Aviously

NYCFC 2016 Home Opener

@iAmAviG

March 15, 2016

This past Sunday I went to the 2016 Home Opener for NYCFC at Yankee Stadium. The weather for the opener last year called for hand warmers, this time no jacket was needed when the game began.

With 30,000+ people in the house, the place was rocking, and the New Yorker brashness was showing from the start.
It all started with NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio coming out at the beginning of the match, and the boos came raining down.

Before the match began, with wonderful Tifos from the Third Rail, showing the World Fair globe and David Villa running this city.

David Villa opened up the scoring on a penalty kick:

The Third Rail were really loud and unified, and the rest of the crowd was into it as well, as you can hear them chant the name after David Villa’s second goal:

Overall it was a great game, ending in a 2-2 draw, and if I have one complaint (and this goes back on New Yorkers) is that they just don’t sit down.
Showing up 20+ minutes late to the game, or even 20+ minutes after halftime (because they were waiting on their cheese fries), and wandering back and forth the whole game…it must be tough to sit in place for 45 minutes. Twice. If only they knew what they were getting into before purchasing tickets…

Statues With Horses – The More You Know

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March 11, 2016

I’ve been wanting to do general information posts for a long while, and those that know me know I am full of tons of useless information…and here comes the first one: Statues that contain horses.

Now most of this is rumor, and I haven’t found significant sources to back it, but the story goes like this (and is worthy of discussion):

When they make a statue of a soldier that died from battle wounds (such as the ones you see in parks), they place the soldier on a horse. As for how the horse is positioned is where things get interesting:

All four legs on the ground — The rider died not in battle
One leg in the air — Died from wounds sustained in battle
Two legs in the air — Died in battle

Now like I said, there is little proof to say that this is always true, but it is a great story to tell and share!

Tom Clancy’s: The Division – Review

@iAmAviG

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March 10, 2016

EDIT: GAMEPLAY REVIEW BELOW

~~Today was supposed to be all about Tom Clancy’s: The Division video game.~~

~~But then I started playing, and while the graphics are great, and NYC looks how it should, the gameplay is just an unknown commodity.~~

~~It’s unknown because unlike other games The Division needs an internet connection to be played, and you’ll see hundreds of other player/agents wandering around your world doing their own missions.~~

~~And since this seems like a brilliant idea, at times you need to wait to get into the servers just to play the game.~~
~~For example I finished the first few missions, and while waiting for the next to load, the server timed out…which meant I had to replay the main mission to continue on.~~
~~(It saved, and showed that I had already completed it…but there was no way for me to get to the next mission, as the game couldn’t advance.)~~

So for now the review remains incomplete. The game only gets a 3 out of 10, because if one can’t even play the simple story mode without server issues, there’s a problem with how you are building your game.

Well, after having server issues, and not being able to play because I couldn’t get on, I was finally able to access The Division storyline, and it’s actually really good.

While having to wait for a server is extremely annoying when all you want to do is the “Storyline”, the game itself is really good, combined with great graphics and a realistic New York City.

Having other real-life players walking past you is a little weird, but if a gun battle between The Division and street gangs breakout, it’s nice to have them at your side.

Similarly, when you are about to start a mission, you have a quick option to join other players to help with the mission. This makes the tougher missions easier, or the easier missions even faster.

So far it has been a great experience, and gets a 9 out of 10.

Desert Island – Musical Artists

@iAmAviG

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March 9, 2016

Today’s “Desert Island” category will be Musical Artist. My solar powered MP3 player will definitely be able to play these artists on repeat.

What artists’ albums would you not mind getting stuck in the CD player of your old Jeep?

Each artist has a Spotify playlist with them, consisting of some of my favorite songs from them. Playlists average about 35 minutes (so that they don’t get out of hand).

1. Green Day – My favorite group, and the first ones I saw live (standing just five feet from the stage), from their early stuff (Smooth) thru their political points (including American Idiot) most of their albums and songs are classics…although I’d probably have “mistakenly dropped” the CDs for Uno, Dos, Tre in the ocean.

2 . Linkin Park – They’ve been great from the beginning (literally the first track of “Papercut” on Hybrid Theory) with hits spread throughout their albums. True story: Sitting in the dentists chair, about to take the needle, and “In The End” starts playing on Pandora…how appropriate.

