Bullet
Dark of the Matinee
No You Girls
Evil Eye
Do You Want To
Tell Her Tonight
The Fallen
Fresh Strawberries
Walk Away
Stand on the Horizon
Can't Stop Feeling
Auf Achse
Brief Encounters
Michael
Take Me Out
Love Illumination
This Fire
Outsiders
Right Action
Darts of Pleasure
Ulysses
Goodbye Lovers and Friends
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Links of the Week 4-12-2014
"Third parties seem out of touch with reality, the refuge of idealists with dreams too fragile for the trenches of major party politics. But Democratic skeptics, at least, shouldn’t be too quick to judge. One state is now on the way to single-payer health care, and a third party deserves much of the credit."
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/06/opinion/sunday/as-vermont-goes-so-goes-the-nation.html
This is may all-time second favorite Slashdot interview: "Re:Belize by Anonymous Coward
Whatever happened to your girlfriend Samantha? Why didn't she leave the country with you after running from authorities?
[John] McAfee: Within a few days of my exit from Guatemala she was happily engaged in the monumental task of seducing every male, and female, in Southern Guatemala. It was an extravagant objective and one which, given the population density of the region, had a limited chance of success, I felt. I ran the numbers by her but she tirelessly kept at this task, with no letup. She entertained me throughout with her stories and outrageously effective pickup lines. While she was thus entertaining herself I hired lawyer after lawyer to get her a visa with no success. Ultimately we mutually agreed to abandon the pursuit, whereupon she moved back to Belize and, with perseverance and courage, began the same process with Orange Walk district as her objective. There is some slight probability that she could succeed. After it was over I tattoo’d her name on my back, along with the name of total stranger who I met in the tattoo shop - and who I have not seen since."
http://beta.slashdot.org/story/200403
"The warning about the bug in OpenSSL coincided with the release of version 1.0.1g of the open-source program, which is the default cryptographic library used in the Apache and nginx Web server applications, as well as a wide variety of operating systems and e-mail and instant-messaging clients. The bug, which has resided in production versions of OpenSSL for more than two years, could make it possible for people to recover the private encryption key at the heart of the digital certificates used to authenticate Internet servers and to encrypt data traveling between them and end users. Attacks leave no traces in server logs, so there's no way of knowing if the bug has been actively exploited. Still, the risk is extraordinary, given the ability to disclose keys, passwords, and other credentials that could be used in future compromises."
http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/04/critical-crypto-bug-in-openssl-opens-two-thirds-of-the-web-to-eavesdropping/
One more about Vermont's attempt to start a single-payer health care system:
http://www.vox.com/2014/4/9/5557696/forget-obamacare-vermont-wants-to-bring-single-payer-to-america
"I support the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a physical building. It’s a pleasant structure in which to walk around. There’s a futuristic room where you can lie on the floor and watch videos on a massive TV, and it’s right next to the Great Lakes Science Center (so you can visit both venues without reparking your car). Of course, as an institution, the Rock Hall is totally devoid of meaning. But this is no one’s fault. There’s no way the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame could ever be definitive or authoritative, simply because there’s no shared consensus over what rock music is supposed to do. Say what you will about the Baseball Hall of Fame, but at least we all agree on the point of the game it celebrates. We know that individual success at baseball reflects (a) the ability to generate runs, or (b) the ability to stop an opponent from generating runs. But what is the point of pop music? What constitutes success? Everyone has an opinion, but no one knows for sure. There are players in the Baseball Hall of Fame who might not deserve induction, but I can’t think of a single inductee considered "terrible" by a subset of baseball fans; there are, however, many people (including members of the Rock Hall committee, most notably Dave Marsh) who’d classify Kiss as terrible. So how does one rationalize the canonization of a group that some people don’t even view as satisfactory?"
http://grantland.com/features/chuck-klosterman-kiss-hall-of-fame/
This is pretty cool: "Google is starting to show developers what they need to do to create swappable parts for its upcoming modular smartphones, currently called Project Ara. On Ara's website, it's just posted the Module Developers Kit, which contains the information that manufacturers need to get started creating modular parts."
http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/9/5598622/project-ara-module-development-kit-explains-how-to-make-parts
Vampire Weekend x Danny Brown, Heems, and Despot:
https://soundcloud.com/dope-music-blog/vampire-weekend-ft-danny-brown
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/06/opinion/sunday/as-vermont-goes-so-goes-the-nation.html
This is may all-time second favorite Slashdot interview: "Re:Belize by Anonymous Coward
Whatever happened to your girlfriend Samantha? Why didn't she leave the country with you after running from authorities?
