Linsanity: Missing the obvious

How did the NBA miss out on Jeremy Lin's talent? It's not as if he hit his head and then, suddenly, he could play.

This afternoon, I watched the Knicks play at Madison Square Garden - along with Kevin Costner and Mark Zuckerberg (they had better seats).

Three things will stick in my mind about today's game: The Knicks won an exciting game while I watched with new found friends, Linsanity played a great game, and I witnessed a spectator win a car by making a half court shot during a commercial break.

Post Game

After the game we were discussing our observations. How did Lin go overlooked for so long? Probably because he simply didn't fit the profile. About 55 years ago, two guys named Joe and Harry came up with the four quadrant Johari window which helps people better understand mental instability (what I know about myself, what other's know, what I don't know about myself, and what other's don't know).

While the Johari window applies on a personal level, it can be expanded, in a somewhat related way, to the group level, better know as selective attention. Sometimes, things appear right before your very eyes and you completely miss it until someone points it out.

How good are you at counting? Today, at dinner, Dave Winer pointed out how, when kids are asked to count how many people are in the room, they overlook themselves.

In the spirit of today's Knicks game, try your hand at selective attention and count how many times the basketball is passed in the following video.

You'd be amazed how many people miss it. I certainly did the first time I watched this video.

Big Thank You

I have to send a big thanks to Dave Winer for coordinating today's event and buying the tickets. I haven't been this excited over a game in a long time. Perhaps my wife and I should move into the city.

Flying Solo & Shirttails

When a student pilot flies an airplane for the first time - called soloing - the tradition is to cut off their shirttail.

This practice goes back to the early days of aviation, when airplanes had open-cockpits. The instructor-pilot sat in the back while the student sat in the front. In order to get the student's attention, the instructor would tug on the back of the student's shirt.

Since the student is alone when soloing there's no one in the plane to yank on the back of their shirt to correct any mistakes. To symbolize this milestone, the instructor cuts off the back of the student's shirt and marks it up to record the accomplishment.

But, soloing isn't the end of the training; rather, it's about the one third to half-way point to becoming a certified private pilot.






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