video


9
Oct 15

Proof: Usain Bolt is slow

I saw this truck on the road today. Honestly, it hadn’t occurred to me. But you wonder how many times the truck drivers were flagged down by other drivers and authorities and what not before painting this on the back.

peanuts

Of course venting is a relative term. How much is enough? At what point should we once again be alarmed? And what does it mean if it isn’t venting? Should I be concerned about that? How far back is safe enough to protect the car’s paint? Is this going to obscure my vision? Are there venting warnings on the other three sides of the tank? A venting tank could be a distraction to other motorists, which endanger us all. And then what happens —

Some red lights are red too long.

Work hard. No weakness. Run fast. This guy is the best:

So now we have our weekend motivation.


6
Oct 15

News engagement day

Just another beautiful day on campus. This is the view from one of the plazas on the quad, in front of Cumberland Law and beside the Davis Library.

campus

The occasion was something called News Engagement Day. Students were out interviewing passersby and giving them a current events quiz. I strolled out to give moral support and took the quiz. (I passed! No pressure in getting that result.)

The students also produced some nice videos.

This story starts “When you’re in your 80s, rarely do you embark on a new profession.” But, really, you’re going to click this link to see the video. It is a wonderful four minutes.

This one will strike a different chord, Jason Gunter faces last shot at redemption in Ironman. Just your standard “double amputee looking to finish the race that thwarted him six years ago” story.

Every day since collapsing about four miles from the finish line Oct. 10, 2009, at the Ironman World Championship, the Fort Myers double amputee and attorney has plotted and prepared for redemption.

For the first five years, the unlikeliest of Ironmen would log onto the 140.6-mile race’s website in early April. He would survey the five winners of the triathlon’s physically-challenged lottery, of which there were 25 to 30 entrants. He would not see his name.

[…]

Gunter, 50, said this will be his second and last attempt to conquer Kona, the world’s most famous triathlon.

(Update: Did he do it? Yes he did.)


28
Sep 15

Used to walk down it; now I run up it

I had a nice eight-mile run this weekend. Eight miles isn’t a lot, maybe, but it is a big number for me. This is only the second time I’ve run that far on purpose. I’m pleased with how it all worked, except for my overall time. I’m pretty slow, you see. Anyway, it gave me views like this, views I normally see on my bicycle:

field

This is not a view I normally see on my bike, because I don’t care for it. It is one of the bigger hills around, and it feels a little more severe on your legs than it does through a windshield or a computer monitor. I’ve shattered myself on this hill every time I’ve been up it on my bike. But I ran up it Saturday:

field

I do not know what is happening.

This isn’t the first one of these that you’ve seen, probably. It is a football celebration shot by both the school’s staff, but also their fans. It won’t be the last video you see like this. Storytelling is now a collaborative endeavor.

Sometimes you see stories of young people and think, ‘These leaders of tomorrow have it figured out.’ In grief, high school athletes show us the healing power of sportsmanship:

For those that are unaware, last year’s game between Davidson High School and Charles Henderson High School was marred by the death of a Charles Henderson High School student – Demario Harris. Demario died after sustaining an injury during the game between the two schools.

[…]

This brings us to this week and the events that took place. Throughout the week the students at Davidson High School have been selling orange shirts with the number 10 and Demario Harris’ name on it – which all of the band had on underneath their uniforms. The school purchased a plaque to present to Coach Brad McCoy and the players of Charles Henderson High School. There was a moment of silence for Demario and prayer for his family and community that are still grieving. None of which was expected of Davidson to do, nor were they obligated to do. Not to mention, it was homecoming week and the homecoming game.

And, I suppose, that is how you make the most of something that no high school kid should have to experience. And that’s a shame that had to come their way, but good for them, and the people around them.

Said goodbye to my in-laws today. They came in late last week. We took them to see the raptors, to see a football game, hosted a nice little party and a fancy dinner one night.

Also, we did this:

field

Lovely time.


25
Sep 15

The cool report

Sometimes I think I should go back to themed Fridays. If I did, today’s theme would be ‘Man, this stuff is cool.

Problem: I can’t repeat awesomeness like this every week.

We went to the Southeastern Raptor Center for their bird show this evening. I only shot video of one little guy, because they flew him right by me:

He posed for pictures later:

owl

Here’s another cool thing. If I had any talent at triathlons at all, I would do this:

And perhaps the coolest thing today is Sir Patrick Stewart. (I have this sneaking suspicion he is the coolest thing going a lot of days.) If you have seven minutes, you should watch this video. It is powerful, true-to-life stuff:

Also, the in-laws are in town this weekend. Extra cool!


23
Sep 15

Things you should listen to today

Really, I should just put this here and leave.

Because that’s amazing. But I have two podcasts to share. One from work, about the state budget:

And one for fun, about the Florida-Tennessee game.

But how about that football call, huh?