In a stunning fashion this past Sunday, June 2nd, The United States managed to defeat Germany 4-3 in an international friendly. This is unthinkable to many in the football world because Germany is ranked 2nd in the FIFA World rankings, and the United States is ranked 29th. So naturally, it is within reason to assume that Germany should have won the match, due to them heavily outranking the United States team by 27 teams. Not many sports analysts predicted this outcome, even with Germany not using it's first squad.
In the thirteenth minute, the United States took the lead with a goal by Jozy Auditore, assisted with a cross by Graham Zusi. Two minutes later, late into the fifteen minute, the US offensive pressured Germany's defense on a goal kick and forced German goalie Marc-Andre ter Stegen to make an error, resulting in an own-goal. The United States were up 2-0 at the half. Arguably, this mistake could be said to be the cause of Germany's loss, because they eventually would come back and score three goals. This would have tied the game 3-3 had it not been for the own goal. This own-goal received backlash on Twitter, when Grant Wahl from Sports Illustrated tweeted:
"Ridiculous own goal by Germany. Decent pressure by US, but that should never happen at this level. 2-0."
A goal is a goal though, and things like this happen in sports all the time. If mistakes like this did not happen, then everyone would be a perfect machine, and there would be no wins; only draws. Soccer is not just a game of skill, it is one of patience. You can't just go score goals, you have to build up to that point, whether it may be playing defensively and then exploding into an all out offensive, or just constantly putting pressure on the ball.
In the second half, Heiko Westermann, a German defender, scored in the fifty-first minute to cut the lead to 2-1. Immediately after, in the fifty-ninth minute, Clint Dempsey volleys a ball from the top of the penalty line to increase the United State's lead to 3-1. Dempsey strikes again in sixty-third minute, with a goal that resulted from cutting out a defender, lining up a shot, and kicking it left-footed uncontested into the German goal. With two goals in the game, Dempsey moved to second on the United State's all time international scoring list, only behind Landon Donovan.
Germany managed to score two more goals before the end of the game, but it was not enough, as the United States held on to win 4-3. This game was only an international friendly though; there are more important matter at hand coming this week, such as the three world cup qualifiers. On June 7, the United States will face Jamaica; on June 11, the US will face Panama; and on the 18th, they will face Honduras. If the United States wins all three matches, they will be guaranteed a spot in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
George's Entertainment Cafe
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Tiger Woods Wins the 2013 Players Tournament
After a long weekend in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, Tiger Woods hoists the trophy for the coveted Players Championship. After shooting 13-under-par for the tournament, and staying under par for each of the 4 rounds of play, Woods was able to win his second Players, his first was won back in 2001. Like many sports events, there was controversy surrounding the win, especially when Woods took a drop on the 14th hole in his Sunday final round. His tee shot hooked left just at a fairway bunker into a lateral water hazard. The issue when taking the drop was whether or not Woods took it where the ball actually went crossed the hazard line, going into the water. NBC commentator Johnny Miller made a comment when Woods was taking the drop stating that he thought he was too far forward from where he should have taken his drop. However, Wood's playing partner on Sunday, Casey Wittenburg, sides with Tiger, saying that they both agreed that he took his drop from where the ball crossed into the hazard.
This was not the only issue to strike Woods during the Player's Championship. On Saturday, while matched with Sergio Garcia, Woods took a 5-wood from his bag on the par-5 second hole to play a high risk shot from a grouping of trees. When Woods retrieved this club, the crowd started to cheer wildly for him. Meanwhile, 50 yards away, Garcia was taking his shot, and made poor contact, resulting in a poor hit. This led Garcia to an unsatisfactory bogey on the par-5 second. After the round concluded, Garcia was interviewed during which he stated that the noise the crowd made did have a negative impact on his shot. He also slightly hinted at the possibility that Tiger Woods instigated the crowd to cause Sergio to make a mistake so that he could have an advantage. Here are the facts though: Brian Nedrich, a marshal that was at the second hole, stated that he himself told Woods that Garcia had in fact hit, allowing him to take his club out. Also, the noise from the crowd was generated right before Garcia's swing finished, specifically during the back swing. This means that he could have stopped his shot from happening, which is feasible during the slow, drawn out back swing.