[John] McAfee: Within a few days of my exit from Guatemala she was happily engaged in the monumental task of seducing every male, and female, in Southern Guatemala. It was an extravagant objective and one which, given the population density of the region, had a limited chance of success, I felt. I ran the numbers by her but she tirelessly kept at this task, with no letup. She entertained me throughout with her stories and outrageously effective pickup lines. While she was thus entertaining herself I hired lawyer after lawyer to get her a visa with no success. Ultimately we mutually agreed to abandon the pursuit, whereupon she moved back to Belize and, with perseverance and courage, began the same process with Orange Walk district as her objective. There is some slight probability that she could succeed. After it was over I tattoo’d her name on my back, along with the name of total stranger who I met in the tattoo shop - and who I have not seen since."
http://beta.slashdot.org/story/200403
"The warning about the bug in OpenSSL coincided with the release of version 1.0.1g of the open-source program, which is the default cryptographic library used in the Apache and nginx Web server applications, as well as a wide variety of operating systems and e-mail and instant-messaging clients. The bug, which has resided in production versions of OpenSSL for more than two years, could make it possible for people to recover the private encryption key at the heart of the digital certificates used to authenticate Internet servers and to encrypt data traveling between them and end users. Attacks leave no traces in server logs, so there's no way of knowing if the bug has been actively exploited. Still, the risk is extraordinary, given the ability to disclose keys, passwords, and other credentials that could be used in future compromises."
http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/04/critical-crypto-bug-in-openssl-opens-two-thirds-of-the-web-to-eavesdropping/
One more about Vermont's attempt to start a single-payer health care system:
http://www.vox.com/2014/4/9/5557696/forget-obamacare-vermont-wants-to-bring-single-payer-to-america
"I support the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a physical building. It’s a pleasant structure in which to walk around. There’s a futuristic room where you can lie on the floor and watch videos on a massive TV, and it’s right next to the Great Lakes Science Center (so you can visit both venues without reparking your car). Of course, as an institution, the Rock Hall is totally devoid of meaning. But this is no one’s fault. There’s no way the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame could ever be definitive or authoritative, simply because there’s no shared consensus over what rock music is supposed to do. Say what you will about the Baseball Hall of Fame, but at least we all agree on the point of the game it celebrates. We know that individual success at baseball reflects (a) the ability to generate runs, or (b) the ability to stop an opponent from generating runs. But what is the point of pop music? What constitutes success? Everyone has an opinion, but no one knows for sure. There are players in the Baseball Hall of Fame who might not deserve induction, but I can’t think of a single inductee considered "terrible" by a subset of baseball fans; there are, however, many people (including members of the Rock Hall committee, most notably Dave Marsh) who’d classify Kiss as terrible. So how does one rationalize the canonization of a group that some people don’t even view as satisfactory?"
http://grantland.com/features/chuck-klosterman-kiss-hall-of-fame/
This is pretty cool: "Google is starting to show developers what they need to do to create swappable parts for its upcoming modular smartphones, currently called Project Ara. On Ara's website, it's just posted the Module Developers Kit, which contains the information that manufacturers need to get started creating modular parts."
http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/9/5598622/project-ara-module-development-kit-explains-how-to-make-parts
Vampire Weekend x Danny Brown, Heems, and Despot:
https://soundcloud.com/dope-music-blog/vampire-weekend-ft-danny-brown
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
They Might Be Giants at the Egyptian Theater, Boise
Some thoughts:
1. The Egyptian is a pretty cool place to go see a concert. You can stand up front and dance if you want, or just chill in your seat. Either way, probably no one will spill beer on you.
2. The opener was a folky kind of act called Vandaveer, from D.C. They are really very good.
And a setlist:
Icky
New York City
Call You Mom
"Battle for the Planet of the Apes"
The Guitar
You're on Fire
Nanobots
(The rest of the show was the entire 'Flood' album, in reverse order:)
Road Movie to Berlin
They Might Be Giants
Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love
Women and Men
Hot Cha
Whistling in the Dark
Letterbox
Minimum Wage
Hearing Aid
Someone Keeps Moving My Chair
We Want a Rock
Twisting
Particle Man
Your Racist Friend
Dead
Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
Lucky Ball and Chain
Birdhouse in Your Soul
Intro
(encore:)
Tesla
Dr. Worm
1. The Egyptian is a pretty cool place to go see a concert. You can stand up front and dance if you want, or just chill in your seat. Either way, probably no one will spill beer on you.
