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Biggest Tech Disappointments of 2014

2014 biggest technology disappointments

Every year with 2014 being no exception, we see a lot of new technology introductions and every year, there is a fair share of ups and downs; however, there are some hyped up technology news that really turn out to be far from expectations that turn to into disappointments – the worst kind of technology’s “downs”. Here are 2014’s biggest technology disappointments.

amazon fire phone biggest tech dissapointment 2014 images

Amazon Fire Phone

Amazon’s Fire smartphone was extremely hyped – with Amazon’s popularity, it couldn’t have expected any less. However, the product was anything but. People termed this smartphone as an Amazon advertisement disguised as a smartphone. To put the cherry on top of the cake, the phone was reviewed to have poor battery, a very un-friendly UI, and a high price. The high price, in attempts to sell the phone, was cut down a lot by Amazon but to no use. Currently, Amazon has $83 million worth of Fire Phones that aren’t getting any sales.

assassins creed unity biggest tech disappointment of 2014 images

Assassin’s Creed: Unity

This installment of the famous Assassin’s Creed game created a lot of buzz but ended in gamers’ collective heartbreak. The launch was extremely unsatisfactory and the game was at an equal standing with a lot of glitches, bugs, and errors.

firefox phone biggest tech disappointment of 2014 images

Firefox Phones

Much like Amazon’s Fire Phone turned out to be a disappointment, so did the Firefox Phones. No doubt Firefox is an amazing and popular browser but it was the phone’s OS that took it down. It wasn’t user friendly at all, and didn’t rise up to any of the expectations.

mediatek octacore soc biggest tech disappointment of 2014 images

MediaTek’s Octa-Core SoC

While MediaTek is the manufacturer that released the most octa-core chips for smartphones in 2014, it still did not hit the great target as expected. All phones with this octa-core chip had quick battery drainage, heating up problems, and erratic performance. With expectations from octa-core chips being along the lines of fast and responsive performance and great smartphone use, MediaTek’s octa-core SoC lacked quite behind.

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Nokia X

Nokia assumed its smartphone’s lack of popularity came from the Windows platform so it announced an Android-based phone, which managed to get a huge crowd on board with the idea. Unfortunately, people got off board as soon as they got the release; the phone was ordinary at best. Not the worst, but it offered nothing amazing.

smartwatches biggest tech disappointment of 2014 images

Smart Watches

While a few of the smart watches that we received in 2014 have been pretty good as far as expectations go, the overall industry lacked quite a lot. When put in a wide perspective, the smart watches of 2014 offered no amazing innovation, most of them lacked terribly when it came to beautiful appearances, and in short, were a disappointment.

blackberry z3 biggest tech disappointment of 2014 images

BlackBerry Z3

We love BlackBerry and it is capable of making amazing sturdy phones. However, while there were a lot of for-sure expectations of the smartphone, the Z3 didn’t quite rise up to the challenge. BlackBerry hoped to prevail over all the other mid-range phones but didn’t succeed.

Best & Worst Tech Gadgets of 2014

best and worst technology gadets of 2014 collage

Technology keeps advancing everyday and 2014 was no exception. We saw many new releases from smart watches to camera and while 2014 went by fast, we managed to catch some technology epic wins and epic fails that it brought out. Here are the best and the worst of 2014’s gadgets.

The Best

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Google Chromecast

Taking the lead is the Google Chromecast that became a huge hit and is delivered at a fairly affordable price. It is a great way to enjoy music and videos online directly on your TV and it functions smoothly.

philips m1bt bluetooth headphones best gadget of 2014 images

Philips M1BT Bluetooth Headphones

Being Philips’ first ever Bluetooth headphones, we did not expect much but the result of the headphones was surprising. Amazing sound quality, great battery life, comfortable wearing sleek design – what’s not to like?

pebble smartwatch best gadget of 2014 images

Pebble Smartwatch

While many people argue that wearable tech is bit tacky, Pebble is, for the most part, decent. It looks like a plain black band on your hand and the screen is sunlight-readable and waterproof which makes it a great outside watch, it has a great battery life, and it is affordable. It is designed for practicality and practicality it serves.

polaroid socialmatic camera hottest gadgets of 2014 images

Polaroid Socialmatic Camera

Old concept, sure. Hippie, definitely. But amazing, it still is. The Socialmatic is Android-based and improves the Polaroid experience with sepia images and print stickers that can be used on the touch screen before the users use the inkless printing system to print their images.

The Worst

typo iphone keyboard case worst gadgets of 2014 images

 

Typo iPhone Keyboard Case

While this gadget looked to provide efficient functionality for those iPhone owners who dislike Apple’s own touch keyboard, this just got really bad, really fast. First of all, it looks like a rip-off imitation of Blackberry’s keyboard and the second biggest problem being that it makes the sleek iPhone look bulky and tacky.

nametag app worst gadgets of 2014 images

NameTag App

The purpose of this app is to use someone’s picture to get their info out from social media and other sites, so if you catch someone cute, you can take their picture and get their info. The problem here being obvious: it is totally a breach of someone’s privacy, taking someone’s picture in public is weird (and can get you restraining order) and it is borderline stalker-ish. Creepy.

mother tech worst gadgets of 2014 images

Mother

Yet another horrible and creepy gadget of 2014 is Mother. Just the name enough is enough to make you cringe. The purpose of Mother is to be a sensor system that can be attached to home items like the fridge to keep track of your eating habits and to prevent you all the same. Talk about annoying. Not to mention it has an annoying creepy face.

ipad stand with bamboo cutting board worst gadgets of 2014 images

iPad Stand with Bamboo Cutting Board

iPad Stand with…a CUTTING BOARD? Seriously, what’s the point of exposing your expensive tablet to risks like knife hits, extreme heat, and water? It is, quite frankly, useless and infuriating. The only use that people will try to make of it is use its bamboo cutting board while attempting to place their recipe book in the space provided for the iPad.

There’s A Reason To Protect NFL Quarterbacks

peyton manning sacked again 2015

I know I am not the only one that rolls my eyes when a flag ends up on the ground after an NFL quarterback gets barely touched in the head area or hit .02 seconds late. Everyone feels like the QB gets treated like they are something special while most of the other players on the field get beat up on every play. But I have a good piece of evidence for why it is best for everyone that NFL quarterbacks get heavy protection. Exhibit A: Ryan Lindley.

If you saw yesterday’s game between Arizona and Carolina you saw one team at a huge disadvantage. The Cardinals had no choice but to start their third stringer, Ryan Lindley, after Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton were knocked out of action earlier in the regular season. The result was a debacle. The only chance Arizona had was to have someone kidnap Cam Newton and his backup before the game in a “Taken” type scenario. The teams would be evenly matched then with both down to their 3rd option at QB. Lindley was totally ineffective, not to mention scared to death from the first snap.

After a great regular season the Cardinals were set up for failure as they faced a Carolina team with their superstar Cam Newton ready to roll behind center. I don’t want this to come out as a bash fest on Ryan Lindley. They guy did the best he could. I am sure of that. But if he were NFL ready he would have been the starter or at least the backup.  He simply is not NFL ready and that is the reason the NFL has to protect all the QB1s in the league. Without those guys healthy each week we would have more games like Carolina v. Arizona. No one wants to see more of that type of action. 78 yards of total offense is a recipe for ratings at the level of a Major League Baseball game. The NFL wants no part of that and neither do the fans.

For those still unconvinced by my evidence, I get it. You want it to be the way it was back in the day when players were getting clotheslined and concussions were not even discussed. I miss those old school days also. The intimidation factor was a great part of the game and QBs of today couldn’t hold the jock strap of those from just a couple decades ago. I saw Montana and Aikman takes brutal hits well after the ball was out that would have today’s passers curled up in a ball. The stats that modern day quarterbacks are piling up are the result of defenders not being able to hammer them. Records set after all the QB protection rules were put in place shouldn’t be compared to QB records when they had to absorb many more hits and deal with the fear factor on every play.

All that said, I still have to side with protecting the quarterbacks. I love seeing big defensive hits and the toll it takes on offensive players like receivers and quarterbacks. However, I like seeing competitive games even more. I will take seeing the QBs protected by the refs over the great hits from defenders on the signal callers. The Arizona and Carolina matchup painted a clear picture of why the NFL can’t afford too many backups or third stringers entering games. The league is doing everything they can to avoid those scenarios. I never thought I would say it publicly, but I applaud the effort in the name of competition.

Stupidest Gossip Stories Of 2014

kardashian family makes stupidest gossip stories of 2014

2014 has been a year full of stupid gossip stories. Though the year isn’t over yet there are already many pieces of gossip that are memorable because they are so incredibly hard to either believe, care about, or both.

The first piece of gossip that has had a tremendous amount of time wasted on it is pretty much everything surrounding the Kardashians. These flash in the pan bimbos have been getting married, having babies and doing plenty of other things that are fueling the gossip surrounding them. The latest Kardashian clan gossip is that while Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick have been together for seven years and have had two children together they had no interest in marriage until now. Apparently both of Disick’s parents recently passed away, which allegedly spurred the couple’s desire to get married. The situation gets even stickier after reports that Kourtney Kardashian was very angry with sister, Kim, for being the one to get married first. Though some debate the truthfulness of this, most people really could care less which Kardashian marries first or even at all.

Another piece of some of the most stupid and pointless gossip of the year is the alleged rivalry between Justin Bieber and Orlando Bloom. The two recently had a scuffle at a nightclub in Spain and there is now allegedly a war breaking out between them. The rumor is that Orlando Bloom’s ex -wife, Miranda Kerr, is involved with Justin Bieber and has been since before they divorced. Even though he divorced her for a reason and she is a grown woman the media still wants the public to believe these two heartthrobs are fighting over a female like they are 12 years old on the playground at school during recess. The only good thing to come out of this piece of gossip (in many peoples’ minds at least) is that there is allegedly a petition circulating the Internet in an attempt to have President Obama declare July 29th National Orlando Bloom Day since that is the day Bloom allegedly punched Bieber in the face for “stealing his girl.”

The antics of the train wreck known as Miley Cyrus has also been making the rounds on the gossip mill. Miley has been the subject of so much gossip that it makes one wonder if she even knows what is true and what is not anymore. The latest gossip surrounding her is that she is publicly trashing her ex fiancé, Liam Hemsworth. She called him a “piece of shi*t” in front of an attentive group of people at a nightclub in London. She went off on a rant involving him hearing her songs on the car radio and knowing all her angry lyrics are directed towards him. She made some bizarre statements that show the world just how crazy she has become.

Kanye West is another one that has been the subject of tons of gossip this year. Last year Kanye was involved in an altercation with a photographer and is currently bringing a lawsuit against him. When he filed the deposition Kanye stated to the photographer that he was the “smartest celebrity,” comparing himself favorably to Britney Spears. He also made a racist comment to the photographer’s lawyer, implying that Kanye is offended when a certain race uses a certain word. Kanye even went so far as to say that he feels celebrities have to fight for their civil rights. It would take too long to go into all the statements Kanye has made about the differences between celebrities (specifically himself) and “regular” people.

Not to be outdone, media sensation Snookie has been the subject of quite a bit of gossip this year herself. Though she had been set to marry her boyfriend and the father of her son she postponed the idea of getting married because she suspects he is cheating on her.  However, despite this declaration she then posted on Twitter that in the fall she was anxious to be marrying him. To add to the gossip mill, Snookie has announced her pregnancy with baby number two.

Paris Hilton has been the subject of more gossip than most others in the spotlight. It seems as if Paris is always getting herself into trouble somewhere and somehow. TMZ caused a bit of an uproar when they posted a headline saying that Paris Hilton has a baby. While this headline was obviously worded to make people believe she had become a mother, the truth is that a photographer simply snapped a picture of Paris Hilton holding someone else’s baby. For that split second when people may have interpreted the TMZ headline the way TMZ wanted them to the world had to have paused and gasped at the very thought of Paris Hilton having a baby anything.

Ironically enough Robert Pattinson avoiding being photographed in public in order to escape being gossiped about, yet his avoidance of the cameras is leading to gossip about him. It seems the media can’t get enough of him and the more he tries to avoid them the more they talk about him.

Tom Cruise has always been the victim of gossip and it has been no different in 2014. One of the latest pieces of gossip surrounding Tom Cruise is that he went on Jimmy Kimmel live and told the host and the audience that he was the person who came up with the idea of having world premieres of movies. This has caused a lot of debate between those who are fans of Tom Cruise and those who realize what an absolute egotistical nutcase he is.

These are just a handful of the stupidest gossip stories of 2014. There are countless other stupid gossip stories about famous individuals who often each think they themselves are the greatest thing since sliced bread. Gossip is something that will always be present in this world and as people become more immersed in it the popularity of gossip is rapidly increasing.

TOTAL DIVAS Mid-Season 3 Recap

Though the drama of the first half of season three carried us through a compelling look at the lives of some of WWE’s biggest divas outside the ring, the E network is putting us through a temporary halt until the second part of the third season returns in January of 2015. In the meantime, let’s recap everything that happened on the first half of the season.

One of the underlying themes of this season, so far, has been Nikki’s relationship with John Cena.  As season three kicked off we watched Nikki plan a future that doesn’t include him. One of the reasons for this was that Nikki has expressed her eventual desire to get married and start a family…a desire John Cena does not share with her. Having recently been through what was rumored to be a nasty and costly divorce, as much as John loves Nikki he is not looking to go down that road again. He even explained to Nikki in a very sensitive and polite but firm matter that he is at the height of his career and doesn’t want to father a child whose young life he will miss out on being on the road 320 days a year. You have to admire the guy for that much at least. How many guys would string along a woman as beautiful as Nikki and then ditch her when they were done.

Anyway, the season opened with Nikki visiting her doctor to start the process of freezing her eggs so that she can carry out her future plans to have children with her boyfriend who doesn’t want them. So there’s that. Since the couple has been living together Nikki hit on the brilliant idea of hiding the injections she will have to give herself, in their bathroom. Unfortunately for her though he has brawn he has brains too and it didn’t take long for John to stumble across the injections and figure out what they were being used for. This of course led to the kind of blow up between the couple that reality TV directors (and don’t think they don’t exist because they do) live for.

Believe it or not, the first half of season three did cover more than just the drama between Nikki and John. After a 1 ½ year sabbatical for WWE diva Rosa Mendes returned to the ring and joined her fellow Total Divas in front of the cameras. Not the most stable diva ever the other ladies were a bit wary of her. Somehow poor Natalya got roped into looking after Rosa (as if Natalya doesn’t have enough on her plate with her douchebag husband TJ a.k.a. Tyson Kidd) and this led Rosa to develop quite the crush on her. Sadly for Rosa even though Natalya’s husband isn’t exactly man of the year, she’s not going to turn to Rosa for comfort. Rosa may swing both ways but Natalya doesn’t.

