Find a Penny? Pick it Up!

Click here for a Radioaffliction Quickie audio post on this subject!

I enjoy the site Gullible Info, and it is there I found this interesting tidbit.

"People in a west coast city are three times more likely to stop and pick up a coin on the street than people in an east coast city."

Now that may only mean that a west coast city is three times more likely to lose a coin on the street than an east coast city, but it does beg to offer this question.

If you saw a coin on the street(or sidewalk), why wouldn't you pick it up?

Even the lonely penny(it's real name is the one cent piece, pennies come from England and heaven I'm told), which it's existence is mind boggling to me, especially since it costs more to make it than it can be tendered for, not to mention how long retailers have been duping people into believing that it's a better deal that something is $4.99 rather than an even $5.00, with all that said, the penny is still worth something.
There is even an incentive for the stray coin,
"Find a penny pick it up, the rest of the day you'll have good luck!".
Others have amended that by saying the coin must be heads up but hey, you've got an opportunity here. I've struggled with that theory when I come across one in a urinal, and I'm forced to think just how badly do I need good luck for the rest of the day.
Anyway the point is, coins come in handy, and they add up, so if you see one that has lost a home, give it one until you can find a nice cash register for it.
One other thing that still boggles my mind, is that how many people still don't know that the two dollar bill is still in active circulation, and yet it is still being rebuffed by the general public.
I wrote about that last year in a post, and I still can't figure it out. 2 is a nice even number, and can be very helpful is cash situations. I would rather have 2 two dollar bills than 4 one's, and heck I'd rather have 3 two dollar bills than a 5 and a 1.
It is after all just my opinion, but the lesson learned today, love and take care of your coins and your two dollar bill!
Have a great day,
PAC

Updated 12/31/06:
This also from Gullible.info:
In its "lifetime" an average dollar bill is touched by over 10,000 different people.

Going Where No One Should Have Gone Before

Earlier this year I posted "Where No One Should Go Before(or ever)!", in which I discussed the audacity of Viacom/CBS Paramounts decision to bring back Star Trek with an all new cast playing the original characters with the major plot point being how Kirk and Spock met at Starfleet Academy(which they didn't, I don't care what some of these Star Trek sites say. Spock was on the Enterprise at least 13 years before Kirk became Captain).
My two major points were that you couldn't have new people playing established characters and bring any credibility to the story(or the actors playing them for that matter), and you had an estimated 86 year gap between generations: Fill it!
Then I discover that Cawley Entertainment Company and Retro Films Studios have for two years been doing what CBS/Paramount only plan to do with Star Trek: New Voyages!
Instead of going back to the early days, they are continuing with the original five year mission, essentially picking up where the series left off, even revisiting some old episodes(another suggestion I made in my earlier post), using the original blue prints for the set, an original writer from the series, original bit actors that appeared and original guest stars, and now even original cast members! In fact the show is so faithfully done, that you almost forget that these are just people playing costume.
Almost!
James Cawley makes a good Captain, but he is not Jim Kirk, and John Kelley's "Damn it I'm a Doctor" impression is just embarrassing, and don't get me started with Charles Root's performance as Scotty. I'm not really saying the performances are bad, it's just that doing it this way doesn't allow the actors to establish their characters, it forces them to act like the characters as we remember them. The one exception so far would be Andy Bray's performance as Pavel Chekov, especially in the episode "To Serve All My Days" only to be out done by original Chekov actor Walter Koenig, who should win some sort of an award for best supporting actor, only proving the point that the only people who should play those parts are the ones that actually played them.
Check them out for yourself at http://newvoyages.com and tell me what you think, but in my opinion with the performances which are faithfully done(almost to a fault), and stories that are too good, even the special effects are too good for the original Star Trek, I am forced to stick to my original conclusion:
A new Star Trek, or no Star Trek.
PAC

Proving It Doesn't Hurt To Learn Things!

Physics 10: Physics for Future Presidents. Spring 2006. Professor Richard A. Muller. The most interesting and important topics in physics, stressing conceptual understanding rather than math, with applications to current events. Topics covered may vary and may include energy and conservation, radioactivity, nuclear physics, the Theory of Relativity, lasers, explosions, earthquakes, superconductors, and quantum physics. [courses] [physics10] [spring2006]

Stumbled upon this, and got physics, philosophy and Indentity Theory all in one lecture.
Enjoy,
PAC

Request Hotline: More Raw Beef!

The past month has been nothing but visiting family and friends having family and friends visit, and when that much family gets together a certain point comes along when requests are made like, "We should do this more often", and "Answer your damn phone!"
But my family and most of my friends are a little weird and the most requests I got during the visits were asking if I still had the video of my cousin Jim making and eating a raw beef sandwich!
And I replied, "Of course I do!", and since The Radioaffliction is a public service, and it's iTunes link has expired I have decided the world should never forget "How to Make and Eat a Raw Beef Sandwich!"
First watch the video, then if you are not grossed out and you want to make and eat your own raw beef sandwich here is Jim Reid's recipe in order:
1 slice of Rye bread buttered(or use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter or if you can find it I found that "Move Over Butter" works really well).
1 Package of Ground Round(Please don't eat the whole package, just enough to cover the slice of bread).
Seasonings: Salt & Pepper(seasoned salt works very well too).
Optional Items:
Slice of Onion
BLATZ BEER(Optional?)!

There you have it, just in time for the holidays!
If you could be so kind once you have watched the video, if you could write a review for it here. Thanks and enjoy!

The Radioaffliction Podcast Vol.5

The Radioaffliction Vol.5 is finally here!

In this edition, my brother Adam Clay joins me as co-host as we discuss the following topics.
* Should I apologize for not broadcasting/podcasting in almost 6 months.

* We review the blog Lost in Wisconsin! (can you really be lost if you know where you are?)

* What qualfies a city to be called a suburb?

* We discuss the book from Dorene M. Lorenz, and how to find ways to write a book, and the merits of self publishing.

*Plus much, much more!

You can download or listen to the show from iTunes, or click on the above link to play it in your browser.
Enjoy, and please tell us what you think of the show!

Spam A-LOT!

Once again I'm writing an article that explains the whole point of what The Radioaffliction is all about. A simple topic that I throw out to the universe in hopes of gaining a greater understanding of the subject involved, by not only sharing my opinion but hopefully getting views from other people as well, and while we may not find the answer, we have a least talked about it and hopefully gained some knowledge, understanding and heaven forbid - wisdom.
Today's topic is one that I'm not sure has many good answers, but is getting harder and harder for me to understand, and that is the subject of Spam!
To me spam is much more than just unsolicited email, but also these "commercial" web pages that took over traffic exchange sites a long time ago.
I actually have less outrage over email spam because most of it gets put into a specific folder, and if one happened to sneek through -click- it's gone. In fact I often thought that people who complained about spam should have been put in a burlap bag and thrown off a cliff, and as they are plunging down yell at them to lighten up. Kind of like the guy I met one time who thought it was inappropriate for someone to be talking on their cell phone at the urinal, not realizing it was inappropriate to yell at someone at the urinal that they are doing something inappropriate.
But as hilarious as I find email spam from time to time, like the new trick people are doing to insure that they are on the top of your email folder by putting the date a year in advance, is that it all just seems pointless to me. To send out millions of emails in the hopes that at best a 1% conversion rate. I know it's easy, and I do believe in free enterprise, but the best things created, done and enjoyed in life weren't the easiest. The don't have to monumentally hard either, but as Star Trek and for crying out loud The Wizard of Oz have taught us (over and over again) is that the things we really want, we probably all ready have. It just takes a little thought, some creativity (that is not a dirty word by the way) and heaven forbid -TIME-!
Here's an example and maybe you have come across these web sites before, that go on for what seems like six pages that try to pump you up with things like, "Wouldn't you like to spend more time with your family", or "Have the freedom to do what you want, and work at home", going on and on about how great their lives are, and don't forget the testimonials, and still going all the way to the end when they actually have the #$%&@ to ask for your credit card and usually $49.99(sometimes more, but risk free for thirty days of course) without EVER telling you what it is, does or will do for me.
It kind of reminds me of the executive in the Monty Python sketch explaining to the police officer that if he actually said what he did his sales would plummet.
So here is my advice, tell your ideas, your thoughts and maybe your basic plans, and I'll tell you if those fit with my ideas, thoughts and greater plans, and worthy of my $49.99. Because heck, if I know something ahead of time, I may try anything(almost) for 30 days.
Just a thought,
Have a Wonderful Day
PAC

Speechless!

Now I try my best to keep things tasteful on this site, and I will try and continue that tradition. However I'm still a guy, and when I was floating around looking at sites tonight and came across this picture, I naturally had some reactions.
Like:
"Hello!"
"You have the right to remain silent!"
"Rough Night Last Night?"
"You really should see a doctor about those hemorrhoids!"
Well my imagination could run away if I let it.
I have to admit I have matured a little as I get older, but it's still nice to know I can have some evil thoughts every now and then.
If this gave you any evil(but tasteful) thoughts feel free to let me know.
Thanks to 1 Cup Humanity, 1 Cup Profanity for the photo and the thoughts!
Until next time.

Shine On Crazy Diamond!

The news of the passing of Pink Floyd original front man Syd Barrett has left me with a few philosophical questions.
Why would someone have to suffer to allow others to prosper?
Think about it. If Syd had not "suffered" and became mentally unstable from, according to the official version, pressures of fame and drug use(while members of the group admit he would have had a breakdown regardless of the drug use) would we have the Pink Floyd that came to be.
Would a Syd Barrett led Pink Floyd create a "Dark Side of the Moon"? What then would be the inspiration for "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" or arguably the groups best song "Wish You Were Here"?
One could argue the latter was the result of perseverance of the remaining members, and that you can't cry in your coffee, you must do what you feel is right and move on.
Or you can argue that is was all fate, and that Syd and his "collapse" gave the band the name recognition or stigma the band needed and used it to jump start their careers and they never let you forget that, hence the reason for "Wish You Were Here".
Either way(or neither) one mans suffering in this life in now over, and the rumors will now fly on whether or not the band will get back together(again) in tribute.
While I don't like rumors or phony like tributes, but in this case it maybe necessary.
Pink Floyd's reunion last year was to help in the cause to bring awareness for the plight in Africa. This time they could help bring awareness to the suffering of mental illness and the awareness that without Syd, there probably wasn't a Pink Floyd.

Come and Get Me! I Dare You!

Reality Better Than Fiction?

Dorene M. Lorenz emailed me the other day with the announcement of her first novel, "Midnight Blue Noon" being published. I was intrigued by the details of the plot(which I have included in the comment section), about the goings on in a small Alaskan town, and I thought to myself wow, that is pretty amazing, and yet I'll bet some of it actually happened. I try not to stereotype crazy things going on in Alaska, because what else is there to do in Alaska, because the same things have been or can be said about Wisconsin.
I looked back at my own life in just the past week, and I thought to myself again wow, this is pretty amazing. Did this stuff actually happen? Can life be the ultimate novel, TV show, movie, or better yet choose your own adventure story. Have I been wasting my time with silly diversions like, DVD's, TV, sports, politics, religion(!), when there is real life, real entertainment out there.
So let's take a look at my life the last week, and see if we can determine whether it's just a simple man's means of getting by with life or the ultimate soap opera.

**The Names have been changed to protect the innocent. The Guilty get no so such luck.**

Peter deals with closure of his late beloved grandparents as Peters mother comes to town to tear down the old family house and sell the property off in pieces to the highest bidder. Peter and his mother come together to deal with their issues over a Rocky Rococo pizza(Best Pizza in Madison) on Mothers day.
At the office, Jeff leaves the firm to become a rock star, and Calvin is forced to make a choice between is real job, and the firm since he's been making his own schedule up for the last month. Peters dreams of being a rock star are shattered into pieces when he plays his version of Paul McCartney's "Let Me Roll It" with Peter doing a William Shatner-esque second verse, while the guys would rather listen to Barry Manilow's greatest hits, and is Bob plotting against Peter because of his jealously that Peter is the bigger jerk in the firm than he is?
At the homefront it's been a crazy week for the cats, as Sha-la got poop stuck in her fur again, and she is afraid that the trauma is so much that it could lead to a major hairball. While Tyche Tiger is planning a coup and demands new kitty litter and more rations of cat nip, as he deals with his cravings for used q-tips.

So there you have it. Not bad for just one week in one lifetime.
Sure there is an unpopular war and President. Gas prices are way too high, and a lot of other things going on that are unpleasant. But take a look around, and you might find out that you are living an amazing life.
Thank you Dorene for the spark to look at things.
It truly is an adventure.
Have a great day(show)!

Where No One Should Go Before(or Ever)!

