![Talk about beautiful evidence. This map represents the “social network” of Mexican drug cartels, and the really compelling thing is how few nodes are “central.” The distribution is so vast and the relationships appear to be so local that there are way fewer “hubs” than I’d expect. Cool stuff. [Via Fast Company]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lctgsoszkG1qz86rvo1_500.jpg)
Talk about beautiful evidence. This map represents the “social network” of Mexican drug cartels, and the really compelling thing is how few nodes are “central.” The distribution is so vast and the relationships appear to be so local that there are way fewer “hubs” than I’d expect. Cool stuff. [Via Fast Company]
Giannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnts!
“We want our favorites to be great out there, and when that stops we feel betrayed a little. They have not only failed, but failed us. Maybe this is the real dividing line between pros and bystanders, between the players and the fans. All players know that at any moment things can go horribly wrong for them in their line of work — they’ll stop hitting, or, if they’re pitchers, suddenly find that for some reason they can no longer fling the ball through the invisible sliver of air where it will do its best work for them — and they will have to live with that diminishment, that failure, for a time and even for good. It’s part of the game. They are prepared to lose out there in plain sight, while the rest of us do it in private and then pretend it hasn’t happened.” — Roger Angell, in an afterword to an essay called “Quis,” about Royals closer Dan Quisenberry. It was published in the New Yorker in September of 1985, as the Royals were closing in on their first and only World Series championship. He added the afterword for a collection called Season Ticket, published in 1988, after Quisenberry had been released from the Royals.
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Charles says he wants to be Tasered, and that he would let Ernie do it. Kenny asks why not him. Chuck: “Because I hate you, Kenny.”
Steve Nash: “Obviously the passing of the recent bill and what that means to our state, to civil liberties, and the quality and precedent it’s setting, and message it sends to our youngsters in the community, we have a problem with that. It’s great that our owner took the initiative and our players are behind him.” And they’re wearing jerseys that read “Los Suns” at their playoff game tonight.
I’m just getting around to uploading this year’s bracket, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a pang of regret as I did so. It was less a “pang,” actually, than a crippling spasm. What can I say? It’s not easy to create a blog post from a fetal position. Anyway, I am most sickened by my smug comment in the round 2 prediction, in which I had Kansas beating UNLV. “Thanks, Rebs,” I breezily wrote, as I was already focused on witty remarks to make about the next round, in which we’d meet up with Maryland (WRONG, again). Anyway, there are some good picks in here — Cornell in the Sweet Sixteen … Maybe that’s the only one.
The biggest play of the game may have been Alex Ovechkin’s open-ice demolition of Jagr, which led to a quick Russian goal and an arena-wide gasp (it was the hockey equivalent of the collapse of the North Tower). More at the New Yorker’s Sporting Scene blog.
Giants fans have been pretty lucky over the past few years, tainted as they are, and Lincecum is the latest reason to get psyched for April. Let’s go, Giants. Photo: Brad Mangin
Genius stitching and polaroid by: That Kate.