tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71097919046407376252024-02-08T05:59:34.652-08:00Ben's BlogBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109791904640737625.post-91241627091282730402008-10-23T09:36:00.000-07:002008-10-23T11:37:17.356-07:00G-What?So one of my co-workers came to work today with a brand new G1 - the T-Mobile Android phone by HTC. I was quite interested in how it would compare to the iPhone. I tried to take an honest, fair approach to reviewing the phone. Having used an iPhone now for 3 months, I am quite familiar with it and so that was the bar that I compared it to. For the most part the G1 did the same things that the iPhone does. In general, though, I didn't find it as intuitive as the iPhone. It also did not see like "cutting edge" technology. The phone felt bulky, was thicker than the iPhone, and resembled a small brick. Any time you want to type, you have to turn the phone sideways and slide the screen up to reveal the keyboard. The screen sliding open was not a very smooth operation. It "snapped" open rather harshly to the point that sometimes it felt like the screen would fly off of the rest of the phone. The scrolling works the same way as it does on an iPhone with the touch screen. It lacked the two-finger multi-touch functionality that the iPhone has. I believe that Apple has the pinch to zoom in/out patented, which is why I'm guessing that's why Android does not support that. It still wasn't that bad - there was a + and - button at the bottom of the maps screen that allowed you to zoom in and zoom out. When searching for Dunkin Donuts nearby, it found them, but rather than dropping pins in a very pleasing visual display like the iPhone, it displays a text list of them. You can click on one of them and then it takes you to that one on the map. With the use of left and right arrows, you can scroll through all of the locations, and the map pans from one to the next. In order to get a good visual view of where they were in reference to my location, I had to do a zoom out with the minus button. The GPS was able to quickly locate my location rather nicely.<br /><br />There is something similar to the app store on the iPhone called the market. From what I understand, anyone can publish apps to the market - truly tapping into the open source community. This is a great feature. At the same time, though, what risks come of this? What's there to stop someone from publishing malicious code into what seems like an innocent app? An innocent looking pac-man could collect personal data and send it off to who knows where. Just because much of it is open source doesn't mean that someone who chooses to publish an app to the market has to make their code available for public scrutiny. As much as I love the open source market, one thing that I think is great about the iPhone app store is that every application goes through a code review with Apple before being published. Now, many people have problems with that, and the fact that Apple to some extent will restrict new apps that compete with theirs, but I've got no issues with it. Overall it makes for a very stable environment. Knowing that Apple is code reviewing all of the apps to ensure that there is no malicious code in there adds a sense of security. In case something sneaks by, Apple does have an internal kill switch that allows apple to kill an application that is running on the iPhone. Many gave Apple crap for this, but the other week it was revealed that Android has the same thing. Ha - suckers!<br /><br />Now, down to the value of the G1. If the G1 was a ton cheaper than the iPhone, I might be able to overlook not having some of the eye candy on the iPhone. But, the G1 is by far a worse deal. The G1 is for $179. The ently level iPhone is $199 - $20 more. The G1 has only 1 GB of built-in memory. If you want more memory, you can purchase separately a SD card, which currently only goes up to 4 GB in size. The iPhone for $199 comes with 8 GB of internal memory. 8 times the amount for $20 more. After you bought a SD card, it would be about the same price as the iPhone. You can get a 8 GB microSD card on newegg right now for $30, so that would put the phone+memory at $210 - $10 more than the iPhone. The G1 monthly charge is $25, whereas the iPhone is $30 (on top of whatever voice plan you have). In my opinion, the iPhone wins - cheaper base price, more intuitive, sleeker form factor, more secure apps, and cheaper - and only $5 more per month. After using both, it is worth the extra $5/month.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109791904640737625.post-53177853760489791202008-08-05T19:19:00.000-07:002008-08-05T19:27:26.854-07:00Finally - 3rd party notifications on the iPhone!I can't wait for the 2.1 software upgrade for the iPhone:<br /><br />"Apple just released iPhone 2.0.1 as bug fix and stability release, and is working on an iPhone 2.1 feature update aimed for September. The second update is expected to deliver support for background notifications for third party apps, as well as significant improvements to GPS location services that should be able to provide reports on your current direction and speed, information required to provide turn-by-turn directions."<br /><br />If they can get that out in September, it would seriously close one of the biggest shortcomings of the iPhone in my mind - the inability for 3rd party apps to provide notifications. Now, if they'd just start working on the copy/paste ability.<br /><br />For anyone thinking about buying a smartphone, you should really read this article first:<br /><a href="http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/08/05/inside_iphone_2_0_iphone_os_vs_other_mobile_platforms.html">http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/08/05/inside_iphone_2_0_iphone_os_vs_other_mobile_platforms.html</a>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109791904640737625.post-78119060590017560692008-05-19T07:18:00.000-07:002008-05-19T10:58:46.911-07:00Weezer - Pork & BeansSo Weezer has a new album (the Red Album) coming out on June 3. You can listen to "Pork & Beans", one of the singles from their new album that they've recently released at their website - http://www.weezer.com. Pork & Beans is as close to the Blue Album style that we've heard in a while from Weezer. I'm excited for Album #6. They still hold the top spot among my all time favorite bands.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109791904640737625.post-48888810337368599802007-12-04T21:47:00.001-08:002009-10-06T15:56:35.218-07:00TravisTravis' teacher told Allison when she picked him up from school today that Travis had his best day that he's ever had. I decided to take him out on a daddy-son night out to reward him for having such a good day at school. We went to Steak-n-Shake together. Travis requested that he listen to his favorite song on the way there, Weird Al's "The Saga Begins". It's the song that follows the tune of Don McLean's classic "American Pie" but instead follows the story line of Star Wars Episode I. Travis thinks it is so <br />funny when it says "Maybe Vader someday later now he's just a small fry."<br /><br><img src="http://www.benhepworth.com/blogger/steaknshake/steaknshake1.jpg"><br /><br><img src="http://www.benhepworth.com/blogger/steaknshake/steaknshake2.jpg"><br /><br><img src="http://www.benhepworth.com/blogger/steaknshake/steaknshake3.jpg"><br /><br><img src="http://www.benhepworth.com/blogger/steaknshake/steaknshake4.jpg"><br /><br><img src="http://www.benhepworth.com/blogger/steaknshake/steaknshake5.jpg"><br /><br><img src="http://www.benhepworth.com/blogger/steaknshake/steaknshake6.jpg"><br /><br><br>Here is a hilarious YouTube video with Lego guys set to the tune of Weird Al's "The Saga Begins":<br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xbb5CYC6JTs&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xbb5CYC6JTs&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109791904640737625.post-48461799798971329242007-12-04T21:39:00.000-08:002009-10-06T15:57:01.251-07:00Oh Kinsey, KinseyLast week Allison and I went to lunch together with Kinsey (Travis was in school). On the way back to drop me off at the office, Kinsey fell asleep in the car. I looked back there and this is what I saw:<br /><br><img src="http://www.benhepworth.com/blogger/kinsey_asleep.jpg"><br /><br>She apparently had taken her socks off of her feet, put them on her arms, and then fell asleep. Oh, and by the way, I took this photo with my new BlackBerry Curve that has a 2 Megapixel camera on it. I was quite impressed with the quality of the picture, considering it came from a phone. At the highest resolution it churns out 1600x1200 pictures. This one was resized to 480x360, so you can't get the full effect of the quality of it. Anyway...socks off to Kinsey for giving us another laugh.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109791904640737625.post-10525904444201105622007-11-01T10:37:00.000-07:002007-11-01T10:49:38.561-07:00Truck CommercialOk, this has got to be one of the worst truck commercials ever made. It will definitely make you laugh, though. What's even funnier is that another truck dealer nearby made it's own commercial making fun of it.<br /><b>Bad commercial:</b><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kG1EikHOmEQ&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kG1EikHOmEQ&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br /><b>Commercial making fun of the bad commercial:</b><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6CVPi1ayq0I&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6CVPi1ayq0I&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109791904640737625.post-79941568698517715952007-10-21T19:42:00.000-07:002007-10-21T19:57:33.276-07:00Mike Gundy Coors Light commercialThe Mike Gundy rant is old new now, but if you haven't read about it or watched his post game meltdown, you really should. Some guys made a fake Coors Light commercial that is absolutely hilarioius. It won't be funny unless you watch the actual Mike Gundy rant first. Here is the order to watch things in:<br /><b>1. Read the article by Jenni Carlson of the Oklahoman:</b><br /><a href=http://newsok.com/article/3131543>http://newsok.com/article/3131543</a><br /><b>2. Watch the post game meltdown by Mike Gundy</b><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5VytIZZzee0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5VytIZZzee0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><b>3. Watch the fake Coors Light commercial on Youtube:</b><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uyTQUWEKx0o"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uyTQUWEKx0o" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109791904640737625.post-23284594246591316392007-10-10T21:42:00.000-07:002007-10-10T21:46:03.701-07:00Travis' rendition of The Eyes of TexasTravis sang his rendition of "The Eyes of Texas" while riding in the car. We're still working on the few very minor pitch problems. He's really proud of himself, as are we of him...check it out:<br /><object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cCdX_yd5EEE"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cCdX_yd5EEE" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109791904640737625.post-22767324062411533552007-10-07T19:54:00.000-07:002007-10-07T20:23:57.319-07:00More undefeates drop / BCS MessFour more undefeateds fell by the wayside this weekend, the biggest surprise being #1 USC to unranked Stanford. Wisconsin lost to then unranked Illinois, Kentucky lost to South Carolina and Purdue lost to Ohio State.<br /><br /><b>11 Undefeated Teams Left</b><br />#1 LSU<br />#2 California<br />#3 Ohio State<br />#4 Boston College<br />#5 South Florida<br />#11 Missouri<br />#13 Arizona State<br />#16 Hawaii<br />#17 Cincinnati<br />#20 Kansas<br />Unranked Connecticut (plays 5-1 Virginia this week)<br /><br />As far as the Red River Shootout goes, even though Texas lost, they sure put up a good fight - a lot more than anyone expected them to. If it weren't for the two turnovers, I think Texas would have had a very good chance to pull out the victory. I also don't understand why Florida wasted almost 30 seconds at the end of the game by waiting until the play clock was almost down to zero, then calling a time out. That could have been the difference in giving them enough time to drive back down the field and try to answer LSU's late touchdown. I can't believe LSU was 5-5 on 4th down conversion towards the end of the game. That truly was a great game.<br /><br />Personally, I hope there are no undefeated teams at the end of this year. It would be great to have 5-10 one loss teams. I think the BCS crap needs to stop and we need some sort of playoff system like every other college sport has. Even division II-A football has a playoff system! Why can't division I-A have one? I don't think it would take at all away from the regular season - it would be just as exciting. Can you imagine college football playoffs?Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109791904640737625.post-73738815982496647192007-09-30T19:40:00.000-07:002007-09-30T20:23:22.552-07:00Crazy Upset Week 5 - Undefeateds diminishingWow, so many upsets this week. Who would have thought that both Texas and OU would have one loss going into the Red River Shootout? Many of the undefeateds fell Saturday including 7 of the top 13 teams: Oklahoma, Florida, West Virginia, Texas, Rutgers, Oregon & Clemson. I think it's time to start tracking the undefeateds. There are 15 undefeated Division 1-A teams left. I've listed them below, as well as the next four games for each of the top 10 undefeated teams:<br /><br /><b>Top Ten Undefeated Teams</b><br />#1 USC - Stanford,Arizona,@Notre Dame,@Oregon<br />#2 LSU - Florida,@Kentucky,Auburn,Alabama<br />#3 California - Oregon State,@UCLA,@Arizona State,Washington State<br />#4 Ohio State - @Purdue,Kent State,Michigan State,@Penn State,Wisconsin<br />#5 Wisconsin - @Illinois,@Penn State,Northern Illinois,Indiana<br />#6 Boston College - Bowling Green,@Notre Dame,@Virginia Tech,Florida State<br />#8 Kentucky - @South Carolina,LSU,Florida,Mississippi State<br />#9 South Florida - @Florida Atlantic,UCF,Rutgers,@Connecticut<br /><br /><b>#10-#25 Undefeated Teams:</b><br />#15 Hawaii<br />#17 Missouri<br />#19 Arizona State<br />#20 Purdue<br />#24 Cincinatti<br /><br /><b>Unranked Undefeateds:</b><br />Connecticut (they haven't played anyone yet - plays 4-1 Virginia this week)<br />Kansas (hasn't played anyone yet eithere - plays 3-1 Kansas State this weekend)<br /><br />As far as the distribution of top 25 teams - I don't think I'm going to keep up with that each week. I may update that every few weeks. I'm more interested now in the undefeated teams left.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109791904640737625.post-45163993672781827132007-09-23T21:16:00.001-07:002009-10-06T15:57:48.576-07:00College Football Week 4Well, the pie chart hasn't changed much this week. The Pac-10 basically stole one spot from the top 25 from the Big 12 with ASU's win and A&M's loss. SEC still dominates all conferences with 6 spots in the top 25. There are 23 Championship Division (previously called 1-A) teams that are undefeated. Each week several more will fall from the ranks. As we get down to more of a manageable number, I'll start tracking the undefeated teams as well. The next big benchmark of the season is the Texas OU game. I sure hope that Texas and OU don't look past Kansas State and Colorado to next week like I am. The Red River Shootout is the best when both teams go into it undefeated and ranked in the top 10. This week Texas gets Kansas State at home and Oklahoma has to go on the road to Colorado. All of the media is pretty much expecting OU to whoop up on Texas this year. I'd rather have it that way than the other way around. For the most part recently(except for Vince's title year run), Texas seems to perform better when the pressure is not on them (think of the Chris Simms era). I'd rather be the underdog going into the Red River Shootout than to be the favorite. OU sure has looked good so far this year, though. Texas hasn't looked as sharp, but that being said, Texas-OU is a rivalry game and as we all know, the better team on paper doesn't always win rivalry games. You can toss out the records and statistics when entering the Cotton Bowl this year on October 6. I also really hope that Texas wins since one of my friends attending OU will be staying with us that weekend while he goes to the game on Saturday. If Texas loses, then I'm never going to hear the end of it from him. That's all for now...oh, and here's the updated rankings by conference chart, even though it didn't change much:<br /><img src=http://www.benhepworth.com/blogger/polls/week4.png>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109791904640737625.post-83328480650956538622007-09-22T22:34:00.000-07:002007-10-13T20:43:26.130-07:00Texas vs Rice gameGrandpa bought Travis and Aiden a ticket so they could go to the Texas Rice game this year (thanks, Dad!). We all had a lot of fun - here are some of the pictures from the game:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/TexasVsRice/photo#5119946503665296994"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/Rw20N-v5JmI/AAAAAAAAArc/Jpm9jPWHKf8/s400/DSCF6098.JPG" /></a><br />A school teacher Travis met in front of us on the escalators:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/TexasVsRice/photo#5119946550909937266"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/Rw20Quv5JnI/AAAAAAAAArk/vHLr00nek3k/s400/DSCF6099.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/TexasVsRice/photo#5119946641104250498"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/Rw20V-v5JoI/AAAAAAAAArs/kYS4sAIZ9Kw/s400/DSCF6100.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/TexasVsRice/photo#5119946696938825362"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/Rw20ZOv5JpI/AAAAAAAAAr0/0rAUNR9b_rA/s400/DSCF6101.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/TexasVsRice/photo#5119946752773400226"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/Rw20cev5JqI/AAAAAAAAAr8/RzaCvxx0M7I/s400/DSCF6102.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/TexasVsRice/photo#5119946817197909682"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/Rw20gOv5JrI/AAAAAAAAAsE/5upzVxFyY1s/s400/DSCF6103.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/TexasVsRice/photo#5119947113550653186"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/Rw20xev5JwI/AAAAAAAAAsw/Cg7Ax-ubSTY/s400/DSCF6108.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/TexasVsRice/photo#5119947319709083442"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/Rw209ev5JzI/AAAAAAAAAtM/EdJwknPaSS4/s400/DSCF6111.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/TexasVsRice/photo#5119947555932284770"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/Rw21LOv5J2I/AAAAAAAAAtk/S744KV-6VbY/s400/DSCF6114.JPG" /></a><br />Check out John's eyes in this one:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/TexasVsRice/photo#5119947676191369090"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/Rw21SOv5J4I/AAAAAAAAAt4/ZV1KZXoz_fQ/s400/DSCF6116.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/TexasVsRice/photo#5119947916709537730"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/Rw21gOv5J8I/AAAAAAAAAuY/_5qf03ZPagI/s400/DSCF6127.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/TexasVsRice/photo#5119947963954178002"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/Rw21i-v5J9I/AAAAAAAAAuk/PMOdVBN2-uo/s400/DSCF6128.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/TexasVsRice/photo#5119948019788752866"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/Rw21mOv5J-I/AAAAAAAAAus/f3YANDcr5R0/s400/DSCF6129.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/TexasVsRice/photo#5119948152932739090"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/Rw21t-v5KBI/AAAAAAAAAvE/fTWEPyrr60k/s400/DSCF6134.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/TexasVsRice/photo#5119948238832085042"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/Rw21y-v5KDI/AAAAAAAAAvU/qn7LVka-ZeA/s400/DSCF6141.JPG" /></a>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109791904640737625.post-34008098354513691782007-09-22T08:10:00.000-07:002009-10-06T15:58:35.404-07:00Crazy WreckWe left to go to Aiden's birthday party at CiCi's pizza to travel what normally takes 40 minutes in traffic on a Friday afternoon to get over to Mesquite. It ended up taking us 1.5 hours to get there! The Eastbound HOV lane on I-30 was backed up and the entire Westbound I-30 was closed. As we got closer to the disturbance, we saw two helicopters hovering/circling around I-30. It was a wreck unlike any other that I've seen. Below are some picture that Allison snapped while I was driving, as well as the news report from the wreck:<br /><img src=http://www.benhepworth.com/blogger/wreck/wreck1.JPG><br /><img src=http://www.benhepworth.com/blogger/wreck/wreck2.JPG><br /><img src=http://www.benhepworth.com/blogger/wreck/wreck3.JPG><br /><img src=http://www.benhepworth.com/blogger/wreck/wreck4.JPG><br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/h-bDxdJAyZs"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/h-bDxdJAyZs" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109791904640737625.post-30999443441202521102007-09-17T23:03:00.000-07:002007-09-18T07:27:03.377-07:00Gymnastics - Week 3Allison and I had our third gymnastic lesson today. We are having a lot of much fun at the class. We took a few videos and I compiled them into a short clip...check it out:<br /><object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9JmRIfObCpg"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9JmRIfObCpg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109791904640737625.post-59743910716641535552007-09-16T20:22:00.001-07:002009-10-06T15:58:57.270-07:00College Football Week 3So, what to think after week 3? I'm always interested in the different conferences and how they compare. Of course, it is still pretty early to get a big picture of how good each conference is this year. Take the Big East for example - they have more undefeated teams(5) than the Pac 10(4). One of them is Connecticut (3-0) who has beat the powerhouses of Duke, Maine & Temple. Enought said - it's too early to say much of anything. It will be interesting to see who emerges out of each conference, though. Of the Big 6 conferences, here are my top 2-3 teams from each conference:<br />Pac 10: USC, California, Oregon<br />Big 12: Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska<br />SEC: LSU, Florida<br />Big East: West Virginia, Rutgers, South Florida<br />Big 10: Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan State<br />ACC: Boston College, Clemson, and who knows about the Coastal Division<br /><br />I've updated my spreadsheet with the breakdown of top 25 teams per conference:<br /><img src=http://www.benhepworth.com/blogger/polls/week3.png><br /><br />I think within the next few weeks it will become interesting to start tracking the undefeated teams. There are still too many to track. 21 of the top 25 are still undefeated, with other teams in the "Receiving Votes" that are undefeated as well. Let's give it a few more weeks and once we get into October and well into conference play that number will be dropping each week. How many undefeated teams will there be at the end of the season? I hope more than two, one, or none, since all three of those scenarios will create contraversy. As much as I'd like to see two undefeated teams matched up, all it will do is feed the BCS system praise that it does not need. College football needs a playoff, but that's another post for another time...Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109791904640737625.post-46805029349801927672007-09-13T04:30:00.000-07:002007-09-13T05:48:30.858-07:00Grapevine LakeA bunch of us from work rented a party barge on Grapevine Lake last night and went out on the lake for 3 hours. The weather was perfect and the water felt great. Here are a few pictures, as well as two video from it. Click on any of the pictures to be taken to the whole photo album:<br />Video of Ben doing a gainer:<br /><object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_WLd7beh4_M"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_WLd7beh4_M" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br />Video of Siva dancing:<br /><object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Jrd147GITho"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Jrd147GITho" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br />The party barge before launch:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/CapgeminiGrapevineLake/photo#5109640131391003282"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukWoKGkGpI/AAAAAAAAAZw/D9tXFyZdajE/s400/DSCF5962.JPG" /></a><br />Kumar and Janet:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/CapgeminiGrapevineLake/photo#5109640273124924082"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukWwaGkGrI/AAAAAAAAAaA/s_9WDVlG2mQ/s400/DSCF5964.JPG" /></a><br />Jason and Nikolay grilling it up:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/CapgeminiGrapevineLake/photo#5109640371909171922"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukW2KGkGtI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/ABh9GduEC5U/s400/DSCF5967.JPG" /></a><br />Nirali and Roshni:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/CapgeminiGrapevineLake/photo#5109640492168256242"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukW9KGkGvI/AAAAAAAAAak/PxyYLee7rbE/s400/DSCF5969.JPG" /></a><br />Upper deck on the barge:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/CapgeminiGrapevineLake/photo#5109640539412896514"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukW_6GkGwI/AAAAAAAAAas/9A-yOmdzJsg/s400/DSCF5970.JPG" /></a><br />Tejas and Siva:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/CapgeminiGrapevineLake/photo#5109640590952504082"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukXC6GkGxI/AAAAAAAAAa0/Cw-b25oGyR0/s400/DSCF5971.JPG" /></a><br />Steve enjoying a brewsky:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/CapgeminiGrapevineLake/photo#5109640646787078946"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukXGKGkGyI/AAAAAAAAAa8/JcO1XhNjWww/s400/DSCF5972.JPG" /></a><br />Me doing a gainer:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/CapgeminiGrapevineLake/photo#5109640870125378402"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukXTKGkG2I/AAAAAAAAAbg/0jJUobhck-w/s400/DSCF5980.JPG" /></a><br />Me spread eagle:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/CapgeminiGrapevineLake/photo#5109640925959953266"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukXWaGkG3I/AAAAAAAAAbo/Oimucdt3G00/s400/DSCF5981.JPG" /></a><br />Nirali, Janet & Roshni<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/CapgeminiGrapevineLake/photo#5109640960319691650"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukXYaGkG4I/AAAAAAAAAbw/sCEKAqDzvOk/s400/DSCF5982.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/CapgeminiGrapevineLake/photo#5109641071988841378"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukXe6GkG6I/AAAAAAAAAcA/5jP0GXTCtKc/s400/DSCF5986.JPG" /></a><br />Me and Nikhil:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/CapgeminiGrapevineLake/photo#5109641295327140834"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukXr6GkG-I/AAAAAAAAAck/IrEQ04QFFr0/s400/DSCF5991.JPG" /></a><br />Sunset on Grapevine Lake:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/CapgeminiGrapevineLake/photo#5109641415586225154"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukXy6GkHAI/AAAAAAAAAc0/HiVr_KPFpz4/s400/DSCF5993.JPG" /></a><br />Steve and Mirle:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/CapgeminiGrapevineLake/photo#5109641681874197586"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukYCaGkHFI/AAAAAAAAAdc/iR3fVCwqOkM/s400/DSCF6000.JPG" /></a><br />Nikhil and Roshni:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/CapgeminiGrapevineLake/photo#5109641802133281906"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukYJaGkHHI/AAAAAAAAAdw/UpwVmq2LWLQ/s400/DSCF6002.JPG" /></a><br />Siva and Tejas:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/CapgeminiGrapevineLake/photo#5109641849377922178"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukYMKGkHII/AAAAAAAAAd4/a4n2D4cCmJ4/s400/DSCF6003.JPG" /></a><br />Mirle chillin':<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/CapgeminiGrapevineLake/photo#5109641900917529746"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukYPKGkHJI/AAAAAAAAAeA/B-KkUzuRHIw/s400/DSCF6004.JPG" /></a>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109791904640737625.post-683885060834348222007-09-09T17:48:00.000-07:002007-09-13T12:10:01.834-07:00Texas vs TCU gameThis was my first home game of the season (I was sick for Arkansas State and was unable to go to the 1st one). Before the game we went to Double Dave's and got some of their famous Pepperoni Rolls. Texas came out in the first half and their defense played well, holding TCU to 3 offensive points. Those three points were off of a turnover where TCU only went about 30 yards before kicking a field goal. TCU's other touchdown came off of an interception that Colt threw. We moved the ball, but gave up two turnovers and were plagued with penalties (3 offensive pass interference penalties in the 1st half against us!). I was a bit worried, being down 10-0 to a ranked team at half time. I figured as long as our defense played the same and our offensive didn't make mistakes that we would be ok in the 2nd half. Well, that's exactly what happened. Our defense once again held them to 3 points in the second half, and our offense lit up for 34 points, wrapping up the game with a final score of 34-13. We travel to Central Florida next week, then have Kansas State at home. If we can make it through those two games, then we will be undefeated going into Texas-OU. The Red River shootout is best when both teams go in undefeated. It looks like there is a good chance for that this year. Here are some pictures and a couple of videos from the game:<br />At Double Dave's:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/UTvsTCU/photo#5109661266925067490"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/Rukp2aGkHOI/AAAAAAAAAe4/vxJrFJsVFxg/s400/DSCF5849.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/UTvsTCU/photo#5109661331349576946"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/Rukp6KGkHPI/AAAAAAAAAfE/DBGvOzeQtAs/s400/DSCF5850.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/UTvsTCU/photo#5109661378594217218"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/Rukp86GkHQI/AAAAAAAAAfM/PhJgIRYxr84/s400/DSCF5851.JPG" /></a><br />Marinara is good, but ranch is better...<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/UTvsTCU/photo#5109661443018726674"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukqAqGkHRI/AAAAAAAAAfU/EgLQ55GcdBM/s400/DSCF5852.JPG" /></a><br />Walking to the stadium:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/UTvsTCU/photo#5109661623407353122"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukqLKGkHSI/AAAAAAAAAfc/iWGR5aXbKXA/s400/DSCF5853.JPG" /></a><br />North End Zone under construction:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/UTvsTCU/photo#5109661786616110402"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukqUqGkHUI/AAAAAAAAAfs/5spRdsmta3U/s400/DSCF5855.JPG" /></a><br />Sweet!<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/UTvsTCU/photo#5109661838155717970"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukqXqGkHVI/AAAAAAAAAf0/Ng6X_YtDEn0/s400/DSCF5856.JPG" /></a><br />At the game:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/UTvsTCU/photo#5109662027134279026"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukqiqGkHXI/AAAAAAAAAgI/y2IJwa4nW7g/s400/DSCF5858.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/UTvsTCU/photo#5109662151688330626"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/Rukqp6GkHYI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/7vHDv3UHT1s/s400/DSCF5859.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/UTvsTCU/photo#5109662246177611154"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukqvaGkHZI/AAAAAAAAAgY/ygLY7sFhImc/s400/DSCF5860.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/UTvsTCU/photo#5109662349256826274"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/Rukq1aGkHaI/AAAAAAAAAgg/Ys_jsetdMQQ/s400/DSCF5861.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/UTvsTCU/photo#5109662417976303026"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/Rukq5aGkHbI/AAAAAAAAAgs/GfA0bH3-6hA/s400/DSCF5862.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/UTvsTCU/photo#5109662521055518146"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/Rukq_aGkHcI/AAAAAAAAAg0/ynyR0wOD5S8/s400/DSCF5863.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/UTvsTCU/photo#5109662632724667858"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukrF6GkHdI/AAAAAAAAAg8/VixkjlkvHuQ/s400/DSCF5864.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/UTvsTCU/photo#5109662727213948386"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukrLaGkHeI/AAAAAAAAAhE/lgVEHFC7GGs/s400/DSCF5865.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/UTvsTCU/photo#5109662727213948386"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukrLaGkHeI/AAAAAAAAAhE/lgVEHFC7GGs/s400/DSCF5865.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/UTvsTCU/photo#5109662787343490546"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukrO6GkHfI/AAAAAAAAAhM/zwFSgyxdI40/s400/DSCF5866.JPG" /></a><br />The Tower lit up orange after victory!<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/UTvsTCU/photo#5109662825998196226"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukrRKGkHgI/AAAAAAAAAhY/adO_YyLlTPA/s400/DSCF5882.JPG" /></a><br />The TCU equipment truck:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/UTvsTCU/photo#5109662873242836498"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/benjamin.hepworth/RukrT6GkHhI/AAAAAAAAAhg/bkDu3y_bMUU/s400/DSCF5885.JPG" /></a><br />Video of Jamal Charles' 40 yard touchdown - sorry for the jiggle of the camera at the end - John got a little excited...heh heh<br /><object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gspmacSAYYc"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gspmacSAYYc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br />The Eyes of Texas after the game:<br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zIjemfzGkHI"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zIjemfzGkHI" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109791904640737625.post-28805191809811227842007-09-02T09:43:00.000-07:002009-10-06T15:59:16.096-07:00Is there any worse way to get sick?So, I've been sick for almost a week now, and it sucks. It first started last Sunday evening. My throat started hurting a little bit, but I figured it was nothing big. That happens to me every once in a while and I can shake it off without getting sick. I also noticed that right in the middle of my upper lip was what appeared to be a small cut. I figured I must have accidentally bitten my lip and that it was no big deal.