Podcast 220

Bonfire at the Broadcast Bunker. On what may be one of the last great nights of the early fall/late summer season in the upper midwest, a back yard bonfire produces some reflection on this year’s election (not exactly inspiring), constant media predictions about its outcome (which are probably wrong) and the increasing desire to just vote and get it over with. A little bit of insight on where content for podcasts comes from. It would be easy to just pull some news stories and talk about them. The good stuff comes from what you pull from deep down. What does one do when there is no inspiration? Go to Yoga, have dinner with friends, light a late night bonfire by the bunker and turn on the microphones! A rant about restaurants that have TV monitors everywhere, the constant ‘push’ of the media filling ‘the news beast’ with updates, which really don’t mean anything, and why this podcaster will continue to scan, print and read to stay on top of developments. And, what about the 2014 election cycle. We have heard many predictions about its ‘probable’ outcome, from a ‘Republican Wave’, to the Democrats holding the Senate and gaining seats in the House. Are any of these predictions close to being correct? What will the ‘big story’ be on election night? What constitutes a ‘republican wave’, a loss or a win for democrats? How will a republican controlled Senate play in Season 6 and 7 of ‘Obama!, the series? How reliable are polls? Are they in any way useful in giving us any idea of what everyday Americans are thinking and feeling? Or, have people checked out of this one already? (Two misstatements in this podcast. First; Republicans don’t have to win 6 races, they have to pick up 6 seats to gain control of the Senate. Second, Republicans aren’t retaining control of the Senate. The Democratic Party currently holds a majority in the US Senate.) Sponsored by X Government Cars. 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:10 — ) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Podcast 219

Skype Call In. Still getting great response to the ‘Road Trip’ or ‘On The Road’ podcasts chronicling the Bob Davis Podcast’s journey from Chicago to Phoenix, through Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota. With all the major news going down these days; The resignation of Attorney General Eric Holder, the airstrikes in Syria and Iraq and an election, one would think people would want to talk about the issues. Nope. There’s still a definite ‘escapist’ bent in people’s minds. Maybe because of the dying summer. Maybe because we know winter is coming again in the Upper Midwest. Some great conversation about travel experiences, when we were young, and old. Memories of heading to Florida from Chicago in the ‘way-back’ of the old Chevy Wagon, by way of Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia and Florida. What does travel when you’re very young, especially travel by car across the country, teach a person about life, and travel in the future? You learn to chill out and take it as it comes, because trying to batter your way through, really doesn’t work on the road. Bonus discussion about social media and the tools the Bob Davis Podcasts can use to get calls into the podcasts. Do you use Skype? FaceTime? Yahoo Chat? Some other tool? Let us know. Too bad we can’t stream on FaceBook or Twitter. Still — the main reason to do these ‘call in’ podcasts is to be prepared, and let listeners know the Bob Davis Podcasts is prepared to give you a chance to share your opinions and views, when a major story breaks, as one inevitably will, that people are burning to talk about. (New software makes the calls sound even better, which is one reason we love us some Skype). Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul. 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:59 — 67.7MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Podcast 218

It’s complicated. Why are ‘simple’ solutions advocated for complicated problems, and what happens when those ‘simple’ solutions don’t work? With airstrikes beginning against ISIS, apparently many in the US expect ISIS to be ‘destroyed’. Really? Fact is, things are hardly as simple as the commentariat would have us believe. Every crisis contains layers of political, diplomatic, military, corporate, social and other special interests that have to be considered. Then there is the corporate and independent media, and social media. ‘On The Ground’, inside any breaking story, are other, similar layers to be considered by policy makers. Demanding the simple solution plays well on the shout-fests that pass for ‘news’ these days, but seldom play in the real world; One of the reasons we are underwhelmed when things go wrong. People seem to think there was a time when things were easily resolved. Was there? The American Civil War? Prohibition? World War II? The Cold War? When was it ever easy or simple? We’re still getting used to the new complexities of a multi polar – chaotic – world, made more confusing by many new technical innovations with increasingly positive and negative effects. While there are simple solutions to problems every now and then, one has to understand the details to sell those ‘simple’ solutions and selling it can be complicated. History always seems easier when it is written than when it actually plays out. Today, people demand solutions, but they don’t want to know the details. Is this a willful ignorance? A willful refusal to participate or learn? Is it ‘the media’s fault’? Or, is it our fault? Either we pitch in and become informed, or we accept what our elected leaders do. We expect flawless performance from our technology and our leaders and are shocked when it fails. We might be living through a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change our government to be more responsive to individuals, but we’re not going to do it through ignorance and apathy. Sponsored by Autonomous Cad. 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:49 — ) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS