Dirkmonster

Big stink at the office causes evacuation

You gotta love this announcement on a Friday afternoon:

"Attention associates: There is a sulfer smell throughout the 800 building.  I have called the fire department.  Everyone must evacuate.  Please leave slowly."

No one was injured and there was a singular act of bravery when one of my colleagues re-entered the building to retrieve a football.

Officially, the Nashville Fire Department says the cause is "still under investigation".  But in this video report from the scene, I got to the "bottom" of it pretty quickly.

The Commodore 64 generation

Yeah, I'll admit I found this post on engadget cool.  And, yeah, I already knew I was a nerd :)

Will Hordichuk battle Tootoo next season?

I was very sorry to see the Predators trade F Darcy Hordichuk last week.  Darcy was a fan favorite in Nashville for his high energy and eagerness to drop the gloves.  If you got a chance to meet him off the ice, you loved him even more.  The tough guy is down to earth and easy to talk to.  He's also constantly on the lookout to help his friends any way he can.  Darcy was my 5 year old son Ross' favorite player by far.

Now Ross has a favorite Canuck, after Darcy skated away from a deal with Carolina in favor of a nice contract with Vancouver.  Why did he prefer to play for one over the other?  Here's what was reported by The Province, in Vancouver this week:

"I want to play in the west because there are a lot more tough guys and that's my job every night," he said. "I'm so excited. I look back at my career and some of my best games have come in front of Canadian fans because that's my style. I like to run around and hit guys and anybody who's willing to drop the gloves. I'm the kind of guy who won't back down. I know my role and any chance I get to fight Georges Laraque and some of the bigger guys out there, I like to test myself against those guys."

..."I was kind of held back a bit with Jordin Tootoo on the team with the same role as me," added Hordichuk. "In Vancouver, I think I'm a perfect fit."

Which brings up an intriguing possibility next season.  I fully expect Darcy to get the Scott Walker treatment - a warm welcome - when he steps onto the Sommet Center ice next fall.  But I can't see warm wishes stopping Darcy if he needed to, uh, do what he does.  So could we see Hordy and Tootoo brawl?  Who would win?  For Preds fans it's going to be high drama. 

The Dominating Digital Donkey Dodgers

What do you do with empty warehouse space behind your offices?  Put on a dodgeball tournament, naturally.

The Dominating Digital Donkey Dodgers were able to defeat the I (heart) Chris' Mom team and the Dirty Martinis before unsuccessfully dodging The Nailers and I (heart) Chris' Mom.

Two things about Dodgeball I had forgotten since Jr. High School or never knew to begin with: It's a workout and a game in which mental errors can cost you.  The Nailers had a secret weapon with a curious resemblance to a right handed David Wells who carried them to the championship.

Hmmm...David and David. Coincidence?

Check out all the pictures from the dodgeball action.

The new Sudekum Planetarium at Adventure Science Center

Get ready to blast off into space and explore the stars.  The brand new Sudekum Planetarium and Space Chase at Nashville's Adventure Science Center opens this week and it takes the city into the stratosphere of attractions.

Full disclosure: My wife is on the Board at the Adventure Science Center.  And that's why I got the chance to experience the dedication of the new Sudekum Planetarium and Space Chase exhibit last night. Lucky me!

This re-invention of the planetarium has no equal in North America.  And it's where? Here?

It took twelve months to build the new planetarium and exhibit wing, the same amount of time required to manufacture and install the "star" piece of technology in the Sudekum Planetarium - a GOTO Chiron Hybrid projection system.

The Sudekum is the first planetarium in the United States to have this unique GOTO system, which sports a serial number of 4.  The first three systems reside in Japan.  The Chiron optical star projector is a 28-inch sphere that uses fiber optic bundles and a complex optical path of lenses, iris and digital shutters to project 6.5 million stars on the dome for a beautiful and realistic re-creation of the night sky.

It's all that and a bag of chips, folks.  In a round theater, the reclinable high backed seats tilt toward the domed screen.  In the middle of the room is the GOTO which which seems to be a stunning example of technology and art.  The show, Stars, is a 26 minute trip through the universe, our galaxy and an animated lesson in the history of astro-physics.  The film is narrated by Mark Hamill (yes, Skywalker) and the original score was recorded by the Nashville Symphony Orchestra.

The Space Chase exhibit area features opportunities to strap into a harness and experience gravity on the moon surface as well as how it feels to take a space walk.  There's a round table that tilts and spins in order to tour the globe via satellite photographs.  Large scale exhibits create a better understanding of our place in the milky way.  This is $22 million worth of fun and learning.

This attraction will be a destination in and of itself drawing people to Nashville.  The buzz has started and you watch it get stronger.  NBC Nightly News is airing a piece on it tonight.  I expect the planetarium show to be the toughest ticket in town this summer.