Season three also kicked off with Eva Marie in a struggle between what she and husband Jonathan wanted and what her family wanted. With all the pressures of being a WWE Diva Eva Marie had made the decision to elope with Jonathan rather than having a wedding.  She did this without the consent or approval of her family (not that she should need it, but that is a rant all on its own.) So in the season three premiere Eva Marie finally caves and tells her family she and Jonathan will have a formal wedding. It turns out that still isn’t good enough for her overbearing family because they want a Catholic wedding and Jonathan is not Catholic.

The season’s second episode tackled the subject of the Funkadactyls being broken up. Made up of Naomi and Cameron, Naomi is showing real promise as a professional wrestler… Cameron not so much.  This lead to Cameron’s decision to head back to WWE developmental, which angered Naomi because up until then the girls had been a package deal.

Continuing the Nikki/John saga John felt like Nikki was pulling away from him after having found her injections in their house. This convinced Nikki to give up on the idea of freezing her eggs which caused an argument between her and Brie who was dealing with her own issues with husband Daniel Bryan over making expensive changes to their new house.

The third episode of the season was a continuation of the Nikki/John drama, the Brie/Daniel drama and the Eva Marie/Jonathan/ Eva Marie’s family drama. It also addressed Daniel’s injury that required neck surgery and, to this day, is still keeping him out of any WWE ring.

The fourth episode brought more drama between TJ and Natalya as he forgot her birthday. He tried to make up for this heinous oversight by getting her a gift as soon as he realized he forgot. When Natalya’s “bff” Rosa Mendes found out about this she went out of her way to cheer Natalya up. Unfortunately for her, this meant attempting to kiss Natalya on the lips one drunken night, which was met by polite but firm refusal from Natalya.

Naomi and Brie both dealt with some marriage drama in this episode as well as Naomi had problems with her implanted birth control and Brie and Daniel argued over purchasing a new washer and dryer because one wanted to spend more money on them than others.

By the fifth episode Daniel is recovering from neck surgery and finding out he will need another surgery. This caused a lot of stress for Daniel and Nikki especially as Daniel prefers natural remedies to medical science. Naomi took time off to travel home and set her younger brother straight as he was acting up and causing her mother problems.

As we all know the first half of season three concluded with Eva Marie’s wedding and a cliffhanger question of whether John and Nikki are breaking up. Unfortunately, E will leave us wondering for months the divas’ various outcomes.

Marijuana’s Role In the NFL

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I read recently that legalized marijuana in the USA could rival the NFL in terms of revenue. I found that very interesting seeing how the NFL basically prints its own cash. Colorado is doing quite well since it made the hippy lettuce a legal substance and available from quality sellers. More states are sure to follow sooner or later once they realize taxing pot is a good way to dig themselves out of the massive debt that most states face.

What does the NFL have to do with all this? They could have a big say. That is if the players want to do so. The NFL players union is not known for its strength so I won’t hold my breathe on this one. But there is the chance that some brave superstar could come out in favor of legalized marijuana. What if Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers made some public statements about cannabis being a positive thing instead of a negative one? Those guys have plenty of sway obviously. Oh no, the children! What will the children do if they hear their heroes promoting drug use? Clearly marijuana is not for kids, and this is just a stupid argument put out there by idiot politicians, police chiefs, and others in the prison system who benefit from the illegality of marijuana. Perhaps parents should actually talk to their kids about drug use and other topics. That should ensure they have more sway with their children than sports stars. I don’t think that is unreasonable.

The NFL took a good step in lessening the punishments for marijuana use among its players. The threshold was lowered which should reduce the number of guys who get in trouble to begin with. The actual action steps have changed as well. No longer will NFLers be suspended immediately, as other steps can come before suspension. It is most likely that the union got this concession from the NFL in return for giving in to HGH testing. But no matter. The marijuana issue was important enough to give up the HGH fight on the part of the players.

Don’t think for a minute that more states legalizing cannabis and the NFL’s lower punishment will cause a ton of NFL ballers to turn into stoners. There may be a few here and there. Guys without the motivation to work hard in order to make it in the League will always be around. That’s the case already, without marijuana available in every state legally. Some guys just don’t have the work ethic to cut it. For the players who have worked their whole lives to get to the pinnacle of football, they won’t let marijuana ruin their shot. As long as they are not smoking up on a daily basis, I don’t see the issue affecting more than one percent of NFL players in a negative way.

michael phelps hitting the bong again 2015

One of the best arguments for marijuana not being harmful, and not stopping someone from being successful, is Michael Phelps. After the mega Olympian was caught smoking up, some morons pointed out how it was going to ruin him and he must not be what he was propped up to be. The opposite was true. That photo was not the first case of Phelps smoking weed. The guy won all those gold medals as a marijuana user. It didn’t hold back the best swimmer to ever land on this planet. So I doubt it would hold back the best NFL players. Players that someday are able to partake openly, while excelling on the football field, will be more evidence of just how safe the drug is in reality. Seeing a QB toss 42 touchdowns in a year while going green will be hard to argue against.

