Dan Carlin's Common Sense

In an earlier post I mentioned Dan Carlin's podcast, "Common Sense" and suggested that it might very well be worth a listen to, but that before recommending it, I'd listen to some episodes and get back to you. Well, consider yourself gotten back to.

I had high expectations for Common Sense based on the quality of Hardcore History, and I knew going in to it that it would be unlikely that Common Sense would be as exceptional as Hardcore History. Well, I was right. Common Sense (IMO) is not as good as Hardcore History, but it is not off the mark by very much. Realistically, it is still likely one of the best podcasts out there.

What I don't like about Common Sense is hardly its fault: the fact that it's not Hardcore History. I can't really blame the show for being what it is. And verily, there is much that I do enjoy about Common Sense. The first among them is that Dan Carlin (the host) actually thinks about the topics he is discussing. In the world of "news" and "op-ed" programs today, this is sadly atypical. Furthermore, Carlin, though he does have a political bias, is not averse to calling out the demagogues and policies of either mainstream party. I say this with caution, because it is easy to jump to the conclusion that he's just one more blowhard like Lou Dobbs, venting like an angry old man over the sad sad state of the world. Dan Carlin is not that.

At the other extreme we have Bill O'Reilly little more than a vitriolic marionette for the Republican party. Dan Carlin is not like that, either. Sadly, he is something most of us under 40 probably have little experience with: an informed, thoughtful, and educated commentator on the news; one who does not go for the cheap and obvious soundbyte; and one who picks up ideas and gives them shape as if he were a potter working with clay. His show is about the news and current events for sure, but it is really about the intersection of current news and events with interesting ideas (many historical in nature). It is theater of the mind in a very cerebral sense.

So, while it comes in second to Hardcore History, Common Sense is a podcast I am already quite fond of and one that I'll likely stay subscribed to for a long time to come.

Links:

• Hardcore History
• Common Sense

Some Podcasts I'm Addicted To

Since I've severely neglected this blog of late, I thought I'd chime in and update it with a note about a few podcasts I've grown quite fond of. You can find them all by searching the podcasts in the iTunes store...but I've also included links for those of you who don't use iTunes or who want to get more info.

Spacemusic with TC
Fuck. This is some good stuff....and I'm not just saying that 'cause he gave me a shout-out on his latest episode (actually, if you are curious, it's a "behind the scenes" episode that you only see in the episode feed...it's not listed on the web site). For whatever reason, I've found that many of TC's podcasts really help enhance my creative energy and concentration. I liken it to what I read about those who espouse binaurial beats (which never seemed to do anything but annoy me).

I think I have every episode he's done, and well, there are only a few that I don't replay frequently.

One last note. TC also has another series called FreshAir, which is also very good and worth checking out if you enjoy Spacemusic.

Links:

• Spacemusic with TC
• FreshAir

Hardcore History with Dan Carlin
I was turned on to this quite recently, and I've already listened to all the episodes and am anxiously awaiting the next. Also, if anyone knows where I can find episodes 1-9, do let me know!

I just found out that he does a companion series called Common Sense with Dan Carlin. I've not yet listened to it, so I can't recommend it. I'll chime back in once I get a chance to have an opinion.

Links:

• Hardcore History
• Common Sense

Overshooting the Mark

OK. Turns out that 150mcg might have been a little too much. Soon after starting this dose, I began to feel "normal" (in quotes, cause I'm not sure I know what that means anymore). Soon after that, I began to feel like I was going to have a stroke. So, I'm taking myself down to 125mcg. So far, so good. Feeling better than I feel when I have too much T4, that's for damn sure.

New Daily Dose

Yeah, I've been feeling rather craptastic of late. Turns out my TSH level was sky high. Dr. decided to up my synthroid from 100mcg to 150mcg. I think that we waited too long to up the dose...as last time I went to visit I told him that I was feeling rather off and that I thought my dose needed to adjusted upwards. Ah well, let's see how things work now. I have high expectations of these 150 micrograms.

The Dark Side of Christopher Walken II

OK, so after looking through my site analytics, I can see that the most popular subject of all time on this poorly maintained and seldom visited blog is about Christopher Walken. That's cool. Hundreds of hits a day out of the blue and originating from all over the globe for a blog that usually gets less than 20 hits a day does make one curious though. ;P Looking at some of the referrer links, I see that there is some debate over whether the photo linked to in my previous post is indeed Christopher Walken.

The short answer is: I can't prove anything. If someone who cares enough about it can authoritatively prove that the picture is or is not of Walken, I'll be glad to believe them. I am not trying to pull a fast one with this photo. While I like Christopher Walken well enough as an actor, I don't visit Christopher Walken fan sites, don't follow his career, and in short, don't really get worked up about him all that much. When I saw the photo on Allen Tannenbaum's "Nightlife in the 1970's" photo archive, I just assumed it was Christopher Walken and never thought twice about it until just now. After all, Studio 54 was quite the popular place in its day, and many a celebrity spent time there. I'd like to point out that Christopher Walken in on record as having spent time there:

"I was in musical comedy when I was a kid. I was there. I used to go to rock concerts and Studio 54. I was very much a part of that. I saw Woodstock. As a matter of fact, I used to go to Woodstock before Woodstock was famous."


Jay Jacobs quoting Christoper Walken, "The Sanest Man in Hollywood" <http://www.popentertainment.com/walken.htm>.

Given that Walken admits that he hung out at Studio 54 (and other popular venues at the time) and the likeness this photo holds to him, I wouldn't be surprised in the least if it was him. After all, what do y'all think he did when partying at the clubs of the day, hang on the walls like a flower and try his best to look dull and conservative? Hell no! hHe'd be out dancing and being goofy with the rest of his contemporaries.

Nuff said.

Hillary Is Buying Lots of Google Adwords

Looks like Hillary Clinton is spending lots of $$$ to place ads in people's content. Aside from what she pays to place the ads, each click on one of her ads costs her a few pennies.... Think about it.

The World's Crappiest Website

OK, there's so much wrong with this, I don't even know where to begin. Works best with Internet Explorer 5.0? That was never OK. Does not support Netscape or Firefox? WTF? Somehow their promise to update the site to support Netscape and Firefox in the near future does not seem credible, considering their site works best with IE 5, and IE 7 has already been out for quite some time.
I also wonder about their tag line that promises fast delivery...if you need toilet paper delivered fast, could they really be fast enough?

PS: I usually don't visit toilet paper-themed websites (not that there's anything wrong with that), but it was referenced in this article and well, curiosity got the best of me.

Ironic Capcha

This capha has to be intentional, right?

I've Caucused!

OK. So I attended my first Iowa Caucus (my first Caucus anywhere, in fact) and was stricken by a few things:

1. Hillary Clinton didn't even have enough supporters to pass the first count. This absolutely shocked me, as I expected her to be the front runner.
2. Upon walking in to the gymnasium (the room where the caucus was held), it was clear from the beginning that Obama would carry the day in this precinct.
3. The supporters for Kucinich are nice folk.
4. Supporters for Gravel (all for of them) are stubborn in their support. I have to respect that. Plus, they brought cookies!
5. An Edwards supporter actually tried to convince me not to go to Obama because, "He is black....and I hate to bring this up, but I have some black friends and especially in the south, I don't think he's going to win there." OMFG.
   
6. The Clinton stump speech her group gave to try to convince attendees to move over to her camp was essentially this:

"Look, she's the only female candidate running. Do you really want to go down on record as a precinct that didn't even give a female candidate one delegate?" Basically they used guilt over platform to try to convince caucus-goers to move to their camp.

That about sums up the stricken things. Having reviewed the numbers upon returning home, I am struck by a few more things when looking at Iowa as a whole:

1. Kucinich didn't even get any delegates. None. Zilch. Nada. I had hoped he would have carried at least one!
2. Obama is absolutely infectious. His victory speech had passion and soul.
   
3. Clinton's speech (3rd place) sounded dull and apologetic.
4. In the great state of Iowa, over two times the amount of people came out to caucus for democrats (218,000) than did caucus for republicans (108,000). If this trend holds for the general election, it bodes well for lefties. (Numbers taken from Daily Kos. I don't know who else reports these.)