Congrats to Paste Magazine, which celebrated its 10th birthday yesterday. jmj

Rick Reilly plunges average NFL players into the depths of the rule book to see if Donovan McNabb was the only one deficient in that area. Answer: not even close. tjc

More on this later I think: when art and science collide. eab

Speaking of problem solving, Ted Leonsis has some ideas for how to fix America. (via MG) eab

I am definitely behind the eight ball on this, but I think it's worth mentioning that the boys over at Fire Joe Morgan have called it quits. jmj

I like Bill Richardson. Personally, I thought he would have made a great Secretary of State. Either way, he's a witty conversationalist. And I like that. Here's a very quick read: Richardson in Esquire on how Obama saved his ass in one of the debates and how he made no apology to Saddam. And here are two statements from that I couldn't disagree with more and one that is spectacularly true (for Arizona, too). tjc

Every elegant man should have a nice fountain pen and a nice watch.

Artists have said that New Mexico's biggest asset is the color of the mornings and evenings. It spurs creativity.

Brace yourself, Indonesia, another major earthquake may be on the way. jmj

Chris Landry, a writer for Sportsnet.ca, has been stealing segments of articles written by Mike Lombardi and Andrew Brandt over at NotionalFootballPost.com. A smoking gun has emerged. (via with leather - potentially NSFW)eab

Then, Brandt (a former high-level employee of the Packers) points out the striking similarities between two mid-November 2008 columns from Lombardi and Landry. The problem? Brandt says that Lombardi's column was posted on November 17. And that Landry's was posted four days later.

In a plagiarism case, it's the closest thing to a smoking gun. And coupled with the extensive similarities between the two writers' work product documented in our prior stories, it's enough evidence to lead a reasonable person to develop the opinion that Landry has on multiple occasions this season copied concepts, words, and phrases from Lombardi (and, on at least December 1, Andrew Brandt).

There's more. Landry's archive at Sportsnet.ca has been altered to omit all columns written by Landry after January 28, 2008.

Lost in the whole steroids shuffle: Pedro Cerrano. For that gem and other letters to Timothy McSweeney's Internet Tendency, go here. tjc

Date: Tue, 15 January 2008

From: Brad Millar

Subject: Lost Mitchell Report

I believe another example has missed the auspicious gaze of Mr. Andrew Bridgman: That of one Pedro Cerrano. Possibly one of the most powerful power hitters in Cleveland Indians history, Cerrano couldn't hit a curveball to save democracy. Instead of getting his eyes checked for depth-perception problems--an option he was clearly aware of, as his teammate and friend Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn's natural skill was also hampered by vision problems--Cerrano instead opted for the help of Jobu, a voodoo deity. The combination of prayer and cigars indeed helped the big Cuban cure his bat of sickness. Although the 1989 World Series win was clearly a team effort, without the help of Jobu, the storied Cleveland Indians franchise quite clearly would have ended up in Miami, Florida.

Brad Millar

I have a new MacBook ... it is AWESOME! eab

Another Sunny video...if memetician Timothy J. was to crack up and lose his marbles, this is what it would look like. jmj

Other than watching sports and my daily dose of Rachel Maddow, I don't get too watch too much television. I have been DVRing (yes, I just used DVR as a verb) It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia all season, and finally got to watch a few episodes this weekend. I give you...Day Bow Bow!

And then, of course, Charlie explains why we all love YouTube. jmj

I've always liked Don Rickles, and listening to him on Fresh Air last night made me like him even more. jmj

Need some color in your life? How about the WebUrbanist's collection of monochromatic photography. "I'm terribly partial to periwinkle blue." ($1 for the person that can name that movie quote.) tjc

You think the economy is bad? Ask a squirrel; they have it much worse than us. jmj ... In my opinion, Tim Rowland comes off as a jackass. You would be much better served reading all about it from the source, The Washington Post. Plus much more interesting are the possible causes like the following: eab

Last spring was so wet, he reasoned, perhaps the pollen was washed out of the air and down storm drains before it had time to do its work... Last May, when the oak trees would have been busy flowering, coating cars and sidewalks with a thick dusting of golden pollen, the National Weather Service logged 10.6 inches of rain at Reagan National Airport -- three times the normal amount, making it the third wettest month on record since 1871.

Can salt water really be burned as a fuel? An Erie, PA man may have stumbled upon something amazing. And speaking on the topic Tim addressed yesterday: eab

That's the true American innovator. Someone that is not looking for something and just finds it.

Jessica graphs the seven 'wonders' of the modern world. DF = Insane deadline. Nice! tjc

Digitally created instruments. eab

cre⋅a⋅tiv⋅i⋅ty - the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.

Creativity, the forefather of innovation, is paramount. As Americans, our chief export for years has been the fruits of our innovations. Especially in the struggling global economy, we'll need to strengthen our strong suit to stay relevant. So that means we need to be more creative. How do we do that?

One of the preeminent thinkers in the field of creativity found the zone. You know the zone. You've been in the zone. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls it the flow. You've felt the flow. You know the flow.

Creativity is a fickle beast. Csikszentmihalyi claims that only two elements come into play when finding the zone: skills and challenges (see chart). If your challenges are greater than your skills, you'll find yourself apathetic, worried, or anxious. If your skills are greater than your challenges, you'll find yourself apathetic, bored, or overly-relaxed. Feeling of arousal in the former and control in the latter signal a close proximity to the flow. It's there. We just need to find it. And we need to find it fast.

If you get it right - if your challenges and skills grow together - you're in the flow. That's where we all want to be. It is the state of "intrinsic motivation." It is a self-powering, serendipitous feeling that comes about when work and play overlap.

Csikszentmihalyi found nine byproducts of "feeling the flow:"

1. Clearer goals
2. Higher degree of concentration and focus
3. Loss of self-consciousness
4. Distorted sense of time
5. Direct and immediate feedback to action
6. Balance between ability level and challenge
7. Sense of personal control over actions
8. Activity becomes intrinsically rewarding
9. Increased awareness of action results

In the past, Kottke has talked about the nearly identical realm of "relaxed concentration." He gives examples from sports and entertainment, among others. Csikszentmihalyi calls it "focused attention," but that is a distinction without a difference. Either way, all else falls away save the task at hand.

Knowing how to find the flow is important, especially with the upcoming rise of the creative class. Yes, green-collar jobs will be extremely important and creativity must play a role in that, but the creative class in general will be the backbone of the American ideal in the near future. If we are to continue the longstanding tradition of the US as trailblazer and leader in the global economy, creativity must be fostered. Innovation will die if creativity is stifled. Innovation will stall if creativity is just left alone. Innovation can only thrive if creativity is actively pursued. This shall be our task.

Dr. Richard Florida uses the term "creative class" and found it's existence tied directly to three requirements (or the three T's):

1. Talent, or the need for a highly talented, educated, and/or skilled population

2. Tolerance, or the need for a diverse community and a "live and let live" ethos

3. Technology, or the need for technological infrastructure necessary to fuel an entrepreneurial culture.

That's it. That's all we need for creativity. Then we match skills with challenges and get in the zone. And off we go. Happy. Healthy. Wealthy. Wise.

The past year has been tough on a lot of Americans. The economy is in the midst of a downward spiral leaving many personal 401K, 403B and IRA investments in the gutter; I don't even open my statements anymore. The number of foreclosures are still increasing at a torrid pace, leaving many displaced. Unemployment is at its highest rate in 5 years. The combination of the three has left many unemployed, homeless and penniless as the holiday season kicked off yesterday. As Americans, however, we have a lot to be thankful for despite the turmoil that our country is going through right now.

Earlier this month, Americans of different races and creeds united together to elect the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama. For the first time in our nation's storied history, we will have a black man sitting in the oval office working for the prosperity of America. About 50 years ago, mass lynchings were still occurring in the south and resentment towards minorities was prevalent in many American homes. Finally, we have turned the page on an ugly past that has plagued our great nation. Thank goodness for that.

As Mr. Obama transitions from President-elect to President, there will be a smooth transition of power. Some elected officials will move on and others will take their place. There will be no bloodshed, no military struggles led by dictators greedy with power. As a united people, we have chosen our next President. Thank goodness for democracy.

Across the shining seas, there are hundreds of thousands of brave American men and women fighting to preserve our freedom and the ideals that we hold so dear. While many do not agree with the war in Iraq, it is important to put personal politics aside and remember that these Americans sacrifice their way of life so that we can choose how we live ours. Thank goodness for these Americans.

As many Americans sat around their tables yesterday filled with turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, the stress of the economic strife has been weighing on many. Things could be worse. While some have lost everything, a vast majority of Americans are only losing the opportunity of owning luxuries. Remember those who are truly hurting, struggling to feed their children and forgo paying their auto insurance for a second month in lieu of keeping their house warm. Thank goodness for being able to live comfortably.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I know that this is a day late, but shouldn't we be giving thanks everyday?

Before I get to anything else today I would like to take this opportunity to recognize a little something special for us here at memeticians. We are celebrating our one year anniversary today! I speak for all of us when I say thank you, a million times over thank you, to our tiny little world of readers out there. I'd like to thank Joe and Tim for all their time and hard work into what we do here and the support they have given me. And to Hank, our life saver and site admin. There are absolutely no words that could be used to express just what Hank means to this little world. Simply put, without him we would absolutely, positively, NOT be here today. He is our MVP. So to those of you reading along at home, thank you from all of us here at memeticians.

