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NFL Divisional Playoffs 2011–My Picks

by Don Sorcinelli Published on: January 14, 2011
Comments: No Comments
Tags: NFL, Picks, Playoffs
Categories:Football, Personal

OK, OK. So my picks for last weekend’s Wild Card Playoffs weren’t exactly something to brag about. They weren’t exactly terrible, either. Somewhere right in the middle at 2-2 vs. the spread. Just to recap…

I picked the Saints (-10) to beat the Seahawks, but not cover the spread.
OK, so I didn’t see this one coming. I thought it was going to be close, with the Super Bowl experience winning out. I didn’t expect to see Marshawn Lynch pull a Lou Ferrigno/Incredible Hulk impression.
I picked the Colts (-2.5) to top the Jets on the field and cover.
This could’ve gone either way. I think the lesson learned is that Peyton Manning’s best years may be behind him. By that I don’t mean him – I mean the supporting cast around him. It is now becoming more evident that he can’t do it on his own.
I picked the Chiefs (+3) in the upset over the Ravens.
Did someone deliver a collective lobotomy to the Chiefs before kickoff? I have never seen a team looking so much like they had no clue of who they were playing. The term “deer in the headlights” has never been more appropriate. Man – did I blow this one.
Green Bay (+2.5) to win and cover over the Eagles.
At least there’s one game that I looked smart on.

So now it’s time to go out on a limb and pick next week’s games. Here’s to hoping I don’t look so bad two weeks in a row…

Baltimore (+3) at Pittsburgh
Are you kidding me?!? I have to start out picking this game? These two teams are like identical twins that don’t like each other getting into a fistfight. Honestly – this game comes down (yet again) to the last possession or two. I guess it’s just a matter of taking the points and crossing my fingers, so…
My Pick: Baltimore on the points; know the heck knows who’ll win on the field.

Green Bay (+2.5) at Atlanta
So, things don’t get much easier here. I think this comes down to offense/defense comparisons. While Atlanta’s offense is really good, Green Bay’s defense has been “lights out” the last two months. On the other side, Green Bay (and Aaron Rogers) have played so well over the last month, and Atlanta’s defense has not really impressed me. It’s not that they’re bad, mind you; just not standout. This means Atlanta does get points, but Green Bay gets more.
My Pick: Green Bay with the points and to win on the field.

Seattle (+10) at Chicago
I said it last week and I’ll say it again – double-digit pointspreads in the playoffs are usually the “kiss of death”. Combine that with the fact that Jay Cutler is always one snap away from a game-changing event (for the other team) and 10 points is just way too much to give here. I also have to say that if the Seattle coaching staff and Matt Hasselbeck do as good a job this week at game planning as they did last week, anything can happen. In the end, though, Seattle has looked so bad on the road this year that I think they come up a bit short (just like I thought they would last week, right?)
My Pick: Seattle for the points, but the Bears for the win.

NY Jets (+9) at New England
Wow – if you had told me at the start of this season that the Pats would be playing the Jets in a playoff game and were giving NINE POINTS, I would have asked what medication you were currently on. Here’s my take on this game – the Jets are good, but not great. The defense has been exposed as being good, but not the showstoppers they have been the past couple of years. Last week’s win was, in my opinion, as much about how far the Colts offense has fallen as it was about the Jets defense. When you consider the “machine” this defense faces again in Brady and Bellicheck and their ability to dissect defenses like no others, there’s a lot to be worried about if your Gang Green. I think the best defense for the Jets is to keep the Pats offense off the field, so the Jets running game is everything here. That’s a big “if” this season. Consistency in the running game hasn’t been a trademark by any stretch.
One thing is for sure – I cannot see another 42-point blowout this time around. However, I just can’t see this Patriots team being flustered or unprepared for any and every situation. In the end and with a bit of hesitation given the spread, I still say…
My Pick: Pats to cover and win.

Alright then. I’ve climbed back out on the prognostication limb. Please don’t let it break… Smile

NFL Wildcard Week 2011–My Picks

by Don Sorcinelli Published on: January 8, 2011
Comments: No Comments
Tags: NFL, Picks, Playoffs
Categories:Football, Personal

Just looked at the clock and realized I better get my picks in before it’s too late (or people think I cheated ). Here goes…

New Orleans Saints (-10) at Seattle Seahawks
This is a classic example of picking the spread versus picking the winner on the field. To be honest, New Orleans just has not impressed me as a “back in the Super Bowl” team. A lot of turnovers, no running game (and even less this week with the injuries) and a defense that just isn’t as impressive as last year. But – they’re play the Seahawks. Sorry, all my Seattle peeps and ‘softie friends – this team either wins big or loses big this year. In the dictionary under “inconsistent”, there should be the Seahawks logo. Home field and some weather will keep this close (inside the spread in my opinion), but in the end I just don’t think the Seahawks will prevail.

MY PICK: Seahawks for the points, but Saints for the win.

NY Jets (+2.5) at Indianapolis
You want my emotional pick? I hope Rex Ryan decides himself to try to trip someone and instead gets trampled by all 22 players on the field, resulting in making his fat mouth even fatter. Now, on to the game…
If you look at the last month, you see one of these two teams winning when they need to and one not. The Jets seem like they’re in another late-season freefall, but this year it didn’t cost them a playoff spot. Meanwhile, Peyton Manning seems to have put his “interception fest” of earlier in the season behind him. While the Jets should (on paper) be able to deal with the Colts offense, they always seem to have difficulties. That’s a tribute to Manning, in my opinion. Combine this with all the questions around Mark Sanchez, both physically and mentally as of late, and the Jets are going to need to rise above their recent selves to make this a game.

MY PICK: Colts on the field

Baltimore (-3) at Kansas City
If everything I read and hear is correct, Baltimore is the most disrespected group of individuals in the history of civilization and Kansas City should not be allowed to call themselves an NFL team. My response – WTF? Don’t get me wrong – kudos to Baltimore on a great season, but this team is a shadow of its Super Bowl greatness. The defense will need to rely on its experience, NOT its athletic ability this time around. Meanwhile, the Chiefs have a great running game and a better-than-given-credit passing game. I have never been as impressed as others have with Joe Flacco, by the way. It comes down to Ray Rice vs, the Chiefs run defense for Ravens success. In the end…

MY PICK: Kansas City on the field for the upset.

Green Bay (+2.5) at Philadelphia
For me, this game comes down to one thing – which quarterback lasts the full game. Vick’s got a bum quad, which means the “Vick Factor” is limited. While he’s light years improved as a pocket passer, that is not what makes the Eagles offense difficult to defense. Add the Green Bay defense, which is amazingly underrated the last couple of months, and their ability to bring heat and I see some trouble for the Eagles. On the other hand, I think Aaron Rogers is a strong gust of wind to the helmet away from a concussion-induced early retirement (and that is a terrible shame, in my opinion). Without a trace of a decent running game, you know the Eagles are going to be pinning their ears back and gunning straight for Rogers. I wouldn’t be surprised if this game ends up being another Packers single-digit-score-for-both-teams defensive battle. That being said…

MY PICK: Green Bay on the field

Companies and Technologies Can Change For The Better

by Don Sorcinelli Published on: January 8, 2011
Comments: No Comments
Tags: Android, Apple, Business, iPhone, Microsoft, RIM, technology, Windows Phone 7
Categories:Business, Personal, Technology

I just finished posting an article at BostonPocketPC.com that was the result of a “personal experiment”. With Windows Phone 7 essentially being a “reboot” of Microsoft’s cell phone strategy and operating system and a new user focus, I wanted to see for myself in a more objective fashion whether Microsoft was truly on the right track. If you read the article, you will discover that the “subject” for the experiment was my wife Melissa – a perfect candidate to determine if Windows Phone 7 could meet her needs. Without giving away the entire article, I will say that both Microsoft and LG (the maker of the LG QUANTUM phone Melissa used) seemed to be nearly on the mark.

There always seems to be an argument for whether or not companies, like people, can fundamentally change (especially for the better). For many, the thought often appears to be that such change is next to (if not entirely) impossible. Fundamental change is either too disruptive, too costly or simply too dramatic to work. I tend to be someone who stands of the side of change being possible. Maybe I’m an optimist, but I look to history to see the successes of businesses fundamentally changing as well as the failures. Especially when it comes to technology companies, there are far too many examples of fundamental change that have resulted in success.

How many times has IBM “reinvented” itself through change? What about Apple during “The Second Coming of Jobs”? What about Microsoft “finally getting the Internet” a decade-plus ago? One thing about companies in the tech sector – there are always opportunities for fundamental business change because technology itself is constantly fundamentally changing. The key to business success is to be able to identify the change and then adjust. Ideally, you identify the technology change early and become an innovator. However, there is no rule that says you absolutely have to do this to be successful. Apple jumped on the media player and smartphone bandwagons well after the technologies themselves were taking off. Microsoft embraced the Internet well after many other companies have. The key for the eventual successes in both cases, though, was the ability to change and change well. Both Apple and Microsoft both moved to these technology spaces with offerings that people wanted and liked. Company size, by the way, is not the primary reason why these companies eventually succeeded. One can argue that no matter how much money or resources you have, you will not succeed without a compelling offering.

Microsoft took a rather gutsy approach when it came to Windows Phone 7. Essentially, there was a realization that their phone strategy that was once successful with Windows Mobile was no longer the case. The technology, user base and markets itself had evolved while Windows Mobile itself did not. Microsoft could have continued to attempt to try to evolve Windows Mobile, but the core target audience for smartphone technology had moved away from Windows Mobile. They wanted functionality, yes, but without the complexities of a personal computer. The smartphone should be a phone first, with user experiences focused on the form factors and true desires of a new generation of users. Microsoft’s decision to quite literally “reboot” their phone platform from the ground up would be costly in a number of ways, but with a newer focus and the correct vision would be more viable in the long term.

When people discuss the limitations of Windows Phone 7, I often have to remind them that this platform is not “Windows Mobile 6 + 1”; it is far more like “Windows Phone 7, Version 1.0”. To create an entirely new and different experience from Windows Mobile, the platform did start over. As for initial “success metrics” – many seem to have forgotten the iPhone 1.0 and Android 1.x – both very good platforms today and marginally better than their initial incarnations. Finally, as for the “too little, too late” argument made by many – if that were true in this market segment, Android wouldn’t have gotten very far. Remember – in a technology segment that is constantly evolving, there really isn’t a “too late”. I often say that there are no “Smartphone Wars”, only a series of “Smartphone Battles” over time. Palm (old Palm, mind you), RIM, Windows Mobile, iPhone and Android have all seen moments at the top – none have one a permanent spot though and likely never will.

Watching my wife use a Windows Phone 7 device and watching her fall in love with the phone and technology have once again that a company can change for the better. Microsoft recognized where they were and where they needed to be when it came to their phone strategy. While far from perfect, Windows Phone 7 seems to have created something that actually makes for a compelling product for a massive and seemingly ever-growing target audience. Here’s to continuing to watch as Windows Phone 7 and the smartphone market continue to evolve and how companies try to adjust – all for the betterment of the consumer.

Tech and the State of “Making Things Work with Other Things”

by Don Sorcinelli Published on: January 2, 2011
Comments: 3 Comments
Tags: interoperability, technology
Categories:Personal, Technology

The holiday season usually serves as a time to catch up with friends and family. In my case, at least a few of these contacts are a result of an age-old dilemma of technology. The conversation, be it by phone or email, eventually comes to a line like -

“So, I ‘m trying to get [fill in the technology A] to work with [fill in the technology B]…”

I would go on, but usually there are at least one or two expletives that follow and I’m trying not to be too offensive in 2011. The amazing things to me about all of this is that another year has come and gone, with lots of cool and innovative new technology, but the same old problem still exists. We still have technology that is supposed to work with other technology and it either doesn’t, or doesn’t without great difficulty.

I consider myself lucky when it comes to making technology work together. I attribute this to the following personal attributes -

I love technology.
No matter how obscure the tech, I tend to love it. The result has been a lot of “orphaned” products over the years, but I still love it.
I love figuring out how things work.
Again – no matter how convoluted the technology, I still want to know what makes stuff work.
I’m one stubborn SOB.
Perhaps this is most important. Give me a challenge and I’ll take it. Frustrate me and I’ll keep coming back.

All of this makes me the logical choice to be the proverbial Guinea Pig or just the plain old glutton for punishment, but I end up being the one trying to make things work together. Now, the problem with all of this is – it shouldn’t be this hard. It’s 2011; we’ve had plenty of time to focus not only on making “new stuff”, but also on making stuff work with other stuff. Yet by and large this is still not the case.

When it comes to technology working with other technology, the things that frustrate me the most are -

Things that there is no excuse for not working with other things. Especially when companies market how “easy” it is to make things work together.
Things that only work with other things if all of the things are from one company. I refer to this as the “Sony Effect”. You can argue this should be named after other companies, but Sony has been doing this about as long as I can remember. This is Sony – the people who brought you BetaMax and the Memory Stick. If you are telling me that I have to buy all of your stuff in order to make it all work together, well, you probably won’t find me buying ANY of your stuff.
Things that are supposed to be “standards-based” that turn out to have lots of caveats and fine print that make them no better than “The Sony Effect”. Don’t tell me you are based on a standard but only work with your interpretation of that standard. It’s as insulting to my intelligence as saying “This is blue. It may look like yellow to you, but it’s blue. By the way – you need to use our blue because the other blue stuff isn’t yellowish enough to work.”

All of this had led me to write some tips for all of my friends, acquaintances and even those strangers who ask me to help make Product A work with Product B. Consider it “Uncle Don’s 2011 Interoperability Rules to Live By”…

RULE #1: Never assume that a product or technology will work with another, no matter how much the product’s manufacturer tells you it will.
A company telling you something works with something else falls into the deep, dark. soulless void that is marketing. This void is often so far removed from reality that it bends light like a black hole. Come to think of it – the harder a company sells you on interoperability, the more you should be wary.
RULE #2: The Internet is your friend. Use it to research before you buy.
If you are buying a product with a primary purchase criteria being how well or easily the product works with other products, take the time to research the claims. Unless you HAVE to buy a new product the day it comes out (see Rule #3), there’s a good chance someone else has already gone through the pain or pleasure of making it all work together. And talked about it on the Internet. In painstaking detail. Multiple times.
RULE #3: Caveat Emptor (translation – DON’T BUY SOMETHING THE DAY IT COMES OUT).
”Shiny new” also means “untested and unproven by the masses”. If you simply MUST have it the day it comes out, then you have to take responsibility if things don’t work out. I used to be one of those “HAVE to have it” people. I now avoid being that person at all costs. I only HAVE to have it the word “have” is tangible, like I need it, not want it.
RULE #4: Finding a solution to making technology work together may not happen instantly. Deal with it.
It may take some research, some trial and error and a lot of cursing to make things work sometimes. If you don’t want to deal with that, then don’t put yourself in that situation. And no – calling or emailing someone like me isn’t a way to avoid that situation. You see, I may not have the answer either. No getting mad at me for not knowing the answer, either. Personally, I am establishing a “No Psychological Transference of Frustration Policy” in 2011. Translation – it’s not my problem if you bought, you can’t make it work and you want me to bail you out and I can’t.

Will things get better over time? Sure they will – but I doubt they’ll be entirely solved any time soon, if ever. As long as companies insist on proprietary solutions or half-a$$ed implementations of standards (or standards not even existing), there will be products that are supposed to work with other products but will not. It’s just the way things are. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go fix a phone that’s not wirelessly synchronizing with a desktop computer… Smile

One Reason I Love Technology

by Don Sorcinelli Published on: January 1, 2011
Comments: No Comments
Tags: No Tags
Categories:Personal, Technology

When it comes to technology, change is inevitable. For some, that’s a bad thing. For someone like me, however, that means that there is always something new to try. In other words – never a dull moment. Take, for example, this blog.

I’ve moved to a new blogging engine today. Mind you, the engine itself is not new – its WordPress (http://www.wordpress.org). It is new for me however. As a leader in blogging software, there is a wealth of support for WordPress in the way of site themes, plug-ins and tools. Among the tools – applications allowing you to manage and post to your site from just about anywhere. Like your phone, for example.

I am writing this very post using the official WordPress application for Windows Phone 7. It allows me to create posts, manage content and comments, and much more – right from the comfort of my phone (no desktop computer needed). As someone who has been tied to a desktop browser for years when it comes to managing websites, I feel like it’s Christmas all over again.

While technology may be frustrating at times, you have to admit it – there’s hardly ever a dull moment

New Year, New Focuses

by Don Sorcinelli Published on: January 1, 2011
Comments: 4 Comments
Tags: blogging, miscellaneous, Windows Phone 7, WordPress
Categories:Miscellaneous

First off – Happy New Year to all! Here’s to hoping that New Years Eve 2010 was eventful, joyful and safe. Here’s to hoping the same for everyone for 2011 as well.

As a starter, a fresh year is starting with a fresh blog. Some problems with the old blog engine has given me the excuse I need to finally move to a WrodPress engine. This gives me a lot of options moving forward. I may migrate the old content over, but to be honest – there’s not a lot worth moving. This leads to the rest of my thoughts for the new year.

It’s (yet again) been a bit slow here at the personal blog. I could make a bunch of excuses for this, but the reality is that of all the ways that I communicate with the world at large, this blog has been low on the list. As a refresher, here is the varied list of communication I choose to use on a daily basis -

Twtter (http://twitter.com/DPSJ)
Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/don.sorcinelli)
BostonPocketPC.com (http://www.bostonpocketpc.com)
Foursquare (http://www.foursquare.com)
Here

Over the months, I have come to several conclusions regarding the state of Internet communication as it relates to yours truly -

