October 2008

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Public Service Announcements

October 30, 2008 in Rants by archangel | 1 comment

Ladies: If you are a woman over 30, and you want to dye your hair red, it is time to switch to shades that are actually known to sprout forth from human scalps. If you are considering colors found on fire engines and lipstick worn by street walkers, keep looking. Or perhaps you’re thinking that the guy who sings for Maroon 5 is hot, and he’d really go for you if you dyed your hair maroon. He will not. I don’t know what magazine is telling you that maroon or any weird shade of dark red found on mid-size family sedans is going to make you look good, but it’s wrong. And your kids are embarrassed, and your husband doesn’t like it, even though he says he does. He just doesn’t want you to get depressed and gain [any more] weight.

The solution is simple. Just go to Vidal Sassoon and ask them to pick any shade of red ever found on Nicole Kidman, Amy Adams, Isla Fisher, Laura Prepon, Alyson Hannigan, or even Lindsay Lohan. I know, you don’t like Lindsay, but I bet she’d have a much easier time getting that Maroon 5 dude, and it’s not because she’s famous and young, it’s because… wait, no, that’s it. And also because she is, at the moment, a lesbian.

Note that if you are under 30, and cute, and listen to cool music, you should dye your hair some unnatural shade of red, or purple, or perhaps hot pink. I will love you for this.

Men: If you are on your crotch rocket, and your lady is on the bitch seat, perhaps now is not the time to split lanes at red lights. You are too concerned she’s going to fall off if you accelerate too fast (which is probably a valid concern), so you accelerate slowly. But the the unspoken rule of red light motorcycle lane splitting is that you gun it as soon as the light changes so that I, in my little WRX, have no chance of hitting you when I gun it. I should not be scaring the bejesus out of you when I floor it, and I find that lately I am doing just that. So stop splitting lanes.

I know you’re not going to boot your lady and drive like a man because my second bitch seat observation (and I’ve seen this multiple times now) is that when she’s all hunched over, her jeans ride down real low, like 3 inches of ass crack low. Which means she considers the bitch seat a panties-optional environment. So… bravo, man. Bravo. And thank your lady for me.

The 2008 Anand – Kramnik Times for Game 11

October 29, 2008 in Everything Else by chronicle | 1 comment

This article lists the times taken by Anand and Kramnik for the moves of the 11th and final game of their 2008 World Chess Championship Match in Bonn.  Anand needed a draw to win the match; he got it today.

Game 11, October 29th, 2008

    Anand          Kramnik
    White          Black
 1. e4    (1:59)   c5   (1:58)
 2. Nf3   (1:59)   d6   (1:58)
 3. d4    (1:59)   cxd4 (1:58)
 4. Nxd4  (1:59)   Nf6  (1:58)
 5. Nc3   (1:59)   a6   (1:57)
 6. Bg5   (1:58)   e6   (1:57)
 7. f4    (1:58)   Qc7  (1:56)
 8. Bxf6  (1:56)   gxf6 (1:56)
 9. f5    (1:56)   Qc5  (1:51d)
10. Qd3   (1:42)   Nc6  (1:49)
11. Nb3   (1:38)   Qe5  (1:47d)
12. O-O-O (1:34)   exf5 (1:36d)
13. Qe3   (1:17)   Bg7  (1:11d)
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The 1972 Fischer – Spassky Times for Game 21

October 29, 2008 in Everything Else by chronicle | 1 comment

This article lists the times taken for the moves of the 21st and final game of the World Chess Championship Match between Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer.  Fischer won this game to go 4 games ahead with only three to play.

Game 21, August 31st-September 1st, 1972

    Spassky         Fischer
    White           Black
                    (ar)  (0:03)
 1. e4     (0:00)   c5    (0:04)
 2. Nf3    (0:01)   e6    (0:04)
 3. d4     (0:02)   cxd4  (0:04)
 4. Nxd4   (0:02)   a6    (0:04)
 5. Nc3    (0:04)   Nc6   (0:05)
 6. Be3    (0:05)   Nf6   (0:10)
 7. Bd3    (0:15)   d5    (0:14)
 8. exd5   (0:29)   exd5  (0:16)
 9. 0-0    (0:39)   Bd6   (0:19)
10. Nxc6   (0:53)   bxc6  (0:20)
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The 1972 Fischer – Spassky Times for Game 6

October 28, 2008 in Everything Else by chronicle | 1 comment

This article lists the times taken by Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky in the 6th game of their 1972 World Chess Championship Match in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Game 6, July 23rd, 1972

    Fischer        Spassky
    White          Black
 1. c4    (0:08)   e6    (0:02)
 2. Nf3   (0:11)   d5    (0:03)
 3. d4    (0:11)   Nf6   (0:03)
 4. Nc3   (0:11)   Be7   (0:03)
 5. Bg5   (0:11)   0-0   (0:04)
 6. e3    (0:12)   h6    (0:04)
 7. Bh4   (0:13)   b6    (0:08)
 8. cxd5  (0:13)   Nxd5  (0:08)
 9. Bxe7  (0:14)   Qxe7  (0:08)
10. Nxd5  (0:14)   exd5  (0:08)
11. Rc1   (0:14)   Be6   (0:09)
12. Qa4   (0:14)   c5    (0:12)
13. Qa3   (0:14)   Rc8   (0:16)
14. Bb5   (0:15)   a6    (0:19)
15. dxc5  (0:19)   bxc5  (0:23)
16. 0-0   (0:20)   Ra7   (0:36)
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The 2008 Anand – Kramnik Times for Game 10

October 27, 2008 in Everything Else by chronicle | Comments closed

This article lists the times taken by Anand and Kramnik for their moves in the 10th game of their 2008 World Chess Championship Match in Bonn.

Kramnik keeps it alive with his first win.

Game 10, October 27th, 2008

    Kramnik        Anand
    White          Black
 1. d4    (1:58)   Nf6   (1:59)
 2. c4    (1:58)   e6    (1:59)
 3. Nc3   (1:58)   Bb4   (1:59)
 4. Nf3   (1:57)   c5    (1:58)
 5. g3    (1:57)   cxd4  (1:58)
 6. Nxd4  (1:56)   O-O   (1:58)
 7. Bg2   (1:56)   d5    (1:58)
 8. cxd5  (1:56)   Nxd5  (1:57)
 9. Qb3   (1:56d)  Qa5   (1:55)
10. Bd2   (1:54)   Nc6   (1:54)
11. Nxc6  (1:54)   bxc6  (1:54)
12. O-O   (1:54)   Bxc3  (1:54)
13. bxc3  (1:54)   Ba6   (1:54)
14. Rfd1  (1:53)   Qc5   (1:53)
15. e4    (1:53)   Bc4   (1:53)
16. Qa4   (1:52)   Nb6   (1:53)
17. Qb4   (1:52)   Qh5   (1:53)
18. Re1   (1:52d)  c5    (1:38)
19. Qa5   (1:51)   Rfc8  (1:34)
20. Be3   (1:51d)  Be2   (1:20)
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Single Guy Chef: Barbecue Tri-tip Roast

October 27, 2008 in Food by archangel | Comments closed

Since there was a request for the BBQ version of the tri-tip oven roast, here it is. (It might help you to read that recipe first.)

First, prepare the BBQ rub. I like this Carolina BBQ rub that I originally made for pulled pork. I found it works well on beef, too. The only change I made was using pure ancho chile powder instead of your garden variety chili powder. This was suggested by a couple chefs and I think it turned out well, but if you already have the regular stuff then use it. You are nothing if not practical. And lazy.

Trim the roast, and then sprinkle on the rub liberally and rub it in. Let it marry in the fridge overnight. Don’t worry, this is an acceptable union under the current law; it’s not like a man marrying a box turtle. Take the roast out half an hour before grilling so it comes to room temp.

For cooking times, follow the recommendations in your manual, esp. if it’s a Weber. My Weber manual was quite accurate, definitely more than the one for my Viking range. Like all roasts, it will be medium indirect, and it will benefit from smoke. Try mesquite. Avoid tobacco. And don’t flip it while grilling.

One problem I had while taking its temperature is that heat from the grill messed with my digital thermometer. I had to remove it from the grill while checking the temp. Of course, use a meat thermometer, not an oral or rectal one. In fact, if using either of those is even possible, your butcher has executed an elaborate ruse at your expense. Always remember: a tri-tip roast has neither a mouth nor an anus. Words to live by.

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The 2008 Anand – Kramnik Times for Game 9

October 26, 2008 in Everything Else by chronicle | 1 comment

This article lists the times taken by the players in Game 9  of the 2008 World Chess Championship Match between Anand and Kramnik in Bonn.

Game 9, October 26th, 2008

    Anand          Kramnik
    White          Black
 1. d4    (1:59)   d5    (1:59)
 2. c4    (1:59)   e6    (1:59)
 3. Nf3   (1:59)   Nf6   (1:59)
 4. Nc3   (1:58)   c6    (1:59)
 5. Bg5   (1:58)   h6    (1:59)
 6. Bh4   (1:58)   dxc4  (1:58)
 7. e4    (1:58)   g5    (1:58)
 8. Bg3   (1:58)   b5    (1:58)
 9. Be2   (1:58)   Bb7   (1:58)
10. Qc2   (1:57)   Nbd7  (1:57)
11. Rd1   (1:57)   Bb4   (1:47d)
12. Ne5   (1:49)   Qe7   (1:43d)
13. O-O   (1:40)   Nxe5  (1:35)
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Single Guy Chef: Tri-tip Burritos

October 26, 2008 in Food by archangel | 3 comments

I saw that tri-tip is about $2/lb. so I thought I’d try my hand at that. Turns out it’s very easy. I’d made it on the grill before and the oven is about the same, minus the good smokey flavor and slightly easier cleanup.

First, get a 3-4 lb. tri-tip roast. Remove the fat. If you’re lazy or short on time you can buy pre-trimmed roasts, but at double the price. $4 a pound??? We’re not Trump here. Once again, the fat removed was about the size of my fist.

Next, preheat the oven to 325. My oven has Bake and Convection Bake settings, but you preheat a lot faster if you start with Bake.

While the oven is preheating you season the meat, which is ridiculously easy. Get yourself some Old World Steak seasoning, which is made by Fire Roasted Creations. OK, it’s not always easy to find. I got mine at Barbeques Galore and you can order it online here. Yes, it’s definitely worth the effort of tracking it down. If you absolutely don’t have time to obtain it, you can substitute McCormick’s Montreal Steak seasoning. It’s more peppery and the flavor is less complex, but it will do in a pinch. Just sprinkle it over the meat, then tap it in with the back of the tongs or a metal spoon. Flip it and repeat. Do this about 10 minutes before baking.

Place the roast on that broiler pan that came with your oven. It might be in that drawer underneath that you never knew existed. You can use a roasting pan, but only if you’re NOT convection baking. Convection baking, which cooks food faster and seals in juices better, requires a very shallow pan so the air can circulate better.

Since this is a roast, you’re shooting for medium, or 145F. Since roasts continue to cook after you’ve removed the heat, you stop when your meat thermometer reads about 140F. To obtain this ideal temperature, put the roast in the oven and set the timer to some random number. I say this because my Viking manual says a 3-4 lb. roast should be done in 30 minutes on convection bake or 35 minutes on bake, and that wasn’t even close. After 30 minutes it read 121F, or mooooo. Another 10 minutes brought it to 131, and another 15 after that brought it to 150. This is at the thickest part of the roast, so it was between medium and medium well, which is a little more done than I’d like it, but good enough.

OK, so the timer should be set for 40 minutes if convection baking and 50 for normal baking, assuming you’re using my oven.

When the desired temperature is reached let the roast sit for 20 minutes. Again, the temperature continues to rise 5-10 degrees while the juices move from the center outward, resulting in more uniformly juicy slices. Slice it thin.

Since meat alone isn’t very filling, I made simple burritos with Spanish rice. All you need to pick up is a box of Zatarains Spanish Rice mix, a 14.5oz can of crushed tomatoes, and some “I Can’t Believe This Shit Ain’t Butter!” or any butter-like substance that isn’t found in your bathroom. Follow the directions on the box – it’s dead simple.

Pick up a pack of Guerrero-brand burrito tortillas or whatever your local tortilleria sells. Before filling, preheat a large skillet to medium, then heat one side for 15 seconds and the other for 10. Fill with the rice and meat and roll like the Mexican ladies at Chipotle. If the meat is on the dry side (or even if it isn’t), you can add sour cream and/or shredded cheese.

Once again, you’ve got dinner for the week! Just remember that the tortillas have to be refrigerated, too.

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The 2008 Anand – Kramnik Times for Game 8

October 24, 2008 in Everything Else by chronicle | 1 comment

This article lists the times taken for the moves of the 8th game of the 2008 World Chess Championship between Anand and Kramnik in Bonn, Germany.

Game 8, October 24th, 2008

    Kramnik        Anand
    White          Black
 1. d4    (1:59)   Nf6   (1:59)
 2. c4    (1:59)   e6    (1:59)
 3. Nf3   (1:59)   d5    (1:59)
 4. Nc3   (1:58)   dxc4  (1:59)
 5. e4    (1:58)   Bb4   (1:59)
 6. Bg5   (1:57)   c5    (1:58)
 7. Bxc4  (1:57)   cxd4  (1:58)
 8. Nxd4  (1:56)   Qa5   (1:58)
 9. Bb5+  (1:54)   Bd7   (1:57)
10. Bxf6  (1:53)   Bxb5  (1:57)
11. Ndxb5 (1:44d)  gxf6  (1:56)
12. O-O   (1:39)   Nc6   (1:56)
13. a3    (1:27d)  Bxc3  (1:55)
14. Nxc3  (1:25d)  Rg8   (1:43d)
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What if? The Chess Comedy Club in Bonn

October 24, 2008 in Everything Else, Humor by chronicle | 1 comment


Bonn, 2008.
The 12 game 2008 World Chess Championship match is between Viswanathan Anand of India, the titleholder, and challenger Vladimir Kramnik of Russia, a former World Champion, who beat Kasparov in a 16 game match 8 years ago.

After two draws at the start, Anand won game 3, and after another draw, won two in a row, and leads, 4 1/2 to 1 1/2. It was referred to as “a major tragedy in the making” by one of the German commentators.

Up to about 15 years ago, these matches were for 24 games. The shorter length makes it more difficult to catch up after losing a few early games. This is because of the high percentage of draws in chess at the grandmaster level.

Vladimir is sounding discouraged, talking about just winning one game, before considering his chances of winning the match.

Tragedy or comedy? That is the question.

The writers here at CrackTeam.org gave it some thought. The tasteless result is below.

Read at your own risk. You have hereby been warned.

      *      *      *

“Ladies and Gentlemen: at the Bonn Chess Comedy Club, from the USA, let’s welcome our guest comedian!”

“Hey, it’s great to be here. Thanks for the welcome. Wow! Thanks for the applause. Thank you.”

“Yeah! A great audience! Thank you, thank you!

“All right! Thank you. Thank you!”

“Hey! If you love me before I even open my mouth, how do I know it’s not just PHYSICAL?”

Th-boomp.

“Bonn’s a crazy town. I came in here, thinking that the big match was too SHORT. The way Kramnik feels right now, he’s thinking the match is too LONG!”

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The 2008 Anand – Kramnik Times for Game 7

October 23, 2008 in Everything Else by chronicle | 1 comment

This article lists the times taken for the moves of Game 7 of the Anand – Kramnik World Chess Championship Match in Bonn, 2008.

Game 7, October 23rd, 2008

    Anand         Kramnik
    White         Black
 1. d4   (1:59)   d5     (1:59)
 2. c4   (1:59)   c6     (1:59)
 3. Nf3  (1:59)   Nf6    (1:59)
 4. Nc3  (1:59)   dxc4   (1:59)
 5. a4   (1:58)   Bf5    (1:59)
 6. e3   (1:58)   e6     (1:58)
 7. Bxc4 (1:58)   Bb4    (1:58)
 8. O-O  (1:58)   Nbd7   (1:58)
 9. Qe2  (1:57)   Bg6    (1:57)
10. e4   (1:57)   O-O    (1:56)
11. Bd3  (1:57)   Bh5    (1:55)
12. e5   (1:56)   Nd5    (1:54)
13. Nxd5 (1:55)   cxd5   (1:54)
14. Qe3  (1:55)   Re8    (1:54d)
15. Ne1  (1:49)   Bg6    (1:51d)
16. Bxg6 (1:47)   hxg6   (1:45d)
17. Nd3  (1:46d)  Qb6    (1:39d)
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Obama Wins !!! Break out crystal ball.