2. The opener was a folky kind of act called Vandaveer, from D.C. They are really very good.
And a setlist:
Icky
New York City
Call You Mom
"Battle for the Planet of the Apes"
The Guitar
You're on Fire
Nanobots
(The rest of the show was the entire 'Flood' album, in reverse order:)
Road Movie to Berlin
They Might Be Giants
Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love
Women and Men
Hot Cha
Whistling in the Dark
Letterbox
Minimum Wage
Hearing Aid
Someone Keeps Moving My Chair
We Want a Rock
Twisting
Particle Man
Your Racist Friend
Dead
Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
Lucky Ball and Chain
Birdhouse in Your Soul
Intro
(encore:)
Tesla
Dr. Worm
Monday, May 27, 2013
Arctic Monkeys @ The Knitting Factory, Boise
Do I Wanna Know
R U Mine?
Dancing Shoes
Brianstorm
Brick By Brick
Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair
Evil Twin
Old Yellow Bricks
That's Where You're Wrong
Crying Lightning
Pretty Visitors
Do Me a Favor
She's Thunderstorms
View From the Afternoon
Fake Tales of San Francisco
I Bet That You Look Good on the Dance Floor
Suck It and See
encore:
The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala
Florescent Adolescent
505
R U Mine?
Dancing Shoes
Brianstorm
Brick By Brick
Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair
Evil Twin
Old Yellow Bricks
That's Where You're Wrong
Crying Lightning
Pretty Visitors
Do Me a Favor
She's Thunderstorms
View From the Afternoon
Fake Tales of San Francisco
I Bet That You Look Good on the Dance Floor
Suck It and See
encore:
The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala
Florescent Adolescent
505
Setlist for Brother Ali at Treefort, 24 March 2013
Watcha Got
Need a Knot
Bitchslap!
Mourning in America
Truth Is
Only Life I Know
Fajr
Stop the Press
Babygirl
Freedom Ain't Free
Uncle Sam Goddamn
Us
Walking Away
Forest Whitiker
Tightrope
Good Lord
Blah Blah Blah
Self Taught
Take Me Home
Letter to My Countrymen
Need a Knot
Bitchslap!
Mourning in America
Truth Is
Only Life I Know
Fajr
Stop the Press
Babygirl
Freedom Ain't Free
Uncle Sam Goddamn
Us
Walking Away
Forest Whitiker
Tightrope
Good Lord
Blah Blah Blah
Self Taught
Take Me Home
Letter to My Countrymen
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
The Cube, latest iteration
372 total
46 Red:
lava spike
genju of the spire
burst lightning
tarfire
lightning bolt
magma jet
incinerate
lash out
smash to smithereens
ancient grudge
arc lightning
staggershock
threaten
pillage
manabarbs
incindiary command
wildfire
fireblast
chandra nalaar
banefire
kaervek's torch
gorilla shaman
grim lavamancer
kird ape
magus of the scroll
spikeshot elder
keldon marauders
hearth kami
blood knight
tin-street hooligan
dwarven blastminer
hellspark elemental
sulfur elemental
ball lightning
taurean mauler
jaya ballard
fire imp
cunning sparkmage
avalanche riders
flame-tongue kavu
obsidian fireheart
goblin ruinblaster
hunted dragon
siege-gang commander
flameblast dragon
greater gargadon
45 Green:
naturalize
rancor
giant growth
sprout swarm
moment's peace
edge of autumn
sylvan library
call of the herd
elephant guide
krosan grip
gift of the gargantuan
moldervine cloak
stonewood invocation
mwonvuli acid moss
harmonize
garruk
primal command
roar of the wurm
momentous fall
summoning trap
basking rootwalla
birds of paradise
llanowar elves
scattershot archer
sakura-tribe elder
silhana ledgewalker
tarmogoyf
thornweald archer
vinelasher kudzu
wild mongrel
carven caryatid
dosan the falling leaf
eternal witness
sex monkeys
yavimaya elder
blastoderm
chameleon colussus
phantom centaur
indrik stomphowler
kodama of the north tree
acidic slime
cloudthresher
nacatl war pride
pelakka wurm
krosan tusker
46 White:
condemn
swords to plowshares
tithe
path to exile
orim's chant
momentary blink
temporal isolation
disenchant
balance
sacred mesa
oblivion ring
griffin guide
spectral procession
faith's fetters
worship
armaggedon
wrath of god
ajani goldmane
martial coup
akrasan squire
burrenton forge-tender
goldmeadow harrier
isamaru
soul warden
suntail hawk
kami of ancient law
knight of meadowgrain
silver knight
white knight
stoneforge mystic wall of omens
aven riftwatcher
cloudchaser kestrel
descendant of kiyomaro
pianna, nomad captain
kor sanctifiers
academy rector
ranger of eos
calciderm
voice of all
cloudgoat ranger
mageta the lion
reveillark
baneslayer angel
reya dawnbringer
akroma, angel of wrath
46 Blue:
brainstorm
ponder
mystical tutor
stifle
counterspell
daze
remove soul
impulse
into the roil
negate
standstill
frantic search
capsize
oona's grace
circular logic
tinker
psionic blast
jace beleren
forbid
cryptic command
fact or fiction
mystical teachings
gush
force of will
mind control
upheaval
confiscate
future sight
recall
aquameoba
thought courier
waterfront bouncer
man-o-war
serendib efreet
trinket mage
vendillion clique
sea gate oracle
ninja of the deep hours
thieving magpie
venser, shaper savant
aeon chronicler
ethersworn adjudicator
mulldrifter
guile
palinchron
inkwell leviathan
44 Black:
slaughter pact
dark ritual
duress
entomb
executioner's capsule
bitterblossom
demonic tutor
diabolic edict
exhume
smother
animate dead
nameless inversion
hymn to tourach
sudden death
dead reckoning
phyrexian arena
makeshift mannequin
vigor mortis
damnation
hatred
liliana vess
mind twist
profane command
vampire lacerator
guul draz vampire
black knight
dark confidant
order of the ebon hand
mesmeric fiend
oona's prowler
withered wretch
bloodthrone vampire
vampire hexmage
faerie macabre
hypnotic specter
stinkweed imp
vampire nighthawk
faceless butcher
grinning demon
mirri, the cursed
nekrataal
puppeteer clique
evil eye of urborg
malakir bloodwitch
shriekmaw
dread
avatar of woe
31 Gold:
r/g:
rumbling slum
fires of yavimaya
bloodbraid elf
g/w:
armadillo cloak
loxodon hierarch
quasali pridemage
w/u:
iridescent angel
kiss of the amesha
teferi's moat
u/b:
agony warp
psychatog
b/r:
blightning
goblin outlander
terminate
r/w:
ajani vengeant
lightning helix
w/b:
desolation angel
tidehollow sculler
pillory of the sleepless
b/g:
maelstrom pulse
spiritmonger
g/u:
mystic snake
trygon predator
simic sky swallower
u/r:
fire/ice
gelectrode
invoke the firemind
3-color:
rhox war monk
dromar's charm
wooly thoctar
cruel ultimatum
10 hybrid:
r/g: vexing shusher
g/w: kitchen finks
w/u: mirrorweave
u/b: sygg, river cutthroat
b/r: murderous redcap
r/w: figure of destiny
w/b: unmake
b/g: sapling of colfener
g/u: snakeform
u/r: nucklavee
47 artifacts:
mana:
lotus bloom
lotus petal
mana vault
sol ring
*grim monolith
mind stone
10 signets
equipment:
bonesplitter
skullclamp
basilisk collar
umezawa's jitte
loxodon warhammer
5 swords
sigil of distinction
utility:
relic of progenitus
sensei's divining top
aether vial
isochron scepter
crystal shard
oblivion stone
tumble magnet
mindslaver
creatures:
5 mana myr
epochrasite
bottle gnomes
masticore
triskelion
wurmcoil engine
triskelavus
darksteel colossus
55 Lands:
10 duals
10 fetchs
academy ruins
city of brass
faerie conclave
ghitu encampment
mutavault
pendelhaven
rishadan port
strip mine
treetop village
volrath's stronghold
5 karoos (enemy colors)
5 allied color man-lands
5 vivids
5 tri-lands
5 artifacts
46 Red:
lava spike
genju of the spire
burst lightning
tarfire
lightning bolt
magma jet
incinerate
lash out
smash to smithereens
ancient grudge
arc lightning
staggershock
threaten
pillage
manabarbs
incindiary command
wildfire
fireblast
chandra nalaar
banefire
kaervek's torch
gorilla shaman
grim lavamancer
kird ape
magus of the scroll
spikeshot elder
keldon marauders
hearth kami
blood knight
tin-street hooligan
dwarven blastminer
hellspark elemental
sulfur elemental
ball lightning
taurean mauler
jaya ballard
fire imp
cunning sparkmage
avalanche riders
flame-tongue kavu
obsidian fireheart
goblin ruinblaster
hunted dragon
siege-gang commander
flameblast dragon
greater gargadon
45 Green:
naturalize
rancor
giant growth
sprout swarm
moment's peace
edge of autumn
sylvan library
call of the herd
elephant guide
krosan grip
gift of the gargantuan
moldervine cloak
stonewood invocation
mwonvuli acid moss
harmonize
garruk
primal command
roar of the wurm
momentous fall
summoning trap
basking rootwalla
birds of paradise
llanowar elves
scattershot archer
sakura-tribe elder
silhana ledgewalker
tarmogoyf
thornweald archer
vinelasher kudzu
wild mongrel
carven caryatid
dosan the falling leaf
eternal witness
sex monkeys
yavimaya elder
blastoderm
chameleon colussus
phantom centaur
indrik stomphowler
kodama of the north tree
acidic slime
cloudthresher
nacatl war pride
pelakka wurm
krosan tusker
46 White:
condemn
swords to plowshares
tithe
path to exile
orim's chant
momentary blink
temporal isolation
disenchant
balance
sacred mesa
oblivion ring
griffin guide
spectral procession
faith's fetters
worship
armaggedon
wrath of god
ajani goldmane
martial coup
akrasan squire
burrenton forge-tender
goldmeadow harrier
isamaru
soul warden
suntail hawk
kami of ancient law
knight of meadowgrain
silver knight
white knight
stoneforge mystic wall of omens
aven riftwatcher
cloudchaser kestrel
descendant of kiyomaro
pianna, nomad captain
kor sanctifiers
academy rector
ranger of eos
calciderm
voice of all
cloudgoat ranger
mageta the lion
reveillark
baneslayer angel
reya dawnbringer
akroma, angel of wrath
46 Blue:
brainstorm
ponder
mystical tutor
stifle
counterspell
daze
remove soul
impulse
into the roil
negate
standstill
frantic search
capsize
oona's grace
circular logic
tinker
psionic blast
jace beleren
forbid
cryptic command
fact or fiction
mystical teachings
gush
force of will
mind control
upheaval
confiscate
future sight
recall
aquameoba
thought courier
waterfront bouncer
man-o-war
serendib efreet
trinket mage
vendillion clique
sea gate oracle
ninja of the deep hours
thieving magpie
venser, shaper savant
aeon chronicler
ethersworn adjudicator
mulldrifter
guile
palinchron
inkwell leviathan
44 Black:
slaughter pact
dark ritual
duress
entomb
executioner's capsule
bitterblossom
demonic tutor
diabolic edict
exhume
smother
animate dead
nameless inversion
hymn to tourach
sudden death
dead reckoning
phyrexian arena
makeshift mannequin
vigor mortis
damnation
hatred
liliana vess
mind twist
profane command
vampire lacerator
guul draz vampire
black knight
dark confidant
order of the ebon hand
mesmeric fiend
oona's prowler
withered wretch
bloodthrone vampire
vampire hexmage
faerie macabre
hypnotic specter
stinkweed imp
vampire nighthawk
faceless butcher
grinning demon
mirri, the cursed
nekrataal
puppeteer clique
evil eye of urborg
malakir bloodwitch
shriekmaw
dread
avatar of woe
31 Gold:
r/g:
rumbling slum
fires of yavimaya
bloodbraid elf
g/w:
armadillo cloak
loxodon hierarch
quasali pridemage
w/u:
iridescent angel
kiss of the amesha
teferi's moat
u/b:
agony warp
psychatog
b/r:
blightning
goblin outlander
terminate
r/w:
ajani vengeant
lightning helix
w/b:
desolation angel
tidehollow sculler
pillory of the sleepless
b/g:
maelstrom pulse
spiritmonger
g/u:
mystic snake
trygon predator
simic sky swallower
u/r:
fire/ice
gelectrode
invoke the firemind
3-color:
rhox war monk
dromar's charm
wooly thoctar
cruel ultimatum
10 hybrid:
r/g: vexing shusher
g/w: kitchen finks
w/u: mirrorweave
u/b: sygg, river cutthroat
b/r: murderous redcap
r/w: figure of destiny
w/b: unmake
b/g: sapling of colfener
g/u: snakeform
u/r: nucklavee
47 artifacts:
mana:
lotus bloom
lotus petal
mana vault
sol ring
*grim monolith
mind stone
10 signets
equipment:
bonesplitter
skullclamp
basilisk collar
umezawa's jitte
loxodon warhammer
5 swords
sigil of distinction
utility:
relic of progenitus
sensei's divining top
aether vial
isochron scepter
crystal shard
oblivion stone
tumble magnet
mindslaver
creatures:
5 mana myr
epochrasite
bottle gnomes
masticore
triskelion
wurmcoil engine
triskelavus
darksteel colossus
55 Lands:
10 duals
10 fetchs
academy ruins
city of brass
faerie conclave
ghitu encampment
mutavault
pendelhaven
rishadan port
strip mine
treetop village
volrath's stronghold
5 karoos (enemy colors)
5 allied color man-lands
5 vivids
5 tri-lands
5 artifacts
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Some strange and rambling thoughts on Thoreau and the UFC
