Hitting the Target?

18 Jun , 2008 No Comments

As most of you know, I love baseball. There is so much to the sport that is so interesting to me. Part of the game involves pitchers intentionally hitting batters for different reasons (many people would refer to this as “dirty” baseball but it is a part of it nonetheless). Then rivalry and team loyalty kicks in and the opposing pitcher will “protect” his team by following suit and hitting a batter himself. I’ve seen this with the Yankees/Red Sox numerous times. It is a subtle part of the game.

I came across a video today of something I had never seen though. A high school player beans an umpire…directly in the face. Coincidence? Decide for yourself. (Hint: watch what the catcher does as he “misses” the ball). Watch it here. You can read an in depth play-by-play here.

So here is my question: should this be considered another part of the game (if you really don’t like how the ump is calling the game) or is this immoral and something that should be banned and punished at all costs?

I can say this though, if it was intentional then that guy can throw!

Read More

Memorizing Scripture – Pt. 2

15 Jun , 2008 No Comments

I’ve blogged before on my desire to memorize scripture, you can read my previous post here, and I’ve stumbled across something that will help me do this much more efficiently.

Many of you commented on my post last time about your own desire to do this. Yet the conversation always turns to the difficulty in disciplining yourself in this area. I recently read about software that helps you with spaced repetition (don’t I sound smart) and memorizing things for the long haul.

I recently downloaded a free software called Anki that basically helps you like flash cards. You make files of what you want to memorize and it quizzes you. Depending on how easy or hard it is for you to recall each card it then determines how long until you need to be quizzed on that card again. This is a much more efficient way to spend time memorizing and hopefully will help it to last in your head for years to come. They figured out an algorithm (there’s a word I never thought I’d use after again after my high school math classes) that tracks how we memorize and then apply it to whatever you are working on. Download it for yourself and let me know what your thoughts are on it.

Read More

The Starfish and the Spider

15 May , 2008 No Comments

I recently finished reading an amazing book by Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom called The Starfish and the Spider. The book talks about decentralized organizations versus centralized ones using examples from throughout history and many things that are happening all around us today. It was a very thought-provoking read and something that I will be thinking through for awhile. I would strongly recommend this to anyone. Here are a few excerpts from the description to whet your appetite.

“If you cut off a spider’s leg, it’s crippled; if you cut off its head, it dies. But if you cut off a starfish’s leg it grows a new one, and the old leg can grow into an entirely new starfish.

What’s the hidden power behind the success of Wikipedia, craigslist, and Skype? What do eBay and General Electric have in common with the abolitionist and women’s rights movements? What fundamental choice put General Motors and Toyota on vastly different paths? How could winning a Supreme Court case be the biggest mistake MGM could have made?

The Starfish and the Spider explores what happens when starfish take on spiders (such as the music industry vs. Napster, Kazaa, and the P2P services that followed). It reveals how established companies and institutions, from IBM to Intuit to the US government, are also learning how to incorporate starfish principles to achieve success. The book explores:
* How the Apaches fended off the powerful Spanish army for 200 years
* The power of a simple circle
* The importance of catalysts who have an uncanny ability to bring people together
* How the Internet has become a breeding ground for leaderless organizations
* How Alcoholics Anonymous has reached untold millions with only a shared ideology and without a leader

Read More

I’m Sorry

16 Apr , 2008 No Comments

My Mom saw this sign in downtown Phoenix recently and sent it to me. I think this is absolutely beautiful and it encourages me about the church.

Read More

I Love New York

08 Apr , 2008 No Comments

So the 3F team is in NY this week for a conference and we came out a day early to see the Yankees play a game in the last season of the original Yankee Stadium. It was amazing (and ridiculously cold, see below)! Despite my favorite player getting pulled in the third inning due to injury, the game was great and they dominated for me 6-1!

Read More

My Alma Mater

30 Mar , 2008 No Comments

I was contacted out of the blue by the college I graduated from, Hope International University, and asked if they could write an article on me and Third Format. Apparently they now have a section on featured alumni. I was a little caught off guard but honored nonetheless. I forgot about it for awhile and then decided to check it tonight and see if anything had come of it. And sure enough, there was my picture next to an article. You can read it here. I felt pretty important when I also saw that they have one for Tyrone Wells, who we got to hang out with this weekend since he played at Central. It is so exciting to me to see how God is at work at Central and Third Format and to get to play a part in it. What an adventure!

Read More