Virginia Tech's outstanding Engineering programs are world-renowned for cutting edge research in countless fields, so it makes sense when there's a Hokie breakthrough in football injuries.
For years, Tech footballers have been using the High Impact Telemetry System (HITS) to determine the severity of impacts suffered during football activities.
This ESPN article spells out the details and the video below from Discovery Science gives you a visual look.
Basically, engineers put sensors in the helmets to measure the force of impacts at several important spots on the head.
The ESPN story paints a frustrating picture about the NFL's stance on helmet regulations. Player safety concerns are at an all-time high as they should be. Increased money for retired players has been an important part of the NFL's new collective bargaining negotiations.
Hopefully new data can continue to fuel the football safety movement and help keep players at all levels of football healthy.
If you're a frequent visitor of Stars and Slights you know that we like to have a good time. Sometimes, we're all for taking on the extreme. Other times, not so much. File this on into the latter category.
This past Sunday, National Geographic aired a documentary called "The Indestructibles," which was a compilation of miraculous survival stories.
What follows is a partial clip of one particular story aired in the segment - a group of skydiver's watched as their friend's parachute failed to open from 15,000 feet. As remarkable a story as this is, it is honestly quite frightening.
As reported by GrindTV, five years ago Michael Holmes plummeted to what surely seemed like it would be his death after both his main chute and backup chutes failed to properly deploy. The main chute failed entirely, while the backup only partially deployed.
It was too little, too late by the the time the backup deployed, though, as Holmes crashed on some plants. Since my lead in already spoiled the outcome you already know that he survived. What is most unbelievable to me is not that he survived with only minor injuries (contusions, two broken bones, and no damage to internal organs including his brain), but that he still continues to skydive after the horrible accident! Maybe his brain was injured after all?
I'm reminded of the saying, "There are only two things that fall from the sky - bird s*&! and fools."
Suffice it to say, Michael Holmes while certainly lucky is an enormous fool.
Actually, according to Rory's interview with BBC he reveals it is slightly deeper than the infamous sand trap belonging to arguably the world's most famous course. For a complete look at the segment filmed at his backyard check out this page on the BBC Sport website.
He even shares some intriguing information regarding his preparation for tournaments. If he wants to stay home to practice for an event he will get in touch with tournament officials or greenskeepers from the participating course to find out the intended stimp meter level that will be used on the greens in competition. Brilliant!
Speaking of greenskeepers, Rory has a few to help maintain his back yard oasis. He literally does not have to leave his home to play championship level golf.
What's next for Rory? Perhaps he'll build a replica of the iconic 18th hole from St. Andrews, like the below photo.
On June 24, 2011 I had the privilege of attending the 2011 NHL Draft at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. By all accounts, it exceeded my expectations.
In such a passion-filled hockey state it was only fitting that this year's draft be held in Minnesota. It was the second time in the state's history hosting the event, the only previous time being at the former Metropolitan Sports Center in 1989. Fans representing each team were present, though there were certain franchises with considerably more support than others.
Without question, Minnesota Wild fans made up the vast majority. There were droves of Calgary Flames, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers fans. Even a few extinct teams, such as the Quebec Nordiques, had a presence.
But the most overwhelming support for a team not named the Wild were the recently approved Winnipeg Jets. Before the official kick-off to the draft from commissioner Gary Bettman and his family, Jets fans chanted "Let's go Jets! Let's go Jets!" If I didn't know any better I would have thought there was a game being played.
Numerous games and activities were setup on the main concourse area. Puck shooting contests, hockey card traders, life sized replica player locker rooms with equipment and jerseys to try on and much more were on hand.
Throughout the course of the evening numerous coaches and players interacted with fans, signed autographs, and posed for pictures. I even met Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma. He was very friendly and thanked me for congratulating him on winning the 2011 Jack Adams Award as the NHL's Coach of the Year.
Nothing compared to what proved as a major surprise and delight when I walked through the doors to the Xcel - the Stanley Cup was in the house! During the prescribed showing time I made my way to the location where it was to be unveiled.
While standing in the middle of the concourse area I noticed a strange silence come over the surrounding crowd. I looked around to see what was going, and lo and behold there it was. Lord Stanley's Cup was being wheeled around by the security guard from the MasterCard commercial.
After picking my jaw up off the ground and waiting in line for roughly 30-45 minutes I finally had my chance. Even though superstitions say you aren't supposed to touch the Cup until you win it, I figured it was a safe bet I would never have that opportunity.
It also helps that the superstition wound up proving false - or perhaps dormant - for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009.
Aside from all of that fun stuff, there was actually a lot of business being conducted at the draft. Of course, teams were charged with putting faith in 17-19 year-old's to help fill various needs within their organizations.
Though not during the first round while I was present, three Notre Dame players (or players-to-be) were drafted by NHL clubs. Sophomore center T.J. Tynan, college hockey's national rookie of the year last season, was selected in the third round with the 66th pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Steven Fogarty, who won't embark on his Irish career until 2012-2013, was selected six picks later by the New York Rangers. Lastly, incoming freshman defensemen Robbie Russo was snatched up in the fourth round by the New York Islanders with the 95th pick.
Overall, the first night of the draft seemed to drag on as it took over four hours to complete 30 picks. Despite the longevity it was time well spent, though. I hope the Xcel plays host to a draft sometime again in the near future.
I've often heard that you can't legislate intelligence. That's why an idea that I enjoy like making people pass a basic test before being allowed to vote doesn't fly because people want the "right" to be ignorant.
Common sense it would seem is also not something that the government can force upon its citizens.
That concept was personified over the holiday weekend when upstate New Yorker Philip Contos, riding in a protest of New York's mandatory helmet law, died after he went over the handle bars of his 1983 Harley-Davidson motorcycle and hit his head on the pavement.
The attending physician stated Mr. Contos likely would have survived had he been wearing a helmet.
Contos was one of about 550 people riding in a protest of New York state's helmet law organized by the Onondaga chapter of American Bikers Aimed Towards Education (ABATE).
The statewide president of ABATE, Thomas Alton, said, "We are riding at an increased risk and accept that. ... This individual was a seasoned rider, not a newbie. He made an adult decision. A full decision to ride in the manner he rode in."
Any death is unfortunate, and this one is no exception. Unfortunately, Mr. Contos accomplished nothing but reinforcing the idea that it's really, really, dumb to operate a motorcycle helmetless.
Even if you're a safe and responsible motorcyclist, it's just not a smart decision to hop on a bike and ride with nothing protecting your brain—however poorly functioning it might be—but your cranium.
Worse yet, Alton is trying to turn Contos into some kind of martyr for their misguided cause.
ABATE of NY Inc. is organizing a memorial "to honor an individual who rode for freedom and risked his all for freedom," according to Alton.
Honoring the gentlemen for his life and accomplishments is certainly the right thing to do. But don't imply that this was a noble death that happened fighting for freedom, especially not on a weekend supposed to be spent honoring those who serve and have died in the United States military fighting for freedom, not from common sense laws, but from tyranny and unlawful persecution.
Ultimately, I just want to say be safe. Buckle your seat belt and wear your bicycle or motorcycle helmet.
Though I suppose if you don't use your brain to begin with, there's little sense in protecting it.
As a general rule, I don't like mindless action films. I define a mindless action film as something with a stupid or tenuous plot and at least a dozen explosions—or every Michael Bay film.
To be fair, I did enjoy the 1996 release The Rock starring Nicholas Cage and Sean Connery. The plot is ridiculous, but everyone likes Sean Connery and Nick Cage is hilarious, albeit unintentionally.
But I digress. Bay is also known for such critic-cringing fare as Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, remakes of almost every scary movie you can think of and most recently the Transformers series.
Almost all of Bay's films have been wildly successful financially with the exception of 2005's The Island which wasn't really seen by anyone.
That's probably why Bay thought he could get away with reusing several scenes from The Island in his most recent release, Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
The scenes in question are below and probably would have slipped by years ago, but this is 2011.
