http://erikdeckers.posterous.com Mobile blogging and photos whenever the mood strikes. posterous.com Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:37:00 -0800 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~3/m3KM-7QqYe0/indianapolis-outback-restaurant-turns-big-neg http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/indianapolis-outback-restaurant-turns-big-neg <p> <p>A few weeks ago, I was given some Outback gift cards as part of a talk I gave to an association group. That night, I took my family out to the Outback Restaurant in Castleton (NE Indianapolis) and used the cards to pay for dinner. My total bill was enough that I could cover the cost with the cards, leave a generous tip, and have $37 left on one card.</p> <p>"Take the receipt," said my wife, Toni. "Just in case."</p> <p>I knew what she meant. Sometimes gift card balances have a way of. . . dipping below the balance you had when you left, especially when you leave the proof of your balance behind. You supposedly have no way of proving what you have left, or how much you spent. (I used to wait tables, and I saw this happen once in a while.) But I also thought she was being paranoid, and I hate carrying around superfluous paper, so I left them.</p> <p>Fast forward to Friday night (February 17). We decided to pick up some carry-out appetizers for dinner for the five of us, using the $37, so I checked my balance online before we left.</p> <p><strong>$0.00.</strong></p> <p>We knew what had happened. The very thing we &mdash; actually, Toni &mdash; were worried about. The tip ended up being $37 bigger than it should have been.</p> <p>I called the restaurant, and spoke with the manager, Jerome Davis. I explained what had happened, and he was able to look up the transaction based on the last four digits of the card. He was also able to see what exactly had gone down with the transaction, and confirmed where the $37 ended up (i.e. not where it should have been).</p> <p>Jerome assurred me he would be speaking with the person in question, as would the owner.</p> <p>He also said he would restore the $37 to my card.</p> <p>But what impressed me, and restored my faith in Outback, was that not only did Jerome agree to make everything right, he did more than he needed to.</p> <p>We ended up ordering four appetizers, and Jerome paid for two of them. He said he would take the remaining balance of my bill off my gift card, which would leave me a little extra something for next time.</p> <p>He only had to restore the $37. Or, he could have done what I've seen other managers do, avoided any blame, shifted responsibility, and stuck me with the loss of the $37. But he didn't do that. He did the right thing. And then he earned my loyalty back.</p> <p>I sincerely appreciate what Jerome did for me and my family. He looked out for us, he made sure we were taken care of, and he not only apologized for the actions of an employee, he took responsibility to make sure everything was taken care of. In a time where <a href="http://problogservice.com/2010/11/04/five-superrific-lessons-i-learned-from-scott-stratten-at-social-media-club-chicago" title="average customer service" target="_blank">average customer service can win customer loyalty</a>, Jerome went above and beyond the call of duty by doing more for me and my family.</p> <p>So I wanted to publicly say thank you to Jerome Davis and Outback in Castleton for taking care of an unfortunate problem and helping me save Friday night's dinner for me and my family. It's customer care and attention like this that will keep me coming back to Outback.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="http://bit.ly/xyLk6s" rel="author">Erik Deckers</a> is the owner of <a href="http://problogservice.com">Professional Blog Service</a>, and the co-author of <em><a href="http://amzn.to/gbhIPy">Branding Yourself: How to Use Social Media to Invent or Reinvent Yourself</a></em>. His new book, <em><a href="http://nobullshitsocialmedia.com">No Bullshit Social Media: The All-Business, No-Hype Guide to Social Media Marketing</a></em>, which he wrote with Jason Falls, is in bookstores and on Amazon now.</p> </p> <p><a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/indianapolis-outback-restaurant-turns-big-neg">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/indianapolis-outback-restaurant-turns-big-neg#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~4/m3KM-7QqYe0" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/304666/ErikDeckers_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/37qMJ25ndVMR Erik Deckers Erik Erik Deckers http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/indianapolis-outback-restaurant-turns-big-neg Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:31:00 -0800 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~3/5J2En0QVJ5s/branding-yourself-translated-into-german http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/branding-yourself-translated-into-german <p> <p>I was very surprised and pleased to receive two new copies of Branding Yourself.</p> <p>In German.</p> <p>This makes Kyle Lacy and me international authors now. And not just my-book-was-shipped-to-Canada international either.</p> <p><a href="http://twitpic.com/8cv630" title="Share photos on twitter with Twitpic"><img src="http://twitpic.com/show/thumb/8cv630.jpg" height="150" alt="Share photos on twitter with Twitpic" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="150" /></a></p> <p>Our book has already been sold in the United Kingdom (I keep hoping to get invited to speak to a conference in England for a week), but this makes the first non-English language it has been translated into. My next goal is to have it translated into French.</p> </p> <p><a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/branding-yourself-translated-into-german">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/branding-yourself-translated-into-german#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~4/5J2En0QVJ5s" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/304666/ErikDeckers_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/37qMJ25ndVMR Erik Deckers Erik Erik Deckers http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/branding-yourself-translated-into-german Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:47:03 -0800 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~3/yV6I7WauXMg/why-i-am-avoiding-the-2012-presidential-campa http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/why-i-am-avoiding-the-2012-presidential-campa <p> <div>I am not looking forward to the 2012 presidential campaign.</div><p /><div>This is the time of year when every political junkie from both parties will examine every subtle nuance of every utterance from anyone the candidate has ever known, from his closest political advisers to some kid he waved at in the 3rd grade lunchroom. <p /><div>These junkies, fueled by the myopic, out-of-touch punditry of their side, will pounce on any and all instances of What Is Wrong With the World, stamp their little feet, and shriek, &quot;See? SEE?! Your guy is EVIL!!&quot;</div> <p /><div>They&#39;ll clutch the evidence in their sweaty fists, convinced that everyone will see that the other guy truly should never, ever be President, let alone allowed to be a citizen of this country. They&#39;ll be surprised when no one else sees it that way, except for their own echo chamber, who will all shout a hearty &quot;Hear! Hear!&quot; in an attempt to drown out any reasonable discourse and debates that mature adults have.</div> <p /><div>And they will clang their swords on their shields whenever the opposition waves their <i>own</i> banner of What Is Wrong With the World, immediately comparing the opposing candidate to Hitler, Mussolini, and/or Pol Pot.</div> <p /><div>For the record, I know who I&#39;m voting for. You will not persuade me. You will not affect my decision. Your finger-wagging admonitions of &quot;you should keep an open mind&quot; will go unseen and unheard. If anything, your banner-waving, shield-clanging shrieks only convince me that staying out of politics is the best choice for me, because I have better things to do than listen to the negative, anger-fueled bile spewing from both parties. Like translating Jackass The Movie into Pig Latin.</div> <p /><div>My mind may be closed, but so is my mouth. Now go away and leave me alone.</div></div> </p> <p><a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/why-i-am-avoiding-the-2012-presidential-campa">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/why-i-am-avoiding-the-2012-presidential-campa#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~4/yV6I7WauXMg" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/304666/ErikDeckers_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/37qMJ25ndVMR Erik Deckers Erik Erik Deckers http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/why-i-am-avoiding-the-2012-presidential-campa Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:29:00 -0800 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~3/0DlX4cT1iqk/top-10-things-that-annoy-the-shit-out-of-me http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/top-10-things-that-annoy-the-shit-out-of-me <p> <p>My good friend and <a href="http://www.nobullshitsocialmedia.com">No Bullshit Social Media</a> co-author, <a href="http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com" title="Jason Falls" target="_blank">Jason Falls</a>, recently wrote a list, <a href="http://fallsofftherocker.com/shit-that-annoys-me">Shit That Annoys Me</a>. I liked it so much I wrote one of my own. Here are the top 10 things that annoy the shit out of me.<p /> 10. People who drive the same speed in the left lane as the people in the right lane. Barely passing is not passing.<p /> 9. This one particular guy who runs a business and creates a new account on different social networks every time he identifies a new niche: Car Repair for Seniors, Car Repair for Baseball Players, Car Repair for Golfers, Car Repair for Left-Handed Dentists.<p /> 8. Being charged for cable channels I never really wanted in the first place.<p /> 7. People who earn a slight bit of celebrity in their very narrow niche, and think this somehow makes them a real celebrity. This happens a lot in my field. <object height="281" width="500"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/xOR__JDNXqDVbyr2vZEdzw" /> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/xOR__JDNXqDVbyr2vZEdzw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="281" width="500"></embed> </object> <p /> 6. Real celebrities.<p /> 5. People who hate lists posts. You know who likes them? Paying customers. You know hates them? People who don't hire me. You know who I'm going to appease? (Note: I put this one in there just to annoy the shit out of Jason. Same reason I made it a Top 10 list. It's #12 on his list.)<p /> 4. Truckers who merge into a space two feet bigger than their truck just so they don't have to hit their brakes.<p /> 3. TV shows for teenagers.<p /> 2. The Alanis Morrisette "Ironic" song. Absolutely nothing in that song was ironic. It made a whole generation of people think "ironic" means "coincidental."<p /> 1. Teenagers and women who use a little girl voice as their natural voice.</p> </p> <p><a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/top-10-things-that-annoy-the-shit-out-of-me">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/top-10-things-that-annoy-the-shit-out-of-me#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~4/0DlX4cT1iqk" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/304666/ErikDeckers_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/37qMJ25ndVMR Erik Deckers Erik Erik Deckers http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/top-10-things-that-annoy-the-shit-out-of-me Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:17:00 -0800 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~3/Lstzd-mnie0/my-new-workbench http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/my-new-workbench <p> <p>When I left Syracuse, I left behind a gorgeous 12 foot workbench that I had built with my own hands. The thing was strong enough to withstand just about anything, which meant I couldn't take it with me, because I had lag bolted it to the wall. Anyone who has seen my computer desktop has seen the glory that was my garage workbench.</p> <div>For nearly six years, I have had to make do with a small worktable I had built in a couple of hours. It didn't have the strength or majesty of my old workbench. But this past weekend, after an unseasonably warm weekend, I used a bunch of Lowe's gift cards, but the materials, and started building my bench.</div> <p /> <div> <div>This one is L-shaped, running along two walls. It's 17.5 linear feet, 36 inches tall, and 2 feet deep. I built it with 2x6s, 2x10s, and 2x12s. I still need to add some shelves, trim out the edges, and then put some coats of heavy-duty polyurethane on the whole thing. I'll do that in the spring when the weather warms up again.</div> <p /> <div>Eventually the walls will be tricked out with 60 sq. ft. of peg board to hang all my tools, and I'm going to build a book shelf big enough to hold all my books.</div> <p /> <div>If you're interested in how I built it, those details are below the slideshow.</div> <p /> <div><embed src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="333" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&amp;captions=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feat=flashalbum&amp;RGB=0x000000&amp;feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Ferik.deckers%2Falbumid%2F5696588336868330753%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" width="500"></embed></div> </div> <p /> <div>If you're interested in the building details, here's what I did:</div> <div> <ul> <li>I lag bolted some 2x10s on the wall to build the rest of the bench on. I didn't want to use legs on the back because the studs are not placed where I needed them to be. Plus the south wall of the garage slopes about 1/4" every foot, and I didn't want to dink around with the measurements.</li> <li>I used 2x6s for the legs. I also placed the horizontal 2x6s on top of the legs so I wouldn't rely on the strength of the fasteners to keep anything from breaking down over the years. This transfers all the weight and support to the legs and down to the concrete floor.</li> <li>The top is made out of 2x12s, 1/2 OSB, and 1/4 red oak lauan. Eventually it will get 3 coats of a heavy duty polyurethane. I wish I had used 2x6s for the top, because 1) I had a couple of iffy 2x12s, and barely managed to make them work, and 2) the 2x12s were a pain in the ass to work with. I could have cut the 2x6s with the chop saw, but ended up using the circular saw, which made some pretty nasty cuts. I hate my circular saw.</li> <li>I want to trim the edges with red oak, but think the white pine might look a little nicer.</li> <li>I built supports for a storage shelf along the main part of the workbench (the section with the tools and small shelf hanging over it). I haven't added those yet, because I'm trying to decide whether to use a bunch of 2x6s, or some thinner wood and OSB. And yes, I'm fully aware that I'm overthinking all this.</li> <li>I plan on building a writing desk that will fit under the last section on the left of the bench. It will roll on casters so I can roll it in and out as needed. I'll build the thing completely level, but I have to put it on the sloped floor, which means the lines will all look crooked, and that's going to bug the hell out of me.</li> <li>The desk will be on locking casters so I can lock the wheels to keep it from rolling away.</li> <li>In my old garage, I had about 120 square feet of peg board. This will be half as much, but I've gotten rid of so much stuff over the years, this will force me to be more selective about what goes up on the board and what doesn't. I'll trim out the bench after I put up the peg board. I want the trim to serve as sort of a backsplash. Plus, it saves me from having to make any cuts of the peg board to make it fit vertically.</li> <li>I'm thinking of selling that old console radio in one of the pictures. If you're interested, let me know.</li> </ul> </div> </p> <p><a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/my-new-workbench">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/my-new-workbench#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~4/Lstzd-mnie0" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/304666/ErikDeckers_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/37qMJ25ndVMR Erik Deckers Erik Erik Deckers http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/my-new-workbench Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:55:00 -0800 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~3/bqjT3xAc5Q4/sadly-joe-paterno-got-what-he-deserved http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/sadly-joe-paterno-got-what-he-deserved <p> <p>Penn State fired Joe Paterno as their head football coach after 46 years of service, ending the longest running coaching tenure of any sport, because of what Paterno did and did not do after former defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, was allegedly discovered raping a 10-year-old boy in the Penn State football showers in 2000. The Board of Trustees also fired Penn State president Graham Spanier.<p /> As the story goes, Sandusky was found by a graduate assistant who told Paterno about it. Paterno reported the incident to Penn State athletic director Tim Curley, who in turn reported it to Gary Schultz, VP for finance and business. However, Curley and Schultz did not report the incident to police, and Sandusky was free to allegedly prey on children again.<p /> And yet people are pissed &mdash; <em>pissed!</em> &mdash; that Paterno was fired. He was fired because he did the bare legal minimum by reporting what he had heard to his boss. He did not call the police He did not take any other action. He did nothing. And Sandusky preyed on one more boy after that incident in 2000.