Don't Fake The Funk

I Got Knicks Tickets

For Valentine's Day!!! Woooooooooohoooo. Beth is awesome.

Ang Lee Bashing

Super Veggie Bowl

Beth and I are having a superbowl party today with her sister and her sister's husband. She and I just came back from Stop & Shop and for the first twenty minutes we were there, we didn't pick up any meat. Just vegetables. It was kind of strange, especially compared to every other cart in the supermarket around us that was stacked with beef and pork chops and chicken. We did finally pick up chicken.

Thank goodness for meat.

Wirelessness

I was riding a downtown bus last night scanning for wireless networks with my laptop. You would not believe how many wireless networks are out there with no encryption, no security whatsoever.

1. The most common SSID is "linksys."
2. The second-most common SSID is "default."
3. The most common WEP key is whatever the SSID is.
4. The second-most common WEP key is whatever the SSID is with 123 added to the end of it.

Some wireless networks I found obviously belong to companies, and even those don't have security. And when they do, see #4 on that list above. It's crazy. The personal networks I found had some interesting names through which I can glean the personality of the people that set them up.

• linksys - Best Buy employee that stole a wireless router from the stock room.
• default - ditto, but Circuit City.
• homeydog - white dude from the midwest "getting down" with city life.
• ayconjo - a yuppy from the Dominican Republic.
• FBINET33147 - dude that watches 24 way too much and/or a wannabe secret agent.*
• slicknickunit - young stockbroker from Bensonhurst that wants to be able to watch porn on the balcony.
• allisonmccraw - Allison McCraw, who connected her DSL hard drive to the modemthingy all by herself because she's an independent and strong woman and she doesn't need men to help her with house repairs or techmology!
• pythagorea - high school math teacher
• dragonroar - fat dude with questionable personal hygiene habits who set up the wireless network for his new Alienware laptop because he resents being interrupted while playing his MMORPG when he feels like "dropping the kids off at the pool."
• arwenthefair - ditto, but female.
• eyegotbeatz - this kid hasn't bought a music CD since 1996.

There's free wireless internet all over NYC, folks! Now if only the damn bus wouldn't keep moving so fast so I could take advantage of it. I think tomorrow I'll drive around Staten Island just to see what funny network names I can find.

* This could quite possibly be me or my brother.

-- edit

My brother commented that these SSID's are just like AIM or Yahoo screen names. He's right, but they're worse. People create screen names to symbolize what they want to convey to other people about their personality on the internet. Network SSID's symbolize what they think of themselves. Or in this case, what I think of them. Heh.

The Only Reason Why I'd Wish I Was 18 Again...

College basketball. I love college basketball.

Watching college basketball makes me miss my playing days. Sure, there are all these leagues I could join now, but there's nothing like being on a team where everybody's willing to sacrifice for the common goal. Even winning all those championships in the NY Urban League isn't as fulfilling as a two-day tournament road trip.

The cats I used to run with in the streets used to say I was a better baller inside a gym than on the asphalt. That's definitely true. I've never been a street-baller. I've always enjoyed basketball more when there was a purpose and a plan with every possession. That's not to say I can't recover from a broken play, but the beauty of college basketball is that even if that happens, you know your teammates well enough, and they know you well enough, that everyone will know where to be and what to do regardless. I compare basketball to speed chess, where you have to keep strategy in mind while at the same time be able to react quickly and decisively.

I even miss practice. I miss layup drills, running the three man weave. I even miss doing suicides. I'm like the anti-Allan Iverson.

On some level I'm glad I was never good enough to make it to the NBA. Sure the money would have been awesome, and the lifestyle would have been insane. But I know myself. Somewhere along the line, the business side of the NBA would have killed my love for the game. So if you asked me what I'd choose between making millions playing professional basketball or reminiscing about my college playing days, you know the answer.

Fuck that. I'd take the money. A g gotta eat.