Thursday, July 31, 2014
Dan Le Batard Attempts To Troll LeBron In Cleveland Newspaper, Gets Denied
VIA: In case you missed it, ESPN Radio host Dan Le Batard was on fire during the days leading up to LeBron James’ return to Cleveland, ranting and raving — in his standard tongue-in-cheek way — about the Doomsday scenario about to hit South Beach. The Highly Questionable host eventually calmed down, capping off the week with a bittersweet goodbye column in the Miami Herald, and everyone figured that was the end of it. But remember, Ol’ Danny Boy is a master troll, and he really can’t help himself when it comes to some good-natured ribbing.
Recently, Le Batard attempted to crowd fund an advertisement in two Cleveland-area newspapers, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Akron Beacon Journal. The full page ad would simply read “You’re Welcome, LeBron” and “Sincerely, Miami Heat Fans”. It should come as no surprise that both newspapers rejected the ad request. As such, Le Batard’s plan probably never made it past the idea phase, but at least one person on Twitter decided to give us an idea of the troll ad might look like.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Monday, July 28, 2014
LeBron James is gone!!!! But I Will Be Watching The Throne in Miami.
Finally Got My LeBron 11 Watch The Thrones In
Court Rules Against Donald Sterling’s Bid To Block The Sale Of The Los Angeles Clippers
VIA: Probate court judge Michael Levanas of the California Superior Court ruled on Monday that Donald Sterling could not block the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Unsurprisingly, Levanas found Rochelle Sterling, Donald Sterling’s wife, to be the more credible witness of the two and he also ruled that sale of the team could begin immediately. Steve Ballmer, former Microsoft executive, had previously agreed to purchase the Clippers for a record $2 billion.
The case had hinged on whether Donald Sterling was in a sound enough state-of-mind to operate the family trust which controlled ownership of the Clippers. Two doctors declared that Sterling was not mentally capable of controlling the trust and Rochelle Sterling’s lawyers used the doctors’ findings as the justification for allowing Rochelle Sterling to sell the team in opposition of Donald Sterling’s wishes.
Donald Sterling’s lawyers argued that Sterling was tricked into getting medically examined, which isn’t exactly the strongest argument one can make for a man who is presumably in charge of a $2 billion franchise.
Now that the sale of the team is imminent, the world can breathe a little easier knowing that Donald Sterling is almost out of the public eye for good. For now, Doc Rivers can hold off on sending out any resumes for head coaching vacancies.
[New York Times]
STUDENT CONVERTS OLD SCHOOL BUS INTO VERSATILE MOBILE HOME
"The bus was purchased on Craigslist for $3000, and has had about $6000 in improvements. It’s not pocket change, but it’s less than a down payment on a home, and it’s less than I paid in tuition for my last semester of grad school."
"There are too many architecture students who don't understand basic physical limitations of materials or how they can be joined. This project was a way to show how building a small structure with simple detailing can be more valuablethan drawing a complex project that is theoretical and poorly understood."
One of the primary goals during the design phase was to develop a living space in 225sqft that is as open and un-restricting as possible.
"The seating space is one of the most versatile, and as it occupies four bays, it is also the largest. In it’s neutral state, the zone features four large seats on either side of the aisle. Either side of the aisle can be raised or lowered to create a table surface for eating or working."
The sleeping space is comprised of two narrow beds, of equal width, on either side of the aisle. There are drawers beneath each each bed, deep storage underneath the mattresses, and built-in shelves facing the seating area. In order to accommodate varied sleeping arrangements, the port-side bed rolls into the center aisle, creating a queen-sized sleeping area, with a third mattress revealed in the vacated space. This allows for a total sleeping capacity of up to six adults.
The cabin of the bus almost entirely untouched, except for the rats nest of wires from the added electrical systems. The cabin can be separated from the living space by a sliding door panel, which is left open while on the road to communicate with the driver.
.jpg)
A Message to HEAT Nation from Micky Arison
VIA: While what your Miami HEAT has accomplished in the last four years has been historic, there’s a bigger picture that more clearly defines the success we have enjoyed as a franchise. Since I took control of the team in 1995 and brought Pat Riley in to run our Basketball Operations, the HEAT has made the Playoffs in 16 of those 19 full seasons, with five Eastern Conference titles and three NBA championships highlighting those Playoff appearances. The HEAT are one of only seven teams to have won a championship during that span and, of those seven teams, we are one of only four teams to win multiple championships. To get an even better idea of our record of excellence, consider that of the six NBA franchises established at or around the time the HEAT joined the NBA, only one other team has even appeared in the NBA Finals, with only the HEAT winning an NBA title.
From blockbuster trades for Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway and Shaquille O’Neal, to drafting Dwyane Wade, all of whom are future Hall of Famers, to executing the most significant free agency acquisitions in league history when we acquired Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, your Miami HEAT have established themselves as an elite NBA franchise and have maintained a consistent level of on-court excellence, defining our legacy as a championship organization. The fact that we have done all of this before celebrating our 30th Anniversary points out that we are the youngest NBA franchise to achieve this type of success and one of only 18 NBA franchises to win an NBA championship in the league’s 68-year history. And while those accomplishments speak for themselves, I’m here to tell you something else: we are not done; not even close.
Pat Riley is fond of saying that the only thing you can count on in life is change and those that embrace change are best prepared to emerge successfully. So while the names on the back of the jersey may change from time to time, the constant presence of the name “Miami” or “HEAT” on the front guarantees that our goal remains the same: to put a competitive team on the floor capable of competing for the ultimate prize. As a Miami HEAT fan, this is what you have come to expect from us. We are laser-focused on the present and the task at hand of defending our Eastern Conference championship with the East being described as “wide open,” while also positioning ourselves for maximum flexibility and maneuverability in the future.
Our returning core, led by three-time NBA champions Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem, two-time champion and nine-time NBA All-Star Chris Bosh, two-time champions Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole and NBA champion and fan-favorite Chris “Birdman” Andersen have once again shown their commitment to winning by doing what is necessary for the benefit of the team. In addition, we welcome NBA All-Stars Luol Deng and Danny Granger, versatile veteran big man Josh McRoberts, two-time NCAA champion Shabazz Napier and exciting young talents like James Ennis and Justin Hamilton, who are coming off of very impressive showings at both the Orlando and Las Vegas NBA Summer Leagues. Our roster is comprised of players capable of versatility and who are out to prove something to the rest of the league.
Like Dwyane said when he announced his return to the HEAT, I am a #HEATLifer. That’s how I want you to feel about your role as a Miami HEAT fan -- that you are a #HEATLifer – “all in” with us for what is sure to be an exciting 2014-15 season and an incredibly bright future where we will look to add to our three NBA championships.
Micky Arison
#HEATLifer
Sunday, July 27, 2014
The Truth About This Viral Photograph Is Way Better Than What You've Been Told
by Aaron Brown
VIA: https://fstoppers.com/originals/truth-about-viral-photograph-way-better-what-youve-been-told-25654
Don’t believe everything you see or read on the internet, guys. Case in point, "We Still Coming." There has recently been a photograph allegedly supported by a text message screen-capture making the rounds online. It alludes to a wedding barbecue being crashed by a group of strangers because the bride-to-be sent out an invitation to the wrong number. Although the final communication shown, “We still coming,” is hilarious when viewed next to a photograph of a white wedding party surrounded by a group of young African-American men in casual attire. The thing is... the whole story is a lie - sort of!
I did some digging around online to verify this story and finally found the photographer of the wedding photo in question. The truth of how this photograph came to be is way better than what the comical, albeit borderline racist, internet fiction suggests. Below are the original source images being circulated around the web by various social networks and news outlets, and below that I talk with Detroit based wedding photographer Adam Sparkes about the real story that led to this internet sensation.
How It Went Viral
What Really Happened
Adam told me he had a really busy day with his wedding clients, Amy and Ian, that day in Detroit: “There was a Tigers game that had the theater district really tied up, so the bride and groom thought it would be a fun idea to go over to the remains of Michigan Central Station. It's sort of like a Roman ruin for metro Detroiters.” He further explained that he is normally not a fan of abandoned buildings, or "ruin porn” as he called it, because he prefers to see Detroit as an elegant city that’s just a little rough around the edges. However, it’s one of the few abandoned buildings that he will shoot in front of due to its fallen-from-grace aesthetic.
As the group of them drove around town in a trolley, they took it down Michigan Avenue to the Central Station where they happened upon a large group of young guys filming a video. “They had a tricked out Monte Carlo and a Cutlass and were in full music video mode,” he told me. Adam had his group take some photographs on the other side by some planter boxes, but the group making the video noticed them.
“I asked the groom if he wanted to be famous, and jokingly we yelled, ‘Hey we're going to be in your video!’ The guys were all laughing and told us to come on over, so we did.” Who wouldn’t take advantage of such a golden moment? The wedding party danced and posed with the guys and had an amazing time together in a spontaneous moment of carefree fun.
Adam added, “For me, that sort of moment is very much what weekends in Corktown or Downtown Detroit are like. Detroit is an eclectic, diverse place, and a scene where a group of hip-hop kids and a mostly white bridal party yucking it up isn't that surprising to me at all. I think that when the cellphone photo from the scene flew up to page one on Reddit Funny, it was because people found the scene out of place. I get why, and for the most part commenters and reporters were pretty funny and cool about what they were seeing. I was happy to not really see it get ugly, but the false premise that eventually developed was that this group of young guys crashed this wedding. I felt like the real story was more fun: a bridal party crashed a rap video, and it was a blast!”
“Detroit is always full of surprises. I know on a national level it's an odd place that gets a bad reputation. I think it's a very misunderstood place and I hope that some truth coming out of this little wedding meme will shed some light on the amazing, friendly, quirky part of Motown.”
The wRap Up
I asked Adam if he had any advice for other photographers whose photos might be used in a similar fashion and he was really laid back about it all. He wasn’t upset in the slightest; he just felt that the truth was even funnier and more endearing: “In this case, it would be easy for me to sort get the puffed up about a cell phone photo of my bridal party going viral, and in an age where wedding photographers are clamoring for ‘unplugged’ weddings and hating on uncle Bobs, it would be real easy for me to be upset that this thing went wild without my name on it. But honestly, that's just not me. Sure I would have rather gotten the credit, but I'd be disingenuous to say that I haven’t enjoyed the mystery of this random photo rising to a sort of fame.” He continued explaining how he realizes that media and online sharing in general move so fast that people should try to have a good attitude about it all.
He did speak up on Elite Daily, another news site that was spreading the fictitious text message image, but only because he felt like the true story was cooler and thought people should know. “Those guys shouldn't be viewed as party crashes or creepers. They were hospitable and had a great sense is humor about the two groups stumbling onto each other.”
The Michigan based videographers, HDFilmz, finished it and released it on YouTube titled 7262 - Anthem. It’s definitely not safe for work because of the language in it, but watching the rappers do their thing amongst footage of the wedding party crashing the shoot is utterly priceless. I was also pretty impressed with the actual song and flow of the artists in the video. I’m a huge Detroit Red Wings fan, and living near so many Chicago Blackhawks fans lends to many people dissing my favorite team and Detroit in general, so I’m really glad to see these two worlds colliding - enabling a unique video the musicians would have never planned and wedding photographs the photographer would have never imagined to come out of this whole encounter. Good for them and good for Detroit!
You can see more of photographer Adam Sparkes' work at his website and you can follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
Friday, July 25, 2014
Thursday, July 24, 2014
A Genius Dad Is Revolutionizing The Water Balloon Game On Kickstarter
Fill and tie hundreds of water balloons in minutes with our attachment that comes ready-to-go, no preparation necessary!
VIA: It is time to bring your water balloon fights to the next level with Bunch O Balloons - the hose attachment with 37 pre-connected balloons that automatically fill and tie themselves! This system makes it easy for kids of all ages to prepare 100 water balloons in just ONE minute, giving you enough water balloon ammo for any battle.
Forget the trials of filling and tying countless individual balloons, Bunch O Balloons takes all the hassle of preparing for a water fight and lets you just enjoy the fun! Simply secure the pre-packaged attachment to a hose and you’ll have 100 water balloons ready to use in one minute. We promise it’s truly that easy, see the steps below.
Bunch O Balloons is the simplest, easiest and best solution for kids, families and organizations of all types to have legendary water balloon fights!
How Do We Stack Up to the Competition?
The Uses Are Limitless
Families - Bunch O Balloons is a must-have for all families. From a spontaneous afternoon family water fight, a huge neighborhood-wide war, an annual family reunion battle or some other form of water balloon combat - make sure your family is prepared for attack with an arsenal of water balloons by using Bunch O Balloons. Not only will this system help you come out the victor (creating 100 water balloons in 1 minute), just think of all the fun memories you’ll create with these water balloon fights!
Parties & Events - From BBQs to pool parties to family reunions, Bunch O Balloons is a must-have for summertime fun! Not only is it a great activity that kids will love, Bunch O Balloons makes it easy for young ones to fill and tie the balloons all by themselves - no adult help required! Plus, a water fight is great for the whole party to join in on. Whether you choose to do kids vs. adults, girls vs. boys or sort teams by colors, you can’t beat a full-on water balloon fight during the summer! Not to mention, balloon tosses and field-day style games will benefit from this new balloon-filling device.
Organizations - No matter if you are in charge of a scout troop, sports team or another organization, what better way to reward the kids than with a huge water balloon fight? Bunch O Balloons takes all the hassle out of filling and tying the ammo for the water war, making it an easy way to give your kids a fun day they’ll love!
Businesses - Let’s be real, no one truly outgrows their love for a good water balloon fight, water balloon toss or any other creative outdoor game involving water balloons! Not only is it a great bonding experience for the team, it is also a fun escape from work and makes employees feel young again because they can just let loose! By taking the time to schedule fun events for your employees, they will appreciate the company and stay loyal. Plus, show off your businesses’ awesome workplace environment by sharing photos on the website and social media.
Manufacturing Timeline
With our timeline, early bird backers will get their reward before summer is over.
July 2014 to September 2014: Manual line with capacity of 200 packs (20,000 balloons) per day
October 2014 to March 2015: Semi-automated line with capacity of 2,000 packs (200,000 balloons) per day
April 2015: Automated Line with capacity of 20,000 packs (2 million balloons) per day
Pre-order your Bunch O Balloons Today!
Why Kickstarter?
Our kids love water balloons, but the hours we wasted filling and tying balloons really sucked all the fun out of it. But, with help from my entire family, we developed Bunch O Balloons, the best, fastest and most effective solution to preparing for a water balloon fight.
Now that the design is complete, Bunch O Balloons is ready for mass production! By backing Bunch O Balloons on Kickstarter, the funds we raise will go towards purchasing the equipment we need to bring this must-have summer fun toy to families everywhere.
Be sure to be one of the first backers to get your Bunch O Balloons so that YOU have the advantage in your next water balloon fight!
Forbes Released Its List Of 10 Highest Paid Actors And You Won’t Believe Who’s Number 1 (It’s Robert Downey Jr.)
#1 – Robert Downey Jr. ($75 million)
#2 – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson ($52 million)
#3 – Bradley Cooper ($46 million)
#4 – Leonardo DiCaprio ($39 million)
#5 - Chris Hemsworth ($37 million)
#6 – Liam Neeson ($36 million)
#7 – Ben Affleck ($35 million)
#8 – Christian Bale ($35 million)
#9 – Will Smith ($32 million)
#10 – Mark Wahlberg ($32 million)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)