dimland radio 9-8-18 show notes

When In A Hole… 

Well, I started off the show by jumping right in a hole and got to digging even deeper.
 
On Facebook this past week, a conversation arose on just what is the proper position of the toilet seat when the toilet is not in use. The toilet at home, that is. Public restrooms are a different story.
 
I start out talking about how I was all set to come down on the side of the men. Well, that is my team, but the conversation got me thinking a little more deeply on the topic. My conclusion had to be modified, because the women brought up some very good points that I hadn’t considered.
 
But, I may not have climbed out of the hole I dug. You’ll be the judge.
 
I also sidetracked a moment to talk about my thoughts on the recently invented term “mansplain.”
 
I should probably stop digging. 
Anonymous?

I would like to think the NY Times wouldn’t just make up an op-ed and say it was by a “top official” in the White House. And I would be right. But whenever something is anonymous I get a little skeptical.

A Dimland Radio Pedantic Moment: Close Encounters Of The Third Kind


This pedantic moment is an epic one. And there are plenty of spoilers.

 
Ever since I first saw this Spielberg classic back when it was released, I have always been mystified about the music playing, the intergalactic dueling banjos scene. How do the humans know what to do?
 
“What the hell are we saying to each other?!”
I also talked about some other things done in the meeting with the aliens at the end of the film. During the returning of the hostages, how did the government people know that those who had been kidnapped by ET would be returned at all? But they did. How?
 
“Humans are too stupid to have produced an Einstein.”
And that supposed to be profound remark about Einstein was insulting!

 
Artists Working For Living, But Not Doing Their Art

 

Actor, Geoffrey Owens, of The Cosby Show fame, was spotted working at a Trader Joe’s. The news hit the internet. There was a round of job shaming, as though working at a Trader Joe’s is somehow beneath him.

 
To its credit the other part of the internet spoke up it support of Owens. Saying there’s no shame in working to support oneself and family, even if one used to be a regular cast member of a hit TV show. People were learning that life happens and even those who had their big break may need to take a few steps down when the big gig is gone.
 
Artists struggle. Some make it well enough to earn a consistent living. A very small number make it into the realm of big time fame and wealth. Most struggle, toiling away in anonymity, while they watch the less talented ride high. (I’m telling you, every cartoonist who has tried, but couldn’t crack into the world of comic books, has looked at the artwork of Todd McFarlane and Rob Liefeld and thought, “How the hell did they get work?!”
 
Hey. It happens.
 
On the Facebook comedian/writer/actor Leighann Lord wrote about the struggle and how it feels to have to work other jobs to support her passion. I understand exactly what she was talking about.
 
We press on.


Three Cool Things

1) I took my wife and our son to see The Maltese Falcon (1941) last weekend. Such a great film and it was so cool to be able to see it on a big(ish) screen with an audience that appreciates these old movies.

2) The tattoo I design for my younger brother turned out pretty and he liked it.

 
I may not look it, but I’m thrilled!

3) I got my copy of the John Byrne X-Men Artifact Edition art book. Now that was a great artist! Sooo cool!

Music heard on the show…

Dimland Radio opening theme song: ‘Ram‘ by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: ‘Rattle My Bones‘ by The Suburbs & ‘Unfinished Business‘ by Au Pairs
Second ad break bumpers: ‘Nobody Told Me‘ by John Lennon & ‘Shadow Line‘ by The Fleshtones
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 9-1-18 show notes

It’s Just A Few Days Away From The 9/11 Truthers Taking Over Social Media 

 
The 9/11 Truthers post now and again about their anomaly hunting through the events of 9/11/01. But I anticipate plenty of posting of memes question the standard model (what really happened).
 
Stay strong. Stay out of the arguments. You’ll be happier. 
Oh, My! All Those Dead Celebrities

I talked about the last week or so being pretty rough on celebrities. I listed six that had just died. Three from the world of entertainment. Three from the world of literature.

And John McCain


Senator John McCain also died. I talked a bit about my thoughts about the man. The reactions to the news of his death has been mostly good, but there are still some on Facebook who are so filled with hate that they just can’t let the man go without spewing venom.

 
And Speaking Of Needling

 

Last week, I talked about some sorority sisters getting teased by the announcers of the baseball game they were attending. The announcers were applying the needle because many of the young women were taking selfies.

 
Well, the announcers themselves were asking fans at the game to text their selfie. It was a in-game promo for a phone service. There must have been some complaints because the Arizona Diamondbacks and Fox Sports apologized to the sorority and offered tickets.

Oh, and it took place in 2015. I’m right on top of things, eh?

 
World War II, The Bomb, And I May Be A Troll

I’m not a historian and I didn’t let that stop me from talking about how America chose to end the War in the Pacific. Truman decided to drop atomic bombs on Japan.

 
Well, from the comfort of being 73 years on, there are plenty of folks who just think America is so evil. I’m telling you, they will just simply never forgive the US for starting that war.
 
Yes, I know. The US didn’t start WWII, but try telling that to some people. I tried and was accused of being a troll.
 
Here are sources for what I talked about:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Downfall
 
 
 
 
Three Cool Things

1) Two of the celebs who died recently were comic book creators Marie Severin (artist) and Gary Friedrich (writer), not only died recently, but they died on the same day. But, that’s not all! They both shared a birthday! August 21st. Cool coincidence, eh?
 
 

2) There’s a very cool homage paid to the Batman series of 1966 by Christopher Nolan in The Dark Knight. Click here to see it.


3) The across the aisle praise of Sen. McCain is very cool and gives me hope for the future.

Music heard on the show…

Dimland Radio opening theme song: ‘Ram‘ by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: ‘Heat Of The Moment‘ by Asia & ‘Once In A Lifetime‘ by Talking Heads
Second ad break bumpers: ‘My City Was Gone‘ by Pretenders & ‘Empty Glass‘ by Pete Townshend
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 8-25-18 show notes

That’s Not How You Promote A Game

 
The 2018/19 version of the constant futility that is the MN Vikings is now in its pre-season and the local news was making sure all their viewers would be tuning in. I’m reasonably sure the game was on that station.
Well, a Packer fan must have chosen the game footage of the Vikings at play. The video showed tight end Kyle Rudolph dropping a pass from three different angles. That wouldn’t have been my choice. I would have gone with the Minneapolis (or Minnesota) Miracle play.
If the person wasn’t a Packer fan, maybe they were just lowering expectations. 
Oh, Those Young People And Their Phones

A group of sorority sisters took in a ballgame in Arizona and they ended up getting a bit of the needle from the fellows in the booth. You see, the young women didn’t seem as interested in the game as they were in their phone and taking selfies.
 
The needling was funny, however I found out later that it was unfair because the fans were asked to take selfies and to text them to the ballgame control room (or whatever you’d call it) and their pics might be shown in the park. I didn’t know that bit when I recorded the show, so I’ll do a follow up next week.
 
There was a call of juvenoia, that’s what kids today call it when the old folks go on about kids today. Well, kids today need to understand that breaking out the needle is what we older folks are supposed to do every now and then.
 
I tell ya. Kids today.

Notice Anything About These Two Logos?

There’s a couple family-owned car dealerships in the Twin Cities under the name Barnett. They produce television ads that feature the Barnett sons and their dad. The ads are silly and they poke fun at themselves. I think the ads are cute. Here’s one.
 
Recently, the poster for the 1971 film Shaft popped up on my Facebook page. I noticed something about the title logo and the logo for Barnett. They are very similar. It was an odd choice, but I like it.
 
 
And if you saw the Barnett family, you’d see they make an odd pairing with the black private dick that’s a sex machine with all the chicks.
 
A Dimland Radio Pedantic Moment: Recognize This Man Who Was Elected President Four Times?
 

 
Does something look not right about the above meme? Without getting into the political claims made about this handsome young man from the days of yore, there’s something wrong about this Franklin Delano Roosevelt piece. That’s not FDR.
 
It’s Franklin Delano Roosevelt Junior.
 
This is what the young FDR looking like.
It’s Not True: Go Fund Me Account For Christhian Rivera

I have a couple pretty staunch Trump supporters as Facebook friends. One in particular, with whom I went to high school even, really likes to post items showing her support and her distrust of the “mainstream” media.

 
This past week she shared this…
 

Sigh.

 
Snopes, will you take this one for me? 
 
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/cristhian-rivera-gofundme/.


A Dimland Radio Science Zero: Jimmy Kimmel

Two time Dimland Radio Science Hero Jimmy Kimmel is now being declared a Science Zero for his show’s “see how dumb Americans are” videos. There are two of these videos that I’ve spotted: One challenges people on the street to give the name of a book, any book. The other challenges other people on the street to identify a country, any country, on a map of the world.

 
Of course, they only show the few people they found who couldn’t meet the challenges, except the map video does feature a young boy who identifies several countries. What bothers me about these videos is they are misleading. After all, if the audience was as ignorant as the people in the videos, the bit wouldn’t be funny.
 
It also bugs me that others out in internet land will make these videos go viral by sharing them and declaring America is going to hell in a hand basket and many people hop right on the “we’re doomed” bandwagon.
 
For those reasons, I declared Jimmy Kimmel a Dimland Radio Science Zero.
 
Who Said What About Who?

I read an interesting quote of praise about a surprising person by a surprising person. I was attempting to show how people aren’t an easily categorized as we tend to make them.

 
Three Cool Things

1) There are a series of art books that feature the work of great comic book artists. There’s a new one out with the work of John Byrne and I’d love to own it.
2) An art school friend of mine shared a picture of a brilliantly done illustration of dolphins. I was going to post it here, but it appears she took it down. You’ll just talk to take my word about how cool it is.

3) My friend Douglas Arthur has finally posted his Assault of the 2-Headed Space Mules podcast featuring the colossal cover song quiz. It’s a blast!

Music heard on the show…

Dimland Radio opening theme song: ‘Ram‘ by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: ‘Outside The Trains Don’t Run On Time‘ by Gang Of Four & ‘Under Pressure‘ by Queen
Second ad break bumpers: ‘Take It Away‘ by Paul McCartney & ‘Age Of Consent‘ by New Order
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 8-11-18 show notes

Back To Zero
 

Last week, I moved Penn Jillette from a Dimland Radio Science Zero to a Science Zero +0.5. Well, I took away the 0.5 points, because he just posted two more episodes featuring a food guru making scientifically dubious claims. This time it was Dr. Joel Fuhrman returning to promote his new book of extraordinary claims.


A Facebook friend posted his announcement that he would no longer listen to Penn’s Sunday School and he reminded people of Penn’s treatment of Yvette d’Entremont, SciBabe, when she was a guest and made the mistake of challenging Penn’s veganism.
 
 
That was an aspect I meant to talk about last week, but I didn’t get to it. So, on this show, I made time to talk about SciBabe’s experience. She even posted a comment on my Facebook friend’s comment thread. I read he comment on the show.

Penn is back to zero. I will probably continue to listen to his podcast. I’m sure he will come up with some way to hand wave away the criticism he’s sure to get from the latest appearance of Fuhrman.

Listen to part one and two of SciBabe’s appearance too see if you don’t agree than Penn was far more skeptical of her than of his vegan guys. 

A Dimland Radio Pedantic Moment: Paul McCartney And The SGU


On the August 4th edition of the Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe podcast Cara Santa Maria’s ‘What’s The Word segment featured the word stylometry and a discussion on whether or not Paul McCartney wrote a particular Beatles’ song that most fans think was written by John Lennon.

Well, I got all pedantic about it.

Except…

Well, you just have to listen to find out.

As Long As I was Talking About Paul McCartney Anyway

 

There’s an excellent interview that Bob Costas conducted on his show Later with McCartney (see the Three Cool Things below) which is available on YouTube. In it is a segment in which Paul gives his feelings on using pop songs in commercial advertising. The interview is from 1991 and in those days his was against it. Although, he did leave the door open to the possibility of some day changing his mind.

Costas also brought up the fact that at that time King of Pop Michael Jackson owned the publishing rights to the Beatles’ catalog. (Be aware! I go on a rant or two about Mr. Jackson, the timing of his death, and Farrah Fawcett.). I talk a little bit about Paul’s reaction.

Three Cool Things

1) The monthly meet-up of the Minnesota Skeptics took place and that’s always cool, even if that last half mile to get to the place is a pain in the ass.
2) That lost bin of art that was found by my wife a couple weeks ago is yielding more gems. There were two rather involved pencil drawings I did in art school 32 years ago that I think turned out pretty good, see below.


