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The Office #Bracket

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May 24, 2018

The next installment in my bracket series is characters from The Office. This bracket was made by Twitter user @IsThisDavis, and features all the best characters from the show, to finally figure out, once and for all, who is the favorite character.

ROUND OF 32

Michael Scott vs. Nellie Bertram – Michael Scott — Nellie absolutely drove me crazy, and Michael (Steve Carell) will easily move on
Holly Flax vs. Oscar Martinez – Holly Flax — Holly was dorky, and the perfect match for Michael and her weirdness pushes past Oscar
Kelly Kapoor vs. Gabe Lewis – Kelly Kapoor — Mindy Kaling made a name for herself, and nothing will ever make the thin freak of Zach Woods likeable to me…
Angela Martin vs. Jo Bennett – Angela Martin — Kathy Bates was really good coming into this show in the middle and fitting right in, but Angela (Angela Kinsey) and her on again/off again relationship with Dwight is too much to overlook

Pam Beesly vs. Bob Vance – Pam Beesly — Bob Vance is such a minor character he stands no chance against the powerhouse of Pam (Jenna Fischer)
Erin Hannon vs. Phyllis Vance – Erin Hannon — Her (Ellie Kemper) character launched her into Unbreakable, and while Phyllis (Phyllis Smith) was great, I think the unfavorable matchup doesn’t help
Andy Bernard vs. Karen Filippelli – Andy Bernard — Karen’s (Rashida Jones) role ended too early, as she left for Parks & Rec, so the Nard Dog (Ed Helms) advances
Creed Bratton vs. Mose – Creed Bratton – Creed (Creed Bratton) is the most underrated character on the show, so Mose (Michael Schur) gets eliminated. Let’s take this moment though to acknowledge everything Schur did, creating The Office, Parks and Rec, The Good Place, and producing on the upcoming show Abby’s.

Dwight Schrute vs. Pete Miller – Dwight Schrute — Pete (Jake Lacy) was around for the entire shows length, but he’s not memorable…especially since a top seed of Dwight (Rainn Wilson)
Meredith Palmer vs. Robert California – Meredith Palmer — Is there a moment that stands out more than Casual Day at the office? Plus, I can’t stand James Spader…
Ryan Howard vs. Todd Packer – Ryan Howard — Packman (David Koechner) has his moments, but WUPHF barks its way thru in the form of Ryan (B.J. Novak)
Kevin Malone vs. David Wallace – Kevin Malone — David Wallace (Andy Buckley) is a crucial character in this storyline…but Kevin (Brian Baumgartner) and his famous chili…

Jim Halpert vs. Clark Green – Jim Halpert — Jim (John Krasinski) the final #1 seed, and all of them are solid…so Clark (Clark Duke) stood no chance with his late arrival
Toby Flenderson vs. Jan Levinson – Toby Flenderson — Sometimes my stomach hurts when Toby (Paul Lieberstein) comes into the office. Go away Melora Hardin
Darryl Philbin vs. Roy Anderson – Darryl Philbin — The ultimate fight of the warehouse, but Pam’s ex (David Denman) gets shoved out of the way by the creator of the Dunder Mifflin theme song (Craig Robinson)
Stanley Hudson vs. Hank – Stanley Hudson (Leslie David Baker) — Well, I like pretzel day.

SWEET SIXTEEN

Michael Scott vs. Holly Flax – Michael Scott — I want people to be afraid of how much they love Michael…and Holly can’t top her counterpart
Kelly Kapoor vs. Angela Martin – Angela Martin — Kelly was great, but she’s an Annex girl, and not a cat loving person…but if you pray enough you can change yourself into a cat person

Pam Beesly vs. Erin Hannon – Pam Beesly — The OG secretary vs. the new age one, and Pam is no Hitler
Andy Bernard vs. Creed Bratton – Creed Bratton — He was born in the U-S of A baby…and Andy got really annoying after a while

Dwight Schrute vs. Meredith Palmer – Dwight Schrute — Can Meredith advance? Probably. But I think to myself, “Would an idiot do that?”. And if they would, I wouldn’t do that thing.
Ryan Howard vs. Kevin Malone – Kevin Malone — Me think, why waste time say lot word, when few word do trick?

Jim Halpert vs. Toby Flenderson – Jim Halpert — This one was tough…on one hand Jim is the heart and soul of the show, and the Yin to Micael’s Yang (that’s what she said)…but on the other hand, when you look at Toby advancing on, only one word comes to mind: Nooooooooooooooo
Darryl Philbin vs. Stanley Hudson – Stanley Hudson — Craig Robinson hit a next level of funny with this show, but Stanley’s deadpan is unrivaled…also that moment of: You are a professional idiot.

ELITE EIGHT

Michael Scott vs. Angela Martin – Michael Scott — Webster’s dictionary defines wedding as the fusing of two metals…and Angela is no metal

Pam Beesly vs. Creed Bratton – Pam Beesly — I so much want Creed to move on to the Final Four, but Pama-lama-ding-dong is too strong to be defeated by anyone other than Michael (if anyone can…)…let’s just pretend Creed advances until the cops leave

Dwight Schrute vs. Kevin Malone – Kevin Malone — The one upset in the Elite Eight, as this bracket was very well laid out, but Kevin has very little patience for stupidity. I’m sure Dwight will get over it, as his feelings regenerate at twice the speed of a normal man’s.

Jim Halpert vs. Stanley Hudson – Jim Halpert — Stanley is funny, and I may have lost my mind, but Jim can counter that in the pilot alone, by putting the stapler in the jello

FINAL FOUR

Michael Scott vs. Pam Beesly – Pam Beesly — Pam had to put up with Michael for years, and it’s because of him that her character is so strong. But she is able to stand up strongly on her own, even after he leaves. Michael presented her with the Dundie that brought around this gem: I wanna thank God because God gave me this Dundie.
And it’s every parents dream to step aside and let the championship matchup happen.

Kevin Malone vs. Jim Halpert – Jim Halpert — When he President, they see. But until then, Kevins run will stop here

CHAMPIONSHIP

Pam Beesly vs. Jim Halpert — I am going to cheat on naming a winner to this bracket. The winner is JAM. Jim and Pam, as a couple. They are the couple we rooted for from Day 1, and they are the couple that made everyone believe in love and relationships.
Can you think of a better moment than that wedding in Niagara? Doing it on the Maid of the Mist, and finally the dancing down the aisles for the wedding itself.

Now would you just wait one second while I tie my shoe?


The New Google News

@iAmAviG

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May 17, 2018

Google News rolled out a redesign in the last few days, and it’s a great way for people to get their headlines and what interests them the most.

I get my news from the Google Now feed on my Android home screen, but this app works in a similar way of delivering the news to you.

The app is powered by AI (artificial intelligence), sorting thru the constant breaking news and overload of information that comes out every second online, to show you only things that interest you.

The first time you log in you may see things that you don’t care about…just keep scrolling and click on the stories that you want to learn more about, or click the drop-down menu and select “More/Fewer stories like this”, and the feed will quickly learn and adapt.

The app is also split into four parts:

  •  For You – This is where you have your personalized briefing and Top 5 tailored stories, followed by other stories based on your likings
  • Headlines – The top stories sorted by the typical news categories (Latest, U.S., World, Business, Sports, Etc.)
  • Favorites – Here is where you can see “Favorited” items, such as Topics, Sources, and any stories that you “Saved” for later
  • Newsstand – Subscribe to Newspapers and Magazines and see them here. A lot of subscriptions are free (such as USA Today or CBS News) and others run a monthly charge (such as $4.99 for the LA Times)

And if you click the “Perspectives and Context” button under a headline it will show you “Full Coverage” of the story, removing the filters that the AI introduces to show you the sources you prefer.

The app is available now on Android and iOS.

PS4 Pro

@iAmAviG

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May 16, 2018

Recently I took the dive and got a Sony PlayStation 4 Pro (PS4 Pro), to put alongside the Xbox One that I have gathering dust in my room.

The reasons the Xbox has been sitting unused is really simple:

  • The game selection has dwindled in recent years, with only about one or two games a year that are playable (outside the typical FIFA/NHL games)
  • My Xbox likes to turn itself on. From “Power Off” (and not “Sleep”) mode, it would randomly turn on. Sometimes in the middle of the night, sometimes when no one was home. And no matter how much I mentioned it to Microsoft, they never seemed to care…so I started to unplug the unit, and it just wasn’t worth the hassle of plugging it back in
  • I used to have my cable box run thru my Xbox, but with the amount of time it took to turn the unit on, it was about 60-90 seconds before I was able to start watching TV…and that’s just no fun. So I disconnected them and plugged it into an HDMI switch

One game that I’ve wanted for years is a baseball game, and ever since the EA Sports MVP series ended in 2005, I haven’t been able to play an MLB game, as Sony has the exclusive rights with The Show, and they wouldn’t put that on any platform besides their own.

So for a while (since I missed the $200 Black Friday sale, and couldn’t pull the trigger at the time) I was looking for a PlayStation deal…something that just doesn’t exist, until Target has an in-store Cartwheel deal a few weeks ago, that sent me store hunting for the exact console that they had on sale…and after a few weeks with it, it’s clearly better than the Xbox.

  • While a lot of games are multiplatform, switching over to PS allows me to try some new series’ that I’ve wanted to play for a while, such as The Show and God of War
  • Superfast load times
    • When I turn the unit on, it turns on immediately. Whether in Rest Mode or Power Off, it never takes more than a few seconds to turn on
    • Games load really quickly
  • Having a “Share” button on the controller, while unusual, is playing into the Millennial age, when everything needs to be posted to Twitter or Facebook, or live-streamed to Twitch or YouTube
  • Cleaner Menus: The Xbox dashboard has slowly gotten clunkier and clunkier, and it has made it harder to find what you need, and get to where you want in a timely fashion
  • Looks: The PS Slim is obviously smaller than the Xbox One, but when you look at the bigger systems, the PS4 Pro is a futuristic looking beast, that can handle 4K and all those other HD gimmicks

And it’s not just me that feels this way, a recent article from Arstechnica, they suggest that the PS4 has sold 2.5X more than the Xbox One, “now controlling over 70 percent of the “two-console” market worldwide.”

The Girl Who Takes An Eye For An Eye by David Lagercrantz

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May 11, 2018

The fifth installment in the continuation of the Millennium Series, created by Stieg Larsson, and a follow-up to The Girl In The Spider Web, David Lagercrantz does really well in carving the story in An Eye For An Eye.

The original trilogy, published after Larsson’s death, was overloaded with information, and a lot of readers were likely to get caught in the weeds and turned off from the series. David has taken the series in a new path, with lots of story and intrigue, and a lot less fluff and overload.
In a similar vein, the first movie released in America was enjoyable, but seemingly a dud, as they never produced the rest of the series with Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara…but the Swedish full trilogy, with Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace, was a lot more enjoyable.

Last we saw her Salander was heading to jail, and now in jail she faces the wrath of a mobster killer and her special knife, while trying to protect an innocent girl who was jailed after being forced into uncomfortable situations by her siblings.
Blomkvist is working on a new article, under the suggestions of Lisbeth, and is looking into a strangeness with stockbroker Leo Mannheimer.

The book is a great read and will keep you entertained from start to finish.

BTW, they are making a new movie for the series (based on Spider Web) starring Claire Foy (The Crown) and Sverrir Gudnason (Borg vs. McEnroe), due out this November.

It’s Gonna Be May – #SOTD

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May 10, 2018

It’s May, and I haven’t done a Song of the Day in a bunch of weeks…so here are some of the songs I’m listening to…and the first three are really really good.

No Tears Left To Cry – Ariana Grande

The more I listen to this song, the more I like it…and I think the top of the Chorus is a great show of her vocal range.

Right now, I’m in a state of mind
I wanna be in, like, all the time
Ain’t got no tears left to cry
So I’m pickin’ it up

This Is America – Childish Gambino

When I first saw this music video on Sunday I was riveted. Anyone who knows Donald Glover from Community knows the funny side of him. Meanwhile, there’s a whole ‘nother group of people who know him from Atlanta. But this video and song are an awakening to a lot of people on his talents, and the reality that most of America are all too familiar with.

This is America
Don’t catch you slippin’ up
Look what I’m whippin’ up

These Days – Rudimental feat. Jess Glynne, Dan Caplen, and Macklemore

I hope someday we’ll sit down together
And laugh with each other about these days
All our troubles, we’ll lay to rest and
We’ll wish we could come back to these days

Heaven – Kane Brown

The lyrics I quote below I find are just so real and are what draws me into this song.

Everybody’s talking about heaven like they just can’t wait to go
Saying how it’s gonna be so good, so beautiful
Lying next to you, in this bed with you, I ain’t convinced
Cause, I don’t know how heaven
Could be better than this

1,000 Strong

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May 9, 2018

It was the first Monday in May, 2014, and I’d just had a bad experience at the Apple store, and needed a place to vent about it. And vent I did. And then I spoke about race…and morality…and Boko Haram…and Shakira…and how to fix NYC. And that was just the first week of “Avi’s Travels”.

Over time Avis became a nickname, and me traveling through my mind and thoughts became a topic for me to write about, as I wrote every single weekday, taking off for holidays or vacations.

And exactly halfway between that launch day and today (2 years ago tomorrow), it became “Aviously”, and now I’ve reached post number 1,000.

I have struggled at times to want to write, and want to continue, and every time I’ve dragged myself to the keyboard and found something, sometimes things completely mundane, to write about.

I definitely haven’t done it for the readers and “hits”, because those numbers are incredibly low…as are comments and likes and all the other fun stuff that the Instagram Millenials like to crave.

The posts that have gotten the most hits have unfortunately been ones that people end up on after looking up deaths and remembrances…like the three friends I’ve lost over the last few years (here, here, and here).

If it were up to me, people would come and give their thoughts on my TV Reviews, especially my focus on originals from Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu.

Or they would come in for my original intent, travels…although I never went anywhere when this all started…but since then I’ve had a lot of fun going through Virginia (and the highly recommended National Museum of the Marine Corps), over the border to Niagara, along the really snowy streets of Boston, or of course to the best place I’ve visited so far: San Diego.

And of course, there’s the thing that started it all, April 15, 2013, over a year before the website started: Song of the Day.
It was the daily thing I did before this site, posting a song of my choice every single day on social media for almost two years…from Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People to Nobody Love by Tori Kelly…over 300 different songs.
And on here it has turned into occasional posts under the “SOTD” headings…and my yearly Song of the Year lists, for five years now, with usually a Top 10 list, expanding to the Top 20 in 2017, all from my own favorites.

This week I’ve been feeling like I want to give it all up again, and I never know when I’ll just wake up and say I don’t want to write on here anymore…but for today you’ve got me! And spoiler: You have a new #AvisTravels coming up in June, in the form of a road trip!

The Audacity of the NFL

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May 4, 2018

Last weekend was the NFL draft, and as always it was filled with shenanigans when announcing picks. From David Akers taunting Cowboys fans to a parrot flying in the pick for the Buccaneers.

But the one that is supposed to be a “feel good moment” is the one that is the craziest when you really look at it.

Ryan Shazier was a Wide Reciever for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but during a game against the Bengals he took a hit and went to the ground, unable to move his legs with a “spinal contusion”.

But thankfully for him, he is on the long road to recovery, and is now up and moving, with a little help…and last week they paraded him out on stage to announce their Round 1 pick.

While I think it’s amazing and great that he is in recovery, it’s a little strange that the very league that caused him to be in this state is now using his walkability as a celebration…without them, he would never be in this state.

On a more common level: Can you imagine if Takata had an ad with people who have shards in their face from their airbags, going out and driving cars with new and improved Takata airbags?

The Steelers are doing right by him and paying out the rest of his contract as a “bonus”…but this league has been a train wreck for years, and this is just another cherry on the cake.

Google Project Fi

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May 1, 2018

I’ve been shopping recently for a cell phone plan that fits my usage, or rather what I want to use, and it’s been hard to find one that is priced fairly for one or two users.

All companies seem to be geared towards giving better rates for more users, which works great at getting more people on board, doesn’t make any sense now with the unlimited plans. For example, on Verizon’s Unlimited plans, it costs $150 less a year (per line) to get 4 lines at a higher quality, then it does to get only 2 lines at lower quality.
Which just isn’t fair to individuals and small families…I can’t just make up new people for my accounts.

But amongst my searches, and I’ve looked closely at Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile, I’ve rediscovered a network that I’ve known about for a while…and even convinced other people to change to…and is really the perfect one for people that don’t use a lot of data: Google Project Fi.

Here are some things to know about Project Fi:

  • Unlimited Talk and Text
  • Runs on 4G Networks with Sprint, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular
  • First line: $20. Every additional line: $15
  • You only pay for data as you use it, and it’s about $0.01/mb (or $10/GB) – Sign up for 2GB, and get charged $20. Only use 1.3GB? Get a $7 refund. Use 3.2GB? Get charged an extra $12. No “overages” or “fees”, and once you cross 6GB, it doesn’t cost any more…so basically a cap at $80 (+ taxes and fees) for the first line.
    It’s shared data when you add lines, and the level of “Free” moves up. 10GB/2 lines, 12GB/3 lines, etc.
  • Unlimited Texting and same data rates in 170+ countries
  • Adding a tablet is free…and you only pay for the data you use, no cost for the line

American Idol Bracket

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April 27, 2018

Today’s bracket is American Idol contestants who have gone on to have some success. Yes, there are a lot more than the eight listed below…as well as some that have had more fame than the ones on this bracket (like Jennifer Hudson), but it’s my bracket, so its ones that I listened to at one point or another.

