THE PARACAST NEWSLETTER
November 24, 2019
www.theparacast.com
At Long Last: A Shop Talk Episode with Gene, Randall and Mark on The Paracast
The Paracast is heard Sundays from 3:00 AM until 6:00 AM Central Time on the GCN Radio Network and affiliates around the USA, the Boost Radio Network, the IRN Internet Radio Network, and online across the globe via download and on-demand streaming.
SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY A PREMIUM PARACAST EXPERIENCE AT A SPECIAL LOW PRICE! We have another radio show and we’d love for you listen to it. So for a low subscription fee, you will receive access to an exclusive podcast, After The Paracast, plus an enhanced version of The Paracast with the network ads removed, when you sign up for The Paracast+. We also offer a special RSS feed for easy updates of the latest episodes, the Paracast+ Video Channel, episode transcripts, Special Features, Classic Episodes and there’s more to come! So act now! Check out Introducing The Paracast+ — Five Years and Growing! | The Paracast — The Gold Standard of Paranormal Radio for more details about The Paracast+.
This Week's Episode: Gene and Randall, joined by forum regular Mark Jackson for a special roundtable, where a host of subjects are on the agenda. In addition to the state of UFO research, the trio moves on to cutting-edge research. In response to news that Google may have made a breakthrough in developing a quantum computer, there is an extended conversation about quantum mechanics, consciousness, whether we are all living in a simulation, and even a brief debate about using the acronym UAP instead of UFO. Randall explains why he regards UFO as more informative in defining the main goal of research into the phenomenon.
J. Randall Murphy's Ufology Society International: Ufology Society International (USI) - Explore the UFO Phenomenon
William Puckett's Blog: UFO Reporting Center, Latest UFO Sightings & News.
After The Paracast -- Available exclusively for Paracast+ subscribers on November 24: Special Correspondent William Puckett joins Gene and Randall with his latest UFO sighting update. He discusses a report about a white ship with curved wings seen in Hamilton, AL on November 18, 2019, blue saucers seen in Louisville, KY in Mid-September, 2019, another ring doorbell video anomaly, this time from Woodbridge, VA on November 14, 2019 and a hovering triangular object reported in Huntington Beach, CA on November 17, 2019. Cutting-edge commentator Red Pill Junkie (Miguel Romero) joins our trio to discuss the ongoing value of collecting UFO reports and the search for a so-called "silver bullet" case and delivers his sharp criticisms of controversial UFO promoter Jaime Moussan, And what about the use of the acronym UAP in place of UFO?
Reminder: Please don't forget to visit our famous Paracast Community Forums for the latest news/views/debates on all things paranormal: The Paracast Community Forums. Check out our new YouTube channel at: The Official Paracast Channel
Don’t Let Perfection Be the Enemy of Good
By Gene Steinberg
Unless you’ve done it before, a lot of times, its not so easy to go on a radio show and speak extemporaneously for a couple of hours. That’s true even if there’s a host and cohost to ask questions and make a few comments.
Now consider the difficulties in keeping your facts straight without notes or cards with bullet points. It’s not just a matter of having a good memory, but being able to think on your feet in a situation where you may not have full control.
It makes sense that many people are nervous before any sort of public appearance, and that’s true for some whose fame and fortune makes them household names.
Now I remember the early days when I first gave a lecture before a small UFO group in New York City. I knew most everyone there. The sponsor was a good friend, Jim Moseley. But I still had those butterflies in my stomach and the feeling didn’t abate until I was well into my presentation.
And maybe not even then.
When I got into radio, I didn’t have time to consider nervousness. The record had ended, or the newscast had to begin, so I had to be ready. Besides, there was no audience present, other than perhaps a fellow broadcaster or other staff member. But it still took a while before I was able to hold a prolonged conversation without feeling tongue tied.
Combining my original broadcast career, and the one that began with the debut of my first online show, The Tech Night Owl LIVE in 2002, I have been at it now for over 25 years.
But I still make mistakes, and get some facts mangled. The advantage of recording a show in advance makes it possible to fix a few things, but I usually don’t, not for me, not for Randall or our guests. Other than long pauses, too many “ers” and “you knows,” or in response to a request to allow a guest to start over, what you hear is what we record.
There is no “cutting room floor” with outtakes. Deleted material is “cut” from the audio file, just as you’d cut content from a document. It’s gone!
Now when it comes to hosting a show where facts are important, and not “alternative facts,” I try to be as accurate as possible, and I’d say the same for Randall and most of the other participants in an episode.
Sure, we do catch deliberate efforts to exaggerate and just plain lie, but that doesn’t happen very often. But expressing a contrary opinion, or saying something with little evidence to back it up, doesn’t mean it’s false. We will still try to set things right, but changing one’s opinion or outright belief is usually an exercise in futility.
Well, maybe we can tell them something that makes them think about other possibilities. I know I’ve learned a lot hosting and producing The Paracast for close to 14 years.
And I suppose I’ve forgotten a few things along the way.
