dimland radio 5-11-19 show notes

I'm Through Being Cool

I gave up my flip phone. I know. I know. Flip phones are cool.

My wife convinced me to jump on the bandwagon with one of those intelligent portable telephones.

I feel I may have let many of you down, but she's my wife.

Cool Thing #1: A Vague Memory Made Clear 

For decades I had a vague memory of watching a kids' TV show featuring various monsters before going to school. I don't remember seeing many episodes, but there was something rolling around in my brain. I had often thought that maybe I didn't actually seen the show and it was a false memory.

 

 

The other day, on Facebook someone shared this image (above) and asked if anyone watched the show. It looked promising. Was this that show I was remembering? There are episodes on YouTube, so I checked them out.

 

It is the show I remembered!

 

It's called The Hilarious House of Frightenstein. 130 episodes were produced for Canadian television. It was a daily show starring Billy Van as eight different characters. It also featured Vincent Price who did the intro and the close as well as several poetic interstitial pieces through the programs.

 

Here is an episode for your enjoyment. Most of the episodes available do not include the pop song dance bit, which was my specific memory of the show. However, here is an example of the Wolfman's DJ bit.

 

A Dimland Radio Pedantic Moment: 6 Seconds Of Criminal Minds

The cable station known as WE-TV shows reruns of the crime procedural Criminal Minds. In an ad they run to promote the show, they edit an episode down to six seconds. The ad asks if the actors can do all that in six seconds, imagine what they can do in an hour.

Well...

 

Cool Thing #2: Basking Sharks Of The California Coast

 

Photo credit: Kristin Campbell/Newport Coastal Adventure

Of the coast of southern California, basking sharks have been spotted. They haven't been seen around there for 30 years. They are way big and way cool.

Dimland Radio Science Heroes: Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Joseph P Kennedy II & Maeve Kennedy McKean

 

You will note that each of the three Dimland Radio Science Heroes has Kennedy in their name. It's that Kennedy family. You know. The famous Kennedys of Camelot fame.

 

The three Kennedys wrote an article decrying the danger presented by their brother/uncle Robert F Kennedy Jr. with his anti-vaccine activism. He fights the good fight when it comes to the environment and climate change, but he's just straight up wrong about vaccines. And his family members call him on it.

 

And that makes them science heroes.

 

Dimland Radio Science Zeroes: Robert F Kennedy Jr. & Rep. Jonathan Stickland

 

RFK Jr. Is a complicated science zero. He's right on climate change, but wrong on vaccines. His anti-vax activism is dangerous. Texas Rep. Jonathan Stickland, on the other hand, isn't nearly as complicated. He's just a dumbass.

 

And here's an article about the dangers of the anti-science and lack of critical thinking and how they are bringing back measles.

Cool Thing #3: Scene 38 Reimagined

 

 

A computer effects house FXitinPost created a very dramatic and entertaining reimagining of the final lightsaber duel between Ben Kenobi and Darth Vader from Star Wars: A New Hope. Just watch it! You'll agree it's pretty goddamn cool!

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: 'Death Of The European' by The Three Johns & 'Takin' A Ride' by The Replacements

Second ad break bumpers: 'Outside The Trains Don't Run On Time' by Gang Of Four & 'Face Dance Part Two' by Pete Townshend

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

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Images used under Fair Use.