Goblin Shark (AKA more freaky things from Japan)

Someone once compiled a list of crazy shit Japan's been bringing us since the 1950s. They all pale compared to the goblin shark. Jump to 21 seconds of this video to see the freakshow.

Olympic Observations

Enough already about Michael Phelps, let's talk about some things that really matter about the Olympics beginning with Bob Costas's hair - or, more accurately - his lack thereof. Who does Bob Costas think he's fooling? That rug he's sporting is the worst I've seen on a sportscaster since Howard Cosell - who had least had the guts to admit that he sported a toup. C'mon Bob, Mr. Holier-Than-Thou-Voice-For-All-That-Is-Good-And-Noble-In Sports, be a man and step up and show that dome.

Of course, old-Bob's been sporting a toup since we've known him. Check out this classic photo from the 1980s:



Is it just me or do these Olympic venues seem less crowded than an Atlanta Braves home game? I watched the final gymnastics events last night and the arena looked less than half full. Can't Chairman Mao (or whatever dictator runs the place now) round up some seat fillers?

While we are talking about gymnastics, how did the Chinese get away with populating its "women's" team with 12 and 13 year old girls? Not only can anyone with their eyes open conclusively tell that they are nowhere near 16, but the Chinese government's own news service had reported nine months prior to the games (and the government has since caused the report to be removed) that one of the key team members was only 13 years old. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/olympics/2008/08/14/underage.gymnasts/index.html

But perhaps I'm nuts, these girls are clearly heading off to college in a couple of years...not.



Sticking with gymnastics for a minute, how about the sham scoring that has been rigged to award the Chinese the maximum number of metals at the expense of the American team? Anyone see the women's vaulting competition? I'm no expert, but there's no way that Cheng Fei (who fell during her second vault) could possibly beat poor Alicia Sacramone (who had two solid vaults) out of the bronze (the judges had no problem, by the way, properly penalizing the American's for Alicia's two falls during the team competition). For that matter, there is no way that Zou Kai actually beat American Jonathan Horton - who had three massive release moves - on the high bar - but Kai got the gold, somehow (wink, wink).

While I am not complaining, why is it that the "uniforms" for women's beach volleyball (a really cool sport, by the way) are bikinis, whereas the men manage to play perfectly well in shorts and tank tops? I thought the Olympics were supposed to be above such things?



Finally, here is a short clip of some folks who did not quite make this year's Olympic field.

Rick Suhr, Pole Vault Coach

Ouch, this coach is some new kind of jerkoff. I've seen plenty of coaches who rode players but when Jenn Stuczynski won silver medal to the world record holder, he owed her some love.

Here's the link. Unfortunately, NBC is watching youtube like a hawk so you have to watch a commercial and may have to install the gay "Silverlight" viewer. If you don't want to watch it, you can just watch this--you'll get the idea.

The value of a college degree

If you've got teenage children, avert your eyes. If you're paying for a college education right now, skip this post. If you're in the process of paying off student loans (like Abigail and me), here's a how-to page just for you. After much reflection, I've reached a conclusion best-articulated in a Wall Street Journal Editorial this week: College is bullshit. You'll need a subscription to view the whole thing but I'll book report it for you.

Charles Murray sums up his Opinion nicely:

First, we will set up a single goal to represent educational success, which will take four years to achieve no matter what is being taught. We will attach an economic reward to it that seldom has anything to do with what has been learned. We will urge large numbers of people who do not possess adequate ability to try to achieve the goal, wait until they have spent a lot of time and money, and then deny it to them. We will stigmatize everyone who doesn't meet the goal. We will call the goal a "BA."

Instead of just leveling a criticism of the uselessness of the BA, 2/3s of which fall into the categories "criminal justice, social work, public administration and the many separate majors under the headings of business, computer science and education," he proposes a solution: competency exams. He uses the CPA exam as the model. It's a 14 hour exam that comprehensively covers a range of topics, insuring that the person passing it has some measure of expertise in the subject.

It's a good thought. As a member of the legal profession, I'm certain I could have passed the Bar after a year of law classes, and would not have needed any of my undergraduate classes. Not only could I have saved money, I would not have wasted time in loads of shit classes. (I was an engineering undergrad, and even in the sciences, I had lots of useless classes.)

I would only append to Mr. Murray's proposition an apprenticeship model. The competency exam measures a person's capacity to do a job; the apprenticeship measures their desire to do it (ever met a lawyer who likes their job? Me either; maybe an apprenticeship would weed the profession.). The average college BA measures neither of these.

PS. Here's a related speech about the state of education and how it kills creativity, by Ken Robinson.