Hack of the Day 2009-07-27

Filed under: Uncategorized — posted by david on July 27, 2009 @ 2:36 am

Useful hack of the day:

If you are a Verizon Wireless customer and have ever tried to get pictures off your phone using their vzwpix site, you probably hate this company more than anyone else on the planet until you finally give up or decide to go buy that micro SSD card reader… This is because they give you this ludicrously small jpeg thumbnail to look at and no obvious way to get at the full size, original file that you have already paid to upload via airtime charges! There is a solution to the problem.

http://picture.vzw.com/mi/1234567890_0.jpeg?limitsize=580,480&outquality=56&ext=.jpg&border=0,0,0,0

Right-click the image they show you in the ‘view larger image’ link and copy it. It will look like the above link.

Paste it into your address bar. Look at the query string values ‘limitsize’ and ‘outquality’. Change limitsize to the full native resolution you uploaded your picture at and outquality to 100 and hit enter. Enjoy your original photo upload. :-)

Competing in the Zero to Three Months Class

Super bowl scores

Filed under: Fantasy Football — posted by cara on December 28, 2008 @ 10:53 am

(Unofficial final)

Like many Super Bowl contests, it’s a pretty lopsided affair so far. Mudslingers appear to be headed to their second MFL championship as they are spanking Max Pain, thanks to killer games by Andre Johnson and Steven Jackson.

Max Pain

QB Matt Cassel, NE 4
WR Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona 25
WR Roddy White, Atlanta 10
WR Santana Moss, Washington 6
RB Tashard Choice, Dal. 5
RB Thomas Jones, NYJ 2
TE Jason Witten, Dal. 6
K Ryan Longwell, Minn. 11
DEF Green Bay 5
Total 74

Mudslingers

QB Jay Cutler, Denver 14
WR Andre Johnson, Houston 26
WR Donald Driver, GB 17
WR Hines Ward, Pittsburgh 7
RB Brian Westbrook, Philly 4
RB Steven Jackson, St. Louis 33
TE Heath Miller, Pittsburgh 5
K David Akers, Philly 18
DEF Baltimore 11
Total 135

Filed under: Uncategorized — posted by david on @ 10:53 am

Mudslingers vs. Max Pain

Filed under: Fantasy Football — posted by cara on December 26, 2008 @ 8:17 am

(updated)
Will Max Pain agonize the Mudslingers? Or will Mudslingers throw enough muck to blind and cripple Max Pain? We’ll find out this week as the two conference champs face off in the Martin Fantasy Football League championship.

Mudslingers (Mark M.) defeated Shack Attack (Rachelle S.) 88-79 last week to become conference champ. In another rather low scoring game, Max Pain (David S.) got lucky against an infinitely more talented Care Bears (Cara H.) to prevail 91-80.

Both teams won 50 bucks for making it this far, but now the big prize, $100, is on the line for the super bowl.

Yahoo will be of little to no help to us when calculating scores this week. For all Yahoo knows, we are completely separate leagues and our seasons are over. So, we will have to calculate the scores by hand.

For consistency’s sake, we’ll continue to use the Yahoo default scoring system, which can be found here. We will use game statistics gathered from either yahoo or nfl.com to add up the numbers. Scores will be updated here as I am able to get to them.
Adding, dropping and benching players will also be a little different since we’re operating without the assistance of Yahoo. Chuck M. will act as referee and he will walk the players through the process of emailing lineups, etc.

In the meantime, as it stands now, here are both teams’ lineups for the championship game:

Max Pain

STARTERS

QB Matt Cassel, NE, who will play at Buf. at 1 p.m. Sunday
WR Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona, who will play Sea. at 4:15 p.m. Sunday
WR Roddy White, Atlanta, who will play St. Louis at 1 p.m. Sunday
WR Santana Moss, Wash., who will play at S.F. at 4:15 p.m. Sunday
RB Tashard Choice, Dal., who will play at Philly at 4:15 p.m. Sunday
RB Thomas Jones, NYJ, who will play Miami at 4:15 p.m. Sunday
TE Jason Witten, Dal., who will play at Philly at 4:15 p.m. Sunday
K Ryan Longwell, Minn., who will play NYG at 1 p.m. Sunday
DEF Green Bay, who will play Detroit at 1 p.m. Sunday

BENCH

WR Anthony Gonzalez, Indy, who will play Tenn. at 1 p.m. Sunday
WR Domenik Hixon, NYG, who will play at Minn. at 1 p.m. Sunday
RB Willie Parker, Pitt., who will play Cleveland at 1 p.m. Sunday
RB Jonathan Stewart, Carolina, who will play at N.O. at 1 p.m. Sunday
RB Reggie Bush, NO, who will play Carolina at 1 p.m. Sunday
RB Marshawn Lynch, Buf., who will play New England at 1 p.m. Sunday

Mudslingers

STARTERS

QB Jay Cutler, Den., who will play at San Diego at 8:15 p.m. Sunday
WR Andre Johnson, Hou., who will play Chicago at 1 p.m. Sunday
WR Donald Driver, GB, who will play Detroit at 1 p.m. Sunday
WR Hines Ward, Pitt., who will play Cleveland at 1 p.m. Sunday
RB Brian Westbrook, Philly, who will play Dallas at 4:15 p.m. Sunday
RB Steven Jackson, St.L., who will play at Atlanta at 1 p.m. Sunday
TE Heath Miller, Pitt., who will play Cleveland at 1 p.m. Sunday
K David Akers, Philly, who will play Dallas at 4:15 p.m. Sunday
DEF Baltimore, who will play Jacksonville at 4:15 p.m. Sunday

BENCH

RB Larry Johnson, KC, who will play at Cincy at 1 p.m. Sunday
TE Kellen Winslow, Cle., who will play at Pittsburgh at 1 p.m. Sunday
QB Donovan McNabb, Philly, who will play Dallas at 4:15 p.m. Sunday
TE Kevin Boss, NYG, who will play at Minn. at 1 p.m. Sunday
WR Deion Branch, Sea., who will play at Arizona at 4:15 p.m. Sunday
K Rob Bironas, Tenn., who will play at Indy at 1 p.m. Sunday

Final Four

Filed under: Fantasy Football — posted by cara on December 16, 2008 @ 8:35 am

I always wanted to know what would happen if there was a tie score in the fantasy football playoffs. Well, now we know. Yahoo employs a complicated multi-criteria tie-breaker system that is so arbitrary, it’s essentially a coin toss.

Max Pain (Dave S.) won the toss in the Franny Conference this week, leaving Nicki’s Ninjas (Nichole H.) with a bad taste in her mouth. The teams played to a 78-78 tie, so Yahoo decided the outcome with this system:

  1. Most touchdowns scored by entire starting roster.
  2. Most fantasy points by starting quarterback(s).
  3. Most fantasy points by starting defensive team(s).
  4. Most fantasy points by starting defensive player(s).
  5. Most fantasy points by starting defensive back(s).
  6. Most fantasy points by starting defensive linemen.
  7. Most fantasy points by starting wide receiver(s).
  8. Most fantasy points by starting running back(s).
  9. Most fantasy points by starting tight end(s).
  10. Most fantasy points by starting kicker(s).

Both teams scored the same number of touchdowns, so the system moved to criterion 2, the QB points. The Ninjas’ starting QB, Kurt Warner, had a sub par game against Minnesota and Max Pain’s Peyton Manning played against Detroit. That all added up to a few more points for Manning and gave Max Pain a chance to play for the conference championship.
The tiebreaker sucks, but now we know, we will probably use that system in the championship game, when we will figure out the score by hand.

Max Pain will face Care Bears (Cara H.) in the Franny Conference championship. In the Martin Conference, Mudslingers (Mark M.) will take on Shack Attack (Rachelle S.).

Here are the scores from last week:

Martin Conference

Yaugdawg 78
Mudslingers 102

THE DOMINATION SQUAD 92
Shack Attack 96

Consolation matches

I’m Gonna Win! 59
Midnight Riders 82

Rick’s Pics 84
Legion of Doom 85

Franny Conference

Care Bears 130
Team Smack Down 75

Max Pain 78
Nickis Ninjas 78

Consolation matches

The Little Tykes 97
Hosty’s Hogs 72

BIG BAD BULLIES 61
The Shadysiders 93

Elite Eight

Filed under: Uncategorized — posted by david on December 9, 2008 @ 3:00 pm

Welcome to the playoffs.

The final week of the regular season brought no surprises in the Martin Conference. The top four teams last week are the four playoff teams this week, THE DOMINATION SQUAD, Yaugdawg, Mudslingers and Shack Attack.

However, there was a shakeup in the Franny Conference. Team Smack Down needed to win and he needed both the Little Tykes and Hosty’s Hogs to lose. That scenario came true this week. He had a significant point advantage on both teams, so he was able to capture the final playoff spot. He also extended his winning streak to six and improved his record to 8-6.

Team Smack Down will face Care Bears in the first round this week. The other major game in the Franny Conference is Max Pain versus Nicki’s Ninjas.

In the Martin Conference, it will be a case of sibling rivalry as THE DOMINATION SQUAD squares up against Shack Attack. Yaugdawg will play Mudslingers.

Four other teams in each conference will also play, but their playoffs will be just for fun

Here are the standings through the end of the regular season:

Martin Conference

1. THE DOMINATION SQUAD (Ryan M.), 10-4 record, 1304 points
2. Yaugdawg (Eric Y.), 10-4 record, 1193 points
3. Mudslingers (Mark M.), 8-5-1 record, 1362 points
4. Shack Attack (Rachelle S.), 7-6-1 record, 1244 points
5. Midnight Riders (Erin M.), 7-7 record, 1094 points
6. Rick’s Pics (Rick M.), 7-7 record, 1087 points
7. Legion of Doom (Daryl S.), 6-8 record, 1044 points
8. I’m Gonna Win (Adam J.), 5-9 record, 1226 points
9. California Crazies (Kristen M.), 5-9 record, 995 points
10. Bully Dawgs (Chuck M.), 4-10 record, 1132 points

Franny Conference

1. Care Bears (Cara H.), 10-4 record, 1363 points
2. Nickis Ninjas (Nichole H.), 9-5 record, 1277 points
3. Max Pain (David S.), 9-5 record, 1252 points
4. Team Smack Down (Anthony M.), 8-6 record, 1262 points
5. BIG BAD BULLIES (Drané Z.), 8-6 record, 1221 points
6. Hosty’s Hogs (Bob H.), 8-6 record, 1204 points
7. The Little Tykes (Marlene H.), 8-6 record, 1188 points
8. The Shadysiders (Eric C.), 4-10 record, 1027 points
9. Margarita Mamas (Katie C.), 3-11 record, 1123 points
10. Big Red Pigs (Drew Z.), 3-11 record, 999 points

Crunch time

Filed under: Uncategorized — posted by david on December 2, 2008 @ 1:52 pm

The playoff picture is beginning to materialize. In the Martin Conference, two teams, Yaugdawg and THE DOMINATION SQUAD, have officially clinched and barring anything crazy happening in the final week, it looks like Mudslingers has the record and the points to make it into the top four as well.

That means two teams, Shack Attack and Midnight Riders, are vying for the final spot in the Martin Conference. If Shack Attack wins this week, she’s in, because she has a sizable lead over the Riders.

Things are a little tighter in the Franny Conference. No team has “officially” clinched a playoff berth, but Care Bears and Nicki’s Ninjas have both accumulated enough points that it would take take a miracle to knock them out of contention.

The final two spots are still up for grabs and five teams still have a shot at making the cut. Max Pain and The Little Tykes are both in the drivers’ seats, since if they win, they’re in, but Hosty’s Hogs, Team Smack Down and BIG BAD BULLIES could all steal the glory from one or both of those teams. The Bullies are the long shot, since she not only needs three out of the other four teams to lose, but she will have to score a lot of points to make up for her deficit.

This should be fun. Here are the standings through the second to last week of the regular season.

Martin Conference

1. THE DOMINATION SQUAD (Ryan M.), 10-3 record, 1238 points
2. Yaugdawg (Eric Y.), 10-3 record, 1117 points
3. Mudslingers (Mark M.), 8-5 record, 1260 points
4. Shack Attack (Rachelle S.), 7-6 record, 1142 points
5. Midnight Riders (Erin M.), 7-6 record, 1057 points
6. Rick’s Pics (Rick M.), 6-7 record, 1003 points
7. I’m Gonna Win (Adam J.), 5-8 record, 1152 points
8. Legion of Doom (Daryl S.), 5-8 record, 969 points
9. California Crazies (Kristen M.), 4-9 record, 918 points
10. Bully Dawgs (Chuck M.), 3-10 record, 1030 points

Franny Conference

1. Care Bears (Cara H.), 9-4 record, 1276 points
2. Nickis Ninjas (Nichole H.), 9-4 record, 1199 points
3. Max Pain (David S.), 8-5 record, 1156 points
4. The Little Tykes (Marlene H.), 8-5 record, 1135 points
5. Hosty’s Hogs (Bob H.), 8-5 record, 1123 points
6. Team Smack Down (Anthony M.), 7-6 record, 1186 points
7. BIG BAD BULLIES (Drané Z.), 7-6 record, 1107 points
8. The Shadysiders (Eric C.), 4-9 record, 963 points
9. Margarita Mamas (Katie C.), 3-10 record, 1053 points
10. Big Red Pigs (Drew Z.), 2-11 record, 903 points

Say hi to Fred

Filed under: Fantasy Football — posted by cara on November 25, 2008 @ 4:38 pm

A lot of you might think you’re pretty smart with this fantasy football thing. But I figure this little guy will beat all of us around the 2021 football season. I’m about 15 weeks pregnant, so she only weighs about an ounce or two right now, but I figure he’ll pack quite a punch in fantasy football once she’s about 12 years old or so. It’s too early to determine the sex, but for now, we call him Fred the Fetus, which is a vast improvement over Ethel the Embryo and Ziggy the Zygote. We’ll come up with a real name soon enough.

I know everyone wants to see a picture of the inside of my uterus, so here it is:Fredweb

Oh, and here are the standings through week 12:
Martin Conference

1. THE DOMINATION SQUAD (Ryan M.), 10-2 record, 1147 points
2. Yaugdawg (Eric Y.), 9-3 record, 1058 points
3. Mudslingers (Mark M.), 7-5 record, 1110 points
4. Midnight Riders (Erin M.), 7-5 record, 973 points
5. Shack Attack (Rachelle S.), 6-6 record, 1035 points
6. Legion of Doom (Daryl S.), 5-7 record, 912 points
7. Rick’s Pics (Rick M.), 5-7 record, 905 points
8. I’m Gonna Win (Adam J.), 4-8 record, 1028 points
9. California Crazies (Kristen M.), 4-8 record, 826 points
10. Bully Dawgs (Chuck M.), 3-9 record, 933 points

Franny Conference

1. Nickis Ninjas (Nichole H.), 9-3 record, 1109 points
2. Care Bears (Cara H.), 8-4 record, 1185 points
3. Hosty’s Hogs (Bob H.), 8-4 record, 1019 points
4. Max Pain (David S.), 7-5 record, 1062 points
5. The Little Tykes (Marlene H.), 7-5 record, 1026 points
6. Team Smack Down (Anthony M.), 6-6 record, 1113 points
7. BIG BAD BULLIES (Drané Z.), 6-6 record, 980 points
8. The Shadysiders (Eric C.), 4-8 record, 893 points
9. Margarita Mamas (Katie C.), 3-9 record, 983 points
10. Big Red Pigs (Drew Z.), 2-10 record, 843 points

Week 11

Filed under: Fantasy Football — posted by cara on November 20, 2008 @ 12:18 pm

Only three more weeks until the playoffs begin. I hate to say this, but it looks like the basement dwelling teams have already been eliminated from the money round, but they still have a shot at playing for giggles in the consolation round. The top eight teams will make some kind of playoffs, but only the top four in each conference will play for the money prizes.

Here are the standings through week 11:

Martin Conference

1. THE DOMINATION SQUAD (Ryan M.), 9-2 record, 1055 points
2. Yaugdawg (Eric Y.), 8-3 record, 932 points
3. Mudslingers (Mark M.), 7-4 record, 1036 points
4. Midnight Riders (Erin M.), 7-4 record, 880 points
5. Shack Attack (Rachelle S.), 6-5 record, 944 points
6. Rick’s Pics (Rick M.), 5-6 record, 839 points
7. I’m Gonna Win (Adam J.), 4-7 record, 932 points
8. Legion of Doom (Daryl S.), 4-7 record, 813 points
9. California Crazies (Kristen M.), 3-8 record, 724 points
10. Bully Dawgs (Chuck M.), 2-9 record, 835 points

Franny Conference

1. Nickis Ninjas (Nichole H.), 8-3 record, 1028 points
2. Care Bears (Cara H.), 7-4 record, 1043 points
3. Max Pain (David S.), 7-4 record, 980 points
4. The Little Tykes (Marlene H.), 7-4 record, 960 points
5. Hosty’s Hogs (Bob H.), 7-4 record, 919 points
6. BIG BAD BULLIES (Drané Z.), 6-5 record, 903 points
7. Team Smack Down (Anthony M.), 5-6 record, 1036 points
8. Margarita Mamas (Katie C.), 3-8 record, 887 points
9. The Shadysiders (Eric C.), 3-8 record, 792 points
10. Big Red Pigs (Drew Z.), 2-9 record, 768 points

Sweet revenge

Filed under: Fantasy Football — posted by cara on November 12, 2008 @ 2:12 pm

I posted the second highest score in the Franny Conference last week. Unfortunately, I played the team with the highest score (my Mom) and it just led to another number in my loss column. Oh well, she avenged her loss against me the first week of the season.

It looks like early losing teams got revenge in half the contests (spread over both leagues) last week. In the other half, the dominant teams continued their spankings now that the season is drawing to a close

The trade deadline in both leagues is Friday, so make those last minute trades now. In the meantime, here are the standings through week 10:

Martin Conference

1. THE DOMINATION SQUAD (Ryan M.), 8-2 record, 948 points
2. Yaugdawg (Eric Y.), 8-2 record, 871 points
3. Mudslingers (Mark M.), 7-3 record, 973 points
4. Shack Attack (Rachelle S.), 6-4 record, 889 points
5. Midnight Riders (Erin M.), 6-4 record, 789 points
6. Legion of Doom (Daryl S.), 4-6 record, 758 points
7. Rick’s Pics (Rick M.), 4-6 record, 750 points
8. I’m Gonna Win (Adam J.), 3-7 record, 829 points
9. Bully Dawgs (Chuck M.), 2-8 record, 757 points
10. California Crazies (Kristen M.), 2-8 record, 644 points

Franny Conference

1. Nickis Ninjas (Nichole H.), 7-3 record, 956 points
2. The Little Tykes (Marlene H.), 7-3 record, 871 points
3. Care Bears (Cara H.), 6-4 record, 935 points
4. Max Pain (David S.), 6-4 record, 867 points
5. Hosty’s Hogs (Bob H.), 6-4 record, 853 points
6. BIG BAD BULLIES (Drané Z.), 6-4 record, 826 points
7. Team Smack Down (Anthony M.), 4-6 record, 924 points
8. Margarita Mamas (Katie C.), 3-7 record, 845 points
9. The Shadysiders (Eric C.), 3-7 record, 730 points
10. Big Red Pigs (Drew Z.), 2-8 record, 718 points


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image: "detail of installation" by Bronwyn Lace, modified by David Shepard