From time to time (okay, regularly), we've all yelled an obscenity towards an official or even threatened a ref with a potential beat down, but while there have been some occasions where the zebras have been attacked, what Ladislav Scurko takes things to a different level.The Philadelphia Flyers sixth-round pick in 2004 has been charged with murder after being accused of stabbing referee Marek Liptag 14 times back in January 2008 over a monetary dispute. Liptag's remains weren't found until this past December in Slovakian forest. Scurko played for Spisska Nova Ves, his home city team as well as the Western Hockey League's Seattle Thunderbirds. He began playing professionally in 2007 with HC Kosice of the Slovakian Extraliga where he won the league title this past season. Scurko also played for Slovakia at two U20 World Championships and two U18 World Championships.The former Flyers prospect faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted and would be released when he turns 43 at the latest, or when Chris Chelios finally retires from the NHL.Over on Hammer Rules, "Dave Schultz" is stunned and saddened over the former player with the Tri-City Americans:I'm still in disbelief. Scurko was a super nice kid whenever I talked to him on the concourse, my God, I have my picture with him, it was one of my favorites cuz I remember he didn't just wimpishly put his arm around me and smile for camera, he was into it, big ol' bear hug, nice as can be. Just in shock. seriously.With the wave of complaints filing in nightly during the playoffs in mind, Travis from Broad Street Hockey might have put it best: "Imagine if this guy encountered NHL officiating..."Thanks to The 700 Level for the tip. Unofficial moratorium on "kill the ref" chants begins now.
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I posted to google.com
Flyers draft pick charged with killing referee, burying body
April 25 2009, 6:12am | Comments »
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I posted to google.com
30 Beautiful Real Estate Websites
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/04/23/30-beautiful-real-estate-websites/
Real estate is a valuable and often expensive purchase. Copious research is done by home buyers before venturing out to acquire real estate. In this day and age, gathering information about a property is typically done online, and an effective and captivating website design can make or break a home sale. In this showcase, we’ll explore some great designs of real estate websites. We’ll also discuss some commonalities between them to tease out current trends in real estate websites. Trends In Real Estate Websites 1. Traditional/Sophisticated Themes Versus Modern/Contemporary Themes Property realtors want to convey the message that they’re reliable and well-established. They want home buyers to feel that they will be purchasing property from a company that’s dependable, steadfast and time-tested. That’s why most of them opt for a classic and sophisticated theme for their websites, rather than a sleek, modern theme.
Image-Heavy Designs Home buyers want to see what they’re potentially buying without having to take the time to travel to a property. Real estate websites typically contain a lot of images for this very purpose.
Photo Galleries Again, photo galleries allow website visitors to see what properties look like without having to leave their computer. That is why you’ll often find image galleries that feature properties that realtors currently have available.
Property Locator Feature Many real estate websites provide a property locator feature for home buyers to find properties for sale in areas they are interested in.
Real estate property locator features are usually a Web form with various input fields — such as property type, property features, price range, zip code, etc. — so that you can easily narrow down your search to the exact type of property you’re looking for.
Many realtors use a third-party service or application (such as Google Maps) to enable this feature on their websites.
Showcase RanchlineRanchline is an excellent example of a real estate website that embodies the trends discussed above: clean and sophisticated design, image-heavy and graphic-centric, with a property search feature conveniently located in the left-hand column.
Cantera Real EstateCantera Real Estate has a clean, captivating traditional design and presents a housing locator to visitors in the top half of the home page.
Naples Real EstateNaples Real Estate features a property for sale on the home page to highlight a piece of real estate that they’re currently promoting.
MacAllan RidgeMacAllan Ridge’s beautiful design uses an illustrated background as its defining feature.
Broadview HomesBroadview Homes ventures out of the box with a dark and very modern theme.
Hillwood ResidentialHillwood Residential uses family photos in frames to give off a feeling of traditionalism and family values.
Ellicott Mack Realty GroupEllicott Mack Realty Group captures the viewer’s attention by saying, “That warm house that is ‘home,’” and right under it, showing a family having breakfast.
Riverside ViewRiverside View uses a light-blue color palette that evokes a feeling of modernity coupled with sophistication.
Under the Roman SunUnder the Roman Sun captivates viewers with its large beautiful images of Rome in the top half of the home page.
Monica Ruggieri Real EstateMonica Ruggieri’s design is a great example of using classic and sophisticated themes on a real estate website.
Lanikai PropertiesLanikai Properties uses a bold and colorful theme to portray the nature of its properties in Hawaii.
Stone Coast PropertiesStone Coast Properties has a dark background with classic and vintage design elements.
Signature PropertiesSignature Properties has a clean and sophisticated design.
The Meadows at Historic Castle RockOn the home page of The Meadows at Historic Castle Rock, you’ll see an image-heavy, Flash-based slideshow.
Coldwell Banker Real EstateThis well-established real estate agency, Coldwell Banker, has a clean Web form at the center of its design.
Belvedere Inc.Belvedere Inc. uses a dark-brown textured page background and green leaf elements to evoke a feeling of nature and environmental friendliness.
Woolshed GroveWoolshed Grove has images of families in the header.
Bluegrass CommonsBluegrass Commons captures the viewer’s attention with the promise that, “This is the one.”
The Real Estate ConciergeThe Real Estate Concierge’s website has a dark theme to create a sense of sophistication and affluence.
Marin Real EstateMarin Real Estate relies on the slideshow on its home page to captivate viewers.
Bellingham Real EstateBellingham Real Estate has an engaging image of a mountain range in the header section.
San Clemente Real Estate“Clean” best describes the design of the San Clemente Real Estate website.
BATICOBATICO has a dark theme and image-heavy home page.
OyproOypro, which deals with commercial real estate, has a very clean design.
Travis Marshall RealtorTravis Marshall has a clean and sophisticated Web design.
REALTOR.comREALTOR.com focuses on the content by using light, unobtrusive colors in its website design.
Best PlotsBest Plots couples a dark theme with a clean and uncluttered design.
Mike Gagne Realtor ServicesMike Gagne includes a photo of himself to create a personal, rather than corporate, touch for his website.
Kensington LakesKensington Lakes’ dark-themed design makes the images really pop out.
About the Author Jacob Gube is a Web developer/designer and author of Six Revisions, a blog on Web development and design. If you want to connect with the author, you can follow him on Twitter. (al)
© Jacob Gube for Smashing Magazine, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us | Digg this | Stumble on StumbleUpon! | Tweet it! | Submit to Reddit | Forum Smashing Magazine
Post tags: designs, real estate, showcases
April 23 2009, 1:59pm | Comments »
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I posted to vimeo.com
SEOmoz Whiteboard Friday - On-Site Over Optimization
Yes, there can be too much of a good thing, and that includes SEO. There are a lot of mistakes you can make when trying to optimize your site for your target terms, and keyword stuffing is just the beginning. In this video we'll look at common traps people fall into that can make your site unpleasant for users and unpalatable for search engines. Cast: Scott Willoughby
April 20 2009, 6:53am | Comments »
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I posted to youtube.com
Inspired Bicycles - Danny MacAskill April 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z19zFlPah-o
Filmed over the period of a few months in and around Edinburgh by Dave Sowerby, this video of Inspired Bicycles team rider Danny MacAskill features probably the best collection of street/street trials riding ever seen. There's some huge riding, but also some of the most technically difficult and imaginative lines you will ever see. Without a doubt, this video pushes the envelope of what is perceived as possible on a trials bike.
April 19 2009, 12:15pm | Comments »
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I posted to google.com
Has the NHL finally figured out what fans really want online?
At full speed, it was chaotic: Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins skating in on Philadelphia Flyers goalie Marty Biron and then the referee frantically pointing at the net for a Penguins' goal. The replay showed Crosby kicking the puck to his stick and then putting it home, right before the net came off its moorings -- close enough for a War Room video review. Soon after the first-period goal was counted on Wednesday night, any lingering doubts about its legality were erased by the "Situation Room": NHL.com's new live blog during games that clarifies video reviews and controversial calls. Almost instantaneously, the blog explained to fans, media and any other interested party that Crosby had played the puck with his stick and the net was in place when it crossed the line. "Who else has access like this?" said Andre Mika, Senior VP/Executive in Charge of Programming for the NHL. The NHL disseminated information about controversial calls last season on its Web site, but the "Situation Room" takes it to the next level of interaction. Mika said the other facet of the Situation Room will feature video interviews with NHL officials like Mike Murphy, senior vice president of hockey operations, that break down, with video replays, why a call was made. "Not only are you getting first hand what's happening and when, but we're going back and telling you how a call was made; whether it was good or bad," said Mika. The "Situation Room" is part of "The Portal," the NHL's revamped Web site for the Stanley Cup playoffs that includes exclusive content and a nightly online pregame show that culls information from every individual game site. But The Portal also represents a bold shift in the NHL's editorial vision, as the League has partnered with SB Nation to incorporate independent bloggers' work into its own content -- no matter how controversial the subjects get. One of Mika's missions for NHL.com's makeover was to "expand the editorial" beyond its usual content; the addition of material from SB Nation, the blog network that counts Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis as an investor, is a key part of that expansion for the postseason. "It's our effort to have a wider scope of how we talk about the game," he said. "NHL.com, for the longest time, was just aggregating people talking about hockey. It was mainly NHL.com personnel and AP writers. But we really didn't have the voice of the fan or the blogging community."On Wednesday night, headlines labeled "SB Nation" were mixed in with breaking news, celebrity guest bloggers and feature stories. Pensburgh's blog about Evgeni Malkin winning the Art Ross was featured; as was St. Louis Game Time's post about the Blues' front office success. Click on the links, and the reader heads to the SB Nation blogs. It's a rather revolutionary move for a professional sports Web site, as Tech Crunch wrote in its story about the NHL/SB Nation partnership:If they don't do it already, the official sites of the various sports leagues like the NFL, NBA, and MLB should definitely consider adding sports blogs to the mix of information they make available on their sites. I am not sure how many true sports fans trust the sanitized news you typically find on those sites, but they are a good starting point. Adding some blog coverage might make fans feel the leagues are at least open to more points of view. It shouldn't be limited to one blog network either, but I can see the appeal of handing those links over to SB Nation and letting them deal with quality control."Control" is an operative word in this agreement between SB Nation and the NHL. Only select stories are being linked on NHL.com, and anything that might resemble a cheap shot at League personnel or officials likely won't make the cut. "My main goal is it to become a platform for people to talk about everything hockey," Mika said. "Just because it might be something we don't agree with doesn't mean it can't be discussed. There's parts of this game that are controversial, and that you can talk about. And then there's taking pot shots at the League, which we're not cool with. We're not giving bloggers access to NHL.com to take down Brian Burke."That said, SB Nation's blogs don't typically traffic in the lewd and crude. "Their network of bloggers aren't rogues. They know how to write," said Mika. The Portal, the Situation Room, the SB Nation partnership, the "Tweet Ups" around North America ... all of it points to a new era of candid information sharing, less constrained commentary and fan outreach for the NHL. Fans may never see NHL.com content as anything but "the company line," but here's hoping these new media effort from the League get bolder as they grows older.
April 17 2009, 12:32pm | Comments »
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I posted to youtube.com
PAC MAN (REMI GAILLARD)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIrvpn3k9A4
Dangerously funny videos created and produced by Rémi GAILLARD. The show continues on http://www.nimportequi.com
- Tags:
- mario
- video
- Comedy
- funny
- fun
- games
- man
- remi
- remy
- gaillard
- pac
- pacman
- kart
- prankster
- pranks
- montpellier
April 16 2009, 9:42am | Comments »
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I posted to youtube.com
ASIMOs new artificial intelligence. (ASIMO is learning!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9ByGQGiVMg
We start to play God.
- Tags:
- Tech
- human
- future
- awesome
- science
- new
- cyber
- robotic
- asimo
- intelligence
- god
- AI
- Tokyo
- robot
- Honda
- artificial intelligence
April 14 2009, 4:18am | Comments »
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I posted to youtube.com
Cecil The Hamster's 2009 NHL Playoff Predictions! - Round 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2MCox9k2xE
Cecil boldly goes where no rodent has gone before to bring you his OFFICIAL first round playoff predictions. Does he pick your favorite team, or leave them in the shavings?
April 13 2009, 6:28pm | Comments »
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I posted to youtube.com
SportsCentre Top 10 NHL Plays Of The Year 2008-09
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9oX3ErpoTs
SportsCentre counts down the top ten highlight reel plays in the NHL from the 2008-09 regular season.
- Tags:
- 2009
- 2008
- NHL
- Sports
- hockey
- top
- DayWalk3r
- hits
- highlights
- goals
- 10
- plays
- tsn
- HockeyWebCast
- sportscentre
- year
- saves
April 13 2009, 6:24pm | Comments »
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I posted to youtube.com
Gimme Sympathy [Behind The Scenes]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHt5caARmh0
Gimme Sympathy music video -see what's going on behind the scenes as the video is being shot in one take!
- Tags:
- music
- Frank
- scene
- sympathy
- screen
- emily
- haines
- fantasies
- gimme
- official
- split
- borin
- behind
- metric
April 13 2009, 2:13pm | Comments »
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I posted to youtube.com
Bruins Hockey Rules_Tuck in
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7YAfb1Yrbc
Freakin' hilarious!
- Tags:
- Comedy
- hockey
- bear
- lucic
- bruins
- Thomas
- fights
- Boston Bruins
- Hockey Rules
- Thornton
- beat down
- Wheeler
April 10 2009, 7:43pm | Comments »
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I posted to youtube.com
Bruins Hockey Rules_Date
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cr89xbl26g
New Bruins playoff commercials...hilarious! Bear delivers a beat down!
- Tags:
- Comedy
- hockey
- bear
- lucic
- bruins
- Thomas
- fights
- Boston Bruins
- Hockey Rules
- Thornton
- beat down
- Wheeler
April 10 2009, 7:37pm | Comments »
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I posted to iphoneqc.com
OS 3.0 : Aperçu des fonctionnalités
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Iphoneqc/~3/riD6XgWd434/
Le 17 mars dernier, juste avant l’arrivée du printemps, Apple a présenté un aperçu de la version 3.0 du système d’exploitation (OS) du iPhone. Cette version sera distribuée cet été sous forme de ‘mise à jour’ gratuite dans iTunes. Pour ceux qui se demandent ce que mange un ‘OS’ en hiver, et ce que ça changera à leur vie, voici quelques détails, commentaires et explications sur le nouveau-venu : L’OS est le logiciel de base qui fait rouler le iPhone. C’est sur lui que se greffent toutes les applications , et c’est lui qui détermine les limites de ces applications (comme par exemple le fait qu’aucune n’a le droit de rouler en background , à part quelques applications natives). La version la plus récente à ce jour est 2.2.1. L’OS 3.0 sera disponible pour les 2 générations d’iPhone, et il sera aussi disponible pour le iPod Touch, malheureusement pas gratuitement (environ 10$US). Plusieurs fonctions de base seront donc ajoutées : Cut/Copy/Paste : enfin!
Clavier mode ‘paysage’ dans toutes les applications de base : disponible seulement dans Safari jusqu’à ce jour, ce mode permettra de faciliter la tape au clavier dans Mail, SMS etc. Push notifications : cette fonction permettra à certaines applications de rester en quelque sortes ‘actives’ même lorsque vous les quittez. Les messageries instantanées (comme Beejive, AIM ou Fring) pourront utiliser ce service pour vous avertir lorsqu’un message vous parviendra, même si vous êtes en train d’utiliser une autre application ou que votre iPhone est en mode ‘Veille’ Spotlight : cette fonction permettra une recherche textuelle à travers toutes les applications de base de l’iPhone MMS : Envoyez vos fichier photos comme des SMS… si vous n’avez pas de plan MMS, chaque envoi au Canada vous coûtera 50 cennes avec Fido. Je préfère encore envoyer par mail mes photos grâce à mon forfait données 6GB. Les MMS ne seront pas supportés par le iPhone de 1ère génération Tethering (connaissez-vous le terme français?) : Cette fonction vous permettra d’utiliser votre iPhone comme un modem pour surfer Internet sur votre ordinateur portable lorsque vous n’avez pas de WIFI. Reste à savoir si Rogers et Fido accepteront officiellement cette utilisation car ils aiment bien vendre leur solution d’internet portable à 30$/mois… Plusieurs autres fonctions intéressantes seront ajoutées avec l’OS 3.0, permettant aux développeurs de créer de nouvelles applications telles que de vrais assistants routiers GPS, ou encore des applications utilisant des accessoires externes tels qu’un appareil pour mesurer le taux de glycémie chez les personnes atteintes du diabète. Pour avoir tous les détails, vous pouvez regardez la présentation en ligne sur le site d’Apple : http://www.apple.com/ca/fr/iphone/preview-iphone-os/ Il est également à noter que ceux qui ont un appareil ‘jailbreaké’ peuvent déjà goûter à plusieurs de ces fonctions. Copy/paste = clippy dans Cydia, Tethering = iphonemodem dans Cydia, etc. Pour conclure, certains d’entre vous se rappelleront lorsque nous étions à la version 1.1.4 avec des iPhones de 1ère génération (pour la plupart ‘unlockés’ car il n’étaient pas encore disponibles ici au Québec). L’arrivée du OS 2.0 apportait alors, selon moi, beaucoup moins d’améliorations que ce qu’apportera 3.0 en terme d’interface utilisateur de base. Bien sûr le SDK et le AppStore ont révolutionné l’utilisation du iPhone à plusieurs niveaux, mais les changements à la base n’étaient que très subtils, et on a même eu a subir l’apparition de ‘lags’ (réponse lente) à la tape du clavier et à l’ouverture de certaines applications, qui ne sont pas encore tout à fait éliminés à ce jour. J’espère que 3.0 ne marquera pas un tel recul dans sa fluidité suite à une sortie trop précipitée pour accompagner, par exemple, la sortie éventuelle d’un nouvel iPhone…
- Tags:
- iphone
April 1 2009, 8:27am | Comments »
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I posted to youtube.com
Linus Omark Sick Shootout Goal vs. Switzerland (March 31st 2009)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_X5FdpsWpg
http://www.totalprosports.com/blog/index.php/2009/04/linus-omark-embarrasses-goalie-with-crazy-shootout-goal/ In a friendly game between Sweden and Switzerland, Swedish forward Linus Omark, scored one of the best shootout goals you'll ever see. In case you are wondering, the Edmonton Oilers drafted him in the 4th round of the 2007 NHL entry draft. He currently plays for Lulea HF, in the Swedish Elite League. Omark looks to be the latest in a long line of Swedish superstars.
- Tags:
- NHL
- Sports
- hockey
- DayWalk3r
- dangle
- Goal
- Shootout
- awesome
- HockeyWebCast
- prospect
- kronor
- straff
- lobb
- schweiz
- omark
- sverige
- oilers
- landskamp
- switzerland
- tre
- linus
- edmonton
- sick
- mål
- lulea
- sweden
March 31 2009, 2:29pm | Comments »