Stephen Caver

Stan Kroenke buys Angels, ending Arte Moreno's troubled tenure

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 14:16:00 GMT

I recall the glory days of the Angels. After winning that World Series in the early 00s I was certain they would be winning for a long time to come. Not only did that not happen, but it was bungled so badly that they couldn't manage to win with both Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. I really do hope for better results for the Angels, despite the forced narrative that they are crosstown rivals, I've always had a soft spot for 'em.

Visit: Stan Kroenke buys Angels, ending Arte Moreno's troubled tenure

Language Jones' linguistic analysis of 6-7

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 15:20:32 GMT

It's fascinating to me how these types of phenomonea develop.

Watch: Language Jones' linguistic analysis of 6-7

She is gone!

Sat, 26 Oct 2024 06:43:28 GMT

The Dodgers make the postseason so regularly that it’s hard not to become somewhat blasé about October baseball as a Dodger fan. The fanbase has been temperamental about the postseason due to recent history. You can start with the Astros sign-stealing scandal in 2017. Or a short-season championship in 2020 that fans of the Padres… Giants… or anybody really… calls a “Mickey Mouse ring.” Or you can look at the last two years: getting bounced in the NLDS to division rivals—Dodgers fans certainly don’t have it hard most of the time, but they have been grumpy come October.

There’s an old Dodger blog I used to read in the mid-aughts called Dodger Blues — it’s kind on the web but inactive (your browser will tell you it’s unsafe to visit it if you try), but back in the late aughts, it was a regular haunt for disaffected Dodger fans (yes, there was a time).

In the upper lefthand corner of that blog was a clock sarcastically labeled “Time since the last meaningful Dodger moment” with an image from Kirk Gibsons’s famous home run in the ’88 series. The fellow who ran that site stopped posting around 2012, but he ultimately determined that winning in 2020 was a meaningful enough moment to ice the clock. I think he might’ve been a bit early to do so.

The last World Series win for the Dodgers in 2020 was played after a shortened season with no fans in the stands until the postseason, and even then, attendance was limited to a third of capacity. While I believe that World Series is legitimate, deserved, and an accomplishment to be proud of, many others do not. And if all that was not enough, the most iconic image of that series is of Julio Urías getting the final out. Urías has since gone through some rather disturbing and unfortunate legal problems. I now cringe every time I see that image of him getting that out.

So, left with a recent history of coming up embarrassingly short in the last two years, being cheated in 2017, getting whooped in 2018, and a domestic abuser featuring prominently in a shortened 2020, Dodgers fans are a bit grumpy.

I think now we have the moment. Freddie Freeman came to the plate in last night’s game in the 10th inning and took Nester Cortes deep for the first walk-off Grand Slam in World Series history. There isn’t a guy on that team who deserves that moment more, this year especially. Dodgers fans may have finally gotten that truly wholesome, iconic moment that stands shoulder to shoulder with Kirk Gibson’s home run in 1988. Eventually, winning the series will seal it as such.

And when Joe Davis let out an emphatic, “She is gone!” — an obvious reference to Vin Scully’s famous call of the Gibson homer, I am reasonably certain my neighbors heard me cheering.

Fangraphs: "Shohei Ohtani Is Deferring 97% of His Contract"

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 16:54:41 GMT

Ohtani will inarguably be taking home $700 million via this deal, and I disagree with the notion that the contract should be described as anything other than that big number from a bottom-line perspective. But what matters, especially with regards to the Competitive Balance Tax (CBT), is the present value of the contract.

Visit: Fangraphs: "Shohei Ohtani Is Deferring 97% of His Contract"

Giants Fans Hate the Ohtani Deal

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 16:54:41 GMT

There are lots of reasons to love the Dodgers signing of Shohei Ohtani. Acquiring an all-time talent? Brilliant. The unprecedented $700 million contract with deferred payments that allows for payroll flexibility? Yes please. The sweet, sweet, salty tears of Giants fans? Maaaybe the best of all?

Visit: Giants Fans Hate the Ohtani Deal

Vox: What's inside this crater in Madagascar?

Tue, 05 Dec 2023 23:07:29 GMT

I really enjoyed this short documentary about a mysterious, very remote village in Madagascar that Vox spotted in satellite imagery.

Visit: Vox: What's inside this crater in Madagascar?

Texas Longhorns Make the College Football Playoff

Sun, 03 Dec 2023 18:26:06 GMT

After the loss to OU, I was certain Texas didn't have a shot at the CFP, but it's been absolute chaos and they're in. Hook 'em!

