I know it’s coming, and I’m starting to get excited. The group of people that I have season tickets with has grown once again…so I think we have a group of 12 or so, now…so it keeps getting better and better.

This is a huge season for ASU, too. It’s the sophomore season for (not so new anymore) head coach Dennis Erickson, and after a phenomenal debut season last year for him, expectations are high. Add to that a couple of returning players who were injured last year as well as a maturing team that didn’t loose too much talent, and we have a recipe for a great season.

While every game is important, and because the PAC 10 is so competitive and is structured in such a way that everyone plays everyone (unlike, say, the SEC or the Big 12) it’s even more so, there are a couple of games that stand out. First, of course, is USC. Once again, USC is expected to win the PAC 10…but hopefully Dennis and friends will have something to say about that. But if we head outside of the conference, there’s an equally big game with top ranked Georgia. I’m already having flashbacks to Nebraska and 19-0, but I’ll try not to get ahead of myself.

In any case, we’re in for an exciting year, and I personally can’t wait for it to get started at the end of this month. Here is the Sun Devil 2008 schedule.

Date	Opponent	Home/Away	Time
8/30/08	Northern Arizona	Home	7:00 PM
9/6/08	Stanford	Home	7:00 PM
9/13/08	UNLV	Home	7:00 PM
9/20/08	Georgia	Home	5:13 PM
10/4/08	California	Away	TBA
10/11/08	USC	Away	TBA
10/25/08	Oregon	Home	TBA
11/1/08	Oregon State	Away	7:15 PM
11/8/08	Washington	Away	TBA
11/15/08	Washington State	Home	TBA
11/28/08	UCLA	Home	7:30
12/6/08	UA	Away	TBA

GO DEVILS!

Podapalooza 2008 Posted on Student Pilot Cast

Bill Williams — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:01:00 -0700

I’ve just released part 1 of the 2008 edition of Podapalooza on my aviation podcast, which was recorded in Oshkosh at EAA Airventure. Podapalooza is the gathering of aviation podcasters in Oshkosh each year. As well as being released on the feed for my Student Pilot Cast and several other aviation podcast feeds, this year it was broadcast live on EAA Radio as well as on the Internet. Part 2 is following soon.

Participating in this year's event was, in the order they were sitting, Uncontrolled Airspace, The Student Pilot Cast, The Finer Points, Airspeed, and the Pilotcast (along with CFI cast). Remoted in via skype was Will and Dave of the Pilot's Flight Pod Log. Notably missing this year were new pilot, Greg, from the Student Pilot Journal and student pilot Jerry from VA Student Pilot. I'm probably forgetting others as well, so forgive me.

I also want to note that Airventure Today (the daily Airventure newspaper) did an article on the Podapalooza, so check that out if want to.

I really enjoyed participating this year, and felt honored to be on the stage with so many talented people. It's a great community of people in aviation. I had a great time in Oshkosh in general, and was able, with the help of my friend Kent from the Pilotcast, to experience two approaches into OSH. That was incredible. The show itself is overwhelmingly large and covers everything in aviation, from the smallest of the ultralights to the largest plane I’ve ever seen (the Boeing Dreamlifter), and everything in between. I’m including a few pics from the event.

An AeroShell T6 lines up for takeoff at the daily airshow

The old tower is set to be torn down soon.

Duggy the DC-3.

And for the largest, here is the Boeing DreamLifter, which is used to carry parts of the new 787 DreamLiner halfway across the world.

Xbox 360 Gets a Facelift

Bill Williams — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:46:04 -0700

As E3 continues, we got some updates yesterday from Microsoft on the future of the Xbox 360. It turns out the with the Fall release, a lot of changes are coming. First, for the first time in history (according to the release), a major consumer device will get a complete makeover for free through the power of software. Essentially, every Xbox 360 that’s out in the wild right now will get a free upgrade this fall that will essentially change the experience without having to buy a new console. This is the beauty of software.

Over the last several years, Microsoft has released new versions of the console, integrating new hardware such as larger disk drives and HDMI connectivity, all the while, the underlying platform has stayed the same. This fall, Microsoft will release a free software update that is in some ways akin to releasing a new console…but nobody will have to purchase anything new. The update is not just glitz and frosting, either, as far as I can tell right now. One of the things that will change is the culmination of an exclusive partnership just announced at E3 between Xbox and Netflix, wherein if you are an Xbox Live subscriber (who isn’t…I’ll get to that in a second) and a Netflix subscriber, you will have an online queue in Netflix that you can add movies and TV shows to. Then, from a TV connected to an Xbox 360, you can choose to watch these movies, and they will begin to stream…starting in as little as 30 seconds. This isn’t a new idea…I know. Heck, even Microsoft has been enabling this scenario through Media Center for years, but this partnership and integrated experience, along with a lot of new content available through the Live Marketplace, is a giant step toward true Living Room Integration (LRI) and Home Theater Integration (HTI). Alright…I just made those terms up…but it works, right?

So…first a quick note about Xbox Live. Also announced at E3 was that Xbox Live Membership has doubled both of the last two years. Last year from 3 Million to 6 Million, and this year again to 12 Million. It's becoming sort of the de facto TV/gaming-based community…and even now encompasses PC gamers (released last year). I think with the momentum behind Live, great things are to come. Now, back to this upgrade.

Also, as part of the upgrade, the whole 360 interface will change from the innovative, but aging crisscross interface to something more carousel-like. This type of interface is something that Microsoft has been working on for years an years…I remember seeing prototypes of carousel interfaces aimed at Windows (way before Vista) over 5 or 6 years ago. It looks like an incarnation of that has made it to the Xbox in what looks to be a pretty effective and cool looking UI.

Microsoft is calling this the “New Xbox Experience”, and you can read about what has been announced so far here. But the highlights are:

Tons of new games, including some sequels to established or up-and coming franchises, including
- Rock Band 2
- Guitar Hero World Tour
- Gears of War 2
- Fable II
- Resident Evil 5
- A new Scene It
- etc.
A new “interactive game show” system through Xbox Live produced by the makers of “Deal or No Deal”
Live Parties
Create customized avatars (a la the Nintendo Wii, but better looking)
Tons of new media content (TV shows and Movies) through both Netflix and the Live Marketplace
Of course, the new User Interface

Here is a video showing a trailer for the update…

Video: Xbox 360 New Experience Trailer XboxFront

Right in the Face!

Bill Williams — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:44:00 -0700

Well, when your buddy who has a night job can’t stay awake for game night, we can’t be held responsible for what happens.

Writing on Todd's Face from Bill Williams on Vimeo.

Sorry for the video quality…it was dark!

Happy Independence Day

Bill Williams — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:26:00 -0700

What a great day to celebrate! Here are a couple of pics from our 4th of July breakfast. Just a little something my amazing wife, Crystal, cooked up. We had a good discussion for what this day means while we ate.

These are the waffles we had…

…and the rest of the family before eating.

Enjoy your freedoms, everyone. Do whatever you can to keep them.

My new flight video

Bill Williams — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 03:31:43 -0700

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m producing an aviation podcast at www.studentpilotcast.com. I’ve just released a video for the video podcast feed. It’s basically my first video episode, and is kinda cool, so I thought I would post it here as well.

I realize there is a problem with the video when the prop is in the shot (I cover this in the video itself). They’re getting better, though. Stay tuned.

SPC Video #002-On My Own from Bill Williams on Vimeo.

Green Crude (Gas) Made From….Algae?

Bill Williams — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 19:28:00 -0700

As a SCUBA diver, and former marine aquarium junkie, I know a fair share about algae…you know, the nasty green or brown tiny plants that grow on the glass of an aquarium, or that turn ponds and unkept pools green? Well how about using this plant to create gas? That’s what Sapphire Energy is trying to do. They have issued a press release about their innovative research, and hopefully soon, a product.

I’m always very skeptical of “gasoline replacement” fads because, for the most part, they never seem to work. Now, before you start screaming and carrying-on, take the tin-foil off of your head and join us in reality…it’s very unlikely that the government (and every government in the world) is covering up for the big bad oil companies as they murder, plunder alternative ideas, and kill off potential competition. C’mon…you just can’t keep stuff like that a secret; too many prying eyes. It just doesn’t make sense…so let’s not go there.

Now, being a skeptic (and I must add, a layman…as I am very far from an expert on fuel…just a concerned, but moderately eductated consumer), corn-based bio fuels has not excited me much for several reasons; trading dwindling agricultural land and water for gas production not being the least of them. I have been waiting for something that just makes more sense…and is hopefully something a little more radical from a science perspective, but feasible from a market perspective. If it turned out to be cleaner, cheaper to produce, and more renewable…all the better. I also knew, from my economics training, that when gas prices got high enough (i.e. as global and local demand continued up and supply stayed the same or decreased a la rationing from OPEC, no more refinement capacity, and even possibly actual dwindling world supplies of crude) that it would become financially feasible to come up with alternatives. Maybe we’ve finally reached that point.

As a budding airplane pilot (and avid auto driver…I’m American, after all :)), I would love more this and other efforts to produce real (hopefully cheaper in the end) alternatives to dino fuel. But its not just so I pay less for Aviation Gas at the airport or 91 Octane at the Chevron down the street…everything gets cheaper to produce and sell if fuel prices decrease. That said, I don’t think fuel prices are too far out of whack from inflation (I’d have to check the latest numbers), but still, cheaper is better.

Sapphire’s efforts seem promising to me. First, algae grows like mad…and in water, even waste water. It also grows pretty much anywhere there is water and sunlight and CO2 (i.e. pretty much anywhere). Their process appears to produce something that very much approximates gasoline so it should run in existing cars, trucks, boats, planes, etc. It can be moved and sold using today’s infrastructure for gasoline. The big questions are, for me: will it work? will it be cheap, when it’s all said and done? Only time will tell on these.

With Sapphire’s press release and some other sources, including this article from the LA Times (which indicates goals of having this completed and on the market in three years), though, I’m feeling some of my skepticism get ever so slightly weaker. Hopefully for more than just a moment. For now, I’m rooting for my gas to turn green in a few years.

My Student Pilot Cast Audio Cast

Bill Williams — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:01:00 -0700

I don’t think I’ve mentioned this here yet, but I wanted to make anyone following this blog aware of one of my other endeavors. I’m currently learning to fly (getting a private pilot license), and before starting, I decided to produce an podcast about that endeavor called the Student Pilot Cast. It has been pretty fun producing this, although it can be a bit time consuming. It’s also interesting to put all of my training out there for the world to see, the good and the bad.

I have several reasons for wanting to podcast my training

I’ve been inspired and entertained by all of the aviation podcasts that I’ve been listening to, and wanted to add to this content by “giving back” some of what I have gained from all of these peoples hard work. I felt like I could do that by podcasting myself (see reason ‘b’ below). Some of these other podcasts that inspired me to do this include:
- The Finer Points
- Uncontrolled Airspace
- The PilotCast
- The Pilot Flight Pod Log and the related Student Pilot Flight Pod Log, both by Will Hawkins
- Airspeed
- And several others.
As a budding pilot (and a long time wannabe :)) I felt very strongly that it would be interesting to be involved in the chronicle of someone getting their private pilot license. I know this because I would have loved this content (and did with Will Hawkins first podcast, and others), so that helped me understand that for those of us who have the flying bug badly, this content would be interesting.
Making this content available might just help to inspire a few people to get involved in aviation, finally take the plunge themselves, or just improve the perception of general aviation for someone. I know this sounds a bit self-absorbed, but trust me, it is more about the realization that the content out there helped me, so I realize that every little bit might help someone else…and if that’s true, assisting in the popularity or perception of General Aviation is good for those of us who realize how important it is. I’m actually still amazed that anybody listens…but if I think about how voracious I am with aviation content, I shouldn’t be surprised.
Keeping a good, rich, record of accomplishing this important thing to me will be something I personally will love having. As I mentioned in episode 0, it is like keeping a media rich scrapbook and the body of content that I have when I’m finished will be priceless to me personally. By having listeners wanting more episodes insures the external motivation necessary to help me to not slack off. J
It’s fun! And since I’m a technologist professionally, and an amateur audio/video/photography enthusiast…why not combine some of these passions (including aviation) into something that benefits others…and we all win. Believe it or not, I’m a social, but very private person…but I’m in awe of my colleagues and friends (like Tim Heuer , and many others…its very common in my industry) who continually put themselves out there in the public eye for the benefit of everyone. I think the generation after me (I’m 36 years old) has grown up with technology based social networking, and are comfortable wearing their lives on their sleeves (see things like myspace, facebook, twitter, etc.), and so to keep with the times, I need to teach myself to be more open, and what better way than to learn to fly in front of the world? I think there is a societal benefit to sharing experience (there are downsides, too, but that’s another topic), and I am having fun learning to participate in this on a more grandiose scale by leveraging technology. I know this is a bit philosophical, but I hope I’m getting my thoughts across.

Anyway…if you are so inclined, please check out my podcast at www.studentpilotcast.com. I’ve released now something like nine episodes, and its speeding up. Let me know what you think.

Friend not Fish dive tour T-Shirts are ready to order

Bill Williams — Tue, 27 May 2008 22:42:00 -0700

Everyone who is participating in the 3rd annual Friend not Fish dive tour in the Channel Islands can now purchase the official shirt of this years trip. See the panel below, and what you want. Let me know if there are any questions.

Also, don't forget the dive trip checklist that I've posted before.

create & buy custom products at Zazzle

Davey Dance Blog

Bill Williams — Sat, 17 May 2008 02:53:00 -0700

This just might be the best use I've seen yet of a video blog. Unfortunately, you have to watch these online (not a podcast for downloading automatically from the RSS). Worth it though. This is the latest episode.

"Davey Dance-BLOG. A project started while traveling Europe during Spring 2007. Armed only with an ipod and a Canon PowerShot, Davey picks a location and a pop song. Then Davey records an improvised dance."

Davey Dance Blog -47- DUBLIN - Talking Heads "Houses in Motion" from Pheasant Plucker on Vimeo.

Dance on.

Mis-communication

Bill Williams — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:20:00 -0700

Funny ad that demonstrates how miscommunication can really get you in trouble. Enjoy.

Trent Takes the Controls

Bill Williams — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:21:02 -0700

Here is a quick video from Trent's and my flight. My favorite part..."Do the brakes work up here?"

You can hear the ATIS for Chandler (CHD) about halfway through the clip, if you are interested. This is the first time Trent had ever been in a small plane before...let alone fly one. Good job, Trent.

Trent and I Go Flying

Bill Williams — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 22:21:00 -0700

Trent and I went over to Chandler Airport today and jumped in a Cherokee 160 (with a CFI), and took a quick trip down to Casa Grande. We didn't do this to go to Casa Grande, mind you, but for the experience itself. You see, I'm starting my training for my Private Pilot certificate, and hopefully Trent isn't too far behind. :) It was a good time...and I'm excited as all get out to finally be doing my training. Here are a couple of pics.

Trent is getting ready to take the controls (after the CFI, Brian, gets us into the air).

Here's a shot while Trent is flying from the south of Chandler looking north. You can see I-17 running diagonally through the picture. The Cherokees are low wing aircraft, so the pesky wings seem to always get in the way.

Glenn Beck's Tribute to Gordon B. Hinckley

Bill Williams — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 09:22:01 -0700

Glenn Beck, who is a radio and TV host and commentator on CNN Headline News, gave a very personal tribute to the late President of the LDS church, who passed away Sunday evening.

Thanks to Todd Cederstrom for sending this to me.

SCUBA Diving Checklist

Bill Williams — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 23:06:38 -0700

A couple of years ago, as we began the preparations for what would become the "Friends, Not Fish" annual dive excursion, I created an almost foolproof checklist for dive trips. The idea was to create a checklist that would work for most dive trips, and would not get confusing if conditions or needs changed (i.e. warm vs. cold water). I've sent this checklist out to many friends in preparation for trips, but decided to post it here for everyone...and for future reference for my dive buddies...current and future.

It's fairly self explanatory, but here is an explanation anyway. Each line on the checklist needs to be checked off in some way, wether you have packed the item (TAKE column), wether you are going to rent the item at your destination, or its provided by the boat/dive operator (RENT column), or wether you won't be using this item on this trip (LEAVE column). This way there is no ambiguity as to wether you've got a particular item. If each row is checked and crossed off, you are good to go. I usually decide before packing what I will be taking, renting, or leaving behind and check those boxes. Then I cross off each line that is checked as RENT or LEAVE. Then I proceed to pack my bags, and as I pack each item, I cross of that line. I only have to worry about lines that haven't already been crossed off. Simple. Foolproof. I've even left blank lines in each section to account for last minute or unique items. Finally, since the checklist is in Word format, it can be customized for each diver (or even type of trip). For example, if you are a hunter, items can be added such as 'pole spear', 'cleaning knife', etc., or if you are a pro photographer, maybe even a separate checklist for each piece of camera gear.

Anyway, no one wants to show up to a boat and realize 12 miles out to sea that they forgot their fins, regulator, or whatever...so use a checklist that is hard to mess up.

Okay, so here it is. This document is in Word 2007 format. If you have an earlier version of Microsoft Word, make sure you have the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack installed, and you should be good to go. If you don't have Word at all, you can download and install the Microsoft Word Viewer for free (you won't be able to edit the document...but you can view it and print it out).

If you have ideas for additions, changes, or come up with new ideas, please post them in the comments below and/or contact me through my contact page.

Enjoy.

New HTML Standard

Bill Williams — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 09:25:55 -0700

After something like 14 years with HTML 4, the W3C has finally released the working draft of HTML 5. I haven't read it yet, but there are some interesting changes and updates, from what I am hearing. Read it if you are into that sort of thing.

How Did We Get Here?

Bill Williams — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 12:36:07 -0700

Here's a very succinct (and funny) look at the financial markets, the US sub-prime mess, how we got there, and how we can get out. Gotta love British humor. Enjoy.

What Created The Subprime Mess - Watch more free videos

Melissa goes to Hollywood

Bill Williams — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 19:00:00 -0700

My friends Melissa and Reed entered a commercial contest for some Dove product. This is the result. I guess I'm acting publicist.

Once it shows up sometime after January 5th, you can vote for this entry here.

UPDATE: You can vote for this ad here.

I Added My Cards

Bill Williams — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 20:33:22 -0700

I've added my gamer card and my zune card to my blog, as you can see to the right ->. I figured if I'm going to throw the details of my life out here on a blog, I may as well add ongoing details on my infrequent gaming endeavors as well as my music listening.

If anyone wants to embed their Zune Card or Xbox Live Gamer Card in their own forum posts, signatures, blog entries, or websites...it's very easy to do. See the details below.

GAMER CARD

For the Xbox Live Gamer Card, just take a look at this site. Just copy and paste the "iframe" markup and put your own gamertag in there, and viola!

ZUNE CARD

For the Zune Card, it is very similar. First, you must be part of the "social". For more information on that, see Zune.net. If you have your Zune Social persona set up (usually the same as your gamer tag if you also have an Xbox), you just need to make sure that your profile is public (or no-one can see it). Once you've got it all hanging out there, all you have to do is follow a similar procedure as the Gamer Card above. Just copy and paste the following markup to where you want the card to show up. This markup is for the "small" version of the Zune Card.

<div id="zunecard_small" class="zunecard"><embed flashvars="baseURL=http%3a%2f%2fsocial.zune.net%2fzcard%2fusercardservice.ashx%3fzunetag%3dbillwil%26src%3dmedium&MMplayerType=PlugIn" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="135" src="http://social.zune.net/xweb/lx/swf/zunecardmedium.swf?ver=1190" bgcolor="#FFF" id="flashUserCard" style="" salign="tl" width="250" wmode="opaque" name="flashUserCard"></div>

Remember to change the part that says 'billwil' to whatever your Zune Tag is (using %20 for spaces, if you have them), or you will display my Zune Card.

K9 Madness

Bill Williams — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 01:02:00 -0700

About a month ago a friend of ours stopped by our house because I had told her that my wife, Crystal, had been thinking about getting a dog for our family (the kids have been asking for some time). This friend had recently rescued a stray that was running with two other strays. She could only get one of the three dogs into her car.

When our friend came by, she brought a young, yellow dog that looked mostly like a golden retriever. He's still here a month later. Sure enough...we've adopted a dog who's now part of our family. His name is Otis, and he has really taken a liking to my wife. Since that day over a month ago, he's had two vet visits for shots and checkups, undergone treatment for ticks and the like, been neutered, and had a visit to the groomer. He seems to really like it here, loves the kids, and is a pretty quick learner. The vet estimated his age (a month ago) to be around 8 months. He's mostly golden, but has a black tongue and seems slightly smaller than a purebred golden retriever, so we're thinking maybe some chow chow in his bloodline...but what do we know? Whatever breed(s) he is...he's turning out to be a great dog. And, as my dad pointed out repeatedly on a recent visit while he was watching Otis lounge around our house a lot, a very lucky dog.

Here are some pictures of Otis during his first week with us. Pictures are below, or hit this link for the whole gallery.

Obie Loves the Sun Devils

Bill Williams — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 15:27:00 -0700

This is my friend, Obie, having some fun at the wildcats' expense when we found an abandoned U of A cap after ASU beat them on December 1st. Don't worry...the Calvin impression he's doing is all special effects...but gets the point across. Besides...this was a home game, and he wouldn't defile Sun Devil Stadium like that.

Sorry for the small sized pics...but this was taken with my camera phone at night...lots of camera shake and a small sized photo to boot. I think the idea is clear, though.

GO DEVILS!

The Holiday Bowl

Bill Williams — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 09:46:00 -0700

Well...its official. The Sun Devils, even in a tie for the PAC 10 title with USC and a fabulous 10-2 season, were snubbed from the BCS. Oh well...you can't control it, so you've got to roll with the punches. We take on a very respectable Texas team on December 27th in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego. I'm trying to get a party bus together to drive down (and when I say party bus, I mean several 30-something dads who have to get permission from their wives to rent an RV an drive to San Diego right after Christmas).

Tickets are available now. ASU and Texas have, believe it or not, never played each other...ever. That's something like 105 years of football...and they've never met. Should be a great game...and a win in this bowl game will be a perfect cap to an unbelievable season for the Devils. Could have gone better...but we've gotten used to much worse over the past 5 years. String a couple seasons like this together...and Dennis Erickson will have earned his money and his accolades.

Great job this year, Sun Devils. One more to go. Go Devils!

Zune 2 + 1 Day

Bill Williams — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 22:33:50 -0700

So I've had my Zune30 upgraded, the software installed, and a Zune8 for a day now, and I have to say...I have a mixed opinion so far.

First, the good. PODCASTS. Finally the desktop software rocks for this (non-existent in the V1) AND the device software supports it as a top level. We all knew this was coming, of course, but the implementation is better than I even imagined! I am stoked. Podcast content is the single most important upgrade to this platform, so it helps me overlook some of the other naughtiness going on.

Also, the desktop UI is clean, easy to use, and looks pretty nice. The UI change on the device is somewhat under-whelming, apart from the changes to the podcasting section already mentioned.

Now, the bad. The desktop software is completely dumbed-down. The reasons for this are obvious (target market), but it sort of leaves "power users" out in the cold. Very little control in searching, sorting, browsing, historics, etc. Also, the ripping out of the automatic playlists is surprising. Finally, a two step "heart" system replaces a 5 step star rating system. These are all steps backward. I'm sure we will see these features come back at some point (my personal guess), even if they are turned off by default.

Anyway...the new devices are very sleek and nice to use. The touch squicle is fabulous. The size of the Zune4/8 is perfect...very usable (and hideable).

The social is getting a little better, too, with the release of the beta of the zune cards, etc. Mine is below. Welcome...again...to the social.

My Zune Card

This is a non-official Object tag reference to my Zune Card thanks to a co-worker's experiments. It doesn't all show up here...but its a first step.

Zune 2 Almost Here

Bill Williams — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:52:19 -0700

Here we are about a year from the inaugural release of the Zune media player platform and brand, and they are releases the next batch. Here's the kicker...and completely new to the media player world...almost all of the features for the new generation release are just a software upgrade away from original Zune owners. Try that with an iPod. :)

The new hardware, though, is definitely worth a look. There are two new flash based players (4GB and 8GB). With no hard drive, these flash players are great for running or other workouts, or other activities where the device will be jostled and bumped constantly. With no moving parts, there is nothing to break or skip from all the movement. These devices still support full video, etc., and are pretty small. The new hard drive based player is a whopping 80GB, is smaller than the original Zune, but has a bigger screen. The new "squircle" is click or touch sensitive, so take your pick on how to control it. Here's a picture of the new lineup and a link to the Zune site.

This picture shows, from left to right, the new flash based Zune, The new Zune80, and the Zune30 (original Zune).

So, everyone knows this, right? Well check this out. Engadget has a story about Zune Originals...you've got to check this out. They're beautiful.

Tomorrow is the day. If your an original Zune owner, synching tomorrow will bring you a nice surprise! Enjoy.

Not undefeated, but still in it

Bill Williams — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:11:15 -0700

My Sun Devils are no longer undefeated, but going to the Rose Bowl is still in our own hands! Our only loss came in Autzen stadium to Oregon, so both teams are tied for 1st place in the PAC 10 with a record of 6-1. Oregon holds the tie-breaker because our loss was against them. That puts them in the driver's seat to win the PAC 10 and go to the Rose Bowl...assuming that they win out. Since they are now ranked number 2 in the BCS standings, though, they will go to the National Championship game if they win out...leaving ASU (again, assuming no losses against USC and UofA) to represent the PAC 10 in the Rose Bowl. Assuming ASU wins out and Oregon suffers one more loss, again, ASU would go to the Rose Bowl as the sole PAC-10 champs. The only thing ASU has to do is win their last two games!

The next game is on Thanksgiving day at home against USC. This will be the big test. On December 1st, ASU faces Arizona at home. This is a very winnable game, but Arizona, with nothing much to be proud of, will base their season on this game...so the Devils will need to be ready.

Okay...now on to more College Football Poll insanity. Okay, I can buy the top three teams in the BCS Standings (LSU, Oregon, Kansas). They deserve to be there. I would swap LSU and Oregon, though. Kansas is a tough one...they are the only major conference team to be undefeated right now...but their schedule is laughable this year (not playing Texas, Texas Tech, or Oklahoma). They definitely deserve to be in the top 3...where they go, that's tougher.

Now, on to the rest of the top 10. This is where it gets just plain silly. I'm going to compare all these teams to ASU, since that is what I care about...but it helps demonstrate the absurdity. First, why is Ohio State ranked above ASU at this point (and now I'm talking about the human polls...because that's where the tradition garbage comes in). Let's see...both have one loss, but that's where the similarity ends. One of those teams plays in a terrible conference. One of those teams lost at home to an unranked opponent from that terrible conference. One of those teams has no notable wins at all. The other team plays in arguable the best or second best conference. That team lost to the number 2 team in the nation who is from that powerful conference. Figure that one out. What about West Virginia? C'mon...the Big East? West Virginia lost to South Florida who was exposed recently as a mediocre team with their 3 game loosing streak to non top 20 teams. And some of their wins are against teams like Western Michigan, Marshall, and East Carolina (where the freak is East Carolina?). There is no logic that should rank them above ASU. Missouri plays in a decent conference, but the Big 12 North is much weaker than the south...and Missouri probably won't even win that half of the conference to play in the title game? We'll see, but if that's the case, how can they be ranked ahead of ASU? Oklahoma is a good team...and probably deserves a top 5 or so ranking...but they did loose to an unranked team that ASU beat handily...so again, should they be ranked above ASU? These rankings really need to have more to do with what has happened on the field and less to do with where the voters think they should be based on where they were ranked last week, when was the last national championship, and what color uniforms they wear (and other irrelevant things). What happens on the field matters.

That's it...

Another One Down

Bill Williams — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 01:20:00 -0700

Go DEVILS! 8-0! One more week undefeated as ASU takes down the Cal Bears 31-20. The students go crazy and rush the field. The packed house leaves happy. Up next...Oregon at Autzen. Bring it on!

Craig's List Delivers!

Bill Williams — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 08:44:33 -0700

I'm probably the last one to figure this out, but Craig's List actually works! I've browsed the list many times in the past looking for values of certain cars, bikes, etc. I've even contacted a few people about some of these items before, but I've never actually bought anything or sold anything on the list...until yesterday.

LA Fitness built a gym near my house last year, so since I joined, I quit using my weightlifting rack that I had in the garage. I've been meaning to get rid of the giant beast, but procrastination was the word of the day. I wanted to get a good picture of it before I posted it somewhere...so I waited. Yesterday, though, I decided just to throw up an add for it on Phoenix's Craig's List using a drawing of the product I found on the web. Within 4 hours of the posting, I had two people emailing me about it. By the 5th hour I was handing out my address to two people, had third person that wanted to buy it the next day, and a fourth inquiring about it. By the 6th hour, there was a guy at my house handing me cash and this behemoth was carried away. Most importantly, it was carried away by someone other than me.

What I can say, as someone who has done a little bit of "trading" on ebay, is that in our society that values instant gratification so highly, Craig's List delivers!

A Tribute to Past Sun Devils

Bill Williams — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 13:32:32 -0700

A youtube video for you Sun Devil fans.