<p /> I feel bad for Joe Paterno. The man is a coaching legend whose football team did some great and wonderful things over the years. And he should have been able to retire after a long and illustrious career with his head held high as one of the giants of college football.<p /> But instead he's been fired. Because he didn't, wouldn't, couldn't, was afraid to call the police after being told an assistant had been raping a 10-year-old boy.<p /> Now his legacy will be "his coaching tenure ended before the season was over because he didn't call the police on a pedophile."<p /> The thing that really pisses me off are all the college students who are protesting Paterno's firing. They're angry that Paterno was fired. They're not angry that the athletic department covered up a 15 year rampage by a pedophilic predator. They're not angry at Jerry Sandusky. No, they're rioting and destroying property because a football coach couldn't pick up the damn phone and call the police about a child rapist.</p> <h3>"Honor" and "Pride" Ignored, Tainted</h3> <p>Football &mdash; especially a storied program like Penn State's &mdash; is steeped in tradition and history. They use words like "honor" and "pride" the same way the military does. You honor your team, you honor your school, you play for pride.<p /> Joe Paterno showed no honor, he showed no pride. He was a coward who did just enough to not go to jail, but did not do enough to save one more young boy from the clutches of a pedophile.<p /> As the father of a 9-year-old boy, I can tell you that any parent who loves their sons and daughters would never condone Paterno's inaction. Every parent lives in mortal dread of their child being harmed by someone else. And to be the parents of any of those boys is devastating. But to be the parents of the final boy &mdash; the one who was attacked <em>after</em> Paterno told his boss about Sandusky &mdash; has to be the worst feeling in the world. To know that your son was preyed upon because of the moral failure and cowardice of one man who teaches his players about honor and pride, and the other university administrators who financially benefit from that man.<p /> I really do feel bad for Paterno. From now on, when we say "Joe Paterno," we'll always think about how he failed to stop a child predator. We'll think about how his career ended on November 9, 2011 because of a sex scandal. And I am sorry to see such an amazing and awesome career end under this cloud.<p /> But as a father, I think he got what he deserved. I won't feel bad when the lawsuits against the university come. I don't feel bad that president Graham Spanier was fired, or that Tim Curley and Gary Schultz face jail time. And I certainly won't feel bad when Jerry Sandusky goes to prison.<p /> Because if it was my kid, I would be screaming my throat raw for all of that and more.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/sadly-joe-paterno-got-what-he-deserved">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/sadly-joe-paterno-got-what-he-deserved#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~4/bqjT3xAc5Q4" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/304666/ErikDeckers_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/37qMJ25ndVMR Erik Deckers Erik Erik Deckers http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/sadly-joe-paterno-got-what-he-deserved Tue, 04 Oct 2011 08:52:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~3/PD71zMi4qig/can-you-translate-this-shorthand-postcard http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/can-you-translate-this-shorthand-postcard <p> <p>My friend Jen Booth, who I met at <a href="http://www.blogindiana.com" target="_blank">Blog Indiana</a> this past August has an interesting puzzle. She has a postcard in the genealogy department at the Muncie Library that she needs translated. No one knows shorthand though, since it was primarily a handwriting skill taught in secretarial school as recently as the 1970s. Nowadays, no one takes dictation anymore, so it's a skill that's rarely taught.</p> <p>Can you translate the postcard and help Jen solve this problem? We've thrown it open to our Twitter networks, and may have a couple of bites. But in the meantime, I'd love to see if anyone else has any luck. If you can translate it, let me know in the comments. I'll publish the translation in another post.</p> <p>If you click on the photo, you'll be taken to Jen's full-size version. Or you can download it and view it on your computer's desktop.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-10-04/CjcdvlulEIqlxeohHujrdyuznalhDCfwgsvyGyEsynmxkIwjoojpGEdxdbel/414980410.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="414980410" height="313" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-10-04/CjcdvlulEIqlxeohHujrdyuznalhDCfwgsvyGyEsynmxkIwjoojpGEdxdbel/414980410.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> </p> <p><a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/can-you-translate-this-shorthand-postcard">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/can-you-translate-this-shorthand-postcard#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~4/PD71zMi4qig" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/304666/ErikDeckers_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/37qMJ25ndVMR Erik Deckers Erik Erik Deckers http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/can-you-translate-this-shorthand-postcard Sun, 25 Sep 2011 09:24:22 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~3/T8NMkWr6iik/is-starbucks-sexist http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/is-starbucks-sexist <p> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/erikdeckers/ABmRYLLZGyEDl3Zvkeab97X3SsAj1oQrOGfBFrrHMOUW0TAeWGnwaog7LLDw/IMAG1124.jpg.scaled.1000.jpg"><img alt="Imag1124" height="333" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/erikdeckers/qFcg04aBcPYa3riBkTkJ4hvzkBKbYbN2iPpKGmIwiVY0VAYvbTtn96kOIoED/IMAG1124.jpg.scaled.500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> <p></p><p>I stopped at the Starbucks in Gas City, IN off I-69 on the way home. As I walked into the men&#39;s room, I saw a Baby Changing Station sign for the women&#39;a bathroom, but not the men&#39;s.</p> <p>Apparently only moms can change diapers, dads cannot. Is this sexist to dads, saying we cannot take care of our own children? Or is it sexist to women, saying this is women&#39;s work only?</p> <p>When my kids were younger, I changed plenty of diapers and paid attention to the establishments that made it easy to take care of my kids, and the ones that perpetuated outdated gender-specific roles.</p> <p>I figured Starbucks was above that. Apparently not.</p> </p> <p><a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/is-starbucks-sexist">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/is-starbucks-sexist#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~4/T8NMkWr6iik" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/304666/ErikDeckers_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/37qMJ25ndVMR Erik Deckers Erik Erik Deckers http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/is-starbucks-sexist Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:08:04 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~3/--Q20TR7XNo/someone-hates-no-bullshit-social-media-but-ne http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/someone-hates-no-bullshit-social-media-but-ne <p> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="No_bullshit_social_media_cover" height="390" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/erikdeckers/YJgL4HldrZug3ixODZJzYVAB0BQs44MCONgTkE4moLGCEpqfpO0TOmge3LSB/No_Bullshit_Social_Media_cover.jpg" width="260" /> </div> <p><span style="line-height: 14px;">I&#39;ve officially seen the most disingenuous panning of my new book, &quot;No Bullshit Social Media&quot; from a guy who has not read a single word of the book.<p /> For his next trick, he will review a restaurant he&#39;s never eaten at, followed by a minute-by-minute critique of a movie he&#39;s never seen. Maybe he could even do some counseling of my personal issues. <p />After all, we&#39;ve never met.</span> </p><p /><div><span style="line-height: 14px;">Look, if you don&#39;t like the book, that&#39;s fine. I recognize that some people 1) don&#39;t care about social media, 2) don&#39;t like Jason Falls&#39; and my writing style, or 3) will be offended by the words &quot;social media&quot; in the title. (That was supposed to be a joke, but is actually not that far off from what bothered this guy.)</span></div> <p /><div><span style="line-height: 14px;">Just read the damn book first. Once you have read the book — once you have actually done the work of informing yourself <i>before</i> you render an opinion — then you can hate it all you want.</span></div> <p /><div><span style="line-height: 14px;">Until then, you just look like a misinformed, disengaged, unaware boob.</span></div> <p /><div><span style="line-height: 14px;">But I could be wrong.</span></div> <p /><div><span style="line-height: 14px;">After all, we&#39;ve never met.</span></div> </p> <p><a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/someone-hates-no-bullshit-social-media-but-ne">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/someone-hates-no-bullshit-social-media-but-ne#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~4/--Q20TR7XNo" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/304666/ErikDeckers_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/37qMJ25ndVMR Erik Deckers Erik Erik Deckers http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/someone-hates-no-bullshit-social-media-but-ne Mon, 30 May 2011 08:29:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~3/HuwMweiBtCE/dan-wheldon-post-indy-500-press-conference-pa-73568 http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/dan-wheldon-post-indy-500-press-conference-pa-73568 <p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">pHere's Part 3 of Dan Wheldon's press conference following his victory of the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500. He appears with his team owners (and former teammate) Bryan Herta (left) and Steve Newey.&nbsp;Since YouTube only lets me post 15 minute videos, I had to split this up.</span></p> <p /> <p /> <div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> <object height="344" width="425"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WSHkRBsDnSY?hl=en&amp;fs=1" /> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WSHkRBsDnSY?hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="344" width="425"></embed>&lt;/object&gt; </object> </span></div> </p> <p><a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/dan-wheldon-post-indy-500-press-conference-pa-73568">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/dan-wheldon-post-indy-500-press-conference-pa-73568#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~4/HuwMweiBtCE" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/304666/ErikDeckers_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/37qMJ25ndVMR Erik Deckers Erik Erik Deckers http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/dan-wheldon-post-indy-500-press-conference-pa-73568 Mon, 30 May 2011 08:28:12 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~3/J-ZncBymNVk/dan-wheldon-post-indy-500-press-conference-pa-5244 http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/dan-wheldon-post-indy-500-press-conference-pa-5244 <p> Here&#39;s Part 2 of Dan Wheldon&#39;s press conference following his victory of the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500. He appears with his team owners (and former teammate) Bryan Herta (left) and Steve Newey. Since YouTube only lets me post 15 minute videos, I had to split this up.