This is the website of Abulsme Noibatno Itramne (also known as Sam Minter). Posts here are rare these days. For current stuff, follow me on Mastodon

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Curmudgeon’s Corner: Where It’s Supposed To Be

On this week’s Curmudgeon’s Corner, first Ed joins Sam for a lightning round. They of course cover the latest Mueller developments, but also tax refunds, Venezuela, some books Ed read, and more. Then for the last part of the show, Sam is joined by his wife Brandy, who is attending the Power Rising conference and talks about her experiences there, including hearing from Stacey Abrams and Kamala Harris.

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Show Details:

Recorded 2019-02-22
Length this week – 1:48:15

  • (0:00:20-1:13:12) Lightning Round
    • Ed: Thwaites Glacier
    • Sam: Tax Refunds
    • Ed: Venezuela
    • Sam: Mueller Time
    • Ed: Books: Life on the Edge (2015) / Biocentrism (2009)
    • Sam: Foiled attack on politicians and journalists
  • (1:13:56-1:47:46) Power Rising
    • What is Power Rising about?
    • Movie: Amazing Grace (2018)
    • What is it like?
    • Stacey Abrams
    • Kamala Harris
    • Memorable highlights
    • New Orleans

The Curmudgeon’s Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch.

Our intro is “The Oh of Pleasure” (Amazon MP3 link)

Our outro is “Celestial Soda Pop” (Amazon MP3 link)

Both are from the album “Deep Breakfast” (iTunes link)

Please buy his music and support his GoFundMe.

Curmudgeon’s Corner: Toe to Too

This week on Curmudgeon’s Corner… lightning rounds! Sam and Ivan talk about a total of 17 different topics this time around. These include… the snow in Seattle, Roger Stone, the Green New Deal, Paul Manafort, a correction to something Sam said last week, food delivery, translating Trump into other languages, the National Emergency, an upcoming Seattle Curmudgeon’s Corner meetup, and of course eight other things too. Enjoy!

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Show Details:

Recorded 2019-02-16
Length this week – 2:40:00

  • (0:00:20-0:28:09) But First
    • Trump translations
    • Agenda
    • Curmudgeon’s Corner Seattle meetup
    • Correction about Tucson
    • Seattle snow
    • Food delivery
  • (0:29:53-1:10:31) Lightning Round I
    • Ivan: Glenn Greenwald
    • Sam: Book: The Zimmerman Telegram (1985)
    • Ivan: Movie: Geostorm (2017)
    • Sam: Green New Deal
  • (1:12:32-2:04:20) Lightning Round II
    • Ivan: Paper Bank Statements
    • Sam: Doing a “Clinton Email”
    • Ivan: Manafort
    • Sam: Stone
  • (2:05:29-2:39:42) Lightning Round III
    • Ivan: National Emergency
    • Sam: Bill Weld 2020
    • Ivan: McCabe and the 25th
    • Sam: Democratic debate rules

The Curmudgeon’s Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch.

Our intro is “The Oh of Pleasure” (Amazon MP3 link)

Our outro is “Celestial Soda Pop” (Amazon MP3 link)

Both are from the album “Deep Breakfast” (iTunes link)

Please buy his music and support his GoFundMe.

2018 Reading List

About a quarter of the way through 2018, I lamented that I wasn’t reading enough books, and made a resolution to do better. My goal was to finish 10 books in 2018, which would be considerably better than the 3 I managed in 2017. I am now reporting back. I did improve on both 2017 and 2016, which were pitiful years, but I did not finish 10 books. I finished 8. Here is the list:

2018 (0 Physical, 4 Kindle, 4 Audible)

  1. 2018-04-04, Fiction, Kindle, The Man from Berlin by McCallin
  2. 2018-04-18, Non-Fiction, Audible, Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 3: The Complete and Authoritative Edition by Twain
  3. 2018-05-22, Fiction, Audible, The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel by Fforde
  4. 2018-07-11, Non-Fiction, Audible, The End of the Suburbs: Where the American Dream is Moving by Gallagher
  5. 2018-09-01, Non-Fiction, Kindle, The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court by Woodward
  6. 2018-09-19, Fiction, Kindle, A Study in Scarlet by Doyle
  7. 2018-10-24, Fiction, Audible, Arrow of God by Achebe
  8. 2018-11-16, Non-Fiction, Kindle, Hands-On Data Science and Python Machine Learning by Kane

And that’s it.

The goal for 2019 is 12 or more, to try to hit a one per month average at least. We shall see.

I’ll leave you with the updated chart of my reading since 2006 with 2018 added in… the trend is in the right direction.

Curmudgeon’s Corner: Acceptable to the Leg

On this week’s Curmudgeon’s Corner, Sam and Ivan do an all lightning round show. Twelve separate exciting subjects. These include… the newest Brexit developments, the Trump vs Acosta ruckus, the resistance to Pelosi as speaker, Trump’s eventful visit to Europe, a book review by Sam, the Lion Air crash… and six more things. You didn’t think they would all be in the summary did you? But they are all exciting. Really.

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Show Details:

Recorded 2018-11-17
Length this week – 2:02:38

  • (0:00:20-0:40:40) Lightning #1
    • Ivan: Border Troops
    • Sam: Book: Hands-On Data Science and Python Machine Learning (2017)
    • Ivan: Trump in Europe
    • Sam: Heading to DC
  • (0:42:40-1:19:55) Lightning #2
    • Ivan: Assange
    • Sam: Puppy?
    • Ivan: Lion Air
    • Sam: Pelosi
  • (1:20:30-2:02:18) Lightning #3
    • Ivan: Brexit
    • Sam: Brazil
    • Ivan: Acosta
    • Sam: Avenatti

 

The Curmudgeon’s Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch.

Our intro is “The Oh of Pleasure” (Amazon MP3 link)

Our outro is “Celestial Soda Pop” (Amazon MP3 link)

Both are from the album “Deep Breakfast” (iTunes link)

Please buy his music and support his GoFundMe.

Curmudgeon’s Corner: An Appointment in the Future

On this week’s Curmudgeon’s Corner, Ivan and Sam’s two big topics are the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh including all the surrounding issues relating to the climate that leads to such things, and their final pre-election thoughts on the 2018 midterms. But as usual, there are smaller topics to round things out, including thoughts on a movie, a book, a new iPhone, the economy, and even Gary Hart. Also, after you listen… go vote!

Click below to listen and subscribe!

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1-Click Subscribe in iTunes
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Show Details:

Recorded 2018-11-03
Length this week – 2:06:38

  • (0:01:38-0:32:18) But First
    • Agenda
    • Local candidates, amendments and initiatives
    • Sam Movie: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (2017)
    • Sam Book: Arrow of God (1964)
    • Mistake from last year
    • Sam’s new iPhone XS Max
  • (0:34:18-1:04:24) Pittsburgh and Trump
    • Sam and Ivan Pittsburgh connections
    • Long term trends
    • Synagogue security
    • anti-Semitic motives
    • Presidential responsibility and response?
    • Trump and racists
  • (1:05:09-1:45:53) Election 2018
    • Current Numbers
    • Early voting
    • Polling errors
    • Reactions if the Democrats win
    • Reactions if the Republicans win
    • Go vote… Democrat please.
  • (1:47:09-2:06:17) Mini Lightning Round
    • Ivan: Economy update
    • Sam: Gary Hart’s Monkey Business
    • Go vote. Really.

 

The Curmudgeon’s Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch.

Our intro is “The Oh of Pleasure” (Amazon MP3 link)

Our outro is “Celestial Soda Pop” (Amazon MP3 link)

Both are from the album “Deep Breakfast” (iTunes link)

Please buy his music and support his GoFundMe.

Curmudgeon’s Corner: Surprise vs Shock

This week on Curmudgeon’s Corner, Sam and Ivan talk MAGAbomber, the caravan, and Election 2018. But not before some shorter notes on credit cards, books, and movies. Enjoy!

