Are You In,Or Out...

Just watched Tokyo Drift, before the match between England and Trinidad and Tobago.

First of all, I would just like to mention a little about the previous installments. The first movie with Vin Diesel was basically the life of street racers that hijack some semi-trailers. It tried to concentrate on aspects of life as a skilled street racer and an undercover cop that is stuck in between.

Then we have 2 Fast 2 Furious. Aside from the first race and race for between the Mitsubishis and the Dodge Challenger & Camaro, it kinda lost its heading as a storyline, meaning that it almost had nothing to do with street racing. It felt more like a cop show with specialist racers.

Now Tokyo Drift. I would just say it has gone back to street racing, just in a new place (ie not in US of A). Overall I would call it definitely better then the 2nd movie and almost on par with the first movie. Gone are the NOS except for one scene and its all about rear wheel drive now. New cars are in, mostly Japanese with the slight feeling of inevitibility of an American car showing up in the form of a Ford Mustang for the 'American Muscle' aspect. Anyhow I don't think it was possible to put a Skyline engine into a Mustang that easily.

This show featured an EVO 9,RX-8, a few Fairladies, Nissan Silvias and a few others that I can't really recognise cause it just whizzed by. The characters were talking about a Skyline but I must have missed it cause I didn't see it. There was a Viper at the beginning and oh yeah, a familiar looking Camaro at the very end. I won't spoil it, but the last few minutes and the oh-so-cool cameo made me like this show a lot more, which kinda leaves it open for another Fast and The Furious installment.

Overall, nice to watch especially for the cars and the hot Japanese girls. The races are better(especially the first one) to watch except for the last race, where I think the Toyota Corolla AE86 in Initial D shows a way better performance. But, thats another story altogether.

Why the new Adidas Teamgeist football is a bane for goalies?


'In the opening match of soccer's World Cup Friday, German midfielder Torsten Frings scored an amazing goal from 40 yards out. The ball started off straight and then tailed sharply to the right in the last 10 yards or so. It was an unstoppable shot, but with a different ball it might have been a simple save.

A scientist has explained why a new ball being used in this year's World Cup is frustrating goalies.

The new Adidas Teamgeist football, as it is called, has 14 panels instead of the 26 or 32 that traditionally create the hexagonal pattern.

Fewer panels means fewer seams, which will make the ball behave more like a baseball, says Ken Bray, a sports scientist at the University of Bath in the UK.

Complex whirls of air cause a spinning ball to drift toward the side that's spinning away from the ball's direction of movement. A ball that's not spinning can bounce around unpredictably. Pitchers rely on this physics when throwing knuckleballs.

A good knuckleball is crazy because the ball rotates lazily in the air and the seams disrupt the air flow around the ball at certain points on the surface, Bray said.

"With a very low spin rate, which occasionally happens in football, the panel pattern can have a big influence on the trajectory of the ball and make it more unpredictable for a goalkeeper," Bray said last week.

Bray suggests one way to watch for the effect on TV.

"Watch the slow motion replays to spot the rare occasions where the ball produces little or no rotation and where goalkeepers will frantically attempt to keep up with the ball’s chaotic flight path," he said.'



Hmm...I didn't realise this until watching the slow-mo replays of another game. Wonder who standardise these balls, and what is the criteria?

Ever wonder why some people read loads of books and others just don't bother? And I'm talking about novels be it fiction or non-fiction, not those that you have to study for exams.


For me, I was definitely in the nerd/geek department. I still remember my primary school days, where I always sit at the back of the class reading a science fiction novel or fantasy book, either a Forgotten Realms, Star Wars, Raymond E. Feist and David Eddings. As a matter of fact, I still keep up with those books nowadays 12 years later when I have the time. To me its always a pleasure to escape into the realm of imagination. Although nowadays its more of Michael Crichton, Tom Clancy and Lee Child. (I refuse to mention Dan Brown; thats just a bandwagon)


Anyhow, remember there was a survey done some time back saying that the average Malaysian only reads about 2 pages of a book A YEAR! When I first read that I couldn't believe it, comparing myself at the age of 15, consuming loads of books per year depending on my pocket money and the availability of old paperbacks from 2nd hand bookstores.


But today, it still eludes me why the average Malaysian reads so little. No time, no interest etc all seem to be the most common excuse I hear but somehow, I just can't get it. But then, I'm just 23 years old, what do I know?