dimland

dimland radio 1-28-12 show notes

2012-01-29T00:31:00.004-06:00

It's Fe-BRU-ary

A couple pet peeves mentioned at the top of the show. One is how folks pronounce February. It's Fe-BRU-ary, not Feb-YOU-ary or Febbie-ary. Fe-BRU-ary! Get it right!

The second was the whole new millennium beginning in 2000. No! The new millennium began January 1, 2001, but "no one likes a math geek, Scully."

A Tale From My Drinking Days

I took a good deal of time talking about one particular night at the local watering hole. About how I nearly got beat up. It was a very special night of heavy, heavy drinking. Oh, boy!

Atheist Drops The Ball

Kate Smurthwaite, activist and comic, was on a British debate show giving her views on whether or not heaven exists (she doesn't believe it does). She makes a couple really good points that might get a fence-sitter give her ideas some thought. But then she drops the ball by engaging in an ad homenim attack.

Watch her as she carries the ball to the one yard line and then fumbles it here.

Movie Recommendation (Hayden's suggestion): Yellow Submarine (1968)

(United Artists)

Earlier today, I asked my eight year-old son, Hayden, for a movie recommendation. He suggested 'Yellow Submarine,' the Beatles' animated feature. It's good trippy fun with plenty of good tunes.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus
First ad break bumpers: 'Cracking' by Suzanne Vega & 'Dirty Mind' by Prince
Second ad break bumpers: '99 Luftballons' by Nena & 'Love On A Farmboy's Wages' by XTC
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 1-21-12 show notes

2012-01-22T00:27:00.010-06:00

Show Notes Notice

Those of you who have paid close attention to my show notes know that I post pictures, often times with clever captions, along with most of the items that appeared on the show. Well, with all this SOPA and PIPPI Longstocking Congressional bills in the news lately, I've begun to think I need to be more careful to give photo credits whenever I use an image found on the internets. So, if I can't find a way to list a credit there won't be an image. Older posts will remain as is (or should that be as are?).

Ringtone Talk

First, I mentioned it was National Hug Day and that I don't do hugs, then I went into a talk about ringtones, my wife, our car breaking down, an old co-worker and other stuff.

Science News

Biologists at the University of Minnesota have done something big in evolution. They've been able to show how "single-celled organisms formed multicellular clusters that ultimately became plants and animals." It's very cool and no prayer or reliance on an invisible deity was required.

Learn more here.

Psychic Fail! What?! No! Say It Isn't So!

I saw a clip linked on Facebook. It is excellent! It's a great example of, in my opinion, cold reading by "psychic" Char Margolis. She fails tremendously! And my new hero, Larry Potash, calls her on it.

Click here to see the YouTube clip of the fail featured on WGN Morning News.

I also talked about "psychic" Char Margolis' appearance on The Larry Sanders Show. It was in 1998 (I mistakenly said '97 on the show) during season six. The episode called I Buried Sid had Char, as herself, being astoundingly psychic. Of course, Larry Sanders is fiction, so Char can be written as being so accurate.

Her real world appearance on WGN was much more reflective of reality in showing her fail miserably. At least, that's what I think.

Movie Recommendation: Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (1971)

(Paramount Pictures/Warner Bros.)

One of the few musicals I actually like. Sure, it may be the nostalgia thing, but I really enjoy movie. Maybe it's mainly due to the fantastic, if somewhat scary, performance of Gene Wilder.

And I swear you see a chicken get its head chopped off.

Updated (1-22-12):

I was right! Again! You do see a chicken get its head chopped of during the "freak out" boat ride. Follow this link and watch the 1:06 minute mark. And this was rated G!

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus
First ad break bumpers: 'Armagh' by Au Pairs & '99th Pole Position' by Hunters & Collectors
Second ad break bumpers: 'Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio ' by Ramones & 'Houses In Motion' by Talking Heads
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 1-14-12 show notes

2012-01-15T00:32:00.009-06:00

God's Chosen Team Loses

Gotta prove to God how faithful you are, 'coz he doesn't already know, right?

I talked a little football to start of the show. I couldn't resist having a little fun with Uber-Christain, Tim Tebow's Denver Broncos losing convincingly to the New England Patriots. Now we can enjoy the rest of the post season without hearing about Tebow ad nauseam.

More About Applied Kinesiology

This will give you an idea what's being done.

I talked more about that Good Feet infomercial and how ridiculous infomercials can be. Then I took on...

Chiropractors

NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!

There is a good amount of evidence that a chiropractor can help you with some back pain, but that's about it. I talked about some of the unsupported by scientific evidence and studies claims that spinal manipulation can cure all sorts of illnesses. And I warned against going to a backcracker who advocates cracking children and babies. Run away from them!

Learn what kinds of chiropractors are out there here and what science based medicine says about this "alternative" medical practice here.

Photoshop Can Do Everything

It's magic!

Having been annoyed by the common error made in movies and TV programs of having the ability of enlarging a blurry image in a photograph to reveal perfect detail for years, the computer wizards who engineer Photoshop software may have created a program that can achieve that effect.

Click here to see a demo.

Awesome Toy: GI Joe Action Figures

Same age as me, so why do I look so much older?

No, not those tiny, itty-bitty figures from the '80s, I mean the 12" tall GI Joes from the old days. I gave a little history of Joe and how he was introduced to the world the same year I was. It's a great toy.

Movie Recommendation: Se7en (1995)

Despite being dark, disturbing, and depressing, this film about a serial killer carrying out murders inspired by the seven deadly sins is awfully good. It stars Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, and Gwyneth Paltrow. The killer is played by an uncredited, Oscar-winning actor, I won't say who it is, who at one point channels Henry Fonda. Very interesting choice.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus
First ad break bumpers: 'Der Kommissar' by After The Fire & 'Marlene On The Wall' by Suzanne Vega
Second ad break bumpers: 'Paralyzed' by Gang Of Four & 'Crystal Wrists' by Peter Murphy
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 1-7-12 show notes

2012-01-08T08:16:00.012-06:00

Cold Open: Internet Know-It-All

Ain't it the truth.

Whenever you venture out on the intertubes you run the risk of encountering someone who thinks they're smarter than you and has better interwebs skills. This was my story of a brush with internet greatness.

Spilt Beer Show Recap

No! I can't look at it! The tragedy!

A quick recap of the beer spilling incident at the top of my last regular show dated 12-17-11. And as long as I was reviewing that show I took the opportunity to point out...

It's Not True

Alas, but no.

As hard to believe as it may be, I made a mistake on my 12-17-11 show. I know! Right?!

