Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Episode 166: Dreaming of an Off-White Xmas

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For the sixth year now, I present some holiday cheer (well, more accurately, "cheer" as defined by me, a sick snickering cynical bastard). Enjoy my completely off-color, in-no-way safe for children or work Episode 166: Dreaming of an Off-White Xmas.

In this episode, I play: the Vince Guiraldi Trio doing "Skating" (as usual); and Eric Idle doing his version of a holiday song before a live audience. Mistle Thrush also makes an appearance.

(Oh, and I should apologize for what you are about to hear in the title; sadly, I've already used the title "Apologies in Advance", and I really don't want to re-use titles. So, there's that. You've been warned.)

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Episode 165: Dear Nova

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No matter what the crisis, it is critical that people are given options. When options conflict with well-vested opinions—or worse, business models—don't expect them to be explained well. I protest one such money silencing in this Episode 165: Dear Nova.

In this episode, I quote: extensively from a Nova documentary called "Can We Cool The Planet?"; from a web page put out by the XPRIZE Foundation; and from Jane Mayer's book Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right.

Musically, I play: Lee Rosevere appropriately doing "Betrayal"; and Podington Bear doing "Aim Is True." KMFDM backs Bruce Livesy in the intro; and I close today with Mistle Thrush.

[Oh, and sorry for the late episode posting. I forgot. —Jim]

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Episode 164: Something On Which You Can Depend

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Knowing the cost of what advertisers spend to get your attention is not the full story. For that, you really need to appreciate the value that attention is worth to those that hire those ad men. And that is Episode 164: Something On Which You Can Depend.

In this episode, I read from: Upton Sinclair's novel A World To Win; Simon Winchester's book The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom; an article by Bryan Many-Goose (alright, alright: Menegus) titled "What Am I Worth to Advertisers? My Obsessive Quest to Put a Price on My Attention"; A Guardian article about cat posters invading a London Tube Station; Tim Wu's book The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads; and Edward Bernays' book Propaganda.

I play: Sydney Greenstreet's evil, repetitious, and irritating capitalist advertising character from the 1947 movie The Hucksters. Musically, I play: two from Lee Rosevere, first "Under Suspicion" and last "Tension"; and Podington Bear, who filled the Rosevere bread in the middle with "Skeptic". KMFDM backs Mr. Ceglowski in the opening, and Julie and Rolf and the Campfire Gang close with "Over the Rainbow".

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Episode 163: The Sheer Amount of Space in Our Day

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Have you ever considered how much is spent befouling our attentions with ads? In other words, how much do people pay to get your attention? I'll examine an article that attempts to discover that in this Episode 163: The Sheer Amount of Space in Our Day.

In this episode, I read from Bryan Menegus' article, "What Am I Worth to Advertisers? My Obsessive Quest to Put a Price on My Attention." Again, I'll conclude with my take on his test in the next episode.

I play: Bill and Ted reading each others' minds; and et doing a perfectly named tune "A Song of Sadness" (another tune which is, once again, difficult to find on the intertubes), something to back the rectangles in our hands and lives, no doubt. I open with a new intro with Matt Stoller backed by KMFDM, and close with Mistle Thrush.

[Well, Pim, how did things work?]

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Episode 162: WTN The Ad-Fueled Dumpster Fire

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When the news chooses to focus on everything politically except at an entire movement drastically changing the world, they fail everyone. Our news becomes nothing but the title of this Episode 162: The Ad-Fueled Dumpster Fire.

I read quite a bit in this episode, namely: Three Wikipedia Articles relating to the World Trade Organization and the 1999 protests against the 20th Ministerial Conference here in Seattle; Peter Kruger's article "What Don't Most Liberals Realize?"; and a few sentences from Ha-Joon Chang's book Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism.

I play: Al Franken singing to his campaign phone, from an interview he did on Terri Gross's show Fresh Air; Hillary Clinton's observation about half the supporters of her opponent gathered in a basket; and Jake Tapper talking with William McRaven about his endorsement. Musically, I weave Lee Rosevere's "Let's Start At The Beginning" throughout; and use Podington Bear's "New Old Toys" as a rant backing. KMFDM backs Henry Giroux's endorsement of civic literacy; and I close with Julie and Rolf and the Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow".

Links to that material can be found at the show notes at AttackAdsPodcast.Blogspot.com. (Oh, and I'll throw one more link at the notes to a This Is Hell! interview on trade agreements with Nick Deardon that is well worth hearing, but that I just heard and could not squeeze into this show.)

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Episode 161: WTN Aphoristic Dissonance

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We all use language to codify and structure the reality around us. We have to be careful, though, not to hide within unexamined aphorisms internal impossibilities that mask from us what is really going on. Hence, Episode 161: Aphoristic Dissonance.

In this episode, I read from: Wendy Brown's book appropriately named Undoing the Demos: Neoliberalism's Stealth Revolution; my computer's quickie dictionary; and from Anand Giridharadas' book Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World. There's a lot more good stuff in this book, which I'll give you in dollops in future episodes.

I play: President Barack Obama proving that he isn't liberal by quoting a bit of his 2013 State of the Union Address; and Travis Kalanick dismissing with extreme prejudice his own complicity in bankrupting others.

Musically, I play: two from Visciera——first "Grinder", and then "Coming Back"; KMFDM opens with Socialist Mayor of Burlington, Vermont Bernie Sanders pointing out the silly of television; and I close with Julie and Rolf and the Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow".

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Episode 160: Three Necessary Tiers of Freedom

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In the last episode, I bitched about not finding my show in a portal search; but what might happen next? Things could get so much worse for podcasters who refuse to bow to ad pressures, as I explore in this Episode 160: Three Necessary Tiers of Freedom.

In this episode, I read from: A February 8, 2020 article written by Matt Stoller for his anti-monopoly newsletter Big (the name of which contains a certain Stain I'd rather not mention by name); and from Tim Wu's 2010 book The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires.

I play: Pee Wee Herman observing buts; and Sydney Greenstreet telling Clark Gable how advertising really works. Musically, I play: three from Jahzzar; first "Mr. Bleach", then "Servants", then "about u"; KMFDM opens the show with Representative David Cicilline opening congressional hearings into big tech; and I close with Mistle Thrush.

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Episode 159: Now You Find Me….

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It sometimes takes an event well beyond my ability to "fix" before an idea worth indulging motivates me to create an episode. Imperious corporate impediments to increasing my show’s listenership prompt this Episode 159: Now You Find Me….

In this episode, I read from: podcaster frustrations and some most dismissive advice from a FruitiToons help page; from my podcast host company's own monetization advice; and from my computer's quickie dictionary. I've got a lot more stuff to read on this topic of podcast hosting, trust me; but it will have to wait for another two weeks and the next episode!

I played: Podington Bear's "Trickledown"; and Viciera doing "Me Burning". KMFDM backs Representative David Ciccilline opening a congressional investigation I'll tell you about in the next episode; and Julie and Rolf lead the campfire gang, closing us out with "Over the Rainbow".

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Episode 158: From a Crawl to a Walk

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In this Episode 158: From a Crawl to a Walk, I share a discovery that is more than simply monumental and epic in its own right, it's oxymoronic: a Walkable Crawlspace.

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Episode 157: MFA Without the Slightest Belch

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In Jerry Mander's first of his Four Arguments, I look at what he feels happens to us when the doors of perception are all but closed to nature; through our unnatural media, autocracy rushes in to fill us. Hence, Episode 157: MFA Without the Slightest Belch.

(A Jim NB: I've decided to label the series episodes when I can with a TLA that indicates which of my current ongoing series I'm attacking. For example, this MFA is on Mander's Four Arguments. Got it? I'm not going back and re-doing names or anything like that; just from now on and such.)

In this episode, I read from: Jerry Mander's Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television; Upton Sinclair's Between Two Worlds (1941 [reprint Simon Publications, 2001], pp. 453-454.); and from Aldous Huxley: A Biography, by Sybille Bedford (Carroll & Graf, 1985, p. 92.). I played a bit of an interview with Aldous Huxley, shared on the Psychedelic Salon. Thanks very much to listener David M for recommending that interview to me. Thanks David! It's a couple of interviews with Huxley for which I would also highly encourage a listen.

Musically, I got lazy again and played only Podington Bear: first you heard "Lone Road"; then "Happy Transit"; then "Smolder". I opened the show with Bernie Sanders sharing Jerry Mander's concern about the future of concentrated media ownership, Bernie backed by KMFDM; and I'm closing today with Mistle Thrush.

I'm releasing this and all my episodes under a Creative Commons 4.0 attribution, share-alike, and non-commercial license.

Saturday, July 25, 2020

Episode 156: Our Unbroken Economy

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For reasons too few truly understand, in our “economy,” too few citizens are invested profitably: in the position of holding assets that increase wealth simply by dint of ownership. I free-form rant on this in Episode 156: Our Unbroken Economy.

In this episode, I read from: John Michael Greer's book The Long Descent; David Graeber's book Debt: The First 5,000 Years; and Thomas Picketty's book Capital in the 21st Century. I recall from memory: Kevin Stroud's The History of English Podcast; the essay "The Passion of Antoine Lavoisier", published in Stephen Jay Gould's book of essays Bully For Brontosaurus: Reflections in Natural History; an NPR story about the niacin-deficiency plague in Italy that befell the peasantry after the introduction of maize (what most of us call corn); and finally, I relate a bit of what Henry George talked about in his 1879 book Progress & Poverty (which you can read for free in its entirety online!).

I open with KMFDM's "Attak" backing cohort Justice John Paul Stevens dissenting from the Supreme Court's Citizens United Not Timid decision, a decision that re-aligned the technology called political speech back toward those who possessed the technology called money. I close with Julie and Rolf and the campfire gang doing "Over the Rainbow".

I'm releasing this and all my episodes under a Creative Commons 4.0 attribution, share-alike, and non-commercial license.

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Episode 155: Dueling Fictions, Dueling Crises

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We currently live through two plagues: one, CoVID-19; the other, vested interests pay not just to shove a plague of bad ideas at all of us, but also to keep good ideas as far away as possible. Hence, Episode 155: Dueling Fictions, Dueling Crises.

In this episode, I play Jeanine Jackson from Counterspin talking about The People's Bailout, and the corporate media's all-but-nonexistent coverage of it. Musically, I play: Jupiter Makes Me Scream doing "Dive Into"; and Podington Bear doing "Submerging Blue-Black". KMFDM backs Dmitri Orlov in the opening; and I close with Mistle Thrush.

I'm releasing this and all my episodes under a Creative Commons 4.0 attribution, share-alike, and non-commercial license.

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Episode 154: MFA Mander's Four Arguments: An Introduction

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It should come as no surprise that, though influential and important, certain books suffer in reputation simply because they question more dominant media. I give an overview in such a book in this Episode 154: Mander's Four Arguments: An Introduction.

In this episode, I read from Jerry Mander's 1978 book, Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television. I also recount from memory interesting tidbits from Jane Brox's 2010 book Brilliant: The Evolution of Artificial Light. In future episodes, I hope to use material from her book to support my quibble with Mander's insistence that electricity was the watershed invention that changed humanity forever. I also hope this will not diminish Mander's conclusions, but rather clarify them.

Music-wise, I played Lee Rosevere's "What's Behind The Door" throughout, including at the close, just for fun. I opened the show once again with KMFDM, this time backing Mark Stahlman's observation about television targeted advertising.

I'm releasing this and all my episodes under a Creative Commons 4.0 attribution, share-alike, and non-commercial license.

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Episode 153: No News Is Still Bad News

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I admit it: I tend to get distracted and wander off topic. Today, I get back to observing the collapse of journalism—and trying to prevent it—with some unhelpful help from public radio personalities in this return Episode 153: No News Is Still Bad News.

I read from two books by Robert McChesney and John Nichols: first, Our Media, Not Theirs: The Democratic Struggle Against Corporate Media; and then from The Death and Life of American Journalism: The Media Revolution That Will Begin the World Again. If you want a truly deep dive into journalism, go read these guys' books.

I play: The BeeGees, in reference to Brooke and Bob; On The Media's episode titled "No News Is Bad News"; KMO from the C-Realm Podcast giving us a sarcastic "great"; Tenacious D doing snippets of "The Government Totally Sucks", that from their hilarious movie, The Pick of Destiny; Raphae doing "Intro"; and Visciera doing "Seething". I opened with KMFDM backing Jeff Jarvis, and I'm closing today with Mistle Thrush.

I'm releasing this and all my episodes under a Creative Commons 4.0, attribution, share-alike, and non-commercial license.

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Episode 152: The Nuisance Economy

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Once and a while, it's good to expend a little more effort in order to expend a bit less effort. It's complicated. Anyway, enjoy the result, a chat with Chad Hill of the Hip Crime Vocab Blog in this Episode 152: The Nuisance Economy.

I would highly encourage you to check out Chad's blog, but do keep in mind that, since he cares not one whit about checking his readership metrics, he won't even know you were there unless you leave him a comment, which, I'm sure, he will appreciate.

I open today's show with Mr. Ceglowski's observations about what makes a good advertiser, that backed by KMFDM's "Attak"; and I close today with Julie and Rolf and the campfire gang doing "Over The Rainbow".

I'm releasing this and all my episodes under a Creative Commons 4.0, share-alike, attribution, and non-commercial license.

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Episode 151: A Rare Opportunity to Reimagine

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Never let a good crisis go unexploited, said someone, somewhere. It's good advice. It allows us to see what we've been missing, and maybe what we should keep missing. That's the idea in this Episode 151: A Rare Opportunity to Reimagine.

In this episode, I read from: The Wikipedia page for Philip Henry Gosse; the Stephen Jay Gould article "Adam's Navel", found in his 1987 book, The Flamingo's Smile; and the Amanda Mull article "Pandemic Advertising Got Weird Fast", published in the Atlantic magazine.

I play: audio from an online parade of pandemic advertising (that you really should see for yourself); and an expletive deleted ad introducing the Amanda Mull podcast extra from On The Media. Musically: the real Bee Gees briefly signaled mention of Bob Garfield and Brooke Gladstone; and Podington Bear's appropriately-titled "Button Mushroom". KMFDM's "Attak" backed Amanda Mull herself for the opening; and I'm closing once again with Mistle Thrush.

I'm releasing this and all my episodes under a Creative Commons 4.0 attribution, share-alike, and non-commercial license.

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Episode 150: Ligers and Tigons and Joe

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Don't you hate it when someone comes along and makes you realize that everything you've grown used to supporting is just as toxic as what you really despise? I confront the compromise and the damage done in this Episode 150: Ligers and Tigons and Joe.

In this episode, I read from: my computer's quickie dictionary; emails from Nancy Pelosi and the DCCC; and Anne Nelson's book Shadow Network: Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right. Expect more from that book. It's right up the alley of this show.

I play: Joe Exotic entertaining Stephen Colbert from prison; D. L. Myers voicing the Powell Movement Stinger; and George Takei doing his signature Oh, My, that one from an episode of Futurama. Musically, I play: Podington Bear doing "Climbing the Mountain"; and Jahzzar doing "Wind". I open with Bernie Sanders bemoaning the concentration of media, that backed by KMFDM; and I close today with Mistle Thrush.

I'm releasing this and all my episodes under a Creative Commons 4.0 attribution, share-alike, and non-commercial license.

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Episode 149: Watching the World Go To Health

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You exercise, and for what? Today, the devices that help you work out work against you, reducing your fitness sweaty efforts into further fodder for surveillance profits. That's what I cover in this Episode 149: Watching the World Go To Health.

In this episode, I read from Shoshana Zuboff's The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight For a Human Future At The New Frontier of Power. Again, this is a book well worth the slog, even through the notes.

I play: audio I pulled from a video sent to me by C-Realm host KMO of Professor Zuboff sharing her research and observations. Music-wise, I include: Lee Rosevere doing "Betrayal"; and Podington Bear doing "Rarified". KMFDM backs Professor Zuboff herself for a new surveillance capitalism opening; and Julie and Rolf lead the campfire gang in "Over the Rainbow" once again.

I'm releasing this and all my episodes under a Creative Commons 4.0 attribution, share-alike, and non-commercial episode.

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Episode 148: …and Bernie 2020

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What happens when a presidential candidate’s positions threaten not just the business of news, but also offend the sensibilities of those personalities who are paid so very well to present it? I explore this phenomenon in Episode 148: …and Bernie 2020.

In this episode, I briefly quote McChesney and Nichols' Dollarocracy: How the Money and Media Election Complex is Destroying America. I also quoted War of the Worlds 1938 radio broadcast coverage from the New York Daily News.

