Right About Now with Ryan Alford - From Theatrics to Accountability: What the Harris-Trump Debate Means for Voters

Starting point is 00:00:00 This is Write About Now with Ryan Alford, a Radcast Network production. We are the number one business show on the planet with over 1 million downloads a month. Taking the BS out of business for over 6 years and over 400 episodes. You ready to start snapping necks and cashing checks? Well, it starts Write About Now. What's up guys? Welcome to Right About Now. It's our weekly business news of the week here on September 13th, 2024. We hope everyone out there is doing wonderful wherever, whenever, however you're listening,

Starting point is 00:00:39 hopefully watching on YouTube or Spotify. You got to see the outfits of the day. Everybody's looking sharp. We got Chris Hansen in Miami. What's up, brother? What's up, Brian? What's up, Brianna? And we have Brianna Hall looking cozy over there in her seat, in the hot seat. Hot seat.

Starting point is 00:00:59 So how is everyone? Happy Friday to the team here. It's Friday the 13th. Oh, wow. I didn't even say that. Friday the 13th. Sidebar, I don't get scared much anymore. I don't know. Call it. I just don't. I don't know. You get older. You get wiser and dumber in some ways. There's probably a lot of things that should scare me that don't know. You get older. You get wiser and dumber in some ways. There's probably a lot of things that should scare me that don't. But, damn, those movies and, like, Friday the 13th and Elm Street.

Starting point is 00:01:31 I was pretty scared. I would watch those movies. I don't really enjoy watching them anymore. It's like I don't think I like getting scared like that. You know, they say it's bad for your health. I don't know. Did you guys watch those growing up? Yeah.

Starting point is 00:01:48 I'm right there with you. I think I've just made it through enough Friday the 13th where I feel pretty safe now that I'm still here. The hockey mask is the guys that are coming out behind the corner. Oh, God. I'm still a little like I don't do certain things on Friday the 13th. I'm a little more careful on those days.

Starting point is 00:02:04 I always thought Freddy was scarier. I don't know why. I mean, Jason could like, you know, machete you to death or whatever, but the whole dream thing, you know, got to me. It's like right in the perfect time. Like I was a kid, you know, where you're starting to like, realize you're dreaming and like, you know, just that sort of awakening time period. I don't know how, if I was 12 or like 15, I can't remember. But the thought that like somebody gets you in your dreams, you're like, that's some scary shit. Because it's like your most vulnerable time. You're asleep in the bed and somebody's just chopping you down. It's like, ugh, you know.

Starting point is 00:02:41 I feel like I got a fighting chance if you try to get me when I'm awake. No matter where or when it is, I got a fighting chance. If you try to get me while I'm awake, no matter where or when it is, I got a fighting scrappy chance, you know, but if I'm asleep, yeah, that's like your most vulnerable moment. You know,

Starting point is 00:02:57 that's why my dog sleeps on my bed. There you go. Yeah. My wife would say that's why I sleep in the bed. Yeah. The only dog in our bed is me. I got room for the dogs, you know. My feet already hang off the king, you know.

Starting point is 00:03:14 It's like big boys got to have room. Chris, where does your dog sleep? He's bed, ground. He moves around. But, you know, I wake up and he's in bed usually, he moves around, but yeah, I wake up and he's in bed usually, which I, I love.

Starting point is 00:03:28 So, yeah. Or he's in his kingdom over there in the bathroom. Is that where he's at now? He's actually, he's sitting on the couch next to me right now. Oh, today.

Starting point is 00:03:39 He's got a little son. If you said his name right now, will he look up at you and like, you know, that you're talking about him? Yeah. Chris, chris always like don't want to start barking no we don't need that mid mid-episode breakfast bowl clanking you know that was always what we first started doing chris was going on inevitably every week clank clank clank clank yeah he doesn't eat and then the minute we hit record you just hear metal clanking in the bowl.

Starting point is 00:04:07 It's like, dude, you had two hours for this. Well, you know, we've had a few weeks where, you know, it seems like it's been all politics. And then, you know, we took a little bit of a pause last week getting back down to business. And then the debate happened this week. And so, you know, it's just too relevant to what's topical today and its impact on business and everything else. And, you know, part of me, like, gets exasperated thinking about talking about it. Like, it's kind of like, all right, we're going to talking about it like it's kind of like all right we're gonna talk about it and i mean we obviously all have opinions on it which we'll share but it's just i don't know

Starting point is 00:04:53 there's something i feel the same way broken about the whole system it just makes me tired you know and i i'm passionate about like my beliefs and the policies that I believe in. But man, it just gets exhausting. And I think there's a lot of insights from the debate. But then there's like the reality, because I was thinking about this as we came on, like because looking at some of the other articles we're talking about and then looking at like the real data, like, OK, the inflation, the stock market, like, you know, we could talk about the way these two candidates talk back and forth. But what is really actually still happening or not happening with the economic data and all that? So we'll come back to that. That's going to be sort of my wrap up point. It looks like, from what I can tell, and I don't ever know because it's so biased, the news, and depending on who's doing the polling. But it looks like the polls suggest that Harris won the debate, the polls.

Starting point is 00:05:58 I'm not making that proclamation. I just think it's relevant. I think sort of some of the points that I will make, it doesn't surprise me. I think my biggest takeaway is that I look forward to you guys, we'll have a little convo debate about this, but like multiple, it's been our favorite things to say this week, Brianna, you know, two things can be true at once. I can think that going into it objectively, which I really tried to do. Again, I've voiced my opinions on this show, my policy beliefs and all that, which may or may not hash themselves out here again, depending on what soapbox I get on.

Starting point is 00:06:41 But just being objective, like, okay, these two candidates talking their way through this, who's answering the questions, whose policies, who's like taking away like any bias that I could, I know it's impossible to do. I can admit that, but, but trying my best just to be an educated person, watching two people debate about major issues. And so the first observation was just, it felt very, and we've talked about this before, like staged and theatric from Kamala. And I could,

Starting point is 00:07:17 I did, I don't want to take credit for this thought because it got put in my head today when I read it, but it was what I was, it was what I was thinking, but someone crystallized it better. And I'd love to give them attribution, but I've read so many little blips. I don't know who it was, but they said it felt like Kamala had gotten the questions three weeks earlier and memorized every answer. And I hadn't really framed it that way, but in

Starting point is 00:07:41 hindsight, what I was feeling, which I felt like was a show and rehearsed, and I know that's what they do for these debates, but it just felt staged and rehearsed to say, she was going to say what she was going to say, no matter what those questions were. Did you go to church this morning? Well, you know, Pete, I grew up on the other side of California. And my wife or my mother, you know, worked for a woman that owned a small business. And it's like, wait, I asked you if you went to church. Like, it didn't matter what the question was. I mean, the very first question was, is the economy better four

Starting point is 00:08:26 years later, three and a half years from where you took it to where it is now? No answer. Didn't answer it. Just her theatrical, pretty well-spoken, better than I thought she would be. Like, again, it's not my taste. It's not my style. I see through a lot of it because I think I'm a cynical person. And, like, whether they're Republican or Democrat, I kind of see the bullshit from a mile away. But she delivered it in a memorized format like she was in a play. You know, like, and it had nothing to do with answering the question. And I just felt like I was watching a performance and the whole time with her. And that was my observation. And she didn't, it was, it, I felt like in the moment,

Starting point is 00:09:20 I didn't feel like ABC because I felt like they asked her the right questions. Is the economy? I was like, Oh, Hey, we're getting, we're going to get right to it. They asked the right first question. They canceled. So, Hey, they had me going off. Oh, this is going to be objective. Like we're asking the right questions. They asked her about her flip-flops. They asked her all the right questions, but she was not held and did not answer them one bit most of the time. And look, that's how debates go. That's not unique necessarily. And did Trump absolutely have moments of that too? Abso-fucking-lutely. But it was not to the degree with which she not answered almost everything. And so I think she delivered a better performance if this was a show, but without really telling us any more about what she truly

Starting point is 00:10:19 stands for, what she's made better, why in three and a half years nothing's improved, and what would really change other than a lot of buzzwords and theatrics that didn't hold a lot. And I'll pause there to get you guys feedback on that and to get your takeaway. I just want to also mention, I didn't think it was a great debate for Trump. I don't, you know, I can understand maybe why the polling of people, the emotional reactions, the theatrical things probably went over well with her crowd and somewhere in the middle with people that were on the fence. But I didn't think it was wonderful for him. But it still felt like someone that was performing versus a non-politician speaking direct, even if not always the most

Starting point is 00:11:18 eloquently, which has never been his best attribute., best suit, you know, his best attribute. So more to speak on that, but what do you guys think? What were your kind of overall thoughts? Chris, go ahead. I agree with you. I felt it was stale. It was just not, there was not a lot of juice to it from either side. And I don't know,

Starting point is 00:11:50 I'm sitting here thinking, are we all just getting desensitized to the theatrics of what politics is and has been? Because when you look back at former debates and even the, you know, the primaries and stuff, it's all the same shit, you know, the same, even in, I agree. I think she was totally prepared on questions, but even it's like all right we know immigration's coming up we know you know equality all this these big hot buzzwords right but i didn't hear anything new you're just hearing her say the same talking points and he's kind of saying the same stuff too to be fair you know it's not like trump didn't blow me out of the water and he was acting different i feel feel, too, than his normal self. And she seemed to be acting different than her normal self, maybe.

Starting point is 00:12:28 So I think, I feel like it left everyone wanting more. But I also think whoever you support, if you went in supporting that person, you're still going to support them. There was no strong swaying points or debates that you're like, oh, wow, great point, you know? Yeah. Which means it was a lost Great point. You know? Yeah. Which means it was a lost opportunity for Trump. Yeah. Yeah. I think in that regard, because of her lack of substance, you know, like if she had been

Starting point is 00:12:58 very substantive in like in her responses and answering those questions, then she could have then her her miss was she could have, then her, her miss was she could have potentially won in a landslide. But the, but we know that the reason she's not, it's because she's performing and she's wants to give herself the ability to not lock in on anything. So she can,

Starting point is 00:13:20 once she is, or if she were to get elected, she can flop either way she wants. You know, I think I'm somewhat convinced now that's what she's or if she were to get elected she can flop either way she wants you know i think i'm somewhat convinced now that's what she's realizing that she can perform her way to the presidency and not over commit on the policies because then it will allow her to be what her record shows her sort of to be which is a flip-flopper, you know, on whatever is important. So.

Starting point is 00:13:48 And she was called out on some of those last night, you know, like gun control being one example. I remember. So I think you're right on that. It was a very emotional performance. You know, if you're just stuck in your feelings and.

Starting point is 00:14:03 Yeah. If you're grading who gave the better performance like for sure who was the better performative actor last night yes she won the tony award whatever whatever even a rip on her that's just who politicians are she had a great time of being a politician last she was a great politician last night and that and two dollars will help you buy that loaf of bread you need you know so yeah I thought it was really interesting um you know we had talked about her lack of policy before um going on her campaign website as recently as last week and there not being any policy for her to bring back uh bring up the I am going to create an opportunity economy,

Starting point is 00:14:45 was very interesting to me because what does that mean and why haven't we done it for the last three and a half years? And Trump kind of hit that on the head in his closing arguments, but it needed to be brought up sooner. It's like she's been the second most powerful person in the world, arguably. You can say the vice president is it, but let's just let's give the U.S. some credit. We're all Americans. Whether it's true or not, we believe it.

Starting point is 00:15:12 And so she's sitting there with a president that's now, you know, seeming. Two things she got let off the hook. Number one, she's had three and a half years to do it. And number two, they've been lying to her face that Biden was competent enough to lead. And that didn't get held to her. Hey, Kamala, was Joe capable or like, did he really go downhill in three months? Or, you know, or were you lying when you said he was competent a year ago? Or were you lying when you said he was competent a year ago? Because all the data, all the video says he was incompetent way before they decided to throw him to the wolves.

Starting point is 00:15:54 So she didn't even get asked that. They're not even going there. And so it just felt like a great performance. I mean, the opportunity economy. Yeah. I hope she can undo the last. She's going to undo the last three and a half years of the non-, the opportunity economy. Yeah. I hope she can undo the last. She's going to undo the last three and a half years of the non-opportunity economy to to enact this. I mean, I think the biggest way that, you know, she's going to try to sway people, especially the middle class, was her performance last night. It just really felt like she was trying to be relatable to everyone. She was trying to be relatable to people with two moms. She was trying to be relatable to small businesses. She was trying

Starting point is 00:16:28 to be relatable to people who have suffered unspeakable things. She was trying to be relatable to people that are seeking, you know, abortion for women as healthcare. She was trying to be relatable to every different, to fracking in Pennsylvania. She was trying to relate to them. She was trying to be relatable as a gun owner. And I was like, She was trying to relate to them. She was trying to be relatable as a gun owner. And I was like, you are trying to relate to everybody. And it's kind of, it doesn't feel genuine. It felt really disingenuous. Did you guys feel like in the moment,

Starting point is 00:16:58 I felt like the moderators were asking again. So I got swayed early. I was like, I kind of put it to the side. Okay, they're not being biased because they're asking questions. And then like halfway through, I'm like, moderators were asked again. So I got swayed early. I was like, I kind of put it to the side. Okay, they're not being biased because they're asking questions. And then like halfway through, I'm like, wait a second. They're asking questions, but they're not forcing her to answer. In the middle of it, did you guys pick up on what felt like the bias of the fact checking and all that? Were you guys picking up on that real time?

Starting point is 00:17:22 Yes. Absolutely. And people I, that I was talking to same, same thing. People, I mean, I'm in a big group text and it essentially was brought up.

Starting point is 00:17:33 Everyone's like, yeah, this seems very biased, like leading question, kind of giving her a little bit more time or cutting him off or whatever. Or the way that they will be like vice president, madam vice president, would you like to respond? But then they'd be like vice president madam vice president would you like to

Starting point is 00:17:45 respond but then they'd be like okay okay sir like that's enough next question yeah again i think i got sort of the wool pulled over my eyes a little bit because i was trying to pay attention to everything but the moderators which is the way it's supposed to be in debate you know like because they were asking her the tough questions, like the first, hey, right off the bat, hey, this could be good. And then she didn't answer it. The economy was better. I mean, she didn't answer it. She just introduced the theatricals.