Let me give you a little insight on what inspires me to write articles these days, and what the basis for The Radioaffliction was/is.
I get up early in the morning and I read the funny papers(newspapers, mostly online now with a real nice RSS reader), and browse through the headlines looking for stories that will give me a certain reaction, for which I will post my point of view in the hopes that others will comment with their thoughts and in the process all of us gain a greater understanding of such matters.
The particular reaction I look for is as follows. I sit down at the computer and start viewing articles. I also have my powdered vitamin concoction that I mix with water and I drink that as I view the articles. If an article makes me do a spit take of my vitamin concoction, then that's my post/thought of the day.
So is the case this morning when I read this article from Reuters.
It seems that Viacom, parent company of Paramount is interested in reviving the Star Trek franchise. Do they want to do a new movie with the Next Generation cast? NO. Let's cut to the chase, Do they want to do anything with any of the recent spin-off casts? NO!
This is how original and fresh they want to continue with the series.
Go back in time and show how Kirk and Spock first meet at Starfleet Academy and their first outer-space mission. An idea according to my Uncle John's Bathroom reader that was first proposed(and rejected!) way back in 1990 as a plot for Star Trek VI.
Right off the bat many Star Trek fans even casual observers like me can tell you the problem with that plot right now.
Kirk and Spock didn't meet at Starfleet Academy, in fact Kirk was one of the youngest Starfleet Captains in their history and Spock graduated from the Academy in only three years, and served with the previous Captain(Pike) for many years prior to Kirk's arrival. All those times when Kirk would say, "He was my instructor at the Academy." Not once did Spock say, "Oh yeah, I remember him."
Now since the high salaried execs at Viacom are having a difficult time being creative or even remotely original, let me give them my ideas for a New Star Trek for free, just to help them get the ball rolling.
Don't go back or forward in time. There is an estimated 86 year gap between the original series and The Next Generation. FILL IN THE BLANKS!!!
You can even use members from the original series(that are still alive) to help kick start. Heck you can even revisit old planets that the original crew visited, make sure everything is going well(remember what happened with Space Seed, it led to a Wrath of Khan!).
Besides it's not really so much of about the characters, it's the stories that are the most important. In fact one could argue that Star Trek is one of the greatest modern Mythological tales(although Star Wars fans may disagree), and I believe I'm using myth in the proper form. A fictional or enhanced story with a moral context. Go back and look at the 79 original episodes and you will be able to find the story within the story, and once you find that you begin to understand how to live a more fulfilling life for you and others.
So come on Viacom, show us that there is intelligent life in this universe, and that as we move forward into the future we are not always looking back.
A New Star Trek or NO Star Trek!
Have a nice Day,
PAC

Blondies Induction Gives Me a Super Cramp!

Once a year I get myself all worked up when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame lists their new inductees. It is not so much of who they let in these days, it's who they let in, in comparison to who is not in.
The first few years of inductions it is real hard to argue about any of them. I don't think we are going to have any discussions about whether The Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who or if even Pink Floyd should be in. But the last few years some interesting artists and groups of admittingly "good" quality and have been inducted, including the recent (or forthcoming)induction of Blondie (?!?), while other "great" groups like Supertramp and Yes are on the outside looking in.
Granted all of this is mostly a matter of personal taste, but let's go to the map here shall we and compare some of the more recent additions.
Start with Blondie, and then we go with Black Sabbath, ZZ Top, Bob Seger, Jackson Browne(????),Talking Heads, Tom Petty (with his Heartbreakers) and Elvis Costello.
Like I said these are good groups, but are they "Hall of Famers"?
ZZ Top is in, but doesn't that mean The Doobie Brothers should be in.
Black Sabbath and AC/DC being in opens the door for Van Halen (with either lead singer)doesn't it?
Jackson Browne is a great songwriter, but so is Barry Manilow.
A huge insult, Herb Alpert is in, but not as a performer, only as a collaborator with Jerry Moss in creating A&M records.
And does anybody other than music critics really like The Band?
I'm not really interested in debating these issues, just with the comparisons and the evidence presented, next year induct Supertramp into the hall or it will be the "Crime of the Century"!
Have a great weekend!

10 Questions

Questions?
Things I've pondered to help explain why I haven’t posted in over two and a half months.

1. What do Tiger Woods and Andre Agassi have in common?
They have both recently played in major tournaments in their sport in the “Terror” nation of The United Arab Emirates. Do you see players of that stature playing in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, etc.

2. Why is my cat crazy?
He must think the likes of Galileo, Newton and Einstein are full of #$%&. He is constantly experimenting the laws of gravity, and those experiments vary from my razor, to my keys, my cell phone, right up to the antique floral vase. And what about his love for Q-Tips?!? It would one thing if he would tip over the box and play with them, but he plays with the used ones! (icky!)

3. Is it mathematically possible that all snowflakes are of different shapes?
Granted no two humans are the same, but there are races, colors and things called genes to help distinguish.

4. Did I leave the oven on?
I don’t have an iron, so I have to fret about something. (Don’t I?)

5. Let’s say some people get their wish, and gay marriage in most states is banned. To help this hold up constitutionally and even things up those states pass laws that take away benefits of “straight” married couples(no tax breaks, health benefits, etc.). As a “straight” couple would you still want to get married, basically on love alone?
You would still be in the favor of most churches, and basically get God’s hall pass for knooky.

6. Should Brett Favre retire?
I’m naming my first six kids(if I ever have any!) Brett, so hanging around and possibly breaking a few more records won’t hurt much. But if the Packers had not won their last game of the season, it would have been their worst season since 1957, and if you can’t beat either the Bears or the Vikings at least once in a season, maybe it’s time to hang it up. Or maybe the coaching change (the guy with no coaching experience to replace the guy with no coaching experience) will make the difference.

7. Should I apologize?
I’ve noticed a lot of bloggers apologize when they haven’t posted in a while. I haven’t quite figured that out yet. My idea of how blogs got started and became popular, was that a person wrote down his/her thoughts as they and when they wanted. I didn’t think many people signed contracts to their readers promising that they would write something everyday, and that others would hold them to that. I find hard to believe that there is somebody out there saying, “I wish that creep Pete Clay would write something! It’s been two and a half months!” and I certainly haven’t gotten any e-mail or comments saying that either. But if there is anybody out there that has missed me or The Radioaffliction, I apologize for taking so long to write something.
I do want to apologize to Jon who wrote me a very nice e-mail waaay back in December, and has a very nice site of his own, Anxiety, Addiction and Depression Treatments.
Thank you Jon for your comments, and I apologize again for taking so long to respond!

8. What day is it?
With more attempts to separate God from our lives (and to be honest I’m undecided on whether that is good or bad), with “In God We Trust” and “One nation Under God” being put into question. Could the calendar be next? Certainly that has religious implications doesn’t it? Especially since the whole B.C. (but now B.C.E.) A.D. change over, and wasn’t it the Pope who first set the calendar into motion? And do we really want months of the year named after Roman emperors? Why not just start over with day 1. No months, years, decades, etc. We just count the days ahead and move forward. No worrying about Monday coming, and that pointless day Tuesday(it’s not as bad as Monday, but still too far from Friday). Just move on. Think about it when you ask your boss for vacation time. "I’ll be taking days 2567 to 2574 off, and don’t give me any lip, and I haven’t had a vacation since day 2381." And would you be so anxious about your age, “Hey you don’t look so bad for someone who is 13,173 days old!”

9. Are we living in the Past?
Continuing on from the last question a little bit. I’ve noticed that in retail they base improvement, and what plans and goals to make in the future based solely (or mostly) on what the company did this time in previous years. In some cases, managers and employees are held or their wages based on that formula. I can’t help but think. Are you freaking nuts!!!!!!
I don’t want to get into a philosophical discussion on determinism or how the past influences or indicates the future, I just don’t think you have to always look back first before you move forward. To me that formula only works when all the factors from the previous year are in place this year, and that is never the case. There are different managers, employees, CEO’s, etc., different economical factors (recession one year vs. recovery), the month last year started on a Tuesday, this year it started on a Wednesday, sounds stupid but it makes a difference.
Look at your own life, could you base things on what you did last year. I can’t. I had a smaller apartment, I had a different job (that I hated), my cell phone battery held a charge longer, I didn’t have a girlfriend (wait, still don’t, skip this example), I spent less time with my friends (because of the job I hated), and so on.
Start with day 1, and move forward.

10. Want to be on The Radioaffliction?
Starting next week I’ll be interested in interviewing people who write blogs or run their own business for the show. I’m also looking for a co-host(s) for the show, so that hopefully it doesn’t take months between shows and posts!
If you are interested e-mail me at radioaffliction@gmail.com

Thanks for you time, and have a wonderful day(1).