Links of the Week: The Black Eyed Peas, Fax Machines, and the Cheesiest Baseball Song Ever Written

With the recent release of the iPad, I am reminded on how far we've come, technologically, as a society. Best case example: here is a video of Windows 95 software running on the iPad. It's slow, bogged down, and it takes forever just to get started up.

Now, with all of these improvements in technology and gadgets, wireless connections, 3G/4G, T1 Lines, you name it, there are certain pieces of technology that we need to rid ourselves from. We as a society need to come together and declare: the fax machine needs to go.

I understand that in 1995, fax machines were necessary. But come on, this is 2010! It's a scientific fact: 82% of all faxes fail on the first attempt to send. More time is wasted trying and failing to send faxes than any amount of time employees are spending on Facebook or Twitter. Let's just do it. Let's stop using fax machines altogether. Today. No mas.

There has to be an engineer out there who can figure out some app, some gadget, something that will replace any possible function a fax machine may still have.

So, on the hopeful note that, one day soon we'll have a piece of technology that can replace that out-dated, decrepit process known as 'faxing', here are your Links of the Week:

If you're offering me '40 Reasons to be Excited About Music', and your lead-in is the Black Eyed Peas, you've lost me. I'm out.

GREAT interview with the Houston Rockets' (and former Duke star) Shane Battier, who gives his opinions on what the NBA could do to improve it's playoffs, regular season, and fan involvement. Everything in this interview is great, but my favorite part is his idea for the 'King's Cup', a mid-season tournament featuring the eight best teams in the league (regardless of conference). Good stuff.

Here is this week's episode of "Some parents may push their kids too hard it sports": a 5-year old who can hit an 85 mile-per-hour pitch. In fairness, two things:

  1. I can't hit an 85 mph pitch.
  2. He's already a better fielder that I ever was.

Sold.

Next year, I'm getting married. While you may not be invited to the wedding, I promise you: if you get me a toaster that burns the Cubs or Bears logo into a piece of bread, I'll love you forever.

I remember as a youngster watching a bit of In Living Color, whose reruns ran right after The Cosby Show. Here is a "Where are They Now?" run-down of the extremely talented cast, including the Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx, and (I think) every conceivable Wayans brother/sister.

I have a feeling this new Mark Wahlbeg - Will Ferrell movie is one of those movies that I'm going to want to see, but the Significant Other won't. What a shame, it looks outstanding.

The ESPN 30 for 30 documentary series continues to impress. This past episode, "No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson" examines race relations in the early 1990s in Virginia through the lens of a controversial trial featuring Allen Iverson, the state's best football and basketball player. The best thing about all of these docs: The fact that I've followed sports closely for the past 10-15 years, and each of these documentaries show me something I've never seen before.

JOIN THE CAUSE!

And, for your video of the week, I give you the Cheesiest Baseball Song ever written. After listening, those of you who don't like "Go Cubs Go" can never complain again. And yes, Scott Stapp is (obviously) involved: