I'm very particular when it comes to writing implements. I need smooth ink flow and a vividly dark yet thin line. I also require a point that isn't so narrow that it will bend under my writing pressure, nor so sharp that it will tear the newspaper when I'm doing the crossword. For the longest time, my pen of choice was the Uniball Deluxe micro. It had its flaws (primarily the tendency to spring a nasty leak at the most inconvenient times) but its writing characteristics were superb, and they were hella cheap when buying them by the dozen. Some years ago, however, my local Office Depot stopped selling them in boxes of 12. They're still available in small quantities, but I like to buy lots of pens at a time. Now you may ask why I need to buy pens in bulk, but I found that whenever I would carry one pen around, it would get lost or permanently "borrowed" so I started carrying them in pairs and buying lots of them so I wouldn't care if I misplaced one.

So I embarked on a process of picking up a couple of different pens here and there, trying the Pilot G2, the Pilot Hi-Tec-C, a couple of other Sanford pens (the Vision, Vision Elite, V5 Precise...), and more. I finally settled on some Foray pens that were close, but not quite perfect. My two boxes of pens ran out some time ago, but I found a hidden stash of the Uniball Deluxe micros while cleaning my apartment. Those weren't going to last me long, so on my last trip to Office Depot to pick up some other supplies, I surreptitiously opened several packages to test out various new models of pens that I hadn't seen before.

Lo and behold, I found the Uniball Signo 207 micro. I'm not a huge fan of retractables, but in every other respect this pen is perfect. No boxes of 12, but the price per pen in the blister pack of 4 is comparable to the price I paid for the Uniball Deluxe micros. If you're looking for a new writing implement, give this one a whirl.

It's interesting what happens when you license your photos using a Creative Commons license. I'm just an amateur photographer - a dilettante, really - that doesn't even have quality gear. But I know what I like, visually, and try to capture it. I don't expect to make any money; just to try to capture images in time and space that I like. Anyway, I upload pretty much all of my photos to my Flickr account under a Creative Commons license. So far, I have had a few photos included in Schmap guides and one in some sort of pamphlet about Halliburton and the U.S.'s unhealthy dependence on foreign oil.

The photo above has gotten used a couple of times. Testament to the power of alcohol, I guess. Most recently it was used in this micro story. Check it out.

The program finally finished the run (marginally faster - about 50 hours run time) using the 2008 ZiPS projections for the Cubs. I used the projections for the following eight players: Lee, Ramirez, Fukudome, Soto, Pie, DeRosa, Theriot, and Soriano; and then summed up the actual 2007 lines for the five pitchers with the most ABs (Z, Lilly, Hill, Marshall, Marquis) to make a sort of "average" pitcher. I'd like to reiterate that this algorithm doesn't take into account errors, steals, player speed, GIDP, handedness, sacrifice flies or sac bunts, and baserunning is strictly station-to-station. The algorithm also does not take into account any other strategy - i.e., it doesn't pitch around guys to get to the pitcher. In addition, ZiPS doesn't project hit-by-pitches.

That said, here are the results for the top 10 and bottom 10 lineups, as well as the results for the starting lineup from the March 18th spring training game.

There is some evidence for putting your best OBP player (Fukudome) in the leadoff spot, followed by your best OPS guys with an emphasis on OBP. Unfortunately, the 2008 Cubs ZiPS projections probably aren't the best lineup for determining generalities about each lineup slot; the top 4 hitters are all within 60 points of each other in projected OPS, and the top 6 projected starters all have projected OBP within 50 points of each other as well. However, there is good support for LaRussa's "second leadoff hitter" in the 9-hole, and maybe even a "third leadoff hitter" with the pitcher in the 7th or 8th slot depending on whether your real leadoff hitter also has good pop or not. The optimum lineup here is only about 10 runs (maybe 1 win) better than the lineup Lou fielded on March 18th.

Crossposted over at Bleed Cubbie Blue.

I took Colleen to Charlie Trotter's in Chicago for Valentine's Day. I finally got around to posting the photos. Sorry for the poor quality - my little point and shoot doesn't really take great low-light photos, and I didn't want to use the flash in the middle of the restaurant. The meal was fantastic and the wine pairings were brilliant, but it definitely isn't something that I can afford to do on a regular basis. I think my favorite dishes were the squab, pictured above, and the saffron risotto that Colleen had.

I got a new laptop! It's the brand new 15" MacBook Pro with the multitouch trackpad. It's a little bit wider and a little bit thinner than my old 15" aluminum PowerBook. Feels more solid, and maybe a hair lighter. I'm still in the process of getting everything configured the way I like it, but overall it's a world of difference. It has more pixels, a brighter screen (LED backlit!), and it's way, way faster than the PowerBook.

Some cons: a couple of programs I used to use occasionally seem to have broken; I need to figure out if that's due to the switch in architecture (PPC to x86) or the switch in OS (10.4 to 10.5). I may also have to look into SheepShaver in case I ever decide I really need to run those last couple of OS 9 programs I have lying around. I'm going to have to buy at least one more power adapter as well; I had gotten used to having power adapters already plugged in everywhere I went, but now I have to lug the one around.

All in all, I'm happy with it - I'm hoping to start doing some software dev, and my old G4 was getting a little long in the tooth. Plus, I can safely say that I'm doing my part to pull the economy out of recession - this thing cost a pretty penny...

I finally got around to building version two of my DJ table. As you can see here, on the listener side it has two rows of integrated shelving for CDs (and Nintendo DS games) and two rows of shelving for DVDs. The solid panel hides the power and speaker cables; the inverse side (not pictured here, but feel free to click the photo to see other angles at Flickr.com) has record shelving and rack shelving. The top panel is held up by copper tubing. The whole thing is mounted on six casters for easier repositioning. I made a few mistakes, but overall I'm pleased with the way it turned out.