I had a diversion this past week due to the Colgan air disaster, but my loyal readers were expecting an Andy beat down on Allen for his position on Bobby Knight and his position on Obama and Iran. I figured I would start with Bobby Knight - as the Iran one is infinitely more complicated and may in fact involve more than one post.

Disclaimer to start: I am from in Indiana - but I was never really a Indiana University fan. I agreed earlier this year to root for Indiana if a friend would root for Notre Dame at the Hawaii Bowl. She did, Notre Dame won, thus I am rooting for IU basketball this year for the first time ever. But beyond that, I am a Duke University fan, and have no dog in the IU fight.

With that said, Bobby Knight would be a fantastic addition to the University of Georgia Athletic Department.

What set me over the top with Allen's ridiculous stance on Bobby Knight was when he called Bobby Knight the anti-Christ (that and he had his stats wrong regarding Bobby Knight's career). Let's examine this ridiculous logic through picture form.




Now, this might be news to people outside of Georgia, but Mark Richt is a godly man who loves Jesus. This cannot be questioned! In fact, God loves Mark Richt so much, he predestinedly named the Gospel of Mark after him. I bet you didn't know that.



Now, Mark Richt is also a very mild manner, even tempered man, thus Mark Richt is the opposite of Bobby Knight.



Using simple and obvious logic, one then can deduce that Bobby Knight ≠ Jesus



Now we all know that I am a big fan of logic, so one would think I must bow down to the obviously correct stance that Allen holds.

But does Mark Richt in fact equal Jesus for the University of Georgia.

The way I see it, a major university coach has three responsibilities: 1.) Graduate his students, 2.) Produce competitively successful sports teams, and 3.) Set an example of good character.

When said coach achieves these three with perfection, they can then be defined the "Jesus" of their sports program.

The problem of course is that Mark Richt is (arguably) only good at one of these three things, where as Bobby Knight is (arguably) good at two of these things.

In 2008, the University of Georgia came in 63rd out of 65 in graduating their football players. 52% of their players fail to graduate college.

Worse yet, in basketball, 77% of their players fail to graduate college. Bobby Knight has a stellar record in graduating his players.

Beyond that, Mark Richt hasn't won jack squat yet as head coach of UGA. UGA fans are still riding the coat tails of Vince Dooley from the 80s. Where as Bobby Knight is the winningest NCAA Basketball coach ever (women's basketball doesn't count as basketball).

Sure, neither Mark or Bobby are Jesus, but is not Bobby closer than Mark?

Allen of course made the statement on air that he doesn't need his "kid's" coach to help him graduate because "his kid will graduate." But then I ask you, why do you need your "kid's" coach to develop his moral character?

UGA should hire Bobby Knight. If he is hired, I'll be at the first game with a special throwing chair with Allen's name on it.

Photo Credit: Mark Kryst - YXUphoto

I was just about to head to bed and I checked Airliners.net and heard about a airplane crash outside of Buffalo. Buffalo's airport is one of the airports at LiveATC.net - a website I listen to often to "train" myself for the fast paced conversation of Air Traffic Control Transmission. So I took a listen and it was a bit eyrie to be honest.

I condensed the whole thing from about 12 minutes to 3 minutes given that most of you a.) probably can't really understand what is being said, and b.) don't really want to listen to 12 minutes of ATC transmission.

The female voice right at the beginning was the pilot of the aircraft that went down. It was her last transmission - which I think is eyrie how calm and unsuspecting it is.





A couple of things really stuck out to me.

The first is how unsuspecting the pilots voice was. It didn't appear there was anything wrong. All reports say that there was no attempt to communicate anything was wrong with the aircraft. In a matter of couple of minutes you think everything is fine - a few minutes from touchdown - and then it isn't. Initial reports (although they could be wrong) say the plane essentially flew nose-first, right into the ground (it did not "glide" down).

The other thing I noticed is how professional the surrounding pilots and air traffic control had to be.

Delta 1998 probably flew incredibly close to - if not right on top - of the plane that had crashed. There is a camaraderie in the airline industry - even amongst competitors. I imagine it has to take a true professional to be able to know what essentially happened right in front of him and keep his concentration to a.) get his passengers down safely amidst unknown conditions, and b.) communicate to ATC while doing it in order to make it a safer situation for planes behind him.