Starting point is 00:18:15 Like, I felt like we were watching, like, this was a video game. You know, she won, you know, like, non-reality. If this was the metaverse of, it's like, congratulations. But no, this is real life with real policies, with real, you know, things. Yeah. And Trump had his moments, but I think he got baited. She did a good job. Like, again, she's a lawyer.

Starting point is 00:18:46 She won the theatrical performance of being a lawyer and saying a lot of nothing and baiting him into doing what he's prone to do sometimes. And I think it was in that regard he wasn't as bad as he could have been or has been in the past with that. But it threw, I think it threw him off or threw him into responses that he was more responsive, reactive than proactive. Kind of the whole time. So again, she won the political side of it, but didn't win the policy side. It's like, that's what it comes back to. It's like, are we winning politics or are we winning policy?

Starting point is 00:19:30 Are we winning the economy or are we winning the metaverse? It's like, if this is a game, she may have gotten the upper hand of the game, but not the actual thing that matters. It's kind of the way it was feeling. And I just, I don't know how you watch that. No matter how, again,

Starting point is 00:19:52 I'm sitting here telling you, you know, as someone that will be voting for Trump and as someone that believes in his policies way more, I'm sitting here telling you and acknowledging he didn't have his best performance. But I can also sit here and go, it just feels theatrical at all times. And at least last night. Oh, well rehearsed.

Starting point is 00:20:17 It's like, no wonder. I don't think she can get on camera. That's why she hadn't gone on camera. Like she needed. I would like to someday there'll be a book how many hours she spent and she's got a photographic memory then maybe not as much as i think but if she doesn't i bet you she had 50 hours of rehearsing those answers you know she's you know she's not going camera. So that's all she's had to do. Because when you don't answer the questions, you can memorize whatever lines you want.

Starting point is 00:20:53 I thought it was very interesting. And I have a quote here. But Harris said, you're not running against Joe Biden. You're running against me in terms of talking to Trump. And that was one of her responses to something that he said. And I thought that was really interesting because like we got the bait and switch with Kamala and Joe Biden. So it was interesting to hear her say that

Starting point is 00:21:15 considering like it does a little bit feel like, you know, we are running against Joe and Kamala how they were four years ago, three and a half years ago. And then for her to just completely like, it almost feels like she's disowned Biden completely now that she's the candidate. She's just like left him in the dust or the nursing home. They're trying to put distance definitely between the Biden administration. If she mentioned his name one time, I don't remember it, but you know. Yeah, she said that quote uh

Starting point is 00:21:45 the you like oh yeah mentioning like yeah like you're running against me not joe biden yeah but other than that no she didn't bring him up no yeah it's like he didn't exist for the last three and a half years well that's what i'm saying she's she's dissing herself for her own record she's had a three and a half year trial with this. So did you know, did you like Trump's policies or do you like the last three and a half years? So same because I mean, I think Trump's progressed on a few things, but there's a lot of similarities to what he did acted in when, you know, the economy was better. I think no one man or woman is going to change all of this alone. And that's sort of like the punchline here, which is back to, okay, no matter how the debate's going, what's the

Starting point is 00:22:33 economy doing? What are the things that the sitting and acting presidential entity, which includes Kamala Harris, what are those policies creating right now? A lot of inflation that's not improving. Even as of yesterday, literally, they thought the inflation was going to be better than it was, and it's not. And it's still lingering. I was going to say record high inflation.

Starting point is 00:23:06 And so I still think back. I watch these videos. You can see a lot of stuff. But like it was really impactful. Like it was it was probably a month ago. This African-American woman talking about not being able to afford the necessities that she always had. woman talking about not being able to afford the necessities that she always had and just being like the absurdity of how their community has voted and been swayed a certain way for the last 50 years and it's never improved their quality like rarely if ever and nothing more than today, it's done nothing for them.

Starting point is 00:23:49 And how, you know, I'm just sitting here about to cry, like thinking, you know, feeling for this woman. And she's like just talking about the realities of what the inflation has done and just devastating people. And that's just where it crystallizes for me. It's just like whatever we're doing is not working. And she could be in the one thing Trump did said, he's like, go back to Washington right now. You can change it. Go don't wait. You have, you have influence right now, but they're not. And she doesn't know how she doesn't know how to even act it, I don't think. It will all be puppeteered.

Starting point is 00:24:26 So that's what, it's becoming crystal clear that she will has the acumen to guide this country in those ways. Whether it's experience, whether it's knowledge, whether it's chutzpah, I don't know. But that's just what I see. And so then you're left going, well, kind of like now, who's running the country? And so then you're left going, well, kind of like now who's running the country? Who's running the country? And I just don't believe like somebody that can flip flop so significantly on major policies can be trusted to be enacted in office and then not flip flop once they're there. She would be the easiest candidate in history for any other candidate to destroy. She's done things and displayed things that would have gotten many a candidate before her completely railroaded in

Starting point is 00:25:37 the election. But because we have a man that is extremely polarizing and people hate more than they like the other side is the only reason I think this is even close. Yeah, I agree. What do you think, Chris? Totally agree. I don't think even the other side would probably argue with that. They know that she might be the right candidate against Trump because it doesn't take a whole lot of a candidate to beat a man that some people will just never be able to overlook

Starting point is 00:26:12 his personality versus his policies. Yeah, I agree. And I think like she's really going to target the demographic of women with some of the more polarizing topics, you know, and it's hard for Trump to walk the same line that Kamala is walking because, you know, his conservative demographic, you know, has a strong belief system against the things that she's, you know, suggesting that we re-implement in the country. Yeah. But I think, Chris, you nailed it. Ultimately, I don't think we swayed, you know, a lot of voters from one side to the other. I think I think we're being more, at least I feel like I am, as someone that, you know, where I'm voting. I'm not trying to paint this brush like that Trump had the greatest. I'm not going to play politics.

Starting point is 00:27:06 Like, I'm just going to tell you like what I think and what I believe, but I'm not going to play Trump's best debate, you know, like ever. That's just, come on. No, it wasn't. It was a great performance from Kamala. But I don't think it's, but it wasn't a performance that won over Trump voters. It would be real interesting if how many 50-50 people truly got off the line and went her directs.

Starting point is 00:27:38 I don't know the answer. That's the most important stat. But I just don't know how that – if you're going to be and fight the line, and I've got friends like this, they're intelligent people and they fight the line of how can you be so dumb to support Trump? They play the, he's a terrible human being card and all that stuff. And it's all about his person. And some of which they aren't necessarily wrong. It's an opinion. But if they're so smart and so observant on that, why can't we be observant and obvious to the performative lack of substance on the other side that isn't solving real issues. The only issue being solved at hand

Starting point is 00:28:28 is the winning of the game, but not the winning of the war. We want to win the war, baby. And when I say war, I'm talking about progress, great economy, the American way, all those things that matter. We don't need to win games. We need to win reality. And there's so many things about being American that are worth fighting for. So I just hope that, you know, those listening and everybody that watched the debate, you know, looks at both sides, you know, with a, not a telescope, but a magnifying glass and, you know, goes to Twitter and other fact-checking sites to be able to understand what was said, if it was true, if it

Starting point is 00:29:17 was exacerbated, if it, you know, it's going to have an impact on their vote. Yeah. We will see more to come. It'll be interesting if there's a second debate. I don't think, I don't know if I'm going to watch it. I just, it just kind of exhausted me. I think we should put you guys in a debate. Ryan Alford and Chris Hanson.

Starting point is 00:29:39 Oh, I don't think Chris and I are too much alike and agree with the same thing. We need, we, we, we, we, we,

Starting point is 00:29:44 we, we, we, we, we, we, we, we,

Starting point is 00:29:44 we, we, we, we, we, we, we, we, we, we, we, we, we, we, we, we, we, we, and agree with the same thing we need we we could like tag team against another two people or something but oh man what else we got well we've got spacex launching um they launched on monday of this week um i'm sorry tuesday of this week at 5 23 a.m in florida i was hoping chris would have it, but that's pretty early for him. It looks like they launched four private astronauts on the Polaris Dawn mission

Starting point is 00:30:13 using a modified Crew Dragon capsule in the first ever private spacewalk testing out the new SpaceX spacesuits. That mission launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. How much do you have to pay for that? Is it a paid mission? A lot. You remember Jeff Bezos' rocket that looked like a big penis? It's like they went up just past the atmosphere.

Starting point is 00:30:44 I remember, uh, some of the memes I think we did with that whole campaign. I think it actually, they had me like inside it, uh, inside the rocket, like with space hat on or something.

Starting point is 00:30:56 Anyway, uh, if I was a billionaire, uh, what I want to go walk on the, you know, like spacewalking? Yeah.

Starting point is 00:31:06 I don't know. I would not do it. It's just like risk reward. You know, it would be novel. But I could go do the whole spacewalk thing. You know, like, you know, when you're going to you go to the NASA center or whatever, you can they remove gravity or whatever. I'm good in that that little hyperbolic chamber or whatever the fuck that is. You know, like I'm good there.

Starting point is 00:31:31 You know, I just face walk a little bit. But I don't think I've got to go get on a rocket with like, you know, more freaking nuclear bombs on board or whatever you want to call it. Rocket fuel that it takes to get there. Oh, yeah. Yeah. on board or whatever you want to call it rocket fuel that it takes to get there oh yeah yeah i think that i'm scarred watching when they put us as children when i was in the third grade watching the challenger on the television screen rolled into this classroom and it blows up 20 seconds and they're like the teacher that was i was like all the kids in the room are going

Starting point is 00:32:01 what just happened i'm like i think that thing just blew up. And I'm not making fun of it. I mean, it just was traumatic as a child. It's like, I don't want to get on that space rocket. This mission, it did suffer from delays. Delays related to a helium leak and some U.S. regulatory concerns over a failed booster recovery during an unrelated mission. So I would be a little tentative to go on this spacewalk.S. regulatory concerns over a failed booster recovery during an unrelated mission. So I would be a little tentative to go on this spacewalk. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:32:29 There was a scientific focus. The crew on this mission were serving as test subjects for experiments that will provide data on how space conditions affect the human body. Expanding on research conducted aboard the International Space Station. Quite interesting. Chris, do you want to go to space, brother? I'm just thinking I got a lot of things on my bucket list. A lot of vacations I'd rather go on before I'm going to space, you know. There's some beaches I'd like to see maybe first. I mean, I've done skydiving and stuff like that. So part of me was like, yeah wouldn't do it but it would have

Starting point is 00:33:06 to be very special circumstances it's definitely not i'm not itching to go do that it's freaky mine is like thinking back to that matt damon movie where he gets stuck in mall mars but that matt damon that was a great movie. Yeah. Really good movie. I just don't think it turns out that well for me. You're a pretty big guy to be in a space suit. I'm like, you know, trying to, you know, use your own shit to grow like potatoes and all that other stuff. Like, I mean, I love that movie.

Starting point is 00:33:41 Like I was like one of my favorite movies, like Spaceman, Walkman, whatever the hell that thing was. But Marsman, great, that movie. Like I was like one of my favorite movies, like Space Man, Walkman, whatever the hell that thing was. But Mars Man, great, great movie. Love Matt Damon. Theatrical, talking about performances, that is it. And, but I don't want to get on that. I just don't need any nuclear. Like, what was it?

Starting point is 00:34:02 Called The Martian. Yeah, The Martian. Yeah. I'd be the marshmallow. That's what I'd be. It just wouldn't go well. I just don't like to, like, I'll press my luck. I take risk, but I'm just not going there. Not yet.

Starting point is 00:34:21 I've got other things I could do. Like, Chris, I'd rather be, let's go to Bali. You know, let's go get on an island somewhere and, you know, try some mushrooms or something. I don't know. Do some scuba diving. Let's do the opposite. Let's go underwater.

Starting point is 00:34:36 Yeah. Do some snorkeling. Yeah, snorkeling, yes. But we're not going to one of those submarines either. Trying to go 5,000 feet up. Nope, nope, nope. That's got trauma written all over it too. But, hey, the business of going to space is going to be a big business.

Starting point is 00:34:54 I think it will. I think it's so novel that people are going to really, you know, be impacted by it. There was a pretty notable quote here from the SpaceX launch director. This is Frank Messina. As you gaze towards the North Star, remember that your courage lights up the map for future explorers. We trust your skills, your bravery, and your teamwork to carry out the mission ahead. I mean, that just hits. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. What else we got? Apple unveiling a new iPhone.

Starting point is 00:35:31 iPhone 16. Man, this was disappointing. I have the iPhone 13 Pro. I've been holding out. I used to get, I was that guy. Every year. I also marketed cell phones, so I mostly got them for free back in the day. But even when I started having to pay for that shit, like I was that guy.

Starting point is 00:35:51 Give me that new phone. Those features are better. Can't wait. That guy, they love me. They was like the customer, you know, new, new, whatever I'm in. Changes have slowed down so much. You know, it's only software changes changes which don't get you that excited. And I didn't watch the video or the whole announcement. But what I've read, half the features aren't even going to be available at launch.

Starting point is 00:36:16 I'm just kind of like, I don't even know if I'm going to upgrade my 13. And the battery's starting to kind of suck wind on that thing. But I want an excuse. Give me an excuse to get a phone. I'm here. Take my money. But I don't know. Yep.

Starting point is 00:36:36 Yep. Pre-orders start next Friday, September 20th. It seems to me that really the new things are they're trying to interface AI into the iPhone. So it sounds like they'll be using an A18 chip with some writing tools, including text refining, proofreading, and summarizing capabilities across apps using artificial intelligence in Apple products. Apple issues. Is that what the AI stands for? I don't know. Apple intelligence, whatever the hell they want to call it. I did not get excited about this at all. And look, I've been no one's been clamoring for Siri to get smarter than me. Yeah. She's the dumbest person I know. And I mean, I like literally and I even change it to old Mike and he's still not even smarter.

Starting point is 00:37:32 You know, it don't matter. You know, he's he's dumber than she is. Like, go figure. Kind of like me and my wife. I am way dumber. You know, I can own it. You know, my wife's the brain of the of the outfit. But they needed that. You can't even tell her like text somebody tomorrow, text Sawyer tomorrow at 3 PM to remind him or to remind me to put my headphones, whatever it is. It can't, it's like, what? This, this is the dumbest smart assistant ever. I was thinking about that yesterday. I wanted to send a text, but we are now three hours ahead of people back home because we live in South Carolina now and we're from the West Coast. And I was it was 830 in the morning here. I was like, I can't be texting people right now. Scheduling text messages,

Starting point is 00:38:17 the most frustrating thing to not be able to do on. Yeah. Like, I don't know why I find a use case for that. But and then it's just some of the things that you ask him, her, whatever your voice is to do or like, you know, it, whatever pronouns. I don't want to offend Siri, you know, anyone out there, whatever those pronouns are, any of them. I just didn't get excited. Sawyer, you're more of a techie. Was there a feature that got you excited that you saw? Have you seen the little camera button demo? Yeah.

Starting point is 00:38:53 The little button for the camera on the side of the phone. It's a small upgrade. It's a dollar. Camera button upgrade. We are really stretching for upgrades. So instead of hitting the volume button to take a picture, they put another button. I will admit, that's annoying. Because I'm always like, give me a single button.

Starting point is 00:39:12 Okay, I'll be happy with that, but it's not innovation. It's convenience, maybe. Here's what I don't understand. And hopefully the AI thing solves this. But if Chad GPT can write in my tone of voice based on my social media and the way that I have put myself out there, why can my iPhone not write in my own tone of voice and like know what I'm going to say? We'll get there. You know, deep thoughts from Brianna Hall. From Breonna Hall.

Starting point is 00:39:43 I don't know. The innovation has crawled to a slow. I'm sure that I'll get behind some of this Apple intelligence stuff. They do software really well. I'm an Apple guy. I love you, Apple. You got my new little, I got that 15-inch Apple Air. I love you. I won't Tim Cook like throwing any hate at me. We love you. I want Tim Cook, like, throwing any hate at me.

Starting point is 00:40:07 We love you. I buy all your products. I got my iPad up here. I got all of it. But, damn, let's get some innovation going on these features. Like, I need something. Like, I did see, like, one of those really thin. You know how the folding phones, like, this is how desperate I've been for technology.

Starting point is 00:40:22 I bought a second phone, like, last year that's the Z Fold because it makes the big screen when you fold it out. Well, they're starting to make really thin versions of that double screen. I was like, at least that's some innovation. You know, like, folding up and it gets smaller in your pocket. Then you can, yeah. I'm easy to please here. Give me a reason.

Starting point is 00:40:40 What was that little tiny phone that they had in, like, 2008? It was, like, this big. Do you remember? It was like a Motorola something. Oh, yeah. The Razr? No, it wasn't the Razr. It was before the Razr.

Starting point is 00:40:51 SmartTac or something like that. They had marketed all those. The Juke. The chocolate. LG chocolate. Yes. All these. Those were way cooler than what we have now.

Starting point is 00:41:01 Yeah, because we named them. Like you gave them a personality and they had features that were different than the year before. Now it's just the same shit. I had the Rocker. Yeah. Amazing. Take me back. I had a Blackberry forever.

Starting point is 00:41:14 It said, Tim Cook, first I found design from the ground up with Apple intelligence and its breakthrough capabilities. Just do a software upgrade then. Why do we have to do a hardware? Just do a software upgrade then. Why do we have to do a hardware? Just do a software upgrade, right? No, got to have the A49 chip, you know? It's better than the A47 one by 7%. Anyway, I digress.

Starting point is 00:41:40 All right, NFL set in records with an average 21 million viewers per game in week one. You guys catch those 49ers? I watched every game, every football game that was on television from last Thursday to this Thursday. So I contributed to these numbers, maybe even double sometimes. So I contributed to these numbers, maybe even double sometimes replaying. I had every screen on in my house watching this. I could not absorb enough football.

Starting point is 00:42:15 So 12 percent increase from 2023. It's all Taylor Swift effect. You know, that's that nine percent female audience. She swung over and they didn't leave because once you're in football, you don't leave football. It's true. It's look a lot of money a lot of viewership and i think the fatigue of all the stuff that we actually started this whole episode talking about like okay just give me some games to watch baby give me some competitive people on the field you know like they'll talk to me about politics talk to me about any of this just let me watch grown men smash each other and score some touchdowns. My kids, look, I have four boys.

Starting point is 00:42:56 There's no greater joy than the fact that all four of my boys and I are into football and we're on the couch. that all four of my boys and I are into football and we're on the couch. And, you know, I get credit for hanging out with the kids because all the boys are into football. And so I got a win, win, win, win, win. Wife's happy because the kids are happy. And we're watching football, talking football. I mean, I'm telling you, nobody's got it better than us, baby. There you go.

Starting point is 00:43:23 You got it made. I was nailing baseboards into my new house during the game, trying to do both, trying not to hit my husband with the nail gun. Yeah. My kids are, like, teaching me that stuff now. Like, players, they know. They got, like, fantasy teams. A 12-year-old's like, yeah, Dad, I really need Justin Ayuk

Starting point is 00:43:43 to get three touchdowns tonight. I don't think it's going to happen. What? I'm tonight. I don't think it's going to happen. What? I'm like, I don't think he's going to get three, son. He only had three, you know, all of us. We can get more than that. But, like, yeah, it's fun. It's a good time.

Starting point is 00:43:56 I need it. I'm here for this. All right, guys. Companies, tracking workers, in- in office crackdowns coming soon. This was PricewaterhouseCoopers enforcing a strict return to work policy in the UK. So not happening in the US now, but it looks like employees are going to be required to go back to work. like employees are going to be required to go back to work. We are almost five years post the first introduction of COVID into our lives. And it's taken this long to kind of see some things go back to normal.

Starting point is 00:44:36 And as certain companies are trying to move their workers back into an in-office setting, they are implementing things like tracking their location to ensure that they're in the right spot. What do you guys think? Look, I run a business. I want people to be productive. If they're not, we don't survive. But I just, I can't be convinced that this is the way you have to do it.

Starting point is 00:45:06 If it is, then I think I'll just quit. And you got the wrong people. Yeah, you got the wrong people. And I just need to, I'll just pack it in and I don't know, go,

Starting point is 00:45:15 go to some ayahuasca hut or something. Like, I don't know. Like, I just. Babysitting. The fuck. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:45:25 Yeah. It feels kind of gross. It's like, yo, this is what you got to do. If you? Yeah. Yeah, it feels kind of gross. It's like, yo, this is what you got to do. If you don't want to do it, you're fired. How about that? Yeah. You need to have measures. Tracking is crazy. Tracking their GPS.

Starting point is 00:45:36 And the fact that even people agree to this on some level. Totally crazy. You're right. This just doesn't feel like a good idea. Sitting in these corporations and like HR, things get kicking around and like Steve, who's like the analyst guy going, I got an idea. Let's put GPS trackers on all those employees. We'll get them in. Hey, that's a great idea. Great idea. Let's pick a vote on that. Okay. Then you enact it and you go, wait a second. This is the dumbest thing I've ever seen.

Starting point is 00:46:07 I don't know. To the UK, I don't know enough about, I don't know, the UK workforce. But even if it doesn't really matter, it's still just, no, sorry. If we get to this point, we got to redo it all. We got to rethink it all. That's my opinion. I give you 40 hours of my life a week. That doesn't give you the right to track me the rest of my life.

Starting point is 00:46:35 No. And it's like even in the 40 hours, I'm trying to play the empathetic business owner. I'm trying to play the other the empathetic business owner that like, why that, you know, like I'm trying to play the other side cause I am a business owner and I, I can't even really wrap my head around the, uh, what,

Starting point is 00:46:53 why that would feel the right way to go about tackling this problem. I don't think it would feel good for anybody. I don't think the employees are going to like it. No, no, no, no way. They're're gonna like that dude they're gonna have to hire somebody just to watch their little blips on a map yeah wrong in accounting is i have

Starting point is 00:47:14 a problem with them implementing return to work there's just certain jobs that people got to be in the office you know like you got to be there like you need the the synergy you've got to get together like i have no problem if you want to change that policy back to hey you got to be there. Like you need the synergy. You've got to get together. Like I have no problem if you want to change that policy back to, Hey, you got to be there. But how are you in like, come on, give me a break. Very good. I think that's all we've got this week. Well, all but one thing, look, they may be last on the show order, but they're never last in my heart. That is Brandon Bills. BrandonBills.com, the official merchandise sponsor of Right About Now and Ryan Alford.

Starting point is 00:47:53 Go to BrandonBills.com, click that custom button. Let me tell you, you'll get the custom merch that you always wanted. How many times, look, if you're a business, you know you're shaking your head. You go to order it, the t-shirt, the hat, you think it looks so good in that picture. You're like, that thing is going to be sharp. And it shows up in the mail and you got 400 of them. And you're like, damn, that logo is more faded than I thought it was going to be. It's a little off center. No, no, no, no, no, no. Brand of Bills, premium custom merch designed professionally. The way you want it to look, the way you want it to feel,

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Starting point is 00:48:47 of Right About Now alright guys that's all for today we appreciate everyone Chris any final words my friend everyone have a great weekend

Starting point is 00:48:59 stay safe stay safe out there Friday the 13th we appreciate you you can always find us at RyanIsRight.com all the highlight clips, full episodes from today and links to the social media we appreciate you for making us

Starting point is 00:49:18 number one, we'll see you next time on Right About Now this has been Right About Now with Ryan Alford a Radcast Network production visit RyanIsRight.com on Right About Now. This has been Right About Now with Ryan Alford, a Radcast Network production. Visit ryanisright.com for full audio and video versions of the show or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities. Thanks for listening.

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