The best new feature in the new iOS 4.2 update has to be Airplay. I don't have Apple TV (so I can't stream video) but we do have an Airport Express hooked up to our receiver. It was (and is) great for playing iTunes through the house, but with Airplay we can now play almost any audio app through our "good" speakers, including Pandora, Public Radio, and Concert Vault. Concert Vault in particular has a pretty substantial library of live recordings (I haven't really explored it before today) and tonight my baking soundtrack was some live Clash from 1981.

Also, this seems to be changing our thinking of what a remote control could (or should) be. Perhaps the future of TV & entertainment center remotes will just be your iPad/iPhone or something similar, and less like the button-crazy remotes of today (like Sony's controller for Google TV).

No opposition to expanded playoff plan (ESPN)

So baseball wants to add two more wild-card teams to the playoffs?

Commissioner Bud Selig's plan to expand baseball's playoffs to 10 teams gained a sense of inevitability after little to no opposition emerged during meetings this week with owners and general managers... "Eight is a very fair number but so is 10."

Well, by that logic maybe 12 is also fair. Hell, why not 14? Let's just take a page from NHL's playbook and put about half of all teams in the playoffs. (I'm just not comfortable seeing hockey in June...or baseball in November.)

Baseball's season is long enough. After 162 games, if a team isn't one of the top 4 in the league, then sorry: see you next year. I wouldn't have been comfortable if the 2010 Red Sox made the playoffs (which, under this new system, they would have) — a third-place team has no business making a run for the World Series, even if it is "my" team.

Years and years (and years) ago my brother & friend used to make fun of trials riders and their stupid little hopping around "tricks." Today, trials rider Danny MacAskill is easily one of the best riders I've ever seen.

There's a new video of him, and not only does it feature some of the most amazing bike control you'll ever witness (the dude will rockwalk drop-in off of anything!) but it's beautifully shot and edited.

Dear politicians: please stop being idiots and get something done. (Yeah, I know it's wishful thinking...)

I Believe I Can Fly (NY Times)

"98 climate scientists out of 100 will tell you that man's continued carbon emissions pose the risk of disruptive climate change this century. Two out of 100 will tell you it doesn't. And "conservatives" today tell you to bet on the two. If the climate-deniers are right — but we combat climate change anyway — we'll have slightly higher energy prices but cleaner air, more renewable energy, a stronger dollar, more innovative industries and enemies with less money. If the deniers are wrong and we do nothing, your kids will meet the sudden stop at the end."

The Washington Post compared Democratic and Republican tax plans. I don't think any of my friends are in that bottom group, but if they were then I guess I could see why they'd support the Republican plan.

All those kids doing wheelies & skids on fixed-gear bikes need to learn better tricks. Come on, "Quicksilver" was almost 25 years ago!

My friend and all-around good guy Rick MacDonald organized a flatland jam in East Bridgewater this weekend. There was a good turnout of riders (more than I expected) and it was great seeing friends I haven't seen in years, not to mention meet new people.

Of course, I took photos of the riding — highlights can be viewed on Facebook, but I also put all 150+ photos on Shutterfly if you can't get enough.

Great shortcut tip via Daring Fireball for finding menu items on your Mac: use shift+command+/ to get the help menu, then just start typing the name of the menu item you want.

So I'm sitting here — sitting! — reading kottke.org and he points to this:

Phys Ed: The Men Who Stare at Screens

"Men who spent more than 23 hours a week sitting had a 64 percent greater chance of dying from heart disease than those who sat for 11 hours a week or less. What was unexpected was that many of the men who sat long hours and developed heart problems also exercised. Quite a few of them said they did so regularly and led active lifestyles. The men worked out, then sat in cars and in front of televisions for hours, and their risk of heart disease soared, despite the exercise. Their workouts did not counteract the ill effects of sitting."

I guess Homer was right:

I haven't posted here in quite a while, so I'm late to publicly wish my brother and new sister-in-law congratulations on their recent marriage. We all had a lot of fun, I was honored to be part of it, and the kids even took part (hey Jeremy, where's the box with the rings you're supposed to be carrying?).



Also, instead of a first dance, the new couple fittingly rocked out instead: