E15 in NASCAR

So I saw a great article about NASCAR running on E15 next year that made me smile for two reasons:

http://www.nascar.com/2010/news/business/10/16/nascar-ethanol-fuel-in-2011/index.html

First, it brought back memories of me going around the track as a passenger in a NASCAR at the Atlanta Motor Speedway at 180 mph in a ride-along after the race. I'm not the biggest NASCAR fan in the world, the tickets and ride-along were actually a gift for my sister who is a NASCAR freak, but I have to admit it was a rush of a lifetime.

The second reason is because my company, Hydro Dynamics, Inc., has a huge initiative going right now to increase ethanol yield from corn using cavitation. I know there's some debate on the merits of corn ethanol (and I have some opinions on that), but this is a real win-win in that we allow higher ethanol production from the same amount of corn for already existing plants. Well if you're curious you can read more at http://hydrodynamics.com/markets/alternative-energy/ It's funny how things sometimes come full circle, years ago NASCAR started as a sport among guys who used to run moonshine, but next year they'll be running it in their engines. Ironic. Maybe some NASCAR fuel will be processed on a ShockWave Power Reactor in 2011!

My 15 Minutes of Fame

So I was featured on the Buckhead Church Blog:

http://blog.buckheadchurch.org/2010/09/13/the-1st-ever-%E2%80%9Cbring-your-boss-to

-church%E2%80%9D-sunday/

Never imagined it would be for this, but still pretty cool!

I Will Not Let You Down

Was blown away by Bill Curry's speech to his team before Georgia State's first ever football game. He let ESPN tape it and it was played on Mike and Mike on ESPN Radio that I listen to almost every morning.

Coach Curry asks his players what they’re going to say to their teammates in the fourth quarter when they’re tired and feel like quitting. The young men respond in unison “I will not let you down!” He asks what they’re going to say when their teammates wanna give up, “I will not let you down!” and are hurt, “I will not let you down!” can’t carry their own weight, “I will not let you down!” etc. ... “I will not let you down!”

It was so moving in general and also brought me back to my days playing high school football. I also love him because he played for the Packers under Lombardi and coached Georgia Tech, so lots of connections there. It also made me wonder what the world would look like off the field if we looked at each other more often and said, “I will not let you down!”

Well not sure what speech he'll give before playing #1 Alabama later this year, but I'll be cheering for him!

IMAX Hubble 3D

Saw this last week and it was amazing! A shuttle launch in 3D on an IMAX screen with a surround sound system was awesome. Great story of one of the best science projects ever! This has a special place for me as I've always loved space, it was even my little boy dream to be an astronaut. If you want to see it you can go to the official site and see where it's playing near you.

http://www.imax.com/hubble/

Rock Bottom Plunge!

So I have to admit I was a little frightened before riding this ride, but eventually did and it was a lot of fun. A little girl assured me in line it wasn't as intense as it looked. The picture is of the first hill. You climb straight up, slowly crest the 67 foot hill and drop straight down! A couple of loops and a few turns at 40 mph after that and it's all over. Well if you're at Mall of America ride the SpongeBob Rock Bottom Plunge!

Dead Sea Scrolls

So I had a chance to view the actual Dead Sea Scrolls at the Science Museum of Minnesota. It was very cool, especially at a place of science. It was a mixed bag of emotions. It was hard to believe I was looking at items from the region and time of Jesus, in some ways Jesus became more real. I also didn't realize that there were more than books of the Bible in the clay pots, but other popular religious writings of the time. I guess it would be the equivalent of putting a copy of 'The Purpose Driven Life" or the latest Andy Stanley message in a time capsule along with a Bible. I also learned the Scrolls weren't immediately accepted or seen as valuable and were even smuggled to america and offered for sale to Duke University for $1 million, but they declined. They were later sold for $250,000 in an add in the paper and returned to their home in Israel.

A final thing I learned again both strengthened my faith, but also gave me more questions. In the scrolls there was a copy of all but one book from our version of the old testament and they're nearly identical to the versions we have today. This rocks! What doesn't rock is the small discrepancies like the fact that their book of Psalms has 7 extra chapters and references hundreds of more in other volumes. It also has a few extra books, anybody up for a reading from the Book of Noah? I guess I can just take the view that our Bible is the pure word of God, but perhaps other parts were lost over time? Maybe the scrolls were from a sect that had a few parts wrong and it was part of God's plan to have those books and parts of books lost? Well my head hurts from thinking of such things. Overall it was a faith strengthening experience and if you ever have a chance to catch such an exhibit I highly recommend it!