Visit: Texas Longhorns Make the College Football Playoff

Adam Savage's Spy Prop Kit

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 18:19:45 GMT

This must've been so much fun for the team at Earl Hays Press:

One of Adam's favorite movie MacGuffins is the secret agent go-bag, containing all the documentation and ephemera a spy would need to travel the world or make a quick escape. Returning to the legendary Earl Hays Press, Adam challenges their propmakers to create a go-bag equivalent for a 1940's era fictional spy!

Watch: Adam Savage's Spy Prop Kit

Austin Eliminates Parking Requirements

Fri, 17 Nov 2023 03:15:29 GMT

I am proud of Austin for taking this step. It's amusing to see right-leaning opinions oppose it. You'd think supporting developers' property rights is something they'd embrace. Ah well.

Visit: Austin Eliminates Parking Requirements

MLB: "'Overwhelming majority' of baseball execs think Shohei ends up with Dodgers"

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 16:42:27 GMT

"It's pretty evident from how the Dodgers have positioned themselves with few long-term contracts on the books and plenty of available cash.

Feinsand points towards the fact the team didn't spend heavily last winter, which could lead to them shelling out a massive contract for the generational star.\n> Feinsand isn't the only insider who thinks the Dodgers are the clubhouse favorite to land Ohtani, as ESPN’s Buster Olney heard from a person in the Dodgers' organization that president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman is “obsessed” with Ohtani and will do what it takes to position the club to sign him.\n"

Visit: MLB: "'Overwhelming majority' of baseball execs think Shohei ends up with Dodgers"

Does the language you speak change how you think?

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 17:34:47 GMT

Tom Scott dives into the question of whether or not language influences how humans think. In other words, is Newspeak something that could happen?

Watch: Does the language you speak change how you think?

El Estepario Siberiano's drum cover of "Godzilla"

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 06:00:00 GMT

One of my favorite YouTube niches that I've fallen into is watching drum covers. I'm not a drummer or even a musician, but there is something about watching drummers go at it that entertains. The undisputed king of this content has to be El Estepario Siberiano, a Spanish drummer. "Godzilla" is an obvious perfect match for his style, and it does not disappoint.

Watch: El Estepario Siberiano's drum cover of "Godzilla"

The Rangers Shut Out the Diamondbacks in Game 5 To Win Their First World Series

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 06:00:00 GMT

Congratulations to the 2023 Texas Rangers. 2023 was one of the more surprising World Series matchups since 2014. Now, let's get that hot stove heating up, shall we?

Visit: The Rangers Shut Out the Diamondbacks in Game 5 To Win Their First World Series

Kevin Powell on Subgrid and Container Queries

Thu, 26 Oct 2023 06:00:00 GMT

Kevin Powell dives into how CSS Subgrid and Container Queries work. This is a beneficial quick overview of the basics of these new CSS features. I expect that these techniques will become commonplace before long.

Watch: Kevin Powell on Subgrid and Container Queries

Precise Type

Sat, 21 Oct 2023 06:00:00 GMT

This is the best typography calculator I have seen. It calculates the font sizes, leading, and tracking, with options for modifying the baseline grid and font casing. Once you've fine-tuned everything, it can be downloaded as a table in an image (super useful for just popping into Figma for reference) or as a CSV file.

Visit: Precise Type

The Clamp Calculator

Sat, 21 Oct 2023 06:00:00 GMT

A very useful tool for calculating smooth transitions for typography between a minimum and maximum viewport width using the clamp() function in CSS.

Visit: The Clamp Calculator

Bobby Miller vs Rockies

Sat, 23 Sep 2023 06:00:00 GMT

Hot Air Balloons Over Colorado Springs

Mon, 04 Sep 2023 06:00:00 GMT

Colorado Springs Labor Day Lift Off

Sun, 03 Sep 2023 06:00:00 GMT

Piff the Magic Dragon

Sun, 04 Dec 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Murder by Death at the Ogden Theatre

Sun, 28 Aug 2022 06:00:00 GMT

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 06:00:00 GMT

What a difference a month and a half make. The last time I posted, SARS-CoV-2 (henceforth “Coronavirus”) was starting to become a significant news story, but I hadn’t the slightest idea what would be in store for the 45 days. Since then, many states have ordered citizens to stay home to help stem the tide of the disease.

