Both the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, and the AP sportswriters' poll have LSU at number 4, yet because of the "computer averages" used in their determination, the BCS still has them at number 7. At least the Tigers have finally vaulted past Georgia, something they should have done after the Bulldogs barely scraped by a second-tier team like UAB. LSU, by contrast, had no trouble with their second-tier-team gimme game of the year. Both Georgia and LSU have had their troubles with those pesky Gators, though, haven't they?

I dare anyone to show me how Virginia Tech, Florida State, and Miami have tougher schedules than LSU. (This is one of the things the BCS computers use to determine rankings.) The toughest teams these three face each year is each other! Miami owns the Big East, and VT and FSU own the ACC. Next year, all three can happily beat up on everyone else and one another in the ACC. Again, by contrast, SEC teams have to beat up on one another week after week, with the occasional gimme game. For Miami, practically every game, week after week, is a gimme game, and I was happy to watch VT stuff them in to the ground. Granted, LSU has traditionally had a problem winning the "big one," or blowing their chances at getting to the "big one." With a #4 ranking, and the rest of their games all televised (not always a variable that plays to the Tigers' favor), the strength and resolve of Nick Saban's team will be tested like never before since he assumed the head coach's mantle.

GEAUX TIGERS!

Yes, once again this is where I ask the question: why is Miami in contention for the national championship? Why is Miami ranked #2 in the country by the BCS? I mean, what a wimpy schedule this school has. It would be pretty easy for most Division I NCAA teams to romp to a 7-0 record to this point in the season with this schedule. Let's break down the Hurricanes' twelve games: 1. Louisiana Tech: a gimme game, and every big school has one or two of these. Heck, LSU is playing LaTech next week for homecoming. 2. Florida: a serious contender early in the season, and a game Miami struggled in, only winning by five points. A sure sign to yours truly that mighty Miami might not be ranked so highly if they played SEC- or Big 12-caliber teams each week, instead of those in the not-so Big East. 3. East Carolina: raise your hand if you've heard of East Carolina before. Yeah, Miami crushed them by 35. 4. Boston College: not really a championship contender in any year, they lost to the Hurricanes 33-14. 5. West Virginia: shockingly, Miami had trouble here as well, winning by only two points. West Virginia seems to be the shocker team of the year, knocking off national contender Virginia Tech last week. 6. Florida State: at least Miami plays both of the other Florida schools each year, and both of those have traditionally strong programs. But really, how hard is it to get your team up for two or three big games a year? 7. Temple: yes, that's right, Temple is in the Big East. Now do you see why the BCS thinks Miami is deserving of #2 and a shot at the national title? 8. Virginia Tech: that game is today next week, and will be Miami's big test pretty much for the rest of the season. Go VT. Miami then faces Tennessee, which has disappointed this year, Syracuse, Rutgers, and Pittsburgh. None of the latter three are, or have been, serious contenders, and Miami will likely roll right over them, as they do every single year. It appears Vanderbilt will be leaving the SEC after this season. Let's bring in Miami, where they can face Tennessee every year, as well as powerhouses like Georgia, Auburn, Arkansas, and yes, since Nick Saban became the head coach, LSU. When Miami is consistently beating the likes of these teams, year after year after year, then I would certainly agree they deserve a national title shot. Or slot them in to the Big 12 or Big 10, where they can go up against Oklahoma more frequently than the BCS national title bowl game, and play traditionally strong teams like Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma State, Michigan, Ohio State, and more. When Miami is in a conference where going undefeated really means something, then their contention for the national championship will really mean something. Until then, it is just a pathetic attempt to get two undefeateds in to a bowl game for the attention ratings of the football-watching nation. Better yet, let's dump the flawed, computer-generated BCS ranking system, and establish a playoff system based on the various bowl games. Every other major collegiate sport has a playoff system to determine a national champion. Why can't football? Seems pretty easy: take your conference champions, plus a smattering of independents that have a minimum of two losses for that year, and mix it up. Spread the bowl games out over four weeks, instead of trying to pack them all in to two, and voila! A football playoff system for college athletics. Too bad no one in the NCAA is listening.

The now-running theatrical trailer for The Matrix Revolutions is available online. QuickTime format only, as it should be.

If you've been watching The Bourne Identity on Encore, or have the DVD, and you want to know the song that plays in the alternate ending, it's "In the Sun" by Joseph Arthur, from his album Come To Where I'm From. Thanks to a poster on the Amazon page for the movie's soundtrack. I really like this song; it's almost a lullaby in some respects, and I found myself singing it to the little one night before last: I picture you in the sun wondering what went wrong
And falling down on your knees asking for sympathy
And being caught in between all you wish for and all you seen
And trying to find anything you can feel that you can believe in May God's love be with you
Always
May God's love be with you I know I would apologize if I could see your eyes
Cause when you showed me myself I became someone else
But I was caught in between all you wish for and all you need
I picture you fast asleep
A nightmare comes
You can't keep awake May God's love be with you
Always
May God's love be with you Cause if I find
If I find my own way
How much will I find
If I find
If I find my own way
How much will I find
You I don't know anymore what it's for
I'm not even sure if there is anyone who is in the sun
Will you help me to understand
Cause I been caught in between all I wish for and all I need
Maybe you're not even sure what it's for
Any more than me May God's love be with you
Always
May God's love be with you

LSU is ranked #13 in the nation after stomping UL-Monroe 49-7 in their gimme-game season opener in Baton Rouge. So now TBS is carrying college games on Saturday nights, and they kick off their coverage with LSU taking on Arizona in the desert the night of the 6th. This is good and bad for the Tigers; good that LSU is playing at night, bad that it's on national television. I suppose in this case it's a wash, and hopefully the Tigers can take down Arizona in Tuscon. Geaux Tigers!

Dan notes what we can expect from The Man in Black later this year. Very cool!

My gorgeous bride pointed me to this story about a series of two- to three-minute cartoon shorts that the Cartoon Network will be doing in the Star Wars universe. Star Wars: Clone Wars is set to debut on 9 November. For those of you who may be a mite confused, think Animatrix for the Star Wars set.

In the ongoing smackdown of animated feature films, Pixar's Finding Nemo has moved past distributor Disney's The Lion King as the top-grossing animated film of all time.

The spunky G-rated underwater adventure reeled in $4.39 million over the weekend, bringing its total North American take to $313.1 million, surpassing The Lion King's $312.9 million in domestic ticket sales generated when that film was released in 1994.

[...]

Swimming into theaters May 30, the computer-animated fish flick netted $70 million its opening weekend, the best ever debut for a 'toon. Nemo's been packing 'em in like sardines and drowning rivals ever since. I was shocked, and delighted, to see how packed the theater was when we finally got around to seeing Nemo just two weeks ago. Now the fun will begin: this was supposed to be the last picture by Pixar Disney was going to distribute, at least as far as Pixar is concerned. The contract called for five films, and Pixar has delivered: Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., and Finding Nemo. Disney, however, contends that sequels don't count in the deal, and the two companies could find their way in to court to resolve the matter. Disney must be quaking in their boots; since The Lion King, they haven't released any animated film worth squat that they produced themselves. If Pixar jumps ship to, say, oh, Dreamworks, Disney's biggest competitor in animated films, they're sunk. Eh, forget all that. I just realized that Pixar's next flick, The Incredibles, is going to be released by Disney. So they must have resolved that whole contract thing after all, in Disney's favor. Or the two companies signed a new one...

I love you, Kel.

Today marks the 8th anniversary of Lee's 25th birthday. He's being a bit of a curmudgeon about it, so be sure to stop by his blog and comment your birthday wishes to him. :) Happy birthday, bro.

FranX points me to Jayson Stark's latest Useless Baseball Information, a baseball statistician's treasure trove of interesting tidbits. I'm not really a huge baseball fan, nor a statistician, but according to my wife I'm the King of Useless Information, so it helps that I can add some things to my repertoire.

Programmers like to be efficient, which is a good thing. If programmers are efficient with their code, there is less work for them and less overhead on the systems running the code. Unfortunately, there is a case of being too efficient with your coding, as the Australian armed forces learned. (Thanks, Jason.)

1. The Titanic is big, but it doesn't have hyperdrive.
2. Yoda could've used the Force to lift Titanic out of the water.
3. Leia is a princess, a senator, a freedom fighter, and Jedi material. Rose is just marriage bait.
4. Ewoks throw better parties than either first class or steerage.
5. When flying towards the Titanic, Wedge couldn't say, "Look at the size of that thing!" and really mean it.
6. It would be much scarier to get chased around the boat by a raving madman with a lightsaber as opposed to a handgun.
7. Titanic is egalitarian by portraying poor people as sympathetic characters. Star Wars is egalitarian by promoting bug-eyed amphibians to Admiral.
8. Said bug-eyed amphibious Admiral does not lose his ship.
9. We know Cal is the bad guy because he sneers at the poor and treats his fiancee like property. We know Darth Vader is the bad guy 'cause he strangles people & blows up planets for fun.
10. Yeah, Leo can dance, but can he fly an X-wing?
11. Rose braves icy water to rescue her man. Leia braves Jabba the Hutt.
12. There are always enough escape pods in Star Wars.
13. Do you know what the Empire does to self-proclaimed "kings of the world?"
14. If Luke were handcuffed to a pipe below decks in a sinking ship, he would use the Force to get the key.
15. Nothing has the same sting as "I'd rather kiss a Wookie."
16. Han is frozen in carbonite and turned into a wall ornament. Leo simply freezes.
17. Han Solo would've steered clear of that stinkin' iceberg!
18. We knew the boat was gonna sink. But who could've anticipated, "Luke...I am your father"?
19. Stormtroopers blast big holes in stupid minor characters; everyone in Titanic was a minor character.
20. When Star Wars was proclaimed coolest movie of all time by half of planet earth, George Lucas did not make a fool of himself at the Oscars.
21. Titanic morals:

• gamble
• cheat on your fiancé
• pose nude for pictures
• premarital sex is OK if you're infatuated
• let undesirables drown

1. Star Wars morals:

• fight evil
• do good
• respect all life even if it's ugly and slithers
• rescue the princess
• save the planet

Yes, an oldie, but a goodie, back from when James Cameron's history lesson run amok displaced Star Wars as the highest-grossing movie of all time...

So how far would you go to promote your own personal brand? Some people nab custom license plates to slap on their vehicles in their respective states. Thanks to the Acme License Maker, now you too can experiment with self-branding for your personal transport. (Please bear in mind that I do not know the rules for number of characters allowed in the states shown.) For instance, I could get: