Season 1, Episode 05: The Long Con
In this episode, we discuss topics ranging from conventions and politics to COVID-19 and memes.
This episode is not sponsored. We are not medical providers, and nothing we say should be construed as medical advice.
Hosted By:
FaeBun (she/her)
Justin (xe/xem) - https://www.justingrays.org/
Michelle Chmura (she/her) - https://twitter.com/avocadabro & https://residentialrobot.tumblr.com/
Content Warning - Mentions of:
Aging
COVID-19
Death
Fibromyalgia
Military
Physical Therapy
Richard Dawkins
Weight & Weight Loss
#notsponsored
#notmedicaladvice
#notaphysician
GraysMatter Podcast is now available on the following platforms:
0°F - 32°F = -17.78°C - 0°C
The convention Michelle is referring to is MarsCon 2018, and the presentation she did was the Planetarium Star Show.
Read more about Justin & conventions: https://www.justingrays.org/my-blog/tag/Convention
The name of the convention in Atlanta that was eluding Justin is Dragon Con.
Since the recording of this episode (06Feb2021), Minicon 55 has been postponed to Easter weekend 2022, whereas CONvergence 2021 (and CONvergence Online) continued as scheduled.
Justin is quoting Grandpa Simpson: “I used to be with ‘it’, but then they changed what ‘it’ was. Now what I’m with isn’t ‘it’, and what’s ‘it’ seems weird and scary to me. It’ll happen to you!” - The Simpsons “Homerpalooza” (Episode 152)
A Now That's What I Call Dad Rock compilation exists
Tim Pawlenty - 39th Governor of Minnesota (2003 - 2011), most recent Republican to hold statewide office in Minnesota (2006 reelection), and failed presidential candidate. He led Minnesota into a $5 billion deficit while taking money away from education and health care and raised property taxes more than the previous 16 years combined.
Jesse 'The Governing Body' Ventura - 38th Governor of Minnesota (1999 - 2003), only Reform Party candidate to ever win a major government office, intentionally did not seek reelection. During the 2020 election season, the Green Party of Alaska draft-nominated him for president without his involvement, resulting in the Green Party of the United States to decertify the Green Party of Alaska.
Justin misremembered the results of the Ramp Meter Study.
The Red Light Camera situation that FaeBun referred to happened after Ventura left office: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7859094
The state capital of Juneau can only be reached by air or water, having no outside road access.
Transportation in Alaska - Golden North Van Lines
Transportation in Alaska - Wikipedia
Does Juneau in Southeast Alaska really need this highway? - High Country News
Japan Company To Give Maglev Tech To U.S. For Free - Popular Science, 2014
The trolley system that Justin is referring to was the Twin City Rapid Transit Company, and the move General Motors allegedly did is referred to as the General Motors streetcar conspiracy.
Dinosaurs final scene: https://youtu.be/k9b9aoINXzk
The Northwest Angle is the northernmost tip of Minnesota, the most northern part of the contiguous 48 states. A 30-mile ice road reconnected the Angle to the rest of the state once a path was carved out. The ice road closed after almost two months.
Vaccine Development, Covid-19, and MRNA - Healthcare Triage. Further suggested watching:
According to the WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard, at the time the show notes were written, there have been 4,323,139 deaths from COVID-19. 613,647 of those deaths have been from the United States (14%). The United States makes up 4% of the world’s population.
Justin was correct in remembering that the Musk family owned half of an emerald mine for a period (they no longer own it). Elon Musk is not an entrepreneur.
Disappointing stories reveal what it's really like to win the lottery - Business Insider
A meme is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme (Wikipedia) - memetics explores the concepts and transmission of memes in terms of an evolutionary model.
There are many reasons to not care for Richard Dawkins.
Sex and Gender Part I: The Structure of Sex
Justin is referring to the Durand Line, the Sykes–Picot Agreement, and the Partition of India.
Justin was referring to the Gender & AI panel at CONvergence 2019, where xe had brought up Canada when xe meant Australia.
Justin and FaeBun may be referring to the Ainu people, and Justin might be remembering this BBC article.
Cover Art by Michelle Chmura | Theme Music by Caleb Kelson | Edited by Rachel Hanson
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