1 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind from how Stuff 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:13,880 Speaker 1: Works dot Com. Hey, welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind. 3 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:16,360 Speaker 1: My name is Robert Lamb and I'm Julie Douglass. And 4 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:20,640 Speaker 1: so we've discussed before, we're already cyborgs. We already depend 5 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:24,320 Speaker 1: on bluetooth gadgets that at touched to our ears, hearing 6 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:28,200 Speaker 1: aid stent hole apparatus is of different types, things to 7 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:31,160 Speaker 1: improve our eyesight, things to help the beating of our heart, 8 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:34,920 Speaker 1: all sorts of gadgets that work to improve the human body. 9 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:38,519 Speaker 1: The term cyborg itself dates back to around nineteen do 10 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:41,040 Speaker 1: we discussed this in the Werewolf principal episode that we 11 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 1: did about cyborgs in space, But these are two authors, 12 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:47,400 Speaker 1: Manford Eklins and Nathan S. Klein. They published this report 13 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:51,160 Speaker 1: called Cyborgs and Space in which they discussed how cybernetic 14 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:55,920 Speaker 1: enhancements would enable us to better explore the cosmos, and 15 00:00:56,040 --> 00:00:59,240 Speaker 1: that included this wonderful line where they say, in the past, 16 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 1: evolution brought about the altering of bodily functions to suit 17 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 1: different environments. Starting as of now, it will be possible 18 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:11,000 Speaker 1: to achieve this to some degree without alteration of heredity 19 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:17,319 Speaker 1: by suitable biochemical, physiological, and electronic modifications of man's existing 20 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:20,600 Speaker 1: way of life. And so we see that all around us, 21 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:22,600 Speaker 1: and we see that more and more as we move 22 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:26,480 Speaker 1: into the future. And in this episode we're going to 23 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:31,960 Speaker 1: talk mainly about contact lenses. These contact lenses of the gods. Um, 24 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 1: that's what they're marketing, well my words, not theirs, but 25 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:39,640 Speaker 1: contact lenses of the future future, but the idea that 26 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:42,080 Speaker 1: you can put a contact lens in your eyeball and 27 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:44,040 Speaker 1: that that contact lens would be able to give you, 28 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:48,120 Speaker 1: for lack of better language, a terminator view of the world. 29 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 1: I mean, that's the that's the example that gets thrown 30 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 1: around a lot of the articles about this, and obviously 31 00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 1: the terminator visual p o V shot has become a 32 00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 1: staple of comedy. Like Homer Simpson has used the termin 33 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:02,880 Speaker 1: eight or p o V where lights are identifying various 34 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: objects in the room and informing the mind about what's 35 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:08,440 Speaker 1: going on in the world around one. We see that 36 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:11,160 Speaker 1: already to a certain extent with this idea of the 37 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 1: Google goggles, right, sort of terminator light. But nonetheless, it 38 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:19,600 Speaker 1: is a technology that should be with us by the 39 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:24,520 Speaker 1: end of by estimates. Yeah, then their augmented reality glasses, 40 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:26,600 Speaker 1: and the idea here is that you would project a 41 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:30,080 Speaker 1: layer of information over the physical objects that you're seeing, 42 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:33,080 Speaker 1: and this would be hooked up like the bluetooth your smartphone. 43 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:36,680 Speaker 1: So let's say I'm at the library. Well, no, that's 44 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:38,679 Speaker 1: a bad example, because we're in the future. Let's say 45 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:41,560 Speaker 1: I am in the virtual library. Let's say I'm at 46 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 1: a buffet, some sort of futuristic buffet, and I looked 47 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:46,080 Speaker 1: down and I'm like, WHOA, what does that? It looks 48 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:48,679 Speaker 1: kind of like meatballs, but this is a vegetarian dish. 49 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:50,960 Speaker 1: What could possibly be? So what do I do? I 50 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:52,840 Speaker 1: look down at it, and then I take my head 51 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:54,960 Speaker 1: to one side, kind of like a nervous tick, and 52 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 1: then that causes the goggles to zone in on it, 53 00:02:57,800 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 1: search for it online, and then give me the infra 54 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:03,720 Speaker 1: nation in my field of sight laid over the actual 55 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:06,359 Speaker 1: strange meatball dsh and then it will tell me, oh, 56 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 1: these aren't meatballs at all. It's suck atash soy nuggets. 57 00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:13,200 Speaker 1: Fitter mind on on on our vast colonies on Mars, 58 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:15,519 Speaker 1: and then brought back to Earth thought you know, Yeah, 59 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:17,680 Speaker 1: the lenses are serving as a kind of see through 60 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:20,840 Speaker 1: computer monitor what I keep thinking about. And this was 61 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:22,960 Speaker 1: actually brought up in an article. I don't know if 62 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:25,000 Speaker 1: it was wired. I can't recall it right off hand, 63 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:27,960 Speaker 1: but they were talking about early adopters of bluetooth and 64 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:32,040 Speaker 1: how insane they looked when they began to ease those 65 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:34,880 Speaker 1: because you could never tell if the person was talking 66 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:37,600 Speaker 1: to you because they were talking like total non sequit 67 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:39,600 Speaker 1: or trash, at least that's what it sounded like, or 68 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 1: if they were insane. Obviously, as this technology became more widespread, 69 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:47,119 Speaker 1: it became less insane looking. But people say the same 70 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:51,080 Speaker 1: thing is going to happen with these Google goggles because 71 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:54,040 Speaker 1: people are going to be uh, you know, of course 72 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:56,120 Speaker 1: we'll be able to see the reality in front of them, 73 00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 1: but they're also going to be negotiating virtual spaces and 74 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:03,520 Speaker 1: for actual objects and making some crazy gesticulations. So there 75 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:06,280 Speaker 1: was a time when someone talking to themselves as they 76 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:08,160 Speaker 1: walked down the street. Your first thought, as well, that 77 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 1: person is crazy, and then you would realize, oh, wait, 78 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 1: they have one of those new devices allows them to 79 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:15,800 Speaker 1: talk hands free. Now it's it's the reverse. You see 80 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 1: somebody talking to themselves going down the street, You're like, oh, 81 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:20,520 Speaker 1: that person just has a bluetooth, and then you might 82 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:22,360 Speaker 1: see that they don't have when you be like, oh, wait, 83 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:27,080 Speaker 1: my bad, that person is crazy. Currently the individual talking 84 00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 1: to an imaginary person or thing. First impulse, something wrong 85 00:04:32,279 --> 00:04:34,320 Speaker 1: with this person. This person is having an episode of 86 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:37,919 Speaker 1: some kind. They're talking to an imaginary friend. But we 87 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:39,880 Speaker 1: may reach the point. Oh, we're going to reach the 88 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 1: point where your first thought is, oh, that person is 89 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:45,960 Speaker 1: having a virtual conference call while waiting on the train. No, biggie. Yeah. 90 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 1: And actually here's the article. It's from The York Times 91 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:50,760 Speaker 1: and it's behind the Google Glasses virtual reality. They're saying, 92 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:53,840 Speaker 1: a person looking at a landmark could see detailed historical 93 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:57,120 Speaker 1: information with these lenses and comments about it left by 94 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 1: friends if facial recognition software. Because it was accurate enough, 95 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:04,039 Speaker 1: the glasses could remind aware of when and how he 96 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:06,960 Speaker 1: met the vaguely familiar person standing in front of him 97 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:10,200 Speaker 1: at a party. Super creepy. And it might also be 98 00:05:10,279 --> 00:05:13,080 Speaker 1: used for virtual reality games that use the real world 99 00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:15,040 Speaker 1: as the playground. Again, this is where you're going to 100 00:05:15,080 --> 00:05:18,279 Speaker 1: see the crazy gesticulations. Um, the glasses are going to 101 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:23,120 Speaker 1: use the same Android software that powers Android smartphones and tablets. 102 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:26,480 Speaker 1: And like smartphones and tablets, the glasses will be equipped 103 00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:30,480 Speaker 1: with GPS and motion sensors, and they'll contain a camera 104 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:33,720 Speaker 1: and audio inputs and outputs. And then one of these 105 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:37,640 Speaker 1: articles mentioned the possibility you would have advertisers placing virtual 106 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:42,000 Speaker 1: advertisements in your field of site over actual advertisements for 107 00:05:42,279 --> 00:05:44,960 Speaker 1: rival products. Yeah, there's all sorts of issues here, the 108 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:49,359 Speaker 1: ethics of privacy issues, right, especially with the facial recognition software, 109 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:52,080 Speaker 1: and then the idea that you could put someone else's 110 00:05:52,120 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 1: face over, like a Loveland's face or a co worker's face. 111 00:05:55,560 --> 00:05:57,520 Speaker 1: The Daily Show did an interesting sent up at this 112 00:05:57,600 --> 00:06:01,160 Speaker 1: where they pretended that someone had Gosling on Stewart, so 113 00:06:01,279 --> 00:06:03,159 Speaker 1: that it was John Stewart talking, but he looked like 114 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:06,440 Speaker 1: Ryan Gosling. Okay, alright, so all the stuffs on the 115 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:09,240 Speaker 1: table because you're tinkering with the way that we perceive 116 00:06:09,640 --> 00:06:13,160 Speaker 1: physical reality. Well, you also have this idea of your 117 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:17,200 Speaker 1: in a public space, and you're bringing private content into it. 118 00:06:17,320 --> 00:06:19,240 Speaker 1: So even though you may be the only person who 119 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:22,080 Speaker 1: is looking at it, it it would be disconcerting. Certainly the 120 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:26,039 Speaker 1: person next to you were watching porn, right, surely was 121 00:06:26,279 --> 00:06:29,719 Speaker 1: a virtual situation. Then they were making crazy gestures, or 122 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:30,840 Speaker 1: if you had it set up to where it was 123 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:33,279 Speaker 1: linked with Facebook so that any new person you met 124 00:06:33,640 --> 00:06:36,039 Speaker 1: it would instantly tell you what their favorite movie is. Well, 125 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:40,400 Speaker 1: and and that always points back to the books Super 126 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:43,279 Speaker 1: Sad True Love Story, and the premise of that is 127 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:45,200 Speaker 1: that at some point in the future, you have this 128 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:47,680 Speaker 1: gadget around your neck and you walk into a bar 129 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:50,560 Speaker 1: and you get your hotness rating. Right, the whole room 130 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:53,880 Speaker 1: rates to you. You see this, So it's crowdsourced. And 131 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:59,160 Speaker 1: then no, no, it's they all are looking at their 132 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:01,880 Speaker 1: own little just and they're like, oh, it's such came 133 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:04,200 Speaker 1: in the room. They're hotness rating their credit score whether 134 00:07:04,279 --> 00:07:06,359 Speaker 1: or not they're in a relationship. Right, So like the 