The Silver Fern

http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/1098336.html

Good Cricinfo article about the last time we won anything

Best bit is the way they go out of their way to say 3 cricketers in particular were "forefull" as opposed to "assholes"!

What its like to be struck by lightning

https://mosaicscience.com/story/what-its-be-struck-lightning

@Crucial

I'm cool with Ardie going forward.

Where he was found out last year & lost out to Todd was he is very unimposing in defence. Cane puts in huge hits, he wins the tackle almost everytime, Ardie just rides the tackle down & looks to pilfer, which in test rugby lets the player over the gain line & sees you creamed by the player cleaning out.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/40041672

Bracewell forced to drink drive due to dead cockatoo.... I think we've all been there

New Zealand fast bowler Doug Bracewell blamed the killing of a pet cockatoo by dogs for his decision to drink-drive. The 26-year-old was stopped by police in March, found guilty of a third drink-driving offence, and given 100 hours of community service and a ban. Bracewell's lawyer said this was not about a disregard for road rules but a "genuine concern" for his partner.

"The cockatoo was of some significance to his partner and she was quite distraught," he said.

Lawyer Ron Mansfield told the Hastings District Court that Bracewell had been drinking at a function when his girlfriend called him about the cockatoo incident. Bracewell, who has taken 72 wickets in 27 Tests, had previously said in a statement that he had made a "massive mistake" by driving home. He added: "This was no-one's fault but my own. I'm deeply embarrassed to have let down so many people, be they family, friends, or cricket-lovers."

Judge Bridge Mackintosh, who disqualified the cricketer from driving for a year, said: "This offending in my submissions should be seen as an unfortunate hiccup and something that doesn't reflect the man he has become or the sportsman."

New Zealand Cricket said it would not impose any additional penalty. It added that Bracewell is unlikely to resume his competitive cricket career until early next year as he recovers from a serious leg injury. Bracewell, whose father Brendon and uncle John both played Test cricket for the Kiwis, was previously caught drink-driving in 2008 and 2010.

Other incidents:

• Bracewell and Jesse Ryder were suspended for a match in 2012 after an altercation in a bar while drinking, following a one-day international against South Africa.

• 2013, he missed the Test series against England after cutting a foot when he stood on broken glass while cleaning up after a party at his house.

• He was suspended for one Test in 2014 after going on a drinking session with Ryder, during which he broke a bone in a foot.

As expected Jeets is carrying us home here...

@Chris-B.

Yip, totally agree, he just needs that mindset that if we are 70 / 0 & he's not timing hit have a slog, best case he hits a few, worst case he steps aside for Kane. Otherwise his role is to just go at 85% strike rate, not get out & take singles to get the other guy on strike.

Lathams run of scores on this tour -

52, 15, 54, 104, 52* (so far today)

I'd argue in a team with Guppy, Anderson, Taylor & Neesham who all capable of smashing it he looks the right bet at the top. Also he's not 40.

@Milk

Yep, Toby was fantastic a couple of weeks back for Bath, hatrick & so on. He's coming right at the right time. the injury timing that screwed his 6 nations means he's not as broken as most

The issue with Farrell & Sexton is that's their 10& 12 & they don't have a distributing 12 as back up. So they lose Sexton they probably move Farrell in & change the game plan, they lose Farrell they play a smasher & change the game plan. So when they spend 4 weeks practicing that way & Sexton gets creamed by Brodie 10 minutes into the first test thats the series.

@Milk said in B&I Lions 2017:

Reading rugby forums up till now, Billy was the player people up North were saying they couldn't afford to lose so this must be a big blow.

Not sure about, Toby Falatau is a superb 8. It weakens them most because they could have started Billy & then subbed on Toby at 50 minutes & thats a huge double punch. But they still have one of the top 5 8's in world rugby.

Its not like us with Read where we would go from worlds best 8 to worlds 12th best 8. They go from 2nd to 3rd or 4th.

I also think Haskell offers a massive impact off the bench. So I'm not sold its a cripling loss. Sexton or Farrell would be far worse.

Its more of a worry in that there's still a round to go & then half a dozen warm up games. Billy won't be their only starter missing in a few weeks time.

Chemtrails & organic farming

May 22, 2017  /  Environment

My month with chemtrails conspiracy theorists

Tammi Riedl and her partner believe ‘chemtrails’ are damaging our health. They prove conspiracies have gone mainstream – and aren’t just for the right wing

@MiketheSnow

I think it sort of becomes an option if you have 2 identical centres - eg Teo & Roberts, which is why I think Aussie did it (?) they often just played 2 interchangeable lumps rather than a 2nd five & a centre.

Wouldn't work with Joseph as he's an outside should gas man, you want him at 13 or nowhere. Teo for sure.

@Crucial

Yeah, I feel like Dan Herbert used to play left & right, but it seems a terrible idea

@booboo

I'm not sure that'd work in rugby would it? The defensive paterns are so much more set because of the far higher amount of set piece & semi set piece ball that the centres swapping around on sides would be a nightmare. 12 & 13 are hugely different defensive positions in union. Does anyone play left & right? It seems like the sort of thing the Aussies might have tried at some stage...

@Tim

I liked the later seasons where Offermans & Andy's role beefed up, but they overdid Aziz Anzari. By the end you could tell he was the one with no ther job offers as all the rest were off doing stuff & they'd go "who's available to do 80% of this episode? OK, Aziz it is"

Its one of the best shows ever for quality support cast tho' - folks like Megan Mullally, the guy who played Jean-Ralphio, his sister, the tiny horse

He's literallyt one of the most popular people on the internet. I think you'd struggle to find anyone who doesnt adore Ron or Nick Offerman (they are basically the same person)

I saw him & Megan do their act in London a couple of months ago. It was fricking aces.

He's my hero too. Surprising overlap there...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/39957336

Jimmy Gopperth won player of the year, try of the year & golden boot in the premiership. Before the hail of "he was shit 10 years ago" starts, he was fricking superb this year for Wasps. Really outstanding.

@Bones said in Wayne Smith retiring from All Blacks roles:

Well duh, it's obviously Mauger.

Mauger is not doing anything post Leicester is he? I still think he will develop into a class assistant, probably not a head, but definately an assistant.

Thats the next use of "big data" - implantable health monitoring tech. Once you get people cool with wearing their fitbit & uploading all their activity, heart rate, sleep time to a dataset, you can move onto the really useful one, implanting trackers inside them to track a whole shitload of factors.

If you want to cut risk you need to be able to see what people are actually doing, relying on them telling you accurately doesn't really work.

On diet they lie, on pollution they dont actually know what they are breathing. You have 200 kids at a kindy with implanted tech saying they are getting hit with huge carcinogens every morning from 8.30-10am you can re-route the roads near that school. You don't have that data you just have 10% of 200 seemingly random adults getting cancer 15 years later & you don't know why.

I assume it'll start off with diabetics (so thats 30% of NZ's next generation) & early adopters (people who have been tracking their heart rate on a excel spreadsheet etc), but it'll be mainstream eventually.