Last night's 3-1 win over Puerto Rico snapped a five-game winless streak for the Atlanta Silverbacks. It was looking bleak for a while, but they're still well on track for a playoff spot.

After 12 games, the Silverbacks are sitting in 5th place with 17 points. The standings are misleading, though, because not all of the teams have played the same number of games. The Portland Timbers, for instance, are only one point above Atlanta, but have played two more games.

The chart below shows the team's trajectory so far this season compared to the previous three.

The team finished with 43 points in 2007, 35 in 2006, and 33 in 2005. Source: USL

The team is doing better so far this year than they were last year, which ended in the championship match versus Seattle.

Ultimate time lapse from curt on Vimeo.

I set up my digital camera in the corner of the end zone to record a time lapse video during our game of ultimate. The frames are one second apart.

You don't really get a sense of the game in action, except that you can tell the team in white shirts does a lot of walking (ie. not scoring).

Watching the clouds move across the sky is neat, though, as is seeing the shadow overtake the field as the sun sets.

I recently picked up the Tucano laptop sleeve for my MacBook. I wanted something to protect the computer while it was in my shoulder bag since the ports and disc drive don't have covers of their own.

I was drawn to the neoprene sleeve because of the periodic table styling on the front. Once I got it though, I became impressed with this feature:

An inch or two of material wraps over the edge of the laptop. It definitely feels more secure, but it also protects the case from getting scratched by the zipper.

The sleeve won't protect against series impacts, but I knew that when i got it. It also adds some extra bulk when putting the MacBook in my bag, but the weight is pretty negligible, so it doesn't bother me.

I haven't yet carried liquids alongside the encased computer, so I haven't had the (mis)opportunity to test it's protection against a leaky thermos or water bottle. Apparently, though, the neoprene should be a sufficient shield against small leaks such as those.

Verdict: Recommended

What sleeve do you use for your laptop?

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When I first got my iPhone (after the $200 price drop), I was very happy with it. I've been happy with it since. Friends of mine have criticized it for not using the faster 3G network or having any GPS capabilities, especially considering the initial price. Now there doesn't seem to be any room for criticism -- especially considering the price.

I don't think Apple will have any problems meeting their stated goal to sell 10 million iPhones this year. They were already on their way. The upgraded features and downgraded price just eliminated many of the barriers holding back potential buyers. Also, many current iPhone users will be upgrading, pushing sales figures even higher.

But I'll probably hold on to my current phone for now. It still works just as well as it did before today's announcement, and I expect it will work just as well when the new iPhone is available on July 11. And besides, Christmas is only 198 days away.

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In a video for Current TV, Ira Glass talks about creative endeavors. He explains that it takes a lot of practice to create works that match your own expectations. For a long time, the projects you work on won’t be on par with what you know you can do. So you need to practice. Regularly.

I’m bad at producing on a regular schedule. A couple of years ago, I tried to post a blog entry each week for an entire year.

I didn’t make it.

I tried taking a picture every day for a year.

I think I made it a month. 


I know that keeping up with these projects is worthwhile. (Many have extolled the virtues of writing or taking a photo every day to improve their understanding and skills.) Yet I still can’t seem to follow through.

I have a hard time motivating myself to do these things when they are personal projects on my own time. With no deadlines, there are no negative effects if I fall behind or quit.

But now I have a solution.

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