There is more than one way to communicate thoughts in today’s world of the Internet and Social Media.
In the “Good Ol’ Days” of the Internet (pre-Twitter, pre-Facebook, etc), the blog WAS the thing. If I wished to express thoughts, point people to relevant information or just say “Hi” to a larger audience, it was through a blog – period. Now, we have all of these great methods for effectively communicate to the world-at-large. Sometimes this means making choices and picking one method over another.
Some communication methods are better than others based upon conditions and criteria.
If you haven’t figured it all out yet, some of today’s tools for communication are “better” than others at delivering a message. I put the word better in quotes because it is subjective and based upon personal need and desire. In my case, I have come to some very absolute conclusions -
- Social media tools like Twitter and Facebook are very effective at delivering very brief “bursts” of information. If you can sum things up in 160 characters or less, Twitter is a great way to communicate. You can deliver the message from virtually anywhere (desktop, phone, etc) using a dizzying array of tools (SMS, applications, a web browser) at virtually any time.
  While Facebook allows for lengthier communication, it seems to be most effective in the same short bursts of text. I, for example, am set up so that all of my Twitter “tweets” (posts) are automatically pushed to my Facebook account as well.
- As nice as social media is, it is really just for those short bursts of information. Detailed information, complex thoughts and things that are simply more verbose simply don’t work with social media. Of course, I can tweet about something lengthier, providing a link to the greater detail (I do this a lot, by the way). As a result, there is still a place for blogs/websites; they are the location for the “stories” (news, opinion, etc) of the Internet. I have come to feel as though blogs are like the new program of the Internet, while Twitter and Facebook are the little “news ticker” that scrolls along the bottom of the screen (except in the case of CNN, MSNBC and Fox News, where news scrolls while news is broadcast on the top, bottom and sides of screens, apparently attempting to induce either a state of information catatonia or seizure ).
Even buckets have buckets sometimes.
So I know generally where I want to post information, right? Lengthy stuff in a blog, brief stuff on Twitter and Facebook. Great! But what happens when I own or am involved in more than one blog or website, and I have more than one Facebook or Twitter account? Welcome to my world, which consists of -
- Three separate blogs/websites to which I contribute. There are the 2 previous websites I mentioned, BostonPocketPC.com and this blog. There is also a third website you may not be aware of – AndroidThoughts.com (http://www.androidthoughts.com), where I am a Contributing Editor, focusing on the Android platform from a mostly developer and enterprise/corporate perspective.
- Two Twitter accounts – the aforementioned DPSJ account and a second account (BPPC – http://twitter.com/BPPC) which serves at communicating information related to the BostonPocketPC.com website and occasional specific information.
- A Facebook account (mentioned above) and a Facebook page for BostonPocketPC.com (http://www.facebook.com/bostonpocketpc) dedicated to providing a Facebook presence for the BostonPocketPC.com website.

Confused? Like I said – welcome to my world Winking smile The constant dilemma I face every time I touch a keyboard with the thought of communicating to the outside world.

All of this said, I think I have a pretty good handle on most of this. However, my organizational structure to this point has left this blog often at the bottom of the list. As a sort of New Years Resolution, I have decided to change that. So here is how you will find me writing more here in 2011 -

When it comes to my blog and website contributions, there will be a place for everything (and everything in its place). Here is what I plan to contribute at each website -
- BostonPocketPC.com – I will continue to focus on the same things here that I have focused on over the past 9 years (today marks the 9-year anniversary of BostonPocketPC.com, by the way). You will find my pointed thoughts, news and reviews specific to Windows Phone and Microsoft mobile technologies as well as Boston/New England Windows Phone User and Developer Group news and announcements. There may be some “crossover” news that may be relevant between my sites from time to time; when that occurs, I will make certain that all the news is propagated accordingly.
- AndroidThoughts.com – As mentioned before, the focus of my contributions to this website are very well defined. If it’s news, reviews or opinions related to the world of the Android operating system and platform for developers or the enterprise, you will find me (and my content) here. Again – there is always the possibility of something broad enough to be of relevance beyond just this website. If it is the case, I will make a point to communicate it on the other sites and point to AndroidThoughts accordingly.
- Here – While it might not seem apparent, my new focused approach leaves a lot of opportunity for fresh content. My goal for 2011 is to use this blog to talk about “everything else”. That leaves a lot to talk about, be it from a more personal perspective or on those things around mobility that are more generalized and do not fit into the world of “just Android” or “Just Windows Phone”. Trust me on this one folks – there is a boatload I want to talk about around this in 2011
As for Twitter and Facebook, that system seems to be working out well so I will leave them as they are – with one minor “tweak”. While I have on occasion used my DPSJ Twitter account to point here, 2011 comes with the guarantee that all new posts here will be referenced. This will make my DPSJ Twitter account a “one-stop shop” for all of my blog/website postings.

Hopefully, my new focus on “content management” will result in more activity here. For those who still actually check in, I send you my thanks for doing so. Here’s to providing you with something more worthy of your patience and loyalty!

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