Ga'an's "I of Infinite Forms II" provided the montage backing music. In order of their vocal appearances were Douglas Rushkoff, Chris Matthews, James Carville, and Anand Giridharadas. Rushkoff and Giridharadas provide the counterpoint analysis to the foot-in-mouth escapades of Matthews and Carville. I open with Team Human guest Mark Stahlman backed by KMFDM, and I close with Mistle Thrush.

I'm releasing this and all my episodes under a Creative Commons 4.0 attribution, share-alike, and non-commercial license.

Oh, and once again, the days have been crawling soooo slowly since the lockdown that I just plum forgot what day it was yesterday, resulting in this, yet another inexcusable late posting. My Bad.

——Jim

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Episode 147: Blankstorm '95, CoVID-19, and…

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You might only realize how interesting the times in which you live really are when it's hard to distinguish which is worse: the reality surrounding you; or the commercial reporting on that reality. Hence, Episode 147: Blankstorm '95, CoVID-19, and…

In this episode, I read from: my computer's quickie dictionary; and from Jenny O'Dell's book How To Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy. I play the voice of former head of news for both the CBC and NPR Jeffry Dvorkin, a clip I pulled from his interview on Candaland.

Musically, I play: Visciera doing "Seething"; and Podington Bear doing "Grapefruit". I open with KMFDM backing then Mayor of Burlington Bernie Sanders, and close with Mistle Thrush.

I'm releasing this and all my episodes under a Creative Commons 4.0 attribution, share-alike, and non-commercial license.

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Episode 146: Hitler Was An Ad-Man

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Perhaps if more people understood how insulting the tenets of advertising are, or how poorly ad-men regard their audience, more might avoid it, or consider restricting it legally. Consider the title of this Episode 146: Hitler Was An Ad-Man.

In this episode, I read from: from my computer's quickie dictionary for the definition of Liberalism; and from Tim Wu's The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads. (Again, all of the quotes, from Hitler, Goebbels, and Lerner, came from Wu's book unconfirmed. I hope they are accurate.)

I play: Senator Ted Stevens sharing his understanding of the Intertubes; Gene Wilder explaining to Cleavon Little why he should expect disappointment from the locals; Sydney Greenstreet demonstrating what in advertising works best; and listener Vincent once again correcting my French pronunciation with some good French cursing. (In his cursing, he says: "No, that is not it, shit!")

Musically, I insert: Podington Bear's "Firefly"; and Jahzzar's "Lullaby" and "Reflections". KMFDM opens with Justice Stevens pointing out just one of the problems with the Citizen's United Not Timid majority decision; and I close today with Julie and Rolf leading some campfire singing.

I'm releasing this and all my episodes under a Creative Commons 4.0 attribution, share-alike, and non-commercial license.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Bonus Episode: Radio's Second Chance

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Sometimes, rare books are rare not because they have no value, but because their value is perceived as topical only for a certain time. Sometimes, though, good ideas suggested for one time prove timeless. Hence this Bonus Episode: Radio's Second Chance.

In this episode, I read from: Victor Pickard's Battle for Media Democracy; and from Charles Siepmann's 1946 book Radio's Second Chance.

I open the show with a fragment of KMFDM's "Attack", and I play Lee Rosevere's "Curiosity" throughout.

I'm releasing this and all my episodes under a Creative Commons 4.0, attribution, share-alike, and non-commercial license.

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Episode 145: All Is Fare In Law and War

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Some episode topics for this show are too obvious to even mention…until they affect me more grievously than a simple plea to get another credit card. I discuss that targeted, personal aspect of direct mail in this Episode 145: All Is Fare In Law and War.

In this episode, I read from a Wikipedia entry concerning the Supreme Court's 2018 Janus Decision. I mention a group listener Kevin turned me onto, a guerrilla art outfit called Advertising Shits In Your Head. These guys create what look like real ads, posters in kiosks and the like, but when you actually read them, totally indict the companies the posters mock. Oh, to have that kind of talent! I also play: a snippet of Brad Parscale opining on some of the tools of his trade; and D. L. Myers once again reading the Powell Movement Stinger.

Musically, I play: Podington Bear doing "Skeptic". I open with KMFDM's "Attack" backing Justice John Paul Stevens reading a selection from his dissent on the Court's Citizens United Not Timid decision; and I close with the Pietnastka's "Salto" (the intro of which I play earlier in the show).