In what is surely a sign of a deeply diseased mind, one of my first thoughts upon reading the opening chapter of Walden was to compare Henry David Thoreau (unfavorably) with Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight Roy Nelson. Roy Nelson is what MMA fans call an "ambassador for the sport." He may be fat and (at least as far as professional fighters go) pretty bad at fighting. But people root for him b/c he comes across in interviews as intelligent and humble, and he spends a lot of his time helping underprivileged kids in Las Vegas. Contrast w/ Henry David Thoreau, who is widely regarded as one of the great American writers. Yet in Economy, the first chapter of Walden, he delivers blanket insults to anyone who didn't choose his style of deliberate living, and frankly (imho) comes off as kind of a dick. Maybe the reason so many people still lead "lives of quiet desperation" is that there have been too few ambassadors for the "sport" of alternative, examined, deliberate lifestyles. I am sure that there are better ways to live than the regular [go to college -> get a job w/ two weeks off /year -> get married -> retire] template that so many take for granted. But surely we don't need to insult the people who are living that life in order to demonstrate that there are better (or at least different) ways to do things.
Additional thoughts on the UFC, not wrt anything else: The Ultimate Fighting Championship is in a strange place right now. Its marquee divisions (welterweight, middleweight, and light heavy) all seem like competitions for second place. Georges St-Pierre has cleaned out the 170 lb. division to such an extent that challengers are being ported in from Strikeforce (his fight w/ Shields wasn't particularly close, and I don't see any reason to think Diaz will fare any better.) Anderson Silva has had exactly one close fight since he won the Middleweight belt in 2006, and he has looked like a monster* in his last two fights. It might be too early to say that Jon Jones will be as dominant as GSP or Silva, but after the way he destroyed Rua, I predict that he will be wearing that belt for a good long time. Full disclosure: I have been on this bandwagon since I watched him suplex Stephan Bonnar at UFC 94. But even when I try to think objectively about it, I just don't see anyone in the division with the tools to beat this guy with his 85" reach and his varied (and ridiculously unorthodox) skill set.
*Here is a great clip of Forrest Griffin talking about their 2009 fight at light heavyweight: "Every fight I go into, no matter what happens- it couldn't be worse than Anderson Silva."
Additional thoughts on the UFC, not wrt anything else: The Ultimate Fighting Championship is in a strange place right now. Its marquee divisions (welterweight, middleweight, and light heavy) all seem like competitions for second place. Georges St-Pierre has cleaned out the 170 lb. division to such an extent that challengers are being ported in from Strikeforce (his fight w/ Shields wasn't particularly close, and I don't see any reason to think Diaz will fare any better.) Anderson Silva has had exactly one close fight since he won the Middleweight belt in 2006, and he has looked like a monster* in his last two fights. It might be too early to say that Jon Jones will be as dominant as GSP or Silva, but after the way he destroyed Rua, I predict that he will be wearing that belt for a good long time. Full disclosure: I have been on this bandwagon since I watched him suplex Stephan Bonnar at UFC 94. But even when I try to think objectively about it, I just don't see anyone in the division with the tools to beat this guy with his 85" reach and his varied (and ridiculously unorthodox) skill set.
*Here is a great clip of Forrest Griffin talking about their 2009 fight at light heavyweight: "Every fight I go into, no matter what happens- it couldn't be worse than Anderson Silva."
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