dimland radio 3-22-14 show notes

We Are Missing A Plane

I talked some about the missing and presumed crashed Malaysia Airlines flight 370. There's been lots of speculation by the 24 hour news people. The fact is we don't know what happened on the plane, so we need to wait until the wreckage is found.

 

Some "theories" include the plane was shot down by a missile, abducted by aliens, fell victim to the Bermuda Triangle, and maybe it was sucked into a black hole. More realistic ideas include equipment failure, pilot error, pilot freak out, or terrorists. One thing I am fairly certain about is the wreckage (including the black box) will need to be recovered for a more definitive answer to be found. But, whatever the answer, conspiracy theorists will not accept it if it dispels their theory of events.

I mentioned that we should have an answer soon, because 70s spoon-bending sensation Uri Geller is on the job. He took to his Twitter account to announce that he had been "asked" to lend his powers of remote viewing to help in the search. Yeah, that'll work. Seems like more of a "don't forget about me" move on Uri's part.

Also, our friends over at Snopes.com have been working hard to counter all the nonsense stories making the internet rounds. Good on them.

 

Speaking Of Conspiracy Theorists...

Former Z Talker, Kale Kelly has issued me a challenge. He has proposed I watch Jesse Ventura's Conspiracy Theory on 9/11. Kale cautions me to watch "with an open mind." Sigh. I'll try. To watch it, I mean. I always have an open mind, but Jesse's track record as a conspiracy theorist is well known and I don't have high hopes that his show will get the science right. I guess I'll have to watch to be sure.

Kale actually stopped by the chat room while my show was on and we had a chance to chat. We are planning on getting Kale back on the show. Oh, brother, didn't I learn anything from the other time he was on the show?

What A Dick

 

The good news is that con artist Kevin Trudeau has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison for fraud. His series of books and infomercials on cures and weight loss secrets "they" don't want you to know about are loads of crap designed to make Kevin rich. He did get rich, but the law has caught up with his con and he's going to prison.

The bad news is his followers are unphased by his guilt. They believe his crap, even though in his statement to the court Kevin promised that should he ever write another book or produce another infomercial there will be "no embellishment, no puffery, and absolutely no lies." I think he just admitted he had been doing just that, don't you? And, yet, his followers will be there with their pockets ripe for picking when he gets out.

Twitter Can Be Awesome

Medical expert by way of her "mommy instinct," anti-vaxxer and one of the most deadly people in the world, Jenny McCarthy recently asked her million plus Twitter followers what was the most important personality trait they look for in a mate. Well, folks who don't accept Jenny's scare-mongering of vaccines told her that basically they look for the trait that isn't anti-vaccine.

My favorite answer: "My ideal mate likes the idea of kids not getting polio." Excellent! Now if I could figure out why those people were following Jenny in the first place. Might be her boobies.

What Another Dick

One dick was not enough for this show. In fact, if we include Uri and Jenny (and why wouldn't we?) this guy will make it four dicks on this one show.

 

So, apparently, Colorado resident Roy Ortiz isn't as happy with his rescuers as he was the day they rescued from his overturned car, which had been washed of the road by flood waters. At first, Mr. Ortiz was very grateful for his rescuers from the North Metro Fire Rescue and he credited his ability to remain calm to God. However, time and a lawyer has made Mr. Ortiz give the situation a bit of a rethink.

Now this dick is preparing to sue his rescuers for not saving him quickly enough and that it was the grace of God that saved him. Hmm, who does he think was responsible the flood waters?

Movie Recommendation: Billy Jack (1971)

 

Yeah, it's filled with hippies. And, yes, it trades in the myth of the noble savage. And, sure, it's supposed message of peaceful coexistence is mixed with loads of violence. And it's naive and a bit silly. But Billy Jack kicks ass!

