While I was out wandering (drifting?) the internet a few days ago, I stumbled onto amazingstories some odd stuff to post.
"As we drift into the zone"
"Drift" and "zone" combine in my head to mean that moment you unconsciously slide into automatic thinking/creating. The drift into the zone line comes from the lyrics of "Island In The Sun" by Weezer. The song was in a list of relaxing songs I was listening to.
If you do an image search for "drifting" you'll see plenty of race cars going sideways with tires billowing smoke.
This type of racing reminds me more of the ridiculous fantasy car commercials of today than the auto racing I watched growing up. I guess the drivers get into the zone while sliding down the track sidewise. I wondered if that many car buyers let their fantasy decide their purchase.
Drifting over to news stories on the internet (pardon the burning tire smell), I learned entrepreneur, Joseph Pedott, died at the age of 91 recently. Mr. Pedott's company made a fortune selling chia pets.
Chia pet research lead to a chia pet car. I didn't get into the chia zone but I found the video by the creator of a chia car very interesting. She probably got into some type of zone while creating her chia car.
I'm zoned out for now and will soon drift to sleep. Later.
Just like you don't need to run a blog to read blogs, you don't need to join TikTok to watch a Tiktok video. Last October I found this and honestly I don't remember how I stumbled onto it.
Who visits cemeteries on vacation? My wife and I do. I lost count of the number of cemeteries we have visited. Now we don't plan our vacation around cemeteries but if we have time and one is nearby, we check it out. She is the one who got me interested. I find the history and types of memorials interesting.
Cemeteries served as public parks back when they became popular in cities. Picnics in the cemetery.
It has been a long time since I posted about cemetery visits. During my posting of more than a decade, I've produced less than 10 posts on this subject. My first post about this was back in 2007 (link if you are interested).
If you watched the above TikTok video, you can't help but noticing the lady is cleaning the tombstone. Doing an excellent job of it too, I would say. However cleaning tombstones is not an activity of interest to me.
I personally know two people who enjoy cleaning up tombstones. That's great for them. I just don't care to join in.
Also on the topic of cleaning which I admit no qualifications to discuss, I was surprise to discover people making money on youtube and other video sharing platform by letting followers watch them clean. I find that crazy. (a link to a cleaner influencer)
Ok I need to wash my hands now. In the meantime enjoy this song by Josh Ritter. I enjoy the lyrics.
Then before I even get to the real meat of my latest insight, - self replies, “you talking to me again? Go ask someone who cares to listen.”
I start to explain how finding someone willing to listen is so difficult.
Then self starts ranting, “knock it off, you big whiner! Only you can fix your problems.”
So I blog once in awhile.
Nice wagon for nice weather
I typically go with the flow. I’m not a boat rocker unless I’m on an amusement park ride. When the direction of the flow doesn’t match up well with my ideas, I’ll speak up. As I age, I’ve discovered that I resist the flow sometimes just because I don’t want to move.
Flowing on (yeah nobody ever says that) I’m curious what you think about this new space (space as in marketing jargon) called influencer space?
Isn’t it just a new updated name for people hawking products?
This influencer space seems like a social media medicine show without the wagon and horses. There is money in it. This article from 2018 says the Viral Nation (digital marketing and talent agency connecting brands to influencers) company takes in millions in revenue. Forget the old horse drawn wagon, they probably fly via private jet.
Do you follow any influencer? Other than Lisleman. (Oh that's a joke. The wheels fell off my wagon long ago.)
Recently we made a purchase (actually I was informed about the purchase but no need to get into minor details) of Google's home gadget called "Home Mini". (it might have heard a discouraging word from me already)
I like that it doesn't have a battery
What, Lisleman is reviewing products now?
No don't jump to conclusions. This is not product review. Unless you consider my past opinions/complaints on sink drain plumbing as product reviews. This is just a few thoughts and reactions.
I've been reluctant to bring a voice activated gadget into the home (leaving it out on a range playing with the deer and the antelope would be ok). I suspect many users of these voice activated gadgets are delighted that voice recognition works so well. I doubt they think about the need for the device to be constantly listening. If it needs to respond to your voice command at anytime then it needs to be constantly listening for the command prompt.
This one has a microphone switch which I think all of these devices should have. I also just unplug the gadget if it doesn't appear we'll be using it for awhile.
I recall twice that a these gadgets have reacted to my loud voice instead of a direct command. Both times were a bit startling. BTW, I have been told I get too loud too often (not by the gadget but by other humans, who knows how far in the future that starts happening).
Today I was exploring some of the fun stuff it does. It has easter eggs such as "hey google, what am I thinking". So far we mostly use it for playing music.
Its song selection from my request of "play songs from the summer of 1969" was laughable. It played the song "Summer of '69" (released in 1984)
Well now I know, thanks to the wonderful internet of knowledge.
My last post inquired into “a pigeon from hell”. Now I bring up “alligator lizards in the air”. Is this a trend? I doubt it. I’m not a trend setter. My trends have all gone off the rails.
Being retired I have time to listen to lyrics and look them up for more analysis. Most any piece of lyric can be used to find the whole song. Just a google away (Not to be confused with a googly - cricket anyone*). The wonderful wikipedia not only helps identify the song but often the story behind odd phrases.
fish in the air
Ok if you are still puzzled about which song lyrics this comes from ( thanks for not leaving the blog to find out), it’s the band America’s song “Ventura Highway”.
'Cause the free wind is blowin' through
Your hair
And the days surround your daylight
There
Seasons crying no despair
Alligator lizards in the air
Most of the song makes complete sense. It’s talking about the better weather on our west coast compared to towns that don’t look good in snow. But what does a nice climate have to do with “alligator lizards in the air”?
The story according to wikipedia, explains that as a kid the song’s writer, Dewey Bunnell, was spotting shapes in the clouds with his brother while his father repaired a flat tire on the side of a California highway. It would be interesting to learn their father’s version of the story.
Dewey’s father was in the USAF which made the story even more interesting since I have been to a few of the Air Force bases mentioned.
* If I understand the slang term googly then a googly google would be a tough search for an answer.
Hey things are not typically black and white. Most everything is within some range within a larger spectrum.
hopefully you see gumby with more blue that green
Remember that dress picture sent around the internet billions of times a few years ago? You know the one that was gold or blue and people just could not agree. That visual trickery one. Now there is an audio version of this mind twisting phenomenon.
Yanny vs. Laurel (actually I hear it more like yenny)
Search "yanny vs laurel pitch" on youtube and you'll find numerous clips that change the pitch which will have you hearing the other word. It really comes down to your ears, the speakers you're using, and how your mind fills in unknown sounds for you. Oh this whole experience reminded me of listening to "Paul is dead" by turning my Beatles LP backwards on my turntable.
This happened before in August 2013. I know because I posted about it. (link to old post)
As laid on the bathroom floor contemplating my next attack on the drain pipes, I thought of that old commercial showing fallen seniors not being able to get up again. For my situation I would change to the script to:
Help! I've tried some plumbing and I can't get up.
got my clovis strap working
Twisting and turning to position the tools in the small space under a sink works better on a younger more flexible body. Another idea inspired by this do-it-yourself plumbing - plumbing yoga. Plumbing yoga would increase your flexibility along with teaching common plumbing fixes.
Enough on plumbing joys and tribulations. I can move now, so I'm moving on.
Just going back to the days of the last administration did you ever imagine that tweets twittered to the world would be the subject of international news? I’m still holding out of joining the twitter world but Eric Zorn of the Chicago Tribune scans twitter for his favorites. Here’s a recent one:
“If you're sitting in public and a stranger takes the seat right next to you, just stare straight ahead and say, ‘Did you bring the money?’”
If I was on twitter (really what is the point of joining?) I would have tweeted a few days ago:
I feel like a battery short of lighting a flashlight. If I owned a fitbit it would indicate dead.
I failed to write a segue for this last thought. Do you really care? You've made it to the bottom of the post now. I found this interest story of Louie Louie on the Marketplace website.
Coming of age well before the internet of today, I ponder how my life would have been different had I been born later (of course I would be younger today). Today the internet provides quick access to lyrics which eliminates any confusion about the words to the song playing in your earbuds. I've watched our daughters use apps to sample a song playing in a restaurant and then be given the song title by the wonders of the internet.
Amazing.
Donald Trump reminds me of Goldfinger
After seeing Goldfinger for the first time, I thought it was the best movie ever. Now that I have enjoyed many movies over the years, I’ve changed my list. Goldfinger still has the best scene using a laser though (maybe the best scene using gold paint too).
Well you might recognize the words in my post title as coming for the Queen song, “Killer Queen”. I'm curious to know if you did notice the connection. Until I looked up the lyrics I didn’t know gunpowder and lasers were used in their song. Explosive wording, I would say.
Laser beams do have a connection to the music industry. They are essential for the writing and playing of music CDs. But now music CDs are on a decline, as are many things around me.
In the spirit of moving on (on from what you wonder? check this previous post) I have this for you to ponder today.
An interactive, internet connected, photo taking, music playing, gas pump. Oh it does deliver gas to your tank too. Did anyone EVER ask for this?
has a tablet attached for interaction
I saw a story about this in a Chicago Tribune newsletter recently. It’s a BP (someday no one will remember what the company’s initials stood for) trial. They placed one in a gas station nearby, so I drove over and gave it a try. I find gadgets both interesting and stupid. My initial take on this puts it into the stupid category. However, my track record of opinions on gadgets is not great. I remember saying more than a decade ago, “who needs a camera in a phone?”.
I bought some gas and listened to a little music. Of course this is outside at a gas station so others also listened to my music selection. You are asked to select a music genre. The prompts are all given in a recorded voice. It also offers a trivia game and photo taking. I declined both of those offers.
The music streaming service, Pandora (which I have used for years) is a partner in this. I assume they are the source of the songs played.
Only one pump was equipped with the gadget. I don’t think a gas station could have more than two since the different songs would compete with each other. I’m not sure why BP would want you to spend more time at the pump. During my visit the gas station was not busy. If it was I could imagine drivers waiting to get to the pump being annoyed by this distraction.
One other thought was the songs in their playlist. As I mentioned, you just pick a genre not an individual song.
“Fire” by Jimi Hendrix would be a good one for pumping gas. As his blazing guitar riffs away, he sang:
I have only one burning desire
Let me stand next to your fire
The best song match would be “Classical Gas”.
Do you agree?
(oh one more thing - I seriously doubt anyone would care about this gadget pump on a freezing winter day)
I’m feeling twisted and I suspect the digital world brought it on. Today I noticed gadgets missing from my blog sidebar. (wow could you imagine calling that into 911)
Could I’ve accidently deleted stuff from my sidebar? After lots of checking and pondering, (also a bit of scratching but that’s probably not related and don’t ask) I think this “https” change within the blogger system may have made two of my sidebar gadgets incompatible. Just a guess. If not that then possibly Russian hackers. Whatever. I’m moving on. Not in any better direction necessarily but they say you should keep moving. While looking over this digital stuff, my old blog games (meme wannabes) page appeared full of digital dust and needing of an update. I blew off some dust but the page is still there. One of the ideas I had years ago for this blog was “Believe It Or Not, I Posted This”. It was short lived. However I did markup an old picture for it.
An even older idea with shorter initials was "Lisleman's Left-over Laughs". There were a few of those.
So here I am thinking about old blog ideas. What would Bonzo do?
Wait, I know. Now I remember, I wrote a post about that once. "What would Bonzo do"
I think I was sick at home the week they introduced phonetics at school. I've always had trouble pronouncing words. Also, my shortcoming did not improve with age.
Now I creating a long post title is a cakewalk (easy as pie, breeze, picnic, walk in the park, easier than saying Joaquin Phoenix, no-brainer).
Should I have used "oo ee" instead of "uh eeh"?
uh eeh uh ahh or is it oo ee oo aah ahh?
In my last post I researched a meme I found on youtube. Research? I suspect you are questioning if that should be called research. Have you notice what passes as research these days?
Researchers from Switzerland have confirmed what most of us already know - drinking a single glass of beer can make people more sociable.
After a big "duh!". I realized I need to contact these scientists about further research ideas. I love my beer.
The lead researcher said there had been little previous research in this area. Really? Perhaps the lead researcher spent most of his/her time during college deep in text books and little time in pubs. Yes I know not everyone drinks but I suspect even those that don't probably have noticed the lower inhibitions of those that had too many. Did they ever just walk around the popular clubs on a Friday night?
Back to that research wonderland called youtube. During a bit of searching my old posts I found one from years ago in which I had referenced the song verse from this post title. I went to youtube hoping to listen to this phonetically inspiring song another time.
I was awe struck. No, I was mystified. All right, I discovered yet another thing that didn't make any sense to me. It could be because I'm not on drugs.
There on youtube is a clip (see below) of this song that goes on for 10 HOURS!
Not only did it's existence baffle me, it has been viewed over 2 MILLION times. Hopefully most of those views were not the full 10 hours. Who knows. Then of course, the "psychic" youtube suggested more clips that were 10 HOURS long. Who out there wants 10 hour clips? There is weird one called "When Mama Isn't Home Club Remix 10 Hours". I did put in about 3 or 4 minutes of research on that one.
There's a feeling I get when I look to the youtube,
And my spirit is crying for leaving.
In those videos I have seen strange things through the clips,
And the voices of those who comment weirdly.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it really makes me wonder.
What is really making me wonder is the meme I stumbled on (stumbling on youtube doesn’t hurt my bones unlike my other stumbling) during a recent youtube excursion.
So what was the meme that caused this bustle in the hedgerow?
Don’t be alarmed now. It’s really just an very odd thing in my opinion.
The video gamer subculture created a meme using the beginning of the Yes song, “Roundabout”. (for your listening pleasure which you might need after this reading displeasure, you'll find the song clip below)
Are you as confused as I am? Led Zeppelin’s Stairway To Heaven has do wah diddy to do with the Yes song. They might only be related in my mind’s playlist. Led Zeppelin just filled their song with great phrases so it often pops up in my thoughts. (Note last year I discontinued all my telepathic services so maybe this doesn’t confuse you at all)
Even though I know better, while I was listening to the “Roundabout” clip I browsed the comments (it is a very long song). If you find my blog posting odd, then you should read youtube comments sometime. They are a whole level worse than fakebook comments.
You'll find about 20,000 comments on this clip. That seems odd and many of them are very recent. The song came out in 1971.
I noticed references to “GTA”, “JoJo”, and "To Be Continued” in many of those comment threads. Hmm, what odd things are these?
So with time on my hands and fingers on the keyboard I went searching. GTA is Grand Theft Auto which in my opinion is one of the worst games for impressionable teens (why they flocked to it?).
When the badass player steals a car in GTA the radio plays a radio station. Now there are tens of stations loaded in the GTA cars. The song “Roundabout” is played on one of those stations.
JoJo and To Be Continued are related to the same Japanese anime, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Apparently in that series they play the intro to this song, freeze the scene and flash, “To Be Continued”. Fans took to their smartphones and started creating clips of some odd action about to happen. They added this intro music then shared their “creative” clips on the various video sharing services. It became a meme for others not me. I’ll admit I found a few were America’s-Funniest-Videos funny.
I find all this meme stuff very bizarre. All of this reminded me of another song, “Look What They’ve Done To My Song, Ma” but I’m not going off on that tangent today.
( above pic was found at National Geographic's FOUND blog. Great site for old pictures. )
“I better find a more suitable solution
Before I reach the most predictable conclusion
To be the victim of my personal delusion
Just to find that I’ve been living an illusion”
(from "Coping Mechanism" by Shovels & Rope - see my old post for more)
Lighten up while I continue my personal delusion.
Heard recently: A friend shared his recent romance discussion he had with his wife of many years. He had asked her what she thought was important. “So what did you find out?” I asked. “I’m not sure,” he replies, “she either said attentive lovers or a tent of lovers.”
My post title was inspired by this oldie by The Statler Brothers. We recently attended a local outdoor concert and the band performed a cover of this oldie.
ignore this, the post is so slow you probably stopped already
Wow, I didn't realize I've collected way too many sign pictures over the years.
What was I going to post? Oh yeah, that big hit game I've never played, Pokemon Go (oh I'm not going to bother to figure out how to put that accent sign on top of the 'e' in Pokemon. I don't even know what it means anyway)
Maybe collecting pokemons is more rewarding than my odd sign pictures collection (I snapped the first and fourth pictures on trips) but I don't think so.
I got my sign picture taking from my mom
From the old-guy-who-put-quarters-into-a-machine to play video games long ago, I say don't do it. You'll get addicted to it and waste too much of your time. Life really can be short, especially if you run into a tree, sideswipe a cop car or cause who knows what type of accident playing with this augmented reality.
Jumping on the bandwagon probably is a phrase too old for the Pokemon Go players to use but I believe that communal feeling is a big driver in attracting new players. They are all doing it and yes past generations have flocked to other "they-are-all-doing-it" things too. This past month the Pokemon Go circus came to town. Actually to towns all over. It doesn’t call itself a circus but I suspect many people might call its players clowns. An unbelievable horde have jumped on the Pokemon Go bandwagon. (I don’t think it even comes with a band or any music either)
From what I've learned from video clips and news reports describing it, I believe the game is non-violent and promotes some outdoor activity. I also heard Angry Birds promoted physics. (I have actually played angry birds a few times. Fun but I couldn't figure out what was addicting about it.) Who knows? Now the birds will be getting even more angry.
Each of us have different views of the world around us which is a good thing. Often I wonder if my view is too tilted because things don’t always look all that straight to me. The first odd thing I noticed about this Pokemon Go craze was all the fake news stories on FB. It’s getting so bad I’m going to start calling it FakeBook.
FakeBook members love to reshare shocking news without ever reading past the headline.
Now there have been a few real accidents related to Pokemon Go. But more importantly IMHO, is the increase in malware Pokemon related apps. Hackers, are like sharks smelling blood in the water.
Even an electronic store I’ve been know to visit for a gadget or two jump on the bandwagon with a promotion of portable battery smartphone chargers for your Pokemon Go adventures.
I found this next example funny. Funny because I thought back to my own dating days (going steady, wearing someone’s ring, cruising were common activities back then) and thinking if I had suggested a Poke Date to a girl I probably would have felt the slap before I heard the rejection.
So a Chicago startup dating service jumped on the bandwagon too. They are offering Poke Dates. Here’s a story on that one.
It's been awhile since I did a parody. Or as many might say ruined another good song. "I Will Follow Him" did get an update from the 60's versions when they used it in the movie "Sister Act". Here's a social media type update since the term "follow" has taken on a new meaning in our social media world.
I will follow him
Follow him where ever he may post
And near him I always will be
Because with apps he’s never away
He is my destiny
I will follow him
Ever since he reshared my tweet, I knew
There isn't a data plan too steep
A wi-fi signal so weak it can keep
Keep me away, away from his tweet
I text him, I text him, I text him
And where he goes I'll follow, I'll follow, I'll follow
I will follow him, follow him where ever he may post
There isn't a data plan too steep
A wi-fi signal so weak it can keep, keep me away
I will follow him
Follow him where ever he may post
There isn't a data plan too steep
A wi-fi signal so weak it can keep
Keep me away, away from his tweet
Did you follow along? I don't consider this one as good as my "The Likes of Facebook" parody (here's the link).
Still I did find a great performance of "I Will Follow Him" on youtube. It's worth the listen.
Now I could easily do a post on the pros/cons of cursing but I’ll refrain. (refraining from actual cursing is a bigger issue of mine)
Also, the title doesn’t refer to any Hispanic friends of mine. I do find it interesting that other cultures can easily use a name that is special in a different cultures. Hmm, how would Lord G. Lisleman sound to you?
What’s in a name anyway?
For branding people - quite a bit. Big money and research often can go into brand names.
Yesterday and today I’ve found myself on FB more than usual. One reason for my recent FB activity was attending a high school reunion (might be a future post on that). Believe it or not, I can go days without checking FB.
While on FB I discovered brand Jesus is coming out with a new line of condiments. I’m still looking for their press release (probably takes longer to carve in stone) but I’m sure the Jesus brand will offer 10 condiments.
I want to be a word pirate. I'll plunder your mind's thought treasure as you surf the web.
Where's the buried treasure in our blogland? The pop-up ads have made my treasure map unreadable. Screw the GPS let’s navigate by the stars.
Don't worry about me. I'm alright. If the past is any indication, my plan will go flittershitters quickly.
Change, switch, flip this topic. New terms everyday. Who reads the terms?
I read (they should just put out a video) that a vice president at Facebook predicted face-not-a-book will all be video in five years. If so, I’m dropping my membership. I still enjoy reading and besides I’ll still have youtube.
The phone line is becoming ancient terminology. An open phone line has been created. Call now. Have you ever heard of a closed phone line? We finally disconnected ours.
Ringing off the wall. Will future generations have a clue what that phrase means?
(could they possibly have a clue if they never played the game?) Blondie's "call me" song becomes "text me" or "video me".
On the subject of phrases or terms - I recently discovered the origin of peeping tom. It appears Toms has been an innocently accused for centuries. Guess who is associated with peeping tom?
Lady Godiva.
who said blondes have more fun?
By the 13th century her legend was known. She was protesting (great protest IMHO) oppressive taxation. Apparently she told everyone in the village to stay inside and away from their windows while she took her ride. Tom either didn’t get the memo or was just too curious. All the Toms since probably have dealt with unwarranted suspicions because of it.
Although my wife makes the best buttermilk pancakes I've ever tasted, this post is not about pancakes or recipes. Do you remember me mentioning in the past that I don't cook? Unless you call microwave warming frozen food cooking. I don't.
stack of pancakes - I've read that humans evolved into pattern recognizing beings. Animals in the clouds, mythical characters in the stars, man in the moon, Jesus on your pancake (lord I need a pancake quick). Our brainsare pattern recognizers, which can useful. However, when we speculate about the meaning or predictive qualities of these patterns our thoughts end up in strange places.
Flat Earth Society - You might not be aware but youtube is full of crazy "proofs" of a flat earth. I find it scary that these people will not accept any NASA evidence. According to them NASA is just a tool of the conspiracy to fool people with fake stuff. The main reason I include this one is because today I was reading thoughts about them being a joke or not on the forum Quora. Most conclude that they are not doing it as a joke. It's sad since our day to day surroundings (unless you are an astronaut in the international space station) fail to provide us any indication that we are standing on a sphere. This could be a great starting point for seeking out the science supporting our spherical shape and learning.
youtube and other social media - I hope someday a vast majority of us will learn that social media is too easily commandeered by people/organizations with an agenda. Right now it seems the most bizarre ideas spread the quickest.
Living through Watergate (another annoying thing - the use of "gate" on other scandals/conspiracies) - Corruption and scandals happens. The first big one to unfold in my life was Watergate. Events like that make you question your trust in organizations/government. But just because it happens doesn't mean it is happening everywhere all the time.
No desire to research - I initially thought that $5 bill trick was real and sorta funny. A quick internet search revealed this CraftFail website picture. Looking closer at the picture it does look fake. People (my brother for one!) so often don't bother to take a bit of time to check these strange ideas out. Ironic that they quickly mistrust experts and then even quicker trust an unknown conspiracy theorist.
Why?
I have some ideas having to do with our perceptions and difficulties understanding science. But there are many conspiracies which have nothing to do with science.
I found an interesting article about this at Salon.com. (link) In it, Professor of Cognitive Sciences, Stephan Lewandowsky, says that people hate randomness. A conspiracy theory gives them someone to blame.
Apparently, he doesn't see an end to it. He said, "...any extraordinary event will be followed by conspiracy
theorizing. I can tell you that right now. Whatever happens tomorrow,
there will be a conspiracy theory about it."
Would it help if conspiracy theories, propaganda and marketing schemes were discussed more in social media?
Should we stop folding our money in odd ways looking for future predictions?
