1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:31,159 Speaker 1: back to the show Ridiculous Historians. As always, thank you 3 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:35,640 Speaker 1: so much for tuning in. This is part two of 4 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:40,720 Speaker 1: our Weird Predictions of Yesteryear episode. I'm Ben, and you 5 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:43,360 Speaker 1: know what, I already need to correct myself. No, well, 6 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:46,800 Speaker 1: I don't think all of those predictions were all that weird. 7 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:48,639 Speaker 1: Some of them were pretty accurate. What do you say, 8 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 1: Some of them were pretty accurate, Bend. Some of them 9 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:54,560 Speaker 1: were pretty you know, cogent in terms of like within 10 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: the realm of possibility. Um, we kind of reserved some 11 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:02,280 Speaker 1: of the more bizarro ones for this episode. I would 12 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:06,320 Speaker 1: say Episode one was mainly concerned with farming and sustenance 13 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: and food trends and and maybe you know again, a 14 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:11,800 Speaker 1: lot of these people that are making these predictions, they're 15 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:16,200 Speaker 1: big brainiact types, and so they like to speak with authority. 16 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:22,200 Speaker 1: There's nothing less attractive than like hedging on a future prediction, 17 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:24,760 Speaker 1: because you have to say it with utter authority, or 18 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:27,200 Speaker 1: else you might as well just not say it at all. Um. 19 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 1: So I would say everything that was in episode one, 20 00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:31,920 Speaker 1: even if it hasn't come to pass, like the underwater 21 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:34,759 Speaker 1: helped Fields you know, I could see that a world 22 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:37,319 Speaker 1: where maybe there's something like that are certainly there are 23 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 1: like tanks, you know that, uh, where you grow like 24 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:43,880 Speaker 1: hydroponically and things like that. So there's versions of a 25 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:46,840 Speaker 1: lot of those things. Today we're getting into like weird 26 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 1: wild stuff is Johnny Carson would say, and we're gonna 27 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 1: start in the underwater realm um. And but but mainly 28 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 1: focusing on transportation. We're gonna stick stick with underwater for 29 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:02,240 Speaker 1: a while. Uh. First off, in the twenty one century, 30 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:06,520 Speaker 1: it was predicted by the French artists Jean Marc coute 31 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:14,079 Speaker 1: quote case cote ah Casey on the case French artist, 32 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:17,120 Speaker 1: I would argue surrealist artists. Based on what you're about 33 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 1: to hear, Jean Marc cote H and many of his 34 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: contemporaries um in the art world produced over a hundred 35 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 1: of these illustrations of what the year two thousand. In 36 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:33,440 Speaker 1: the year two thousand, apparently we will ride on giant 37 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:40,680 Speaker 1: sea horses. Yeah and uh yeah, I love the idea. 38 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:44,919 Speaker 1: I love arts, I love futurism. Giant sea horses would 39 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 1: have to be genetically created. They don't exist at this time. Uh. 40 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:54,800 Speaker 1: By the way, that's superproducer Casey Pagram, who was our 41 00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:57,919 Speaker 1: Casey on the case there. Uh, they didn't stop there. 42 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:00,200 Speaker 1: They had something that might even be a little little 43 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:02,960 Speaker 1: bit a little bit more plausible, which is the idea 44 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:07,600 Speaker 1: of a whale pulling an entire kind of underwater bus 45 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:12,760 Speaker 1: of people through the sea. And whales do exist. Whales 46 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:18,639 Speaker 1: are quite intelligent, so maybe we could convince some whales 47 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:22,320 Speaker 1: to help people. Uh. There there's another shot where there's 48 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 1: like a fish race picture a horse race, but instead 49 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:30,480 Speaker 1: of horses, the jockeys are these scuba divers on these 50 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 1: enormous fish. Uh. There are enormous fish, we just don't 51 00:03:34,639 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 1: know of any that are super down with being ridden 52 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:41,000 Speaker 1: like race animals. There's also a super weird one. It's 53 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:44,200 Speaker 1: almost like reverse fishing, where there are these like underwater 54 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:49,640 Speaker 1: like helmet frogman type figures, uh, fishing for seagulls. Uh. 55 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:53,480 Speaker 1: They are underwater already and they have like presumably fish 56 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 1: bait or some sort of seagull bait. I guess in 57 00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: this scenario on strings that they're bobbing up to the 58 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:01,400 Speaker 1: top of the water. Then when the seagulls dive in 59 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:04,600 Speaker 1: to get it, they like jerk the seagulls underwater. What 60 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:07,200 Speaker 1: would you want with a seagull? It's bad luck to 61 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 1: kill a seabird. Everybody knows that, who's seen the lighthouse. 62 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:15,160 Speaker 1: But also they're notoriously gamy and stringy and gross to eat. Yeah, 63 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:18,559 Speaker 1: it's more of like a flex or revenge thing, I think, 64 00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 1: because seagulls are some of the most cantankerous of birds 65 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:24,760 Speaker 1: up there with the shoe bill. Uh, they're some of 66 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:27,760 Speaker 1: the only birds I don't particularly care for. Well, you 67 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 1: know my position, But Ben, you are a friend of 68 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:32,360 Speaker 1: of of birds in general, and you're right. I think 69 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:34,880 Speaker 1: I've mentioned that the seagull might actually be the origin 70 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:37,359 Speaker 1: of my fear of birds as a small child. I 71 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:39,359 Speaker 1: believe I was dive bond by them. But then you 72 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:41,640 Speaker 1: get into some more like kind of some of these 73 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:44,120 Speaker 1: I think are like they're really styling. I do want 74 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:46,640 Speaker 1: to point out these all come from Uh what I 75 00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:48,839 Speaker 1: was gonna say is these all come from the public 76 00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:52,960 Speaker 1: domain review. I think this is an excellent resource. If 77 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:56,040 Speaker 1: you're on Twitter or something like that, follow them. They 78 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:58,840 Speaker 1: have the greatest stories all the time. But now you're 79 00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:02,040 Speaker 1: going to describe some of these arcs pieces here absolutely 80 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:04,760 Speaker 1: and you can find this specifically at public domain review 81 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:09,600 Speaker 1: dot org. Slash collections slash all separated by dashes. A 82 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:13,760 Speaker 1: nineteenth century vision of the year two thousand and numbers 83 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:16,120 Speaker 1: separated by dashes. When you start doing show notes for 84 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:19,720 Speaker 1: the show, maybe we can um talk about that new year, 85 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:22,680 Speaker 1: new year, new new way of doing things. But um, 86 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:25,520 Speaker 1: some of these I think are kind of styling where 87 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:28,240 Speaker 1: they're like, I don't know that these artists necessarily believe 88 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:30,520 Speaker 1: that in the future would be riding on giant sea 89 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:33,280 Speaker 1: horses underwater. Um. I think it might have been just 90 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:35,880 Speaker 1: kind of like artistic license for like, oh, what would 91 00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:37,560 Speaker 1: be the craziest thing that could happen in the year 92 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:39,720 Speaker 1: two thousands. Some of them are more functional, though. You've 93 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:42,000 Speaker 1: got one where it's like a gentleman running an entire 94 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:44,760 Speaker 1: farm remotely from like what looks sort of like a 95 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:48,760 Speaker 1: railway switching panel or like an old school elevator, where 96 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:51,280 Speaker 1: he's got like a kind of like lever, and then 97 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:54,839 Speaker 1: like a series of buttons on this panel all connected 98 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:58,200 Speaker 1: to these like power line looking things that are connected 99 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:01,279 Speaker 1: to threshers that are are running on these lines that 100 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:03,120 Speaker 1: are using them to like guide their path to like 101 00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:06,719 Speaker 1: cut the wheat there are like wheats kind of bales, 102 00:06:06,920 --> 00:06:09,520 Speaker 1: or maybe it's honeycomb or something. But the idea is 103 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:12,600 Speaker 1: I think that these lines are remotely running all these threshers, 104 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:15,320 Speaker 1: and that one man can do all this work himself. 105 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:18,480 Speaker 1: Uh and he got then he got ben. I think 106 00:06:18,520 --> 00:06:22,400 Speaker 1: something that's the most prevalent here is lots of depictions 107 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:26,000 Speaker 1: of flying machines. Yes, I do want to I do 108 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:28,000 Speaker 1: want to pause though before we go on there. There's 109 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:30,880 Speaker 1: one that really stood out to me. It's a classroom scene. 110 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:33,680 Speaker 1: You can see it here on the side. I know 111 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:36,120 Speaker 1: you can see it in tune Old, where there's someone 112 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:39,600 Speaker 1: who looks like an older schoolmaster who's feeding books into 113 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:43,480 Speaker 1: what looks to be a crank operated shredder, and then 114 00:06:43,520 --> 00:06:47,880 Speaker 1: these electric these electric wires lead to these headphones and 115 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:50,560 Speaker 1: spool caps and their students just sitting there with their 116 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:56,640 Speaker 1: hands folded on their desk. That technology, symbolically, I would argue, 117 00:06:56,720 --> 00:06:59,120 Speaker 1: is already around in the form of audio books and 118 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:02,680 Speaker 1: dare we say it, podcast So I I feel like 119 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:06,159 Speaker 1: that one's accurate. But through the lens of arts, what 120 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 1: happens to the books though bad? It will do you 121 00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:10,560 Speaker 1: lose the books? It looks like the books would be 122 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:13,360 Speaker 1: like shredded into pulp and then converted into some kind 123 00:07:13,400 --> 00:07:16,800 Speaker 1: of electronic signal that can then shoot through these wires. 124 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:20,040 Speaker 1: It's a very interesting image with this one poor little 125 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:23,200 Speaker 1: boy cranking the crank while the schoolmaster just shoves the 126 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:26,240 Speaker 1: books into this uh kind of like feeder. He's a 127 00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:31,080 Speaker 1: human turnspit dog exactly. So. Yes, so this art is 128 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:33,400 Speaker 1: well worth your time if you're a fan of this 129 00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:37,000 Speaker 1: kind of fanciful view of the future stuff. But you're 130 00:07:37,120 --> 00:07:41,800 Speaker 1: right now. People are fascinated with air travel at this time. 131 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:45,680 Speaker 1: We have to remember that the first flight of the 132 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:51,080 Speaker 1: Right Brothers took place December seventeenth, nineteen o three. And 133 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:54,160 Speaker 1: during this time and leading up to this, people were 134 00:07:54,240 --> 00:08:00,520 Speaker 1: obsessed with the idea that we would one day take 135 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:04,680 Speaker 1: to the air. I think it was nineteen thirteen the 136 00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:10,120 Speaker 1: first commercial flight occurs from Florida to Tampa. It carries 137 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:13,320 Speaker 1: one person. It was like the level of uh. It 138 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:16,400 Speaker 1: was the level of flex that you would associate with 139 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:20,960 Speaker 1: billionaires traveling to the outer reaches of gravity just for 140 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:24,360 Speaker 1: like a few seconds nowadays. That's exactly right, Ben, And 141 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:27,280 Speaker 1: the thing that's so remarkable about some of these so 142 00:08:27,280 --> 00:08:29,280 Speaker 1: many of these images, all of these in this collection, 143 00:08:29,640 --> 00:08:32,400 Speaker 1: is that they just have that kind of Jules Verne, 144 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:37,040 Speaker 1: you know, like like steampunk. I don't know if that's right, 145 00:08:37,080 --> 00:08:40,120 Speaker 1: but it's kind of this retro futuristic quality to them, 146 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:43,000 Speaker 1: where there's a lot of like flying suits where there'll 147 00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:45,000 Speaker 1: be a man kind of in like a winged suit, 148 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:47,360 Speaker 1: you know, up there soaring right next to the to 149 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:50,840 Speaker 1: the zeppelin or or like you know biplane situation. But 150 00:08:50,960 --> 00:08:53,640 Speaker 1: most of them are odd kind of styles on that. 151 00:08:53,679 --> 00:08:55,680 Speaker 1: Like there's one that looks sort of like like a 152 00:08:55,760 --> 00:08:59,439 Speaker 1: hot air balloon basket that has like a helicopter propeller 153 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:01,760 Speaker 1: on the top and sort of this like arrow looking 154 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:05,440 Speaker 1: ballast thing on either side. Um, then you have people 155 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:09,360 Speaker 1: in wings suits flying up to an eagle's nest, presumably 156 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:11,760 Speaker 1: robbing them of their eggs or poaching them or something 157 00:09:11,800 --> 00:09:13,760 Speaker 1: like that. It's a little weird, uh. And then you've 158 00:09:13,760 --> 00:09:17,280 Speaker 1: got like ones that we've seen in movies like Sky 159 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:19,520 Speaker 1: Captain in the World of Tomorrow, this like image of 160 00:09:19,559 --> 00:09:22,480 Speaker 1: the future with a lot of these machines that logistically 161 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:24,880 Speaker 1: don't really make any sense, Like there's one where the 162 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:28,080 Speaker 1: wings on the flying machine actually flap and and have 163 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:30,000 Speaker 1: and has a tail. I don't think that would work. 164 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:33,240 Speaker 1: I don't think that's the way aerodynamics quite functions. But 165 00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:36,040 Speaker 1: so you've got a lot of like dubious science and 166 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:38,960 Speaker 1: a lot of style over function here um, and then 167 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:41,439 Speaker 1: you've got like a blimp situation. We know, the fascination 168 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:44,480 Speaker 1: of about blimps and Zeppelin's you know when it comes 169 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:47,400 Speaker 1: to thinking about the future, and a lot of these 170 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:52,040 Speaker 1: illustrations remind me of well, I think they possibly inspired 171 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:56,240 Speaker 1: one of my favorite books, The Kodaks Sarah Finanius, which 172 00:09:56,360 --> 00:10:02,960 Speaker 1: is an illustrated encyclopedia of an imaginary world. I think, uh, casey, no, 173 00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:05,559 Speaker 1: you guys might have seen it the last time you 174 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:07,839 Speaker 1: were over at my house. Did I ever show you 175 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:09,960 Speaker 1: guys that one? If not, I'll bring it in. It's 176 00:10:10,040 --> 00:10:12,640 Speaker 1: it's nuts, just check it out. The reason I mentioned 177 00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:18,760 Speaker 1: it is because of the fanciful illustrations. But these illustrations, he's, 178 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:22,200 Speaker 1: oh gosh, I'm gonna do it. These flights of fancy 179 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:27,199 Speaker 1: don't come from yeah, don't come for thin air, because 180 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:29,320 Speaker 1: we know that, like you said, no, there was this 181 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:33,839 Speaker 1: rich cultural soil from which they sprang in the zeitgeist 182 00:10:34,559 --> 00:10:42,400 Speaker 1: people were honestly predicting that we would by this time 183 00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:46,480 Speaker 1: in human history, that we would all have personal airplanes. 184 00:10:46,679 --> 00:10:50,720 Speaker 1: And full disclosure, folks, some people do have personal airplanes. Uh, 185 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:55,160 Speaker 1: your faithful, ridiculous historians here, however, we do not. I 186 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:59,800 Speaker 1: think le Bush may have maybe a small prop plane 187 00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:03,360 Speaker 1: somewhere in France. But Casey, that's that's more for uh, 188 00:11:03,480 --> 00:11:06,000 Speaker 1: you're off the grid work stuff, right, that's true. I 189 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:08,360 Speaker 1: was just going to jump in to say, I it 190 00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:10,800 Speaker 1: took me a second to uh to recall the book. 191 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:14,320 Speaker 1: But the Codex is really really worth investigating. It's a 192 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:18,000 Speaker 1: really really cool book. The illustrations are amazing, and um, 193 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:20,080 Speaker 1: it's just one of those one of the kind bizarre 194 00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:23,439 Speaker 1: objects in the world. It's really really cool. It makes 195 00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:26,600 Speaker 1: no sense either, you know, it's a it's all. It's 196 00:11:26,640 --> 00:11:30,120 Speaker 1: from one. But I think he was inspired by a 197 00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:33,679 Speaker 1: lot of the art that we're discussing in the opening 198 00:11:33,679 --> 00:11:37,160 Speaker 1: of today's episode. And it's funny, you know. The stuff 199 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:42,800 Speaker 1: about personal airplanes, uh dates back to what No. Nineteen 200 00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:47,800 Speaker 1: thirty Frederick Edwin Smith published this book called the World 201 00:11:47,840 --> 00:11:51,920 Speaker 1: in twenty thirty a d. And he said, everybody's going 202 00:11:51,960 --> 00:11:54,640 Speaker 1: to own a small airplane. It's gonna be perfect for 203 00:11:54,760 --> 00:11:58,280 Speaker 1: weekend trips. You know, you can go to Greenland and 204 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:02,520 Speaker 1: ski and then you can come back and yeah, so 205 00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:04,800 Speaker 1: I will say this, I mean, you know, I think 206 00:12:04,840 --> 00:12:07,160 Speaker 1: the closest thing we have to like personal crafts like 207 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:09,680 Speaker 1: that would be the helicopter, which is obviously you know, 208 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:12,040 Speaker 1: still within only within the realm of like you know, 209 00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:17,160 Speaker 1: super super high level wealth. Um. Because we were talking 210 00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:20,920 Speaker 1: off air, it would be very difficult to to like 211 00:12:21,040 --> 00:12:25,360 Speaker 1: logistically deal with like the traffic of like everyone having 212 00:12:25,400 --> 00:12:28,000 Speaker 1: an airplane, and just like air traffic as as difficult 213 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:31,160 Speaker 1: as already is for commercial flights, can you imagine like 214 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:35,000 Speaker 1: having everyone like have an aircraft and then how would 215 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:37,480 Speaker 1: you deal with that? You'd have to communicate with some 216 00:12:37,559 --> 00:12:40,959 Speaker 1: sort of air traffic control or like have really really 217 00:12:40,960 --> 00:12:43,280 Speaker 1: good radar. I don't know what do you guys think? 218 00:12:43,280 --> 00:12:45,840 Speaker 1: What would be What would life be like? I feel 219 00:12:45,840 --> 00:12:48,840 Speaker 1: like there would be just crashes, like just wreckage falling 220 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:50,720 Speaker 1: out of the sky left and right on the daily. 221 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:55,360 Speaker 1: This is a longstanding uh. I won't call it an argument, 222 00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:58,840 Speaker 1: We'll call it a healthy conversation I had with my 223 00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:01,839 Speaker 1: my my old rider Die Scott Benjamin on our show 224 00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:04,920 Speaker 1: car stuff. Flying cars are one of those things that 225 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:08,720 Speaker 1: are always eternally just on the horizon. The only way 226 00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:12,959 Speaker 1: they could happen safely is if they are autonomous vehicles 227 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:16,840 Speaker 1: controlled by a grid. That's the only way it can happen. Otherwise, 228 00:13:16,880 --> 00:13:19,640 Speaker 1: flying cars are still one of those things where it's 229 00:13:19,679 --> 00:13:22,520 Speaker 1: a matter of um, how's the best way to say it. 230 00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:25,800 Speaker 1: It's amazing if I have a flying car, says one person, 231 00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:28,680 Speaker 1: and no one else does. But it's a blood bath 232 00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:31,800 Speaker 1: if everybody has a flying car. It just we don't 233 00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:36,560 Speaker 1: have the skills as human operators to live in a 234 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:41,080 Speaker 1: world of personal flight machines in a safe way unless 235 00:13:41,080 --> 00:13:45,360 Speaker 1: we have a huge jump in technology, or unless they're autonomous. 236 00:13:45,400 --> 00:13:49,960 Speaker 1: Im and I say that as someone who does think 237 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:53,960 Speaker 1: the idea is really cool. But even if you gave 238 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:57,080 Speaker 1: everybody on the planet their own personal bicycle, who still 239 00:13:57,080 --> 00:14:01,120 Speaker 1: see tons of accidents, we're just not ready for individual 240 00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:04,680 Speaker 1: flying cars unless they're robot controlled. That's right. You made 241 00:14:04,679 --> 00:14:07,000 Speaker 1: the really good point off air, Ben. We were talking 242 00:14:07,040 --> 00:14:11,000 Speaker 1: about autonomous cars and how that's sort of becoming less 243 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:14,280 Speaker 1: of a priority. I think when we say uber is out. Yeah, 244 00:14:14,400 --> 00:14:17,800 Speaker 1: and you made the really great point that autonomous vehicles 245 00:14:17,840 --> 00:14:20,800 Speaker 1: only works if it's a hundred percent opt in. Like 246 00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:24,000 Speaker 1: when you have any level of human error involved in 247 00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:26,840 Speaker 1: the equation, it screws up the whole algorithm and makes 248 00:14:26,840 --> 00:14:28,440 Speaker 1: the whole thing dangerous. So it's kind of an all 249 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:32,560 Speaker 1: or nothing situation, right, Yeah, that's true. Like, imagine a 250 00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:37,560 Speaker 1: line of dominoes or whatever pattern dominoes you want to imagine, 251 00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:42,480 Speaker 1: and each of those dominoes is an autonomous vehicle except 252 00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:47,160 Speaker 1: for one, and the one domino is uh not controlled 253 00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:50,480 Speaker 1: by the falling of the other dominoes. So when it 254 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:53,480 Speaker 1: is supposed to move with the system, it just doesn't. 255 00:14:53,560 --> 00:14:56,640 Speaker 1: The system automatically breaks because of that one domino. That's 256 00:14:56,680 --> 00:14:59,800 Speaker 1: a very lazy way to put it. But we're working 257 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:03,600 Speaker 1: live here, knowl or work and live. Also unrelated to anything. 258 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:06,080 Speaker 1: Did you see that meme? I didn't realize this, but 259 00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:09,000 Speaker 1: the original map max takes place this year. Oh no, 260 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:13,680 Speaker 1: where we're getting there, we're not too too off. Um yeah, 261 00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:16,480 Speaker 1: it was really interesting stuff. And um, you know, I 262 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:18,920 Speaker 1: think one thing that we have seen over time, we 263 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:21,120 Speaker 1: know this to be true. We always talk about how 264 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:24,080 Speaker 1: life expectancy back in the you know, olden days of 265 00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:27,400 Speaker 1: life on the prairies or you know, in the medieval times, 266 00:15:27,480 --> 00:15:30,960 Speaker 1: life expectancy was not good. And that was because you know, 267 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:34,400 Speaker 1: there were plagues and there was really bad ideas when 268 00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:37,360 Speaker 1: it came to medicine and treating illnesses and things that 269 00:15:37,400 --> 00:15:41,080 Speaker 1: would actually make you get sicker and very uh, you know, 270 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:44,000 Speaker 1: poor conditions when it came to childbirth, thing and your 271 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:48,760 Speaker 1: chances of living through bearing children were super low. Um. So, 272 00:15:48,840 --> 00:15:53,080 Speaker 1: as we've seen technology progress and you know, humanity move forward, 273 00:15:53,280 --> 00:15:56,880 Speaker 1: people's life expectancies that have seemed to jump. Um. But 274 00:15:57,000 --> 00:15:59,920 Speaker 1: one thing that was predicted because of technology and the 275 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:02,280 Speaker 1: very thing in the twenty first century was that we 276 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:06,520 Speaker 1: would live to be old, like really old, like really 277 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:11,120 Speaker 1: really old. People have been thinking about this for centuries. 278 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:16,600 Speaker 1: Benjamin Franklin, the One and Only Benny f had even 279 00:16:16,640 --> 00:16:19,760 Speaker 1: written about this as far back as the late seventeen 280 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:23,600 Speaker 1: hundreds and sev who wrote a letter to Reverend John 281 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:27,440 Speaker 1: Lathrop where he said, you know, within a few years, 282 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:31,080 Speaker 1: we're gonna live as long as those people from the 283 00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:33,960 Speaker 1: Old Testament from the Book of Genesis. We're gonna be 284 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:37,120 Speaker 1: like Noah will be nine fifty years old. Who is 285 00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:40,280 Speaker 1: that super old one Methuselah. That's the one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 286 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:43,040 Speaker 1: nine hundred and sixty nine years old. I think Methuselah 287 00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:46,960 Speaker 1: made it. And we can go into where that comes from, 288 00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:48,720 Speaker 1: maybe on stuff they don't want you to know. Check 289 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:51,000 Speaker 1: out that show. But the weird thing is just like 290 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:54,840 Speaker 1: the pattern we established in part one of our Predictions episode. 291 00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:59,000 Speaker 1: The weird thing here is that it's an extreme claim, 292 00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:04,240 Speaker 1: an extreme addiction, but it appears to have some degree 293 00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:09,639 Speaker 1: of accuracy. People are living longer, people are healthier for 294 00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:13,560 Speaker 1: longer in many parts of the world, And if you 295 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:17,640 Speaker 1: look at the science on the horizon, the medical research 296 00:17:17,640 --> 00:17:21,679 Speaker 1: on the horizon, then we may be able to extend 297 00:17:21,800 --> 00:17:27,399 Speaker 1: people's lives. Currently, we can't extend someone's organic life to 298 00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:31,159 Speaker 1: almost a thousand years, but we may be able to 299 00:17:31,920 --> 00:17:36,040 Speaker 1: an independs. We're waxing philosophical. We can get to this part, 300 00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:40,639 Speaker 1: but we may be able to extend someone's life uh 301 00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:46,199 Speaker 1: indefinitely by making a copy of their mind on a 302 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:49,960 Speaker 1: on a digital platform like right, like turning their mind 303 00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:53,640 Speaker 1: into code, and then keeping that mind on a hard 304 00:17:53,760 --> 00:17:56,919 Speaker 1: drive somewhere or in a cloud. That's that will probably 305 00:17:56,960 --> 00:18:00,800 Speaker 1: happen before we can get to years old and still 306 00:18:00,840 --> 00:18:04,200 Speaker 1: be hail and hardy. But you know, I've always I've 307 00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:06,080 Speaker 1: always been interested in this. This is a question for 308 00:18:06,119 --> 00:18:09,639 Speaker 1: you guys. Given the option, would you want to live 309 00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:13,520 Speaker 1: for nine hundred plus years? Let's say, let's not make 310 00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:16,520 Speaker 1: it a monkey spawl situation. Would you want to live 311 00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:19,480 Speaker 1: for nine hundred plus years if you knew you would 312 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:23,000 Speaker 1: be relatively healthy until say, like the last five years. 313 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:25,440 Speaker 1: It's a hard one, man, because you know, you might 314 00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:27,919 Speaker 1: say it when you're young with then realize that you 315 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:31,000 Speaker 1: just get bored and you just don't know. Maybe it's 316 00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:34,280 Speaker 1: like the mind is a monkey's pat situation, or it's, uh, 317 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:36,960 Speaker 1: you know, a devil's bargain. You think of like the 318 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:39,760 Speaker 1: like interview with the Vampire and all these characters that 319 00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:42,560 Speaker 1: kind of live to see all their friends die, and like, 320 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:44,679 Speaker 1: I don't know, maybe if I knew that everyone that 321 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:47,280 Speaker 1: I loved was also going to live that long, then 322 00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:49,119 Speaker 1: I'd be cool with it. But I wouldn't want to 323 00:18:49,119 --> 00:18:52,439 Speaker 1: like outlive everybody in my life and then be sad 324 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:55,960 Speaker 1: and alone living in some sort of like virtual reality 325 00:18:56,040 --> 00:18:59,560 Speaker 1: brain cloud machine. Yeah, what if you could do it physically? 326 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:02,160 Speaker 1: I mean, I'll tell you, I would immediately go to space, 327 00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:04,120 Speaker 1: and I would be like, all right, I got nine 328 00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:07,600 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty years, but just spend the first two 329 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:11,359 Speaker 1: fifty traveling out somewhere. I'm just gonna turn around and 330 00:19:11,359 --> 00:19:13,399 Speaker 1: come back. It sort of makes me think of the 331 00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:16,600 Speaker 1: concept behind this really cool Philip K. Dick book called 332 00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:20,840 Speaker 1: yubick UK. Maybe it's the idea where people are able 333 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:26,560 Speaker 1: to actually die uh and through this corporation um, their 334 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:30,199 Speaker 1: bodies are kept in cryo state uh and their minds 335 00:19:30,240 --> 00:19:33,720 Speaker 1: are like put into this cloud type scenario, so they're 336 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:35,679 Speaker 1: able to kind of like their souls are able to 337 00:19:35,720 --> 00:19:38,639 Speaker 1: live on even if their bodies of actually or their 338 00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:42,320 Speaker 1: brains have died. I'm not remembering it very precisely, but 339 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:44,720 Speaker 1: it is. Again a lot of these ideas, it makes 340 00:19:44,760 --> 00:19:47,399 Speaker 1: sense that they're coming from these science fiction writers or 341 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:50,320 Speaker 1: people like that, because so much of science fiction is 342 00:19:50,359 --> 00:19:53,280 Speaker 1: just like thought experiments about like what if, like we 343 00:19:53,400 --> 00:19:55,960 Speaker 1: progressed as a society, just this one little thing a 344 00:19:55,960 --> 00:19:58,160 Speaker 1: little further than is when they aren't grasp right now, 345 00:19:58,560 --> 00:20:00,920 Speaker 1: how would that change our inner actions with each other 346 00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:03,080 Speaker 1: and with society in general. And I think that's why 347 00:20:03,119 --> 00:20:06,120 Speaker 1: people still love science fiction. To this day. Yeah, yeah, 348 00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:09,119 Speaker 1: and also allowing that vein. If you enjoy the Philip K. 349 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:13,160 Speaker 1: Dick story that we'll just recommended, I think you'll also 350 00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:18,080 Speaker 1: enjoy Fall or Dodge in Hell by Neil Stevenson, which 351 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:22,360 Speaker 1: has a very similar kind of thing. The only catches 352 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:25,199 Speaker 1: and this isn't a spoiler, but the only catches. The 353 00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:29,560 Speaker 1: virtual world in Fall or Dodge in Hell is uh, 354 00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:33,840 Speaker 1: for some reason, a medieval fantasy world. So if you 355 00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:36,480 Speaker 1: like Neil Stevenson, he's weird. If you like Neil Stevenson, 356 00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:38,920 Speaker 1: you haven't read him yet. Check that up. I read 357 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:42,320 Speaker 1: one of his an audiobook form that I can't remember 358 00:20:42,320 --> 00:20:44,439 Speaker 1: the name it's about. It was about like a lot 359 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:47,840 Speaker 1: of things. Um. It was about like a a like 360 00:20:48,040 --> 00:20:52,200 Speaker 1: gold farming in dungeons and dragons in like, um, what's 361 00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:54,760 Speaker 1: that game that online game World of Warcraft where you 362 00:20:54,760 --> 00:20:57,520 Speaker 1: can literally like gold, like farm for gold and then 363 00:20:57,560 --> 00:21:01,160 Speaker 1: sell it for real money m D. Yeah, it's about 364 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:03,720 Speaker 1: like a like some sort of worm, um what do 365 00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:08,119 Speaker 1: you call it, Like an invasive piece of malware? Um, 366 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:10,520 Speaker 1: And like a heist, like an online highest of all this, 367 00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:14,480 Speaker 1: like you know, farmed gold and espionage. And he's just 368 00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:17,040 Speaker 1: he's really all over the place and really really interesting. 369 00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:18,959 Speaker 1: And I believe he wrote snow Crash as well, if 370 00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:22,320 Speaker 1: I'm not mistaken. Yeah, he wrote snow Crash. He wrote Anathema, 371 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:26,200 Speaker 1: which is a book I I dearly love. But yes, 372 00:21:26,359 --> 00:21:29,800 Speaker 1: Neil Stevenson is another iteration or his work is another 373 00:21:29,840 --> 00:21:32,960 Speaker 1: iteration of this larger pattern that you just outlined all 374 00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:39,159 Speaker 1: of science fiction through thought experimentation exploring the possibilities of 375 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:47,479 Speaker 1: the future world. And now that we're talking sci fi, 376 00:21:47,960 --> 00:21:52,760 Speaker 1: we can go to another very sensitive topic. Uh spoiler alert. 377 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:55,280 Speaker 1: You don't have to be a fan of history to 378 00:21:55,680 --> 00:22:00,280 Speaker 1: realize this. People, since people existed, have always has been 379 00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:02,960 Speaker 1: talking about the weather. We used to have entire like 380 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:07,200 Speaker 1: religious things built along the passage of the seasons and 381 00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:09,920 Speaker 1: the weather, and we still do a degree do. One 382 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:13,600 Speaker 1: of the things that people predicted back in the early 383 00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:18,719 Speaker 1: nineteen hundreds is that one day, perhaps in the coming century, 384 00:22:19,080 --> 00:22:23,280 Speaker 1: we would be able to control the weather, specifically to 385 00:22:23,359 --> 00:22:30,200 Speaker 1: make rain. On January six, Iowa's Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette 386 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:34,200 Speaker 1: came came out with this article that said, yes, we 387 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:36,720 Speaker 1: were one day going to be able to control rain 388 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:39,920 Speaker 1: in the twenty one century. They said we will be 389 00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:43,840 Speaker 1: the um masters of moisture. I just made that up. 390 00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:46,879 Speaker 1: They would have much better, a much better phrase. But 391 00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:50,720 Speaker 1: that turned out to actually be sort of true, which 392 00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:53,160 Speaker 1: is amazing. Well, I mean we've talked about this before 393 00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:56,359 Speaker 1: and whether we can call it actually whether control or 394 00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:59,080 Speaker 1: not is maybe debatable. But the idea of cloud seating, 395 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:04,080 Speaker 1: like you can pump stuff up into clouds using what 396 00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:07,080 Speaker 1: is it? Like, Oh, I am so some kind of 397 00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:09,520 Speaker 1: like chemical that you can use um and you can 398 00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:12,080 Speaker 1: make it rain. But that doesn't mean that you can 399 00:23:12,119 --> 00:23:14,520 Speaker 1: make it not rain, you know what I mean, Like, 400 00:23:15,480 --> 00:23:17,440 Speaker 1: you can't really control it if you can only work 401 00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:19,880 Speaker 1: it one way. But but you also, do you really 402 00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:22,680 Speaker 1: see that used during drought? I mean, we still obviously 403 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:26,040 Speaker 1: have terrible droughts. We haven't cracked the code on how 404 00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:29,119 Speaker 1: to like not have droughts, so obviously this cloud seeding 405 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:31,520 Speaker 1: thing will only get you so far, right. Yeah, See, 406 00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:34,520 Speaker 1: that's the problem. The concept of cloud seeding has been 407 00:23:34,560 --> 00:23:38,680 Speaker 1: around for a for a while now. It wasn't around 408 00:23:38,760 --> 00:23:42,000 Speaker 1: nineteen ten, but it came It's been around for decades 409 00:23:42,080 --> 00:23:46,840 Speaker 1: at this point, as silver iodide particles are injected into clouds. Yeah, 410 00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:51,560 Speaker 1: and the problem is it's a drink your milkshake situation 411 00:23:51,640 --> 00:23:56,480 Speaker 1: to a degree, because that cloud seeding does not create water. 412 00:23:57,119 --> 00:24:00,840 Speaker 1: It gathers water to these clouds, and then that water 413 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:05,600 Speaker 1: becomes rain. So you're taking that water from somewhere. The 414 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:08,680 Speaker 1: government of China just a few weeks ago in December, 415 00:24:10,080 --> 00:24:13,600 Speaker 1: they announced that they're going to expand their weather modification 416 00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:19,600 Speaker 1: program to get this cover two point one million square miles. 417 00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:22,280 Speaker 1: That's more than one and a half times the size 418 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:25,800 Speaker 1: of India. So where's that water coming from. They're they're 419 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:29,040 Speaker 1: using it to combat drought. But but I love your point. 420 00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:31,480 Speaker 1: I think you make a fantastic point. We know how 421 00:24:31,480 --> 00:24:35,080 Speaker 1: to start the process, but it's it's maybe a little 422 00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:37,600 Speaker 1: optimistic to say we know how to control it. Right, 423 00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:41,639 Speaker 1: that's right, Ben. Didn't China use cloud seating as like 424 00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:45,320 Speaker 1: a kind of special effect during the Olympics to like 425 00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:50,359 Speaker 1: do some kind of crazy display during the opening ceremonies. Yeah, yeah, 426 00:24:50,359 --> 00:24:53,240 Speaker 1: I think you're correct. I think you're correct. No, Um, 427 00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:55,439 Speaker 1: I didn't personally see it, but it's definitely a flex 428 00:24:55,520 --> 00:25:00,320 Speaker 1: that is within their uh weather wheelhouse wheelhouse of weather, 429 00:25:00,960 --> 00:25:04,000 Speaker 1: oh will House of weather w o W like World 430 00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:07,200 Speaker 1: of Warcraft. Wow, indeed. Yeah, the headline from Business Insider 431 00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:11,120 Speaker 1: from sixteen is China spent millions on a shady project 432 00:25:11,119 --> 00:25:14,000 Speaker 1: to control the weather ahead of the Beijing Olympics, and 433 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:18,320 Speaker 1: and that millions is thirty million dollars and their version 434 00:25:18,359 --> 00:25:22,760 Speaker 1: of it involved shooting quote salt and mineral filled bullets 435 00:25:23,160 --> 00:25:26,560 Speaker 1: into the sky in order to make it rain, uh, 436 00:25:26,600 --> 00:25:30,760 Speaker 1: for the you know, for entertainment purposes. So yeah, we're like, like, 437 00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:33,600 Speaker 1: we're sort of there. I don't know that this is 438 00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:37,240 Speaker 1: something that like, surely some there's some research going into it, 439 00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:38,919 Speaker 1: but it's not something we hear about a lot, and 440 00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:42,439 Speaker 1: it certainly doesn't seem to have solved drought or wildfires 441 00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:44,720 Speaker 1: or like any of the like things that the weather 442 00:25:44,840 --> 00:25:47,400 Speaker 1: does that totally screw us over as human beings. So 443 00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:49,560 Speaker 1: I would say this is a no that we have 444 00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:52,520 Speaker 1: not figured out how to control the weather wheeled it 445 00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:56,840 Speaker 1: to our our own purposes. Yet Yeah, I am unfortunately 446 00:25:56,880 --> 00:26:01,080 Speaker 1: tempted to agree, man, because we also see other predictions 447 00:26:01,080 --> 00:26:05,480 Speaker 1: about whether that are incredibly optimistic, because the weather has 448 00:26:05,560 --> 00:26:09,359 Speaker 1: kind of gone down hill over the past a few centuries. 449 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:14,160 Speaker 1: There are people who predicted that hurricanes would one day 450 00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:17,679 Speaker 1: be a thing of the past nine popular mechanics. A 451 00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:21,919 Speaker 1: fellow named Waldemore camp Ferret said that hurricanes are going 452 00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:24,080 Speaker 1: to be a non issue by the year two thousand 453 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:27,919 Speaker 1: and his he said there would be a non issue, 454 00:26:28,440 --> 00:26:31,840 Speaker 1: not because we would prevent them from forming, but because 455 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:35,480 Speaker 1: once we saw one over the ocean, we would start 456 00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:40,880 Speaker 1: a large oil fire across the water, drawing air from 457 00:26:40,920 --> 00:26:43,879 Speaker 1: the region and and and somehow ending the hurricane. He 458 00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:48,000 Speaker 1: also thought we'd be able to divert storms, etcetera. He 459 00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:53,080 Speaker 1: was incredibly wrong on multiple accounts, but you know he 460 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:56,960 Speaker 1: was doing his best. I guess. By the way, Tesla 461 00:26:57,080 --> 00:27:01,280 Speaker 1: also was incorrect with his uh, his predictions about weather. 462 00:27:01,359 --> 00:27:04,720 Speaker 1: I think he said we would end a forestation and 463 00:27:04,960 --> 00:27:09,760 Speaker 1: prevent forest fires smoking the bear would be disappointed. Um, 464 00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:12,240 Speaker 1: but it still is up to you to prevent forest 465 00:27:12,240 --> 00:27:14,680 Speaker 1: fires because we haven't figured it out like as a collective, 466 00:27:14,760 --> 00:27:18,120 Speaker 1: so each individual has to do their part. Um. But yeah, 467 00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:21,520 Speaker 1: So like another funny weather related one. And this is 468 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:25,160 Speaker 1: sort of like in the the stuff kind of category, right, 469 00:27:25,359 --> 00:27:27,359 Speaker 1: like what will what will our stuff be like in 470 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:32,520 Speaker 1: the future. Well, according to Valdemar camp Fare, in the future, 471 00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:37,639 Speaker 1: everything in our homes will be waterproof. Another one of 472 00:27:37,680 --> 00:27:41,800 Speaker 1: these like underwater dwelling kind of future scenarios. Um. He 473 00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:46,680 Speaker 1: believed that everything in the future, including the drapes, uh, 474 00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:52,120 Speaker 1: you know, rugs, upholstery on couches, anything, anything you can 475 00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:55,439 Speaker 1: put your hands on, would be made of waterproof plastic. 476 00:27:56,320 --> 00:27:58,399 Speaker 1: Remember when plastic was like the wave of the future. 477 00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:01,000 Speaker 1: You know that this seems to be from that kind 478 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:03,760 Speaker 1: of mentality that everything should be made of plastic. Is 479 00:28:03,800 --> 00:28:08,120 Speaker 1: it's the wonder material. If only they knew about nanoplastics 480 00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:12,680 Speaker 1: and you know, gives this all cancer um topic for 481 00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:16,600 Speaker 1: another day. And that our homes would have like built 482 00:28:16,640 --> 00:28:20,280 Speaker 1: in drainage systems, like in the floor so after you know, 483 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:22,520 Speaker 1: we would literally be able to hose down everything in 484 00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:25,160 Speaker 1: our house to clean it off, and then the water 485 00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:27,960 Speaker 1: would just you know, bloop bloop down the drain and 486 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:31,160 Speaker 1: then they like car wash style, there'd be a blast 487 00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:34,359 Speaker 1: of heated air that would try everything off. This is uh, 488 00:28:34,480 --> 00:28:37,119 Speaker 1: this one is absurd. I have to say maybe maybe 489 00:28:37,119 --> 00:28:40,400 Speaker 1: the most we've got. You know, we have a thing 490 00:28:40,640 --> 00:28:45,600 Speaker 1: like this in bathrooms in restrooms in different parts of 491 00:28:45,600 --> 00:28:48,520 Speaker 1: the world. Like you'll go to a hotel or a 492 00:28:48,560 --> 00:28:54,520 Speaker 1: hostel maybe and you'll see that the the entire restroom 493 00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:57,760 Speaker 1: is the shower area. Have you ever seen those? They've 494 00:28:57,800 --> 00:29:00,920 Speaker 1: got like the the Fawcett hooks to uley into the 495 00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:03,480 Speaker 1: sink and there's a drain just in the middle of 496 00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:07,000 Speaker 1: the floor. The commode is still there. It's just when 497 00:29:07,040 --> 00:29:09,520 Speaker 1: you want to shower, you just hit a switch on 498 00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:12,600 Speaker 1: the sink and then you take the shower head off 499 00:29:12,600 --> 00:29:16,920 Speaker 1: the rack. Yeah. Also great, uh for like a murder room, 500 00:29:16,960 --> 00:29:19,080 Speaker 1: you know, if you need if you need such, because 501 00:29:19,120 --> 00:29:21,600 Speaker 1: then everything just drains down the drain and you can 502 00:29:21,640 --> 00:29:23,840 Speaker 1: rinse it all off and you got a fresh start. 