I told the story of TV signals beamed out into space being bounced back to Earth. Those signals were of old television programs including lost episodes of Dr. Who. I was so geeked about the idea of the recovery of Dr. Who episodes that I didn't vet the story well enough before running with it on my show.

After that show and after I finished cleaning the spilled beer, I tried to find a follow-up to the story that originally came out in 2009. What I found was an admonishment to check the date of the story more closely.

The date was April 1, 2009. Oh, brother! I got caught by a nearly three year old April Fool's joke. Silly me.

Side Show Tricks To Part You From Your Money

"Ok, now that you're wearing the magic magnets in your shoes, the spiritually charged crystal around your neck, and have the picture of Deepak Chopra in your pocket, I shouldn't be able to knock you off balance."

Channel-surfing the other night had me stumbling across some trickeration being used in an infomercial. The 30 minute ad was for custom-made shoe insoles by the good people at Good Feet. It was the applied kinesiology trick being used to convince celebrity host, Emmitt Smith, of the seemingly magical ability to help him keep his balance.

Of course, you know applied kinesiology is merely a trick using a person's center of gravity to give the illusion of better balance. You don't? Well, friend, go here and see what is really happening.

I will say that the insole may well help with multiple forms of pain as claimed, but with using this trick makes me wonder. It should make you wonder, too.

James Bond, My Son, And Me

"Oh, James! James! Please hurry up with that bad guy! We can't wait much longer!"

My son, Hayden, and I have been watching a few of the James Bond films via the Netflix (we love Netflix). My wife and I have found ourselves explaining that the Bond movies weren't always the best examples of how to treat women.

A Couple New Year's Items

I told of the New Year's resolution I make each year. It's the same every time and so far I've kept it every year. I always resolve to live long enough to see the next year. One of these years (hopefully not soon) I won't keep it.

Cee Lo Green: Attempting to imagine no possessions.

I also talked about singer Cee Lo Green messing with the lyrics of John Lennon's Imagine. No, no, no! You don't mess with any of The Beatles' or John Lennon's material. Beatles/Lennon fans heaped rebukes on Cee Lo for his changing the line "and no religion too" to "and all religion's true."

For shame, Cee Lo! If you don't like the lyric, sing a different song!

Movie Recommendation: The Adventures Of Tintin

Best new movie I've seen in 2011!

Do you like Raiders Of The Lost Ark? Do you like Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Search For An Ice Cream Swirl? Do you like computer animated features? Then you will like The Adventures Of Tintin. It is fantastic! I mean it! Go see it! Now! Right now! Why are you still sitting there?! Get going!!

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus
First ad break bumpers: 'Into Your Hands' by The Church & 'Bonzo Goes To Bitburg' by Ramones
Second ad break bumpers: 'Love Vigilantes' by New Order & 'Metastasis' by Naked Raygun
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 12-31-11 new year's eve music event

2012-01-01T10:22:00.003-06:00

Friday Night Music Show Special

Happy New Year, everyone!

Instead of my regular show, I thought I'd treat my listeners to the best music that they will ever hear on Z Talk Radio, in my humble opinion, which is correct, of course. Here is the list that if you missed it, I'm sure you will feel shame, as well you should.

Playlist

Do Ya - ELO
Transona Five - Stereolab
Skin Deep - The Stranglers
Tantalized - The Church
Mean To Me - Crowded House
Crystal Wrists - Peter Murphy
Hang Onto Your Ego - Frank Black
Back Stabbers - The O'Jays
Waterloo - ABBA
Rudie Can't Fail - The Clash
Ugly - Fishbone
A Little Less Conversation (JXL Remix) - Elvis Presley
The Politics Of Dancing - Re-Flex
C'est Comme Ca - Les Rita Mitsouko
Harvest Moon - Neil Young
I Saw Nick Drake - Robyn Hitchcock
Ride - Nick Drake
And A Bang On The Ear - The Waterboys
Overkill - Colin Hay
Needle In The Hay - Elliot Smith
Landslide - Smashing Pumpkins
Heaven And Hell - The Who
Heaven - The Psychedelic Furs
Run Like Hell - Pink Floyd
Heaven - Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians
Your Lucky Day In Hell - Eels
Heaven - Talking Heads
Gonna Raise Hell - Cheap Trick
Cars - Gary Numan
Masquerade - Berlin
Friends Of P - The Rentals
Breathe - Telepopmusik
905 - The Who
Warm Leatherette - The Normal
Mexican Radio - Wall Of Voodoo
Oblivious - Aztec Camera
Cannonball - The Breeders
Teenage Lobotomy - Ramones
Blitzkrieg Bop - Ramones
Sweetness And Light - Lush
Blue Moon - The Marcels
Black Slacks - Joe Bennett & The Sparkletones
Ain't That A Shame - Fats Domino
See You Later Alligator - Bill Haley & His Comets
Blue Moon Of Kentucky - Elvis Presley
That'll Be The Day - Buddy Holly
Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On) - Talking Heads
Jettison - Naked Raygun
Soldier's Requiem - Naked Raygun
Go - Tones On Tail
Stop Hurting People - Pete Townshend

Other Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Twist' by Tones On Tail

That's it! You should know that I am not able to archive the music shows I do due to the limitations of Z Talk Radio's music license. So, if you want to hear the music you have to tune in. Then I'll see you next Friday night for Dimland Radio 10 Central, 11 Eastern on www.ztalkradio.com. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com

dimland radio 12-30-11 friday night music show

2012-01-01T09:44:00.003-06:00

Friday Night Music Show Special

I nearly didn't do a music show this night. I had planned to, I had a list of songs ready to go, but the regular host of Paradigm Shift (which will be returning to Z Talk soon) had planned on playing music this night. Since, this Friday night time slot is his he gets priority. But, he signed off at just before 1:00am Central and folks in chat demanded that I get on air and play some tunes.

So, with a couple nighttime pain relievers in me (as I said, I didn't think I was going on), I took to the internets to play the following...

Playlist

Watch That Man - David Bowie
What She Said - The Smiths
Help Me Somebody - Brain Eno/David Byrne
Keep The Customer Satisfied - Simon & Garfunkel
The Light Pours Out Of Me - Magazine
Come And Get It - Badfinger
Uh Huh Oh Yeh - Paul Weller
Kick Out The Jams - MC5
Who Are You - The Who
The Sprawl - Sonic Youth
88 Lines About 44 Women - The Nails
I Am An Animal - Pete Townshend
Your Dictionary - XTC
Precious - The Pretenders
Seconds - U2
It's A Mistake - Men At Work
Living Through Another Cuba - XTC
Bombs Away - The Police
Cities In Dust - Siouxsie & The Banshees
Going Underground - The Jam
Party At Ground Zero - Fishbone
I Must Be In Love - The Rutles
So It Goes - Nick Lowe
Sleepless - King Crimson
Lola - The Kinks
Desperately - Don Williams
Blackbird - The Beatles
Mr. Blue Sky - ELO

Other Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Twist' by Tones On Tail

dimland radio 12-17-11 show notes

2011-12-18T00:43:00.011-06:00

Beer Spill

Serious alcohol abuse!

Just as I was about to go on the air, I dropped my beer! Smooth move, Sherlock.

I Don't Believe In Christmas

George Hrab

Honestly, I had planned to start off the show by playing George Hrab's song, 'I Don't Believe In Christmas.' However, it worked to cover some time while I cleaned up the beer spill.

Spread The Cheese

Not nearly as spectacular as in the picture.

Then I shared a hopefully humorous tale about my parents taking my wife, my son and me to view the Holiday Lights at nearby Phalen Park. Amy and I were underwhelmed, but our son and the old folks liked it, but we all enjoyed Mom's miss-reading of one of the displays.

I also mentioned some Grinchs stealing cords from the displays for the copper wire. You can read more about the event and the thefts here and here.

Ain't This Cool?

Lost episodes from space?

I read and talked about a piece detailing the picking up of old TV signals, including lost episodes of Dr. Who. I was very excited, but the story was an old one. I hadn't noticed the date of the story until I was reading on the show. Hmmm. I should know better and I'll tell you why when Dimland Radio returns in the New Year.

Read more here. See if you can figure out what I figured out after the show.

That's Lindsay Lohan?

A Photoshop Too Far

Playboy released its issue featuring a nude pictorial of the not-sure-she'll-make-it-to-30 Lindsay Lohan, apparently to lackluster sales. I think I know one release why. The pictures have been so Photoshopped that you can't even tell it's Lohan.

Here is a Gawker.com annotated history of nude Lindsay Lohan. Be warned the photos may not be safe for work and may also be disturbing, note that Lindsay is just 25 years-old.

Movie Recommendation: A Christmas Story (1983)

One of my favorite Christmas themed movies. I love it. Even though it is set in a time period more of my parents' youth than of mine, I still get a nostalgic feeling when watching it. Melinda Dillon and Darren McGavin are terrific in the film.

Christopher Hitchens (1949 - 2011)

Hitchens: Stayed an atheist right to the end.

Christopher Hitchens passed away last Thursday, Dec. 15th, after a long battle with cancer. I talked about him a bit and played George Hrab's 'God Is Not Great' which was inspired by Hitchen's book of the same name.

Links related to Hitchens:

God Is Not Great by George Hrab

The Best of the Hitchslap

Hitchens' last piece for Vanity Fair

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus
First ad break bumpers: 'Melt The Guns' by XTC & 'Perfect Kiss' by New Order
Second ad break bumpers: 'Still Ill' by The Smiths & 'Crosseyed and Painless' by Talking Heads
Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

dimland radio 12-10-11

2011-12-11T01:09:00.009-06:00

Cold Open

A long cold open. I found a letter I had written to my bank to describe the frustration my wife and I suffered while trying to correct an error the bank made.

Doing Time, She Didn't See That Coming

I getting...yes...You will be very successful at bilking people of their money.

A "psychic" who had bilked several people out of $1.6 million got 37 months in prison. You can read more about it here.

It's Not True

I told about a piece I spotted on Facebook about a fellow coming up with a creative way to get police to respond more quickly to a situation that the police, apparently, didn't think was serious enough. The story wasn't true, but similar incidents did happen and the false reports ended in arrests of the people making the reports.

Go here to see what snopes.com has to say about this.

Adopt An Atheist

Hey, little atheist, can I release your inner whatever religion I am?

The Catholic League has started a campaign to get their members to adopt atheists. They hope to help release the atheists' inner selves, which the League believes are Christian. Good luck with that.

Read more here.

Movie Recommendation (Two-fer!): Stalag 17 (1953) & Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)

Both are WWII prisoner of war movies. Stalag 17 in Europe, while Bridge On The River Kwai is in the Pacific. Stalag 17 is actually a comedy. Both are directed by two of the greatest directors of all time: Billy Wilder and David Lean, respectively. Both also star one of my man-crushes, William Holden. Both are very good.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus
First ad break bumpers: 'Rock 'N' High School' by The Ramones & 'Soul In Isolation' by The Chameleons UK
Second ad break bumpers: 'Rusholme Ruffians' by The Smiths & 'Always The Sun' by The Stranglers
Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

dimland radio 12-3-11 show notes

2011-12-04T00:41:00.011-06:00

A Little Advice

I advise listeners in colder regions to wipe the show off their cars, especially their windows.

My Favorite Christmas Specials

I run through the list of my favorite Christmas specials and why I liked them. They are as follows:

How The Grinch Stole Christmas

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Red The Red-Nosed Reindeer

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

And My Least Favorite...

Frosty The Snowman

I don't like this one very much. It looks good and I don't have anything against Jimmy Durante and Jackie Vernon, the stars of the show, but it only has one song. One song that you hear over and over and over and over... Three guesses on what the song is called.

Also Mentioned On The Show...

I mentioned a video on YouTube by an atheist named Mr. Dan. His video explores the idea that there are more atheists out here than you might think. And it's highly likely that you know a few, without even knowing it.

Movie Recommendation: Scrooge, A Christmas Carol (1951)

This is the best version of this classic Dickens' tale. It stars Alastair Sim as the best Ebenezer Scrooge. And it has a great continuity error. Don't get the colorized version! For some reason it is listed as Scrooge or A Christmas Carol or Scrooge, A Christmas Carol. Not sure why that is, but it is the best.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus
First ad break bumpers: 'You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch' by Thurl Ravenscroft & 'Christmastime Is Here' by Vince Guaraldi Trio
Second ad break bumpers: 'Holly Jolly Christmas' by Burl Ives & 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town' by Fred Astaire
Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

dimland radio 11-26-11

2011-11-27T11:44:00.010-06:00

Unfinished Business

Having forgotten to finish a story I started last week. However...

Dimland Radio Quiz Time

Friggin' brainiac and philosopher, Snooki.

... before I could finish the story I was interrupted by the first ever (and possibly only) edition of Dimland Radio Quiz Time. This quiz was on identifying who said, "That's why I don't eat friggin' lobster or anything like that, because they're alive when you kill it."

I had a little fun with the answer, but it was actually Snooki. Here is a YouTube clip featuring the gems of wisdom from this simple Jersey girl. You can catch the quote at the 42 second mark.

Not Evidence Of Bigfoot

Excellent evidence of a dark spot at a great distance. Excellent!

I did my best to describe a photograph that popped up on the Bigfoot Facebook page. I include that image here along with a close-up and a picture of a bear. The bear image also comes from Facebook. Part of what I was getting at was how easily a bear could be mistaken for a bigfoot. I also noted that, as quality of evidence goes, the photo of bigfoot sucks. (That's a scientific assessment.)

A closer look at the bear-shaped blob.

This is what a bear looks like. Thanks to Michele Nardone for the pic.

Enough With The Guilt Trip, Man

Let the guilt commence!

Then I talked about this white guilt thing as it pertains to Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving, when I checked my Facebook, the first thing I was greeted to was an image about of the Native Americans have been fighting terrorism since 1492. Oh, brother! Can't we put the guilt trip aside and just enjoy the day holiday?

A Musical Interlude

I had a bit of spare time to fill before getting to my movie recommendation, so I played a song by George Hrab. I played his song 'Fifty Stories' off his 2010 album Trebuchet. Geo's music can be purchased here or on iTunes.

Movie Recommendation: The Searchers (1956)

Possibly John Wayne finest performance. He plays slightly against his usually screen image. His character is Ethan Edwards who returns home after wandering the countryside following the defeat of the Confederate forces in the Civil War, the side he was fighting for. Shortly after his return, his brother's family is massacred and their youngest daughter taken hostage. The film follows Ethan in his Ahab-like search for his niece. Question is, if he finds her what will he do? Kill her or bring her home?

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus
First ad break bumpers: 'Ladybird' by XTC & 'Mad Jack' by The Chameleons UK
Second ad break bumpers: 'Mescal Dance' by Red Lorry Yellow Lorry & 'If I Told You' by Husker Du
Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

dimland radio 11-19-11 show notes

2011-11-20T00:11:00.006-06:00

More Evidence Man Landed On The Moon

After a little talk about not swearing on my show, I even said "penis," I talked about some way cool images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The photos show the landing sites of Apollo 12, 14, and 17. That led me to briefly talk about people not believing man has walked on the moon. Will this convince them? Probably not.

Cam Newton Name Count

A couple weeks ago (maybe three) the MN Vikings played the Carolina Panthers, that gave me the opportunity to put my theory of how sportscasters like to same certain players full names every time, instead of just the last name. Well, I was right, but I did notice that I may have been subject to some confirmation bias.

A Christmas Story

A riveting tale of six suckers, an child (me at about 8 years-old), and a mother's forcing the child to share. Find out what happens when a sucker goes missing.

The Beatles Sang What Now?

The album Rubber Soul saw the Beatles take a change in direction musically and lyrically. It also saw John Lennon write and sing a song with this lyric: "I rather see you dead, little girl than to be with other man." The song was "Run For Your Life."

Disturbing, eh? John pulled that line from an Elvis song, "Baby, Let's Play House." Some abandonment issues I guess.

Movie Recommendation: Bullitt (1968)

A gritty and gripping police drama starring Steve McQueen. Done in a pretty realistic fashion as far as police dramas go. Watch for that car chase. It's excellent.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus
First ad break bumpers: 'Well, I Wonder' by The Smiths & 'Somebody Got Murdered' by The Clash
Second ad break bumpers: 'Bone Machine' by Pixies & 'Those Who Move' by Naked Raygun
Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

dimland radio 11-12-11 show notes

2011-11-13T17:20:00.010-06:00

Excuses, Excuses

I started out talking about why I didn't do the show last week. In doing so, I talked about how Amy and I met and then about one of the two yearly freelance cartooning projects I do each year for Cold Side Silkscreening.

Comic and movie-lover: Doug Benson

Then I talked about Amy and I going watch comic Doug Benson record his podcast, Doug Loves Movies. The episode we attended can purchased on iTunes for $1.99, just look for the Doug Loves Movies from Minneapolis, 11-5-11. If you do buy it listen closely at the beginning, you just might hear Doug mention a Dr. Dim. Hmmm, who could that have been?

Our name tags for Doug Loves Movies.

Great minds thinking alike.

Doug mentioned me because he has his audience bring name tags so they might be picked to be played for by one of his guests in a movie trivia contest Doug calls the Leonard Maltin game. (Don't ask. I won't explain it here.) Amy brought a babydoll to be part of her name tag and after the show another audience member found Amy, because she to had used a babydoll for her name tag.

It's Just A Flesh Wound

Sorry, no picture of my head wound, but here's a picture of a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

We dog-sat for friends of ours and while walking Ginger the little Cavalier King Charles back to the house, I smacked the top of my head into a tree branch. At first, I was just a little stunned (I didn't see stars though) then, once back in the house, I realized I was bleeding like a stuck pig.

Whee! What fun.

Those Lying Numbers

I then ventured into the realm of politics (sort of). A couple graphs caught my eye on the Facebook. Both were giving percentages based on how evil Republicans and Ronald Reagan in particular are. I talked about how the numbers were deceptive.

I had written two blogs based on each graph, here and here.

Movie Recommendation: Winnnebago Man (2009)

I dovetailed my political talk into this week's movie recommendation. 'Winnebago Man' is a documentary about a cantankerous fellow who became famous for his profanity laden outtakes from an industry video presentation tape that he was working on during the 1980s. The outtakes went viral and he became something of a legend. The filmmaker decided to track the man down and 'Winnebago Man' is the result of that search.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus
First ad break bumpers: 'Jason & The Argonauts' by XTC & 'Ashes To Ashes' by David Bowie
Second ad break bumpers: 'What Difference Does It Make' by The Smiths & 'Tears' by The Chameleons UK
Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

politics and skepticism

2011-11-03T12:57:00.007-05:00

"Note that this disparity began with Reagan's 'trickle down' economics and rewriting the top tax brackets so the rich paid MUCH less--and now we have income disparity like some 3rd world dictatorship..."

(I will make the concerted effort not to identify the person quoted here. I don't want to be "that guy.")

This quote was found on Facebook included with the graphic above. The graphic purports to show the income growth disparity from the period of 1947 - 1979 and the period 1980 - 2007. The implication of the graph and the explicit statement in the comment lay the blame for this alleged income growth disparity at Pres. Ronald Reagan's doorstep. It was his "trickle down" economics that was responsible.

Thanks to several sharp-eyed internet skeptics (your humble writer included) the graph and the commenter were called out on the misleading nature of the information presented. As I've stated in a previous blog, numbers can lie even while telling the truth. The following is a short list of what's wrong with the graphic's implication.

- The two time periods compared are of differing lengths (32 years vs 27).
- The top 1% is not separated out from the top 20% on the part of the graphic showing when "we all grew."
- The two time periods are taken from two different sources and therefore should not be compared.
- There is no indication of adjusting for inflation.
- There is no indication of the growth of GDP over the two periods.
- The graphic arbitrarily chooses the cut off line between the two periods in order to imply that Pres. Reagan's economic policies are to blame.
- Ronald Reagan did not become president until January 20, 1981 and his economic policies, after making compromises with the Democratically-controlled Congress, did not take affect until much later.

That last point says it all and not just because it was my contribution to the rebuttal comments to the person I quoted at the top. This chart clearly shows an anti-Reagan and anti-Republican bias. As does the quote. If 1980 was the last year of Pres. Jimmy Carter's term in office, how can Reagan be blamed for the income disparity in 1980 and in most of, if not all of, 1981? But the casual viewer of that posting in Facebook will almost certainly come away thinking that it's all Reagan's and those evil Republicans' fault.

This is especially distressing to me. Not because I'm a great supporter of Ronald Reagan (I'll keep that to myself), but because the person I quoted is supposed to be a skeptic. The person is well-known to most of us skeptics. And well-respected. I've heard the person interviewed, give talks and have read much of what they have written (blogs away I haven't gotten to the books yet, but I will).

This person is a scientist. But also human.

I'm a Facebook friend of this person and that's how I spotted their posting. I've also seen other postings that clearly indicate this person is a supporter of Pres. Obama, the Democrats, and even the Occupy movement. Now, I'm not saying that I'm not a supporter of them as well (I'll keep that to myself), but it seems to me that when politics get involved, even the most scientifically minded and the most ardent skeptic can be susceptible to confirmation bias. That is: my guys are good; you're guys are bad and I accept only that evidence, no matter how flawed, which confirms my position.

As of this writing, the skeptic has not addressed the many reasonable illuminations of the problems of the graphic. Nor even admitted they could be wrong.

dimland radio 10-29-11 show notes

2011-10-30T00:32:00.007-05:00

Cold Open: A Reading From The Book Of Strangely Enough!

I read a selection from C. B. Colby's book, 'Strangely Enough'. A story titled 'The Whistle'. Very creepy.

Baseball! Again!

I just had to talk about this past World Series and, especially, game 6. Believe or don't, I spent the first two segments of the show focusing on that game, two predictions I had made about it, and about how awesome it was.

Correction: During my talk about great World Series sixth games, I mentioned that Sports Illustrated online had ranked the 1991 World Series (Twins/Braves) as number 1. It was not Sports Illustrated, it was ESPN online that did the ranking. Here is their number 1 pick.

Stop Making Sense: TV Division

Those robotics should go up into the hips.

I pointed out how the graphics of the opening sequence of the show The Six Million Dollar Man incorrectly show the bionics of Steve Austin's legs. The mechanical parts should go all the way up into his hips, not stop 2/3 up his thigh. I also mentioned that The Bionic Woman's opening sequence got it right.

You can watch The Six Million Dollar Man open here (it's in Spanish, that's the only version I could find) and The Bionic Woman's here.

Movie Recommendation: The Mummy (1932)

Another classic horror movie starring Boris Karloff as the title character. Don't look for the mummy walking around in its wrappings, you won't see it. But it is creepy and Karloff underplays the mummy really well. I particular enjoy the flashback sequence showing how the mummy came to be buried alive.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus
First ad break bumpers: 'Antonin Artaud' & 'In The Flat Field' by Bauhaus
Second ad break bumpers: 'Terror Couple Kill Colonel' & 'Stigmata Marytr' by Bauhaus
Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

numbers can lie

2011-10-27T10:44:00.009-05:00

Ok. Who was it that said there are lies, damn lies, and statistics? I don't know, but let me step out on a limb and demonstrate something. As you can see in the graphic (above), the “evil” (I say that for the majority of my Facebook friends who, apparently, don't think highly of America's 40th president) Ronald Reagan was the biggest deficit spender and he was a Republican. And all the other Republican presidents represented were bigger deficit drivers than the Democrat ones.

Setting aside the fact that it is Congress that does the spending, not the president, ask yourself… From what initial debt amount is that percentage increase?

Suppose Jane’s debt is one dollar (I’m using simple numbers, because they are easier for me) and she increases that debt by $1.86*. That would represent an increase of 186%.

Now suppose Jack’s debt is $1000 and he adds $230 to it. That would be a debt increase of 23%.

So, who is the bigger spender: Jack or Jane?

Of course, I could be accused of using numbers to make the Republicans look better than the Democrats, but that’s my point. Statistics can be used to make any point someone wants in order to make one party look bad and the other good (or less bad, because the debt increased with each president). We need to put these percentages in perspective. What was the debt amount when each president took office? By how much did Congress, during each president’s term, add to that debt? Also, are these percentages adjusted for inflation?

It’s quite possible that the Republicans are terribly evil people and that Democrats are altruistic saints (how’s that for hyperbole?), but when you see graphics like this one bear in mind that numbers can lie even while telling the truth.

*Correction: Anonymous,thank you for pointing out that I had my math wrong (see the comments). I have made the correction and it makes my point even better.

dimland radio 10-22-11 show notes

2011-10-23T00:40:00.011-05:00

Baseball!

I started by mentioning the major beat down the St. Louis Cardinals were putting on the Texas Rangers, but I didn't linger on sports for long.

Vacation Is Over

I also touched on when it feels to me that a vacation is over. And in doing so I mentioned Ricky Gervais and his podcast.

A Family Tale

My mom is the eldest of 12 kids and her youngest brother is dying. I talked at length about family and falling outs and mending bridges. I did not get emotional.

Facebook Is A Social Network, Right?

After mentioning how I beat out Bruce Allen, guitarist for Minneapolis band The Suburbs, for an art job years ago, I talked about Facebook suspending my friending privileges because too many people said they didn't know me when I sent them a friend request. I thought Facebook was a social network.

Then I talked about a fellow living in Singapore, a Facebook friend, who had requested I make my show available through iTunes. I'm considering it, but you can download my shows from the Z Talk Radio show archive.

Daft Punk Fan Video

Daft Punk: Not quite my cup of tea, but their music isn't too bad.

My wife showed me this video last night. Holy crap! That fellow is dexterous. It's pretty impressive.

The Patterson/Gimlin Film Turns 44

And it doesn't look a day over it-doesn't-exist!

Still the best piece of evidence for the existence of bigfoot, that iconic (iconic) film, turned 44 years-old on October 20th. Best, but inconclusive.

Movie Recommendation: Frankenstein (1931)

Karloff's brilliant performance.

This was Boris Karloff's star making role. Karloff is, in my opinion, the best "monster" of all the Frankenstein creatures ever. Period. I do expand on that idea.

Correction

I mentioned the They Might Be Giants kids album promoting science at some point in the show. I mistakenly stated that the album was titled "Science Is Real." That is the title of the opening track. The album's title is "Here Comes Science."

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus
First ad break bumpers: 'Myrrh' The Church & 'I Am An Animal' by Pete Townshend
Second ad break bumpers: 'Isolated Case' by The Vapors & 'Love Is The Law' by The Suburbs
Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

dimland radio 10-15-11 show notes

2011-10-16T00:13:00.010-05:00

Some Sports Talk

2011 WNBA Champion MN Lynx

I talked about the MN Lynx's recent WNBA championship victory. I don't want to pretend that I follow women's sports much at all, but it's nice to have a hometown champion. Learn more about their victory here.

Then I went into my bitter rant about the MN Vikings never winning a Superbowl. And how awful it was in 1998 after going 15-1 they didn't even manage to get to the big game, which they probably would have lost.

I also ranted about some of the annoying habits of the fellows who talk about sports for a living. For instance, the fellows when talking about football continue to say football over and over. "They have to play like a football team and move the football up the football in the football stadium." And so on.

Stop Making Sense

Continuing my bit on pointing out things that don't quite make sense in movies, I mentioned there was something odd about Westworld (1973). Westworld features an amusement park for adults filled with ultra-realistic robots to give the visitor the most authentic and realistic historical fantasy experience possible. However the gunslinger robot played by Yul Brenner gets shot and killed twice before coming back a third time for the robots-run-amok climax of the film. How realistic is it to kill the same guy three times? What is he? Triplets?

It's still an very entertaining movie, don't let my rant stop you from watching it.

Paranormal Activity The Movie

If only the kind of evidence found in this film could be found in real life.

My wife and I just watched Paranormal Activity. It was pretty good, very effective. It had a few good creep-out moments. Just remember while you watch it, it's a movie and this kind of evidence of paranormal activity doesn't exist in the real world.

Movie Recommendation: Dracula (1931)

"Mina! Mina! Mina, Mina! Don't let that creepy guy kiss your neck!"

The movie that made Bela Lugosi a star. It's a creepy, atmospheric tale about the undead Count Dracula. A classic. It's quite likely you've seen it or are familiar with it. If so check it out anyway and catch a great classic horror film.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus
First ad break bumpers: 'The Hand That Rocks The Cradle' The Smiths & 'The Bitterest Pill' by The Jam
Second ad break bumpers: 'Hips Swingin' by Naked Raygun & 'Dear God' by XTC
Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

dimland radio 10-8-11 show notes

2011-10-09T00:11:00.011-05:00

Got A Little Sidetracked

Good Neighbors in the States, The Good Life in the UK.

There's a new show on Z Talk Radio called Live with Belle Salsbury and this past Tuesday night the hosts of the show were on the air with the station owner going through a test of their broadcast software. My name came up and one of the hosts said that she knew who I was. She said in such a way that sounded a bit wary of me.

That inspired me to talk about my favorite Britcom, Good Neighbors (or The Good Life in the UK) and an episode that had a character talking of a similar reaction of knowing someone. So, I talked a bit about Good Neighbors, Dr. Who, Britcoms in general, Happy Days and "jumping the shark".

A Couple What's The Harm Moments With Apologies To Tim Farley

I pulled a page out of Tim Farley's notebook, as it were, and delivered a couple "what's the harm?" examples.

First was the apparent fact the Steve Jobs opted for alternative methods for dealing with his cancer at first instead of using science-based methods. This likely shortened his life. Here is Brian Dunning's blog about Jobs' death.

Second was another child's life taken by parents following the discipline techniques outlined in "To Train Up A Child". This likely ended a child's life. Here's more on that incident

Please check out What's The Harm? here.

28 Atheists In US Congress

Actually, there is only one Congressman on record as being an atheist. It's Pete Stark of California. This story talks about how, even though most aren't on record, the number of non-believers in Congress is increasing.

Also increasing is the total number of non-believers in the US. It appears that atheists and agnostics are one of the fastest growing population segments of the American population. Yay!

Read more here and here.

Stop Making Sense (Spoilers!!)

I talked about two movies with an aspect of their plots that didn't make sense.

"Check it out, Nova! We've got one of those back on Earth!"

Planet Of The Apes: How many clues does "Bright Eyes" need to be given before he realizes he's on Earth?

"Dang it! I killed them before any of them could kill me and keep me from dying of cancer."

The Shootist (1976): Didn't John Wayne's character want at least one of the three gunmen in the climactic shoot up to kill him? So, why was it he ended up being killed by the bartender, who had shot Wayne in the back after Wayne had killed all three of those gunmen?

Movie Recommendation: High Plains Drifter (1973)

The Clint Eastwood man with no name antihero takes his revenge on a small western town. Without spoiling it, this movie does fit the October monster, haunting, ghost, paranormal themes of my movie picks.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus
First ad break bumpers: 'English Roundabout' XTC & 'Celebrated Summer' by Husker Du
Second ad break bumpers: 'Red Rain' by Peter Gabriel & 'I Want The One I Can't Have' by The Smiths
Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

dimland radio 10-1-11 show notes

2011-10-02T00:14:00.009-05:00

Cold Open: It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Such a cool segment especially for a kid's show.

I started out by talking about how great The Peanuts' second holiday special was and is and about how it influenced me. If you've never seen it... What?! You've never seen it? Have you been living in a cave?

Here's a clip of the show that contains elements of what I talked about.

MN Skeptics Meet-up

Next I talked about my attending the MN Skeptics' Newbie Night. It was very good to meet other skeptics and discuss some of what we are skeptical about. I hope to be able to attend more meetings in the future. We'll see what I can do.

The blog for MN Skeptics can be found here.

No Redheaded Sperm Wanted

"What's that? People aren't down with redheads?"

Apparently, the demand for redheaded babies is pretty low. Sperm banks are turning away donors with red hair. Well, I pointed out the neither my wife and I nor my mother and father have red hair, but Amy and I have produced one redhead and my parents have two. Curious.

You can read more about the unwanted sperm here.

REM

REM: Back when I had seen them.

The recent official break-up of the very influential band REM prompted me to talk a bit about the two times I saw them in concert. Talking about their second show reminded me of the angry reaction I had when a fellow art school student asked if I caught the Bruce Springsteen concert that past summer. What does that have to do with REM? You'll have to listen, the show is available for download in the archive.

Here's a clip from REM back in the day.

Movie Recommendation: Shaun Of The Dead (2004)

British humor and kicking zombie ass. What else do I need to say?

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus
First ad break bumpers: 'Wolves, Lower' & 'Radio Free Europe' by REM
Second ad break bumpers: 'Can't Get There From Here' & 'The One I Love' by REM
Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

dimland radio 9-17-11 show notes

2011-09-18T00:19:00.007-05:00

RIP Eleanor Mondale

Eleanor Mondale Poling 1960-2011

I broke the news on Z Talk Radio of the death of Eleanor Mondale Poling, daughter of former Vice-president Walter Mondale. She succumbed after a long battle with brain cancer September 17, 2011. I told a couple stories of my brushes (very tangential) with Eleanor.

dimland radio 9-10-11 show notes

2011-09-11T00:44:00.009-05:00

My Son's Back To School

My son started the third grade this week and, hopefully, he won't be sick before the end of next week.

News Item: Man Chops Off Own Hand

It's not exactly a new story (it was new in 2008) about a fellow suffering from the delusion that his hand carried the "mark of the beast," so he cut off his own hand and microwaved it. I'm sure that made God proud.

Read the story here.

News Item: "Fortune Tellers" Charged In $40Million Scam

Apparently several "fortune tellers" had been busted in Florida for fleecing people out of $40million. They would convince their clients that bad things (disease, financial hardship, etc.) would befall them unless these "soothsayers" cleansed their clients' money. Well, they certainly cleansed their clients of their money. Let's hope justice is done.

Read the story here.

A Rant: Celtic Thunder And Lip-syncing

Feet apart, backs straight, arms to the side, look to some distant point, be dramatic. Ok, now pretend to sing!

I ranted about Celtic Thunder, Celtic Women, and the Osmonds specials on PBS. The whole concept of the Celtic shows bugs me, but the fact that they all lip-sync their songs that is really wrong.

You can read my blog about it here.

Fox News Poll: Most Believe In Power Of Prayer And Creationism

I talked at length about a Fox News poll and went into a bit of a rant about faith healers and speaking in tongues. I mention the creepy Robert Tilton and his peculiar "talent" of speaking in tongues. It sounds more like baby talk to me.

Robert Tilton: Jesus wants you to send him money.

I also talked a little bit about the fact of evolution.

Read about the Fox News poll here.

Some 9/11 Talk

It's the 10th anniversary of the attacks on 9/11. I talked (again) about the conspiracy theories being misguided and wrong. Sure, I'm not that skeptical of the mainstream view of the events, but that's because the science bears up that view. It wasn't an inside job.

Here's a video clip giving the actual and simple reasons for the collapse of WTC 7.

I also thanked the people, government agencies and military for, thus far, keeping us free of any further terrorist attack on our soil for the past ten years. You should thank them too and put out your flag.

Movie Recommendation: Live And Let Die (1973)

First film with Roger Moore as James Bond. First Bond film I saw in the theater. First Bond film my son Hayden has seen. The Bond film with the best theme song of any of the films (Live And Let Die by Paul McCartney and Wings).

Sure, Sean Connery is the real Bond, but Moore is pretty good for a few films anyway. And this one is pretty good, as good as or better than the last couple Connery 007 films. At least, I think so.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus
First ad break bumpers: 'Four Engines Burning (Over The USA)' by The Screaming Blue Messiahs & 'The Beat(en) Generation' by The The
Second ad break bumpers: 'Tantalized' by The Church & 'Twist' by Tones On Tail
Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

dimland radio 9-3-11 show notes

2011-09-04T00:49:00.009-05:00

Cold Open: Curious George

What?! Curious George making a mess? No way!

I read a piece from my blog about how much the PBS cartoon Curious George annoys the hell out of me.

A Tale Of An Over-served Uncle

I told the story of my Uncle Dick and his bar-hopping trip up north to see his twin brother and how Uncle Dick was a tad bit over-served.

Well, I'm Going To Hell

So, I'm on the Facebook and I sent a friend request to a non-atheist fellow. He accepted my request and then checked my profile. He saw I was an atheist and he unfriended me, but first he had to tell me that I'm going to hell.

InFact...

"Hello, I'm Brian Dunning. I don't want to ruin you favorite movie series."

Skeptic Brian Dunning has a very excellent series on YouTube called InFact... You really should check it out.

I mentioned Brian's three part series on logical fallacies (must see!) that can be found here, here and here.

And Now A Rant: George Lucas Wants To Ruin Star Wars

"Hello, I'm George Lucas. I want to destroy your favorite movie series."

I ranted about how upset I was when I found out George Lucas had found another way to ruin Star Wars. For the Blu-Ray release he has Darth Vader shouting' "Noooooooooo!" as he stops the Emperor's attack on Luke Skywalker in The Return Of The Jedi.

You can read about it here.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus
First ad break bumpers: 'The Sinking Feeling' by The The & 'Second Guessing' by REM
Second ad break bumpers: 'Break My Body' by Pixies & 'Throw Your Arms Around Me' by Hunters & Collectors
Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

dimland radio 8-27-11 show notes

2011-08-28T00:35:00.008-05:00

Cold Open: A Correction

Yes, that is my son you can hear during my cold open, in which I corrected a mistake I made in last week's show. What was the mistake? You'll just have to listen.

Skeptics Get A Little Primetime: Follow Up

A fair amount of skepticism and a little lazy journalism.

I talked about ABC's Nightline Primetime: Beyond Belief program on psychic ability last week. They did about as well as we skeptic's could hope for, but I did take exception with the last report of the show filed by (possibly lazy) journalist, David Wright. That report abandoned all skepticism. I wrote a blog on my thoughts on Mr. Wright journalistic fail here.

I had more to talk about, because we found out a little something about that report. You can read my original review of the show here.

Randi's Amazing Trick

Please, Randi, don't be upset that I gave away your secret. Just one of them!

I related the story of how James Randi was once put on the spot by Barbara Walters to duplicate a supposed psychic feat done by Uri Geller. Randi pulls it off. He doesn't tell how he did it, but I told on my show. I hope Randi doesn't get upset.

