Wednesday, December 25, 2024

Episode 256: It's In The Cards

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When one ponders stuff, it's best if one knows the actual facts of whatever it is one ponders, as opposed to made-up crap stuffed into one's head by others. Otherwise you might as well use a tarot deck and see the title of Episode 256: It's In The Cards.

In this episode, I read from: An AP News story about the creditors getting their small business lawsuit settled; a Justice Department Press Release about how they are jumping into the fray to reduce fees; and a Reuters story about the same shit in a different region, the European Union. All the other shit I pondered came straight from my noggin.

In the opening, I played: Cory Doctorow pointing out what happens to factuality when businesses get too big to be regulated, that backed by KMFDM's "Attak"; and I'm closing with Vince Guiraldi and his Trio doing "Skating," that from the Charlie Brown Christmas Special soundtrack.

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Episode 255: Reasoning & Irrationality

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We humans are funny critters, with loves and hatreds and outright loathings that too often bear no real resemblance to any cogent rationality. Yet it's all we've got. I explore this in Episode 255: Reasoning & Irrationality.

In this episode, I read from: A Seattle Times article on a movie about the old Rainier ads; and Steven Johnson's book, The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic—and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World.

I play: a bit of the trailer for the 1932 movie Freaks; Lord David Puttnam's TED Talk about the media's duty of care; and Pee Wee Herman commenting on large exceptions. Musically, KMFDM backs Mr. Ceglowski in the intro; and I close today with Julie & Rolf & The Campfire Gang doing "Over the Rainbow".