3) Paul McCartney makes the Three Cools Things a second week in a row. This time it’s for that interview with Bob Costas. It’s very cool.

Music heard on the show…

Dimland Radio opening theme song: ‘Ram‘ by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: ‘Natural’s Not In It‘ by Gang Of Four & ‘One At A Time‘ by The Who
Second ad break bumpers: ‘Certain Things Are Likely‘ by KTP & ‘Keeping Looking‘ by Sade
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 8-4-18 show notes

Zero Plus 0.5
 

Last week, I named Penn Jillette a Dimland Radio Science Zero for giving a platform for some very dubious food and diet claims made by people whose scientific reputation isn’t great. I was disappointed to do it, but I felt he’d let down skepticism and critical thought.

 
Well, he responded. Oh, not to what I did. He has no idea who I am. But many of the fans of his podcast had voiced their disappointment. He was also responded to Orac (Dr. David Groski) who posted a lengthy blog reviewing Penn’s interview of Dr. Michael Klaper. A doctor who made a few claims that just didn’t sit right with science.
 
Penn started poorly by setting up a Straw Man. I talk about that Straw Man, what I think the actual skeptical objections were, and I did give him half a point. So, he’s a Dimland Radio Science Zero Plus 0.5.
 
You can listen to his response here and see what you think. I mentioned an InFact video by Brian Dunning about the Big Mac Diet. I was wrong. It was not an InFact video, it was a recent Skeptoid podcast by Brian. 

A Pair Of Movie Tropes That Bug Me


The first is a trope that goes back almost as far back as the first action films. It when a character is shown falling or sliding rapidly toward a cliff or rooftop and they catch themselves at the last second. Just how strong does Hollywood think people’s hand are?
 
The second is a more recent development: Showing characters vomit. It’s becoming rather ubiquitous. The props departments must have improved the pea soup formula used for vomit and really want to use it.

I Think Stanley Kubrick’s Last Film Is…

…excruciatingly dull!
 

Oh, the first time I saw Eyes Wide Shut (1999) I was impressed with the cinematography and the naked ladies and a naked Nicole Kidman, but I thought it was… rather… de…liber…ate…ly… paced.
 
When I saw it a second time, it was sooooo god damn booooooring! No amount of seeing Kidman’s butt could make it bearable. Well, maybe it made it a little bearable. 

Three Movies Far Better Than Eyes Wide Shut

 

12 Angry Men (1957) Sidney Lumet’s jury room drama focusing on 12 men in one room for virtually the entire movie talking, debating, arguing over the guilt or innocence of a young man tried for murder with the death penalty hanging over his head, is so much more interesting than Eyes Wide Shut and none of the fellows get naked.

 
 
Room (2015) Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay (so damn impressive as he was only eight when he played the part of Jack) both put in powerful performances in this drama in which the first half of the movie takes place in one room. They do escape “room” and have to adjusted to the world. That first half in one room is so much more fascinating than Eyes Wide Shut.
 

Locke (2013) Starring Tom Hardy, this tension filled drama focuses on Ivan Locke. He’s driving to London to deal with a pressing matter that takes precedent over and adds complications to his job, his marriage, and his relationship with his children. The entire film, presented in real time, is one man, in a car, talking on his phone, and it blows Eyes Wide Shut away.

Three Cool Things

1) My son Hayden turned 15 this week. (Astrologers put your charts away!) Jinkies! Where does the .
2) I hadn’t noticed it in all the times I’ve watched 12 Angry Men, but the scene of the fellows entering the jury room, having quick conversations, and then taking their places is all done in one take. Have a look.

3) And I finally watched the Carpool Karaoke with Late, Late Show host, James Corden, and Paul McCartney. Sure, much of it was staged, but I’m sure the patrons at the pub had no idea what was about to happen. Pretty damn cool.

Music heard on the show…

Dimland Radio opening theme song: ‘Ram‘ by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: ‘Only You‘ by Yaz & ‘Almost With You‘ by The Church
Second ad break bumpers: ‘Rapture‘ by Blondie & ‘Kissfolk‘ by 54-40
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.