I’ve been seeing a lot of commercials lately that take hits at the competitors of the advertisers.  It’s a bit annoying and really turns me off to these people/organizations – after all, shouldn’t the focus be on what makes you good rather than what makes them bad?  Since when did bashing the opposition become the trend du jour?  I don’t like that approach and lose a lot of respect for those who choose that way of promoting themselves.

Have you seen those commercials?  I’m thinking of the Audi one during the Olympics where they talk about how for every friendly competition, there is a second best, the ones who don’t quite get the honor and are overshadowed.  Then they say that their “friends” at BMW know exactly how that feels.  Why couldn’t they just stick with their message of superior engineering?  There’s also the Verizon ones that make fun of AT&T’s supposed sparse coverage map (the speed skater themed one where the guy with Verizon coverage gets an edge over the guy with AT&T’s coverage and the sports one where the guy with a Verizon map blocks the view of the TV, but the guy with a AT&T map doesn’t interfere with game-watching).  Then there’s the Meg Whitman vs. Steve Poizner series, of which I found the attacks against Poizner, but couldn’t track down the ones against Whitman.  There’s also the Time Warner Cable one where the guy is sitting on his porch and his satellite signal goes out.  I think that’s directed towards DirectTV.

In any case, you can see that there is no shortage of commercials on the air now that bash away at one company while promoting another.  I believe that there are better ways to do it.  I’m personally not a fan of such actions, so I think I’ll avoid Audis, Verizon, Meg or Steve, and Time Warner as much as possible.  If they’re good enough in other aspects, I may not ignore them completely, but if there aren’t that great to begin with… forget about gaining a loyal customer!  Those commercials just rubbed me the wrong way.

There are a lot of games out there that are easy to get addicted to.  As a relaxant, I like to spend my nights playing games to wind down from busy days.  Recently the games of interest have been Trism and Doodle Jump, both of which are apparently hugely popular and have quite the following.  I played so much that the muscles I use to hold up my iPhone have gotten sore.  It makes me wonder if the skills I learn in these games help hone me for other areas of life.  Both physically and mentally, I have exercised myself in ways I don’t normally.

These two games require a lot of subtle wrist movements, which could either be good for more flexibility and agility, or create issues of range of motion and maybe even carpal tunnel-like syndrome.  They also work out your thumbs a lot, which has made mine sore and probably a bit swollen too.  Is it good for our hands, wrists, and fingers to get so much use?  Perhaps I have strengthened them in using them so much.  Plus, holding my hands vertically up puts them in a position they usually aren’t in.  I wonder if that helps with anything!

As for mental challenges, Trism forces me to think in three dimensions (versus two for Bejeweled).  Sometimes the angles throw you off from seeing easy combos, so it really makes you look at the big picture and recognize patterns better.  I like to play Infinism because you have plenty of time to strategize.  Playing Terminism puts the pressure on to find combinations quickly, forcing you to be quick on your feet.  Then Syllogism gives you fun puzzles to solve patiently, also practicing your critical thinking skills.  Doodle Jump makes you take in the big picture and quickly make important decisions on which way to go and what block to land on.  It forces you to learn how to do your best within a specific framework.

If you own an iPhone or iPod Touch and want some fun games, go check them out!  They’re not free, but for a dollar, it’s not a bad investment!  But beware, for they are fabulously addicting.

An endless source of interesting sightings.

Two of the three main types of emergency responders.

Well, this was obviously an import! It's still got its European license plate!

We got stuck in traffic when the protesters decided to march across the intersection during the green light.

This fire truck apparently couldn't just park behind the cars lined up by the curb and had to take up its own lane.

A beautiful sunset along the Thai coast as I hitched a ride from Patong Beach back to Phuket Town. You can read about that story here.

After watching the Winter Olympics this year, I truly believe that part of the judging should include a new, universal field: sportsmanship.  After all, it’s not just supposed to be about competing for medals – there’s a reason it’s called the Olympic games.  Emphasis on the fun-loving part that is just supposed to bring out the best in everyone.  It’s meant to be a coming together of the elite athletes of the world for some friendly competition.  However, some countries take it far too seriously and see it as a matter of international acclaim and national pride.

Whatever happened to sportsmanship?  A pat on the back, shaking of hands, or word of congratulations when the competition is over wouldn’t kill you.  And even when the going is tough and everything sucks, you should save your prissy whining for behind the scenes.  Or better yet, take your grudges and make some positive change out of it.  But when people show their nasty sides on camera, it leaves an indelible impression that overshadows much of their positive aspects and achievements.

Mostly I’m referring to Plushenko, the biggest twerp I’ve ever seen on the international stage.  There have been plenty of idiots, bigots, and the like, but none quite like Evgeni Plushenko.  Though he is undoubtedly a skilled figure skater, because of his rude behavior and cockiness, I can’t help but remember his performance as subpar.  Then again, his performance wasn’t all that great anyway.  Sure, he had one fancy trick, but that doesn’t make him better overall.  I think the Russians are the only ones who think he should have won gold.  But anyways, what really bothered me about him was that he only cared about winning and had such an inflated head, I’m surprised he fit in the arena at all.  There’s confidence and then there’s arrogance.  Oh, and there’s also blatant rudeness when you claim to have won the platinum medal.  Excuse me?!  Way to disrespect the judges, your fellow skaters, and the Olympics at large all at once.  For that, he doesn’t deserve any medal at all.

The other thing I was bothered about was actually Joannie Rochette’s behavior off the ice.  Sure she’s had a tough couple of weeks after losing her mother, but manners shouldn’t escape her.  For her performances, she definitely held herself together well and her emotion afterwards was touching.  All was well until I saw her taking a picture with Mirai Nagasu back stage.  She didn’t even smile, stood awkwardly, and rushed off as soon as she could, even as Mirai was thanking her.  That sort of coldness was completely uncalled for, especially with a young girl who probably looked up to her.  On the ice she handled her mother’s death with grace.  Off the ice, she was an ice queen.  Small move, but it shattered any sort of image I had of her before.

Oh, and of course there was the celebration that the Canadian women’s hockey team had that raised many eyebrows.  Another consideration when the world’s eyes are on you and hordes of young men and women look up to these athletes.  I think it’s important that they carry themselves with grace.  It’s not easy to be them, but the trade-off of being in the spotlight is the scrutiny you come under.  If you’re not ready to handle it, perhaps you’re not ready to be a household name.  So, in an attempt to encourage better behavior and actually acting like role models, I really think the Olympics should implement a scoring system that includes sportsmanship, covering everything from not doping or cheating to holding yourself gracefully and respectfully.

Maybe Asada just doesn't smile, but she sure doesn't look all that pleased. Nevertheless, she remained poised.

I’d say Kim Yu-Na and Mao Asada were great examples of this, for instance.  Even though Asada didn’t win gold and it was obvious her silver didn’t make her very happy, she accepted it gracefully, without any fuss.  And of course, Kim, the shining star, was a poised gentlewoman the whole way through.  Some Olympians could really learn a thing or two from them.

When I was a kid, I used to call the days when rain would come and go very quickly “zebra days.” Much like the stripes of a zebra, the dark would quickly be followed by light and then dark again. This spotty weather fascinated me, so I just had to take some pictures when it happened again. We’ve been getting a lot of little storms coming through, apparently due to El Nino, as I’ve been told.

Dark trimmed with glaring light.

Got some precipitation even in seemingly clear patches.

The view through my moonroof.

Quite ominous, isn't it?

Some poufy cotton ball-looking clouds in the "white stripe" zones.

A look at the other performances at Kollaboration last year.  See here for part of the winner’s performance.

I’m feeling really disheartened right now. My iPod Touch was taken yesterday. Though I’m bummed that it’s gone and this coming within 5 weeks of losing my first one, I’m more disappointed that it was not returned, even though it has my name and this website engraved on the back. It should be easy enough to find me, what with a name and website to go by, but I guess whoever took it never intended on returning it. After all, I’d say it’s pretty easy to find me, if you were trying. Whatever happened to nice people who return things to their owners?

I can’t help but hold out hope, but I have received no e-mails, no Facebook messages, no nothing. It’s sad to think the world isn’t as full of good people as I always expected. I’ve grown up sheltered from a lot of the worse side of life and this is a bit of a blow in the face towards my rose-colored glasses view of the world. I guess I will have to dim it a bit now and recognize the reality that there are people in the world who steal and blatantly lie and hurt others.

Thankfully, the information on there isn’t lost since I have a backup on my laptop – I just hope they don’t hack in and get any sensitive information.

It’s almost time for Kollaboration again, so here’s a look back on the winner last year:

See more performances here.

UCLA has a lovely campus and Los Angeles has quite a skyline.

I spotted a blimp and immediately went chasing after it for photos. Turns out the first one was to be the only one. Those things are deceivingly fast!

The wide pathway taking us to the edge of North Campus.

From Broad, we looked over YRL to the areas of Westwood beyond.

Further to the west, you can see the lights of Pauley Pavilion nestled amongst the shadows.

And nearly directly to the west are the res halls upon the Hill, with the ocean somewhere in the distance.

On the east are some buildings that line Wilshire Blvd going towards Beverly Hills.

The gently-illuminated trees create a nice walkway.

These palm trees stand watch in the courtyard by the North Campus center.