(Also, just a reminder, these show notes pages are the bestest place for you to leave comments on the show. The chances I will find comments left in other places scattered around the internets are slim to none, sadly. So, please, leave comments here.)

I'm releasing this and all my episodes under a Creative Commons 4.0 attribution, share-alike, and non-commercial license.

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Episode 144: WTN: The Thought Leader Three-Step

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Whenever you step on a stage, it's important to remember your lines, even if the very act of memorizing and later reciting those words warps and dominates your thinking… off-stage. I explore this in this Episode 144: WTN: The Thought Leader Three-Step.

In this episode, I read from: Anand Giridharadas' Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World; and from Daniel Drezner's The Ideas Industry. I recall without quotes an experiment first published in the Atlantic magazine.

I play: 100% Chevalier doing "La Mallette"* (which hammered out some segues); Podington Bear doing "Outmoded Waltz"; and Lee Rosevere doing "Under Suspicion"*. Henry Giroux was backed by KMFDM's "Attack" in the opening; and I'm now closing with Julie and Rolf leading the campfire gang in "Under The Rainbow".

Oh, and while you're here, leave a comment! If you leave it elsewhere, I'm unlikely to see it, or even know of its existence. Just saying. I'm releasing this and all my episodes under a Creative Commons 4.0 attribution, share-alike, and non-commercial license.

*Once again, things on the Inter Tubes, like source links, get moved around. I'll have to go through that music file of mine and do some serious updates. Soon. I promise.




Update: Friday, February 7, 2020: Through some Charlie Foxtrot of the data world, as listener ric2 pointed out to me, this episode uploaded for only a few minutes, then linked out giving a 404 error. I think I've fixed that; I need a few folks to try downloading to know if my delete-and-reupload works (the data equivalent of unplugging it, waiting, and plugging it back in).

More disturbingly, while trying to triage the FUBAR, I discovered I was unable to search for my podcast on the Fruity Toons store! It's happened before, so I'm not sure what gives. If anybody who subscribes through the Fruity Toons pod-aggregator will be so kind and let me know if it works for them, I would be greatly appreciative. Thanks!

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Episode 143: Maybe They Do Care

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A lack of any response from communicants can grow into frustration, over time building into a sense of utter hopelessness. By watching what they do, one can sometimes infer that someone might indeed be listening. Hence Episode 143: Maybe They Do Care.

In this episode, I relied on my own frail memory. If I got any recollections down right wrong, that's on me. I played: excerpts of ad and donation begging from both Radio Lab and Reveal; and a snippet from the Fight Club rules as voiced by Brad Pitt. Musically, I played two from Podington Bear, first "Sensitive" and then "Running On Empty". Because I mentioned the On The Media BGs (Brooke Gladstone and Bob Garfield), I also played the real BGs. KMFDM opened the show with Mr. Ceglowski, and I'm closing today with Mistle Thrush.

I'm releasing this and all my episodes under a Creative Commons 4.0 share-alike, attribution, and non-commercial license.

(Oh, and for my perpentious listeners who were wondering why I released this episode a day late… I… took a nap? That went long? Like, a day long? It totally happens. Right?)

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Episode 142: 2020 Hindsight

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New year looks back should be done when conditions grant the best insights. What better sight is there than that described as 20/20? Hence, Episode 142: 2020 Hindsight.

In this episode, I read from: a Guardian article interviewing a NYTs editor, and the headline from Fox News it generated; Shoshanna Zuboff's book, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism; from Robert McChesney and John Nichol's book Dollarocracy; and a Guardian story listener Kevin sent me concerning companies pulling back from listening in on their customers (something mainstream media insists they simply do not do). I play: Frontline's James Jacoby interviewing Brad Parscale for a 2018 documentary.

Musically, I play: et* doing "Intro" and "Black"; and Podington Bear doing "Nocturne Opus 27 Number 1". KMFDM opens with Bernie Sanders correcting the record about what news does; and I close with et.

I'm releasing this and all my episodes under a Creative Commons 4.0 attribution, share-alike, and non-commercial license.

*Note: Again, the internets have concealed from finding… or scrubbed, in this case, I've no idea which… an entire band whose album I downloaded many years ago. I'm so going to have to update them files. I apologize for the continuing lack of linkage.