When a baseball player hits the ball well, he can hear it and feel it in his swing. There’s nothing quite like the feel of driving the bat through the ball and watching the ball sail over the fence.

When a man looks into a mirror, the image reflects who he is today. But it also reveals who he used to be. Although appearances change, many of the underlying characteristics remain the same. The same is true with Gear Technology, as we celebrate our 20th anniversary and reflect on who we are.

As I write this editorial, much of America seems frozen solid. It snowed again here in Chicago yesterday, and last night the wind chill was –30ºF (–34ºC). It’s been cold like this for more than a week, and the forecasters are predicting more of the same. After a while, such a deep freeze can be depressing.

I lost a good friend in October—one that many of you might know. Carlo Costi of Sogimex S.A.S. in Caponago (Milano), Italy, came out of the EMO show in Milan on October 28, caught a taxi and called his wife, Mariella, to tell her that he wasn’t feeling well. He died—in the taxi—on the phone—talking to his wife. He was 60 years old.

Where were you? We were hoping to see you here at Gear Expo. We were surprised that you didn't make it. Anyway, we had a really good show, along with more than a hundred other leading companies in the gear industry who exhibited this year.

I was recently honored by the European Association of Machine Tool Merchants (EAMTM) at the organization's annual meeting this past June in Mallorea, Spain. The organization inducted me as a Fellow, EAMTM's highest honor, bestowed on members who have made significant contributions as volunteers serving the organization, which was originally founded in 1940. I felt especially honored, as I am only the 19th person and the second non-European to have been given this award.

In America and most parts of the world, people are looking for answers about what's going to happen next in the manufacturing economy. We're all looking for evidence that better times are ahead, or at least that the worst is over. We crave a clear indicator, something that shows us in black and white that the situation is going to get better.

As we sign off on this issue, the was has just begun in Iraq. The world seems to be holding its breath, and waiting.

Have you ever heard the story about the butterfly that flaps its wings in China and causes a hurricane in another part of the world? I've heard many variations of that story, but each illustrates the idea that even the tiniest change can produce enormous effects in the future.

"Ahem. Could everybody please scootch over? We need to make as much room as possible, because we're expecting a full house."