When I was a kid, 14, I had so much ambition and so many things that I wanted to accomplish.  From designing my next fort to building a three wheeled car, every day it seemed that I had a new idea.  My grandmother heard them all, and never once did she tell me that I couldn’t do it… heck, she even helped me load the lumber into the truck when I built that first fort.  As I got older the ambitions became more complex: a self-piloted aerobot that measured the height of waves, various robots for the company I used to work for… just anything one could imagine, I always knew that it could be done if enough thought and resources were put forth.

All this is why the story about Adrew Loder, a 17-year old who built an electric car, made me smile from ear to ear.  I was proud of him and what he did not only in terms of the car, but for the recognition he got for doing it without any formal eduction.  It doesn’t take a 4-year course to make somebody smart, it just takes willful hard work, dedication, and persistence; when one thing doesn’t work, try something else and keep trying until something works.  Thomas Edison was probably best known for trying something until he found something that worked.  After all, Mr. Edison did endure at least 3,000 light bulb filaments that didn’t work until he found one that did.

Congratulations, Mr. Loder.

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