<br /><br />~Monday~<br />By morning I had a rather large sore on my upper lip. It had somewhat the looks of a "cold sore", but I've never gotten a cold sore in my life, and the sore was completely on the inside of my lip, not the outside like most cold sores. I felt a little weak in the morning, but I took some ibuprofen, showered, and felt alright. I still went to work and made it through the day just fine.<br /><br />~Tuesday~<br />I did the same thing in the morning. I made it through a half day of work just fine, then at around 1:30 I was about to go home for lunch and was sitting at my desk. I got the worst case of the chills. I couldn't stop shaking. I grabbed my keys and headed downstairs to my truck. Upon exiting the building, the summer heat felt great on my body. I got to my truck, climbed in, and started it. Now, I don't know how hot it was in my truck that day, but probably 110°-120° inside from sitting in the sun for half of the day. The heat felt so good on my chills that I didn't turn the AC on - for the entire 5 minute ride back to our apartment. When I pulled into our driveway, I noticed that my body had not sweated a single drop. My forehead and face was completely dry. My back was completely dry. I hate getting sick, and especially admitting once I am sick. This finally did it for me. I called my boss and told him what was going on, took a hot bath untill all of my chills and goose bumps were gone, then climbed into bed and went to sleep. Tuesday evening my throat started hurting worse.<br /><br />~Wednesday~<br />Now, not only do I not like getting sick, I don't like going to the doctor. But I can tell when I need to go to the doctor. When I can't eat anything because it hurts too bad to swallow, I generally make the trek over to the doctor. The doctor wasn't in the office on Wednesday, so I met with his PA. She tested for Strep Throat, but the test came back negative. She was surprised, because by looking at my throat she would have guessed that it was Strep Throat by the looks of how inflamed it was and by the white puss pockets of bacteria present. The last time I got sick was about a year ago, and it had similar symptoms and ended up being a sinus infection. She went ahead and prescribed antibiotics which would treat either one.<br /><br />~Thursday~<br />Not feeling any better. When I had my sinus infection a year ago, I remembered feeling the antibiotics kick in after around 24 hours. I did not feel it this time. My worst fears were that whatever I had was viral, in which case antibiotics wouldn't work. I noticed a small bump forming on the side of my tongue. Allison said she gets those sometimes along with cold sores. In addition to my throat hurting so bad I cringe when I swallow, the sore on my upper lip has grown and is larger and very painful. The bump on my tongue becomes painful as well.<br /><br />~Friday~<br />Still not feeling any better. When I woke up my lips were extremely chapped. By mid -morning I looked at my bottom lip and it looked like the sores were spreading all over my entire bottom lip. My lip had become chapped, cracked open, and infected with the virus. My gums were starting to hurt as well. Another bump had formed directly on the top of my tongue and turned into an open wound that was fiercly painful. Try brushing your teeth under these circumstances, much less eating anything. My throat hurt worse than it had hurt all week long. I called the doctor back and made an appointment for that afternoon at 2:45. The doctor looked at everything and said that I definitely have something that is viral - that's why the antibiotics were not working. He wanted me to finish them out, though, since my immune system is weak it will help prevent me from coming down with an infection. He finally classifies it as HSV Oral Viral Stematosis. In a nutshell, that is sores all over the mouth and throat. He explained that there are two groups of viruses that it could be. The one group is what includes the common cold sores that people get. The doctor was hoping that they were part of this group. He prescribed some pills where you take 2, then 2 more 12 hours later and it knocks them out. If that didn't work, I was just going to have to wait it out until it passes, because there is no drug that will cure the other group of viruses. He also prescribed some stuff that I swish right before eating that basically numbs my entire mouth and makes it somewhat bearable to eat. I took the first 2 pills at 4 pm.<br /><br />~Saturday~<br />My alarm went off at 4 am, and I sat up in bed, reached over to the desk next to me, grabbed the glass of water and two horse pills, downed them, and went back to sleep. I was really hoping that I would wake up and my sores would be on their way out. WRONG! It must have been the other group of HSV viruses. I had to cancel our trip to Austin and miss the season opener for UT Football :-( I basically laid on the couch most of the day and watched college football. By the afternoon, my throat was starting to feel a little bit better. It still hurt to swallow, but I could tell that it was starting to turn around. I continued to put Carmex over all of my lips as recommended by the doctor.