Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Another Unavoidable Hiatus

Just as happened last March, I must once again interrupt these episodes to accommodate a house guest in what is now the production studio. Two unfinished episodes rest, as they say, "in the can" ready for completion, and many others are "in the works," sitting inchoate on my hard drive waiting for studio time to bring them to life. Once that studio is free for my use, expect a flood of episodes.

I will say this: the situation that brought my house guest here is very, very unusual. Though I cannot detail what is happening without possibly bringing legal consequences, I can say the story is unusual and interesting enough to be entertaining to more than mere participants. I'm thinking about turning the story, once it reaches a resolution, into a couple of episodes, though they would have nothing to do with advertising. I might record a few such episodes and test the waters with you, Gentle Listeners, to see if more episodes would be welcomed.

That, though, is for the future. Again, I deeply regret the interruption, no matter how necessary.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Episode 34: Reiteratively Repeated Redundancy

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Episode 34: Reiteratively Redundant Repetition concerns me asking the eternal question: Why do advertisers run the same damned ads again and again and again? Won't we get sick of them, and maybe just avoid those media outlets who stoop to such echoing? I attempt to answer the question with an actual expert!

This episode includes an explanation of two very key psychological phenomena by Ray Hyman (interviewed by one of Skepticality's hosts Derek Colanduno). We also hear a short clip from Kelsey Grammer's Frasier Crane from the Cheers years, backed by Pietnastka's "Dice." That piece also closes this shorter than usual episode.

Why the brevity? Well, let's just say I started worrying that the entire sketch I included as an illustration of the Amnesia Effect might be: a) taken the wrong way, a way in which I did not at all intend; or b) taken exactly as I intended it. Either way, there might be some folks a bit grossed out by my cave men and their conundrum. I should get some listener feedback about what is and what is definitely not funny before showing my humor in all its glory and ghastliness.