135 00:07:06,360 --> 00:07:08,960 Speaker 1: Facebook statis and stuff like that, that makes me think 136 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:11,760 Speaker 1: that's what we're sort of moving toward here. And let 137 00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:13,840 Speaker 1: me just make a note too about these goggles were 138 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:17,280 Speaker 1: called goggles, but some of the photos that I've seen, 139 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:20,360 Speaker 1: these mock ups, they are pretty subtle actually, I mean 140 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:24,200 Speaker 1: we're talking about a very small display screen within these glasses, 141 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:27,200 Speaker 1: so it wouldn't be immediately apparent like oh, those are 142 00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:30,120 Speaker 1: those Google goggles, you know, like that's that person is 143 00:07:30,160 --> 00:07:33,400 Speaker 1: not nuts. So there's a subtlety here, and I was 144 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:36,680 Speaker 1: actually thinking about Google, like, what's going on there? Are 145 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:39,480 Speaker 1: they sitting around going, Okay, we've we've created this Google 146 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:44,080 Speaker 1: driverless car, and now people aren't necessarily going to need 147 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:48,040 Speaker 1: to to use their eyesight to make all these important decisions. 148 00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:51,160 Speaker 1: They're going to be offline here, let's create this cool gadget. 149 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:54,520 Speaker 1: So then in the car they're constantly plugged in or 150 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:56,800 Speaker 1: are they thinking? You know, they're search engine And with 151 00:07:56,960 --> 00:07:58,480 Speaker 1: so much of the Internet, we've made it where people 152 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:00,720 Speaker 1: don't have to remember facts, don't have to know how 153 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:03,720 Speaker 1: to spell. What greater harm could we do to the 154 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:06,520 Speaker 1: human brain and the way that we live our lives 155 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:09,480 Speaker 1: other than to put these goggles on someone's face and 156 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:12,920 Speaker 1: to stream necessary data as it is needed right into 157 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:14,960 Speaker 1: their field of vision. They don't even have to think, oh, 158 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:18,200 Speaker 1: I better google that. They're googling it and then forgetting 159 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:19,720 Speaker 1: it as soon as it's off the screen. Well, and 160 00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:21,680 Speaker 1: you know it when it come out too long ago 161 00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:24,760 Speaker 1: about how Google and search engines have really changed the 162 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:27,800 Speaker 1: way that we recall information. Yeah, yeah, so, I mean, 163 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:30,440 Speaker 1: for for better or worse, Like we're being shaped by 164 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:34,800 Speaker 1: this technology. They're also endlessly interesting artistic ways that this 165 00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:38,280 Speaker 1: could be used. William Gibson, the sci fi author and futurist, 166 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:40,439 Speaker 1: went into a lot of these in his book Spook Country. 167 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:43,160 Speaker 1: It came out a few years back. Unlike his older 168 00:08:43,160 --> 00:08:45,840 Speaker 1: works those, Food Country is more based in the real 169 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:50,160 Speaker 1: world and what is possible very near future. So a 170 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:52,360 Speaker 1: lot of the plot in that book revolves around the 171 00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:55,120 Speaker 1: use of these augmented reality goggles and what they can 172 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:56,520 Speaker 1: reveal about the world, and also how they can be 173 00:08:56,640 --> 00:08:59,600 Speaker 1: used to create unique art installations where you have a 174 00:08:59,640 --> 00:09:01,960 Speaker 1: certain certain part of it may be physical, like there 175 00:09:01,960 --> 00:09:04,200 Speaker 1: could be a physical location and then you could have 176 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:06,800 Speaker 1: some sort of artistic display put over that. So in 177 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:09,360 Speaker 1: the same way that in our real world you have 178 00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:12,600 Speaker 1: a graffiti artist may paint over an ugly building and 179 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:15,200 Speaker 1: create some fantastic work of art, you could have the 180 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:18,199 Speaker 1: digital version of that in wearing these goggles. They could 181 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:19,880 Speaker 1: just love the switch and you could say, like, I 182 00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 1: don't want to see ruined buildings, please replace those with 183 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:27,800 Speaker 1: something gorgeous. There's some amazing possibilities here, both artistic and 184 00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:30,480 Speaker 1: just pragmatic too. And I was thinking about that even 185 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:33,480 Speaker 1: just in the sense of forget GPS in your car, 186 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:35,960 Speaker 1: or just walking around and looking at your smartphone and 187 00:09:35,960 --> 00:09:37,360 Speaker 1: trying to figure out where you are. If you have 188 00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:40,640 Speaker 1: these glasses on, you can immediately figure out a route 189 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:44,640 Speaker 1: much easier using this sort of technology. So the possibilities 190 00:09:44,679 --> 00:09:48,800 Speaker 1: are pretty great. But again there are some privacy issues 191 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:51,160 Speaker 1: and the advertising thing is a little bit creepy. But 192 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:53,560 Speaker 1: we're still talking about glasses. We're still talking about something 193 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:55,719 Speaker 1: I need to actually put on my face that can 194 00:09:55,760 --> 00:09:59,599 Speaker 1: get knocked off, that can get smudged. There's got to 195 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:02,880 Speaker 1: be a out our way. I know, let's make contact 196 00:10:02,920 --> 00:10:05,720 Speaker 1: of the future future future, you know, let's take a 197 00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:07,760 Speaker 1: quick break and then when we come back, let's really 198 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:10,200 Speaker 1: get into this idea, because it's it's fascinating. We're already 199 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:12,920 Speaker 1: leap frogging ahead. We don't even all have Google goggles yet, 200 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:15,960 Speaker 1: but they're so yesterday. But they're already so yeah, so 201 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:19,640 Speaker 1: yesterday for some researchers, some engineers and bioengineers are hard 202 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:24,200 Speaker 1: at work on some really amazing ways of seeing the 203 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:27,480 Speaker 1: world augmented through a mere contact lens. So let's take 204 00:10:27,480 --> 00:10:33,880 Speaker 1: that break. When we come back, we'll discuss it. All right, 205 00:10:33,960 --> 00:10:37,280 Speaker 1: we're back, so before we get into the science of 206 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:42,240 Speaker 1: how this is developing. Let's discuss the advantages, Like why 207 00:10:42,280 --> 00:10:44,360 Speaker 1: would you want to contact in your eye that was 208 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:49,319 Speaker 1: transmitting information and overlaying. Yeah, like, it's it's a field. 