THE GAME: Node Links

1. ESPN columnist Bill Simmons pens a hilarious and entertaining recap of Wrestlemania XXVI. Amid the hilarity, Simmons makes an observation that directly relates to THE GAME:

“Am I the only one who's always wanted to see a triple-threat match in boxing or the UFC? Wouldn't this save boxing undercards?”

2. Founded by artist Tom Russotti, The Institute for Aesthletics is:

 “an organization dedicated to the playing of sports as an artistic practice. Aesthletics is a conscious acknowledgment of sport, especially contemporary spectator sports, as a mixture of physical activity, social interaction, movement, performance, and ritual. Aesthletics aims to unleash the great opportunities inherent in competitive contests for social rather than monetary capital. As such, aesthletics merges the language of sports with the methods and goals of participatory art to produce games that foster social interaction, deliver significant meaning and context, and promote a more creative and widespread culture of socio-physical activity.  The process of aesthletics includes inventing new sports, developing site and people-specific games, creating concurrent games-related performances, developing unconventional uniform and team identities, experimenting with practices of documentation, and promoting collaboration with artists and athletes.  The ultimate goal of aesthletics is to create a more meaningful and socially productive method of playing physical games.”

Some of the many sports that the Institute has conceived and developed include MegaSoccer, Mercury and wiffle hurling:

Related content: an IdeaBOARD post about “Aesthletics”

3. As a practicing dentist, I find that identifying and treating the MB2 canal (a hard to find fourth canal present in approximately 95% of upper first molars) on an upper first molar is one of the more challenging and rewarding things to do in endodontics. Dr. Glen Van As, from North Vancouver, B.C., shows how he finds the MB2 using a high magnification dental operating microscope and ultrasonic instrumentation.

Here’s a reference for some of the terminology that Dr. Van As uses in the video:

Apically: towards the root of the tooth.

Mesial: towards the front of the mouth.

Distal: towards the back of the mouth.

Buccal: towards the tooth surface that is next to your cheeks.

Palatal: towards the surface of the tooth that is next to your palate.

4. A gallery of favorite Editors’ photos from the pages of Architectural Digest.

5. Andy from Spawn of MZone proposes his helmet redesigns for the Big Ten in his “Big Televen Makeover”.

Pro Wrestling…The NBA…Same Difference

For decades, NBA fans have speculated (particularly during the playoffs) that the NBA gives “star” players preferential treatment and/or manipulates the outcomes of games through the actions (or inactions) of their officials. The league has vigorously denied these accusations in the past, but now disgraced former NBA referee, Tim Donaghy is claiming in his new book, Blowing the Whistle, that there is a “rampant culture of fraud” in the league.

Interestingly the book’s pubisher, Triumph Books was ready to begin printing the book until the NBA came calling (excerpt courtesy of Deadspin):

“About 10 months ago, (Donaghy) shopped the book to Triumph Books, an imprint of Random House, according to a source close to Donaghy. Triumph, the source says, "put forth a huge effort to verify every statement in that book." (Triumph's editorial director, Tom Bast, declined to comment.) Two weeks ago,Blowing the Whistle was ready for printing; 60 Minutes had plans to interview Donaghy in conjunction with the book's publication. Then the NBA came calling. "They came after Random House and threatened a lawsuit," the source says, "and Random House just rolled and decided to not go with it. It's really that simple." To his knowledge, no one at the NBA had actually read the book.

There are many reasons to simply dismiss Donaghy’s claims based on his character, current financial status, relationship (or lack thereof) with his former employer and colleagues, etc.. But, I can’t help but think of how quickly I dismissed Jose Canseco’s claims of rampant steroid use in Major League Baseball when he came out with his book, Juiced. Sadly, as we all know now, the majority of what he claimed was truthful. Certainly, most of what Donaghy claims in his book could be lies, but NBA conspiracy theorist now have someone who worked on “the inside” finally corroborating what they have suspected all along.