Link roundup

1. I'm not saying I agree with her assertions, but it's fascinating to read how a defense attorney would go about defending Dominique Strass-Kahn.

2. A football player drafted in the seventh round by the Bills has lost 75 pounds:

The Tennessean has a story today about [Michael] Jasper’s journey from Bethel to the NFL and from a high of 448 pounds to a svelte 375, and it includes details like the fact that Bethel didn’t have a scale that would register higher than 400 pounds, so when Jasper needed to monitor his progress in trying to lose weight, he’d go to the McKenzie Feed & Grain Store.

3. Sounds like the start of a thriller:

An outbreak of smallpox was the farthest thing from Paul Levengood's mind when his staff at the Virginia Historical Society put together an exhibit of "bizarre bits" in the society's collection since its founding in 1831.

There was Confederate President Jefferson Davis's cigar, confiscated by Union troops. There was a fungus carving of Robert E. Lee on his horse Traveller and a wreath made of human hair.

Then someone mentioned a letter, handwritten and dated 1876, with what appeared to be a smallpox scab pinned inside—light brown, about the size of a pencil eraser, and crumbling.

Via.

Link roundup

1. Gizmodo wants to hire a graffiti artist (and is actually inviting submissions by any type of artist). (It's a pay gig.)

2. Yet another great post by Jim Shooter about Marvel history, this time starring Bill Sienkiewicz. Click through to read about how he got his start at Marvel. Here's a taste:

Bill wasn’t invited to San Diego that year, but wanted to go. Bill was athletic—probably still is, I haven’t seen him for a while—and just the right size for the Spider-Man costume Marvel used for its character public appearance program (things like the annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House lawn).

I told Bill that if he’d wear the costume for a few events, Marvel would pay for the trip, all expenses. Save him significant dough. He agreed.

3. Nike estimates that LeBron James winning the NBA title could lead to a $4 billion bump in business in China. $4 billion approximates the entire NBA's revenues. Via.

Buffoonery turns free kick into a goal

Watch as two soccer players trip each other to distract the other team during a free kick. Via.

The worst baseball cap in history

The 1969 Seattle Pilots - - ESPN's pick for the worst baseball cap in history. There's ten more here.

Link roundup

1. From an extended discussion of Brink at RPS:

I was looking at the screenshots I’ve taken vs the screenshots we were sent for previews and things. And it’s just heartbreaking. A mess of text and cramped spaces, not these fantastic looking, exaggerated muscleguys in apple-crisp locales.

2. From Bill Simmons's portrait of Phil Jackson:

When I think of Phil Jackson, two guys come to mind: Young Phil and Old Phil. Young Phil was skinny with dark hair and a goofy mustache; he looked like he came from another era, like someone Larry Dallas would bring over to the Regal Beagle to meet Jack Tripper. Old Phil didn't look anything like Young Phil: white hair, a clean-shaven face, a heavier frame, and a body that was scattered in nine different directions. Still, Young Phil and Old Phil had one thing in common: They kept their cool at all times.

3. Vic Armstrong's World's Greatest Stuntman sounds great. i09 has an extended excerpt about the filming of Total Recall. For example:

Sharon Stone was funny. We all thought that Rachel Ticotin was going to be the big star, she was a fabulous actress, looked gorgeous and yet she went nowhere. Sharon Stone you couldn't drag into the gym, she just didn't want to train, didn't want to do anything, yet she became a superstar in Basic Instinct. Wendy was doubling Rachel and Donna Evans doubled Sharon and did all the kicks and everything else really, we mainly shot Sharon for close-ups. Though I must say she looked dynamite in those close-ups!

Gizmodo has an excerpt about Temple of Doom. The book is 34% off at Amazon.

Link roundup

1. A recipe for hardtack. (If you don't know what that is, you really should run out and buy a couple Patrick O'Brian novels.)

2. (New, specific) Assertions that FIFA demands massive bribes from potential host countries.

3. "Frank McCourt's motives and methods for potentially putting the Dodgers into bankruptcy."

I wish I followed the Portland Timbers

Downloadable papercraft game schedule for the Portland Timbers (MLS team).

*Buy trophies at eBay.

Link roundup

1. Little Prince paper toys.

2. Arnold Kling, writing specifically about Central California, and America in general:

My guess is that those in the informal economy do not get to send their children to elite primary and secondary schools, and they have little in the way of health insurance. But otherwise, they enjoy what I call Diamond Age access to the more basic goods and a few luxuries.

When I took the subway home the other night, I noticed how many people wearing clothes that signified low incomes were playing with smart phones. A few years ago, the smart phone went with a business suit. Now it goes with lots of tattoos and grubby t-shirts.

3. Major League Soccer (and not individual teams) sets player salaries. Compare LA and NY to two small market teams:

NY Red Bulls: $13,397,087.04
LA Galaxy: $12,205,725.12
Real Salt Lake: $3,517,856.76
Colorado Rapids: $3,173,078.64

Via.

Link roundup

1. Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey gives his baseball bats geeky names, including Orcrist from The Hobbit and "hrunting" based on Beowulf.

2. I didn't read the article for fear of spoiling the headline:

'Mad hatters' gang of middle-aged women blamed for Detroit crime spree

Police in Detroit are hunting a gang of middle-aged women, nicknamed the "Mad Hatters", who they blame for a string of robberies, purse snatching and fraud.

Via.

3. My local theater doesn't show pre-movie commercials anymore, but the theaters that do are having trouble filling the slots:

Part of the reason for the shortfall, according to the firm's CEO, is lack of advertising from Japanese auto and electronics makers who are suffering following March's earthquake and tsunami, as well as the National Guard, which no longer needs to advertise as much because high unemployment numbers push so many candidates its way.

Link roundup

1. Bill James (who is an excellent writer, and who revolutionized the use of statistics in sports) has a new book about serial killers and crimefighting.

2. Check out how much muscle top NFL draft pick Von Miller put on while at Texas A&M (and remember, this was no pipsqueak in high school, he was recruited by a solid football school).

3. Kind of strange - - Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four are joining the Dark Horse Deluxe line of collectible statuettes.

Link roundup

1. The owner of a Porsche saved it from a flood by parking it on an anchored inflatable raft.

2. What a terrific sponsored post at Eater - - a secret dining society sponsored by Patron. These types of ads make so much more sense than banner ads, yet I see them done properly so rarely.

3. Since the NFL has locked out players, it's up to the players to organize their own offseason workouts. Drew Brees took it one step further and is paying for many expenses, including insurance and lodging for younger players.

Link roundup

1. Peyton Manning explained how players beat the NFL's concussion test, but then claimed it was just a joke.

2. Gabe Delahaye on the new Transformers trailer:

“OPTIMUUUUUUUS!” Haha. That does get me every time. “OPTIMUUUUUUUS!” I think Shia LaBeouf is a perfectly decent actor, but every time he has to dramatically scream a SPACE ROBOT’s name it breaks my heart. Just kidding, no it doesn’t. But hopefully it breaks his.

3. "Most people probably don’t think of Corning as a crime fighting company, but when it sold its Pyrex brand to World Kitchen in 1998, the company accidentally made the illegal manufacture of crack cocaine more difficult—a fascinating example of unintended consequences." Via.

Link roundup

1. Really nice series of diagrams and video showing why zone defense doesn't work against the Mavericks.

2. Retired NFL players are going to announce second round daft picks. Can't wait to see who kept in shape.

3. Minimalist posters illustrating mental disorders. Some people might find these somewhat disrespectful, so, look at your own discretion.

Link roundup

1. ESPN's 2011 all-overrated MLB team.

2. William Gibson loves the Dyson air multiplier:

Just saw/experienced the Dyson Air Multiplier. FAR more amazing than the Dyson Air Blade.

With the Air Blade, you can imagine how it works. air Multiplier is Arthur C. Clarke's definition of magic. Seriously. 22nd Century tech.

And they look like very large, utterly minimalist pieces of extremely high-end Scandinavian jewellery. And the breeze feels like one.

Love it when a moment of feeling like an immigrant to a new century is so utterly positive.

$300+ at Amazon. Here's an explanation for how they work - - they use something called "process entrainment."

3. It's fascinating reading Susannah Breslin's blog at Forbes (which is about her struggles moving from one job to another, and how to be a successful blogger in general). I don't think she's been blogging there for more than two months, and already she's written a post that is more or less about how she's making choices that will sabotage her continued employment there.

Link roundup

1. Great, long article about Stephon Marbury's continuing adventures in China. Via.

2. Serious Eats: Passover Recipes We Love.

3. "Which HBO pilot has more nudity: True Blood or Game of Thrones?" A detailed analysis by io9.

Link roundup

1. Yahoo's reporting that Jamarcus Russell's life coach fired him.

2. TechCrunch reviews Nike's Nike+ SportWatch GPS. Doesn't sound like you get nearly enough value for $200. Probably makes more sense to buy an app, or the Nike+ Sport Band for a quarter of the price at Amazon.

3. "Look at This Fuckin Hipster Food Truck," the Tumblr. Sample post: "Look at this fuckin three-dollar sea salt." Via.

Jon Gruden's Quarterback Camp 2011

Jon Gruden's Quarterback Camp 2011 featuring Cam Newton and Jake Locker. Apparently he was told to go easy on the players this year.

*Buy Cam Newton toys at eBay.