WEBVTT - 9 Weird Things Hiding Underground 0:00:03.279 --> 0:00:06.240 Welcome to Part Time Genius, the production of iHeartRadio. 0:00:11.880 --> 0:00:12.600 Guess what, Mango? 0:00:12.720 --> 0:00:13.000 What's that? 0:00:13.119 --> 0:00:16.319 Well, so I've been looking into underground bunkers this week 0:00:16.360 --> 0:00:18.119 and that this was just on a whim. It was 0:00:18.120 --> 0:00:19.840 not because of any real world events. 0:00:19.840 --> 0:00:20.000 You know. 0:00:20.040 --> 0:00:22.920 I just get curious about stuff, and it turns out 0:00:22.960 --> 0:00:26.520 that living underground is actually a ton of work. 0:00:26.840 --> 0:00:28.720 So what do you mean by that? Exactly? 0:00:28.920 --> 0:00:30.880 All right, Well just just think about it. So first 0:00:30.920 --> 0:00:34.280 you've got to excavate and build the foundation for this place. 0:00:34.680 --> 0:00:36.560 Then you've got to add electrical. 0:00:36.080 --> 0:00:41.879 Wiring and plumbing, a septic system, air filtration, backup generators. 0:00:41.960 --> 0:00:44.920 Like doomsday preppers put a lot of work into this 0:00:44.960 --> 0:00:45.600 sort of thing. 0:00:45.800 --> 0:00:48.199 You know. Honestly, I feel like I'm too lazy to 0:00:48.280 --> 0:00:50.240 really prep for more than like a day or two. 0:00:50.440 --> 0:00:53.519 And I remember looking up emergency prep foods once. This 0:00:53.560 --> 0:00:57.440 is before Sandy happened, and instead of finding anything practical, like, 0:00:57.480 --> 0:00:59.320 I went into this rabbit hole trying to find the 0:00:59.360 --> 0:01:02.840 funniest one, and my favorite was something called PB and 0:01:02.920 --> 0:01:03.680 J in a can. 0:01:04.080 --> 0:01:07.160 You know, I think when people hear that, their instinct 0:01:07.280 --> 0:01:09.440 is to try to claim that that sounds gross. I 0:01:09.520 --> 0:01:12.240 want to admit it actually sounds like maybe that could 0:01:12.280 --> 0:01:14.520 be good. I'd probably I'm just hungry right now, but 0:01:14.560 --> 0:01:15.760 I would probably try it. 0:01:16.120 --> 0:01:18.440 I know, Like I thought it would be this dehydrated 0:01:18.560 --> 0:01:21.039 like PBNJ that you heat up and it magically seems 0:01:21.080 --> 0:01:24.600 fresh again. But instead it was this tin can with 0:01:24.640 --> 0:01:28.280 this old hot dog roll stuffed inside and two packets 0:01:28.319 --> 0:01:30.600 of peanut butter and jelly. They just smear on yourself. 0:01:30.680 --> 0:01:33.720 So it was honestly so unepetizing. When I found out 0:01:33.720 --> 0:01:35.240 what it was, I tried to order a few to 0:01:35.240 --> 0:01:36.200 give out a Christmas. 0:01:36.560 --> 0:01:39.080 You said, you smear it on yourself? Oh you like 0:01:39.160 --> 0:01:42.080 you do this smears? God, Okay, I'll say this is 0:01:42.160 --> 0:01:45.319 just got got really weird. But I feel like you 0:01:45.360 --> 0:01:48.360 and I clearly aren't cut out for prepping, which is 0:01:48.400 --> 0:01:51.520 why I found, you know, the service for people like us. 0:01:51.560 --> 0:01:55.440 It's called Vivos, and they've spent the last decade setting 0:01:55.480 --> 0:01:58.480 up dozens of these subterranean shelters all over the world. 0:01:58.920 --> 0:01:59.680 And here's the thing. 0:02:00.160 --> 0:02:03.760 Most of these shelters aren't privately owned, so instead they're 0:02:03.800 --> 0:02:07.440 actually part of a membership program where customers pay annual 0:02:07.520 --> 0:02:10.800 dues in exchange for a guaranteed spot in the closest 0:02:10.919 --> 0:02:14.920 vivos bunker and so that way, like if disaster strikes, 0:02:14.960 --> 0:02:17.160 members can take shelter at a moment's notice. 0:02:17.160 --> 0:02:19.400 I like it. So it's like a we work for doomsday. 