WEBVTT - What is the Year 2038 problem?

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<v Speaker 1>Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera.

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<v Speaker 1>It's ready. Are you get in touch with technology? With

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<v Speaker 1>tech Stuff from how stuff works dot com. Hello, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>welcome to tech stuff. My name is Chris Poulette and

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<v Speaker 1>I'm the tech editor here at how stuff works dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>Isn't that convenient? Sitting across from me as usual is

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<v Speaker 1>senior writer Jonathan Strickland. There's a party going on right here,

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<v Speaker 1>really a celebration. Yeah, you know that song came out

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<v Speaker 1>in I know that, Okay, off the top of my head.

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<v Speaker 1>That's a long time ago. Yeah, well, you know that

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<v Speaker 1>was so twentieth century. We're talking. Yeah, we're talking about

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<v Speaker 1>twenty first century. Here. We actually have a topic that

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<v Speaker 1>is comes to us courtesy of a little listener mail.

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<v Speaker 1>This listen mail comes from Todd, and Todd says, Hi, there,

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<v Speaker 1>tech stuff. My name is Todd, and I live in Adelaide, Australia.

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<v Speaker 1>At school we were talking about what would have happened

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<v Speaker 1>if Y two K did go ahead. Here's a thing, Todd.

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<v Speaker 1>Why two K did go ahead? Otherwise we wouldn't be

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<v Speaker 1>in two thousand at nine. I think he's talking about

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<v Speaker 1>the computer problem. My bad. Let me just finish the email.

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<v Speaker 1>Then then one of my friends brought up something about

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<v Speaker 1>the year thirty eight. It happens to thirty two bit systems.

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<v Speaker 1>But that's as far as I know. Actually, Todd is

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<v Speaker 1>going to happen to everybody, because this goes back to

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<v Speaker 1>the similar problem before. He's talking about a computer. Oh right,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm sorry, I'm being kind of picky. Uh so I

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<v Speaker 1>would like more information or, if possible, a podcast. Thanks Todd, Todd,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm really not making fun of you. I'm just being

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<v Speaker 1>kind of a jerk face right now. That's me being

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<v Speaker 1>a jerk face, not you. So, but yes, the problem,

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<v Speaker 1>as it is known, is somewhat similar to the Y

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<v Speaker 1>two K problem. So let's start by talking about the

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<v Speaker 1>Y two KVE problem, because that's that's easy to grasp.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a pretty easy, simple problem. Okay, So so here's

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<v Speaker 1>here's what the deal was with the Y two k problem.

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<v Speaker 1>The deal was that, in several lines of code for

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<v Speaker 1>various applications, programmers got a little lazy when they were

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<v Speaker 1>filling out the space for a year, and they only

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<v Speaker 1>allowed two digits to express the year, thinking well, that's

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<v Speaker 1>more than enough. Because by the time the year two

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<v Speaker 1>thousand rolls around, which would be zero zero if you're

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<v Speaker 1>if you're designating in two digits, by the time that

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<v Speaker 1>rolls around, will be on totally different computer programs, totally

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<v Speaker 1>different systems. Besides, this is just a line of code.

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<v Speaker 1>I can change it later, nothing to worry about. Let's

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<v Speaker 1>just PLoP it in there. It'll save me time. I

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<v Speaker 1>don't have to worry about two extra digits. See. The

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<v Speaker 1>thing is, if it had reached zero zero, it still

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<v Speaker 1>would have assumed that the first two digits would be ninety,

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<v Speaker 1>So instead of rolling over from, it would have rolled

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<v Speaker 1>over from thus turning your computer or other device us

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<v Speaker 1>into a time traveling machine. You know. And if you

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<v Speaker 1>don't like it, you can get in your horse and

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<v Speaker 1>buggy and you can see the construction of the railways

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<v Speaker 1>from sea to shining Sea. Actually, that's not what would happen.

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<v Speaker 1>It would here. Here's the thing is that the cause

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<v Speaker 1>serious problems. Well, the media picked this up, and yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>here's the real problem. The media picked this up and

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<v Speaker 1>began to proclaim a an era of chaos would soon

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<v Speaker 1>descend upon us, thrusting us back into the Stone Age.

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<v Speaker 1>Satellites would fall from the sky planes would plummet to

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<v Speaker 1>the ground, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria, housewives

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<v Speaker 1>would be eaten bite toasters. It was just gonna be horrible,

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<v Speaker 1>and most of us were wondering exactly how bad this

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<v Speaker 1>was going to be. I mean, really, they were talking

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<v Speaker 1>about this affecting microchips that were in everything from computers

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<v Speaker 1>and supercomputers, which you would expect to seemingly innocent devices

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<v Speaker 1>like smoke detectors, and you really I begin to begin

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<v Speaker 1>to envision something like the realization of the movie Maximum Overdrive,

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<v Speaker 1>which was based off Stephen Kings screenplay and is absolutely

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<v Speaker 1>terrible don't watch it, but the machine live and attack people.

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<v Speaker 1>So so, based upon the media's reports, it sounded like

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<v Speaker 1>we were all going to be destined to a fiery,

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<v Speaker 1>nasty death at the hands of our electronics. And the

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<v Speaker 1>funny the thing that that kind of got me was

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<v Speaker 1>when when it was all over with, you know, January

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<v Speaker 1>second on two thousand, everybody was going, ah, see, I

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<v Speaker 1>knew there was not going to be any big deal,

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<v Speaker 1>But actually there would have been if people hadn't been

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<v Speaker 1>working on fixing it over that you know, year to

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<v Speaker 1>two years beforehand. There are a lot of things that

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<v Speaker 1>had to be correct. There were a lot of people

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<v Speaker 1>who went in and would change lines of code so

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<v Speaker 1>that they so that the year would roll over properly,

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<v Speaker 1>and that you know, we're talking about going through hundreds

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<v Speaker 1>and hundreds of thousands of lines of code for some

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<v Speaker 1>of these applications. And I mean, I think it probably

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<v Speaker 1>was overhyped by the media. Yes, and I'm sure, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>sure there were several systems out there that were not

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<v Speaker 1>fixed that did roll over to zero zero and nothing happened,

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<v Speaker 1>because really, the only thing that would happen is if

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<v Speaker 1>if the systems depended upon the date. Most systems don't

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<v Speaker 1>depend upon the date. They depend upon just keeping time

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<v Speaker 1>like they're they're they're counting time in a matter of

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<v Speaker 1>clicks or seconds or whatever. Two o seven am. It's

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<v Speaker 1>two oh seven am, no matter what the years. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>they don't. It's not dependent upon the date. Now, if

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<v Speaker 1>you have a calendar software and you're dating system in

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<v Speaker 1>the code was two digits long, yes, that's gonna be

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<v Speaker 1>a problem because of anything that you would schedule for

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<v Speaker 1>the the week following the last week of ninety nine

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<v Speaker 1>would seem to appear in ninet and that that turns

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<v Speaker 1>out to be an issue for most of us UM,

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<v Speaker 1>but most pro problem programs that were running on some

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<v Speaker 1>sort of date UM system. We're not reliant on a

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<v Speaker 1>two day jet year designations. So it ended up being

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<v Speaker 1>a big non story. Was one of those things where

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<v Speaker 1>the media had really really drummed it up and it

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<v Speaker 1>sounded like it was gonna be armageddon UM. I was

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<v Speaker 1>actually more worried about the how people would react more

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<v Speaker 1>than the machines. I was worried that people were going

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<v Speaker 1>to be convinced that this was going to be the

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<v Speaker 1>end of civilization and start, you know, like we're gonna

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<v Speaker 1>have to create our own militia and we're gonna have

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<v Speaker 1>to depend upon ourselves, and I mean there are stories

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<v Speaker 1>of people stockpiling food and water and all that kind

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<v Speaker 1>of stuff. I was more worried about what those guys

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<v Speaker 1>were gonna do rather than the machines. And of course

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<v Speaker 1>it turned out to be pretty much a big story

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<v Speaker 1>about nothing at all. So now that brings us to

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<v Speaker 1>the problem. It is similar to the Y two K problem,

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<v Speaker 1>and that again it has something to do with the

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<v Speaker 1>date yes, and in this case it does have to

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<v Speaker 1>do with UM thirty two bits, yes, and a very

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<v Speaker 1>specific date. Seat. Now, according to Unix and see based

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<v Speaker 1>programming languages, time began on January one, nineteen seventy midnight

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<v Speaker 1>Cridage meantime. Yeah, that that that value is zero. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>it starts at zero. That's when time began. Now well, actually,

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<v Speaker 1>I guess technically you could argue that you could have

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<v Speaker 1>a negative integer, in which case time did not begin.

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<v Speaker 1>Then that's just the zero that would be as if

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<v Speaker 1>we went from BC to a D. Actually we're getting

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<v Speaker 1>ready to get into the negative integers. Yes, because see

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<v Speaker 1>there is a limit to the amount of time as

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<v Speaker 1>expressed in this form. Right that that that limit? Should

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<v Speaker 1>I say with the limit, Well, before we can say

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<v Speaker 1>what the specific limit is, we can say why there's

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<v Speaker 1>a limit. It's because it's the standard four byte format. Yes, yes,

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<v Speaker 1>or four bytes which four times eight, because remember there's

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<v Speaker 1>eight bits to a bite. That means so thirty two bits.

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<v Speaker 1>One bit H represents the sign whether it's positive or negative.

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<v Speaker 1>The other thirty one bits can represent the actual numbers.

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<v Speaker 1>And with thirty one bits plus the positive minus that

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<v Speaker 1>means that you have a mag s some mum number

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<v Speaker 1>that you can reach. Do you have that number in

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<v Speaker 1>front of you if you want to read it off. Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>it's two billion, one million, free thousand, six hundred seven.

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<v Speaker 1>So now, on Unix based systems they count time in seconds,

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<v Speaker 1>so each of those integers represents one second, So one

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<v Speaker 1>second after in January one, nineteen seventy uh zero o'clock,

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<v Speaker 1>if you want to talk about military time, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>one second after that would be the first on this journey. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>that means that once you hit two billion, one seven million,

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<v Speaker 1>four hundred eighty three thousand, six hundred forty seven seconds

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<v Speaker 1>after zero o'clock, you've reached the maximum that that thirty

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<v Speaker 1>two bit system can count up to. It cannot count

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<v Speaker 1>higher than that. And what date does that translate to?

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<v Speaker 1>That would be January. Yes, so on January eight, any

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<v Speaker 1>system that is based on this thirty two bit architecture

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<v Speaker 1>is going to hit its limit. And then one of

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<v Speaker 1>two things really is probably gonna happen. Either it's gonna

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<v Speaker 1>roll over to the negative number, which would be negative

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<v Speaker 1>two seven thousand, seven million up exactly. And and some

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<v Speaker 1>people say, well that would mean that it would start

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<v Speaker 1>at December, like in December nineteen one or something like that.

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<v Speaker 1>But um so it's either going to do that or

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<v Speaker 1>it's going to just totally crash because it can't handle

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<v Speaker 1>the fact that it's it's gone beyond the amount of

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<v Speaker 1>time it can count up to. And this actually will happen.

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<v Speaker 1>We'll be able to see some evidence of this before

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<v Speaker 1>because any kind of software that projects into the future,

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<v Speaker 1>like like calendar software, anything like that, where you're looking ahead,

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<v Speaker 1>is going to encounter that problem once you start to

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<v Speaker 1>try and look beyond January thirty eight. UM. So it

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<v Speaker 1>is a real problem now. It's a real problem for

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<v Speaker 1>thirty two bit based systems. If you are not using

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<v Speaker 1>a thirty two bit based system, it is not a

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<v Speaker 1>problem for you. And sixty four bit based systems are

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<v Speaker 1>becoming more popular right And we should also point out

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<v Speaker 1>that by the year eight, I don't think they're going

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<v Speaker 1>to be that many thirty two bit based systems out

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<v Speaker 1>there at all. There might be some legacy systems and

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<v Speaker 1>some legacy software that was programmed using language that uses

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<v Speaker 1>the same that follows the same format. That's gonna be

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<v Speaker 1>a problem that's gonna need to be adjusted, and it's

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<v Speaker 1>not easy to do. You can't just flip a switch

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<v Speaker 1>and change it from thirty two bit to sixty four bit.

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<v Speaker 1>It's actually really complex. Well, there is another way to

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<v Speaker 1>deal with it, and that's to adjust the way it

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<v Speaker 1>handles time. Yeah, you know, because it could be a

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<v Speaker 1>switch to UH a new library system that uses you know,

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<v Speaker 1>an eight byte value for you know, time storage format.

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<v Speaker 1>Well there, yeah, that's one time by going to sixty

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<v Speaker 1>four bit. But that's that's eight time date to sixty

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<v Speaker 1>Well yes, um, but yes, you can do that. What

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<v Speaker 1>I'm saying is that it's not the easiest thing in

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<v Speaker 1>the world to do, especially if you're talking about software,

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<v Speaker 1>because you're likely going to encounter multiple instances of that

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<v Speaker 1>that thirty two bit based UH timekeeping system within a

0:11:19.600 --> 0:11:21.920
<v Speaker 1>particular program and you have to change all of those.

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<v Speaker 1>It's not like you can just you know, pour it

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<v Speaker 1>over and is what I'm saying. No, that's true, and

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<v Speaker 1>it would be easier with the way things are right now,

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<v Speaker 1>to go ahead and you know, transfer over to a

0:11:33.679 --> 0:11:37.080
<v Speaker 1>more sophisticated machine with a more sophisticated operating system. Right, So,

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<v Speaker 1>if you did transfer over to a sixty four bit system,

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<v Speaker 1>do you know how many seconds that can accommodate? No, Jonathan,

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<v Speaker 1>how many seconds could that he was easy to get ready.

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<v Speaker 1>He was practicing earlier. I heard him. This is how

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<v Speaker 1>many seconds it can and again this is both positive

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<v Speaker 1>and negative. So you can double this because it's actually

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<v Speaker 1>twice as many seconds. Okay, so you're looking at positive

0:12:00.760 --> 0:12:07.120
<v Speaker 1>negative nine quintillion, two hundred twenty three quadrillion, three hundred

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<v Speaker 1>seventy two trillion, thirty six billion, eight hundred fifty four million,

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<v Speaker 1>seven hundred seventy five thousand, eight hundred seven seconds. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>guessing that the sun will go to red dwarf before you.

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<v Speaker 1>It's not quite that bad, but it will be. It

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<v Speaker 1>will be a long long time before you have to

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<v Speaker 1>worry about it. I just wanted to say that because

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<v Speaker 1>because you're tallis years, I'm I'm not facing the scientific

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<v Speaker 1>factor around now with the the two billion, one hundred

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<v Speaker 1>forty seven million, four hundred eighty three thousand, six seven

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<v Speaker 1>forty seven seconds that we're talking about before, Yes, that

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<v Speaker 1>translates to thirty five million, seven hundred thousand, three hundred

0:12:46.040 --> 0:12:49.040
<v Speaker 1>ninety four minutes or five hundred nine six thousand, five

0:12:49.080 --> 0:12:52.400
<v Speaker 1>hundred twenty three hours or four thousand, eight hundred fifty

0:12:52.440 --> 0:12:56.040
<v Speaker 1>five days or sixty eight years give or take you

0:12:56.360 --> 0:12:58.120
<v Speaker 1>figure in leap years in there, so it kind of

0:12:58.320 --> 0:13:00.800
<v Speaker 1>messes things up. Can I start calling you Sheldon? Now?

0:13:01.559 --> 0:13:09.719
<v Speaker 1>Oh wow, I'd prefer C three point Sheldon. I think

0:13:09.760 --> 0:13:13.559
<v Speaker 1>I'm a little more socially adjusted than Sheldon is. I

0:13:13.559 --> 0:13:15.920
<v Speaker 1>don't know. Is is C three po more well adjusted

0:13:15.920 --> 0:13:20.400
<v Speaker 1>than than Sheldon Cooper? Yes, you make a point. Well,

0:13:20.559 --> 0:13:22.520
<v Speaker 1>I'd also like to think that if you dismembered me,

0:13:22.559 --> 0:13:25.840
<v Speaker 1>I'd still be talking C three po. You definitely can

0:13:25.840 --> 0:13:28.520
<v Speaker 1>do that, Sheldon. I. I haven't seen that episode yet,

0:13:28.520 --> 0:13:32.679
<v Speaker 1>so I don't know. But anyway, so obviously you switched

0:13:32.679 --> 0:13:35.440
<v Speaker 1>to a sixty four bit system. That's a much greater

0:13:35.520 --> 0:13:39.559
<v Speaker 1>capacity as far as counting up the year. Um, this,

0:13:40.320 --> 0:13:42.200
<v Speaker 1>as we said, this is not you can't say that

0:13:42.240 --> 0:13:44.480
<v Speaker 1>this is a non trivial problem because if you are

0:13:44.559 --> 0:13:49.400
<v Speaker 1>running legacy machines or legacy software, you will have to

0:13:49.640 --> 0:13:52.439
<v Speaker 1>address this issue in one way or another if it's

0:13:52.480 --> 0:13:54.640
<v Speaker 1>something that you can't just you know, switch to the

0:13:54.679 --> 0:13:57.320
<v Speaker 1>newest version. Because that's true. I mean, they're there are

0:13:57.360 --> 0:14:00.400
<v Speaker 1>businesses out there that refer on you know, they rely

0:14:00.520 --> 0:14:04.040
<v Speaker 1>on old programs, and their whole system is built around

0:14:04.040 --> 0:14:08.440
<v Speaker 1>an old program and they can't just port to something new, right,

0:14:08.559 --> 0:14:10.480
<v Speaker 1>So in that case, you have to fix the old

0:14:10.520 --> 0:14:13.040
<v Speaker 1>one rather than you know, just say let's switch to

0:14:13.040 --> 0:14:16.160
<v Speaker 1>a different system. Right. And I apologize for speaking out

0:14:16.160 --> 0:14:18.800
<v Speaker 1>of turn um, but I don't But I don't think

0:14:18.840 --> 0:14:21.080
<v Speaker 1>that that you're going to see the hype in twenty

0:14:21.480 --> 0:14:26.160
<v Speaker 1>six and seven that you saw about the problem, because

0:14:26.200 --> 0:14:27.640
<v Speaker 1>I think it's going to be for the most part,

0:14:27.720 --> 0:14:30.720
<v Speaker 1>a moot point. Yeah, most people will be on newer systems.

0:14:30.920 --> 0:14:33.720
<v Speaker 1>You might hear some reports about how old systems may

0:14:33.760 --> 0:14:36.200
<v Speaker 1>not work properly. Uh, you know, you want to keep

0:14:36.200 --> 0:14:39.680
<v Speaker 1>an eye on things like bank accounts and stuff like, hey,

0:14:38.880 --> 0:14:41.960
<v Speaker 1>do you know, Yeah, here's the things that some of

0:14:41.960 --> 0:14:45.040
<v Speaker 1>the older systems also happened to be with some of

0:14:45.040 --> 0:14:47.800
<v Speaker 1>the more important ones. I mean, like because they are

0:14:47.800 --> 0:14:52.640
<v Speaker 1>hard to change over the electric grid, you know. I

0:14:52.640 --> 0:14:55.200
<v Speaker 1>mean that means that we have to make sure the

0:14:55.240 --> 0:14:57.840
<v Speaker 1>electric grid is running on the A sixty four bit

0:14:57.920 --> 0:15:01.960
<v Speaker 1>or better system. Again, if you went to eight bit system,

0:15:02.000 --> 0:15:05.600
<v Speaker 1>I don't even have the breakdown of how many how

0:15:05.600 --> 0:15:09.800
<v Speaker 1>many seconds that would be It would be huge lots.

0:15:10.000 --> 0:15:13.240
<v Speaker 1>Let's use the technical term of lots. We do have

0:15:14.320 --> 0:15:22.240
<v Speaker 1>twenty eight years or so to yeah, well twenty yeah, sure, okay, yeah.

0:15:22.280 --> 0:15:24.520
<v Speaker 1>And of course, by then, as I was pointing out

0:15:24.600 --> 0:15:29.120
<v Speaker 1>to Tyler earlier, will be in the Singularity for three years,

0:15:29.480 --> 0:15:32.880
<v Speaker 1>So why would we worry. We're gonna be evolving so

0:15:32.960 --> 0:15:36.320
<v Speaker 1>quickly that problem. We're gonna have so many different kinds

0:15:36.360 --> 0:15:39.360
<v Speaker 1>of problems by then, Like how do we stop the

0:15:39.520 --> 0:15:44.880
<v Speaker 1>terminators from ruining our gardenias? I mean, they just they

0:15:44.960 --> 0:15:52.400
<v Speaker 1>have no sense of propriety, those those jerks. Okay, wow,

0:15:53.000 --> 0:15:55.120
<v Speaker 1>I don't even know what I got, Chris, but he's

0:15:55.160 --> 0:15:58.120
<v Speaker 1>like giving me a look right now? Is it because

0:15:58.120 --> 0:16:02.400
<v Speaker 1>I brought in the terminator? Can talk about I can

0:16:02.400 --> 0:16:07.600
<v Speaker 1>talk about Johnny five? Right, I mean, we can talk

0:16:07.600 --> 0:16:10.760
<v Speaker 1>about nice robots if you like. Asimo Asthma's very nice guy.

0:16:10.800 --> 0:16:13.800
<v Speaker 1>I met him once. Actually I shouldn't say him, I

0:16:13.880 --> 0:16:16.720
<v Speaker 1>met it once. It actually had the voice of a

0:16:16.760 --> 0:16:20.240
<v Speaker 1>little girl, which was very disturbing. You know what what

0:16:20.360 --> 0:16:25.160
<v Speaker 1>ASIMO's spouse said when it came home. What's that? Hi, Honda,

0:16:25.240 --> 0:16:31.160
<v Speaker 1>I'm home? Oh my dear. Okay, we're just uh, I'm

0:16:31.160 --> 0:16:35.680
<v Speaker 1>gonna take a moment here. Um. So anyway, I hope

0:16:35.720 --> 0:16:40.760
<v Speaker 1>that answers your question. Todd. Uh, Yeah, and we should

0:16:40.760 --> 0:16:43.640
<v Speaker 1>also point out that the Unix space systems are not

0:16:43.680 --> 0:16:48.400
<v Speaker 1>the only ones to have this kind of an issue. Um,

0:16:48.400 --> 0:16:51.280
<v Speaker 1>there are other systems. There was an IBM PC hardware

0:16:51.320 --> 0:16:54.800
<v Speaker 1>that could suffer from a problem similar problem where uh,

0:16:54.920 --> 0:16:59.000
<v Speaker 1>it'll start counting over once we hit the year sixteen.

0:16:59.360 --> 0:17:01.000
<v Speaker 1>I don't think of us are gonna have to worry

0:17:01.040 --> 0:17:04.600
<v Speaker 1>about that. Um No, I don't know. Wait, the Singularity,

0:17:04.680 --> 0:17:08.840
<v Speaker 1>maybe we will if we're all PC based robots. You know,

0:17:08.880 --> 0:17:12.600
<v Speaker 1>that's gonna really be weird because when the singularity hits,

0:17:12.600 --> 0:17:15.000
<v Speaker 1>all the PC based robots will be like really utilitarian,

0:17:15.040 --> 0:17:16.600
<v Speaker 1>and all the Mac based robots will be like kind

0:17:16.600 --> 0:17:20.520
<v Speaker 1>of like the sexy celebrities. Yeah, and all the Linux

0:17:20.520 --> 0:17:23.399
<v Speaker 1>based robots will be the ones at home playing D

0:17:23.560 --> 0:17:30.560
<v Speaker 1>n D on the tabletop. Yeah, please don't write me right. So,

0:17:31.000 --> 0:17:34.119
<v Speaker 1>I'm not sure, you know, if we're gonna have to

0:17:34.160 --> 0:17:36.000
<v Speaker 1>worry too much about it, because I just think that

0:17:37.040 --> 0:17:39.960
<v Speaker 1>most of the problems now are very selective, and they're

0:17:40.000 --> 0:17:43.199
<v Speaker 1>they're they're specific to a subset of computing at this

0:17:43.240 --> 0:17:46.040
<v Speaker 1>point and not as widespread as the Y two K problems. So,

0:17:46.240 --> 0:17:49.080
<v Speaker 1>you know, I think in general now, especially because of

0:17:49.160 --> 0:17:52.639
<v Speaker 1>the uh, the dramatic amount of hype that went around

0:17:52.640 --> 0:17:56.760
<v Speaker 1>with the Y two K situation that it uh. I

0:17:56.800 --> 0:17:58.680
<v Speaker 1>think people are sort of attuned to what may be

0:17:58.800 --> 0:18:01.240
<v Speaker 1>coming up more so than they would have been before that,

0:18:01.400 --> 0:18:03.800
<v Speaker 1>or at least they don't care as much. And then

0:18:03.840 --> 0:18:07.720
<v Speaker 1>there's that. Well, let's finish this off with a little

0:18:07.800 --> 0:18:15.680
<v Speaker 1>extra listener mail. Okay. This listener mail comes from Matthew

0:18:15.760 --> 0:18:18.440
<v Speaker 1>and he says, Hey, Crispy, Hey Jonathan. First, I wanted

0:18:18.480 --> 0:18:20.320
<v Speaker 1>to say you guys are awesome. I love to listen

0:18:20.359 --> 0:18:23.160
<v Speaker 1>to you guys, and I love your puns. Now to business.

0:18:23.560 --> 0:18:26.520
<v Speaker 1>In your Tech Conspiracies podcast, you said that the Mr

0:18:26.560 --> 0:18:30.000
<v Speaker 1>Fusion power generator on the Dolorean powered the car. As

0:18:30.040 --> 0:18:31.679
<v Speaker 1>a big fan of Back to the Future, I just

0:18:31.680 --> 0:18:33.840
<v Speaker 1>wanted to let you know that Mr Fusion did no

0:18:34.080 --> 0:18:37.200
<v Speaker 1>such thing. He only powered the time traveling circuit, hence

0:18:37.240 --> 0:18:40.320
<v Speaker 1>the absence of the need for plutonium or lightning. In fact,

0:18:40.480 --> 0:18:43.240
<v Speaker 1>this crucial detail is the entire basis for the story

0:18:43.280 --> 0:18:45.880
<v Speaker 1>in part three, when Marty can't get back home because

0:18:45.920 --> 0:18:48.520
<v Speaker 1>the DeLorean is out of gas and there is none available.

0:18:48.520 --> 0:18:51.480
<v Speaker 1>In just thought you guys would like to know your

0:18:51.480 --> 0:18:54.920
<v Speaker 1>faithful listener Matthew Seattle, Washington, ps. Part three is superior

0:18:54.960 --> 0:18:57.000
<v Speaker 1>to Part two simply because the fact that it is

0:18:57.119 --> 0:19:01.120
<v Speaker 1>a Western, which was the same point I made, Thank you, Matthew.

0:19:01.560 --> 0:19:05.119
<v Speaker 1>When you remove the Western aspect of it, then you

0:19:05.160 --> 0:19:07.880
<v Speaker 1>don't have a movie. You have the end of Part two,

0:19:07.960 --> 0:19:10.760
<v Speaker 1>which we already established was the worst of the three films.

0:19:11.640 --> 0:19:15.679
<v Speaker 1>Ding alright at any rate, Yes, you are correct. The

0:19:15.760 --> 0:19:19.320
<v Speaker 1>mr fusion did only power the flex capacitor as opposed

0:19:19.320 --> 0:19:21.680
<v Speaker 1>to the entire car. So what powered the car when

0:19:21.680 --> 0:19:25.280
<v Speaker 1>it was flying around at the end of it was

0:19:25.320 --> 0:19:28.800
<v Speaker 1>gasoline and it was a Delorian. They got horrible, horrible

0:19:29.160 --> 0:19:32.160
<v Speaker 1>miles pro gallen when it was flying. You know where

0:19:32.160 --> 0:19:35.280
<v Speaker 1>we're going. We don't need roads. Yes, gasolene powered the

0:19:35.359 --> 0:19:38.760
<v Speaker 1>engine that allowed it to create whatever anti gravity field

0:19:38.760 --> 0:19:43.280
<v Speaker 1>it used to fly. Okay, maybe it was the battery too.

0:19:44.200 --> 0:19:46.800
<v Speaker 1>Maybe it was the battery too, because you look what

0:19:46.920 --> 0:19:53.400
<v Speaker 1>powered the hoverboard, Mattel product placement. Delorian was powered by Mattel.

0:19:53.640 --> 0:19:57.919
<v Speaker 1>It all falls into place. Thank you, Matthew for sending

0:19:58.000 --> 0:20:00.719
<v Speaker 1>us off on a bizarre tangent. If any of you

0:20:00.760 --> 0:20:02.600
<v Speaker 1>have any of your favorite movies that you want us

0:20:02.640 --> 0:20:05.400
<v Speaker 1>to talk about on tech stuff instead of actual technology.

0:20:05.520 --> 0:20:07.399
<v Speaker 1>Please let us know because we love to do that.

0:20:07.720 --> 0:20:10.240
<v Speaker 1>Apparently you can write us. Our email address is tech

0:20:10.280 --> 0:20:13.720
<v Speaker 1>stuff at how stuff works dot com. Remember we've got

0:20:13.720 --> 0:20:16.440
<v Speaker 1>tech stuff live every Tuesday one pm Eastern. You want

0:20:16.440 --> 0:20:18.600
<v Speaker 1>to check that out, go to the blogs now stuff

0:20:18.640 --> 0:20:21.359
<v Speaker 1>works dot com. And um, did you do you have

0:20:21.400 --> 0:20:23.240
<v Speaker 1>something else you wanted to say? Chris? Yeah? I wanted

0:20:23.280 --> 0:20:25.280
<v Speaker 1>to ask you what you might be doing. I don't

0:20:25.280 --> 0:20:29.000
<v Speaker 1>know on November Chris, are you asking me out on

0:20:29.040 --> 0:20:32.160
<v Speaker 1>a date? No? Damn, I would have to wait another

0:20:32.280 --> 0:20:35.480
<v Speaker 1>day for that one. Now, I was going to ask

0:20:35.520 --> 0:20:37.920
<v Speaker 1>you if if you were going to be tuned into

0:20:37.920 --> 0:20:40.920
<v Speaker 1>the Science Channel at eight o'clock. Yeah, actually I am,

0:20:41.000 --> 0:20:42.919
<v Speaker 1>because you know what's coming at eight o'clock on the

0:20:42.960 --> 0:20:46.360
<v Speaker 1>Silence Channel. I do. Indeed, that's the road to Punkin Chunkin. Yeah.

0:20:46.400 --> 0:20:50.080
<v Speaker 1>And you know what follows that up, Pumpkin Chunkin at

0:20:50.160 --> 0:20:52.679
<v Speaker 1>nine o'clock. Yes. So if you want to watch people

0:20:52.800 --> 0:20:57.040
<v Speaker 1>throw pumpkins are really far away using advanced technology, then

0:20:57.200 --> 0:21:00.920
<v Speaker 1>you're listening to the right podcast. Gosh darn it, because yes,

0:21:01.160 --> 0:21:03.760
<v Speaker 1>tune in eight o'clock and nine o'clock on the Science

0:21:03.840 --> 0:21:08.560
<v Speaker 1>Channel on Thanksgiving night. Yeah. All right. Well, now that

0:21:08.600 --> 0:21:10.399
<v Speaker 1>we've wrapped all that up, I guess it's time for

0:21:10.480 --> 0:21:14.239
<v Speaker 1>us to sign off. Remember, write us, let us know

0:21:14.280 --> 0:21:17.960
<v Speaker 1>what you think. We welcome listener feedback and we will

0:21:17.960 --> 0:21:23.320
<v Speaker 1>talk to you again really soon. For more on this

0:21:23.520 --> 0:21:26.040
<v Speaker 1>and thousands of other topics, does it how stuff works

0:21:26.040 --> 0:21:28.160
<v Speaker 1>dot com and be sure to check out the new

0:21:28.200 --> 0:21:33.840
<v Speaker 1>tech stuff blog now on the house Stuff Works homepage.

0:21:35.680 --> 0:21:38.280
<v Speaker 1>Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera.

0:21:38.600 --> 0:21:39.840
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