Not Back Yet…

Congrats to Rory McIlroy for winning the Honda Classic!!!

Lost in the other big story of the day, is how Rory played the Bear Trap, making par on every hole.  I was very impressed with how he focused on what he needed to do to win, and did not get distracted by the other story of the day… (I’ll get to that in a little bit…)

Rory truly earned the #1 ranking, and I look forward to watching his career advance in the following years.

Speaking of the other story of day: I don’t care what the media says, Tiger Woods is not “back”!

I’ll admit that he played a flawless final round on Sunday, but you can’t sit there and say that he has returned to form until he can put 4 consistent rounds together.  It is amazing how quickly the media forgot that he was flirting with the cut line on Thursday of last week.

An interesting question in the coming weeks and months will be: looking at Tiger’s performance these past few years, would he be a good fit for the US Ryder Cup Team?  Is it worth the risk to pick him on the chance that he plays another round like he did on Sunday, or will he continue to play very inconsistently?

With all these stories leading up to the first Major of the year, things are going to start to get interesting.

Best Wishes,

Bryan

Full Circle in the Bronx?

Well, first of all: it’s been a while…  Good to see everyone again. 

This past week, I have had a real desire to watch Baseball.  Today, I couldn’t take it anymore.  I ordered the game against Tampa last year, when Jeter got his 3,000th hit.

I was disappointed that X-Box Live only had the game in 720p but that is another story.

What has had me in a good mood all week is that there is real talk that one of two conquering heroes from 2009 might be returning to the Yankees this upcoming season.

I was watching ESPN today, and it is starting to sound like we might see either Johnny Damon or Hideki Matsui back in pinstripes for Spring Training in a few weeks.

Both of these players mean so much to us fans (in part because of the important part they played in the 2009 World Series) that it would be great to see them return.

As far as numbers, I would say that Damon would be a better choice since he had a more productive season than Matsui.  That said, I have been a Matsui fan since he first joined the team, and he still has the potential to knock in runs in a DH role (a role we need to fill now that we have traded Montero).

My sister went online, and read that the Yankees expect to fill the DH role by the end of the week, so it will be interesting to see how things turn out.  Either way, it will be nice to see a familiar face.

Best wishes,

Bryan

No Half-Marathon…

Hold on tight.  Here I was, talking about how I have the best commute of anyone I know, and then tonight happens…

Before I get to the problem, a little background is required: I live less than 10 miles from my office.

After pulling out of work, I get right on the highway, and take it seven miles.  But today, the traffic was not moving. 

Now normally, this would not bother me except that: one hour, and only 1.5 miles into my drive home, my gas light came on, indicating that I was running on fumes.

At first I thought: okay, no problem.  I used my GPS to tell me where the closest gas station was.  According to Garmin, the closest gas station was 2 miles away, and (even better) I had to get off the highway at the next exit.

…that is where things get worse…

I pulled off the highway into another traffic jam, and I took me another hour to drive half a mile to a gas station (that thankfully did not show up on my GPS because I am damned sure I would NOT have made it to the one it wanted me to go to).

But that was only the start of my problems…  Use your imagination (it’s probably not near as funny as what really happens when you combine bad traffic and a full bottle of soda…)

Another hour, and I was finally home.

I could probably have run it faster…

Best wishes,

Bryan

Remembering Steve Jobs

What can I say about Steve Jobs that has not already been said?

One of the best things that I can say, and I am sure others have already said this, is that Steve Jobs was always giving to the world.

At a commencement address in 2005, he spoke candidly about death, and how it can be a “great motivator”.  He spoke about looking in the mirror, and asking yourself what you would do if this day was you last?

If I were in Steve Jobs’ position, suffering from a rare form of Pancreatic Cancer and knowing that I only had 3-6 months to live… (he fought and held on for 6 years…) I would try to make MY life as comfortable as possible.

What I believe made Jobs so special is that he chose to make the lives of others more comfortable through the products he introduced.

Many of the devices that Apple released in the last decade have changed OUR lives.  Steve Jobs took the concept of a smart phone, which prior to the release of the iPhone was a product solely marketed as a business tool, and introduced it to the average consumer (more on that in a few moments…)

He did the same thing with the iPad.  Panasonic had dabbled in tablets, marketing them toward doctors and engineers.  Steve Jobs reinvented the tablet, and made it appeal to the average consumer, who could use it to read books, surf the web, and watch movies.

The iPod in particular improved my quality of life.  I love having access to my entire catalog of music at the push of a button.  And while I now carry all of my music on an Android device (because I don’t want to fill my pocket with too much gear), his influence is still felt, since I have my entire music catalog on my phone.  That was a concept that was pioneered by Steve Jobs during one of his keynote addresses: a phone, a music device, and a web browser in one!

I firmly believe that Steve Jobs made my life more comfortable over the past decade, either directly or indirectly (by forcing other companies to enter the market and compete).  And if he looked in the mirror and said that if this day was his last, he would do everything in his power to make that day more comfortable for others, then that is something we should all aspire to.

Thank you Steve Jobs, for making my world a more comfortable place.  Your vision and genius will be sorely missed.

Sincerely,

Bryan

A Great Loss

I was sitting, using my computer a few minutes ago, when I heard the news that Steve Jobs has passed away.

My condolences go out to his friends, family, and everyone in his company, Apple.

I find comfort in the fact that his legacy will go on for now…  Despite Tim Cook’s keynote address, introducing the world to the next model I-Phone, the next few years will continue to feature products envisioned by Steve Jobs.

Rest in peace Steve Jobs…

Sincerely,

Bryan

Top 10 Guitarists

I was listening to the song “Home” by Dream Theater this morning, and it got me thinking: Who would I choose if I were putting together a list of the top 10 guitarists?

10.  Richie Sambora – The 12-string riff on “Wanted Dead or Alive” has to count for something… 

9.  Robert Randolf – I saw him in concert a few years back, and he covered Hendrix on a steel pedal guitar!!!  Anyone who can do THAT deserves to be on any list!

8.  Eric Clapton

7.  Slash – Like number 10, I am partially basing this one on riffs.  However, Slash was one of my inspirations for learning to play guitar.  When I was young, Guns ‘n Roses had some great guitar driven songs.

6.  Keith Richards – The rhythm guitarist for the Rolling Stones is responsible for some of the most recognizable riffs in rock history.  Some people would say that Ronnie Wood is the better guitar player, but I was watching a Stones concert on TV a few days ago, and Keith just has this style of playing that is almost effortless.  It was amazing to see him make playing the guitar look so easy…

5.  Eddie Van Halen

4.  The Edge (U2) – The Edge has a very interesting style of playing.  I can associate with his style because like me, he is more interested in tone and effects than in the amount of notes. 

He has a very distinct (pre-Achtung Baby) sound which was more of a clean and ringing tone with lots of delay, and a distinct (post-Achtung Baby sound), which is more distorted, with lots of sustain, but still manages to maintain hints of that classic U2 sound.

3.  Jimi Hendrix – “…Cause I’m a voodoo child, yeah!!!”  ‘Nuff said.

2.  Stevie Ray Vaughn – Stevie said in interviews that he could not read music, so he learned to play simply by feel.  Easily, the best blues guitarist of all time, Stevie played his guitar hard, with a lot of passion.  Now, what is interesting about that is that he played an electric guitar with .13 gauge strings, and his fingers would typically start bleeding halfway though a set, and he would just keep playing.

(Also… the man covered Hendrix, and Robert Randolf said (in an interview on the 2010 Crossroads DVD) that Stevie’s version of Voodoo Child was better.

1. John Petrucci – Probably the most versatile guitarist on this list.  As the lead guitarist for Dream Theater, Petrucci has played some incredible axe shredding solos.  However, he is also very skilled in jazz and classical guitar styles, as demonstrated on his live album with Jordan Rudess. 

Note: I have not put explanations for some of the more obvious choices because their music speaks for itself.

As always, feel free to comment and let me know your opinions (or if I left anyone out that you fell should have been included…)

Best wishes,

Bryan

The Man in the Black Turtleneck

We should have seen this coming, but when Steve Jobs announced his retirement, I was still shocked. 

Steve Jobs retired yesterday due to ongoing health concerns.  I am left wondering how the company will continue without him.

Needless to say, his successor has some big shoes to fill.  I mean: we are talking about a man who has (despite growing health concerns) always put on a cheerful face as he took the stage to tell us about the gadgets we couldn’t live without.

Steve Jobs really was a pioneer.  If my memory serves correctly, I think he was a co-founder of Pixar with John Lasseter.  He founded Apple, which has completely changed our lives in the past 10 years.  He introduced us to such revolutionary devices as the IPhone, and the IPad.  THIS GUY MADE TABLETS COOL!!!

Also, give the man credit for taking a company made the crappy Apple IIgs which we despised in our school days, and turning it around.  Now Apple makes the best products in their class.

Think about that: the IPhone is standard by which other smart phones are compared.  Apple makes the most revolutionary laptops.  The IPod is STILL the best MP3 player nearly a decade after Steve Jobs introduced it. 

I feel like the magic will fade as Steve Jobs makes fewer public appearances.

I wish Steve Jobs well, and hope that we continue to see him in a limited capacity (keynote address for IPhone 5 please…)

Best wishes,

Bryan