Links

No Age, 'Everything in Between' [Tunes]: This two person noise-punk group rose to prominence playing The Smell, a local all-ages, alcohol and drug free community center in Los Angeles. Their third album (streaming on the Guardian) has been met with rave reviews, as their sound has gone from thrashing and dissonant to hazy and reflective. You simply have to root for a band where the lead singer once dislocated his shoulder in an after-show dance battle with Deerhunter while listening to Dan Deacon.

Where Everyone Doesn't Know His Name: There's a quarterback in Division I that has quietly put together one of the best careers in college history - he's the first QB to pass for over 2,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons, is challenging Eric Crouch's record for the most career rushing TDs by a QB, and already has more career rushing yards than Tim Tebow. This season, he has more rushing touchdowns than Denard Robinson, is completing nearly 70% of his passes, and has led his team to a national ranking in both polls, the first in his school's history. The QB is Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick, a three sport star out of high school who received just one scholarship offer to play quarterback...based on his performance in a basketball game. Naturally, Kaepernick spent his summer selling sports apparel at a mall in Reno. Nevada hosts Boise St. in a nationally televised matchup the day after Thanksgiving. It'll be interesting to see how much his professional scouting grade (currently at 35/100) improves if he performs well in that contest.

Twins a Man Down Heading Into Playoffs:  After 40 years of being the Minnesota Twins' most famous beer guy, 76 year old Wally McNeil gets suspended for the playoffs for serving a minor during a police sting. To no one's surprise, Wally was snatched up quickly to serve drinks at a bar across from Target Field during the playoffs.

The Online Gambling Dominoes Begin to Fall: The old guard Las Vegas casinos are starting to get behind proposals to legalize online gambling in the US. The reason? Pokerstars.com estimated $1 billion in annual profits. That's a big enough number to get anyone interested in some action.

Your Eyes Are About to Bleed Colts Offense: This amazing write up breaks down the Indianapolis Colts offense in a very readable way. Curious that in a league of copycats, no other NFL team has tried to emulate the Colts approach.

X-Japan Invade America: It's not the Beatles performing at Shea, but Japan's biggest glam rock superstars (think Motley Crue or Poison in the 80's) launch their first tour in the US. Why do Japanese re-interpretations of American culture always seem so fascinating decades later?

The Lunch Counter Network: A historical perspective on the difference between social activism and social networking. This quote is a keeper: "Social networks are effective at increasing participation—by lessening the level of motivation that participation requires."

The History of Rap Part One (it's worth sitting through the opening commercial if you haven't seen it yet):