1. Monterey Bay Aquarium
's new Open Sea exhibit conveys vastness of oceans2. 'Curb Your Enthusiasm
' season premiere review: Larry David enters a new period3. Pena
notches career best with 14 Ks4. NCAA Football
12 Impressions5. Miracle of the Day
- A REASON FOR LIVING***
Monterey Bay Aquarium's new Open Sea exhibit conveys vastness of oceans
MONTEREY
— Veteran sailors will often tell you that along with its stark beauty, the open ocean can often bring a certain loneliness.
They've recounted such feelings in both song and story, after all, for hundreds of years.
When you're out there, they say — far out of sight of land — you realize that you're on a sort of desert, watery but desolate.
Or so it might seem on first impression.
But a closer look reveals a whole universe of life found on the constantly changing palette of blues, grays and blacks that make up the colors of the water in a zone known as the "pelagic" (from the Greek) or, more commonly, the open sea.
So, as part of their continuing effort to give guests glimpses of things and places they've never seen before, the curators of the Monterey Bay Aquarium have opened "The Open Sea" — a unique exhibit attempting to replicate an area of the Pacific Ocean approximately 200 miles from the shores of Monterey.
It's an area they have nicknamed the realm of the "the vast and the fast," for its size and depth, and for the lightning-quick speeds of the predators that live there. What used to be known as the "Outer Bay" galleries have undergone an extensive makeover to reflect life in some of the least-explored parts of the Pacific, according to David Cripe, the aquarium's special exhibits coordinator.
"The idea behind this is to give the visitor an inkling of the life and light they might encounter way out there," Cripe said during a recent tour.
Visitors will find many of the same species in the Aquarium's premier 1 million gallon tank with its famed 54-foot-wide, 13-inch thick acrylic wall when it known as the "Outer Bay," Cripe said.
But now patrons will also see new species representative of many of the great migratory and schooling fish and other animals found where sharp winds whip up house-size swells and azure waters run deep — very deep.
Hiding in plain sight
The Open Sea exhibit, which opened July 2, also features a redesigned Ocean Travelers gallery that houses some of the ocean's most impressive long-distance swimmers and navigators, including young sea turtles and diving seabirds such as tufted puffins. One of the highlights includes a new interactive multimedia wall that's devoted to plankton, the microscopic animals that form the base of the food web in the oceans.
***
'Curb Your Enthusiasm' season premiere review: Larry David enters a new period
— Veteran sailors will often tell you that along with its stark beauty, the open ocean can often bring a certain loneliness.They've recounted such feelings in both song and story, after all, for hundreds of years.
When you're out there, they say — far out of sight of land — you realize that you're on a sort of desert, watery but desolate.
Or so it might seem on first impression.
But a closer look reveals a whole universe of life found on the constantly changing palette of blues, grays and blacks that make up the colors of the water in a zone known as the "pelagic" (from the Greek) or, more commonly, the open sea.
So, as part of their continuing effort to give guests glimpses of things and places they've never seen before, the curators of the Monterey Bay Aquarium have opened "The Open Sea" — a unique exhibit attempting to replicate an area of the Pacific Ocean approximately 200 miles from the shores of Monterey.
It's an area they have nicknamed the realm of the "the vast and the fast," for its size and depth, and for the lightning-quick speeds of the predators that live there. What used to be known as the "Outer Bay" galleries have undergone an extensive makeover to reflect life in some of the least-explored parts of the Pacific, according to David Cripe, the aquarium's special exhibits coordinator.
"The idea behind this is to give the visitor an inkling of the life and light they might encounter way out there," Cripe said during a recent tour.
Visitors will find many of the same species in the Aquarium's premier 1 million gallon tank with its famed 54-foot-wide, 13-inch thick acrylic wall when it known as the "Outer Bay," Cripe said.
But now patrons will also see new species representative of many of the great migratory and schooling fish and other animals found where sharp winds whip up house-size swells and azure waters run deep — very deep.
Hiding in plain sight
The Open Sea exhibit, which opened July 2, also features a redesigned Ocean Travelers gallery that houses some of the ocean's most impressive long-distance swimmers and navigators, including young sea turtles and diving seabirds such as tufted puffins. One of the highlights includes a new interactive multimedia wall that's devoted to plankton, the microscopic animals that form the base of the food web in the oceans.
***
'Curb Your Enthusiasm' season premiere review: Larry David
enters a new period
I didn’t realize how much I’d missed Curb Your Enthusiasm until Larry David greeted a Girl Scout who asked if he wanted to buy some cookies with a genial, “I find them abhorrent but come on in!” It was as though he was beckoning us to join him as well. Back for another season of intentional insults and carefully constructed accidents that result in Larry’s agony, Curb began its eighth season with a few superb mix-ups and at least one classic moment.
Yes, Larry was still in the process of finalizing his divorce from Cheryl (Cheryl Hines). Yes, he was still hanging out with Jeff (Jeff Garlin), and putting up with Jeff’s abrasive wife Susie (Larry to Susie, entering wearing a chic camouflage print dress: “Good afternoon, General Petraeus”). Yes, Larry was still inadvertently making life miserable for Marty Funkhouser (Bob Einstein). And, yes, Larry continues to trade in stereotypes so deeply ingrained in the character that by this point, it barely seemed offensive that our hero would simply assume that discovering his lawyer wasn’t Jewish, but merely passing as a Jew was an automatic disaster. (Nice job, Paul F. Thompkins.)
But the stand-out, ultra-Larry moment in the season opener proved to be the scene in which Larry was compelled to instruct the Girl Scout, played by Justified’s Kaitlyn Dever, how to use a tampon. Everything about the scene worked. The perfectly silly but logical set-up that ended up placing the kid behind a bathroom door as Larry shouted instructions to the 13 year-old girl getting her first period was impeccable. (This was HBO’s truest blood this week.)
David’s physical and verbal fumbling throughout the scene was that marvelous combination of half-amateur-actor, half-comedy-pro performance style that can make him funnier than comic actors far more smooth and skilled.
If David can sustain the fine asperity he mustered here for the rest of the new Curbs, we’ll have a season that might match the Seinfeld reunion episodes last season, and carry Larry to new highs of lowness.
***
Pena notches career best with 14 Ks
Right-hander Ariel Pena of the 66ers has always had a pretty good slider, which was his strikeout pitch on Friday.
until Larry David greeted a Girl Scout who asked if he wanted to buy some cookies with a genial, “I find them abhorrent but come on in!” It was as though he was beckoning us to join him as well. Back for another season of intentional insults and carefully constructed accidents that result in Larry’s agony, Curb began its eighth season with a few superb mix-ups and at least one classic moment.Yes, Larry was still in the process of finalizing his divorce from Cheryl (Cheryl Hines). Yes, he was still hanging out with Jeff (Jeff Garlin), and putting up with Jeff’s abrasive wife Susie (Larry to Susie, entering wearing a chic camouflage print dress: “Good afternoon, General Petraeus”). Yes, Larry was still inadvertently making life miserable for Marty Funkhouser (Bob Einstein). And, yes, Larry continues to trade in stereotypes so deeply ingrained in the character that by this point, it barely seemed offensive that our hero would simply assume that discovering his lawyer wasn’t Jewish, but merely passing as a Jew was an automatic disaster. (Nice job, Paul F. Thompkins.)
But the stand-out, ultra-Larry moment in the season opener proved to be the scene in which Larry was compelled to instruct the Girl Scout, played by Justified’s Kaitlyn Dever, how to use a tampon. Everything about the scene worked. The perfectly silly but logical set-up that ended up placing the kid behind a bathroom door as Larry shouted instructions to the 13 year-old girl getting her first period was impeccable. (This was HBO’s truest blood this week.)
David’s physical and verbal fumbling throughout the scene was that marvelous combination of half-amateur-actor, half-comedy-pro performance style that can make him funnier than comic actors far more smooth and skilled.
If David can sustain the fine asperity he mustered here for the rest of the new Curbs, we’ll have a season that might match the Seinfeld reunion episodes last season, and carry Larry to new highs of lowness.