<br /><br />~Sunday~<br />Throat still hurts, but it is making tremendous progress. My lips still have the sores all over them, but they don't hurt quite as bad either. My tongue still hurts pretty bad. I feel like things are beginning to see everything turning around. It may still take several more days to entirely shake everything. I'm finally starting to get my appetite back and eat more. I have lost about 8 pounds this last week while being sick. Allison was jealous that I lost weight so fast, but let me tell you - I'd much rather have those 8 pounds back than have had to deal with this sickness the last week. Now, I've been sick with a few bad things in my life before, but I'm not sure if anything tops this. I got food poisoning once from Mr. Gatti's macaroni salad (don't ever eat it) and threw up on the dot every 45 minutes for about 8 hours straight. The last 6 hours were pure dry heaving. That was pretty bad, but at least it was over with in 24 hours. My sinus infection was pretty bad too, but once the antibiotics kicked in, it went away pretty quickly. Not being able to eat because your entire mouth is in pain has got to be one of the worst ways to get sick. Or when you finally try to eat something, and a piece of food gets stuck between your back molars and your lip - normal part of eating - what do you do? You use your tongue to dig it out. Stuff like this you take for granted until you can't do it. I just tried to do that, but my tongue hurt so bad that I couldn't. I had to drink some water and swish around (which also hurt) until the food became dislodged. Yuck. Here are a few pictures of my mouth, which I'm sure you're all drooling at the mouth to see. Now keep in mind that they are starting to get better now - they looked a lot worse a few days ago:<br /><br><br /><img src=http://www.benhepworth.com/blogger/lips1.jpg><br /><img src=http://www.benhepworth.com/blogger/lips2.jpg><br /><img src=http://www.benhepworth.com/blogger/lips3.jpg>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109791904640737625.post-5933427941301517902007-08-06T23:20:00.000-07:002007-08-06T23:22:50.320-07:00Google ReaderIf you don't use Google Reader, you should. You can use it to keep track of all your friend's blogs, news, sports, etc. I created a video on how I use Google Reader to keep track of the things that I'm interested in.<br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2vwlYpEDDiE"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2vwlYpEDDiE" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109791904640737625.post-34761262117332134732007-08-06T20:25:00.000-07:002007-08-06T23:20:24.002-07:00College Football and Water BalloonsA recent wave of water balloon crimes have swept across the nation. A tight end from Indiana pegged an off-duty police officer on the way home from work. In other news, a BYU linebacker got pretty ticked about his girlfriend being pegged with a water baloon and busted down 2 doors in pursuit of the horrible criminal. What's next, "Miami running back holds up Quick Mart with water balloon?"<br /><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2956729">Dufus from Indiana</a><br /><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2839950">Idiot from BYU</a>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109791904640737625.post-11661373968784187892007-08-05T22:33:00.001-07:002009-10-06T15:59:49.626-07:00Board GamesOur friends Dawn and Barry came down from Norman a few weeks ago to visit us and they brought a board game with them that we played. We liked it so much that we went out and bought it. It is called Ticket to Ride. In the game you collect cards, connect cities with your trains, and try to connect certain routes across the United States. It is a lot of fun.<br /><img src="http://www.benhepworth.com/blogger/ticketToRide.jpg" /><br /><a href="http://www.daysofwonder.com/tickettoride/en/">Ticket to Ride Website</a><br /><br />My all time favorite board game is Acquire, which is no longer in print. You can still get a copy, but you have to pay high dollar on eBay for them. I saw one on eBay that started the bidding at $99, with a Buy It Now for $135! Thanks to our friends Roger and Angie for introducing us to Acquire.<br /><img src="http://www.benhepworth.com/blogger/acquire.jpg" />Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109791904640737625.post-83013022253229975612007-08-05T18:17:00.001-07:002009-10-06T16:00:07.898-07:00Preseason, SchmeeseasonSo, the first USA Today PreSeason Poll came out today. I would like to preface this article saying that I think that preseason polls are a bunch of crap. They're like bikinis - they show some, but not what is important - how the teams perform on the field. I personally think that there should be any polls until several weeks into the season. But, as long as the media puts the polls out there, it gives us something to talk about.<br /><br />Big surprise that USC is number one, right? Well, I wouldn't want to ever be ranked PreSeason #1. In the USA Today poll, only 3 times have the preseason #1 actually went on to win a national championship. USC started first and finished there in 2004. Florida State did the same in 1993 and '99. Those are the only instances a preseason No. 1 became national champ. (<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2007-08-02-poll-analysis_N.htm">Article here...</a>). LSU is #2, followed by Florida, Texas and Michigan to round out the top 5. Let's take a look at how the different conferences stack up.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.benhepworth.com/blogger/polls/PreseasonUSAToday.png" /><br /><br /><b><u>SEC</u></b> - 6 top 25 teams - the most of any conference. Actually, all are in the top 20 - impressive!<br />LSU (#2)<br />Florida (#3)<br />Georgia (#13)<br />Auburn (#14)<br />Tennessee (#15)<br />Arkansas (#20)<br /><b><u><br />Big 10</u></b><br />Michigan (#5)<br />Wisconsin (#7)<br />Ohio State (#10)<br />Penn State (#18)<br /><br /><b><u>Big 12</u></b><br />Texas (#4)<br />Oklahoma (#8)<br />Nebraska (#19)<br />Texas A&M (#25)<br /><br /><b><u>Pac 10</u></b><br />USC (#1)<br />California (#12)<br />UCLA (#17)<br /><br /><b><u>Big East</u></b><br />West Virginia (#6)<br />Louisville (#11)<br />Rutgers (#16)<br /><br /><b><u>ACC</u></b><br />Virginia Tech (#9)<br />Florida State (#21)<br /><br /><b><u>WAC</u></b><br />Boise State (#23)<br />Hawaii (#24)<br /><br /><b><u>Mountain West</u></b><br />TCU (#22) - Mountain West<br /><br />In summary, from most to least. For the tiebreakers where conferences had the same number of teams in the top 25, I averaged the rankings and took the lowest score.<br /><b>#1 - SEC (6)</b><br /><span style="color:blue;">#2 - Big 10 (4) - tiebreaker average ranking - 10<br />#3 - Big 12 (4) - tiebreaker average ranking - 14</span><br /><span style="color:green;">#4 - Pac 10 (3) - tiebreaker average ranking - 10<br />#5 - Big East (3) - tiebreaker average ranking - 11</span><br /><span style="color:red;">#6 - ACC (2) - tiebreaker average ranking - 15<br />#7 - WAC (2) - tiebreaker average ranking - 23.5</span><br />#8 - Mountain West (1)<br /><br />Who would have thought that the Big East would have as many preseason ranked teams as the Pac 10? Or that the WAC would have as many preseason ranked teams as the ACC? This always begs the argument, which is the best conference? Top to bottom, most would agree that the SEC is the best conference. The Pac 10 once again showed that they have one strong team up top, but the rest is not much. The interesting ones for me this year is to see how the Big 10 and Big 12 compare. Both have 4 preseason top teams and lots of potential.