0:02:20.800 --> 0:02:23.960 I think that's their tagline exactly. And their website lists 0:02:23.960 --> 0:02:26.760 out a bunch of scenarios this co living space might 0:02:26.800 --> 0:02:29.240 be great for. So here are some of them, for 0:02:29.360 --> 0:02:34.120 a magnetic pull shift, a super volcano, or even a 0:02:34.280 --> 0:02:36.240 social meltdown. 0:02:37.880 --> 0:02:41.520 Which sounds like they're advertising to like a very specific clientele, right, 0:02:41.639 --> 0:02:43.600 like if you're living with Kanye West and need some 0:02:43.639 --> 0:02:46.640 space from his social media all towns, this is perfect 0:02:46.680 --> 0:02:48.239 for you. But it really does. 0:02:48.040 --> 0:02:50.680 Sound expensive to Yeah, it is definitely pricey. 0:02:50.760 --> 0:02:53.720 So a spot in an eighty person bunker will set 0:02:53.760 --> 0:02:57.600 you back about thirty five thousand dollars and that's actually 0:02:57.680 --> 0:02:59.640 way more than I would have even guessed on this. 0:02:59.760 --> 0:03:02.960 But with the threat of super volcanoes, maybe this is 0:03:03.000 --> 0:03:05.880 a good investment. I don't know, but all my research 0:03:05.960 --> 0:03:09.840 made me wonder what other mysteries are hiding under our feet, 0:03:10.120 --> 0:03:13.840 from hidden cities to weird creatures. There's this whole secret 0:03:13.880 --> 0:03:16.880 world to explore down there. So strap on your headlamp 0:03:16.919 --> 0:03:41.200 and let's dig in. Hey, their podcast listeners, welcome to 0:03:41.200 --> 0:03:43.880 Part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson and as always I'm 0:03:43.920 --> 0:03:46.320 joined by my good friend Mangesh hot Ticketter. And on 0:03:46.360 --> 0:03:49.160 the other side of his computer screen waving a pick 0:03:49.200 --> 0:03:53.000 axe like he is ready for a gold rush. That's 0:03:53.040 --> 0:03:55.440 our friend and producer Loell. I'm not sure if I'm 0:03:55.440 --> 0:03:58.320 following this one exactly, but he's really waving it aggressively. 0:03:58.840 --> 0:04:01.840 I do love how even in a quarantine, Lowell. 0:04:01.560 --> 0:04:03.480 Comes through with the process. It's so good. 0:04:03.800 --> 0:04:08.080 But you know, I do have a little housekeeping to 0:04:08.120 --> 0:04:09.920 start this off. Since we started off the show again, 0:04:09.960 --> 0:04:12.880 we've gotten really really nice notes. People have been leaving 0:04:13.240 --> 0:04:15.720 reviews that are super kind and writing to our Instagram 0:04:15.720 --> 0:04:18.200 and Facebook, and honestly it's really heartwarming. It makes me 0:04:18.240 --> 0:04:21.240 so happy. So thank you so much for listening. I 0:04:21.279 --> 0:04:23.800 also have an apology. I mentioned this previously, but one 0:04:23.800 --> 0:04:26.840 of our readers, Charles wrote in this great correction about 0:04:26.839 --> 0:04:30.000 the comic book character the Red Bee, and so I 0:04:30.040 --> 0:04:33.080 sent him some honey in these cute little like bear bombs, 0:04:33.120 --> 0:04:35.760 thinking it's on topic, and then it turns out he's 0:04:35.760 --> 0:04:39.640 a beekeeper and the last thing he needs is honey. Yeah, 0:04:40.400 --> 0:04:43.680 so I miscalculated on that front. I'm sorry, Charles. 0:04:44.080 --> 0:04:45.560 I like the idea that he's just going to work 0:04:45.600 --> 0:04:47.480 his way into every episode. We're just going to take 0:04:47.520 --> 0:04:50.800 turns thanking him and then apologizing and then thanking him. 0:04:50.960 --> 0:04:52.640 So yeah, good way to go. 0:04:54.440 --> 0:04:57.039 But I'd say the bigger thing is that last week 0:04:57.080 --> 0:04:59.839 we announced the very first ever part time Genius Grant, 0:05:00.320 --> 0:05:03.040 and this is huge news because we've never done this 0:05:03.279 --> 0:05:05.120 on the show before. We're going to give out six 0:05:05.240 --> 0:05:08.040 dollars to the person who sends us the best ridiculous 0:05:08.040 --> 0:05:11.240 invention they come up with. We've had a handful of suggestions, 0:05:11.240 --> 0:05:14.039 but I can't stress how prestigious this is. It's truly 0:05:14.120 --> 0:05:20.360 an honor. So send us your inventions via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, wherever. 0:05:20.520 --> 0:05:21.880 Just tag us in it and we'll look for it, 0:05:21.920 --> 0:05:24.200 and then next week we'll announce who's won the big money. 0:05:24.440 --> 0:05:25.120 It's a big one. 0:05:25.279 --> 0:05:27.719 I'd actually forgotten that we committed to that six dollars, 0:05:27.720 --> 0:05:30.040 so I need to need to focus this week. So 0:05:30.279 --> 0:05:32.320 just so we're clear, parents aren't the only ones with 0:05:32.520 --> 0:05:36.880 ridiculous invention ideas. Kids are welcome to you know, winning 0:05:36.920 --> 0:05:39.080 a part time Genius grant is going to look so 0:05:39.279 --> 0:05:43.040 great on your college applications. Get your parents' permission to 0:05:43.080 --> 0:05:45.320 submit these, But we'd love to hear from you, so 0:05:45.400 --> 0:05:47.560 send in your ideas. But all right, enough of that, 0:05:47.680 --> 0:05:51.479 it's time to get back to today's idea. This week we're 0:05:51.520 --> 0:05:54.760 talking about great things hidden underground, and we are of 0:05:54.800 --> 0:05:58.000 course joined by our favorite researcher, pal Gabeluesier. 0:05:58.480 --> 0:05:59.680 Gabe, what do you have for us? 0:06:00.640 --> 0:06:01.120 All right? 0:06:01.320 --> 0:06:04.520 So when I think of weird things underground, one of 0:06:04.560 --> 0:06:08.520 the first that comes to mind are cicadas. I actually 0:06:08.520 --> 0:06:10.880 have some fond memories of these guys from when I 0:06:10.920 --> 0:06:13.760 was a kid in southern Maryland. Which it's kind of 0:06:13.800 --> 0:06:17.840 strange because cicadas are you know, gross monster bugs, which 0:06:17.880 --> 0:06:21.280 is not all that endearing. But the sound they make 0:06:21.400 --> 0:06:24.960 is so distinct. It's this ominous kind of drone. It 0:06:25.000 --> 0:06:26.680 almost sounds like something sizzling. 0:06:26.960 --> 0:06:28.560 I feel like you have to do the sound game, 0:06:28.720 --> 0:06:33.560 you guys, Okay, fuck me on the spot. I don't know, 0:06:33.640 --> 0:06:34.040 it's like. 0:06:36.800 --> 0:06:37.240 Nailed it. 0:06:37.760 --> 0:06:41.040 They do much better than that. That's how stuff sizzles as. 0:06:42.480 --> 0:06:45.320 I don't know anyway, Cicadas, you know, they were basically 0:06:45.320 --> 0:06:48.240 the soundtrack of my summers growing up. But there was 0:06:48.360 --> 0:06:51.200 one summer in particular, and this is where my fact 0:06:51.200 --> 0:06:54.920 comes in where the cicada noise got cranked up to eleven. 0:06:55.120 --> 0:06:57.560 And this was in the summer of ninety nine, which 0:06:57.600 --> 0:07:01.080 is the year that the Brood five cicad came to town. 0:07:01.760 --> 0:07:04.200 And I know brood five, It like makes them sound 0:07:04.240 --> 0:07:06.400 pretty tough, like these are like like your gang of 0:07:06.400 --> 0:07:10.320 cicadas or something. But basically they're a species of cicadas 0:07:10.360 --> 0:07:15.280 known as periodical cicadas, and basically, instead of emerging every 0:07:15.320 --> 0:07:18.240 summer to lay their eggs, these ones only come to 0:07:18.280 --> 0:07:23.400 the surface once every seventeen years. So whenever that rolls around, 0:07:23.480 --> 0:07:26.800 the regions where these guys live are flooded with swarms 0:07:26.880 --> 0:07:30.840 of cicadas and they cause this enormous racket for a 0:07:30.880 --> 0:07:33.440 month and a half. And during that time they lay 0:07:33.480 --> 0:07:37.440 some eggs, molt some exoskeletons, and then they all die 0:07:37.640 --> 0:07:41.600 and they're offspring burrowback underground for the next seventeen years. 0:07:42.120 --> 0:07:44.360 I mean, that is an amazing life cycle when you 0:07:44.400 --> 0:07:46.440 think about it, but it's also kind of confusing, like 0:07:46.480 --> 0:07:50.239 why stay underground for seventeen years instead of just one. 0:07:50.920 --> 0:07:53.440 Yeah. Well, the short answer is we don't really know. 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:56.760 Like scientists think, maybe it's because it puts their life 0:07:56.760 --> 0:07:59.400 cycle out of sync with predators, so you know, it 0:07:59.440 --> 0:08:03.320 gives them a chance of survival. But that's just a guess. 0:08:03.520 --> 0:08:05.560 All we know is that every seventeen years it gets 0:08:05.600 --> 0:08:08.000 really really loud in the summer and millions of these 0:08:08.000 --> 0:08:09.680 bugs all come out and party. 0:08:11.080 --> 0:08:14.720 That sounds terrible, but I like that you started with 0:08:14.760 --> 0:08:17.200 animals because I also wanted to talk about one, and 0:08:17.240 --> 0:08:19.960 that's the star nosed mole. If you haven't seen one 0:08:19.960 --> 0:08:22.680 of these, picture like a regular mole, but instead of 0:08:22.680 --> 0:08:26.000 the usual snout, they have this like weird pink star 0:08:26.080 --> 0:08:28.960 shaped dependent you're on the front. And when I used 0:08:28.960 --> 0:08:31.680 to see this in like children's dictionaries, I always thought 0:08:31.680 --> 0:08:34.560 it was a mistake. It kind of looked like almost 0:08:34.600 --> 0:08:36.680 like when a cigar explodes in an old cartoon. 0:08:37.840 --> 0:08:40.040 Yeah, it actually kind of looks like somebody forgot to 0:08:40.160 --> 0:08:42.800 add a head to it and instead they just like 0:08:42.880 --> 0:08:45.280 glued a squid to its face as a prank. Like 0:08:45.920 --> 0:08:48.280 It's pretty disgusting but also kind of cool looking. 0:08:48.960 --> 0:08:50.559 Yeah, I mean, you kind of understand why they want 0:08:50.559 --> 0:08:55.599 to stay underground, and that star nose is actually really functional. 0:08:56.040 --> 0:08:59.400 It contains one hundred thousand nerve fibers which help it 0:08:59.480 --> 0:09:02.320 sense it's that's y And just for reference, that's five 0:09:02.400 --> 0:09:05.120 times more touch sensors than we have in our entire hand. 0:09:05.520 --> 0:09:08.240 And they're all crammed into this nose that's smaller than 0:09:08.280 --> 0:09:10.240 like the tip of your pinky. So the mole makes 0:09:10.280 --> 0:09:13.520 good use of them. It's basically blind, and it hunts 0:09:13.520 --> 0:09:15.800 by bobbing that star up and down as it plows 0:09:15.800 --> 0:09:19.520 through soil, so it's touching twelve different places all at once. 0:09:19.960 --> 0:09:22.480 And the tactic is so effective that the star nosed 0:09:22.480 --> 0:09:25.160 mole actually holds the record as the world's fastest eater. 0:09:25.280 --> 0:09:27.760 It can actually find and devour an insect in a 0:09:27.880 --> 0:09:29.040 quarter of a second. 0:09:29.559 --> 0:09:31.880 That's pretty cool, all right. Well, since you two have 0:09:31.920 --> 0:09:35.120 given underground wildlife it's due. I feel like I should 0:09:35.200 --> 0:09:39.360 talk about the plant version of the Internet. So instead 0:09:39.400 --> 0:09:43.000 of using wires and satellites to communicate, plants use fungal 0:09:43.080 --> 0:09:47.080 threads called mycelia, and it's pretty crucial to their survival. 0:09:47.520 --> 0:09:51.280 So take the phantom orchid for example. These plants actually 0:09:51.360 --> 0:09:54.680 lack chlorophyll which means they can't create their own energy 0:09:54.960 --> 0:09:57.560 through you know, photosynthesis, which we all remember from our 0:09:57.600 --> 0:10:01.000 elementary school years, like other plants use. So to get 0:10:01.040 --> 0:10:04.240 around this hang up, the orchid engages in a strange 0:10:04.400 --> 0:10:08.160 three way partnership and involves an underground fungus and a 0:10:08.280 --> 0:10:11.920 nearby tree species. Now it sounds a little kinkier than 0:10:11.960 --> 0:10:14.280 it actually is, trust me on this one. But the 0:10:14.400 --> 0:10:17.559 roots of both the orchid and the tree are connected 0:10:17.559 --> 0:10:21.160 to the miceilia beneath the soil, and it's through this 0:10:21.280 --> 0:10:24.200 middleman that the tree is able to transfer carbon to 0:10:24.520 --> 0:10:27.040 the orchid, which is of course what it needs. 0:10:27.280 --> 0:10:30.200 That's pretty incredible, but it also sounds a little too altruistic. 0:10:30.280 --> 0:10:32.520 What's in it for the trees to share its resources? 0:10:32.960 --> 0:10:35.200 I mean share might not be the right word in 0:10:35.200 --> 0:10:37.520 this case, and it's probably more accurate to say the 0:10:37.559 --> 0:10:39.680 plant is stealing the tree's carbon. 0:10:39.720 --> 0:10:40.880 But it's still pretty cool. 0:10:41.000 --> 0:10:43.640 Fair enough. But I think you said plants actually communicate 0:10:43.720 --> 0:10:44.760 through this net as well. 0:10:45.080 --> 0:10:47.960 Yeah, this is pretty interesting. So a good example is 0:10:48.000 --> 0:10:51.000 there's this bean plant that sends out a chemical signal 0:10:51.320 --> 0:10:54.480 whenever it's under attack by a fits and when this happens, 0:10:54.600 --> 0:10:56.959 other bean plants in the area will pick up the 0:10:57.000 --> 0:10:59.439 distress signal through the mycelia net. 0:11:00.000 --> 0:11:01.280 Even though they aren't under. 0:11:01.120 --> 0:11:05.840 Attack themselves, they'll actually activate their anti apid defenses. 0:11:05.920 --> 0:11:07.000 This is so cool. 0:11:07.120 --> 0:11:11.560 So the question is are the bean plants intentionally sending 0:11:11.600 --> 0:11:14.959 signals to warn their neighbors or are the neighboring plants 0:11:15.040 --> 0:11:17.440 just sort of like eavesdropping to see if there are 0:11:17.559 --> 0:11:21.160 aphids in the area. And technically the jury is still 0:11:21.160 --> 0:11:22.960 out on this, but I do like the idea of 0:11:22.960 --> 0:11:24.520 plants having each other's backs. 0:11:24.880 --> 0:11:28.760 Ah me too, all right, Well, moving on from something 0:11:28.840 --> 0:11:33.319 potentially sweet to something decidedly not sweet, let me tell 0:11:33.320 --> 0:11:36.839 you a little about fat birds. I hate that you 0:11:36.920 --> 0:11:39.680 picked fat bergs as a topic there, so the time 0:11:39.760 --> 0:11:42.920 has come though, because I thought at least a few 0:11:42.920 --> 0:11:44.559 of our listeners out there would get a kick out 0:11:44.559 --> 0:11:47.520 of this, and maybe will too, we'll see. But fat 0:11:47.600 --> 0:11:50.959 birds are pretty much what they sound like. It's an iceberg, 0:11:51.080 --> 0:11:54.200 but made out of fat instead of ice. And another 0:11:54.240 --> 0:11:57.200 difference is that fat birds don't form in the open ocean. 0:11:57.520 --> 0:12:01.920 They form underground, primarily in the pipe and sewers of cities. 0:12:02.160 --> 0:12:05.199 And that's because fat birds aren't made from just any fat. 0:12:05.240 --> 0:12:07.760 They're made from the fats and oils that we wash 0:12:07.840 --> 0:12:10.800 down our drains each day, so we're talking about everything 0:12:10.840 --> 0:12:14.600 from cooking oil to hair grease to body wash. All 0:12:14.640 --> 0:12:17.520 of that gunk eventually collects in the pipes beneath our 0:12:17.559 --> 0:12:21.360 streets and it solidifies into a massive chunk of debris 0:12:21.800 --> 0:12:23.560 aka a fat bird. 0:12:24.720 --> 0:12:25.319 Fat bird. 0:12:26.840 --> 0:12:28.960 That would be you know, gross enough on its own, 0:12:29.040 --> 0:12:32.199 but the reality is even worse because everything we flush 0:12:32.280 --> 0:12:35.800 down the toilet is also fair game for the fat birds. 0:12:36.640 --> 0:12:38.040 It's just such a great word. 0:12:38.160 --> 0:12:40.400 I just feel like we should all chant fat berg, 0:12:40.600 --> 0:12:41.319 fat bird. 0:12:43.240 --> 0:12:44.400 You were saying, fat bird. 0:12:44.440 --> 0:12:50.480 I think, all right, anyway, that's right, because unfortunately it 0:12:50.559 --> 0:12:53.040 means a lot of bathroom trash that we have no 0:12:53.200 --> 0:12:56.559 business flushing in the first place, like dental floss, wet 0:12:56.600 --> 0:12:59.280 wipes and prophylactics. 0:12:59.320 --> 0:13:00.040 All of that. 0:13:00.000 --> 0:13:02.920 Results in a big tangle that's really tough to deal with. 0:13:03.320 --> 0:13:06.360 And if these fat bergs are left unchecked, they can 0:13:06.440 --> 0:13:09.880 actually grow so large that one can clog an entire 0:13:10.000 --> 0:13:14.600 sewer pipe, slowing water flow, causing widespread backups of sewage. 0:13:14.640 --> 0:13:17.160 It's not pretty. And when it gets to that point, 0:13:17.320 --> 0:13:19.200 there aren't a lot of ways to deal with this, 0:13:19.400 --> 0:13:22.160 Like you either blast it with a power washer or 0:13:22.200 --> 0:13:24.119 you chip away at it with a pickaxe. 0:13:24.880 --> 0:13:27.400 Yeah you hear that, loll it is your time to 0:13:27.559 --> 0:13:28.760 shine with that pickax. 0:13:30.320 --> 0:13:32.760 So I am curious, even though I'm grossed off with this, 0:13:32.960 --> 0:13:35.880 how big can these get? Like I'm almost afraid. 0:13:35.640 --> 0:13:38.839 To ask, Yeah, they can get like disturbingly big. The 0:13:39.240 --> 0:13:42.320 largest one to date was found beneath London back in 0:13:42.320 --> 0:13:45.720 twenty seventeen, and it was over eight hundred and twenty 0:13:45.800 --> 0:13:49.240 feet long and weighed more than one hundred and thirty tons. 0:13:49.600 --> 0:13:51.959 Oh wow, it's hard to wrap. 0:13:51.679 --> 0:13:54.680 Your head around just how massive that is. But for reference, 0:13:54.720 --> 0:13:57.240 that's nearly three times the height of the Statue of 0:13:57.280 --> 0:14:00.959 Liberty and a little over half the weight, so way 0:14:01.200 --> 0:14:04.280 way too big for a sewer. And keep in mind 0:14:04.320 --> 0:14:07.360 like New York City spends roughly five million per year 0:14:07.480 --> 0:14:10.560 combating fat bergs, so even the smaller ones are a 0:14:10.640 --> 0:14:11.559 huge problem. 0:14:11.760 --> 0:14:14.280 Now, I do feel like we should clarify because I 0:14:14.320 --> 0:14:16.120 know we've been laughing a little bit about the name 0:14:16.200 --> 0:14:18.439 fat burg but I feel like we should go on 0:14:18.559 --> 0:14:21.720 record and say that the PTG family here we are 0:14:21.800 --> 0:14:24.600 firmly in the anti fat Burgs camp on like some 0:14:24.720 --> 0:14:28.360 of those other podcasts out there, But listeners, please do 0:14:28.440 --> 0:14:31.240 your part and don't feed the fat Burgs. All right, 0:14:31.280 --> 0:14:47.480 we'll be back with more after a break. Welcome back 0:14:47.480 --> 0:14:49.640 to Part Time Genius. We're talking about all the strange 0:14:49.680 --> 0:14:53.800 stuff that you could but probably won't find underground. And 0:14:54.040 --> 0:14:56.080 I think, Mango, I think you're up next. 0:14:56.080 --> 0:14:56.440 What do you have? 0:14:56.920 --> 0:14:59.600 We've talked about living underground, so let's talk about working 0:14:59.680 --> 0:15:03.240 underg And there's a weird new opportunity in Sweden where 0:15:03.640 --> 0:15:06.400 it doesn't even matter what you're doing down there. There's 0:15:06.440 --> 0:15:09.800 this job available. It's a new position. The only requirement 0:15:09.840 --> 0:15:12.720 is for the employee to clock in at the Korswagen 0:15:12.880 --> 0:15:16.240 train station, which is currently under I guess it's under 0:15:16.240 --> 0:15:20.560 construction beneath Gothenburg, Sweden. And really that's it. According to 0:15:20.600 --> 0:15:23.400 the job description quote, the position holds no duties or 0:15:23.440 --> 0:15:26.440 responsibilities besides the fact that the work should be carried 0:15:26.480 --> 0:15:30.360 out at Korswagen. Whatever the employee chooses to do constitutes 0:15:30.440 --> 0:15:30.840 the worst. 