dimland radio 4-8-17 show notes

Meh Beer Days Continue And Almost Get Worse

The boss attempted to give me another 12-pack of Rolling Rock. This time I couldn't be adult about it and just accept the generous offer. I mean, had I accepted it without cluing him in on how meh I think that beer is, I might be getting Rolling Rock every time he feels generous.

 

So, I leveled with him and he exchanged it for the beer he used to get me: Summit Extra Pale Ale.

 

Phew.

 

Sad News

I broke from the lightness of the beer topic to mention that my extended family got a little smaller Friday morning. My brother-in-law's brother-in-law (not me, obviously) or my wife's brother's wife's sister's husband, Ed, died after a 14 year battle with cancer. I hope I don't sound too glib with my description of his relationship to me, but Ed had a pretty good sense of humor and I think he would have appreciated it.

 

He was a good guy. I liked him right away. He was a sports fan (he liked the Detroit, his hometown, teams) and he liked Star Trek and Star Wars, so what's not to like about the guy?

 

He was 44. Much too young.

A Little Evolution Talk

 

"If [humans are] from apes, why are the apes still here?" ~ misunderstander of the Theory of Evolution, Stephen Baldwin

 

It's a very common question asked by people who don't have an understanding of the basics of evolution. In short, humans are apes. We and the other Great Apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans) are all cousins. We all came from a common ancestor.

 

Actually, along the twisting branches of evolution, there are several common ancestors as we make our way back to the main common ancestor to all of the Great Apes. Chimps and bonobos are the most closely related, so their common ancestor existed relatively recently. As we keep going back through the evolutionary lineage, the common ancestor for humans turns up, further back in time there's one for gorillas, and even further back is the one for orangutans.

 

Here, watch this clip. You'll hear Baldwin make the common error and then Dr. Richard Dawkins will explain why there are still apes.

 

 

Einstein, God, NdGT, And How Inquiry Stops

 

The above graphic popped up on Facebook the other day. I know Einstein has made some ambiguous statements about God, but he's never stated he believed in a god that listens to prayers, rewards with Heaven, punishes with Hell, works miracles, and fixes football games. As I understand it, Einstein's god was more like the awesomeness of nature and physics.

 

But even if he believed in an all-knowing, all-powerful, invisible man in the sky, so what? It wouldn't have lessened his contributions to science and the world. History is filled with many great scientists who also believed in some kind of god.

 

It seems the Christian types are saying, "Einstein believed in God, why don't you?"

 

Well, Einstein was brilliant, but he could still be wrong.

 

That led me to talk about a talk given by Neil deGrasse Tyson about how great scientists of the past, including Isaac Newton, carried the football of science forward until they reached the limit of their knowledge or abilities. At that point, they would appeal to God. Sort of like saying, "I can't figure this out. God did it."

 

NdGT's point was when those scientists would turn to God their work was done. The football was left on the field until another scientist with more knowledge, better equipment, mathematics, or other tools to apply science came along. That scientist picked up the football and moved it forward until their limit was reached. And so on, until NdGT got to Pierre-Simon Laplace.

 

I'll let Dr. Tyson tell the story (by the way, NdGT doesn't use the football analogy, that was my contribution):

 

 

Getting back to that Einstein quote. I couldn't determine whether or not Einstein actually said it. What I could find was a 1997 article in the Wall Street Journal written by Jim Holt. As far as I can tell, Holt is the source of the quote, even though he says the quote comes from Einstein. Hey! Cite your source, pal!

 

This link will get you to the article. Scroll down to Stefan Mertens' comment. He includes the whole text of Holt's article.

Movie Recommendation: None

  

Sorry, you are on your own this week.

 

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: 'I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me' by Rosanne Cash & 'No Self Control' by Peter Gabriel

Second ad break bumpers: 'Seen And Not Seen' by Talking Heads & 'Y.O.Y.O.Y.' by Cheap Trick

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.

dimland radio 2-20-16 show notes

Amy's Jury Duty And Hayden's Step Into More Independence

So, Amy had jury duty for the first time this past week. She got on a jury and deliberated on a civil case making the determination of the amount of damages to award a fellow injured in a car accident. I won't go into all the details, but the fellow was asking for half a million in addition to the medical costs of $23,000.

 

I think the best way to say whose side the jury was more sympathetic to will be to tell you what they decided to award the plaintiff. He was asking for $523,000, they awarded him $43,000. The plaintiff really didn't establish he deserved much more. Amy didn't want to give him anything, but agreed with the other jurors that $20,000 in addition to the $23,000 in medical costs was fair. Even the defendant's lawyer suggested they thought an additional $25,000 would have been fair. The jury came in under that, so you know for whom they felt more sympathy.

 

Our dilemma was that we have a 12 year-old son. Amy meets him at the bus stop each day and walks him home. Perhaps we are over-protective. We decided to give Hayden the chance to get himself from the bus to and in the house on his own. He would also call me at work to let me know he made it.

 

He did fine. But I was pretty anxious up until I got his call.

Shame On You Celebrators Of Scalia's Death

Justice Antonin Scalia died unexpectedly, leaving a vacancy on the US Supreme Court. Many have stated how shocked and saddened they are by his death. However, his death was also greeted by more than a few of my Facebook friends' expressions of joy. Shame on them!

 

This is all part of that tribalism that disgusts me so. Scalia was conservative. His opinions were conservative. So, of course, some of my FB friends who tend to be very liberal couldn't stand him. They painted him as one of the worst people ever. And they were relieved when he died.

 

A law professor, Paul Campos, has written a piece for Salon.com voicing his displeasure at people lauding Scalia as a brilliant jurist. Campos disagrees and sites a few examples of what he thinks show Scalia not being so brilliant and having phony principles.

Well, Campos is a law professor and I'm just some ignorant cartoonist with an internet radio show to which no one listens, so what do I know about Scalia and his juristic brilliance?

 

However, the person who wrote the following must certainly know better than I and, maybe, even a law professor writing for Salon.com. She wrote, 

 

"...'We are different, we are one,' different in our interpretation of written texts, one in our reverence for the Constitution and the institution we serve. From our years together at the DC Circuit, we were best buddies. We disagreed now and then, but when I wrote for the Court and received a Scalia dissent, the opinion ultimately released was notably better than my initial circulation. Justice Scalia nailed all the weak spots - the 'applesauce' and the 'argle bargle' - and gave me just what I needed to strengthen the majority opinion. He was a jurist of captivating brilliance [emphasis mine] and wit, with a rare talent to make even the most sober judge laugh. The press referred to his 'energetic fervor,' 'astringent intellect,' 'peppery prose,' 'acumen,' and 'affability,' all apt descriptions. He was eminently quotable, his pungent opinions so clearly stated that his words never slipped from the reader's grasp."

 

I'm sure Prof. Campos disagrees with this statement. Well, he's the law professor who writes for Salon.com and the person who wrote this was Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She's just a US Supreme Court justice who has known and served with Justice Scalia for decades. So,what does she know?

 

Read the statements of the Justices of the US Supreme Court on the death of their colleague here.

 

Jared Allen Rides Off Into The Portrait Format

ARRRGGGGGHH!!!

 

Landscape! Landscape!

 

If you are going to announce your retirement from the NFL by making a video of you riding off into the sunset (or just riding off) as it's done in the Westerns, make god damn certain the person taking the video holds the camera the right way!

 

Westerns are filmed in landscape! Not portrait!

Dawkins Is Re-invited To NECSS And Has A Stroke

No, he didn't have a stroke because of the re-invitation. The stroke did happen after Richard Dawkins received an apology and a re-invitation to appear at NECSS. This has been quite a roller coaster. NECSS seems to have been having difficulty figuring out how to deal with divisive people such as Dawkins. Although, why is he divisive? Is he really divisive?

NECSS, I'm sure, had been getting an earful ever since they first announced Dawkins was a guest speaker.

 

Anyway, he's been re-invited and those who were pissed off by his invitation, but happy with his dis-invitation, are probably pissed off again. Oh, well. I guess they won't be attending NECSS.

 

And neither will Richard Dawkins. He had that stroke.

 

Did I Dream This?

Was it all just a dream? Did I see that Charlie Sheen had returned to the Dr. Oz show to follow up on the whole quack HIV/AIDS cure that snake oil salesman, Samir Chachoua was selling? Did I see Dr. Oz and Sheen's doctor calling out Chachoua for his claims? Did I see Dr. Oz showing and responding to clips from Bill Maher's HBO show Real Time, on which Maher lapped up all of Chachoua's bullshit? Did I see that?

