My 2011 NCAA Men's Bracket

The tournament expanding to 68 teams, and 4 "first-round" games is a little confusing, so I will try to break it down some:

There are 8 teams that play in the first-round. Texas-San Antonio v. Alabama State; Alabama-Birmingham v. Clemson; Southern California v. Virginia Commonwealth; North Carolina-Asheville v. Arkansas-Little Rock

Since I am not picking any of those teams to go on and win their second round game, which is the traditional first-round, field of 64, I will give you the third-round, field of 32 participants, then the Sweet 16, and so on.

In the East region, I have:

THIRD ROUND                 SWEET 16      ELITE 8

Ohio State v. Villanova  -> Ohio State

                            v.         -> Ohio State

W Virginia v. Kentucky   -> Kentucky

                                          v.   -> Ohio State

Marquette  v. Syracuse   -> Syracuse

                            v.         -> Washington

Washington v. UNC        -> Washington

Southwest:

THIRD ROUND                 SWEET 16      ELITE 8

Kansas     v. Illinois   -> Kansas

                            v.         -> Kansas

Vanderbilt v. Louisville -> Louisville

                                          v.   -> Kansas

Georgetown v. Purdue     -> Purdue

                            v.         -> Notre Dame

Texas A&M  v. Notre Dame -> Notre Dame

West:

THIRD ROUND                 SWEET 16      ELITE 8       

Duke       v. Tennessee  -> Duke

                            v.         -> Duke

Arizona    v. Texas      -> Texas

                                          v.   -> Duke

Missouri   v. UConn      -> UConn

                            v.         -> SDSU

Penn State v. SDSU       -> SDSU

Southeast:

THIRD ROUND                 SWEET 16      ELITE 8

Pittburgh  v. ODU        -> Pitt

                            v.         -> Pitt

Utah St.   v. Wisconsin  -> Wisconsin

                                          v.   -> Pitt

Gonzaga    v. BYU        -> BYU

                            v.         -> BYU

UCLA       v. Florida    -> Florida

Final Four:

Ohio State                               Kansas

v          -> Ohio State v Kansas  <-         v

Duke                                 Pittsburgh

Champion: KANSAS

Link to the PDF version: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/26821/bracket.pdf

My Top 10 Reasons I Love Ubuntu

The entire month of February, I went back to being a Windows user. I had a couple of reasons for switching back, the main reason was to have the ability to sync my phone with the music, pictures, etc. on my computer via Windows Media Player. Also, my build of Ubuntu was starting to act crazy, like not going into suspend mode, instability in some applications, among other things (I've attributed it to upgrading the distro on the fly instead of doing a clean install or downloading the update all at once first).

Going back to Windows was a painful process, and in my top 10 reasons I love Ubuntu, I will also explain the inconveniences I endured during my switch back to Windows. I don't plan on switching back again, for sure.

10) Native SSH/SFTP connection support

Windows does not support SSH/SFTP connectivity out of the box. PuTTY or some other SSH client is required. PuTTY is a decent application, but it lacks severely in comparison the gnome-terminal in Ubuntu. Copy/Paste is a hassle, key mappings are a pain to get correct (gnome-terminal does very well without configuration), and it really comes  down to not having the Linux OS underneath, which enables so much more when using SSH (which I do 90% of work in with 4 Linux servers). PuTTY was good, but the Ubuntu terminal is the best I've ever used.

9) Support for multiple server connection types

WIndows Explorer does very well in opening WIndows shares, but that is where it ends. FTP, SFTP,  and WebDAV is not supported out of the box, which means all your Linux servers must be setup with Samba shares in order for Windows clients to open Explorer to. Ubuntu, on the other hand, can handle not only SSH, FTP, and WebDAV, but Samba as well, right out of the box. Network locations can also be saved as bookmarks in Nautilus, so they act like a mapped drive, instead it is a mounted share, for ease in working out of a network directory.

