dimland radio 1-11-20 show notes

More Busy And Interesting Times 

It was a harrowing week. I didn't get my show prep as finalized as I normally do, so I was kind of winging it through the show. I did have bullet points, but not much else written down.

It was busy because a full time employee who cleans several properties was in the hospital with the flu. Get your flu shot! And the supervisor and I had lots of fill in work to do.

It was harrowing because my dad has been ill with an infection since Christmas and this week saw me doing a lot of visits. I had to get Dad to a doctor's appointment, convince him to use his damn cane, get groceries, do laundry. All while worrying these two 80-somethimngs aren't going to be able to stay in their house much longer.

Big decisions are gonna have to be made and soon.

Cool Thing: Minnesota Vikings Are In The Playoffs And... 

Photo: USA Today

They beat the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans in their first playoff game of 2020. It was very surprising, because even the most diehard fan believed a win there over such a tough opponent would be highly unlikely. But the Vikes did indeed rise to the occasion and beat dem Saints.

 

The following week was filled with speculation on how well the Vikes would fair against the San Francisco 49ers. Confidence on the part of the fans and local sports analysts began to soar as the week went on. The Saints were the toughest foe of this postseason and our boys beat them. They surely can beat the Niners. No problem!

 

Let me state the Dimland Radio Vikings/Fans/Analysts correlation:

 

The higher the confidence on the part of fans and analyst of a Vikings playoff victory, the greater the likelihood the Vikings will lose.

 

I predicted a Vikings loss to the Niners. (But I always predict the Vikings will lose, so this is no big deal.)

 

The game was played yesterday.

 

The Vikes lost.

 

Oh, well. At least they won't lose the Super Bowl.

A Dimland Radio ARGH!

 

My ARGH! is the frequency of which I am smelling marijuana, pot, weed, or whatever the kids are calling it these days. I smell it when driving almost everyday. I smell it when shopping for groceries. I find it troubling.

I'm not a prude. I have had some experiences smoking the stuff, but it never did all that much for and I feel no desire to spark up.

But I had a request for pot users. A couple actually. One is to not drive under the influence, please. The other: Go with the edibles. I won't have to smell those.

Moms. Keeping Us Humble

 

I showed the Minnesota Niche video on the MN Skeptics meet up group to my parents. Dad seemed mildly impressed, but he was still sick so that may have tempered his reaction.

Mom, on the other hand...

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: Ram by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: Entre Nous & Limelight by Rush

Second ad break bumpers: Subdivisions & Tom Sawyer 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

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 radio 1-4-20 show notes

Happy New Year!

 

I recapped my Pedantic Moment from the last show about whether or not we are in a new decade. Well, we are and we aren't. We are out of the 2010's and into the 2020's, but the second decade of the 21st century still has a year to go.

 

As far as I'm concerned either way you look at it is fine by me.

 

I also touched on New Year's resolutions.

Pedantic Moment: George Hrab Is Wrong

The awesome George Hrab.

George Hrab, host of the Geologic Podcast, was talking abut this whole decade thing. He was right when he asked, "Who gives a crap?"

 

However, when he said, "When you turn 30, you haven't finished your 30th year, but you say you are in your 30s," he was wrong. Think of it as a year of your life being a trip around the sun, which it is. When you are born you start your first trip, when you make it to your first birthday, you complete a trip around the sun and turn one year old.

 

So, when someone turns 30 they have completed their 30th trip around the sun. They have completed their 30th year.

 

Sorry, Geo, but you're wrong.

Cool Thing #1: MN Skeptics And TPT2

 

 

Back in August, I told my listener that a production crew from the local public television station, TPT2, came out to get video of a meet-up of the MN Skeptics. The MN Skeptics were to be a part of a series of short videos profiling local social groups. It's part of a series called Minnesota Niche.

Well, the fruits of their labors are available to be seen. Our group's profile is here.

The MN Skeptics aren't the only group profiled. There are several, but there is one group that is in strong contrast to us. The Twin Cities UFO Research Group might not want to book their next meet-up at the same place and time as our group. Although it would be interesting.

 

I addressed an assertion made about skeptics in the UFO group's profile. I gave some of the skeptics' reasons for reluctance in accepting visitation by some kind of alien species. But, hey, they could be right.

 

Cool Thing #2: Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise Of Skywalker

 

I took my wife and our son to see the final installment of the third trilogy of the Star Wars saga. I loved it! Especially when taken in context with the rest of the films. I think Disney should be commended for producing such an entertaining and enjoyable series.

 

I discovered a series of YouTube videos by CinemaWins. The videos list everything that is great about a given movie. The series is a counterbalance to the CinemaSins YouTube channel that makes videos listing everything wrong with a given movie.

 

I think CinemaWins' take on the Star Wars films is pretty good. It even has me rethinking my stance on the Prequels. Check out their take on one of the more controversial of the newer Star Wars films.

 

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: Ram by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: Take It Away by Paul McCartney & Rattlesnake by The Replacements

Second ad break bumpers: All Those Years Ago by George Harrison & Voices Carry by Til Tuesday

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 radio 8-10-19 show notes

We Gonna Be Famous!

Travis was first up in the individual interviews.

Last Thursday was the second Thursday of the month which means it was time for the monthly Minnesota Skeptics Meet-Up. I always look forward to that gathering of mostly like-minded skeptics. However, this past meet-up was particularly interesting.

For that gathering we were joined by a camera crew from the local public television station TPT. They are doing series focusing of various Twin Cities social groups that have regular meet-ups. Travis, one of the organizers of our gatherings, was contacted to see if we would be interested in being on the TV. Well, duh!

It made for an interesting if awkward meeting. We don't normally have cameras and a boom mic hoovering around us. It took some time to get warmed up, but we eventually did. And after we found our footing, the producer had some of us partake in individual interviews. I did my bit, but we all think Tim stole the show.

Tim wins!

 We were told the segment on us should air in December or January. I'll keep you posted.

Yep, This Is Our President

There was some brief talk about the Minnesota Twins' lead in the AL Central slipping away, but then there was the unpleasantness of having to talk about our President. I shard the editorial cartoon you see above and a Trump-supporting Facebook friend of mine tried to shame me for sharing the cartoon in the aftermath of the mass shootings in El Paso, TX and Dayton, OH.

Thankfully, most of the heavy lifting in response to the MAGA member was handled by other FB friends of mine, but I did respond:

"I honestly did not share this as a response to the most recent mass shootings. I don't know if the cartoon was done as a response to those shootings.

"I shared it for two reasons.

"1) I happen to agree, at least in part, that Pres. Trump is presiding over a climate that is encouraging, intentionally or not, the worst of us to act out. He may not be creating those who are acting so hatefully and heinously, but he is winding them up. As is shown in the cartoon.

"2) I think it is a damn good editorial cartoon, both in its artistic skill and ability to make its point.

"Is Trump to blame for the climate we find our country in of late? Is it the media? Is it the Left? Is it the Right? I don't know. It's probably a combination of all those factors." 

Clueless. Simply clueless.

I also mentioned the tasteless, crude, completely incompetent photo op the Trumps had with victims of those horrible shootings. Talk about tone deaf. And this was before I knew about the photo of that clueless couple with a newly orphaned infant. I think I might have to talk about that image next week.

A Dimland Radio Pedantic Moment: Letterman's Great Moments In Presidential Speeches

Look at that. The second PM involving Letterman in as many shows. Huh.

Well, the pedantry had to do with Letterman teasing Pres. George W. Bush having verbal gaffs in public. But, I always thought it was unfair to set up the bit by showing previous presidents making actual speeches and comparing them to moments when W was speaking off script.

But it was nice talking about a man who knew better than to treat meeting with victims of some horrible tragedies as though they were kissing babies campaign stops. Even people who couldn't stand W at the time agree with that notion.

Three men being presidential, one man being clueless.

One More Observation On Pres. Trump

Many people had criticized both Pres. Obama and Pres. W. Bush as being teleprompter politicians. They would sound great when reading a prepared speech, but they wouldn't be nearly as good off the cuff. (Funny Letterman didn't continue those Great Moments In Presidential Speeches while Obama was in office.) But, Pres. Trump turns that notion on its ear. He made not be great off script, but he often sounds even worse when reading a prepared speech.

He sounds even more disingenuous. 

Three Cool Things

1) The Minnesota Twins turned their second triple play this season in their loss to the Atlanta Braves. Yes, they lost, but a triple play is always cool.

2) The Replacements may never have caught on with the general public, but their musical influence is far-reaching. This video shows the band doing a soundcheck for a show at Maxwell's in New Jersey way back in 1986. These guys were cool.

3) A member of the Minnesota Skeptics said something about my podcast that cracked me up. It helped to keep me humble. And that's cool. I guess.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: 'One Day In Your Life' by 54-40 & 'Nobody Told Me' by John Lennon

Second ad break bumpers: 'That's Really Super, Supergirl' by XTC & 'Candyman' by Siouxsie & The Banshees

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 radio 9-15-18 show notes

A Dimland Radio Pedantic Moment: Close Encounters Of The Third Kind Again

Excellent forced perspective!

Yes, again. This time I explained how suspension of disbelief works for me. I can accept the main idea of this great film that there are extraterrestrials visiting earth, that they have far advanced technology, and that they can somehow implant ideas into people's minds. But the story has to stay within the rules it sets up for itself. And everything else in Close Encounters follows along with what would happen in the real world. Nothing feels out of place or wrong. Except how do the humans know how to respond when learning a "basic tonal language" without having been given any kind of key from which to learn? How did the government fellows know what to tell the musician to play back when the "conversation" started? Am I making sense?

I gave a made up example of potential rule breaking in another movie (Creature From The Black Lagoon - 1954) that would make it difficult to suspend disbelief. Impossible, even. And I noted an oddity about The Wolfman (1941), more than one actually. And I talked about my favorite deus ex machina moment that comes from Monty Python's Life Of Brian (1979).

I blogged about the whole Pedantic Moment I have regarding Close Encounters.

Beardless Jim

Jim

Beardless Jim

As a little stunt for my friends among the Minnesota Skeptics, I shaved off my mustache and beard. It has been 11 years since I had gone clean shaven.

Leading up to the big moment I had foregone trimming the facial hair. I'm gonna be shaving it off, so why bother. That means the before picture show the beard being much shaggier than I usually keep it. I don't care for a shaggy beard. On me, that is.

I also don't care for the clean shaven look. So the beard and mustache are growing back. By next month's meet-up, I will look as I should.

I also talked about the traffic and road construction woes that plague my sojourns to the meet-up location. Well, if you want nice, smooth, and reliable roads, construction delays are the price we pay. And taxes, of course. 

A Rant About Coffee Drinkers

When working as a janitor, I can get annoyed by some of the messes left behind. Not the kind of messes one would expect in a place of business due to the work being done. It's the unnecessary and avoidable messes that make me grind my teeth.

One such unnecessary mess is caused by coffee drinkers and their insistence on filling their coffee mugs as full as possible. They need that caffeine so much, they just can't leave any it of that mug unfilled, and off they go dripping coffee all along the way. And leaving coffee rings.

Coffee rings. Coffee rings. Coffee rings. 

A Dimland Radio Science Hero: Harrison Ford

I haven't been able to discover how Harrison Ford feels about GMOs or vaccination, but his stance on human-caused climate change and how the people of the world need to address it is right on. He has called for Americans, at least, to stop casting votes for anti-science political candidates, whether they're really anti-science or just pretending. 

An Anti-Vaxxer Or A Russian Troll?

The following anti-vax "facts" list was left in response to a pro-vaccination comment on Facebook:

My response? Listen to the show. ;)

Some anti-vax myths dispelled here. 

Also On The Show 

Hurricane Florence? Never fear! Pat and Kat have it under control! 

Three Cool Things

 

1) The above picture of our president gave me a chuckle, but I found something out about it, which I will talk about next week.

2) Aaron Rodgers, quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, added another story to his legend with his astounding second half (after a knee injury) performance against the Chicago Bears. Oh, if only the Vikings could have a quarterback like Rodgers. 

3) GQ has released a recent interview of Paul McCartney. There's a video of Paul talking about some of his classic Beatles and Wings tunes.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: 'Head Over Heels' by The Go Go's & 'One Day' by The Church

Second ad break bumpers: 'Undertow' by Suzanne Vega & 'Twist' by Tones On Tail

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.