FIFA World Cup football 2010 [5]

Well, what do you know - the first elimination round brought the eight winners I predicted. :)

Let's see how I'll do for the quarter finals.

Brazil-Netherlands
Brazil as favourite, but far from a foregone conclusion. I'd say 55%, a Dutch victory would not surprise me either. The Dutch defence will play a crucial role here. They were far better than their reputation in the group's stage, but if the cracks that showed against Slovakia continue, Brazil should go through.

Germany-Argentina
Another match worthy of a final, and another one that could go either way. I'm betting on Argentina, but again at 55% not a clear favourite. If the young German team can stand the pressure, they have a good chance.

Spain-Paraguay
No contest here, Spain easily (95%). I think Paraguay is the weakest team left in the tournament and Spain is back to their great game. If Torres pulls back into his usual form, I can't see any team preventing the Spanish from picking up the cup at the end.

Uruguay-Ghana
Neither team will make it into the finals, and I expect the Urugayan offence will outshoot their African counterparts. Say 80% Uruguay.

Anti-smoking commercial

One of the best anti-smoking commercials I have ever seen, by the incomparable John Cleese. Recently seen here.

Kiwin or Kilose

Comedy and tragedy close together in one shot of the FIFA world championship football. Desolated New Zealand fans in bizarre kiwi outfits, after their country was eliminated in spite of a tremendous unbeaten run, far better than anyone had expected. First seen here.

Koi

Rather than making money with his art, Won Park makes art with his money. Amazing structures folded from dollar bills, such as this koi fish. More to come as I have decided to make this a regular theme. First seen here.

Ink calendar

Filed it under Special Designs, but a bit of Science Light as well. Spanish designer Oscar Diaz designed this ingenious ink calendar, where capillary forces suck up just enough ink per 24 hours to fill a number. The drawback of course is that you need to change ink and paper every month.... First seen here.

Chinese Geo-zodiac signs

Amazing stuff for sure, thanks to a Jenny Downing buzz. Quoting from the post: "This project named ‘Piece together for peace’ is simply brilliant. It’s in fact a Chinese calendar where each month is represented by an animal created by using the continents and isles of the Earth. As you may have already guessed, those are the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac." I picked the rooster for my blog, for self-centered reasons. First seen here.

FIFA World Cup football 2010 [4]

The preliminaries over, let's take stock how my predictions went.....

Teams in bold: will qualify

Teams in brackets: can qualify

Teams with strikethrough: no chance

GROUP A

Before start: (France>Uruguay>South Africa>Mexico)

After round 1: (South Africa>Mexico>France>Uruguay)

After round 2: Uruguay>Mexico South Africa>France

Final result: Uruguay>Mexico South Africa>France

I called Uruguay as a likely QF candidate before the tournament, and they have not disappointed me. South Africa and especiallement the self-destructing French were major disappointments.

GROUP B

Before start: Argentina (Nigeria>Greece) South Korea

After round 1: Argentina (Nigeria>South Korea) Greece

After round 2: Argentina (South Korea>Nigeria>Greece)

Final result: Argentina>South Korea Greece>Nigeria

Before the start of the tournament I had South Korea as one of the teams that would certainly not reach the elimination rounds. They were a pleasant surprise, although Nigeria helped them a lot by missing the simplest of chances. Argentina rocked, but did not face any serious opposition.

GROUP C

Before start: England (Slovenia>USA>Algeria)

After round 1: England (Slovenia>USA>Algeria)

After round 2: (USA>England>Slovenia>Algeria)

Final result: USA>England Slovenia>Algeria

England not convincing (and that's an understatement), USA a pleasant surprise and last minute group winner in spite of several clueless referee decisions against them.

GROUP D

Before start: Germany (Ghana>Serbia) Australia

After round 1: Germany (Ghana>Serbia) Australia

After round 2: (Germany>Serbia>Ghana>Australia)

Final result: Germany>Ghana Australia>Serbia

Germany himmelhochjauchzend und zum Tode betruebt, but still qualifying on top. Good to see Ghana stay in the tournament, but kudos to the Aussies whom I regarded as totally without chance at the start, and who came tantalizingly close.

GROUP E

Before start: Netherlands (Denmark>Cameroon) Japan

After round 1: Netherlands (Denmark>Japan>Cameroon)

After round 2: Netherlands (Denmark>Japan) Cameroon

Final result: Netherlands>Japan Denmark>Cameroon

The Netherlands with less flair than expected, but with Germany-like persistence and success. Japan's convincing results were one of the biggest positive surprises of the first phase for me.

GROUP F

Before start: Italy (Paraguay>Slovakia) New Zealand

After round 1: Italy (Paraguay>Slovakia) New Zealand

After round 2: (Paraguay>Italy>Slovakia>New Zealand)

Final result: Paraguay>Slovakia New Zealand>Italy

The developing self-destruction of France was not surprising, but Italy going out in a relatively simple pool as fourth - amazing. Kudos to New Zealand, who did not lose a single game.

GROUP G

Before start: Brazil (Portugal>Cote d'Ivoire) North Korea

After round 1: Brazil (Cote d'Ivoire>Portugal) North Korea

After round 2: Brazil>Portugal Cote d'Ivoire>North Korea

Final result: Brazil>Portugal Cote d'Ivoire>North Korea

The group with the least surprises, and one where the end result matched my initial expectations.

GROUP H

Before start: Spain (Chile>Switzerland) Honduras

After round 1: (Spain>Switzerland>Chile) Honduras

After round 2: (Spain>Switzerland>Chile) Honduras

Final result: Spain>Chile Switzerland>Honduras

Spain overcoming the initial setback with at times great football, cementing their claims as one of the top favourites. I had expected Switzerland to beat Honduras 2-0 or more, but their failure is Chile's gain - ending the group the way I expected it all along, if not in the way it happened.

And the coming first elimination round (my faves in bold):

Uruguay-South Korea

South Korea's surprises will probably end here, I'd say Uruguay 70%.

Mexico-Argentina

Maradonna's men march on mercilessly and menacingly, 80%.

USA-Ghana

This one can go either way, but rooting for the African side, 55%.

England-Germany

A classic that can go either way as well, 55% (penalties anyone?).

Paraguay-Japan

Japan has impressed me. Paraguay still slight favourite, 60%.

Slovakia-Netherlands

Another cool 1-0 or so for the Dutch even if Robben can't play (90%).

Brazil-Chile

I really can see only one outcome here, no matter how much I enjoyed Chile's games (90%).

Portugal-Spain

If Spain keeps their heads cool vis-a-vis Portuguese dives, no contest (80%).

Finally, recapping my pre-tournament predictions in italics, with current comments:

Top favourites: Brazil, Spain
I think I would still stick with this, maybe add Argentina.

Other favourites: England, Germany, Italy, Netherlands

Italy already gone, one of England-Germany will be eliminated before the QF. Argentina moving up at least to this group, maybe higher.

Outsiders: Argentina, France, Portugal, Uruguay

Three out of four still standing, the French gone of course.

I would expect all eight quarter-finalists to come from this group of ten.

At least two will not, actually................. moreover, one of the semi-final places will go to either Uruguay or a country I did not even consider candidate for the quarter-finals.....

Possible survivors round 1: Algeria, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Ghana, Greece, Mexico, Nigeria, Paraguay, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Switzerland, USA
No chance in hell: Australia, Japan, Korea DPR, Korea Republic, New Zealand, Honduras

So I singled out six countries as dead certs for the sixteen whose tournament would be over by now - and two of them actually qualified for the knock-out phase (two others coming ever so close). Oh dear.

Upper management lends an ear

Dilbert cartoons are very much hit or miss for me (with >90% in the miss category), but sometimes they are so close to the truth, it gets scary. This is one of my favourites. First seen here.

Daisy side up

A fun way to convert fried eggs into something that looks nice on your plate. First seen here.

Be careful with superglue

When you are the prime minister of Germany, you know you will be in the news all the time. Love this compilation of her characteristic stance, with that hilarious title (not mine). First seen here.

BP logo rebranded

Predictably, many internetters are having fun with the BP logo. Some of the best are collected at the link below, but by far the best is this rendition of Death. Of course, as a Discworld fan, I am easily pleased with an image like this. First seen here.

FIFA World Cup football 2010 [3]

We just completed the second series of games, and I must say this round was far more entertaining, if marred by frustrating refereeeing. Some more thoughts.

Group A: With South Africa and the abominable French down, the almost inevitable Mexico-Uruguay draw will see both teams through. Even if the temptation to win the group and avoid Argentina leads Mexico to a win, I can't see with France or South Africa winnign with a big enough goals difference to overtake them. I'll stick with 1. Uruguay, 2. Mexico.

Group B: Argentina cruising even more, Nigeria self-destructing against the Greeks. Even if Argentina beats Greece as they should, everything can still happen between the other 3 teams. South Korea does have the edge, as a draw should suffice for them. 1. Argentina, 2. South Korea.

Group C: Anything goes now here theoretically after the drama of Slovenia-USA and the awful England-Algeria game.... drawing inspiration from their come back against Slovenia (not to mention the ridiculous way they were robbed of victory), I see the USA now beating Algeria (who must play for a win themselves). England-Slovenia can go any way, with Slovenia only needing a draw. Gut feeling is the the English will win by a one goal margin, but USA winning the group on goal difference. 1. USA, 2. England.

Group D: "Germany impressed the most of all teams, but only subsequent rounds will tell how much that was due to the weakness of Australia." Well, Serbia sure showed them that their euphoria was premature. The draw between Ghana and Australia means anything can still happen here. Germany will most likely have to defeat Ghana to avoid elimination, and I think they will, with Serbia edging into second place after beating Australia. 1. Germany, 2. Serbia.

Group E: "Solid if uninspiring win by the Dutch", again - yet, they qualify as first of all countries for the knock-out stage. The other spot goes to Japan or Denmark, and although a draw suffices for Japan, my money is still on the Danes. 1. Netherlands, 2. Denmark.

Group F: Paraguay beating Slovakia was not unexpected but the 1-1 draw between Italy and New Zealand sure was. Difficult to call this group as really anything can happen now. I'd say Paraguay beating NZ to clinch first, and Italy drawing against Slovakia, thus advancing with 3 points.... 1. Paraguay, 2. Italy.

Group G: Brazil inspired, no question about their role as favourite. "After the Portugal-Cote d'Ivoire 0-0, chances are that goal difference will clinch the second place. With Drogba returning, I fancy Cote d'Ivoire over Portugal there." Mwahahahaha... OK let's not talk about that brilliant prediction anymore... 1. Brazil, 2. Portugal.

Group H: As expected, this is a three countries race, with three teams likely to end at six points, and Chile will be rueing the meagre 1-0 victory over Honduras, going out on goal difference. 1. Spain, 2 Switzerland .

As an appetizer, this would be the match-ups for the last 16 if I am right:

Uruguay-South Korea

Argentina-Mexico

USA-Serbia

Germany-England

Netherlands-Italy

Paraguay-Denmark

Brazil-Switzerland

Spain-Portugal

Jazz Warhol (or: hand me the bottle)

A bit of fun I had with one of the many Flickr toys on fd's site. I like the images as such (could see them on a T-shirt), but even more how they become optical illusions with the nose turning into wine bottles.... First seen here.

Nothing sucks like an electrolux

Friday I posted a creative advertisement for Miele vacuum cleaners in my main blog, and got three comments by email, complimenting me on my wordplay in the title ("Miele sucks"). Unfortunately, this is not my creation, I remember it from an old Electrolux adverisement, shown above. When the Swedish company took its catchy rhyming phrase “nothing sucks like an Electrolux” and brought it to America from English-speaking markets overseas in the 70s, they failed to take into consideration the fact that “sucks” had become a derogatory word in the States..... Recently seen here.

Drunk molecules

Triggered as so often by a Jenny Downing buzz. Alcoholic drinks magnified up to 1,000 times under a high tech laboratory microscope. Beautiful unique pictures. First seen here.

Inspired by England-Algeria

Seriously, this was an unbelievably bad game, given the immense talent of the English team. First seen here.

Aim low and you will win

Sticking with the football for a moment - and an actual headline that quite rightly received a lot of attention on the web. First seen here.

Here's Johnny!

More fun with the notorious vuvuzela. The linked site gives a number of funny variations on the theme. This one of course spoofs a famous scene from The Shining. First seen here.

You have been warned.....

Browse this blog as if it were a world championship game in South Africa. Just click on the picture if you dare.......

FIFA World Cup football 2010 [2]

We just completed the first series of games, and with all teams having shown up now, some thoughts.

Group A: My initial picks France and Uruguay disappointed, and although this is the most open group now in all respects, I am sensing a surprise here: 1. South Africa, 2. Mexico.

Group B: Argentina cruising, South Korea better than expected, but I expect Nigeria will be too strong for them. 1. Argentina, 2. Nigeria.

Group C: England disappointing (not just the Green howler), but still my tip for the #1 spot. I see Slovenia edging out the USA for second spot. 1. England, 2. Slovenia.

Group D: Germany impressed the most of all teams, but only subsequent rounds will tell how much that was due to the weakness of Australia. I see Ghana taking the second spot ahead of Serbia. 1. Germany, 2. Ghana.

Group E: Solid if uninspiring win by the Dutch. Given the level of the Japan-Cameroon match, Denmark should easily take the second spot. 1. Netherlands, 2. Denmark.