 

Maybe I did. If so, kudos to Dr. Oz. Damn! Did I just say that?

 

Movie Recommendation: Sleuth (1972)

 

2oth Century Fox

I may have recommended this one before, but I blogged about it this week on Warehouse Find, the official blog of Nostalgia Zone, so I'm recommending it again.

 

It's terrifically entertaining. The acting is a treat and the twists and turns are great fun. Watch this movie!

 

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: 'Creatures Of Love' by Talking Heads & 'He Stopped Loving Her Today' by George Jones

Second ad break bumpers: 'Lonely Is As Lonely Does' by The dBs &  'Achin' To Be' 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.

dimland radio 1-30-16 show notes

Work On Spec Sucks

I briefly touched on a video on the internets giving examples of how other businesses and professionals scoff at being asked to do work on spec. Working on spec is mainly something asked of creative people working in the graphic arts. They'll be asked to do a design or illustration and, if it is liked, they might get paid. Or they get another project from the client asking for work on spec and that will pay. Maybe.

 

I can't think of any other fields in which working for free to see if you're any good is so prevalent as in graphic arts. Internships not withstanding.

 

Check out this video and you'll get the idea.

The New X-Files And My Complaint About Men's Suits

I also gave a brief mention to my excitement for and enjoyment of Season 10 of The X-Files. It's great to see Scully and Mulder back and going after the truth. But, as a skeptic, the shows can be hard to watch. I keep rolling my eyes and saying, "Come on, Mulder. Really?"

 

Seriously, I am enjoying the show so far.

 

I made this to demonstrate that the suits are too small!

What I'm not enjoying is seeing how uncomfortable Duchovny (Mulder) looks in his suits. I've gone on about this before, but today's "fashion forward" men's suits are TOO SMALL! The jacket strains at the buttons even when the man is just standing. In the series so far, Duchovny has taken to not even buttoning the suit jacket. And his tie looks ridiculous.

Maybe not the best example, but you can see it's unbuttoned.

More Problems With Skepticism/Atheism/Humanism/Feminism

I know I'm not going to have the answer to this schism that exists within skepticism, atheism, humanism, and feminism. It's been rather frustrating watching all the sniping back and forth since "elevatorgate". I find reasoned thoughts on both sides and unreasoned thoughts on both sides.

 

The latest outrage has centered around Richard Dawkins and his dis-invitation as a speaker at NECSS. NECSS is one of the bigger science and skepticism conferences taking place these days and it is in close association with the Skeptic's Guide to the Universe (SGU). One the January 23rd episode the speaker line-up for NECSS was announced on the SGU.

 

First name mentioned was Richard Dawkins (biologist, science popularizer, atheist, and one of the central figures of "elevatorgate"). The members of the podcast all "ooooo'd" with excitement as host Dr. Steven Novella announced Dawkins' name. My reaction was, "Uh, oh."

 

I knew of the rift between Dawkins and Rebecca Watson (former SGU co-host and originator of the story that sparked "elevatorgate") and the subsequent side-taking of those in the skeptical movement, so I was doubtful Dawkins' inclusion would go over well with Watson and her camp.

 

Days after the announcement, Dawkins retweeted an offensive (to many) video of a cartoon featuring a stereotypical Islamic terrorist and a specific feminist (Chanty Binx) singing a song about how similar Islamists and feminists are. The video goes so far as to suggest rape is OK when done by a Muslim. Huh?!

 

The video is supposed to be satire, but it is so very poorly done. It really doesn't make sense, but Dawkins thought it was worthy of sharing. His retweet set off a torrent of internet complaints and counter-complaints and quickly led to Dawkins' dis-invitation to NECSS.

 

What a mess. I've often stated that any group, movement, club, or society that consists of more than one person is going to have internal strife. Skeptics are not immune.

 

I found this examination of Dr. Dawkins and the incident to be the most reasoned. 

Common Core Math

 

I then discussed something a little less complicated and controversial: Common Core Math.

 

I'm not mathematician. I'm a cartoonist, so what do I know?

 

That didn't stop me from discussing this image:

 

 

This image has a lot of people confused. By not doing math the way they were taught, many people are thinking Common Core math doesn't make sense and is ruining our children. Not only did the kid not understand the task being asked of him or her, but most people looking at this didn't get it either. It's not saying the sum should be 13. It's asking the student to demonstrate how to make a 10 as part of the process of getting to 13.

