Dimland Radio

dimland radio 10-27-18 show notes

Two Distractions

I explained at the top of the show that there were two distractions I was battling on this week’s show.

One was a persistent cough and dry throat that I have been experiencing for the last couple of weeks or so. Cough drops helped me through the show with a minimum of throat clearing and a cough or two.

The other was the longest postseason baseball game in the history of the majors. Game 3 of the 2018 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the L.A. Dodgers. The damn thing went 18 inning and last about seven hours and 20 minutes. I had the game on (with the sound down) as I recorded the show, so there are a few updates to be heard.

What? No Love For Mary Hart?

During each World Series game, Fox likes to take some time to show which celebrities are attending the game. This postseason, in the games that take place at Dodger Stadium, behind home plate has been Entertainment Tonight’s legendary host Mary Hart. However, she never gets any mention from Fox announcer Joe Buck.

I guess she’s chopped liver.

There’s Mary mocking Boston reliever Craig Kimbrel. And that really old fellow next to the old fellow on Mary’s right? That’s Larry King.

I Would Say Something Happened This Past Week

Someone had been sending pipe bombs through the mail to prominent liberals throughout America (George Soros, the Obamas, the Clinton, Robert de Niro, and others) and to one news organization which is considered to be very liberal itself (CNN). A suspect named Cesar Sayoc Jr. has been apprehended and taken into custody.

Let the anomaly hunting begin!

Even before the suspect was caught, the conspiracy theorists were hard at work searching for anomalies that would show the standard model explanation, whatever it turned out to be, would be considered a lie. A “false flag.”

The energy of a conspiracy theorist is endless.

It’s Not True: Crowds At Trump Rally In Texas

Yep. That’s me setting the record straight.

I have a Facebook friend who is a big supporter of Pres. Trump. They post all kinds of pro-Trump memes, many of which have a tenuous grasp on truthfulness. This past week they posted a picture of a crowded downtown area that was claimed to show the multitude lining up for a Trump rally in Texas (see image).

Turns out the picture shows the massive crowds of Cavalier fans who lined up to witness the parade for the 2016 NBA Champs. In Cleveland.

Not Texas. Not Trump.

Fake news.

A Couple Phone Scams

If you get a phone call from your grandchild pleading for money, because they’d been injured in a car accident, please, ask a few questions to make certain they are who they say they are. Chances are, it’s a scam.

I’m proud to say my father is skeptical enough to see right through that scam.

There’s another one in which the IRS calls and demands immediate payment for back taxes or they’ll send the police. If you get that call, please, tell them to get ahead and send the police. It’s a scam. The IRS doesn’t call people demanding money.

A Mind Reading Trick That Had Me Flummoxed

I had a coworker attempt to convince me she could read my mind. She asked me a series of questions each of which she had predicted my answers. She would write down her prediction of my answer and then ask the question.

She was right every time!

I was flabbergasted. I was certain it was a trick, but I couldn’t figure out what she was doing. And, of course, she wouldn’t tell me. I called a friend who I thought might know he did.

Over the years, my friend and I have forgotten the details of the trick. I reached out to mentalist Mark Edward, who was able to let me know what the trick was. She used a variation of the One Ahead Trick. I don’t recall how she started the trick, but she would actually be writing down the answer I just gave her, pretending to write down the answer to the next question, which she hadn’t asked yet.

The trick involves a force of some kind. Writing the answer she knew the answer to beforehand. She really had me going.

Three Cool Things

Mark Edward

1) Having Mark Edward, a very talented mentalist and well-known skeptical activist, take the time to help me out is darn cool Thank you very much, Mr. Edward! 10 points!

2) The World Series is in full swing. (Hey! A sports pun!) And that is always cool.

3) It being so close to Halloween, I had to at least mention my favorite holiday. I talked about an old horror show that was on local TV in the 70s. It was called Horror Incorporated and its open and close were creepy cool! I blogged about at Warehouse Find, the official blog of Nostalgia Zone.

Music heard on the show…

Dimland Radio opening theme song: ‘Ram‘ by The Yoleus
First ad break bumpers: ‘Every Word Means No‘ by Let’s Active & ‘Escape From Planet Earth‘ by The Alleycats

Second ad break bumpers: ‘Running Up That Hill‘ by Kate Bush & ‘Freak‘ by Bruce Foxton

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 10-20-18 show notes

Back!

This is what 17 long years of married bliss looks like.

I started the show by explaining why there hasn’t been a new show in two weeks. Well, I was sick that first missed week and I’m still coughing crap out of my lungs. Then the following Saturday (10-13) was my wedding anniversary, 35 year high school class reunion, and the one year anniversary of the death of my father-in-law. I’d say that was a big Saturday.

The baseball playoffs got in the way of my posting a bonus show for the second week of my absence.

But I’m back now!

And Did You Do Your Homework?

Way back on the September 22nd show, as part of the Three Cool Things segment, I gave a homework assignment to watch this short film by Adult Swim.

I hope you watched it, because I went on to spoil it and explain why I thought it was so cool. Go watch it now and you’ll see. Here’s a clue: It involves The Who and the greatest song ever recorded.

A Dimland Radio Pedantic Moment: Joe Pera Gets The Lyrics Wrong

OK, you watched the film? Good. Did you catch what they got wrong?

When Mr. Pera sings the beginning of the song (Baba O’Riley) for the priest who hadn’t heard it, the congregation joins in. That’s funny. But Joe sings. “Out here in the field, I fight for my meal.” I had always heard that as “fields” and “meals.” It was an ongoing, daily struggle the song’s protagonist was singing about. However, it is difficult to hear if the words are plural. Daltrey isn’t very clear on the studio version of the song, so as I recorded the show I wasn’t certain. BUT! I found this live footage, filmed for the rockumentary The Kids Are Alright (1979), in which I think it’s pretty clear that Roger uses the plural versions.

I was certain that Joe and Co got this other bit wrong. As the congregation joins Joe in singing along, they get to “I don’t need to fight to prove I’m right,” but they sing “I don’t need to fight to prove that I’m right.”

WRONG!

Hey! Whose Memory Is This Anyway?!

I told the tale of three DEA agents coming into the building in which I used to work to investigate a tenant. It was a mystery at first as to who ransacked the third floor apartment, but over the course of a few days the story was revealed.

Then someone else who worked at the shop, who wasn’t involved in the story, began to tell the story as though he was involved. My reaction at the time was very negative, but I learned that memory is a tricky thing and that that person probably really remembered it the way he told the stories, despite his being wrong.

Of course, that’s how I remember it.

It’s Not True: The Rumor About The Tootsie Pop Wrapper

Memory comes into play again for this item.

A Facebook friend posted this image:

He asked, “Do they still do the if you find the Indian shooting the star you get a free one?”

I had never heard this rumor. What I remember from when I was a kid was we would always look for the “Indian” and get excited if he was on our wrapper. My wife remembers it was supposed to mean good luck. Neither of us remember there being an offer for a free Tootsie Pop if we redeemed a wrapper with that character on it.

I looked into it and it is a myth. Snopes.com and the Tootsie website both say there was never such an offer. Interestingly, Tootsie only mentions the “shooting star” and not the white kid dressed as a Native American. They probably wished to avoid any ethnic insensitivity. (I did say “Indian” quite a lot in the segment. I started to feel a bit uncomfortable when listening back. I meant no offense.)

So, why does my friend remember getting free Tootsie Pops?

It may be that he remembers the rumor and over the years he’s conjured memories of getting free suckers. Or, maybe a store in his neighborhood decided to play along with the rumor and gave away free suckers as a way of getting customers. The second explanation has strong merit as Snopes mentioned that is what some stores did, without Tootsie’s sanctioning.

Memory is a tricky thing.

Three Cool Things

That’s not linen draped around him.

It’s his skin!

1) My friend Travis went on a trip to Europe and while visiting a church in Milan, Italy he took a few pictures of this statue of St. Bartholomew. It’s fantastic sculpture that is incredibly gruesome. Listen to the segment for the gory detail and a bit of dark humor on the part of the Catholic church.

2) The above response to the “dairy is bad for you” claim is pretty cool. I wish had thought of it when a pharmacist suggested my drinking milk was what was causing my high blood pressure.

3) Rock ‘n Roll High School (1979) is a pretty ridiculous, campy, low budget, schlocky movie that is a love letter to the Ramones. It may not be high art, but it does have the Ramones and some other really good music in it. And it has the Rock-O-Meter which displays the potency of certain rock bands. Please note which artist comes in just under the Ramones. Pretty cool.

Music heard on the show…

Dimland Radio opening theme song: ‘Ram‘ by The Yoleus
First ad break bumpers: ‘All That Jazz‘ by Echo & The Bunnymen & ‘Your Autumn Days‘ by Figures

Second ad break bumpers: ‘Celebrated Summer‘ by Husker Du & ‘Here Comes Your Man‘ by Pixies

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

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 9-29-18 show notes

Returning, Briefly, To The Great Toilet Seat Debate

Here I thought I had settled the whole position of the toilet seat when not in use issue a couple weeks ago. Well, it turns out there’s the whole problem with getting up to go pee in the night. It’s dark and people would prefer not to blind themselves by turning on the bathroom light.

We have a solution!

There you go. Problem solved.

A Dimland Radio ARGH!

If there’s anything I can’t abide nearly as much as straight up commies it’s anti-capitalism capitalists. People that decry the evils of capitalism while at the same time benefit from it.

The good folks over at The Dollop podcast, by my estimation, are guilty of this. It’s a good podcast that mainly focuses on the seedier history of the United States of America. That I don’t mind at all. Americans need to remember the terrible events and practices and policies that we, as a nation, have striven to overcome and do better for all Americans and the world. We need to remember we’re not perfect and never were, but we come a long way.

I wish the good folks at The Dollop would be more willing to acknowledge that.

But, that’s not what set me off. Listen and I’ll explain.

Mike Ehrmantraut Might Be A Little Too Great

“You wanted me to talk. I talked.”

Mike Ehrmantraut is a character, played by Jonathan Banks, on two excellent TV series: Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. He’s an ex-cop with a shady past, who is willing to work from more pretty shady dudes and do some very shady things. He does draw the line and has a personal code of ethics.

Mike is wise and resourceful. He knows how to get things done. He knows how to read people. He can sniff out trouble. But midway through season four of Better Call Saul, he seems to be just too knowledgeable about too much.

He’s still a great character and Banks is a terrific actor.

I even attempt a Mike Ehrmantraut impression.

Clara Bow – Time Traveler?

That’s a laptop?

A friend commented on a post on a Pre-Code Cinema Facebook fan page that suggested the above photo of the silent screen’s “It” Girl, Clara Bow, shows her with a laptop computer on her lap. My friend was certain it’s not a laptop, but a box of some kind. He was motivated to blog about, click here.

This probably won’t go as big as the supposed time traveler thought to be seen in 1924 film footage of a Hollywood premiere that was included in the extras of a Charlie Chaplin DVD. In that film an older woman can be seen talking on what to modern eyes appears to be a cell phone. It isn’t.

I would be surprised if this photo gets anyone seriously thinking that’s a laptop.

The You Must Remember This podcast does an excellent job in their show focusing on Clara Bow.

Dimland Radio Science Hero: Stearns County Sheriff Don Gudmundson

The files concerning the Jacob Wetterling abduction and murder have been made public and Stearns County, MN, where the crime took place, has a new sheriff and he’s not pleased with how the investigation was handled. Sheriff Don Gudmundson held a press conference in which he was highly critical of the Stearns County sheriff department and the FBI. He’s not going to have many friends in law enforcement.

He was declared a Dimland Radio Science Hero for his blunt and correct criticism of so-called psychics attempted to help in the investigation. In Sheriff Gudmundson’s word the psychics were “right about precisely nothing.” Amen, brother!

However, I do talk about how police investigators are stuck in a hard place when it comes to psychics, because the police have to follow leads. The person might really know something and they are just pretending to be psychic to avoid being implicated in the crime.

The In The Dark podcast does an excellent job reporting what happened in the Wetterling case in their first season.

Three Cool Things

It’s like a painting by a Renaissance master.

1) The turmoil of this past week in the form of the Senate Judiciary confirmation hearings yielded at least one very cool thing. The photo (see above) of Senator Jeff Flake breaking with his fellow Republicans is fantastic.

2) The NFL has gone a little overboard in their attempt to protect the quarterback. This instructional video shows the proper way to sack a quarterback. Yes, there is a flag thrown, but that was because the pillow wasn’t in place in time.

3) The screen shot (see above) I grabbed from a video showing one of my all-time favorite comic book illustrators sketching Captain America has something very cool in it. Other than the drawing, that is. Just take a look at what is on his collar.

Music heard on the show…

Dimland Radio opening theme song: ‘Ram‘ by The Yoleus
First ad break bumpers: ‘Here In My House‘ by 54-40 & ‘One Step Ahead‘ by Split Enz

Second ad break bumpers: ‘OK Wait‘ by Naked Raygun & ‘Rock N Roll High School‘ by The Ramones

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

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 9-22-18 show notes

Retiring “Wife Beater”

Last week, as I talked about the Universal Studios horror classic The Wolfman (1941), I described the undershirt worn by Lon Chaney Jr. during the first transformation scene as a “wife beater.” That’s an old term from a less enlightened time. A listener suggested it might be time to stop using the term. He’s right.

Consider it retired.

Movie Night

Each Sunday night, for the last several weeks, my wife, son, and I come together as a family, turn off our devices, and watch a movie. It’s very enjoyable and good to spend that time together. However, picking a movie can be tricky…

The Decision Has Been Made, But…

Well, each of my suggestions for movie night were shot down. And I’m OK with that. But, let’s pick something.

They picked Superbad (2007), a very, very, very raunchy comedy about two high school friends coming to terms with going their separate ways after years of friendship and dealing with raging hormones.

I try not to be a prude, but my son is 15 and...

Oh, Boy! More Blurry Lights!

A Facebook friend of mine has captured video of some UFOs. The images are very, very, very underwhelming. Are they alien spacecraft? Inter-dimensional beings in their inter-dimensional craft? Ghost orbs? Demons? Top secret military aircraft?

What could they be?

Blobs #1: Before zooming in.

Blobs #2: In full zoom.

Blobs #3: Blobs merging.

Blobs #4: Yawn.

Sky Lanterns: Litter, Fire Hazards, UFOs

I took a stab at what I thought those blobs of light might be and I came up with sky lanterns.

Sky lanterns are mini hot-air balloons made of plastic or paper and are often launched at weddings or some other celebrations. They float away shimmering and glowing into the night sky. They are so pretty.

They are also litter. They have to come down somewhere. And they are fire hazards. In 2011, sky lanterns were determined to have started a wildfire that burned 800 acres in Myrtle Beach, SC.

As of December, 2015, 29 states had banned sky lanterns. In early 2016, Nebraska became the 30th state to ban these possible explanations for some of the nighttime sightings of UFOs.

Which state do you think my friend lives in? A sky lantern free state or a sky lantern ban state?

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

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.