I am a college football fan. I'd much rather watch college ball than the NFL. And I think I'm a pretty good prognosticator (at least heads up; i'm not much of a gambler so I never mess with the point spread).

So today, I'm introducing my college picks of the week.

Although this is going to be an early edition with only one game discussed, simply because a game of interest to me is being played tonight-- Texas A&M at Miami.

Now before you assume i'm an unbiased observer and decide to trust my picks, you need to understand that I do have my biases.

For starters, I wish failure on the Aggies every week. As a Texas Tech alumn, I just can't bring myself to root for the Ags. Sorry, it just goes back to the days of the old Southwest Conference and when one Jackie Sherrill elevated the buying of players to an art form, while also starting the near ridiculous escalation of coaches' salaries.

Not that I don't want coaches to be well paid. But there's just something wrong with a coach, take Nick Saban for example, pulling down $4 million a year while he's got players who can't buy a meal if the cafeteria happens to be closed.

But I digress..

Coach Fran at A&M has been awful cocky lately, and I'm not really sure why. It's not like he's won any conferences title or anything like that. Heck, he hasn't even managed to beat Tech yet. In fact, A&M seems to have a hard time with Tech. In the 2006-2007 college season, Tech beat A&M both on the gridiron and on the basketball court.

In fact, I think Tech has won 9 of the last 12 meetings between the football teams. A&M doesn't consider Tech a rival, and with a record like that, they're right. That's not a rivalry, that's outright dominance by Tech.

But I digress again...

A&M barely escaped against Fresno State, and it has dominated its other two opponents, Montana State and Louisiana Monroe, but that's nothing to brag about. Sorry, Ags, but while you think you're a top ten program, the reality is, you'll be lucky to finish in the top 25 this year.

Miami is in similar straits, although they have played at least one quality opponent. Unfortunately, for them, their one game was at OU, resulting in a severe spanking being administered to them by Oklahoma.

 Tonight, Fran will be exposed, and the Aggies downward spiral will begin. No kidding, I peg the Aggies finishing out the year at 7 and 5, and that's figuring they'll be in better shape than UT come Thanksgiving weekend.

Miami is out to prove that they are making their way back among the elite, although I think they know they've got a ways to go. Still, I have a feeling that the Canes won't fall to two Big 12 programs in one season, so watch for the Canes to not just win, but whip up on the Aggies. We'll also learn that the Ags need to go shopping for some receivers.

The score? I hate predicting scores, it's such a fruitless endeavor, but what the heck, try 27-14, with the Canes on top.

Tomorrow: My picks for the remainder of the weekend.

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Microsoft, that company that so many love to hate (although don't include Zuncher Dan in that group), might have to pony up a $613 million fine handed done by the European Union soon.

They just lost their appeal and have two months to decide whether or not to appeal the appeal (kinda redundant, ain't it?). You can read all about it here.

The EU Court of First Instance, which I gather is what you call an appeals court in EU circles, ruled against Microsoft  on the major parts of the case, stating that the European Commission was correct in concluding that the company was guilty of monopoly abuse in trying to use its power over desktop computers to muscle into server software.

Microsoft? A monopoly?

Who knew?

Trust me. Even though Microsoft has more than enough cash to pay the fine, they're going to appeal. They literally have no choice since ultimately losing on this issue could mean they will be forced to reveal code and otherwise valuable intellectual property in order to comply with the EU's findings. 

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Back when I had hopes of earning an MBA, I was taking a marketing class where I managed to ace the course thanks largely to a paper and presentation I did on Southwest Airlines.

From its earliest days, Southwest had always successfully marched to the beat of a different drummer. As did its longtime CEO and President, Herb Kelleher, who infused it with a sense of humor and a atmosphere of success.

It has easily been the premier success story in airline history. Other airlines studied it, trying to figure out how it managed to profitable year after year while so many other either sought bankruptcy protection or teetered on the verge of bankruptcy.

After an extensive study, an exasperated American Airlines exec concluded, "That place runs on Herb Kelleher's bull****."

Well, maybe not so much anymore. The iconic airline has managed to take itself down a peg, acting like its snobbier brethren.  In fact, it appears Southwest has hired the clothes police to screen passengers.

You can read about it here.

The incident has gained national exposure and even got Kyla Ebbert, the target of Southwest’s clothes police, a few minutes on the Today show.

This from the airline that once famously clad its flight attendants in hot pants?

I’m guessing there was a lapse in judgment for the Southwest rep who decided Kyla was under-dressed. Either that or she gave him some bad service at the Hooters where she works.

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Not content with allowing us to stare down at our homes and offices from the heavens using Google Earth, Google now bring us Sky, which essentially turns the telescope around and points it at the rest of the universe.

 By downloading the latest version of Google Earth, you now can get Sky, Google’s eye on the universe, with it.

Download it and you’ll be able to zoom in on more than 100 million stars, 200 million galaxies, our solar system's planets and our moon. You can also see constellations and high-resolution images from the Hubble Telescope.

Sky also features a search function that allows instant viewing of specific astronomical features.

Check it out.

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Just got back from a copywriter's seminar in Sin City itself-- Las Vegas.

The seminar was on the subject of nuero-linguistic programming  (NLP) and its use in copywriting. Really interesting stuff that I'll be trying to incorporate into content that I create for Zunch clients in the future.

Anyway, this was my third trip to Vegas in three years. Each time I've been there has been for a copywriting seminar or conference.

And even though the casinos are tempting, in three visits I have yet to drop so much as a quarter into a slot machine or engage in any other form of gambling.

Why? I mean I know people who dream about going to Vegas and think I'm nuts for not gambling.

Basically, I hate to lose money. And when the best odds are 50/50 (playing Blackjack), I don't feel secure enough in those odds to toss any money on the table. Incidentally, the worst odds in a casino are on the slot machines, only something like a 27% chance of winning on each spin.

I'm not real sure why the leading copywriters insist on holding these seminars in Vegas. Although I do know that the guy who organzied this one took in Celine Dion on the first night there.

Did I mention I also think most of the shows in Vegas are pretty lame?

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Boy, send a guy out to promote his book and visit with Zunch clients in China and what happens...?

Not sure what'd up with Terrence in the below photo, but we may want to hide this post from his wife. I never knew the guy was such a lady's man.

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