Dimland Radio

dimland radio 2-21-15 show notes

Another Loss

Another person of some significance to me passed away this past Tuesday. It was my old boss, Harry. A fellow for whom I had worked since 1989 and played cribbage with for the better part of the last seven years. Harry had become a friend.

I talked about working for him, his run-ins with gas station clerks, his failing health, the funeral, and, of course, cribbage playing.

I will miss Harry very much.

Insulin Fail

While Harry was fighting the pneumonia to which he ultimately succumbed; my dad also had pneumonia. In addition to pneumonia, he had strep throat, but he did recover. While he was at his worst, my mom had me come over to help her give Dad his insulin shot.

We didn’t get it quite right. Dad is ok. We didn’t kill him.

Never Found In The 80s: Valentine’s Edition

For Valentine’s Day, I did a special edition of Never Found in the 80s. I featured five Never Found artists and their love songs. It can be found at the Stuck in the 80s blog. Click here.

Movies! Movies! Movies!

I decided to talk some movies. Three in particular which I had just seen recently: Notorious, Big Trouble in Little China, and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

Notorious is a Hitchcock classic that I will say more about in my movie recommendation section below.

Big Trouble in Little China was better than I expected. It had an unnecessary cold open, a character who said the lead character’s name about 100 times throughout the movie, and the end credit song was awful. But, I was able to suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy this crazy bunch of fun.

Bill & Ted, however, I just couldn’t get past how dumb it was. I didn’t buy in, so every dumb thing that happened just added to my dislike of the movie. Dudes! I totally should have first seen it at age 15, not 50.

Mini Dick Van Dyke Show Rant

We watched the first two episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show recently. The show is a classic sit-com. One of the best of all time. It is also of its time. Very sweet, innocent, and naive.

I mentioned that both episodes alluded to a doctor making housecalls. When did that stop happening, I wonder.

I had a certain sympathetic reaction to Rob’s (Dick Van Dyke) return home from a rough day at the office and being set upon by his eight year-old son.

Movie Recommendation: Notorious (1946)

RKO Radio Pictures

An Alfred Hitchcock suspense thriller classic involving post-war activities of Nazis hiding in Brazil. It stars Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant and Claude Rains. Bergman and Grant are especially good. Hitchcock keeps the suspense building through the film.

It’s a classic. Check it out!

Music heard on the show…

Dimland Radio opening theme song: ‘Ram’ by The Yoleus

First ad break bumpers: ‘Under Pressure‘ by Queen & ‘Ace of Spades‘ by Motorhead
Second ad break bumpers: ‘Mayor of Simpleton‘ By XTC & ‘Skyway‘ by The Replacements

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

That’s it! See you next Saturday night for Dimland Radio 11 Central, midnight Eastern on www.ztalkradio.com you can also download my show from the z talk show archives page. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com

You can also go to my CafePress store and buy stuff with my artwork on it and have me do a portrait for you if you like. Find out more here and here.

dimland radio 2-7-15 show notes

Catholic Clothing Vs Islamic Clothing

Both outfits seem weird to me.

I spotted this graphic (above) on the Facebook. I didn’t think the person making the image was making a valid point. First off, both outfits are weird. But, then again, weird is in the eye of the beholder. Second, the Catholic group is made up of nuns who are wearing their habits because that is what they are required to wear as being nuns. The habit is a nun’s uniform. It is not a requirement of all Catholic women, just nuns.

The burkas worn by the second group are required to be worn by Muslim women, because they are women. I see that as being not entirely analogous with the nuns’ situation.

I also mentioned that the Muslim women required to wear burkas might not see them as a hardship or degradation. They may believe it is a requirement of their faith and have no problem with it. Some might believe it takes their appearance out of the equation when dealing with men.

Still, both outfits seem weird to me.

Pedantic Moment

Pandora has been playing an ad for a money loaning company called Kabbage. They have a woman releasing a genie from a lamp and the genie offers to grant her a wish. She wishes for a business loan.

(Record needle scratch) A what?! A business loan?! She wishes for a business loan?!

What a crappy wisher.

A Dimland Radio Look At Sports

Quite a Superbowl game, eh? I talked a bit about how Seattle was able to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. And I lamented the MN Vikings’ woeful history of always losing Superbowls and that it’s been 38 years since the Vikes have had an opportunity to lose another one.