8) Usability of command line

I do ok with a Windows command-line. I can do a few things, call a few processes, but I am in no way a power-user. But, I've quickly become a Linux power-user because the command line for Linux, in my opinion, are much easier to understand and get accustomed to than that of Windows. gnome-terminal make is easy to handle copy and pasting, the Linux OS seems more structured on the command-line side, and I feel I can write scripts much easier using a Linux terminal. I can't completely knock the Windows command line because I haven't used it as much at the degree of Linux, but I highly enjoy the Linux terminal experience.

7) Command-line utilities

This goes along with number 8, except Linux comes with so many useful command line utilities. My favorite, awk, is an advanced text-parsing scripting language that can be written in one line or 50. Other commands like locate, sdiff, sed, and a combination of multiple commands have allowed be to build very useful utilities for myself and others I work with.

6) Driver Support

Ubuntu is the only distro of Linux I have used on a personal and professional level, but the driver support from Ubuntu is amazing. A bluetooth dongle, wireless network card, and my smartphone, required drivers from Windows, and even then, they didn't work well. With Ubuntu. I have had no issues with any device, and everything seemed plug-and-play -- like it should be. Windows would turn my wireless radio off after a few minutes of using it, apparently because the driver was bad - the very driver that came with my laptop. Downloading an update did not work, and that is why I quickly went back to Ubuntu.

5) Customization

I love the ability to customize my user experience with Ubuntu. From how my command-line functions when I open it, to my desktop, where my icons are, what is displayed in my panels, and the amazing Compiz effects that add not only special effects, but increased usability. No other OS has given me the options I desire, and Ubuntu keeps adding to the long list of customizable options.

4) Workspaces

Not having workspaces with Windows killed me. Although I found third-party software that allowed me to have virtual desktop spaces, it was not the same experience, and likely was the cause of Windows crashing on me the few times it did.  Workspaces have allowed me to be a quicker, more efficient worker, and they have saved me a lot of time scrounging for that minimized window in my task bar.

3) Window Management

WIndow management in Windows is aweful. How ironic. Although I wasn't using Windows 7, which is much better at window management, my productivity sunk when I wasn't able to drag a maximized window to another monitor, or scroll on a window that didn't have focus, or snap windows to the edge of the screen. On top of not having native support for workspaces, the workspaces application was a bummer to use when the windows management system was so bad.

2) Native Network Profile Support

This was one of the biggest pains in Windows - the lack of an intuitive network profile system. Lenovo's application allowed for profiles, but the application crashed so often, I had to uninstall it. I love having the ability in Ubuntu to define network connections, and the ease of doing so is one of the best features. At work, I need a fixed IP address, but at home, or most other places, I just need DHCP to give me one. The nm-applet for Ubuntu allows me to do so, and to easily switch profiles, without opening any windows. 

1) Learning something new

Since a majority of my work involves a Linux server, I have learned a vast amount about the Linux OS just by having it and using it everyday. It has allowed me to write scripts and processes I would not have ever been able to do without Ubuntu as my primary OS, and it has allowed me to excel at my job. I continue to learn more and more each day.

Thanks Ubuntu!

Nokia + Microsoft: What Happens Next

This morning's announcement came at a surprise to a lot of the Nokia community members I stay in touch with. A lot of the comments were Windows Phone 7 was not a platform Nokia could support, not their style, no parallel ecosystems, etc. etc. etc."

I was not a buyer in the conversation about Nokia going in with Android or WP7. However, I knew Symbian wouldn't last, regardless of my endless love for the platform since the S60v3 days on the E61. Nokia has done the best job of not adapting, or being late adapters in the smartphone platform, where the OS is king, and hardware is second (hence the millions of iPhone 4s sold after finding out about the antenna issue) and the number of Galaxy S phones being littered over the carriers with the GPS fiasco, yet they still have the support of the best selling smartphone platforms in the North American market. Symbian still holds a lead in the market share worldwide, yet they light at the end of that tunnel would come in a definite time-frame, and Stephen Elop refused to be caught with his proverbial pants around his ankles once the Symbian ship runs aground. Being a former exec at Microsoft, and the fact Android is as polluted a mobile platform as the Hudson River, and WP7 was a viable opportunity to bolster one another's trajectory. Granted, WP7 is a very young, and immature OS, but with MeeGo still in the R&D mill, which is based out of the most mature mobile device OS (Maemo), the odds are certainly against Nokia and Microsoft in the smartphone ecosystem, but there are several factors that weigh in favor of the partnership:

