20. Demetri Martin

Demetri Martin thinks the worst time to have a heart attack is during a game of 'Charades'... followed by 'Naps'. He plays guitar and harmonica (and foot chimes) while telling jokes. He draws simple but hilarious pictures, sometimes with both hands. He did his undergrad at Yale and dropped out of NYU's law school one year before graduation to pursue comedy. And in the world of dry, deadpan humor, he's surely the next big thing.

Before I wore out his guffaw-inducing comedy cd These Are Jokes, I had been an ardent fan of his periodic segments on The Daily Show. His "Trendspotting" showcased his sarcastic wit while discussing current hot topics in the youth movement, and he also filmed a unique Comedy Central Presents standup routine. But it's his current project, Important Things with Demetri Martin, that has (hopefully) catapulted him into the spotlight. The show features standup bits that display his visual stylings, as well as a variety of sketches, a la Chappelle's Show.

For fans of Flight of the Conchords and Jack Handey's Deep Thoughts, I strongly suggest catching Important Things on Wednesday nights. Oh, and don't forget these as well...

19. Wordle

I was writing a post on a completely different item, and while searching for a killer picture to slap in the corner I stumbled across Wordle. It kind of blew my mind... but just a little. You just paste a bunch of text or type in a web address, and it spits out a cool, customizable graphic based on the prominence of words in said text. That's it - easy as pie. I like pie.

I copied all my February posts and pasted them into Wordle, and after a minute or two of finagling the basic settings, I settled on this image (it's bigger if you click on it). Note the focal words: gwh, february, great. Looks like it works...

Information on this site and its gadget is tough to come by; I rummaged around and all I discoved was that it's a pretty busted site in general. I'd stick to the featured product and never mind the details. Kind of like sausage and meth.

[edit: Something about this post bothered me while I was writing it, but I couldn't pin it down. Today it hit me - the name. "Wordle" is an awful name. Of all the spelling variations of words that rhyme with "turtle" (and there are many... go ahead, we'll wait), this is the most awkward. It looks odd. It sounds odd. As far as product names go, it ranks right alongside the Snuggy on a scale of One to Nads.]

18. Blazermania

Everyone in the NBA knows something about Portland: it's a bona fide hoops city. Could be because 32 years ago the Blazers won the NBA title. Could also be from making the NBA Finals a couple of times in the early 90s, and the record run of 26 playoff appearances in 27 years from 1977-2003. Rip City. Bust a Bucket. If you were around, you remember. But most importantly, in my opinion, is the fact that the Blazers are the only major league sport in Oregon. And the Rose Garden is a nice place to be in the endless winter rain.

The fanaticism simmered a few years ago, when a shockingly high number of players were breaking laws, being boneheads, and just stepping over lines. Habitually. The team was, in the words of Charlie Murphy, habitual line-steppers. Choking coaches, flipping off fans, arrests, guns, skipping games to hit up strip clubs... you get the idea. The team wasn't just playing poorly, they were an embarrassment. The fans wouldn't support that kind of team.

The past few years have been a renaissance for the Blazers. New management came in and scooped the turds out of the punchbowl. The last few drafts have been an incredible source of young talent. The players now are high-character dudes, most with tremendous potential. They're young. They're getting better, and will most likely return to the playoffs this spring. They will be great soon. Roy. Aldridge. Oden. Rudy... and most fans' lists keep going. The team is a team again. This is a great time to get into Blazermania.

Like many, a group of friends and I each bought season tickets the spring before last, and the crowds have been absolutely electric the entire time. People are psyched; you can feel it in the buzz of the crowd, you can even sense it when watching on tv. You hear people talking about them everywhere. The Blazers are 25-5 at home this year. Every game is a sellout, and the opposing teams consider the Rose Garden crowd one of the strongest in the NBA. Just last night, the Blazers chased Indiana all game, and the fans never let up. In the fourth quarter, with the crowd behind them, they made their move and won in the final seconds. This is not common anywhere but here.

But maybe the best story of the year came last night, when the Blazers organization offered to match (up to $10,000) what the fans that night could donate to help a family whose son had been hit while walking across I-5 following a previous game. The teenager, who has down syndrome, had gotten seperated from his parents at the arena. The parents had no insurance. Taking donations at the door, the fans and team pooled together over $23,000. [edit: sadly, the boy passed away thursday afternoon.]

All good things. See for yourself.

17. Jaydiohead

I like Jay-Z. I love Radiohead. Seems like an easy winner, yeah? Well, I've been debating this for almost a month now, and I've finally come to terms with it.

A couple months ago, the obnoxiously named DJ Minty Fresh Beats fused Jay-Z vocals with remixed Radiohead music, and offered his creation to the masses on his website. When my friend told me about Jaydiohead, I fell in love with the idea. When I listened the first few times, I was mostly impressed. Some songs were great, some were decent... but then I started to overthink. Sure, mash-up albums aren't exactly creative wonders. Yes, the few successful ones seem to always feature Jay-Z (see Danger Mouse's Grey Album and MTV's Collision Course), but that's no surprise given his name recognition, as well as the availability of a cappella versions of his albums. I wondered if this was just a cute bastardization of two definitive sounds, forced together to create a catchy mongrel stripped of the purity that made its parts so dynamic. But then I just kept on digging it, almost as much as I dig that last sentence I just wrote. And I'm ok with that.

Jay-Z enthusiasts will likely be more receptive than pure Radiohead fans, but if you like either one there's no reason you won't find this record at least interesting, a change of pace on a familiar sound. If you're lucky, it might even turn you on to the other act. And for those who enjoy both, I'm finally able to endorse this as a quality piece of mixed-genre ear candy.

16. Chris Webber & Gary Payton

For far too long, the sports television world has suffered through a seemingly bottomless pool of painfully mundane analysts, either offering their common, uninspired thoughts or bucking the trends simply for the sake of argument. Pregame shows. Halftime shows. Postgame shows. All day long on ESPN, including the former champion of sports analysis, Sportscenter. 95% of these are now unwatchable. There is hope, however, as the sages at NBAtv have finally realized that viewers want insight and personality. Enter Chris Webber and Gary Payton.

For starters, Webber and Payton were both elite NBA players for many years, which allows them to break down professional hoops like few others can. On top of that, they're both recently retired, offering knowledge on the current game as well as current players. But what makes them infinitely more entertaining is their incessant sniping and hilarious belligerence. Between their nuggets of actual NBA wisdom the two trade barbs, ridicule other athletes, and reminisce on their playing days. They truly seem comfortable, and watching them crack each other up (and whoever has the fortune of being alongside) is a refreshing alternative to endless diatribe.

Here's the rub: most people don't get NBAtv. Luckilly, the world wide web is a great place to find video clips. When Charles Barkley was serving his suspenion from TNT last month, they showcased the Webber and Payton show, and the results were terrific. The two ran circles around TNT staples Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson, and while they might not be the most polished, politically correct, or professional analysts, when taken with a grain of salt, they are absolutely the most entertaining and insightful. Keep an eye out, with any luck they'll be given a bigger audience.