Zoozical
It’s a zoo out there…might as well be musical….What does that mean?Archive for March, 2010
15 Years Crammed Into 1
Well I did it. It took me 1 year and 4 months, but I have listened to all 402 hour long episodes of This American Life.
What started this OCD mess? 20 Acts in 60 Minutes did in December of 2008. I accidentally caught this show while driving on a Saturday afternoon and then I started listening most weekends on 89.9 WJCT. Then I found them online and it was on!
I listened to every episode in reverse order. I think that was the coolest part of it all. I could listen to stories regarding the election of a new president (15 years covered Clinton, Bush, Bush, Obama) and then I could listen to the stories following up to it. The most interesting pieces I believe took place right around 9/11. Starting in December of ’01 and working backwards into August it was like walking through a fog and then all of a sudden daylight when the event hadn’t happened yet. I tried to explain this in a previous post.
Great episodes to start with:
- Episode 241: 20 Acts in 60 Minutes
- Episode 293: A Little Bit of Knowledge
- Episode 111: Adventures in the Simple Life
- And pretty much every single one after that…
Ira Glass does a great job hosting the show, but I find that I prefer Alex Blumberg as a producer even though they sound exactly alike. Don’t ask me why…it’s just how it is.
Scott Carrier is the one producer I really loved listening to. He has a mono-tone, but it doesn’t matter…his stories hook you. The first one I list below is a story about him and his brother testing a theory about how Native Americans ran down their prey instead of using advance weaponry. The second one is a compilation TAL put together.
Favorites of Scott Carrier:
My other favorite producers are: Sarah Vowell, Nancy Updike, Starlee Kine (best episode she has is 339: Break Up…she talks with Phil Collins about writing her own break-up song), and of course the stories of David Sedaris.
The TV Show: This American Life also has a TV show that is available to watch on Netflix. There is currently only 2 seasons, but they do a great job of making their radio shows come to life on the television.
The two very best ones are Season 1 Episode 1: Reality Check, and Season 2 Episode 6: John Smith.
I hope anybody that reads this actually takes the time to listen to an episode or two. Get lost in it…and really listen.
People Stock
So I’ve had this idea for the past few months, but I just need to let it out. It’s kind of a “What if?!”, but Whatever.
So I think it would be pretty awesome if people could sell shares or issues bonds on themselves. Confused? I am too. I’ll have to speak in examples to get my point across.
Have you ever met or seen somebody who you knew was just going to do really well in life? He/she just has this way about them that gives you a good vibe. Well I thought it would be sweet if that person could issue stocks or bonds to raise money to help them get to where they need to go. Then, once they make it. They buy it back in the future or pay out dividends. It’s like a loan, but also a way for people to really tell you that they believe in you.
I have a couple of people I would invest in, but not because I think they’ll be rich. Its because they really good at and enjoy what they do. Nobody should loose that because of money.
Maybe its a stupid idea, but I don’t care…its my blog.
