Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

I am the "old dog" now. It is painful for me to admit that. I also work in technology but I am always excited to try out new technology in our field. If there is something which will improve what I am doing, I never shy away from learning it. I'm usually one who will dive into whatever the new thing is.

I remember when I started in litigation technology many years ago. One of the very first purchases that I convinced my office to make was a document presenter. The document presenter is like a high-tech overhead project without the need to make transparencies to use it. On the document presenter, you can place documents, photos or even objects to display on a screen and even zoom in and out.

In the first staff meeting when I demonstrated how the document presenter was used, there were audible oohs and aahs in the room. It was like something futuristic that I was demonstrating to the legal staff. Shortly after the demonstration, I was able to convince one of our attorneys to use it in an upcoming trial. I agreed to operate it and sit next to her at the table during the trial. Her co-counsel was one of our managers who was very skeptical about using the equipment. During the trial, I helped to display what was requested and he eventually warmed up to the technology. He would say "Mr. Hooper put that exhibit on that machine so we can show the jury." From that moment on, the office started using the document presenter. Everyone called it the "Elmo" since it was the brand name of the equipment. An agent once asked me if Elmo was an acronym. I jokingly said it was an Electronic Light Machine Operator. He always referred to it that way.

The legal staff eventually used it on their own without needing me to do it. I would set it up and test it for them prior to trial. It changed the way we presented evidence to the jury. Instead of passing around evidence, this allowed us to ensure that all jurors focused on what we were talking about at the same time. Even opposing counsel got onboard with the equipment asking for us to display things for them as well.

The technology has changed a lot since that beginning with the Elmo. We now have Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Elmo is just a routine piece of equipment in most courtrooms now. It amazes me how far we have come since that first experience. I have seen technology evolve over the years. I am glad that I am still a part of it.

I may be an old dog now but I still like to learn new tricks.

When Life Shocks You

People who know me know that I like when things go as planned. I like to have a plan. Although I can be spontaneous, I don’t like when shocking things happen.

We recently had family that received shocking news of a friends’ death. They are completely devastated by it.

Obviously none of us are prepared for the times when life shocks us. It makes us realize how little we control about life. Life is a very unpredictable journey. Sometimes we make choices and other times things happen we never expected.

Sudden death of a loved one.
Bad report from a doctor.
Unexpected lay off from a job.
Car accident.

Shocks of life happen whether we are prepared for them or not.

Even as a believer, I don’t always react well to the unexpected. My faith still gets shaken and when shocking moments happen, I have to pull myself together to face the circumstances I am being dealt and remind myself that God is in control.

I’m not going to quote Bible verses to you or give you some Christian cliches.  I won't lead you to believe that it’s easy. It is not. It takes courage to get through the moments which totally blindside you.

When shocking things happen, we have to take time to absorb the shock. There is no shortcut. We have to give ourselves time to feel what has happened. I know that none of us like to feel pain and we will do all that we can to avoid it. The truth is that we have to feel the pain and the only way to get through it is to go through it. No, it’s not much fun but necessary. We then have to regroup and adjust to it. We have to press on.

The reality is that life is not ours to control. Sure, it seems like it can be manageable when bills are paid, everyone is healthy, marriage is going well and work is good. But when life shocks you it can totally shatter your world.

In times my life has been shocked, I often listen to a song in my playlist called “Made Me Glad” by Hillsong. When I’m at the depth of my pain, this part of the song breaks me:

You are my shield, my strength
My portion, Deliverer
My shelter, string tower
My very present help in time of need.

This is the way I cope. We all have a way that works for us. We have to endure somehow and survive the shocks that life hits us with.

Thoughts About Being a Sports Fan

While watching the Super Bowl last night, I began thinking about my experience of being a sports fan during my lifetime. Over the years I have had my favorite teams. Most of my teams have not been very consistent with winning. Some good seasons but most seasons have been painful.

The first sport I became a fan of was football. My first team was the New York Jets with Joe Namath. My dad loved football so I would watch it with him. He also got me interested in high school football and took me to see his high school football team. I have been hooked since.

Here are the professional sports teams I have been a fan of in each sport:

Baseball
Atlanta Braves (1981-Present)

Basketball
Atlanta Hawks (1978-1999)
**Currently a free agent.

Football
New York Jets (1970-1976)
Atlanta Falcons (1977-2016)
Tennessee Titans (2017-2025)
**Currently a free agent

Hockey
Atlanta Flames (1978-1980)
Nashville Predators (2014-Present)

How many championships have I "won" with my favorite sports teams?

I thought back over the years and wondered how many of my teams have won championships. Here is the list I came up with:

1980    Georgia Bulldogs (Football)
1986    Villa Rica (High School Football)
1988    Warner Robins (High School Football)
1995    Atlanta Braves (Baseball)
2004    Warner Robins (High School Football)
2020    Warner Robins (High School Football)
2021    Atlanta Braves (Baseball)
2021    Warner Robins (High School Football)
2021    Georgia Bulldogs (Football)
2022    Georgia Bulldogs (Football)

Looking back, it seems that 2021 was a good year for my teams.  Unfortunately, the flip side of being a sports fan is the heartbreaking losses I have also had.  Some of the losses I took hard were the Atlanta Falcons Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots after they had a 28-3 lead.  That loss was the end of my following of the team.  That's how hard that loss was for me.  I also took the loss of the Atlanta Braves to the Minnesota Twins in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series.  Another tough loss to take was when the Nashville Predators loss of the Stanley Cup final to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

It has been an experience of ups and downs over the years.  None of my teams' wins or losses have affected my life one way or another.  Sports have been something that have been a part of my life.  I don't live and breathe sports like some do but it has been a part of me.