Randy Cassingham's Blog

Why did I upgrade?

Because, This is True... is true!!!

Here in Australia, a lot of strange things happen, but not some of the things I saw in other trivia and news sites I was subscribed to. I realised that at least what I was reading had been taken from reliable sources and confirmed, unlike some of the others.

I have as a consequence become much more informed and will now ask owners of sites to supply me with a primary source. (Wikipedia is not a primary source btw). If they can't, I unsubscribe. Guess how many I am still subscribed to?

As an aside, one of the only times I questioned one of your comments, you provided me with a very reasonable answer.

The truth, the ability to report on stupidity from no matter what corner of the world, your accuracy and your ability to answer questions is what made me upgrade. These very same things make me stay.

Really good point. Try reading a book about sex compared with actually experiencing it. Not that True Premium is as good as sex, but the principle is the same. (Now how's THAT for buttering up the author...?)

---

Um, I would have preferred a woman wrote such a comment, I guess! -rc

Years ago I was a premium subscriber - my husband and I shared the subscription. We have since moved to Australia but I continue with the free subscription because I cannot afford the premium edition. I love This is True. And HeroicStories and The Stella Awards, I get them all. It's like having sight. You can describe all you like, but to someone who has never seen the blue sky of midsummer, or the angry grey clouds of a winter storm... they cannot understand without experiencing it for themselves. And I know you hear this all the time, but thank you for the service you provide. You give me a laugh - generally right when I desperately need one.

---

Sorry you can no longer afford it, but how exciting that you were able to go on such an adventure to Australia! It's high on my list of places to visit before I die. -rc

I believe that what Dan said is often true, especially if the named experience is "quick" and not-too-difficult to achieve.

I was able to tour a teensy bit of Mexico with a local for only 4 days (reluctantly, feeling that I should take *weeks* to make the trip worthwhile) but came back overwhelmed with the "AH HA" insights I gathered into the custom and culture and the "why" of things being as they are there AND here...despite my 40+ years of getting explanations from reading/TV/movies/pals. So my new idea is "just go...even 24 hours on the ground is FAR better than secondary info".

On the other hand, explaining the benefit of obtaining a graduate degree is both much more practical than undergoing the process AND the time/variables of your grad experience will likely dilute the difference between the explanation and the experience. Similarly, we marathoners do say you have to cross the line to "get" the reason why...but know that few would attempt the arduous process on that promise alone.

I found Dan's comments most interesting. As a retired science teacher (now doing professional development for other science educators), his analysis fits in with current findings of cognitive scientists. In order to understand the world around us, one must DO things, not just read about them or have them explained. The implications for educators are numerous. And, as a premium subscriber, I have to agree that True is high on my priorities for subscription.

As a relatively new Premium subscriber, I too struggled with explaining what made the Premium edition such a value. I have to say that Dan NAILED it. And like Dan, I too have decided to continue for life. You brought a laugh to me though (along with a dose a reality) when you replied, "his or mine, I guess: whichever comes first!". So I must two questions:
1) Are you in good health ?
2) How old did you say you were ?

Thanks for the laughs.

1) Yes. 2) I didn't. -rc

Dan from North Carolina is right. Understanding is the booby prize of life. Experience life. Experience This Is True Premium Edition. I'm glad I do.

Reading these "Just do it" posts remind me of what E.B. White said: "Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it." I guess the value is so obvious to those of us who are Premium Edition subscribers that we don't analyze it any further.

I hope that Randy is making a regular (yearly?) practice of sending out a free Premium Edition sample to the free list.

---

Probably slightly more often than yearly, yes. But it really does take a few in a row, I think, for it to really sink in. -rc

My premium edition expired on Christmas Eve. With all of the holiday hustle and bustle I forgot to renew before it expired. I missed one premium edition and realized how much I look forward to reading it each week even though I get the free edition at work. Like Dan I plan on being a subscriber for life. True is now and will remain at the top of my subscription list.

Why the premium edition? That's easy. After reading the free edition for several months I was hooked. I knew there was a chance if I didn't pay you'd have to stop publishing, so I pay and receive great value.