I did not see this coming. Regardless of my feelings about Florida, I am sad to see Meyer leave. The SEC is worse off without him.

UPDATE (12/27/09): So he’s not leaving after all. I don’t even need to post a link, because you’ll be able to find follow-up information all over the web.

I watched the documentary, This Film Has Not Yet Been Rated, recently. I’ve long been critical of the MPAA, and this film gave me no reason to change my mind. The doctored facts, hypocrisy and duplicity of the MPAA was on full display.

It was run for years by ex-Washington insider, Jack Valenti. Because of his contacts within government, he was able to bolster a system where the film industry would police itself without interference from Washington. Another benefit of this relationship with government was the ability to lobby for laws that were very beneficial to the industry.

This film exposes many things about the MPAA that most folks may not know. For instance, it is not a government agency. It has no legal authority, and cannot censor films. However, this is only half the story. Because the organization is made up of all industry players (cinema owners, studios, distributors, etc.), they do have power to limit distribution and exposure of films that don’t play by their rules.

Another disturbing trend the documentary covered was the acceptance of extreme violence over sex. Many child experts agree that violence is far more traumatizing to children than sex. They are even more biased against homosexual sex.

I think people need to understand what the MPAA is and what it is not. It is an organization that serves big business, not consumers. We don’t need them to tell us what is okay to watch. We can stay informed, and decide what to watch ourselves.

Mark Ingram has won Alabama’s first Heisman trophy. Most folks may not get what this means for Alabama fans. Yes, it is an individual award. Yes, Alabama prides itself on championships, not Heismans. But, look back at the abyss where Alabama found itself in the early parts of this decade. To make it back not just to prominence, but to relevance, has been a joy to behold. Nick Saban has seemingly outperformed his huge contract. Ingram seems to have a terrific head on his shoulders. He deserves this.

In one final nod to Alabama’s domination of Florida last weekend in the SEC championship, here’s a great clip put together by UA’s athletic department. Enjoy!

UPDATE (12/25/09): For some reason, the university has removed this video. That’s too bad, as it was really cool.

UPDATE (1/17/10): I found another user who had the video up.

AT&T is not known for their sterling voice and data service. In fact, the only reason I’m with them is because of the iPhone and because there is decent service in my city. However, that isn’t the case for everyone. Remember, there’s a “map for that”.

They have made a ton of money off of the iPhone and it’s unlimited data plans. Now comes word that unlimited may start to be limited. AT&T head of consumer services, Ralph de la Vega, has told a group of investors that it plans to “educate” and offer “incentives” to customers using high bandwidth apps on the iPhone. By “educate” and offer “incentives” they mean charge more money. The thing that is so irritating is the fact that they didn’t use some of that iPhone money to build a better mobile infrastructure. Up until now, they’ve talked about how great their unlimited data plans are. Now their network troubles are somehow the customer’s fault.

If they go through with this plan, I’ll immediately go to the next carrier offering the iPhone. They’ll lose me and my iPhone money. They won’t always be the sole US carrier. In fact, I think the exclusive will end sooner rather than later. I would suggest they consider that fact, because I am, no doubt, not alone in my feelings.

I have long been a critic of the entertainment industry. They insist their business models should stay the same, despite change in the world and in technology. Mike Masnick, writer of the Techdirt blog, talks about what should be done in any industry in this short video. His blog is partially sponsored by UPS, so you’ll recognize the music and whiteboard.

I’m thrilled to talk about my beloved Tide’s dominance of Florida yesterday. After years of bungling the hiring of it’s football coaches, UA finally got it right with Nick Saban. I’d have to say, however, that most Tide fans had a sense this would happen when Saban was hired. Although, no one could have predicted it happening in only 3 years. Saban was the perfect person to unify the fractured power structure at Alabama.

Now it is off to Pasadena to play Texas for the national championship. It’s been a long time coming.