209 00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:51,679 Speaker 1: It's a cool idea. Don't get me wrong that there 210 00:10:51,679 --> 00:10:54,000 Speaker 1: are a lot of cool ideas out there, But why 211 00:10:54,120 --> 00:10:56,280 Speaker 1: is this one actually worth investing in? Like what's the 212 00:10:56,360 --> 00:11:00,199 Speaker 1: value proposition for crazy futurist contact lenses. There are a 213 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:02,320 Speaker 1: few different ones. For instance, there is the argument that 214 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:04,959 Speaker 1: these could depend on less energy for various displays. So 215 00:11:05,280 --> 00:11:08,920 Speaker 1: you have an LCD computer screen and it's kind of wasteful. 216 00:11:08,920 --> 00:11:10,560 Speaker 1: It sends out a lot of photons, but only a 217 00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:12,720 Speaker 1: small fraction of them into your eye and hit the 218 00:11:12,720 --> 00:11:15,720 Speaker 1: retina to form an image. But when the display is 219 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:19,959 Speaker 1: directly over your cornea, every photon generated by the display 220 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:22,320 Speaker 1: helps form the image. That concept was brought up by 221 00:11:22,520 --> 00:11:25,840 Speaker 1: Babbock Provins of the University of Washington, Seattle, who leaves 222 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:29,600 Speaker 1: the US and finished lab that is developing this technology. 223 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:33,320 Speaker 1: Another big possibility is that, Okay, so contact lens is 224 00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:35,760 Speaker 1: they can be knocked out, they can slide out of 225 00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:38,360 Speaker 1: your eye, but they're they're generally a little more solid 226 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:42,600 Speaker 1: than impairic glasses, and they are in contact with your body. 227 00:11:42,679 --> 00:11:44,920 Speaker 1: There in contact with your tears, with the wetness of 228 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:46,960 Speaker 1: your eye, and on the surface of your eye. There 229 00:11:46,960 --> 00:11:49,280 Speaker 1: are a number of different properties that are testable to 230 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:52,240 Speaker 1: determine what's going on inside of your body, such as 231 00:11:52,360 --> 00:11:54,000 Speaker 1: some of some of the same bio markers that are 232 00:11:54,040 --> 00:11:56,520 Speaker 1: found in your blood. If we could create a contact 233 00:11:56,600 --> 00:11:59,680 Speaker 1: lens that then not only maybe display some information, but 234 00:11:59,679 --> 00:12:02,559 Speaker 1: then also can read the contents of that liquid on 235 00:12:02,559 --> 00:12:05,000 Speaker 1: the surface of our eye, right, then we'd have some 236 00:12:05,080 --> 00:12:07,000 Speaker 1: valuable medical insight. And then if you were able to 237 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:09,280 Speaker 1: transmit that to some sort of a smart device, you 238 00:12:09,280 --> 00:12:11,000 Speaker 1: can have medics show up on a scene to attend 239 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:13,240 Speaker 1: to somebody who's had an accident, and they could just 240 00:12:13,280 --> 00:12:15,320 Speaker 1: do a quick link up with your contact lens and 241 00:12:15,360 --> 00:12:17,079 Speaker 1: tell what some of the basic properties going on in 242 00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:19,600 Speaker 1: your body are. Again, I mean, this really leaves so 243 00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:21,920 Speaker 1: many other technologies in the dirt that we've talked about. 244 00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:23,640 Speaker 1: We've talked about the cell phone that can do the 245 00:12:23,640 --> 00:12:27,360 Speaker 1: same thing and basically take these biomarkers and try to 246 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:30,440 Speaker 1: give you a baseline of your current health right and 247 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:32,400 Speaker 1: send that information to your doctor. Same thing with the 248 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:35,560 Speaker 1: toilets of the future, right that basically takes a stool 249 00:12:35,559 --> 00:12:39,040 Speaker 1: sample or urine sample and looks at them critically and 250 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:41,160 Speaker 1: then sends that to your doctor. So the same thing 251 00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:43,800 Speaker 1: could be happening because of that viscosity in your eye 252 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:46,880 Speaker 1: and in the contact has to have that, right, that 253 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:49,960 Speaker 1: can begin to monitor your health and that is very exciting. Yeah, 254 00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:53,000 Speaker 1: things like cholesterol, sodium, potassium levels, just to just name 255 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:55,800 Speaker 1: a few. And then of course we could also we 256 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:58,400 Speaker 1: can also go with the crazier aspects of using them, 257 00:12:58,440 --> 00:13:00,400 Speaker 1: like the Google goggles that their chain using the way 258 00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:02,560 Speaker 1: we view the world that they are changing the way 259 00:13:02,559 --> 00:13:05,200 Speaker 1: that we interact with it. There's even an idea that 260 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:09,119 Speaker 1: you'll have contact lenses which focus three D screens directly 261 00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:11,760 Speaker 1: into people's eyeballs. This is an idea that in a 262 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:15,320 Speaker 1: Vega TV entertainment technology company has put forward that they've 263 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:19,640 Speaker 1: even said that we'll have this do with the three 264 00:13:19,679 --> 00:13:22,640 Speaker 1: D component. Yeah, I don't know, just sounds kind of soon. 265 00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:25,199 Speaker 1: Maybe somebody will have it, but I don't see. There's 266 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:28,760 Speaker 1: an idea that a more refined version of this prototype 267 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:31,520 Speaker 1: will be available in ten years and we'll talk about 268 00:13:31,559 --> 00:13:34,280 Speaker 1: why it needs to be refined because right now these 269 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:37,640 Speaker 1: are high flying ideas, but when the rubber meets the road, 270 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:39,480 Speaker 1: the fact of the matter is that we've got a 271 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:44,040 Speaker 1: clinky pair of contacts before us right now. Right, So 272 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:46,839 Speaker 1: let's look at an experiment that has been connected by 273 00:13:47,080 --> 00:13:50,240 Speaker 1: Baddock Province and the University of Washington Seattle back that 274 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:53,600 Speaker 1: we mentioned earlier. So they have actually constructed a contact 275 00:13:53,679 --> 00:13:57,600 Speaker 1: lens and it is embedded with a tiny LED they 276 00:13:57,640 --> 00:13:59,400 Speaker 1: can light up when a signal is sent to it. 277 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:02,600 Speaker 1: They've actually is in small not like a large scale 278 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:05,520 Speaker 1: model of it, but an actual contact lens that they 279 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:08,640 Speaker 1: can communicate with with that signal. They took a tiny 280 00:14:08,679 --> 00:14:12,320 Speaker 1: custom design LED that made with blue sapphire and embedded 281 00:14:12,360 --> 00:14:14,920 Speaker 1: it in the center of a plastic contact lens. Then 282 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:17,840 Speaker 1: they added a circular antenna that's placed around the inside 283 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:21,600 Speaker 1: lip of the lens, and a miniature integrated circuit connects 284 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:23,920 Speaker 1: the antenna and the l e ED so then they 285 00:14:23,920 --> 00:14:27,320 Speaker 1: can use a remote radio frequency transmission that can actually 286 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:31,040 Speaker 1: control that single pixel. So we're not talking like a 287 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:34,000 Speaker 1: crazy compilated display. We're talking a single pixel that can 288 00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:37,360 Speaker 1: light up. And they didn't test it's not tested on humans. 289 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:42,360 Speaker 1: They tested it on live sedated rabbits and they found 290 00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:44,720 Speaker 1: that there was no apparent health concern here. It didn't 291 00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:47,640 Speaker 1: scar up the rabbit's eyes. Yeah, there's no abrasions. As 292 00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:49,240 Speaker 1: far as I could tell, it seemed like it was 293 00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:51,520 Speaker 1: working pretty well. Again that this is not a comfortable 294 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:56,120 Speaker 1: contact had contact and they sedated the rabbit for for 295 00:14:56,240 --> 00:15:00,600 Speaker 1: the experiment. Yeah, it's a hard plastic pet. It's airflow 296 00:15:00,680 --> 00:15:02,440 Speaker 1: to the eye, so you would only be able to 297 00:15:02,440 --> 00:15:04,040 Speaker 1: wear this for a few minutes at a time. This 298 00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:08,000 Speaker 1: is an early prototype. Also in terms of communicating with 299 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:11,120 Speaker 1: it the contact lens could they kind they could power 300 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:13,640 Speaker 1: it from about three ft away when outside of the eye, 301 00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:16,320 Speaker 1: but that distance narrowed to about an inch when the 302 00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:20,640 Speaker 1: contact was in the actual lie. So very early goings 303 00:15:20,680 --> 00:15:22,480 Speaker 1: with this. And then what is the rabbit see right, 304 00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:24,440 Speaker 1: that's a big question here. They say that the single 305 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:27,160 Speaker 1: pixel lighting up would appear more or less like a blur. 306 00:15:27,520 --> 00:15:30,200 Speaker 1: It wouldn't be very well to find see. A normal 307 00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:32,760 Speaker 1: healthy eye cannot focus on objects that are fewer than 308 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:36,480 Speaker 1: ten centimeters from the corneal surface. So on one hand, 309 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:39,680 Speaker 1: a blur might be useful like a colorful blur could 310 00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:42,360 Speaker 1: be used conceivably as just a warning sign like oh, 311 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:46,800 Speaker 1: your cholesterol levels too high, or yeah, somebody's talking to you. 312 00:15:46,800 --> 00:15:48,840 Speaker 1: You get a red flash. Okay, but it would be 313 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:51,960 Speaker 1: nice to have something a little more concrete. So you 314 00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:54,160 Speaker 1: need a way to push the image away from the corneum, 315 00:15:54,200 --> 00:15:57,680 Speaker 1: and according to Harvest, one possible solution is to employ 316 00:15:57,920 --> 00:16:01,160 Speaker 1: array of even smaller lens is placed at the surface 317 00:16:01,160 --> 00:16:04,520 Speaker 1: of the contact lenses. These are micro lenses, So these 318 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:08,360 Speaker 1: micro lenses would be placed between the eye and the pixels, 319 00:16:08,640 --> 00:16:11,640 Speaker 1: spacing the pixel and a micro lens about three and 320 00:16:11,680 --> 00:16:14,400 Speaker 1: sixty micrometers apart, and he says that would be enough 321 00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:17,160 Speaker 1: to push back the virtual image so that to the 322 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:20,440 Speaker 1: wear the image would seem to hang in space about 323 00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:23,160 Speaker 1: a half a meter away. Yes, I mean the amazing 324 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:25,920 Speaker 1: the amazing thing about this is that they have put 325 00:16:25,920 --> 00:16:30,280 Speaker 1: antenna's radio chips, control circuitry and micrometer scale light sources, 326 00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:34,160 Speaker 1: you know, all integrated this into a contact lens and 327 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:37,320 Speaker 1: fitted it onto the rabbit size and you know, without 328 00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:40,200 Speaker 1: destroying the rabbit's vision. I mean, this in and of 329 00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:44,080 Speaker 1: itself is amazing. Now it's just a game of scales, right, 330 00:16:44,120 --> 00:16:47,520 Speaker 1: trying to to miniaturize this and make it comfortable and 331 00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:50,360 Speaker 1: make it much more complex and nuanced. And we're using 332 00:16:50,360 --> 00:16:53,280 Speaker 1: active lenses right now in these early experiments, but the 333 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:55,920 Speaker 1: ideas in the future we could also depend on passive lenses. 334 00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:57,760 Speaker 1: And this is a passive lens is where the light 335 00:16:58,280 --> 00:17:00,320 Speaker 1: is coming from the lens on your pupil other than 336 00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:03,720 Speaker 1: from an external source, so you need much less power 337 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:06,760 Speaker 1: to actually power it. But some of these designs of 338 00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:08,960 Speaker 1: looking at some of these schematics showing what some of 339 00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:11,080 Speaker 1: these contact lenses might look like, and there are a 340 00:17:11,160 --> 00:17:13,480 Speaker 1: number of different components that they're going to try and implement. 341 00:17:13,520 --> 00:17:16,360 Speaker 1: You would have like a solar cell module, electrical interconnections, 342 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:21,160 Speaker 1: biosensor module, sensor readout and control circuit, energy storage module, 343 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:25,720 Speaker 1: semi transparent displays, and micro lens array, telecommunications and power 344 00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:29,600 Speaker 1: reception antenna display control circuit, and a radio and power 345 00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:32,000 Speaker 1: conversion circuit, all of that on the space of a 346 00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:34,800 Speaker 1: single contact lens. And the fact that we're even talking 347 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:37,639 Speaker 1: about that is just mind blowing. Well, and then again 348 00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:40,159 Speaker 1: you get back to the ethics here, you wonder, is 349 00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:43,480 Speaker 1: there going to be some way that these become as 350 00:17:43,640 --> 00:17:46,879 Speaker 1: unobtrusive as regular contacts. Right. In other words, if I 351 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:48,439 Speaker 1: were looking at you wouldn't be able to tell you 352 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:53,440 Speaker 1: how them in from ethics standpoint. Will they make companies 353 00:17:53,600 --> 00:17:57,480 Speaker 1: brand them or somehow change water mark in your I know, 354 00:17:57,640 --> 00:18:00,400 Speaker 1: I'm thinking like a ge watermark on the pupil that's 355 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:01,920 Speaker 1: for the cheap version, and then you have to pay. 356 00:18:01,960 --> 00:18:04,760 Speaker 1: It's like with the Kindle, right, with the advertised exactly exactly, 357 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:08,040 Speaker 1: that's probably I'm sure there are different you want advertirements 358 00:18:08,080 --> 00:18:10,520 Speaker 1: on everything in your life. You can get the cheaper version, 359 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:13,600 Speaker 1: pay out to remove the ads. That's a different ball game. 360 00:18:13,640 --> 00:18:15,960 Speaker 1: I mean, these are all questions, right, and then there's 361 00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:18,200 Speaker 1: the question of do you identify people in some way 362 00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:20,920 Speaker 1: to say that I have augmented reality going on? Or 363 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:23,040 Speaker 1: does not even matter? Yeah? Would you only want to 364 00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:25,600 Speaker 1: associate with people with augmented or it becomes like a 365 00:18:26,320 --> 00:18:30,720 Speaker 1: star BELLI to Dr Seuss. Yeah, So you know, it's 366 00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:32,919 Speaker 1: it's interesting, you know it is again going back to 367 00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:36,840 Speaker 1: Ian Pearson, the futurist who talked about the TRAVELOGE and 368 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:39,639 Speaker 1: that was one of his ideas. It's active contact lenses 369 00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:43,160 Speaker 1: that they could deliver high quality three D images directly 370 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:46,200 Speaker 1: onto the retina, and that you could beam some sort 371 00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:48,760 Speaker 1: of image in place of your lover and that person 372 00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:52,600 Speaker 1: would never know. But then other more mundane uses are possible, 373 00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:55,159 Speaker 1: like you wouldn't need notes for anything, you have them 374 00:18:55,160 --> 00:18:57,080 Speaker 1: write your teleprompters with you think in the past. Do 375 00:18:57,119 --> 00:18:59,240 Speaker 1: you have them right there in your contact lenses? Your 376 00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:04,080 Speaker 1: police officer, a soldier, special forces especially, you can have 377 00:19:04,119 --> 00:19:06,880 Speaker 1: a vital information about what you're doing appearing right there 378 00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:09,080 Speaker 1: on your eyesight terminator style, so you're not having to 379 00:19:09,280 --> 00:19:11,679 Speaker 1: look down at a laptop or a collection of notes. 380 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:15,160 Speaker 1: But does this impair our ability to think critically? You know, 381 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:17,879 Speaker 1: that's the big question. Does it turn us into cybernetic 382 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:20,320 Speaker 1: zombies where we don't know how to spell anything, We 383 00:19:20,359 --> 00:19:22,760 Speaker 1: don't know how to how to remember anything because we 384 00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:25,360 Speaker 1: don't have to, because anytime we need something, we can 385 00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:29,200 Speaker 1: just depend on our smartphone apparatus and our virtual overlay 386 00:19:29,320 --> 00:19:31,000 Speaker 1: that comes to us through the contact lenses to tell 387 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:32,720 Speaker 1: us everything we need to know. And at what point 388 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:36,560 Speaker 1: do we become this weakening astro feed part of the 389 00:19:36,680 --> 00:19:40,840 Speaker 1: technology well and a tool of companies, right, because I mean, 390 00:19:40,880 --> 00:19:43,680 Speaker 1: already our brains are bifurcated by the messages beamed at 391 00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:45,960 Speaker 1: us and from various devices. I mean, what if you're 392 00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:47,680 Speaker 1: sitting there and you're really trying to get something done 393 00:19:47,680 --> 00:19:51,000 Speaker 1: and you see, you know, something scroll across for bath 394 00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:54,840 Speaker 1: and beyond six sheets, and you begin to act on 395 00:19:54,920 --> 00:19:58,600 Speaker 1: these sorts of commercials or advertisements that are being beamed 396 00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:01,000 Speaker 1: at you. And then I also think two back to 397 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:04,399 Speaker 1: a bunch of studies that always say that our stress 398 00:20:04,480 --> 00:20:09,640 Speaker 1: levels and our ability to recall information is affected by 399 00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:12,000 Speaker 1: our environments. And so that's why they have all these 400 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:14,000 Speaker 1: different studies that say, if you'd go and take a 401 00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:17,520 Speaker 1: walk in nature, your stress levels drop, your short term 402 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:21,560 Speaker 1: memory increases by like just this one simple act. And 403 00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:23,880 Speaker 1: a lot of that is because your brain isn't being 404 00:20:23,920 --> 00:20:27,000 Speaker 1: occupied by different sorts of decisions it has to make 405 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:29,199 Speaker 1: our monitoring that has to to do, you know, an 406 00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:31,800 Speaker 1: urban landscape. Well that's great because these will these will 407 00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:34,800 Speaker 1: make it look like nature's okay, okay, yes, all right, 408 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:37,879 Speaker 1: so I guess you could create a virtual nature around 409 00:20:37,920 --> 00:20:41,600 Speaker 1: yourself via these contacts. Yeah, it's just nothing but moss 410 00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:44,960 Speaker 1: and trees. And then of course advertisements, yeah, I say, 411 00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:47,879 Speaker 1: and logos, company logos all over you look closely at 412 00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:50,359 Speaker 1: the flower and you see the company logo right there 413 00:20:50,359 --> 00:20:52,080 Speaker 1: in the middle of it. Well that's a little dystopian, 414 00:20:52,119 --> 00:20:56,480 Speaker 1: but there you go. So it's it's it's fascinating technology. 