1 00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:03,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to hous To Works Now. I'm your host, Lauren Vocabaum, 2 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:10,560 Speaker 1: a researcher and writer here at hous To Works every 3 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:12,880 Speaker 1: week and bringing you three stories from our team about 4 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:16,240 Speaker 1: the weird and wondrous advances we've seen in science, technology, 5 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:20,200 Speaker 1: and culture. This week, NASA is commissioning new ideas for 6 00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 1: how to handle poop in space and unrelated Some social 7 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:28,319 Speaker 1: scientists are saying that good behavior based Christmas traditions like 8 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:31,639 Speaker 1: Santa Crampus and now the Elf on the Shelf acclimate 9 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:34,680 Speaker 1: our children to the concept of a surveillance state. But 10 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 1: First Senior Writer Jonathan Strickland brings us a less festive 11 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:42,880 Speaker 1: but equally important political segment. Thanks to our freelancer Patrick 12 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:45,240 Speaker 1: Jake Haiger for the research on this one, and to 13 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:48,600 Speaker 1: Aaron Scherb, the director of legislative Affairs for a government 14 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 1: transparency and accountability lobby Common Cause, for speaking with us 15 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 1: about the issue. Together, these three humans answer an increasingly 16 00:00:56,840 --> 00:01:00,400 Speaker 1: relevant question, how can we ordinary citizens get members of 17 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:06,600 Speaker 1: Congress to really listen to us? Following the US election, 18 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:10,360 Speaker 1: people on all sides of every issue have been motivated 19 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 1: to voice their opinions and concerns. But what's the most 20 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:19,720 Speaker 1: effective method to getting a congress person's attention. Warning, this 21 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 1: piece is about the United States, so people in some 22 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:26,320 Speaker 1: other countries may also find it helpful when interacting with 23 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:30,120 Speaker 1: their respective governments. I have some tough news for those 24 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:31,920 Speaker 1: of us who rely on the Internet to get our 25 00:01:31,959 --> 00:01:35,480 Speaker 1: point across. It's not terribly effective when it comes to 26 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 1: actually reaching someone in Congress. Online communication is generally pretty terrific, 27 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:44,200 Speaker 1: at least for those who have the means to access it. 28 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:47,920 Speaker 1: It's instantaneous, and on platforms like Facebook or Twitter, it's 29 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:51,680 Speaker 1: easy to share, promote, or add two messages. But when 30 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:54,360 Speaker 1: it comes to making a real difference on the political level, 31 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:58,440 Speaker 1: it's not great. One reason for that is it can 32 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:01,080 Speaker 1: be difficult for a congress person and to determine how 33 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 1: many messages come from actual constituents. If you represent a 34 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:09,280 Speaker 1: state like Georgia, for instance, you don't really care what 35 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 1: someone in California thinks. California voters don't elect you to office. 36 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:18,200 Speaker 1: With most online platforms, it's difficult or impossible to determine 37 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 1: where people actually live. For that reason, many politicians pay 38 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:27,120 Speaker 1: little attention to messages on social media. Email doesn't fare 39 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:32,320 Speaker 1: much better, particularly online form letters, Congressional staff tend to 40 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:35,880 Speaker 1: perceive them as one step above spam mail, or maybe 41 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:39,280 Speaker 1: even a lateral move. If you do send an email, 42 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 1: writing your own words is better than relying on a 43 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:46,560 Speaker 1: form letter format. Snail mail is a bit more effective. 44 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:49,640 Speaker 1: A handwritten or type letter tends to be treated with 45 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:53,680 Speaker 1: more care than electronic communication, particularly if you take the 46 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 1: time to write your thoughts out yourself. But the two 47 00:02:56,680 --> 00:02:59,760 Speaker 1: most effective means of communication when trying to make your 48 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 1: tend to be phone calls and in person meetings. That's 49 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:07,400 Speaker 1: not great for those of us who suffer from social anxiety, 50 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:10,240 Speaker 1: but the truth of the matter is that these methods 51 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:13,920 Speaker 1: tend to be taken more seriously than others. According to 52 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:18,080 Speaker 1: Emily Ellsworth, a former congressional staffer, taking the time and 53 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:21,520 Speaker 1: effort to contact a congress person's office or arrange a 54 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:25,200 Speaker 1: meeting is necessary if you really want to affect the 55 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:29,959 Speaker 1: political process. Though unless you're a politically influential person, you're 56 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: not likely to land a meeting with the actual congress person. Instead, 57 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 1: you'll chat with one of his or her staffers. Still, 58 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:41,040 Speaker 1: that's usually more effective than tweeting how angry you are 59 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:45,520 Speaker 1: about a political issue. Unfortunately, This means many people are 60 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 1: left without an effective way to make their voices heard 61 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:52,120 Speaker 1: because it requires them to have spare time and resources 62 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 1: to dedicate to such activities, and it could be argued 63 00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:59,360 Speaker 1: that thousands of people are wasting their time voicing their 64 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:03,680 Speaker 1: concerns online rather than banding together to attend town hall 65 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:07,760 Speaker 1: meetings and other events in person. Online communication could still 66 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:11,200 Speaker 1: be an effective means to organize like minded individuals, but 67 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 1: when it comes to making a difference, nothing measures up 68 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:22,400 Speaker 1: to talking directly to congressional staff. Next up, I've got 69 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 1: a challenge for you from our freelance writer, Kate Kirshner 70 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 1: and none less than the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 71 00:04:28,920 --> 00:04:37,360 Speaker 1: How can we better handle excrement in space? So here's 72 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:40,960 Speaker 1: what we know about everybody. They hurt, they dance, and 73 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 1: they poop. From the Queen of England to the Queen's Corgis. 74 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:48,360 Speaker 1: Everybody on Earth has got to go, and everybody not 75 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:51,560 Speaker 1: on Earth too. The world has long been interested in 76 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:55,240 Speaker 1: the bathroom habits of astronauts. We ourselves devoted whole articles 77 00:04:55,240 --> 00:04:57,960 Speaker 1: and podcasts to it. But the truth is that it 78 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:01,680 Speaker 1: hasn't always been terribly high. Astronauts on the first of 79 00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:04,599 Speaker 1: Pollo missions literally had bags taped to their bums to 80 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:07,080 Speaker 1: catch the crud. Alan Shepherd had to sit in a 81 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:09,640 Speaker 1: soggy suit before taking off to become the first American 82 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:13,440 Speaker 1: in space. It's gotten better. The International Space Station has 83 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:16,080 Speaker 1: a vacuum section system that allows for a clean and 84 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:19,160 Speaker 1: easy disposal. Once waste is collected, the solid waste is 85 00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:22,720 Speaker 1: flowing into space and urine is converted into possible drinking water. 86 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:25,400 Speaker 1: And if the I s S were to lose pressure 87 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 1: and astronauts were confined to their suits, well, the I 88 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:30,760 Speaker 1: s S is only a few hours away from Earth, 89 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:33,960 Speaker 1: not long enough to cause huge harm if its crew 90 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:36,880 Speaker 1: were left to wallow in their filth, and while they're 91 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:41,000 Speaker 1: in their suits, diapers not exactly sustainable or healthy for 92 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:44,520 Speaker 1: more than a few hours. But as NASA considers missions 93 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:47,360 Speaker 1: far away from Earth on places like Mars, the space 94 00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:50,600 Speaker 1: agency now needs some ideas about how astronauts can contain 95 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:53,440 Speaker 1: their waste in a space suit. So they're asking the 96 00:05:53,480 --> 00:05:56,520 Speaker 1: public to help troubleshoot the issue and dangling a thirty 97 00:05:56,839 --> 00:06:00,400 Speaker 1: dollar prize for an elegant solution. Something to keep in 98 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:03,520 Speaker 1: mind before you get busy designing. NASA needs a solution 99 00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:05,880 Speaker 1: that allows a fecal, urine and menstrual waste to be 100 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:08,320 Speaker 1: rooted away from the body, and that can hold up 101 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:11,760 Speaker 1: to six days of waste. Here's a fun fact. NASA 102 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:14,280 Speaker 1: has estimated that astronauts would need to excrete seventy five 103 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:17,599 Speaker 1: grams that's two point six ounces of fecal matter per day. 104 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:20,520 Speaker 1: But the folks that Encyclopedia Britannica say that the average 105 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:23,159 Speaker 1: human drops off between one hundred and two hundred and 106 00:06:23,200 --> 00:06:25,960 Speaker 1: fifty grams that's between three point five and eight point 107 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 1: eight ounces. What's up with the discrepancy. Maybe the space 108 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:33,479 Speaker 1: diet produces less feces. Also, the proposed solution has to 109 00:06:33,480 --> 00:06:36,920 Speaker 1: work in microgravity, and of course there's not a lot 110 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:40,800 Speaker 1: of space to work with. Astronauts suits already contain a 111 00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:43,680 Speaker 1: lot of important equipment, and there's not loads of room 112 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:47,039 Speaker 1: for extra bulk. Got an idea? Get working? The contest 113 00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:50,400 Speaker 1: opened on October eleven, and all submissions are due by December. 114 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:54,839 Speaker 1: Sorry for our delay and response. For more information, you 115 00:06:54,839 --> 00:06:58,400 Speaker 1: can head on over to hero x dot com slash 116 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:04,760 Speaker 1: space poop. Finally, this week senior writer and Stuff to 117 00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:07,760 Speaker 1: Blow your Mind. Co host Robert Lamb raises questions about 118 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:15,120 Speaker 1: some beloved Christmas traditions, both low and old. In Court 119 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:18,560 Speaker 1: mc McCarthy's The Crossing, the author wrote, deep in each 120 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:22,000 Speaker 1: man is the knowledge that something knows of his existence, 121 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:27,320 Speaker 1: something knows and cannot be fled nor hid from. America's 122 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:30,800 Speaker 1: elder scribe of philosophic grimness was of course talking about 123 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:33,960 Speaker 1: God here or whatever counts for God and the violent 124 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:38,080 Speaker 1: delights of McCarthy's Border trilogy. But his grim pronouncement may 125 00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:41,640 Speaker 1: well extend beyond the unblinking eye of divine judgment and 126 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:45,920 Speaker 1: into our modern holiday traditions. I speak, of course, of 127 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:50,200 Speaker 1: the Elf on the Shelf. Now, perhaps this most foul 128 00:07:50,280 --> 00:07:53,880 Speaker 1: of Santa's Mermadon's has yet to infiltrate your house. After all, 129 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:56,240 Speaker 1: they were only unleashed in two thousand five with the 130 00:07:56,240 --> 00:07:59,920 Speaker 1: publication of Chandra Belle's children's book. In the years to follow, 131 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:03,080 Speaker 1: the elf dolls made their way into millions of homes, 132 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:06,640 Speaker 1: each with Bell's scripture to govern the practices surrounding their 133 00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:11,080 Speaker 1: supernatural presence. Yes, uninitiated, the Elf on the Shelf comes 134 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:15,400 Speaker 1: with rules. Each parent is encouraged to establish the following guidelines. 135 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:18,840 Speaker 1: Number one, thou shalt not touch the elf, lest the 136 00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:22,200 Speaker 1: sorcery of its creation drained from its form, isolating it 137 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:25,680 Speaker 1: forever from Santa's realm. And number two, the elf shalt 138 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:29,360 Speaker 1: neither move nor speak while its human subjects remain awake, 139 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:33,840 Speaker 1: confining its unnatural movements to the inky, black dead of night. 140 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:37,640 Speaker 1: The elf watches, the elf waits. The elf reports all 141 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:41,800 Speaker 1: childhood behaviors back to its bearded polar master, so that 142 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:46,239 Speaker 1: he might exact his holiday judgment upon them. Stephen Nissenbaum, 143 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:50,200 Speaker 1: author of The Battle for Christmas, even likens traditional Christmas is, 144 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:53,880 Speaker 1: what with their crampuses and coal threats, to quote many 145 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:57,520 Speaker 1: days of doom. The elf seems an extension of that. 146 00:08:57,840 --> 00:09:00,840 Speaker 1: Toys or no toys, candy or no andy. For the 147 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:04,880 Speaker 1: materialistic child, the stakes could scarcely be any higher. It's 148 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:07,680 Speaker 1: a formative time, after all, when children learned to navigate 149 00:09:07,720 --> 00:09:12,280 Speaker 1: the waters of social responsibilities to human and inhuman agents alike. 150 00:09:12,679 --> 00:09:15,319 Speaker 1: As such, it's no wonder that parents still argue over 151 00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:19,200 Speaker 1: the potential harm of invoking Santa's magic on young children. 152 00:09:19,480 --> 00:09:21,680 Speaker 1: The elf on the shelf, however, has not lived among 153 00:09:21,679 --> 00:09:25,080 Speaker 1: our holiday traditions quite as long. It's less shielded from 154 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:28,520 Speaker 1: our distrust and revulsion, and perhaps we feel this way 155 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:31,280 Speaker 1: for a good reason. In the two thousand fifteen article 156 00:09:31,320 --> 00:09:33,280 Speaker 1: Who's the Boss, The Elf on the Shelf and the 157 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:38,439 Speaker 1: Normalization of Surveillance, authors Laura Pinto and Selena Namoran questioned 158 00:09:38,559 --> 00:09:42,960 Speaker 1: to what extent this vile wooden idol indoctrinates children into 159 00:09:42,960 --> 00:09:47,320 Speaker 1: the mindset of the panopticon to refresh? The panopticon, which 160 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:50,800 Speaker 1: means all seeing, was a theoretical prison design championed by 161 00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:56,000 Speaker 1: utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham in seventy seven. The prison would, 162 00:09:56,080 --> 00:10:00,520 Speaker 1: in theory, require minimal supervision while offering an effective, sufficient 163 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:04,520 Speaker 1: means of regulating a prison population. Cells would line the 164 00:10:04,559 --> 00:10:08,240 Speaker 1: interior walls of a vast enclosure, and a central tower 165 00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:12,120 Speaker 1: ensured that any given prisoner might suffer the guard's scrutiny 166 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:15,840 Speaker 1: at any moment. The Panopticon was never built as Bentham 167 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:20,520 Speaker 1: envisioned it, though numerous facilities would later cite panopticonic influences 168 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:22,959 Speaker 1: in their design. For the most part, the idea of 169 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:26,559 Speaker 1: the panopticon lives on only as a metaphor for surveillance. 170 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:30,839 Speaker 1: Twentieth century French historian and philosopher Michael Fouco expounded much 171 00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:35,200 Speaker 1: on this notion, stating that modern disciplinary society breaks down 172 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:42,440 Speaker 1: to three key governmental techniques to control the masses. Hierarchical observation, normalizing, judgment, 173 00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:47,000 Speaker 1: and examination. Welcome to the panopticon. The elf on the shelf, 174 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:51,120 Speaker 1: unblinking in its lifeless gaze but imbued with parentally induced 175 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:54,600 Speaker 1: holiday magic, would seem to offer all three of these 176 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:58,880 Speaker 1: panopticonic techniques. It serves in Santa's hierarchy and stands as 177 00:10:58,920 --> 00:11:02,800 Speaker 1: a symbol of you liiquitous judgment and examination. These factors, 178 00:11:02,840 --> 00:11:06,480 Speaker 1: Pinto and Nomoran argue, make the elf particularly problematic in 179 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:10,040 Speaker 1: our information age. Sure, Santa was always watching you. He 180 00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:12,200 Speaker 1: knows when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake. We 181 00:11:12,240 --> 00:11:15,160 Speaker 1: get it. But human agents always mitigated, either in the 182 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:18,640 Speaker 1: form of holiday stress parents or perhaps one of Santa's 183 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:21,520 Speaker 1: helpers at the shopping mall. The elf on the shelf, however, 184 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:24,560 Speaker 1: is far from human. It can't be bargained with, it 185 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:27,920 Speaker 1: can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity or remorse 186 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:31,600 Speaker 1: or fear, and it absolutely will not stop, you know, 187 00:11:31,720 --> 00:11:35,000 Speaker 1: until Christmas morning, at least in this time of hacked 188 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:38,640 Speaker 1: emails and Pilford eye cloud, photos of doxing attacks, and 189 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:42,640 Speaker 1: professor watch lists. Pinto and no Moorn's words of caution 190 00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:46,480 Speaker 1: ring all the more true. Quote. While the elf may 191 00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:49,600 Speaker 1: be part of a pre Christmas game and might help 192 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:53,080 Speaker 1: manage children's behaviors and the weeks leading up to the holiday, 193 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:57,280 Speaker 1: it also sets children up for dangerous, uncritical acceptance of 194 00:11:57,360 --> 00:12:00,720 Speaker 1: power structures. Perhaps it's time to rise is up against 195 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:04,040 Speaker 1: elvin oppression. Perhaps it's time to cast down their likenesses, 196 00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:07,680 Speaker 1: question authority, and remind our children that privacy still exists 197 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:11,640 Speaker 1: and that the unblinking, judging eye of eternal surveillance is 198 00:12:11,720 --> 00:12:14,720 Speaker 1: not free to roam our homes. Perhaps we can even 199 00:12:14,760 --> 00:12:17,360 Speaker 1: stick to those values as long as it takes us 200 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:21,320 Speaker 1: to lose patience with Junior's morning checklist, all the while 201 00:12:21,520 --> 00:12:30,720 Speaker 1: the Polar Panopticon waits patiently. That's our show for this week. 202 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:33,320 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for tuning in. Further thanks to 203 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:36,880 Speaker 1: our audio producer Dylan Fagan and our editorial liaison Christopher 204 00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:39,960 Speaker 1: Hasseiotas filling in for Alice in louder Milk. Subscribe now 205 00:12:40,040 --> 00:12:42,040 Speaker 1: for more of the latest science news and send us 206 00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:44,200 Speaker 1: links to anything you'd like to hear us cover plus 207 00:12:44,360 --> 00:12:47,080 Speaker 1: the name of your favorite hip hop album, classic, recent, whatever. 208 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:49,520 Speaker 1: You can send us an email at now podcast at 209 00:12:49,520 --> 00:12:52,360 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com, and of course, for lots 210 00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:54,720 Speaker 1: more stories like these, head on over to our home 211 00:12:54,800 --> 00:13:07,680 Speaker 1: planet Now dot how stuff works dot com.