Near Perfection

So I was watching the near perfect game last night and it made me think of how we are often close to history, but miss by inches or seconds. I remember being at the Final Four and seeing the near Butler buzzer beater that would have

been shown on CBS for decades had it gone in. I remember a high school teacher telling me one time about "pragmatic immortality" which is essentially the belief that you're only really gone when you're forgotten, so do everything to be memorable. I guess we all search for that, even if it's to say, "I was there when...." Heck, I still brag about the fact that my grandfather was at the Ice Bowl and we showed pics o

f it at his funeral (he was a sports reporter). We all want to be significant, even if it's only in association, but in some ways Armando Galarraga and Jim Joyce gained more significance for their lack of perfection. Life is funny like that sometimes. It's great that some of the things being talked about today are the smile below with no argument after the blown call, that when a heartbroken Jim Joyce apologized privately (sincere props to him too) he not only forgave him, but consoled and hugged him and the general grace everyone involved has shown. Hopefully those reactions will have more pragmatic immortality than anything else, that's history to be proud of.

This article from MLB about the next game today is even better!

Jim Joyce Gets Lineup Card From Armando Galarraga, Works Home Plate

The pregame meeting at home plate is a mostly symbolic occasion in baseball. But it had special meaning Thursday at Comerica Park in Detroit.

In a classy gesture meant to show the world the Tigers had moved on from the night before, manager Jim Leyland had pitcher Armando Galarraga -- instead of Leyland or a coach -- bring the lineup card to the home-plate umpire.

That umpire was Jim Joyce, whose clearly blown call at first base the night before, with two outs in the ninth inning, cost Galarraga a perfect game. Overnight, it became the hottest topic in American sports, and maybe the country at large.

Leyland said he wanted to prevent any negative fan reaction to Joyce.

"This guy is an outstanding umpire. I just really think it's a day for Tigers fans to really show what we are all about in a positive way. I really believe that, and I hope that they do. I don't know that they will, but I hope they do. I'm going to try and push for it as much as I can.

"The guy had every bit of integrity. He faced the music. He stood there and took it. What else can he do? I just don't believe in beating people up like that. If he would have been there and been defiant, and said 'No, I got it right,' and all this and that, and looked at it afterward and said, 'Well, yeah, I missed it,' well that's one thing. But this guy was a mess, I mean a freaking mess. I'm talking about sincere. There was nothing phony about it. This guy was a mess. My heart goes out to him."

And as angry as fans, especially Tigers fans, were at the call, it was clear no one was more shaken than Joyce. Even as he stepped on the field -- he apparently turned down Major LeagueBaseball's offer to take the day off -- Joyce had tears in his eyes.

A few minutes earlier, to recognize Galarraga's accomplishment, the Tigers presented him with a 2010 Corvette.

Joyce was still emotional as Galarraga came to the plate, and after a brief exchange of lineup cards, Joyce patted Galarraga on the shoulder, as if to say, "Thanks, buddy."

Galarraga and Leyland have forgiven Joyce. It's quite an example to set.

NCAA Final Four

So I'm thinking back to my awesome experience a month ago going to the Final Four in Indy. If you ever get the chance you should go. The tension and environment was amazing. Was a little strange being there over Easter and the holiday didn't feel quite the same, but thanks NorthPoint Online for bringing an amazing church service to my hotel room.

Not sure how much of the "buzz" in the air was a "Butler" effect, guess I'd have to go again to find out. Top it off with getting to meet Dick Vitale and ride in a van around Indianapolis Motor Speedway and you have one awesome weekend!

You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again

An e-mail I got from my mom

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how
things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make
it and wanted to give up She was tired of fighting and struggling.
It seemed as soon as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and
placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she
placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she
placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a
word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the
carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and
placed them in a bowl.

Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her
daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots.
She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the
daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she
observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter
smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does
it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same
adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently... The carrot went in
strong, hard, and unrelenting... However, after being subjected to the
boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile.
Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after
sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The
ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the
boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your
door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with
pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the
heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a
financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and
stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and
tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water,
the very circumstance that brings the pain.. When the water gets hot, it
releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things
are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.
When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you
elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity?
Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The
brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go
forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone
around you is crying.

May we all be COFFEE