If We Could Sing To The Animals

Animals seem to be affected by music. Studies suggest that playing calming music to cows, such as classical or a soft beat style of music, can increase milk volume by relaxing them. 

Humans are emotionally affected by music in a way we perhaps don't fully understand. Types of music affect people differently but music that we enjoy releases dopamine that lifts us up. I wonder why animals seem to like it? 

As mentioned, softer music is the sort they are attracted to. The video below shows animals being drawn to music and to the musician. It must give the performer a warm feeling to get that reaction. 

Two Ways To Look At Things

Beauty is skin deep....

but an ugly personality goes all the way to the bone. 

Everyone has morals...until there's money involved.

Democracy sounds wonderful...until you talk to a voter.

We are all born optimists...then we discover inhumanity.

Liars are impossible to spot...until they trip themselves up.

We are all born self-centred...but some learn to be selfless.

We may not be understood...

but simply raising our voice won't help.

Idealists are loved during a revolution...but become a nuisance afterwards.

A sincere person can be trusted...but some are good at faking it.

We all know there is a time to say nothing...the tricky part is knowing when.

The Celebrity Traitors UK : 2025 (Summary & Spoilers)

The celebrity US versions had cliques based on their celebrity history and they got to keep the prize money. 

The UK version had a broader coverage of celebrities and all the winnings went to a charity. In that sense, it didn't matter so much who won because the prize would go to a worthy cause. 

That said, I'm a 'Faithfuls' supporter, so I always prefer it if they win. However, it became apparent very early on that the 'Traitors' were going to do well. 

They were a varied and complimentary mix of personalities. The Faithfuls were very good at mistaking their own as traitorous, therefore banishing them.  

At one point, I thought the three traitors were going to go the whole way but later on the Faithfuls did get one before returning to form and the ill directed carnage continued. When you know the truth, it can be frustrating to watch.

With five remaining, two of the three original traitors were still there. A second traitor was despatched but at this point the departing player cannot reveal their role in the game. So how many were left? 

The last traitor and three Faithfuls left. One faithful had it sussed and expected to remove the last traitor. He didn't defend himself at the last vote when accused by the last traitor of being such. That failure meant the two other faithful turned on him.

They all voted to end the game and split the winnings for their respective charities. Eh, no. The traitor took the prize pot for his charity as per the rule that any traitor not voted off wins. I was happy the two last Faithfuls missed out as I didn't think they simply didn't deserved to win. 

PS. I have watched 15 series of The Traitors, the 'Faithfuls' have won seven and the 'Traitors' eight. When Faithfuls win, there will be between two and four winners, When the Traitors win, there will be between one and three. When the Faithfuls have won those shows, the average number of winners is nearly three. When the traitor wins, they are nearly always alone. 

Ugly Minimalism

It seems to be a current trend to make things minimalist. The less you can see the better. Hidden away are plenty of features but you have to access them. That takes time. It's all about form over function or comfort. For a few examples.

How about a car dashboard. There used to be buttons and knobs to quickly access something you wanted. Now these are accessed via a touch screen.

Legislators are now going to downgrade safety scores for vehicles that don't have physical controls for important features. Why? Because time spent wading through menus and sub-menus is time your eyes are not on the road. Putting form over function and risking occupant safety.

A kitchen, in case it was hard to work out. No utensils hanging handily to grab in an instant. No herb trays. Regularly used appliances have to be found and lifted out. 

All of this inconvenience to create a formless waste. Cold, uninviting and impractical. If the owners eat out, order in or have preprepared bought dinners, I guess they don't need a practical kitchen. It's still ugly.

Another form over function fashion style are sofas with low backs. It works if they are used for slouching on but to sit up on? 

Again, it's all about the style and not good posture. I wouldn't touch a couch like that with a barge pole. The floor and a cushion would be more comfortable for me. I can't even say I think it looks nice.

Functionality is for me always more important than style. Car dashboards with sensibly laid out tactile controls look better in my opinion than a touch screen and blandness. 

A kitchen with nicely placed kitchen tools and appliances looks far superior to slabs of nothing. 

Furniture with proportions that accommodate the human frame looks more inviting than one that is nothing more than an uncomfortable styling exercise. Uglier too to me.

Photos: Freepik.

Why It's Good To Ask For Directions

When you're driving down an open road like the one above and you know the direction you are going is correct, you can relax. The weather is fine so you have clear vision, few cars if any, and the road is yours.

Now you have reached the town of your destination. You need to get to a street addess but its a new street and the navigation system doesn't recognise it. You see plenty of locals on the footpath. Do you stop to ask directions or try your best to find the street?

Men in general do not like to ask directions, but why? Some say it's because they are putting themselves in a dependent position. It could hurt their pride because they’d have to admit that they have need help.

I knew a man who said he would rather drive around indefinitely looking rather than stop and ask. Personally, I'm very quick to ask once I realise I need help. Not everyone knows the answer but soon enough someone does. It saves a lot of time and people seem to be happy they were able to help. 

Then you have more time to enjoy what you travelled all this way to do. Spend time with people who are special to you, like you see in the picture below. 

The Celebrity Traitors UK : 2025

The show is back and this time with celebrities from the UK. I know some of them but not others. Living in NZ we get UK TV shows so I only know those that might appear on them. That doesn't matter as we soon get to know them all. 

I've seen four episodes so far. Don't worry, if you haven't seen the show yet I won't let out any spoilers. In NZ, it is featured on TV3, twice a week and 12 hours after the UK viewing. I find it an interesting show and I'll explain why. 

Picking liars. Most people think they are good at that but a convincing liar is hard to pick unless they put their foot in it. Even then, some are good at putting it right.

Catching traitors. It is frustrating not to catch them but even if they are exposed, another is recruited. The main thing is they don't win. 

The daily challenges. They are good at team building but some of the team will soon be plotting to remove a faithful member of the team. I couldn't be a traitor.

Historical comparison. The first traitor ever got the first woman to believe him and used that trust against her best interest and by extension that of the whole human family. That original traitor also became the first liar and the father of the lie. Lying is an essential tool of a traitor, if they wish to succeed. 

Lesson: Appearances can be deceptive. We should never overestimate our ability to detect a lie. In The Traitors it is hard to gather the information necessary to detect the deceiver. 

In life generally, when it comes to information we receive, accurate knowledge of a subject can be a protection. It can expose those wishing to trick us or who are twisting the truth. If in doubt, be careful and try to get accurate information before believing anything. Beware of those who are traitors to the truth.  

The 'i' Car Is Here!

There are many 'i' cars out there, referring to electric models. For example, the Jaguar i-Pace is a drivers car, with plenty of speed. Using that analogy, here are some suggestions for future models. 

i-Dyllic: For the quiet, peaceful car that wafts us down the road. Most likely a luxury model.

i-Gloo: Suitable for colder climes, where the occupants are kept warm despite external temperatures. May also be popular with hobbyists. 

i-Deal: A model that has broad appeal and has many happy owners. Easy on the pocket too. 

i-Rony: Driven by someone who you would never have imagined would buy that sort of car.

i-Diot: Especially for the motorist who does the daftest things or is prone to holding other drivers up.

i-Rate: Either for those who think they are superior drivers or who easily descend into road rage. 

So True

Happiness can't be bought.

Negative thoughts help no one.

Theory can only teach you so much.

Every grave stone is about a life untold.

He who speaks too much forgets his listener. 

We need to love ourselves, but not too much.

Good ideas will not be appreciated by everyone. 

The best leaders are always open to suggestions.

The simple things are missed most when they are lost.

Kindness, even in the face of hostility, is the best response. 

If you do drink, red wine - taken in moderation - is hard to beat.

Song Progressions

Some songs have interesting progressions in them. One is Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffett. 

It goes from 

Some people claim that there's a woman to blame But I know it's nobody's fault.....

Then

Hell, it could be my fault...

Finally

And I know it's my own damn fault.

***

Another is by Kiwi group Split Enz in the song One Step Ahead. The progression goes:

One step ahead of you

I have to choose One step ahead of you 

I can only stay One step ahead of you 

Its hard to stay one step ahead of you

Then finally:

She's one step ahead of you.

Here's the song.

The Traitors TV Series (Updated)

The TV franchise series De Verraders (The Traitors) started in the Netherlands and has quickly expanded to encompass many countries. I got into it rather late as I never watch reality TV programmes and it is of that genre. 

The premise is that about two dozen individuals meet at a large castle or house. Then on the first evening three or four are secretly selected to become the Traitors and the rest are classified as the Faithful. 

Each evening the faithful try to banish a Traitor while the Traitors work together through the day and at banishment in an attempt to put them off the scent. 

Then at midnight, the Traitors gather to 'murder' a Faithful. So each day two players are sent home. Occasionally there are no banishments or murders for various reasons. 

One of those reasons is recruitment, as the Traitor number needs to be replenished if and when some are banished. So a Faithful can suddenly find themselves on the other side of the game, playing a very different role. Effectively one Faithful is lost.

The prize money grows each day as tasks are assigned for the whole group to work together and the better they do the more money they earn. At the end of the game, there can be no fewer than two players left but maybe one or two more. If any of the survivors are Traitors, they collect all the money, if there are only Faithfuls left, they divide the prize pot between them. 

I've recently binge watched three UK series, three US series, one Australian (S1), one NZ (S2) and one Canada (S2). The format is stuck to quite closely so there isn't a huge difference between them. Despite that, they have some differences. This is how I'd rate them. 

Australia: The budget is more limited than the others. The facility used is more modest, they drive their own cars to assignments and the missions are not quite as elaborate. The people are of the everyday sort and they don't know each other. The responses of those who left the game were not given much or any airtime. The host does well enough but underplays his role. Rating 7/10.

Canada: (Spoiler alert) Again it was similar at many levels. The pictures on the wall play a less prominent role here, with the host not touching and therefore not dropping them. The level of the Faithful's efforts to find Traitors was abysmal. Right at the end, they were still voting each other off. One cunning Traitor versus incompetent Faithfuls! The host was very good and would not be out of place on a catwalk. Rating 7.5/10.

NZ: Very much like Australia's version in scale, with everyday people involved. One slight difference is I prefered the host. In my opinion, he played the role better. I also enjoyed the tasks and general interactions as bit more. (I recently watched Series 1 and it was really good). Rating 8/10.

USA: A bigger budget, a grand castle in Scotland and they are driven to assignments. What I think undermines it is using reality celebrities as contestants. They form into cliques and I don't think that is helpful in their traitor hunting. It could also be confused as a botox seminar. 

The host is a Scotsman who pretends it is his castle they are using. His flamboyance is almost over the top but he does project a somewhat sinister indifference to those who depart, throwing their pictures on the ground dismissively. In season 3 a couple of contestants repeatedly used foul language. Rating 8/10.

UK: For me, this show has the best of both of the above. The contestants are everyday people although there is a celebrity show planned in 2025 along with a regular people one. The Scottish castle is used as with the US series. The host strikes a nice balance, sometimes cold and on other occasions a hint of warmth is manifest. Rating 9/10. 

Summary: The show creates an environment where lying and deceit are essential qualities for the Traitors. The large pot at the end of the show is an incentive to do what is necessary to win. Those who talk too much usually draw unwanted attention to themselves and the better players are aware of that. 

Once into a series, it's compelling viewing but the moral aspect of lying stops me from scoring any show ten. It surprised me that most contestants are accepting of being lied to. They presumably realise they would do the same if they were given the role of a Traitor. 

Diversity

 Sometimes diversity goes too far.