And, apparently, Al Michaels has said that he believes the MN Twins’ organization had added extra crowd noise in the Metrodome to help give the Twins an extra at home advantage in their 1987 World Series championship. Really, Al? Selling a book, are we?

Brian Williams May Have A Memory Problem

I posted on Facebook that I’m willing to give Brian Williams, NBC News anchor, the benefit of the doubt that his 12 year-old memory of the military copter he was on had taken enemy fire of rocket propelled grenades. He had been taken to task for his enhanced recollections and he issued an apology for getting it wrong. That apology may not be enough as Williams is still getting a lot of heat. Even from his predecessor, Tom Brokaw.

One thing we should all know is that memory is not video tape and is a very tricky thing. People have gone to prison due to witnesses having faulty memories of which they were absolutely certain. And I was able to go with Mr. Williams by his word. However, it has come to the public’s attention that Williams appears to also have enhanced memories of his involvement in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The investigation continues.

A few links for this one…

Psychologist Elizabeth Loftus talks about false memories.

The Stripes and Stars story.

But this fellow says Williams’ memory was mostly right.

An article from Skeptic on flashbulb memories.

An article comparing flashbulb memories and normal memories.

The Katrina memory problem article.

Also, bear in mind, those who are accusing Williams of making false memory claims are also going by their memories.

A False Memory Story From My Past

I told the story of an old office manager of mine putting himself into an event in which he really had no part. We had three DEA agents making their way into our place of business some years ago. They were searching one of the upstairs loft apartments for drugs and info on a dealer we had living there. We didn’t know the guy was a dealer. And we didn’t know they were DEA agents until a couple days later.

It was thought to be a break in and a police report was filed. One of my coworkers and I had seen the agents, but we didn’t know they were agents, and we gave our report to the officer about the three men we had seen. The office manager never saw the fellows and couldn’t stay around to watch us file our report.

For some time after that, when the office manger would tell our customers the story, somehow he became involved. He would state that he saw the three agents sneaking in and sidling up the stairs. Each time he did this, I would seethe with annoyance. But I wouldn’t call him out in front of customers. I would just let it go.

Until, one day, he told the story to me!

Movie Recommendation: None This Week

You are on your own.

Music heard on the show…

Dimland Radio opening theme song: ‘Ram’ by The Yoleus

First ad break bumpers: ‘I Generate a Feeling‘ by Pete Shelley & ‘Couch Potato‘ by Man Sized Action
Second ad break bumpers: ‘A Song from Under the Floorboards‘ By Magazine & ‘Coldbringer‘ by Naked Raygun

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 1-31-15 show notes

Pedantic Moment

I talked about how it bothers me when people state that you can watch something “free on Netflix.” You cannot watch anything free on Netflix. Netflix charges a monthly fee. If you watch lots of stuff it can make the per viewing cost awfully low, but it ain’t free!

A Little More On Quantum Of Solace

Mainly, I discussed the substandard ‘Quantum of Solace’ by comparing it to the far superior ‘Skyfall’ (my movie recommendation for this week, see below). I compared the scaffolding fight from ‘Quantum’ to a fight on an empty floor in a swanky office building. The ‘Skyfall’ fight is staged and presented so much better than that scaffolding fight (see last week’s show notes for the link).

Never Found In The 80s: The Waterboys

My guest blogging for the Stuck in the 80s blog returned with a post on UK’s The Waterboys. You can read it here.

The Bullet Does What?

I did some more movie talk. I touched on ‘Monster’s Ball’ and the sex scene with Billy Bob Thornton and Halle Berry (ahem). But mostly I talked about another action film that is very good.

I talked about ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ which is the most recent of the X-Men movies. It’s really good. The action sequences, the story, and a nearly naked, blue Jennifer Lawerence were very entertaining.

However, the movie did pull a page from the conspiracy theorists’ bible. The Magic Bullet. Twice Prof. X referred to the bullet’s path curving. THE BULLET DIDN’T CURVE!

Conspiracy theorists (and the makers of this film) do not take into account the way Kennedy and Connally were actually seated in the the convertible. If they did they would know it was one bullet and it wasn’t magic. This should make it clear.

Speaking Of Conspiracy Theories

Local boy comes to a sad end.

On Facebook the other day I saw the image above and thought, “Hmmm, I wonder what the actual story is.”

The story is of a filmmaker who was found dead in his home, along with his wife and daughter. They were victims of what has been ruled a murder/suicide. But the graphic seems to be hinted at a more sinister event.

Crowely was making a fictional film about an oppressive government being resisted by a citizen uprising. It seems as though Crowley may have been trying to warn us, but the shadow government (or whomever the conspiracy types would blame) rubbed him out.

A Facebook friend shared this image and voiced his suspicions. I countered by letting him know what was being reported and that the known facts were pointing toward murder/suicide. I also applied Occam’s Razor.

Maybe he got the idea.

Well, We Can Get A Picture Of This Rare Animal

A rare animal was captured on a trail camera. No, it wasn’t bigfoot or Champ or Nessie or the Moth Man. It was a Sierra Nevada Red Fox (big dummy!). I used this item to talk about special pleading. Specifically, as to why we don’t have a similar photo of bigfoot.

Bigfoot is super smart and can avoid cameras. Bigfoot is camera shy. Bigfoot is naturally blurry. That’s all special pleading.

But, a Facebook friend rightly pointed out the pictures like those of the Sierra Nevada Red Fox (big dummy!) will tend to bolster belief in cryptids. I think she has a valid point.

Movie Recommendation: Skyfall (2012)

MGM/Columbia Pictures

As I mentioned earlier, the action sequence of this film were far superior to its predecessor. It is also a return to more of the familiar elements of the Bond films of old. Q, the gadget, “Bond. James Bond” are all back. Judy Dench is great as M and Daniel Craig makes a good rugged, but still cool James Bond. And, in Hi Def, the nighttime cityscapes are breathtaking.

Music heard on the show…

Dimland Radio opening theme song: ‘Ram’ by The Yoleus

First ad break bumpers: ‘Fisherman’s Blues‘ & ‘The Whole of the Moon‘ by The Waterboys
Second ad break bumpers: ‘A Pagan Place‘ & ‘And a Bang on the Ear‘ by The Waterboys

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 1-24-15 show notes

Colonoscopy Talk

Most this show was dedicated to my resent colonoscopy. I turned 50 last November and the doctor said it was time for a look-see. So, in the interest of public service, I thought I’d promote this procedure and let my listeners know what happened to me. It weren’t all that bad and I got a clean bill of health.

And, let’s face it, who doesn’t like a story that features some personal discomfort and lots and lots of bowel evacuating?.

Dave Barry’s Experience

As a primer of what to expect, friend of the show, Chris Brown sent me a link to an article by American Humorist Dave Barry. In 2008, Barry wrote about his experience. He had put it off, because he didn’t like the idea of the anal intrusion, but when his brother was diagnosed with colon cancer, the probing became less of a concern. Cancer will do that.

Here is his humorous take.

My Colonoscopy Has Its Own Theme Song

You’ll have to listen to the show, because I don’t want to give it away here. But it’s pretty funny and I think you’ll agree there aren’t many songs that would be more fitting. Or do I mean inappropriate?

“Baby?” “Baby.” “Baby?” “Baby, Baby.” “Baby!”

Unfortunately, I can’t find the clip, otherwise I could show you what I mean. You’ll just have to take my word for it, or maybe you saw it, too. A TV spot for the film “American Sniper” featured a scene in which Mr. Sniper was on the phone with Mrs. Sniper. He was calling from Iraq and she was back in the States. It was an emotional scene in which he was telling her he was ready to come home.

Ok, fine, what’s the big deal? Well, they must have called each other “baby” 93 times in that ad. I’ve never been one to call my wife “baby”. And she doesn’t call me that either.

“Baby” just seems too silly and infantilizing. We’re Honey Bunnies, not babies!.

More Movie Talk

I recently watched the James Bond thriller ‘Quantum of Solace’. The film was not well reviewed when it was released and it wasn’t well reviewed by me, either.

The action sequences were so poorly filmed and edited it was nearly impossible to tell what was going on in them. There is one scene which you can watch here, in which Bond is fighting with a bad guy on some scaffolding. The scene is less than a minute and half and, yet, there are nearly 100 edits. Yes, I counted. At times, it is difficult to know which is Bond and which is the bad guy.

Judging from this effort director Marc Forster is not good at action. I see he has directed ‘World War Z’. I haven’t seen that one yet. This doesn’t bode well.

Movie Recommendation: Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (2014)

20th Century Fox

This week’s recommendation, however, gets its action sequences done right. And they’re filled with apes, but I never lose track of who is who. And we all know how all apes look alike, right? Is that racist?

Anyway, I really enjoyed this one and I think it is even better than the very good Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011). It takes place ten years after the “rise” and shows just how human the apes really are. Is that racist?

Music heard on the show…

Dimland Radio opening theme song: ‘Ram’ by The Yoleus

First ad break bumpers: ‘She Never Said‘ by The Church & ‘River Euphrates‘ by Pixies
Second ad break bumpers: ‘This Charming Man‘ by The Smiths & ‘Baby Have Some Faith‘ by 54-40

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 1-17-15 show notes

Live Show With Technical Difficulties, Of Course

The third segment of my show was all fouled up with technical difficulties. A page I was reading from on the internets was having loading problems and, although I continued to broadcast, wouldn’t let me access my broadcasting program. I couldn’t sign off the show. And I kept cutting out.

I was a be discombobulated because if all this, but I was having a laugh, too. My younger brother called to tell me I was still on the air and if I wanted to put an end to it, I should reboot. I ended up force quitting the whole thing by shutting down my laptop.

I then fixed up the show with some editing and re-recorded the messed up segment. You can download the fixed show from the Z Talk Radio archives page.

Yin & Yang

I had an interesting week, particularly Monday.

First, I got the bad news of how much it would cost to fix the transmission of our VW Jetta. It’s been sitting in the garage for a year and soon it will be donated. The cost to fix it is way too much to pay. So, donate it.

Second, and this was the better news. Awesome news in fact. Back in the Spring of 2012, I talked about a portrait I did of George Hrab. Well, the portrait surfaced again. Bob and Jay Novella, of the Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe and friends of Hrab, spotted the portrait at Geo’s place and decided to have some fun. They struck the pose I had Geo do for the drawing. Bob posted the image on Facebook and I spotted it and I was thrilled.

Bob and Jay Novella and the portrait of Geo. Bob commented, “Before you think we’re crazy…look at the awesome pen-drawn image of Geo between me and Jay.”

The rewards for an artist are few and this one was excellent!

The Moon Is A What Now?

Non-astronomers and Dimland Radio Science Zeroes Shawn Killinger, of QVC, and fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi got into a spat over whether or not the moon was a planet or a sun. Oh brother.

Watch the clip.

Go On An Awesome Nostalgia Trip

WishBookWeb.com has something you might just love. Two fellows have compiled the pages of many, many “Wish Book” catalogs from Sears and JC Penny’s and the like. I was able to find the action figure Ghost of Captain Kidd ad in the Sears catalog from 1975. Check it out and enjoy a trip through those bygone days.

There he is and a bargain at $2.99!

A Potential Dimland Radio Science Hero

I say potential, because he hasn’t done anything yet. In coming president of Discovery Channel, Rich Ross, wants to do two things at his new job 1) diversify the audience by being more attractive to women and younger males and 2) bring credibility back to the documentaries they produce.

We’ll see what he came accomplish before we know for certain if he is a Science Hero we’ll have to see what he can do.

Rich Ross wants to raise the bar, not lower it. This next story indicates they are attempting the opposite…

Naked Ghost Hunting

Just when you thought the bottom of the barrel couldn’t get more bottomy. Apparently, the word has gone out to find ghost hunters willing to be naked as they hunt for anomalies. The producers want to take ghost hunting to the next level.

The next level down.

Yes, But What Does The Dog Think?

Sarah Palin, the most hated woman in the world among my Facebook friends anyway, posted pictures of her son standing on their pet dog. The internet (including PETA) lost its mind.

I pointed of a couple things 1) had it been Bill Clinton’s kid, those same people would be gushing and 2) the dog doesn’t appear to care.

If the dog doesn’t give a shit, why should we?

Still. Kids, don’t stand on a dog.

Movie Recommendation (Netflix division): The Fall (2013)

BBC Northern Ireland/Netflix

The Fall is a British TV crime drama starring the hotter than ever Gillian Anderson as a police detective on the trail of a serial killer. The series doesn’t just focus on her and her hunt of the serial killer; it also gives us a look into the surprising private life of the killer.

An excellent series that is streaming on Netflix.

Music heard on the show…

Dimland Radio opening theme song: ‘Ram’ by The Yoleus

First ad break bumpers: ‘Makes No Sense At All‘ by Husker Du & ‘Homosapien‘ by Pete Shelley
Second ad break bumpers: ‘The Passenger‘ by Siouxsie & the Banshees & ‘It’s A Mistake‘ by Men At Work

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.