Freedom

What could possibly bring tears to my eyes? I have seen a man fly.

It is with such a mixture of envy and admiration that I post this article and video of Yves Rossy, the Swiss pilot who flew with rocket-powered wings strapped to his back.

It is one of my deepest wishes that when I get to heaven, God will give me wings.

--cdb

Springtime in the City

I'm in New York City for the weekend. Having helped a brother celebrate the last vestiges of his singlehood, I'm now enjoying the city itself. For me, that means a springtime experience very different from the milder California springs. The weather can't seem to make up its mind as to whether it wants to be crisp cold or sunny warm (either is pleasant by me, but I'm getting a little tired of pulling on the jacket and putting it away). And then there's Eloise's Plaza Hotel, framed by trees in their spring bloom, plus the nearby Central Park Zoo (yes, I'm a zoo fanatic). Almost paid the $8 fee to get in, even though I'd only have had a half hour to spend there. And now I'm sitting here blogging from Central Park while waiting for friends Aaron and Gayle.



Good insight from D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones this morning (by way of Tim Keller) about the difference between debauchery and the Spirit, both of which make one feel bold and joyful. The former is a depressant, making us feel less, whereas the latter is a stimulant, making me more alive to all that is around me. I'm absolutely enjoying this heightened awareness the Spirit is providing today. What a blessed day!

The Cost of Energy

From the blog of Bill Gross:

• $0.05 per kw/hr — the cost of electricity generated from coal (the dirtiest fossil fuel)
• $0.10 per kw/hr — the cost of electricity generated from gas (more expensive, but quite a bit better than coal)
• $0.16 per kw/hr — the cost of electricity generated from solar thermal (many people are working to beat this now)
• $0.24 per kw/hr — the cost of electricity generated from photovoltaic panels on large scale solar farms (many people are working to beat this too)
• $0.40 per kw/hr — the cost of electricity generated from photovoltaic panels on rooftops of homes and businesses

Bill Gross featured on NPR's Marketplace

Our CEO, Bill Gross, was interviewed on last night’s Marketplace show, on NPR. That means Kai Ryssdal was actually here in our office. Unfortunately, I didn’t find out about the interview until the night before it aired, when the teaser came out on Wednesday’s Marketplace show, so I found out after the fact that Kai came by two Mondays ago.

Here in the LA area, celebrity sightings are not exactly uncommon, but we still get weirded out by seeing famous faces. Geeky as it may be, I think I’d much have rather met Kai than, say, Lindsey Lohan or Kobe Bryant. Well, Bill invited Kai back in 5 to 10 years so maybe I’ll get my chance then.

Ryssdal: You are a serial entrepreneur. The company you founded is called Idealab. What's the best idea you ever had?

Gross: Well, I think that the pay per click idea was probably the best idea we ever had . . . based on its success. I'd like to think that we'll be remembered for some of the stuff that we do on solar energy. We just need some more time. So hopefully, if we have this interview again in 5 or 10 years, that will be the best idea we ever had.

Ryssdal: We'll call you and we can figure it out.

Gross: That would be great.

Considering my companies are in the Internet space, it was mildly discouraging to hear:

Ryssdal: If you walk around here in this huge bullpen that's around, where all the Idealab employees work, there aren't a whole lot of people, I gather, working on e-commerce anymore.

Gross: A very small percentage of our effort goes toward e-commerce. I would say we are working on Internet companies still. But straight e-commerce companies... there just isn't enough margin and it isn't enough protectable, competitive advantage.

On the other hand, even though I’ve seen our solar efforts in progress for the past year, hearing these thoughts still piques my interest:

Ryssdal: Make me smart here. What is the cost differential between a kilowatt hour, or I guess a kilowatt of solar verses coal powered energy?

Gross: Well right now you can buy electricity from the power company for probably about 13 cents a kilowatt hour on average around the Unites States. And solar energy costs about twice that. So maybe 26 cents a kilowatt hour. And there are rebates and subsidies in some places that bring it down to almost parody, but not quite. We would like to bring it down to the same price that you would pay for the power company, but with no subsidies. That's a very tall order but if we could do that, that would allow many, many people to choose solar over their power company, over coal produced electricity without paying any penalty. A few people will pay a penalty. A few, passionate people would be willing to pay more, but the only way you're going to get mass conversion and effect the whole globe is if you make it cheaper. And that's what we're focusing on doing at Energy Innovations.

I didn’t realize Kai was such a tough interviewer, especially with CEOs:

Ryssdal: Did you get greedy during the dot-com boom? Not in the monetary sense, right? Because everybody was making money and there was plenty of money to be made, but in the entrepreneurial sense.

Gross: I would say we got greedy in the sense that we thought we could make companies at an unbelievable rate. And we probably thought before, maybe a taste of humility, that everything we touch would turn to gold. And it was great to be corrected on that because it led us to be much smarter.

Ryssdal: There's a great quote actually, about this company from somebody who is fairly highly placed at the time and still is, and she said . . . the market wanted crap and so we gave them crap.

Gross: I don't know that was a quote from us but . . . I think the market wanted speed to market and the market was rewarding companies that could launch very quickly and we were very good at that. So we did a lot of that. And the market wanted page views and the market wanted eyeballs and everything the market rewarded, we learned very, very well how to make. But we learned that long-term fundamental value was the only thing that was ever going to hold up. And we learned and shifted our company to only focus on that.

Anyway, here’s the transcript of the full interview, and here’s where you can download the podcast of the (abbreviated) show on iTunes.

--cdb

Borders Plans The Death Of The CD

From Silicon Alley Insider:

Borders Group (BGP) is showing off the first of 14 new concept stores it will open this month. One concept it's ditching: CD sales. The music section has been "downsized", and replaced with a digital kiosk center that sounds great and is almost certain to fail. See if you can see why:

The circular, oversized kiosk features several computer stations where customers can burn music CDs, download music and audiobooks onto MP3 players, create digital photo albums, learn how to self-publish and research family genealogy. Staffers will be on hand to assist.

"We wanted to create a comfortable, easy to understand environment," said Rob Gruen, executive vice president of merchandising and marketing.

The only glitch so far: The digital services don't work with Apple's iPod, something Borders says it's working on.

Interesting concept. I can't see myself buying a CD from Borders, but if there were an iTunes download center (I suppose Borders wouldn't allow Amazon instead of iTunes) inside Borders, where I could buy individual tracks and walk out with a burned CD, I would go for that.

-- cdb

Lepubricans

If you are a Red Stater, who would you rather see on the Democratic ticket this fall? My guess is that you’d rather see Hillary. In my opinion, she is more beatable than Obama because she is more polarizing, whereas Obama is a more hopeful and moderate personality who will win over independents and dissatisfied Republicans more easily.

 

If Hillary and McCain were to win their respective nominations and the final vote were held today, then I would cross party lines to vote for McCain. I tend to agree with his beliefs more, and furthermore, I think it can be healthier for America when Congress and the Oval Office are not held by the same political party. I want to see discussions and compromise, not the kind of battering ram tactics that were used to push through initiatives from 2000-2006. Those tactics were not even efficient as the Republicans did not hold a filibuster-beating majority in Congress, so all they accomplished was to antagonize and offend Democrats. McCain seems to be the kind of guy who would work well with the other side of the aisle in Congress. For that matter, so do Obama and Hillary, but I still say that of the two, Hillary would be more vulnerable against McCain.

Subway Design

Just noticed something this morning about the Gold Line train this morning. The tracks drop down about halfway below the freeway it parallels. Looking out the window, I'm at eye level with the nearest cars. In fact, it feels like we're in a car as well, just another vehicle on the highway. LA being such a car culture place, I imagine this was done by design, so here's some recognition for the heretofore unheralded architect or civil engineer who made this clever decision.

--cdb

moving and worrying

for the past year and a half we've been living in my in-laws' home, and we've decided that it's time to move on.  now that it's pretty much feb, we've had to speed up the search.  going through it all has made me a bit fearful of having to go through buying a home.  it just gnaws at the nerves to find places a bit too late or finagle just how much we're willing to pay.  

we're looking for places in the nearby vicinity of my school for multiple reasons--easy access to needed freeways, much shorter commutes for both of us (i'm hoping that i'll be able to walk), and fondness for the town itself.  it has a small-town/community feel that is really rare in socal.  although our schools may not be top notch, i'm thankful to be part of a small district that takes care of me.

in the last month, though, our little town has been rocked by five gang-related shooting incidents that have left three people dead and two injured--four of the victims have been young people in their teens.  when i read about the most recent one in my email this morning, i was heart-sickened.  it occurred merely blocks away from the street where i drive every morning, where our preschool and administrative offices are, and where many of our students walk.  i have to confess that the earlier shootings didn't affect me as deeply because they were "on the other side of town,"--i.e., south of the freeway.  it is scary and i am so, so sad for these kids who became targets--contrary to assumptions, most of the victims had no apparent gang affiliation.  

i don't really know what to do other than continue to be the best teacher that i can be.  i fervently pray that our schools will continue to be safe for our kids, and we can keep shaping their characters for the better.

--e.b.

Mercy

I saw a black-and-white in my rear view mirror yesterday and quickly looked at my speedometer - low 70's, on a 65 mph freeway. I changed lanes to my right (was exiting anyway) and felt immediate grace as the highway patrol car didn't follow. Almost instantaneously, my relief became annoyance that he wasn't pulling over any of the maniacs that were zipping by faster than me.

(favorite dad quote: "Anyone going slower than me is an idiot. Anyone going faster than me is a maniac.")

How quickly grace turns to condemnation.

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"

22Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.^[a]

23"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents^[b] was brought to him. 25Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

26"The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' 27The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

28"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.^[c] He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.

29"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'

30"But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

32"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' 34In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

35"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

Letter to Congresswoman Napolitano

Representative Napolitano,
I've been reading news of a tentative agreement on an economic stimulus plan that would come in the form of tax rebates for many Americans. I urge you to vote against such a plan, as I believe it to be short-sighted and potentially ineffective.

I would feel differently about this plan if our government were currently operating with a budget surplus, but due to the budget deficit, these tax rebates would have to be paid through borrowed money, which will further exacerbate future budget balancing attempts. In my mind, this is similar to a homeowner borrowing additional money against her house to pay for short-term needs, not realizing that this could cause her mortgage payments to jump to unaffordable levels at some point in the future. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Ho Yun

Tennis

Lessons:
1. Don't lift weights the night before playing.
2. Don't eat half of an old avocado on the way to tennis.
3. Don't take two months off between playing.

Or you'll feel like I do right now.

Aptera

Idealab's board members were around today for a meeting, so one of our companies, Aptera, took advantage of the opportunity to show off their new prototype electric vehicle, the Typ-1, which also meant that I got to see it in person for the first time. Didn't get a test drive, though. I guess that'll have to wait until next time. First, the pics:

One cool thing is that it's officially categorized as a motorcycle, which means you can use it in the carpool/HOV lanes while driving solo.

prayers of petition today

• safety of helen t. and fellow missionaries in kenya...also peace of mind and heart for helen's parents, who must be so worried.
• Lord, thy will be done--my mom's dear friend and mentor, mrs. h is very ill and may not survive.  we had just seen her this past holiday.  i can't think of anyone more deserving of hearing God say, "well done, good and faithful servant," but it's still very saddening.

prayer of thanksgiving:

• got to catch up a bit with my close college friend who is getting married this fall.  haven't gotten to meet the blessed fiance yet, but he sounds amazingly perfect for her.  God is so good!

paring down and giving more

the other day we looked at apartments with ho's parents and then did some window shopping in old town pasadena.  although ho and i have been married for three and a half years, we still own next to no furniture.  we made do with lots of borrowing and disposable ikea before moving into my in-laws' home, so we'll need to buy our first bed and couch when we decide on an apartment.  we also need a dining room set, although that can probably wait until we get a house. 

we saw lots of nice things yesterday, and it brought up in me the conflict of living simply in order to give strategically.  i wish that i could say that i would be fine with any old furniture, but the older i get, the more pottery barnified my taste becomes.  sure, we should get things that will last a long time, but does that rationalize paying premium prices?

somewhere in the last couple of years, i fear that i've lost my edge in my desire to live simply.  right now we're in the most financially "carefree" time that we probably will ever have with our DINK (double income, no kids) status.  it's kind of ridiculous how blessed we are.  i don't think we've been wasteful, but somehow we've gotten sort of lax...writing our tithe checks and supporting our missionaries and giving has become easier and easier.  this isn't the way i want it to be.

firstly, i know i need to be more involved in our finances/budgeting (this has long been on my to-do list, alas).  secondly, i want us to spend our (hard-earned!) money more thoughtfully and purposefully and joyfully.  the following quotations are sobering but inspiring for me, and i hope they'll give you food for thought as well.

“I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditures excludes them.” — C.S. Lewis

(emphasis is mine.  what do i sacrifice in order to give more generously?)

And from John Piper (I think this is from Desiring God) --

God is not glorified when we keep for ourselves (no matter how thankfully) what we ought to be using to alleviate the misery of unevangelized, uneducated, and unfed millions. The evidence that many professing Christians have been deceived by this doctrine is how little they give and how much they own. God has prospered them. And by an almost irresistible law of consumer culture . . . they have bought bigger (and more) houses, newer (and more) cars, fancier (and more) clothes, better (and more) meat, and all manner of trinkets and gadgets and containers and devices and equipment to make life more fun. But what is specifically called for today is a wartime lifestyle. I mean a style of life that is unencumbered by nonessentials. I don't mean primitive 'simplicity.' I mean wartime effectiveness. . . . I mean a kind of Spartan commitment to maximize everything for the mission of the church. A glad-hearted Christian austerity that can see his imminent victory, and will make any sacrifice for the joy of being on the cutting edge of God's kingdom.

*************************

again, emphasis added by me.  i want to be on the cutting edge of God's kingdom.  that's the place to be.

--e.b.