Ericast.com Podcast - DWEEB THOUGHTS

After last week's fairly dark episode, we need something to lighten up the podcast, so I'm talking about a question that bothered me for ages. Here's your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment I spent my "formative teen years" in a little town called Cornucopia, Wisconsin. That's a long story but among its mere 50 year-round residents was a kind but somewhat mysterious old man named Albon Overgard who moved there after we did. Cornucopia was founded in 1902, although after we left they celebrated its centennial in 2003 and I have a feeling that's because they forgot about it in 2002 and so they just changed the year. But, anyway, Dr. Overgard was born a year or two later in 1904, so when I refer to him as an "old man" that's just a fact - he was closing in on 90, lived to age 92, and with the advent of the Internet we can find that he was a doctor who specialized in the digestive system... Everyone has a story. So that's why I was wondering who Khalid was singing about in Benny Blanco's song Eastside. It didn't seem to make much sense, but maybe Mr. Old Erzman was a really memorable, lovable figure in the narrator's life, like Dr. Overgard was? The more I listened to it, the more endearing it became... but, it really didn't make sense. Then a few months ago I looked up the lyrics...

I had a great plan for a series in August... and then September... and then October. Want to know about a series you're not going to hear? Here's your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment This episode isn't lighthearted. Here's a key takeaway for you: If you're in a community, organization, business, family, or political fellowship that you value and appreciate... and someone has an objection to it... you should listen to that objection.  You don't need to agree with it.  But if you dismiss it out of hand, you do that at your own peril. If you know anything about me, and if you don't then you're about to learn, you'll realize that in college I came to identify as "Christian" and that my particular denomination or "flavor" was "Evangelical". In the past couple years, I've realized more and more that there are some things that are extremely broken in the "Evangelical church". I've got friends who say, "Yeah, obviously, that's why I'm not a Christian!"I've got friends who say, "Yeah, it's really sad, and I do what I can to make the church a better representation of what Jesus told us to do."And I've got friends who have now chosen to leave my life and make themselves former friends who say, "Nuh-huh! No, there aren't problems! That's just what Satan wants you to believe. We are SO persecuted!" That's what I was going to talk about.  But, I'm not going to -- at least not in the four-part series I had in mind -- because it's just too depressing a place to put myself into. But I am, on occasion, going to use this podcast to do a little bit of "awareness raising".  Because I've got friends somewhere between that second and third category who are truly, sincerely, oblivious to the harm that's happening inside their churches.  Because I'm not in their church, I can see it. They can't. Jesus is known for a phrase that has always sounded odd to me "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" Like, who doesn't have ears? Well, I guess we all have ears... but I've found that not everybody hears with them. I'll close with an example. And I have to give a trigger warning to my listeners with a heart for the LGBT community, that this clip is painful and hurtful to them. But that's not why I'm sharing it, because that's no surprise - if you know anything about "evangelical theology" you know that "tolerance" is a stretch, let alone love and affirmation. (And I know that there are some who, with a few extra words to make it flowery, would say that intolerance is actually loving, and we're not going to go there right now.) Instead, I want you to listen very, very carefully to this clip from a youth ministry program. Remember it's not a random, off-the-cuff conversation -- these are prepared remarks which were then edited and produced and distributed. This is intentional doctrine, recorded in 2021 and shared with teenagers as part of a program answering the question "Is it a sin to be gay?" Trust me, this is an accurate representation of what you'll hear talking to the average person in this church. Put yourself in the shoes of a typical teenager as they list off examples of the "sins" that people struggle with. And hence the title of the podcast episode that I'm not going to do: "Is Depression Sinful."  If you weren't listening carefully, replay the last few seconds.  We've established that in this worldview, it's a sin to be attracted to someone of the same sex. Now, it's not a sin to be "attracted" to someone of the opposite sex because that's God's design, but if it's "lustful" attraction, that's sinful. And deceit is a sin. But what's tucked in the middle of that list.  Depression. If forced to confront it, you can say, "No, Eric, they don't mean that depression is sinful, just that it's a challenge that teenagers face?"  And if you truly, sincerely insist on believing that, there's nothing I can do to change your mind. All I can tell you is... No.  That's not what they're teaching. They're teaching that "depression" is a sin -- maybe it's self-indulgence, maybe it's for attention, maybe it's because you've been deceived by the world, but the solution is to "get right with God." I have a problem with that.  In fact, teaching that depression is a sin might bump up against that other sin of "deceit" that they mentioned. I don't have any power to change the hearts and minds of people who believe things like this. But I do have a chance at pointing it out to people who deny it happens in their church.  Trust me, it happens. And when it does, and you hear someone like me point it out, and you see the response that people like me get in return... maybe say, "hey, should we listen to what he has to say?"

Have you ever used a phrase for years and then one day you looked at it and realized it could mean something totally different? Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment I've listened to an old episode or two with the "life updates" at the front and I've thought to myself, "self, just get to the point!" so I'll keep things short to explain how I don't even think I'm on a "quarterly" schedule anymore. Does the listener feedback line work still work? How do you say "root" and "bag"...?  Do I have Windows 11?  What great questions! per·for·mance/pərˈfôrməns/ 1. an act of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment."Don Giovanni had its first performance in 1787"Similar: show, production, showing, presentation, entertainment, staging, act, concert, recital, house, gig 2. the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function."the continual performance of a single task reduces a man to the level of a machine"Similar: carrying out, execution, discharge, conducting, conduct, effecting, accomplishment, achievement, completion, fulfillment, dispatch, implementation, effectuation Definitions from Oxford Languages

Let's try a notes-free, link-free version for our 16th birthday? Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment

I'm kicking off my 2021 podcasting with a brain-dump of random things, tied to the most random yet chronologically relevant title I could think of. Here's your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment What do we cover in this episode? Well... Recording in Studio D where it's 27 degrees (and 12 degrees outside)The year is about 13% overI got a new computer and while pandemics are bad it was convenient thanks to Best Buy curbside pickupThere's a pastoral transition at our old churchMy parents are mid-vaccineMy sciatic issues are greatly improved and I should do a podcast episode on what "okay" and "fine" mean in MinnesotaShout-outs to longtime listeners. Thank you for your years of support!I'm on Clubhouse now and we'll see where that goes.Zinnias, artificial wood, geraniums, and cilantro. It makes sense in the episodeTechmeme Ride Home and Kottke Ride Home, along with episode #167 of Reply All and "America's Hottest Talkline" I warned you that it was random! I'm eager to stay in touch and will take feedback in all forms but if we want to keep it formal and official-like, give 701-645-3742 (a.k.a. 701-645-ERIC) a call!

2020 has been a really rough year in lots of ways for lots of people. So, let's close it out with something completely different, because I was listening to a song and thought, "She's singing about what?!?" Want to know what it actually was? Here's your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment In the last few hours of 2020... We just need a break with something light.  Call 701-645-3742 if you've got your own contribution. I've got a Pandora station based on The Weeknd (Blinding Lights in particular) and the song "Ocean Drive" by Pia Mia comes up occasionally. It was released in 2017 but seems to be in circulation now.  It's got a great beat, happy and bouncy.  In keeping this a work-safe, child-safe podcast, let's use a euphemism and say she's talking about having a "picnic" on the beach.  That idea has never appealed to me because it seems that sand would get everywhere.  I like fluffy blankets. Sand isn't fluffy. Anyway, coming out of the chorus, she explains that they've got a couple of haters.  I get that -- as I said, this sounds awkward and uncomfortable.  And then she explains that she's got... well, take a listen. She's got a couple potatoes.  That's it.  It has to be. Once you Google the lyrics you discover that they apparently have "a couple spectators." But I say it's "potatoes."  And among everything else, that's what we can remember 2020 for.

An Ericast listener wrote, "Awesome episode this morning. Wow!" And I'm going to turn that comment into an entire new episoide. Wondering how? Here's your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment Highlights: Squeezing this episode out so it's dated in November. Still doing "weekly episodes about once a month". Still talking about the back flareup.  Losing track of what letter studio I'm in  - this might be "Studio E" for Eric's Space.  "Honest critical feedback." Old joke - "If Vivaldi were alive today he'd be turning over in his grave!" Throwaway line that was criticized later because of the "or something like that" tacked on.  (I have plenty of malapropisms but that wasn't one, and so what if it was?) Got a kind word to share? You know how. And share one with someone else today, too.

I didn't mean to predict things a year ago. I really didn't. Here's your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment What was I thinking about pandemics and travel? Got your own comments about what things might look like a year from now? Call 701-645-3742 (a.k.a. 701-645-ERIC) or reach out to me through any variety of social media channels.

I talked to a longtime Ericast listener a couple weeks ago and he said he was waiting for "the quarterly Ericast." Ha, ha, very funny! I know it's been awhile, but it hasn't been... oh. Want the quick update on my life?  Here's your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment Among other things, this is the premiere of Studio D! I might sound louder or more enthusiastic than normal because Studio D is a shed. Pandemic (it continues) Sciatic flare-up for no good reasonLife as facultyCandela animating the last podcast episode And I wasn't kidding about robins in the yard:   Questions? Observations about early snowfalls? Need shed advice? Call 701-645-3742 (a.k.a. 701-645-ERIC) or reach out to me through any variety of social media channels.

You know, the Ericast has a long history of disappearing for awhile, usually in the summertime, usually because I'm busy with fun stuff. But when historians look back at this gap in the schedule they're going to say, "Ohhhhhh..."  Want a quick check-in? Here's your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment Nobody here is covid-affected, and if you want to know about that part of the world, read any other messaging about it, even the stuff that contradicts the other stuff. I'm annoyed with myself that I didn't record a profound thought from a dream last night, not because it was probably that profound but because I'd like to look back at what I thought was profound. Or, maybe it was.  Who knows?  Oh, well. The Electrified Mind podcast disappeared.  A "Daily Empowerment Podcast" that was weekly, and now there's no sign of it.  It was a fun podcast and they always closed with the same song, which turns out was a royalty free one... and it seems appropriate to cap this return with what I used to do in the early years of the podcast.  I'll put it after the close in case you don't want a musical interlude... but I think it's worth a listen in this age. Help You Out (ft. Jonathon Robins) by Leonell Cassio https://soundcloud.com/leonellcassio Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/2JiBzMv Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/hDCwRot8NWs. Questions? Memories from your childhood that you want to share? Call 701-645-3742 (a.k.a. 701-645-ERIC) or reach out to me through any variety of social media channels.

I've not lost my voice and this is an actual episode, but it's a bit of a throwback while locked in our pandemic-sheltered world. Wondering about where this voice came from? Here's your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment This is normally where I'd put a summary... but you just have to listen to this one for yourself. It's only 10 minutes; you'll do fine. Questions? Memories from your childhood that you want to share? Call 701-645-3742 (a.k.a. 701-645-ERIC) or reach out to me through any variety of social media channels.

I thought about calling this episode "What a Month!" but I already did that two years ago so I'm picking a particular topic for this episode. Wondering what it is?  Here's your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment "I ask that everyone treat each other kindly, show gratitude for the work that’s being done, and forgive any mistakes." Questions? Reflections on leadership? Call 701-645-3742 (a.k.a. 701-645-ERIC) or reach out to me through any variety of social media channels.

I hope that title didn't scare you because, no, I'm not planning on ending the Ericast. But I have changed my personal podcast listening habits. Wonder what they are? Here's your show... Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment You know the drill - I'd love to hear from you!

I'm down to the wire on the end of the year and the end of a decade, depending on how you count. Want a quick update on how this fall went? Here's your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment There's really no topic for this episode -- it's truly a "Yeah, life has happened the past couple months.  Here I am."  Still there? Questions? Comments? Objections? Interjections? Give a call to 701-645-3742 (a.k.a. 701-645-ERIC) and contribute.

Where did October go? Well, I was busy jetting off to a location literally dozens and dozens of miles from home. Let's recap the EDUCAUSE Conference.  Here's your show. Website viewers: Click here to listen to this week's episode! Podcast listeners: Click here for a link to the show notes page! Everyone: Call 701-645-ERIC (701-645-3742) and comment I'm trying to get better at flying. This year's EDUCAUSE focus was Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.  Last time, seven years ago, it was on student retention analytics.  Seven years before that was lecture capture.  And eight years before that I had a focus on "computer competency" because that's where I started my career, so I don't really know what the other key themes were at the time. I try to make the most of whatever opportunity I'm given. I don't always succeed, but if I'm conscious about preserving "an attitude of positive regard" then I can watch out for living in negative space. Do I want to be a CIO?  (Hint: No.)  That's best explained by a clip of Tony Wrighton on the Zestology podcast and his interview with Chris Ryan, author of Civilized to Death. Questions? Comments? Observations? Give a call to 701-645-3742 (a.k.a. 701-645-ERIC) and share.