Are We Recording?

This episode was originally supposed to be episode 13, but we had some serious technical issues recording the previous two, so this one is now number 11. Is this the end of season 1, the beginning of season two, or just another episode? We don't really know.

In this episode we talk about Rorschach tests, Atlas Shrugged, Afghanistan, woolly aphids, politics, cheating, and more.

Just before recording the podcast, the Smithereens, Only a Memory, played on the radio, and Mark and Kevin began discussing music of the era. The discussion carried right into, and begins, the latest episode of Are We Recording?

A journey into 80s and 90s rock wouldn't be complete without mentioning college rock, and the college radio stations that played them, or the awesome record stores that would sell you the music with a dose of condescension.

The two add Van Morrison to the list of tragic musicians, with his latest album containing such antisemitic drivel as They Own The Media.

Mark and Kevin talk about super yachts, particularly the half a billion dollar variety, such as that of Jeff Bezos, and the one that was recently towed through canals in the Netherlands, on it's way to delivery.

The discussion touches on social media, the Bill Gates saga, and several art world controversies. 

Three controversies are discussed: 

• The Bouvier Affair
• Gagosian Gallery Ponzi Scheme
• Sackler Family Art at the Metroplitan Museum

 Next, the two move on the the Australian Mouse Plague, rock climbing controversies, people ruining nature (while supposedly trying to enjoy it), and the fact that there are too many damn people.

Rock climber bolts over petroglyphs
Vigilante Climbers Remove Bolts From Manufactured Cimbs
Climber cuts down protected trees, and bullies female climbers

The discussion of episode nine is broad and meandering. Mark and Kevin talk about:

• Awful people who face no repercussions
• Old presidents
• Election fraud myth origins
• People who receive accolades after death/posthumous accolades
• Resistance to change
• A tiger in Houston, and dumb criminals
• Vaccine microchip tracking
• Freewill, or the lack thereof
• Economic mobility
• Pablo Escobar

The making of a myth
An obscure Texas security company helped persuade Americans that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump

Tender Is The Night
Did you know that the City Hall of Brussels has an asymmetrical façade?
A tiger went missing in Houston for nearly a week. Here's how the search unfolded and what's next for him

Mark and Kevin talk about the Ever Given, the ship stuck in the Suez Canal, and how fragile our global trade system is. We also give our unrequested opinions on terrible (in our opinion) product design, long term living in hotels, the movie Nomadland, dangerous houses, and Unhappy hipsters, among other things.

The Suez logjam shows how fragile our global trade system is
Unhappy Hipsters 

Mark and Kevin discuss working too much, burn out, and dying people wishing they had worked more.

They also discuss the boom in NFTs, what the heck they are, and what you actually get if you buy one. Next, they briefly rant about ugly websites, talk about unfriendly modern design, and bad ways to die.

There's a discussion about some crazy moms that were recently in the news, including a mom who hacks the middle school network to rig the homecoming vote, and one who makes deep fakes of her daughter's cheer leading rivals.

They spend some name talking about names, including Slovakia name days.  And, they finish up with a discussion of car problems, including Mark's Seattle or Bust car trip (it was a bust), that ended with a blown head gasket.

How a 10-second video clip sold for $6.6 million
Homecoming Queen (and Her Mom) Arrested for Alleged Vote Hacking
Mother 'used deepfake to frame cheerleading rivals'
Napolean Dynamite - Uncle Rico
Elon Musk’s baby name
NZ judge renames "Talula Does the Hula from Hawaii"
Slovakia Name Day
Subarus with head gasket issues

Mark and Kevin start off talking Groundhog Day, and Bill Murray. We end up discussing a variety of actors and movies, before moving on to old ski jumping movies, the extremeness of sports today, which leads to surfing, and how low-riders are painted.

1939 Ski Jumping competition
Oslo Ski Jump (1946)
Watch Kai Lenny’s Concussion-Inducing Wipeout at Jaws
Video Shows Photographer Breaking Back in Deathly Surf
Watch Tom Curren Surfing A Perfect Mexican Pointbreak
Makua Rothman on His Biggest Jaws' Wave Ever
Laird Hamilton Shoots Mailbu Pier
Unnur
Beasts of No Nation
How Low-Rider Graphics Are Painted On Cars
Swiss skier Urs Kryenbuehl crashes across finish line at Kitzbuhel downhill
Saddleback Mountain Reopens
Mt. Cain

There was this time when a bunch of angry white men invaded the capital, while dressed in costumes. This episode covers that crazy event, and meanders a bit around the insane politics of the times. 

Somehow, we forgot about this episode. Apparently we were so distracted by the events of that day, and the insanity that followed, distracted us from actually publishing this episode. Even though this should have been up awhile ago, we figured it's better late than never...maybe. 

On the podcast we start out by discussing time travel, and whether we'd rather travel back in time, or forward in time. We somehow migrate to discussing lost Bitcoin, the role of luck in life, a Michael Lewis speech at Princeton, the myth of American meritocracy, commitment to incendiary political figures, the sunk cost fallacy, political tribalism, refusing to believe obvious facts, John R. Brinkley, and the rise of "Quack Doctors" and "Border Blaster" radio.

Burton Holmes
Dorthea Lange
Edward S. Curtis
Planet Money - Episode 816: Bitcoin Losers
The Big Short
Princeton Baccalaureate 2012: Michael Lewis

Myth of Meritocracy
Sunk Cost Fallacy
Cult of Personality
Self-fulfilling prophecy
QAnon
John R. Brinkley
Border Blaster Radio
Man on the Moon cancer scene

Mark and Kevin had a way too long intro covering Geo-fencing, storage units, records and CDs, and being dropped off at the mall by mom. 

Eventually, they get to the show, and cover:

• mobile homes, the ideal vs. the reality, at least in America.
• cremated pets turned into pendants in the shape of hamburgers
• society's resistance to change
• World Happiness Report
• Toxic Masculinity

America's trailer parks: the residents may be poor but the owners are getting rich

Why big investors are buying up American trailer parks

All American Despair

Mark and Kevin start off by revisiting a couple of topics from the first episode, including Formula One racing, and ice hockey rink sizes. The Formula One discussion leads to the crazy Can-Am car racing series from the 70s and 80s, and Formula One steering wheels. They talk about Rudy Giuliani's hair malfunction, and a comparison of Trumpism and professional wrestling. 

Also discussed:

• Home. A documentary about Sarah Outen's human powered trip around the world
• Backyard adventures by Beau Miles
• A pilot who narrowly avoids being sucked out the window on a jetliner 
• The Welsh band, The Alarm