dimland radio 9-28-19 show notes

Some Things About Autumn

It's autumn now and there have been a number of things I've experienced lately that were bringing my back to when I was twelve or so. The smell of cut field grass, the feel of the air, the pinging of grasshoppers as the flee my approach.

 

Those things brought me back to something I did with my siblings and our friends in those days of it being the end of summer, but we still wanted something to do. There were cardboard boxes involved. I blogged about it a while back, click here. 

Cool Thing #1: Congratulations To The MN Twins

This time of year is also great because it is leading up to the postseason of baseball, the greatest game ever invented. And my Twins have won the American League Central Division Title. As of this writing, their record stands at 101-60. There's just one game left of the regular season to go.

 

We know who their opponent in the American League Division Series will be. It's the Hated Yankees. Again. Since 2003, the Twins have made the playoffs five times. The Evil Empire has been their first opponent four of those five times. Each time the Bronx Bastards have beaten the good guys.

 

Will it be different this time? My pessimistic has me saying no. But I do hope I'm wrong.

 

If the Twins manage to beat those guys, but lose in the ALCS or the World Series, either of which would be heartbreaking, they still would be heroes of the baseball world for ousting the jerk faces from New York.

 

Also, with one game left to be played by each team, there is the single season team home run record at sake. The good guys, who did break the previous record, set in 2017 by the Hated Ones, by the end of August, find themselves one home run behind the greatest evil i all of sports. Yep, the Hated Yankees sit at 305, while the Twins hold 304. Is it too much to ask for the Twins to hit at least two more dingers today than the Hated Yankees?

 

Whatever happens, I am very pleased with how well the boys have done this season.

 

Cool Thing #2: Andy Gill Responds

Gang Of Four's appearance on the very first Late Night with David Letterman.

I posted the image above on my Facebook page back in July and pointed out that post punk legends Gang Of Four had been on Late Night with David Letterman, in a manner of speaking. I got a little thrill when Andy Gill, an original member of the band responded to my post.

 

 

I did tag him in the post, so it wasn't that out of the blue. But it was still cool.

The 500 Podcast

 

 

As I said on the show, I don't mean to discourage people from checking this podcast out. I just think people should know the podcast is a bit of the bait and switch. It's called The 500 and its host is comedian Josh Adam Meyers. The 500 is an album review podcast focusing on the 500 greatest albums of all time according to Rolling Stone magazine. Starting at 500 and working his way to number 1, each week Josh has a guest, usually another comedian, on to discuss one of the great albums.

 

Well, that's how it is sold to us. In practice the podcast is far more of an interview show of that week's guest and much less about discussing the album. That can work if you are a fan of the guest, but if you are more interested in the album you might find the podcast disappointing.

 

Still, that's just my take. Check it out. You might like it.

The Placebo Effect And Science Vs

 

There is a podcast I listen to that I highly recommend. It is called Science Vs. It's a science podcast that examines claims and holds them up to what science can tell us about them. It is hosted be Wendy Zuckerman, who is great to listen to. I love her Australian accent.

 

Wendy Zuckerman - Photo from The Weekend Edition

It's not a stuffy podcast. It is very much for the layperson in its approach to explaining science.

 

A recent episode was on the Placebo Effect and what new and interesting things are being learned about it. It's very interesting However, they profile a woman who has irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) who knowingly takes a placebo in a study and gets better. Part of what was thought about the placebo effect was that the person taking the placebo is to believe the placebo is actual medicine. This one woman's response has baffled the scientist doing that study.

 

How is it she gets better knowing she essentially taking no medicine?

 

I ask a different question... Did she really have IBS?

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: 'She's On It' by Beastie Boys & 'Outside The Trains Don't Run On Time' by Gang Of Four

Second ad break bumpers: 'Nocturnal Me' by Echo & The Bunnymen & 'Lonely Is (As Lonely Does)' by The dB's

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 3-2-13 show notes

After The Beep Remember There's No God

Having encountered voice mail answering messages wishing me to have a God blessed day, I speculated using an equally unsolicited message stating there is no God.  I also talked about the fact the one's place of birth and rearing has a strong bearing on which faith one will follow.

 

Wind Turbines Making People Sick?

I spotted a news item on the Fox News website reporting on a Massachusetts couple claiming that a nearby pair of wind turbines were causing them illness and discomfort.  The article alluded to other people complaining, but only named the one couple.  Their discomfort was headaches, dizziness, and sleeplessness.  It would get so bad they would have to leave the area for some relief.
 

It seems to me that the troubles the couple are having come from their minds and not from the wind turbines.  I'm no expert, but I have no idea how the massive fan blades give off a "pulse" that gets into the "tubular organs" and causes havoc.

This may just back a new tactic of the "not in my backyard" crowd who just don't like wind turbines.

The Fox article is here.

 

The Replacements and SIT80s

I talked a bit about one of the best bands to never make it, Minneapolis's The Replacements.  I brought them up because they are going to be the first artist featured in my guest blog series, Never Found in the 80s, on the Stuck in the 80s blog.
 

I'll be focusing on musical artists who never achieved mainstream charting success in the 80s.  The Mats definitely missed the charts.  They were greatly loved by the critics, other bands, and the fans they did have but they just never made it big.  And knowing the band's attitude toward commercial success, that's pretty much just the way they wanted it.

My first installment of Never Found in the 80s will likely be posted this week sometime.

Jin Shin Jyutsu Does What Now?

Another news item I spotted on the internets.  It's a credulous article of an ancient Japanese energy manipulation technique that sounds a bit fishy to me.  Not quite the same as the hand waving technique of therapeutic touch, jin shin jyutsu actually involves physically touching the subject.

It just seems like a bunch of unsubstantiated claims to me.  Patients receiving chemotherapy get a chance to lie quietly while someone soothingly and gently touches and strokes various parts of their body.  Different parts of the body relieves different ailments.  (They didn't say, but my guess is that touching the naughty bits costs extra.)

But isn't that just the placebo effect?  And shouldn't the doctors lauding this treatment know that?

Here is the article and this is a video about this placebo effect inducing technique.

Movie Recommendation: Color Me Obsessed (2012)

 

More on The Replacements.  Look!  They were just that good!  Sue me if you think I'm going on about them too much.

 

Anyway, after I wrote and submitted my piece on this commercially overlooked band, I stumbled upon a two hour documentary about them.  The documentary is available online for free.  It may not be available for long, so you'd better check it out.

I'm glad I found the film.  Not just because it was good to see people talking about this excellent band, but it also provided me with valuable information on just how little commercial success they had.  That information was instrumental in my convincing the main blogger of SIT80s, Steve Spears, that The Replacements would be a good start for my Never Found in the 80s series.
 

YouTube has the film right here.

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: 'Talent Show' & 'Can't Hardly Wait' by The Replacements
Second ad break bumpers: 'Anywhere's Better Than Here' & 'Skyway' by The Replacements
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.