Now for the biggest reason that NFL players should be the loudest proponents of weed. Pain pills are terrible for the human body. I know they are necessary in many cases. But football players overuse them, and always have. For good reason too. They are in serious pain. The average person has no idea the impact of giant muscled up guys running head on into each other. Marijuana is a legit drug that eases pain. Just because all these pain pills are “legal”, doesn’t mean they are safe for long term use. Not to mention that many NFL players use alcohol to self medicate, reportedly. Anyone making the argument that “legal” pain pills are available, so marijuana has no place for pain relief in the NFL, should take a look around. There are more everyday people hooked on pain pills than harder drugs. It is a zombie creating epidemic in this country. And these are average people getting hooked on pain pills. NFL players have much more a need in general for using these substances to begin with.

ricky williams marijuana help but no nfl support 2015

There is one problem that might hit the NFL if marijuana became rampant among its players openly. There may be more cases like Ricky Williams deciding to just walk away from the game. Weed is a powerful eye opener, and some guys might get the idea that there are better ways to spend ten years than running into linebackers that are chomping at the bit. Of course even Ricky Williams eventually came back to the League. He needed the money, period. So that overcame his desire to find better ways to spend his time. That would probably be the case with most NFL players. There aren’t many jobs that pay the salary they make.

I don’t see marijuana becoming an openly used household drug anytime soon. But it could happen eventually. No one in the alcohol prohibition era could have seen the turnaround from no beer back then to beer on every corner now. I don’t expect the NFL to lead the way when it comes to drug policy. But the players and even management do have a role to play.

Will Cleveland Cavaliers See A Revival?

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cleveland cavaliers revival 2014 season images 2015

After LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat, the Cavaliers franchise took a turn for the worst. The Cavaliers only had one losing season with James on the roster (James’s rookie season); however, in their four seasons without him, the Cavs have earned a very sad combined record of 97-215 and have made the first overall pick in the NBA Draft three of those four seasons. But that’s all about to change: The King is coming home.

lebron james back with cleveland cavaliers 2015 season images

James announced recently that he will be leaving Miami to return to Cleveland and sent the sports world into a frenzy. By choosing to return to the Cavs, James joins three of the last four first overall draft picks (Kyrie Irving, Anthony Bennett, and Andrew Wiggins); and he has already encouraged other star players to leave their teams and join him in Cleveland. In fact, Bennett and Wiggins may not have the experience of playing with LeBron: they are currently being negotiated in a trade that would send them to the Minnesota Timberwolves in return for superstar and Olympic Gold Medalist Kevin Love. 2014 first overall pick Andrew Wiggins is not eligible to be traded until August 23rd; but the T’Wolves owner has already made it clear that Love will most likely be traded to Cleveland by the 24th at the latest, indicating that the deal has, for all intensive purposes, been accepted by both teams.

kevin love bulge joins cleveland cavaliers for lebron james 2015 season images

Love is not the only big name player that will be following James to Cleveland, many other noteworthy free agents are making their way to Ohio this season, including sharp shooters James Jones and Mike Miller. Future Hall of Famer Ray Allen has made it clear that he intends to follow his friend LeBron to Cleveland. The Cavs also picked up six other players through the draft, trades, and free agency signings, as well as new head coach David Blatt making for one of the most productive offseasons in NBA history.

kyrie irving joins cleveland cavaliers

Just imagine a Big 3 of LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving—Cleveland will be making their first playoff appearance since the 2009-2010 season; and they may even make the NBA Finals for the first time since the 2006-2007 season. Although James’s current contract will only have him in Cleveland for two seasons, he will most likely be resigning later and remaining a Cavalier for the rest of his career. Irving also will not be going anywhere anytime soon—his new contract will be keeping him in Cleveland through 2019. After a fantastic 2014 in Cleveland, the Cavaliers are armed and ready to make a compete for a championship not just this season but for many seasons to come.

Should We Unfriend NCAA College Football?

unfriend college football 2014 season images

I’ve promoted a college football boycott for years now. Clearly it has done little good thus far. Don’t get me wrong, I love the college game. But I wanted to see some changes, mainly in the way the national champion was crowned. I felt like a player boycott of big bowl games would force the NCAA and colleges to adopt a better system for crowning a champion. Such a protest right before a big prime time game would have made changes in a hurry, no doubt. But now I am looking for a different type of boycott, I don’t expect much to happen from this one either. But I am going to go ahead with it in spite of that fact.

This little boycott only involves myself. I am committing to not watching anymore college football games due to the overwhelming unfairness toward the players. The ignorant system of deciding a champion is still part of my issue with NCAA football though. No, the four team playoff hasn’t made this system much better. It still involves voting.

