DON’T WORRY THERE IS NO SPOILERS HERE FOR ‘GAME OF THRONES’ OR ANY TV SHOW YOU HAVE NOT SEEN YET.
You may be one of the many getting to work today still processing the events of the most recent season finale of the HBO monster-hit ‘Game of Thrones but if you have not yet seen it, avoid this evil app. The application appropriately called Spoiled will anonymously send text mesage spoilers to any number you choose. It’s truly evil but you can not deny it’s very clever. The app is most effective on victims who watch their shows by on-demand streaming after it’s first run on the air. It gets even more sinister as Spoiled will show what your target texted back in anger and sadness.
Why was this made? What is the point besides making your ex-lover regret leaving you mid-season in ‘Silicon Valley’? It just seems like these internet powers could be used for good, not evil. Where is the app to tell you what train cars on the CTA smell the worst? Someone make that app please… wait that’s my idea! @kevkellam
Buddy Ryan the mastermind of the 1985 Chicago Bears defense that powered the team to a Super Bowl victory that year, has died at 82. With his acclaimed strategy and ability to motivate his incredible roster of defensive talents, Ryan earned a place as one of the most engaging minds in football history.
Ryan played a linebacker in the NFL with the New York Jets, and went on to become a linebacker coach for the team helping them win a championship over the Colts. He is most known for his time with infamous Chicago Bears where his powerful ’46 Defense’ helped propel the team to the Super Bowl over the Patriots. After leaving the Bears, Ryan was the head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1986-90, and for the Arizona Cardinals in 1994-95, earning a 55-55-1 overall record. His career in NFL coaching stretched to a prolific 35 seasons. Outside of football, Buddy served the U.S. Army in the Korean War and earned a master’s degree. His sons Rex and Rob Ryan have gone on to have successful careers in the NFL as coaches as well.
Speaking with WGN TV on the passing of Ryan, former Bears head coach Mike Ditka said “the Bears of ’85 would not have been the Bears of ’85 without Buddy Ryan.”
Ryan who was recently featured in the ESPN documentary ’85’ Bears’ though difficult to communicate on camera due to illiness, he gave an endearing letter to players he coached on the infamous team.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. —Pat Summitt, legendary Lady Vol basketball coach, mentor and mother-figure to her players; a revered ambassador for her university and state; a trailblazer for women; and a role model for people all over the world passed away Tuesday, June 28, in Knoxville at the age of 64.
Born Patricia Sue Head on June 14, 1952 in Clarksville, Tennessee, Summitt arrived at the University of Tennessee for her first job as a 22-year-old physical education teacher and coach in 1974. As it turned out, the move to Knoxville would be the only one she’d make in her career. She leaves a legacy of greatness and grace that will never be forgotten.
Famous for her intensity, Summitt’s competitive fire was reflected in her steely blue eyes and an icy stare that often connected with, and strengthened the resolve of, her student-athletes. Conversely, she possessed warmth and humor that demonstrated, in a motherly way, that her critiques were from the heart of someone who truly cared. They were simply methods of coaxing the very best she could get out of young women for whom she was responsible and preparing them for the rigors of the game and life.
More than once, she reflected, “they don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Summitt served as head coach of the Lady Volunteers for 38 seasons and recorded an astounding overall record of 1,098-208 (.840). She made the UT program known and respected worldwide for its standard of excellence.
Her incredible body of work in that regard earned her the title “Naismith Women’s Collegiate Coach of the Century” for the 1900s. It was a hallmark achievement for a leader who received a plethora of national (seven times) and SEC coach of the year (eight times) accolades during her career.
So respected as a women’s college coach was Summitt, she was viewed as being equally capable of coaching men and was occasionally mentioned as a candidate to do so. UT and NFL great Peyton Manning told Summitt he always wished he could have played for her. He alluded, if she had pursued that path, that she had the traits necessary to be a successful football coach as well.
Summitt’s passion, though, was developing young women into champions, graduates and successful citizens, and she did it better than anyone ever had. Her example served as motivation that girls could do anything they put their minds to if they were willing to put in the work. The growth in the game of basketball is just one area where her influence is evident.
The first NCAA basketball coach to reach the 1,000-win plateau, her victory total still stands as the most in NCAA Division I women’s or men’s hoops history. She accomplished that feat despite early retirement from the game on April 18, 2012, after revealing she was suffering from early-onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type, less than a year earlier on Aug. 23, 2011.
Summitt served as head coach emeritus since 2012 and also devoted her time to raising awareness worldwide about Alzheimer’s disease through the Pat Summitt Foundation and its highly-successful “We Back Pat” campaign. Her willingness to bravely share her fight against the illness allowed Summitt a platform where her courage impacted fund-raising efforts and gave hope to millions who are affected directly or through a loved one.
The uncommon valor Summitt demonstrated while facing her toughest foe earned her even greater admiration than she had attained as a hall of fame coach. President Barack Obama honored her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. The tributes continue to this day and will for some time to come.
During her illustrious career, Summitt’s teams made a record-setting 31-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, winning eight NCAA National Championships and finishing second five times while playing in 22 NCAA or AIAW Final Fours. UT recorded the very first three-peat in NCAA Division I women’s basketball, seizing national titles in 1996, 1997 and 1998, with the third of those squads cruising to a school-best 39-0 record.
She also guided the Big Orange to 16 SEC regular-season titles and 16 SEC Tournaments, including victories in the first-ever SEC tourney in 1980 and her final one as head coach in 2012. Tennessee was a dominant 458-69 (.869) vs. SEC opponents during her tenure, including 69-17 (.795) during tourney play.
Summitt, who won silver as a player at the 1976 Olympics and coached the 1984 U.S. team to gold, directed 14 players at UT who made Olympic Teams. She developed 21 WBCA All-Americans and 39 All-SEC players. She sent 39 Lady Vols to the WNBA, including 15 drafted in the first round and three picked No. 1 overall.
Using the attributes of discipline, hard work and sacrifice she learned while doing chores as a child on her family’s farm, Summitt taught her players to embrace and embody those traits and, along the way, established a code of conduct she called her “Definite Dozen.”
They are: Respect yourself and others. Take full responsibility. Develop and demonstrate loyalty. Learn to be a great communicator. Discipline yourself so no one else has to. Make hard work your passion. Don’t just work hard, work smart. Put the team before yourself. Make winning an attitude. Be a competitor. Change is a must. Handle success like you handle failure.
Those tenets weren’t tailored solely for the basketball court. Summitt knew they were applicable to the classroom and for the rest of the players’ lives, ensuring that she was developing educated, self-sufficient young women to send into the world.
Furthermore, she empowered her players by providing a strong parental presence and creating a family atmosphere where student-athletes from all backgrounds felt at home.
As a result, not only was Tennessee highly successful on the hardwood, the program was perfect in graduating players. All 122 Lady Vols under her watch who completed their eligibility at UT earned degrees.
At the time of her retirement, 78 individuals who were mentored in the UT program by Summitt occupied basketball coaching or administrative positions. Among them is Tennessee’s current head coach, Holly Warlick, who played for Summitt from 1976-80 and coached beside her from 1985 to 2012.
Summitt’s accomplishments as one of the game’s greatest teachers resulted in basketball courts being named in her honor (at Tennessee and her alma maters UT Martin and Cheatham County H.S.). She was named to no fewer than eight halls of fame, including the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Streets bear her name in Knoxville and Martin. A statue and plaza were constructed near Tennessee’s Thompson-Boling Arena in 2013.
Just up the street on the UT campus from Pat Summitt Plaza resides another statue, the Torchbearer, whose outstretched arm grasps a torch perpetually aflame. The iconic monument in Circle Park symbolizes the university’s Volunteer Creed, which states “One that beareth a torch shadoweth oneself to give light to others.”
As a coach, mentor, mother-figure, ambassador, trailblazer and role model, Pat Summitt was a living torchbearer. Hers is a light that also cannot be extinguished.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Pat Summitt. I had the privilege of spending time with Pat during my first year at Tennessee, and those are conversations I will cherish forever. When you think of all the great coaches in all sports, Pat Summitt is at the top of that list.
“As a coach, I stand in awe of Pat and what she accomplished on and off the court. She is someone I admired when I decided I wanted to get into coaching. You study all the great coaches, the traits that made them successful, and you try to incorporate those into your own program and teams. She demanded excellence and her teams played to her personality.
“It was about more than basketball for her, it was about life. She wanted every player that left the program to be prepared for the next stage of their life. Every player received a degree, and that was as important to her as any win on the court. She wouldn’t settle for anything but the best effort on the court and in the classroom.”
“We are deeply saddened by today’s news of Pat Summitt’s passing. We send our deepest condolences to her son, Tyler, and to her family and friends.
“Pat Summitt is synonymous with Tennessee, but she truly is a global icon who transcended sports and spent her entire life making a difference in other peoples’ lives. She was a genuine, humble leader who focused on helping people achieve more than they thought they were capable of accomplishing. Pat was so much more than a Hall of Fame coach; she was a mother, mentor, leader, friend, humanitarian and inspiration to so many. Her legacy will live on through the countless people she touched throughout her career.”
Lady Vols Head Coach Emeritus Pat Summitt, 64, passed away Tuesday morning from complications of Early Onset Dementia, Alzheimer’s Type.
Summitt’s son, Tyler Summitt, released a statement Tuesday morning regarding her passing.
“It is with tremendous sadness that I announce the passing of my mother, Patricia Sue Head Summitt. She died peacefully this morning at Sherrill Hill Senior Living in Knoxville surrounded by those who loved her most.“
Summitt passed after a five year battle with Alzheimer’s. Arrangements are still being made, but the service will be performed by Pastor Chris Stephens from Faith Promise Church.
You can continue to support Pat Summitt and her legacy at www.patsummitt.org.
The Pocket Tripod is repeating its crowdfunding success from a few years ago, creating an updated, universal version of its incredibly popular credit-card-sized tripod that fits in your wallet. Now available for pre-order for Android users and people who like to stick cases on their phones, it’s a tremendously useful piece of kit for smartphone photographers on the move. (MORE HERE)
As a daily vlogger I can tell you I’d use something like this all the time. I could also use an super battery pack that didn’t mean having to carry a brick case around my phone. – @marconibologna
1. Weathers – Happy Pills 2. PVRIS – You & I 3. Banks and Steelz – Giant 4. The Struts – Put Your Money On Me 5. The Joy Formidable – Liana 6. Night Riots – Contagious (Queued UP Artist Showcase – 7/19) 7. Catfish and the Bottlemen – Twice 8. New Beat Fund – No Type 9. CHVRCHES – Bury It (w/ Haley Williams) 10. The Unlikely Candidates – Your Love Could Start a War 11. FIDLAR – Sabotage 12. Ladyhawke – A Love Song 13. The Strokes – Oblivius 14. 888 – Critical Mistakes 15. The 1975 – Somebody Else
1. Two Door Cinema Club – Are We Ready
2. The Avalanches – Frankie Sinatra
3. Miike Snow – My Trigger
4. M83 – Go
5. Finish Ticket – Color
6. Elle King – Good Girls
7. Coast Modern – Guru
8. Run River North – Run Or Hide (Queued Up Artist Showcase – 7/19)
9. Foals – What Went Down
10. BØRNS – American Money
11. Matt and Kim – Let’s Run Away
12. X-Ambassadors – Low Life
13. Billy Talent – Louder Than the DJ
14. White Lung – Below
1. The Dandy Warhols – Every Day Should Be a Holiday 2. Siinead O’Conner – Mandinka 3. Screaming Trees – Nearly Lost You 4. English Beat – Tears of a Clown 5. Icicle Works – Whisper To a Scream 6. Smashing Pumpkins – Muzzle 7. Cracker – Shake Some Action 8. Depeche Mode – Just Can’t Get Enough 9. Lo Fidelity All-Stars – Battle Flag 10. R.E.M. – It’s The End Of The World As We Know It 11. Porno For Pyros – Pets 12. The Cure – Love Cats 13. Elvis Costello and the Attractions – Pump It Up 14. Weezer – Surf Wax America
1. Our Lady Peace – Starseed
2. Soup Dragons – Divine Thing
3. The Psychedelic Furs – Pretty In Pink
4. Cranberries – Linger
5. Stabbing Westward – What Do I Have To Do
6. The Smithereens – Blood and Roses
7. Cast – Alright
8. The Cult – She Sells Sanctuary
9. Social Distortion – Story Of My Life
10. Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart
11. INXS – Listen Like Thieves
12. Belly – Feed The Trees
13. Duran Duran – Girls On Film
14. Pixies – Wave of Mutilation
15. 311 – Down
Netflix our near and dear consumer of days and nights is possibly evolving in a huge way with news this week that the VOD service could soon offer ability for users to not only stream their favorite shows and movies, but download them as well. For years Netflix has publicly denied they would introduce a downloadable addition to the service siting that it would complicate the company’s mission to offer a lot of content on demand. That was the stance on issue from the company until recently when tech industry blog Light Reading got a big scoop from Penthera, a company that helps media outlets like Comcast with their video services.
“We know from our sources within the industry that Netflix is going to launch this product,” says Penthera COO Dan Taitz. “My expectation is that by the end of the year Netflix will be launching download-to-go as an option for their customers.” So what does Netflix say?
“While our focus remains on delivering a great streaming experience, we are always exploring ways to make the service better,” said a Netflix spokesperson. That is not a denial, so this is still a real possibility. The idea of being to download an entire season of ‘House of Cards’ or ‘Daredevil’ and being able to stream it while taking a cross-country trip by plane, does that sounds satisfying? Yes, it does.
Read the whole story here which elaborates on how big video companies deal with the change in audience demands of their products. It’s an interesting read.
In other streamable news, Netflix has some challenges based on the massive maintenance of their huge library of actively changing titles and how that figures in the video world. Heads up, some NSFW language from the ETC News elaborate on these issues.
With the Blackhawks seeking more prime spots in the first round of this week’s NHL Draft, they made a move….a heartbreaking move as they have traded the ‘ManChild’ Andrew Shaw to the Montreal Canadians. According to NBC5, in exchange for Shaw, the Hawks receive two second round draft picks from the Canadiens, the 39th and 45th overall selections in the 2016 NHL Draft. Rumors were running Friday afternoon that Shaw was seeking a $4.5 million-a-year deal and with the Blackhawks up against a salary cap, this move seemed likely. Trades earlier this week saw the Hawks get the 50th overall pick in the trade that sent Bryan Bickell and Teuvo Teravainen to the Carolina Hurricanes.
With Shaw leaving town, let’s remember the good times.
Few animals get this much attention on TV, but the Shark does. It earned this spotlight with fear, respect, and power. So due to my irrational fear of a shark uprising from the seas, let’s look at Shark Week.
Shark Week starts on Monday June 27th on Discovery Channel with annual barrage of ocean-based carnivorous awesomeness and brutality. Heads up though expect to see a lot of obvious tie-ins to the upcoming shark-survival thriller film ‘The Shallows’ which does look like a smart idea for a scary movie.
Here are 3 shows to look for on the line up for this year’s Sharktacular programming.
“Jaws of the Deep” (Monday 6/27 8 pm) This special uses special underwater cameras and robots to shoot Sharks deep under water, ya know just hanging out and not crushing it’s prey with it’s bone-snapping knife-like teeth. Ya know, just chilliaxing.
“Nuclear Sharks” (Thursday 6/30 9 pm) This special hosted by the grandson of famed marine explorer Jacques Cousteau, Phillipe host this show looking into sharks who live in waters effected radiation. The sharks will hopefully not mutated from the radiation like the Incredible Hulk did in Marvel comics. What’s that phrase with the Hulk “You would’nt like me when I’m angry”? Well I am pretty sure you just would not like to deal with sharks when their happy, sad or angry.
“Sharks vs. Dolphins: Face Off” (Wednesday 6/29 9 pm) That’s right. Flipper vs. Jaws, it’s like Batman vs. Superman but their fish! Not exactly but it’s an interesting documentary about how these two popular animals interact.
“Shark Bait” (Friday 7/1 9 pm) Sharks hunting seals. Innocent seals you say? No one is innocent when they get in a Shark’s way.
They have released an emotional video with images spanning the band’s career for Rest In Peace, which will be featured on their final self titled album due out September 30.
Yellowcard will be at Warped Tour 7/23 @ the Hollywood Casino Ampitheatre, and their final Chicago shows are 11/3 and 11/4 at the House of Blues VIP ticket info HERE
Lucas Museum officials announced Friday they are ending plans to build the project in Chicago, ending months of debate and controversy.
“Star Wars” creator George Lucas wanted to build a museum showcasing his art collection along the city’s lakefront. But the proposal has been on hold since November 2014, when the group Friends of the Parks filed a federal lawsuit blocking construction.
“No one benefits from continuing their seemingly unending litigation to protect a parking lot,” filmmaker George Lucas said. “The actions initiated by Friends of Parks and their recent attempts to extract concessions from the city have effectively overridden approvals received from numerous democratically elected bodies of government.”
I am not familiar with the area that he was planning to build… but it is a parking lot that was being protected by Friends of the Parks? Yikes. I hope they have some plans to do something park-like instead…
