1 00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:03,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to How Staff Works. Now. I'm your host, Lauren Vogelbaum, 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:10,480 Speaker 1: a researcher and writer. Here at How staff Works. Every 3 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 1: week I'm bringing you three stories from our team about 4 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:15,800 Speaker 1: the weird and wondrous advances we've seen in science, technology, 5 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:19,320 Speaker 1: and culture. This week, a remote Simon Island is set 6 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:23,319 Speaker 1: to sever its expensive, undependable dependence on diesel fuel in 7 00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:26,720 Speaker 1: favor of solar power, partially in thanks to Elon Musk 8 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:31,440 Speaker 1: and unrelated research has explained of vexing quirk of carrying 9 00:00:31,440 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 1: on conversations in meat space why it's so hard to 10 00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:39,040 Speaker 1: maintain eye contact while you're talking. But first, staff editor 11 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 1: Christopher Hasiotas and our freelance writer John Donovan answer a 12 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:45,920 Speaker 1: question that is increasingly relevant since Donald Trump became the 13 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 1: President elect. Does the U S President have to live 14 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 1: in the White House? From its opening in the year 15 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:02,000 Speaker 1: through one nasty bit of arson and several renovations, the 16 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:04,800 Speaker 1: White House has been the home of every president but one. 17 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 1: George Washington. He commissioned the building, but he never actually 18 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:11,360 Speaker 1: lived there. But now, in the year two thousand sixteen, 19 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:14,319 Speaker 1: we've got an incoming president elect with properties all over 20 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:17,080 Speaker 1: the world and a unique disdain for the traditions of 21 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 1: American politics. On top of that, Donald Trump's wife, Milannia 22 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:23,200 Speaker 1: Trump won't move into the White House immediately after the 23 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:26,680 Speaker 1: inauguration in January. She's opting instead to remain in New 24 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:28,959 Speaker 1: York City's Trump Tower until at least the end of 25 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 1: their ten year old sun burned school year, if not longer, 26 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:35,480 Speaker 1: acting as a long distance first lady. So does the 27 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:38,320 Speaker 1: president actually have to live in the White House? Like 28 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 1: many things in the Trump world, it would be unprecedented 29 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:45,160 Speaker 1: to leave the White House unprecedented. Joel Trees, a historian 30 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:48,600 Speaker 1: with the White House Historical Association, contacted by How Stuff Works, 31 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 1: says he doesn't know of any president who ever considered 32 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 1: not living there. It sort of goes with the territory, 33 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 1: he told us. But it's not as if the President 34 00:01:56,760 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 1: of the United States has to live in the White House. 35 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 1: No law require is it, after all? And with everything 36 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:04,680 Speaker 1: there in a commute like that, the West Wing is 37 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 1: a few steps from the main residence. After all, the 38 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:09,840 Speaker 1: live work place setup has thus far proven impossible to 39 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 1: turn down. So let's do a quick review of that setup. 40 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:16,720 Speaker 1: The grand old edifice has some fifty five thousand square 41 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:20,639 Speaker 1: feet or five thousand square meters of living in working space, 42 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:23,640 Speaker 1: a hundred and thirty two rooms and at least three kitchens, 43 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:26,920 Speaker 1: thirty five bathrooms, and a rather famous oval shaped office 44 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:29,520 Speaker 1: where the leader of the Free World punches his time card. 45 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:32,320 Speaker 1: On top of that, the White House sits on an 46 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 1: eighteen acre or seven point three hector plot in prime 47 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:39,160 Speaker 1: downtown d C and sports a pool, a tennis court, 48 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 1: and a backyard big enough to land a helicopter. The 49 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:44,160 Speaker 1: White House has endured as a home base for sitting 50 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:46,800 Speaker 1: presidents for more than two centuries, ever since the second 51 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:49,799 Speaker 1: U S President John Adams first crossed the threshold in 52 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:52,960 Speaker 1: eighteen hundred. Also called the President's Palace back in the day, 53 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 1: the White House was burned by British troops during the 54 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:58,960 Speaker 1: War of eighteen twelve. President James Madison insisted on rebuilding 55 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:01,840 Speaker 1: in the same spot, using the original architect, James Hoban, 56 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 1: and incorporating the few sandstone walls that remained. Madison's successor, 57 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:08,960 Speaker 1: James Monroe, had to cool his heels at his home 58 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 1: in Virginia while the finishing touches were being applied, but 59 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 1: he moved in about six months after his inauguration in 60 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 1: eighteen seventeen. It's not always a financial win living in 61 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:20,960 Speaker 1: the White House, though, as many First Families have found out. 62 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:25,119 Speaker 1: In her book The Obama's author, Jodie Cantor points out 63 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 1: that the many expenses the White House occupants must shell 64 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 1: out are necessary. Rent is free, but just about nothing 65 00:03:31,639 --> 00:03:34,720 Speaker 1: else is. The First Family directly pays for its own 66 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:40,160 Speaker 1: food parties, vacations, Butler's housekeepers and all at Ritz Carlton prices, 67 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:44,200 Speaker 1: and that obligation extends beyond the White House to, for instance, 68 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:47,320 Speaker 1: flying someone who's not part of the official traveling delegation 69 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:51,640 Speaker 1: on Air Force one. The official presidential aircraft requires that 70 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:54,840 Speaker 1: the president and his family reimburse the American people at 71 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:57,800 Speaker 1: the equivalent of first class airfare. Still, for all the 72 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:02,200 Speaker 1: hassles involved, tourists can stently trumping about random drones landing 73 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:04,920 Speaker 1: on the lawn and all that it is an undeniably 74 00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:07,960 Speaker 1: cool place to call home. Only forty two people have 75 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:09,760 Speaker 1: ever had the chance to be head of that house. 76 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:13,920 Speaker 1: Wait just forty two, Yep. The structure wasn't built until 77 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:16,800 Speaker 1: after Washington, remember, and Grover Cleveland lived there on two 78 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:20,320 Speaker 1: separate occasions. The White House is an enduring symbol of 79 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:23,919 Speaker 1: power and freedom and another perk nobody who lives there 80 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:26,799 Speaker 1: ever has to worry about giving out directions. Then again, 81 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 1: President elect Donald Trump may prefer to live somewhere that 82 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:32,919 Speaker 1: has his name blazoned across the exterior, and that's just 83 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:39,920 Speaker 1: not the White House, at least not yet. Next up, 84 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:43,720 Speaker 1: senior writer Jonathan Strickland brings the story from American Samoa 85 00:04:44,279 --> 00:04:47,839 Speaker 1: and the future. A tiny island is switching to solar power. 86 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:55,000 Speaker 1: Could they become a model for other communities. An island 87 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:58,039 Speaker 1: in the South Pacific has recently switched from diesel fuel 88 00:04:58,120 --> 00:05:01,200 Speaker 1: to solar energy, and the tech old is all abuzz. 89 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:05,640 Speaker 1: The island is Taou, part of American Samoa. Previously, the 90 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:08,480 Speaker 1: residents of Taou, and there are less than a thousand 91 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:11,560 Speaker 1: of them, depended upon deliveries of diesel fuel to the 92 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:15,640 Speaker 1: tune of nearly one thousand gallons a year. Fuel is 93 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:20,200 Speaker 1: expensive burning, it causes pollution, and sometimes Taou would experience 94 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:23,800 Speaker 1: delivery delays, meaning residents would have to ration fuel when 95 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:27,640 Speaker 1: it became scarce. Switching to solar power represents a real 96 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:30,800 Speaker 1: boost to Taou's quality of life, as well as being 97 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:35,000 Speaker 1: more environmentally friendly. It started in twenty fifteen when the 98 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:39,240 Speaker 1: American Samoa Power Authority issued an invitation for solar power 99 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 1: companies to make their best offer. The company that won 100 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:45,600 Speaker 1: the bid was solar City, a startup that was founded 101 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:49,000 Speaker 1: by Peter and Lyndon Rive. They have a famous cousin 102 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:53,760 Speaker 1: named Elon Musk, founder of Tesla Motors. Musk is also 103 00:05:53,960 --> 00:05:57,560 Speaker 1: the chairman of solar City. Over the course of a year, 104 00:05:57,640 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 1: solar City sent engineers to Tau and installed more than 105 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:05,279 Speaker 1: five thousand solar panels and sixty Tesla power packs, which 106 00:06:05,279 --> 00:06:08,760 Speaker 1: are rechargeable batteries. The solar cells have one point for 107 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:12,720 Speaker 1: megawatts of solar generation capacity, and the power packs can 108 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 1: provide six megawatt hours of juice. According to solar City, 109 00:06:16,839 --> 00:06:20,720 Speaker 1: the batteries represent three days worth of Taoo's electricity demands, 110 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:23,039 Speaker 1: so even if the island is hit with a cloudy spell, 111 00:06:23,200 --> 00:06:26,279 Speaker 1: the lights will still work. It's a great story that 112 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 1: broke right on the heels of Tesla shareholders approving a 113 00:06:29,839 --> 00:06:33,560 Speaker 1: two billion dollar merger proposal with solar City, and the 114 00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:36,839 Speaker 1: company has big plans for twenty seventeen. It's bringing to 115 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:40,160 Speaker 1: market solar cells that look like roofing tiles rather than 116 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:43,760 Speaker 1: traditional solar panels. The company says that these solar tiles 117 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:46,880 Speaker 1: will cost the same or less than ceramic or concrete 118 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:49,680 Speaker 1: tiles already on the market. For people who have been 119 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:52,480 Speaker 1: reluctant to adopt solar power tech because they feel it 120 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:55,240 Speaker 1: would have a negative impact on their homes appearance, this 121 00:06:55,279 --> 00:06:58,520 Speaker 1: could be a solution to their problem. It's all part 122 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:01,679 Speaker 1: of a master strategy to create an industry around making 123 00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:06,400 Speaker 1: households more energy independent and reducing our consumption of fossil fuels. 124 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:09,600 Speaker 1: If Musk has his way, millions of people will be 125 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:12,920 Speaker 1: able to generate and store electricity in their own homes 126 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:17,560 Speaker 1: and drive electric vehicles everywhere. Whether or not that plan succeeds, 127 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:20,160 Speaker 1: it looks like the people of too will benefit from 128 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:25,480 Speaker 1: solar cities efforts. Finally, this week, I've got one for 129 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:28,920 Speaker 1: you with thanks to our freelance writer Jescelyn Shields. Researchers 130 00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:31,760 Speaker 1: think that there are legit brain reasons for why maintaining 131 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:37,200 Speaker 1: eye contact can be so difficult. You know how it's 132 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:39,800 Speaker 1: hard to look into someone's eyes while you're talking to them, 133 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:43,200 Speaker 1: and not just people whose eyes are like two velvety 134 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:46,600 Speaker 1: pools of sunlit honey, it can be difficult to collect 135 00:07:46,640 --> 00:07:49,560 Speaker 1: and express your thoughts when you're staring into completely regular 136 00:07:49,640 --> 00:07:53,320 Speaker 1: looking eyes too. Face to face communication is obviously important, 137 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:56,400 Speaker 1: but holding a steady gaze during conversation can reduce even 138 00:07:56,440 --> 00:07:59,280 Speaker 1: the most self possessed among us into a stammering puddle 139 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:03,320 Speaker 1: of likes and ums. Why is that? A study published 140 00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:06,520 Speaker 1: last month and the journal Cognition explores why eye contact 141 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:09,320 Speaker 1: and verbal processing appear to be connected, even though the 142 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:11,400 Speaker 1: centers for vision and language are in different parts of 143 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:15,360 Speaker 1: the brain. The researchers findings suggest that eye contact, although 144 00:08:15,440 --> 00:08:18,440 Speaker 1: essential to human behavior, is so mentally taxing that it 145 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:21,440 Speaker 1: ends up interfering with our ability to speak. To study 146 00:08:21,440 --> 00:08:25,440 Speaker 1: this phenomenon, Shogo Kaijimura and Michio Nomoa to researchers from 147 00:08:25,520 --> 00:08:29,200 Speaker 1: Kyoto University in Japan asked twenty six study participants to 148 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:31,760 Speaker 1: play a word matching game while watching the animated face 149 00:08:31,760 --> 00:08:34,680 Speaker 1: of a stranger on a TV screen. Male and female 150 00:08:34,679 --> 00:08:37,920 Speaker 1: faces were equally represented. Some of them gazed directly at 151 00:08:37,920 --> 00:08:41,240 Speaker 1: the viewer, while others gazes were averted. When confronted with 152 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:43,880 Speaker 1: each of these faces, the participants were given a noun 153 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:45,960 Speaker 1: and asked to come up with an associated verb as 154 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:49,360 Speaker 1: quickly as possible. Some of the nouns, like knife, were 155 00:08:49,400 --> 00:08:52,440 Speaker 1: pretty easy to associate with a specific verb. We generally 156 00:08:52,559 --> 00:08:55,960 Speaker 1: cut with a knife. Other nouns, though, like list, were 157 00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:59,000 Speaker 1: more difficult to associate with something specific. After all, you 158 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:01,320 Speaker 1: can make a list, check a list, referred to a list, 159 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:04,240 Speaker 1: to be on a list, and so on. Participants had 160 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:05,839 Speaker 1: to look at the face on the screen and use 161 00:09:05,880 --> 00:09:08,320 Speaker 1: each noun in a sentence with the verb of their choosing. 162 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:11,160 Speaker 1: The researchers found that participants were slower to say an 163 00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:13,680 Speaker 1: appropriate verb when the face on the video screen looked 164 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:16,440 Speaker 1: directly at them rather than away from them, but only 165 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:19,800 Speaker 1: when the verb association task was more difficult. According to 166 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:23,559 Speaker 1: Kaijima and Noma, this shows that eye contact doesn't exactly 167 00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:26,400 Speaker 1: interfere with the brain's ability to choose words, but the 168 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:29,480 Speaker 1: mental effort it takes to maintain a mutual gaze overloads 169 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:32,240 Speaker 1: the brain's functioning to the point that verb generation can 170 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:37,000 Speaker 1: become really tough. The two tasks essentially conflict for cognitive resources. 171 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:40,600 Speaker 1: Other studies have shown that direct eye contact conveys important 172 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:44,000 Speaker 1: emotions and in a varied gaze can feel ostracizing, but 173 00:09:44,200 --> 00:09:46,480 Speaker 1: sometimes it's okay to look away. You owe it to 174 00:09:46,520 --> 00:09:49,760 Speaker 1: both yourself and your buddy to say something cogent and sensible. 175 00:09:54,760 --> 00:09:56,840 Speaker 1: That's our show for this week. Thank you so much 176 00:09:56,880 --> 00:09:59,440 Speaker 1: for tuning in. Further thanks to our audio producer Dylan 177 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:03,240 Speaker 1: Fagan and our editorial liaison Alison Laudermilk. Subscribe now for 178 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:05,640 Speaker 1: more of the latest science news and since links to 179 00:10:05,640 --> 00:10:07,839 Speaker 1: anything you'd like to hear us cover, plus the name 180 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:10,400 Speaker 1: of your favorite wine. Assuming that you are a human 181 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:13,080 Speaker 1: of appropriate drinking age, You can send us an email 182 00:10:13,080 --> 00:10:15,840 Speaker 1: at now Podcast at how stuff works dot com, and 183 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:18,400 Speaker 1: of course, for lots more stories like these, head on 184 00:10:18,440 --> 00:10:21,240 Speaker 1: over to our home planet Now dot how stuff works 185 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:27,800 Speaker 1: dot com.