On the 8 Spot

This deserves a recap from Bill Simmons!

In the bigger picture, the misjudgment of James was less important than the effort that was inspired by his Miami teammate. Wade didn’t win but he succeeded in making a statement of his own. It came at the expense of Bryant, who had nothing to say in victory. Instead he was being evaluated for headaches he suffered on this rare and meaningful night, when the world’s best players met to celebrate their talents and a game actually broke out.

via Dwyane Wade turns NBA All-Star Game into must-see competition – Ian Thomsen – SI.com.

Almost 30 years ago, the organisational theorist Karl Weick made an observation that campaigners on everything from global warming to homelessness have been ignoring ever since. Sometimes, he pointed out, convincing the world that you’re fighting a Very Serious Problem actually makes it harder to solve. In a paper entitled Small Wins: Redefining The Scale Of Social Problems, Weick argued that perceiving challenges as huge made people seize up – disabling “the very resources of thought and action needed to change them”. The history of gay rights, feminism and environmentalism, he claimed, showed that pursuing little victories was the better plan. They delivered quick motivation boosts, triggering a snowball effect. Want to change the world? First, stop trying to change the world.

via This column will change your life: small victories | Oliver Burkeman | Life and style | The Guardian.

I shouldn’t have opened my email. I was just supposed to email GTUG that my GDAC slot could be given to others because I am having migraines. I shouldn’t have checked my work email. This is becoming not fun, and when you feel underpaid the fun part is the only thing you are holding on to. This will probably not end well.

For the first time in a week, I didn’t wish for Lin to be anything other than what he was—an utterly unique and galvanizing basketball force. I raised my arms in victory with everyone else in the packed bar and tried in vain to hold back a wide, beery smile. I don’t even like the Knicks.

How could anyone begrudge Lin his naked joy, his infectious effort? How could you not appreciate his poise in the face of this scrutiny, these expectations, the whole mass of us clawing at him across two continents? How could I ask any more from this 23-year-old kid? He had transported me back to that first game I ever watched him play, before I knew who he was or what he believed. I saw only a basketball player capable of dragging a bunch of scrubs to new heights, a point guard, a leader—one who happened to look just a little bit like me.

via Jeremy Lin inspires “Linsanity”: Why this is both thrilling and worrisome. – Slate Magazine.

Yahoo

Goodbye withney houston RIP

”People are experiencing less and recording more…”

via “People are Experiencing Less….” : Moose Peterson’s Website.

Anyway, Im guessing Linsanity would narrowly edge Diaws boobs and win the “Eastern Fun Pick” vote for five reasons: Hes causing an Internet riot right now; he single-handedly saved the Knicks season and gave it life; he went to Harvard, of all places even more incredible than him breaking the Taiwanese-American barrier, in my opinion; hes a shockingly intelligent offensive player none other than Steve Nash blessed his game on Twitter recently; and most important, hes immensely fun to watch. I genuinely enjoy his herky-jerky game, the way he splits two defenders on the high screen, his deftness around the rim, his goofy jump shot, the way his teammates respond to him, his joy for basketball … its just hard for me to believe that Lin is destined to become this generations Billy Ray Bates in other words, someone who catches lightning in a bottle for a few weeks and thats it. At the very least, he should be able to ease into a J.J. Barea-esque career as an impact offensive player who occasionally swings games off the bench. Anything less and I would be disappointed. Too bad we cant sneak him into the All-Star Game.In case you were wondering: Yes, we forgot to put Jeremy Lin on the All-Star ballot.

via Who should have really made the NBA All-Star team? – Grantland.

Life’s a bitch and then you die.

“COMFORT IS THE GOAL OF LIFE”

This is a pervasive and sinister belief that has – at times – caused me to compromise more than I should. When I aspire to comfort as the greatest goal of life, I refuse anything that might cause me pain or hardship, even if that means I have to abandon my pursuit of true north.

It is struggle that gives life its meaning, and the pauses and blessings that punctuate its landscape. Sometimes that struggle is against self and the laziness that craves only comfort. The creative process is a personal assault on the beachhead of apathy, and to succumb to the path of comfort is to turn our backs on the greatness that is on the other side of sacrifice. I refuse to allow comfort to be my ambition. Comfort is often the enemy of greatness.

via Five Lies I No Longer Believe | TODD HENRY.