The SATs in Rad

 

Ask anyone on the street what "Rad" is about and you're likely to be hear someone drone on about BMX bike racing and how Bart Taylor is "the man." But, at its core, "Rad" is essentially about the SATs - and specifically about scheduling the SATs.

Early in the movie, when Cru brings a consent form for his mother to sign. She looks at the form (which doesn't have a date on it, more on that later) and says "Isn't that the day you're supposed to make up your SATs?"

Did you ever notice that she says "make up." Doesn't this mean that he already missed them once? Later on in the movie, he's told that the conflict between Hell Track and the SATs could be resolved by simply taking the SATs at a later date and it seems like this is revelatory for him. But if he's rescheduled once, shouldn't it be obvious that he can reschedule again? 

So this is the second time he's putting them off. He's missing the SATs that he already missed.

And why didn't he take them the first time? What, the local yokel was too busy with his paper route? Pfff.

Popcorn in Bed - Star Trek TNG Season 5 Part 2

 

"Cause and Effect" and "Inner Light" - two of the greats.

Guy Buys an American Chopper Bike

 A dude bought a decades old OCC bike, one made on the show "American Choppers." It's extremely overpowered and has rarely been run. This is a series where he tries to fix it up into working order.

As a weirdo "American Chopper" fan, I like that the form and content of this video echoes that show, very nostalgic.

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For the video below, skip to 22:23.

And apparently this is an ongoing saga for which we have to wait for new videos.

3 miles per tank? Holy cow.

For the sake of accurate information, I tried to lookup this episode and watch the bike being built. As far as I can tell, this is from "Senior vs. Junior" Season 1 Episode 6. But looking for that episode, and other episodes, it looks like there is no place to watch "American Chopper" - pay streaming sites as well as free, it's nowhere. I'll grant that I may be the only person looking this up in 2024 but I'm very surprised and don't know how to explain that.

Not necessarily this guy but there are too many drama queens on the internet flipping out that OCC bikes are unreliable. Of course the themed bikes were commercials. Of course they were meant to be looked at rather than driven. Come on.

The Government's Cheese Tunnels

 

I've heard of many aspects of this "conspiracy" for years but never got the whole story. It's not really a conspiracy at all (by the informal definition) since it's all done in plain sight.

I don't appreciate this guy's whole "slacker attitude," but the information is what counts.

Happy Hell Track Day

 Earlier this year, we were told that Rad Day was March 21st, the day "Rad" was originally released. But today is Hell Track Day.

Near the beginning of the movie Cru sees the following sign on a picket fence: 

"7-11 (and) Chief Auto Parts 

Presents Hell Track

Coming to Cochrane." 

It looks like this (through cheap VHS):

But that differs from the original script which stated:

"7-11 & Chief Auto Parts

Presents

HELL TRACK!

Coming to Cochran, June 26th"

That's today.

Not only is there no date in the movie, it's pretty clear to me that it takes place in Fall - school is in session, the leaves are changing. On the other hand, SATs are given in the Spring. 

Not one to make unsubstantiated claims, I would link to the original script here but the uploaded script  has been completely scrubbed from the internet (as far as I can tell) and the only remaining information about it to determine what it said is my own blog...

Rad - Top Ten Script Anomalies (10-6)

Rad - Top Ten Script Anomalies (5-1)

So I remember the June 26th date and you'll just have to trust me.

Happy Hell Track Day. Today's the day where we ride bikes(?) or do back flips or eat Kix? Maybe we should make one or two dramatic exits. I haven't worked out all the details. Let's start building the mythology next year.

Youtube Genre: Driving Videos

 

Above is "Orlando Florida Early Morning Interstate 4 Commute."

This is immediately a new and distinct youtube genre. No events, no dialogue, no editing, just driving on a road - and different stretches of road and different times call for different videos. It technically can include dashcam videos but let's face it, "dashcam videos" is already a separate genre.

I can confirm that the genre spans multiple channels and multiple videos though it's only an up-and-coming genre and difficult to search. Most of the ones I can find are Florida for some reason.

While this isn't my thing, I have heard it said that people with ADHD often enjoy driving because it calms them or slows them down. If nothing else, that's a benefit.

And, again, not my thing, but I clicked on this because the time attracted me. I really like city lights against a night sky. The sunrise isn't bad either.