415 00:20:56,520 --> 00:20:59,359 Speaker 1: It is happening. We're going to have it at some 416 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:01,639 Speaker 1: point there. It's gonna be the kind of thing that 417 00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:04,159 Speaker 1: everybody is actually using and everyone's actually wearing. Or if 418 00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:06,520 Speaker 1: it's a very specialized thing, or if it's just a 419 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:10,080 Speaker 1: kind of stepping stone to other forms of technology and 420 00:21:10,119 --> 00:21:13,600 Speaker 1: the eroding of the self. Yeah, well that's gonna happen 421 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:17,159 Speaker 1: either way. Can help it erode the old self. All right, 422 00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:20,000 Speaker 1: let's put that bit of futurism aside, and let's turn 423 00:21:20,119 --> 00:21:26,320 Speaker 1: to the robot and his listener mail. Here's one that 424 00:21:26,320 --> 00:21:30,360 Speaker 1: we received from listener Alice. Alice writes in she's responding 425 00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:33,080 Speaker 1: to the Sloth podcast. She says, Hi, Hey guys, I 426 00:21:33,080 --> 00:21:35,560 Speaker 1: am another Abbot listener to the podcast, and generally I 427 00:21:35,640 --> 00:21:38,640 Speaker 1: enjoy the side commentary, but you both have to offer. However, 428 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:41,240 Speaker 1: in the slop podcast, Robert made a joke about using 429 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:43,959 Speaker 1: attractive women in space to make it seen as though 430 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:47,520 Speaker 1: the trip were progressing faster. This is an extremely problematic thing. 431 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:50,400 Speaker 1: To say on several levels, joke or not. For one, 432 00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:52,640 Speaker 1: as Duly pointed out, it would be nothing more than 433 00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:55,800 Speaker 1: flat out objectification of women, which is already a highly 434 00:21:55,800 --> 00:21:59,480 Speaker 1: problematic issue. Another issue is that this statement furthers the 435 00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:02,399 Speaker 1: idea that all astronauts are male. Sure, women could enjoy 436 00:22:02,480 --> 00:22:04,959 Speaker 1: looking at dolled up ladies at the front of the cabinet, 437 00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:07,600 Speaker 1: but I don't think that was the intent. I understand 438 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:10,000 Speaker 1: that this was intended as a joke, but nothing that 439 00:22:10,080 --> 00:22:12,639 Speaker 1: is spoken or written existing a vacuum, and things of 440 00:22:12,680 --> 00:22:15,960 Speaker 1: this nature continue to marginalize women. For a better description 441 00:22:16,040 --> 00:22:18,679 Speaker 1: of what is sometimes called magical intent, a good article 442 00:22:19,040 --> 00:22:22,480 Speaker 1: UH to read is Melissa McEwen's Harmful Communications, Part one. 443 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:25,280 Speaker 1: Intent is magic. With all of this said, I believe 444 00:22:25,359 --> 00:22:28,200 Speaker 1: that jokes like that do not belong in a podcast. 445 00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:31,440 Speaker 1: You know, thanks for your consideration. Plus well, I certainly 446 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:33,879 Speaker 1: did not mean to objectify women, and I was referring 447 00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:36,320 Speaker 1: to quote from Albert Einstein where he was talking about 448 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:39,040 Speaker 1: the nature of relativity. I love the idea of taking 449 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:42,000 Speaker 1: examples like that that are very very much a thought 450 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:45,719 Speaker 1: experiment and extrapolating that to some sort of real world 451 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:49,520 Speaker 1: or well sci fi application. The idea that we could 452 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:52,520 Speaker 1: use that to somehow manipulate our experience of space travel 453 00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:54,919 Speaker 1: is ridiculous. But at the same time, I do have 454 00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:58,720 Speaker 1: to agree that the possibility of depending on the sexual 455 00:22:58,720 --> 00:23:02,960 Speaker 1: objectification of men, women, or what have you for such 456 00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:05,480 Speaker 1: adventure would be read at troublesome. And it kind of 457 00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:07,560 Speaker 1: reminds me of the idea that we might be using 458 00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:11,000 Speaker 1: the powder of sympathy, might use tortured dogs to determine 459 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:15,280 Speaker 1: longitude on transoceanic voyages, a possibility brought up in berto eCos, 460 00:23:15,359 --> 00:23:17,560 Speaker 1: the island of the day before. So I agree. I 461 00:23:17,600 --> 00:23:20,120 Speaker 1: think Alice had dolled criticism there. So if you felt 462 00:23:20,119 --> 00:23:23,080 Speaker 1: objectified and bound to my comments slipped into if I apologized, 463 00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:26,600 Speaker 1: All right, well, what else does Ernie have him there? 464 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:28,800 Speaker 1: Let's see. Oh, yes, here's a nice one. This is 465 00:23:28,840 --> 00:23:31,600 Speaker 1: from a listener Russ. Russ rights in and says, hi, 466 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:34,119 Speaker 1: Robert and Dowey, you guys have a great podcast. I 467 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:36,480 Speaker 1: wanted to write you regarding the last one, well, the 468 00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:39,560 Speaker 1: last one I listened to. Regarding the Northern lights, Robert, 469 00:23:39,600 --> 00:23:42,600 Speaker 1: you commented that you remembered your family taking you to 470 00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:44,720 Speaker 1: see the northern lights, but you don't remember seeing them, 471 00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:47,680 Speaker 1: have no fear. This is actually quite common. Many times 472 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:50,080 Speaker 1: the northern lights are actually showing, but you only see 473 00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:53,280 Speaker 1: a small sliver of light lights themselves with the naked eye, 474 00:23:53,359 --> 00:23:55,760 Speaker 1: depending on solar activity. But it's only with a camera 475 00:23:56,080 --> 00:23:58,680 Speaker 1: you can see much more spectacular pictures of the dancing lights. 476 00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:00,960 Speaker 1: This is mainly because most people have their cameras on 477 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:03,919 Speaker 1: a tripod and set up to allow thirty seconds or 478 00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:06,880 Speaker 1: so for their shutter speed. The increased amount of light 479 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:11,000 Speaker 1: allowed the camera augments the spectacular nature of the lights. 