Topic: Doodling

"The Battle Hymn of the Republic" was proposed as a strong contender for a new national anthem due to its militaristic sound and public domain status. Other songs like "God Bless America" are ruled out because their estates strictly enforce copyrights, making them too expensive for public use. The discussion concluded with a call for listener suggestions for a song that captures the "American spirit" without the vocal difficulties of the current anthem.

The hosts criticize the general public and media for confusing Memorial Day with Veterans Day. They argue that the holiday should focus exclusively on honoring those who died in military service, rather than living veterans, and criticize the Google Doodle and news anchors for missing this distinction.

The activist group Spark released a report criticizing Google Doodles for under-representing women and non-white historical figures. The group's petition demands more diversity in the illustrations, suggesting figures like Josephine Baker and Kalpana Chawla for future tributes.

The hosts discuss the historical meaning of the word "macaroni" in the song Yankee Doodle, noting it was 18th-century slang for something ultra-fashionable or "cool." This leads to a discussion about the recurring Velveeta "Ham Radio Guy" commercial and Adam Curry's recent voiceover audition for a National Geographic reality show titled "Sheer Madness" about sheep farming.

John C. Dvorak complains about the poor quality of promotional pens collected from trade shows, noting that most fail to write shortly after acquisition. Adam Curry admits he rarely uses writing utensils anymore, relying instead on digital outliners and memory. The discussion highlights a generational shift away from doodling and manual note-taking, with handwriting now largely reserved for household grocery lists.