503 00:29:24,360 --> 00:29:26,880 Speaker 1: But yeah, this is this is true, Bend that we 504 00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:29,280 Speaker 1: do have something like this, but they're all kind of 505 00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:32,360 Speaker 1: more in the realm of bathrooms. Or possibly you might 506 00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:36,040 Speaker 1: have a drain in a garage situation for car wash maybe, 507 00:29:36,240 --> 00:29:38,640 Speaker 1: or you know, something like that, like a foot rinsing 508 00:29:38,680 --> 00:29:41,120 Speaker 1: station if you live by the beach. Yeah. I like 509 00:29:41,240 --> 00:29:43,480 Speaker 1: that you mentioned I like that you mentioned kill rooms. 510 00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:46,240 Speaker 1: Though that's gonna sound weird out of context. We're going 511 00:29:46,240 --> 00:29:51,520 Speaker 1: somewhere with it because I immediately thought of of the 512 00:29:51,560 --> 00:29:55,120 Speaker 1: show Dexter. You remember Dexter, of course, of course, so 513 00:29:55,360 --> 00:30:01,160 Speaker 1: Dexter had this this pretty consistent depiction of a kill 514 00:30:01,320 --> 00:30:05,120 Speaker 1: room on television. And people will argue all sorts of 515 00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:08,360 Speaker 1: things about television and the things depicted upon it, But 516 00:30:08,440 --> 00:30:11,440 Speaker 1: there were a lot of predictions about the future of 517 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:16,480 Speaker 1: television in the twenty one century. Imagine so like, according 518 00:30:16,520 --> 00:30:20,920 Speaker 1: to some of these futurists, by this point in history, 519 00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:24,200 Speaker 1: we should be able to watch a show like Dexter, 520 00:30:24,560 --> 00:30:27,480 Speaker 1: or let's take another example, watch a show like Hannibal 521 00:30:27,920 --> 00:30:32,840 Speaker 1: and smell uh the food cooking or feel the texture 522 00:30:33,320 --> 00:30:38,920 Speaker 1: of of different different things depicted on the show. Nicholas Negroponte, 523 00:30:39,240 --> 00:30:41,640 Speaker 1: who was a former director of m I T S 524 00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:45,680 Speaker 1: Media Lab, said that we'll have full color, large scale 525 00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:50,320 Speaker 1: holographic television with force feedback and old factory output by 526 00:30:50,360 --> 00:30:54,320 Speaker 1: the twenty one century, meaning that you could see stuff 527 00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:57,920 Speaker 1: on television and you would feel it and you would 528 00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:02,480 Speaker 1: smell it. Uh. Here's the thing, man, I don't know 529 00:31:02,520 --> 00:31:07,040 Speaker 1: if I want that. Hmm No. And honestly, I think 530 00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:09,840 Speaker 1: attempts to do stuff like this it which is still around. 531 00:31:09,840 --> 00:31:12,480 Speaker 1: I I think I think three d uh cinema is 532 00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:15,080 Speaker 1: a gimmick and it hurts my eyeballs and it makes 533 00:31:15,080 --> 00:31:17,480 Speaker 1: me kind of want to Recoil and horror. I don't 534 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:19,320 Speaker 1: really care for it. And I went and saw a 535 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:21,760 Speaker 1: movie with my daughter and her friends. It was an anime. 536 00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:24,080 Speaker 1: And there's this like, I don't know, they call it 537 00:31:24,200 --> 00:31:27,600 Speaker 1: four D theater at the fancy movie theater pre pre 538 00:31:27,720 --> 00:31:30,800 Speaker 1: COVID times, where the seats actually move around. They kind 539 00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:34,000 Speaker 1: of jerk you around, and they're a little spritzer's on 540 00:31:34,040 --> 00:31:36,200 Speaker 1: the side of the seats that like shoot puffs of 541 00:31:36,240 --> 00:31:38,719 Speaker 1: air at you, and there's like air stuff happening, and 542 00:31:38,960 --> 00:31:43,479 Speaker 1: even moisture and uh, possibly smells. I don't recall. There 543 00:31:43,480 --> 00:31:46,080 Speaker 1: were no smells in this one. But um. Also at 544 00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:50,280 Speaker 1: the the Lego Land at one of our malls here, 545 00:31:50,640 --> 00:31:54,240 Speaker 1: they have a four D cinema that does involve smells. Um, 546 00:31:54,320 --> 00:31:57,360 Speaker 1: and it's just so gimmicky and I just don't see. 547 00:31:57,440 --> 00:32:01,280 Speaker 1: It doesn't really integrate into like the experience of it, 548 00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:03,560 Speaker 1: Like I get what it is, but it doesn't really 549 00:32:03,560 --> 00:32:06,000 Speaker 1: add anything to it other than like, oh, this is cute, 550 00:32:06,400 --> 00:32:08,880 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. So I don't know. I 551 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:12,400 Speaker 1: know that there have been some companies doing research into 552 00:32:13,320 --> 00:32:17,440 Speaker 1: how to create a smell machine, but I, yeah, I'm 553 00:32:17,480 --> 00:32:19,240 Speaker 1: with you, man, I don't I don't know if I 554 00:32:19,320 --> 00:32:22,440 Speaker 1: really want to I want to smell what I'm watching, 555 00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:28,520 Speaker 1: or if I necessarily want that tactile feedback all the time. 556 00:32:29,120 --> 00:32:30,840 Speaker 1: And I agree with you. I think a lot of 557 00:32:30,880 --> 00:32:35,400 Speaker 1: us in the audience today can remember how television manufacturers 558 00:32:35,440 --> 00:32:38,800 Speaker 1: had this ill fated push to create three D at 559 00:32:38,840 --> 00:32:42,720 Speaker 1: home television's and it was a top down push and 560 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:45,200 Speaker 1: a lot of people didn't like it. So it's not 561 00:32:45,280 --> 00:32:48,200 Speaker 1: just a question whether the technology exists, it's also a 562 00:32:48,280 --> 00:32:51,160 Speaker 1: question of whether there's a demand for it. So let 563 00:32:51,280 --> 00:32:54,400 Speaker 1: us know if you're a fan of smell a vision 564 00:32:54,840 --> 00:33:03,760 Speaker 1: and why. There's another question here. I think it's it's 565 00:33:03,800 --> 00:33:06,200 Speaker 1: one that we'd be remiss if we didn't mention. It's 566 00:33:06,240 --> 00:33:11,560 Speaker 1: the world of medicine. We know that predictions of future 567 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:16,680 Speaker 1: miraculous cures are a tail as old as time. Back 568 00:33:16,720 --> 00:33:21,160 Speaker 1: in there was a Swiss doctor named Francois Odi who 569 00:33:21,360 --> 00:33:25,040 Speaker 1: said that by this time, in this century, by the 570 00:33:25,040 --> 00:33:28,440 Speaker 1: twenty one century, all the victories that were the pride 571 00:33:28,520 --> 00:33:32,800 Speaker 1: of brilliant surgeons will be forgotten, replaced by the discovery 572 00:33:32,800 --> 00:33:35,680 Speaker 1: of quote, a substance which, in the form of a capsule, 573 00:33:35,920 --> 00:33:38,920 Speaker 1: will capture the sources of energy that will bring recovery 574 00:33:39,040 --> 00:33:43,280 Speaker 1: within hours. So it's just like one miracle pill for everything. 575 00:33:43,560 --> 00:33:46,840 Speaker 1: What a world that would be amazing, right if Yeah, 576 00:33:46,880 --> 00:33:49,320 Speaker 1: I mean it would be amazing you sure, But is 577 00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:52,760 Speaker 1: that not that's like not how medicine works, right, There's 578 00:33:52,840 --> 00:33:55,760 Speaker 1: no one pill to cure them all, like Lord of 579 00:33:55,760 --> 00:33:58,080 Speaker 1: the Ring style. I mean, there's like nuances and each 580 00:33:58,120 --> 00:34:04,080 Speaker 1: individual patient's individual malady. This is very like utopian, future 581 00:34:04,200 --> 00:34:07,240 Speaker 1: sci fi type stuff way outside of the realm, just 582 00:34:07,320 --> 00:34:10,920 Speaker 1: like a pill that is like your meal of sustenance. 583 00:34:11,239 --> 00:34:13,600 Speaker 1: This I don't know that there's any scenario where this 584 00:34:13,640 --> 00:34:15,880 Speaker 1: would make any kind of sense unless it was like 585 00:34:16,160 --> 00:34:18,960 Speaker 1: may of like nano beings or something that could then 586 00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:22,200 Speaker 1: just like zoom around inside your body and find the 587 00:34:22,360 --> 00:34:24,719 Speaker 1: particular part that it was ailing you and then fix 588 00:34:24,760 --> 00:34:28,200 Speaker 1: you up. Yeah. Yeah. The quest for a panacea is 589 00:34:28,560 --> 00:34:32,920 Speaker 1: a long quest, and it's one that hasn't hasn't reached 590 00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:36,040 Speaker 1: an endpoint yet. I think you're right, you know, if 591 00:34:36,040 --> 00:34:38,880 Speaker 1: there's something that would be analogous to a pill of 592 00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:41,879 Speaker 1: this sort, it would have to be some kind of 593 00:34:42,360 --> 00:34:48,080 Speaker 1: nanotechnology that would be able to diagnose and immediately treat 594 00:34:49,120 --> 00:34:51,919 Speaker 1: your your body and everything that ails it and then 595 00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:54,000 Speaker 1: at that point you would just need to take it 596 00:34:54,920 --> 00:34:57,000 Speaker 1: as soon as possible, take it before your six so 597 00:34:57,040 --> 00:35:01,440 Speaker 1: it could apply preventative treatment. So far has Odie's prediction 598 00:35:01,480 --> 00:35:04,640 Speaker 1: has not come to pass, but we still have several 599 00:35:04,719 --> 00:35:07,840 Speaker 1: years left in the twenty one century. To say the least. 600 00:35:08,920 --> 00:35:12,200 Speaker 1: One of my favorites, this is so weird. One of 601 00:35:12,239 --> 00:35:15,040 Speaker 1: my favorite concepts. I had not heard of this before 602 00:35:15,360 --> 00:35:18,640 Speaker 1: is the concept of the grouch pill. Yeah. I mean, 603 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:21,840 Speaker 1: let's let's be real. I mean, we'd certainly have something 604 00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:26,360 Speaker 1: approaching this, uh in terms of antidepressants, but they wouldn't 605 00:35:26,360 --> 00:35:29,279 Speaker 1: have thought of it quite as high mindedly back in 606 00:35:29,400 --> 00:35:33,080 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty six. Uh. They were. This was back when 607 00:35:33,239 --> 00:35:35,399 Speaker 1: KELP was really big again, the kind of the health 608 00:35:35,440 --> 00:35:41,120 Speaker 1: food driven economy um, and they were thinking about how 609 00:35:41,160 --> 00:35:44,920 Speaker 1: can we improve relations between married couples when one of 610 00:35:44,920 --> 00:35:48,799 Speaker 1: them is in a particularly nasty mood. Um, and the 611 00:35:48,880 --> 00:35:51,879 Speaker 1: Rand Corporation, you'll recall, who are the ones that sort 612 00:35:51,920 --> 00:35:54,920 Speaker 1: of set forth this whole idea of the underwater fields 613 00:35:54,920 --> 00:35:56,920 Speaker 1: of KELP and as far as the eye can see, 614 00:35:57,200 --> 00:36:00,439 Speaker 1: tended by frog mem um. They described a world where 615 00:36:00,480 --> 00:36:03,040 Speaker 1: you could pop down to the corner drug store, buy 616 00:36:03,080 --> 00:36:06,280 Speaker 1: some anti grouch pills and slip them into their coffee. 