Episode 138: Digital Psychopathy

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When machines can read your expressions as well as humans, we should worry, especially when such predators, be they human or machine, feel not the slightest tinge of remorse. Hence, Episode 138: Digital Psychopathy.

In this episode, I read from: Shoshana Zuboff's Age of Surveillance Capitalism; and a Scientific American article by Kevin Dutton. Going by memory, I recount: a focus subject from the British documentary The Detectives; and Kevin Dutton's book The Wisdom of Psychopaths. I also play: Kevin Dutton talking about his book; The CBS Weekend News, amplifying some bad research; and Bill and Ted talking to themselves, from their Excellent Adventure.

Musically, I play: Lee Rosevere's "Content" and "What's Behind the Door", two tunes I used to separate and later join the two topics I spoke about today; and Podington Bear quite appropriately doing "Degradation". KMFDM backs Bruce Livesy commenting about relative corporate power; 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.

Episode 137: Something Else In The Air

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To understand the national anger at the first radio commercials, I find it helps to understand first and foremost that these ads came right into the home… like an intruder's pungent fart. Hence, Episode 137: Something Else in the Air.

In this episode, I read from: Tim Wu's The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads; and from a web site Mr. Wu turned me onto, one he himself used as a source for another of his books. It's a history of early radio, and an interesting one at that. Beyond the general overview I used several sub-pages, which contained lots of scans of historic content.

Sound-wise, I play: Sydney Greenstreet's evil industrialist character from the 1947 movie The Hucksters; and Monty Python's Terry Jones and Eric Idle, from the "Nudge, Nudge" sketch. Musically, I play: Metastaz doing "I'm"; Pietnaska doing "Superator"; and Podington Bear doing "Bad Seed". Clark Gable, also from The Hucksters, opens the show backed by KMFDM, and I close with Julie and Rolf 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.

(Oh, and concerning the week-late posting, I came down with a bit of visiting family. They were where my attention was directed. It happens.)

Episode 136: Something Amazing In The Air

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Technology sometimes makes history dramatically, changing the way its witnesses think of the future forever. Today, I focus on one such unveiling, and link it to the first days of radio, in this Episode 136: Something Amazing In The Air.

In this episode, I mostly read from Stacy Schiff's A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America, an account of Benjamin Franklin and other of our country's founders stationed in Paris to advocate for their Revolutionary position.

Audio–wise, I was once again graced with listener Vincent doing me a solid and recording himself not just pronouncing the French names well beyond my Anglicized voice's ability, but also scolding me with some choice curses. Thank you very much, Vincent! Again, it is a treat for me to edit audio that while working on fitting the sounds in this show just makes me giggle. Oh, and keep listening, everybody, for a treat after the show's closing!

Musically, I play four from Podington Bear: First, there was "Midnight Blue", like the brothers' balloon; next, "Bright White"; and finally, appropriately, "Ideas". (The fourth Podington Bear tune, "Vox Bubble Rumba", was added in the extra feature at the end of the show; I regretfully didn't mention it in the closing credits.) KMFDM backs Clark Gable bitching about radio in the opening (which I played in the middle, because why not?), and I close the show with Mistle Thrush.

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

Episode 135: Sweat the Petty Stuff

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Most of us are today packing a small, flat tech rectangle, something that provides hours of staring opportunity. Is that gadget using its microphone to betray our secret desires? I'll dip into this possibility in this Episode 135: Sweat the Petty Stuff.

In this episode, I relate two funnies and a serious from co–worker Todd. I also read from a BBC article with a surprising number of amateur grammatical mistakes contained within.

I play: Jahzzar doing "Studie I"; Lee Rosevere's appropriately named "Under Suspicion"; and Podington Bear's "Post". (I must apologize! The links to that material will take, I guess, a few days to update. The music web site is down for maintenance. I will update the music links as soon as it's back up!) KMFDM opens the show backing Tim Bousquet; 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.

Episode 134: The Opposite of Pride

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Broadcasting ads hither and yon is bad enough. Today, though, advertisers can target their ads. What happens when those in the crosshairs are unable to resist? Who is to blame, then, for harm? I ask that in this Episode 134: The Opposite of Pride.

In this episode, I play quite a bit from the Reveal episode "Harpooned by" Fuckbook. Go, now, if you can, and listen to that episode. Your anger will thank you. I read: from a bit from my computer quickie dictionary; and from Shoshana Zuboff's The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for A Human Future at the New Frontier of Power. I refer as well to an episode of Search Engine, which now appears defunct, sadly. Here is the only clue I could find.

Musically, I play three tunes who titles alone recommended them. First was Jahzzar's "Nightmare" (started twice), then Podington Bear's "Lip Gloss", and finally Lee Rosevere's "Intervention." I open with KMFDM backing a Mr. Ceglowski; and close with Mistle Thrush.

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

Episode 133: The End of the Myth

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Sometimes, things I recently read about happen in real life, giving relevance to those books I keep diving into… and more evidence that my reading (and this show) is on the right track. I share one coincidence in this Episode 133: The End of the Myth.

In this episode, I read from: Shoshana Zuboff's book The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for A Human Future at the New Frontier of Power (I'll be reading that a bunch more in the near future. Promise); I also read from my computer's quickie dictionary; and I quote about the only meme anyone seems to remember from the movie Up.

Musically, I play three tunes from Podington Bear. "Samara" was woven throughout the show, just to show the thematic change points. I picked the other two tunes for their titles as well as their tunage. These titles held relevance for what information I was sharing as they played: "Gathering" backed that aha! moment for what the Searchies could do; and "Relinguish" is what we end up doing with our private information today as a result. I also played Weird Al Yankovic's version of The Brady Bunch theme. KMFDM backed Bernie Sanders in the opening, and I'm closing 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 attribution, share-alike, and non-commercial license.

Episode 132: No, Alanis, It Really Isn't

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Dictionaries are bound to have errors. What I found surprising is how many not just dictionaries but also others defined a pretty common word so egregiously wrong. So, I try to get that definition right in this Episode 132: No, Alanis, It Really Isn't.

In this episode, I read from: a website correctly bemoaning the lack of definitional accuracy concerning the term irony; a bit of Anthony Burgess's introduction to the re-release of his novel A Clockwork Orange; a Wiki page on CPB director Ken Tomlinson; details about Bill Moyers and President Johnson, from John Nichols & Robert McChesney's Dollarocracy: How the Money and Media Election Complex is Destroying America (Nation Books, 2013); and another Wiki page on Underwriting Spots. I also related some remembered quotes and plot details without using their original sources.

I play: from the movie Reality Bites, Ethan Hawke's "definition" of irony; and from SCTV, Joe Flaherty and John Candy getting the definition right. Musically, play: the Necronomikon Quartett's "Tube Music Part IV", woven into the episode; and Lee Rosevere's short "Theme From Penguins on Parade". KMFDM backed Mark Blyth in the opening, and I'm closing now with Mistle Thrush.

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

Episode 131: The Keys to the Treasure

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Online advertising is now an insufferable bastard. It forces regulators to verbally suck up to those they oversee, and journalists to participate in the crimes on which they report. I share this hot ironic mess in Episode 131: The Keys to the Treasure.

In this episode, I read from: the British Information Commissioner's Office report (a PDF) titled "Update report into adtech and real time bidding"; John Patrick Leary's book Keywords: The New Language of Capitalism; and an article that discusses the ICO's report called "Behavioural advertising is out of control, warns UK watchdog". Sound-bite-wise, I play: Indigo Montoya's observation on definitional accuracy from the 1987 movie The Princess Bride; and, once again, Pee Wee Herman's observation about big buts.

Musically, I play: Podington Bear's "Forces" and "Lost and Found"; Lee Rosevere's "Quizitive"; and Omyiga's "Cripple Pigeon". KMFDM backs a new intro with a man named Maciej Ceglowski. Listener Kevin sent me that perfect sound-bite recommendation. The entirety of his talk is also worth a watch. Of course, I close with Mistle Thrush.

You can find links to all of that material at the show notes at AttackAdsPodcast.Blogspot.com. I'm releasing this and all my episodes under a Creative Commons 4.0 attribution, share-alike, and non-commercial license.

Episode 130: Vermin Feed on Forgotten Trash

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If you camp, protect your food, for the woods are full of opportunists quite happy to swap their diet of bugs and berries for your candy and cold cuts. Sadly, we must do the same at home, as I explain in Episode 130: Vermin Feed on Forgotten Trash.


Grandpa's Bear Yogi
with goat, name forgotten.

In this episode, I run myself off at the mouth, relying on a recent revelation and backing it with reminiscences related to both camping and the early intertoobs. I open the show with Bruce Livesey backed by KMFDM doing "Attack", and close today with Julie & Rolf and the Campfire Gang singing "Over The Rainbow" Hawaiian style.

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

Episode 129: Mined The Gap

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More forms our opinions than just what we read or hear. Habits, both social and not so much, might enlarge the chasm between us and others, a widening that may provide commercial interests an exploitative opportunity. Hence, Episode 129: Mined The Gap.

In this episode, I mostly read from: Jerry Mander's 1978 book, Four Arguments For the Elimination of Television; a bit from Tim Wu's The Attention Merchants: The Epic Struggle to Get Inside Our Heads; a bit from Upton Sinclair's 1953 book The Return of Lanny Budd; and a smaller bit from my computer's quickie dictionary. I synopsize a great Wired article on prosopagnosia called "Face Blind." I also played: just for fun, a bit of Ted Stevens' 2006 speech defining to congress what the Internet really, really is; and D. L. Myers once again provided the voice of the Powell Movement Stinger.

Musically, I played: Johnny Ripper doing (appropriately enough) "Error, Inc."; Lee Rosevere doing "Ice Chimes"; Pietnaska doing "Dahlia"; and Podington Bear doing "In My Head". KMFDM backed Henry Giroux in the opening, and I am 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.

And don't forget to check out listener Kevin's new audio endeavor, "The Next Ten Billion Years: Ugo Bardi & John Michael Greer as read by Kevin Arthur Wohlmut" over at the Future Fossils Podcast!

Episode 128: Mind The Gap

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I know you're likely tired of my recent obsession with the term "stereotype;" but there is benefit to understanding that gap between our understanding of a thing and complexities inherent in the thing itself. Hence today's Episode 128: Mind The Gap.

In this episode, I read from: Arlie Russell Hochshchild's book Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning On The American Right; from my computer's quickie dictionary; from two essays by the Archdruid John Michael Greer; and from a Vox article.

Musically, I play: Lee Rosevere's "All the Answers"; Graham Bole's "We Are One"; Jahzzar's "Forgiven Not Forgotten"; and Podington Bear's "Forces". I also play some most unfortunate comments from a former candidate for political office. Mark Blyth was backed by KMFDM's "Attack" in the opening, and I'm closing now with Mistle Thrush's "It's All Like Today"

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

Oh, and I'm posting on a Thursday for very special [reasons]!

Episode 127: Brand, Demand, and Target!

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Once the First World War removed the tarnished and tawdry reputation propaganda had with business, advertisers were able to expand their reach and hone their technique. I share three of their new tricks in this Episode 127: Brand, Demand, and Target!

In this episode, I read from Tim Wu's book, The Attention Merchants: The Epic Struggle to Get Inside Our Heads. To give you an inkling on how dense and thorough this book is, let me blow your mind just a bit: I have not covered any material past page 65. There's still lots more in this book to cover! And cover it I will.

I play: Sydney Greenstreet's marvelously evil character from the 1949 movie The Hucksters, expounding on the proven science of advertising; and Gilda Radner, Dan Ackroyd, and Chevy Chase from an early Saturday Night Live sketch (sadly, it seems the owners have scrubbed it from the video service between production and release). Musically, I play: Jahzzar doing (quite appropriately) "Ads", which broke up the advertising techniques three; Podington Bear doing "Dog and Pony Show" behind Molly's dirty undies; and Lee Rosevere doing "Sad Marimba Planet." KMFDM backed Henry Giroux in the opening, and I'm closing today with Julie, 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.

Episode 126: Self Evidence

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To wrap this whole use of propaganda against the citizens that started in the Great War, I thought I'd share my personal journey both within and outside of the myths pounded into us through the television we watch in this Episode 126: Self Evidence.

In this episode, I read from: Tim Wu's fabulous book, The Attention Merchants: The Epic Struggle to Get Inside Our Heads; and from my computer's quickie dictionary. I further paraphrased the investigative work of Robert Parry.

I play: President Lyndon Johnson talking to Everett Dirksen concerning Tricky Dick's latest trick; and Ronald Reagan giving his inaugural speech. Musically, I play: an elevator version of "The Girl From Ipanema", made more or less famous in the movie The Blues Brothers; The Nora Bayes version of "Over There", which happens to have been the first version released; Lee Rosevere's "The Secret to Growing Up"; and Podington Bear's "Sensitive". KMFDM backed Chuck Mertz's ironic question in the opening, and you're now listening to Mistle Thrush's "It's All Like Today".

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

Episode 125: I Want You, Two

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We're still at that turning point in history in this episode, this time when one country used the proven techniques of its ally to reverse a campaign promise and involve itself in a Great War. Hence, Episode 125: I Want You, Two.


Image here. Sadly, we lost the mustache war to the Brits.

In this episode, I read from: Tim Wu's The Attention Merchants: The Epic Struggle to Get Inside Our Heads; from two articles of Columbia Magazine, published by the Washington State Historical Society; and from the Wikipedia entry on the 1917 Espionage Act. I play a bit of Pee Wee Herman from the 1985 movie Pee Wee's Big Adventure, and through the episode work the 1917 Billy Murray version of George M. Cohen's "Over There". KMFDM backs Chuck Mertz in the intro.

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

Episode 124: I Want You

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Today, I explore a turning point, the historic but still fairly recent time when an English-speaking country chose not to order its citizens into battle, but to convince them to do so. The main message is this episode's title: I Want You.


Poster found here. Mustache seen everywhere.

In this episode, I share: a bit about phonics and the alphabet, detail I got from Kevin Stroud's great History of English Podcast; some detail about English nobility pronunciation-versus-spelling from Upton Sinclair's Lanny Budd novels; the Wikipedia page for Lord Herbert Kitchener; and details about Great Britain's entry into the Great War from Tim Wu's book The Attention Merchants: The Epic Struggle to Get Inside Our Heads.

I play: Lee Rosevere's tune, "The Dead Past" (the title alone seemed appropriate enough); and Enrico Caruso's version of "Over There". I open with Chuck Mertz from This Is Hell backed by KMFDM. I hope to explain why I played the Mertz introduction… later.

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

Episode 123: The Fungus and Mould of The Obscenery

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At the height of their popularity, patent medicine nostrum pushers engaged in so many extreme acts of outdoor commercial vandalism the era was termed The Age of Disfigurement. I describe it in this Episode 123: The Fungus and Mould of The Obscenery.

In this episode, I read from: James Harvey Young's 1961 book, The Toadstool Millionaires: A Social History of Patent Medicines in America before Federal Regulation; the Wikipedia page for Benjamin Brandreth*; and from my quickie dictionary. I play: a bit of Daffy Duck, first from "Ali Baba Bunny", and then from "The Abominable Snow Rabbit"; and a selection from Herman Melville's Moby Dick, read by Michael Bracewell. That selection came from something called the Moby Dick Big Read, where each chapter of the book is read by a different reader.

(I just finished The Big Read series myself; it was hit and miss, depending upon the reader in question. For you fans of Benedict Cumberbatch, though, I highly recommend his reading of the chapter called "Brit"; it is the best interpretation of the series by far. Oh, and you really must hear John Waters read the chapter regarding the whale's penis: it's the chapter called "The Cassock.")

Musically, I play Jahzzar doing "b-rain". I open with KMFDM backing Clark Gable, 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.

*I failed to mention both listener Vincent's pronunciation assistance and the Wiki page in the closing credits. I regret the omissions.

Episode 122: A Map Without Utopia

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There's a lot wrong out there, but it's not enough to simply point it out and shout, at least for me. If you insist on wandering through Wrongville, you may never get to leave if you have only this Episode 122's title: A Map Without Utopia.

In this episode, I discuss extemporaneously, without script, free style, a few discussion points, all while showing why my various first titles were just plain unacceptable. I bitch about the lack of an Internal Revenue Service pre-filing preparation service, as is common in many other countries. I groan about the Supreme Court's erosion over time of a workable definition of corruption. I wail about how the big banks, being largely silent owners of pay-day lending operations, pay to keep legislators silent about pay-day lending operations, and mention the movie Maxed Out that discusses just this. I also give a passing whine about how drug distributors made some bank by spreading the geld and redefining how much damage they could do before what they did became illegal. Finally, I quote Oscar Wilde.

I play: the Bee Gees, in reference to Bob and Brooke from On The Media; D. L. Myers, invoking the Powell Movement; and longest-time listener L33t Minion (well, longest-time voluntary listener, at least, with apologies to Bleak Nemesis for not mentioning him more often), who voiced today's "great." KMFDM and Justice John Paul Stevens give the opening, and I close 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.

Episode 121: Good For Whatever Ails You

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Too many ads today owe their stylistic inspiration to old time pitches for patent medicines, empty exhortations promising far more than the elixirs they bottled could deliver. All that—and so much more!—in this Episode 121: Good for Whatever Ails You.


Read all about Clark Stanley!

In this episode, I read from: Tim Wu's book The Attention Merchants: The Epic Struggle to Get Inside Our Heads; and a couple of Wikipedia articles, Patent Medicines and Medicine Shows.

I play: Podington Bear's "Whiplash String Swell"; The Freak Fandango Orchestra, doing "Requiem For a Fish"; and a bit of Visciera's "Watch the Room Burst". KMFDM backs Clark Gable in the opening; and I close today with Julie and Rolf 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.

Bonus Episode: Propaganda, An Introduction

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Sometimes I find something that should be shared in its entirety. It helps when the author of that something is generous with the permission that makes sharing possible. Such is the case with this Bonus Episode: Propaganda, An Introduction.

I do hope Professor Miller's essay (found in this edition of Edward Bernays's 1928 book Propaganda) clears up the history of that problematic P-word for you as much as it did for me. Once again, thank you very much, Professor Mark Crispin Miller, for your permission to read it here.

Musically, I played just the intro to KMFDM's "Attack," as usual, and close the show with Mistle Thrush's "It's All Like Today." To introduce Professor Miller's essay, I played a bit of Podington Bear's "Elephants on Parade".

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

Episode 120: Call It What You Will

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You can call it propaganda, or you can call it bias, or you can call it undo pressure from funding sources involved in the topic. I call this Episode 120: Call It What You Will.

In this episode, you hear: The Real BGs, who helped me signal Bob and Brooke from On The Media; a segment of that show interviewing RT Host Abby Martin from March of 2014; a bit from the very short-lived Dana Carvey Show; Jaron Lanier, once again, from his Waking Up Podcast interview; excerpts from the first two installments of the New York Times video Operation Infektion; and D. L. Myers intoning the Powell Movement Stinger.

I read from: my quickie dictionary; the introduction to Jacques Ellul's book Propaganda; and James Piereson's quote, which I found in Jane Mayer's book Dark Money.

Musically, I play: two from Jahzzar, first "Lemonade" and then "Dial". I open the show with KMFDM backing Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens reading his dissent on the Citizens United, Not Timid decision; and I'm close with Mistle Thrush.

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

Episode 119: My Filter Bubble of Vindication

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Plunging blindly ahead without due regard is one way to do something. A New Year, though, provides a convenient calendar-triggered pause, where one can look back and make sure goals have not been completely abandoned or forgotten. Hence, Episode 119: My Filter Bubble of Vindication.

In this episode, I read from: Eli Pariser's wonderful book, The Filter Bubble:What the Internet Is Hiding From You; A Guardian article on the effects online entities are having on journalism; Now I Know's article on television ads getting sped up even more; a New York Post article on ads in for-hire cars; Chad Hill's comments on a recent episode; and Jerry Mander's also-wonderful book, Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television.

Sound snippet-wise I play: D. L. Myers voicing the Powell Movement stinger; Lili Tomlin's character Ernestine the Operator; and Ronald Reagan's character the Outgoing President. I also snippetize 100% Chevalier's tune "Ghana Ghana" into the segment breaks. A snippet of KMFDM's "Attack" backs a snippet of wisdom from Dmitri Orlov in the opening, and I'm close the show with the final snippet of Mistle Thrush's "It's All Like Today".

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

Episode 118: ¡Feces Navidad!

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In one part of the world, at least, the phrase "getting good shit for Xmas" is taken more literally than in others. For a fun look at this region, one intended as levity for what December 25th can bring, I offer the gift of Episode 118: ¡Feces Navidad!

In this episode, I play: The Vince Guaraldi Trio doing "Skating;" and a tune I yanked from the internets.


Holiday Pooping: It's a Catalonian tradition!

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

With that, I wish you all warm and fecund holiday feelings and memories… freshly pinched, and conically presented in a spiral!

Episode 117: Can You Hear Me Now?

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It’s not coincidental that the most irritating advertising arose only after machines increased audiences. Broadcasting and amplification beyond the range of a single voice likewise allowed today’s aural effluent. Hence, Episode 117: Can You Hear Me Now?

In this episode, I read from Benjamin Franklin's autobiography, specifically a section I found quoted in Brooke Allen's book, Immoral Minority: Our Skeptical Founding Fathers.


What's Missing in This Picture?

Sound-bite-wise, I play: William Jennings Bryan's close to his famous 1896 nomination speech; and Alexander Graham Bell saying his name. I revisited both the 1947 movie The Hucksters and the 1950 television production featuring Spike Jones and his City Slickers Orchestra, pulling out of them some classic ads for both now-defunct and wholly-fictional soapy stuff.

To break things up just a bit, I played Lee Rosevere's "Ingenuity" (well, at least snippets of it). I opened with Clark Gable's character Vic Norman bitching about ads while backed by KMFDM; I'm closing the show with Mistle Thrush.

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

Episode 116: Gates & Gatekeepers

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The more I dive into media history, the more I find that surprises. For example, did you know there was at one time a chain of theaters that didn't charge for admission? It's a mulling topic for me on this Episode 116: Gates & Gatekeepers.

In this episode, I read once again from Tim Wu's The Attention Merchants: The Epic Struggle To Get Inside Our Heads. As I mentioned, it was a strange, throw-away line from that book, but it got me to thinking, which is a good thing for a book to do.

Musically, I played: Podington Bear doing "Senseless" in its entirety; and snippets from Jahzzar's "Breaking Bad" and Podington Bear's "Forces". KMFDM's "Attack" backed Bernie Sanders in the intro, and I'm closing once again with Mistle Thrush's "It's All Like Today.

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

Episode 115: With This Pin I Stitch Some Dumb

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Just when you get a good thing going, someone comes along and moves to wreck it. Why? Merely because it doesn't make nearly as much money as it could. Like the witches in the Scottish Play, I show one such player in this Episode 115: With This Pin I Stitch Some Dumb.

In this episode, I play: Brooke Gladstone, trolling for donors; a couple of the commercials Brooke would rather call something else entirely; and Jaron Lanier, interviewed on Sam Harris' podcast Waking Up. I read from one or two web pages for the podcast streamer Stitcher.

Musically, I played: Mudlark, doing "fine ointment"; and Podington Bear, doing "Dimlight." KMFDM backed Chuck Mertz in the intro; and Julie and Rolf sing us out around the campfire and Over the Rainbow.

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

Episode 114: Coffee and Water Everywhere

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It's time to once again let my gums flap without a script to guide them. I've done that before; all I need is sufficient anger. In this case the outrage source is the idea that some people are better than others, that because of their circumstances, they prove able to get stuff for "free" that others are denied, even when those others have the cash to pony up for whatever those entitled offerings might be. This is a class-based distinction, and so far too few seem to be sufficiently outraged at the ever-increasing instances of it popping up here and there. I thought I would help spread my outrage in this Episode 114: Coffee and Water Everywhere.

I was inspired/enraged by an NPR article from September 29, 2018, titled "No Cash Needed At This Cafe. Students Pay The Tab With Their Personal Data." I know, right!?

I also play: a dictionary definition from my computer; Martin Luther King, Jr. opening the show with KMFDM backing; and the primary show closer, Mistle Thrush.

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

Special Announcement: The Cherry on My Crap Mondae

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'Nuff said.

Addendum: Never mind. It was a fishing attempt. It's amazing what 2 hours of sleep and a really crappy day will do to one's brain, though. Ah, fatigue!

That said, I'm going to leave this snippet up just because it jives nicely with a topic I've been mulling about for some time now. Having this snippet will kick-start me into turning that snippet into a full-blown episode.

Thanks for your attention. Carry on.

—Jim

Episode 113: Drab Walls Dance… With Ads

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Once again, I focus my attention on an inflection point, a moment in history when a technological improvement allows manufacturers to apply that tech in a new and previously impossible way. Today's technology is the color poster that, when introduced, made Episode 113: Drab Walls Dance With Ads.


More Chéret! More!

In this episode, I read extensively once again from Tim Wu's 2016 book The Attention Merchants: The Epic Struggle to Get Inside Our Heads. Musically, I play: Graham Bole's "Sunset at Goat Fell"; Lee Rosevere's "What's Behind The Door"; and Podington Bear's "Submerging Blue-Black". KMFDM backs Clark Gable in the opening. I close the show 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.

Special help came today from listener Vincent who gave me much needed assistance with the French language. In the course of editing a show together, I have seldom had as much opportunity to just… giggle. Thank you, Vincent! Your contribution was perfect!

Episode 112: Ragged Dick, Right Here

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Ever wonder why a book was published? Ever since I saddled up and started riding this hobby horse of mine, this podcastic obsession I have with advertising and its deleterious effects, that's a question I can never not ask. I ask it again in Episode 112: Ragged Dick, Right Here, the conclusion to my deep-ish dive into author and cultural dog whistle Horatio Alger.

In this episode, I read pretty extensively from the introduction to Horatio Alger's Ragged Dick, at least from a more modern printing of that book (Horatio Alger, Ragged Dick and Mark, The Match Boy: Two Novels by Horatio Alger, The MacMillan Company, 1962). I think Rychard Fink used Ragged Dick to do his bestest to help thwart the leftist tendencies rising in his time. I also read: from Ragged Dick itself; and from a Politico article concerning the real reason behind the Little House books, an article I highly recommend you read yourself.

Musically, I play: Turmoil's "The World Is A Toilet"; and Podington Bear's "Ideas." KMFDM backs Bernie in the intro, and I close the show with Mistle Thrush.

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

Episode 111: I've Got Your Ragged Dick

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People have been describing the ascendence of busy business mucky-mucks from poverty to power for over a century as those that lead a Horatio Alger life. The trouble is, I'm willing to bet that precious few of these people so quick to throw out their easy descriptor have ever actually read a Horatio Alger book. Let's correct that in this Episode 111: I've Got Your Ragged Dick.

In this episode, I read from: Horatio Alger's 1867 book Ragged Dick; and from my computer's quickie dictionary. I also gave some plot examples from Upton Sinclair's Lanny Budd series, at least that portion I've read.

Musically, I played Jahzzar's "Storyteller." KMFDM opened the show backing Burlington Mayor Bernie Sanders; and I'm closing the show today with Mistle Thrush's "It's All Like Today."

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

Episode 110: Head Banging

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Alas, another diversion from the promised path, this one in a new form! Curious about how best the future of podcasting should proceed money-wise, I consult someone far more expert than I in making podcasting pay, if only a little: KMO of the C-Realm Podcast & Radio, and most recently the GEBB.IO web comic. KMO and I put our heads together for a bit of what I'm calling Episode 110: Head Banging.

I open the show with Henry Giroux 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.

Episode 109: Casserole

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Sometimes leftovers happen. Why waste a perfectly good ingredient or two or three or seven just because there isn't enough of any one for a meal? Time to toss with pasta, bake, and serve up these perfectly tasty but two-year-old ingredients in Episode 109: Casserole.


Fun story behind these….

In this episode, I read from some old newspapers concerning their opinion of Col. Blethen; D. L. Myers reads the poem "All Is Well" by an Anonymous author from 1912, the poem found in Upton Sinclair's 1923 book The Goose-Step, which reprinted it; and from the depositions of Monica Lewinski.



(I don't remember which ones or where I found them online two years ago. I do remember it was a hell of a hunt for the poorly scanned gif images of the deposition papers without a hint of optical character digitization.)

Musically, I play tiny, tiny bits of: Lee Rosevere's "Thinking It Over"; Jupiter Makes Me Scream's "Shine, Shine, Shine!"; and Pietnaska's "Noakowski." Podington Bear backs the Blethen Chimes poem with "Feldspar"; KMFDM backs Mark Blyth; and Mistle Thrush backs me in the close.

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

Episode 108: Day Breaks

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Well, advertising haters, I think I've finally located the source of the scourge that plagues us: the man who invented the business plan that spawned almost wholly advertising-supported news! I'll tell you all about him in this Episode 108: Day Breaks.

In this episode, I read first from Clive Thompson's Smithsonian article, "Tweet All About It: From 'user-generated content' to political screeds, the future of news happens to look a lot like the past" (from the Smithsonian, Volume 47, Number 2, May, 2016, pp. 43-49), and from the book Beyond News: The Future of Journalism by Mitchell Stephens, who was a major source for Thompson's article. Then I had to read from a whole bunch of websites on printing press history to correct Mitchell Stephens and, by extension, Clive Thompson. I also both read from and play Tim Wu talking about his book The Attention Merchants, which was appropriate because he was the one to turn me on to how both Thompson and Stephens were wrong, wrong, wrong.

Musically, I play Podington Bear's "Nocturnal", Turmoil's "Intestinal Parasite Contamination", and Jahzzar's "Dip". I open as usual with KMFDM, today backing Jan Wong, and I close with Julie and Rolf.

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

Episode 107: Pitching Wu

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To understand advertising today, we have to avoid simplifications like who paid for what message, and move into the nuances regarding how those paid messages—and the media that took the message money—attempt to capture our attention. So far, no better books address that nuance than Tim Wu's. Allow me, then, to endorse Wu's work by presenting Episode 107: Pitching Wu.

In this episode, I read from two of Tim Wu's books, The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires and The Attention Merchants: The Epic Struggle To Get Inside Our Heads. Again, if you like what I present on this podcast, you will find a lot to love in these books. I also play a bit of Wu himself from his publicity tour, recorded here in Seattle back in 2016. Musically, I play: Podington Bear doing "In My Head"; and Lee Rosevere doing "Gimmicks Three". KMFDM backed Clark Gable in the opening; and I close with Mistle Thrush.

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

Episode 106: Summer Vacation Homework

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For reasons too mundane to explain, I've got a short episode this time, one with three pleas for listener participation. Give a listen. I think at least a few listeners might be interested in the topics, and be willing to contribute. Hence, Episode 106: Summer Vacation Homework.

Here's the link to the alternate rules to Elizabeth Maggie's The Landlord's Game. Other than that, I only have one quote from an online article this time, along with the KMFDM intro with Henry Giroux opening the show, and Julie singing and Rolf on the uke for the close. By the time I release this episode, I'll be packing up after camping with both of them around the campfire once again, hopefully with a field recorder filled with new tunes!

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

Important Post Script! I learned the night before posting this episode that Blogger, the folks hosting these show notes, has a malfunction underway since May, a gefuckening that prevents me from getting notice of comments you post the usual way, through my email. This means I have to do something else to even check for the existence of comments, which is more cumbersome, and therefore is something I will do less often. Meaning, if you haven't heard back from me, don't panic. I will get to your comments, that I promise. I can't, though, promise when.

Episode 105: FOB Show Me The Incentives

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A simple question too often sends my brain into overdrive. That's what happened here, when I was forced to confront the ugly realities of how money warps elections, a confrontation that jived with other reading about how similar realities has warped our nation's agricultural system. If you want to know how things will conclude, consider first Episode 105: FOB Show Me The Incentives.

In this episode, I read from: John Moe's Conservatize Me; Keith Bradsher's High and Mighty: SUVs- The World's Most Dangerous vehicles and how they got that way ; and Charles C. Mann's The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and Their Dueling Visions to Shape Tomorrow's World. I also paraphrased from a podcast episode of Peak Prosperity. Sound-wise, I couldn't resist playing a tiny bit of both Monty Python and The Wizard of Oz.



Speaking of Oz, Julie and Rolf with the Campfire Gang play us out. Earlier, you hear KMFDM backing Tim Bousquet to open the show. I also play two from Jahzzar: first "Dirt"; and then "Octopus".

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

Episode 104: Rave Review: The Hucksters

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It turns out there are entertainments out there—books and movies mostly, but other entertainments as well—that cast a critical eye on advertising. It also turns out that these entertainments are seldom if ever seen or heard of today anywhere that relies on advertising dollars to keep the lights on. For that reason, you Dear Listeners have probably never heard of The Hucksters, either the 1946 novel or the 1947 movie adaptation of that novel. The movie version is the subject of this Episode 104: Rave Review: The Hucksters.

In this episode, I play copious excerpts from that movie, and quote once more Victor Pickard's 2013 book America's Battle for Media Democracy (NB: Link to a PDF preview of the book), the book that clued me in on the existence of this movie.

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

Episode 103: The Boob's Halo & Halo's Boob

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Ever wonder where the term "soap opera" comes from? After all, there are a variety of products sponsoring today's daytime serial dramas, not just soaps. It turns out that that wasn't always the case. In the past, only one sponsor dominated individual programs, as I'll demonstrate in Episode 103: The Boob's Halo & Halo's Boob.

In this episode, I read from: a footnote in Thomas Picketty's Capital in the Twentieth Century; from my computer's quickie dictionary; and from Victor Pickard's book, America's Battle for Media Democracy (NB: Link to a PDF preview of the book. Also, I neglected to mention Mr. Pickard's book in the show's concluding credits. I regret the omission.) I exerted quite a bit from a toothpaste company comedy hour featuring Spike Jones and the City Slickers Orchestra that aired February 11, 1950.

I also play: Lee Rosevere's "Last Call"; and Podington Bear's "Ideas" and "Crafty". I open with KMFDM backing Bruce Livesey's observations about the power of business interests; and I close with Spike Jones.

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

Episode 102: The Mundane and The Sublime

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Dualistic language is a problem for me, especially in this overly-polarized media where opinions are not held lightly but with as much force as can be mustered into the opinion blusterscape. By actively seeking less Good-Versus-Evil language, less dichotomous and divisive terms of description, we take the first step into embracing gradualism and nuance into whatever topic might be under discussion. Hence, Episode 102: The Mundane and The Sublime.

In this almost wankish look at descriptors: I read from my computer's quickie dictionary; and I paraphrase what I found to be a fascinating set of cognate word origin from Kevin Stroud's History of English Podcast. I also play the first "great" from longest-time listener L33t Minion into my theme stinger. Thank you, L33t.

Musically, I wove Podington Bear's "Fantasy" and Lee Rosevere's "As I Was Saying" into the show. KMFDM backs Henry Giroux's observation on the importance of civic literacy in the opening, and I close the show to Mistle Thrush's "It's All Like Today."

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

Episode 101: So Good, So Far, Maybe, I Guess

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While I'm wading through written material that will provide future grist for the yakking mill, what else to discuss? How about a brief recap of material already covered, along with asking how I'm doing? Hence, Episode 101: So Good, So Far, Maybe, I Guess.

In this episode, I read from: a New York Times article concerning Nix-ian psychographics; and from quotes and a "reference" found in Tim Wu's most recent book, The Attention Merchants: The Epic Struggle To Get Inside Our Heads. Doesn't the title say it all? I also play: Alexander Nix, giving a speech I'm willing to bet he now very seriously regrets ever making; and a now-banned online video ranter. (If anybody has any idea who this is, please, drop me a line in the comments.)

Oh, and another goof: I forgot to mention D. L. Myers doing my Powell Movement stinger in the show and its notes. I regret the oversight.

For musical bumpers, I play three song intros from Lee Rosevere. In order, they are: "Things We Mean To Say;" then "Curiousity;" and finally "Content." KMFDM's "Attack/Reload" backed the original Dmitri Orlov intro; and I'm closing once again with Mistle Thrush's "It's All Like Today."

As usual, I'm releasing this episode under a Creative Commons 4.0 attribution, share-alike, and non-commercial license.

Episode 100: Mai FrootiToons Daybew

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Ah, the celebratory nature of stuff that divides cleanly by ten! Time to reminisce, to look back, and to do new stuff as well, such as to make Episode 100: Mai FrootiToons Daybew.

In this episode, I play Tim Wu talking right here in Seattle about his newest book, The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads. That talk was backed by Podington Bear doing "Jettisoned." I also play Raphae doing "Opening," close the main body of the show with someone singing "Poop in a Bucket," a song my sister sent me from a video advertising, no kidding, a product you use to, well, collect your own feces for garden fertilizer use. (I'll keep looking for the link; I've misplaced it.) I opened with KMFDM's "Attak/Reload" backing Bernie Sanders, and am now closing the show with Mistle Thrush's "It's All Like Today."

I also play snippets of the John McKenna song "20 Observations About Poo." I thought of playing the whole hilarious song, but I forgot it ran 9 minutes. By the way, John is a friend of a friend. He did this album of freaking hilarious tunes a few years ago; I played another of his songs on Episode 8, in case you're curious to hear more. If you want more than that, just leave your feedback here, and I'll contact him and get permission to play another.

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

Episode 99: The Headwaters of Bullshit River

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When commercialism dominates our reference materials, what else can we expect other than the inability to discover facts, especially those hostile or critical of commercialism? I explore that theme (in a somewhat snarky way) in this Episode 99: The Headwaters of Bullshit River.

In this episode, I read: a few times from my computer's quickie dictionary; and from Upton Sinclair's 1934 book I, Candidate for Governor, and How I Got Licked. I also referenced the findings of a blogger.

Musically, I slipped Podington Bear's tune "Climbing the Mountain" behind my recollections of Orwellian readings past; and let Full Load of King's "Envelope Infrared Part I" back my closing remarks. KMFDM backed Bernie Sanders in the opening; and Rolf and Julie shred it in "Over the Rainbow" in the close.

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

Episode 98: So Many Layers of Fail

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Sadly, in my last episode, I had to gloss over many details involving Mark Zuckerberg's company that I would have loved to launch and rhetorically blast out of the sky. Consider this Episode 98: So Many Layers of Fail a follow-through on the last, giving a far-from-final blast of rhetoric toward Mark and his minions the Effin' Bees.


Just a taste of what's to come.

In this episode, I play: the voice of Sara Wachter-Boettcher, from an interview she gave to Chuck Mertz over at This is Hell. I quoted extensively from her book Technically Wrong: Sexist Apps, Biased Algorithms, and Other Threats of Toxic Tech. I also read from: George Monbiot's book Out of the Wreckage: A New Politics for an Age of Crisis; a Guardian article titled "Facebook’s war on free will: How technology is making our minds redundant"; from Nir Eyal's book Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products; and a ProPublica article entitled "Facebook Enabled Advertisers to Reach 'Jew Haters'".

Musically, I opened once again with KMFDM's "Attack", this time backing Brian Kaller's observation about glowing rectangles and the fascination they bear; Lee Rosevere doing "We're Almost There"; and, woven into the end and playing now in the close, Visciera doing "Ceasing".

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

Episode 97: Pull!

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Back in my youth, my friends and I would occasionally gather to share ideas for projects. More often than not, though, we would pretend to first load shotguns before we asked someone to share by saying "Pull!" Into the conversation the idea would go; again, more often than not, it would be tracked by the listeners, who would follow with their imaginary shotguns and, when the time was right, pretend to fire. I thought I would give Mark Zuckerberg, head of the Effin' Bees, a taste of that experience in this Episode 97: Pull!

In this episode, I played audio from: Mark Zuckerberg's post election damage control video; and Alexander Nix very specifically describing why Mark's "solutions" simply won't work. I also read from Cathy O'Neill's Weapons of Math Destruction.

Musically, I played: Podington Bear doing "Operatives;" and Jahzzar doing "First Contact." I opened with Brian Kaller's observation of the screen-bound chasing their viral anger McNuggetts, that from Kaller's C-Realm interview with KMO (Episode 434: Ferguson Rorshach), backed by KMFDM; and I'm closing with Mistle Thrush.

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

Episode 96: Cranky Jack Hammers

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People are entitled to their opinions. They are not, though, entitled to spouting their opinions unchallenged when those opinions perhaps deliberately ignore crucial bits of history that, if better known, might greatly undermine the importance of those opinions. To issue just such a challenge is my aim in this Episode 96: Cranky Jack Hammers.


From this wonderful site.

In this episode, I excerpt Clive Desmond's selective history of commercial radio titled "A 700 Foot Mountain of Whipped Cream" (aired in edited form on 99% Invisible). I also play: Podington Bear doing "Bad Cut;" and Jahzzar doing "Reflections. To close out Black History Month, I produced a brand-new KMFDM opening that backed Martin Luther King, Jr. As usual, I close the show with Mistle Thrush.


My source for the MLK audio.

I read from: Henry Giroux's book, The Violence of Organized Forgetting; Tim Wu's The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires (the source of the Herbert Hoover quote); J.C. McQuiston's article in the August, 1922 issue of Radio News (something I also discovered thanks to Wu's book); testimony from the 1935 Federal Communications Commission hearings on radio policy; and a sentence from a letter written in 1934 to the magazine The New Republic. [I goofed when I finished up the episode by forgetting to list in the credits the quoted sources. Oops. I regret the error, but hadn't the time to correct it.]


Zappa's album cover mentioned in the episode.

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

Episode 95: Let Me Educate You

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I confess: I sometimes screw up. We all do, after all. The point worth remembering is not the fact that we D'oh! on occasion, but what we do afterwards. And, given our almost universal screw-upped-ability, it's probably best to not assume we are god's gift to the unlearned every time we drop "knowledge" on the masses' asses, and, moreover, to occasionally subject our own insights to review. Those two lessons are the subject of today's Episode 95: Let Me Educate You.

In this episode, I read from: my computer's quickie dictionary; and a few chapter titles from Michael Shermer's Why People Belive Weird Things. I played audio from: Sam Harris' Waking Up podcast (Episode 31, "Evolving Minds"); and from "The Hate Debate" from Jad Abumrad's More Perfect podcast.

Tunage includes: KMFDM's "Attack" (backing Mark Blyth); Lee Rosevere's "Multivac;" and two from Jahzzar, first "Lullaby," and then "Dip." I close once again to Mistle Thrush's "It's All Like Today."

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

Episode 94: A Zillion Ringy Dingies

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Though it has long been a presence in most of our homes, the telephone has of late morphed into an infernal device that has driven many to simply do away with land lines altogether, not out of a desire to simplify, but out of a need to have peace and quiet reign when they are home, uninterrupted by unwanted telemarketing intrusions. Hence, Episode 94: A Zillion Ringy Dingies.

In this episode, I read from a Washington Post article, "How robo-callers outwitted the government and completely wrecked the Do Not Call list" from January 11, 2018. You also heard Lily Tomlin doing her Earnestine the Operator bit from the early '70s.

Musically, I included three from Podington Bear: first, "That's Alright," then "Aim is True," and finally "Encounter." I also threw in portions of Anvil. You first hear their Stones cover of "Paint it Black," and close out the show with "Mothra." KMFDM, as usual, opens, this time with wisdom from Mark Blyth.

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

Episode 93: Can Something Else Happen?

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(This episode is part of the series The Powell Movement.)

What a long stretch I've taken with Lewis Powell, Jr. and his Confidential Memorandum to his neighbor, the Memo that allowed the very wealthy to shake the country, resulting in the tectonic aftermath we see today. Not that the movement or the shaking has stopped…. So, now that we know what happened, here I ask, in this Episode 93: Can Something Else Happen?

In this episode, I read two pieces of listener feedback, one from thefuturefarm, the other from a listener whose name F#c&Book is keeping secret. I also read from: Nancy MacLean's book Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America; Jane Mayers' book Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right; and an October 8, 2015, Bloomberg article entitled "This Man Is the Most Dangerous Political Operative in America." I also play the voice of George Monbiot from his October 28, 2017, interview with Chuck Mertz on This Is Hell, and of D. L. Myers intoning the stinger for the Powell Movement.

Musically, I play three pieces from Podington Bear: first, "Small Bummer;" then "Moda;" and finally, "Camp." I open with KMFDM backing Henry Giroux, 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.

Episode 92: Forget The Bathtub

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(This episode is part of the series The Powell Movement.)

There are lots of reporters and speculators mulling over the surprise result of our last presidential election, aren't there? As I've said before, though, this should have been what to expect, if in the last election, then in the next. As money exerts its muscle in its attempt to get its way, the people's choices will matter less and less. What was it that Grover Nordquist said about how small he wants government to get?

Along with the noise about what could have caused this outcome, though, precious few in the commercial media are focusing on signal and the well-connected, well-funded players like Cambridge Analytica. That's what this Episode 92: Forget The Bathtub, tries to do.

In this episode, I read from: a Buzzfeed article; a bit from Max Barry's novel Lexicon; a New Scientist article; the abstract to Michal Kosinski's research on that topic; a Telegraph article; a Motherboard article you really must check out; a definition from my computer's dictionary; and a New York Times article. I quoted: Paul Ford, from an On The Media interview; and Alexander Nix from his Concordia Summit speech. D. L. Myers read from the Powell Memo itself.

Music-wise, I played: two from et, first "A Song of Sadness," then "Joy & Emptiness"; and Podington Bear's "Intermezzo". I opened with KMFDM backing Henry Giroux, and am celebrating the recent season with the Vince Guaraldi Trio doing "Skating."

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

Episode 91: Refining Mining Into Tragic Magic

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(This episode is part of the series The Powell Movement.)

I am constantly amazed at how people bend themselves into cognitive dissonance pretzels rather than admit that there are psychological pressures at work on all of us, so much so that maybe we should make ourselves aware of the pressures that prove most effective on ourselves. You know, to see when we are being snookered.

That's roughly the thrust of this Episode 91: Refining Mining Into Tragic Magic. This is an introduction to the concept that the technology used to determine ad targets and what best moves them may have gone too far, especially when used in political concerns.

In this episode, I read from: Nir Eyal's Hooked; a New York Times Magazine article entitled "How Companies Learn Your Secrets"; a Paste Magazine article, "Hillary Clinton's Super PAC, Taking a Page from Vladimir Putin, Spends $1 Million on Online Trolls"; and a New York Times article called "Fake Russian Facebook Accounts Bought $100,000 in Political Ads".

I play a bit of audio from: the movie Top Secret; President Ronald Reagan, correcting David Brinkley's pronunciation during his last interview as president; Mark Zuckerberg, trying to reassure everyone that he wasn't evil; and an On The Media episode titled "Trust Issues." D. L. Myers, of course, voices the memo itself.

I play two from Jahzzar, first "Twin", and then "Downtown Serenade". KMFDM backs a new intro from Henry Giroux. 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.