News and other tidbits that Chad Cloman finds interesting enough to share
EA Sports publishes the popular Madden NFL video games. Each September, they run a simulation of the upcoming NFL season using the game. Their record is impressive—they’ve picked the correct Superbowl winner seven times in the last 8 years. Note that the linked article, written in September 2010, correctly predicted the Green Bay Packers as the champions.
Link: http://www.wired.com/…
(via Slashdot)
I can’t think of anything that would keep me in an enclosed room at 261° Fahrenheit for 12½ minutes. That’s well above the boiling point of water! Yet Timo Kaukonen did exactly that in order to win the 2007 Sauna World Championship in Finland.
Link: http://sports.espn.go.com/…
(via Neatorama)
The linked site has videos of all the Superbowl commercials. My favorite is the Doritos snow globe.
I don’t know who this guy is, but he can do seemingly impossible things with a Wiffle ball. The video includes footage of a real game, and I feel sorry for the players on the other team—there’s just no way to hit the pitches.
Link: http://www.youtube.com/…
(via digg)
For those Chad’s News readers who’ve been watching the Olympic platform diving competitions, have you ever wondered how the camera manages to keep pace with the diver, even underwater? Turns out the answer is fairly straightforward.
Link: http://online.wsj.com/…
(via Mental Floss)
While it’s still theoretically possible to get an exact 10.0 in Olympic gymnastic competitions, that score would be pretty low for this year’s summer games in China (which start today). Look for the medalists to reach 16 or 17 points. This will be the first Olympics using a new scoring system that was first implemented two years ago.
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/…
(via Slashdot)
Researchers have proven that referees unconsciously favor athletes who wear red. I wonder if this translates into other areas of life?
I don’t know if this photo is for real, but it’s obviously intended to be someone protesting the fact that China will be hosting the 2008 Summer Olympics. For those who don’t understand why the picture is so funny, I suggest the following Google search.
Link: http://lachschon.pcgames.de/…
(via digg)
The extreme spin on the ball causes it to curve back on itself.
I thought this was a joke when I first saw the headline, but I guess it’s for real. The New York Yankees are building a new stadium, and in an effort to curse the team, a construction worker dropped a Red Sox jersey into the concrete while they were pouring. The Yankees found out about it, were able to get an approximate location, and dug up the concrete with jackhammers until they found the shirt—which they promptly removed. Apparently they were quite upset.
Link: http://sports.espn.go.com/…
(via digg)
In celebration of last night’s big game, here are three of my favorite Superbowl ads:
And here’s my top pick for this year, the Budweiser “Rocky” spot.
Taco Bell offered to give away tacos if a base was stolen during the World Series. Well, it happened last night in game two. Go to any Taco Bell on Tuesday, Oct. 30th between 2pm and 5pm and ask for your free taco.
Go Rockies!
Link: http://mlb.mlb.com/…
