A scan from the newspaper on this date in 1969. Plan to visit your Detroit Area Sears stores this week to see a demonstration of the Roberts line of reel to reel recorders, including the 778C, which can transfer your 3 3/4 inch per second 8 track tapes with ease!
It’s a tale right out of the Twilight Zone. The Internet increasingly controls everything.. including what goes on inside our heads. For the companies behind the apps we use, it’s all about the data. For our enemies, it is something to be weaponized. There’s a lot of Twitter talk today about these items.
A frightening story in the Wall Street Journal, details how Russian hackers are infiltrating the nation’s power grid. It’s a social engineering tale that Kevin Mitnick could have thought up. And it’s working. Nearly half of the country is vulnerable.
We’ve written before about how games like the super popular Fortnite can have a negative impact on our kids.
Is the data we share about our lives having a detrimental impact on our state of mind? Our cars share “telematic” info about how we drive, which may ultimately determine our insurance rates. Companies track our buying & browsing habits and serve us ads based on what we look at. Fitbits record our every move, inspiring some of us to take those extra steps to hit a goal. And the new Apple Watch can even track our heart health with an electrocardiogram app. This report says it’s all starting to get to us. On a related note: Is “Big Brother” watching your Tweet Stream? The ACLU sues the FBI to find out. And how private is Google’s “ingocnito mode”? Not very. Even search firms who don’t track you warn that you have to do more to protect your internet privacy.
One last thing: Ever wonder what’s really behind Facebook’s “10 Year Challenge” then-and-now photo thing? Gathering more accurate facial recognition data.
Enough of the scary stuff… lets segue into our..
Quick Takes:
Rep. John Lewis on why getting into trouble is essential to effecting change.
A classic TED talk. Director Ava Duerbay on why Martin Luther King Day is more than just a holiday
Super Bowl 53’s commercial breaks will showcase a ton of movie trailers this year. Here’s a sneak peek.
Saw Robert Klein last night. He’s still got it. Here’s what he sang as his opening number. (Video)
Realistic Self-Help: learning to love what you’ve already got. Via Morning Brew
God Speed, Reggie Young, guitar man for Elvis and The Highwaymen.
Overlooked Oscar worthy performances. Via The Daily Beast.
The New Yorker shares wisdom about the art of decision making.
The 12 genres in popular film have existed since Thomas Edison first shot a man sneezing 125 years ago this month. But their popularity has evolved with the mood of the country. The folks at “No Film School” have tracked the evolution over a 108 year period. What they found is fascinating.
Remember when “Alcapulco Gold” was a thing? Whoever dreamed that cannabus formulas are becoming “intellectual property”? Via Rolling Stone.
Entering our annual trip through The Age of Aquarius. Here are Buzzfeed’s 9 reasons why Aquarian’s are awesome, plus a video of the 5th Dimension‘s hit on the topic from the musical “Hair”. (Video)
A page turns: Many of us were inspired by the film “Argo” about the daring rescue during the 1978 Iranian Hostage Crisis. Tony Mendez, the real life spy who smuggled Americans out of Tehran dies at 78.
Much More Music:
Note: Our readers particularly are loving the reproductions of album and 45 covers we try to include with each tune. Isn’t it amazing how looking at one immediately triggers memories?
Composer, songwriter, pianist, arranger and producer Tony Hatch is the man most responsible for many of Petula Clark‘s biggest hits. He wrote or co-wrote “I Know a Place“, “My Love“, “A Sign of the Times“, “I Couldn’t Live Without Your Love“, and “Don’t Sleep in the Subway“. Personal to Fan, Steve Schram: Hatch and Clark co-wrote “You’re The One“, which became a smash for The Vogues in 1965. Their first collaboration, “Downtown” was number 1 this week in 1964. (Video)
Birthday boy, Richie Havens, came into our national consciousness when the film Woodstock prominently featured him. In a 5 decade career, his electrifying performances, often featuring open cord guitar, and his dedication to ecological education lead fellow Woodstock alumnus, Stephen Stills to eulogize him as a personality who “could never be replicated.” He had one significant top 40 smash, a 1970 cover of George Harrisons “Here Comes the Sun“. (Video)
Edwin Starr died relatively young. Born Charles Hatcher in Nashville, TN on this date in 1942, he was just 61 when a heart attack claimed him at his home in England. He is best known for his anti-Vietnam anthem “War” (1970), but we celebrate his life today with a custom version of his first Ric-Tic-Records release “S.O.S – Stop Her On Sight“, that he recorded for WKNR disc jockey, Scott Regen. Here’s “Scotts On Swingers” from 1966. (Video)
Boz Scaggs has one of the best live shows touring today. His 1970s cannon alone makes for an electrifying experience. “Lowdown“, “Lido Shuffle“, “We’re All Alone“, “Breakdown Dead Ahead” and “Look What You’ve Done To Me” (Featured in the film Urban Cowboy) are some examples. Before he was a big name, this Motown themed tune caught our ears and never let go. Enjoy “You Make It So Hard (To Say No)” from his 1974 Slow Dancer LP. (Video)
Happy Birthday to: Wolfman Jack, 1938 (d. 1995); Richie Havens, 1941 (d. 2013); Mac Davis, 1942; Edwin Starr, 1942 (d. 2003); Billy Ocean, 1950
Today’s Quote Worth Re-quoting: “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
We leave you with a tune that has one of the most powerful 4 measure introductions in the history of Top 40 Radio. Jim Davis, known to CKLW listeners as “Big Jim Edwards” made it his own with an iconic “talk up” in 1968 (Listen). Try your hand with the intro to 1968’s “Nothing But a Heartache” from The Flirtations.