There is still controversy though, as the head Marshal at the Players for the section of the course Woods was on, John North, told Sports Illustrated that there was zero communication between Woods and the marshals on the course when this incident took place. As with any sport though, there will always be controversy, especially with the most famous players, as they are the ones who are criticized the most when they make a mistake. What happened at the Players may have been a communication problem. It could also have been a purposeful attempt for personal gain for Woods. But at the end of it, Tiger still defeated Garcia by six shots, so one bogey did not make the difference.
This was not the only issue to strike Woods during the Player's Championship. On Saturday, while matched with Sergio Garcia, Woods took a 5-wood from his bag on the par-5 second hole to play a high risk shot from a grouping of trees. When Woods retrieved this club, the crowd started to cheer wildly for him. Meanwhile, 50 yards away, Garcia was taking his shot, and made poor contact, resulting in a poor hit. This led Garcia to an unsatisfactory bogey on the par-5 second. After the round concluded, Garcia was interviewed during which he stated that the noise the crowd made did have a negative impact on his shot. He also slightly hinted at the possibility that Tiger Woods instigated the crowd to cause Sergio to make a mistake so that he could have an advantage. Here are the facts though: Brian Nedrich, a marshal that was at the second hole, stated that he himself told Woods that Garcia had in fact hit, allowing him to take his club out. Also, the noise from the crowd was generated right before Garcia's swing finished, specifically during the back swing. This means that he could have stopped his shot from happening, which is feasible during the slow, drawn out back swing.
There is still controversy though, as the head Marshal at the Players for the section of the course Woods was on, John North, told Sports Illustrated that there was zero communication between Woods and the marshals on the course when this incident took place. As with any sport though, there will always be controversy, especially with the most famous players, as they are the ones who are criticized the most when they make a mistake. What happened at the Players may have been a communication problem. It could also have been a purposeful attempt for personal gain for Woods. But at the end of it, Tiger still defeated Garcia by six shots, so one bogey did not make the difference.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Penny Arcade Expo East 2013
George Zoghbi Photography |
George Zoghbi Photography |
Microsoft was showcasing mostly Halo 4 and Dance Central 3. Their booth was conservative, not showing any new games, but it was heavily involving the attendees at PAX by letting those who wait in line a chance to play competitive or social games of Halo 4, and even to take part in a game of Dance Central. I give Microsoft a B grade for it's booth, only because there was nothing entirely new on display, but it did involve crowds of visitors.
George Zoghbi Photography |
George Zoghbi Photography |
George Zoghbi Photography |
Overall, PAX East was a great experience, and was filled with new experiences set to enter the gaming industry later this year. I hope to go again next year and to write a more serious report while equipped with a better camera. I recommend that if you have a chance to go to PAX East, Prime, AUS, or DEV, then you should take that chance instantly, because the experience is incredible.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Oscar Pistorius on trial for the Death of his Girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp
The famous South African track start Oscar Pistorius is standing trial for the death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. The prosecutors are claiming that he murdered her premeditatively, while the defense is claiming that it was an accident, and that Pistorius thought that she was a home intruder taking cover in his bathroom. Pistorius fired 4 shots through the door, 3 of which struck Steenkamp, mortally wounding her. Prosecutor Gerrie Nei is claiming that Pistorius planned this murder and put on his prosthetic legs and went to the bathroom and shot at her, while the defense is arguing that there is no evidence to support the prosecutor’s claims. The chief magistrate of the hearing, Desmond Nair, has charged Pistorius with premeditated murder, which hinders Pistorius’s ability to get bail. The defense is fighting to get bail, promising the court that he would not attempt to flee the country. Bail is property or money given as surety that a person released from custody will return at an appointed time.
The prosecution is making the claim that Pistorius put on his prosthetic legs, walked to the bathroom, and intentionally shot Steenkamp through the door, killing her. The defense, in response, is saying that there was no evidence to say that Pistorius put on his prosthetic legs prior to the shooting. They are claiming that these are false assumptions.
“I tried to render the assistance to Reeva that I could, but she died in my arms,” Pistorius said in his statement, “I am absolutely mortified by the events and the devastating loss of my beloved Reeva.”
Pistorius was well known for his participation in both the Olympic and Paralympic games for South Africa. He made history in London this past summer for being the first double amputee to compete in track and field events. He made it to the 400 meter semi finals.
Reeva Steenkamp graduated from law school, who also had a career in modeling. She was twenty-nine years old.
