Podcast 338

Change. Interrupting The Rockford Files to do podcast 338. The sameness of news coverage lately provokes discussion on change. How it occurs, when it occurs and how do we notice when things are changing? Think back to different times, and how you noticed things were changing. What caught your attention? A TV Show, Fashion, a song, or something in the news? What resonates with you to indicate things are changing. Usually major change requires some kind of catalyst. The stock market crash of 1929 ushered in the Great Depression, the assassination of President Kennedy was the beginning of the tumultuous 1960’s and early 70’s, and of course in our time frame, September 11th brought huge changes in our society and the world. Is there a point where you look up and say, “Things are different now”? Are we on the cusp of major changes in the world and in the United States? What are the cues, the waypoints, the clues of a major change in era? When we watch our favorite old TV shows we can see how things have changed. Its nostalgic but also instructive to watch shows with good writing. like ‘The Rockford Files’, or ‘Friends’, or ‘Miami Vice’; shows that aired for many seasons, starting in one era, and ending in another. Certainly this podcast does not suggest that we can tell what’s going on by watching old TV shows on Netflix. What it suggests is things are changing again, and this time maybe significantly. What things that are present now will be the building blocks of the future, and what things will be swept away. As Moore’s law continues its exponential impact on technology and society, suddenly there is more coverage of robotics and artificial intelligence, suddenly IT systems that were up to date seem old and ‘kludgy’, and we’re seeing signs of the future everywhere; Uber outnumbers yellow cab in New York, autonomous check out machines, new business models, an iPhone that was brand new a second ago seems suddenly obsolete. Media is changing too; MSNBC is dying, broadcast television viewing is plummeting, Netflix is getting competitors including the networks, HBO and Apple, and the new cars don’t even come with AM radio anymore. As things change one thing is for sure. People attuned to politics should hold on loosely, because it may be true that in the near future  many things we consider constants will change. Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul. 

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The Bob Davis Podcast

Podcast 228

Predicting the Future. Are TV shows and movies predicting the future? How do humans predict the future? On Wall Street they use computers and physics to create algorithms to tell traders what is happening across a wide spectrum of the market, and help make trading decisions. Other traders and analysis use models and theories like the Elliot Wave Theory, The Dow Theory and other technical analysis disciplines. Some people prefer Astrology, Tarot and other forms of Divination. Some suggest humans don’t predict the future well at all. Aside from the idea we are writing history as it happens, not living it as it is fated, it’s fun to ask whether movies and TV shows have some ability to predict the future, whether the writers and producers of those movies know it or not. Why do we resonate – internationally – on certain movies. ‘Titanic’ was a hugely popular movie, right before 9/11. A whole slew of movies at the end of the 90’s – from American Beauty and Magnolia to Fight Club and The Matrix – seem to predict a much more chaotic and unpredictable world than what we were experiencing during the Clinton Era. Would anyone argue we seem to be living in a world that is increasingly chaotic and unpredictable? Did the movies ‘predict’ it, or ‘depict’ it subconsciously? Or are these movies a subtle form of propaganda, pushing us subconsciously toward this kind of world? Finally, there’s TV. The shows we love. The shows we binge watch. House of Cards, Homeland, Breaking Bad, MadMen, and The Walking Dead. Shows that seem to be depicting a world where people in authority have short term, selfish and cynical views on how to manage, are just managing a government seconds from catastrophe, are losing their grip on reality, or are literally running from crowds of zombies. With the Ebola and Enterovirus outbreaks, border security in question, presidential security in question, thousands of thugs loose in the desert beheading people and keeping western governments at bay, economies slowing down, and confusion about what comes next, it makes you wonder. Will a new era break through, creating chaos and washing away the old, or will be it brought through by people who are free to innovate and solve problems? It’s up to us. Sponsored by Baklund R & D. 

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Podcast 224 – Twila Brase – Ebola

Ebola. Now playing in the United States. Even though the President assured the nation two weeks ago that the government had procedures in place to make sure people infected with the ebola virus would be detected if they tried to fly here, we now have at least one confirmed case of the Ebola Virus in the US. As this story has the potential to take over US media, what is our government up to? Twila Brase, President and co-founder of the Citizens Council for Health Freedom , has some chilling information about what many State Governments are empowered to do in case of a pandemic. Why hasn’t the government flat-out barred people from countries with Ebola outbreaks from entering the United States? When the President doesn’t seem able to make sure his own security is functional, how can we expect him to be responsible for the security of the citizens of the United States, even though that’s one of his primary responsibilities. Why haven’t governors barred flights potentially carrying anyone from a ‘hot zone’ into the airports in their cities? The United States is thought of as a sophisticated, even complex society; Modern. Doesn’t a virus like Ebola understand we’re a sophisticated and complex society? Can the kind of panic we see in Sierra Leone, and Liberia happen in the United States? As one of the country’s authorities on the Affordable Care Act, Twila also talks about a new storyline these days that claims Obamacare is working. With the ACA part of debates in the Senate race in Minnesota and across the country, as well as gubernatorial races, what’s the latest status? Finally, it’s fair to say that authorities in Texas, Atlanta and Washington may have the expertise and tools to contain this Ebola infection, and there’s no need for unnecessary alarm. However, studies show we can manage one, or even two crises, but a third causes a cascade of problems that can lead to catastrophe. Considering Benghazi, the Border, ISIS, the Secret Service and now Ebola in Dallas, being slightly concerned about this administration’s demonstrated incompetence might be warranted. Sponsored by Depotstar. 

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