Archive for December, 2007

 

A Kicker? Are You Serious?

Monday, December 24th, 2007

I joined my first Fantasy Football league last year to find out what the hubbub was all about. It didn’t take long for me to get hooked.

Fast-forward to this year, I’m in the finals and tonight’s MNF game will decide it. On the line? About 300 units of pride, kids.

I’m up 11 points on my opponent and we each have one player left. He has Brandon Marshall, the streaky second-year receiver that has been on a tear as of late. Who do I have? Nate Kaeding. That’s right America, my last hope for the title is riding on my kicker.

Come on Santa, you’ve got to have a 6 field goal game from Kaeding somewhere in that bag…

update: i won. that pretty much makes me the smartest man alive…or something like that.

Posted in NFL | 3 Comments »

Wetting My Pants on NPR?

Saturday, December 22nd, 2007

Hey faithful blog readers. I’m up strangely early this morning as I just finished listening to myself yap about RUWT? on NPR‘s Weekend Edition Saturday.

Some of you might remember the last time I was on the radio, and despite suggestions from certain people, I kept the nerves under wraps this time and didn’t accidentally use the phrase “Wet my pants” on the radio.

They unfortunately cut out my opening “You’d be surprised how many people in America don’t have No-Hitter Insurance” line (I made Scott Simon laugh!), but it was still an awesome way to start the day.

There’s a full docket of games on ESPN today, so I’m going back to bed. I’ll have the audio link soon…

update: the segment on RUWT? is now available online…

Posted in Site | 2 Comments »

Which Stations Do You Get?

Friday, December 21st, 2007

Wow, this one was a long time coming.

I promised to keep the hits coming over the next couple weeks, and tonight RUWTbot and I rolled out one of the most requested features from fans: the ability to customize the list of stations you get.

You’ve always been able to pick your provider of cable or satellite goodness, but now you can choose which stations from your provider you actually get. So if you’re having trouble with your fanhood, and haven’t signed up for every premium channel possible, now you can clear out those games from your scoreboard that you can’t see, and your alerts will be only for the list of stations you choose.

This was a pretty major renovation on the geek side, so please let me know if you run into anything that isn’t working quite right. You know where I’m at: mark@areyouwatchingthis.com.

Posted in Site | No Comments »

Mitchell and Boston Suck Equally, YTT26

Tuesday, December 18th, 2007

We haven’t had a YouTube Tuesday since September? Lies!

Okay, maybe not lies, but it’s definitely a conspiracy. Just like that Mitchell Report. Go Yanks!

Posted in MLB, YouTube Tuesday | 1 Comment »

Where’s the F@%&#@ Game?

Thursday, December 13th, 2007

I hope that features will be coming out fast and furiously over the next few weeks, but tonight I’m making sure everyone knows about an oft-overlooked one.

There’s a football game on tonight. Yes, I know most people can’t see it because of this NFL Network foolishness (I’m looking at you too Big 10 Network!), and granted Broncos vs. Texans isn’t exactly must-see TV (it’s Cutler vs. Rosenfels, people!), it’s a slow night in the sports world so you may be wondering where you can see it.

Before you hop in the car and head to the nearest sports bar, remember you can click on “Airings” on any game page and see which of your buddies has the game on TV, and more importantly, whose couch you need to invite yourself to.

Sure, you can get Social Networking anywhere, but how many sites give you Couch Networking? Thought so. Don’t forget who loves ya baby.

Posted in NFL, Site | 2 Comments »

The Long Wow

Thursday, December 13th, 2007

I ran into an awesome post in Adapative Path’s essay archives (what, they couldn’t just say blog?) called The Long Wow. If you run a startup, a company, or a hot dog stand, it’s worth the read. It

“Notably great experiences are punctuated by a moment of “wow,” when the product or service delights, anticipates the needs of, or pleasantly surprises a customer. OXO’s Good Grips Angled Measuring Cup triggers such a moment of wow. A set of angled markings on the OXO cup lets you quickly measure liquids for recipes without having to stop cooking and bend over. Suddenly a little part of your life is easier, because OXO thought carefully about the way you cook. This delightful surprise resonates because it feels tailored to your needs.” (more)

I’ve had to spend a lot of my time on “plumbing” type activities doing my best to keep RUWT? up and running. We had over 200GB of traffic to the API last month (triple the site traffic if you’re wondering) and keeping it humming to support the RUWT? Sports Toolbar, iPhone app, desktop widget, Twitter Bot, definitely takes up a lot of time. Unfortunately all that time revolves around work that you may never notice.

So Listen Up! Heading into the end of the year, we’re bagging the boring “plumbing” work and focussing on new features. Top 25 options for College Basketball in the Toolbar? It’s coming. A way to turn off games in NBA League Pass and NHL Center Ice? On it’s way. Include the message when you’re notified that someone shouted at you? Already done, son!

Christmas is starting early kids. Tell Santa RUWTbot what you want.

Posted in Site | 4 Comments »

Strapped In. Waiting on the Holy Grail.

Tuesday, December 4th, 2007

I left the house for the first time in a few days today—if you don’t count the trips to sports bars this weekend.

You see, I missed the classic Tennessee vs. Kentucky 4OT game and the epic Arkansas vs. LSU 3OT game the day after.

What? You didn’t know about the game? You’re kidding right?

Well I knew the games were on, but each time I was either driving to or from San Antonio to catch a Spurs game. As much fun as watching the Spurs crush the Grizz in a complete mismatch was, even with the contstant possibility of Timmy and Joey coming to blows, I was kicking myself after getting the Severe alerts while stuck on I-35.

So I took some learnings from all my time watching TMZ and did what any self-respecting celebrity would do…and checked myself into rehab. Didn’t know that there was rehab for sports fans? Oh yeah. It’s all the rage. I spent a few days getting my mind right and have been strapped in and in front of the TV pretty much ever since. Man, the Ravens were close tonight.

But, like some celebrity rehab, the problem isn’t solved. Yeah, it’s great to get an alert when you’re somewhere you can watch a game, but what if you’re travelling somewhere or on vacation? Well, that’s where what I’ve been calling the “Holy Grail” comes in. What if you could get alerts right on your TV? Or even better, what if RUWTbot could talk to your Tivo or DVR and let it know when there’s an exciting game on? “Hey Tivo! I like ACC Basketball, SEC Football, the Yankees, and the Red Wings. Anytime a game gets to Severe, just start recording. Go.”

A lot of folks ask about where the site is going, and what the plans are for the future. There is a lot of fun stuff I’m working on, but getting to the Holy Grail is always the priority. And lately it seems the question is no longer if, but when. Man, I hope it happens soon—those rehab clinics are expensive.

Posted in College Football, Site | 1 Comment »