Dictum Ridiculum - July 2004

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Dictum Ridiculum: July 2004

Archived rants and raves from the main page of the Colin Campbell Network.

Wednesday, July 21, 2004
CC on TV: The Chili Episode
Thanks to all of you who watched my Popcorn and Doughnut episodes of The Secret Life Of... on the Food Network. Now, they've scheduled my Chili episode to air on the following dates:
AIR TIMES:
August 16, 2004 10:00 PM ET/PT
August 17, 2004 2:00 AM ET/PT
August 20, 2004 10:00 PM ET/PT
August 21, 2004 2:00 AM ET/PT
As always, check your local listings!

Transmitted 06:00 PM PST | Link |

Tuesday, July 20, 2004
Go. Celebrate. Dream.
Sure, it's time for my annual Moon Day rant, wherein I opine at length about how the fact that we landed on the freakin' moon (35 years ago today) is at least as worthy of holiday designation (and celebration) as, say, Arbor Day. I mean, yay for trees and all, but hey, the moon is a whole different ball of rock.
NASA is celebrating the anniversary with a very nice website. So go on and swing by, especially if it's hot where you are, 'cuz the website is guaranteed to produce a few chills.
Happy Moon Day, everybody!

Transmitted 01:49 AM PST | Link |

Monday, July 19, 2004
Your Monday Morning Wild West Shooting Story
Here's the kind of stuff I research these days for my latest Wild West Tech show on The History Channel. I enjoyed this brief snippet from Sixgunner.com, entitled Handling the Sixgun Properly:

Ed Piper was a prospector in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona when I was a kid. Though I never got to meet him personally I was around people who did. He carried a Model 1917 S&W .45 slung low and was pretty good with it. He once had a man throw a cocked .30-30 on him. The man began to cuss Ed, telling him he was going to kill him. I guess he was working himself up to it. While the guy was cussing him, Ed jerked the old Smith and shot the guy 3 times. Then he walked into Apache Junction and turned himself into the authorities. The Sheriff investigated it and ruled it justifiable. Ed later said that the guy talked too much. If he was going to shoot him he should have shot first, then cussed him.
I think we've all learned an important lesson here about the appropriate order for "shootin'" and "cussin'". Class dismissed! (And my procrastination is almost finished... the script deadline is today!)
Transmitted 01:28 AM PST | Link |

Wednesday, July 14, 2004
Ever Wonder?
Did you ever wonder what the weather was like on Great Britain's Isle of Wight? Well, wonder no more -- just visit the insanely detailed stats at the Isle of Wight Weather Station, and you'll find all the answers to your Isle of Wight weather questions!
Seriously, there are crazily detailed readings about trends in dewpoint plotted over a 24-hour period, among others.
And yes ... I'm procrastinating. So what?
Transmitted 01:09 PM PST | Link |

America Under George Bush
This news story, TSA Reworks Air Travel Screening Program, scares the holy hell out of me. It should scare the hell out of you, too.

The Computer-Assisted Passenger Prescreening System, or CAPPS II, would check personal information against commercial and government databases. Passengers would be given one of three color-coded ratings based on the likelihood of them being terrorists.
The program has been delayed because some U.S. airlines refused to turn over passenger data for testing, fearing that doing so could violate privacy laws. Critics also are concerned the government could mistakenly identify someone as a terrorist, and have questioned the need to delve into the personal backgrounds of millions of law-abiding citizens.
Ya think? You mean, in addition to the color-coding of the national terrorist threat, now WE get color-coded, too? I can see it now - "Wow, you're a Blue, and the country is at Orange? Pheeew!" Or, "Um, excuse me, Miss? I really don't want to be seated in a section with all these Mauve people."
Folks, this is a super-scary time. For feck's sake, GWB's people are talking about what to do if we have to postpone the election. (Here's a hint: This is America. We don't postpone elections. If we do, then ... uh, I know ... "the terrorists win!")
Think about that. Think about being rated by the government as to your likelyhood of being a terrorist, think about the mere thought that we could ever postpone an election, think about how Governor Bush was handed the White House despite losing the popular vote by more than half a million....
Figuring this long battle to remove George Bush will begin with the smallest of small steps, I sent away for my free Kerry/Edwards bumper sticker. I suggest you do the same.
Transmitted 01:21 AM PST | Link |

Monday, July 12, 2004
Mandatory Viewing for TV News Junkies
You'll most likely get a big kick out of Salon.com's feature, Anchors Away!, which compiles video clips of ten classic "Oh My God Something Has Gone Terribly Wrong" TV news moments.
Ah, TV news ... I miss you so!
On the other hand, my popcorn show was on the Food Network tonight, and when comparing the two, the Food Net show involved a whole lot less stress, a ton less screaming (none versus some), but, strangely, about the same amount of popcorn. Who knew?
Transmitted 11:48 PM PST | Link |

You Don't Really Have to Register for the Draft...
... at least, not yet.
But when you do, here's hoping the fine folks who put up the tremendously entertaining parody Draft Registration for the United States Armed Forces website are in charge of it. Because, at least then, the draft will be funny.
Thanks to the always entertaining Mark Evanier for the tip!
Transmitted 10:37 PM PST | Link |

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