This whole ordeal became very real for me when my friend Jeff contracted and subsequently passed due to Coronavirus. It’s difficult to think of even now. The emotions that well up are hard to process. Jeff was a beautiful human being who saw the best in everyone. He, as a friend of mine put it, “collected friends like he was shot out of a cannon.” I’ll miss him dearly.

But we go on, don’t we?

My wife does the heroic task of venturing out to collect necessities, bound up like a bank robber. Though all she’s trying to do is grab some groceries.

We’re lucky enough to both be able to work from home. We’re both still employed with a very low risk of losing our jobs. I’m thankful for this. I know that out there; many others are struggling. Their struggle is sadly necessary. I hope that as a nation, we can do the right things to protect people’s lives and livelihoods. What those right things are is up for debate, of course, but my wishes are for us to, collectively, find the right path.

I’m meandering through this now. Much like the rest of life right now. Until next time.

The Best Team in Baseball

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 07:00:00 GMT

If you ask me, the Dodgers were the best team in baseball in 2017. And then there was banging on trash cans.

It’s a curious thing being a Dodger fan these days. The team has been rolling for the better part of a decade. It’s won the most games of any team since Dave Roberts took the helm. But yet, every Dodger fan is sinking in a quicksand of fandom.

The Dodgers should’ve won it all by now. Perhaps without that banging, they would’ve.

The Dodgers come into 2020 like a juggernaut. A stacked lineup and roster depth for days, designed to withstand injuries to even the most key of players. Cash in reserve for days. Prospects that can come up and make an impact immediately—or be traded away at the deadline for whatever holes emerge.

And yet there is a sense of restlessness. This team can win it all. They should win it all. Will they?

Back In Austin

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 07:00:00 GMT

Right now, I’m sitting in a hotel room in Austin. We came down from Dallas to attend a friend’s wedding out in Dripping Springs, and while we’re here, we’re doing the greatest hits of our time in Austin. It’s not the stereotypical spots, but the spots that are special to us.

Austin is still tops lists of the best places to live, and being here the past day and a half reminds me why. But while listicles will talk about the tech scene, the cultural institutions, or the food and music, what I love most about coming to Austin is the vibe.

What I think makes Austin unique is that everyone here feels that and projects it forward. Nearly everyone is in a friendly or good mood. People are enjoying themselves, and it’s something that you can sense pretty much anywhere.

All that is to say, I miss Austin. We’re unlikely to live here ever again, frankly. I’m a bit sad about that. The future is coming fast for us, and there are great opportunities ahead of us. I hope that wherever we wide up, we can find a little bit of that Austin vibe.

This Website is Perfect

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 07:00:00 GMT

This website is not perfect.

I have the drive to build precisely. I fail constantly. In the past, hell, decade, I’ve redesigned my website countless times. I have folders on my machine dating back years with abandoned redesign efforts. A lot of that would have rotted no sooner than it launched.

I’m taking a new approach to this. And it’s not revolutionary. It’s what I do every day. Constant improvement. Make the thing a bit better every time I touch the keyboard.

What this means is that there is a lot on this site that I would prefer to be different. I want the design to be more eye-catching. I want to take the cover photos myself. I would like to have content that highlights what I’m reading, listening, and learning.

I would have liked to spend more time dialing in the code. I’m already not super happy with it. But instead of that, I’m going to push forward. I’ll change things in the future. But I won’t let it sit and rot.

I don’t currently have a to-do list for this site, but I will be making one. But all that said, I was able to write this post and to publish it. You can read it.

For now, that’s enough.

A Husk of Its Former Self

Sun, 16 Feb 2020 07:00:00 GMT

The open web is a husk of its former self, conceded to the corporate ventures whose aim is to collect as much data as possible and leverage it in the most profitable manner possible. I want to reclaim my portion of it that dream of an open web of sharing ideas, culture, and imagination.

That’s the goal here. I’m not looking to get hired, or a speaking gig, or a book deal. I want to get back to basics.

As I write this, I would consider this redesign to be about 90% there, but resistance to reach total completeness increases exponentially the nearer it gets.

Though, the reality is, this can never be complete. The nature of this is an inevitable change to technology, to people, and my whims. With that in mind, I will aim to finally publish this in some form very soon, with minimal touch-ups as I prepare it for launch.

I’m not happy with the result, but I will never be. Designing for oneself is an artistic act, and dissatisfaction for me in that sense is foundational. But again, that’s not the goal. The goal is to take back my part of the web.

And with that, I will pledge to improve this site steadily and to contribute to the content regularly. To not let it die.