~ Joe, Gerard, Tim and Hank

Lucy van Pelt: Charlie Brown! Oh, Charlie Brown!

Charlie Brown: I can't believe it. She must think I'm the most stupid person alive.

LVP: Come on Charlie Brown. I'll hold the ball and you kick it.

CB: Hold it? Ha! You'll pull it away and I'll land flat on my back and kill myself!

LVP: But Charlie Brown, it's Thanksgiving!

CB: What's that got to do with anything?

LVP: Well one of the greatest traditions we have is the Thanksgiving Day Football Game. And the biggest, most important tradition of all is the kicking off of the football.

CB: Is that right?

LVP: Absolutely! Come on Charlie Brown it's a big honor for you.

CB: Well if it's that important a person should never turn down a big honor. Maybe I should do it. Besides, she wouldn't try to trick me on a traditional holiday. This time I'm gonna kick that football clear to the moon! AAUGH!

LVP: Isn't it peculiar Charlie Brown how some traditions just slowly fade away?

And so begins A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. This year Lucy doesn't know just how right she is, some traditions just slowly fade away. This year, for the first time in as long as I can remember, there will be no annual Thanksgiving Day Football Game. It has slowly faded away.

The yearly circumstances may not always be the same, but the annual game is a highlight of the holiday season for thousands to millions across the country. The details of your particular game may change from year to year but any steady (read: yearly) participant can trace the evolution of his game from the years spent playing neighborhood kids in the biggest yard amongst you in grade school to its move to the local football field and expansion to include high school friends from surrounding areas. Then your 20's hit and only a select group could be counted on so cross town games would merge into a super game pitting 11 v 11 full field battles of tackle football with accompanying subs. The soreness would last for days and one person would always end up with some sort of quasi serious injury but it was the best of times.

After a couple of years though, the numbers would begin to dwindle. At first it's mostly laziness that comes with age. Partying on Thanksgiving Eve gives way to sleeping in and missing games. Some get married and head to the in-laws or have children and can't escape for 3 hours on such a hectic morning. While others plain and simply can't risk the potential injury that comes with playing pad-less tackle football with grown men. Whatever the reason the game begins to show signs of weakness, chinks in its armor.
The younger neighborhood kids show up early and get the good field. Instead of 25 willing and able bodied participants your group shrinks to 15 and those who do make it show up later and later. Once the game does start you are repeatedly calling your buddy, the one guy you would have never thought would miss a game, wondering where he is. 2 hours later he finally arrives but the writing is on the wall. Your game is not the same.

The next year plans change. In lieu of tackle you switch to flag football. A less violent option hoping to entice some no shows from the previous years and hold on to those you've got left. But alas, disaster strikes. Only 8 men show up. It's a horribly depressing moment. You may even start to feel embarrassed. You can hardly field one team. The younger neighborhood kids show up 50 strong, an army larger then anything you've seen, and immediately break into TWO full fledged 11 v 11 games. And a sinking feeling begins to wash over you. This is it. The magical days of Thanksgiving Day Football games are over. You join the army of 50 and play anyway but it's not the same. The familiar faces are gone. The yearly grudge matches and fights have been replaced with disputes between unrecognizable foes and over unknown commodities. The trash talk and banter takes a back seat to silently trying to do your best, to show the younger and faster opponents that your experience in these yearly battles has given you that intangible something that keeps you competitive. When a memorable moment does happen you give a slight nod to your friend, momentarily remembering years gone by perhaps harkening back to that time years ago when skulls collided with a crack loud enough for all to hear or the infamous 'wishbone drive'. But while that intangible something that keeps you competitive still breathes, it's that intangible something which you get from battling with your friends that has burned out. It is the worst of times indeed.

The following year it's suggested, "let us do something different this year" and the apathy with which the suggestion is presented to, let alone received by, the masses is appalling to you. The suggestion itself is not even a 'group' oriented event that would keep all participants together as football did. What's worse is that at the mere suggestion of another attempt at football you are meet with derision and scorn by some. It's a twist of fate that your younger self would never see coming and that your older self struggles to deal with.

As I'm sure you can tell by now, this isn't a tale of fiction. Unfortunately it is a turn of events that is all too real. But I'm not ready for alternatives just yet. So if you need me on Thanksgiving morning you can find me at the local field trying to keep up with the 22 year olds and hopefully avoiding serious injury. In the words of Lucy van Pelt, "One of the greatest traditions we have is the Thanksgiving Day Football Game." It's a big honor.

Editors note: Timothy J. and Joseph J. have once again switched posting days. Tim is back to Mondays while Joe will be posting on Fridays.

MVPujols

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols was awarded the National League MVP award this week.

Ryan Howard was robbed.