To all the family members of those on board 3407 my prayers are with you. And to the pilot on Delta 1998 - great job keeping it all together.

I had a wonderful weekend. Went to the Alliance Theatre, a Thrasher's game, and a Braves season ticket holder event. But then Saturday night's show came along...

If you listened and followed my Twitter you'll know that I got pretty frustrated with Allen during the Bobby Knight and Obama & Iran hours.

I will write later this week on why Allen is fundamentally wrong on those two issues in a blog where I won't be constantly interrupted. But first I must clear the air about one of my largest frustrations since starting this show almost 4 years ago: assumptions.

Allen let me talk during the Iran hour (not the Bobby Knight hour) and the following "conversation" took place. If you don't have time to listen, it can be summarized in that Andy thinks Obama would be right to go over and talk with Iran and Allen is wrong.



But after this conversation we got an email from a listener who agreed with Allen. No biggie. I know I am not in the majority on this one. But he made two assumptions that just ate at me over the next couple of days.

He (Andy) sounds very much like so many people, who went through school in the past twenty years and were influenced by liberal professors that are undermining support for Israel.

Your producer also sounds the naïve person, who would have to go to Gaza and be beheaded before he would get it.

Let's examine these two statements.

First, the liberal professors I was obviously educated under. I'd like for you to meet Mr. Oded Yinon. Oded was my Introduction to the Modern Middle East Professor while studying in Israel/Palestine. Oded's father was one of the founders of the Mossad (the Israeli CIA). Oded is easily one of the most intimidating people I have ever met as I am pretty sure he could kill me before I even knew it (this still didn't prevent me from arguing with him).

Oded once made a comment in class that, "these vermin [Palestinians] will never compromise." A statement I vehemently disagree with, but not exactly your typical "liberal professor" viewpoint now is it.

Second, I am obviously a naïve person who needs to go to Gaza and get blown up. This of course will change my mind.

The date was September 9, 2003. I was lying in my bed at 11:20 pm and I will never forget the dull thud and the ensuing police sirens. I didn't need to, but I walked out of my room onto the roof of my building and watched as police cars raced to the Café Hillel suicide bombing.

This bombing took place less than a mile from my bed. It was a cafe I had eaten at earlier in the week. And I lived in Israel/Palestine at the height of the suicide bombings of the Intifada II (the height being 2002-2003 where 362 people died).

So don't you dare call me naïve and excuse my insight to be out of ignorance or blindly following liberal professors.

Your assumptions aren't just wrong about me, but like most people, your assumptions are what make you wrong about most of the beliefs that you hold regarding issues you know only what FoxNews or MSNBC tells you.

We try and label people based on our perception of them and in doing so we ignore the value their perspective might bring to the discussion. It's a problem we have in our relationships, in our politics, and in our companies. Assumptions do far more than make an ass out of you and me, they destroy cultures.

Many of you are on Facebook and know about the "fad" going around with the 25 things tag. So I figured I'd bring it to the blog since I know some of you aren't on Facebook. Enjoy!

First of all... My friends make fun of me for using first of all, second of all, third of all, etc... way too much in conversation. I do this when on air too.

Second of all... I consumed more alcohol before I was 15 then I have since turning 21. I know for a fact I would be an alcoholic. I compensate by drinking too much Pepsi.

Third of all... I make to-do lists like crazy. If I do something that isn't on the list, I add it to the list just to check it off. I currently have 8 pages of to-do list and as "digital" as I am, I only use paper for to-do lists.

Fourth of all... I am ridiculously anal about my finances. I can tell you to a cent (and I mean that) what I have spent in over 50 categories of spending since I was the age of 18. I staple every credit card receipt to the back of my credit card statements in chronological order. I have had a credit card in my name since I was 16.

Fifth of all... I hate things being on my body. I don't wear watches, rings, necklaces. I wouldn't wear clothes if I didn't have to.

Sixth of all... I love Avril Lavigne music. What? I said it. You wanna fight?

Seventh of all... I have gotten 9 speeding tickets in 6 states and 2 countries. I have been pulled over at least 20 times in my life.

Eighth of all... As of today I have flown 202,011 miles in my lifetime. I would live on a plane and be in a different city every night if I could afford it.

