There are many reasons that I’m ashamed that I was once a Boy Scout, but this LA Times story about the new “Respect Copyrights” merit badge is even more embarrasing than still wearing your scout uniform to school in Jr. High.

After seeing the story the other day via the great Things Magazine and following their link to other merit badges, I started combing over all the merit badges I didn’t earn as a Boy Scout. Or rather, I focused in on the one merit badge I should have really been interested in earning but somehow totally passed me by—Radio. Granted many of its requirements are of another era, things I really don’t need to know to produce stories and interviews for the radio. But still, I wish I could tell you how radio waves travel through the air or that I could “draw a chart of the electromagnetic spectrum covering 100 kilohertz (kHz) to 1000 megahertz (MHz).” Since I’m interested more in making content that transmitting it, understanding the wizadry behind how radio actually works would be, I’ll go ahead and say it, totally nerdy. But I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m going to study up. Now I just gotta figure out where to put the patch.

And alas, I’m very sad to be missing out on the Third Coast International Audio Festival this year. Be sad with me and follow along with the fun at their conference blog.