Anyone know why whenever I follow a link to Google.com, I am redirected to google.ca? I try to be a patriotic American but Google is thwarting me by making me use a Canadian search engine.
I think this is to cover up for the fact that espn's actual sports reporting has gone so far downhill. Seriously. It looks like it did a Bode Miller trip right around the time Keith Olbermann left SportsCenter, and only got drunker (on itself) when it started referring to the last 25 years as the ESPN era.
JO, If you live close to the canadian border (like Ann Arbor, MI or something), it will often redirect you to google.ca, I think. People in France get redirected to google.fr, etc.
That 10th anniversary page, as a jaguars fan, probably hurts me as much as it hurts apostropher. So close.
I think this is to cover up for the fact that espn's actual sports reporting has gone so far downhill.
TD speaks for me. Yes, the website is irritating. It's more irritating that, after putting up with the website, you get such terrible analysis in return. If I were SI, I'd expand my site a lot, and take a shot at ESPN's dominance. (I'm sort of surprised the Fox hasn't done this already.)
If I recall correctly, this isn't so much that typing goo... into the address bar makes google.ca the top pick. I think he's saying google is automatically redirecting him to google.ca.
7 -- figured it out -- it is because I work for a Canajin company so the Google server thinks my request is coming from Canada, since that's what the company's routers are telling it.
I didn't see much of a difference, tbh. Menu bar works the same way, a couple more columns on the new page, but they loaded in the same amount of time.
I'm not being sarcastic when I point to Pajamas Media. Say what you will about the content, the page design is simple, but I don't think that it's an improvement over (say) CNN.com.
That 10th anniversary page, as a jaguars fan, probably hurts me as much as it hurts apostropher. So close.
You're not the one whose team's impeding doom is foretold, complete with derogatory nickname, on it. Perfect timing for this week, really. Brings back the memories.
oh cmon. you can't really be all that pissed about the patsies getting some bad rep once in a while. the previous weekend, they couldn't even keep the power on in the stadium (if you recall, in the 1996 afc championship game, the power went out in old foxboro stadium for a good 15 minutes. most people say that was the turning point of the game).
I'd be the last to deny that the Pats (ahem) have had a nice run these past few years, and we plan on keeping that going. But prior to that, "bad rep" was all we had. Losing in Superbowl XXXI was numbing, bringing back memories of '86, right down to the post-game team implosion. No one could know at the time that New England was closer to its first (of three, in case you didn't know) championships than it was to its last Superbowl defeat. Given last weekend, I'm not keen on revisiting those days, thanks.
As long as I have a fast enough connection, I don't care how much gunk they put on the home page. AC is right that it allows for easy access to coverage of more sports. Plus it can point to stories like this that I wouldn't otherwise have seen. It is a pretty usable web page.
ESPN started off as the fan's fan's TV channel. When they started wearing $3,000 suits, they spent less time and energy doing what had gotten them to the top. And now, they just suck. There's no f'in sports reporting, just interviews with the latest media hound (ahem T.O. ahem). So how would I rebuild ESPN? I'd start at the anchor desk. Make it funny again. Cut out the old jokes, and start fresh. Booyah was funny the first couple of times, then it got more annoying each successive time. "But it's my THING!" Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn. Your thing sucks. Come up with a different thing. You got jacked up? Give me a break. Come up with something original!
Slightly OT: Last night at work at the library, a patron came in and mentioned that he'd like to find a book written by this guy he saw on ESPN. He couldn't remember the guy's name, though. I went to ESPN's page, which I definitely didn't like precisely bc it was like they just throw everything they've got at you, but couldn't find anything on this guy.
So, I'm asking for help here (I'm looking at you, apo): Anybody know anything about the following? A guy had broken all kinds of national high school running records, went to the Olympics (I think he won something), came home, got married, had kids, went out one day and never came back. Many years later someone spotted him in Hawaii. He says he'd been abused as a child, running was his outlet and he'd left his family bc he felt the need to start a new life, complete w/new name. And now he's written a book about his abuse and his running.
I'm not republican. I'm not Canadian either. I love college basketball, but I think the NBA sucks. Sucks sucks sucks. I mean, Kevin Garnett turned down $112 million over 7 years because it wasn't enough money, and then accepted $120M? How much was the franchise worth at the time? I mean, HOLY SHIT. Playoff hockey is much better than playoff basketball (NBA), but both of their regular seasons are uninteresting.
Hi Annie. Gerry Lindgren. He was a HS legend and did well afterwards, but not quite so well. While he was successful people would tactfully hint that he was a very odd fish, so when he snapped it shouldn't have been a surprise, but it was.
I'm not excessively interested in bestiality and the age of consent. It's just my benchmark. If something's less interesting than bestiality, it's boring. I suppose that it would leave a better impression if I used a different benchmark.
This seems like it could be the guy. espn connection I doubt there is a book that tracks the espn story. Lingren wrote a book but he ignores the abandoning the family angle.
Gerry Lindgren, for example, is more interesting than bestiality.
My favorite running story is Filbert Bayi of Tanzania, who was a world-class runner within a year of the first time he wore track shoes. His Olympic race with John Walker of NZ would have been one of the greatest races of all time, but the African boycott ruined it.
Annie, how common is it for people to come in to the library with requests like this? I've done it like once that I can remember (for a book that the librarian was not able to help me with but turned out to be The Evolution Man by Roy Lewis). Are you as I am assuming a reference librarian? It seems to me like there is the seed of a book here, or at least a sitcom.
how common is it for people to come in to the library with requests like this?
Extremely. Three tiers:
1. I heard about it from Oprah/NPR/Good Morning America (easy to find the book)
2. I heard about it on BigLocalTalkRadio station (usually can find the book)
3. I heard about it on an infomerical at 4 a.m. when I was up because I'm having stomach problems and can't sleep, and this woman who wrote the book had the most extraordinary life or waitaminute maybe it was on the cable access channel Ican'tremember but anyway she raised 11 kids on $8000 a year or maybe it was 8 kids on $11,000 a year and now they're all grown up and she wrote this book about sending them to college and I can't be sure because I looked away for a minute but I think the book had a blue cover. Or maybe blue lettering.
Oddly enough, you can usually find the book in #3 too, with enough detective work.
45: That same kind of thing would happen when I worked at Barnes & Noble. We actually had it pretty easy, recent author appearances on all sorts of talk shows were listed in a database. It gets tricky when they don't remember where they saw it, though. Usually we could find what they were looking for, given enough time.
I think we can reach a point of agreement here, though. The worst thing ESPN does these days is speed up highlights. Whose fucking idea was this? I watch highlights to see unbelievable athletes do unbelievable things, and speeding it up just distorts and destroys any sense of awe.
Why is there no good alternative to ESPN? Why is there such market failure?
Agreed on the suckiness of ESPN, but I'm not willing to say "market failure" just yet, because I think ESPN's suckiness is pretty recent (a few years). But maybe we're in the minority. People must like the trash-talking sped-up highlights, or Steven A. Smith would never get on the air. I actually won't watch when he's on, and I don't even hate black people.
Yet another reset-effect, it seems. Sooner or later the changes will be so great that you'll have to rename the blog for the sake of "authenticity." Which, by then, you'll believe in.
#43: Hey, Jeremy, sorry to take so long getting back to you, but I was at work. It was so busy I couldn't even check in on unfogged! Not a ref librarian, just a part-time 'Library Assistant'. We get a fair number of odd requests. I enjoy them.
Wrt a book/sitcom: I thought working at a tiny town library would be dull and uneventful, but some pretty weird stuff happens and some unusual characters come in.
I couldn't resist appending this bit from the Sports Guy column. I think he gets it exactly right.
"Q: How long has it been since the two best players in college basketball were both white? I find it fascinating that no one in the media is willing to address this.
-- Fletcher Ray, Portland, Ore.
SG: Address it in what sense? That this is hardcore proof that we're headed toward the worst March Madness of all time?"(cite.)
Here's one you may have heard of.
Posted by ben wolfson | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 9:45 AM
Tennis, soccer, and women's basketball fans?
Posted by ac | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 9:45 AM
I'm not satisfied unless a website is filled with Flash animation.
Posted by Matt F | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 9:48 AM
You can't bait me, ac.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 9:49 AM
Anyone know why whenever I follow a link to Google.com, I am redirected to google.ca? I try to be a patriotic American but Google is thwarting me by making me use a Canadian search engine.
Posted by Jeremy Osner | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 9:50 AM
I think this is to cover up for the fact that espn's actual sports reporting has gone so far downhill. Seriously. It looks like it did a Bode Miller trip right around the time Keith Olbermann left SportsCenter, and only got drunker (on itself) when it started referring to the last 25 years as the ESPN era.
Posted by tweedledopey | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 9:51 AM
JO, If you live close to the canadian border (like Ann Arbor, MI or something), it will often redirect you to google.ca, I think. People in France get redirected to google.fr, etc.
That 10th anniversary page, as a jaguars fan, probably hurts me as much as it hurts apostropher. So close.
Posted by tweedledopey | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 9:53 AM
JO, you should be able to overcome that annoyance but typing in "google.com" enough times that your browser remembers it and uses it as the default.
Posted by bitchphd | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 9:55 AM
I think this is to cover up for the fact that espn's actual sports reporting has gone so far downhill.
TD speaks for me. Yes, the website is irritating. It's more irritating that, after putting up with the website, you get such terrible analysis in return. If I were SI, I'd expand my site a lot, and take a shot at ESPN's dominance. (I'm sort of surprised the Fox hasn't done this already.)
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 9:55 AM
B,
If I recall correctly, this isn't so much that typing goo... into the address bar makes google.ca the top pick. I think he's saying google is automatically redirecting him to google.ca.
Posted by tweedledopey | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 9:58 AM
7 -- figured it out -- it is because I work for a Canajin company so the Google server thinks my request is coming from Canada, since that's what the company's routers are telling it.
Posted by Jeremy Osner | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 9:59 AM
9, This is the same ESPN that thinks Joe "Everybody is an All-Pro" Theismann is the future of MNF. Total suckage.
Posted by tweedledopey | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 9:59 AM
I didn't see much of a difference, tbh. Menu bar works the same way, a couple more columns on the new page, but they loaded in the same amount of time.
Posted by Cala | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 10:03 AM
And why can't TV news anchors just read the goddamn news like they used to?
Posted by Jackmormon | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 10:29 AM
I'm not being sarcastic when I point to Pajamas Media. Say what you will about the content, the page design is simple, but I don't think that it's an improvement over (say) CNN.com.
Posted by Ted Barlow | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 10:35 AM
That 10th anniversary page, as a jaguars fan, probably hurts me as much as it hurts apostropher. So close.
You're not the one whose team's impeding doom is foretold, complete with derogatory nickname, on it. Perfect timing for this week, really. Brings back the memories.
Posted by JL | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 10:37 AM
oh cmon. you can't really be all that pissed about the patsies getting some bad rep once in a while. the previous weekend, they couldn't even keep the power on in the stadium (if you recall, in the 1996 afc championship game, the power went out in old foxboro stadium for a good 15 minutes. most people say that was the turning point of the game).
Posted by tweedledopey | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 10:53 AM
I'd be the last to deny that the Pats (ahem) have had a nice run these past few years, and we plan on keeping that going. But prior to that, "bad rep" was all we had. Losing in Superbowl XXXI was numbing, bringing back memories of '86, right down to the post-game team implosion. No one could know at the time that New England was closer to its first (of three, in case you didn't know) championships than it was to its last Superbowl defeat. Given last weekend, I'm not keen on revisiting those days, thanks.
Posted by JL | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 11:15 AM
About the same number of people who want to hear Chris Berman intone "The New York Football Giants." Negative eleventy billion.
Posted by norbizness | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 11:17 AM
it is because I work for a Canajin company so the Google server thinks my request is coming from Canada
Yeah; I used to get directed to google.de all the time when I was using Tor (which randomly sends your traffic all over the place).
Posted by tom | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 11:27 AM
As long as I have a fast enough connection, I don't care how much gunk they put on the home page. AC is right that it allows for easy access to coverage of more sports. Plus it can point to stories like this that I wouldn't otherwise have seen. It is a pretty usable web page.
Posted by Joe O | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 11:27 AM
ESPN started off as the fan's fan's TV channel. When they started wearing $3,000 suits, they spent less time and energy doing what had gotten them to the top. And now, they just suck. There's no f'in sports reporting, just interviews with the latest media hound (ahem T.O. ahem). So how would I rebuild ESPN? I'd start at the anchor desk. Make it funny again. Cut out the old jokes, and start fresh. Booyah was funny the first couple of times, then it got more annoying each successive time. "But it's my THING!" Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn. Your thing sucks. Come up with a different thing. You got jacked up? Give me a break. Come up with something original!
Posted by tweedledopey | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 11:28 AM
The "He's bringing ball how grandma's cookin' told him!" format to color commentary must. stop.
Posted by Armsmasher | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 11:31 AM
Joe O, I blame you.
Also, ESPN needs to stop covering hockey.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 11:33 AM
24: No. It needs to start covering hockey, and stop covering basketball.
Posted by tweedledopey | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 11:36 AM
and stop covering basketball.
This is just insane. TD is clearly a Republican. Or worse.
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 11:39 AM
Or worse.
He's *gasp* Canadian!
Posted by Matt F | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 11:43 AM
This is a Canada-friendly blog, mainly because a Canadian would never make such a proposal.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 11:45 AM
Slightly OT: Last night at work at the library, a patron came in and mentioned that he'd like to find a book written by this guy he saw on ESPN. He couldn't remember the guy's name, though. I went to ESPN's page, which I definitely didn't like precisely bc it was like they just throw everything they've got at you, but couldn't find anything on this guy.
So, I'm asking for help here (I'm looking at you, apo): Anybody know anything about the following? A guy had broken all kinds of national high school running records, went to the Olympics (I think he won something), came home, got married, had kids, went out one day and never came back. Many years later someone spotted him in Hawaii. He says he'd been abused as a child, running was his outlet and he'd left his family bc he felt the need to start a new life, complete w/new name. And now he's written a book about his abuse and his running.
Posted by annie | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 11:49 AM
I'm not republican. I'm not Canadian either. I love college basketball, but I think the NBA sucks. Sucks sucks sucks. I mean, Kevin Garnett turned down $112 million over 7 years because it wasn't enough money, and then accepted $120M? How much was the franchise worth at the time? I mean, HOLY SHIT. Playoff hockey is much better than playoff basketball (NBA), but both of their regular seasons are uninteresting.
Posted by tweedledopey | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 11:54 AM
I'm not finding anything, Annie.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 12:02 PM
Thanks, ogged. Hmmmph.
Posted by annie | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 12:12 PM
Annie -- maybe the guy was unbalanced and was describing to you the character whom he imagined himself to be. Perhaps he was crying out for help.
Posted by Jeremy Osner | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 12:16 PM
Hi Annie. Gerry Lindgren. He was a HS legend and did well afterwards, but not quite so well. While he was successful people would tactfully hint that he was a very odd fish, so when he snapped it shouldn't have been a surprise, but it was.
Posted by John Emerson | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 12:17 PM
Perhaps he was crying out for help.
Or perhaps not.
Posted by Jeremy Osner | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 12:19 PM
Annie, I'm late, but here's the first hit on google:
http://starbulletin.com/2005/10/02/news/story02.html
For this search: "olympic runner abandoned family disappeared book"
Posted by cw | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 12:21 PM
Gerry Lindgren
I'm not excessively interested in bestiality and the age of consent. It's just my benchmark. If something's less interesting than bestiality, it's boring. I suppose that it would leave a better impression if I used a different benchmark.
Posted by John Emerson | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 12:22 PM
too late but
This seems like it could be the guy. espn connection I doubt there is a book that tracks the espn story. Lingren wrote a book but he ignores the abandoning the family angle.
Posted by Joe O | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 12:23 PM
Ah, good searching, cw.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 12:25 PM
Gerry Lindgren, for example, is more interesting than bestiality.
My favorite running story is Filbert Bayi of Tanzania, who was a world-class runner within a year of the first time he wore track shoes. His Olympic race with John Walker of NZ would have been one of the greatest races of all time, but the African boycott ruined it.
Posted by John Emerson | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 12:28 PM
By the way, to prevent country redirects on the Google homepage, point your browser to http://www.google.com/ncr
Posted by hilker | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 12:35 PM
Wow, that's great, folks. That guy does sound a little off. Hmm. Thanks for finding him!
Posted by annie | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 1:00 PM
Annie, how common is it for people to come in to the library with requests like this? I've done it like once that I can remember (for a book that the librarian was not able to help me with but turned out to be The Evolution Man by Roy Lewis). Are you as I am assuming a reference librarian? It seems to me like there is the seed of a book here, or at least a sitcom.
Posted by Jeremy Osner | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 1:06 PM
#30 gets it exactly wrong.
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 1:12 PM
how common is it for people to come in to the library with requests like this?
Extremely. Three tiers:
1. I heard about it from Oprah/NPR/Good Morning America (easy to find the book)
2. I heard about it on BigLocalTalkRadio station (usually can find the book)
3. I heard about it on an infomerical at 4 a.m. when I was up because I'm having stomach problems and can't sleep, and this woman who wrote the book had the most extraordinary life or waitaminute maybe it was on the cable access channel Ican'tremember but anyway she raised 11 kids on $8000 a year or maybe it was 8 kids on $11,000 a year and now they're all grown up and she wrote this book about sending them to college and I can't be sure because I looked away for a minute but I think the book had a blue cover. Or maybe blue lettering.
Oddly enough, you can usually find the book in #3 too, with enough detective work.
Posted by Another Librarian | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 1:48 PM
#44 can suck it.
Posted by tweedledopey | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 1:52 PM
45: That same kind of thing would happen when I worked at Barnes & Noble. We actually had it pretty easy, recent author appearances on all sorts of talk shows were listed in a database. It gets tricky when they don't remember where they saw it, though. Usually we could find what they were looking for, given enough time.
Posted by Matt F | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 2:01 PM
#44 can suck it.
That's exactly what a Canadian would say!
I think we can reach a point of agreement here, though. The worst thing ESPN does these days is speed up highlights. Whose fucking idea was this? I watch highlights to see unbelievable athletes do unbelievable things, and speeding it up just distorts and destroys any sense of awe.
Why is there no good alternative to ESPN? Why is there such market failure?
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 2:08 PM
Agreed on the suckiness of ESPN, but I'm not willing to say "market failure" just yet, because I think ESPN's suckiness is pretty recent (a few years). But maybe we're in the minority. People must like the trash-talking sped-up highlights, or Steven A. Smith would never get on the air. I actually won't watch when he's on, and I don't even hate black people.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 2:16 PM
and I don't even hate black people.
Yet another reset-effect, it seems. Sooner or later the changes will be so great that you'll have to rename the blog for the sake of "authenticity." Which, by then, you'll believe in.
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 2:20 PM
I was trying to agree with you, and you throw it back in my face? Mighty white of you Timbot.
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 2:23 PM
Mighty white of you Timbot.
I'll take that the only way you could possibly mean that, Shi'a - as a compliment. (And we're not the only ones upset with the new ESPN.)
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 2:31 PM
Who else is upset with it? I mean, other then the unfoggedariat?
Posted by tweedledopey | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 4:03 PM
#43: Hey, Jeremy, sorry to take so long getting back to you, but I was at work. It was so busy I couldn't even check in on unfogged! Not a ref librarian, just a part-time 'Library Assistant'. We get a fair number of odd requests. I enjoy them.
Wrt a book/sitcom: I thought working at a tiny town library would be dull and uneventful, but some pretty weird stuff happens and some unusual characters come in.
Posted by annie | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 8:01 PM
Who else is upset with it? I mean, other then the unfoggedariat?
Everyone I know over the age of 30.
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 01-19-06 8:09 PM
TD:
I couldn't resist appending this bit from the Sports Guy column. I think he gets it exactly right.
"Q: How long has it been since the two best players in college basketball were both white? I find it fascinating that no one in the media is willing to address this.
-- Fletcher Ray, Portland, Ore.
SG: Address it in what sense? That this is hardcore proof that we're headed toward the worst March Madness of all time?"(cite.)
Posted by SomeCallMeTim | Link to this comment | 01-20-06 2:16 PM