dimland radio 8-4-18 show notes

Zero Plus 0.5

 

Last week, I named Penn Jillette a Dimland Radio Science Zero for giving a platform for some very dubious food and diet claims made by people whose scientific reputation isn't great. I was disappointed to do it, but I felt he'd let down skepticism and critical thought.

 

Well, he responded. Oh, not to what I did. He has no idea who I am. But many of the fans of his podcast had voiced their disappointment. He was also responded to Orac (Dr. David Groski) who posted a lengthy blog reviewing Penn's interview of Dr. Michael Klaper. A doctor who made a few claims that just didn't sit right with science.

 

Penn started poorly by setting up a Straw Man. I talk about that Straw Man, what I think the actual skeptical objections were, and I did give him half a point. So, he's a Dimland Radio Science Zero Plus 0.5.

 

You can listen to his response here and see what you think. I mentioned an InFact video by Brian Dunning about the Big Mac Diet. I was wrong. It was not an InFact video, it was a recent Skeptoid podcast by Brian. 

A Pair Of Movie Tropes That Bug Me

The first is a trope that goes back almost as far back as the first action films. It when a character is shown falling or sliding rapidly toward a cliff or rooftop and they catch themselves at the last second. Just how strong does Hollywood think people's hand are?

 

The second is a more recent development: Showing characters vomit. It's becoming rather ubiquitous. The props departments must have improved the pea soup formula used for vomit and really want to use it.

I Think Stanley Kubrick's Last Film Is...

...excruciatingly dull!

 

Oh, the first time I saw Eyes Wide Shut (1999) I was impressed with the cinematography and the naked ladies and a naked Nicole Kidman, but I thought it was... rather... de...liber...ate...ly... paced.

 

When I saw it a second time, it was sooooo god damn booooooring! No amount of seeing Kidman's butt could make it bearable. Well, maybe it made it a little bearable. 

Three Movies Far Better Than Eyes Wide Shut

 

12 Angry Men (1957) Sidney Lumet's jury room drama focusing on 12 men in one room for virtually the entire movie talking, debating, arguing over the guilt or innocence of a young man tried for murder with the death penalty hanging over his head, is so much more interesting than Eyes Wide Shut and none of the fellows get naked.

 

 

Room (2015) Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay (so damn impressive as he was only eight when he played the part of Jack) both put in powerful performances in this drama in which the first half of the movie takes place in one room. They do escape "room" and have to adjusted to the world. That first half in one room is so much more fascinating than Eyes Wide Shut.

 

Locke (2013) Starring Tom Hardy, this tension filled drama focuses on Ivan Locke. He's driving to London to deal with a pressing matter that takes precedent over and adds complications to his job, his marriage, and his relationship with his children. The entire film, presented in real time, is one man, in a car, talking on his phone, and it blows Eyes Wide Shut away.

Three Cool Things

1) My son Hayden turned 15 this week. (Astrologers put your charts away!) Jinkies! Where does the .

2) I hadn't noticed it in all the times I've watched 12 Angry Men, but the scene of the fellows entering the jury room, having quick conversations, and then taking their places is all done in one take. Have a look.

3) And I finally watched the Carpool Karaoke with Late, Late Show host, James Corden, and Paul McCartney. Sure, much of it was staged, but I'm sure the patrons at the pub had no idea what was about to happen. Pretty damn cool.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: 'Only You' by Yaz & 'Almost With You' by The Church

Second ad break bumpers: 'Rapture' by Blondie & 'Kissfolk' by 54-40

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

Please subscribe on iTunes! Just search for Dimland Radio in the podcast section. And if you could leave a good rating and a positive review it would be awesome.

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.

Images used under Fair Use.

dimland 3-11-17 show notes

Show Number 311 On 3/11

 
Relax numerologists and conspiracy theorists. There's nothing mystical and there was no secret plan going on to make it so that the 311th show of Dimland Radio would fall on 3/11. Honestly, it's just a coincidence. I mean it.

 

Oh, and iTunes (or wherever you get podcasts) subscribers, don't forget Dimland Radio was a show on the Z Talk Radio Network since March 13, 2010. That's why there have been 311 episodes. You can listen to most of those first 300 (iTunes' first show was technically 301) from the Show Archives page at ztalkradio.com.

A Most Unpleasant Sunday Morning

For a sizable chunk of the last 20 years, I have done the t-shirt design for the yearly Pub Crawl event for Delta Upsilon, a fraternity at the University of Minnesota. Its humble beginnings of a drunken bar scene evolved into a Where's Waldo-ish illustration depicting inside jokes relating to each of the members of the fraternity.

 

Over the years, I've drawn plenty of drunkenness, some pot-smoking, animal antics, vomiting, defecation, crashed cars, various other strange behaviors, and sex. Yep, sex. I did what I could to keep the sex PG-13 or, at most, rated R. In fact,until the last two years, I had managed to hide the naughtier parts of the naked co-eds. However, the nipple was freed in the last two designs.

 

Well, I shouldn't be too flippant, because in mid-February I saw a brief news item on the local TV nightly news. The item was about a fraternity at the U of M being suspended. The fraternity was Delta Upsilon. The news report had no details, so last Sunday morning, after a couple of weeks with no news, I looked for what I could find out about it online.

 

I got into more detail on the show, but suffice it to say the suspension stems from the alleged sexual predatory atmosphere in the house. There were sexual assaults a couple of years ago, that led to investigations and, at least, one member expelled from the fraternity and the university. But a current member raised concerns that the fraternity hadn't changed its ways.

 

Thus the suspension. And thus my very uneasy feeling about the work I had been doing for those guys all these years. I can't be certain I never drew depictions of rape. And that makes me feel so gross. I naively thought the sex was consensual or just made up as a joke. But I doubt if I had asked if all the sex was consensual they would have admitted any of it was rape. Still.

You can read more about it here and here.

What Makes A Meh Beer Better Than Meh?

When that meh beer is free. But not much better.

 

Over the years, my boss would occasionally give me a 12 pack of beer. Since I don't drink as often as I used to, I decided that when I drink beer I'll drink one of better quality. I had settled on Summit Extra Pale Ale as that beer and my boss would get that kind for me when his generous mood struck him. Until, that is, last week.

 

Last week, he brought in Rolling Rock. Meh.

 

I was gracious and thanked him.

 

So, now I have to try to consume that meh beer. Oh, well. It was free.

Pedantic Moment: A Twofer From 12 Angry Men

I had two Pedantic Moments from the classic jury room drama from 1957, 12 Angry Men. It really is a good movie. Still, it is not immune to pedantry.

 

Also, this was the first ever listener contributed moment of pedantry. If you should have a good candidate for a Pedantic Moment, send it to me at drdim@dimland.com. I might share it on the show.

 

One moment dealt with a re-enactment being timed to see if the witness could get from his bed to the front door of his apartment was a quickly as he claimed. The experiment showed he couldn't. The move from the bed to the front door took longer than testified to in court. However, the amount of time the experiment took according to the story was about 10 seconds longer than the actual run time in the film.

 

Watch the clip. You can time it yourself.

 

My listener's Pedantic Moment was even better because it would result in a mistrial. In this scene (see below), Juror 8 did some of his own investigation and found a knife identical to the murder weapon. That's a no-no. Jurors are to weigh the evidence presented in court. They are not to investigate. The duplicate knife was left in the jury room and the bailiff certainly would have found it. Mistrial!

Movie Recommendation: None

I didn't get to one this week. You are on your own.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: 'Another Nail In My Heart' by Squeeze & 'No Reply At All' by Genesis

Second ad break bumpers: 'Pretty Girls Make Graves' by The Smiths & 'Lover Is For Lovers' by The dBs

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

Please subscribe on iTunes! Just search for Dimland Radio in the podcast section. And if you could leave a good rating and a positive review it would be awesome.

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.