Super Dumb Podcast

06/05/2021

Auditioning for a co-host for my podcast! Unpaid gig, once a week for a few hours. You can live anywhere in the world as long as you have strong internet, a high quality microphone/headphones and a flexible schedule.

Looking for someone who laughs easily (so I don't have to work hard on jokes, lol), is intelligent, motivated, cares about current events and social justice, and is OK with me stealing all your shine.

Looking for consistency and energy. Hit me up!

https://open.spotify.com/show/4R8KNb4mPmW3bwqTmqGr1p?si=omUxi3NlTCq-dkofafF0Cg

18/03/2021

22/01/2021

15/12/2020

It's really too bad there's no vaccine for stupidity.

14/12/2020

I want you to imagine for a minute that you have been selected for jury duty, and you are sitting in the courtroom listening to the evidence. As you watch, the prosecution calls an expert forensic …

10/11/2020

Happy birthday Carl Sagan! You're still missed, still loved and still a badass!

08/11/2020

25/10/2020

My Filipinos just had a big win! Today is officially "Larry Itliong Day" in California!

For those of you who don't know, Larry was instrumental in organizing and mobilizing farm workers (including migrant farm workers) during the early days of the west coast movement to improve lives for those workers. He started as early as the '30s, but in the '60s, he and several other people sparked a massive movement when they walked off a farm, refusing to work until everyone was paid the same as the federal minimum wage. That was called the Delano Grape Strike.

Itliong was equally as important as Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta in the movement to improve farm worker's lives, but is skipped over in most of the conversations about the movement.

Just a few years ago, the local middle school where I lived in Union City, California changed their name from Alvarado Middle School to Itliong-Vera Cruz Middle. Philip Vera Cruz was another great Filipino organizer in the farm workers movement. There was some contention because the school was deciding between renaming to Cesar Chavez Middle or Itliong-Vera Cruz Middle, but eventually the community voted for Itliong-Vera Cruz. This wasn't considered a slight to Chavez, because he is honored in hundreds of communities around California and this was the first school to be named after the Filipino organizers.

Overall, this is a huge recognition for someone who helped improve the lives of tens of thousands of people. Binabati kita to all my Pinoys! (sorry, I don't know how to say it in Pangasinan, lol)

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued a proclamation declaring October 25, 2020, as “Larry Itliong Day” in the State of California. The text of the proclamation can be found here and a copy…

22/10/2020

Progress is the ultimate goal in everything, y'all! If we aren't progressing, then we're stagnant (staying the same) or regressing (going backwards). Here's a great example of when progress occurred socially:

The term "scientist" was created to replace "man of science", thanks to a treatise (an in-depth, more formal essay) "On The Connexion of The Physical Sciences" by Mary Somerville. Mary was a Scottish polymath (someone who is extremely knowledgeable about a wide variety of subjects) and the general science community thought so highly of her clear, intelligent writings that they began to use the term "scientist" instead of the phrase "man of science".

This article has some great history and explanations of how that change came to be.

How a Scottish polymath forever changed the course of gender in science and made a high art of connecting the seemingly disconnected.

22/10/2020

There are conspiracy theories, and then there are Conspiracy Theories. Some are harmless, some are even based on factual evidence, but many of them are not just "hey, this is interesting" type theories, they are falsehoods intentionally designed to cause harm, wreak havoc or sew mistrust.

Download this graphic and the next time someone tells you their wild speculation or shares some outrageous claim, check to see if their "theory" is on here. This isn't a comprehensive list, but it gives you a good idea of where many conspiracy theories fall on the "truthiness" spectrum.

And most importantly, remember that even though much of what people share on the internet is harmless, some of it can really cause damage and it's important to see through false claims that are designed to hurt others.

Be a critical thinker - research the claims yourself through reputable sources or check the pages of credible thinkers to see if it's been debunked or confirmed.

22/10/2020

I'm sad to say that James Randi, also known as The Amazing Randi, has passed away at 92 years old, from age-related issues. He was an incredible mind, a devout advocate for critical thinking and one of the best debunkers on the planet.

https://web.randi.org/

20/10/2020

A lot of us don't understand how to eat healthily. Let me put it to you this way:

If you want to drive a car, you climb in and put your seat belt on. You might not like it, but it's just what you have to do to drive a car.

If you want to eat bad food, then eat it! But you also have to eat vegetables and fruits and drink water and exercise...you might not like it, but it's what you have to do if you want to eat bad food.

There are consequences if you don't wear your seat belt: you might get into an accident and die.

There are consequences if you don't eat healthily: you might get heart disease, diabetes, stroke, any number of diseases...and die.

So eat bad food if you want, y'all, juust make sure you throw in vegetables, fruits and water regularly!

Follow for more super basic advice about life!

06/10/2020

Most of us are average - just about the same as everyone else, in most respects. And that's perfectly fine, because that's just how life is. We can't all be models or geniuses or pioneers or billionaires. But we're not required to stay average! The world is vast and filled with knowledge and there are millions of ways we can improve ourselves. We can find the parts of ourselves that aren't great and we can work to make them a little better. Over time, those weak areas might even become strengths!

If you're happy being average, then great! Stick to what you know. But if you want to improve yourself, there are all kinds of areas you can work on.

- Physical Strength (improving your body so you can run faster, longer, lift heavier weights, jump higher)
- Emotional Strength (improve your ability to empathize with others, be kind, caring and supportive)
- Spiritual Strength (finding peace and harmony through ethereal and religious pursuits)
- Financial Strength (building up a savings account, learning about investing, making your money work for you)
- Intellectual Strength (learning to recognize scams and lies, becoming better at reading, improving your observational skills)
- Moral Strength (being good based on your personal beliefs)
- Ethical Strength (being good based on societal beliefs)
..and lots more.

Strength comes in all shapes and sizes...you might not be able to lift 400lbs, but maybe you're great at helping others feel really good about themselves. Maybe you're not good with puzzles and tests, but you're a voracious reader who loves learning new words. Maybe your strengths aren't in art or music, but you are amazing with math and numbers. And just because you aren't strong in certain areas doesn't mean you can't become stronger in those areas.

Give yourself a kick in the butt and take on a new project. Watch some Youtube tutorials. Ask a friend who is great at something to help you learn about it.

You can be stronger, with time and effort. Decide you want to improve something, and then get after it!

29/09/2020

14/09/2020

Episode 3 is live! Namu talks about getting out of your comfort zone and forcing yourself to be a better person, plus fake news, dadvice and lots of opinions.

My question to you from this episode: what are you doing, personally, to help others? Tell me about it in the comments!

Have topics you'd like Namu to talk about on a future episode? Questions you'd like answered? Comment below or send a message!

Listen on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podbean or wherever you get your podcasts from.

30/08/2020

Episode 2 is live on Spotify!

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0JGPqkg5aBIJjF7Z5AuDLQ?si=3C7p_zYYSZSkHcWEvZkEFw

Listen to this episode from Super Dumb! Podcast on Spotify. Namu talks about people who make false claims based on false claims in the Jacob Blake case and five news items.

04/08/2020

Hello 118 followers! Super Dumb Podcast is in motion finally! Check out this quick 1 minute update!

https://superdumb.podbean.com/e/ep1a-just-an-update/

Where are all the episodes?! I'll tell you!...

21/06/2020

There's no debate, there's no "agree to disagree". The science is in and the facts are that masks reduce the spread of the Coronavirus. Put it over your mouth and go on about your life, so the rest of us can go on about ours.

20/06/2020

19/06/2020

One or two ways white people can be an ally against racism!
https://youtu.be/nBJiTjtmruU

This isn't an end all/be all solution, but it's a start y'all. If you're interested in helping eradicate racism and support people of color, here are a coupl...

22/02/2020

Super Dumb! Podcast social media etiquette tip of the day:

An online conversation should be treated just like an in-person conversation:

if you and a group of people were standing around talking in-person and you made a proclamation or announcement, you wouldn't ignore someone standing right next to you who said something in response to what you said, so don't ignore people who comment on your posts or in a thread. At least click like to acknowledge that you read their contribution to the conversation. If you don't actually like what they said, then reply to them, and tell them that. You wouldn't ignore someone who said something you disagreed with who was standing two feet from you (unless you're rude, but we're talking about normal people, lol).

Online conversations lack body language, so it's important to use reactions to let people know you've read what they're saying. In-person, if someone agrees with you by nodding their head, there's no need to acknowledge them, but if they join in the conversation and add something to what you're saying, or disagree with you or just voice their support, you would probably acknowledge them in some way. These days, the online way to acknowledge that you read someone's comment is to click a reaction on their comment.

Also, you might be losing a friend by ignoring them. You might not realize you're even doing it, but when you consistently ignore someone's contributions to your conversations, you are sending them the message that you don't respect them and you don't value their interactions. A lot of the time people don't even realize they're being ignored, but it can become glaringly obvious to them if you consistently click like on or reply to other people's comments, but ignore theirs.

Final thought: if you find yourself consistently ignoring someone's interactions on your posts, you shouldn't be connected with that person. Either consciously or subconsciously, you've made the decision that they are not a valuable part of your social community - it's time to put your adulting hat on and disconnect from them on social media.

On the flip side, if you find yourself consistently being ignored when you interact with someone's posts, then it's time for you to decide if you're OK with that or not. If not, you can reach out to them and talk about it, you can unfollow their posts, or you can disconnect from them as well.

Healthy, adult relationships are mutual connections where everyone involved finds value.

Stay learning, Super Dummies!

05/02/2020

Hey Super Dummies! (yes, I made up this cute pejorative nickname for my legions of followers! All 107 of you! lol)

You know why we're in this political situation right now? Because so many people have stopped thinking for themselves, only parroting what they see on TV or read on Facebook.

Stop assuming everything you read online is true, especially just because it agrees with how you feel. Stop assuming your friends know better than you, (and that includes me! Don't just assume I'm right just because I'm brilliant and charming, ahem, lol). Stop assuming that because your favorite news channel said it, it must be true. You must remember that corporate media is *not* a credible source of facts these days. They are privately funded and will broadcast anything that gets viewers to watch or share, even if it's a blatant lie.

If you hear or read something you aren't sure about, spend twenty minutes and actually research it. Email a professor who is expert on the subject and ask them. Hit the library and pick up a book on the topic.

Stop coasting through life intellectually just because you're no longer in school. You aren't dumb. Prove it to yourself every time you aren't sure about something by not being afraid to spend some time learning again.

Bonus tip: you know how to tell if you can trust someone's opinion?

"This is what I think, but I might be wrong. Evidence could change my opinion."

02/02/2020

Are you constantly fighting with your significant other?

Every couple fights. Some do it rarely, some occasionally and some constantly. How you fight is far more important. You have to make a choice - do you fight to win the argument? Do you fight from pure frustration? Or do you fight to make your relationship better? If you're fighting just to win, then your relationship is failing.

If you find yourself getting angry at every little thing your significant other does, over things that used to not even make you mad...then it might be time to think about why.

Sometimes our heart decides that we're done with our partner and it's time to move on, but our brain doesn't let us make the decision to move on. "What if I can't find someone new?", it tells us. "We have too many years invested in this relationship to give up now!", "It wouldn't be fair to the kids.", "I won't be able to survive without their income helping!"

But these are not valid reasons to stay together. Staying in an unhappy relationship for the wrong reasons is unfair to yourself and to your partner, and if you have kids, to them as well. Whether you've been together two years, twenty or fifty, It's important to remember that your happiness matters so much - how you feel affects everything in your life, and if you're unhappy, if you are just going through the motions, then maybe it's time to be brave and cut ties.

You may or may not find someone new, but finding the happy you is worth the search. You might have owned your favorite car for 20 years, but if you can't keep it running, then it's time to park it for good, right? And while I'm an advocate for keeping children close to their parents, if you and your significant other are adults about your break up, you can build a very happy, healthy co-parenting relationship that keeps both parents involved with your kids.

But conversely, sometimes the reason we fight isn't because we're done with our partner, it's because we're unhappy about specific things, but haven't addressed them, either with ourselves or our SO. If you can feel the love for your person still, but find yourself struggling in your relationship, then it's time for some serious conversations. The truth is, we're so often caught up in who is right or wrong, that we forget that we all bear some responsibility, that both of us can and should show patience and kindness towards our partners, even (and especially) when we're arguing.

But if you or your partner (or both of you) find yourselves constantly refusing to see the other's side or refusing to consider the why instead of just the what, then you may have sub-consciously decided you're done and there's not much chance you'll come back from that without a whole lot of effort on your part. If you're finished with the relationship in your heart, then no matter what "practical" reasons you can come up with to stay together, you'll continue to fight.

Ultimately, you should remember that there is a version of you where you are the happiest you'll ever be, and life should be about working towards finding that version. Your relationship should reflect the best you and if it doesn't, it's time to consider moving on.

27/01/2020

While I get my audio environment good enough to record in, here's a short video to hold you over!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icnR5eQLU9I

Yeah, this is the first video of the SuperDumb channel, and it's just me riding around on my bike. I never said it would be great, y'all, lol.

13/12/2019

The Super Dumb! Podcast page has reached 100 likes! Thanks y'all! As soon as I get settled from this move I'll record and post the first episode. Can't wait!

- Namu