0:15:30.880 --> 0:15:34.120 Seriously, like that sounds amazing. There's got to be a 0:15:34.120 --> 0:15:34.680 catch there. 0:15:34.560 --> 0:15:37.440 Right, There's actually no catch. It's a legit job offer. 0:15:37.520 --> 0:15:42.120 It's complete with a competitive starting salary, annual wage, increases, 0:15:42.240 --> 0:15:45.320 paid vacation, even a pension. And the best part is 0:15:45.880 --> 0:15:47.640 you get to enjoy the job for the rest of 0:15:47.680 --> 0:15:49.520 your life if you want it. The people behind the 0:15:49.520 --> 0:15:52.400 project call it eternal employment. You might be wondering who's 0:15:52.440 --> 0:15:54.880 behind the project. It's the work of these artists, Simon 0:15:54.920 --> 0:15:58.480 Golden and Jacob Senabee. They partnered with the Swedish Transit 0:15:58.520 --> 0:16:01.040 Authority and they raised about six hundred and fifty thousand 0:16:01.040 --> 0:16:03.200 dollars for the project. So the idea is to grow 0:16:03.240 --> 0:16:06.000 that initial sum through investments and use it to pay 0:16:06.040 --> 0:16:08.280 one employee for as long as they choose to work there, 0:16:08.720 --> 0:16:11.480 and if they ever want to retire or you know, 0:16:11.680 --> 0:16:14.880 just not hang out underground this train station all day, 0:16:15.080 --> 0:16:17.200 then they can simply leave and a new employee will 0:16:17.240 --> 0:16:20.080 be chosen to take their place. It's a super strange idea, 0:16:20.480 --> 0:16:22.160 but if it sounds like the job for you, then 0:16:22.160 --> 0:16:24.720 there's good news because anyone in the world is free 0:16:24.760 --> 0:16:26.920 to apply. The only hitches that you have to wait 0:16:26.960 --> 0:16:30.000 a few years. The applications won't be accepted until twenty 0:16:30.040 --> 0:16:32.440 twenty five, which is a few months before the station 0:16:32.560 --> 0:16:33.240 is set to open. 0:16:33.560 --> 0:16:35.800 I guess that gives people plenty of time to get 0:16:35.800 --> 0:16:38.320 that resume ready. But all right, well, if people are 0:16:38.360 --> 0:16:41.920 going to live underground and work underground, you are definitely 0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:44.840 going to need a way to relax underground, something that 0:16:44.880 --> 0:16:47.960 we don't often think about when we're thinking about constructing 0:16:48.000 --> 0:16:50.560 these sorts of things. But if you're looking for inspiration, 0:16:50.680 --> 0:16:52.840 you could always take a page from a group of 0:16:52.920 --> 0:16:57.960 French cenophiles and host your own underground movie theater. So 0:16:58.000 --> 0:17:00.080 to give you some context, there are about two one 0:17:00.160 --> 0:17:05.320 hundred miles of stone tunnels beneath the Moparness neighborhood in Paris. 0:17:05.720 --> 0:17:05.800 Now. 0:17:05.880 --> 0:17:08.960 Those tunnels are a product of the city's ancient stone quarries, 0:17:09.000 --> 0:17:11.639 and they also serve as the final resting place for 0:17:11.720 --> 0:17:16.520 more than six million Parisians. That's basically because they're catacombs, 0:17:16.560 --> 0:17:19.160 and even though they're not open to the public, people 0:17:19.240 --> 0:17:22.439 have been frequenting these things. Now, back in two thousand 0:17:22.480 --> 0:17:25.560 and four, the French police discovered a four hundred square 0:17:25.600 --> 0:17:29.800 foot cavern. Now this is about sixty feet underground, and 0:17:29.840 --> 0:17:32.600 it had been turned into this amphitheater, complete with a 0:17:32.680 --> 0:17:36.920 full size movie screen, projection equipment and a wide selection 0:17:37.119 --> 0:17:40.200 of films. There were even twenty or so seats carved 0:17:40.200 --> 0:17:42.520 directly into the stone itself. 0:17:42.560 --> 0:17:43.240 How cool is this? 0:17:43.400 --> 0:17:45.920 That is super cool. It's like a secret movie club. 0:17:46.000 --> 0:17:48.880 It's like, yeah, literal underground cinema. 0:17:48.960 --> 0:17:50.040 That's right, that's right. 0:17:50.200 --> 0:17:52.040 I mean, do you know, I'm really curious, like, do 0:17:52.040 --> 0:17:53.920 you know what kind of stuff they were watching down there? 0:17:54.280 --> 0:17:57.119 I couldn't find any exact titles, but the reports I 0:17:57.160 --> 0:17:59.480 saw were that there were a bunch of like fifties 0:17:59.560 --> 0:18:03.239 noir movies and some recent thrillers. And the police did 0:18:03.320 --> 0:18:05.639 say that none of the films were obscene or banned 0:18:05.800 --> 0:18:08.360 or anything like that, but that's not to say there 0:18:08.400 --> 0:18:13.000 wasn't anything nefarious going on. According to this article in Gizmoto, 0:18:13.080 --> 0:18:16.480 the police also found quote three thousand square feet of 0:18:16.560 --> 0:18:21.000 subterranean galleries strung with lights, wired for phones, and live 0:18:21.119 --> 0:18:25.760 with pirated electricity. The officers uncovered a bar, a lounge, 0:18:25.880 --> 0:18:29.840 a workshop, and a dining corner complete with its own 0:18:30.000 --> 0:18:30.920 couscous maker. 0:18:33.080 --> 0:18:36.040 I feel like illegal couscous is the tastiest you. 0:18:36.000 --> 0:18:37.199 Know it as you know it is. 0:18:37.240 --> 0:18:40.280 That was my favorite part actually, But the creepiest part 0:18:40.400 --> 0:18:42.919 is that when the police came back three days later, 0:18:43.560 --> 0:18:46.560 all the phone and electricity lines had been cut, and 0:18:46.600 --> 0:18:49.280 there was a note on the floor that just said, 0:18:49.760 --> 0:18:51.200 don't try to find us. 0:18:51.280 --> 0:18:52.520 I mean, isn't that spooky? 0:18:52.840 --> 0:18:53.520 Wow? 0:18:53.720 --> 0:18:56.560 But that's where I thought the story would have ended. 0:18:56.560 --> 0:19:00.600 But apparently, years later someone claimed credit for the Secrets Cinema. 0:19:00.720 --> 0:19:03.080 The perpetrators turned out to be a group of urban 0:19:03.119 --> 0:19:07.159 explorers who started mapping this underground network for fun, and 0:19:07.200 --> 0:19:09.480 they liked it so much that once they were done 0:19:09.520 --> 0:19:12.000 with the maps, they started looking for new ways to 0:19:12.040 --> 0:19:15.480 spend time down there, so they built themselves a movie theater. 0:19:16.119 --> 0:19:17.520 I mean, you gotta stay busy, you know. 0:19:17.800 --> 0:19:18.639 And it's true. 0:19:18.760 --> 0:19:22.359 Actually I have another fact here, another movie fact. Mine's 0:19:22.359 --> 0:19:25.240 a little different though. It turns out the salt mines 0:19:25.280 --> 0:19:28.360 in Kansas are full of old movie reels. 0:19:28.800 --> 0:19:29.320 Why is that? 0:19:29.480 --> 0:19:32.200 Yeah, I mean it's mostly because it's such a stable 0:19:32.320 --> 0:19:35.760 environment down there, like for storing the films. The temperature 0:19:35.800 --> 0:19:40.280 stays right around forty five degrees and twenty five percent humidity. 0:19:40.359 --> 0:19:43.360 It's pretty much perfect. And obviously, you know, weather isn't 0:19:43.359 --> 0:19:46.320 a factor down there either, because some of these facilities 0:19:46.600 --> 0:19:49.680 are more than six hundred feet below ground and That's 0:19:49.720 --> 0:19:53.920 important because at warmer temperatures, celluloid film will actually start 0:19:53.920 --> 0:19:57.840 to rot. They call it vinegar syndrome, and it's because 0:19:57.920 --> 0:20:01.760 the decaying film gives off a really strong vinegar smell apparently. 0:20:03.200 --> 0:20:07.480 So is it just old celluloid movies that's in these 0:20:07.560 --> 0:20:09.480 vaults or do they store new films there too? 0:20:10.080 --> 0:20:13.240 Yeah, it's a mix of both. Nowadays, there are tons 0:20:13.320 --> 0:20:16.399 of the early celluloid classics like The Wizard of Oz 0:20:16.560 --> 0:20:19.520