Feel The Love

Then a couple stories about how some Christians treat atheists when they speak out. Just as Jesus would want them to - with death threats. Ahhhh, feel the love.

The stories are here and here.

Minnesota's "Bigfoot" Caught On Tape

Then I talked about yet another very inconclusive video of what could be a bigfoot or a guy in a costume. I'm sure you can guess which one I'm leaning toward.

You can see the video clip here.

Movie Recommendation: Super (2010)

This movie may not be for everyone, but if you like dark, violent comedies about regular people attempting to be superheros, this one is for you.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus
First ad break bumpers: 'Go!' by Tones On Tail & 'Big Mouth Strikes Again' by The Smiths
Second ad break bumpers: 'In-Between Days' by The Cure & 'Teacher, Teacher' by Rockpile
Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

dimland radio friday night music special 8-26-11 show notes

2011-08-27T01:26:00.005-05:00

Friday Night Music Show Special

Another Friday night music show packed with not country music (I did that the last two Fridays). This time I played a more Indie, Punk, New Wave, etc. mix of music, however I did sprinkle in several songs by bands that have had at least one member work at the shirt printing shop that I worked at about 5 years ago. The shop was called Cold Side Silkscreening. I will note each Cold Side band with a CS, just so you know.

I am not allowed to archive music shows, so you had to tune in to listen. And this is the last music special I'll be doing for the foreseeable future. The following is what you missed if you weren't there...

Playlist

My Degeneration - Crawdad Creek (CS)
Hearts Are Trump - Trio
Here Is The News - ELO
Tori Tori Tori - Dander (CS)
Lisztomania - Phoenix
Vanishing Girl - The Dukes Of Stratosphear
Set Adrift On Memory Bliss - PM Dawn
Bloodbuzz Ohio - The National
Red Rain - Peter Gabriel
Black Leather - All The Pretty Horses (CS)
White Girl - X
What A Life - Juliana Hatfield
That One - Guzzard (CS)
New World Man - Rush
Perfect Memory - TV Sound (CS)
Boy Who Cried Wolf - The Style Council
Ray Of Light - Madonna
Music For Boys - the Suburbs
We R The Engineers - Mach Fox (CS)
Ahead - Wire
Ram - The Yoleus (CS)
Regret - New Order
Walking Talking Johnny Cash Blues - The Godfathers
Rock 'n' Roll Hate - The Murderers (CS)
Wake Up The Nation - Paul Weller
That's Not My Name - The Tings Tings
The Mayor Of Simpleton - XTC
Be That Kind - TV Sound (CS)
Needle In The Hay - Elliot Smith
Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division
House Divided - Mach Fox (CS)
Freeway Picnic Party (live) - Urban Guerrillas
Marathon - Audrey (CS)
What Difference Does It Make? - The Smiths
You'll Never Pay For The Farm - Gang Of Four
5:15 - The Who
Talk Of The Town - The Pretenders
One Step Ahead - Split Enz
Wow And Flutter - Stereolab
Jique - Brazilian Girls
Cruel To Be Kind - Nick Lowe
Skyway - The Replacements
Angler's Treble Hook - $5 Fiddle (CS)

Other Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Twist' by Tones On Tail

a follow up on ABC's beyond belief

2011-08-23T12:42:00.008-05:00

Regarding ABC's Primetime Nightline Special: Beyond Belief, aired last Wednesday night (8-17-11):

The last report on that special featured reporter David Wright's encounter with two "psychic" mommies, Alison DuBois and Rebecca Rosen. Each "psychic" did a reading for Mr. Wright who claimed he was "naturally and professionally skeptical." His skepticism quickly disappeared when Rebecca Rosen hit him with some pretty specific (although her technique looked like standard cold reading) information.

Such as, his mother's name (she guessed it was an Ann or Anna and he told her it was Deanna), that she was dead (Wright stated he had not told either woman about that), that his wife was Irish (she said she was seeing clovers and wondered who was Irish, he told her it was his wife), his wife's name (she said she saw a V as in Victor and he told her his wife's name was Victoria), she claimed to feel a strong connection between his oldest daughter and his late mother (he told the audience that daughter was named Deanna after his mother), and so on.

David Wright: naturally and professionally skeptical?

David Wright, the natural and professional skeptic, was "hooked" and he specifically said that none of that information can be found on the internet. Well, it turns out that the personal information alleged psychic, Rebecca Rosen, "psychically" gleaned from the beyond CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET! (My thanks to the skeptics on Twitter who bothered to look for and found this information mere minutes after the program aired.)

You can find the information about his daughters here. This item is dated 2008.

And...

You can find the name of his mother, the fact that she is dead, the name of his wife and the fact she is Irish here. This item is dated 2005.

Remember, the reporter said none of that info could be found online. So, either Mr. Wright is just plain lazy or he was being disingenuous, figuring most people won't do the search and he wanted his report to give the impression there may actually be psychic abilities.

Rebecca Rosen: a psychic or a cold reader who knows how to use the internet?

For some reason, the networks are under the impression that skeptical and/or scientific programming is a ratings killer. They think that the paranormal draws more viewers. This may be true, but I think if a program is done well enough in its writing, production and presentation any topic will grab viewers. 'Cosmos,' the science series presented by Carl Sagan did spectacularly well for PBS in 1980. It can be done.

But the networks, especially the cable networks, just keep trotting out the tired old mystery mongering, paranormal, ghost hunting schlock. Those programs are less than a dime a dozen these days and the science content of all of them combined is close to zero. They may feature a skeptic (usually edited to appear cynical) who will provide some science to the proceedings.

I stated in an earlier blog that I give credit to ABC for getting most of that program right, as far as its presentation of skepticism toward psychic abilities went. But they just had to abandon the skepticism completely for that last report by David Wright. There may be a couple reasons for doing that.

One reason might be the need of the news media to give some balance. They had given the skeptics a pretty good shake for 90% of the show, so give the psychics that 10% for some balance. Ok, maybe.

The other reason might just have to do with the fact that it appears ABC will be running their own mystery mongering series on the paranormal. They don't want to spoil that series by being too skeptical on this special program, do they? That might explain why they chose to run the most credulous report on psychic abilities last, leaving millions of viewers with the impression that Rebecca Rosen and Alison Dubois might actually be psychic. In my opinion, the way ABC ended that special tainted all the proper skepticism that had gone before.

So, the networks think there are big ratings in mystery mongering, paranormal, ghost hunting schlock. And it's the skeptics who are called cynical!