<br /> <p /><p /><div><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/X3qzCgKv1NQ?hl=en&fs=1" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed allowfullscreen="true" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/X3qzCgKv1NQ?hl=en&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="344" width="425"></embed>&lt;/object></object></div> </p> <p><a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/dan-wheldon-post-indy-500-press-conference-pa-5244">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/dan-wheldon-post-indy-500-press-conference-pa-5244#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~4/J-ZncBymNVk" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/304666/ErikDeckers_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/37qMJ25ndVMR Erik Deckers Erik Erik Deckers http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/dan-wheldon-post-indy-500-press-conference-pa-5244 Mon, 30 May 2011 08:27:26 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~3/OoJhHAEDts0/dan-wheldon-post-indy-500-press-conference-pa http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/dan-wheldon-post-indy-500-press-conference-pa <p> Here&#39;s Part 1 of Dan Wheldon&#39;s press conference following his victory of the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500. He appears with his team owners (and former teammate) Bryan Herta (left) and Steve Newey. Since YouTube only lets me post 15 minute videos, I had to split this up.<br /> <p /><p /><div><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4w6oAOlwFnU?hl=en&fs=1" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed allowfullscreen="true" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4w6oAOlwFnU?hl=en&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="344" width="425"></embed>&lt;/object></object></div> </p> <p><a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/dan-wheldon-post-indy-500-press-conference-pa">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/dan-wheldon-post-indy-500-press-conference-pa#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~4/OoJhHAEDts0" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/304666/ErikDeckers_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/37qMJ25ndVMR Erik Deckers Erik Erik Deckers http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/dan-wheldon-post-indy-500-press-conference-pa Sun, 29 May 2011 15:02:22 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~3/hvsY2w7GOaY/the-official-results-of-the-indianapolis-500 http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/the-official-results-of-the-indianapolis-500 <p> I released the unofficial results of the Indianapolis 500 a little while ago, but I now have the official results, delivered fresh from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Media Center. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">The official results are as follows, with laps completed, and their status as running or reason for going out:</span><div> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">1 -  Dan Wheldon - 200 - Running</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">2 -  JR Hildebrand - 200 - Running</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">3 -  Graham Rahal - 200 - Running</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">4 -  Tony Kanaan - 200 - Running</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">5 -  Scott Dixon - 200 - Running (Dixon moved up from 6th)</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">6 -  Oriol Servia - 200 - Running (Servia dropped from 5th)</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">7 -  Bertrand Baguette - 200 - Running</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">8 -  Tomas Scheckter - 200 - Running</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">9 -  Marco Andretti - 200 - Running</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">10 -  Danica Patrick - 200 - Running</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">11 -  Ed Carpenter - 200 - Running</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">12 -  Dario Franchitti - 200 - Running</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">13 -  Charlie Kimball - 199 - Running</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">14 -  Will Power - 199 - Running</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">15 -  Vitor Meira - 199 - Running</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">16 -  Justin Wilson - 199 - Running</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">17 -  Helio Castroneves - 199 - Running</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">18 -  Buddy Rice - 198 - Running</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">19 -  Alex Lloyd - 198 - Running</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">20 -  Pippa Mann - 198 - Running</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">21 -  Ana Beatriz - 197 - Running</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">22 -  John Andretti - 197 - Running</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">23 -  Ryan Hunter-Reay - 197 - Running</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">24 -  Davey Hamilton - 193 - Running</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">25 -  Paul Tracy - 175 - Running</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">26 -  Townsend Bell - 157 - Contact</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">27 -  Ryan Briscoe - 157 - Contact</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">28 -  Alex Tagliani - 147 - Contact</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">29 -  James Hinchcliffe - 99 - Contact</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">30 -  Jay Howard - 60 - Contact</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">31 -  Simona de Silvestro - 44 - Handling </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">32 -  EJ Viso - 27 - Contact</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">33 -  Takuma Sato - 20 - Contact</span></p></div> </p> <p><a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/the-official-results-of-the-indianapolis-500">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/the-official-results-of-the-indianapolis-500#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~4/hvsY2w7GOaY" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/304666/ErikDeckers_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/37qMJ25ndVMR Erik Deckers Erik Erik Deckers http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/the-official-results-of-the-indianapolis-500 Sun, 29 May 2011 14:56:35 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~3/9UkZ3Rsj9wI/press-conference-for-jr-hildebrand-after-indi http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/press-conference-for-jr-hildebrand-after-indi <p> <div>JR Hildebrand drove a great race, held everything together, and looked like he was going to become the first rookie to win the Indianapolis 500 in about ten years. But a crash in turn #4 saw Hildebrand&#39;s car scrape its way across the finish line, netting him a 2nd place finish.</div> <p /><div>There was a question about whether winner Dan Wheldon&#39;s victory would stand, and whether the yellow flag came out before or after Wheldon passed Hildebrand&#39;s car. The latest I have heard (at 5:47 pm) is that Hildebrand will not contest the results of the race, so Wheldon&#39;s victory stands and Hildebrand holds on to the scariest damn finish in 100 years of IndyCar racing.</div> <p /><p /><div><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oBQi44pFktQ?hl=en&fs=1" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed allowfullscreen="true" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oBQi44pFktQ?hl=en&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="344" width="425"></embed>&lt;/object></object></div> </p> <p><a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/press-conference-for-jr-hildebrand-after-indi">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/press-conference-for-jr-hildebrand-after-indi#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~4/9UkZ3Rsj9wI" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/304666/ErikDeckers_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/37qMJ25ndVMR Erik Deckers Erik Erik Deckers http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/press-conference-for-jr-hildebrand-after-indi Sun, 29 May 2011 14:44:02 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~3/7H7_6yhncJU/graham-rahals-press-conference-after-the-2011 http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/graham-rahals-press-conference-after-the-2011 <p> <div>Graham Rahal did an outstanding job at this year&#39;s Indianapolis 500, finishing 3rd behind Dan Wheldon and JR Hildebrand. Here&#39;s the footage from his press conference, shot on my Flip video camera.</div><p /><div><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/B3824pja1YU?hl=en&fs=1" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed allowfullscreen="true" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/B3824pja1YU?hl=en&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="344" width="425"></embed>&lt;/object></object></div> </p> <p><a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/graham-rahals-press-conference-after-the-2011">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/graham-rahals-press-conference-after-the-2011#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~4/7H7_6yhncJU" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/304666/ErikDeckers_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/37qMJ25ndVMR Erik Deckers Erik Erik Deckers http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/graham-rahals-press-conference-after-the-2011 Sun, 29 May 2011 12:36:31 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~3/CyAvjLAXk8E/indycar-officials-reviewing-final-finish-jr-h http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/indycar-officials-reviewing-final-finish-jr-h <p> Race officials are reviewing the final few seconds of the Indianapolis 500 to determine whether Dan Wheldon will be named the official winner of the Indianapolis 500. The problem is that racing rules state that no one may pass under a yellow flag. They need to determine whether the yellow flag came out before or after Wheldon passed Hildebrand for the win. <p /><div>If he passed BEFORE the flag came out, he&#39;s the winner. If he passed AFTER the flag came out, even by half a second, Hildebrand would be the winner since 1) no one was allowed to pass him, and 2) he did finish the race under his own power. In essence, the pass would not count, Hildebrand would win, and Wheldon would have the victory snatched from him because of a fraction of a second.</div> </p> <p><a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/indycar-officials-reviewing-final-finish-jr-h">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/indycar-officials-reviewing-final-finish-jr-h#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~4/CyAvjLAXk8E" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/304666/ErikDeckers_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/37qMJ25ndVMR Erik Deckers Erik Erik Deckers http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/indycar-officials-reviewing-final-finish-jr-h Sun, 29 May 2011 12:32:28 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~3/XY5Y9GqQPzE/unofficial-finish-for-the-indianapolis-500 http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/unofficial-finish-for-the-indianapolis-500 <p> The unofficial finish of the Indianapolis 500 is as follows, with laps completed in parentheses: <p /><div>1) Dan Wheldon (200)</div><div>2) JR Hildebrand (200)</div><div>3) Graham Rahal (200)</div><p /><div>4) Tony Kanaan (200)</div><div>5) Oriol Servia (200)</div><div>6) Scott Dixon (200)</div> <p /><div>7) Bertrand Baguette (200)</div><div>8) Tomas Scheckter (200)</div><div>9) Marco Andretti (200)</div><p /><div>10) Danica Patrick (200)</div><div>11) Ed Carpenter (200)</div><div>12) Dario Franchitti (200)</div> <p /><div>13) Charlie Kimball (199)</div><div>14) Will