I bring this up because of a message posted in our forums about a guest who, while otherwise entertaining and reasonably informative, mangled a few facts along the way. No sense naming names, though you can check it out for yourself in The Paracast Community Forums.
I heard the mistakes, but I mostly resisted the temptation to making a few corrections. It didn’t seem that the guest was just trying to make things up, although there is certainly that tendency to exaggerate stories in the retelling.
But the listener who posted in the forum cited the mistakes as reason to decide not to listen any further. Out of sight, out of mind.
Now I understand his point actually. When I listen to a radio show or watch a cable newscast, I may feel ready to yell when someone makes a mistake, and forget about outright falsehoods.
On a rare occasion, I might send an email, or post a message to their social networks with a correction. Not that it makes a difference, since I rarely receive a reply. Perhaps my criticism is just one among many, they just don’t care about strict adherence to the facts, or consider my corrections too insignificant in the scheme of things.
I can be a little obsessive about such matters, and listeners do know that I will on occasion correct a guest in making an innocent -- or not so innocent -- mistake.
For the most part, though, it’s better to just forgive. It may also be that their memories are really more accurate than mine.
And don’t forget the notorious Mandela Effect, in which people seem to exist in alternate realities when it comes to memories about important events.
Is human memory that imperfect? If it is, how can we depend on anyone’s description about anything, particularly when getting just the facts is critically important? Consider witnessing an accident or a crime, or a paranormal event for that matter.
Even when the information is set down on paper or digitally, it may differ from someone else’s version. The phrase “go to the video tape” often reveals surprising results.
Now when it comes to The Paracast, we are definitely not going about reading scientific papers on the air, although some might be cited in the course of a discussion. When information is presented, Randall and I try -- however imperfectly -- to stick to the facts. That’s true about most of our guests.
If any of us make serious errors, we invite your comments via email, or even better, in the forum so others can share in the information. If someone appears to be deliberately lying, we invite your fact checking. We can’t hope to catch everything.
At the same time, we do allow a guest to speak their minds and keep the interruptions to a minimum. But what separates The Paracast from other paranormal radio shows is that we do not blindly accept what people say, or pander to our audience.
We realize that many of you know far more than we do, and we welcome your expressions of wisdom.
But if a guest, or your host and cohost, make a few innocent errors along the way, please try to be tolerant. The Paracast is, after all, just a radio show and we try our best to be accurate.
Copyright 1999-2019 The Paracast Company. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy: Your personal information is safe with us. We will positively never give out your name and/or e-mail address to anybody else, and that's a promise!
November 24, 2019
www.theparacast.com
At Long Last: A Shop Talk Episode with Gene, Randall and Mark on The Paracast
The Paracast is heard Sundays from 3:00 AM until 6:00 AM Central Time on the GCN Radio Network and affiliates around the USA, the Boost Radio Network, the IRN Internet Radio Network, and online across the globe via download and on-demand streaming.
SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY A PREMIUM PARACAST EXPERIENCE AT A SPECIAL LOW PRICE! We have another radio show and we’d love for you listen to it. So for a low subscription fee, you will receive access to an exclusive podcast, After The Paracast, plus an enhanced version of The Paracast with the network ads removed, when you sign up for The Paracast+. We also offer a special RSS feed for easy updates of the latest episodes, the Paracast+ Video Channel, episode transcripts, Special Features, Classic Episodes and there’s more to come! So act now! Check out Introducing The Paracast+ — Five Years and Growing! | The Paracast — The Gold Standard of Paranormal Radio for more details about The Paracast+.
This Week's Episode: Gene and Randall, joined by forum regular Mark Jackson for a special roundtable, where a host of subjects are on the agenda. In addition to the state of UFO research, the trio moves on to cutting-edge research. In response to news that Google may have made a breakthrough in developing a quantum computer, there is an extended conversation about quantum mechanics, consciousness, whether we are all living in a simulation, and even a brief debate about using the acronym UAP instead of UFO. Randall explains why he regards UFO as more informative in defining the main goal of research into the phenomenon.
J. Randall Murphy's Ufology Society International: Ufology Society International (USI) - Explore the UFO Phenomenon
William Puckett's Blog: UFO Reporting Center, Latest UFO Sightings & News.
After The Paracast -- Available exclusively for Paracast+ subscribers on November 24: Special Correspondent William Puckett joins Gene and Randall with his latest UFO sighting update. He discusses a report about a white ship with curved wings seen in Hamilton, AL on November 18, 2019, blue saucers seen in Louisville, KY in Mid-September, 2019, another ring doorbell video anomaly, this time from Woodbridge, VA on November 14, 2019 and a hovering triangular object reported in Huntington Beach, CA on November 17, 2019. Cutting-edge commentator Red Pill Junkie (Miguel Romero) joins our trio to discuss the ongoing value of collecting UFO reports and the search for a so-called "silver bullet" case and delivers his sharp criticisms of controversial UFO promoter Jaime Moussan, And what about the use of the acronym UAP in place of UFO?
Reminder: Please don't forget to visit our famous Paracast Community Forums for the latest news/views/debates on all things paranormal: The Paracast Community Forums. Check out our new YouTube channel at: The Official Paracast Channel
Don’t Let Perfection Be the Enemy of Good
By Gene Steinberg
Unless you’ve done it before, a lot of times, its not so easy to go on a radio show and speak extemporaneously for a couple of hours. That’s true even if there’s a host and cohost to ask questions and make a few comments.
Now consider the difficulties in keeping your facts straight without notes or cards with bullet points. It’s not just a matter of having a good memory, but being able to think on your feet in a situation where you may not have full control.
It makes sense that many people are nervous before any sort of public appearance, and that’s true for some whose fame and fortune makes them household names.
Now I remember the early days when I first gave a lecture before a small UFO group in New York City. I knew most everyone there. The sponsor was a good friend, Jim Moseley. But I still had those butterflies in my stomach and the feeling didn’t abate until I was well into my presentation.
And maybe not even then.
When I got into radio, I didn’t have time to consider nervousness. The record had ended, or the newscast had to begin, so I had to be ready. Besides, there was no audience present, other than perhaps a fellow broadcaster or other staff member. But it still took a while before I was able to hold a prolonged conversation without feeling tongue tied.
Combining my original broadcast career, and the one that began with the debut of my first online show, The Tech Night Owl LIVE in 2002, I have been at it now for over 25 years.
But I still make mistakes, and get some facts mangled. The advantage of recording a show in advance makes it possible to fix a few things, but I usually don’t, not for me, not for Randall or our guests. Other than long pauses, too many “ers” and “you knows,” or in response to a request to allow a guest to start over, what you hear is what we record.
There is no “cutting room floor” with outtakes. Deleted material is “cut” from the audio file, just as you’d cut content from a document. It’s gone!
Now when it comes to hosting a show where facts are important, and not “alternative facts,” I try to be as accurate as possible, and I’d say the same for Randall and most of the other participants in an episode.
Sure, we do catch deliberate efforts to exaggerate and just plain lie, but that doesn’t happen very often. But expressing a contrary opinion, or saying something with little evidence to back it up, doesn’t mean it’s false. We will still try to set things right, but changing one’s opinion or outright belief is usually an exercise in futility.
Well, maybe we can tell them something that makes them think about other possibilities. I know I’ve learned a lot hosting and producing The Paracast for close to 14 years.
And I suppose I’ve forgotten a few things along the way.
I bring this up because of a message posted in our forums about a guest who, while otherwise entertaining and reasonably informative, mangled a few facts along the way. No sense naming names, though you can check it out for yourself in The Paracast Community Forums.
I heard the mistakes, but I mostly resisted the temptation to making a few corrections. It didn’t seem that the guest was just trying to make things up, although there is certainly that tendency to exaggerate stories in the retelling.
But the listener who posted in the forum cited the mistakes as reason to decide not to listen any further. Out of sight, out of mind.
Now I understand his point actually. When I listen to a radio show or watch a cable newscast, I may feel ready to yell when someone makes a mistake, and forget about outright falsehoods.
On a rare occasion, I might send an email, or post a message to their social networks with a correction. Not that it makes a difference, since I rarely receive a reply. Perhaps my criticism is just one among many, they just don’t care about strict adherence to the facts, or consider my corrections too insignificant in the scheme of things.
I can be a little obsessive about such matters, and listeners do know that I will on occasion correct a guest in making an innocent -- or not so innocent -- mistake.
For the most part, though, it’s better to just forgive. It may also be that their memories are really more accurate than mine.
And don’t forget the notorious Mandela Effect, in which people seem to exist in alternate realities when it comes to memories about important events.
Is human memory that imperfect? If it is, how can we depend on anyone’s description about anything, particularly when getting just the facts is critically important? Consider witnessing an accident or a crime, or a paranormal event for that matter.
Even when the information is set down on paper or digitally, it may differ from someone else’s version. The phrase “go to the video tape” often reveals surprising results.
Now when it comes to The Paracast, we are definitely not going about reading scientific papers on the air, although some might be cited in the course of a discussion. When information is presented, Randall and I try -- however imperfectly -- to stick to the facts. That’s true about most of our guests.
If any of us make serious errors, we invite your comments via email, or even better, in the forum so others can share in the information. If someone appears to be deliberately lying, we invite your fact checking. We can’t hope to catch everything.
At the same time, we do allow a guest to speak their minds and keep the interruptions to a minimum. But what separates The Paracast from other paranormal radio shows is that we do not blindly accept what people say, or pander to our audience.
We realize that many of you know far more than we do, and we welcome your expressions of wisdom.
But if a guest, or your host and cohost, make a few innocent errors along the way, please try to be tolerant. The Paracast is, after all, just a radio show and we try our best to be accurate.
Copyright 1999-2019 The Paracast Company. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy: Your personal information is safe with us. We will positively never give out your name and/or e-mail address to anybody else, and that's a promise!