The Things I Think

The Week of 3/21/16

In lieu of a regularly scheduled post of focusing on one thing, this week I decided I will cover a wide array of topics. They don't quite fit under my Old Man Rants series (though some undoubtedly will sound similar) so I decided I will simply label this week's post THE THINGS I THINK.

Will they change the world? Probably not. There is nothing here that is ground breaking, as far as I can tell. The topics are simply items of interest that have caught my attention over the past week or so.

The Information of the Internet Super Highway


There is so much that can be said about this, but I will keep it short. As a writer of articles and posts for the internet, I appreciate there are so many opportunities for writers to have a chance to get there work seen and read. 

The part of the internet catching my attention this week is the amount of noise existing out there that people buy into without quick research astounds me. I shouldn't be astounded by this, but am intrigued as to why people simply click, share, and like on articles that aren't accurate. Simple research can usually disprove or reaffirm what they are sharing with the masses.

I don't even place blame in the people themselves. I'm talking about the websites that are solely designed to garner clicks and traffic based off of misinformation. I'm not talking about satirical websites such as THE ONION or CLICKHOLE or THE KICKER. And, even as political season is at full steam, I'm not even speaking about that.

I'm speaking about this headline I saw recently: "Notebook 2 to begin filming near [insert town]. Original cast/crew re-united, extras needed."

Now, there are certainly headlines like this that are true. Here, a quick search of Google indicated filming was set to begin at least four different towns. The Google search also brought up a link to Snopes.com, which verified my initial reaction. This is false.

I've seen the same thing now with articles being shared about Star Wars: Episode VIII, essentially repeating identical information as in the Notebook 2 article. A simple Google search indicates this is the only site reporting this, a good bet that's it's not true.

Pro Tip: If the article states "according to sources" and has no sources to back it up, it might be false. Do your research. The internet has a plethora of information, don't get me wrong, but sometimes sifting through the noise is beneficial to not just you, but also your friends.

Podcast Love


Being the old soul I am, I have only recently stepped into this world of listening to podcasts. I'm now discovering I have a lot of ground to make up.

First, I took care of Serial. No need to go into that much, since it's considered old news to many at this point. For what it's worth, I still think Adnan did it, but his case is currently being considered for a re-trial so we'll see. 

I have also been listening to Welcome to Night Vale and a podcast hosted by Michael Rapaport. Rapaport started this podcast in the early fall of 2015, I believe, and I've just begun to work through the back log of podcasts, including a few new ones, but he's entertaining and funny.

March Madness


Raise your hand if your bracket was ruined by Michigan State losing in the first round. Come on, raise it. I'm doing it and I'm sitting by myself in a coffee shop. 

I had the Spartans winning it all. They made me look foolish for the belief I had in them. Meanwhile, a team that the Boise State Broncos beat earlier this season has made it to the Elite Eight. College basketball is truly an exciting entity in and of itself. Despite the team I picked being eliminated, I still can't take my eyes off of March Madness.

Now, raise your other hand if you thought the Oregon Ducks would be the first number one seed eliminated and not be around the second Saturday of the tournament. I'm hoping at this point both of your hands are raised because mine are.

(You can read more of my thoughts on March Madness on the Read Everything website. A few weeks old, but I stand by my statements.)

Odds and Ends


-It's Treefort time again in Boise. There are tattoos, piercings, beards, and people wearing skinny jeans as far as the eye can see. The weather is doing it's best not to cooperate this year, but people are still lining the streets to see over 400 bands grace the stage in the City of Trees over the next three days. 

The event has swelled and it is great to see this much artistic involvement in Boise. The event brings music, film, yoga, comedy, beer, and kids together for one common thread: to have a good time. Definitely take a chance to check it out, even if it's for one band or one yoga session.

-Seriously. Enough with the petty, childish differences from our political parties. In a time when citizens of America should be uniting, we are letting these squabbles and these men (and women) divide us. Apparently there isn't a leader in our country out there that believes in United we stand, Divided we fall. (There is one, but the chance of him getting past the primary are looking bleaker and bleaker. We'll see)

Rest in peace to Garry Shandling. Though the following clip is from Freaks and Geeks, the connection between the music, the actor, and Shandling is spot on.


And rest in peace to Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest. One of the great pioneers of the Rap Game.








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