 

Fred Phelps

The man who gave the world the immortal phrase "God hates fags" has died.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus

First ad break bumpers: 'Rescue' by Echo & the Bunnymen & 'Atom Tan' by The Clash
Second ad break bumpers: 'Run It' by The Replacements & 'Kerosene' by Big Black
Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

That's it! See you next Saturday night for Dimland Radio 11 Central, midnight Eastern on www.ztalkradio.com you can also download my show from the z talk show archives page. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com

You can also go to my CafePress store and buy stuff with my artwork on it and have me do a portrait for you if you like. Find out more here and here.

dimland radio 2-22-14 show notes

It's All Just Numbering

I started off letting everyone know that, because of the music shows I've done over the past four years, the numbering of my shows had become inaccurate. So, I went through all the archived shows and renumbered them. That means instead of this show being show 199 it is 176.

I guess getting to show 200 will take a little longer.

Snaking The Drain

No, that's not some kind of euphemism for some sex act. It's what my dad and I had to do in order to unclog the main floor drain in the basement. We got the drain open, but it involved a power snake, 100 feet of cable, lots of pushing and pulling, a bit of swearing, plenty of torn out roots, and hands covered in grease and feces. I really should have worn gloves.

Another Reason I Hate Local TV News

 

I need to compile a list of reason I hate local TV news shows. Perhaps, some day, I will, but in the meantime, here's another reason:

 

On the morning news, what bugs me is the practice of sending a reporter out in the news van to drive through traffic during a snow storm. For some reason, the local news station thinks we need to get live reports from the highway system around the Twin Cities telling us that traffic is slow and the roads are slippery.

Well, no feces, Sherlock!

Do we really need to have one more vehicle out the roads to get us that information? I think not.

Ok, This Winter Can End Now

 

It's pretty common in the winter climes for people to be ready for spring at some point in February and we arrived at that point, I'd say, the first week of January. That's how annoying this winter has been.

I related the saga of getting my father-in-law to a doctor's appointment and the winter that doesn't want that to happen. I blogged about it earlier in the week. You can find the blog here.

Were They Really Avoiding It Like The Black Plague?

 

Apparently, on a recent episode of Jeopardy, the college kid contestants "avoided" the category of African American History until there was no other choice. Writer Lindy West of Jezebel.com thought this was some kind of sign of soft racism, I guess. She wrote the contestants avoided the topic like the "black plague" during the Double Jeopardy round.

Well, she included a video link that was the entire program, so we could watch this shameful avoidance of an uncomfortable topic. However, in the Jeopardy round the kids also avoided the category "'U. S.' Eh" until it too was the last option. Are we to assume these college kids were avoiding words that start with the letters U and S like the black plague?

I think this is an example of taking insult where none is given.

 

Pedantic Moment: LOLOLLLOLLOLLOOOOLOLOLOL

 

Ms West in writing her piece about finding insult where none existed also committed an error that set of my pedantry alarm. She wrote, "LOLOLLLOLLOLLOOOOLOLOLOL".

That translates to, "Laugh out loud out loud loud loud out loud loud out loud loud out out out out loud out loud out loud out loud." For shame, Lindy, if you intend to show over the top endless laughter simply write, "Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha."

 

Red Flags And Items On Facebook

 

My good friend, former Z Talker, and thorn in my side, Kale Kelly likes to share questionable things on Facebook and I like pointing out how those items are probably not true.

 

Looks Photoshopped to me, but I could be wrong.

One such story Kale shared was of a badly deformed baby borne of a younger couple who were in an accidental incestuous relationship. They were twins whose mother was in prison when she gave them birth after which they were separated and adopted out. Through unusual but innocent circumstances the siblings met later in life, not realizing they were brother and sister, fell in love and made a baby. That baby was so hideously deformed that an investigation was made and it was discovered the younger couple were siblings.

So gross and sickening, ain't it? Well, it's probably total BS. There were several red flags. First the story came from an obscure website, not a legit news site. And there were no source citations. And all links on the page were to advertisements (this is why I'm not linking to the page, I don't want to fill your computer with malware). And there is no "Wisconsin State Woman's (sic - that's how it was spelled in the article) Correctional Facility" at which the article claims the mother of the twins is imprisoned. And the kind of birth defects we see in the picture aren't likely to happen in one generation of inbreeding. And the mutant baby picture appears to had been created or enhanced in Photoshop, especially the squid eye. And, finally, the picture alleged to by the incestuous couple is a stock photo of a young couple that has shown up on several other websites unrelated to the accidental incest story.

 

Stock photo that shows up on several unrelated websites.

Here are a few of the websites on which the picture of the couple shows up: SodaHead, Life With Lauren, Sam's Online Journal, OMGTens, Dating Advice From A Girl... I think you get my point. The image is obviously a stock photo.

There, as I said to Kale in the comment thread on his posting, did I do enough of "my own research"?  

 

Movie Recommendation (a two fer): The Bat (1926) & The Bat Whispers (1930)

 

1926 version United Artists

 

1930 version United Artists

 

My friend Kitty Mervine has blogged about these two movies which are entertaining, funny, and creepy. They are also major influences on a young Bob Kane. Bob Kane would draw inspiration from these movies to create the greatest comic book superhero, Batman. Both are available on YouTube. The Bat is a silent film and its YouTube video is absolutely silent, so you may want to play some creepy music while viewing it. Both are intriguing and worth watching. Otherwise, I wouldn't be recommending them, would I?

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus

First ad break bumpers: 'All Those Years Ago' by George Harrison & 'Love Vigilantes' by New Order
Second ad break bumpers: 'The Tide Is High' by Blondie & 'Subdivisions' by Rush
Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

That's it! See you next Saturday night for Dimland Radio 11 Central, midnight Eastern on www.ztalkradio.com you can also download my show from the z talk show archives page. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com

You can also go to my CafePress store and buy stuff with my artwork on it and have me do a portrait for you if you like. Find out more here and here.

dimland radio 11-10-12 show notes

A Freelance Project

It's filled with debauchery, lewdness, strange behavior, and inside jokes.  It's one of the few freelance projects I do each year.  A local fraternity has an annual pub crawl and each year they have t-shirts made for the occasion.  I've been doing their design since the late 90s and each year it gets more complicated.  But I do enjoy the challenge and the fellas are so appreciative.  And they pay.

 

A Fellow ZTalker Gets On The News

Every year as Halloween approaches local TV news organizations run "fluff" stories about haunted houses, ghosts, and ghost hunters or some such related nonsense.  Well, in Arizona one such story ran and it featured fellow ZTalker Kale Kelly.  It also featured an Arizona skeptic and gave that skeptic equal time AND the last word.  I was impressed.

You can see that report here.

Snow Driving

Inspired by a loyal listener in chat, I told a couple harrowing tales of driving through snow storms.  One story happened to me, so you know that's true.  The other was a story told to me by my father about a fellow with whom he worked.  That story might not be true, but I don't think my dad made it up.  Still.

Election 2012 Round-up

You may have heard that Pres. Obama won re-election.  I mentioned that, but I also talked about anti-science Rep. Paul Broun and his re-election.  There was a write-in campaign for Charles Darwin in that otherwise uncontested race.  Darwin did get almost 4000 votes.  A far cry from being able to win, but maybe a message was sent.

I also talked about Minnesota's own national embarrassment, Michele Bachmann.  She, too, was re-elected, but by the narrowest of margins.  This despite her having out spent her Democrat opponent by 12 to 1 and that her district had been recently redrawn to be even more Republican.  Maybe a message was sent there, too.

The Evil Empire Buys Star Wars

No, not the Hated Yankees, in this case by "evil empire" I mean Disney.  Disney has purchased the Star Wars franchise for a mere four billion dollars.  There is some trepidation and some excitement at this news.  Will Disney damage the Star Wars brand even worse than George Lucas has?  Well, I'm optimistic.  So, is the writer of this list of reasons why the new trilogy won't suck.  I guess time will tell.

Movie Recommendation: Field Of Dreams (1989)

Universal Studios

The Facebook page The Movie Hobo posted the question asking followers to name a movie or scene that makes them cry.  Well, as much as I hate to admit that I'm capable of such a thing, one movie immediately popped to mind.  'Field Of Dreams' is a love letter to baseball, a ghost story, a tale of obsession, redemption and second chances.  It has a hippie undercurrent vibe to it and a somewhat unnecessary anti-censorship element, but overall it is touching and heartwarming.

And, in the end, Costner delivers a line that brings a tear to my eye every time I watch it.  I don't want to spoil it, so all I'll say is it has to do with playing catch.  I'm tearing up now.  I better go. 

Music heard on the show (Whenever Possible, I Will Link To The Song)...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus

First ad break bumpers: 'Tom Sawyer' by Rush & 'Your Phone's Off The Hook (But You're Not)' by X
Second ad break bumpers: 'Straight Lines' by Suzanne Vega & 'Bitter Fruit' by The Alley Cats
Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

That's it! See you next Saturday night for Dimland Radio 11 Central, midnight Eastern on www.ztalkradio.com you can also download my show from the z talk show archives page. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com

You can also go to my CafePress store and buy stuff with my artwork on it and have me do a portrait for you if you like. Find out more here and here.

dimland radio 6-30-12 show notes

A Guest?  I'm aghast!

The entertaining, confident, thoughtful Kale Kelly.

Yes, a guest!  Imagine that!

My guest was fellow ZTalker (Z Talk's program director and cohost of The Skeptical Edge), Kale Kelly.  Mr. Kelly isn't so sure the ancient peoples of earth were able to build the wonderful, awe-inspiring buildings, monuments, and statues that are spread throughout the world.  Were they assisted by aliens?  Was there some kind of human civilization so advanced, perhaps more advanced then modern humans, that built these marvels and then disappeared without a trace?  Kale thinks it's possible.  I think anything is possible, but his ideas seem to me to be unlikely.

Kale has thought long and hard about this, but I think his conclusions are erroneous.  Hey, I'm no archeologist.  What the hell do I know?  I know that I trust science.  And the prevailing theories on how these ancient people managed those feats boil down to three things: time, man-power, and good ole human ingenuity.

Kale knows his stuff or rather he knows his doubts.  But personal incredulity as to how the ancient humans built their monuments doesn't mean aliens or some super advanced civilization did it.  I found myself wishing I had the answers for Kale, but, not being an expert in archeology, I didn't.  Even if I did, I'm not sure those answers would satisfy Kale. But, I could be wrong.

Although, Kale and other supporters of ancient aliens or ancient super tech savvy humans would disagree with this, here is a brief explanation of how the pyramids of Giza were built.  Kale has written a paper in which he crunches the numbers that express his doubts as to the actual story of how the Great Pyramid of Giza was built.  If you'd like to read it email me at drdim@dimland.com and I will forward it to you.

When we talked about extraterrestrial visitors, at some point we mentioned Bob White's (I think I may have referred to the fellow as Bob Smith, whoops) mysterious metal object that he claimed fell out of a UFO.  This video clip was something Kale set me as an example of "hard evidence" for alien visitation.  I set him this link to a article from Skeptic magazine that explained what the object most likely was.  Kale wasn't convinced, but Occam's Razor would suggest that Skeptic's explanation is far more plausible.

We also talked a bit about the Beatles and agreed that they were an incredible group of talented individuals, so there was that.

Movie Recommendation (Kale's Recommendation): Paul (2011)

Universal Pictures

I have not seen this one yet.  Kale recommends it highly especially if you liked Shaun Of The Dead.  I did, so I look forward to seeing this one.

Music heard on the show (Whenever Possible, I Will Link To The Song)...

Other than the usual opening and closing songs, there were no songs on this show, because I didn't take any breaks.

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus
Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

That's it! See you next Saturday night for Dimland Radio 11 Central, midnight Eastern on www.ztalkradio.com you can also download my show from the z talk show archives page. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com

You can also go to my CafePress store and buy stuff with my artwork on it and have me do a portrait for you if you like. Find out more here and here.