Global warming is not a priority. HUH?

That's right. I stumbled upon this very interesting video of a talk given by economist Bjorn Lomborg who works with the Copenhagen Consensus. He explains why economists are the best individuals to prioritize the world's problems, and how why we must do this to tackle them effectively. The surprising factoid in this discussion is that while global warming is given more press than any other problem, it's the last thing we should tackle. Watch the video for further explanation.

Prince Synthetic Gut Multifilament 17

Just installed this string in one of my Magnetic Tours. Was pretty easy to string up, not as easy as some multis though. I haven't broken these yet, but played 2 doubles matches with them. Initial impressions are "nothing special". This isn't especially soft and doesn't have especially good feel. Durability will be interesting. All in all it's a pretty middle of the road string. It's definitely softer than PSGD 17, but it doesn't have much more feel, which you'd normally see in a multifilament. The $6.50 price point is nice, but I can't see really spending twice the price of PSGD for this. Tension I think has started to dip already after 2 matches. I'll see if it has any redeeming qualities now that it's fully broken in. Some strings just get better w/ use...others not so much. If I don't post on this again, my initial impressions were correct: Performance, B, Price A-... Worth a try, probably not one for the inventory.

Setup: Fischer Magnetic Tour, 57 lbs.

Klip Venom 17

I bought another FMT from a TW board member and it came strung with Klip Venom 17 w/ about one set of use on it. I pretty much abused this string until it was about to snap. Durability for a multi is very good. It has gotten some negative reviews, but I don't really know why... I really enjoyed this string. It seemed soft, and powerful, and seemed to maintain tension pretty well. Usually w/ Gamma strings (notorious for bad tension maintenance) I notice a pretty big drop off after so many sets... not w/ Venom. This had pretty good pop and was smooth around the stringbed. I can't say the feel was outstanding, but it was satisfactory. For $13/set though, not sure I'd spring for it. Performance: A-, Price: C. I'd give this string a B, worth a try if you don't mind the bill.

Switched from K6.1 to FMT

I recently switched from the Wilson K-Factor 6.1 16x18 to the Fischer Magnetic Tour. I like the K6.1 b/c it's solid, pretty head light, and I can serve well with it... But my main motivations for moving were these:

• String eater
• Heavy during long matches
• Powerful. Quick-reaction shots could really zip.

The Fischer Magnetic Tour is a lighter stick, and it has a super nice pick-up weight. It just feels like an easy stick to play with. It's got some pop, but less so than the K6.1. I feel like it has more control and a more predictable hit than the K6.1 b/c of the 16x19 pattern. So far it's a little different on the serve. Strings seem to last well in it. And quick shots are so much easier and tend to stay in the court. It's got a great smooth feel to it as well. Fischer rackets just have the same smoothness across the board which I really like. Let's see if she keeps up with me and I stick with these FMT's.

I'm (very) locally famous...

So I started a thread over on the TW board about how resident VLOGist Chris Edwards looks like Survivorman a bit... well, funnily enough I met him & William (vid editor extraordinaire) in Cincinnati the very next week at the ATP Masters event. We chatted for a few min and he asked if I wanted to be in a VLOG. Hell yeah I wanted to... so he interviewed me and I had no idea what he was going to ask. Turns out, he played the Survivorman thing up nicely in the VLOG. Check it out...

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/vlogpage.html?ccode=VLOG031