OOTP 12 review : the Evolution of the Baseball Simulation

The attentive people at Out Of the Park Development have already released the 5th major update for OOTP12, so maybe I should take a pause from simulating seasons with OOTP12 to let you in on all the fun.  Yes, it is super addictive.   Buy it now, before it gets scheduled like heroin or cocaine.

OOTP12 buy it here.  My quick recommendations, for those who want to avoid the ramblings of a baseball addict:

1. if you never used OOTP before but you like baseball, get it now.  The fictional simulations are amazing!  Your players will age, disappoint and surprise in a vaguely predictable way, just like the major leagues.  You can create every aspect of your league, even team colors and player mustaches.  I use the historical simulation with actual teams and players, so I can make up for the faults of whichever monkeys were running the Mets when I was growing up.

2. if you have played an earlier version of OOTP:  The changes and updates from the prior version make for a worthy upgrade.  The quality of play and accuracy has improved significantly.  Their update system functions by allowing their fanatical users to communicate with each other on the OOTP forum and recommend changes to the OOTP creators, who are very sensitive to the users’ needs.  IOW, if you get OOTP12, you will have input into the changes put into OOTP13.

(End of quick recommendation)

My first baseball high came at a young age.

By the age of 7, I realized I would be a dedicated baseball fan for the rest of my life.  At that age, studying box scores was a morning ritual, except I prayed for a Kingman homerun and not eternal health.  I was obsessed.  What kept me from being put in a home for the mentally ill was the simple fact that millions of other people were just like me.   I was normal!  Soon I found friends who shared this disease.  Together we started slow,  trading baseball cards.  I traded Johnny Bench for Ron Hodges, and was proud of it (don’t you mock me! My friend was a Reds fan, so I could take advantage).  Eventually we found simple game simulations, and we bloodied our fingers flicking at metal spinners while recreating a season.

The evolution of the baseball simulation is not a myth, from board games like strat-o-matic, statis pro,  and pursue the pennant, to computer games like Earl Weaver baseball.  Those were wonderful times, but increased computer power and memory meant improved simulations, up to Diamond Mind Baseball and then OOTP.

The perfect or best baseball simulation is still yet to come.  The way we will reach is through the constant changing and upgrading the product.  DMB used to do this.  They would drastically improve the AI and simulation accuracy with every new version.  Then, in 2006, the company was sold and they appear to have stopped the progress.  So, OOTP took the baton…

OOTP is the best baseball simulation because they realize their audience all have unique ideas about what makes the perfect simulation.   My recent historical simulation starts with the 1968 season and I use the DH in both leagues.  Four teams make the playoffs, I prefer 16 teams but the software does limit the number of postseason teams to 4.  My schedule includes teams from both leagues, and I can take advantage of the upgraded storylines and manage pitch by pitch, or I can regulate myself to GM and only deal with roster moves.

The key to OOTP’s future success is to continue to add user options, and update accuracy of the computer AI.

Here are some other reviews of OOTP12: (reviews)

U iz bettuh lawndree maker, pweeze come baks

Gulp! Stop-motion animation shot on a Nokia N8.

This stop-action short film was made entirely using a smartphone.  Created by SumoScience.

When I was a kid, we used our phones to open walnuts.

Reasons why a faulty argument is no substitution for an objective one

As usual, I was perusing over at BoingBoing, one of the top online sites for years, when I found this poster of desperation:

The photo is from a University Library poster created by the author of “Fool’s Gold: Why the Internet is no Substitute for a Library” by Mark Y. Herring.  The book is available from Amazon for $45 which, based on this poster, is a bigger waste of paper than a stack of Paris Hilton posters.  Strangely they also have a ebook version available for only $16.49,  partially invalidating the book’s message.

I do have a giant bias: I love Libraries, particularly University Libraries.  Most of my research was done in libraries, and I still visit as many as I can.  I do not understand why anyone would spend $200 to go to a sporting event, as opposed to zero to go to a library.  I agree with the author’s premise fully, but the arguments are hogwash and comical in their presentation.  Looking at all 10 arguments in order:

1. Not everything is on the internet: Yes, excellent point to start.  Then again, not everything is available in a library.  This argument is convincing to those who have already finished reading the internet.  Completely ran out of things to read online, please find me more.  Kthxbye.  Geez, I found this poster online, is it really available in every library?

2. Drown online, difficult to find answer within the many answers returned in search engine:   Oh no, scary computer doesn’t give me what I want, better go to the library so I can use the card catalog.  Hmmm, not here.  Better ask the librarian who has a search engine on her computer.  Oh, whoops.  First point was that not enough is online, second is that too much is online.  Off to a good start.

3. Quality control doesn’t exist, conspiracy theory, pornography, ghosts, Hitler, demons, boo:  The last few libraries I went into had books available by Ann Coulter and Glenn Beck.  Everything I read online is at least as accurate as those books. and far less pornographic.  I don’t want a library to QC the books, especially not someone like Mr. Herring.  It’s called censorship.

4. Online articles are not full text, like a race car without the keys:   Starts ok.  The only thing I know online that leaves out important notes, graphs, citations, etc, is the poster shown above.   Then? Race car?  Your audience are  book readers, not NASCAR fans.   If you drew a Venn diagram of race car fans and people who visit University libraries, it would look like Ellen Page’s tits, slightly touching but hardly overlapping.  (just assume I didn’t spend the last hour trying to but together a simple Venn diagram before giving up and using a tasteless Pop culture analogy instead)

5. States can buy a book to give to libraries online, NOT: Stupid 80′s phrases aside, why is receiving a book online bad?  Sure it isn’t nearly enough and unfair copyright laws hurt libraries, but the sign looks offended by the offer.  Sad sign  :O(

6. Reading ebooks is a chore: I can read the complete works of Shakespeare on my iPhone – you want to try that with full text books on the subway?  Also, ‘a generation away’ is only a few years in this new eVerse.

7. No library-less universities: At this point, I peed myself laughing.  Princeton University hasn’t demolished their libraries yet, so they are better than the internet?  Almost 100% of Universities were created before the last few years, yet they are almost all online in some capacity, or planning to do so.  Another example of faulty logic.

8. Billion dollars to digitize a library of books: How many competing quotes did Mark get?  No, seriously, why would anyone need to scan every page from a library?  Many have already been done and are already available online.  I would send my copy of the complete works of Shakespeare to Mr. Herring if it wasn’t so full of conspiracy theory and pornography.

9. Most of what’s on the internet is less than 15 years old:  …and much is older than that. If you read my blog, you saw that I have referenced all decisions of the US Supreme Court ever, available online.  So much more is available through a simple search.  Mark Y. Herring is being deceptive or ignorant.  I can’t tell which.   BTW how many Millions of dollars does Herring think it cost to put the Supreme Court Decisions online?

10. Internet is ubiquitous but books are portable: More crap.  I can go hiking and stop to read either Sherlock Holmes, Shakespeare, or the friggin Iliad on my iPhone.  You can’t put all those books in your backpack.  EBooks are much more portable than traditional books.  I too love taking my paperback Rex Stout book with me on trips, but I am not deceived into thinking it’s more than an emotional connection.  Young’ins are getting that same connection with eBooks now.

Please don’t listen to Mark Why Herring.  Libraries are helpful, important, and need resources.  Visit your local public library and university library and ask how you can help.  Many have online websites that facilitate donations.  Here is an excellent site for Princeton Public Library.  Most library representatives are doing all they can to educate us – don’t punish them because of one idiot.

Photo of Mark Y. Herring courtesy of demotivationals4U.

The Wieners Circle Chicago Restaurant adds abuse/humor to menu (NSFW language)

In Chicago, a hotdog restaurant owner found out by accident that customers love to be abused, if it is funny.  Their restaurant, the Wieners Circle,  is now famous for the abuse they give out, and take in.  The following hilarious clips use NSFW language – do not watch if you are offended by naughty or racist language.

Dave Attel introduces us to the restaurant in Insomniac (great show from Comedy Central).

A man decides to use a different approach to ordering, leading to side-splitting guffaws.

Sure, The Wieners Circle has its critics, those who say it’s too much or waitresses will show their tops for money, and maybe the health code is not up to par.   I am still eager to visit and get my doggie on.

 

Zach Galifianakis has the best website design

Zach Galifianakis has his own website and has apparently paid top dollar into the design.  Check it out.

http://www.zachgalifianakis.com/

 

pic from Unreality Mag.

April Fools Tips

April Fools is the 2nd most important holiday in America.  The most important obviously is March 14, steak&BJ day, which the heretic waitress at Morton’s refuses to observe.  I’m never going back to that place!! according to the court order.  Anyhoo, April Fools…

Up to now, whenever I am asked ‘what is a good joke for April Fools’, my answer is always the same: ‘just pay the friggin toll and move on, you’re blocking traffic, a-hole!’   So now, I decided to come up with some of my own to get you through your dull miserable office day.   Please feel free to use these, as long as you give me credit.

1. ‘Hey boss, I can’t come into the office today because I accidentally shoved a miniature Eiffel Tower into my ass and I can’t get it out.   APRIL FOOLS!  It’s really the Statue of Liberty.’

2.  Bring a rifle to work and start firing while chanting random Bible passages, “Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none!”  ”Don’t covet your neighbors Shellfish!”.  Then tell the police, ‘APRIL FOOLS!  They are just blanks’.  The cops will be laughing as they book you.  The resulting stories will make you a hit in your prison ward.

3. ‘I am pregnant, it’s yours, and I will name him after you.   APRIL FOOLS, Grandpa, I was on the Pill’.

4. ‘Wilson, I never received that report you claim you put on my desk, and if I don’t get it by next week, it will be reflected in your bonus.’   ‘APRIL FOOLS!  you’re fired’.

5. Punch a small hole into a coffee cup, so that staining coffee will spill out when tilted (dribble cup).  Then at a meeting, spill the coffee all over yourself and say ‘aha you guys, you got me.  Good one.’   People will think you a good sport and others are dicks for making you walk around all day with stains on your pants.  Now wait for your raise and promotion.  Extra tip: when spilling coffee, also pee in pants for extra effect.

6. ‘Knock Knock.  (who’s there?)  April Fools.  (April Fools Who?)  April Fools your dumb CEO ass!’

7. ‘I love all my fellow co-workers and can’t ask for better people.  APRIL FOOLS!  I hate the Negros and Arabs.’  (warning, joke may be considered offensive in Northern United States after 1967.  Only to be used in Midwest and the South U.S. and Australia)

8. Urinate in the coffee.  I love this one.  Then on April First, you don’t pee in the coffee.  Haha!  They will be surprised at how good the coffee tastes on this one day of the year.

9. Smear your body with feces.  Then get some charcoal and write racist things all over your body, making sure to misspell everything.  Call Al Sharpton and he will help with the rest.

10. Now is time to make those racist UCLA videos and tell people you don’t like to F-off (via Jacqueline Howett).  If you do it on April 1st, you can always claim APRIL FOOLS! and you will be seen as a good sport and fun to be around.

That’s my 10 April Fools jokes.  If you do them all, you are guaranteed to be loved and rewarded.  APRIL FOOLS!

Pics from LOLPranks and techcrunch.

Brooklyn man beat without mercy for being Gay

Six men beat  Barie Shortell senseless in Brooklyn NY 1 month ago, leaving him in need of 9.5 hour facial reconstruction surgery – because he is homosexual.

News report here.

Mr. Shortell has no medical insurance, so he will be liable for $100,000 in medical bills.  If you would like to donate to help with his bills, please visit this website.

To donate for LGBT rights, see ACLU.

If you want to protest, I recommend doing so at a catholic church or other organization that speaks against homosexuality.  We need to tell them to stop hating and start helping.

 

Update: April 2, 2011

I received an angry message from a Catholic supporter, John.  Usually I do not respond to these messages, but this one actually contains semi-coherent thoughts that may be universal enough to warrant response.  The parts I left out of John’s message were for coherency and do not change the meaning.

 

John: “right, so 6 men beat this guy up and you’d rather punish the catholic church then the people who did it?   why are you blaming churches for this again, considering there’s zero evidence that the guys that did it are even religious?  for all we know he was beaten senseless by 6 skeptic atheist fag-haters.”

A: No, I did not speak about punishment at all, purposefully.  I think this country punishes too much and does too little to help.  If the police catch these guys, they will punish them strongly (unless they are on the board of directors of Verizon), so protesting the police to catch them would do absolutely no good.  So, why do I think it would do well to protest at a catholic church or other organization that speaks against homosexuality?

The Catholic Church does not just preach against homosexuality to the deeply religious.  They also preach to the rest of us and go as far as to push for anti-homosexuality laws, which is quite unconstitutional.  When their hatred reaches federal and state law, it has long since ceased to reach only the religious, and affects all people who may be persuaded to hate gays, including non-Christians.  The religion of the attackers is irrelevant to me.  But protesting the Catholic Church may just convince them and their followers to see that their divisive speech causes violence, and just maybe they will care about humanity and preach against violence instead of hatred of homosexuality.  If we can do that, we will prevent more violence like this in the future.  That should be everyone’s goal.

 

 

 

Glenn Greenwald presentation on journalism today

Glenn Greenwald, well respected journalist, constitutional attorney, and best selling author gave an informative speech in New Mexico on March 8 2011.  I highly recommend listing to the speech and follow-up Q&A period despite the length (combined approx 90 minutes).

Presentation here, through Lannan Podcasts.  Q&A here with long time journalist, David Barsamian is here.

You can pre-order Glenn Greenwald’s next book through Amazon here.

 

Art by great street artist Banksy.  Check out some of his art at ResourcesforLife or his web page.

Michael Moore’s Speech to the Wisconsin People

For almost 20 years, Wisconsin had one of the best representatives in the Senate, Russ Feingold.  After 3 months of his replacement, Scott Walker, the people of Wisconsin have had enough.  Here is the video of Michael Moore addressing the courageous Wisconsin elite.

Order your Walker sucks Kock tshirts here: