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Premier League Week 10 Soccer Review

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premier league week 10 soccer 2015 images swansea city vs villa parkWeek ten of the Premier League started with Swansea City’s visit to Villa Park, the Swans went home with 2-1 victory over Aston Villa – their eighth loss in ten games. The match turned out to be last one for Tim Sherwood in the Villans dugout as he as was given the boot after a miserable start to the season that sees them sit bottom of the standings.

Jamie Vardy continued his superlative goalscoring run in the Premier League as he netted a 59th-minute goal against Leicester City on Saturday at the King Power Stadium to hand his side all three points. Claudio Ranieri’s men are now fifth in the standings after the great start to the season they have enjoyed.

Summer signing Salomon Rondon’s strike was enough to give West Bromwich Albion all three points against Norwich City.

Troy Deeney and Almen Abdi were both on the scoresheet for newly promoted Watford as they registered a 2-0 win over Mark Hughes’ Stoke City.

Chelsea’s miserable run this season is refusing to end as they lost 2-1 against West Ham United at Upton Park. Mauro Zarate had put the Hammers ahead in the first half, but Gary Cahill brought the scores level. However, Andy Carroll struck a great header to ensure all three points for his side against the Blues, who were a man down after Nemanja Matic was sent off following two yellow cards.

To compound the Pensioners’ problems, manager Jose Mourinho got the marching orders in the tunnel at half-time for his off-field altercations with the match officials. Chelsea appears to be in complete meltdown at the moment, and it will be interesting to see how their season pans out.

Meanwhile, Arsenal continued their great run of form and registered their fourth successive win in all competitions. They played host to Everton at the Emirates Stadium and came away with a 2-1 win over Roberto Martinez’s men. The win takes the Gunners level on points with table-toppers Manchester City and they are only in second behind the Citizens due to an inferior goal difference. The Arsenal fans will be hoping that their current run of form continues well into the season and makes them genuine title contenders.

In the Tynewear derby, Newcastle’s recent miserable run continued as Sam Allardyce recorded his first win as Sunderland manager. The Black Cats won 3-0 over their hated rivals.

Harry Kane notched a hat-trick as Tottenham Hotspur registered a 5-1 win over Bournemouth at the Goldsands Stadium. The win moved Spurs to sixth on the table.

The biggest match of the weekend turned out to be a drab affair, as the Manchester derby ended scoreless. Manchester City went to Old Trafford on Sunday and in what turned out to be a cagey affair both the team struggled to put many shots on goal and in the end shared a point each.

Jurgen Klopp was in the dugout at Anfield for the time as the Liverpool boss in a league match but is still looking for his first win as the Reds’ boss following a 1-1 draw against Southampton.

NFL Week 7 Indepth Review

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NFL Week 7 Recap

Ravens 18  Cardinals 26

It was a bizarre Monday Night Football game between the Cardinals and the Ravens with Arizona getting a much-needed win to get back on track.

Baltimore had a chance to tie the game at the end but struggled due to a communications issue between Joe Flacco and his OC. John Harbaugh was none too pleased with the headsets going out on the final drive that could have tied the game up.

Baltimore managed to get back in the game with a blocked punt that set up a score to get them within eight points.

Arizona leaned on the resurgent Chris Johnson, who picked up 62 of his 122 yards on a weird play where he was able to avoid touching the ground by landing on top of a defender. The play should have been blown dead since his forward progress was truly stopped, but the back took advantage of no whistle being blown.

Eye-popping stat: 55 Ravens’ rushing yards to 150 for the Cards.

Fantasy Carnage: Palmer was solid again.

Patriots 30   Jets 23

Being up in the fourth quarter is usually a good feeling. Not when across the field stands Tom Brady. The Patriots quarterback threw two fourth-quarter touchdowns to squash the hopes of Jets fans once again.

I would like nothing better than seeing Tom Brady win the MVP this year, and that’s the way things are headed.

The Jets are very good. They are just not better than the Pats. Brandon Marshall is a big part of the Jets’ success, but he has to stop making dumb plays. He cost his team a chance at a Hail Mary at the end as he failed to get lined up in time.

Brady overcame 11 dropped passes by his receiving corp, six by Brandon LaFell. The Jets made things exciting in the end when they recovered an onside kick. The effort was wasted though as they failed to capitalize.

Eye-popping stat: Brady led the team in rushing with just 15 yards, and still won the game.

Fantasy Carnage: Brady with 29 points in standard play.

Dolphins 44  Texans 26

This kind of game is not supposed to happen in the NFL. With teams so close in terms of talent, no one should fall behind 41-0 by the half. Houston had not gained one yard before Miami had scored their fifth touchdown!

The Texans lost Arian Foster for the rest of the year with an Achilles tear and may have lost all hope going forward. I would wager they won’t win another game this year.

Meanwhile, Miami is 2-0 since firing their head coach and naming Dan Campbell interim coach. The defense is playing much better, and Tannehill had a hell of a game, throwing four TDs and finishing with a perfect passer rating.

Jarvis Landry continues to impress and should be the main go to weapon for the Dolphins offense the rest of 2015.

Houston is looking for a daycare facility for Ryan Mallett after he missed the team flight and had to fly commercial to make the game. The guy has not taken his benching well at all.

Eye-popping stat: Lamar Miller’s 175 yards rushing.

Fantasy Carnage: Miller had the highest point total on DraftKings as well.

Bills 31  Jaguars 34

EJ Manuel is not a good quarterback and whoever started the rumor of him replacing Tyrod Taylor permanently should be tarred and feathered. Manuel threw for almost 300 yards but was just 24/42 and threw two interceptions.

To the Bills credit, they made a great comeback attempt after being down 27-3. A questionable late pass interference call against Buffalo certainly hurt their shot at the win.

The Jags are young and hungry. This was a nice win for them over the pond. Don’t be surprised when they knock off teams like this. They have the talent to do it, just not consistently yet due to the lack of experience.

Eye-popping stat: Four sacks on Manuel.

Fantasy Carnage: Jacksonville’s defense was a part of some big money winners on DFS sites.

Vikings 28    Lions 19

This game was the last for Lions offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi. He took the fall for Stafford’s poor play. Two offensive line coaches were also canned in the process. I doubt Stafford was sorry to see any of these guys go as he endured seven sacks in this game.

On the other side of the field, Teddy Bridgewater had his first good game in a while. Stefon Diggs helped his QB’s cause as he hauled in a TD and six total catches. Diggs is a rising star and should see more targets each week.

Adrian Peterson had a big 75-yard run but gained little besides that big play.

Eye-popping stat: 11 sacks in the game total.

Fantasy Carnage: Diggs and kicker Blair Walsh were a good combo.

Saints  27  Colts 21

This game was over long before the garbage stats piled up for Luck and company. The Colts quarterback was 0-5 passing to start the game, and no one seems to know what has happened to Luck this year. Whatever the cause, Chuck Pagano is going to pay with his job eventually.

Mark Ingram had a big day for the Saints, mashing Indy for ten yards a carry en route to a 143-yard day. Just when it looked like New Orleans was finished, they have climbed back to 3-4 and are very much alive in the NFC South.

Eye-popping stat: 183 rushing yards for NO.

Fantasy Carnage: TY Hilton and Andrew Luck are good fantasy players to have since they rack up garbage time points each week by being behind.

Chiefs 23    Steelers 13

So much for Landry Jones being a much better backup option than Mike Vick. The Steelers starter turned the ball over three times and was handcuffed just like Vick with the coaching staff not opening up the playbook for Jones.

The Chiefs ended their five-game losing streak, and that tells you how bad it is for Pittsburgh. They can’t just rely on their defense to win games while Big Ben is out. If the Chiefs can score on them, then anyone can.

The Steelers hope to get Roethlisberger back next week against the Bengals though.

Eye-popping stat: 16/29 for Landry Jones and three picks.

Fantasy Carnage: Charcandrick West was a good pick up after Jamaal Charles went down.

Raiders 37  Chargers 29

Guess what. The Raiders are good. San Diego is bad. The final score is not indicative of the ass whooping administered by Oakland, who leads at halftime 30-6.

David Carr and Amari Cooper hooked up for another monster game as their team got back to .500.

It’s tough for San Diego to play at home in front of enemy fans. Chargers fans have given up following their team since it is inevitable that their franchise will be moving away very soon.

Carr dismantled the Chargers with three touchdown passes, and Rivers help the opposition by turning the ball over twice, which Oakland converted into ten points.

Eye-popping stat: 26.6 average per catch for Cooper.

Fantasy Carnage: Rivers stacked with Woodhead would have netted you some dirty feeling fantasy points. That’s more than the winning QB and #1 receiver.

Falcons 10   Titans 7

Link

Rams 24   Browns  6

Todd Gurley is the Rams offense so get ready for a heavy dose of Gurley goodness each week. He finally got in the end zone this week against the Browns. Gurley had two scores and 128 yards while mixing in four receptions for 35 more yards.

The Browns looked as bad as they have all year, losing four fumbles during this no contest.

Johnny Manziel found his way into the game after Josh McCown was hurt again. Manziel is still the focus of an NFL investigation involving a domestic dispute between he and his girlfriend which happened about two weeks ago.

Eye-popping stat: Gurley’s 97 yards after contact.

Fantasy Carnage: Gurley, period.

Redskins 31   Bucs 30

This was a great game to watch even though the two teams don’t get many casual fans excited. Kirk Cousins brought his Redskins back from the dead after being down 24 points.

Cousins threw three touchdown passes during the comeback and had a nice, “YOU LIKE THAT!”, blast for reporters after the game.

For Lovie Smith, it appears he is not the defensive guru we may have thought. You can’t let a team climb back after putting them down by 24 points.

Eye-popping stat: Zero interceptions from either QB.

Fantasy Carnage: Yes Kirk, fantasy owners “like that!”

Cowboys 20  Giants 27

Tony Romo killed the Cowboys 2015 season when he went down with a broken collarbone. It doesn’t matter if Dez Bryant is back next week or not. Dallas’ is done.

They lost to the Giants after having a chance to win near the end. The Boys gave up a 100-yard kickoff return to Dwayne Harris that put the Giants ahead for good.

Cole Beasley dropped a punt which NY recovered to seal the fate of Dallas.

Odell Beckham does not look like the player he was last year despite the media molding him into something better than Jerry Rice. The guy had an amazing catch last year, and now all the focus is on his one-handed grabs that are out of bounds or during warmups. No one cares! Make a damn play during the game that matters.

Eye-popping stat: 3 picks for Matt Cassel. Weeden could have managed that.

Fantasy Carnage: Darren McFadden was fantasy bliss with 22 points in standard league play.

Panthers 27    Eagles 16

Is Carolina the best team in the NFC? It’s getting hard to dispute that fact. They beat Philadelphia on SNF to move to 6-0 despite Cam Newton throwing three interceptions.

How does a team lose when the opposing QB throws three picks? Simple. Start Sam Bradford, he of 4.5 yards per throw, and zero touchdown passes. His receivers did him no favors with several drops in this game also.

Carolina’s defense played well again to bolster Newton’s play. The Panthers are not going to throw for 300 yards very often, but Newton has run for a score and thrown for one in four games this season. He is not doing it in the conventional fashion, but he is making it hard for defenses to corral him. Getting in the end zone by any means necessary is better than throwing for 300 yards and just one score anyway.

Eye-popping stat: 5 sacks on Sam Bradford.

Fantasy Carnage: Ryan Mathews was the best this game had to offer.

‘Love & Hip Hop Hollywood’ 208 All Bout that Nose Recap

love hip hop hollywood 208 nose 2015 imagesThis week on “Love & Hip Hop Hollywood,” tears are a flowing and people were a going.

Amber had a conversation with Miles, over the phone, and he dropped the bomb on her that Milan is the man that he has been dating. And somehow, she is not that surprised.

Marla and Fizz have a conversation about Moniece not being there for Cameron the way that she should. She has apparently missed three weekends in which he was supposed to stay with her. Fizz tries to get through to her mother by asking her to talk to her daughter, or at least help him with Cameron. Marla turns around and says that it’s not her responsibility and that Fizz needs to take her daughter to court, get full custody, have her pay him, then hire a nanny. Fizz is shocked and actually starts crying because he can’t believe she is this messed up.

After his conversation with Marla, Fizz pays a visit to Moniece, who is working with her vocal coach at a studio. He walks in, and they immediately start arguing. Then she breaks down that no one ever has her back or is there for her. Fizz grabs her and holds her as she breaks down in his arms. Tears stream from his eyes and he tells her after speaking to her mother he understands why she is the way she is and lets her know that he is there for her.

Moniece’s mom gets a lot of play this episode as Rich Dollaz has a talk with her too. She tells him that he has to know what he is getting into to which he says he’s aware, but he wants her to do better as a mother. Marla tells him that her daughter exaggerates at times, and that can make situations seem a certain way when they are not. He understands and tells her that when it comes to his relationship with her daughter, all he can do is try his best, which he intends to do.

Nia gets a visit from her father Teddy Riley, who drops in on her as she prepares for her first “Mommy and Mimosas” event. They have a conversation about her relationship with Soulja Boy. Her daddy tells her she deserves better and that she should not deal with Soulja’s shit. She tells her dad that she hears where he is coming from, but she is willing to put up with Soulja’s shit, which for the life of me I cannot understand. Nia, please listen to your daddy.

Teairra Mari and Moniece have a conversation while they get their nails done. They talk about what Ray J told her and about what happened with Princess. TM tells her friend that she is moving on and doing for her. And the first thing she plans to take care of is her body. She is going to have lipo because she wants to walk in the fashion show she and Nikki are planning. Moniece tells her that she has her back.

Speaking of Nikki, she pays a visit to her friend Hazel E, who was in a horrible ATV accident while in Dubai. Her nose was crushed, and the doctors told her she had 48 hours to get back to the states or she was going to lose it. Teairra Mari and Milan are already there when Nikki shows up, and they all encourage Hazel because she is worried that her nose will not look right. Hazel shares with them that she doesn’t like what has been said about her in social media, etc. because it hurts her feelings.

And speaking of feelings Brandi is always in hers. She and Max meet with Nick Cannon so that she and her partner, who make up the rap duo Queenz, can and finally drop their music. Nick tells her that she needs to act right, or he is not going to listen to anything she has to say or anything she does. He feels that he has lost money dealing with her and can’t afford to waste any more time or finances. She tells him she is ready to work. So he comes up with the idea to pair her with her producer husband Max, who is a little hesitant at first but gives a whirl.

In the studio, Brandi continues to mess up, and Max is running out of patience. She feels like he’s not showing her the support she needs as her husband, and he tells her right now, he’s not married, he’s working. Brandi continues to do things that get under his skin as a producer including answering her phone. He ends up just walking out.

At the end of the episode, we are clued into a possible altercation with Amber and Milan. She is dressed in all blue and walks up in his studio session. She waits for him, and he tells his producer to give him a minute. She doesn’t look happy, and he doesn’t look like he cares.

We have to wait until next week to see what happens, but it looks like it is going to be explosive.

Bundesliga Week 10 Soccer Review

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bundesliga week 10 soccer review 2015 imagesHamburger defeated Hoffenheim 1-0 courtesy of a late strike from Pierre-Michel Lasogga at the Rhein-Neckar Arena to help his side grab all three points from the encounter. The win moved Hamburger to tenth in the league standings while Hoffenheim are struggling in 17th.

After a 4-4 draw in a Champions League encounter against Roma in the midweek, Bayer Leverkusen went on to play another high scoring nail biter against VfB Stuttgart in a match that ended in a 4-3 win for Roger Schmidt’s men. Leverkusen are now sixth in the league standings as they attempt to stay in the hunt for a Champions League spot come the season’s end.

Arjen Robben, Arturo Vidal, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller were all on the scoresheet for Bayern Munich as they hammered 1. FC Koln 4-0 at the Allianz Arena on Sunday. The win was tenth in succession for the Bavarians and they remain odds-on favourites to win their fourth successive league title. Second-placed Borussia Dortmund are a good seven points behind the reigning Bundesliga champions and the chasing pack increasingly look out of pace with the league leaders.

This weekend, Pep Guardiola’s side welcomed back Arjen Robben after his lengthy recovery from injury and he showed no lack of diminishing quality while putting his side ahead in the 35th minute. The Bavarians are still without Franck Ribery and his return to the first team is likely to add even more firepower to an irresistible Bayern Munich line-up that looks on course to be a strong contender not just for domestic dominance but also for the Champions League. Although they suffered a minor blip in Europe in the midweek as they lost 2-0 to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

Marc Stendera grabbed a brace for Eintracht Frankfurt to help them to a 2-1 win over Hannover. The win moved Frankfurt to 12th in the table while Hannover are now 15th.

Werder Bremen ran 3-1 winners over Mainz on Sunday and with the three points moved to 14th in the table. It was only their third victory in the league and they will hope to build on it in their upcoming games.

Daniel Caligiuri struck 12 minutes from the full-time whistle to help Wolfsburg to a narrow 1-0 win over Darmstadt to remain among the Champions League spots in fourth.

Mitchell Weiser’s strike in the 11th minute proved enough for Hertha Berlin as they defeated newly promoted Ingolstadt.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang continued his phenomenal goalscoring form and grabbed a hat-trick for Borussia Dortmund in a 5-1 win for the Black and Yellows over Augsburg. Marco Reus grabbed a brace to heap misery on the visitors. Thomas Tuchel’s side will hope that Bayern Munich does slip in some of their games and give them a chance to capitalise.

Borussia Monchengladbach have continued their remarkable turnaround after the resignation of Lucien Favre and registered their fifth successive league win. The Foals have now moved to seventh in the table after a treacherous start to their campaign.

La Liga Week 9 Soccer Review

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la liga week 9 soccer 2015 images rayo vs espanyolRayo Vallecano were in fine form on Friday as they defeated Espanyol 3-0 in the game that kicked off the ninth week of the Spanish top flight. The Madrid outfit were in great form after their 5-1 defeat at the hands of Barcelona in their previous game. They are 14th in the standings now.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Danilo and Marcelo were on the scoresheet for Real Madrid as they defeated Celta Vigo 3-1 at Balaidos. The match was closer than the scoreline suggests as Celta peppered Los Blancos with a flurry of attempts, but Keylor Navas, who was linked with a move to Manchester United in the summer in a deal that would have seen David de Gea over the other way, stood tall time and again to keep his side in the game.

The home team remained resurgent and were looking for an equaliser in the dying minutes of the game which left them exposed and the visitors killed the game with a late third goal.

Newly promoted Real Betis were held to a 1-1 draw by Granada. The Beticos are now tenth in the table while Granada lie a lowly 19th.

Kevin Gameiro struck a hat-trick while Yevhen Konoplyanka and Ever Banega added one each to help Sevilla register an emphatic 5-0 win over Getafe. The reigning Europa League champions have endured an iffy start to their campaign and Unai Emery will hope that their shellacking of the Madrid outfit gets his side on track.

Adnane Tighadouini and Juan Carlos scored once each to help Malaga to a 2-0 win against Deportivo La Coruna.

Real Sociedad won 4-0 win against Levante to ease some pressure on their beleaguered manager David Moyes. La Real have struggled this campaign and pressure is mounting on the former Manchester United boss to reverse their fortunes in order to stay in the job. The Scotsman will hope that the win turns out to be a harbinger of good times for his side.

Villarreal and newly promoted Las Palmas played out a scoreless draw at Gran Canaria on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Barcelona played host to Eibar at the Camp Nou, and the Blaugrana were in fine form as they came from behind to win 3-1 against the Basque club. Luis Suarez and Neymar have stepped their game in the absence of Lionel Messi and the Uruguayan registered a hat-trick to ensure all three points for his team. The Catalans are tied with Real Madrid on top of the table, and it will be interesting to see if they remain neck and neck heading into next month’s first Clasico due to be played at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Jackson Martinez and Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco both scored in the first half to help Atletico Madrid defeat Valencia 2-1 at the Vicente Calderon. The win sees Los Rojiblancos just two points adrift of Real Madrid and Barcelona in the table while Los Che are now in ninth.

Athletic Bilbao hammered Sporting Gijon 3-0 at the San Mames on Monday night are now 12th in the table.

‘Big Bang Theory’ 906 Helium Black Market Recap

On this week’s episode of “The Big Bang Theory,” Sheldon told Leonard a Swedish team of physicists were trying to invalidate an experiment they had conducted. Sheldon said they needed to perform the experiment again. Leonard said they couldn’t do that unless they got liquid helium, which they had on back order to receive in a month. Leonard said they should check if the university had a helium reserve.

Leonard and Sheldon went to Barry and asked if the university had any. He said that there was a shortage and that what little they had he needed for his own study.

Raj told them to go to Party City for the helium, but Leonard said they’d have to go to every Party City in California to get enough. Sheldon said if the Swedish physicists performed the experiment first he would never be able to eat any Swedish food again. Howard said he knew a guy that could get them helium as long as they agreed not to ask questions.

Bernadette told Penny that Stuart had gone on a date the other night with a woman he met on a dating app. Penny said she should find out which app it was so that Amy could use it to find a date too. Stuart showed them the dating app and said it changed his life.

Leonard got an email from Howard’s guy that said he could get them helium that night. Sheldon asked where the helium was coming from and said they were violating the university’s rules by getting helium from an outside source.

Stuart, Penny and Bernadette showed the dating app to Amy and helped her place an ad on it.

Leonard and Sheldon met Howard’s guy. He asked for the cash and Sheldon asked if he was going to take the money and drive away. Sheldon told the guy to give them the helium first, but then the guy pointed out that if he did they could drive away without paying. Sheldon told the guy they couldn’t trust him because he looked sketchy, and he said the same thing about Sheldon and Leonard.

Sheldon and the man got into an argument, and Sheldon said he figured out the man’s name was Keith. He also found out where Keith lived and worked. Leonard then explained to Keith that they needed this helium for an important science experiment.

At Howard and Bernadette’s house, they connected Amy’s phone to the TV to search for a date for her on the app. They made fun of the guys on the app and Amy said they were being mean.

Sheldon and Leonard arrived at their lab with the helium tank. Sheldon then found a sticker on it that led him to believe it was stolen from the government. Leonard told him not to jump to conclusions.

While the gang was looking at the app, Amy got a text on her phone from a man named Dave. In the text he said he had had fun the night before and that he wanted to take Amy out again.

Sheldon and Leonard then met with Keith to return the helium tank and get their money back. He asked if there was something wrong with it. Leonard said there was not, but they changed their mind about it. Keith said he would take it back, but he wouldn’t give them their money back. Keith then said he had to charge them a restocking fee. Sheldon said that better not cost more than $1,000 because that’s all he had on him. Keith said that was exactly how much it would cost them.

Penny and Bernadette asked Amy why she hadn’t told them she was seeing someone, and she said it was because it was new and still weird. She said she knew they would get excited if they had found out she had been dating a few people. She also said she needed experience with dating.

When Sheldon and Leonard got back to their lab, Barry came in and said he had changed his mind, and they could use his helium if they would put his name on the paper they would write about the experiment. Sheldon and Leonard agreed they would rather get the helium tank back from Keith than use Barry’s.

They invited Keith to their apartment to watch the movie “Ernest Goes to Jail.”

Tablet Wars: Clone Wars

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tablet wars clone wars 2015 tech images

Because Microsoft Shot First

The clones are back. It has been a while since the term was used in the PC industry. Back then, any PC that looks similar and can run DOS or Disk Operating System (not Denial of Service) and programs that run in the original IBM-PC was called a PC clone or IBM-PC compatible. Patent trolling and lawsuits wasn’t the rage back then. But the PC industry has evolved since then. It’s now Microsoft’s turn to be cloned. The software giant created a new design standard in the form of its Surface tablets. The cloning began with the success of the third iteration of the Surface, the Surface Pro 3.

Microsoft called the shots back then too. IBM went to Microsoft to create an operating system for the IBM-PC as seen in the movie Pirates of Silicon Valley though a more detailed description can be read on Wikipedia. Compared to the Apple II, the IBM-PC was a cheaper alternative and quickly became a successful business platform. Then clones started pouring in. Since the IBM PC can be created with off-the-shelf components, the only patentable part of it was the BIOS. Computer manufacturers found a way around it the rest is history. The market became flooded with similar-looking beige boxes. These clone PCs ran Microsoft’s MS-DOS, which IBM foolishly allowed Microsoft to market for itself.

Back to the future. In order for the public to accept Microsoft’s radically redesigned Windows 8, it had to come up with a hardware platform that can take advantage of Windows 8’s tablet-oriented features. Microsoft looked back to its collaborative tabletop touch computer also known as the Surface and used the name to create a brand of tablets. The Surface RT and Surface Pro. Surface RT didn’t work out due to consumer confusion from failure in marketing and lack of apps while the Surface Pro matured along with Windows 8. The tabletop computer would later become the Surface Hub. OEMs continued to make their own laptop designs giving rise to the term hybrid where the laptop screen can separate and become a tablet, or the whole thing can convert into one. Windows 8.1 was gradually accepted by the public especially by owners of the Surface Pro 2 onwards. The Surface Pro 3 became a successful product due to its improved specs and improved kickstand and went really well with business users. Other PC makers saw this and began to follow Microsoft’s design. Lenovo’s Miix 700 looks a lot similar to the Surface Pro 3 except for the kickstand hinge and choice of materials.

The Grand Plan

Microsoft isn’t complaining. As long as it continues to roll out licenses for both Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, everything’s just fine. In fact, everything is going according to plan. Its entrance into the hardware business was basically a huge risk just to roll out Windows 8. The company had to teach its partners how to handle the operating system properly. The Surface Pro 3’s success managed to excite the PC industry back into action and built anticipation for the product’s successor, the Surface Pro 4. Now several products have sprung up following Microsoft’s design philosophy composed of a tablet with PC innards, a kickstand, a thin magnetic keyboard/cover and optional stylus. Basically, they are clones of the Surface Pro. The problem with the Surface Pro is the premium pricing. Sure, you can purchase an iPad Air or Macbook for that but the aforementioned doesn’t have much clout in the enterprise as well as productivity value. But if you can’t afford to purchase a Surface Pro, brand loyal, or have less love for Microsoft, then these clones might interest you.

Send in the Clones

Lenovo Miix 700 – as previously mentioned, the Lenovo Miix 700 can be mistaken for a Surface Pro from afar. A closer look says otherwise. The Miix 700 also has a high-tech hinge for the kickstand which supports several angles. It can use up Intel’s Core M processor, up to 8GB RAM and 250GB SSD. Its screen is 12-inch diagonal at 2160 by 1440 resolution.

HP Spectre 12 X2 – is also a Surface clone with as much power as a Surface Pro 3 but at a more reasonable price. It’s so designed to take a bite out of the Surface’s market share. Like the Lenovo Miix 700, the screen is also 12-inch diagonal at a lower 1920 by 1280 resolution. It uses Intel’s Skylake Core M3 or Core M7 CPU and also has a magnetic keyboard cover. Its kickstand is different as it looks more like a wire stand than a whole plate. Such an approach adds more internal real estate for components such as a larger battery.

Dell XPS 12 – the upcoming revamped Dell XPS 12 is similar to the Surface Pro as the keyboard is detachable. The previous design was a convertible laptop. The screen is also 12 inches diagonal but the resolution is 4K, higher than the Surface Pro 3, but a variant comes with a cheaper 1920 by 1080 resolution. Unlike the Surface, though, it doesn’t have a kickstand but relies on a curved receptacle on the keyboard base. Models start at 128GB with 8GB of RAM and an Intel Core M5 with Windows 10 loaded.

Toshiba Dynapad – is touted as a thinner and lighter competitor to the Surface. The Dynapad brand has been around since 1993 as a laptop. Now the Dynapad looks similar to the Surface but has a keyboard dock similar to Dell’s XPS 12. Like the Surface, the Dynapad comes with a stylus with 2048 levels of pressure. It sports a 1.44GHz Atom processor, 4GB RAM, and the 12-inch screen has a 1920 by 1280 resolution.

Jide Remix – designed by ex-Google engineers, the Jide Remix is actually an Android tablet that followed the Surface’s design philosophy. It’s a tablet with a magnetic keyboard and a dual-angle kickstand. Its Android overlay looks similar to Windows 8.1. It has an 11.6-inch full HD screen, 2GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and an NVidia Tegra A15 processor.

iPad Pro – while not exactly a clone like the Jide Remix, Apple seeks to embrace the enterprise or the other way around with the iPad Pro. It’s basically a bigger version of the iPad with a 12.9-inch 2732-by-2048 retina display and 32GB or 128GB of storage. It also has a smart keyboard which, like the Dell XPS and Toshiba Dynapad, acts as a dock for the tablet which does not have a kickstand. The iPad Pro also sports a stylus called the Apple Pencil which makes use of a new display layer on the tablet itself. Why should it be considered a Surface clone? IPads have yet to penetrate the enterprise as other than being a handheld email client. Apple has seen the potential for tablets within the enterprise with the success of Windows-based hybrids. Microsoft even lends a hand by being at the product’s introduction to demonstrate the use of Microsoft Office on the device.

More Lessons

It’s probably safe to think that Microsoft has revitalized the ailing PC industry with the Surface Pro and Windows 10 now that other PC makers decided to jump in the bandwagon. Adoption of Windows 10 in the enterprise should be easier with cheaper or more powerful options to the Surface Pro. But not done teaching, Microsoft is. The company later unleashed another whammy to the PC industry by releasing its own laptop, the Surface Book. The Surface Book is a laptop-first-tablet-later product with a revolutionary hinge, a discreet GPU, and more batteries on the keyboard base, runs Windows 10 and takes advantage of Windows Hello biometric security. It’s another design paradigm for the PC industry to absorb aimed more at power users and possibly gamers. Whether the industry comes up with copies of the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book remains to be seen.

Hollywood’s Gender Pay Issue & Jeremy Renner

hollywoods gender pay issue jeremy renner 2015 opinion imagesWhen you hold a certain amount of influence on a global scale, at what point do become involved in issues that don’t really have anything to do with you? I ask this question in reference to a story that I found very interesting in the news recently, and my commentary is the subject of this week’s For the Record.

Business Insider asked actor Jeremy Renner about his plans (or lack thereof) to join his fellow actor Bradley Cooper in partnering with female costars of future movies on salary negotiations so that they receive equally pay. His initial reply caused some people to feel a certain kind of way. He said told the magazine,

“That’s not my job…I don’t know contracts and money and all that sort of stuff.”

He goes on to say that he supports women equality but because he is an actor, he chooses to focus his energies on that and lets his reps handle his salary.

While I understand where he is coming from, the majority of me calls bullshit on his reasoning. It is very easy to stay oblivious to things that you don’t consciously know is going on. But he’s been doing this for a while now, and he knows how Hollywood is. Putting “that sort of stuff” on his people is a cop out. How can change ever take place on this issue if the men who have the power don’t help the cause?

Which brings me back to my original question, “At what point do become involved in issues that don’t really have anything to do with you?” The answer to that, in my view, doesn’t come down to your lack of knowledge that the situation is happening but to whether or not you care.

I am not saying that Renner is a bad guy, although a lot of people weighing in on the issue accuse him of being sexist and misogynistic based on comments he has allegedly made in the past about women. This is not solely about the goodness of a person, but more about the willingness of a person to affect change when they can. We can’t really judge him if he doesn’t choose to follow suit with Cooper, who said that going forth he will work alongside his female costars to help them know where what they need to negotiate salary wise.

In all honesty, Renner probably doesn’t want to become involved in all the drama that can arise when wages are shared amongst coworkers. And I get it. Most people have no chill when it comes to their money, and the possibility of starting something bigger than salary negotiations is a very real concern. So on that front, I feel him.

But in the grand scheme of it all, wouldn’t the threat of unhappy actresses cause studio execs to close the gender pay gap so they won’t have to worry about dealing with any fallout? Pay them what they are worth at the beginning, which is just as much as another actor of their star power, and the issue is closed. Right?

And maybe that’s what all of this comes down to anyway- Star power. But if so, that is a majorly f’cked up way to decide how much someone gets. Mainly because the notion that the bigger star gets, the bigger paycheck is still working in a patriarchal system that have never favored women, in Hollywood and the real world. So a woman who has won an Oscar or two like Jennifer Lawrence will probably still get paid less (no much but still not the same) as a man like Renner, who doesn’t have the same kind of star power. So how can women win?

The same way that runaway slaves were able to experience the joys of freedom or Jews seeking safety in Nazi Germany found safe havens from the Gestapo-people in positions doing their part to move along the progression of a certain facet of society, standing up and doing just that.

With that, because he doesn’t want to be seen as an asshole (which is probably too late) Jeremy Renner has “clarified” his statements via his rep who told ABC News,

“The context was that he is all for women or anyone having salary equality, but that’s someone else’s job to handle and not his… He is most supportive, but doesn’t involve himself in those conversations, so when asked, he was basically saying that.”

I know what Jeremy meant, or rather, I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt and go with the explanation his rep gave. But if nothing else comes from his comments being taken out of context, attention has been brought to an ongoing conversation that touches women everywhere.

Jarvis Landry: Superstar in the Making for Resurging Miami Dolphins

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Remember a few weeks ago when I wrote about the Miami Dolphins joining the ranks of the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars? Well, Joe Philbin got fired, and absolutely everything turned around in South Beach.

Suddenly, with Dan Campbell steering the ship, the Dolphins have 82 points in two weeks and two wins. Breakout wide receiver Jarvis Landry can be thanked for 18 of those points.

Landry finished Sunday’s obliteration of the Houston Texans with five catches for 83 yards and two touchdowns—both of them in the first quarter. One of them coming from a 15-yard pass which Landry then turned into a 50-yard score by dancing, ducking, and bobbing his way through six defenders. Six Texans missed. Remember when this squad was supposed to be No. 2 in the NFL?

Landry probably could have done more damage, but Campbell let off the gas in the second time after the Dolphins led 41-0 at halftime. They honestly could have scored 100 points if they really wanted to.

Let’s also not forget about the 22-yard rushing touchdown Landry had against the Tennessee Titans last year. Apparently the LSU Tigers are just a star wide receiver factory.

Landry, quarterback Ryan Tannehill, Campbell, Lamar Miller, and the rest of the Dolphins have really rallied to save their season. After starting 1-3, they were down for the count; but two back-to-back blowout wins puts the team at 3-3 and far from done.

Unfortunately, it’s a little too early to start celebrating. The Dolphins travel to Foxborough now for a Thursday Night Football showdown with the undefeated New England Patriots who are sitting comfortably on top of the AFC East after topping the New York Jets.

A win Thursday would be more than a step in the right direction, it would be a statement. The Dolphins aren’t messing around, and they aren’t to be messed with. The Dolphins would go from being talked about in the ranks of the Jags and Detroit Lions to in discussions with the Pats, Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers, and Denver Broncos—all in a matter of about three weeks.

Do I think they’ll beat the Pats? No. Am I rooting for them?

Hell yes. Go Fins.

Kate Hudson Says No to Nick Jonas & Gwen Stefani’s Quick Divorce from Gavin Rossdale

gwen stefani gavin rossdale quickie divorce 2015 gossipKicking off this week’s celebrity gossip, Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato announced that they are going on tour together, starting in 2016. Nick declared that he and Demi are now business partners and that they want to grow their careers together. He stressed that the most important part for them is that their fans enjoy this tour.

Despite the fact that her no longer husband, Lamar Odom, is currently recovering from a massive drug overdose, Khloe Kardashian recently visited a hair stylist to the celebrities and walked out with a completely new look. She snapped a pic of her new short hairdo and posted it to her Instagram account and declared her love for her newly shortened hair proving that celebrities have very different priorities than the rest of us.

Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani have just settled their divorce. The two divided up their assets and agreed on a custody arrangement. While both parents will have custody, the kids will spend at least half their time, if not more, with Gavin Rossdale, on account of Gwen Stefani’s work schedule. Though Rossdale has a legal right to half of the couple’s assets he is settling for less than half because doing so will speed up the process of making the divorce official.

Congratulations go out to CeeLo Green on his recent engagement to girlfriend Shani James. No word on exactly when the proposal was made, but it is said to have been during the current fall season. The couple was recently spotted having lunch at a West Hollywood restaurant, with Shani wearing a massive engagement ring.

Congratulations also go out to Evangeline Lilly, who recently gave birth to her second child. The baby joins big brother Kahekili, who is four years old. Evangeling publically spoke about his birth years ago on The Tonight Show, telling Jay Leno that she was in labor for 30 hours before her son was born. No word on how long baby #2 took to be born or what the couple named the child.

In other baby news, Tom Hardy and Charlotte Riley recently welcomed their first child together. The new baby joins their seven year old brother, Hardy’s son from a previous relationship. Hardy is so quiet when it comes to his personal life that the world only knows he is married because he accidently mentioned it in a 2014 interview with PETA. Not surprisingly, the couple has not released details about when the baby was born and what they named him or her.

Controversial comedian Chris Rock is under fire for recent jokes he made about Lamar Odom. Rock posted to his Twitter account giving Odom credit for saving his crumbling marriage to Khloe Kardashian through the use of hookers and cocaine. Afterwards, Rock received some harsh tweets from his fans in response to what many thought was a tasteless joke.

Karlie Kross recently made an appearance at a charity event in NYC. The event was for the Pencils of Promise Gala, which raises money for the development of schools in developing countries. Kross arrived in a beautiful lace paneled, long sleeved black gown, turning heads at the event.

Maroon 5 fans will be happy to hear that the band is taking steps to become a part of next year’s Super Bowl halftime show. Adam Levine has reportedly been in talks to make this happen, though nothing is official yet. Word is that the ones in charge of choosing halftime performers are eying Maroon 5 as their top pick. Also in the running is Bruno Mars and Coldplay.

Former “Saved By The Bell” star Lark Voorhies, who played Lisa Turtle on the series, is reportedly divorcing her husband of six months, Jimmy Green. At the time the two wed, Voorhies’s mother was against their marriage. According to Vorrhies’s mother, she is bi-polar and that is the reason she married Green after only knowing and dating him for a year.

At a recent Taylor Swift concert, Miranda Lambert made an appearance. The two singers performed a duet from Lambert’s 2014 album release. Swift later posted a clip of the two performing together on her Instagram account.

Simon Cowell is taking up a judge’s seat on “America’s Got Talent.” He is replacing Howard Stern, who has opted out of doing the show after the current season has wrapped. Cowell will judge contestants alongside Mel B, Howie Mandel and Heidi Klum. He has officially stated that as a judge he won’t be rude to contestants just to be rude and that he will judge each act individually (you know, like he’s supposed to.)

Despite the onscreen chemistry between actors Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper, Cooper has gone on record as stating that he would never sleep with Jennifer Lawrence. Presumably he only did so because on a recent appearance on the Howard Stern show, Stern asked Cooper why he wasn’t sleeping with Lawrence. What a charming guy.

After posing nude for the cover of GQ, Amber Rose jumped at the chance to give the magazine an interview. Yet when it came out she was not happy with what was printed. Amber took to her Instagram account to accuse GQ of painting a picture of her as nothing more than “Wiz’s baby’s mama,” and the ex of Kanye West. One of the subjects that come up during her interview with GQ was the sex tape featuring Kim Kardashian. She then told Kardashian not to think she was better than Rose and not to think Kardashian is better than anyone else. She sarcastically thanked GQ magazine for “nothing.”

kate hudson says no to nick jonas 2015 gossipWrapping up this week’s celebrity gossip, Kate Hudson recently made an appearance on Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live,” and denied rumors that she has been dating Nick Jonas. She said that she hates having to address any rumors or gossip regarding her life. She also said that she can’t even talk to or hug someone without the media turning it into an excuse to spread gossip.

NFL Winners & Losers: Week 7

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Week seven saw another round of great football from the pros. The Raiders may actually be good. Miami may get convicted of felony manslaughter against the Texans.

And Tom Brady is the most consistent winner in the League. Big shock right?

NFL Grown Man of the Week: Dan Campbell. I am a sucker for the underdogs of sports. It is very unlikely this man ends up coaching the Dolphins after this season. However, he is making the most of his opportunity. Maybe all the players hated Joe Philbin and love Campbell. I have no idea, but whatever he’s doing is working. People clowned Campbell after he got the nod to run things after Philbin’s firing. The fact that the guy was trusted to run the team does say something about his character though, and I for one hope he finishes the year strong enough to get the gig full time.

NFL Child of the Week: Greg Hardy is a nut case.  When Dez Bryant is the one who thinks you need to cool it, you have a problem. Hardy thought it OK to knock the clipboard out of the hands of the Cowboys special teams coach during the game Sunday. He should have gotten slammed by one of the special teamers instead of all the shoving that went on.

Winner: Tom Brady. He led the Pats back against the Jets with two touchdown passes in the fourth to go to 6-0. Pats fans best enjoy what you have in Brady, I love my Falcons’ QB, but I never feel 100% confident he can bring his team back. When I watch Brady games, I always think he will somehow bring his team through.

Loser: Vince Lombardi’s grandson got canned today. Joe Lombardi was fired by the Lions after they lost to Minnesota to fall to a gruesome 1-6. A guy named Jim Bob will take over the Lions offense. That is not a joke and should tell you how bad things are in Detroit. Every wife of a coach there should make plans for a U-Haul immediately.

Winner: The Yahoo stream of the Bills and Jaguars was a success I guess, with 15.2 million unique viewers and 33.6 million total views. I have no idea what the future holds for internet only broadcasts. I can’t believe Yahoo profited from it, but that won’t stop them from doing it again next year. A bigger international audience is something the NFL longs for and it doesn’t matter if these streams lose money in the short term.

Loser: My boy Brandon Marshall has overcome major mental issues. Now he needs to overcome stupid plays during the game. He had a bad drop against New England yesterday to go with a big blunder at the end of the game that cost his team a shot at one last play to score. Mix in his idiotic lateral attempt a few weeks ago and what we have now is a pattern of knuckleheaded plays. Clean it up B!

Winner: Kirk Cousins was pretty damn pleased with himself after bringing his Redskins back from 24 down against the Bucs. His “You like dat!”, blast to the media as he headed through the tunnel was better than anything he did during the nice comeback. The Bucs being awful does take some of the luster off the great comeback, but let’s allow Cousins this moment of glory.

Loser: Ryan Mallett. I thought I saw a big tall guy sucking his thumb on a commercial flight I was on to Miami. I didn’t realize it was Mallett until later on after learning he missed his team’s flight. The way the Texans got brutalized by Miami, Mallett would have been better off just to sleep in even later. If not for Greg Hardy being insane, Mallett would have won “Child of the Week.”

Winner: The Carolina Panthers could be the best team in the NFC. Their record certainly indicates that at 6-0. They handled Philly on SNF and if they can keep Cam upright, they should keep rolling….receivers or no receivers.

Loser: Arian Foster jacked his Achilles Tendon up and will miss the rest of the miserable Texans’ season. Foster is one of my favorite NFLers because he actually uses his brain for more than slamming it into other players. Hate to see the man go down.

Winner: Dan Campbell is now undefeated as Miami’s interim coach. His Dolphins murdered Houston on Sunday, police tape all over the field.

I have to believe he would have to make a playoff run to actually end up the real head coach after 2015. It may seem laughable to hire a muscled up no-name, but when contrasted with unsuccessful big names from the past like Jimmy Johnson, I don’t think new blood is a bad idea.

Loser: NFL fans who will have to hear about trade rumors until the deadline on November 3rd. No one of note is going anywhere, folks. It’s the NFL. Chip Kelly has already sent all his good players packing so he has no one left to trade. I would like to start a new Roddy White for Willie Snead whisper, though.

Winner: Todd Gurley for rookie of the year? I like the sound of it. The kid is a beast in the making, having ripped off three straight hundred-yard games. He finally found the end zone this week versus the Browns….twice.

Loser: Rex Ryan and his Buffalo Bills are now sub .500 and in deep trouble. They flew all the way to London just to get beat by Jacksonville. It was even streamed on the internet for the world to see the horror of it all. Shady cost me some money on DraftKings so I’m not too pleased with these losers right now myself.

Winner: Mike Vick. Landry Jones looked like a good backup for about five minutes in week six. Turning the ball over three times in week seven exposed his downside.

Loser: Brandon LaFell does know that Bill Belichick doesn’t mind getting rid of players right? Drop six passes again LaFell and you might feel the wrath of the hooded Sith lord.

Microsoft Edge’s Future is Edgy

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microsoft edges future is edgy 2015 tech imagesWhen Microsoft first talked about Project Spartan, many were interested. Oooh, it’s a new browser. Will it replace Firefox, Chrome and Safari? It’s certainly supposed to replace the much-maligned Internet Explorer. Spartan sounded cool, a first for Microsoft. It sounded interesting and powerful reminding every one of Frank Miller’s 300. Everyone aware of the project hoped Microsoft would keep the name. The browser itself seemed all right before Windows 10’s official release. Its shortcomings were excused since it’s a work in progress; that bland look; that tab-less interface, and its lack of extensions. That reading mode already present in Firefox and Chrome. The sharing and annotation thing was new, though. Then came the icon and things started looking sour.

The flat new ‘e’ icon for Spartan stood for Edge, the browser’s real name. Goodbye, leather underpants. Edge seemed nice but not as cool as Spartan. Microsoft, in its unending quest for backward compatibility, said it would be a familiar browser icon, like Internet Explorer and that the Edge name was influenced by the icon. We were supposed to be trying to forget Internet Explorer weren’t we? Now many can’t help but see Edge as a rebranded Internet Explorer when they see that ‘e’ icon.

Edge should have an edge over the competition but so far, nobody’s buying except maybe super casual users who use Windows 10 out of the box, or people who put much faith Microsoft could get its new browser right. Also, people who have no use for extensions. Edge adoption has so far been dismal. Once upgrading to Windows 10, people still use Chrome or Firefox. People who buy new Windows 10 systems also install Chrome and Firefox and set those as their default browsers. Chrome still tops the browser game. As of the last Windows Conference, which released the Surface Book, Windows 10 is installed on over 110 million computers. However, 70 percent of those installs have Chrome as their default browser, with Firefox and Edge sharing the remaining percentage.

The problem with Edge adoption lies in its lack of support for extensions. Firefox and Chrome can be heavily customized with extensions used for looks, usability and productivity which is a serious shortcoming for Edge with its simplistic, bland interface which works well for no-nonsense browsing. Edge can be considered more secure as the extensibility of other browsers opens them up to hijacking and malware. Many Insiders are looking for extensibility in Edge as they welcome a new, perhaps more secure browser in the game. Microsoft has promised extension support for Edge later on. But it turns out that extensibility might not be available until 2016 which puts Edge adoption on edge.

That could simply mean that Microsoft is just being patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day. It will continue with Edge development as usual. The Surface tablets didn’t become successful until the third version, and the new browser won’t unseat Chrome in the near future. Users are hopeful for Edge that it will be more secure than the competition even with extensibility. That the browser will finally leave the stigma of Internet Explorer behind. Aside from extension support, Microsoft is working on other features for Edge that they’re keeping mum as per the company’s newfound secretive nature, which will give the new browser an edge over other browsers. Hopefully, Microsoft can maintain its current ‘cool’ image until 2016 and use that image to woo developers into making cool Edge extensions and lastly, here’s to hoping Microsoft will do a better job in marketing their new browser. We all hate seeing some good effort gone to waste don’t we?

Until then, Chrome can still enjoy the limelight.