***
Pena notches career best with 14 Ks
Right-hander Ariel Pena
of the 66ers has always had a pretty good slider, which was his strikeout pitch on Friday.
But it was his fastball that was the key to his career-best 14-strikeout performance in Friday's 4-0 victory over the Mavericks. Pena allowed just two hits, walked three and hit another in six innings of work.
"The big thing has been his ability to command his fastball," Sixers pitching coach Dan Ricabal said. "He had been getting behind in counts with his fastball. If he's only throwing one pitch (the slider for strikes), then it's not as effective.
"The last two times (including Sunday at Bakersfield), he's been able to command his fastball, which makes his slider better."
Pena was able to throw his slider for a called strike early in the count, and get them to chase a slider out of the zone with two strikes. And you couldn't sit on the slider because his fastball was effective, too.
"I felt great," Pena said. "I had a good fastball
, good slider."
Pena (7-3, 3.97 ERA) has been outstanding in back-to-back starts for the Sixers. He allowed six hits and one run while walking one and striking out four in seven innings at Bakersfield.
Pena's pitch count was over 100 at the end of six innings and it's the Angels' policy to remove starters in the minors when they get to that point, but Ricabal said Pena still looked strong.
"He was over 100, but he was stronger after six (Friday)
than he was throwing 83 pitches in seven innings at Bakersfield," Ricabal said.
In all, Sixers pitchers struck out a season-high 20 batters Friday against the Mavericks, the most in the league since 2009 and the first time the Sixers struck out that many in a game since 2007.
Not getting close
Jean Segura, the top prospect on the 66ers roster to start the season, hasn't played for the team since he was placed on the disabled list for the second time this season with a hamstring injury on May 28.
And he's not getting any closer.
At the time, the 66ers hoped Segura would be back the first half of July.
"He suffered a setback at Bakersfield (last weekend)," Sixers manager Damon Mashore said. "He was running and he wasn't 100 percent so we shut him down."
Segura was running and taking batting practice at the time, but isn't doing either now.
Mashore said it would be "a miracle" if Segura was back by the end of July, but there is no timetable currently for his return.
Friday night
Host Lancaster rallied from an early 5-0 deficit, scoring runs in every inning from the second through the sixth to record a 12-8 victory over the Quakes on Friday.
Anthony Jackson led the Quakes by going 4 for 5 with two home runs and four RBIs, while Preston Mattingly was 2 for 2 with a home run and three runs.
Jose Thompson led the way for the JetHawks, hitting two home runs and driving in seven runs.
***
NCAA Football 12 Impressions
NCAA Football 12 has experienced its share of ups and downs in the lead-up to its Tuesday release. The series continues to present one of the strongest feature sets amongst sports games and comes off a well-regarded iteration. It has stumbled in the last month or so however as EA Sports committed several missteps that hampered anticipation levels and followed that with notable indications of desperation on their part to build back some excitement. After spending an extensive amount of time already with NCAA Football 12 here are my initial impressions of the offering with more coverage to follow over the coming days.
When it comes to gameplay there are no real flashy new features and it appears similar to last year but the actual experience is much more refreshing. The new tackling animation system pays immediate dividends leading to a much more wide-open feel on the field. That also results in momentum being better represented and the running game becoming potentially very effective. Considering I prefer to run downhill this is especially beneficial to that style, however getting into the open field with a shifty back or receiver can lead to more explosive plays.
Defense is certainly improved but I don’t believe NCAA 12 will be looked back upon as a “defensive year” for the series. There seems to be a fair balance between the offense and defense. One thing immediately noted was how much more often passes were being dropped by receivers when getting hit as they make the catch attempt or immediately after. The ball often gets jarred loose when hit under those circumstances forcing the QB to find receivers that are more open. That in turn that keeps completion percentages down and gives an advantage to those who find open space to place the ball.
The CPU seems to put up a better challenge than in the past but still has its share of issues. The CPU running game has been anemic and they especially struggle out of the shotgun and running the option. The QBs tend to hold the ball too long and take sacks – this seemingly having been done to cut down on the number of INTs. Coverage sacks will be plentiful.
What has annoyed me though? Two terrible animations that play all too frequently. One is a solo animation where a player runs upright in a half circle after a play ends. This can be noticed seemingly every couple plays and stands out even more in Road to Glory where the camera is always focusing in close to individuals. It’s infuriating that “I” celebrate in this fashion! There is a post-tackle animation where it looks like the player is seizing up while laying on the ground which looks bad as well. Both really need to be patched out.
The celebrations in general are completely detached and contextually rarely seem appropriate. Every player ends up on their own and overreacts to mundane plays while underreacting to the big ones. There are some cut scenes after TDs now that involve several players but they’ll sometimes happen in the wrong area of the field or involve players that wouldn’t have been there to celebrate. The proper on-field emotion is still lacking in the NCAA series.
This, along with commentary, would seem to be the presentation areas most desperately in need of complete overhauls or serious enhancements. Having played Madden NFL 12 the television style camera placement makes a big difference there and that will expose NCAA’s replays and cut scenes for being severely deficient. How many times on a TV broadcast following a play does the camera focus on random players running around in half circles or them bumping into each other constantly when just heading back to the line of scrimmage? How behind NCAA is with its post-play coverage will be realized soon enough.
The commentary is all too familiar and the addition of ‘Game Tracks’ has been a letdown. I’ve yet to have any besides the post-halftime one trigger and those have been mediocre and non-specific. It stands out that Erin Andrews isn’t saying the names of any players or coaches – instead just referring to everyone as “he” or their position. The concept is sound and it remains a welcome addition but it isn’t going to be near enough to hold off complaints about commentary or the need for more dynamic recounting of events during the game such as a halftime show.
Road to Glory is much more compelling this year….at least that is the case after getting out of high school. Though HS added the ability to play both ways and for a whole season the games take longer due to that and feel tedious – lacking any excitement or real draw. The new additions once in college though are good motivators and rewards but I feel that I may be progressing too quickly in “Coaches’ Trust”. The main downside to the mode is that it still favors positions that rack up stats. I’ll have a lengthy write-up on RTG mode tomorrow.
Online Play has not been possible due to the servers being down over most of the last few days so that will be covered in its own impressions article and/or the Hits and Misses review. I still want to dig more into Dynasty mode and play around with features such as the ‘Custom Conferences’. The Online Dynasty setup looks great bringing in all the features of offline including the ability to have coaches start as coordinators.
Random Observations
•The ‘Online Pass’ free trial is now just two days instead of a full week.
•Each game now only has save slots for three images and two highlights.
•Penalties other than ‘Holding’, ‘Offsides’, and ‘False Start” are rare (actually I’ve seen none).
•The CPU will occasionally throw the ball away instantly after a snap.
•The CPU always chooses to kick when winning the toss on the road.
•Auto saved highlights and screenshots are just as bad as ever.
•Even if set to not save those videos/screens still forced to sit through them at the end of game.
•Games played on neutral fields still give the ‘home’ team the crowd support.
•Only seen fumbles caused from big hits so far.
•CPU kickers have hit several 50+ FGs (one was a 55 yarder)
***
Miracle of the Day - A REASON FOR LIVING
"In Dec. of 2000 I had a massive heart attack in my small one bedroom apartment in Michigan, I lived alone so it was quite awhile before an ambulance arrived. a lot of damage was done to the heart, which that within its self is a miracle for me to be alive. The people in Ann Arbor VA Medical Center said that there was nothing could be done because of the extent of the damage, but they forgot about JESUS, WHO sent the best Heart Surgen in the VA system who performed a double by pass, Every thing went well during surgery. While in recovery I stopped breathing, the crash cart was called, people were running in and out with blood, some were yelling with a sense of urgency, one nurse was crying. Four times I died and four times they brought me back, by THE GRACE OF GOD
. My relatives were in the waiting room saw all this comotion and was praying and calling every one they knew to pray also. The doctor finally came in after they got me stable and told mother he didnt know if I would be a vegatable because I was out too long. Next morning the doctor came in and opened the blinds in my room waking me up. Everything was normal Because the GREATEST DOCTOR of all had a reason for me to LIVE, may I be worthy of his calling."
***
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"The big thing has been his ability to command his fastball," Sixers pitching coach Dan Ricabal said. "He had been getting behind in counts with his fastball. If he's only throwing one pitch (the slider for strikes), then it's not as effective.
"The last two times (including Sunday at Bakersfield), he's been able to command his fastball, which makes his slider better."
Pena was able to throw his slider for a called strike early in the count, and get them to chase a slider out of the zone with two strikes. And you couldn't sit on the slider because his fastball was effective, too.
"I felt great," Pena said. "I had a good fastball
, good slider."Pena (7-3, 3.97 ERA) has been outstanding in back-to-back starts for the Sixers. He allowed six hits and one run while walking one and striking out four in seven innings at Bakersfield.
Pena's pitch count was over 100 at the end of six innings and it's the Angels' policy to remove starters in the minors when they get to that point, but Ricabal said Pena still looked strong.
"He was over 100, but he was stronger after six (Friday)
than he was throwing 83 pitches in seven innings at Bakersfield," Ricabal said.
In all, Sixers pitchers struck out a season-high 20 batters Friday against the Mavericks, the most in the league since 2009 and the first time the Sixers struck out that many in a game since 2007.
Not getting close
Jean Segura, the top prospect on the 66ers roster to start the season, hasn't played for the team since he was placed on the disabled list for the second time this season with a hamstring injury on May 28.
And he's not getting any closer.
At the time, the 66ers hoped Segura would be back the first half of July.
"He suffered a setback at Bakersfield (last weekend)," Sixers manager Damon Mashore said. "He was running and he wasn't 100 percent so we shut him down."
Segura was running and taking batting practice at the time, but isn't doing either now.
Mashore said it would be "a miracle" if Segura was back by the end of July, but there is no timetable currently for his return.
Friday night
Host Lancaster rallied from an early 5-0 deficit, scoring runs in every inning from the second through the sixth to record a 12-8 victory over the Quakes on Friday.
Anthony Jackson led the Quakes by going 4 for 5 with two home runs and four RBIs, while Preston Mattingly was 2 for 2 with a home run and three runs.
Jose Thompson led the way for the JetHawks, hitting two home runs and driving in seven runs.
***
NCAA Football 12 Impressions
NCAA Football 12 has experienced its share of ups and downs in the lead-up to its Tuesday release. The series continues to present one of the strongest feature sets amongst sports games and comes off a well-regarded iteration. It has stumbled in the last month or so however as EA Sports committed several missteps that hampered anticipation levels and followed that with notable indications of desperation on their part to build back some excitement. After spending an extensive amount of time already with NCAA Football 12 here are my initial impressions of the offering with more coverage to follow over the coming days.
When it comes to gameplay there are no real flashy new features and it appears similar to last year but the actual experience is much more refreshing. The new tackling animation system pays immediate dividends leading to a much more wide-open feel on the field. That also results in momentum being better represented and the running game becoming potentially very effective. Considering I prefer to run downhill this is especially beneficial to that style, however getting into the open field with a shifty back or receiver can lead to more explosive plays.
Defense is certainly improved but I don’t believe NCAA 12 will be looked back upon as a “defensive year” for the series. There seems to be a fair balance between the offense and defense. One thing immediately noted was how much more often passes were being dropped by receivers when getting hit as they make the catch attempt or immediately after. The ball often gets jarred loose when hit under those circumstances forcing the QB to find receivers that are more open. That in turn that keeps completion percentages down and gives an advantage to those who find open space to place the ball.
The CPU seems to put up a better challenge than in the past but still has its share of issues. The CPU running game has been anemic and they especially struggle out of the shotgun and running the option. The QBs tend to hold the ball too long and take sacks – this seemingly having been done to cut down on the number of INTs. Coverage sacks will be plentiful.
What has annoyed me though? Two terrible animations that play all too frequently. One is a solo animation where a player runs upright in a half circle after a play ends. This can be noticed seemingly every couple plays and stands out even more in Road to Glory where the camera is always focusing in close to individuals. It’s infuriating that “I” celebrate in this fashion! There is a post-tackle animation where it looks like the player is seizing up while laying on the ground which looks bad as well. Both really need to be patched out.
The celebrations in general are completely detached and contextually rarely seem appropriate. Every player ends up on their own and overreacts to mundane plays while underreacting to the big ones. There are some cut scenes after TDs now that involve several players but they’ll sometimes happen in the wrong area of the field or involve players that wouldn’t have been there to celebrate. The proper on-field emotion is still lacking in the NCAA series.
This, along with commentary, would seem to be the presentation areas most desperately in need of complete overhauls or serious enhancements. Having played Madden NFL 12 the television style camera placement makes a big difference there and that will expose NCAA’s replays and cut scenes for being severely deficient. How many times on a TV broadcast following a play does the camera focus on random players running around in half circles or them bumping into each other constantly when just heading back to the line of scrimmage? How behind NCAA is with its post-play coverage will be realized soon enough.
The commentary is all too familiar and the addition of ‘Game Tracks’ has been a letdown. I’ve yet to have any besides the post-halftime one trigger and those have been mediocre and non-specific. It stands out that Erin Andrews isn’t saying the names of any players or coaches – instead just referring to everyone as “he” or their position. The concept is sound and it remains a welcome addition but it isn’t going to be near enough to hold off complaints about commentary or the need for more dynamic recounting of events during the game such as a halftime show.
Road to Glory is much more compelling this year….at least that is the case after getting out of high school. Though HS added the ability to play both ways and for a whole season the games take longer due to that and feel tedious – lacking any excitement or real draw. The new additions once in college though are good motivators and rewards but I feel that I may be progressing too quickly in “Coaches’ Trust”. The main downside to the mode is that it still favors positions that rack up stats. I’ll have a lengthy write-up on RTG mode tomorrow.
Online Play has not been possible due to the servers being down over most of the last few days so that will be covered in its own impressions article and/or the Hits and Misses review. I still want to dig more into Dynasty mode and play around with features such as the ‘Custom Conferences’. The Online Dynasty setup looks great bringing in all the features of offline including the ability to have coaches start as coordinators.
Random Observations
•The ‘Online Pass’ free trial is now just two days instead of a full week.
•Each game now only has save slots for three images and two highlights.
•Penalties other than ‘Holding’, ‘Offsides’, and ‘False Start” are rare (actually I’ve seen none).
•The CPU will occasionally throw the ball away instantly after a snap.
•The CPU always chooses to kick when winning the toss on the road.
•Auto saved highlights and screenshots are just as bad as ever.
•Even if set to not save those videos/screens still forced to sit through them at the end of game.
•Games played on neutral fields still give the ‘home’ team the crowd support.
•Only seen fumbles caused from big hits so far.
•CPU kickers have hit several 50+ FGs (one was a 55 yarder)
***
Miracle of the Day - A REASON FOR LIVING
"In Dec. of 2000 I had a massive heart attack in my small one bedroom apartment in Michigan, I lived alone so it was quite awhile before an ambulance arrived. a lot of damage was done to the heart, which that within its self is a miracle for me to be alive. The people in Ann Arbor VA Medical Center said that there was nothing could be done because of the extent of the damage, but they forgot about JESUS, WHO sent the best Heart Surgen in the VA system who performed a double by pass, Every thing went well during surgery. While in recovery I stopped breathing, the crash cart was called, people were running in and out with blood, some were yelling with a sense of urgency, one nurse was crying. Four times I died and four times they brought me back, by THE GRACE OF GOD
. My relatives were in the waiting room saw all this comotion and was praying and calling every one they knew to pray also. The doctor finally came in after they got me stable and told mother he didnt know if I would be a vegatable because I was out too long. Next morning the doctor came in and opened the blinds in my room waking me up. Everything was normal Because the GREATEST DOCTOR of all had a reason for me to LIVE, may I be worthy of his calling."***
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