February 2003

Web Whore

Journey of a "web whore", as Kelly sometimes refers to. I get lost in the world of linking - losing focus on what I started. Didn't have time yesterday to read an article in a newsletter. Read to the middle and the label link looked interesting. Hmmm - wonder what the record label database is. Which of course I had some questions. Whoever this was interested me (he's a dj), but who could pass up the "record collecting resource" link. Scrolling down I saw cataloguing programs and CD Czar. Whats this - "Professional DJs now have on option on the Tracks View to create a Music File for upload to DJ Intelligence". Cool site, with these interactive tools, the mobile dj can promote various programs online to prospective nightclubs or other engagements. He can outline the whole music program for the night. Well.......back to doing what I originally got online to do.

Name Train

Found this game in a forum, have to really think to come up with answers. Can you guess them - if not here's the thread.

A Name Train is a puzzle where each name is connected together like box cars in a train. Every two consecutive cars will form a name of a person or character. Here is an example Name Train: Boy [ ] [ ] Ford. The answer is Boy George Harrison Ford (Boy George-80¹s singer, George Harrison-Beatle, Harrison Ford-Actor). [ (s)] = the name has an "s" at the end in one case but not the other

1. Matthew [   ] Mason

2. Bruce [   ] Majors

3. Larry [   ]  [   ] Fonda

4. Ashley [   ]  [   ] Mandela

5. Tom [ (s) ]  [   ] Neville

Here is a riddle for you - scroll down to bottom for answer.

What is true only for the moment that you say it. After that it is not until you say it again.

HIGH TECH TREASURE HUNTING

Geocaching (prounounced Geo-cashing) is a new and popular game being played in all corners of the world. The game involves using the internet and Global Posistioning System (GPS) units to find hidden items. Geocaching derives its name from "geo" for geography, and "caching", a term used in hiking and camping for the practice of concealing provisions. Players go to a web site and get the coordinates, then, using their GPS units, find the "hidden treasure"- they then take something from the cache and leave something for the next treasure hunter. Each hidden cache has a log book, where those who have found the cache can sign in. Geocaching.com provides several guidelines for placing a cache, such as using a waterproof container, placing it where it isn't likely to be found easily by non-participants, and stocking it with only items that are family friendly and not attractive to animals.

GPS units start at about $100, and must have certain capabilities to use them in Geocaching. Because I am not clear on the specifications, I will direct you to a website. More information can be found at Geocaching

LA Clippers

This is an interesting article from Cool News from the Feb 03,03 newsletter. I used their search engine but was unable to directly link to it.

STERLING PROFITS. Donald Sterling may be owner of one of the worst teams in the National Basketball Association, but it is also one of the most profitable, according to a Forbes article. His Los Angeles Clippers actually have inked the worst record in the NBA in the two decades in which Sterling has owned them. The team has enjoyed just "one winning season, twice as many losses as wins and only three trips to the playoffs in a league where over half the 29 teams qualify."

Funny thing is, the team makes lots of money: "Last season, the Clippers posted an operating profit of $16 million, twice the league average." Since Sterling bought the Clippers in 1981 for $12.5 million, his investment has grown to $205 million -- 14 percent growth per year. He managed this feat by applying lessons learned in the real estate business. First thing he did was move the team from San Diego to Los Angeles -- in effect becoming the cheap house in a rich neighborhood. His Clippers play in the Staples Center, just like the Lakers do, but tickets average $40 to the Lakers' $71. Fans may not see Jack Nicholson at courtside, but sometimes Billy Crystal shows up. Most games are about ten percent empty, so getting tickets is a snap.

Sterling also keeps his costs low by keeping his entire player payroll to just $34 million (the Lakers pay about the same total for just Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant). When players command more, Sterling simply lets them leave. Hey, so what? The New York Knicks, whose $85 million payroll is the NBA's highest, "won only 30 games, 9 fewer than the Clippers," last season. But the real bottom line is that Sterling cares not whether his team wins or loses as long as he's turning a profit.

Answer to Riddle

Now. It is only NOW at the exact moment you say it. After that it is past and it's "then" not "now" anymore.