 

My friend Chris Brown brilliantly explained it this way

 

"QUICK! What's 23 + 42?

 

 "You can do this the old paper and pencil way, adding the right side first, then the left OR you can take 2 away from the 42, add 23 + 40 to get a pretty easy 63, the add 2 to it to get 65.

"These CC Math problems that are so often derided as 'ridiculous' are NOT teaching the kids a 'new' way to do math problems. They are teaching the kids a whole bunch of different ways to do them, many of which are sill at this stage, but will be critical later. This is just one of many approaches.

"How about 4276 + 5964?

"You can do this fairly easily in your head if you try. Add 4276 + 5000 to get 9276. Now add 900 to get 10,176. Now add 60 to get 10,236, now add 4 to get 10,240. With a little bit of quick practice, you can add these numbers mentally far quicker than you can do it on paper.

"THAT'S what this lesson is trying to teach. It's impractical for 8 + 5, but it's extremely practical as the numbers get bigger. Teaching concepts at earlier stages sets the kids up for success in more advanced math.

"The U. S. is the wealthiest nation in the world, but has ranked around 30th in math scores for decades now. The math WE were taught as kids doesn't work well, plain and simple. New teaching methods are going to seem strange to us. Instead of deriding it and lamenting the fact that our kids aren't being taught the same way we were, why not make a bit of an effort to understand what's going on?"

I then took this image:

 

And used it to verbally demonstrate how the Box method is quicker and easier explain.

 

Movie Recommendation: None

 

I ran out of time. You are on your own this week.

 

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: 'How Soon Is Now?' by The Smiths & 'Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?' by The Ramones

Second ad break bumpers: 'Did You Steal My Money?' by The Who &  'Who Dunnit?' by Genesis

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 7-9-11 show notes

I Have My Doctorate! Sort Of

Thanks to Thunderwood College I have a doctorate now. It was easy! And free! Brian Dunning of Skeptoid.com has set up a diploma mill. So, go and get your diploma. Sure, it's not worth the paper it's printed on, but so what?

An Early Life Of Crime

The toy I pulled some shenanigans to get

I confessed a few of my youthful indiscretions. I switched price tags on a Shogun Warrior toy. I switched a book I could legally buy as a youth with a naughty book that I couldn't. And I broke into a friend's house to retrieve my Ghost of Capt. Kidd action figure. Shame on me.

Here's a blog I wrote about the Ghost of Capt. Kidd toy.

I Was Stunned By Dr. Dawkins This Week And So Were Many Other People

Richard Dawkins and Rebecca Watson

After a brief sidetrack about the gravestone for Uncle Ben in the Spider-man movie, I related an interesting controversy in the skeptic/atheist community this past week. Skepchick Rebecca Watson mentioned being made uncomfortable about being hit on by a stranger in an elevator at 4am. She didn't make a big deal about it, but Richard Dawkins did.

Dr. Dawkins jumped into a comment thread on PZ Myers' site and sarcastically belittled Rebecca complaint. Richard was being a dick and didn't get it. Judging by the many, many comments on several blogs, many people did get it.

This should make for an interesting TAM 9 this coming weekend.

Links galore for this one. Phil Plait's, PZ Myers', Rebecca Watson's. Rebecca's original video post in which she mentions the elevator incident is here.

In A Better Place? Really?

On the local news tonight was a story of a young woman who was found murdered at the side of a nearby highway. The report featured two of the woman's friends placing a memorial near the site where her body was found. An ex-boyfriend is suspected in the murder. One of the friends said she is "in a better place."

A better place?! Is she suggesting that the ex-boyfriend (allegedly) did the victim a favor? Well, of course she wasn't. Still, I made my observations as to the situations where the "better place" statement would work more properly.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus
First ad break bumpers: 'Seconds' by U2 & 'Epic' by Faith No More
Second ad break bumpers: 'Inside A Fireball' by Hunters & Collectors & 'Relax' by Frankie Goes To Hollywood
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

dimland radio 3-26-11

Atheist Coming Out Day

Atheists come out and pla-ee-ay!

At least, according to one FaceBook friends it was Atheist Coming Out Day. So, I shocked my listeners by announcing that I'm an atheist. Well, it would have shocked them had they not already known it since my first show.

