Dimland Radio

dimland radio 6-5-21 show notes

Together Again!

For the first time since Christmas 2019 the Fitzsimons clan was together again. We got together to celebrate Memorial Day and the beginning of summer (which I hate) and my son Hayden’s graduation from high school. We gathered at my younger brother Steve’s new house. No masks, lots of hugs, and just hanging out together. It was wonderful!

Steve had a special gift for me. It was a bottle of Farrah Fawcett cream soda. The photo of me holding the bottle prompted a friend to call me to exclaim how grey my hair had gotten and that the pandemic seems to have really taken a toil on me.

“Gee, thanks for calling, my good friend.”

The thing is, depending on the lighting, sometimes I look really grey while other times not so much. Compare the two images (below). The one in which my hair appears less grey was taken days after the Farrah soda pic. I hadn’t done anything to my hair. I just changed the light source.

But, I am getting older and greyer. It’s just what happens.

Don Vogel And Chris Mars

On June 5, 1995 talk radio personality Don Vogel died. It’s been 26 years. Where does the time go?

Chances are you may not have heard of Don, but if you were a fan of Twin Cities (or Chicago) talk radio during the ’80s and into the ’90s you might know exactly who I am talking about.

Don was blind from birth and from an early age he knew he wanted to be on the radio. And he made it. He was incredibly funny and talented. His impressions of Richard Nixon and Howard Cosell were outstanding. His show was three hours of irreverent humor and fun. I was so bummed when he died.

Since I was talking about him, I figured I’d tell the story of the time I embarrassed myself at the Minnesota State Fair as Don and his co-host TD Mischke did their show from the Fairgrounds. This is where Chris Mars, a fantastic artist and the drummer of the legendary Minneapolis band The Replacements, comes in. Through listening to Don’s show over the years, I learned that Chris was also a fan of the “round mound of sound.”

And that day at the Fair I saw Chris in the crowd…

It’s Not True: Bees Defy Laws Of Physics

*It’s all in the stroke! (Well, most of it is.)*

Some French entomologist in the 1930s (I mistakenly said 1830s on the show) thought bees shouldn’t be able to fly. Their wings are so small and their bodies are too bulky for flight. He couldn’t figure it out.

Bee Movie (2007) referred to this apparent defiance of aviation and physics by stating, “The bee, of course, flies anyways. Because the bee doesn’t care what humans think is impossible.”

I hope that entomologist didn’t think that, though the bee appeared to be doing something impossible, it was actually flying by magic. Just because an explanation wasn’t clear in the 1930s, it didn’t mean there wasn’t an explanation.

The advancement of science and technology has provided the answer. And, spoiler, it’s not magic.

A Mouse And A Broken Tooth

We have a guest in the house. Unwanted. It’s a mouse. The traps are in place and the cat has been instructed to kill the little intruder.

I had a tooth break after 5pm on the Friday of a three day weekend. Sigh. Luckily, there is no pain, so it hasn’t been very urgent to get it taken care of. And last Friday, also after 5pm, another bit of the same tooth broke off. Still no pain, but it seems this tooth is determined to ruin a weekend.

Let’s see what breaks off next Friday evening.

Tales From The Janitor’s Closet: So Many Dead Bodies

As a janitor I’ve gotten to go behind teller counters at banks, into private offices, boiler rooms, vaults, tunnels, and even on roofs. I get to go places where the general public is not allowed. It’s kind of a perk, I guess.

This past week, I got to go to the staff only area of a funeral home. And there were dead bodies. So many dead bodies. Thankfully, they were all covered by sheets with the exception of one in a body bag.

The following are details I did not give on the show, skip to the next topic if you might be squeamish: Two of the bodies weren’t completely covered by the sheets. Their heads were esposed. However, they were tightly wrapped in plastic. I could see through the plastic a little and see some facial features. One of those whose head was exposed was a small child. No more than three feet tall. Sad.

And there was the smell. Not overpowering, but definitely there.

Oh, the places you will go!

A Few Cool Things

First of the cool things was being able to work in the comic book store with one of my co-workers, Joe, without either of us wearing a mask! It was so nice to be able to remove the masks and not worry about the Covid. This is one of the benefits of everyone at the store being fully vaccinated.

Next is that Joe was able to buy Batman #1 (Spring 1940) through an online auction at Heritage. That is a major comic book. It’s the first issue under the Batman title, but not the first appearance of Batman (that was in Detective Comics #27 published March, 1939). It does have, however, the first appearances of Catwoman and the Joker. The condition of his book is pretty poor, but it still has a pretty hefty price. And, coolest of all, I got to hold it!

Another cool thing was getting see my very good friend Dave. We were last together in March 2020, right before the shut down. We hugged and were maskless around each other. And Dave gave me a spare AC window unit, our old one crapped out at the end of last summer. That is very cool, both figuratively and literally.

I finished the show with a story about Dave that connects with the story about Don Vogel and Chris Mars. It’s a small world after all.

Be patient. Wash your hands. Wear a mask where required. AND GET VACCINATED!

Dimland Radio opening theme song: Ram by The Yoleus

First ad break bumpers: Back In Flesh by Wall Of Voodoo and She’s Tight by Cheap Trick

Second ad break bumpers: What She Said by The Smiths and Jean’s Not Happening by Pale Fountains

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 Apple Podcasts! 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.

Subscribe to Dimland Radio on PodBean!

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’d like.

Images used under Fair Use.

dimland radio 5-22-21 show notes

Vaccine Passports, The ‘I Don’t Want To Do Thats’, And New Normals

Repeating some of last week’s talk about the I Don’t Want To Do That crowd and how they just don’t want to get with the program to get us past the pandemic, I connected their attitude to the possible need for vaccine passports. This crowd resisted all the actions the rest of us took to limit the spread of this virus every step of the way, repeatedly responding with “I don’t want to do that!”

Now some businesses (airlines in particular) might require customers prove their vaccination status in order to drop the masks and, of course, the I Don’t Want To Do Thats don’t want to do that. And that’s because they don’t want to get vaccinated.

They want things to be the way they were, but they don’t want to do the things required to get there. Sigh.

*“Thanks for not being an asshole, Dad.” “You bet, Son!”*

A complaint has risen from this crowd of selfish babies that there will be new normals because of the pandemic. One lamented the new normal of masks after I related the story of two teenage girls standing up to their mother to get her to wear a mask before entering a Walgreens. Again, if the I Don’t Want To Do That crowd had gotten with the program, the new normal of mask-wearing might not still be necessary.

Throughout history there have been new normals due to advances in medicine and technology, population growth and changes in demographics, new political ideas, economic booms and busts; and I’m sure there were the same types saying “I don’t want to do that” all along the way. The world changes and new ways of doing things and new requirements (driver’s licenses for instance) become normal.

Oh, by the way, mask mandates are ending soon all over the country. So much for the new normal of mandated permanent mask-wearing to control us.

It’s Not True: Life Expectancy. AGAIN!

Trae Crowder, comedian, podcaster, vlogger, and liberal redneck produces internet content commenting on liberal ideas and conservative dumbassness from his southerner perspective. There are liberal southerners, you know. (And he calls himself Liberal Redneck, so don’t get on my case.) I like his stuff a lot.

However, in a recent video, Trae talks about an abortion case from Mississippi that will get a hearing before the US Supreme Court. During his talk, he mentioned his displeasure of lifetime appointments to the Court. And then he does it.

When referring to the setting up of the original Supreme Court in the late 1780s and the lifetime appointments, he says, “I know that happened at a time when people didn’t live past 42 or whatever, so the notion of a tribunal of mummified regressivists presiding over the laws of the land wasn’t at the forefront of anybody’s thought process…”

Sigh. There it is. The misunderstanding of life expectancy. A big part of the reason life expectancy was so short back then was because of so many people dying at birth! No one! And I mean no one, was looking at a 41 year-old and thinking they had one foot in the grave. People who survived birth and early childhood lived to be 60, 70, 80 and even older.

And of the ten men Pres. George Washington appointed to the Court, only one, James Iredell, was under the age of 42 (he was 38). The oldest appointee (Thomas Johnson) was 59.

Not all of the men served for life. John Jay resigned after serving about six years. He was appointed at age 43 and died when he was 89. Thomas Johnson resigned after serving only 163 days, the shortest term of any US Supreme Court Justice. He died at age 86. If they had stayed on the Court, they would have served quite a long time.

Of the original ten, two died young. James Iredell at age 48 and James Wilson at age 55. The rest made it to 60 or older. And I’m sure that when Iredell and Wilson died plenty of people were saying they died too young.

So, when Washington was appointing justices to those lifetime positions he had every expectation they would be there a long time.

A Dimland Radio Pedantic Moment: Drive-Up Lane At McD’s

A nearby McDonald’s had recently reconfigured their parking lot to include a lane specifically for customers wishing to use the drive-up option. The lane is there to avoid having customers drive through the parking lot to get to the two drive-up menu boards (although it is possible to cut through the lot). McDonald’s wants to avoid having the parking lot clogged with people trying to get to the drive-up.

I, owing to my pedantic nature, of course use the designated drive-up lane.

The other day, a person who would have been behind me had they followed the rules ended up cutting me off. They got stuck behind someone ordering for the entire office, while I went to another menu board and got ahead of them in line. I had a nice chuckle.

But then the Pedantic Moment hit me.

A Dimland Radio Science Zero: 60 Minutes & Bill Whitaker

Yes, the venerable, well-respected, long-running TV news magazine 60 Minutes has slipped up a bit in their journalism. I was really reluctant to proclaim the program and reporter Bill Whitaker to be Dimland Radio Science Zeros. I almost didn’t because they only barely suggested space aliens might be behind UFOs or UAPs. UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) is the replacement term for UFO (Unidentified Flying Object).

Just last week, I talked about skeptic Mick West. I mentioned how he had provided plausible explanations for US Navy videos of strange objects in the sky appearing to defy the laws of physics. Here is his write up on the 60 Minutes report.

Last Sunday, 60 Minutes did a credulous report on those very same videos. Although, “other worldly” explanations were briefly alluded to, the focus of the report was to wonder what these phenomena were and to stress that the videos were real. The US government was admitting UFOs or UAPs are real! (The main report is here and an extended extra interview is here.)

Well, yeah. Remember: The U in UFO and UAP stands for unidentified, not alien spacecraft, not inter-dimensional vehicles, not even super secret experimental military (foreign or domestic) aircraft (based on space alien technology, obviously).

Despite my reluctance, I am awarding Dimland Radio Science Zero status to 60 Minutes, Bill Whitaker, the US Navy, and everyone interviewed including Sen. Marco Rubio. They were all amazed and troubled by the “real” images. No one knew what these objects were, no one could explain what they could be, and no one asked Mick West.

Be patient. Wash your hands. Stay home. Stay safe. Wear a mask where required. AND GET VACCINATED!

Dimland Radio opening theme song: Ram by The Yoleus

First ad break bumpers: Crashing By Design and Brilliant Blues by Pete Townshend

Second ad break bumpers: Cat’s In The Cupboard and Face Dances Part Two by Pete Townshend – Happy Birthday, Pete!

Closing song: Angler’s Treble Hook by $5 Fiddle

Please subscribe on Apple Podcasts! 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.

Subscribe to Dimland Radio on PodBean!

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’d like.

Images used under Fair Use.

dimland radio 5-15-21 show notes

Of Vax And Masks

I started by catching everyone up on my family’s vaccination status. Amy, Hayden, and I have all received our second doses. Amy will be at full strength tomorrow, I will be by the end of the week, and the boy will get there in less than two weeks.

There is a family gathering planned for the last weekend of the month and the masks will be off. Oh, and there will be hugs!

I went grocery shopping recently and I spotted a fellow shopper whose nose was out of their mask. I immediately started thinking to myself, “Sigh. What is wrong with these people? The nose is connected to the lungs! We breathe through our noses! Get that nose… GASP! I’M NOT WEARING MY MASK!”

Luckily, I had my mask in my pocket and I put it right on.

The CDC has given new guidance on masks in light of the vaccination roll-out: Americans who are fully vaxxed can ditch the masks! Hurray!

But, what’s to stop the anti-vaxxers from just claiming to be vaccinated and go out among us unmasked?

The Photo That Freaked Out The Internet

No, the Bidens aren’t giants. No, the Carters, although they have gotten smaller due to aging, aren’t elves. And, no, this isn’t a scene from a David Lynch film.

It’s a lovely, if odd looking, photograph of the current First Couple (yes, he won by 7 million votes!) visiting America’s oldest living former First Couple.

It’s a sweet moment and an example of how the camera can lie. Read on…

A Dimland Radio Science Hero: Mick West

Mick West is a skeptic who uses his particular set of skills to explain strange photographic phenomena. Recent military releases of UFO videos (here and here) were given more likely explanations than space aliens by Mick. And when that picture of the Bidens with the Carters hit social media, Mick was able to demonstrate why the image looks so odd.

Hint: It’s the wide angle lens!

*No, Mick West does not have a giant twin brother.*

Mick West has a website called Metabunk. It’s a great source for more likely explanations of various odd occurrences.

For his work in explaining the “unexplainable”, Mick West is a Dimland Radio Science Hero.

A Cool Thing: David Letterman, Bob Costas, And Later

In my recent obsession of rewatching as much of Late Night with David Letterman clips that I can find on YouTube, I discovered this intriguing Letterman moment. It’s an interview he gave to Bob Costas for NBC’s late night interview show Later.

*Ditch the cigars, Dave. They’re bad for you. Mark my words.*

What makes this find particularly intriguing is that it gives us the raw video of the entire interview. We get to see two camera angles simultaneously, the camera and sound continue as they break for commercials, make-up people and a producer walk in during the breaks, and we get a little break time conversation (what there is of it) between Bob and Dave.

During one break, Dave volunteers to talk about the feud he had with Bryant Gumbel of the Today Show.

It’s very cool!

Phone Scam!

Our supervisor at work asked me what to do about an upsetting phone call he received. The caller claimed our supervisor had hit the person’s parked car and left his phone number, so the caller was contacting him to arrange dealing with the damage.

Our supervisor had no idea what the caller was talking about. He hadn’t hit a car let alone left a note with his number. The caller became irate, demanding the situation be remedied.

Turns out the call is a scam to illicit information from the unsuspecting victim.

It’s Not True: Officer Sicknick’s Cause Of Death

The news had reported US Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick had died from being hit in the head by a fire extinguisher during the attempted coup on January 6 by fanatical Trump supporters. You know, Insurrection Day or, as Republicans refer to it, a visit to the Capitol by some very fine people. The Party of Trump wants us to forget the attack happened.

Well, the news media got it wrong. And, subsequently, so did I. Officer Sicknick, although still considered to have died in the line of duty by his department, died of strokes caused by blood clotting in his brain stem.

The truth is important and I don’t want to be spreading misinformation on my show.

World At War, Trumpers, And Loyalty Oaths

I recently finished rewatching the excellent British TV documentary series World At War (1973). I blogged about the series in February, 2020.

However, this most recent time watching the series was different. It the aftermath of Insurrection Day, or as Dear Leader’s Party refers to it Let’s Just Forget It Happened Day, I’ll never be able to watch the series the same way again.

In the episode called Genocide: 1941-1945, we see new SS troopers being sworn in by Heinrich Himmler. The oath they took was to God, country, and Adolf Hitler. In America, we have never been required to take an oath to a person. Never to the President.

At rallies and on Insurrection Day, the Trumpers chanted, among other things, “Fight for Trump!” Not fight for America. Not fight for the Constitution. Not fight for freedom. Not fight for democracy. They wanted to fight for Trump. It was a kind of loyalty oath to the man.

I had watched World At World and those SS troops pledging their allegiance to Hitler believing that would never happen in America.

Well, it can.

Be patient. Wash your hands. Stay home. Stay safe. WEAR A MASK! Get vaccinated!

Dimland Radio opening theme song: Ram by The Yoleus

First ad break bumpers: Town Called Malice by The Jam and Entre Nous by Rush

Second ad break bumpers: Dangerous by The Who and Freeze Tag by Suzanne Vega

Closing song: Angler’s Treble Hook by $5 Fiddle

Please subscribe on Apple Podcasts! 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.

Subscribe to Dimland Radio on PodBean!

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’d like.

Images used under Fair Use.

dimland radio 5-1-21 show notes

Hoo-Hoo Hooooooo

This past Monday was my dad’s 86th birthday (astrologers, put your charts away) and I thought I would stop by to wish him a Happy Birthday and to brighten his and Mom’s day with my mere presence. I have that effect on them.

It was after sundown when I arrived and as I hopped out of the car I heard the hoot of a great horned owl. I stopped in my tracks to listen and then I hear another owl returning the hoot. There were two in my parents’ neighborhood doing a call and response.

It was very cool!

I’ve lived in this area since 1973 and the hoot of the great horned owl has been a thing for just the last couple of years.

“I Have An Immune System”

There seems to be one specific group among the anti-vaxxers with regards to Covid that has suddenly become experts on the immune system. Well, they seemed to have discovered they have an immune system. And that makes them experts.

The group is white, middle-aged, Republican men who sycophantically support Fearless Loser. I personally know of two such people who have become so proud of their immune systems. One has even modified his Facebook profile picture with the banner declaring, “I have an immune system.” It’s his way of saying, “I won’t get vaccinated.”

Well, yeah, he does have an immune system. And that’s why vaccines work. Vaccines work with your immune system to prepare for exposure to a virus, such as the one that causes Covid-19.

But try explaining that to them.

Something Else My Cousin And Ted Nugent Have In Common

I have a cousin who falls into the same category as the two immune system fellows I know. He is a Fearless Loser supporter and he has often posted anti-mask and anti-lockdown rhetoric on his Facebook. I don’t think he was being all that careful in avoiding Covid. I’m sure he wasn’t wearing a mask and he was probably hanging with other anti-maskers, because of their rights and they all have an immune system, obviously.

Well, he posted the other day that he had tested positive for Covid.

My cousin did admit that Covid was pretty rough. Thankfully, he seems to be recovering.

Enter the Motor City Madman, Ted Nugent. Ted had spent the past year downplaying the pandemic, much like his favorite president. He touted the immune system (again with the immune system, you’d swear these guys were doctors) and was suspicious of the vaccines. He also didn’t like masks and social distancing and any of the other mitigation measures.

Guess what!

Mr. Madman posted that he tested positive for Covid early last month. He admitted getting hit very hard by it, that it wasn’t like any flu he’d ever had. He said he had “never been so scared in all my life.”

Will this humble him? Will he start advocating people ought to wear masks and get vaccinated? Or will he continue to spread the stupid as he did just before he got infected?

We’ll see.

A Dimland Radio Science Zero: Joe Rogan

*Podcaster and infectious disease expert Joe Rogan.*

Wildly popular podcaster Joe Rogan doesn’t know science. His podcast has a huge audience, which makes his influence troubling. Especially when he advises younger people to not get vaccinated. Oh, sure, if you are older and maybe not in the best health, then get vaccinated. But if you’re young and swingin’, no time to think about tomorrow, why bother?

Rogan is preaching Me thinking, not We thinking. A young and health person might get infected and get through it fine. They might not even show any symptoms. BUT! They can infect others! This is why everyone who can should get vaccinated. We need to get to herd immunity to put this pandemic behind us.

Between the middle-aged, white, Republican men and dumbasses like Joe Rogan, I fear America will not get to herd immunity.

Here is Dr. Fauci explaining why Rogan is wrong.

President George W. Bush Can Paint?