October 22, 2008 in Politics, Rants by bladerunner | 5 comments

Yes, Presidential Election Year 2008 seems to be over.  Or is it?? Read on.

With most polls placing Democratic candidate Obama 10+ points over Republican candidate McCain, it would seem to be a routine slide to November 4th this year.  However, I like to keep things interesting, so here are my top predictions for an Obama presidency:

Item 1: Obama wins. Duh.

But he does not win by the 10+ margin that the polls predict.  I believe that the contest will be a lot closer on Nov. 4th.  There will be a lot of Republicans kicking themselves in the butt for not voting.   Shame on you;  all Americans should vote on this Election Day.  The unexpected vote numbers will possibly be blamed on the Bradley Effect witnessed in the California Gubernatorial election of 1982 :folks did not admit to the pollsters that they would not vote for a black candidate.  When the election took place, the true numbers came out.  But this disparity in reporting vs. reality will result in……

Item 2: Media backlash. 

All of us are aware that the media was in bed with candidate Obama, eg: Saturday Night Live lampooned this phenomenum when they showed reporters asking candidate Obama if he needed a pillow or if it should be fluffed some more.  Candidate Hillary Clinton alluded to this “Obama Effect”  during her own candidacy.  I believe the American people will not tolerate 4 more years of this whore-pimp situation and will strike back against the media by NOT WATCHING.  Expect higher viewing numbers for reality-television shows and Entertainment-Tonight-type programs as news viewership declines.  Same for newspapers, unless they print sale-coupons or cents-off coupons for food.  Which brings us to…..

Item 3: Economy in the toilet. 

Despite Obama’s “efficiencies”  and his research into extracting sunlight from cucumbers1  the economy will continue its slide into crumminess or at best, into stagnation.  There will be an initial bump upwards, due to the change-is-coming effect, but this will quickly be replaced by the cold truth of reality.  Useless investment in ocean wind farms and solar panel cities will not trickle down to other sectors of the economy.  They will not produce enough energy to fuel an economic resurgence, but they will make for an exciting IMAX film coming to your neighborhood soon !!! 2  Which easily leads to…..

Item 4: Blame it on Bush. 

Blaming anything and everything on Bush has become such a popular pastime that I don’t think  it will stop.  Obama got elected by blaming the Bush Presidency and I don’t think he will stop.  Blaming the continuing crisis on 8 Bush years will get pretty old, though, and soon.  The Economic Crisis got him elected, but it will also bring Obama down in popularity and job acceptance poll-numbers.  There will be books written on this period of economic distress, which is why I find it so curious that none will be written about……

Item 5: Big Conspiracy. 

I always connect a big event with the people that most benefit from that big event.  This crisis got Obama elected, ergo, the Democratic Party is behind it.  Now wait.  Before you consign this thought to the rubbish bin section of your brain, consider this:  the crisis was bound to happen, the bad home loans were in place, the banks were running on vapor; but what made it happen just NOW??  Why did it not happen months ago, or on November 5th?  Why was it so fortuitously timed for a particular person to benefit??  Just the timing of it makes my conspiracy-theory-minded Spidey sense tingle.  And trust me, I am not the only person making this kind of fantastical leap: most reporters got their reputations by developing that investigative-hunch-bone that makes them uneasy when things “just happen.”  But the lack of investigative reporting makes me wonder about how far this conspiracy reaches.  Could it be that not only the Democrats but also the Republicans have something to hide in this mess, and they have both managed to keep the press at bay??  Newshounds know that you can’t piss both sides of the political process, or you end up with 4 years of reporting on Libertarian and Green Party issues.  But they can still redeem themselves and avoid Item 2.  It just may not be possible to do so.  Just look at the finger that pushed the first domino in the chain of bank failures, that’s were the fault lies.

And bonus Item 6: 

Obama’s ethanol initiative will pollute the environment in a big way and turn environmentalists against him.  Again.  But nobody cares about this, so please ignore.

Afterthought Item 7: Sarah Palin runs for Presidency 2012.  This year shows that inexperience is not a detractor to the Presidency if you are popular enough.  After discarding the McCain deadweight (sorry John!!), Palin will reject public funding for campaigns and go on to raise prodigious amounts of cash that will take her to the Presidency.  But watch out: her run will encourage Hillary Clinton to also run in 2012, capitalizing on her opposition to Obama since the very start; she will find an understanding American public.  That’s the campaign *I* want to see made into a movie!!3

  1. “Gulliver’s Travels”, Jonathan Swift [↩]
  2. As an engineer, I am actually intrigued by these new power systems; they
    will look pretty cool but will not produce the scale of energy needed by a country the size of the USA [↩]
  3. NOTE to Spike Lee: we don’t want an inspirational Obama film starring Denzel Washington, unless Obama is running a secret war against extraterrestrials on the Dark Side of the moon, with lots of special effects explosions and USA space troopers launching out of the Capitol building [↩]

Hogwarts Schoolgirls

October 22, 2008 in Books, Everything Else, Film by archangel | 2 comments

I was flipping through the OC Weekly “best of” issue and couldn’t help but notice the various Halloween costume ads. One that immediately jumped out at me was a rather modernized Hogwarts schoolgirl uniform. If only Dumbledore weren’t gay Hermione Granger would be walking around looking like this:

Hogwarts Schoolgirl Uniform

I really hope this will be a popular costume at the Halloween party I’ll be attending. And if you’re thinking, “That’s all wrong! There’s certainly not a star at the end of their wands!” then I’ve got a guy named Albus I’d like to introduce you to.

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The 2008 Anand – Kramnik Times for Game 6

October 21, 2008 in Everything Else by chronicle | 1 comment

This article lists the times taken for the moves of Game 6 of the 2008 match between Anand and Kramnik for the World Chess Championship.

Game 6, October 21, 2008

    Anand          Kramnik
    White          Black
 1. d4    (1:59)   Nf6   (1:59)
 2. c4    (1:59)   e6    (1:59)
 3. Nc3   (1:59)   Bb4   (1:59)
 4. Qc2   (1:59)   d5    (1:59)
 5. cxd5  (1:59)   Qxd5  (1:58)
 6. Nf3   (1:58)   Qf5   (1:58)
 7. Qb3   (1:57)   Nc6   (1:58d)
 8. Bd2   (1:56)   O-O   (1:54)
 9. h3    (1:55)   b6    (1:47d)
10. g4    (1:45)   Qa5   (1:45d)
11. Rc1   (1:28)   Bb7   (1:41d)
12. a3    (1:15)   Bxc3  (1:40)
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The 2008 Anand – Kramnik Times for Game 5

October 20, 2008 in Everything Else by chronicle | 1 comment

This article lists the times taken by Anand and Kramnik for the moves of the 5th game of their 2008 World Chess Championship Match in Bonn, Germany.

Game 5, October 20th, 2008

    Kramnik         Anand
    White           Black
 1. d4    (1:59)    d5    (1:59)
 2. c4    (1:59)    c6    (1:59)
 3. Nf3   (1:59)    Nf6   (1:59)
 4. Nc3   (1:59)    e6    (1:59)
 5. e3    (1:59)    Nbd7  (1:59)
 6. Bd3   (1:59)    dxc4  (1:59)
 7. Bxc4  (1:59)    b5    (1:59)
 8. Bd3   (1:59)    a6    (1:59)
 9. e4    (1:58)    c5    (1:58)
10. e5    (1:58)    cxd4  (1:58)
11. Nxb5  (1:58)    axb5  (1:58)
12. exf6  (1:58)    gxf6  (1:58)
13. O-O   (1:58)    Qb6   (1:58)
14. Qe2   (1:58)    Bb7   (1:58)
15. Bxb5  (1:57)    Rg8   (1:58)
16. Bf4   (1:56d)   Bd6   (1:57)
17. Bg3   (1:43d)   f5    (1:53)
18. Rfc1  (0:59d)   f4    (1:43)
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The 1972 Fischer – Spassky Times for Game 8

October 20, 2008 in Everything Else by chronicle | 1 comment

This article lists the times taken by each player for the moves of game 8 of the 1972 Fischer Spassky World Chess Championship Match in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Game 8, July 27, 1972

    Fischer       Spassky
    White         Black
    (ar)  (0:10)
 1. c4    (0:10)  c5    (0:01)
 2. Nc3   (0:11)  Nc6   (0:02)
 3. Nf3   (0:13)  Nf6   (0:13)
 4. g3    (0:15)  g6    (0:14)
 5. Bg2   (0:16)  Bg7   (0:14)
 6. 0-0   (0:16)  0-0   (0:14)
 7. d4    (0:16)  cxd4  (0:14)
 8. Nxd4  (0:16)  Nxd4  (0:14)
 9. Qxd4  (0:17)  d6    (0:16)
10. Bg5   (0:25)  Be6   (0:24)
11. Qf4   (0:25)  Qa5   (1:23)
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The 2008 Anand – Kramnik Times for Game 4

October 19, 2008 in Everything Else by chronicle | 1 comment

This article lists the times taken by Anand and Kramnik for the moves of the 4th game of their 2008 World Chess Championship Match in Bonn, Germany.

Game 4, October 18th, 2008

    Anand         Kramnik
    White         Black
    (ar)  (1:59)
 1. d4    (1:59)  Nf6   (1:59)
 2. c4    (1:58)  e6    (1:59)
 3. Nf3   (1:58)  d5    (1:59)
 4. Nc3   (1:58)  Be7   (1:59)
 5. Bf4   (1:58)  0-0   (1:58)
 6. e3    (1:57)  Nbd7  (1:58)
 7. a3    (1:55)  c5    (1:57)
 8. cxd5  (1:55)  Nxd5  (1:57)
 9. Nxd5  (1:54)  exd5  (1:57)
10. dxc5  (1:54)  Nxc5  (1:57)
11. Be5   (1:54)  Bf5   (1:49)
12. Be2   (1:49)  Bf6   (1:48)
13. Bxf6  (1:33)  Qxf6  (1:47)
14. Nd4   (1:27)  Ne6   (1:44)
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So they released the new MacBook Pro, claiming it’s “engineered to standards that don’t even exist yet.” Really? Hey Apple, how about – gasp! – conforming to a standard that does exist? It’s called Blu-ray, and if you want to be taken at all seriously as a video editing and motion graphics platform (or even a purveyor of modern consumer electronics) you’ll get your hardware and OS developers working on it so you can add it to the 17″ model (whenever that gets updated…).

October 18, 2008 by archangel | No comments

The 2008 Anand – Kramnik Times for Game 3

October 17, 2008 in Everything Else by chronicle | 1 comment

This article lists the times taken for the moves of Game 3 of the 2008 Viswanathan Anand – Vladimir Kramnik World Chess Championship Match in Bonn, Germany.

Game 3, October 17th, 2008


    Kramnik        Anand
    White          Black
 1. d4   (1:59)    d5   (1:59)
 2. c4   (1:59)    c6   (1:59)
 3. Nf3  (1:59)    Nf6  (1:59)
 4. Nc3  (1:59)    e6   (1:59)
 5. e3   (1:58)    Nbd7 (1:58)
 6. Bd3  (1:58)    dxc4 (1:58)
 7. Bxc4 (1:58)    b5   (1:58)
 8. Bd3  (1:58)    a6   (1:58)
 9. e4   (1:57)    c5   (1:58)
10. e5   (1:57)    cxd4 (1:57)
11. Nxb5 (1:57)    axb5 (1:57)
12. exf6 (1:57)    gxf6 (1:57)
13. O-O  (1:56)    Qb6  (1:57)
14. Qe2  (1:56)    Bb7  (1:57)
15. Bxb5 (1:45)    Bd6  (1:56)
16. Rd1  (1:22)    Rg8  (1:51)
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The 1972 Fischer – Spassky Times for Game 7

October 17, 2008 in Everything Else by chronicle | 1 comment

This article lists the times taken in Game 7 by Fischer and Spassky.

Game 7, July 25th, 1972

    Spassky       Fischer
    White         Black
 1. e4    (0:00)  (ar)  (0:05)
 1. ...           c5    (0:06)
 2. Nf3   (0:01)  d6    (0:06)
 3. d4    (0:01)  cxd4  (0:06)
 4. Nxd4  (0:01)  Nf6   (0:06)
 5. Nc3   (0:02)  a6    (0:06)
 6. Bg5   (0:04)  e6    (0:06)
 7. f4    (0:05)  Qb6   (0:07)
 8. Qd2   (0:07)  Qxb2  (0:07)
 9. Nb3   (0:08)  Qa3   (0:10)
10. Bd3   (0:12)  Be7   (0:19)
11. 0-0   (0:20)  h6    (0:28)
12. Bh4   (0:55)  Nxe4  (0:37)
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The 1972 Fischer – Spassky Times for Game 5

October 16, 2008 in Everything Else by chronicle | 1 comment

This article lists the times taken by Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky for their moves in Game 5 of their World Championship Chess Match in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1972.

Game 5, July 20th, 1972

    Spassky        Fischer
    White          Black
 1. d4             Nf6
 2. c4             e6
 3. Nc3            Bb4
 4. Nf3            c5
 5. e3    (0:02)   Nc6   (0:07)
 6. Bd3   (0:04)   Bxc3+ (0:07)
 7. bxc3  (0:04)   d6    (0:07)
 8. e4    (0:09)   e5    (0:07)
 9. d5    (0:17)   Ne7   (0:09)
10. Nh4   (0:20)   h6    (0:16)
11. f4    (0:40)   Ng6   (0:27)
12. Nxg6  (0:55)   fxg6  (0:28)
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Single Guy Chef: Italian Beef

October 10, 2008 in Food by archangel | 2 comments

Single guys like eating, but generally don’t like cooking. If they do cook, it’s usually on the grill where cleanup is as easy as turning the grill on high and brushing off the cinders. Unfortunately at my new place the grill sucks, and since I quit my job I’m cooking more. So I’m going to share some of the wisdom and experience I get in this new venture. You’ll find the directions are explicit, made for other single guys who have zero cooking experience. Of course, this means the recipes will be much longer than usual, so don’t be scared. The prep and cleanup are easy.

Italian Beef
My friend Jonathan turned me on to Portillo’s, a Chicago chain originally famous for hot dogs. I asked him what to get and he suggested the combo sandwich, which is a combination of Italian beef and sausage. I’ve since gone back many times and never wavered from this selection – just don’t forget to add cheese fries.

So I found a recipe on allrecipes.com (which appears to be the best recipe site out there) for Italian beef, citing a certain Chicago chain as the inspiration. Was this, perhaps, Portillo’s??? No. Not even close. Don’t get your hopes up. But it is a damn good beef sandwich, an Italian version of the French dip, and it’s dead simple to make. It requires a crock pot, but I’m finding this is an essential single guy kitchen appliance. So get one if you don’t have one – they’re cheap.
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The 1972 Fischer – Spassky Times for Game 4

October 8, 2008 in Everything Else by chronicle | 2 comments

This article lists the times taken by Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky for their moves in Game 4 of their World Championship Chess Match in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1972.

Game 4, July 18th, 1972

    Fischer        Spassky
    White          Black
 1. e4    (0:07)   c5    (0:00)
 2. Nf3   (0:07)   d6    (0:00)
 3. d4    (0:07)   cxd4  (0:00)
 4. Nxd4  (0:07)   Nf6   (0:00)
 5. Nc3   (0:07)   Nc6   (0:00)
 6. Bc4   (0:08)   e6    (0:01)
 7. Bb3   (0:08)   Be7   (0:01)
 8. Be3   (0:16)   0-0   (0:02)
 9. 0-0   (0:16)   a6    (0:02)
10. f4    (0:18)   Nxd4  (0:03)
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Yvonne Strahovski, Yogurt, and Flight of the Conchords

October 6, 2008 in Television by archangel | 2 comments

So if you’re not watching Chuck, I doubt I’ll convince you to start. But if anything can, it’s this finger licking scene of Yvonne Strahovski serving yogurt at “Orange Orange” (the Pinkberry of the Chuck universe). Yes, it’s set to Flight of the Conchords’ Foux du Fafa, making it perfect:

If you liked that, here’s more Yvonne Strahovski.

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