Richard Dawkins' Birthday

Richard Dawkins - way smarter than me.

That FaceBook friend I just mentioned chose March 26th as Atheist Coming Out day because it also happened to be Richard Dawkins' 70th birthday. I talked a little bit about Dawkins. He is an evolutionary biologist, author and outspoken skeptic and atheist. I mentioned his book 'The Blind Watchmaker' and its defense of the theory of evolution.

A partial bibliography of Dawkins' books include 'The Blind Watchmaker', 'The Selfish Gene', 'Unweaving The Rainbow' and 'The God Delusion'.

My Friend Scotty Roberts

Scotty Roberts

The yin to my yang, my friend Scotty Roberts will be publishing a book on the Nephilim. If I'm not mistaken the Nephilim were giant angels who, in Biblical times, came down to earth to advance the human race. Those angels were later dispatched by the great flood of Noah's Ark fame. Of course, there is no physical evidence of giant angels (or small or regular sized ones for that matter) nor of a great world-wide flood. But Scotty believes that because so many different cultures have a great flood myth that there must have been a great flood. I pointted out that these cultures all lived in areas of the world where floods were common. It's not that surprising that many of them would make up a great flood story. And humans are perfectly capable of making up stories. Ever read a novel or watch a movie?

It should be an interesting read.

Chariots Of The Gods

Wait a minute, this isn't science.

Scotty's ideas about the Nephilim put the completely discredited ideas of Erich von Daniken in my mind. Von Daniken didn't think giant angels helped to advance human beings, he thought it was extraterrestrials. His ideas are highly speculative, unfounded and not at all supported by the evidence, but why let that stop him?

I mentioned this skeptical text book by Kenneth Feder in which von Daniken and his unevidenced ideas are critically discussed.

Logical Fallacies: Appeal To Authority or Argument From Authority

Inspired by the skeptical podcasts, Skeptoid and Skeptic's Guide to the Universe, I'm doing a series defining logical fallacies. This week's logical fallacy is "appeal to authority". I'm continuing to use those two sites so that we might learn how to recognize those mistakes made by all of us.

You can learn more from Skeptoid and the Skeptic's Guide to the Universe.

The "Supermoon" Had Nothing To Do With Earthquake That Hit Japan

Holy supermoon, Batman!

With information from the Bad Astronomer, Phil Plait, I briefly discussed that the moon getting slightly closer to earth had no effect on the tectonic plates that moved and rocked Japan with a very major earthquake.

You can read Phil's blog here.

Is Religion Dying Out?

And these are just a few that need to go.

Ok, I'm not holding my breath on this one, but according to some study there are nine countries in which it looks as though religion will soon be nonexistent. I have my doubts.

UFOs And Alien Lifeforms

It sort looks like an old style ceiling light fixture.

I have frequently had this curious failure of logic hurled at me whenever discussing UFOs. I'm asked if I believe that we are being visited by extraterrestrial intelligent lifeforms. I always answer no. Almost every time, that person then asks how I can think that earth is the only planet in the whole universe with life.

Easy. I don't.

These are two separate issues. There may very well be life all over the universe, but that in no way means that we are being visited.

Two things we know for certain. 1) Earth is, to the best of our knowledge, the only planet in the universe with life. 2) Space is VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY big.

If there is alien intelligence out there, it would take them an extremely long time to get here. In fact, it's rather unlikely that those aliens even know we are here. I'm telling you space is big!

Here's a nifty site for giving you an idea on just how big space is.

Movie Recommendation: Contact (1997)

But if you want hope that there is a chance we can make contact with whatever intelligent beings may be out there, the movie 'Contact' gives a theoretically possible idea on how that might happen. I have recommended this film, based on the novel by Carl Sagan, before, but I thought it was fitting to suggest it again given the topics I had discussed on the show.

Do Something For Japan

Praying won't stop this and it didn't cause it.

I mean actually do something for Japan. I'm sure there are many folks praying from the victims, but how about doing something that will actually do some tangible good? iTunes has sent up a portal through which you can donate some money. Click here for more info.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ahead' by Wire
First ad break bumpers: 'Girls On Film' by Duran Duran & 'Boy About Town' by The Jam
Second ad break bumpers: 'Daily Records' by The Who & 'Kerosene' by Big Black
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