So the game last night was a doozy, like I said it was going to be - though I didn't use the word "doozy" because everything is a doozy to me and I have yet to come up with a new word. We won the game after an overtime thriller in which Kobe scored a total of 48 points in 44 shots - so he pretty much made up Bynum's points due to his absence: 20 for Bynum, 28 for himself. If that stat alone doesn't show you how much we missed Andy last night, let me also add that half way through the first quarter, his starting backup, Mr. Kwame "I'm super clutch" Brown, had already racked up three fouls. Even with the last foul (that they called a blocking foul) being overturned a few minutes later, giving him only two fouls in the first quarter, Bynum would never have done the same, especially against the Sonics. Bynum would have also been dunking alley oop after alley oop and would definitely not have backed up to give Szczerbiak some room for a three. No, Drew would never have done that.

I'm not going to turn into some Kwame hater – like practically the rest of the world – but what I will do is say that I'd rather have Ronny take over the starting position for Andy than Kwame take it over for him. He was quite fantastic the first time out, Ronny was. In fact, the whole second unit did great their first time out last night. It's so refreshing to see them play like that; at times this season, it feels like the only way a game can start to gain some rhythm is with them on the floor, making the starters look like the reserves from the start – but that shouldn't be the case of course, both squads should be amazing. They really are doing very well though. And everyone has to step up. From here on out, everyone needs to. We're now officially tied in first place with the Suns in the West, and we definitely won't be able to maintain that position if we play like we did last night (and by the way, Phoenix is in town to play the Clippers tonight). Imadul brought it up, but I will too: if we win by only a point or two against bad teams, how will we do against good teams? To maintain our No 1 spot, we'll definitely have to do well this next month while Bynum is out, where 11 of our next 15 games are on the road, including 9 straight games outside of Los Angeles. It starts in Detroit, against a team that let Chris Webber go this year. Well guess what, the Lakers might sign him to help us out during the absence of Bynum - after all, we only have 14 guys after trading Mo and Cook for Ariza. Maybe he'll finally get a ring with us!

Alright, I'm done recapping the game. Let's look at that Netflix graphic, shall we? How luscious does it look? I messed with the red background by adding some lighting effects in Photoshop – don't tell Netflix. Alright, so I wake up this morning and check my e-mail, and guess who I get an e-mail from? You should already know by now, or else you're real slow. Netflix tells me that they've changed their services to allow users to watch movies/shows on their computer with no limit of hours. Now, I'm a Netflix nut, I love it – but lately I haven't been that up to speed due to school. Before the change, I had a 17 hour max (I have the 3 at-a-time plan) and never even thought about watching these online, but now that I have no limit, I decided to test it out. It works real great! The thing takes a few seconds (literally) to load and the UI looks so nice. It's extremely convenient. Anyone with an unlimited monthly DVD plan is eligible for the unlimited hours, so that's great. But there are always a few flaws with these kinds of technologies, so here's where the service has its flaws:


The reason Netflix changed their services is most probably due to Apple's announcement today. Other than releasing a $2000 super-thin laptop that will probably crack when someone like Nicole Ritchie even gets near it (and has 802.11n built in), Apple announced at MacWorld 2008 that it's starting over with Apple TV. The product died its first time around, but now it's more enhanced and it will let you rent movies right to your TV. The service puts a 24-hour rental period on movies, and also allows you to put the videos on your iPod, to watch in the bathroom, during those 24 hours – rather convenient. The price of the box is around $230, with $3 - $4 per movie, a buck more for High-Def. That can get mighty pricey. The Netflix plan I have is $17 and I get unlimited hours of movie/show streaming, plus unlimited DVD rentals via mail (3 at-a-time). Even if f I had Apple TV for more than a year, the price would still be more than my Netflix subscription – and I'm not including the Apple rental fees. Though, it is a lot more convenient, I have to admit. No more dealing with DVDs or having to run out and get a Blu-ray or HD DVD player, just sit in your living room and rent away. And there will probably be a better variety in titles compared to Netflix's streaming service, as it's Apple. But then again, after 24 hours, you can't see them again for free – I on the other hand am able to burn every Netflix movie I rent. I love that. So with the onset of all these online video renting/streaming services (Xbox has its own too), I'm going to stick with the old system of getting movies by mail – and I laugh at Blockbuster for thinking that letting people come into the store to exchange movies will gain them customers. No one leaves their house anymore! Alright, so that's that. I'm done. Technology is getting crazy! Keep an eye out for a Carpoolers rerun tonight, when Laird poses as a married man to gain the interest of a woman who loves married men – ah the classic 'put a ring on a finger to capture the girl' routine. Can't wait! ABC at 9:30. Take care everyone. see u.