This roller coaster of a year comes to a conclusion in the next couple of days. What a life-changing, perspective-altering, transformational year it's been.

Let's start with the work picture, which I've been asked about many times but have been reluctant to address. There is no doubt that the things that happened this year for me professionally have altered my perspective tremendously on a number of fronts.

I worked for a real estate development company here in Nashville since 2005. This company gave me a number of great opportunities to learn and gain valuable experience. However, this company did not give me an opportunity to rise up through the organizational chart, and certainly did not give me the compensation increase or the new position I felt like I deserved in the aftermath of playing a critical role in saving a red-lining company project.

There are many great people who still work at my previous employer. I can't bring myself to say a lot of bad things about the organization which gave me my first job out of school, and a lot of valuable experience.

Needless to say, I was shaped by many things that happened during my time at this company, especially the things that happened at the end.

I came to the realization very early this year that my time at this organization had run out, and that I had no hope of moving up through the ranks no matter how hard I worked. Once I realized that, my notice to resign came quickly thereafter, in March. Well, I failed to recognize the danger this put my immediate boss in, since he had already had another key member of his team leave just months earlier. I had agreed to stay around til May to help my other boss with a final project, but that was not to be...

My main boss engineered a way to turn a minor mistake of mine into a vast conspiracy theory where I gave a contract away in return for a job offer, and boom! I was fired on April 1, 2009...April Fool's Day, no less.

No celebratory going-away dinner. No chance to wrap up loose ends. No chance to finally be recognized for all those things I had accomplished for my company over the years.

Instead, the company considered me such an outcast that I got physically escorted out of the building. I mean, I still can't wrap my head around that.

I felt sorry for myself for a while, until I heard the news that the organization had fired a good friend of mine there who I knew was one of the most loyal employees the company ever had. I knew then that the company was destined for complete and unmitigated disaster.

Sure enough, just over a month later, there were mass layoffs, and to this day the company has not fixed some of their most glaring problems.

This year's sequence of events involving my previous company made me realize I need to stop making excuses and start living the life I imagined for myself.

I always knew I wanted to start my own business. In fact, I had already done that years ago, by starting the iTest...but I had not fully embraced the entrepreneurial life yet and started any for-profit company. That changed in July when I started The Score.

All the ways I was wronged, both by individuals at my previous employer as well as the entire company itself, were quickly overshadowed by the joy of pursuing my dream. I have worked tirelessly to develop the business that is soon to open here in Cool Springs, the largest suburban commercial district here in Nashville.

Some of the things I observed at my previous employer have had a direct impact on how I run my own business. For me to go into those things would reveal a little too much. But certainly, I have learned many things about what NOT to do, as well as plenty of great pieces of advice from those people who were a positive influence in my life at my previous employer.

Some people wonder why I'm not angrier about what happened. How can I be angry, when I'm sitting where I am now? My previous employer has paid a king's ransom for its sins, and is likely going to continue to pay in 2009. I have no need to sit in judgment of them, when the free market is doing it for me.

Personally, Lori and I have big plans for this year. We've talked about having a child, and God willing, we'll do that in 2009. I'm sure I will chronicle plenty about that in this space in the coming months.

The iTest is about to expand to its next big subject, launching the iTest Debate in February 2009. The nonprofit may be close to another big deal to add some additional human resources to the mix as well, but we'l have to see. Big changes are in store for this amazing academic organization as we retool for the future and get ready to serve a much wider audience than we ever have before.

It's going to be a phenomenal 2009, and the only reason it will be so good is because 2008 was so challenging.

Time to move forward...not time to look back...as 2009 begins.

Just posted the first of a recurring series of columns regarding the business of video games over on The Score of Cool Springs' blog. Check it out!

Construction is well underway and our "beta test" period begins in late December and runs through January, leading up to our Grand Opening the weekend of the Super Bowl.

2008 iTest over. Whew. What a roller coaster.

Huge numbers in terms of our competition's reach, which I'll release later in the week. Advertising on Facebook worked very well for us.

Feedback starting to come in. The noise of students mad about missing this or misinterpreting that will start to fade in the next 24 hours, and we should have a better idea of where the iTest stands in mathematics (not that that is determined by feedback, but we always like to get criticism, both good and bad).

My feeling is that the iTest is now very close to fulfilling the original vision of a worldly, diverse, robust team-based mathematics experience. I am very happy with the content of this year's exam and the overall flow of the competition, and am interested to hear the response.

The 2008 iTest begins in right at an hour, at 7 PM Central.

This exam is the iTest's best academic product, ever, by far. And we've released some excellent product over the years.

Congratulations to Mathew Crawford and Ivy League undergrads Adam Hesterberg and Zach Abel for a job well done in getting this thing written and edited. And thanks again to Southern Company for sponsoring the iTest organization this year.

It's such a strange dichotomy being involved in a video game startup as well as an academic non-profit. Good balance I guess.

Sometime soon, take a look over at www.theitest.com at the 2008 iTest exam. It is definitely worth checking out.

This probably isn't worthy of a blog post, but some people may find it of use:

Google Docs is awesome.

You can create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, etc. for free, share them with anyone, collaborate on them over the internet, and probably a lot more that I don't even know about yet. Great productivity software for business and probably Google's next big home run.

The Score - Cool Springs (and the larger The Score Holdings LLC) now has a blog. Check it out. Most news regarding The Score will, from now on, be posted there.

Traveled back to Birmingham yesterday to speak to the Vestavia Hills Rotary Club. The topic was the iTest. I thanked the Rotary Club for their years of support of Vestavia Hills academic teams, and the incredible dedication they've shown by hosting the Rotary Roast (and other fundraising events) year after year. The talk went great, lots of questions about the iTest, and several folks volunteering to help out in various ways.

Pondering heading out to Titans training camp this afternoon...either way, nice to have a brief moment to relax before a grueling week next week.

From my 7/23 email regarding creation of The Score Holdings LLC and the start of a new business:


Friends and family,



Lori and I are happy to announce the formation of a new business venture - "The Score." Also, this week we have closed with an investor, who has purchased a significant portion of the business, providing seed capital to move forward.

What follows is a description of the business and a little of the strategy behind it. Also included after my letter is a sample list of The Score launch events, which I think most would find interesting. I am sending this to people I think will be interested in this news, as starting a business is the fulfilling of a dream for me, but please feel free to forward to others as necessary.

The Score (formally organized as The Score Holdings LLC and to be formally recognized along with location, e.g. "The Score - Nashville") is an entertainment and recreation-based retail concept. The Score will use video games in a variety of formats to create structured, highly organized activities and experiences for all ages within a retail location in a strip mall or retail center, the first of which will open in the Cool Springs/Franklin area of Nashville, Tennessee, by the end of the calendar year. Fortunately, there is no business like this within (at minimum) a 50-mile radius of the Cool Springs Galleria and the fast-growing Cool Springs commercial district, although that can't be said for more major metropolitan areas in the US.

I intend on seeking out key sponsors to partner with us on some of our events, e.g. Nissan or Saturn (Nissan's $100M US headquarters just opened in Cool Springs this week, while Saturn has a large presence in the area) about sponsoring our Mario Kart tournament, or talking with Gibson (another big Nashville company) about sponsoring our Guitar Hero or Rock Band events.

Tournaments will be held daily, and scheduled like movies to occur at set times. Potential customers can pick up a calendar of events (or find it online), much in the way someone might browse the newspaper for movie times, and instead of showing up to buy tickets ahead of time, people come and buy their ticket to a tournament to secure their place in the event before it sells out.

These tournaments will be held in "The Arena," a circular space centrally located within The Score to facilitate video game competition like never before. Also located within The Score are various Game Stations where patrons can try out the latest games, attempt to beat a high score in one of our monthly Challenges (which are documented on posted "Scoreboards" within each location), or accumulate "Scorepoints" (similar to the ever-popular 'Achievements' in various games) all in an effort to claim video game supremacy and bragging rights within the entire city of Nashville...or perhaps just within the family.

Our tournaments will be priced similarly to movies in the theater – anywhere between $10 and $15 per person on average for a tournament that will last approximately 2-2.5 hours. "Free play" on our gaming stations will carry an hourly fee, and party packages will be available, but the main revenue stream will be from our tournaments and other events. Snacks and drinks will be for sale (cheaper than a movie theater), and merchandise will also be available for purchase. A membership program will allow frequent customers to pay a monthly fee in exchange for discounts as well as access to members-only events. Additionally, current video game consoles and software titles, which are available for play in The Score, will also be available for purchase by our customers. We don't want to do the work of introducing new people to the latest videogame, only to have them walk out the door and fork over $$ to GameStop or Best Buy to purchase software for home use.

The economy is in recession, but in recession, there is still opportunity. Video games have proven themselves to be "recession-proof," as demonstrated by booming profits and growing sales volumes, and the success of the Nintendo Wii has muted the stigmas that used to exist for playing video games. No longer "child's play," video games now reach deep into demographics that were previously unfathomable, such as senior citizens in retirement communities.

Video games have succeeded in a down market by winning the "dollars per entertainment hour" ratio over other substitutes, such as movies or music. For The Score to be successful, our tournaments and events will have to compare favorably in this regard as well.

The Score will have predictable traffic of high school and college-aged males playing the latest games, sure, but will cast a wider net through corporate teambuilding events, business vs. business competition, and events specifically targeted to non-traditional gaming groups (e.g. women's groups, senior citizens). This will ensure a wide swath of both "casual gamers" and "hardcore gamers" as customers and should help the business achieve favorable utilization rates even during days while kids are in school.

The Score will reach out to the community, offering a monthly free class to parents called "Videogames 101: How to Protect Your Child." This class will educate parents on the strengths and weaknesses of video game use in terms of child development. The content for this class will cover various topics such as online interactivity within video games, the ESRB ratings board (and what the ratings mean), problem solving within video games, and suggestions for games based on age. This class will either be conducted on-site at The Score or at a nearby community center.

As the popularity of online 'multiplayer' video game play has swelled, so has the collective understanding that parents can't protect children online from racial slurs, inappropriate conduct, and even child predators. In addition, from a typical gamer's point of view, online interaction can become tiresome and does not grant you the ability to enjoy, in person, the thrill of victory. These factors and more indicate that online video game play, while growing in popularity, does not stand in the way of a venture like this.

Music and movies both have venues for the enjoyment of "live" entertainment - why not video games, which is a bigger industry than music and movies combined?

As we embark on what will certainly be an adventure, your support and your prayers are important to us. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, feel free to fire me an email.



Thanks,



Bradley







The Score: Launch Tournaments and Events

(Member discount extends to teams with 50% or more members than non-members; trophies may be exchanged as necessary with free merchandise received from vendors or free games received from iGames.org alliance as necessary to support sales.)





You Can't Make Mii!(tm) Mii Design Competition (ages 6-12)

Cost: $10; free for members

Slots Available: 8

GamerScale: 2/10

Facilities: Two Game Stations

Description: 8 contestants compete to design the most accurate-looking Mii by using the Nintendo Wii's Mii design software. Contestants receive a list of three possible Mii design choices (e.g. Abraham Lincoln, Mario, or George Clooney) and must design one in 10 minutes. The Mii is judged by The Score staff using the criteria of Accuracy, Creativity, and Fun to assign point scores out of 10 (1 being bad, 10 being great). Each contestant receives a different list of three Mii choices, in order to prevent any contestant from copying another. The top two contestants face off against one another, designing the same Mii (as determined by The Score staff) simultaneously during a 10-minute final round. The best Mii (as judged by the same criteria as the previous round) wins the tournament.

Levels: n/a

Settings: default Mii design settings

Total Tournament Time: 90 minutes

Prizes: The Score merchandise to the runner-up; trophy to the winner



Wii Love Geographii! Geography Competition (ages 6-12)

Cost: $10; free for members

Slots Available: 8

GamerScale: 1/10

Facilities: Two Game Stations

Description: 8 contestants compete in a head-to-head geography bee using the Nintendo Wii's built-in globe software (under the "Forecast Channel"). Four one-on-one matchups comprise the first round, where each contestant squares off against another to move the map from The Score's location (e.g. Nashville, Tennessee) to a given geographic location. First contestant to locate five geographic locations faster than his or her opponent wins each round. Winners of each round advance to the next head-to-head round until only one winner remains.

Levels: n/a

Settings: default Wii Forecast Channel settings; start city of Nashville

Total Tournament Time: 60 minutes

Prizes: The Score merchandise to the runner up; trophy to the winner



Halo 3 - Not-Free-For-All Free-For-All (tm)

Cost: $10; free for members

Age Restriction: 17 and up (without parental consent)

Slots Available: 32

GamerScale: 8/10

Facilities: The Arena

Description: Every man for himself in Halo 3. Four 8-person free-for-all 10-minute matches comprise the qualifying round, where the top two point-scoring contestants advance to Round 2 (for a total of 8 contestants advancing). Round 2 involves four one-on-one matches of 10 minutes apiece, with the winner (by points) advancing to the semifinals. The remaining four contestants will battle head-to-head in 10-minute matches, and the two winners will face off in the final round in one final 10-minute match.

Levels: Last Resort (Round 1), Snowbound (Rounds 2 and 3), The Pit (Round 4)

Settings: Default Halo 3 settings

Total Tournament Time: 110 minutes

Prizes: The Score merchandise to a random non-winning participant; $25 ScoreCard and trophy to the winner



Halo 3 - Off To The Races! (tm)

Cost: $20 per team (of 2); $10 per team (for members)

Age Restriction: 17 and up (without parental consent)

Slots Available: 32 teams

GamerScale: 6/10

Facilities: The Arena

Description: Halo 3 "Rocket Race" tournament. Eight qualifying matches (4 teams per match) last 7 minutes apiece, with the top two teams (as determined by points) advancing to Round 2. Round 2 features four matches (4 teams per match) of 7 minutes apiece, with only the top team advancing to Round 3. Round 3, the final round, features all four remaining teams vying for the championship, with the top points scorer in a round of 15 minutes emerging victorious.

Levels: Sandtrap (Round 1), Valhalla (Round 2), High Ground (Round 3)

Settings: Default Halo 3 settings

Total Tournament Time: 99 minutes

Prizes: The Score merchandise to a random non-winning team; $25 ScoreCards and trophies to the winning team



Halo 3 - 4x4 Mass Warfare (tm)

Cost: $50 per team (of 4); $40 per team (for members)

Age Restriction: 17 and up (without parental consent)

Slots Available: 32

GamerScale: 10/10

Facilities: The Arena

Description: Halo 3 "Team Slayer" single-elimination tournament. 10-minute rounds.

Levels: Epitaph (Rounds 1 and 2), Isolation (Round 3), Guardian (Round 4), Narrows (Round 5)

Settings: Default Halo 3 settings

Total Tournament Time: 310 minutes

Prizes: The Score merchandise to a random participant on a non-winning team; $25 ScoreCards and trophies to the winning team



Living In The Past (tm): Old School Olympics

Cost: $10; $5 (for members)

Slots Available: 8

GamerScale: 5/10

Facilities: Game Station

Description: Fight for old-school gaming bragging rights across three classic titles. First, how many points can you score in the original Super Mario Bros. (NES) with just one life? Second, how many points can you score in a game of Tecmo Bowl (NES)? Finally, how many points can you score in Donkey Kong (NES) without losing a life? Each player is ranked, from 1st through 8th, in each event, and the winner is determined by taking the average rank across all three games. Any ties will be broken by using Super Mario Bros. game performance, then Tecmo Bowl performance, then Donkey Kong performance, in order until a winner is determined. In the event that a player has not lost a life in Super Mario Bros. or Donkey Kong after 10 minutes of active participation in the game, a 1st place finish in that game will be awarded.

Levels: As listed in description

Settings: Default game settings

Total Tournament Time: 120 minutes

Prizes: NES cartridge of Super Mario Bros., Tecmo Bowl, or Donkey Kong, along with commemorative trophy, for the winner



Living In The Past (tm): Pac-Man

Cost: $10; $5 (for members)

Slots Available: 16

GamerScale: 2/10

Facilities: Game Station

Description: Live in the past by competing for dominance in Pac-Man. The player with the highest score wins.

Levels: n/a

Settings: Default game settings; "Championship Mode" on Pac-Man Championship Edition (Xbox Live Arcade) to be used

Total Tournament Time: 80 minutes

Prizes: Pac-Man-themed merchandise for a random non-winning participant; Pac-Man-themed merchandise along with trophy for winner



Strikes, Spares, but No Shoes: The Score's Wii Sports Bowling Tournament (tm)

Cost: $10; $5 (for members)

Slots Available: 64

GamerScale: 2/10

Facilities: Four Game Stations

Description: Wii Sports bowling tournament. Groups of 16 are assembled at four different Gaming Stations and take turns playing (in groups of 4). The winner of each 4-person game will advance to the next round, and in the event of a tie, both participants will advance. The remaining 16 (or potentially more) contestants will again separate into groups of 4 and compete, with the winner of each group of 4 advancing. With the final group of 4 remaining, the winner of the final round is the champion. In the event of a tie in the final round, a frame-by-frame playoff will be held to determine a winner.

Levels: Wii Sports bowling

Settings: Default game settings

Total Tournament Time: 100 minutes

Prizes: The Score merchandise for a random non-winning participant; $20 ScoreCard and trophy for the winner



Call of Duty 4 - Not-Free-For-All Free-For-All (tm)

Cost: $10; free for members

Age Restriction: 17 and up (without parental consent)

Slots Available: 32

GamerScale: 8/10

Facilities: The Arena

Description: Every man for himself in Call of Duty 4. Four 8-person free-for-all 10-minute matches comprise the qualifying round, where the top two point-scoring contestants advance to Round 2 (for a total of 8 contestants advancing). Round 2 involves four one-on-one matches of 10 minutes apiece, with the winner (by points) advancing to the semifinals. The remaining four contestants will battle head-to-head in 10-minute matches, and the two winners will face off in the final round in one final 10-minute match.

Levels: Wet Work (Round 1), Backlot (Rounds 2 and 3), Showdown (Round 4)

Settings: Default Call of Duty 4 settings

Total Tournament Time: 110 minutes

Prizes: The Score merchandise to a random non-winning participant; $25 ScoreCard and trophy to the winner



Call of Duty 4 - Sabotage at The Score (tm)

Cost: $50 per team (of 4); $40 per team (for members)

Age Restriction: 17 and up (without parental consent)

Slots Available: 32

GamerScale: 9/10

Facilities: The Arena

Description: Teams of 4 battle for victory in the Sabotage game type of Call of Duty 4. Each round pits team against team in 7-minute matches to plant the bomb on the opposing team's base. Planting the bomb grants a team the right to move on to the next round; if neither team plants the bomb in the allotted time, the team with the most combined points will advance. In the (rare) event of a tie in points, neither team will advance (which will result in a team in the next round receiving a bye instead of playing another team). Play continues across 5 rounds until a champion is declared.

Levels: Countdown (Rounds 1 and 2), Broadcast (Rounds 3 and 4), Creek (Round 5)

Settings: Default Call of Duty 4 Sabotage settings

Total Tournament Time: 217 minutes

Prizes: The Score merchandise to a random non-winning participant; $25 ScoreCard and trophies to each member of the winning team



Call of Duty 4 - The Four C's (tm)

Cost: $60 per team (of 4); $50 per team (for members)

Age Restriction: 17 and up (without parental consent)

Slots Available: 16

GamerScale(tm): 9/10

Facilities: The Arena

Description: Teams of 4 compete to be the best at Call of Duty 4's Search and Destroy game type. Teams battle head-to-head in a single-elimination tournament, as the winner of each Search and Destroy round (as determined by the game type's best of 7 format) advance to the next round. Play continues through 4 successive rounds until one team remains undefeated.

Levels: Countdown (Round 1), Crash (Round 2), Creek (Round 3), Chinatown (Round 4)

Settings: Default Call of Duty Search and Destroy settings

Total Tournament Time: 225 minutes

Prizes: The Score merchandise to a random non-winning participant; $25 ScoreCard and trophies to each member of the winning team



Trivia Night at The Score (tm)

Cost: $30 per team (of 2); $20 per team (for members)

Age Restriction: 12 and up

Slots Available: 16

GamerScale(tm): 4/10

Facilities: 2 Game Stations

Description: Teams of 2 vie for the trivia crown by competing in two separate games: Wits and Wagers (Xbox 360) and TV Show King (Wii). Teams split up, with one member of each team participating in both games. Each team's points (equal to the number of wins in either game) are added together, and the team with the most points wins the competition. Both games will feature a round-robin tournament in which each contestant plays twice. Winning a match (against 3 other contestants) results in a victory (and earning 1 point), while failing to come in first results in zero points.

Levels: n/a

Settings: Default settings

Total Tournament Time: 192 minutes

Prizes: Trivia-related boardgame to a random non-winning participant; trivia-related boardgame and trophy to both members of the winning team



Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Solo Smash at The Score (tm)

Cost: $15; $10 (for members)

Slots Available: 64 (computer opponents inserted as necessary to fill out 64 slots)

GamerScale(tm): 7/10

Facilities: Two Game Stations

Description: Individuals compete in a 64-person Super Smash Bros. Brawl solo tournament using the built-in Tourney Mode on two separate Wii consoles (32 contestants per game station). Each match will feature four contestants per match, with one winner emerging from each match until there are two semifinalists (one per tournament of 32 on each game station). The two finalists will then compete in a 5-minute timed match to determine the champion.

Levels: Random

Settings: Default Tourney Mode settings / default Super Smash Bros. Brawl settings

Total Tournament Time: 130 minutes

Prizes: The Score merchandise to a random non-winning participant; $20 ScoreCard and trophy for the runner-up; $30 ScoreCard and trophy for the winner



Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Home Run Derby Duo (tm)

Cost: $15 per team (of 2); $10 per team (for members)

Slots Available: 20

GamerScale(tm): 4/10

Facilities: Game Station

Description: Teams of 2 compete to hit the Super Smash Bros. Brawl punching bag the farthest as part of the game's built-in Home Run Derby mini-game. Each team plays two Home Run games (counting only each team's highest score), with teams competing in a randomly selected order. The team with the best score wins.

Levels: n/a

Settings: Default Home Run mini-game settings

Total Tournament Time: 45 minutes

Prizes: The Score merchandise to a random non-winning participant; $20 ScoreCard and trophy to each member of the winning team



Rock Band Round Robin (tm)

Cost: $60 per team (of 4); $50 per team (for members)

Age Restriction: 17 and up (without parental consent)

Slots Available: 12

GamerScale(tm): 5/10

Facilities: The Arena

Description: Rock Band teams of 4 take turns playing pre-selected songs to determine a musical champion. Each "band" of 4 people plays a total of 3 songs and the team with the highest point total wins the tournament.

Levels: Songs to be determined and announced at the time of the event

Settings: Normal difficulty for all players

Total Tournament Time: 180 minutes

Prizes: The Score merchandise to a random non-winning participant; prize via sponsorship TBD (Gibson?) and trophies for winning team



One Guitar Hero, Many Guitar Villains (tm)

Cost: $30; $20 (for members)

Age Restriction: 17 and up (without parental consent)

Slots Available: 32

GamerScale(tm): 10/10

Facilities: 2 Gaming Stations (qualifying round), The Arena (head-to-head elimination rounds)

Description: Up to 32 individuals compete to become the Guitar Hero - The Score's store champion. Participants play a pre-determined song at a Gaming Station, with the Top 16 (of the participating 32) moving on to the next round. The tournament then enters head-to-head elimination rounds in The Arena until a winner is determined.

Levels: Songs to be determined and announced at the time of the event

Settings: Hard difficulty (qualifying round), Expert difficulty (head-to-head elimination rounds)

Total Tournament Time: 155 minutes

Prizes: The Score merchandise to a random non-winning participant; prize (guitar?) via sponsorship TBD (Gibson?) and trophies for winning team



Grand Prix on the Wii (tm): Mario Kart Single Elimination Tournament

Cost: $25; $20 (for members)

Slots Available: 64

GamerScale(tm): 6/10

Facilities: 4 Gaming Stations (qualifying rounds), The Arena

Description: Gamers compete in a single-elimination Mario Kart Wii tournament. Qualifying rounds consisting of 8 contestants apiece take place on four Gaming Stations, with the top 2 of each round advancing. The top 16 are broken into two groups of 8, again with the top 2 advancing. The top 4 compete in a final round, taking place in The Arena, with the winner claiming the championship. Each round is four races in length, with the tracks pre-determined at the time of the event.

Levels: To be determined at the time of the event

Settings: Default Mario Kart Wii settings

Total Tournament Time: 90 minutes

Prizes: The Score merchandise to a random non-winning participant; nice prize via sponsorship TBD (Nissan or Saturn?) and trophies for the winning team



Home Cooking (tm): NCAA Football 2009

Cost: $10; $5 (for members or for non-members playing as Vanderbilt or MTSU); $1 (for members playing as Vanderbilt or MTSU)

Slots Available: 16

GamerScale(tm): 4/10

Facilities: 2 Gaming Stations

Description: Select a local team and compete for bragging rights in NCAA Football 2009. Head-to-head competition across 4 rounds.

Levels: Homefield advantage given to the worse team, as determined by NCAA Football 2009 in-game team ratings. Any ties in overall rating are to be broken by coin flip.

Settings: 2 minute quarters (Rounds 1-3); 4 minute quarters (Round 4); default difficulty and game settings

Total Tournament Time: 128 minutes

Prizes: University-sponsored prizes for random non-winning participants; $15 ScoreCard and trophy to winner



Home Cooking (tm): Madden 2009

Cost: $10; $5 (for members or for non-members playing as the Tennessee Titans); $1 (for members playing as the Tennessee Titans)

Slots Available: 16

GamerScale(tm): 4/10

Facilities: 2 Gaming Stations

Description: Select a local team and compete for bragging rights in Madden 2009. Head-to-head competition across 4 rounds.

Levels: Homefield advantage given to the worse team, as determined by Madden 2009 in-game team ratings. Any ties in overall rating are to be broken by coin flip.

Settings: 2 minute quarters (Rounds 1-3); 4 minute quarters (Round 4); default difficulty and game settings

Total Tournament Time: 128 minutes

Prizes: Titans-sponsored prizes for random non-winning participants; $15 ScoreCard and trophy to winner



Bombs Away (tm)

Cost: $10; $5 (for members)

Slots Available: 16

GamerScale(tm): 5/10

Facilities: 2 Gaming Stations

Description: Bomberman single-elimination tournament. Each match pairs up 4 players at a time competing to be the last Bomberman standing, with the winner advancing to the next round. The winner on each Game Station ("West" and "East") will match up for a Championship Round to determine a winner.

Levels: Randomly selected

Settings: Bomberman Live! (Xbox Live Arcade) default settings; first to 3 victories wins a given round

Total Tournament Time: 150 minutes

Prizes: The Score merchandise for a random non-winning participant; $15 ScoreCard and trophy to the winner



Beat The Clock: Super Mario Bros. 1

Cost: $12; $7 (for members)

Slots Available: 8

GamerScale(tm): 7/10

Facilities: Game Station

Description: Can you beat the clock in Super Mario Bros. 1 (NES)? Defeat the game by going from world 1-1 through defeating Bowser in world 8-4, in 10 minutes or less, and claim a prize.

Levels: n/a

Settings: Default game settings; warps and naturally-occurring glitches in the game may be exploited

Total Tournament Time: 80 minutes

Prizes: Special prize TBD along with trophy for each winner



Beat The Clock: Super Mario World

Cost: $12; $7 (for members)

Slots Available: 5

GamerScale(tm): 7/10

Facilities: Game Station

Description: Can you beat the clock in Super Mario World (SNES)? Defeat the game by going from Yoshi's Island, through the legendary Star World, all the way to Bowser's Castle and defeating the big guy in less than 20 minutes, and claim a prize.

Levels: n/a

Settings: Default game settings; warps and naturally-occurring glitches in the game may be exploited

Total Tournament Time: 100 minutes

Prizes: Special prize TBD along with trophy for each winner

Lori's submission to the Nashville Bar Journal was not only published, but made into their June cover story. Check it out here or by heading to NashvilleBar.org. Incredible!

More news to come within the next couple weeks...and by the way, the new Coldplay album is phenomenal...

I am struck by the outpouring of emotion in the aftermath of longtime NBC newsman Tim Russert's death. He's been a favorite of mine, primarily because his passion as well as his decent nature are so readily communicated on screen.

As a journalist, he was an innovator. His incisive questioning of various guests on "Meet the Press," while maintaining total control and polite restraint, was both enjoyable to watch as well as insightful for the way it disarmed so many people he brought onto the program.

I pretty much grew up watching Russert, since we would watch NBC Nightly News every night at home and Meet the Press on those rare Sundays we didn't go to church (this was in a world without TiVo, remember). As such, I still had no idea, until I heard others (such as Tom Brokaw this morning filling in as the host of "Meet the Press") that Russert was such a man of faith. A devout Catholic, his passion and enthusiasm he brought into so many other worlds, such as politics and even sports, carried over equally to his religion. I respect that.

So the increasingly vapid world of American journalism loses one of the true "good guys," a man who by all accounts did not hesitate to use his power to find truth, help others both young and old advance their careers, honor important times in other people's lives, and to positively affect many, many lives through the quality, passion, and sheer joy he exhibited on a daily basis for his profession.

The Executive Producer of the Meet the Press program (whose name escapes me at the moment) was on the show this morning with Brokaw, remembering Russert's work and talking with the others on the show about this man's legacy. She recounted that when she gave birth to her son, after returning home from the hospital a hand-written letter from Tim Russert was there waiting on her. But...it was actually not written to her, but it was written to her new son, telling him how lucky he was to have his parents and that he had an internship waiting for him at Meet the Press when he got old enough. Remarkable.

He also served on the Board of Directors of a variety of charitable interests, including the Boys and Girls Club, and contributed heavily to these causes he believed in both financially as well as with his time.

The explosion of press releases, statements, and support for Russert's family is overwhelming to see, and helped educate me on this life that he lived. This was a guy who positively impacted that small inner-circle world around him as powerfully as he did the 'world' of politics. He will definitely be missed.

Lori and I went to Birmingham briefly this past weekend for a family reunion (on my mom's side of the family). It was in the lovely location of Clanton, Alabama, which probably was 150 degrees that day! (Or maybe it just seemed like it.)

Overall, a good time. As my mom points out, my grandmother would be happy that we continue to go and uphold the tradition. That's important to me.

Literally 5-10 minutes away is the old Metrock Steel and Wire facility, which I've vowed to see sometime in the next year. There are people on Facebook and Linkedin who work there. I am actually blown away that the Metrock name still remains on what is just essentially a commodity manufacturing plant - clearly, the name means something or else it'd be gone.

I look forward to taking a trip to the plant, touring the place, and seeing how far its come since the last time I was there nearly 20 years ago. That may call for posting some pictures on this blog when that happens. Between two weddings on 6/19 and 7/19 and myriad other responsibilities this summer I hope I get there before August.

I am amazed at the epic, sweeping artistry of Coldplay's "Viva la Vida," their first single from their new album coming out next week.

The lyrics of this song are more developed than previous Coldplay work, and just tells a very interesting story. Coldplay music inspired me before they wrote like this, but if this song is indicative of the quality of the whole album, it's going to be a great one.

To hear the song, download it or check out this rather excellent cover by some band I've never heard of here on YouTube...

"Viva la Vida" - Coldplay

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sweep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own
I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing:
"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"
One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt, pillars of sand

I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can not explain
Once you go there was never, never an honest word
That was when I ruled the world

It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in.
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People could not believe what I'd become
Revolutionaries Wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be king?

I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can not explain
I know Saint Peter will call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

For the Vestavites who read this ... we're still winning national championships, apparently. Click on the video on the front page of CNNMoney to watch. Not sure how long it'll be up there.

Last night's American Idol was masterful on a number of levels. First, the production of the event as a heavyweight fight, complete with Michael Buffer of all people doing the "Let's Get Ready to Rumble" thing at the beginning, to the boxing commentary interspersed throughout, to giving two of the best possible advisors to the contestants they could possibly have (Clive Davis and Andrew Lloyd Webber) to coach them through the week.

David Cook's version of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" was incredible. But there wasn't any stopping David Archuleta's ascendancy to stardom. The guy has seriously got to be one of the most talented vocalists I've ever heard. And obviously his level of preparation, work ethic, and dedication has been equal to his talent every week, as it pretty much has to be to advance this far in the show. The joy he gets from performing comes through every time he takes the stage.

And regarding American Idol itself, it really doesn't matter if people like one feature of the show, don't like another, or whatever...as long as it discovers music talent anywhere even remotely close to David Archuleta or even David Cook, the show's going to last a lot longer than seven seasons.

Today's latest example of mindblowing genius: Nintendo's Wii Fit.

It's getting a lot of press, including a feature in today's Wall Street Journal. But these reviews aren't capturing the genius of this product.

There probably hasn't been any piece of software released for a home video game console that will expand the way Americans think about video games than Wii Fit. Wii Sports, the pack-in game that ships with the Wii hardware, greatly helped in this regard, but I predict that in the end Wii Fit will change hearts and minds to an even greater extent.

You'll see personal trainers, gyms, and other very atypical business interests start to incorporate Wii Fit into their business models. You'll see stories of people getting, well, FIT from the game. You'll see another spike in those fun media stories about non-gamers getting into gaming thanks to Wii Fit. And that sound you'll hear is the cash register exploding as Nintendo continues its remarkable quest to expand the gaming market and challenge popular notions of what a videogamer is.

I've been around videogames my entire life. People who know me know I'm a huge, unabashed fan of videogames, and as I've become a fan of business as I've gotten older, I've seen the videogame market experience unbelievable growth as it attracts some of the best business and creative talent out there. It's been quite fun to watch.

But even masterpieces like the just-released Grand Theft Auto IV, which had a budget of around $100 million dollars to produce, does not carry (at least, to me) the SHEER GENIUS of Wii Fit. The simplicity, the originality, the consistency with Nintendo's core business strategy, the out-of-the-box marketing efforts, the excellent technology incorporated into the packed-in "Balance Board," and the pricing strategy of the SKU all collectively blow me away.

It's fun being a gamer with companies like Nintendo out there which are obviously driven by a vision never seen before, or really ever even contemplated, within the industry...and a vision that is being executed almost to perfection.

I'm a huge Jeff Fisher fan, so not a surprise that I was perusing the information earlier today regarding the Coach's annual softball game out at Greer Stadium (home of the Nashville Sounds).

Typical press release...but one particular line caught my eye:

General Admission is $10 and reserved seats are $15. Tickets for children 12 and under are $6. Tickets are on sale now through the Nashville Sounds ticket office or by calling 615-242-4371. Show your KrogerPlus card, Military or Student ID and get $1 off. For additional information, please visit the Nashville Sounds’ web site at: www.nashvillesounds.com.

I could make a comment about $1 off being practically worthless thanks to inflation, but no. Actually, what made me pause was the parity in benefit between our valued military service men and women and KROGERPLUS CARD HOLDERS.

So let me get this straight ... taking bullets for our country earns the same benefit as walking into a local grocery store and filling out a piece of paper to get a KrogerPlus card.

I'm completely ignoring the students part of the discount, in honor of students pretty much ignoring everything, including class.

Whatever. I can make fun of something that is actually one of the best fundraisers in town, and certainly one of the more creative, entertaining ones. And, of course, it signals the impending start of another NFL season. Initial projections have the Titans surpassing last year's record - right now I've got them at 12-4 - but a lot can change between now and the start of training camp.

Changing subjects briefly, heard a great new band recently called Paramore. I know they're pretty well known among people who are better music fans than me, but their new song/video ("That's What You Get") is good stuff. Check it out.

Random thought time!

- The Go Phone commercial with Meat Loaf is brilliant.

- Celtic Thunder is awesome. If you don't know what it is, Google it.

- Grand Theft Auto IV is a masterpiece. Just because you can do certain things in the game (like drive drunk) does not subtract from the greatness of the game. It's so good, so expansive, and just so perfect that it will go down as one of the best games of all time.

- Cavaliers in 7.

At long last, Pac Man Jones has been traded to Dallas...and for more than what the Raiders got for Randy Moss.

Crazy. Something tells me Pac will be a stud in the Big D, but at least the Titans get to turn the page.

The more I see of American Idol, the more I'm convinced we're headed towards a final round of David vs. David ... David Archuleta vs. David Cook. Both were incredible last night, as Archuleta performed a reworked, rather original version of "Think of Me" from Phantom of the Opera, while Cook performed "Music of the Night" (also from Phantom). Both were awesome. They are pulling way out in front of the pack, if they weren't there already.

Over on FORTUNE's website, I ran across an interview with Peter Cheese, who is head of Accenture's HR group and has a new book coming out (The Talent-Powered Organization: Strategies for Globalization, Talent Management, and High Performance). Great interview and this book sounds like something I need to read. As I like to mention, human resources is a weapon within well-run businesses and an albatross around the neck of poorly-run ones. Enjoy.

Q. What are some of the signs that you're working for a "talent-powered" company?

A. They're not difficult to spot. There should be a lot of upward mobility, and lateral movement as well, within the ranks. Talent-powered organizations give their employees frequent, constructive feedback on their performance. They also present people with regular, planned opportunities to learn new skills and develop their abilities. If you aren't being offered those opportunities, and if no one around you is either, it means your employer isn't making talent management a real priority. And a talent-powered company is one where people know that excellence will be recognized and rewarded, which is sadly not the case in too many companies now.

Q. Let's say I'm a middle manager, in charge of a relatively small department of a big company that isn't walking the talk. Anything I can do to change that?

A. Certainly. Line managers can develop their own skills at mentoring and developing people. A big part of this is making sure you are giving people clear direction and helpful criticism. It's not rocket science, but some managers do it instinctively while others don't do it at all. You can also be on the lookout for opportunities for the people under you - chances for them to learn what they'll need to know in order to move up. This part is harder, because it includes being willing to let your best people go if a great opportunity for them arises somewhere else in the company. The upside is that, if you're good at this, you'll be noticed, and your own influence in the organization will increase over time.

Q. I often hear from people who feel "stuck" in their current job, who aren't being rewarded or promoted despite strong performance. Supposing these folks look for new jobs elsewhere: How can they avoid a repeat of the same situation?

A. Well, nowadays thanks to the Internet, lots of resources exist for getting a pretty good idea of what a company is really like before you go to work there. Vault.com, for example, will give you a great deal of information from current and former employees that you can use to gauge how well you would fit in. But you also have to pay close attention to how much information a prospective employer gives you directly. Are they open about describing how things are done? Will they let you talk with potential colleagues?

To identify a truly talent-powered company, what you want to look for is a regular structure of support: Are there performance evaluations at regularly scheduled intervals, and a culture that encourages day-to-day feedback in between? Is there a clear career path for people who excel? Is formal training available to you? Is there a widespread, systematic mentoring effort going on within the organization? You should certainly ask job interviewers about these things, but it's also a matter of networking and fact-finding on your own. The more current and past employees of the organization you can speak with, the clearer the picture will be.

Often people feel let down because they are led to believe, before they're hired, that the company wants to develop and promote them - but then, once they start work, the structures are simply not in place to make that happen, or they've fallen victim to cost-cutting. That disconnect can be extremely disappointing, especially to Generation Y new hires, who have little patience for what they see as hypocrisy. It's unfortunate, because that young, entry-level talent is often the kind that companies most want and need to keep.

The iTest Tournament of Champions wrapped up last week, and we announced the National Champion on Sunday. Both finalists didn't miss a single problem in the final round (and bear in mind these are problems I have no idea how to solve without looking at our excellent Solutions Guide, posted on the iTest site) and the winner submitted his answers ONLY 4 MINUTES BEFORE THE OTHER PARTICIPANT. Since submission time is the tiebreaker, that person won the whole thing and the $1,000 prize along with it.

That is insane.

The Tournament of Champions, as a whole, benefitted from a heightened level of competition over last year. All of these top 64 students are incredibly gifted and destined to be worldchangers. I have no doubt that when we take a look at the list of 2008 participants ten years down the road, we'll have all sorts of young scientists, entrepreneurs, lawyers, and educators that are out there greatly contributing to the world around them.

Next up for the iTest is the 2008 iTest exam in September, so we've got a bit of a break for now. We will have a sponsorship announcement to make sometime in the next two-three weeks for the next school year, and then that will probably be the last press release of any kind until the end of the summer.

Pac Man Jones has apparently decided to play hardball with the Titans, claiming that he is not going to apply for reinstatement to the NFL until he is traded, and not the other way around. Pac was expected to apply for reinstatement today to Commish Goodell, so this is a strange turn of events.

This obviously isn't going to engender any good vibes from the Titans front office, which might look to keep him on the roster just out of spite. Certainly, he's an immediate upgrade to any roster due to his immense talent...but will he manage to stay out of trouble this time?

I personally am hoping the Titans deal him during the NFL Draft to a team other than the Cowboys. Why send the guy to the team he wants to go to? Why should he be rewarded? Give me a break. I either want to see that, or keep him on the roster. The last thing I want to see is Dallas getting one of the best defensive talents in the sport for a measly 4th or 5th rounder.

In other NFL news, the 2008 schedule was released today. The Titans actually have one of the easier schedules in the NFL. I'm going to go ahead and predict a 12-4 year ahead, but more on that to come.

Going through change isn't an easy process. Right now, I'm in the middle of switching jobs - a strange but exciting process.

The past three years have had a lot of highs and lows. There are people of wisdom and strength I left behind, and I thank God for those individuals who have made a positive impact on my life and provided an example of leadership, courage, and dedication to a great purpose.

Honoring greatness is easy, though. Forgiving those without wisdom or leadership is much, much harder. But that's why we forgive - because we hope to be forgiven.

The world is full of opportunity. Even in a recession, this is still the United States of America, a place where mediocrity and laziness are always rejected in favor of something better. I look forward to finding that over the coming weeks. There certainly is never a shortage of demand for people who are willing to combine skills with sweat in looking for a better way to do business.

Looking back, I think every new graduate entering the job market probably thinks "I'll be here forever" when they sign on to that new job. I know that, under a couple of key different circumstances and outcomes, I could've been at my first employer for an entire career, which is startling to think about but certainly true. Accepting ambiguity that comes in the business world, and learning to stake out a clear direction from that haze, is a skill that can only come from dealing with situations like this. Where potential for greatness exists, it has to be pursued at all costs by every single person in an organization in order to even have a chance. These are lessons I will carry forward with me now for the rest of my life.

I will still continue, of course, to carry the torch of our philanthropic efforts with the iTest and other initiatives. Continuing to give back, with this year's Tournament of Champions about to crown a new National Champion, and with the planning necessary for a successful 2008 iTest in September, isn't negotiable and certainly isn't at the discretion of my former employer to negatively impact. It's not going to be easy to balance the non-profit's needs with my own job search, but I didn't start doing it because it was going to be easy!

And yes, I will even continue to faithfully watch American Idol as David Archuleta relentlessly marches to victory (even despite David Cook's awesomeness).

So, I guess what I'm saying is...life goes on.

As Mike has pointed out, Cadbury Schweppes is running a promotion where EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THE UNITED STATES gets a free Dr. Pepper ... if (and this is a big "if") Guns n' Roses comes out with the long-delayed "Chinese Democracy" album in 2008.

What's next, everybody gets a free Mountain Dew if 3D Realms releases Duke Nukem Forever this year?

Hilarious. Great marketing idea. I'm not sure if even the prospect of a delicious Dr. Pepper can get vaporware like the GNR album to ever see the light of day.

One of my fun things to do is to get a group of experts and simply watch them work. This is how I would describe Mathew Crawford and his testwriting team for the ongoing 2008 iTest Tournament of Champions, an event we host every spring which takes the top 64 math students in the United States and pits them against one another in an elimination-style tournament...until one National Champion remains.

Mathew's team is pretty much on fire with the incredible questions they've created for this competition. It's difficult creating challenging, meaningful questions for the top 1% of 1% of the nation's high school math students, but they've managed to take it to another level.

I bring up the iTest because it is somewhat related to a new project I am starting, effective immediately: a website that takes in various inputs (e.g. GPA, SAT score, etc., etc.), with the college that you're trying to get into, and gives you the probability of getting into that school within the next admissions cycle (based on your inputs as well as previous admissions information for that school).

Yep, it's time for another side project. I am particularly excited about the business strategy behind how we're going to monetize this project. There are only two websites in the world (that I could find) that attempt to give you a probability of getting in somewhere, and they both lack user-friendliness as well as validity in the mathematical approach they bring.

Stay tuned...more info to come shortly. This little project will run concurrently to everything else going on in my life right now.

One other thing...I was pleasantly surprised to see Fall Out Boy's explosive cover of "Beat It" which features a ripping guitar solo by John Mayer on iTunes yesterday. Download immediately.

The best rules to form a young man are:

To talk little.
To hear much.
To reflect alone upon what has happened in company.
To distrust one's own opinions.
To value others that deserve it.

-Sir William Temple

This is Round 1, Question 2 from the 2008 iTest Tournament of Champions. Round 1 was last week, Round 2 is this week, and we have another Round each week until the nation's 64 best high school math students have produced a single National Champion.

I like this problem because of the clever solution (available in the Round 1 Solutions Guide, available for free download on the iTest homepage) and algebra problems like this were some of my more favorite ones back then.

Now, I struggle to do problems I used to be able to do in a breeze. Although, I will say that being part of the iTest allows me to keep up on math in a way I'd never, ever be able to do without it.

American Idol tonight. I really am getting to the point where I like several of the contestants so much that I plan ahead to watch the show. I haven't done that since 24, and then before that, the X-Files...

Ran across an interesting blog about Generation Y and the workplace.

As I've mentioned before, I was born in 1980 and thus fall squarely at the end of the Gen-X range and at the very beginning of the Gen-Y era (so I'm a member of both, or neither, depending on the day). Thus, I will use the term "young workers" to refer to members of Gen-Y as well as young Gen-Xers such as myself. Some key points:

1) Technology creates choice. BlackBerrys, laptops, Basecamp, text messages - if all of these things aren't impacting the way human resources departments approach retaining top talent and creating conditions of high productivity for the workforce, what is the technology's value?

These inventions should have an immediate and profound impact on where, when, and how employees work. We know that these things have blurred the lines between "work" and "home" like never before. Why is it, then, that some employers still expect an 8-5, Monday through Friday workweek to still have meaning?

2) Some people will take advantage of the freedom created by this new technology. People using the phone while in the bathroom are one thing. Young workers using their BlackBerry to send out a couple of messages late on Friday night, copied to key management, to give the appearance of having done a full day's work are entirely another.

More than ever before, discerning executives within modern companies will have to understand this technology well enough to weed out "pretend workers," those Generation Y folks whose sense of entitlement overshadows any ability to actually contribute on a consistent, regular basis.

3) All of this Gen-Y talk, and all of this discussion of how "old folks" and "young folks" can work together in the modern workplace, reinforces my belief that human resources remains the most important function within the modern business.

It goes way beyond simply identifying great people. You've got to keep morale high, and keep everyone aligned, which creates the foundation for high productivity.

Even further, you've got to be just as willing to perform "R&D" within human resources as you would be within product development. The aforementioned blog has a great reference to software developer 37Signals' new workplace experiments, which include going to a 4-day workweek (Fridays off) and giving employees a no-limit credit card to use to pursue hobbies or outside passions. After all, if you can't trust your employees, then what are they doing as your employees?

4) I do think one very under-discussed topic is a need to lock Generation Y employees up using explicit, fixed-term employment contracts rather than "at-will employment" agreements.

Remember that this generation grew up in front of the TV and has all the ADD to match. I believe this generation also has "employment ADD" and a tendency to buy into the widespread notion that employees need to move around every few years or so. As a result, employers need to respond, and the best way to respond is by using fixed-term employment agreements which incentivize retention through a certain period of time, with perhaps a mutual option to continue the arrangement after that time is up.

This would be using the best practices of sports contracts, entertainment contracts, and other fixed-term deals like those and bringing them into the traditional workforce. It makes a whole lot of sense, when you understand the underlying psychology at work.

These types of contracts, of course, would only work in tandem with other best practices that keep morale high, productivity high, and turnover low. They obviously wouldn't work by themselves to mask existing HR problems within an organization.

And it goes without saying that true business leaders will avoid the problems other employers will face simply because they're able to stay pro-active toward the HR needs of their employees.


Shifting the discussion from business to sports, tomorrow is one of the biggest days of the year with the unveiling of the 64 teams making the NCAA Tournament (really 65 with the play-in game, but whatever). ESPN has Vandy as a 6-seed, which I think would be criminal if it actually goes down like that. Vandy has a 3-seed-level RPI and I would hope they get seeded no higher than a #4...

Speaking of workplace productivity, get ready for it to drop dramatically beginning on Thursday. Will check back after these 64 teams are reduced to 16 by next Sunday!

And predictably, the immediate performance after I posted that last bit about David Archuleta as the clear front-runner in American Idol, he botches the words of "We Can Work It Out" and creates a meandering, mediocre performance.

He'll be back in true form next week. Strange to see him vulnerable like this though.

For the past couple of seasons, I've watched American Idol as it's become the main show Lori and I both watch together.

As the show has evolved over the 7 seasons it's been on the air, the quality of the contestants has steadily increased. This makes sense since top finishers from almost all the seasons have had success to varying degrees well after their runs on the show concluded.

I measure the quality of the show's contestants by the skill of the worst contestant, and by that measure, this season is the best that I've ever seen on the show and probably the best it's ever been. The judged have even confirmed that at various points.

All this makes it all the more incredible that David Archuleta, the 17-year-old from Murray High School in Utah (an iTest school, by the way), is by far the best one of the bunch and quite possibly the most talented individual to ever appear on the show.

