WebCogito

Stop. Stay. Think.

Psychologists Alexander Kranjec, Matt Lehet, Bianca Bromberger and Anjan Chatterjee showed 268 images of player tackles to 12 soccer players for half a second each; 134 of the pictures were mirror images of the other 134.  ”The key finding was that more fouls (66.5 vs. 63.3 – a statistically significant difference) were judged to have occurred when assessing the images in which movement was captured in a leftward direction than when assessing the same images mirror-reversed and therefore featuring implied rightward motion,” writes the BPS Digest.  Read the full study here.

The dream of generations of comic-book fans came true as Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) gathered together on the stage along with writer/director Joss Whedon. The Avengers, assembled at last!

The original games were incredibly popular in the 1980s and early 1990s, combining the traditional text adventure format with basic graphics and music. Created by fans who had the intention of giving the game away for free, The Silver Lining caught the attention of Activision’s legal team who issued the developers with a cease and desist order. After negotiations, the C&D [cease and desist] has been officially rescinded, and Phoenix Online has been granted a non-commercial license to release The Silver Lining!

HDMI’s short-lived reign over the TV cable racks could soon be over, thanks to a new usurper that combines several connections into a single, standard network cable. Designed by a coalition of consumer electronics manufacturers, including Sony, Samsung, LG and Valens, HDBaseT promises to not only carry video and audio signals, but also provide a network connection, a USB signal and even electricity using a single cable.

Reaction to the sorry spectacle of the prime time one hour special on ESPN, in which former Cleveland Cavalier LeBron James announced he would be leaving the team to join Dwayne Wade in Miami to play for the Miami Heat.

In something of a developing story, there seems to be a jinx concerning the former Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger in the 2010 South Africa World Cup.

First, Jagger was in the stadium besides Bill Clinton supporting the U.S side when the American lost to Ghana in the round of 16.

Then, Jagger threw his support behind his native England, only to see them lose 4-1 to rival Germany.

AS a result, he joined the world bandwagon in cheering for Brazil (supposedly out of affection for his half-brazilian son), then saw (caused?) them to suffer the biggest upset of the World Cup so far, falling to the Netherlands 2-1.

As of this writing, Mick Jagger has been shown in the stands of the Argentina-Germany game. No word yet on who he is jin– supporting.

In what only can be classified as an upset, World Cup favorite Brazil lost tonight to the Netherlands 2-1, and saw its dream of another title end.
A perennial favorite, Brazil lost in the round of eight to a Holland team which was down 1-0 at half-time.

However, that quickly changed in the second half, as a Brazilian mistake allowed the European team an equalizer, followed shortly by the goal that would give the Netherlands a lead that they would never relinquish.

Just 10 minutes into the game, Robinho scored the opening goal to put the Brazilian side up for the rest of the half. A scant 8 minutes after the second half got under way, however, an own goal by Felipe Melo allowed the Dutch side to tie the scoreboard. The score would remain tied for another 15 minutes until Sneijder would score off a corner kick for the Clockwork Orange and give the game its final margin.

From the Brownsville Herald:

Despite a possible hurricane bearing down, Brownsville residents wanting a fix of vampires and werewolves lined up at the Cinemark Theater Tuesday for tickets to “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” which premiered at midnight.
Carolina Ayala, 22, brushed off concerns about Alex, the season’s first named storm, coming ashore with a vengeance.

“I can die happy if I saw the movie,” she said.

President Barack Obama ousted Gen. Stanley McChrystal as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan on Wednesday, June 23, 2010.  Here is reaction to this event.

“And one can’t help but wonder if Barack Obama were white, would McChrystal have made the assumption that he could defy military protocol by undermining the Commander in Chief and remain above the fray?”
–Molly Secours, The Huffington Post

“War is bigger than any one man or woman, whether a private, a general or president.  As difficult as it is to lose General McChrystal, I believe it is the right decision for national security. “I welcome debate among my team, but I won’t tolerate division.”
–U.S. President Barack Obama

“…One could argue – or at least wonder – whether McChrystal didn’t willfully commit to this article and the unlimited access the reporter received to circuitously make the point that the U.S. war strategy must be midcourse corrected before it’s too late.

Maybe the general thought it was better to fall on his sword in this public — and perhaps suicidal — way in order to rescue a mission that, if he remained silent and dutiful to his commanding officer, would likely fail.”
–Fraser Seitel, Foxnews.com

“Gen. McChrystal’s remarks about senior officials exposed what has been an open secret in Washington and Kabul for months: The fissures that emerged during the Obama administration’s three-month review of war strategy last year remain, and many of the personalities involved have strained relations that have festered for months.”
–Jonathan Weisman and Peter Spiegel, The Wall Street Journal

“By pairing the decision on McChrystal’s departure with the name of his replacement, Obama is seeking to move on as quickly as possible from the firestorm.”
–MSNBC.com

“Barack Obama, as candidate and president, in effect created the IED known as Gen. Stanley McChrystal. Now that improvised explosive device has blown up in the midst of the Obama presidency. The damage is severe, if not crippling.”
–Howard Fineman, Newsweek.com

He has fired Gen. Stanley McChrystal, his combat commander in Afghanistan, in such a way that not only will the general go unmissed but his name will likely soon be forgotten.
Obama’s decision to replace McChrystal with Gen. David Petraeus is a stroke of brilliance, an unassailable move, politically and strategically.
–Fred Kaplan, Slate.com

Several news outlets are reporting that President Obama has accepted the resignation of US & NATO forces commander General Stanley McChrystal.

Obama stated that he has asked Gen. David Petraeus to replace Gen. McChrystal as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.

Obama met with McChrystal earlier Wednesday in the wake of politically explosive remarks the general and his aides made in Rolling Stone magazine about key administration officials. Petraeus is the head of U.S. Central Command.

Obama was “angry” after reading the general’s remarks, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday.

According to TIME Magazine, it was at the Wednesday meeting that Gen. McChrystal offered Obama his resignation.

The remarks in the Rolling Stone magazine article were at least an indirect challenge to civilian management of the war in Washington by its top military commander, according to Foxnews.com.

Military leaders rarely challenge their commander in chief publicly, and when they do, consequences tend to be more severe than a scolding.

Gates hand-picked McChrystal to take over the war last year, calling him a driven visionary with the fortitude and intelligence to turn the war around. Obama fired the previous commander at Gates’ recommendation.

In Kabul on Tuesday, McChrystal issued a statement saying: “I extend my sincerest apology for this profile. It was a mistake reflecting poor judgment and should never have happened.”

In the Rolling Stone article, McChrystal and his staff described the president as unprepared for their first one-on-one encounter.

McChrystal also said he felt betrayed and blind-sided by his diplomatic partner, Ambassador Karl Eikenberry. Eikenberry remains in his post in Kabul, and although both men publicly say they are friends, their rift is on full display. McChrystal and Eikenberry, himself a retired Army general, stood as far apart as the speakers’ platform would allow during a White House news conference last month.

The story characterized the general as unable to convince some of his own soldiers that his strategy can win the nation’s longest-running war, and dejected that the president didn’t know about his commendable military record.

McChrystal also said he felt “betrayed” by Eikenberry for expressing doubts about his proposed troop buildup last year and accused the ambassador of giving himself cover.

“Here’s one that covers his flank for the history books,” McChrystal told the magazine. “Now, if we fail, they can say ‘I told you so.”‘