Dimland Radio

dimland radio 3-16-13 show notes

Some Notes On Athletes

I started off talking about various aspects of sports that keep me bothered and/or curious: the athlete’s drone, Dick Vitale’s over-the-top excitement, athletes getting jacked up before a game, etc.

In the course of my curiousness I committed an error. I mentioned ‘Red Tails’ the 2012 film about African American fighter pilots in World War II, but I mistakenly called it ‘Red Wings’. I must have been thinking about hockey. Whoops.

It’s Not True: The Sugar Rush

Recently, my son was talking about his day at school. There was some consumption of sugary confections and at least one of his classmates claimed to be having a major sugar rush. I took the opportunity to look into this sugar rush thing and found it’s not true.

Check here and here and you’ll see for yourself.

The Goonies

I told the tale of having never seen the 1985 children’s classic, ‘The Goonies’, and how I had resolved to never see it. But having a nine year-old made me break the resolution.

It’s not as awful as I thought it would be. In fact, I found it amusing and my son enjoyed it a lot.

But, for a family film, it sure has plenty of s-bombs dropped throughout. I found that surprising, so bear it in mind when watching it with your kids.

I also talked about suspending one’s disbelief when watching such films. This one does stretch that ability quite a bit, but I just accepted it and enjoyed the movie. There was one aspect that I couldn’t abide that involved bicycle tires.

The Most Commercially Successful Movie Of All Time

The easy demonstration when making this case would be to go with the inflation-adjusted box office take, which clearly shows the ‘Gone With The Wind’ (1939) is the ranking box office champ. I dug in a little deeper and figured out approximately how many tickets the movie sold in its initial run. Assuming I did my math right and the information I could find was accurate, the numbers are astounding!

I compiled the info through the websites Box Office Mojo, MovieWeb, Wikipedia, and US News & World Report. I looked at the box office take, average ticket price in 1939, and US population for 1939. Using those sites, I came up with the approximate number of tickets sold…

You’ll just have to listen to the show from the archive.

Movie Recommendation: Gone With The Wind (1939)

MGM

Well, what other movie would I recommend after talking so much about this movie and its astounding numbers? Not only was it commercially successful, it was also a pretty good movie. It’s well over three hours long, but it is worth it.

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: ‘One At A Time‘ by The Who & ‘Cig Machine’ by The Suburbs
Second ad break bumpers: ‘The Passenger‘ by Siouxsie & the Banshees ‘Since You’re Gone‘ by The Cars
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 3-9-13 show notes

Another Round Of Pictures

Who came up with the idea of doing two rounds of school pictures each year? The first round for the class picture and yearbook, the second appears to be a pure money grab. Does that seem cynical of me? Perhaps.

Deer Antler Snake Oil Spray

Apparently, there’s another ancient Chinese secret for enhancing athletic ability. It’s deer antler spray and, like other such products, it hasn’t been shown to work. That doesn’t stop the NFL and other sports organizations from banning it nor athletes from using it. Ray Lewis defensive player (now retired) for the Superbowl champions, Baltimore Ravens, has been accused of using it. If he wasn’t denying using it, I’m sure he’d be touting how well it works. The placebo effect does that.

I also remarked on how the banning of this snake oil (actually what is banned is the hormone IGF-1 which is found in the antlers) is being used as a selling point in the radio ads I’ve been hearing lately. They suggest that the stuff works so well that sports organizations have banned it. They don’t mention that the banning might be because the stuff has adverse effects on the user. Or that it is probably snake oil and doesn’t work.

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

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 2-23-13 show notes

I Am Not A Doctor

I started off stating that I really am not a doctor. Really. I’m not.

I also took a shot at other doctors who have Phds, but aren’t medical doctors. I’m not one of those either. I mentioned Dr. OZ, who is a medical doctor, but he does so much anti-science medicine stuff that maybe he shouldn’t be considered a doctor. And then there’s the father of the anti-vax movement, Andrew Wakefield, who isn’t a doctor anymore.

Space Might Be Attacking Us

The asteroid and the booming meteor over Russia might make you thinking we’re being attacked, but we really aren’t. I reviewed some of the recent space invading events that took place just recently and at what seemed to be at the same time.

It’s neat stuff, but space really isn’t attacking us. Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer, wrote about the awesomeness here.

Something else I learned from the event: Russia’s pop music is just as crappy as ours.

Ten Minute Topic With Chris Brown

Chris and I talked some politics and statistics. Chris referred us to the book ‘The Drunkard’s Walk’, which sure sounds like an interesting read. I’ll be putting it of my reading list.

We also mentioned NECSS and Nate Silver.

The Movie Hobo

I have been made an admin for the Facebook page The Movie Hobo. The Movie Hobo is a group page of movie enthusiasts making various comment about our favorite entertainment medium. I encouraged my listeners (all four of them from last night) to like that page.

And would it hurt you to find Dimland Radio’s Facebook fan page and give it a like?

The Good Life

The star of the British television series ‘The Good Life’ died recently. His name was Richard Briers and he played Tom Good on that very popular (in the UK anyway) show.

I took that opportunity to talk about that show, which is my all-time favorite sit-com. Not because it is the funniest , but it has become like comfort food for me. I just like the characters so much.

You might as well. In fact, I made ‘The Good Life’ my movie recommendation. I know! It’s not a movie, but it is available on Netflix and it’s only 30 episodes, so it’s really worth watching.

Movie Recommendation: None This Week Again (See Above)

Yep, you’re on your own again this week, but ‘The Good Life’ is a good suggestion.

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: ‘Big Brother Muscle‘ by The Screaming Blue Messiahs & ‘Cooks County‘ by The Who
Second ad break bumpers: ‘Like It Or Not‘ by Genesis & ‘No More Lonely Nights‘ by Paul McCartney
Closing song: ‘Angler’s Treble Hook’ by $5 Fiddle

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 2-16-13 show notes

It’s Not True: Lottery Give Away

The internets are full of baloney. And I talked about something I’ve seen on the Facebook a few times. It’s a picture of a fellow holding up the winning Powerball ticket and includes text that promises to give the millionth person who shares that post one million dollars.

Well, as you may have guessed, it’s not true. Check snopes.com here for the details.

Mr. Big Shot

I took the family to see ‘Wreck It Ralph’ last weekend. We went to one of the older theaters in the Twin Cities. It’s almost as old as I am! It’s a second run theater now and has been for several years. People can see the recent releases on the big screen (biggish, it was bigger when the theater had the single screen, but it has two now) for only two bucks.

You can learn about the Maplewood Plaza theater here.

Anyway, as I said it’s two bucks a ticket and we happened to getting behind Mr. Big Shot waiting to pay for our tickets. Mr. Big Shot paid for his two dollar ticket with a hundred dollar bill. Smooth move, Ex Lax. We were all impressed.

Science Hero

Another science hero was crowned by Dimland Radio. He is US Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ). Congressman Holt is a scientist! An honest to goodness scientist. We need more scientists in politics.

I alluded to an organization that is encouraging scientists to get involved in politics. Here is one such organization.

So, Congressman spoke in Congress about a resolution to make February 12th Darwin Day and he spoke highly of Charles Darwin and the importance of the Theory of Evolution. And that makes him a Dimland Radio Science Hero.

See his talk here.

Oh, and I mentioned a science zero in politics who thinks the earth is only 6000 years old. You can witness her ignorance here. I mentioned this ignoramus on my show of 4/21/12.

Uncle Joe

I retold a story about my uncles Joe and Dick. They’re twins and they just turned 70 (and I thought I was old!). The story was about barhopping up north to visit his twin brother and how all that drinking affected my Uncle Dick. It’s a funny story, but it could easily been a tragic story.

Dimland Radio does not support drinking and driving.

I told the story again as a way to bring up that my Uncle Joe passed away 2/13/13. He had suffered emphysema the last few years after a life of smoking. Some months ago he was diagnosed with lung cancer. We’re not sure which disease took him from us. No matter.

Uncle Joe will be missed.

This Is History?

I then spent some time giving my thoughts on my friend Scott Roberts’ pseudo-history book “The Rise and Fall of the Nephilim. ” Don’t know what the Nephilim are? Well, they’re angels or aliens who came down to earth in biblical times to have sex with human women to advance the human race. The women birthed giant hybrid angel (or alien)/humans and God had to send Noah’s Flood to wipe them out.

See? History!

Scott has also written a book about the Reptilians and will be co-writing a book about Moses and the Exodus. Despite the total lack of any archeological or historical evidence that Moses existed or that the Exodus actually happened.

Oh, well. I’m sure Scott won’t let actual evidence or lack thereof get in the way of his guess about supernatural being real.

I also mentioned an actual archeologist, Kenneth Feder. Kenneth Feder doesn’t quite see the past the way Scott and other pseudo-historians see it. He follows the evidence to where it leads and it doesn’t lead to giants or angels or aliens or whatever the pseudo-historian wants to find.

Here’s Scott book about giant angel babies and here’s Kenneth Feder’s book. Two guesses which I think has the better chance of being accurate to our actually history. However, Scott’s book is much more affordable.

Movie Recommendation: None This Week

I didn’t have time to get to a movie recommendation this week, so you are on your own. But “Wreck It Ralph” is worth a look.

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: ‘Candyman‘ by Siouxsie & The Banshees & ‘Love Is A Stranger‘ by Eurythmics
Second ad break bumpers: ‘Middle Of The Road‘ by The Pretenders & ‘Walking & Falling‘ by Laurie Anderson
Closing song: ‘Angler’s Treble Hook’ by $5 Fiddle

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.