dimland radio 12-1-12 show notes

Two And A Half Men Isn't Funny

To me anyway.  I went on about my snobbery toward TV sit-coms taped before a live audience.  They just don't live up to the quality of the single camera sit-coms, such as Arrested Development and The Office.

Oh, and on the listen back of the show, my son pointed out that I mistakenly call the show Three and a Half Men.  Maybe I was included their man servant.  Do they have a man servant?
   

Speaking Of...

The "half" man of the sex jokes sit-com Two and a Half Men, Angus T Jones, has advised people to stop watching the filth that is the show from which he earns a reported $350,000 an episode.  The show goes against his Christian values.  But then he apologized.  And then we hear that he'll leave the show after this season.

The damn show has been on for ten years!  Let's wrap it up!

"Nottabug"

I revisited the UFO story out of Denver that has gotten wide attention recently.  The Bad Astronomer, Phil Plait, has weighed in (as have many other skeptics).  He actually got in touch with the reporter, Heidi Hemmat, who was responsible for the non-investigative report.  He told her of an easy experiment that would determine if the objects are far from the camera and therefor very large and fast moving, instead of close to the camera and likely to be bugs...

Use two cameras!  If it's a large craft of some kind, far from the camera, it will be seen on both cameras.  There!  See?  There's a way to determine what the UFOs are.

Read Phil Plait's blog on this topic here.

Kudos To Law & Order

I have been watching old episodes of Law & Order through Netflix lately.  There is one episode from season five called 'Cruel and Unusual,' which is about a severely autistic young man who dies while in police custody.

Without going into the entire show synopsis, ADA Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) demonstrates in court how facilitated communication doesn't work.  I applaud the producers of Law & Order for getting this bit of pseudoscience right.

Here is a skeptical take of facilitated communication.

Movie Recommendation: Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (2008)

Paramount Pictures

Yeah!  That's right!  I LIKE THIS MOVIE!  Is it the best of the four Indiana Jones movies?  No, but it's still lots of fun and entertaining.  Yes, it stretches credulity to the breaking point, but ALL of the films do that!  I think it has become fashionable to take the hipster stance and dismiss the film, but had it been the first released I think there would be a lot more love for it.  So, grab that big barrel of popcorn, turn off your incredulity device, and sit back and relax and enjoy the ride.

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: 'Slow Train To Dawn' by The The & 'Cat's In The Cupboard' by Pete Townshend
Second ad break bumpers: 'White And Lazy' by The Replacements & 'Back On The Chain Gang' by The Pretenders
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 11-17-12 show notes

Cops And The Dumpster Area

I told about the brush with the law I had the night before my show.  I clean a building on Friday nights.  It's just something I do.  I'm just that kind of guy.  Well, I do get paid for it.

Anyway!  I had just thrown a bag of trash in the dumpster and was walking back to the building when two sheriff's vehicles pulled into the parking lot.  One of the officers hopped out of his vehicle and went over to the dumpster area which I had just left to search it.  My guess is they were looking for some scofflaw.

I watched curiously and then went to ask the other officer what was up.  As I approached, he told me to get back in the building.  I got the message, turned and hurried back into the building.  I never found out what they were doing exactly.

 

Bigfeets Don't Fail Me Now

I related a couple of stories about the probably nonexistent creature.  One was about yet another not very good video of a blobsquatch.  Actually, it's an excellent video of a blobsquatch, it just isn't very good evidence for bigfoot.

The other story was of bigfoot hunter Jeff Meldrum and his proposed search using a radio-controlled blimp equipped with a thermal imaging camera.  Meldrum has good science bona fides, but I don't think his new method will be any more successful in establishing the elusive beast's existence than any have been thus far.

You can learn more here, here, and here.

It's Not A Bug!  It's Not A Bug!  I'm Telling You It's Not A Bug

The latest UFO video that's been making the rounds is very likely video of bugs flying closely by a video camera.  But don't tell news reporter Heidi Hemmat that, she doesn't want to hear it.  She emphatically tells us that it's not a bug, but all signs point to it being a bug.

Here is Heidi Hemmat's report and here is Ben Radford's analysis of the bug video.  I mean UFO video.  No, I mean bug video.  It's a bug, Heidi!

Mad Props For Probst

With all the other daytime talk shows following the easy path of mystery-mongering when it comes to psychics, it was so refreshing to see Jeff Probst take a skeptical approach to the topic.  With the assistance of skeptic Mark Edward, Jeff demonstrated the deception of the psychic reading industry.  Will it wise people up to the nonsense of psychics?  Maybe not everyone, but it might plant that sorely needed seed of doubt.

Good work, Jeff.  I hope your show lasts and that you do more shows of a skeptical nature.

Read Mark Edward's account here.

Movie Recommendation: Them! (1954)

Warner Brothers

I turned to my son for this week's movie recommendation.  He suggested this above average 1950s sci-fi classic.  Because of nuclear weapons testing, some ants have become giant-sized and threaten to destroy humankind.  Not to worry, the humans prevail.  Or do they? 

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: 'Time The Avenger' by The Pretenders & 'Rat Patrol' by Naked Raygun
Second ad break bumpers: 'Shout To The Top' by The Style Council & 'Angels Of Deception' by The The
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.