Power (199)</div><div>15) Vitor Meira (199)</div><p /><div>16) Justin Wilson (199)</div><div>17) Helio Castroneves (199)</div><div>18) Buddy Rice (198)</div> <p /><div>19) Alex Lloyd (198)</div><div>20) Pippa Mann (198)</div><div>21) Ana Beatriz (197)</div><p /><div>22) John Andretti (197)</div><div>23) Ryan Hunter-Reay (197)</div><div>24) Davey Hamilton (193)</div> <p /><div>25) Paul Tracy (175)</div><div>26) Townsend Bell (157)</div><div>27) Ryan Briscoe (157)</div><p /><div>28) Alex Tagliani (147)</div><div>29) James Hinchcliffe (99)</div><div>30) Jay Howard (60)</div> <p /><div>31) Simona de Silvestro (44)</div><div>32) EJ Viso (27)</div><div>33) Takuma Sato (20)</div> </p> <p><a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/unofficial-finish-for-the-indianapolis-500">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/unofficial-finish-for-the-indianapolis-500#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~4/XY5Y9GqQPzE" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/304666/ErikDeckers_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/37qMJ25ndVMR Erik Deckers Erik Erik Deckers http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/unofficial-finish-for-the-indianapolis-500 Sun, 29 May 2011 12:25:53 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~3/AGZMBzm8NsY/surprising-exciting-finish-to-indianapolis-50 http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/surprising-exciting-finish-to-indianapolis-50 <p> It looked like rookie James Hildebrand was going to win the Indy 500, but he took turn #4 just a little wide, hit the wall, and got passed by Dan Wheldon with just yards to go before the end. Dan Wheldon, who is only a one-off driver, does not have a ride after this. Unbelievable. Bryan Herta was the guy who gave Wheldon a ride this year, and he and Wheldon will reap all the benefits of his leap of faith as I&#39;m watching the celebration in Victory Circle. <p /><div>From the replay, it looks like Hildebrand just took the turn to fast to keep control of the car. A more experienced driver would have backed it down just a little bit, but I can imagine all the excitement probably overcame him, and he couldn&#39;t help himself. As soon as he hit the wall, JR apologized to his crew, &quot;I&#39;m sorry, I&#39;m so sorry.&quot;</div> <p /><div>Hildebrand managed to hang on to 2nd place, his two right wheels hanging off the side of the car. This was an awesome ride by JR Hildebrand, and it was a foregone conclusion that he was going to win the race until that one slight miscalculation ended it. JR drove a great race and had an exciting finish, but it&#39;s Dan Wheldon&#39;s face that will grace the Borg Warner trophy for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500.</div> <p /><div>Somebody better give this guy a job, otherwise every team who passed on him is going to like like a complete idiot. Maybe this will help Bryan Herta&#39;s team get some more sponsorship to ride a few more races and capitalize on this amazing, exciting victory.</div> </p> <p><a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/surprising-exciting-finish-to-indianapolis-50">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/surprising-exciting-finish-to-indianapolis-50#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~4/AGZMBzm8NsY" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/304666/ErikDeckers_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/37qMJ25ndVMR Erik Deckers Erik Erik Deckers http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/surprising-exciting-finish-to-indianapolis-50 Sun, 29 May 2011 11:46:20 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~3/RZJlUhGINKQ/helio-castroneves-is-tired http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/helio-castroneves-is-tired <p> It was the darndest thing. Helio Castroneves is just driving along, minding his own business and his back right tire popped off. Not his wheel, just the tire. It sheared right off, and he drove into his pit with 4 wheels and 3 tires. He got a new tire and went back out in a matter of seconds. Right now, while we&#39;re still under yellow from the Briscoe-Bell accident, Helio is running 18th. </p> <p><a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/helio-castroneves-is-tired">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/helio-castroneves-is-tired#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~4/RZJlUhGINKQ" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/304666/ErikDeckers_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/37qMJ25ndVMR Erik Deckers Erik Erik Deckers http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/helio-castroneves-is-tired Sun, 29 May 2011 11:44:43 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~3/rWdiW_tZVjU/townsend-bell-and-ryan-briscoe-make-contact-h http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/townsend-bell-and-ryan-briscoe-make-contact-h <p> It was the first multi-car accident of the race, after about 157 laps of racing. #6 Ryan Briscoe and #99 Townsend Bell brushed tires, and ended up in the wall, putting them both out for the day. It looks from the replay like Bell drifted too far to the left going into turn #1, and Briscoe buzzed Bell&#39;s back left tire and left side pod with his own right front tire. This made Briscoe lose control, and he put both of them in the wall. And <i>THIS</i> is why IndyCar beats the hell out of NASCAR, also called the Taxi Cab Circuit. </p> <p><a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/townsend-bell-and-ryan-briscoe-make-contact-h">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/townsend-bell-and-ryan-briscoe-make-contact-h#comment">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ErikDeckers/~4/rWdiW_tZVjU" height="1" width="1"/> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/304666/ErikDeckers_2.jpg http://posterous.com/users/37qMJ25ndVMR Erik Deckers Erik Erik Deckers http://erikdeckers.posterous.com/townsend-bell-and-ryan-briscoe-make-contact-h