Taken from #17, The Big Picture: Opening Weekend World Cup 2010

No I haven’t watched a single full match of the World Cup. Never was all that big into watching it, but I am still continually fascinated by tactics and the technical aspect of football. Seen some weird instances of goalkeeping and I’m not talking so much the blunders but just the general lack of technical-soundness from the likes of Iker Casillas. Ah well, easy to criticize but at the end of the day, he plays for Madrid and I am left to wishing haha. But on no less than three occasions, I saw keepers approach 1 v 1 situations, feet first. Ultimately you have much less control with your feet and once you commit, you better hope your timing is spot on. At least with your hands you can modify how close or far away from your body they need to be. Sure there’s the issue of getting a boot in the face, but if you lead hands first, worst you get is a tap in the palms. I don’t think many strikers are going to have the opportunity to enter a 50/50 ball with the intention of smashing the ball with their laces as hard as they can. I would anticipate mostly a toe poke or a controlled touch. But another important factor, hands first means you stand the chance to secure the ball in your mittens and launch a counter-attack. Who knows where the ball will go from your mis-timed challenge as it deflects off your shin.

In regards to the top picture with Robert Green, I don’t know what the consensus is these days with keeper coaches for positioning. Maybe cause I was always a shorter guy but I probably would have been more aggressive playing higher-up in my 6-yard box… and had I actually spilled that shot, at least the goal line would be 3-4 yards behind me rather than 2 yards making a recovery possible… and saving myself embarrassment and throwng away 2 points.

-Eugene

Reference
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Video: self-explanatory

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China Corner
#1. ***Chinese Pirates are Tech’s New Innovators
Nobody will ever give credit to the Chinese for global innovation but I think market-innovation is definitely up there. Sure they rip-off Western ideas but they are good at creating something for the domestic market. Excuse me while I reach for my Android-running iPad with a built-in hardware keyboard.

#2. In China, an Attempt at a Hollywood-Style Movie
Another delusional rich Chinese man thinks he can buy into (movie) culture.

#3. Rent A White Guy
How to buy instant credibility… easy find a white guy, clean him up and throw him in a suit. That’s a large part of the equation of doing biz in China haha.

China Corner/

#4. Jil Sander Bathes in the Glow of Uniqlo
Jil Sander killing it on so many fronts. With Uniqlo reaching a larger and larger demographic each year could this propel to some superstar designer status among the masses?

#5. What I Learned From Working at the Apple Store
Little insider tips for your Apple-heads.

#6. Do we clamp the Umbilical Cord Too Soon? Early Clamping May Interrupt Humankind’s First ‘Natural Stem Cell Plant’
I wonder what they did with the cord prior to the advancement of modern medicine… doesn’t it just fall off eventually?

#7. SSS – Hip Exercises Found Effective at Reducing, Eliminating Common Knee Pain in Runners, Study Suggests
Many body ailments are never remedied at the area of pain… and this article once again shows the importance of a healthy set of hips!

#8. ***Bright Magazine: Osti Article
Massimo Osti of CP Company and Stone Island has been a seminal factor in the world of technical materials in fashion. Dope article that goes in-depth into his work and some of his greatest exploits.

#9. ***SSS – Home Working Allows Employees to Clock Up an Extra Couple of Days of Work a Week | Telecommuting Flextime: More Productive Corporate Workforce
I love working from home as I feel as I’m super-productive and this compounds it. But having said that, it takes a certain personality to be a proper telecommuter worker. Self-motivated, honest, not everybody ca cut it working at home I guess. Sucks if/when we re-open an HB HK office haha.

#10. CrossFit Cliff Notes
For those unfamiliar, CrossFit is a sort of fitness movement marked by high-intensity workouts based on various circuit style workouts. It’s developed into a cult-like status where people will support to the death the CrossFit movement. I guess this only makes sense if you’re somewhat familiar with what CrossFit entails.

#11. SSS – Are You Normal Down There
I’ve been putting some SOLID weight on the bar while squatting these days. Most of it came down to cleaning up my form and technique. A lot of these tips can be applied to other exercises as well.

#12. Create Your Own Happiness: Make Feeling Good Your New Religion
It’s not about being selfish and wanting happiness for yourself, it’s about being in a (happy) state of mind that enables

#13. How Did Sport Get So Big?
The World Cup is massive as are all professional sports.. but when and how did it get so big?

#14. Mickey Drexler: Retail Therapist
The man who took GAP to new heights, Mickey Drexler now works his trade at J.Crew and isn’t doing too shabby either.

#15. The Cult of Celebrity Chefs Goes Global
Celebrity chefs… who would have thought it. When and how the chef got so big.

#16. Pictures: Untold Suffering: Opium in Afghanistan
A series of photographs by Bangkok-based Japanese photographer A.K. Kimoto who wished to share the hardships of many opium suffers in Afghanistan.

#17. Pictures: The Big Picture: Opening Weekend 2010 World Cup

#18. The Lack of Goals at the 2010 World Cup: An Investigation
I don’t blame the ball, I blame tactics for sure.

#19. TMUSCLE: Unconventional Workout – Abs
Ab exercises are broken-up into three different movements, linear, lateral/rotary stability and dynamic rotary exercises. Article touches upon all three with some exercises you’ve probably never tried.

#20. Adaptations in humans for assessing physical strength in voice
Weird, you can tell the strength of someone via their voice?!