Author: Brian

MLB Foodfest is Today

mlb_foodfest

It’s finally here. MLB Foodfest. I feel like I’ve been waiting for this my whole life. Two hours of stuffing your face with ballpark food without the hassle of going to an actual ballpark. I may have died and gone to heaven. My time slot is 1-3pm. Will there be a video of me reviewing all 30 items? You bet your ass. Will there be Snapchat (briancurran11) and Instagram (@briansden69) story updates? Yes. Will I eat something I regret? Without question. This is going to be epic.

Now that I think about it, MLB really dropped the ball not having this on 4/20.

As for what I know you’re all really here for, yes, going to the festival will cut down on my God of War streaming today. I’ll probably hop on later tonight as I digest, so be on the lookout. If you need a fix, here’s the full streams from yesterday, when I messed around and did two separate sessions.

https://player.twitch.tv/?autoplay=false&video=v252844613Watch Brian Plays God of War pt. 1 from JarringTiger on www.twitch.tv

https://player.twitch.tv/?autoplay=false&video=v252963933Watch Brian Plays God of War pt. 2 from JarringTiger on www.twitch.tv

Streaming God of War Last Night Was So Much Fun, I’m Doing it Again This Morning

Attachment-1 (1)

Missed my stream from last night? Well, fret not. Here’s the full video:
https://player.twitch.tv/?autoplay=false&video=v252608764Watch JarringTiger’s Live PS4 Broadcast from JarringTiger on www.twitch.tv

Did that leave you wanting more? Well, you’re in luck! I’m hoping on the ol’ Twitch machine at 10 am, so come along for the ride.

https://www.twitch.tv/jarringtiger

Again, going live at 10 am. Join me, or else.

We’re Going Live in God of War.

Attachment-1 (1)

Folks, at long last I’ve got my hands on God of War. Apparently I’m the last UPS stop in the world. Literally every package in the world was delivered before mine was. Whatever, not like I was hoping to get it multiple hours ago or anything.

Anyway, I’m starting up now. After much deliberation, I’ve decided to stream on Twitch, not YouTube. I finally figured out the very basic and rudimentary procedure for saving videos, so we’re gucci. If you don’t have a Twitch account I’m pretty sure you can still watch, but, let’s be honest. Anyone who was going to watch this probably already had a Twitch account already. So, just follow this link:

https://www.twitch.tv/jarringtiger

It’s under the username JarringTiger not Brian’s Den because JarringTiger is my gamertag. Why? Because when I first got Xbox Live like ten years ago I didn’t know what to call myself and that was one of the suggested names and I thought it was kind of funny. I’ll post the full recap vid for anyone who, for some reason, doesn’t want to spend Friday evening/night/Saturday morning watching me play God of War.

God of War Comes Out Tomorrow, Which Means I’ll Be Making My Heavily Anticipated Debut in the World of Video Game Streaming

gow-og-image

Folks, I’m jacked up. Impossibly jacked up, honestly. God of War comes out tomorrow for PS4, and it’s getting rave reviews. I’m getting aroused just thinking about inserting that disc into my system.

The God of War series is one of my favorites ever. Along with playing a decent baseball game, they’re the main reason I stayed with Playstation. I’m a massive mythology guy. Huge. I took a course on ancient mythology in college and everything. I know more about Greek mythology than anyone who isn’t an accredited expert, and you can quote me on that. I think that, since I still have the emotional maturity of a small child, the limitless possibilities and fantastic worlds of ancient mythology appeal to me far more than boring old real life. And going around killing the who’s who of Greek mythology made 13-year-old me very happy. But this time it’s different. Kratos retired, got a new family, and moved to Scandinavia. Like all great action heroes, he just wants to be left alone, but someone kills his wife of something (again), so now he’s got to go kill everyone from Norse mythology, too. I must admit, I’m not the biggest expert on Norse mythology. I’ve done some Wikipedia research. I have an (unread) copy of The Saga of the Volsungs I bought for some unfinished project I was doing, but I know the gist of it. I’m not some plebeian, so I know Richard Wagner’s operatic adaptation. I’ve seen the Thor movies. I watched the first three seasons of Vikings. You know what? I’m willing to bet that actually makes me a practical expert. Norse mythology is a very niche topic. It’s my, like, tenth best subject and I know way more about it than you. You must be embarrassed.

Anyway, I’ve been kind of wondering if and when I wanted to start streaming games. I’m terrible at shooters, so watching me play Fortnite would have been a waste of everyone’s time. But God of War? That’s something I can show people what’s what in. That’s something I can impress people with my excellent play and witty commentary. And, since it’ll be the hot game in the streets, there’s a tiny chance someone other than (some of) my friends might watch. So, whenever I get the game (this will be my first delivery to the new place. So exciting!!!) and install it, I’ll start streaming. I was debating between Twitch and YouTube, and I decided on YouTube, because, if we’re being honest, no one’s going to watch the first few (hundred) times I stream, so might as well upload to a platform that lets you watch your old footage. I’ll post the link to the stream here when I start, and I’ll probably just post the completed stream when I’m done. I think the hardest part will be to not just play for a million hours at once since no one will want to watch that. My last few videos haven’t exactly set the world on fire, but until someone has the guts to tell me I need to stop making them, well, you’re stuck in the awkward position of ignoring them while also telling me you’re going to watch it later. Trust me, you’re going to want to watch me play video games. It’s going to be electric.

Attachment-1 (1).jpeg

Breaking: Some Hummingbirds Mix in a Twist to their Mating Rituals

d41586-018-04487-5_15603822

source– In most North American hummingbirds, males court females by diving at them head on — but Costa’s hummingbirds (Calypte costae) perform their courtship dives off to the side. Researchers now find that this strategy allows the males to aim sounds at potential mates as if they were using a megaphone.

During high-speed courtship dives, males fan their tails at the last second to create a high-pitched chirp. The faster the dive, the more those tail feathers vibrate and the higher the pitch created by the would-be Romeos. Researchers suspect that females prefer higher-pitched dives, which results in various strategies to boost the frequency of the noise a male makes.

A study published on 12 April in Current Biology finds that male Costa’s hummingbirds can twist half of their tail feathers in the direction of the female, manipulating the volume and pitch of their chirps …. The researchers suspect that the targeted noise also masks audio cues that the females can use to judge how fast the males are diving.

“You can think of the feather as being like a flashlight,” says Chris Clark, an ornithologist at the University of California, Riverside. “If you point the flashlight straight at something, the light is much brighter. And if you look at it from the side, at a 90-degree angle, there’s still some light but not nearly as much.”

Using high-speed cameras and a specialized wind tunnel that measures sound levels and direction, Clark found that male Costa’s hummingbirds are able to boost their dive sounds by as much as 11 decibels — compared to straight-tailed dives — by aiming the chirps at females. “Eleven decibels would be quite noticeable to a human,” he says. “A 10-decibel difference is the difference between a fairly quiet room and a somewhat noisy room.”

“I never could have predicted any of this,” says Doug Altshuler, an integrative biologist who studies hummingbird flight at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. The tail-turning paper is just the latest in a long line of surprising discoveries Clark has added to the literature, he says. “I think it is very likely to wind up in textbooks as an exemplary case of sexual selection.”

Folks, when I say this study comes as a huge relief, you better believe I’m not exaggerating. Considering how slow science typically moves, I was beginning to think I would die before I found out the intricacies of the Costa’s hummingbird mating technique. Well, let me tell you, this is the biggest news to cross my desk in a long time.

I totally get where the Costa’s hummingbird is coming from, here. Talking to girls face to face is scary. Talking to any stranger face to face is tough, that’s why I just live online. There’s no pressure in interacting with someone through the Internet. Just like there’s no pressure directing your chirps at a lovely lady from an odd angle. The Costa’s hummingbird pretty much invented bird sexting. All parties involved know that the chirp isn’t a realistic depiction of the bird himself. Like the hummingbird with the highest pitch chirp isn’t necessarily the most handsome hummingbird. He’s just the best at manipulating his environment to create an exaggerated image of himself that makes him seem like an adequate partner. I respect that. I respect that a lot, actually.

Now, I can’t be 100% in on the Costa’s hummingbird’s vibe. If you’ve got those feathers you can’t be the insecure guy who has to doctor their chirp. That’s just a slap in the face to God. You either look good or have personality. You can’t have both. Leave these kind of theatrics and deception to the ugly birds out there. You know how needs to trick females into mating with him? This guy:

flickr_-_rainbirder_-_the_crude2c_the_bad_and_the_ugly

You know who needs to spend hours agonizing over the correct angles and when to break off their dive and when to chirp, because they know without a perfectly executed mating ritual, their looks enough aren’t enough? Him:

mgazwrc

You know who can roll out of bed and pick up females left and right? The Costa’s hummingbird.

mg_0947-2

So while I appreciate the average Costa’s hummingbird male’s struggle and latent insecurity, maybe just take a look in the mirror or something. Believe me, things could be a lot worse.

NBA Playoff Preview 2018

nba-logo-png-download-free

Folks, it’s #PlayoffSZN, and I couldn’t be happier. After Wednesday’s dramatic regular season conclusion, I’m amped up and ready for some playoff action. “But who cares,” you’re asking. “The NBA is a joke. We already know who’s going to be in the playoffs. If you really want drama you need to watch the NHL playoffs, where every single lower seed is always favored to win and teams don’t win back-to-back titles.” Fair point. I couldn’t imagine living in a world where an NHL team went back-to-back and is currently seeking their third in a row. That’d be crazy. But I do agree that the NBA playoffs tend to be void of surprise, but that doesn’t mean there’s no drama. And this season, well, you better throw out the record books. Anything can happen. Not really anything, but you get my meaning. There’s so much parity (i.e. everyone’s the same level of bad) that I wouldn’t be surprised if almost every lower seed advanced. But, as you know, I’m not in the business of being surprised. I’m in the business of being right. So, without any further ado, might as well dive right in to all eight first round matchups. As always, my predictions can be written in pen, set in stone, and taken to the bank. I don’t think I’ve ever been wrong.

EAST

1. Toronto Raptors vs. 8. Washington Wizards

I’ve never hidden my disdain for the Wizards. I hate their false bravado and sense of entitlement. I hate Kelly Oubre and his “fakest-tough-guy-in-the-history-of-fake-tough-guys” routine and his quest to overcompensate for the fact that his name is Kelly. I hate the fabricated chip on their shoulder they all have from a series of perceived incidents of disrespects, when in reality it’s just everyone acknowledging that they’ve never won anything. I love how mentally weak they are and how they lose to every bad team they play. I love how they boast that the Cavs wanted to avoid them in the playoffs last year before they turned around and lost to the Celtics before they could, you know, play the Cavs. Still, even the hater in me recognizes that, at full strength, they’re one of the most talented teams in the East. And they’re playing the Raptors. At this point anticipating a Raptors choke has kind of jumped the shark. Look, I know they’re still the Raptors and aren’t going to make a Finals run or anything, but they were still the best team in the East this season. By far. Sure, a healthy John Wall would be the best player on the court and the Raptors are the second most mentally weak team in the NBA, but don’t overthink this. The Wizards are the most mentally weak team in the league.

Prediction: Raptors in 6

2. Boston Celtics vs. 7. Milwaukee Bucks

As I said when Kyrie went down, this is kind of a weird spot to be as a Celtics fan. Despite the massive hype coming into the season and the fact that they’re the 2-seed, there’s virtually no expectations for them in the playoffs. It would be disappointing to lose in the first round, yes, but with so many injuries, how upset can you be? Win a round and everything’s gravy. Still, though, this Bucks team is bad. Very bad. In their last game of the season, with potential seeding on the line, they lost by 40. 40! Maybe they were playing possum and didn’t want to face the Sixers in the first round, but still. The way to beat the Horford Celtics is to pound them on the glass and muck up the offense. The Bucks finished dead last in rebounds per game and had the third worst rebound percentage in the league. Not ideal. They certainly have the lengthy athletes to make scoring impossible for the limited Celtics, but the Bucks can’t shoot. Bottom third of the league in 3-point shooting. Listen, Giannis is impossible to prepare for. There’s going to be one game, maybe two, hopefully not three, where he just decides no one’s stopping him and he gets 45+ and fouls the whole team out. But if that doesn’t happen, I don’t see how the Bucks score enough. And if you can’t score enough to keep up with this Celtics roster, you’re in serious trouble. Not to mention the severe coaching mismatch. I had to Google who the Bucks coach is. It’s Joe Prunty. That’s not the name of a coach that wins playoff series.

Prediction: Celtics in 5

3. Philadelphia 76ers vs. 6. Miami Heat

It’s so hard not to get caught up in the Process hype, but outside an Erik Spoelstra magic trick the likes of the world has never seen, I can’t see Miami winning more than one game. They just don’t have the talent. Joel Embiid won’t play in Game 1, but assuming he comes back in Game 2, the Sixers will just overwhelm the Heat. If Embiid is playing, the Heat’s only hope is that Whiteside can get him to pick up a couple technicals. It’s absurd we’re even talking about the Sixers like this as early as 2018, but here we are. I will say, though, it would be very funny if the Sixers lost in the first round.

Prediction: Sixers in 5

4. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 5. Indiana Pacers

Alright, I can’t make this scenario up: I’m writing this in a Starbucks because there are people filming a movie or something in my apartment. Like, a legit crew with expensive equipment, not like my videos where it’s some guy with an iPhone. And normally I wouldn’t mind. After all, I’ve already declared that I’m looking to get into the film industry. I figured I’d stick around, maybe meet some people, maybe get a hook up down the line. But, for some reason I still can’t figure out, the director proclaimed that the WiFi router needed to be moved. So, they unplugged it and then, this is the key part, they never plugged it back in! I was sitting in my room like an idiot waiting for some strangers to give me my internet back for like, 20 minutes to no avail. And I couldn’t say anything, either, because it would have been about thirty against one (of course my roommate that set this up already left, too). So I had to relocate, because I’m foolish and care more about delivering content to my handful of readers than building potential professional relationships. Besides, anyone who doesn’t prioritize WiFi is no friend of mine. But yeah, I’m in Starbucks sitting on a stool, and I just can’t do backless chairs. I don’t know if that makes me old or just out of shape or what, but this is seriously killing my back. I hope everyone appreciates the lengths I’m going to here.

Prediction: Cavs in 4

WEST

1. Houston Rockets vs. 8. Minnesota Timberwolves

I actually think this series could be interesting. Who can stop Towns when he gets going? What if Jimmy Butler starts hitting shots, getting to the line, and locking up on D? What happens if Derrick Rose- actually, yeah, never mind. Rockets are just too good. Don’t worry, though. The choke is coming.

Prediction: Rockets in 5

2. Golden State Warriors vs. 7. San Antonio Spurs

It’s weird to me how the image file Wikipedia uses for the Warriors is so much smaller than the one from every other team. Are they trying to say something? Hmm. Also weird to see the Spurs as the lower seed, but that’s what happens when your star player decides he doesn’t want to play basketball anymore. Tough to recover from that if you’re a professional basketball team. No Steph Curry for the Warriors, but that shouldn’t matter. Maybe, maybe, Pop and LaMarcus Aldridge combine to steal a game, but this won’t last long.

Prediction: Warriors in 4

3. Portland Trail Blazers vs. 6. New Orleans Pelicans

Two words: Anthony Davis. Don’t know if you were aware, but he plays for the Pelicans, and he’s very good. Sometimes things are easier than what we make them out to be: these are two of the most evenly matched teams in the league. Blazers finished with one more win. Whoever has the best player usually wins. The Pelicans have a better chance of defending Lillard and McCollum than the Blazers have of defending Davis. If he gets going (and he will) I don’t know how the Blazers plan on dealing with him. Spoiler alert: they won’t.

Prediction: Pelicans in 7

4. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 5. Utah Jazz

This one’s pretty cut and dry to me. If the Jazz wear their City jerseys every game, they win. If they don’t, well, good season. I’ll be curious as to whether Russell Westbrook or Donovan Mitchell doesn’t care about winning this series or various awards more. Both those guys are so reserved and totally don’t care about recognition or proving people wrong. Mitchell’s starting to push it, though. Like, dude, you’re not as good as Ben Simmons. It’s okay. I’m not either, and I’ve accepted it. It’s not that hard! Anyway, the Thunder have the better roster. Steven Adams can cancel out Rudy Gobert and Paul George can cancel out Mitchell. I like Russell Westbrook’s chances of singlehandedly winning games over Joe Ingles’. No offense, Joe.

Prediction: Thunder in 6

So do they even need to play the game, anymore? I’m kind of thinking no. I mean, I already accurately described everything that could possibly happen in the first round, so let’s just save everyone a couple weeks and move up to the second round. No? Fine, I guess I’ll watch some playoff basketball. You’re really twisting my arm, here.

I Think I Own the Barclays Center Now

I went to the Nets game last night, as all true New Yorkers are wont to do. As it was the last home game of the season, it was Fan Appreciation Night, which was nice up until they had DeMarre Carroll had to pick up a mic and thank the fans for their tremendous support, even though about 65% of the seats were empty. I’ll be honest that was a little awkward. But other than that, I, a longtime Nets fan, had a great time at Fan Appreciation Night. Got a free shirt. Did some modeling.

 

Ate some food.

It was nice. The Nets don’t deserve the Barclays Center. It’s so clean and modern and spacious and it’s pretty easily the best place I’ve ever watched a basketball game. The exterior was covered in rust-colored paneling, which I thought was actually rusted but, on further inspection, it was all aesthetic, which is the most Brooklyn thing imaginable. The food was expensive, but it was pretty good, and show me an arena that doesn’t charge an infinite amount of money for a hot dog and I’ll show you a G-League arena. It has free WiFi that actually works. The only downside is that literally no one cares about the Nets so no one goes. It’s a beautiful place, and the fact that it’s so nice is by far the most interesting thing about team.

As for the product on the court, folks, I think I speak for everyone when I say anyone who watched the game will remember it forever as the greatest game of Allen Crabbe’s career. The legendary shooting guard was on fire from the jump, pouring in a career high 41 points. I thought he’d get 70!

I haven’t spent much time watching Nets games, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that they flat out refuse to take 2-point shots. They’re second in the league in 3s attempted this season, and I’m pretty sure 70% of those have come in the last two weeks. They hunted 3s like Russell Westbrook hunts rebounds. D’Angelo Russell and Crabbe have the greenest green lights in basketball history, regardless of what percentages they shoot. Listen, the Nets are terrible, but I like what they’ve been doing the last few years. With no first round picks or stakes, why not pursue experimental playing styles? Why not try to acquire every bad or expiring contract? Why not offer every free agent, restricted or unrestricted, a short term deal for big money? At some point next century when the Nets get their first rounders back, things are going to start turning around.

Luckily, the Nets had an actual opponent last night. It would have been crazy if I just went to an open practice or something. Let me tell you: Bulls-Nets in the last game of the season is the least consequential sporting event I’ve ever attended. If you asked 100 diehard NBA fans if this game even happened, I’d be willing to bet at least 75% would have had no idea. But I’m glad I was there to witness it, because the Bulls put on a tanking display for the ages. Robin Lopez, Chris Dunn, Zach LaVine, and Denzel Valentine didn’t play. Justin Holliday had like 10 points in the first quarter and I don’t know if he got in the game after that. With three minutes left in a six point game, the Bulls lineup was Ryan Arcidiacono, Jerian Grant, Sean Kilpatrick, David Nwaba, and Cristiano Felicio. That’s not made up. That’s an actual NBA lineup. I’d love to see the per 100 possessions stats for that group, gotta be one of the the best in the league!

Surprisingly, the Nets won (even covered!), so the question needs to be asked: am I the new King of the Barclays Center? The facts are simple- in games in which I haven’t attended, the Nets are 27-53. When I do attend? 1-0. Kind of startling, honestly. Add in the fact that I was practically begged to sit on the Nets Throne and I sampled some traditional Brooklyn fare, and I think it’s only natural that the Nets offer me complementary season tickets and the deed to the Barclays Center. Ever since Jay-Z left, they’ve been dying for some star power. I’ll gladly become the new face of the Nets. I’ll go to team events, I’ll go to (some) games, I’ll do commercials and promo spots. All I ask is free food and a nice paycheck. Like $2-$3 million max, that’s it. I’ll even pretend to be a Nets fan, which is really the most difficult ask of all. The Nets desperately need buzz. I can’t think of anyone more buzz-worthy than me. So, come on Nets. Crown a new King of Kings County.