He's in the Honor Group of the Day
[Posted Wednesday, June 24, 2026 6/24/26 9:04 am]
Easily the most famous disc jockey in the history of American radio, we remember Dan Ingram today who passed away on this day, Jun 24, 2018.
Dan spun discs at a few stations in the late fifties, most prominently KBOX in Dallas, before landing the gig that made him famous, WABC in New York, on July 3, 1961. He held court at WABC for more than twenty years, his last show was May 10, 1982, when WABC switched to an all talk format.
His quirky sense of humor, unbelievably quick wit and a voice that always sounded like he was your best friend, made him unlike any Top-40 disc jockey before or since.
He was great at making fun of the records he played, he once introduced the Chords' "Sh-Boom" by saying, "And now, the song of the exploding librarian." He called Elton John's song "Someone Shaved My Wife Tonight," and he called Paul Simon's hit "50 Ways To Relieve Your Liver."
Dan had several running features he did every day in his show, including Word of the Day, which included words like Gestetner and Amanuenses, and Honor Group of the Day, which sometimes included people that had hacked him off, like people who made him late for work, but more often than not, people he admired, like New York City's firemen.
Thanks, Dan. You were New York radio for me when I was a kid growing up on Long Island. We'll never forget you.
You are in the Honor Group of the Day.
The future is now
[Posted Monday, June 22, 2026 6/22/26 7:45 am]
This is a real picture and headline from Google News:
Don't these people read books? This is very scary to me, because this kind of thing is exactly the dark future foretold by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov in his robot stories, especially his novel The Caves of Steel.
 | | First edition of The Caves of Steel |
Originally published in 1954, and still in print, The Caves of Steel takes place on a future Earth where humans have gone off to colonize other planets. While still shunned and feared on Earth, humanoid robots are common on the "Spacer" worlds.
An important aspect of the story is what is now called Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics, which were hard-coded into the programming of all humanoid robots. They are:
- A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
- A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
- A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law
In the course of the story (this isn't a spoiler, you've had since 1954 to read the book!) an Earth detective, "Lije" Baley, figures out that his own boss, Chief of Police Enderby, had done something unthinkable and gotten around the Three Laws in a very ingenious way to use a Spacer robot to kill a Spacer.
The Three Laws and the breaking thereof is a recurring theme of Asimov's work and much of the science fiction which followed him, including, especially, Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey and Colossus: The Forbin Project, stories of intelligent computers taking over the world or otherwise causing dangerous havoc, because of their mis-use or mis-treatment by humans.
In real life, computers and AI are getting smarter all the time. And now, we have the use of robots in China to kill people. And the three laws protecting us humans are nowhere to be seen.
Father's Day
[Posted Sunday, June 21, 2026 6/21/26 7:30 am]
Today, Father, is Father's Day.
And we're giving you a tie.
It's not much, we know,
it is just our way of showing you
we think you're a regular guy.
You say that it was nice of us to bother.
But it really was a pleasure to fuss.
For according to our mother
you're our father,
and that's good enough for us.
- Groucho Marx
I won an award... It's on the wall in my office
[Posted Thursday, June 18, 2026 6/18/26 10:20 am]
Today we remember the wonderful British character actor Victor Spinetti who passed away on June 18, 2012, at the age of 82. This is my personal remembrance of him.
Over the years, because of a mutual friend, Beatles scholar Martin Lewis, I had the opportunity to spend many hours one on one with Victor.
 | A photo of Victor taken by me
at a Beatlefest in 2007 |
One time, I was helping coordinate logistics at a screening of A Hard Day's Night that Victor had flown in to Hollywood to attend in July, 2007. During the screening we spent most of the time in a small restaurant across the street, but for a while we went back to the theater, and I got to sit next to him as we sat in the back row to watch part of the film. This is my favorite memory of him, sitting in that theater, watching Victor watch the film, smiling and enjoying it with the rest of the audience.
There's no wonder why the Beatles liked him and put him in every one of their movies. He was the warmest, kindest, most wonderful soul I ever met on this planet. The time I got to spend with him was a wonderful gift which I will never forget. I still miss Victor Spinetti greatly.
They say it's your birthday
[Posted Thursday, June 18, 2026 6/18/26 6:30 am]
Legendary musician and former Beatle Paul McCartney was born in Liverpool, 84 years ago today, on June 18, 1942.
Fans and radio stations worldwide are commemorating his birthday today under the theme "When I'm 84", a playful nod to his classic 1967 Beatles track "When I'm Sixty-Four", which was released on the Sgt. Pepper's album.
Although the lyrics of "When I'm Sixty-Four" are about growing old together, it was one of the first songs Paul McCartney wrote, when he was about 14, probably in April or May 1956.
McCartney recently celebrated his 24th number-one album with the release of The Boys of Dungeon Lane, and he says his enduring vitality is due to a dedicated routine of a vegetarian diet and regular sessions at the gym.
From one Gemini to another, happy birthday Sir Paul!
I'm rich! (Not)
[Posted Tuesday, June 16, 2026 6/16/26 7:55 am]
I just found this coin in my change.
50 kopeks! I thought I was rich! Then I looked up the exchange rates. 50 kopeks is half a Russian ruble. That's worth less than a cent today.
I'll be sure not to spend it all in one place...
It's not my fault
[Posted Sunday, June 14, 2026 6/14/26 11:00 am]
According to researchers at the University of Hawaii, the San Andreas fault, which runs through California and close to Los Angeles, is currently at its highest stress levels in 1000 years.
The research says that stress which would normally be released by large earthquakes has continued to accumulate for a long time and may now have reached new high levels.
I've already lived through one really big earthquake, the 6.7 Northridge quake in 1994. Where I was in Studio City, that quake was so violent that it shook my arm out of its socket, and I had to go to the hospital that morning (the place was a zoo with dozens of people hurt).
The building where I currently live in North Hollywood has been through them all and has remained unscathed, and a few years ago was structurally reinforced, so I'm not too worried about the "big one".
But, keep an eye on my earthquake tracker widget just in case, and if you don't hear from me for a while...
Pet Peeve: FM in mono
[Posted Saturday, June 13, 2026 6/13/26 8:48 am]
Since December 2021, when 97.1 FM in Los Angeles dropped its top 40 music format and started simulcasting news with KNX AM, they switched off their stereo and have been broadcasting in Mono. Makes sense, news is all talk, why would they need stereo? But I was hoping that with the switchover to 97.1 The Fan last month, they'd perhaps turn the stereo back on.
But they haven't.
Now, I know the practical reason for this, an FM mono signal travels about twice the distance of a stereo signal, and can be picked up further away with better clarity. So, broadcasting in FM mono increases their potential audience.
But to me, looking at an FM radio that doesn't have its Stereo indicator lit, looks like someone missing a front tooth.
To hear 97.1 The Fan in stereo, you can stream it on the internet, but that's not always convenient to do.
So, I wish they'd turn the stereo back on at 97.1. Although I understand why they don't.
|
Adam Forrest: 