Obviously you're dealing with great performers, but it's incredible to see a guy who is just perfect on a stage. His rendition of "Imagine" a couple weeks ago was otherworldly, it was so well-thought-out and well-delivered.

The concept of a contestant on American Idol not even needing the show to be able to become a superstar is pretty strange, but it's definitely the truth for David. So far, the show has been worth watching for his performances alone.

2008 iTest Tournament of Champions (top 64 math students in the nation, participating in a head-to-head elimination tournament much like the actual men's basketball NCAA Tournament) begins on Monday...very exciting as well. Off to enjoy the rest of the weekend.

#14 Vandy 72, #1 Tennessee 69...great game yesterday. Even if Tennessee was feeling winded after being put to the test against Memphis on Sunday, I'll still gladly take the victory over yet another #1 team.

Vandy is now 24-4, with all four losses coming on the road. Bring on a #3 seed in the NCAA Tournament!

In other sports news, the Titans just re-signed WR Justin Gage and interviewed TE Alge Crumpler in what is hopefully a precursor to an offer. The Titans need to sign Crumpler badly...but at least re-signing Gage is a smart move. I'm expecting big things from the Titans in free agency this year.

Well, as I've posted here, I had been training up for the April 26 Country Music Marathon in pretty gradual fashion until about two weeks ago, when I became more aggressive and took the training up a notch. The result was feeling terrible for a few days and the complete loss of a week's worth of training time.

The good news is that I've gotten back on the treadmill this week and am going about 5-6 miles at a time. At this rate, barring any additional setbacks, I should be good to go for April's event. In fact, I'm heading out shortly to get some running shoes.

Had a chance to see Lori's mock trial team in action over the weekend. She's the coach of one of Harpeth Hall's mock trial teams and they had their district competition on Friday and Saturday. I saw her team's first round, which went very well (they got the "W," on their way to going an impressive 3-1-1), and was overall very impressed with Lori's coaching and general ability to guide the team of various aged high school girls. I knew she had been putting a lot of work into it and it paid off.

The iTest Tournament of Champions is inching closer. Lots to do. The competition itself will be better than ever and should satisfy the most hardcore of math students out there. I've given Mathew Crawford complete control of creating the math content for the entire year, and he's doing the typical outstanding job.

The iTest is facing a true financial test later this year as we see if Southern Company sponsors us once again, and see who else we can bring to the table to help fund this event that gives so much to so many high school students and educators across the country. We need philanthropists to step forward and donate money to us so we can not only fund short-term operations, but long-term capital projects. How to identify and pitch these individuals and groups remains a challenge.

But no one ever said it would be easy, did they?

Off to get lunch and run some errands on this President's Day holiday. Later.

Playing 'outside the wire'
Video games provide relief, therapy for soldiers in Iraq
By Kristin Kalning
Games editor
updated 8:12 a.m. CT, Tues., Feb. 12, 2008
In April, Army 1st Sgt. James Rowell will ship out for his third tour in Iraq. And in his Tuff Box, along with his other necessities, he’ll pack his Xbox 360, his “Halo” games and his “Call of Duty 4,” a military shooter.

“We take our gear down range – down range means deployed — and we have a lot of fun on our off-time,” says Rowell, who lives in Olympia, Wash. “It really does help out the esprit de corps, and the morale of the enlisted personnel — and all personnel.”

Rowell recalls with relish a time that he played a superior officer in “Halo 2.”

“I beat the crap out of him so bad, that he actually threw the controller out of his hands onto the ground, and walked away and wouldn’t talk to me for two days,” he says with a chuckle. “That’s how intense it is.”

Real life is intense in Iraq, too. With danger and death a constant threat, it can feel pretty satisfying to curl up with the controller for a few hours and blast some aliens in “Halo 2.” Or run some plays in “Madden” on the PlayStation 2.

“If ever there was a therapeutic use of video games it is with those ‘down range’ who go ‘outside the wire’ in combat,” says Charles Figley, professor and director of the Psychological Stress Research Program at Florida State University. “Yes, indeed, video games are a way of calibrating and managing the overwhelming pulses of stress that comes with combat zone living.”

It’s not often that video games get kudos from psychologists. More often, you hear cautions from mental health professionals about gamers who become addicted or socially isolated. And of course, there’s that nagging video-games-and-violence thing.

Thomas Kolditz, an army colonel and professor at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, says he’s familiar with the literature on video games and violence, but he doesn’t think it’s relevant when it comes to soldiers in combat.

“I don't believe there are aggression issues with soldiers who play those games because they have a well-developed understanding of the nature of violence in reality,” says Kolditz, who heads up West Point’s Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership. “They are different than children or even civilians in that respect.”

And even though real life in Iraq can be dangerous, it can also be pretty darned boring. Video games are a great way to break the monotony and pass the time.

Matt King, a medic in the Army, was stationed in Ramadi for a year. He was part of a quick-response unit, which was often on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“A lot of the time, you were just sitting around, waiting and waiting,” he says. “You had to fill that time with something … there was a lot of time to fill.”

King says he and the guys in his unit played “Madden” and “Tiger Woods Golf” when they weren’t on patrol or responding to calls. But the runaway favorite, the game he says his unit played 90 percent of the time? “Halo 2.”

King says that games really helped to build friendships between the guys in the unit. Your buddy might not be able to convince you to forego Snoop-Dogg in favor of Alan Jackson, or watch “The Simpsons” if you’re a “CSI” fan. But everyone’s played video games at one point. It’s a great common denominator.

But King says it was unsettling to think that the guy you’ve played “Halo 2” with for a year might not be there tomorrow.

“It’s weird to play a game with someone one day, and they could be killed or not be there the next day,” he says. “You never look forward to what might happen … you can’t do that. “

King was injured twice while in Iraq, and received two Purple Hearts. He took a piece of shrapnel from an incoming rocket, which he says “was the one thing that would shut down the gaming systems.”


The second injury, from a roadside bomb that exploded beneath his truck, found him medi-vacced to Balad Air Force Base. He remembers that the base had everything – a pool, Starbucks, Burger King, a bus system and a rec room with everything from ping pong to video games.

“They really, really had it good,” he says. “There are a lot of guys in outposts that would love to get their hands on something that would occupy their time.”

That Super Bowl game was unbelievable. I thought David Tyree should've been MVP for making the first Giants TD catch as well as the circus catch against his helmet that led to the second (and winning) Giants TD to Plax. But regardless...

What happens now with a very difficult Patriots free agency situation, trying to keep all their core offensive talent together? Their defense is aging and will have to be the focus of their draft.

What happens with Spygate? The former Patriots video assistant who knows everything about what the Patriots have (or haven't) illegally filmed over the past 5 years is now a former golf pro in Hawaii...where, coincidentally, the Pro Bowl (and all of the media) will be next week. I would expect there to be some news coming out next week, as a result, about all the secret filming that the team has done.

The Giants pulled an incredible upset. I hope the Titans were taking notes on how not to suck in the playoffs.

24 hours after having time to reflect on the sheer horror that was last night's State of the Union address, I realize it puts the exclamation mark on what has become the worst Presidential tenure in the history of the United States.

A 236 billion dollar surplus? Gone, in favor of huge deficits.

Economic prosperity? Gone, in favor of recession.

Peace? Gone, in favor of a directionless war in Iraq. A war that needs to end immediately. I can speak for myself when I say I am totally uninterested in Iraq's welfare when America's leaves so much to be desired.

Economic stimulus package aside, bipartisanship is gone, in favor of political trench warfare that fortunately Barack Obama seems, for at least this fleeting instant, capable of rejecting and leading the nation into a different sort of political discourse...a big accomplishment.

And, of course, health care and education are both a mess right now.

And yet, here is Bush, squawking at Congress on how he'll fight to the end against earmarks, patted himself on the back for No Child Left Behind, and postured one final time about Iraq.

Which brings me back to the realization pretty much everyone has at this point - Democrat, Republican, doesn't matter, just put ANYONE ELSE in that office and we'll be better off.

I'm starting to like Obama, though. That guy is lightning-quick as a speaker and has the country starting to embrace the romantic notion of having an African-American in the Oval Office. Super Tuesday should be interesting.

This is what George W. Bush has done - made me care about politics and start following it on a daily basis. Amazing.

Also, this is my 200th blog post. I'll try to make the 201st entry a bit more positive.

Mainstream news has gone so far down the toilet that it typically doesn't even register on my radar as something worth paying attention to.

But today, I ran across something that just makes me furious at how lazy, inept, and agenda-driven mainstream news has become.

Most people don't have a clue about the presence of videogames in American culture. No clue that the average age of gamers is 33 years of age. No clue that the process of buying a videogame at many 'big box' stores is more difficult than buying alcohol. No clue that the artistry and storytelling many of these games achieve has reached the level of classic literature.

Having played a recent game called Mass Effect - a game consistently nominated for every Game of the Year award across the globe - for XBox 360, I was well aware of what a masterpiece this game is. Everyone should be so lucky to have a chance to play this game and bear witness to what a showpiece of technology fused with an incredible story that it is.

Well, Fox News typically doesn't let facts get in the way of a good story. I almost couldn't bear to finish watching this mindblowingly ignorant piece of "news":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L13Ct40cFIU


Note how the subtitle reads "(SE)XBox" ... nice one, Fox.

Let me set this record straight: there is NO NUDITY IN THE GAME.

Let me repeat that again: THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO NUDITY IN THE GAME.

Let me state something else now: THERE IS NO GRAPHIC SEX IN THE GAME EITHER.

What IS in the game is a shot of a woman's bare backside (mainly just her back) for about 2 seconds.

The sex scene that this news article refers to comes sometime after 20-30 hours into the game, and lasts all of five seconds, and is on par with something you'd see on prime time television. And that's only if you take certain paths through the game - many players will take paths that result in no relationships like this occurring within the storyline.

Naturally, Electronic Arts (new owner of the Mass Effect intellectual property since its acquisition of BioWare, the game's creator) has written a letter to Fox News asking them to correct the many inaccuracies of their "reporting."

Fox News' producer then promptly blew EA off, directing them to the Fox PR department. Laughable.

Hopefully pushing some sort of anti-videogame agenda in a completely unresearched, totally biased piece of "news" will end up worth it for Fox News after EA gets done with them in court.

If Fox considers inaccurate pieces of non-news to be "news," then I guess it's a good thing I'm not a regular viewer...but I've never seen something so unbelievably unresearched and so unabashly ignorant. In fact, the news anchor talks about how she "got online to view some trailers" like she's Bob Woodward uncovering some Pulitzer Prize-winning scoop.

Garbage. Total garbage. Let the lawsuits begin.

Titans lose to the Chargers, 17-6, in a game where the Titans play a lights-out first half and a terrible second half.

It's pretty remarkable, in a way, that the Titans made the playoffs at all when you consider:

1) They scored only 4 more points during the regular season than they gave up
2) They threw a grand total of NINE TOUCHDOWN PASSES ALL YEAR

Yes. That's *9* touchdown passes. Averaging about .5 a game, over a 16 game season.

And they still made the playoffs.

Now don't get me wrong - I think Vince Young is going to be a tremendous player for the Titans (if he hasn't fit that bill already). He will continue to improve and will be the player the Titans drafted to lead us to a Super Bowl. I strongly believe that.

It's great that VY and the young Titans got some much-needed playoff experience heading into next year. Now the Titans need to take inventory of the talent on their roster and prepare for a critical draft.

Clearly, we need a playmaking receiver, which should be our first-round draft pick focus. But what we do with our other picks is up in the air. And obviously, the Titans will need to decide what they're doing with Pac Man Jones as well as some of their restricted (and unrestricted) free agents, such as Jacob Bell (who will probably be let go) and Albert Haynesworth (who will probably get the franchise tag).

Overall, great season for the Titans and one in which they probably outperformed their own talent, which is a great compliment to Jeff Fisher and the coaching staff. Looking forward to seeing where we go from here.

2007 was a good, but not great, year. It's easy to be hazed over by the joy of buying a first home, Lori's successful completion of the Bar Exam and subsequent beginning of her career, and our most successful iTest year to date. The year had these things, and constantly threatened to break out into much wilder success, but it didn't happen.

Was very fortunate to identify and negotiate a deal with our 2007 iTest Title Sponsor, but we were unable to locate the additional funding I thought would come after a phenomenally successful and critically-lauded iTest competition. No philanthropic parents stepped forward, and no other corporations familiar with the iTest joined in and contributed, despite numerous leads.

I simply call this a test of endurance, but still...2008 has a lot of room to improve here.

Even worse, I feel like I've grown complacent. I accept mediocrity far too often and I don't strive for the best possible outcome nearly enough.

Besides the iTest, there's a lot of room to grow within my own career, room to take on new side projects, room to forge new business partnerships, room to grow personally and become a better Christian, and room to do more. Much, much more.

Personally, while as I stated in my previous post, I feel so lucky and blessed to be where I am, and I know Lori feels the same way. But there is a long way to go.

Thus, the following resolutions for the New Year, and may this year be a successful one that takes the next step toward realizing the promise that was created in 2007 and in the years before.

1) Get back in shape.

I began training immediately after Christmas for the Music City Half-Marathon, which takes place in late April 2008. I've made getting back in great physical shape a top priority of the new year, and I'm happy to say I'm well on my way. Running on the treadmill here in the basement level as well as some strength work will give way in late February/early March to running outside as I approach the 13-14 mile length of the race.

I am aiming to run the whole thing, and I think it's an attainable goal (I'm already at running 3 miles now, with 4 months to go). But if I have to walk some of it, that's OK. It's about reclaiming my physical conditioning much more than it is about a single event in April.

2) Write a book.

I have also begun, in that quiet week between Christmas and New Year's, writing a book. I adamantly refuse to disclose any details about it until it's finished (it's about 30% complete already) except to say it will leverage my iTest credentials and the topic is something I've been thinking about for at least the past couple of years as I've observed and communicated with countless high school students around the country who have participated in the iTest.

Much more on this to come down the road. I'd like to be finished by March/April but I don't know yet if that's realistic. Certainly, by the fall, it'll be done.

3) Become a better Christian.

Covered this a bit in my last post. Lori and I have visited churches in the area of our new home, but we haven't settled on "our" church, which will be an important first step of 2008. Then, it'll be about getting into that routine of regular attendance that we both desperately want.

But this resolution is deeper than just that routine. It's about a frame of mind that I used to have that I've moved away from, that I need to rediscover. Nothing of worth will be accomplished by either of us if we aren't fully cognizant and appreciative of God's blessings in our lives.


That's it. Those are the three resolutions for this year. I expect to be held to this standard so feel free to call me on these.

The book, in particular, has got me excited because it's high time to venture into the world of media once again, for the first time since the release of my piano instrumental disc back in 2004.

I'm thankful to be able to have this sort of focus as the year starts up. With a little bit of dedication, I'm confident these three things will guide a successful and prosperous 2008.

Haven't had a chance to write a year-end post yet, but it's coming. I did want to quickly write about the trip home today from work...

My drive to and from work is prime music time, and with a couple of new CDs for Christmas, it's actually prime "new music" time. Seal's new CD is pretty lackluster, making it his first that I haven't really enjoyed all the way through since his very first one, although there are a couple of great tracks on there.

But MercyMe's new CD is solid - this band just knows how to make good music, even without the Christian element to it. But that's not all...the very last song really caught me by surprise.

A sweeping, introspective piece called "Finally Home" concludes the album and is easily the best song on the disc. This is what makes this band great - they refuse to become the same cliched Christian praise stuff that's been rehashed a zillion times, and keep producing authentic, heartfelt, wonderfully-executed songs like this one. Although this one is certainly among the best song they've written, if not the best.

One of my New Year's Resolutions, which I'll be covering in some depth in my next post, is to go to be a better Christian. For me, this has a number of ramifications, of whicih one of the lesser ones is to spend more time listening to praise music such as this.

With a tremendous amount of resources now at my disposal, and more blessings than anyone would ever expect, I tend to stray away from my Christian beliefs way too often. Making a conscientious effort to be a better Christian is a major 2008 priority.

More to come on this later, but for now, check out this song (regardless of your religion). You'll be glad you did. This is sheer musical excellence.


MercyMe - "Finally Home"

I'm gonna wrap my arms around my daddy's neck
Tell him that I've missed him
Tell him about the man that I became
And hope that it pleased him

There's so much I want to say
There's so much I wanted you to know

When I finally make it home
When I finally make it home

Then I gaze upon the throne of the King
Frozen in my steps
And all the questions I swore I would ask
Words just won't come yet

So amazing what I've seen
So much more than this old mind can hold

When I finally make it home
When I finally make it home

And the sweetest sound my ears have yet to hear
The voices of the angels

When I finally make it home
When I finally make it home