This doesn’t mean I won’t be keeping up with the game overall. I just won’t be watching entire games. I will keep up with the games through highlights and of course my daily reading. It would be impossible for me to go cold turkey on college football. The connection to the NFL makes it necessary for me to still be knowledgeable about the “amateur sport.”

jameis winston annoying college football players 2014 season images

It’s not like I want to turn away from college football, but I am being forced into it by my conscious. This little one man boycott has nothing to do with players like Jameis Winston either, if that is what some of you may be thinking. There have always been irritating athletes in college football who do awful things off the field. I do despise Jameis Winston, who is at best a phony jackass, and at worst a rapist, allegedly. And there are plenty of lesser known players out there in the college football universe who have committed violent crimes or just acted a fool this year. That kind of stuff bothers me, but doesn’t make me want to stop watching the game.

The system of college football is more perverse than a few knuckle headed players. That system is forcing me out. I don’t want to be seen as a supporter of a game that keeps on exploiting these young men for profit. I love profit by the way. Smart, talented people should be able to make all the profit that people willingly give to them. College football players are excluded from this capitalism however, and I’ve seen enough of it. I’ve stomached all I can take of colleges’ raking in tons of cash on jersey sales while the player behind the number gets zero dollars from the sales. I’ve watched all I care to watch about university presidents making millions a year along with head coaches of the football programs, while the “student athletes” only get a paid education that can be ripped away at any point. I’ve seen enough of the hypocritical nature of big time college football to last a lifetime.

todd gurley best college football player 2014 season ebay scandal

What tipped the scales for me was the Todd Gurley issue this year at Georgia. The kid was the best running back in the nation and in truth, the best player overall. He was the favorite for the Heisman Trophy and was racking up big numbers week after week. Then he got “caught” signing his name to his jerseys for a sketchy eBay seller. He was suspended for a few games which ruined his Heisman hopes. Georgia failed to stand behind him so as to make sure the NCAA didn’t come down on the school even harder for the violation. The school was protecting itself. But when Gurley was able to come back and help his team, he did so. I felt like it was an ill advised return at the time since he had little to gain from coming back for just a few games. The risk of injury was too great for a guy that would be the number one running back taken in next year’s NFL draft. And that’s exactly what happened as Gurley tore his ACL in his first game back. So much for loyalty. Todd Gurley showed more integrity than his university did with this situation. The man had a right to profit from his own signature, no matter what some ridiculous NCAA rule states. Anyone with a sense of justice understands that.

ncaa boycott logo season 2014 images

The NCAA is not moral. That is what has ran me off. If the NCAA goes away, I will return to a full blown college football fan. If the NCAA stays but is forced to cut players in on the profits of college football, then I shall return to the game. There is not much in the way of this happening either. The Ed O’Bannon case is a huge step toward letting players actually own their own signature and likeness. The NCAA appealed this ruling, which shows how corrupt they are and how desperate they are to hold on to their imaginary power. Todd Gurley would have been free to make money on his signature according to the O’Bannon ruling. That is all I am seeking, fairness. A man owns his own signature at the very least. Any organization that stands in the way of that, I am opposed to.

There are good arguments made about the benefits players get from college football. A free education at a great university is worth quite a bit. But college football has turned into such a giant money maker that a free education is not on balance with the billions raked in each year by the schools. The players deserve more than a scholarship. At the very minimum they deserve to be able to take part in capitalism. If a star player can get $100 per signature, he has earned it. That is the free market at work. All these old people in power at universities and the NCAA love the American ideal of capitalism, except when it comes to college athletes. I’ve had enough of it.

Sexy Santa Men You’ll Want Stuffing Your Chimney

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Yes, Christmas might be over, but the season that makes you feel warm and fuzzy all over surely isn’t and our annual list of Sexy Santa’s will keep you feeling like that all year long. Usually we stick with sexy male celebrities for this, but it seems that this year there’s been a deluge of Instagramers sending us some Santa’s we’d take anyday!

Enjoy, and start shooting over more images for next year!

1. Who doesn’t love a trashy looking Santa that looks like he’ll take anybody on his naughty list.

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2. All lit up and no one to show…

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3. Who doesn’t like to be a Santa Elf sandwich maker?

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4. Yuletime muscles always work when you’re pulling out those heavy loads.

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5. This Santa has a little furry bite to him.

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6. Try to have a Silent Night with these two handfuls.

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7. His Santa morals say no, but his underwear says Yes.

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8. Ready to ride my one horse open sleigh?

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9. Which package are you having trouble keeping your eyes off?

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10. Needing help finding the rest of my outfit.

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11. Cub looking for my big ole Teddy Bear.

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12. We jingle all the way when we come.

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13. I found your milk, now I’m trying to find where you’ve hidden your cookie.

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14. I’ll make you quiver like a bowl full of jelly.sexy santa jared let shirtless men images 2014 640x640-009

15. I’ll Rihanna you and make you need a big ole umbrella.

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16. Tis the season, and I am a giver.

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17. Yup, there’s an even bigger candy cane in my pocket, and I’m real glad to see you.

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18. Just cleaning up before I help you find your Santa spot.

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19.  All oiled up and ready to slip down your chimney.

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20. I’ll Leto you do whatever you want with me since it’s the holidays.

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2014 NFL Week 17 Preview Plus Our Winning Picks

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The NFL regular season has reached its final week. Week 17 is all divisional matchups and is often a win-or-go-home situation. Here’s all of the results and their playoff implications:

AFC

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens: Cleveland is out, but they can still spoil Baltimore’s party. The Ravens need a win to make the playoffs coupled with a Chiefs victory over the Chargers.

San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs: For San Diego its simple: win and you’re in. Kansas City has a much tougher road ahead. The Chiefs would have to win, the Jaguars would have to beat the Texans, and Cleveland would have to upset Baltimore.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans: The Texans are a long shot, but there’s still that sliver of hope. A win over the Jags plus a Ravens loss plus a Chargers loss means a trip to the postseason for the Texans a year after going 2-14.

Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos: Denver has two ways of earning the second seed. Either a win over Oakland or a Cincinnati loss secures the first round bye for the Broncos.

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers: This one is pretty simple. The winner gets the third seed, the loser gets the fifth seed. If the Broncos loss and the Bengals win then they get the second seed.

NFC

Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons: The winner gets the fourth seed, the loser goes home.

Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers: If the Packers win, the Lions drop to the sixth seed. A Lions win, however, puts them in the second seed. If the Cardinals and Seahawks both loss, the Lions will be the first seed.

St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks: A win secures the Seahawks as the top seed. A loss and a Cardinals win makes them the fifth seed. A loss and a Cardinals loss makes them the third seed.

Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers: If the Seahawks win, the Cardinals are stuck in the fifth seed. A win, Seahawks loss, and Packers loss makes the Cardinals the top seed in the NFC. A loss makes the Cardinals the fifth seed. A Seahawks loss and a Packers win makes the Cardinals the second seed.

Here are my picks for Week 17:

CLE @ BAL: Ravens

IND @ TEN: Colts

JAX @ HOU: Texans

DAL @ WSH: Cowboys

NYJ @ MIA: Dolphins

SD @ KC: Chiefs

CHI @ MIN: Vikings

BUF @ NE: Patriots

PHI @ NYG: Giants

NO @ TB: Saints

CAR @ ATL: Falcons

DET @ GB: Packers

OAK @ DEN: Broncos

ARI @ SF: 49ers

STL @ SEA: Seahawks

CIN @ PIT: Steelers

2014 NFL Week 16 Recap: Johnny Manziel Injury Brings Down Browns & Colts Slip Showing

blake bortles passes jascksonville jaguars balls to teneessee titans nfl 2014 images

Tennessee Titans 13 at Jacksonville Jaguars 21: Sometimes two bad teams can come together and have a good game, but this certainly wasn’t one of those. Blake Bortles was really poor through the air finishing with 115 yards, but he was able to pick up some chunks of yardage using his feet. Charlie Whitehurst actually did pretty well for the Titans, but it doesn’t really matter at this point.

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Philadelphia Eagles 24 at Washington Redskins 27: Apparently the Eagles and Cowboys swapped roles this season. The Cowboys look great in December, and the Eagles have absolutely tanked. On top of that, Mark Sanchez threw a Tony Romo (late fourth quarter interception); and then the defense yielded 20 yards to the Redskins in penalties giving Washington a late field goal to win the game. Just like that, the Eagles may find themselves sitting at home in January.

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San Diego Chargers 38 at San Francisco 49ers 35: Colin Kaepernick and Frank Gore ran all over the Chargers in the first half. In fact, the score was 28-7 at half time. Philip Rivers was awful with three interceptions. Then, for whatever reason, the 49ers just decided they didn’t want to win anymore. With a 21 point lead, the Niners gave up. Rivers was able to mount a comeback. An appropriate ending for the Niners after a disappointing season.

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Minnesota Vikings 35 at Miami Dolphins 37: This was by far the most entertaining game of the week and it had absolutely no playoff implications. Both Ryan Tannehill and Teddy Bridgewater played fantastic. This game actually came down to the very end. With the game tied, Minnesota went to punt and the Dolphins blocked it out the back of the end zone for the game winning safety. Highly recommend watching the highlight reel if you haven’t already.

New England Patriots v Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers 20 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3: Someone needs to explain to me why Aaron Rodgers is considered good. Every time I watch him I see an average quarterback with an extraordinary team around him. Rodgers was awful in Buffalo, and despite the stats he was unable to complete passes on third down in Tampa. (This is part of my JJMVP plea, sorry).

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Detroit Lions 20 at Chicago Bears 14: Well the Bears may have benched Jay Cutler, but Jimmy Clausen isn’t exactly a starting caliber quarterback. The Lions should have won this game by a lot more, but they really aren’t that good themselves. Cutler is starting next week in what most Chicago fans hope will be his final game as a Bear.

Atlanta Falcons v New Orleans Saints

Atlanta Falcons 30 at New Orleans Saints 14: Well this one wasn’t pretty for most of the game. The Saints returned the opening kickoff to the one yard line to set up a Mark Ingram touchdown. That was it. The Saints couldn’t get anything done the rest of the day. The Falcons didn’t get much either, but more than the Saints. It’s very sad that the Falcons and Panthers play Sunday for the division.

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New England Patriots 17 at New York Jets 16: The Jets blew their chance with another blocked field goal attempt. Please notice that without Julian Edelman on the field Tom Brady couldn’t even get 200 yards. Brady sucks without his superstar receiving core at full power. But, even he’s not as bad as the Jets.

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Kansas City Chiefs 12 at Pittsburgh Steelers 20: The only reason the Steelers won this game is because they found the end zone whereas the Chiefs had to settle for a bunch of field goals. These two teams are pretty evenly matched. It’s a shame the Chiefs won’t be in the postseason this year.

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Cleveland Browns 13 at Carolina Panthers 17: Johnny Manziel started this game; however that didn’t last very long. An injury knocked him out, but Brian Hoyer of course wasn’t much better. Now they’re both hurt. The Browns season is over, so it doesn’t really matter; but it just shows that this quarterback issue is far from settled in Cleveland.

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Baltimore Ravens 13 at Houston Texans 25: The Baltimore offensive line had no answer for J.J. Watt. Although Watt did not have any sacks in this game, he had seven tackles. While being double and triple teamed. So basically he stopped every single run that went his way. I point this out as one of my final two pleas for J.J.MVP. He also drew a holding penalty and caused an intentional grounding that was nearly a safety.

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New York Giants 37 at St. Louis Rams 27: Odell Beckham Jr. has me seriously wondering if Calvin Johnson has been replaced as the best wide receiver in the NFL. This guy is just amazing. He’s unstoppable. Despite missing the first six games of the season, ODB has earned Rookie of the Year and a trip to Hawaii in my eyes. Unfortunately he probably won’t receive either due to his late start. The Giants are suddenly a force to be reckoned with. Not even the Seahawks could stop this guy.

oakland raiders beat buffalo bills 2014 nfl season images

Buffalo Bills 24 at Oakland Raiders 26: Congrats to the Raiders on their third win of the season. They really fight hard for what they’ve accomplished. This victory shows that the Raiders are really just a few talented players away from being a decent team, and that the Bills biggest problem is playing outside of Buffalo. The team that crushed Green Bay lost to the Raiders. What.

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Indianapolis Colts 7 at Dallas Cowboys 42: Hopefully Indianapolis fans finally miss Peyton. Sure Luck is pretty good, but he’s not a superstar. The Colts have been overrated for a while now and the Cowboys just exposed them.

seattle seahawks dance at beating arizona cardinals 2014 nfl season images

Seattle Seahawks 35 at Arizona Cardinals 6: I’ll keep this one short. This game was pretty close until the fourth quarter. The Seahawks have proved to me that they are the best team in the NFL. It looks like we’re going to see the first repeat Super Bowl champs since the Patriots cheated for 2003 and 2004.

NFL 2014 Week 16 Hot Matchups: Johnny Manziel vs Luke Kuechly

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With two weeks left for the non-playoff teams, fans need to enjoy seeing their team while it lasts. But for you Jaguars and Titans fans who don’t know what to watch for this Sunday, here’s a few things to look for:

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Johnny Manziel vs. Luke Kuechly: Manziel is still the starting quarterback in Cleveland, and despite his performance last week this is certainly the right decision. Manziel will have his work cut out for him this week heading into Carolina to face a Panthers team desperate to win and stay alive in the NFC South race. Manziel has always been a throw on the run quarterback, and if the Panthers allow him to get comfortable moving around in and out of the pocket it’ll be a long day for them. This is where Luke Kuechly comes in. Kuechly is arguably the best linebacker in the NFL, and his ability to contain Manziel and force him to make quick decisions in the pocket will be key to pulling the upset over the Browns.

julio jones falcons jumping on keenan lewis new orleans saints nfl 2014 images

Keenan Lewis vs. Julio Jones and Roddy White: Keenan Lewis is the New Orleans Saints best active cornerback, so obviously he will be charged with covering Jones and White in turn. This game will more than likely determine the champion of the NFC South, so Lewis is certainly expected to be able to shut down which ever superstar receiver he is guarding at any given time. White and Jones have been known to explode for big games, and that is not something the Saints can afford to give up. The major problem is that Lewis can only guard one at a time. Matt Ryan would be smart to just go after the weaker cornerbacks lining up alongside Lewis.

seattle seahawks russell wilson takes on cardinals defense nfl 2014 images

Cardinals’ defense vs. Russell Wilson: The Cardinals are on their third string no-name quarterback, so they have no hope against the Seahawks, right? Not true. The Cardinals still have a great defensive presence and the Seahawks are not exactly known for their offensive prowess. The Seahawks offense is made up of Marshawn Lynch, Percy Harvin, and another runner in the backfield. No quarterback. Stopping Wilson’s arm is no problem, the big problem is containing him. This is easier said than done. If the Cardinals want to win this game they will need to capitalize off of the few passes Wilson does throw downfield. Wilson is not a good quarterback, so as long as no one is wide open the Cardinals should have a good chance to pick him off at least once. This will be a very low scoring game, but a red zone turnover or two forced by the Cardinals defense could turn a 13-7 loss into a 14-13 victory for the home team.