<br /><br />It should be an interesting season - I'll be analyzing the rankings and conferences from time to time throughout the season. As a Texas fan and Big 12 fan, I long for the days of 4 top 10 Big 12 teams (Texas, OU, Nebraska, K-State, and sometimes Colorado). I'm also hoping that OU and Texas are both 5-0 going into the Red River Shootout. Texas needs to get past TCU and K-state (both at home), and OU needs to get past Miami(FL) (at home), and both should be able to do it. There's nothing better than a Red River Shootout with 2 undefeated top 10 teams. More to come later...Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109791904640737625.post-45940900867127082822007-07-13T12:18:00.000-07:002009-10-06T16:00:18.092-07:00More than meets the eye<img src="http://www.benhepworth.com/blogger/autobots.jpg" /><br /><br /><br />Well, I finally saw Transformers last night with my brother. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It brought back a lot of childhood memories about the Transformers. It probably took my body a good 10 minutes after the movie to relax because the movie was so intense. I'm sure it didn't help that I had to pee for the last hour of the movie. The effects were outstanding and the plot was very good.<br /><br />My only complaint about the movie is the scene where Sam goes back to his house to look for the glasses and his mom accuses him of doing something inappropriate (you'll know what I'm talking about if you've seen the movie). There were lots of kids seeing that movie, and I didn't think that scene was appropriate at all. I guess that's one of the reasons why it received a rating of PG-13. Well, Hollywood does it again - throws in unnecessary filth to movies that doesn't even have anything at all to do with the movie and doesn't add to the movie. I think even when Travis is old enough to watch the movie, I'll rip it to mpeg-4 and edit out that scene with Quicktime Pro. That scene being removed, the movie was excellent.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7109791904640737625.post-45210485922721609652007-06-30T16:00:00.000-07:002009-10-06T16:00:35.341-07:00iPhone Release / Dead BirdWith the release of the iPhone today, I was excited to head to the nearest AT&T or Apple store to check one out in person. There is an AT&T store right by where I work, so after the kids were in bed, I decided to head over there to check it out. Several hundred yards before I reach the AT&T store, a black crow flies at lightning speed from the shopping center on the left straight in front of my car. I swerved and tried to miss it, but to no avail. It hit the grill with a thud and landed on my hood. Then I slammed on my brakes and the dead bird slid towards the front of the car and would have fallen off back into the street if I didn't have a bug guard on the front of my hood. The guard caught the bird and for the next few hundred yards I saw black feathers flapping up in the breeze while I drove. As I slowed down the feathers disappeared. I thought maybe the bird had slid off of the hood and onto the street somewhere. When I got out of my truck, I looked and the bird was still wedged in the corner of my hood and the bug guard. I was thorougly disgusted at the sight of a dead bird stuck to my truck. The bird was stuck there and I wasn't about to grab it with my hand to pull it out - the thing was dirty and disgusting.<br /><img src="http://www.benhepworth.com/blogger/truckbird.jpg" /><br />I walked up to the AT&T store at 8:05 and it had just closed at 8:00. I decided to head out to the Apple store in Southlake to check it out there, since all Apple stores were open until 10 the night of the iPhone release. I climbed back in my truck and started on my way to the Apple store. Once the truck was over about 25 mph, I saw the black feathers flapping once again. I had to look at that for 15 minutes all the way to the Apple store in Southlake. After getting out of the truck in Southlake, I examined the bird once more. The more I drove the more it got wedged inbetween the trunk and the bug guard. I headed over to the apple store to check out the iPhone.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.benhepworth.com/blogger/iphone.jpg" /><br />Here is my review of the iPhone:<br /><br />"The iPhone is truly revolutionary. It does many things that have never been done before by cell phones. As Apple always does, the design is phenomenal. By this time there was not a line at the Apple Store, so I played with one for about 45 minutes. The touchscreen was very good, although I did have a little trouble getting used to the very small keyboard. I kept hitting the wrong buttons. I sent a text message to myself, checked the weather, Google maps, photos, browsed the web, and browsed the music/video iPod menus. The navigation was terrific. The pinch to zoom in and zoom out is pretty cool. The speed did not impress me. It wasn't slow, but it wasn't that fast. It's hard to tell how much of that was because there were 20 iPhones and a slew of other computers all sharing Apple's one internet connection in their store. The thing I was interested in was how it performed when using the phone for Google maps instead of the WiFi card. I switched the phone to AT&T service instead of WiFi and tried Google Maps. It went from 3rd gear to 1st gear. AT&T definitely has a lot of room to improve on this. I wasn't impressed at all with the speed through the phone. So, the question comes now - is it worth $499 or $599? At only 4 GB and 8 GB versions, I don't think it is worth the money. When I rip one of my DVDs to mpeg-4 it is usually between 1.5 GB and 2 GB for one movie. That's not very many movies that you could hold on the iPhone. Our entire music collection that we own is 11 GB. Release a 16 or 32 GB version and then I might think about it. I currently have a Nokia 5300 Express Music phone and am extremely happy with it. I'll stick with Nokia for now - still the best cell phone manufacturer in my opinion."<br /><br />After leaving the Apple store, I found a metal strip about a foot long sitting on the ground from a construction site behind some of the buildings near where I parked. I took it over to my truck with the intention of using it to help scrape the dead bird out from my truck. I tried it, but to no avail. The bird was so wedged in there I was afraid that by putting too much pressure I might fling the piece of metal back out and scratch the hood of my truck. So I drove home to the lovely sight of black flapping feathers. I got home, went inside, and forgot about the bird.<br /><br />In the morning I went outside and the bird was no longer stuck in my truck. Instead I found a dead bird on our driveway that was entirely gutted out. I almost threw up. Some animal must have found it overnight and dug it out of my truck. Good thing I didn't have to do that. Allison used a stick to scrape it over to the grass, and by that afternoon some other animal must have carried it off, because it was gone. It is interesting how mother nature naturally takes care of itself, isn't it?Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16155734949796899016noreply@blogger.com3