*Geez! They’ll let anybody be an artist.*

It’s probably just sour grapes and envy on my part, but former President George W. Bush has decided to become a portrait painter in his retirement. He has worked with tutors and he’s had two books of portraits published.

As an artist who does portraits, my assessment of W’s skills is… He’s ok. With study and practice, he’ll get better. He has shown improvement already. And I don’t want to discourage him.

It’s all this folk/outsider art thing. People who don’t know what they are doing getting praised for their art. It irks me.

W is certainly better than that total hack Grandma Moses. He has worked with tutors, so he’s learned something. And his portraits do look like the people he’s painting, however there is lots of room for improvement.

But, he’s a former president, so he gets published, while excellent portrait artists need to launch Kickstarter campaigns.

Hit A Wall

*I’m no George W. Bush, but I have some passable skills.*

Speaking of artists, this one has hit a bit of a wall. I had been working on a series of sketches of movie scenes. I intend to fill a sketchbook with 220 such drawings, but I am stuck. It’s hard to explain, but I’m having trouble getting back to the drawings which have been idle for months.

I am determined to finish the project and I have come up with an idea to break up my mental logjam.

I’ll keep you posted on my progress, should I make any.

Blue Moon Of My TV Tray

There was this water mark left by a sweaty can of soda not placed on a coaster (shame on me) on one of our fancy TV trays. The look of that water mark kept suggesting an image to my mind. I decided to turn the furniture boo-boo into a piece of art.

After first getting permission from my wife to draw on the furniture, I grabbed a black Sharpie® and a blue highlighter marker and went to work.

Ten minutes later and here is what I did.

It’s a simple case of pareidolia. I saw a moon in the pattern and drew it out.

Be patient. Wash your hands. Stay home. Stay safe. WEAR A MASK! Get vaccinated!

Dimland Radio opening theme song: Ram by The Yoleus

First ad break bumpers: Love Is A Stranger by Eurythmics and Where’s There’s Smoke, There’s Fire by The Urban Guerrillas

Second ad break bumpers: Armageddon Days (Are Here Again) by The The and Start! by The Jam

Closing song: Angler’s Treble Hook by $5 Fiddle

Please subscribe on Apple Podcasts! 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.

Subscribe to Dimland Radio on PodBean!

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’d like.

Images used under Fair Use.

dimland radio 4-24-21 show notes

Adding To The Grey Hair

I have often said that I would prefer a job in which I just had to concentrate on my tasks and not worry about other people’s work. I would prefer not to be a manager. So what do I do for my main job? I’m a manager. Sigh.

It had been a busy week in which I had to work every night, which I do not like, but I was needed so…

Adding to the workload was an employee who had been off for a few days. She thought it would be helpful to leave her keys in her building, but she didn’t tell me that was her plan. When she returned, we had to get a key to her so she could access her building.

That was managed, but then later that night she told us she couldn’t find her key where she had left it…

Oh, look. More grey hair.

More On The Johnson & Johnson Pause

I had pretty much come around to the idea that the FDA and CDC recommending that the Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine distribution be paused to look into the very rare cases of blood clots was a necessary and understandable precaution. One of the Minnesota Skeptics, a pharmacist, explained it well enough for me to back off of my original thinking of it as an overreaction.

Skeptic Rebecca Watson also weighed in on the pause and she goes into more depth in explaining the prudence of the pause. Watch Rebecca’s video on the topic here.

More On Bigfoot Again

Last week I talked about the famous bigfoot film by Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin. I talked about it being still the best bit of photographic evidence for the world-renown if not found cryptid. And when I say best, I mean it’s still pretty lousy. The film is inconclusive at best.

Well, an argument I discussed was that even though virtually everyone has a camera on them at all times, it is still difficult to catch those “capture the moment” incidences, because by the time you get the camera ready the moment is gone.

True enough, but I had an opportunity to capture an image of an event. I had to dig into my pocket, get my phone to the camera mode, get the camera set to landscape, and snap the pic. I was able to capture…

What? Were you expecting Bigfoot?

A Podcast Recommendation

It’s called Strange By Nature. It’s a science podcast hosted by three naturalists who each tell of some strange, sometimes frightening or disgusting, but always fascinating thing found in the natural world. I think the hosts are a great mix and the information they give is fascinating and the podcast is a lot of fun.

Check it out!

Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!

*Photo credit: Amr Alfiky/The New York Times*

It turns out a cop can be convicted of murder by a jury having watched video of said cop kneeling on a man’s neck for nearly nine and a half minutes. This is not the end of the fight for justice in America for people of color. It’s step. A step in the right direction toward a just and free society for all, which is still a long way away.

I breathed a sigh of relief as the three guilty verdicts were read. George Floyd is gone. He will not and should not be forgotten. There is still so much work left to be done.

#JusticeForGeorgeFloyd

Oh Please!

*The preview image has enough to show this is phony.*

This bullshit video popped up on my Facebook. It is completely unbelievable. Only the most gullible among us could think this is not a complete setup with the people involved being actors playing the roles of a military man and his wife in a surprise reuniting.

Let’s just look at the screen capture (left). How many things are wrong about this Airman First Class? Let’s see. The facial hair is not military. His hair is way too long. The black t-shirt is not right. The boots are wrong. And the cap might also be wrong. (Thanks to my high school friend who just retired from the military and helped me with identifying the problems with the uniform.)

There are plenty of other questionable elements to this video. The wife never acknowledges there is a person standing in front of her taking video of her. Her bag is in the perfect “come steal me” position. And as she chases the thief, a chase that lasts way too long, she slows down when he does and speeds up when he speeds up.

The people who made this phony reunion video barely put any effort into their fakery for clicks and views.

Pathetic.

A Dimland Radio Pedantic Moment: iPhone 12 Ad

The iPhone 12 has a ceramic shield for its screen, which makes it resistant to breaks or cracks. Great. But the ad, called Fumble, cheats.

We witness a young woman walking and talking on her iPhone 12 when she begins to fumble with it. It had slipped from her hand and she is desperately trying to catch it before it hits the ground. She fears the screen will be damaged.

So, she fumbles with it as the phone makes its way to the ground. She can’t stop it from happening and it lands screen down. Surely, the screen is toast. She picks it up. Thanks to the ceramic screen, the phone is fine. Yay!

The thing is…

She’s walking on a sidewalk made with paving stones. Brick hard paving stones. But where does the phone land? On dirt. Soft, loosely packed dirt.

Hmmm. Why land on dirt and not the paving stones? For the kicking up dust effect? So that the phone doesn’t bounce? Or was it to help insure the screen wouldn’t break?

I think iPhone is cheating here.

Cool Thing #1

My favorite band, The Who, have re-issued their third studio album The Who Sell Out from 1967. It is loaded with all sorts of features, bells, and whistles. This super deluxe re-issue is priced out at just about $120.00. It’s a little out of my reach.

What isn’t out of reach is the new documentary about the album which dropped on YouTube to coincide with the re-release.

The album is very cool and so is the documentary.

Cool Thing #2

NASA, with all their science, has put a helicopter on Mars! And it worked. The helicopter called Ingenuity flew!

This is no small feat. Ingenuity had to be designed to fly in the very thin atmosphere on out red neighbor. But apply some science and NASA was able to take flight on another world. It has been a mere 118 years since the Wright Brothers’ flight at Kitty Hawk, NC!

In fact, a small piece of fabric from the Wright’s flying machine is inside Ingenuity. How cool is that?!

Cool Thing #3

My son Hayden has received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine! Take that Covid!

Be patient. Wash your hands. Stay home. Stay safe. WEAR A MASK! Get vaccinated!

Dimland Radio opening theme song: Ram by The Yoleus

First ad break bumpers: Rescue by Echo & The Bunnymen and Eight Miles High by Husker Du

Second ad break bumpers: Anywhere’s Better Than Here by The Replacements and Let’s Go Down To The Woods by The Screaming Blue Messiahs

Closing song: Angler’s Treble Hook by $5 Fiddle

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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’d like.

Images used under Fair Use.