More Mediocre Than The Others

It would appear society has now come to the conclusion that it is okay to be just okay. In this episode, Ric takes a look at the simple things in life we deal with. Durable and non durable goods are not excellent anymore. Neither are services.

Why is that? It could be we have allowed this happen thanks to all the competition out there. Take for example the new chicken sandwich wars. In this situation you have two mediocre companies battling it out to find out which one has the product that is more okay than the other. The bottom line being that no matter which one people tend to gravitate towards is still just okay.

Also, Ric's unpopular thought and a little tip for those who like audio books and don't want to pay anything for them.



NEXT WEEK: The Constant State of Fear

Payin' To Playin'

There is an old quote attributed to John Lee Hooker who said, "If you ain't playin', you payin'." There is a lot of truth to that statement, although he probably wasn't thinking about what is happening now in the entertainment world. In this episode, Ric takes a strong look (and aim) at the notion of pay to play business models out there. Yes, that does include multi-level marketing.

As Ric will tell you, it is a predatory practice that takes advantage of the emotional connection people have with money. He says it is sad and wrong but, it looks like we are stuck with this situation.

Also, is Facebook viable, at all? Plus, this week's unpopular thought.



NEXT WEEK: The quest to mediocrity.

The Great Television War

If it is one thing the internet has done, it has levelled the playing field. Most recently in the world of television. All of the cord cutters thought it was a pretty cool thing to tell the cable companies where to stuff their tiered access fees and bad programming when the internet became more of a place to get content. So we cut the cable, shut off the dishes and began to stream our shows on our own time and without fear of missing anything.

Now, the content providers are stuck in a major war with themselves. Charge for subscription or sell advertisement. Or worse, combine the two. Now, people are just getting a little pissed off with this fight and wondering when the next shoe is going to drop.

Also, Jeffery Epstein is dead, so why all the finger pointing when it was clear nothing more nefarious occurred than him simply taking himself out of the equation. And finally, a new bit in the show. Ric unveils his unpopular thought of the week.

NEXT WEEK: Is Facebook all that viable anymore?

Sarcastic Bullets

 Part of what it takes to being on the air these days is healthy sense of sarcasm and being a bit of a cynic. In this episode, Ric talks about why he speaks like that. In light of the recent mass shootings, he uses that subject to display just how powerful sarcasm can be. It's the vehicle that drives others to react in interesting ways.

Some of you out there may not like what they hear in this episode and Ric makes no apologies. As he says, "You have the right to freedom of speech, but you are not free from the consequences of your speech." He'll explain as he lays out the current status of what seems to be happening in America.



NEXT WEEK: TV on the internet.