U.S. Cyber Command operation disrupted Internet access of Russian troll factory on day of 2018 midterms - The Washington Post

*this*

It goes to show how sophisticated Russian hacking is. And reminds us that we were hacked in 2016 which would seem to indicate the guy in the Oval Office is unelected.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-cyber-command-operation-disrupted-internet-access-of-russian-troll-factory-on-day-of-2018-midterms/2019/02/26/1827fc9e-36d6-11e9-af5b-b51b7ff322e9_story.html

JFK declassified

I just finished watching the 6-part series on the assassination of JFK that aired on the History Channel.  https://www.history.com/shows/jfk-declassified-tracking-oswald

I thought it was quite well done.  A fresh perspective on the assassination that followed a number of leads and challenged what we know, and what we think. 

For those of who grew up in and around Miami in the late 60s/early 70s, (minor spoiler alert) the notion of Alpha 66 being engaged in various activities related to Cuba was well known - the connection to Oswald is .... I'd go with unsurprising.  But I suspect there is a lot more to that connection.

I'd encourage everyone to watch the show.

Burt Reynolds once dropped manure on National Enquirer HQ - ESPN Video

So awesome...and so apropos with the Bezos story...

http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=14336332

The AAF and it’s app

The alliance of American football debuted last night. We were shown the Orlando team, with spurrier as the coach. What did I think? I didn't love it, but I enjoyed it.

He ran a wide open offense and had some trick plays...they scored a lot of points. But the other team didn't. And in the other contest that was on, it was also low scoring. So I'm not sure how exciting it will be over time.

I'm intrigued by the rules: no kickoffs, and no onside kicks - and you must always go for 2, and a 5 man rush is the max.

The players were somewhat recognizable which was also a plus.

Now let's get to the thing that interested me the most: the app.

In theory, you get real time stats, can play little games (like predicting the next play), and can wager on certain things - for real money if you live in a state that allows for it - or just for fun.

So I opened the app and it seemed cool. Players were shown on the field, moving so it was a nice addition to the game - you could find a guy who wasn't in the camera view.

But that's where the fun stopped. I would say that not a single feature worked. Couldn't see stats. Couldn't predict plays. Couldn't wager.

And at some point the screen went blank and there were no players.

When we did see them, it was hard to figure out what was happening.

In the times that it worked, the game clock was between 20-30 seconds ahead of what was broadcast on my tv, using an antenna - so it should have been much closer to correct.

And every once in a while the time remaining in the game in the app said "32:54"

Yeah, it wasn't ready for prime time.

Assuming it was that they didn't plan for usage, shame on them...and they might get one week to correct it before viewers just give up and don't care.

“Listen to your fans”

Good piece about the falcons and their concession pricing.

On a personal note, I can’t remember the last time I went to a sporting event and spent money on concessions (well, when I was at home anyway; sometimes on the road you have to, but it is always a tough choice because it’s expensive)....

On a related note, consider this: is it better to sell 100 seats at $10 or 200 seats at $5?  Hint: it’s the same, but the $5 might encourage people to spend on concessions, and want to come back.

Now that’s funny.

That was dreadful (Superbowl edition)

The game was awful.

About as boring as talking to my aunt Jeanie about her last trip in the RV.

There was no offense, and its not like either defense was playing terrific.  It was just a pathetic performance by both teams.  16 total points scored?  And 10 of them after the midway point of the 4th quarter?  No thanks.

The officiating was its usual suspect version of itself.  A call that can go either way? Advantage Patriots.  Every time. 

I was honestly hoping at some point the Rams punter would win the MVP.  And come to think of it, I have no idea who did, and don't really care after that snoozer....

And so, I started doing other things sometime after halftime and didn't watch much football-like-substance after that.

The commercials were pretty bad.  Most had already been released.  A few were cute, but not memorable.  It was not great from that standpoint, either.

And that halftime show?  At some point, I turned down the volume and turned on "Up With People" and wondered aloud if this was any better or worse than the LIII version of a halftime show?


Hint: they were both pretty bad, but at least "UP" had some production quality.

And we also watched some frisbee dog halftime shows we found online since the halftime went on for hours.  And those dogs were MUCH better than whatever was on my tv...

This morning, I was reminded of the movie from the same timeframe as "UP" - "Heaven Can Wait" which was about a QB for the Rams who dies and then is put into a new body and takes the team to the Superbowl.  Yeah, that movie for all its 70s campiness would have been a better use of several hours.


Thanks for the hype for a bad game, NFL.  You proved again why football is just a waste of time.