Ninth of all... Despite the fact that I am über-logical in every area of my life - when it comes to love I really am a romantic and believe deeply that amor vincit omnia

Tenth of all... I have season tickets for the Atlanta Braves. If I could responsibly afford it, I would have season tickets to the Atlanta Thrashers, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Fox Theatre series, and the Atlanta Alliance Theatre

Eleventh of all... I have visited 47 states and 20 countries

Twelveth of all... I absolutely love driving. When I get stressed out I like nothing better than to blast music from the iPod and drive as fast as I can

Thirteenth of all... I love racquetball and it bums me out I can't find any courts in Atlanta

Fourteenth of all... I cried in the movie Armageddon when I saw it in 1998 - and have everytime since

Fifteenth of all... I have more pieces of luggage than pairs of pants - this is more a critique of the amount of pants I have than the amount of luggage

Sixteenth of all... I am a huge aviation nerd and waste way too much time on airliners.net

Seventeenth of all... I have climbed a Fourteener (a mountain with the summit above 14,000 feet in Colorado). The top was pretty awesome.

Eighteenth of all... I have taught myself how to edit videos in Final Cut, web program in PHP, graphic design with Photoshop. Currently I am teaching myself how to fly.

Nineteenth of all... Despite being awarded the most outstanding student in my major, I failed pretty much every test I took in college and had one of the lowest GPAs in my major.

Twentieth of all... I have done some crazy road trips. The most fanatic was Los Angeles to Denver to Chicago to Fort Wayne to New York and then all the way back to Los Angeles. The NYC-LA leg took 39 hours - of which I drove all but 6 hours of it - and we didn't stop except for gas.

Twenty-first of all... I make up words fairly often because I still feel they communicate a point and that is all that matters

Twenty-second of all... The only place I can relax is on a lake. I try to go to the beach every other weekend in the summer, and it helps to relax, but nothing is better than a lake house.

Twenty-third of all... I have skied since the age of 3. In that time I have skied 11 of the 28 ski resorts in Colorado.

Twenty-fourth of all... I have used Mac computers since 1990 - that's 19 years - I was 8 years old.

Twenty-fifth of all... My three greatest clinical fears are claustrophobia, heights, and lack of control. Yet, my greatest fear in life is that I will bust my ass day in and day out, only to look back at it and ask the question: why?

I don't know why it has been so hard for me to blog recently. I have like a billion topics in the can, but I just can't seem to sit in front of the computer to do any of them. So this shall be quick.

I haven't watched the SuperBowl in its entirety for the past four years. This makes me very sad everytime I think about it, so let's not bring it up again.

I did however see the pregame show (including the botched Obama interview). I saw this ad while importing stuff for the show at WSB and I about died laughing.



Just for the record, I am going to start calling everyone I see in the Fort Wayne Country Club locker room Shankopotamus.

And that name might just replace "Scuba Steve" as the name I call people when I can't remember who they are - if you've hung out with me for more than 10 minutes, you know what I am talking about.

If I get motivated I'll do a a couple of blogs in the next couple of days on my favorite and least favorite commercials from the SuperBowl. Hulu is kind enough to put them all online for sorry saps like me who didn't get to see them live.

But then again, the question will be, will I be motivated enough this week to do so.

Many of you probably remember the post I did about six months ago on Is It Time For Online Dating? Well I got thrown under the bus again last night as Allen decided to use my poor dating record in 2008 as a discussion point.

About halfway through the show I put up a Twitter / Facebook update that said, "Allen has been making fun of my dating hardcore on tonight's show. Some one call in and defend me..." to which my wonderful friend Lissa replied, "I don't want to defend you, you serial monogamist, you. :) But, now I DO want a copy of the show. That's hilarious. Right on, Allen. :)" It's good to know you got friends who love you.

But to give Lissa what she wanted - because after all I am all about meeting the needs of the women in my life ;) - I segmented my part up. Take a listen (or the entire show):



Couple observations after re-listening to myself.

1. I blamed my job a lot, but didn't discuss the other factors as to why I don't meet a lot of 20-somethings. Purchasing a house in soccer mom central, not really liking Church small groups, etc...
2. Allen seems to think that online dating means you date online. Rather for his terminology, I think most 20-somethings do "online meeting." The idea here is that 20-somethings are dating more online in a down economy because they want the security of a relationship and online is where you find singles; not that people are dating online because it keeps you from spending money by going out. In reality, the people I know who do online dating spend way more money on dating than anybody else I know.
3. For the record - this can't be stated enough - I still don't have a womb, nor do I think at all about my non-existent biological clock. As my roommate put it when I discussed this with him today, if it is any clock it is really more of a "lifestyle clock" than it is a biological clock.

But I did mean what I said in the discussion. If you would have asked me six months ago - which Allen did - I would come down very hard on personally using online dating. After exhausting pretty much all the options I had with people I'd be willing to date, and not meeting any new people; six months later I find myself being far more tempted.

My roommate thinks I should do it (actually he almost signed me up over Christmas break with out telling me - again, great friends) and then I could blog about the whole experience. I am SURE everyone of the potential dates would love that. Although then I would be able to at least write-off the online dating fees ;)

Well no great conclusion on this one. I'll just end with this hilarious clip from How I Met Your Mother. I love this show.


If that wasn't enough the full episode can be found here.

We all know I am an über-aviation nerd.

I have spent the last 7 years teaching myself how to fly using a simulator, longing for the day in which I can responsibly afford to go get my own pilots license.

I love going to airports. I used to just sit at the end of the runway at LAX, have some In 'N Out burger and watch the planes come in.

I will volunteer to drive to the airport for anyone, at anytime.

I also spend way too much time at airliners.net.

I am going to let you in on one of my deepest secrets - of which I am sure you will laugh at. I have a hero fantasy. But every man desires to be hero, right? Mine just focuses on aviation. It goes like this...

I am on a plane. For some reasons both pilots become incapacitated to fly. Terrorist event would be the best since that would make me a "national" hero in the end - but I'll let anything suffice. Of course, the pilots wouldn't die in said fantasy. Some how we get control of the plane back from the terrorists, but the pilots still aren't able to fly. With no one able to fly, I of course jump to the opportunity. Air traffic control of course wants me to land at the nearest airport, but I say neigh, I am continuing on to the destination (which happens to be LAX) because I am more comfortable landing there since I have situational awareness. I navigate across the country, get her lined up on ILS, and put her down a bit too hard, but safe nonetheless.

I think if it were perfectly clear weather, with no crosswind, and no problems with the aircraft, and auto-pilot worked, and there was ILS at the runway there is about a 47.935% chance I could put the plane on the ground with no one dying.

Sounds a bit like the movie Airplane doesn't it? Ohh well. As always, have a good laugh at my expense.

But alas the only emergency landing in over 200,000 miles of flying was enroute to Fort Wayne from Atlanta on a Delta airlines flight. We diverted to Evansville. Needless to say, the pilot didn't need my help.

So it shouldn't surprise anyone that my friend Chris asked in the last blog post why I hadn't blogged on US Airways Flight 1492. Actually, it surprised me that I didn't think of it before he said something.

So get a cup of coffee this might get long. This will be the ultimate US Airways Flight 1549 blog post. If you ignore this one because it goes so far beyond my 500 word normal max, I will forgive you. But some of the video is pretty cool. Ready for take off...

First off, here is a simulated reenactment I flew on MS Flight Simulator. Exact model of the plane. The old paint scheme though. My take off was a bit too steep, but all and all, pretty close. What I find amazing is how quick the whole thing happened.


Next is the best video I have found of the landing in the water. The pilot did an amazing job (more on that later), and CNN did a good job putting this all together.


This is the best video I have found of the rescue effort. It is amazing how quickly everybody got out and the boats got to them.



The pilot - Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger truly did an amazing job. This is where pilots earn there money. Whenever I hear someone say pilots make too much money, I think to myself, sure that would be correct, if you could guarantee safe flight. But when an engine goes out, or in a crosswind landing scenario, or having to ditch in a river you'll be glad they are as professional as they are.

In addition to that, the Flight Attendants are in the same boat. Anybody can serve drinks from a cart. But it takes a true professional to be able to get hundreds of people out of four doors in under 90 seconds. FAs deserve our respect just as much as pilots do.

For all the people on 1549 - if the flight crew wasn't such professionals, this is what would have happened:

The pilot here made two very large mistakes that thankfully Sully did not. 1.) He didn't come in level. Thus one tip caught the water early causing an asymetrical force. 2.) He didn't land in deep enough water. He actually hit a sand bar. Over 80% of the people were killed on this flight. On "Sully's" flight no one died.

Planes can fly on only one engine. It is part of their certification process. Also, it isn't uncommon for their to be a problem with a plane's engine in midflight - most the time this is at cruising altitude and it can be restarted. What made 1549 such a troubling situation is that both engines - not just one - became useless at the same time. I can think of less than 10 flights in the history of flight where this has happened.

In addition to that, they became useless at a relatively low altitude. This creates a big problem in that it removes glide time. If you lose power on a plane at say 36,000 feet, I believe you can "coast" to the ground safely for around 108 miles. That should easily give a pilot enough time to find a safe runway. When you lose power at 3,000 feet, you don't have very much time to find an alternative.

Needless to say, the odds of losing both engines, at such a low altitude are extremely low - but all the more reason "Sully" did a great job piloting that aircraft.

Now on to a few of my favorite pictures from the situation.

This is a good photo screenshot showing the path, altitudes and airspeeds. It is a bit off in its location (i.e. the plane went down close to Central park, but on this map it has it's final impact further south). But you get the idea:



How would you like to survive a plane crash, exit the plane in under 90 seconds, in freezing temperatures and water, only to be greeted by another plane staring you down. I about fell out of my chair when I saw the Concorde (museum) in the background of the rescue footage.



Someone wasn't paying attention during the safety briefing. This would probably still work at keeping you afloat, but it might choke you in the process.



I think this picture really shows just how close this plane was to crashing into buildings if it weren't for the skilled hands of "Sully."


I find it a bit ironic - and some of the passengers might take issue - that FBOWeb has marked their plane's status as "landed"



And if this blog isn't long enough, I am going to throw in one more caveat. I was looking at the NYTimes Interactive Tracking of Flight 1549 and the only 20-something I found in there was Emma Sophina in 13F. Since she was in her 20s I figured she'd have a Facebook or MySpace and sure enough she does. And she is a musician.

Isn't it weird to think about how technology has changed our lives even when it comes to tragic (or potentially tragic) events. 10 years ago something like this happens and people are names in a newspaper.

Now something like this happens and they are an internet search away and you know all about them, or can listen to their music, or shoot them a message. It it one more example of how this world is a smaller place because of technology.

I find that interesting.

Plus since I like Avril and Taylor Swift, I don't think it surprises anyone that I think the music wasn't half bad.

Well, I don't think I can write anymore. If you think I missed something, please be sure to pass along. Hope you have a good time on your next flight.

I apologize for the delay in this. I was planning on blogging about taxes and your 20s (I know, sexy right?) for Monday, but it just didn't seem right in light of Obama's inauguration.

Then I decided to blog about Obama's inauguration, but the words just never came to me. Plus it has been a very busy week.

But the words - strike that - word finally came to me: disappointment.

You are probably thinking that I might be a helpless conservative who just can't get over the fact that "we" lost, right? No, that isn't it.

Ok...so you probably are thinking that I might be an Obama-mania fan who was disappointed in the let down of his speech, right? No, not that either.

I both have great respect and admiration for Barack Obama and truly want him to succeed; while at the same time disagree with him significantly on a plethora of issues. So my feelings essentially neutralize themselves.

So why disappointed? Because I missed it.

Think back.

Wouldn't you have liked to been in Berlin when the wall came down?

Or wouldn't you have liked to been on the Mall when Martin Luther King, Jr gave his "I Have A Dream Speech."

Or witness the Wright Brother's take flight?

And think how amazing it would have been to see - with your own eyes - John Hancock put his signature on the Declaration of Independence?

There are huge historical moments that define generations. Moments that are truly special to be apart of. Moments you tell your children, and your grandchildren about. Moments you get one shot at. January 20th was one of those moments and I missed it.

I could have gone. I have friends in DC I could have stayed with. I could have missed work. Heck I probably could have written off the trip or maybe gotten a press pass.

But I let it slip by.

And as someone who values experiencing things in person - maybe too much - I feel royally disappointed I didn't make it the Capital.

It ended up being one of the proudest moments I have ever witnessed during my lifetime. Tuesday morning I watched CNN from 10 am to 5 pm, in my pajamas, and alone. Allen called and we had a 7 minute conversation about the morning, but that was about it.

I won't forget it. But I wish it could have been more.

Where any of you in DC? What did you think? For the rest of you, what did you think of the morning and the moment?

I had the greatest middle school math teacher. His name was Mr. Panning. He was a great teacher. He was a great cross country coach. And especially at that point in my life - he was a great role model.

I remember sitting in Geometry my 8th grade year and numerous times hearing students (*cough* myself) saying, "when the heck am I going to need to know this in the real world."

More on that later...

We decided at last week's creative strategy meeting that one thing we wanted to do with the website was to "localize" it to the market we are in. So, for example, if someone from Tucson visits the website, the design reflects the fact we are on KQTH in Tucson. Or if in Fort Wayne, it reflects WOWO. You get the idea.

Pretty unique, huh? Problem is: this is not an easy thing to do.


Crazy I know. But what does this have to do with math?

Taking someone's lat/lon coordinates and figuring out what zipcode that coordinates to (and therefore what radio market) incorporates some crazy math. Mainly using the Great Circle Formula to determine proximity:


Take that formula, incorporate with a MySQL database schema, sort by distance from nearest to furthest, limit your results to 1 (the nearest) and bam! You've figured out figured out the radio market a web visitor is in.

I guess my punk-8th grade self has his answer 12 years later.

There was a lot I learned back then I never knew how I would use.

I think about the only web programming class I have ever taken was in 7th grade. And the only video editing class I ever took was in 8th grade. The only design class I took was Sophomore year of high school. All while I thought I was going to be a doctor or an attorney.

On top of that, my last math class was pre-calculus my Junior year of high school.

10 years later, and with out a single college class in any of those fields, I find those classes were a great foundation.

What do you think you are learning today that you will utilize 10 years down the road?

I know as I get older I have become less teachable. We become "experts." We think we know what we need to know and ignore the rest. But like 8th graders in math class, just because we can't foresee what we need down the road, it never hurts to learn new things.

As my Uncle once told me, "you are either learning or you are dying." It's your choice.

Tonight I was moving some current financial records from my "active" filing box to my "archive" filing box and I came across some old letters I had saved. There were some from my dad, some from professors in college, and a few others I had saved along the way. But one was from my Grandpa shortly before his death.

I thought I had remembered this letter with great detail.

I remembered the paragraph that is redacted (which will not be elaborated on publicly), and I remember the paragraph about the U-boat and WW2.

Strangely I did not remember the paragraph about my Uncle, nor the paragraph about my Grandfather's regrets, nor the paragraph about the, then recent, ex-girlfriend whom he had met the previous spring when we went skiing in Colorado.

I pulled out the type-writer paper from the flax stationary envelope and began to read...




He died a month later.

My Grandfather meant a lot to me. I always felt that out of my two parents, and four grandparents, my mother's father always understood me the best. He always treated me like I was an adult, even when I was 7 years old.

One of the most vivid memories I have of my Grandpa was shortly after my dad left. We were in my home's living room and amongst tears - which I later found out that very few people have ever seen him cry - talking about our family's current situation. He looked at me and said, "Andy, you need to be the man of the house now. Your mom needs your help."

I was 14.

It is something my mom to this day can't believe he said. But it is a moment I will remember forever.

His death came 3 years later, almost to the day, of that afternoon in the living room. It was odd for me. I don't remember being all that sad - even though he meant the world to me.

I was in hotel at 14th and Spring Street in Midtown Atlanta of all places (at that time I lived in Indiana) at a journalism conference with some fellow classmates. I flew to the funeral in Denver. I remember not crying during the whole trip. I found this odd, but I didn't force it. I then flew back to Indiana on Thanksgiving by myself.

As I have gotten older I have had moments where I wished he was still around. Moments where I feel he would get what I was dealing with better than anyone. Moments where I wish I could shoot ideas and offers and decisions off of him.

So tonight I sat at my desk up in my loft and I took a moment while everyone else watched The Bachelor and read his note again from from almost nine years ago.

I remembered what a great man he was.

And I cried a little...