by A.J. Wood

The UFC is the club to beat in MMA

Watching yesterday’s Affliction MMA event on pay-per-view it became very clear that the UFC remains the top brand for MMA enthusiasts. Here’s a quick list of things wrong with Affliction:

  1. Fights conducted in a boxing ring. Every time the fight went to the ground-against the ropes-the referee had to reposition the fighters. This broke up the momentum of the fight on many occasions.
  2. Megadeth. If I wanted to go to a hair metal show, I would have bought that on pay-per-view. Seriously, the between round entertainment just made a long event even longer and less interesting.
  3. Too much talk about celebrities, too little talk about the fighters. At one point, Michael Buffer actually read the names of the celebrities in attendance. Really? Does anyone care?
  4. Fight commentary. See below.
  5. Wasted time. See #2 & #3. A lot of the fluff surrounding this event could have been cut out reducing the time of this broadcast to less than 3 hours.

Bottom line is right now, the UFC understands their demographic better than the competition. The other MMA brands are trying to create something to appeal to a mass audience, while the UFC simply showcases a better product.

One of the best things the UFC has going for it is Joe Rogan. Do not discount the excellent commentary Joe provides during UFC bouts. A first time MMA viewer can watch a UFC event, and not only does Joe provide information about each fighter, throughout the matches he breaks down the strategy (yes I said it) that each fighter attempts to employ. It’s not just the fact that Joe knows the names of all the different wrestling holds a fighter might use, but he can tell the viewer why a fighter might use one technique over another. No other MMA brand has commentary that provides insight to MMA bouts like the UFC.

The next thing is a UFC pay-per-view or a free Spike TV event is all about MMA and the evening’s fights. No 15 minute entertainment breaks. No WWE over-the-top explosive entrances. No sideline dancers (which never get camera time anyway). When you watch a UFC fight, you’re going to see MMA action.

It’s a shame that Randy Couture is currently wrestling with the UFC over his contract. Last night Fedor Emelianenko was declared the MMA heavy weight to beat. A match between the two would bring in some dollars, but what company will promote the bout remains undecided.

in Editorial 2 comments
 by A.J. Wood

Signs… everywhere there are signs

Are you reading the signs?

(Click the image above to open full size)

The above cartoon from Sinfest seemed appropriate this morning. All too often I find myself asking the Lord for direction, but the communication seems a bit one sided. As a business owner, older-than-average-college-student, husband, new father, it would be nice to clearly see the path God wants me to follow.

How do I discern between my pride and my passion? Am I following the road in His glory or have I not changed direction out of my own stubbornness? When do you give up on a dream in order to take up responsibility?

The past month has been quite a challenge on both a personal & professional level. The dynamic of my life is swirling in whirlpool of choices, and I would prefer not to create a lot of collateral damage with a wrong decision.

And that’s the crux of the problem. You pray, and you take it on faith that you’ll be listening when God whispers in your ear. You pray that gut feeling, or instinct, or sign you think you see is the one that God meant to show you.

But what if you’re so busy looking for the signs you miss your exit?

in Faith 2 comments
 by A.J. Wood

Getting Flash On The iPhone

Yesterday, Adobe chief executive Shantanu Narayen said Flash has been successfully run on an iPhone emulator. This news may raise the hopes that Flash will show itself on the iPhone at some point, maybe even this year. The full story can be read in this Apple Insider article.

My one complaint about working on a Mac has been its less than stellar Flash performance. This is a common complaint, and many of the working Flash guys I know run Windows XP. Apple has complained for some time about the poor OS X performance, and I don’t know if Adobe will change their position. Flash is not the only product that is inferior on the Mac. Acrobat has more functionality (LiveCycle Designer), and features (3D support) under Windows than on OS X. The recent release of Acrobat 9 only furthers this gap.

While the Intel Macs have helped boost Apple’s position in the computer market, I think the bottom line is that Adobe will focus on the platform that delivers more dollars through the door. Corporate customers are more likely to be on a Windows computer. That demographic is the one that relies on the feature set of Acrobat.

Flash leaves me puzzled. I’m seeing a lot more designer/programmer types on Macs, in fact whenever I attend an Adobe related event, the speakers are on Macs. Perhaps the low percentage of Macs in the 3D space has something to do with the lower numbers & Adobe interest. Will be throwing out that question and more while I visit with Adobe here in San Jose.

UPDATE – Found an excellent article regarding Flash & the iPhone via Chris Pirillo.

in Adobe / News / Technology 1 comments
 by A.J. Wood

My First Father’s Day

BEST. DAY. EVER.

Nothing can prepare you for parenthood. Not great parents, or bad parents, a lifetime of experience or a generation of knowledge, every parent has to figure it out on their own. My daughter Sydney will be three months old next week. Sometimes I think if I blink her whole life will pass by me, and yet, there are responsibilities that keep me from the quality time we both deserve.

Today Pastor Hennigan challenged the men of the congregation to do more. To set an example as men. Women have had to battle for their voices to be heard; feminism born from a desire to be treated equally. Men have done little, but play defense, as global events have changed the world around them. They say nothing builds complacency like success, and perhaps men just took it for granted that the world would always be theirs. But as I have asked previously on this blog – where are the male role models these days?

Is it the professional athlete? How many pros dropped out their last year of college just for a shot at big league money? Maybe not all, but look at the ones who make the headlines? Kobe Bryant, Lebron James. Great athletes definitely. Can you blame them for using their talents to make a better life for themselves? Is the media to blame for weaving the tapestry of a rising athletes’ legend?

Are schools causing this male decline? In recent years, I have stumbled upon various articles that point out women’s increasing academic achievements and a decrease in men’s scholarly pursuits. An article on MSN discusses whether schools cater to the strengths of girls, while ignoring the needs of boys. In trying to break away from gender role assignments, are we forgetting that boys & girls are different?

Is feminism stomping out the idea of man? Male chauvinism aside, do women really want a metrosexual sap? Is it possible to look for gender equality, and still celebrate it’s diversity? I know that I love Michelle for all her fierce independence, but I also love the fact that she’s a woman who isn’t constantly trying to prove she’s better than a man. Let me clarify that statement; she can prove she’s worthwhile without a chip on her shoulder. While I’m keenly aware of the statistics that continue to point out women make less money than men, is capitalism really the point of feminism?

OK, I didn’t mean to stray off topic. I just hope that for Michelle & Sydney, I can be the husband & father, the man, that God knows I can be. The kind of man Holli described today in her dedication to Daddy’s Day.

Some related links I scouted while thinkin’ about this post. Consider them NSFW

Top 100 Fictional Male Role Models

Today’s male role models are pathetic.

Are Pickup Artists Bred Fatherless?

in Editorial / Faith 1 comments
 by A.J. Wood

DFWAUG Meets June 21st

June 21st will be the last meeting of the DFWAUG before summer break! Gene McCullagh will demonstrate Portrait Retouching Techniques using Photoshop CS3. Everyone likes to look better in photos, right? Make your friends and family happier with a few simple pixel modifications!

WIN A COPY OF THE CS3 PREMIUM SUITE! You don’t want to miss this raffle which includes not just one Adobe product, but a complete CS3 suite (Web Premium or Design Premium). Tickets will be $5.00 each or 5 tickets for $20.00. This giveaway doesn’t happen all the time, and you must be present to win.

DFWAUG meets on the third Saturday of each month from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at NerdBooks in Richardson.

NerdBooks is located at 1681 Firman Drive, Richardson, TX 75081. View a Google map of the location.

in Adobe / Events 0 comments