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Maybe I’m spoiled by the fact that Channel 4 showed over 100 Padres games in HD this year, or that the Chargers opened the season on Monday Night Football, but I am absolutely floored by the fact that this Sunday’s Chargers vs Ravens game will not be shown in HD on CBS. And believe me, I’m not alone.

Here you have two undefeated teams, both with absolutely stellar defenses, and numerous sports reporters and analysts listing this as one of their top games to watch this week. With so much on the line in this game and so much national interest, why did CBS decide that this game was not worth the effort and resources to broadcast in HD?

Let’s take a look at the map of CBS games broadcasting at 10:00AM (PDT):

• Blue covers the regions where the Chargers vs Ravens game will be seen
• Red covers the regions where the Colts vs Jets game will be seen (in HD)
• Green covers the regions where the Dolphins vs Texans game will be seen

Using that map, we can see that, geographically speaking, the Chargers game is broadcast over a much larger area. So that would be one argument in favor of broadcasting that game in HD instead of the Colts vs Jets game.

Another argument here is what I’ve said already, we’re talking about two very strong undefeated teams with dynamic defenses and the best running back in the league on the Chargers.

Whereas in the one HD game they are broadcasting in the morning, the Colts at the Jets, you have one great team (Colts) playing a somewhat mediocre team (the Jets). The Jets have one of the worst defenses in the league with which Peyton Manning should have no trouble owning. Not to mention that this game isn’t even a divisional matchup.

Okay, you can argue that the Charges and Ravens aren’t in a divisional matchup either, but I’d all but guarantee more people are interested in seeing this bitter battle between two strong contenders than watch what should be a pretty one-sided game.

I think a bigger question here is why does CBS only cover three NFL games in HD each week when Fox is able to cover six games in HD? I doubt it’s a money issue seeing as how CBS is currently the most successful of the networks. Is it Infrastructure? Well if so, then find out what Fox is doing right because they’re walking all over you when it comes to sports in HD. I used to really like CBS’ NFL coverage, but right now they are definitely leaving much to be desired.

Oh well, I can look forward to next week when the Steelers come to San Diego to play on NBC Sunday Night Football. At least that way we’re guaranteed to see it in HD …

So “Weird” Al Yankovic has a new album coming out next week called “Straight Outta Lynwood”. The title is a parody of the N.W.A. album “Straight Outta Compton”, although it is probably also a nod to the popularity of subsequent “Straight Outta _______” rap album titles. It’s his first new album in 3 years, and if his lead single is any indication, it should be a good album.

He released the video for his lead single, “White and Nerdy”, on Monday of this week and after watching it, it hits me that the video is so painfully similar to my own life that it might as well be my autobiography. It’s a hilarious video, don’t get me wrong, but it might as well be about me (okay maybe with a few exceptions, I don’t play D&D haha).

Anyway, check out the video below, I’m sure you’ll get a kick out of it.

I’ve expressed my preference of using Macs over PCs and after my latest round of fighting a very stubborn spyware program, I’ve decided to just make the plunge now and replace my PC with a Mac Mini. When digging through the Windows Registry, running scan after scan, and system restore all yielded no results, I was just fed up.

So I ordered my new 1.83Ghz Core Duo Mac Mini the other day and it should be here on Tuesday. I’m selling my PC since I don’t need it now and that helps alleviate the cost of the new computer. And plus, now that Macs are Intel-based and Apple has released Boot Camp for free, I can easily boot up into Windows if and when I ever need to use it, otherwise I’ll just be using the Mac in OS X.

It’s small, quiet, and runs cool; all three great things to have when I sleep in the same room as the computer. My old computer was just a little loud and ran hot (notorious for Pentium 4’s). No joke, my room could be 5-10º warmer than the rest of the house, even with the A/C running.

So look forward to more geeky posts in the coming days.

I’ve shut down all parts of my site in memory of those who perished five years ago today. Please take the time to spend some time reflecting on those events, and even read some of the first-hand accounts available on the web.

So back on Day 3 of UX Week, you may remember I talked about a session I attended called “Facilitating Collaboration“. It dealt with how to efficiently collaborate with coworkers, especially in a distributed environment such as the one in which I work now.

Well that session got me thinking about how I could apply those ideas to the ways I work. I have been thinking a lot lately about what I can do to improve my work efficiency. I’ve come up with a few changes and new ways of thinking about the work day.

Define the Work Day
If there is no defined line between work and personal time, then it’s hard to focus well on either. Without definition of either then while on personal time there’s never quite a disconnection from work, and while at work there’s never quite a disconnection from personal time. And so without that disconnection, it’s easy to just come and go from work to personal and back again without really thinking about it, and that just kills productivity because it’s hard to solely focus on the tasks at hand.

Only Work-Related IMs
IM (instant messaging) can be a very powerful collaboration and communication tool for those with whom collaboration is necessary. Instant access to a person can be key to collaborating and getting things done. However, there needs to be a separation between work IM and personal IM. It helps immensely to create a new screen name and only give out that screen name to co-workers and maybe a select few friends and family members. The point here is to keep non-work-related distractions down to a minimum, so discretion must be used when giving out the screen name.

Separate Logins for Work and Personal
To go along with the separate screen names, it also helps to create separate computer logins. In the work login, keeping the applications, documents, and settings to be work only, it will help to encourage productivity and minimize distraction. Mail is configured to only check work email, IM is set up to only connect to the work screen name, the applications list is configured with only work-related programs. The inverse is also true on the personal login, everything is configured for personal use.

Prioritize Tasks at Least Daily
One major productivity killer is not having a clear direction or focus. Creating a to-do list and prioritizing those tasks is key in defining a clear direction for the day. No more aimlessly browsing through emails or looking for work to do throughout the day.

Communicate with Coworkers Often
Working in a distributed environment makes it even more important to keep open communication with coworkers. There is no face-to-face communication in the office so it’s important to be active in keeping coworkers up to date in your own happenings and work, as they don’t really know what is going on if there is no communication. E-mail and IM are the obvious ways to communicate, as is the phone. But it’s also possible to communicate effectively using passive communications such as blogs and photo sharing sites like Flickr. It allows coworkers to know what’s going on in your world inside and outside of work.

Keep E-mail Under Control
E-mail can be great, but it can also be a curse. An e-mail thread involving several people can be going around, and immediately the e-mails can pile up. When the e-mails pile up like that, important messages could be easily lost in the fray. Deleting e-mails when they serve no value anymore, or filing the ones you would want to reference in the future will help greatly keep things under control.

Those are just a few of the changes I’ve made in order to essentially become more efficient and increase productivity. A lot of it may seem like common sense, and most of it is. Essentially the biggest thing for me to do is remove as many distractions as possible and focus on work when I’m working, and don’t think about it when I’m not working. I’m open to suggestions so if you think I’ve got the wrong idea or missed something, so just let me know in the comments.