What’s the deal with “Niner”?

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Ok, this is something I probably should have been able to figure out without the help of the internets, but today, PBR said “niner,” and I started wondering why pilot types say nine that way. “Niner” is the pronunciation of nine in the unambiguous NATO phonetic alphabet (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, etc.). Other numbers with designations other than their english pronunciations are three (“tree”) and five (“fife”).

The Wikipedia page has many more interesting facts about the NATO phonetic alphabet.

Company (Max Barry)

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[Company (Max Barry)] A book where a major storyline is the investigation of a stolen donut is a special thing. The scary part is that this is based on an actual incident at Hewlett-Packard. The rest of the novel doesn’t draw as literally from Max Barry’s time at the computer giant, but what does it say about HP when Zephyr Holdings (the company in Company) has no product, no customers, and seemingly no purpose?

Max Barry is making a pretty nice life for himself (and family) satirizing the corporate world, and Company‘s imaginative scenario is equal in stature to his two prior novels. The execution here is good, but not quite to the level of Syrup and Jennifer Government, which are still enjoyable after multiple readings.

Max has set up a website, Tales of Corporate Oppression, for stolen-donut-type tales from the office.

Bloc Party – Silent Alarm

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[Bloc Party - Silent Alarm]I sort of missed the boat on Bloc Party. Last year’s single Banquet garnered quite a bit of attention, but then I read a misleading review and passed on Silent Alarm. Anyway, I finally gave Bloc Party another chance, and it’s better than I rememeber. Does it live up to last summer’s hype? Pitchfork thinks so, AllMusic gave it four stars, and I think the first half is solid, the second half, pretty mediocre. If you’re into Franz Ferdinand, give it a shot.

What kind of car is this? (UC Campus)

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I need your help, o fans of Berkeley cars! I scoped this econo-box parked on campus, and in my haste to get to work, I neglected to determine its make and model. The label above the grill says “Spitfire,” but its clearly not a Triumph Spitfire. Further Google image searches were unsuccessful as well, so I’m enlisting the power of the internets. In the spirit of Jim Dandy, the first person to identify this car will receive a big big (sur)prize!

[Click for larger image, but I don't know what kind of car this is! (UC Campus)]

Ain’t nothing about this phony

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[New York Metropolitans]
Looking at the standings with 5% of the season completed, who’s the best team in baseball? This season is the most excited I’ve been for Mets baseball since the ’99 campaign, when New York sported the best defensive infield (ever?) and ended an 11 year postseason drought.

Despite questions about personnel (Julio over Bell? Hernandez over Keppinger?) and lineup construction (couldn’t we drop LoDuca to 7?), this team will go as far as the starting pitching takes them. The offense should score runs in bunches. Beltran, Delgado, Wright, and Floyd comprise the most dangerous string of hitters in the NL, and Reyes, LoDuca, and Nady are fine complementary pieces. The bullpen is reasonably solid from back to front with Wagner, Heilman, Sanchez, and Bradford. But there are concerns at all five spots in the rotation:

  • Pedro is fragile. And without Pedro, this team is in big trouble.
  • Each of Glavine’s seasons with the Mets have been lights out one half, lit up the other. Will this be the year he puts two solid halves together?
  • Zambrano is the definition of inconsistent. Not only from game to game, but inning to inning. When he’s on, he’s as good as anyone. But there’s no way to predict when that will be.
  • Trachsel eats innings, generally effectively. But he’s coming off back surgery, and hey, it’s Steve Trachsel, not Steve Carlton.
  • Bannister was excellent in spring training and was good in his first two starts, but hitters will adjust during his second pass facing the league.

    • It would be a huge advantage if Julio or Bell developed into a reliable option in relief, so that Heilman could be moved into the rotation, if necessary, with no ill-effects on the ‘pen. However, even with these potential problems, the Mets are a serious playoff contender. The NL is quite weak outside of St. Louis, and their offense should provide enough run support to get through a rough patch here and there by the rotation.

    Before the season started, I said the Mets were the best team in the league on paper, and they’re backing it up on the field. If Cliff Floyd is right that “Ain’t nothing about this phony,” then it’s going to be a great summer.