3. Kelly Clarkson – America’s first American Idol, she’s got a great variety of songs herself, from A Moment Like This to Piece by Piece), and her voice is great enough to do covers of many other songs.

4. Ellie Goulding – Personally I think she has one of the most pure vocals of any current artist, and she blasted onto the scene a few years ago. Most people know her best from “Anything Could Happen”, “Lights” and “Burn”.

5. U2 – They are among the GOATs, and I’ve had every song they’ve ever put out (even under a different name (I’m looking at you Passengers)), and while many have issues with their free album being shoved onto iOS, I’ll just accept more music from them.

I had to play by the rules, and only select five artists…otherwise artists such as Breaking Benjamin and Carrie Underwood would’ve extended this list.

The Return of Rick Reilly

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March 8, 2016

When I first subscribed to Sports Illustrated and received my first issue in December 2004 there were a few weekly columns I looked forward to: Steve Rushin, Franz Lidz and Rick Reilly.

Rushin always had great humor, Lidz was great in little spurts, and Reilly had a way with words.
But by 2007 all three were out the door, and Sports Illustrated became less enjoyable.
In 2009 Rushin started making appearances again, and I picked up his book (The Caddie Was A Reindeer) to get some more of him.

But the whose words I missed was Rick Reilly. And while I picked up a few of his books, which had some of his finer writings (The Life of Reilly and Hate Mail From Cheerleaders), I had to go out and actually buy ESPN The Magazine for a while, before the uselessness of the rest of that magazine made not even Reilly worth the price.

But last week Sports Illustrated arrived with a surprise on the front cover and a letter from the Editor that confirmed the best: Rick Reilly has returned to the pages of Sports Illustrated.

Rick Reilly did a piece on the Golden State Warriors and for the first time in a few years I actually read a full length article in Sports Illustrated. And not just any article…one on the NBA!

I for one readily welcome more and more articles from Rick in the upcoming issues of Sports Illustrated (even though the Editor says “We have yet to define a specific arrangement with him”).

One other great thing about Reilly is the charity he helped start with the United Nations Foundation: Nothing But Nets.
Nothing But Nets provides bed nets to countries in need to help prevent malaria.
And while most of my readers may not have heard of the foundation, you can be sure the stars have. For example, Steph Curry, who has already broken the record for most 3-pointers in an NBA season (with 20+ games still to go) gives three nets for every three pointer he hits. That’s over 900 nets this season alone…enough to cover more than have the beds in Togo (SI, pg. 34).
As a matter of fact, when Nothing But Nets asks where you heard about them, Curry and Reilly are the first two choices.

Desert Island – TV Shows

@iAmAviG

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March 2, 2016

Today’s “Desert Island” category will be TV Shows. Somehow the island I got stranded on has a DVD player and a monitor, and a single working outlet (strangely on the base of a palm tree)…lucky me!

What TV shows would you bring with you on this journey?

Friends – If you are stuck on a desert island, you can be sure that no one told you life was gonna be this way….
West Wing – One of the greatest drama’s that’s been on TV.
Parks & Rec – Ron Swanson is exactly what you need to survive in the wild.
Breaking Bad – Who would you sell the blue stuff to on the island?
Big Bang Theory – The only problem with this show, is I’ll never know how it ends, since it’s still on the air…maybe glass bottles will float up with new episodes?

Why @Waze and Moto X Don’t Play Well Together

@iAmAviG

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March 1, 2016

I’ve had the Moto X for many years now, evolving from Gen 1–>Gen 2–>Pure.

In 2014 I discussed how Verizon wouldn’t allow “Advanced Calling” on the Motorola Moto X 2nd Gen, and now on the Pure (as a recap, this basically means that one can’t do both talk and data at the same time).

I had stopped using Waze earlier that year, after a glitch left all the talking instructions garbled, but recently I figured I’d give it another try.

When I use Google Maps on my Moto X Pure, I need to load the driving instructions before making a phone call, and I need to end calls while I’m driving to have the maps update with the latest traffic overlays.
But the map still keeps track of where I am going, even when the data is disconnected.

On Waze, when I make a phone call, the map just freezes up. With no connection to primary data (even though the phone is still receiving GPS coordinates) the maps just plain stop working.
They don’t move where the car is going. They don’t continue to tell you where to turn. It’s just a plain old frozen map that won’t get you anywhere fast.

Now I understand that Waze needs Data. And I’m sure that Waze works really nicely for many people. But I’m gonna stick to Google Maps.

NYPD Needs To Blur The Lines #FixNYC

@iAmAviG

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February 29, 2016

The NYPD has strict district lines. If something happens on a specific block, there is a precinct that is supposed to handle it.

While this is well and good, and helps make sure there are enough cops to cover the city, the lines it creates are absolutely ridiculous.
Here is a map of a recent example/incident.

This is the corner of Coney Island Avenue and Avenue P. As you can see, the four corners of the intersection is divided into three different precincts.

The red circle is the location of a car that parks daily on the sidewalk, with the plates removed, and the VIN covered. But when an officer on the SouthWest corner was asked about the car, the response was “I can’t give it a ticket, because it’s not in my precinct.”

Let’s be clear. We aren’t discussing two different cities or towns. We are talking about New York City and the New York Police Department.
These officers, when on duty, should be allowed to give tickets to whomever they see committing a crime, within the five-boroughs.

Time to blur those precinct lines. If an officer can respond to a crime or sees something happening outside their lines, they should have full authority to.

2016 Oscars

@iAmAviG

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February 26, 2016

Here are my picks for the 2016 Oscars.

Some are my personal preferences, and on some I will say who I think will win vs. who should. Enjoy!
PS. I’ve left out categories that I just don’t know enough about to pick from.

Picture – Spotlight — As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I think Spotlight is one of the stronger movies made in years. Unfortunately I think that just like the movie ignored the largest topic at hand, the Oscars will ignore this movie. Look for a win for The Revenant, and the upset likely from Mad Max.

Actor – Matt Damon, The Martian — Matt Damon had the smarts to get him home from Mars, and the role to land the Oscar. Oh, and yeah, I’ve gone there, Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant) has never won an Oscar, and while he is heavily favored by most, I just don’t think this is the movie that’ll do it…but don’t worry, I’m usually wrong.

Actress – Brie Larson, Room — Brie Larson has slowly but surely been becoming one of my favorite actress, in The Gambler and now Room. While I would love a win for J-Law (Joy) I think she’s a long shot, with the upset factor being Cate Blanchett (Carol).

Supporting Actor – Christian Bale, The Big Short — One of the toughest categories for me to choose from, Bale was superb in The Big Short, and would be handed my award. But the Academy is likely to go with fan favorite Sylvester Stallone (Creed), but expect large resistance from Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) and Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight).

Supporting Actress – Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl — I loved her in Ex Machina, and this role will land Alicia the Oscar. The win should go to her, or more likely Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs). Rachel McAdams (Spotlight) just didn’t pack enough of a punch to move up this list, and Rooney Mara (Carol) didn’t bring her Lisbeth spark to this role.

Animated Feature – Inside Out — This movie won at the Critics Choice Awards as well as The Golden Globes. It’ll win here again.

Yankee Stadium Ticket Troubles and Why I Think They Exist

@iAmAviG

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February 25, 2016

By now we’ve likely all seen the Yankees recent fallout with StubHub (and if not, here’s a link).

The issue as I see it isn’t so much that people are upset that others in their section are paying so much less than them (which is infuriating if you know you paid $100 for your seat, and the guy next to you paid $6), it’s about the clientele in the seats.

The Yankees tried to make this point last week…but came across as saying “We don’t want poor people in the rich seats”…I think it’s more like this:
If you are a ‘suit’ who pays good money to sit in the ‘rich’ seats, you like to go to the game and hang out with your coworkers/buddies, in your dress shirt/pants, maybe have a beer or two, and take in the game. But then the guy behind you comes in on his $6 seats, and he’s in a t-shirt and shorts, and is drunk by the 3rd inning, and in the 6th is throwing peanut shells at you, while him and his buddies get rowdy.

People tend to treat the seats with the respect they pay for them. If you paid $100 for something, you are going to treat it better than someone who paid $6.
It’s part of why people dress up to go to the theater and orchestra, because it is a performance, and you are paying for a high class experience.

On the flip side, the Yankees pockets play into it as well.
Sure they’ve already made the money on the tickets, so why should they care how much you sell it for on StubHub?
But what they forget to mention is that now that you need to sell it on TicketExchange they make money again.
If you think the team doesn’t get a cut of the fees on resales from TicketMaster, after all that the two do for each other…you’d likely be mistaken.

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