Sources:
http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2013/02/19/blade-runner-pistorius-appears-in-court-for-bail-hearing-in-alleged-murder/
http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/19/world/africa/south-africa-pistorius-case/index.html?hpt=wo_c1
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21502541
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Do Video Games Influence Youth Violence?
In a world where a parent can easily go buy the latest first person shooter for their child, you may think that games such as Call of Duty or Halo may affect the minds of children due to the excessive amounts of violence present in games such of these. It would make sense too, since one may take experience seen in-game and apply them to the real world, which may cause dire consequences. Allegedly, the shooters from Columbine were influenced by violent video games. Do these games have a similar effect on all teens though? Do violent video games cause teens to go out and commit crimes because of what they view in them? Here is a graph of a correlation between video game sales and youth violence:
Source : http://videogames.procon.org/files/youthviolencevideogamechart.jpg
This chart graphs video game sales in the United States vs. incidents of serious youth violence. In the case of youth violence, it has steadily declined from 1996 due to the increased amount of video game sales.
So in actuality, it appears that video games do not influence youth violence in a negative way. They appear to decrease it. This may be because instead of going out and breaking the law, youth have a chance to relieve their anger with the use of recreational gaming. This makes sense; instead of going out and hurting someone, a kid can just load up their favorite first person shooter and "kill" virtual people with no repercussions that would affect their life.
Let's look at the sales of violent video games in the past 10 years now to see if there is a correlation:
This graph shows that the crime rate started to decrease when popular titles such as Doom series and the Grand Theft Auto series started to become released. This further more shows that violent video games may actually be a remedy for violent crimes instead of instigating them. The media constantly claims that violence in video games only cause problems, but no evidence is ever given showing that they cause people to commit crimes. The shooters at Columbine, Virginia Tech, and recently in Newtown just happened to be known to play violent video games. This shouldn't be a surprise, since 68% of American households are involved with either pc games or console games. Therefore, you can not tie violent video games to three separate incidents because such a vast amount of people are involved with gaming. You're always going to have outliers, so accurately you can not come up with a conclusion that they do influence the youth to commit crimes.
If anything helps with the situation, it is that a child that is younger than 17 can't purchase an M rated game without a parent present. This enables the content given to the child to be controlled so that it doesn't become a problem. If a parent does not want their child exposed to it, then they can simply choose to not buy the game for them.
Source:
http://www.theesa.com/facts/gameplayer.asp
http://www.webpronews.com/nearly-70-percent-of-us-households-play-video-games-2009-06
ESRB
Source : http://videogames.procon.org/files/youthviolencevideogamechart.jpg
This chart graphs video game sales in the United States vs. incidents of serious youth violence. In the case of youth violence, it has steadily declined from 1996 due to the increased amount of video game sales.
So in actuality, it appears that video games do not influence youth violence in a negative way. They appear to decrease it. This may be because instead of going out and breaking the law, youth have a chance to relieve their anger with the use of recreational gaming. This makes sense; instead of going out and hurting someone, a kid can just load up their favorite first person shooter and "kill" virtual people with no repercussions that would affect their life.
Let's look at the sales of violent video games in the past 10 years now to see if there is a correlation:
This graph shows that the crime rate started to decrease when popular titles such as Doom series and the Grand Theft Auto series started to become released. This further more shows that violent video games may actually be a remedy for violent crimes instead of instigating them. The media constantly claims that violence in video games only cause problems, but no evidence is ever given showing that they cause people to commit crimes. The shooters at Columbine, Virginia Tech, and recently in Newtown just happened to be known to play violent video games. This shouldn't be a surprise, since 68% of American households are involved with either pc games or console games. Therefore, you can not tie violent video games to three separate incidents because such a vast amount of people are involved with gaming. You're always going to have outliers, so accurately you can not come up with a conclusion that they do influence the youth to commit crimes.
If anything helps with the situation, it is that a child that is younger than 17 can't purchase an M rated game without a parent present. This enables the content given to the child to be controlled so that it doesn't become a problem. If a parent does not want their child exposed to it, then they can simply choose to not buy the game for them.
Source:
http://www.theesa.com/facts/gameplayer.asp
http://www.webpronews.com/nearly-70-percent-of-us-households-play-video-games-2009-06
ESRB
Monday, December 3, 2012
Intel vs. AMD : Do Specs matter?
In computers, you can have your choice of different processors in your build. The two main companies that create the most popular and widely used processors are Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Intel. Intel was founded in 1968 and created its first microprocessor in 1971. AMD was founded in 1969 and focused mostly on the graphics industry before turning to create processors. Both companies have been around for about the same amount of time, but it seems that Intel has the edge in technology because they created their first cpu years before AMD did. Here are benchmarks of AMD and Intel cpus under a heavy load during gaming:
It is surprising to see the pentium G860 and G630 preform better than the brand new FX processors that AMD has released this year, which are supposed to operate efficiently while gaming since they also feature built-in graphics processing.
The best processor from the benchmarks made by AMD was the Phenom II X6 1090T. It is a six core, 3.2 GHz processor with a 6 megabyte L3 cache. The large cache anticipates data requests so that the processing instructions can be made without delay.
It seems that Intel creates the better processors, and that can be correlated to how they have been making them longer than AMD has. Either way, both companies are welll renouned for their computer technology and one must find the best product that fits their needs- AMD processors tend to be cheaper but still compare to Intel processors. However, the expensive Intel processors have the peace of mind of a company that has been around longer.
~George
Sources:
Intel.com
AMD.com
Tomshardware.com
WiseGeek.com
It is surprising to see the pentium G860 and G630 preform better than the brand new FX processors that AMD has released this year, which are supposed to operate efficiently while gaming since they also feature built-in graphics processing.
The best processor from the benchmarks made by AMD was the Phenom II X6 1090T. It is a six core, 3.2 GHz processor with a 6 megabyte L3 cache. The large cache anticipates data requests so that the processing instructions can be made without delay.
It seems that Intel creates the better processors, and that can be correlated to how they have been making them longer than AMD has. Either way, both companies are welll renouned for their computer technology and one must find the best product that fits their needs- AMD processors tend to be cheaper but still compare to Intel processors. However, the expensive Intel processors have the peace of mind of a company that has been around longer.
~George
Sources:
Intel.com
AMD.com
Tomshardware.com
WiseGeek.com
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Facebook Hacks?
Recently, I have
been bombarded by requests to join an event on Facebook called "Color My
Facebook". The event claims that if you join it, then you would be able to
actually change the color of the facebook layout. I've been getting about fifteen
of these every day for the past week. Many people claim that it is a hack.
However, this is not the case. According
to Ryan Butler, (http://butlerjournalism.blogspot.com/),
“Both Facebook and other social
networks like Twitter have Dev API's that allow third parties access to account
details. The respectable ones will display an option (Facebook forces this
option for all account access scripts, but not browser-embed scripts). Twitter
runs account scripts without confirmation.” What this
means is that by clicking on these events, you give a third party that is not
Facebook access to your account, which in turn is used to send more invites to
all of your Facebook friends. It is like a virus. When I asked Ryan if
resetting my password would simply fix the problem, he added: “Not entirely. Once you click the link, you allow access to your
account. This access doesn't go away when changing your password. I believe
there is some way to view your allowed accass and disable it, though. Check
apps and privacy settings. Twitter is hopeless though, I think. Changing the
password MAY fix the issue but I don't know enough about how their API works.”
Essentially, the only way to not become affected by this “virus” is to not click on the links or the event. Simply declining the invite is enough. You need to be informed and vigilant when dealing with links on the internet. You should make sure to click on links to verified websites to avoid problems like this.
Essentially, the only way to not become affected by this “virus” is to not click on the links or the event. Simply declining the invite is enough. You need to be informed and vigilant when dealing with links on the internet. You should make sure to click on links to verified websites to avoid problems like this.
Now, there is a way to
actually change the color of your Facebook though. In order to do this, you
will need Google Chrome and a Facebook account. While on Chrome, access the Web
Store to install extensions and apps. Extensions are computer programs that
extend the functionality of a web browser in some way. The extension we
are looking for is located right here: Color My Facebook.
Install the extension, and now you can change the color of your Facebook layout! I prefer this color changer extension over others due to its working color picker which other lack. I
hope you take my advice and I hope you learned from this entry, thank you for
reading.
Install the extension, and now you can change the color of your Facebook layout! I prefer this color changer extension over others due to its working color picker which other lack.
~George
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