617 00:36:08,080 --> 00:36:12,480 Speaker 1: That's basically, ah, you know, a UM encouraging you to 618 00:36:12,600 --> 00:36:16,640 Speaker 1: drug your partner, essentially, But we can leave that aside 619 00:36:16,680 --> 00:36:20,600 Speaker 1: for now. But of course this is another kind of 620 00:36:20,640 --> 00:36:26,319 Speaker 1: like very simplified version of what antidepressants are. They take, 621 00:36:26,719 --> 00:36:29,719 Speaker 1: they work differently on different people, they take quite a 622 00:36:29,760 --> 00:36:31,840 Speaker 1: long time to actually kick in. It's not something you 623 00:36:31,840 --> 00:36:34,800 Speaker 1: can just dose somebody with and then magically they're happy. 624 00:36:34,920 --> 00:36:36,839 Speaker 1: I mean, sure there are drugs like that, but those 625 00:36:36,880 --> 00:36:41,960 Speaker 1: are called like hard drugs like heroin or cocaine that 626 00:36:42,040 --> 00:36:44,720 Speaker 1: may make you happy instantly, but then long term effects 627 00:36:44,719 --> 00:36:50,160 Speaker 1: of those are addiction and extra grouchiness or worse. Yeah. Absolutely, 628 00:36:50,239 --> 00:36:53,399 Speaker 1: so again we see there's some real world things that 629 00:36:53,480 --> 00:36:58,399 Speaker 1: could be called grouch pills. But the problem is, as 630 00:36:58,400 --> 00:37:01,400 Speaker 1: you said, no, uh, I think the problem is in 631 00:37:01,480 --> 00:37:04,879 Speaker 1: the specifics of that prediction. I don't think you should 632 00:37:05,000 --> 00:37:08,920 Speaker 1: unknowingly drug your partner. Is that is that a hot take? 633 00:37:08,960 --> 00:37:10,960 Speaker 1: I hope not. I feel like if you have a 634 00:37:11,040 --> 00:37:14,640 Speaker 1: romantic relationship with someone should be founded on trust rather 635 00:37:14,680 --> 00:37:18,480 Speaker 1: than surreptitiously drugging them, And in that way, I would 636 00:37:18,680 --> 00:37:22,080 Speaker 1: I would deem this a less than optimistic prediction about 637 00:37:22,080 --> 00:37:26,000 Speaker 1: the twenty one century. Now, so far, folks, so far, 638 00:37:26,080 --> 00:37:30,840 Speaker 1: dear ridiculous historians. We have been pretty uh, pretty honest, 639 00:37:30,880 --> 00:37:34,799 Speaker 1: but pretty optimistic as well with our predictions. We've been 640 00:37:34,800 --> 00:37:39,439 Speaker 1: talking about people saying nice things. People weren't always saying 641 00:37:39,520 --> 00:37:42,759 Speaker 1: nice things. In fact, there were a few less than optimistic, 642 00:37:43,200 --> 00:37:48,320 Speaker 1: somewhat strange predictions about the twenty first century. Uh No, 643 00:37:48,680 --> 00:37:51,160 Speaker 1: you know, the weirdest one to me is the future 644 00:37:51,280 --> 00:37:54,120 Speaker 1: humans one. This is where things get pretty interesting. This 645 00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:56,560 Speaker 1: is like sort of in the realm of like body 646 00:37:56,640 --> 00:38:01,440 Speaker 1: modification or like, you know what we evolve to be 647 00:38:01,520 --> 00:38:04,560 Speaker 1: a certain way. I mean, yeah, there's this idea that 648 00:38:04,640 --> 00:38:08,320 Speaker 1: seems really strange in dystopian that in the future humans 649 00:38:08,360 --> 00:38:12,680 Speaker 1: will only need one eye. We'll all be cyclops ees. 650 00:38:13,560 --> 00:38:18,000 Speaker 1: This was put forth by Dr Thomas Hall Shostad in 651 00:38:19,080 --> 00:38:23,560 Speaker 1: article uh called the Face of the Future, and he 652 00:38:23,640 --> 00:38:26,840 Speaker 1: says the future I will be in the center of 653 00:38:26,880 --> 00:38:31,280 Speaker 1: the face, below a very high forehead where the bridge 654 00:38:31,280 --> 00:38:33,440 Speaker 1: of the nose once rested. We won't need in the 655 00:38:33,520 --> 00:38:37,439 Speaker 1: where we're going, we won't need noses. That was back 656 00:38:37,440 --> 00:38:40,520 Speaker 1: to the future reference. The doctor said that the human 657 00:38:40,560 --> 00:38:44,680 Speaker 1: eye originally had evolved to see into the distance. But 658 00:38:44,920 --> 00:38:47,200 Speaker 1: we don't need that anymore because we're not like hunters, 659 00:38:47,239 --> 00:38:49,120 Speaker 1: you know. We we we get our food served to 660 00:38:49,200 --> 00:38:51,040 Speaker 1: us in pill form. All we need to be able 661 00:38:51,080 --> 00:38:54,440 Speaker 1: to do is read and write and uh repair watches. 662 00:38:54,520 --> 00:38:57,680 Speaker 1: He says, also cut gems. These are all very you know, 663 00:38:58,040 --> 00:39:02,279 Speaker 1: modern things. Uh, and look at pictures and so forth. Um. 664 00:39:02,320 --> 00:39:06,480 Speaker 1: And he says the cyclopean I would evolve to accommodate 665 00:39:06,520 --> 00:39:11,680 Speaker 1: all these close strange tasks and and pastimes. Wow, jeez, 666 00:39:12,120 --> 00:39:15,080 Speaker 1: that is that's a lot. That's a lot. That guy's 667 00:39:15,120 --> 00:39:17,680 Speaker 1: a doctor, too, has a very low opinion of us. 668 00:39:18,120 --> 00:39:21,000 Speaker 1: I don't know how serious that prediction is, but it 669 00:39:21,040 --> 00:39:25,320 Speaker 1: seems like he's being he's being sincere, you know. Um. 670 00:39:25,360 --> 00:39:27,720 Speaker 1: And then, of course there's a lot of cantankerous stuff 671 00:39:27,760 --> 00:39:33,839 Speaker 1: about the way new technologies will affect future humans. One 672 00:39:34,040 --> 00:39:39,920 Speaker 1: Time article from ninety one said that people are becoming 673 00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:43,720 Speaker 1: less literate due to the rise of television and said 674 00:39:43,719 --> 00:39:48,040 Speaker 1: that eventually people in the age of television would not 675 00:39:48,280 --> 00:39:53,040 Speaker 1: be able to read. Uh. Specifically, this writer said, by 676 00:39:53,080 --> 00:39:56,680 Speaker 1: the twenty first century, our people doubtless will be squint 677 00:39:56,719 --> 00:40:00,560 Speaker 1: eyed hunch backed and fond of the dark. But why 678 00:40:00,600 --> 00:40:03,719 Speaker 1: am I carrying on like this? Chances are that the 679 00:40:03,760 --> 00:40:07,600 Speaker 1: grandchildren of the television age won't know how to read this. 680 00:40:08,800 --> 00:40:11,960 Speaker 1: Tut tut, What a weird what a weird diss So 681 00:40:12,120 --> 00:40:15,600 Speaker 1: hopefully that's a little bit of satire. We know that 682 00:40:16,040 --> 00:40:19,680 Speaker 1: people are encountering literature in different ways, but it's not 683 00:40:19,719 --> 00:40:23,000 Speaker 1: like literature no longer exist. I know a lot of 684 00:40:23,040 --> 00:40:25,799 Speaker 1: people who read books. I would say, I would say 685 00:40:25,840 --> 00:40:30,080 Speaker 1: maybe this writer from the nineteen fifties should consider directing 686 00:40:30,160 --> 00:40:34,000 Speaker 1: their fire at the rise of the calculator. How many 687 00:40:34,080 --> 00:40:37,120 Speaker 1: people can easily do somethings. When's the last time you 688 00:40:37,160 --> 00:40:41,360 Speaker 1: had to do some long division, for instance, without tech assistance? 689 00:40:41,680 --> 00:40:44,560 Speaker 1: A million percent? And we've talked about this so often 690 00:40:44,600 --> 00:40:47,680 Speaker 1: where it's like do our brains how do they change 691 00:40:47,880 --> 00:40:50,600 Speaker 1: based on the information that we no longer need them 692 00:40:50,600 --> 00:40:54,080 Speaker 1: for like, uh, you know, remembering phone numbers or whatever, 693 00:40:54,200 --> 00:40:57,160 Speaker 1: Like do they fill that space up with other stuff 694 00:40:57,600 --> 00:40:59,200 Speaker 1: or do we just kind of lose it? Is like 695 00:40:59,200 --> 00:41:00,839 Speaker 1: I use it or lose this situation. I know that 696 00:41:01,040 --> 00:41:03,920 Speaker 1: you know, the mind and is very elastic and has 697 00:41:03,960 --> 00:41:05,719 Speaker 1: a has a way of adapting to things. Like that. 698 00:41:05,760 --> 00:41:08,759 Speaker 1: But it is an interesting thought, especially when you think 699 00:41:08,760 --> 00:41:11,719 Speaker 1: about the extreme kind of evolution that he's describing here, 700 00:41:11,760 --> 00:41:16,040 Speaker 1: which would presumably take like millions of years right to 701 00:41:16,160 --> 00:41:19,040 Speaker 1: evolve into having a single eye. That's that's not the 702 00:41:19,120 --> 00:41:22,400 Speaker 1: kind of thing that would happen like in anyone's lifetime. True, true. 703 00:41:22,480 --> 00:41:26,359 Speaker 1: And I think the evolution of humanity is now a 704 00:41:26,360 --> 00:41:31,440 Speaker 1: conversation with technology. But I don't I don't think television 705 00:41:31,520 --> 00:41:35,200 Speaker 1: is going to render people a literate Uh, maybe it 706 00:41:35,280 --> 00:41:39,839 Speaker 1: just changes the way we encounter literature. So let's bring 707 00:41:39,840 --> 00:41:42,320 Speaker 1: it all the way back around to the very beginning 708 00:41:42,400 --> 00:41:46,920 Speaker 1: of part one of our Predictions episode. Nicola Tesla. He 709 00:41:47,000 --> 00:41:52,880 Speaker 1: had some really really nice, optimistic predictions to um and 710 00:41:52,920 --> 00:41:55,520 Speaker 1: I don't want to say they're wrong, because I also 711 00:41:55,680 --> 00:41:59,840 Speaker 1: strive to be optimistic, But I will say we have 712 00:42:00,040 --> 00:42:02,359 Speaker 1: what we have, like eighty eighty years to work on 713 00:42:02,400 --> 00:42:07,640 Speaker 1: these alright, Well, what what what are some of your favorites? Man? Well, 714 00:42:07,680 --> 00:42:09,799 Speaker 1: I don't know. I mean, there's a lot. There's so 715 00:42:09,880 --> 00:42:12,880 Speaker 1: much that we've covered, so many weird ones, like pretty 716 00:42:12,920 --> 00:42:16,320 Speaker 1: close to accurate ones, ones that were seeing little shades 717 00:42:16,360 --> 00:42:18,200 Speaker 1: of in our day to day lives. A couple I 718 00:42:18,239 --> 00:42:21,120 Speaker 1: want to end on on Mr Tesla because he did 719 00:42:21,200 --> 00:42:23,799 Speaker 1: make a couple of fun ones that actually have come 720 00:42:23,840 --> 00:42:28,520 Speaker 1: to pass in very, very real and meaningful ways, one 721 00:42:28,840 --> 00:42:34,520 Speaker 1: being the whole notion the concept of a smartphone, or 722 00:42:34,640 --> 00:42:37,240 Speaker 1: let's just call it a cell phone. Um. He said 723 00:42:37,280 --> 00:42:39,439 Speaker 1: in a nineteen o nine interview with The New York 724 00:42:39,480 --> 00:42:43,120 Speaker 1: Times that was published in Popular Mechanics. Quote, h it 725 00:42:43,160 --> 00:42:46,000 Speaker 1: will soon be possible, for instance, for a businessman in 726 00:42:46,080 --> 00:42:49,680 Speaker 1: New York to dictate instructions and have them appear in type. 727 00:42:49,680 --> 00:42:53,200 Speaker 1: In London or elsewhere. He will be able to call 728 00:42:53,280 --> 00:42:56,759 Speaker 1: from his desk and talk with any telephone subscriber, even 729 00:42:56,840 --> 00:42:59,759 Speaker 1: uses the word subscriber in the world. It will only 730 00:42:59,840 --> 00:43:03,160 Speaker 1: be necessary to carry an expensive instrument no bigger than 731 00:43:03,200 --> 00:43:06,320 Speaker 1: a watch, which will enable its bearer to hear anywhere 732 00:43:06,400 --> 00:43:10,000 Speaker 1: on sea or land for distances of thousands of miles, 733 00:43:10,320 --> 00:43:13,759 Speaker 1: one may listen to or transmit speech or song to 734 00:43:13,840 --> 00:43:18,880 Speaker 1: the uttermost parts of the world. Wow. Amazing, Yeah he was. 735 00:43:18,920 --> 00:43:22,560 Speaker 1: He was spot on with this one, which gives us 736 00:43:22,600 --> 00:43:26,200 Speaker 1: a little hope that maybe he'll be He'll one day 737 00:43:26,239 --> 00:43:30,440 Speaker 1: be right with his prediction that news headlines won't focus 738 00:43:30,480 --> 00:43:35,120 Speaker 1: on crime and politics in nine and Liberty magazine. He said, 739 00:43:35,520 --> 00:43:38,200 Speaker 1: today the most civilized countries of the world spend a 740 00:43:38,200 --> 00:43:41,520 Speaker 1: maximum of their income on war and a minimum on education. 741 00:43:42,000 --> 00:43:45,440 Speaker 1: The twenty one century will reverse this order. It will 742 00:43:45,480 --> 00:43:48,359 Speaker 1: be more glorious to fight against ignorance than to die 743 00:43:48,440 --> 00:43:52,239 Speaker 1: on the field of battle. How amazing would that be? Nick, 744 00:43:52,400 --> 00:43:55,200 Speaker 1: If you're listening, I hope you're right. I guess he's 745 00:43:55,200 --> 00:43:57,880 Speaker 1: not familiar with the expression. If it bleeds, it leads. 746 00:43:58,560 --> 00:44:02,000 Speaker 1: I still seem to operate rarely under that principle. UM, 747 00:44:02,200 --> 00:44:04,800 Speaker 1: So I would say that's a big no, but would 748 00:44:04,800 --> 00:44:06,840 Speaker 1: love to see that happen. It's going to require a 749 00:44:06,880 --> 00:44:09,920 Speaker 1: whole lot of consensus and a lot of just changing 750 00:44:09,920 --> 00:44:13,120 Speaker 1: of attitudes, you know, um, and who knows? I mean, 751 00:44:14,400 --> 00:44:18,200 Speaker 1: was a rough year, um moving into one. It's it's 752 00:44:18,200 --> 00:44:19,880 Speaker 1: it would be foolish to think that all of a 753 00:44:19,960 --> 00:44:22,480 Speaker 1: sudden things are going to change for the better overnight. 754 00:44:22,520 --> 00:44:25,840 Speaker 1: But it does feel like the discourses maybe moving towards 755 00:44:25,840 --> 00:44:28,920 Speaker 1: something more representing a consensus or a little bit more 756 00:44:29,000 --> 00:44:31,560 Speaker 1: do they what is the word? Uh? Lowering the temperature 757 00:44:31,760 --> 00:44:34,279 Speaker 1: of of of discourse and of rhetoric and all of that. 758 00:44:34,560 --> 00:44:37,040 Speaker 1: So we'll see UM again like you said, Ben, I 759 00:44:37,080 --> 00:44:40,160 Speaker 1: too like to be optimistic. Uh. One thing that Tesla 760 00:44:40,239 --> 00:44:43,480 Speaker 1: absolutely got right more than a dred years ago. That 761 00:44:43,600 --> 00:44:48,319 Speaker 1: isn't a particularly I don't know, it's it's not net unpositive. 762 00:44:48,320 --> 00:44:51,240 Speaker 1: They're certainly positive uses for these things. But the idea 763 00:44:51,600 --> 00:44:56,160 Speaker 1: of unmanned aerial vehicles are what we love to talk about, 764 00:44:56,239 --> 00:44:57,879 Speaker 1: you know, on stuff that I want you to know, 765 00:44:58,440 --> 00:45:04,080 Speaker 1: UM drones, idea of drone warfare um and Nicola. Tesla 766 00:45:04,120 --> 00:45:08,040 Speaker 1: actually had a pretty optimistic view of what these devices 767 00:45:08,040 --> 00:45:12,480 Speaker 1: would accomplish. He uh said, he actually has a patent 768 00:45:12,840 --> 00:45:16,799 Speaker 1: for something resembling a drone. Uh. It was it's a 769 00:45:17,000 --> 00:45:20,200 Speaker 1: like a sub whatever, like a ship, like a drone ship. 770 00:45:20,600 --> 00:45:23,520 Speaker 1: But he believed that radio waves would be able to 771 00:45:23,640 --> 00:45:28,280 Speaker 1: use be used as communication technology that would transmit messages 772 00:45:28,320 --> 00:45:31,359 Speaker 1: between like a master and and and a host in 773 00:45:31,400 --> 00:45:34,560 Speaker 1: this drone UM and be able to use them to 774 00:45:34,719 --> 00:45:38,520 Speaker 1: carry out warfare operations. But he referred to them as 775 00:45:38,640 --> 00:45:45,120 Speaker 1: drone peacekeeping. Yeah. Yeah, and he was right. He called 776 00:45:45,160 --> 00:45:51,520 Speaker 1: it century ago. He predicted the path we would take. Uh. 777 00:45:51,560 --> 00:45:54,600 Speaker 1: And as you said, Noel, it is a is a 778 00:45:54,600 --> 00:45:57,840 Speaker 1: path fraught with complications. It could be seen as a 779 00:45:57,920 --> 00:46:02,160 Speaker 1: net positive. It certainly was seen. Is that positive by Tesla? 780 00:46:02,680 --> 00:46:04,880 Speaker 1: But so he was right about cell phones, he was 781 00:46:05,000 --> 00:46:09,319 Speaker 1: right about drones. We're hoping he's right about the emphasis 782 00:46:09,360 --> 00:46:12,799 Speaker 1: on science over war. And we're also hoping he's right 783 00:46:13,280 --> 00:46:18,040 Speaker 1: on one of his most optimistic predictions, the idea that 784 00:46:18,080 --> 00:46:22,400 Speaker 1: a Department of hygiene would eliminate pollution and world hunger. 785 00:46:23,000 --> 00:46:26,040 Speaker 1: He said, by the year five, there would be enough 786 00:46:26,080 --> 00:46:29,240 Speaker 1: wheat and wheat products because remember from our earlier episode, 787 00:46:29,239 --> 00:46:31,560 Speaker 1: the guy loved honey milk and wheat, health food nut, 788 00:46:31,760 --> 00:46:34,239 Speaker 1: health food nut. He said, there will be enough of 789 00:46:34,280 --> 00:46:38,040 Speaker 1: this stuff to feed the entire world, including parts of 790 00:46:38,040 --> 00:46:40,200 Speaker 1: the world that have been chronically on the verge of 791 00:46:40,600 --> 00:46:45,480 Speaker 1: starvation or experienced food insecurity. And he said, long before 792 00:46:45,560 --> 00:46:50,120 Speaker 1: the next century dawns, systematic reforest station and the scientific 793 00:46:50,160 --> 00:46:53,200 Speaker 1: management of natural resources will have made an end of 794 00:46:53,200 --> 00:46:58,759 Speaker 1: all devastating droughts, forest fires, and floods. Oh and he 795 00:46:58,800 --> 00:47:02,080 Speaker 1: also predicted, uh that we would be done with the 796 00:47:02,120 --> 00:47:05,040 Speaker 1: necessity burning fuel and it would be doing such thing 797 00:47:05,040 --> 00:47:08,640 Speaker 1: as unsafe drinking water. Tesla, we're trying our best, man, 798 00:47:08,719 --> 00:47:10,799 Speaker 1: We're let's just say we're running a little late with 799 00:47:10,840 --> 00:47:13,720 Speaker 1: that one. Yeah, we sure are. I want to circle 800 00:47:13,719 --> 00:47:16,680 Speaker 1: back to drones just really quickly, because again I sort 801 00:47:16,680 --> 00:47:20,200 Speaker 1: of briefly mentioned that he thought of these as a 802 00:47:20,320 --> 00:47:23,120 Speaker 1: method of keeping the peace, and the reason is he 803 00:47:23,520 --> 00:47:26,800 Speaker 1: felt that his patent for a drone, these unmanned vehicles 804 00:47:27,000 --> 00:47:29,760 Speaker 1: would quote this is from a tweet from Matt Schreyer, 805 00:47:30,239 --> 00:47:34,879 Speaker 1: um would bring about world peace through mutually assured destruction 806 00:47:35,480 --> 00:47:37,520 Speaker 1: in the same way that like the H bomb did. 807 00:47:37,800 --> 00:47:41,480 Speaker 1: But unfortunately, there's a really good quote from John Oliver 808 00:47:41,520 --> 00:47:46,440 Speaker 1: from last week tonight where he says, uh that drones 809 00:47:46,560 --> 00:47:50,120 Speaker 1: didn't have that same effect because so much of what 810 00:47:50,239 --> 00:47:54,359 Speaker 1: drones do happen in secret, and you don't have that 811 00:47:54,440 --> 00:47:57,520 Speaker 1: same spectacle and that same theater and that same shock 812 00:47:57,560 --> 00:47:59,920 Speaker 1: and awe as you do with a singular event like 813 00:48:00,080 --> 00:48:03,160 Speaker 1: dropping an H bomb and seeing an associated mushroom cloud 814 00:48:03,200 --> 00:48:06,400 Speaker 1: that everyone can like oh and ah over and experience 815 00:48:06,680 --> 00:48:09,280 Speaker 1: the fear of God. Right, yeah, right, that's the problem. 816 00:48:09,320 --> 00:48:14,759 Speaker 1: Technology always outpaces legislation, and we are now in a 817 00:48:14,840 --> 00:48:20,800 Speaker 1: world where, um, it's difficult to make solid predictions about 818 00:48:20,920 --> 00:48:26,120 Speaker 1: so much of the future. One thing we can predict, though, hopefully, 819 00:48:26,600 --> 00:48:31,000 Speaker 1: is that you have enjoyed this two part episode and 820 00:48:31,440 --> 00:48:35,239 Speaker 1: we predict I think we can safely predict that we 821 00:48:35,440 --> 00:48:40,320 Speaker 1: are gonna be making more of these episodes in the future, 822 00:48:40,640 --> 00:48:44,319 Speaker 1: so long as our super producer, Casey Pegram sticks with us, 823 00:48:44,360 --> 00:48:46,560 Speaker 1: as long as we don't get on your nerves too much, 824 00:48:46,640 --> 00:48:49,279 Speaker 1: right Casey, I'm here for the long haul, guys. Thanks man, 825 00:48:49,800 --> 00:48:52,600 Speaker 1: We appreciate it, and we're here for you for the 826 00:48:52,640 --> 00:48:55,080 Speaker 1: long haul and for you ridiculous historians. So and you 827 00:48:55,120 --> 00:48:57,400 Speaker 1: could be there for us or for each other, and 828 00:48:57,400 --> 00:48:59,560 Speaker 1: in whatever form you see fit, as long as it 829 00:48:59,600 --> 00:49:02,840 Speaker 1: involves you know, the Internet. You can find us on Facebook, 830 00:49:02,920 --> 00:49:06,040 Speaker 1: on Instagram, on Twitter, where we're Ridiculous History. If you 831 00:49:06,040 --> 00:49:09,040 Speaker 1: would like, you can join our Facebook group Ridiculous Historians, 832 00:49:09,080 --> 00:49:12,319 Speaker 1: where you can participate in conversations and engage with your 833 00:49:12,360 --> 00:49:16,520 Speaker 1: fellow ridiculous historians. And you can also find us as individuals. 834 00:49:16,840 --> 00:49:19,799 Speaker 1: You can talk to me directly. I'm on Instagram at 835 00:49:19,840 --> 00:49:22,560 Speaker 1: Ben Bullin. You can also find me on Twitter at 836 00:49:22,600 --> 00:49:26,080 Speaker 1: Ben Bullin hs W HUE. Thanks to super producer Casey Pegram, 837 00:49:26,120 --> 00:49:30,040 Speaker 1: as always Alex Williams, who composed this theme. Christopher hasciotis 838 00:49:30,080 --> 00:49:34,400 Speaker 1: here in spirit our wonderful research associate Gabe Lousier. Thanks 839 00:49:34,440 --> 00:49:38,440 Speaker 1: to you, Gabe, Thanks also to our own mad Scientists 840 00:49:38,520 --> 00:49:42,920 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland. Thanks to Eve's Jeff co our pure podcaster, 841 00:49:43,440 --> 00:49:46,520 Speaker 1: uh friend of the show. Do check out her fantastic 842 00:49:46,560 --> 00:49:52,000 Speaker 1: podcast This Day in History Class. Yes please do. Um. 843 00:49:52,080 --> 00:49:53,960 Speaker 1: And you know, I hope your new year is treating 844 00:49:54,000 --> 00:49:55,840 Speaker 1: you well. Let us know what the cut off for 845 00:49:55,920 --> 00:49:57,640 Speaker 1: calling it a new year is. I would love to know. 846 00:49:57,960 --> 00:49:59,719 Speaker 1: Why don't we just call it the new year until 847 00:49:59,719 --> 00:50:03,960 Speaker 1: like September? You know what. I'm cool with that. Wait 848 00:50:04,000 --> 00:50:14,560 Speaker 1: weigh in though. We'll see you next time Fox. For 849 00:50:14,640 --> 00:50:16,799 Speaker 1: more podcasts from My Heart Radio, visit the I Heart 850 00:50:16,880 --> 00:50:19,719 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your 851 00:50:19,719 --> 00:50:20,480 Speaker 1: favorite shows.