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Show Details:

Recorded 2018-10-27
Length this week – 2:00:06

  • (0:00:30-0:31:19) But First
    • Agenda
    • Cutting Cards
    • Sam Book: A Study in Scarlet (1887)
    • Sam Movie: North by Northwest (1959)
    • Ivan Movie: Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)
    • Correction
  • (0:31:55-0:54:15) MAGAbomber
    • Background
    • False flag?
    • Intent to murder? Or just scare?
    • Equivalencies and responses
    • Motivations and responsibility
    • Stupid bomber
  • (0:54:54-1:27:16) Caravan
    • Paid for by Dems?
    • Fear and Lies vs reality
    • Racism against immigrants
    • Melting pot
    • Port-truth persuasion
    • Root causes
  • (1:28:32-1:59:45) Election 2018
    • Odds summary
    • Prognostications
    • Turnout and enthusiasm
    • Lies as campaign strategy
    • Dem strategy
    • Normalization

 

The Curmudgeon’s Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch.

Our intro is “The Oh of Pleasure” (Amazon MP3 link)

Our outro is “Celestial Soda Pop” (Amazon MP3 link)

Both are from the album “Deep Breakfast” (iTunes link)

Please buy his music and support his GoFundMe.

Curmudgeon’s Corner: Intentional Set

On this week’s Curmudgeon’s Corner, Ed joins Sam to talk about the many forms of disinformation, a congressional debate Ed attended, and they revisit the healthcare debate. Before that though, a welcome to a new patron, a movie review, a couple book reviews, and more!

Click below to listen and subscribe!

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1-Click Subscribe in iTunes
View Podcast in iTunes
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Show Details:

Recorded 2018-10-20
Length this week – 2:07:05

  • (0:00:20-0:42:39) But First
    • Agenda
    • New patron
    • New review
    • Sam Movie: A Shot in the Dark (1964)
    • Sam Book: The Brethren (1979)
    • Ed Book: One Person, No Vote (2018)
  • (0:43:55-1:13:41) Disinformation
    • The new election meddling arrest
    • Trump strategy of provocation
    • Everybody doing it
    • Saudi Arabia and Turkey
    • Different types of attacks
    • Example WaPo error
    • Careful vs sloppy vs intention deceit
  • (1:18:45-1:45:44) A Congressional Debate
    • Pennsylvania District 1 profile
    • The candidates in PA-1
    • In person experience
    • Local vs national issues
    • Trump influence on debate?
    • Wallace energy plan
    • Nothing on voting rights
  • (1:46:24-2:06:44) Healthcare
    • Costs for Medicare for All
    • Gradualism
    • Impact on individuals
    • Types of costs and savings
    • Other countries
    • Mitch McConnell

 

The Curmudgeon’s Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch.

Our intro is “The Oh of Pleasure” (Amazon MP3 link)

Our outro is “Celestial Soda Pop” (Amazon MP3 link)

Both are from the album “Deep Breakfast” (iTunes link)

Please buy his music and support his GoFundMe.

Curmudgeon’s Corner: The Big Difference

This week on Curmudgeon’s Corner, Sam and Ivan’s main topic is of course the Kavanaugh hearings. They cover the new allegations and other developments that came up before the hearings, Dr. Ford’s testimony, Judge Kavanaugh’s testimony, and Senator Flake blowing everything up to end the week. Before all that though, they talk about Sam’s phone usage, Sam reviews a couple movies, and Ivan read a book!

Click below to listen and subscribe!

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1-Click Subscribe in iTunes
View Podcast in iTunes
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Show Details:

Recorded 2018-09-29
Length this week – 2:09:27

  • (0:02:41-0:37:47) But First
    • Yawning again
    • Agenda
    • Sam’s Screen Time
    • Spanish Ninjago
    • Ivan Book: Twelve Years of Turbulence (2018)
    • Sam Movie: The Sandlot (1993)
    • Sam Movie: The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
  • (0:38:23-1:00:53) Before the Hearings
    • New allegations
    • Judge and other witnesses
    • The “mistaken identity” accusation
    • The calendar
    • Hearing negotiations
    • The Fox interview
  • (1:01:37-1:16:03) Dr. Ford’s Testimony
    • The opening statement
    • Mitchell’s questioning
    • Reactions at midday
    • Was Mitchell a mistake?
  • (1:17:18-1:39:44) Judge Kavanaugh’s Testimony
    • The opening statement
    • Mitchell’s questioning
    • Ranting Republicans
    • Democratic focus on FBI Investigation
    • Unnecessary lies
    • At the end of the day
  • (1:40:24-2:09:06) Flakey Friday
    • The elevator
    • The Senator Coons connection
    • The Flake delay
    • FBI Investigation
    • What else happens in a week?
    • Flake saving the Republicans from themselves?
    • More to the deal?
    • Do they have the votes?
    • Who do we believe?
    • What does Avenatti have?

 

The Curmudgeon’s Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch.

Our intro is “The Oh of Pleasure” (Amazon MP3 link)

Our outro is “Celestial Soda Pop” (Amazon MP3 link)

Both are from the album “Deep Breakfast” (iTunes link)

Please buy his music and support his GoFundMe.

Curmudgeon’s Corner: Through the Yawn

On this week’s Curmudgeon’s Corner, Sam and Ivan’s main topic is of course Judge Kavanaugh vs Dr. Ford and everything surrounding that controversy. In addition to that though, they cover new Apple stuff, a flashback to TV preacher scandals of the 80’s, thoughts on the 1961 movie West Side Story, the 2013 book The End of the Suburbs, and more…

Click below to listen and subscribe!

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1-Click Subscribe in iTunes
View Podcast in iTunes
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Show Details:

Recorded 2018-09-21
Length this week – 1:42:23

  • (0:02:17-0:32:14) But First
    • No yawns
    • Jones, Swaggart, and Roberts
    • Agenda
    • Movie: West Side Story (1961)
    • Book: The End of the Suburbs (2013)
  • (0:35:13-1:19:23) Kavanaugh and Ford
    • Allegations
    • The “if he did, so what?” defense
    • The “why did she wait so long?” defense
    • Other examples
    • Time pressure
    • The politics
    • Predictions
  • (1:20:43-1:42:03) Mini Lightning
    • Ivan: Trump declassifications
    • Sam: New Apple Stuff

 

The Curmudgeon’s Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch.

Our intro is “The Oh of Pleasure” (Amazon MP3 link)

Our outro is “Celestial Soda Pop” (Amazon MP3 link)

Both are from the album “Deep Breakfast” (iTunes link)

Please buy his music and support his GoFundMe.

Curmudgeon’s Corner: Magnet for Dumb Pipe Thieves

On this week’s Curmudgeon’s Corner, Sam and Ivan’s main topics are Election 2018, Alex Jones getting kicked off various platforms, and all the corruption in and surrounding the Trump administration. Before all that, a few bits on kid accounts for online services, a book and a movie Sam watched, and some adventures with cars.

Click below to listen and subscribe!

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1-Click Subscribe in iTunes
View Podcast in iTunes
View Raw Podcast Feed
Download MP3 File
Follow the podcast on Facebook
patreon-30x30 Support us on Patreon

 

Show Details:

Recorded 2018-08-09
Length this week – 2:00:40

  • (0:00:15-0:31:02) But First
    • Agenda
    • The real Importance of the Corn Palace
    • Kid accounts for online services
    • Book: The Eyre Affair (2001)
    • Movie: Space Jam (1996)
    • Ivan’s car alarm rescue
    • Leaving keys in the car
  • (0:32:17-1:05:47) Election 2018
    • OH-12 Special Election
    • People mad at Greens
    • Primary results
    • Democratic wave?
    • State races
    • Trump effect
    • Sam votes
  • (1:06:56-1:30:02) Jones Removals
    • Platform or media?
    • Does presence of alternatives matter?
    • Private company rights
    • Human judgement and standards
    • Slippery slopes
    • Governmental vs corporate censorship
  • (1:30:46-2:00:20) Corruption
    • Wilber Ross grifting
    • VA run out of Mar-a-Lago
    • Trump Cabinet
    • Trump and family
    • Grassroots grifting
    • Manafort

 

The Curmudgeon’s Corner theme music is generously provided by Ray Lynch.

Our intro is “The Oh of Pleasure” (Amazon MP3 link)

Our outro is “Celestial Soda Pop” (Amazon MP3 link)

Both are from the album “Deep Breakfast” (iTunes link)

Please buy his music and support his GoFundMe.