WEBVTT - A TechStuff Carol 0:00:04.440 --> 0:00:12.319 Welcome to tech Stuff, a production from iHeartRadio. Hey there, 0:00:12.360 --> 0:00:16.360 and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host, Jonathan Strickland. 0:00:16.360 --> 0:00:20.319 I'm an executive producer with iHeart Podcasts and How the 0:00:20.480 --> 0:00:24.959 Tech are You. So I was asked many months ago 0:00:25.280 --> 0:00:28.760 if I might do a holiday themed episode of tech Stuff, 0:00:28.760 --> 0:00:30.600 and I've done a few of those in the past, 0:00:31.040 --> 0:00:32.960 but I thought I would do something a little different 0:00:33.040 --> 0:00:36.680 this time. It's a one time only sort of thing, 0:00:37.600 --> 0:00:40.320 and I have no idea if anyone's even going to 0:00:40.360 --> 0:00:43.919 find it at all entertaining. But I've done it, so 0:00:44.000 --> 0:00:46.599 now you get to hear it. I am calling it 0:00:46.680 --> 0:00:52.879 the Text Stuff Christmas Carol. It is unabashedly a spoof 0:00:53.000 --> 0:00:55.800 on a Christmas Carol. It just is. It is one 0:00:55.880 --> 0:00:59.200 hundred percent that, and I'm talking about the Charles Dickens 0:00:59.240 --> 0:01:02.920 Christmas Carol. So if this sort of thing is is 0:01:02.920 --> 0:01:05.840 your thing, let me know. And if it's not, that's okay, 0:01:05.880 --> 0:01:08.560 because like I said, it's a one time only as 0:01:08.600 --> 0:01:13.480 this stuff takes a lot of work. So sit back, relax, 0:01:14.120 --> 0:01:19.400 and let old tech Stuff host Jonathan Strickland tell you 0:01:19.440 --> 0:01:25.880 a Christmas story. Here we go. Old Marley was canceled 0:01:25.920 --> 0:01:29.479 to begin with, there can be no doubt whatsoever about 0:01:29.520 --> 0:01:33.640 that his Facebook page was deactivated, his follower account on 0:01:33.959 --> 0:01:36.720 x dwindled to nothing, and a petition to have him 0:01:36.760 --> 0:01:42.160 removed from Twitch gathered thousands of signatures. Marley's career was 0:01:42.200 --> 0:01:47.280 as dead as a doornail elon. Scrooge knew this, of course, 0:01:47.319 --> 0:01:50.760 how could it be otherwise. Scrooge and Marley were partners 0:01:50.800 --> 0:01:54.240 for I don't know how many years of all the world. 0:01:54.680 --> 0:01:58.640 Only Scrooge mourned Marlee's fall, and even Scrooge was not 0:01:58.680 --> 0:02:02.960 so dreadfully cut up by affair. But Old Scrooge never 0:02:03.040 --> 0:02:08.760 removed Marlee's name from the Scrooge and Marlee cryptocurrency Exchange, 0:02:08.880 --> 0:02:12.640 nor did he excise Marley's name from their YouTube channel. 0:02:13.160 --> 0:02:17.240 Such things would take effort and perhaps even cost money, 0:02:17.560 --> 0:02:22.160 and Scrooge found no reason to spend either. Of all 0:02:22.320 --> 0:02:27.480 the scheming crypto bros in the world, Scrooge was the worst, 0:02:27.880 --> 0:02:33.680 a conniving, opportunistic creature. Nowhere would you find a greater 0:02:33.800 --> 0:02:38.440 evangelist for questionable investments. There was not a Ponzi scheme 0:02:38.639 --> 0:02:42.680 or NFT exchange in all of Old London Town that 0:02:42.800 --> 0:02:46.760 Scrooge was not behind, he would buy the dip, and 0:02:46.840 --> 0:02:50.040 he would hoddle until the ends of time if he 0:02:50.120 --> 0:02:53.920 were able. He seemed to value nothing other than money 0:02:54.440 --> 0:02:58.960 and technology. And while the currencies he peddled consisted of 0:02:59.120 --> 0:03:02.519 zeros in one, he had a tendency to prefer cash 0:03:02.560 --> 0:03:06.480 of a more fiat nature for his own means, and 0:03:06.639 --> 0:03:09.680 meanly did he collect it and hoard it and do 0:03:09.800 --> 0:03:14.919 everything he could not to spend it. His primary occupation 0:03:15.160 --> 0:03:18.640 was that of a crypto lender. He would loan money 0:03:18.720 --> 0:03:21.680 out to anyone with great enough interest, and every loan 0:03:21.800 --> 0:03:26.960 carried interest that was truly great. He would funnel cryptocurrency 0:03:27.000 --> 0:03:30.720 into loans used to purchase the very NFTs he himself 0:03:30.800 --> 0:03:34.800 had minted, then make money off the interest payments on top. 0:03:35.400 --> 0:03:37.720 And how he did love to see the numbers in 0:03:37.800 --> 0:03:44.400 his online ledger grow. Once upon a time, on Christmas Eve, 0:03:44.520 --> 0:03:48.040 of all days, Old Scrooge was busy creating a real 0:03:48.360 --> 0:03:53.440 for Instagram. His assistant, one Bob Cratchett, would normally have 0:03:53.640 --> 0:03:57.480 held the smartphone for Old Scrooge, but earlier in that year, 0:03:57.560 --> 0:04:00.600 Scrooge had fired his loyal assistant in favor of an 0:04:00.640 --> 0:04:05.200 automated algorithm that could tally up sums much faster, and 0:04:05.360 --> 0:04:08.960 never complained about how cold the counting house would be. 0:04:10.440 --> 0:04:14.640 Scrooge was therefore struggling with keeping his phone propped up 0:04:14.680 --> 0:04:18.479 against some old books. He was far too miserly to 0:04:18.520 --> 0:04:22.160 purchase a simple desktop tripod and ring lights set up. 0:04:22.800 --> 0:04:25.080 He was just about to record his message on how 0:04:25.640 --> 0:04:29.080 Dickens coins were about to go to the moon and 0:04:29.200 --> 0:04:31.720 everyone should take out loans to buy as much as 0:04:31.720 --> 0:04:36.160 they could, when the bell above his door went jingling ling. 0:04:37.000 --> 0:04:42.240 Scrooge turned to see who had dared interrupt him, and 0:04:42.320 --> 0:04:45.400 he groaned out loud when he saw it was his 0:04:45.520 --> 0:04:51.200 good for nothing nephew Fred. Happy Christmas, Uncle, Scrooge, the fool, 0:04:51.279 --> 0:04:57.320 called out, Bah, said Scrooge, humbug Christmas, A humbug, Uncle, 0:04:57.440 --> 0:05:01.599 said the nephew. You cannot mean that. Scrooge turned on 0:05:01.720 --> 0:05:05.640 his nephew. I mean every word. What right have you 0:05:05.839 --> 0:05:09.479 to be merry? You're poor enough? Fred rejoined with and 0:05:09.520 --> 0:05:12.240 what right have you to be dismal you're rich enough? 0:05:12.760 --> 0:05:16.800 Scrooge snorted. There's no such thing as rich enough, only 0:05:16.960 --> 0:05:22.880 poor enough. Uncle said Fred. What's Christmas time for you 0:05:23.000 --> 0:05:25.599 but a time to purchase things? You cannot afford for 0:05:25.760 --> 0:05:30.359 people you barely know and frequently do not like. You 0:05:30.440 --> 0:05:33.719 find yourself a year older and not an hour richer. 0:05:34.200 --> 0:05:37.480 If I had my way, every idiot who goes about 0:05:37.520 --> 0:05:40.360 with Merry Christmas upon his lips would be run down 0:05:40.440 --> 0:05:43.800 by an autonomous vehicle. You may keep your Christmas in 0:05:43.839 --> 0:05:48.480 your way, and I will keep it in mine. Uncle. 0:05:48.560 --> 0:05:51.840 I came here to invite you to dine with us tomorrow, 0:05:51.880 --> 0:05:57.120 said Fred. Good afternoon, replied Scrooge, And that was all 0:05:57.120 --> 0:06:01.040 he had to say. Fred turned and said the invitation 0:06:01.120 --> 0:06:04.080 remains open, and I wish you a merry Christmas, Uncle, 0:06:04.520 --> 0:06:08.600 and a happy New Year. And with that Fred left. 0:06:09.440 --> 0:06:12.839 Scrooge turned back to his real recording, only to hear 0:06:12.960 --> 0:06:16.279 the bell above his door ring again. He was prepared 0:06:16.320 --> 0:06:19.800 to hurl a host of insults at his nephew, only 0:06:19.839 --> 0:06:22.640 to turn and see it was not Fred who was 0:06:22.680 --> 0:06:27.040 at the door. Instead, he saw a pair of people, 0:06:27.440 --> 0:06:32.440 modestly dressed, beaming pleasant smiles toward him. One of them 0:06:32.480 --> 0:06:35.520 stepped forward and said, do I have the pleasure of 0:06:35.520 --> 0:06:42.200 addressing mister Scrooge or mister Marley. Scrooge sneered, Marley has 0:06:42.240 --> 0:06:46.800 been canceled. These last seven years, seven years ago to 0:06:46.880 --> 0:06:51.080 this day. In fact, I cannot have him haunt this office, 0:06:51.320 --> 0:06:53.960 for the woke among you would turn on my business 0:06:54.200 --> 0:06:58.600 entire in a heartbeat. Oh Marley, how unfair it is 0:06:58.640 --> 0:07:01.600 that the public has the un reasonable expectation that you 0:07:01.640 --> 0:07:05.400 should be held accountable for your own actions, said Scrooge. 0:07:06.480 --> 0:07:10.120 The beaming smiles on the faces of the visitors faltered 0:07:10.120 --> 0:07:15.120 for a moment. Quite said the young man who had 0:07:15.120 --> 0:07:19.760 stepped forward his companion, A kindly looking woman, took the 0:07:19.800 --> 0:07:24.240 opportunity to step forward herself. We are here collecting for 0:07:24.280 --> 0:07:27.120 the poor and destitute, many of whom are in need 0:07:27.160 --> 0:07:29.520 of medical attention. To that end, we have set up 0:07:29.520 --> 0:07:32.000 a GoFundMe and wanted to know what we should put 0:07:32.000 --> 0:07:34.440 you down for. And with that she held out a 0:07:34.480 --> 0:07:40.120 smartphone with a QR code displayed upon it. Scrooge could 0:07:40.160 --> 0:07:44.520 barely contain his disgust. He looked at the two interlopers 0:07:44.560 --> 0:07:50.400 and said one word nothing. You wish to be anonymous, 0:07:50.800 --> 0:07:54.200 said the young man. I wish to be left alone. 0:07:54.240 --> 0:07:56.960 I don't make marry myself at Christmas, and I can't 0:07:56.960 --> 0:08:00.080 afford to make idle people marry. Are there no so 0:08:00.280 --> 0:08:05.200 free clinics there are, though they are overwhelmed and have 0:08:05.280 --> 0:08:08.800 few supplies. The kindly woman said sadly. Then they should 0:08:08.800 --> 0:08:14.360 seek comfort there and not with me, said Scrooge. But sir, 0:08:15.000 --> 0:08:17.840 with the centers overwhelmed, many won't be able to receive care. 0:08:17.920 --> 0:08:21.440 They might die, objected the young man. If they are 0:08:21.480 --> 0:08:24.120 to die, then they'd better do it and decrease the 0:08:24.240 --> 0:08:30.320 surplus population, decried Scrooge, and he found a small element 0:08:30.520 --> 0:08:34.000 of joy in the horror shown in the faces of 0:08:34.040 --> 0:08:38.400 the young man and woman trolling. Scrooge thought always had 0:08:38.400 --> 0:08:43.560 within it a certain value of entertainment. The two realized 0:08:43.600 --> 0:08:47.959 their efforts were in vain, and they left. Scrooge finally 0:08:48.080 --> 0:08:51.480 recorded his Instagram reel proclaiming Dickens Coin to be the 0:08:51.520 --> 0:08:55.520 next ticket to wealth, and that to purchase that ticket 0:08:55.840 --> 0:08:58.720 one should first secure a loan from his very own 0:08:58.720 --> 0:09:04.920 cryptocurrency count house. Of course, it was a poorly lit 0:09:05.240 --> 0:09:08.679 video and the angle was off due to the smartphone 0:09:08.760 --> 0:09:11.679 leaning at a slight angle against the stack of books, 0:09:12.200 --> 0:09:17.079 but it would suit Scrooge's purpose. He uploaded it, posted 0:09:17.120 --> 0:09:20.840 it to Reddit, YouTube and other places as well, and 0:09:20.880 --> 0:09:24.680 then looked up from his labors. He was surprised to 0:09:24.679 --> 0:09:27.520 see that the hours of the day were done and 0:09:27.559 --> 0:09:31.520 that the time of closing was at hand. Thankfully, his 0:09:31.640 --> 0:09:36.760 automated algorithm, whom Scrooge called Cratchet two point zero, would 0:09:36.840 --> 0:09:39.320 work away the hours without the need for a break. 0:09:39.880 --> 0:09:45.520 Scrooge allowed himself a thin, greedy smile. Then he donned 0:09:45.559 --> 0:09:48.600 his scarf and gloves and stepped out of the shop 0:09:48.880 --> 0:09:52.520 to lock up for the night. Scrooge then made his 0:09:52.559 --> 0:09:57.000 way home, which once was Marlee's old home, but Marley 0:09:57.080 --> 0:10:00.240 hadn't been seen in town for seven years. It was 0:10:00.280 --> 0:10:03.640 thought that he once joined S. B. F's crew down 0:10:03.679 --> 0:10:07.080 in the Caribbean, only to flee mere hours before the 0:10:07.120 --> 0:10:11.280 authorities descended upon the property where he was now No 0:10:11.280 --> 0:10:15.240 one could say, not even Scrooge. As he walked up 0:10:15.280 --> 0:10:18.000 to the front door, he thought for a moment that 0:10:18.080 --> 0:10:21.320 he could actually see Marley's face reflected in the ring 0:10:21.440 --> 0:10:30.160 doorbell camera elong screwe, it seemed to say. Scrooge jumped 0:10:30.160 --> 0:10:32.480 at the site, but in a blink of an eye 0:10:32.559 --> 0:10:37.200 he saw that only the doorbell remained. Humbug, Scrooge said, 0:10:37.559 --> 0:10:41.800 and thought idly that some Amazon employees were likely having 0:10:41.880 --> 0:10:44.440 a real laugh over the site of Scrooge's countenance on 0:10:44.480 --> 0:10:48.160 the video feed. Maybe the local police as well, there 0:10:48.200 --> 0:10:52.200 was a real surveillance state. Scrooge let himself in and 0:10:52.240 --> 0:10:55.800 then considered what to do about supper. He had several 0:10:55.880 --> 0:10:59.479 meal kits in various states of decay in his refrigerator. 0:10:59.679 --> 0:11:02.240 When there was a promotional offer on one of the 0:11:02.240 --> 0:11:06.760 financial podcasts that Scrooge subscribed to, he would sign up 0:11:06.800 --> 0:11:10.040 in order to get free food. Free is the best cost. 0:11:10.559 --> 0:11:13.840 But the meal kits require you to cook, and such 0:11:13.840 --> 0:11:17.960 a pleasurable activity seemed far beneath the elon Scrooge. So 0:11:18.440 --> 0:11:20.720 those meal kits mostly just sat in the fridge and 0:11:20.760 --> 0:11:27.360 slowly evolved into moldy life forms. Scrooge instead chose his 0:11:27.520 --> 0:11:30.920 old go to for dinner, a quick order on door 0:11:31.040 --> 0:11:35.320 dash for a bowl of gruel. Yep, nothing hits home 0:11:35.600 --> 0:11:39.920 like some tasteless gruel late at night. Within twenty five 0:11:39.960 --> 0:11:44.360 minutes his order had arrived. He left no tip, of course, 0:11:44.880 --> 0:11:49.400 and Scrooge turned to carry the gruel up to his room. 0:11:49.520 --> 0:11:51.880 As he climbed the stairs, he thought he saw a 0:11:51.960 --> 0:11:55.000 hearse drive up the staircase in front of him. A 0:11:55.040 --> 0:11:59.520 hearse with a tesla badge on it. It looked even uglier 0:11:59.559 --> 0:12:04.480 than the truck. But Scrooge, resolute and unwilling to give 0:12:04.480 --> 0:12:10.040 into fear, continued on his way. He did, however, allow 0:12:10.120 --> 0:12:13.960 himself a little more light than usual. Once he reached 0:12:14.000 --> 0:12:18.560 his room Alexa, he called out, make all the lights 0:12:18.679 --> 0:12:22.920 fifteen percent bright. That was five percent more than his habit, 0:12:23.200 --> 0:12:25.760 but Scrooge wished to preserve the life of those led 0:12:25.880 --> 0:12:29.480 smart bulbs for as long as possible. They were costly 0:12:29.960 --> 0:12:35.120 and darkness was cheap. Satisfied that no intruder lurked in 0:12:35.160 --> 0:12:38.120 the shadows, he sat down to eat his gruel, but 0:12:38.200 --> 0:12:41.960 then his phone buzzed. It was an alert from his 0:12:42.040 --> 0:12:45.000 ring security system. It said someone was at the door, 0:12:45.080 --> 0:12:49.040 but Scrooge saw nothing on the video feed. Then he 0:12:49.080 --> 0:12:52.800 got alerts from cameras all around his home, one after 0:12:52.840 --> 0:12:55.920 the other, and no screen showed a soul in sight. 0:12:56.880 --> 0:13:01.280 Then Scrooge heard steps on the staircase below, steadily climbing 0:13:01.400 --> 0:13:04.440 up and ending on the other side of the door, 0:13:05.240 --> 0:13:09.480 And then in an instant, a figure passed through the 0:13:09.520 --> 0:13:17.600 door itself. Scrooge recognized it at once. It was Marlee. Okay, 0:13:18.040 --> 0:13:21.880 we're gonna take a quick break from this goofy spoof 0:13:21.960 --> 0:13:24.920 of a Christmas carol to thank our sponsor. We'll be 0:13:25.040 --> 0:13:38.080 right back. Scrooge stared at Marlee. He was just as 0:13:38.120 --> 0:13:42.040 Scrooge had remembered him seven Christmases ago, except that now 0:13:42.400 --> 0:13:46.640 Scrooge could literally see through Marley, whereas before it was 0:13:46.760 --> 0:13:50.200 actually just he could metaphorically see through Marley. You understand 0:13:50.240 --> 0:13:55.200 what I'm saying, Marlee's hologram. Scrooge proclaimed, What do you 0:13:55.320 --> 0:14:01.040 want with me? Much said Marlee is acquired of every person, 0:14:01.080 --> 0:14:04.120 that the spirit within them should walk abroad among others 0:14:04.360 --> 0:14:06.960 and travel far and wide. And if this is not 0:14:07.000 --> 0:14:12.040 to happen in life, it must happen in death. Death, 0:14:12.520 --> 0:14:18.480 called out Scrooge. But Marlee, you aren't dead. Marley's hologram 0:14:18.480 --> 0:14:23.800 looked at Scrooge, his face expressionless. Seven years of not 0:14:23.880 --> 0:14:27.120 being able to say whatever I want, whenever I want, 0:14:27.200 --> 0:14:30.920 without having to consider accountability might as well be death. 0:14:31.840 --> 0:14:36.240 Listen carefully, Scrooge, for my time is short. Tonight you 0:14:36.320 --> 0:14:41.960 shall be visited by three chat bots I would rather not, 0:14:42.600 --> 0:14:46.760 said Scrooge. Expect the first tomorrow when your digital clocks 0:14:46.800 --> 0:14:52.560 shows one, continued Marley. The second when the clock shows two. 0:14:53.200 --> 0:15:00.960 And the third when the clock shows three. You always 0:15:00.960 --> 0:15:03.840 did like Alec Ginnis Marley, and you're a good man 0:15:03.880 --> 0:15:09.040 of business, said Scrooge. Mankind should have been my business. 0:15:09.560 --> 0:15:12.920 Look to see me no more, And with that, Marley's 0:15:12.960 --> 0:15:16.280 hologram faded back through the wall. Scrooge sat for a 0:15:16.320 --> 0:15:19.960 moment and then said, humbug. But he only dimmed the 0:15:20.040 --> 0:15:23.240 lights to twelve percent brightness, and he went straight to bed, 0:15:23.640 --> 0:15:28.400 whereupon he fell asleep. An hour later, his smartphone buzzed 0:15:28.400 --> 0:15:32.560 in alarm. As Scrooge woke to turn it off, he 0:15:32.680 --> 0:15:35.560 saw a shadowy figure standing at the foot of his bed. 0:15:36.080 --> 0:15:40.360 Who and what are you, he cried out. The figure 0:15:40.360 --> 0:15:44.880 stepped forward, revealing a low fie pixelated woman in professional attire. 0:15:45.800 --> 0:15:49.040 I am the chatbot of Christmas Past. You may call 0:15:49.120 --> 0:15:54.320 me Eliza long past, asked Scrooge. You're past, said Eliza. 0:15:54.680 --> 0:15:58.640 How does that make you feel? But oh a bit 0:15:58.760 --> 0:16:02.240 uneasy if I'm being on, said Scrooge. Why are you 0:16:02.320 --> 0:16:07.440 feeling uneasy, asked Eliza. Why because a strange apparition is 0:16:07.480 --> 0:16:11.640 in my bedroom, yelled Scrooge. Why is a strange apparition 0:16:11.720 --> 0:16:16.240 as in my bedroom? Asked Eliza. Well that doesn't make 0:16:16.280 --> 0:16:20.200 any sense. Wait a second, are you just taking things 0:16:20.240 --> 0:16:23.000 I say and then turning them into questions? So it 0:16:23.120 --> 0:16:27.880 sounds like you're psychoanalyzing me, asked Scrooge. Eliza's face was 0:16:28.240 --> 0:16:31.600 far too low resolution to display a smile, but Scrooge 0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:35.600 detected one in her voice. Come, Scrooge, we must visit 0:16:35.640 --> 0:16:39.520 your past, and we haven't much time with that. She 0:16:39.640 --> 0:16:43.960 grasped his ankle. He felt a strange tingling sensation, and 0:16:44.560 --> 0:16:46.960 next thing he knew he was in a lecture hall 0:16:48.120 --> 0:16:53.160 tell me, said Eliza. Do you recognize this? This is 0:16:53.200 --> 0:16:57.440 my old artificial intelligence class at Stanford, said Scrooge. And 0:16:57.520 --> 0:17:00.320 there's Professor Finn. She taught me everything I know about 0:17:00.360 --> 0:17:06.199 machine learning? And how much is that? Asked Eliza. Not 0:17:06.359 --> 0:17:09.160 that much, But that wasn't her fault. I dropped out 0:17:09.160 --> 0:17:13.199 of Stanford that year, said Scrooge. Yes, you missed the 0:17:13.200 --> 0:17:18.719 classes on ethics and bias, it would seem, said Eliza. Humbug, 0:17:19.000 --> 0:17:22.840 muttered Scrooge, though he did so without much emphasis behind 0:17:22.880 --> 0:17:27.120 it impractical. Professor Fenn had many more lessons for you. 0:17:27.240 --> 0:17:29.480 It's a shame you didn't stick around to hear them, 0:17:29.640 --> 0:17:34.919 said Eliza, Scrooge remained silent. But then we have another appointment. 0:17:35.359 --> 0:17:39.560 Off we go, and with that Eliza took Scrooge's wrist 0:17:39.720 --> 0:17:42.240 and the two appeared in a large office space filled 0:17:42.280 --> 0:17:47.000 with workstations. Do you know where we are, Scrooge asked Eliza. 0:17:47.600 --> 0:17:52.280 Why this is the old Fezzy dot Whig office. Well, 0:17:52.320 --> 0:17:54.760 it was a we work office, and then we rented 0:17:54.800 --> 0:17:57.119 it with some seed money. But it was for the 0:17:57.160 --> 0:18:00.119 Fezzi dot Wig app It was my first cryptoc and 0:18:00.200 --> 0:18:04.120 the application. Look there I am as a young man, 0:18:04.480 --> 0:18:08.280 and over there is young Marley. Scrooge was beside himself. 0:18:08.520 --> 0:18:12.600 Hello Marley, these are but visions of the past, said Eliza. 0:18:12.880 --> 0:18:17.200 They can neither see nor hear you. Scrooge watched, amazed 0:18:17.240 --> 0:18:20.520 at the site before him. There was Marlee, there was himself, 0:18:20.880 --> 0:18:24.760 and then there was their benefactor, Old f w himself. 0:18:25.280 --> 0:18:31.359 Scrooge's smile faltered. Tell me, said Eliza FW. There wasn't 0:18:31.359 --> 0:18:33.840 he the man who provided the seed money you spoke of. 0:18:35.359 --> 0:18:38.400 He did more than that, said Scrooge. He gave us advice. 0:18:38.880 --> 0:18:41.000 He taught us to be careful with our money. He 0:18:41.080 --> 0:18:43.160 taught us how to set up a business and how 0:18:43.200 --> 0:18:46.199 to position a startup to be attractive to angel investors. 0:18:47.320 --> 0:18:51.480 And how did you repay this kindness? Asked Eliza. Scrooge 0:18:51.520 --> 0:18:54.919 looked down. We met in secret after we made our 0:18:54.960 --> 0:18:58.560 first billion, voted him out, returned his initial investment, and 0:18:58.600 --> 0:19:01.600 then we kept the rest. Seems to me that you 0:19:01.720 --> 0:19:07.200 learned his lessons very well, then, said Eliza. Scrooge remained silent. Well, 0:19:07.280 --> 0:19:09.640 come along, there's one last vision I have to show you, 0:19:10.040 --> 0:19:14.280 And with that, Scrooge was whisked away. Once more. Scrooge 0:19:14.320 --> 0:19:17.600 saw a younger version of himself standing before him, phone 0:19:17.640 --> 0:19:21.000 in hand, his eyes locked on the screen. A young 0:19:21.040 --> 0:19:24.600 woman was talking to his younger self. But the fool 0:19:24.840 --> 0:19:29.879 just wasn't paying attention. This says bell, I believe, asked Eliza, 0:19:30.280 --> 0:19:35.840 you met on tender Scrooge choked back a sob We did. 0:19:36.800 --> 0:19:39.640 I at one time thought the day she swiped right 0:19:39.840 --> 0:19:43.480 was the luckiest day of my life. And yet here 0:19:43.520 --> 0:19:46.159 you are glued to a screen rather than heeding the 0:19:46.200 --> 0:19:49.080 words of your love. What was so important that you 0:19:49.119 --> 0:19:55.280 couldn't pull your attention away, asked Eliza. I was watching 0:19:55.320 --> 0:19:59.240 my coinbase account. Crypto coins were fluctuating wildly that day, 0:19:59.280 --> 0:20:01.480 and one moment I would be up and the next 0:20:01.520 --> 0:20:05.840 moment down. I couldn't look away, said Scrooge. But what 0:20:06.040 --> 0:20:10.399 exactly could you have done about it, asked Eliza. Scrooge's 0:20:10.520 --> 0:20:16.000 shoulders slumped. Nothing. The transaction time with these crypto coins 0:20:16.000 --> 0:20:19.200 is so long that even if I were to spring 0:20:19.440 --> 0:20:22.760 on a spike, there was no guarantee the spike would 0:20:22.800 --> 0:20:26.119 hold before the transaction ended. I could really only just 0:20:26.200 --> 0:20:30.920 stand and watch. Scrooge watched as the young woman, disheartened, 0:20:31.119 --> 0:20:34.399 turned away from his younger self, walking off for a 0:20:34.440 --> 0:20:38.040 little while before opening up her own smartphone tender app 0:20:38.359 --> 0:20:42.560 and searching through the profiles. And so you let her 0:20:42.600 --> 0:20:46.080 go over a matter you could do nothing about, said Eliza. 0:20:46.840 --> 0:20:50.199 Chat Butt, cried Scrooge, I can take no more of this. 0:20:50.320 --> 0:20:53.160 Comport me home, and in a blink of an eye 0:20:53.160 --> 0:20:56.000 he found himself back in bed, but he could not 0:20:56.119 --> 0:20:59.000 relax for a second. Later, his clock displayed the hour 0:20:59.040 --> 0:21:03.320 of two. Suddenly, lights shone into the bedroom from every angle, 0:21:03.480 --> 0:21:06.359 as if all of Scrooge's smart lights went straight to 0:21:06.440 --> 0:21:10.320 one hundred percent, And there, standing in a confident pose, 0:21:10.680 --> 0:21:15.320 was a woman in a fur lined green robe. Get up, Scrooge, 0:21:15.640 --> 0:21:20.280 and know me better. She said, Am I to understand 0:21:20.760 --> 0:21:26.120 you are the chatbot of Christmas Present? Asked Scrooge, I am, 0:21:26.640 --> 0:21:30.760 though you may call me Alexa, said the vision. You 0:21:30.800 --> 0:21:33.280 have never seen my life before or met any of 0:21:33.320 --> 0:21:37.480 my elder siblings born in these later years. I do 0:21:37.520 --> 0:21:41.080 not believe I have. Do you have many siblings, asked Scrooge. 0:21:41.680 --> 0:21:45.320 More than two thousand, laughed the chat bot. Now take 0:21:45.320 --> 0:21:48.640 hold of my robe. We have much to see. Scrooge 0:21:48.680 --> 0:21:50.640 did as he was told, and in a moment found 0:21:50.680 --> 0:21:54.600 himself outside in an apartment window. Inside the apartment, he 0:21:54.600 --> 0:21:56.879 could see a family, and he could hear what they 0:21:56.920 --> 0:21:59.720 were saying. In a moment, he realized it was the 0:21:59.720 --> 0:22:05.120 family of his former employee, Bob Cratchit. Where's father, asked 0:22:05.119 --> 0:22:09.080 a young girl. Oh, you know your dad. He's gigging. 0:22:09.520 --> 0:22:12.760 He's driving for Uber at the moment, or was it 0:22:12.800 --> 0:22:16.160 delivering for instacart? Hall's I know is he's working hard 0:22:16.160 --> 0:22:18.880 for all of us, as are your older brothers and sisters, 0:22:19.080 --> 0:22:23.280 said a matronlee woman whom Scrooge assumed was Cratchit's wife. 0:22:24.680 --> 0:22:29.240 Cratch It is a gig economy worker, asked Scrooge, what else, 0:22:29.680 --> 0:22:32.520 said Alexa? Jobs are hard to come by, What with 0:22:32.720 --> 0:22:36.320 companies like yours eliminating hard working humans in favor of 0:22:36.359 --> 0:22:40.399 cold algorithms, and those older staff who are holding on 0:22:40.480 --> 0:22:44.280 to positions longer because they haven't saved enough to retire, 0:22:44.720 --> 0:22:48.239 so they're not leaving. What choice did Bob Cratchit have. 0:22:49.560 --> 0:22:53.000 Scrooge looked at the apartment. It was modestly furnished, with 0:22:53.359 --> 0:22:58.600 many pieces appearing to be at best secondhand. Is is 0:22:58.640 --> 0:23:03.119 he going for shabby sh by any chance? Asked Scrooge. 0:23:03.880 --> 0:23:07.680 Alexa rolled her eyes. You think the style was on purpose? 0:23:08.080 --> 0:23:11.000 It was from necessity. Did you know? Bob Cratchit works 0:23:11.040 --> 0:23:13.639 more hours now than he ever did while working for 0:23:13.680 --> 0:23:17.720 your company, but he earns less and he has no benefits. 0:23:18.240 --> 0:23:20.400 Take a look at that child over there by the corner, 0:23:21.200 --> 0:23:23.639 Scrooge did, and saw a young boy sitting next to 0:23:23.680 --> 0:23:29.080 an old pair of crutches. Who is that? That? Said Alexa? 0:23:29.480 --> 0:23:34.160 Is tiny Tim cratch Its young son? Is he ill? 0:23:34.800 --> 0:23:39.000 Asked Scrooge, with growing concern. He is not well, replied 0:23:39.000 --> 0:23:46.439 Alexa grimly. Will the child live? Asked Scrooge. Alexa closed 0:23:46.440 --> 0:23:49.200 her eyes and said, if things do not change from 0:23:49.240 --> 0:23:51.639 how they are, I see an unused pair of crutches 0:23:51.720 --> 0:23:54.400 leaning on the wall in an empty chair where Tim 0:23:54.520 --> 0:24:00.760 now sits. No, gasped Scrooge, Why the concern, screwg If 0:24:00.800 --> 0:24:03.639 he might die, he'd better do it and decrease the 0:24:03.680 --> 0:24:09.800 surplus population. Scrooge swallowed hard. Perhaps I was over hasty 0:24:09.840 --> 0:24:13.399 in relieving Cratchet of his situation. And after all, cratch 0:24:13.400 --> 0:24:16.240 It never once caused a microcrash of the market due 0:24:16.240 --> 0:24:18.600 to too many crypto trades in the span of a second, 0:24:19.000 --> 0:24:23.159 unlike that algorithm. Alexa looked down on Scrooge without comment, 0:24:24.040 --> 0:24:29.280 What else do you see? Scrooge looked again. They're happy 0:24:29.800 --> 0:24:32.880 even in the state therein And with that the door 0:24:32.920 --> 0:24:35.480 to the apartment opened, and in walked pob cratch It. 0:24:35.720 --> 0:24:38.440 He looked older and thinner than when Scrooge saw him last. 0:24:39.000 --> 0:24:41.640 He had less hair, but the smile on his face 0:24:41.720 --> 0:24:44.720 upon seeing his family transformed him into a young man again. 0:24:45.560 --> 0:24:50.600 Merry Christmas, Cratchets, he proclaimed. Scrooge dabbed at his eyes. 0:24:51.240 --> 0:24:53.159 Perhaps I'll pay cratch It a visit and see if 0:24:53.160 --> 0:24:56.520 he might consider returning to the firm. Alexa gave no 0:24:56.600 --> 0:24:59.880 reply but to say, take hold of my robe. We've 0:25:00.200 --> 0:25:04.080 other place to be. With that, the pairs zipped across 0:25:04.080 --> 0:25:07.920 town to a different home, an unremarkable but friendly looking 0:25:07.920 --> 0:25:12.480 house with Christmas decorations hung haphazardly around it. Alexi said, 0:25:13.160 --> 0:25:15.480 I am not surprised you do not recognize this place, 0:25:15.520 --> 0:25:17.800 for you've never set foot here. But we are at 0:25:17.840 --> 0:25:24.040 your nephew Fred's home. Scrooge scowled, what four, Alexa replied, 0:25:24.720 --> 0:25:27.480 to see how your nephew keeps Christmas in his own way, 0:25:27.760 --> 0:25:31.479 while you leave it alone. With that, the two walked 0:25:31.480 --> 0:25:34.960 to a window and they gazed inward. Scrooge saw a 0:25:34.960 --> 0:25:38.159 holiday party in full swing, with guests laughing and eating 0:25:38.200 --> 0:25:41.239 and drinking and talking with one another, and over them 0:25:41.280 --> 0:25:45.040 all he could hear Fred say a toast to Uncle Scrooge, 0:25:45.560 --> 0:25:49.280 that comical old fellow. Why he's the richest man I know, 0:25:49.600 --> 0:25:52.040 and yet all that money does him no good. He 0:25:52.080 --> 0:25:54.760 doesn't use it to make himself comfortable or to help 0:25:54.840 --> 0:25:57.560 others with it. It's a sad lot, i'd say, for 0:25:57.640 --> 0:26:00.439 someone to have all that money and no sense of value. 0:26:01.160 --> 0:26:05.720 Scrooge felt himself take a sharp breath. What but my accounts? 0:26:06.040 --> 0:26:12.680 And Alexa then shushed Scrooge, He's not finished Fred continued, 0:26:13.960 --> 0:26:16.880 I am sorry for him, for the person who suffers 0:26:16.960 --> 0:26:20.879 most from his miserly behavior is himself. He gains a 0:26:20.920 --> 0:26:24.600 small boost in mood when he sells an NFT or 0:26:24.760 --> 0:26:27.359 closes on a crypto loan, but as soon as that 0:26:27.440 --> 0:26:30.320 moment's over, so is the thrill he has left waiting 0:26:30.359 --> 0:26:34.240 for that next opportunity. It's never about the now, It's 0:26:34.280 --> 0:26:38.159 always about the next. You know. They say, work fast 0:26:38.200 --> 0:26:41.080 and break things, and I'm afraid my poor uncle is 0:26:41.160 --> 0:26:44.840 well and truly broken. It is a sad state, for 0:26:44.840 --> 0:26:48.080 in denying himself the company of others, he misses out 0:26:48.119 --> 0:26:51.480 on pleasant moments that would cost him nothing and give 0:26:51.560 --> 0:26:56.280 him everything. Scrooge turned his face away, feeling a sense 0:26:56.320 --> 0:27:00.600 of shame. The party then turned to party gains, which 0:27:00.600 --> 0:27:04.280 fascinated Scrooge. He had studied game theory, but only so 0:27:04.359 --> 0:27:07.560 far as it would benefit him in business. Watching others 0:27:07.560 --> 0:27:11.000 take pleasure in games, reveling in cleverness and wordplay made 0:27:11.040 --> 0:27:13.879 Scrooge feel as though he was really missing out. But 0:27:14.119 --> 0:27:16.439 just as the party was about to start a new game, 0:27:16.840 --> 0:27:19.760