Author: Josh Witten

http://www.thefinchandpea.com

Why can’t I have nice things?

When my dad was a young man, he had Star Trek. His generation grew up, got jobs, got wealth, power. The entertainment industry said, “We would like some of your wealth, your power. In exchange, we shall give you Star Trek: The Next Generation and a pretty decent JJ Abrams reboot.”

When I was a young man, I had Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Knight Rider. My generation grew up, got jobs, got wealth, power. The entertainment industry said, “We would like some of your wealth, your power. Because we know it is about the franchise name, not quality, we shall, in exchange, give you The Phantom Menace, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Ford Mustang advertisement masquerading as a new Knight Rider series.”
It is true. For the first time in decades, we have a generation that is worse off than their parents.
Let’s finish ruining my childhood memories and reboot Airwolf (#rebootAirwolf). Pretty please?

xkcd: Clinically Studied Ingredient

xkcd by Randall Munroe

Hitting the bottle

After listening to Chris Hardwick, Jonah Rey, and Matt Mira interview Thomas Jane and his cat on The Nerdist Podcast, I felt like checking out the short Punisher red band fan flick made by Jane, who played the Punisher in 2004.

DO NOT WATCH if you are squeamish, at work, in the company of impressionable children, or have a wide variety of medical conditions.

Continue reading “Hitting the bottle”

Luke says, “Of course, Han shot first”

So says Mark Hamill. I was a huge fan of the original Star Wars trilogy (The Empire Strikes Back, thanks for asking). I am not a huge fan of the prequel trilogy* nor have I been happy with any of the tweaks George Lucas has made to the original films**. Neither is Mark Hamill. Continue reading “Luke says, “Of course, Han shot first””

One small step for a coach, one giant leap for football?

With my background in evolutionary biology and genetics, it should be no surprise that I’m an advocate of variation. As an athlete, I really love seeing unconventional approaches to sports, especially because most sports involve so many variable that “solving” an truly optimal way to play is unlikely.

Convention and tradition are often held up by commentators as “the best” way to play because they appear to have survived the test of time. This is very true in football.

The conventions of football have almost never been put to the test. They do not reflect proven strategies for victory. They reflect strategies that are least likely to get the coach fired by the team owner or athletic director. Thus, almost every team in the United States punts on fourth down. A notable exception is Kevin Kelley at Pulaski Academy in Arkansas (notably, he is his own athletic director), who has been successful while refusing to punt or kick (104-19 with 3 state championships).

There may be a new, if limited, addition to this counter-culture. According to reports, San Diego State’s coach, Rocky Long, is considering “going for it” on fourth downs on his opponent’s side of the field. Continue reading “One small step for a coach, one giant leap for football?”