Group F: Italy slow starting as usual and the wasted points against NZ will cost Slovakia second place. 1. Italy, 2. Paraguay.

Group G: Brazil not yet brilliant, but still favourite. After the Portugal-Cote d'Ivoire 0-0, chances are that goal difference will clinch the second place. With Drogba returning, I fancy Cote d'Ivoire over Portugal there. 1. Brazil, 2. Cote d'Ivoire.

Group H: After the shock defeat that Switzerland inflicted on Spain, this is a three countries race now. I would not be surprised if it ends in a 3-way tie at 6 points each, with Chile rueing the meagre 1-0 victory today and going out on goal difference. 1. Spain, 2 Switzerland .

As an appetizer, this would be the match-ups for the last 16 if I am right:

South Africa-Nigeria

Argentina-Mexico

England-Ghana

Germany-Slovenia

Netherlands-Paraguay

Italy-Denmark

Brazil-Switzerland

Spain-Cote d'Ivoire

Vuvuzela

Unfortunately someone with less sense of humour than sense of scholarship has edited it back, but for a short time the wikipedia definition of the noise machine (im)popular at the current Football World Championship in South Africa was hilarious and true. First seen here.

Rihanna photoshop disaster

Taken from one of my favourite blogs, Photoshop Disasters. What possesses the editors of a magazine like Elle to make such an ultra-slim caricature of a beautiful woman? First seen here.

Food for thought

Indeed (click for large). Many of us tend to forget that we are the lucky ones. First seen here.

Out of shape

Having just returned from Texas with mainly hot weather and the occasional shower, I was astonished to see this picture of a bus that was wrapped around a tree by flood waters in New Braunfels, last Thursday - the result of torrential rains in central Texas. First seen here.

The dark side of the tune

An excellent variation on the well known Pink Floyd album cover. First seen here.

The teams - differently

To honour the biggest sport event of the year, ESPN TV station with New York ad agency Wieden + Kennedy made 32 original posters, one for each participating country at World Cup 2010 hosted in South Africa. Every poster symbolize football and national tradition of the country. "My" Oranje (the Netherlands) is shown above. First seen here.

FIFA World Cup football 2010

The FIFA World Cup football (soccer) finals with the tournament in South Africa is kicking off today. My predictions:

Top favourites: Brazil, Spain
Other favourites: England, Germany, Italy, Netherlands
Outsiders: Argentina, France, Portugal, Uruguay

I would expect all eight quarter-finalists to come from this group of ten.

Possible survivors round 1: Algeria, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Ghana, Greece, Mexico, Nigeria, Paraguay, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Switzerland, USA
No chance in hell: Australia, Japan, Korea DPR, Korea Republic, New Zealand, Honduras

Zidane

With the 2010 football world championship starting tomorrow, let's go back to the previous issue in 2006. The one with the infamous Zidane headbutt that quickly became an internet meme. But no-one did it as well as Family Guy. First seen here.

Mystique

A collage of my own shots of the graffiti art of Paris' Mystique. Although not of the quality of Banksy, .her work does liven up the grey walls. Taken from here.

Cerberus anyone?

The first of the bi-yearly Noriwich Terrier Party held at the Alice in Wonderland statue in New York's Central Park on May 22nd (Paul Quitoriano for The Wall Street Journal). Cute as they are, the many dog heads peeking out of the pram do remind me of Cerberus. First seen here.

Stravinsky arrested

Only in America.... to quote the linked story: In 1940 Igor Stravinsky re-orchestrated 'The Star Spangled Banner' for the Boston Symphony. Someone alerted the Boston police, who arrived at Symphony Hall, confiscated the instrumental parts to the Stravinsky orchestration and arrested Stravinsky for 'tampering with public property. First seen here.

An apple a day

Another very creative use of small plastic figurines in a natural setting. Triggered by a buzz by Jenny Downing. First seen here.

Ghost in the Machine

Intriguing art pieces created from old cassette tapes by Erika Iris Simmons, depicting musicians such as Tom Waits and Bob Dylan. First seen some time ago, recently seen here.

Breakfast eggs rug

Weird maybe, but I really like this fried egg rug - sunny side up! First seen here.

Texas smurf

Speaking of Texas... here is a shot I took on one of my previous business trips, one that I have named "Texas smurf" for obvious reasons. First posted here.

Texas, here I come!

Today I fly to Houston (TX) for a 10 day business trip. A few posts have been pre-published so the blog will go on. Image sourced from here.

All aboard!

Only in India (I guess). One of the reasons why I declined an invitation to give a lecture there in the past. First seen here.