Be prepared…there’s a lot of song puns.

One fault of building my own brackets, and spoiler alert, is that the higher seeds are likely to always advance. In the Amazon vs. Hulu bracket there were some upsets…but I prefer to use brackets made by others, like the ones used for Netflix, Marvel, and Disney vs. Pixar.

 

ELITE EIGHT

Carrie Underwood vs. Clay Aiken – Carrie Underwood — Clays fame launched him into a run for US Congress, but our “All-American Girl” moves on thru

Katherine McPhee vs. Lauren Alaina – Lauren Alaina — This was my toughest decision of the first round. Katherine’s fame led her to shows like Smash and Scorpion, and I was “Terrified” to eliminate her, but Lauren is “Doin’ Fine” these days, and has the potential for a great career

Kelly Clarkson vs. Adam Lambert – Kelly Clarkson — Adam’s career is mostly a “Ghost Town”, and Kelly has been “Stronger” all the way up now to a judge on The Voice

Chris Daughtry vs. Kellie Pickler – Chris Daughtry — Kellie is “Tough”, but “It’s Not Over” for Daughtry in the first round

FINAL FOUR

Carrie Underwood vs. Lauren Alaina – Carrie Underwood — Lauren’s “Road Less Traveled” will end in the Final Four as there is no reason to “Remind Me” that Carrie is the better of the two

Kelly Clarkson vs. Chris Daughtry – Kelly Clarkson — “Piece By Piece” Kelly is better than Chris, Daughtry and his band had their moments, but “It’s No Surprise” that Kelly is going to the Championship

CHAMPIONSHIP

Carrie Underwood vs. Kelly Clarkson – CARRIE UNDERWOOD — I think it was pretty obvious from the beginning that it would end up here. And Carrie as “The Champion” wasn’t the easiest choice, but “Behind Those Hazel Eyes” Kelly is one of the toughest people to come out of the competition. She was the first winner, and 16 years later she is still at the top of her game. The reason she lost though, is that her recent music has fallen off from the highs that “Breakaway” set. “Since U Been Gone”, “Because Of You”, “Breakaway” (the song), and the aforementioned “Hazel Eyes” were all songs that stand up against the test of time…but “Love So Soft” and “Heartbeat Song” just don’t match up.
But after all that goodness about Kelly, it’s Carrie that I would pick between the two. From “Jesus Take The Wheel” to “Cowboy Cassanova” and “Something in the Water” to “Last Name” she has a wide range of songs that I would throw onto playlists. Add to that hosting the CMA Awards for 10+ years, including the 2018 show this November.

Backblaze – The Best Way To Back Your Stuff Up

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April 26, 2018

I’ve always wanted to find a solid place to backup all my data in the cloud, yet it always seemed extremely costly.

Microsoft OneDrive offers 1TB of data for $70 a year ($5.80/month), Google Drive offers 1TB for $10/month, and Amazon S3 has a plan that brings it down to similar costs.
The good thing about these services? They hold your data forever, even if you don’t log in…which is the one downside to the service I’m about to introduce you to: Backblaze.

This cloud service is loaded with amazing features, on the Personal Backup option, the simplest of which is $50/year for unlimited storage ($95/2 years), but it gets better from there:

  • Unlimited Storage, and unlimited file size. Usually, these products limit the individual file size, regardless your overall space. But Backblaze doesn’t care how big/small it is. It’ll back it up.
  • Fast speeds. They let you backup with auto-threading and throttling, or set your own limits to make it go even faster.
  • Easy recovery: From any computer (or even on Android or iOS) you can download your entire database, or even just one file if that’s what you need.
    But what if it takes too long to download? Or you just want your files, and don’t want to download it?
    Backblaze will send you your files via FedEx, 128GB Flash drive for $99, or a 4TB drive for $189. And if you want, within 30 days, you can return the drive for a full refund, after you transferred the files to your personal drives!
  • Safe. All your files are encrypted, and you can turn on two-step verification to prevent others from logging in.

As I stated earlier, they only hold your data for 30 days at a time, unless you connect the drives to their servers. This creates a constant backup, where if it disappears from your drive it will remain on the cloud for 30 more days.
But don’t connect at all, and they assume your data has been removed, in what they would consider file integrity.

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