Ericast.com Podcast - DWEEB THOUGHTS

When you can't find the podcast that talks about the topic you want, you recreate it and hope that someone points out the source material to you. Let's see if that works! Here's your show.

Well, it's been awhile, and there's a reason I was called back to the show.  Want a personal episode?  Here's your show.

Let's reduce the show notes down to some links...

You never quite know what's going to drive me back to do a podcast

episode, and this week it's a profound throwaway comment from my boss. 

Curious?  Here's your show.

"Not since 2011 has the Ericast been confronted with a five-syllabale year! How will we survive 2017?!?"

Remember when the world was going to end in 2012?  (or 2000? or 1999?)

Exciting task over break: We cleaned up Studio A.  Now featuring "a desk on a desk"

"Between the extremes of 'arrogance' and 'self-loathing,' kindness forms a healthy range of 'confidence with humility.'"

In

the context of conservative religious positions, or some extreme

political positions (not necessarily politically conservative)

We

decided that the right "balance" is to be confident in what you believe

you know, but humble enough to know you might be wrong, and that the

driving force behind that balance is kindness to keep an open heart and

listen to others.

Roger Thompson defined balance as something

you're always "moving through" -- you never "achieve it".  As a person,

that's true -- try standing on one foot.  You're not a pile of rocks on a

beach, that are stacked to be balanced and then stay there.

The extremes you have to guard against are arrogance on the confidence side, and self-loathing on the humility side.

And I'll admit that I'm sufficiently in touch with myself that I've been able to identify both in myself.

One of the benefits when you pursue experiences is that, sometimes, you learn something profound in a genuine, visceral way. Want an example? Here's your show.

Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode!

Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page!

Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment

John 3 passage about the wind.

The Albuquerque Box explained.

Albuquerque Box time-lapse.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and I think I'm back in the iTunes Directory right now. Want to know what it took for that to happen? Here's your show.

Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode!

Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page!

Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment

I've got a long history of episodes with a cold.  Some of that is the voicework tie-in, some is just mere convenience in the schedule.  Right now I'm faking my way through for the vice-provost and others; if I work hard, I can sound somewhat healthy.

It's Listener Feedback week, because the Ericast is about the listeners.  Back in July, I got a call from listener Steve saying that there were real people who cared that I wasn't in the iTunes Directory.  So, I fought to get back into the store.  I was been resetting the feed all last week; apologies if multiple copies came through!

(I'd would love to know what state the feed is in on your side, and you can tell your friends to just search the store!)

The "Dweeb Thoughts" name may or may not stick around, or come back. Thoughts?

We did get other listener feedback, and while no name was left I recognize this as the voice of listener Chad. Take care!

And do keep listening; I've got some actual episode topics on deck.  Let me know what you think -- 701-645-3742 a.k.a. 701-645-ERIC.

We've got an election coming up, and I'm going to say very little about it, except for one little clip from an old documentary movie. Here's your show.

Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode!

Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page!

Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment

I've missed you. Maybe you've missed me? Putting this show together is so hard. It shouldn't be that hard, and that's what I'm finding at work, too. Straightforward things are hard.

So, I didn't talk about SimpleREV 2016, but I will. And I didn't talk about my hot air balloon ride, but I will. And I haven't even played Steve's call. But I will But not today.

In the midst of that, Ruth was talking about showing The Atomic Cafe to her classes. I haven't watched it in years. Now that we're out of the Cold War and maybe into a new Cold War, it's interesting to watch.

And one clip stuck out. I wish I could find the reference, but here's the text from a transcript. It comes out of a nuclear explosion and leads into an Eisenhower

clip, but I don't think it's part of either one. It features a line-

drawing animation, but the narration is pretty haunting:

thick and fast that the individual can no longer place himself in his

group, when he knows something is wrong but doesn’t know what, when he

feels himself a pawn, in times like these most men become highly

suggestible. They listen eagerly for any voice which sounds

authoritative. They listen eagerly for anyone who can tell them what is

wrong, and what to do to right it – who can diagnose their troubles and

prescribe a cure.”

Let me know what you think. Call 701-645-3742 (a.k.a. 701-645-ERIC) or drop an email to me (eric) at ericast.com.

Every so often I go on a bit of a theological rant. This is one of those episodes.  But whether you like talking about God or you don't, I think you like this one. Here's your show.

Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode!

Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page!

Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment

Today's date has a lot of meaning, and maybe we'll cover it another time.

A theological joke is, "I feel like Job!"  Because nothing compares to Job. #FirstDraftSineadSongs.

But some bad luck starting with a now-dead cricket, culminating with weird GoDaddy domain experiences. And I realized, "a) It's not about the money, and b) I don't need to deal with this."

That's relevant because a) the feed is still changing (how's it going?), and the Ericast is a personal podcast, and this week is a personal topic.

Ray Edwards is a copy-writer.  He writes advertising copy.  Very good at it. He now shares the podcast with his son Sean as he battles Parkinson's Disease.

They have a "Spiritual Foundations" segment that I really like.

If you don't know, there's a lot of discussion, sometimes debate, even dissension in the Christian community. And you'd think, "Can't they all just get along?"  But the topic is important, and not everyone agrees on everything. And this is documented in the Bible, though while some might be the result of "sin," not everything is. It's just that we don't have the full picture.

Episodes 245 and 246 of the Ray Edwards show had a discussion to which I said, "YES!"  So I share it here, in the spirit of, "Hey, it's not just me!  At least two other guys agree with me."  Take a listen... Then consider my observations on 1st Peter 2 and 1st Thessalonians 4.

Questions?  Ideas?  Call 701-645-3742 (a.k.a. 701-645-ERIC) or try emailing me (eric) at ericast.com and see if that email address still works after my GoDaddy excitement...

The girls are at an age where we do at least one roadtrip adventure a year. This year, it was Memphis, Tennessee.  Wondering why?

Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode!

Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page!

Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment

I almost named this "Walking in Memphis" but I'm in the middle of changing the feed and don't want a bunch of Marc Cohn fans flocking to the podcast and then getting confused and annoyed.

Topics this week:

Questions? Comments? Points of additional curiosity? Call 701-645-ERIC (a.k.a. 701-645-3742) and let me know what you think!

Some things become a habit or pattern, and sometimes that's good. Have you ever noticed that I've closed the podcast with the exact same pair or words for the past 277 episodes?  Here's your show.

Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode!

Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page!

Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment

A month and a half after the last episode... again, it's (almost) early morning and raining here in the beautiful Minneapolis/St.

Paul metro area.  My biggest notice regarding this casual episode (you'll have to listen to learn the thinking behind my admonition to "take care") is that I'm going to be switching podcast hosts in the next week or two, so if your feed gets a bit strange, that's why.

Also, for the first time in forever, we've bumped up the quality of the Ericast file format and we're now at a whopping 64kbps -- still mono, though if a special stereo episode comes along it'll end up at 128kbps.  So, this file is double the "usual" size (sorry!) but it should sound slightly better if you listen through headphones or in a quiet environment.  If you were listening on the car/bus or while jogging/biking, you probably won't notice an improvement... but I'm curious if you do.  (Unfortunately, it might also make the background noise and microphone pops more clear...)

Do let me know how things are coming across on your side -- 701-645-3742 (a.k.a. 701-645-ERIC)

"Listener Feedback" has been a part of the Ericast since the very first episode more than 11 years ago. So, let's celebrate one listener in particular. It might not be your show... but, here's your show.

Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode!

Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page!

Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment

It's early morning and raining here in the beautiful Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area.  So far, the July excitement has been cleaning and tidying and selling on eBay.  Thunderstorms, split-level homes, cars vs. semis. If the topics weren't somewhat random, it wouldn't be the Ericast!

This episode might sound like a swan song and it's not.  I'm still here.

What's the meaning of the ping?  It asks if anyone is out there.  (Are you?)

Matt Beckwith - early caller after "Chloe's Lip Repair"

If you go back in the archives, he's the only one of those early callers left. Rob, Paul, Dan are all gone.  Sure, I still stay in contact with them occasionally, but the days of copying files over to the iRiver MP3 player are gone.

After all that... Matt still calls.

Roger Thompson references "guys you can toss the keys of your life to." Matt is one of those people, even though we've never met in person. (Though I know he's been through the MSP airport, which is the closest we've been because I've never been to California.)

His last call to our now-dead K7.net line was in February. Then, he did an e-mail interview with me for a series on his High Demand, Low Supply website, called "My Job Story".

I was honor that he asked me, and it was probably because he knew I could reflect.  That was a good experience. Hard, and healthy, and good.

Then, this spring, Matt's father passed away.  I wouldn't normally talk about someone else's personal life but he's published an outstanding tribute to his dad, Mel Beckwith.

Then, we switched numbers, and Matt knows the value of podcasting and calling in, so we have a new generation of calls.

Questions?  Problems? Worries? Concerns?  Comments?  Do you like sand? Do you know what that joke means?  Call 701-645-3742 (a.k.a. 701-645-ERIC) and let me know.