1. Microsoft's attraction to business - Businesses run on Microsoft, from the floor to the ceiling. Microsoft Exchange is an email server empire. The Microsoft Office suite of programs is second-to-none, and that comes from Mac users with the new Office for Mac 2010. Outlook calendars, tasks, and contacts are probably the most synced content on any smartphone, be it an iPhone, Android-based device, or Symbian-based device. The business of the decision is to provide a vessel to business customers through the world's most renown mobile phone company (and that's not tooting their whistle too loudly, it is a fact).
2. Microsoft's growing mobile entertainment division - Zune as a device hasn't been the best of successes, although we can simply blame the iPod and move on. The Zune, as a service, has reaped the most of benefits because every one of the 10+ million of Xbox 360 systems sold in the US have the Zune store built-in, regardless of Xbox Live subscription level. Music, Videos, and Movies are what drives the revenue outside the realm of the video game subspace of the system, and with WP7 being the flagship device for Xbox Live and Zune, Nokia will benefit from being absent in the States with their Ovi Music Store and the failure of N-Gage.
3. Nokia's worldwide brand - as the top selling cell phone based on worldwide sales in the past ... well forever, basically, Nokia brings the big name in cell phones WP7 needs to get their software out the doors and on the streets. Microsoft, being a U.S. based company, and much bigger in terms of software development resources, can cut down the cost of the OS, so Nokia can provide premium hardware at a competitive rate, even unlocked. Nokia can also continue being an international phone, being provided on several dozen European carriers subsidized, as well as the future possibilities of AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon (sorry Sprint, Nokia says they want nothing to do with you). 
4. Nokia's quality of hardware - The consensus from the current WP7 devices from HTC, Samsung, and Dell have been, well, not good. Lack of decent camera, poor speaker quality, and other media-related features are what is lacking with the current slate of the WP7 devices. The Dell Venue Pro, the most promising of WP7 devices, has failed to get out of the door before considered a flop. Nokia has a strong hardware development backing, and the Fins do it the best. Back to the early N-series devices, they have always had the best cameras, speakers, and overall build-quality. Even Nokia's low-end feature phones are superb quality, so low-end smartphones can and will be better than the current offerings.
5. Microsoft's empire in North America - Microsoft is a worldwide brand in computing, without question, but the empire is based in the states, where the reaches of Nokia's empire fails to tap into. It will be a huge bolster to get Nokia back into the states as a premier device, and the culprit before was the lack of embrace for the Symbian OS. In 6 years of the S60v3 Symbian software lifecycle, a total of 3 devices made it to the States (E61i and E71x for AT&T and the E73 for T-Mobile). Nearly every Nokia device was present on the Euro carriers during that time period. Nokia needs the backing of U.S. carriers to continue their success of yesteryear, and with WP7 now a common and marketable platform for smartphone OS, the U.S. carriers should be able to open their doors once again to Nokia devices.

With MeeGo still being one of Nokia's software platforms for their phones, which might be a more viable OS in the higher-level computing platforms, such as tablets, notebooks, and in-vehicle info-tainment systems. Symbian, set to be "harvested" sometime in 2012 will more than likely spell doom for a lot of Nokia loyalists. My hopes are since Symbian opened the doors of their source code, that the dedicated Symbian community will continue development, and Ovi becomes a Cononical-like service to the Symbian environment. Ovi Maps and Store, likely to be the only two Ovi services to survive the WP7 migration, will likely have limited support in future years, but as a loyal Symbian user, I intend to use my Nokia N8 until I find the next Nokia phone that is for me.

Long live Symbian.

2 more weeks ...

National Champions

First post of the new year will probably start off very one-sided, but I will dig deep into my soul to find the necessary line between objectiveness and subjectiveness. However, I tend to put my heart above my appearance as an objective writer. I will, in no way, disregard my beliefs just to make an audience listen. My blog is here for me to express my thoughts and opinions, and regardless of how many people may read it and agree or disagree with it, I am accomplishing what I've set myself out to do with this platform.

Auburn University. National Champions in college football. It was one of the greatest moments in my life of sports. I've been an Auburn fan since I was a little guy, and to finally see them win a championship is wonderful. However, it saddens me that the entire country doesn't feel the same way, as multiple sports writers went right to the computer to post their take on "how long will Auburn keep their championship" and to chronicle the current status of the Cecil Newton saga. Those writers get the readers, but that is what they are paid to do. I am not paid, and the only benefit I receive out of writing is a sense of accomplishment, that I was able to coherently express myself in the best way I can. I am not going to continue on using this post to bash the media that decides to write pessimistically on Auburn's amazing feat, but I will congratulate the team, as a whole, and who I saw that made impact plays throughout the game.

First of all, Cam Newton was not the best player in the game. He was the leader, and he kept the team in the game, but he never looked comfortable for extended amounts of time, and not because the offensive line was not blocking, but Oregon's defense did very well in taking away his running options when there was no receiver to get the ball to. Cam missed on a few plays, but one game doesn't tarnish his season as the nation's leading passer in efficiency. He connects on long balls, he connects when there is room, but there were a few he did miss on. NFL scouts, whether he had a perfect game or the game he ended up with, will account for the multiple times he led his team back into a game, namely the Georgia game, where he only threw the ball 17 times, and every one of those passes would have been caught on a normal day for his receivers. His two touchdowns to Philip Lutzenkirchen were two of the best touchdowns he threw all season - tight window, and a throw that could have been mistaken as a ballistic missile - on target and on a line. His game against Alabama and South Carolina, 30-48 (62%) 551 yards, 7 TD, and passer ratings greater than 200, along with 36 carries, 112 yards, and 3 TD, he accounted for 10 TDs and 663 yards in two of the biggest games of his career. 


But, like I said, Cam Newton wasn't the best player on the field that night. Michael Dyer, the offensive MVP, with a bruising 143 yards on 22 carries, and nearly had the go-ahead TD with 0:10 on the clock. His run to setup the offense well in field goal range was the play of the game for sure. 


The best player, whether the nation likes him or not, was Nick Fairley. He was the focus of the Oregon offense to keep him out of the backfield, but that didn't work. When one player gets singled out on defense, yet still impacts the game, not to mention leading the Auburn defense to hold the nation's leading rusher to under 50 yards and 3.8 yds/carry. Kirk Herbstreit mentioned him being as dominate as Ndomakong Suh, and he may very well be. Suh is also regarded as a dirty player, even still in the NFL, yet he is more than likely the Rookie of the Year for Defense in the NFL and will probably be the most dominate defensive lineman in years to come. I do think his discipline after a play will have to tighten up, and I imagine that the NFL would break him of the late hits and cheap shots, but Suh has been flagged and fined this year for his hits, although questionable calls. The NFL will crack down on him more than the NCAA did and hit him in the pocketbook - that combined with the rough nature of the NFL should change his habit of cheap hits after a play.


Auburn's National Title will always be under question, regardless if the NCAA does allow them to keep it. People will always speculate. The media will always find the dirty laundry, and that is their job, disgusting as it is. The facts that matter is Auburn won the game on the field, and just as USC won their game on the field, regardless of 1 ineligible player for 100. I am confident Auburn will not be found in the wrong with Cam Newton remaining eligible, because Auburn is where my heart as a sports fan lies. 


War Eagle.

@danpatrick show's "Top 10 Things Cam Did Want to Say (but couldn't)"

10. Cecil was going to be here tonight, but this is my Dave moment

9. Yes, I sleep with the Heisman, who knows how long they will let me keep it

8. Hey Dan Patrick, Oregon can't stop me OR contain me

7. Stop calling me "Fib" Newton; I really didn't know anything *wink wink*

6. I just found out the Ducks were going to give me $181,000.

5. There's a lot of things my parents do behind the scenes since I came out of my mother's womb

4. I am wearing Mississippi State tightie-whities right now

3. Anybody want me to sign something? My dad said I can get $20 a pop

2. I was going to be on Leno tonight, but Letterman opened up the checkbook a bit wider than Jay did.

1. I have 180,000 reasons to smile and a lot of time to spend it - what else am I going to do until January 10?