480 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:14,199 Speaker 1: Do you have just seen when you show the pictures 481 00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:16,760 Speaker 1: to your friends, But sadly, it is sometimes not what 482 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:19,119 Speaker 1: your eye has just seen in real life. I recently 483 00:24:19,119 --> 00:24:20,720 Speaker 1: saw the lights on a trip to Iceland and have 484 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:23,359 Speaker 1: attached a few photos. It was an amazing thing for 485 00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:25,560 Speaker 1: me to see regardless. However, a friend of mine who 486 00:24:25,560 --> 00:24:27,560 Speaker 1: went there was not impressed due to the fact that 487 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:30,520 Speaker 1: he was expecting to see the magnificence that was typically 488 00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:33,359 Speaker 1: seen in most photos and time laps videos with just 489 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:36,000 Speaker 1: his naked eyes. I attached a few photos to show 490 00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:38,040 Speaker 1: you what the camera showed me after a thirty second 491 00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:41,119 Speaker 1: exposure in Iceland. Also, I was quite lucky on the 492 00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:43,600 Speaker 1: day that I was there to also see Venus and 493 00:24:43,680 --> 00:24:46,800 Speaker 1: Jupiter the too bright starlike objects just to the left 494 00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:49,680 Speaker 1: of the lights themselves, along with the photos. Anyway, you 495 00:24:49,720 --> 00:24:52,040 Speaker 1: guys have a wonderful podcast, and I particularly have enjoyed 496 00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:55,360 Speaker 1: the Seven Deadly Sins episodes. The Divine Comedy is definitely 497 00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:58,000 Speaker 1: next on my list of books to read now, best regards, 498 00:24:58,119 --> 00:25:00,760 Speaker 1: russ Well. First of all, as said before, if you 499 00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:03,600 Speaker 1: are going to read The Divine Comedy, shop around and 500 00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:05,919 Speaker 1: make sure you get a version that has nice notes 501 00:25:06,040 --> 00:25:08,800 Speaker 1: and illustrations, because if you just get the straight out 502 00:25:08,840 --> 00:25:11,560 Speaker 1: Divine Comedy, especially if you get it into Italian if 503 00:25:11,560 --> 00:25:13,359 Speaker 1: you don't read Italian, but even if you just have 504 00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:16,560 Speaker 1: a translated version, there's a lot of stuff there that 505 00:25:16,760 --> 00:25:20,600 Speaker 1: needs illuminating to the modern reader with appropriate notes and all. 506 00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:22,480 Speaker 1: It's it's faculous. Off the top of your head. You 507 00:25:22,520 --> 00:25:25,440 Speaker 1: remember the version. I know you've talked about it before, 508 00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:28,480 Speaker 1: but Robert M. Durling and get the get the version 509 00:25:28,520 --> 00:25:31,320 Speaker 1: with Robert M. Durling on it. Now I only have 510 00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:35,919 Speaker 1: his Inferno and Purgatory. I'm not sure if they have 511 00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:38,919 Speaker 1: Paradise out yet. I ended up having to depend on 512 00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:42,200 Speaker 1: a different version for Paradise, and at the time, even 513 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:45,560 Speaker 1: though I found Paradise less interesting than the previous too, 514 00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:48,399 Speaker 1: because you've cleared out all the sin by Paradise, you're 515 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:51,040 Speaker 1: not gonna have devils playing trumpets with their butts or 516 00:25:51,040 --> 00:25:53,760 Speaker 1: anything up there, which which happens in Inferno, by the way, 517 00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:57,159 Speaker 1: And that's why the translation and commentary is so important, right, 518 00:25:57,240 --> 00:25:59,080 Speaker 1: because you don't want to get you don't want to 519 00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:02,600 Speaker 1: you know, glaze past trumpet. Yeah, but so year years 520 00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:06,480 Speaker 1: ago they had not Martinez and Darling had not yet 521 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:09,479 Speaker 1: put out their Paradise edition. But that may be out now. 522 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:12,320 Speaker 1: I haven't checked. But secondly, most importantly, to respond to 523 00:26:12,359 --> 00:26:15,760 Speaker 1: the meat of your email, Russ, fascinating information there about 524 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:17,840 Speaker 1: how we perceived the northern lights and what people are 525 00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:20,639 Speaker 1: actually seeing in those photos and videos, and the photos 526 00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:23,800 Speaker 1: you sent were amazing. I would urge Russ, and I 527 00:26:23,800 --> 00:26:26,560 Speaker 1: would urge anyone else out there who has some really 528 00:26:26,600 --> 00:26:30,080 Speaker 1: cool imagery they've taken, you know, photos from trips, photos 529 00:26:30,119 --> 00:26:32,119 Speaker 1: from just your daily life where you see something just 530 00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:35,160 Speaker 1: crazy and kind of mind blowing. Take those and enter 531 00:26:35,240 --> 00:26:37,760 Speaker 1: them in the Stuff to Blow your Mind photo contest. 532 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:40,520 Speaker 1: You can find a link for this on how stuff 533 00:26:40,520 --> 00:26:43,520 Speaker 1: Works dot com home page, on the house stuff Works 534 00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:46,400 Speaker 1: Facebook account, on our Facebook account, and we'll be throwing 535 00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:49,320 Speaker 1: out links on Twitter as well. Go there, you can 536 00:26:49,440 --> 00:26:52,920 Speaker 1: upload your image and I believe there are six different categories, 537 00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:57,960 Speaker 1: including things like gross and amazing. Scar. Yeah, and you 538 00:26:57,960 --> 00:27:00,840 Speaker 1: should do this not just because it's would be super 539 00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:02,600 Speaker 1: cool for us to get a look at what you 540 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:07,240 Speaker 1: guys think is mind blowing, but also there's an iPad involved. Yeah, 541 00:27:07,560 --> 00:27:10,680 Speaker 1: the possibility is a possibility to win an iPad. So 542 00:27:10,680 --> 00:27:12,080 Speaker 1: so upload the stuff and you get to vote on 543 00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:15,160 Speaker 1: on everybody else's stuff and choose whether it blew your 544 00:27:15,160 --> 00:27:17,320 Speaker 1: mind or board your mind. So there's gonna be a 545 00:27:17,359 --> 00:27:19,840 Speaker 1: lot of user voting to determine what is the bad finished, 546 00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:24,280 Speaker 1: So Russ get those images up online. Everyone else start 547 00:27:24,359 --> 00:27:27,159 Speaker 1: uploading and look forward to checking out the results. So 548 00:27:27,280 --> 00:27:29,120 Speaker 1: if you have anything you would like to share with us, 549 00:27:29,320 --> 00:27:32,840 Speaker 1: if you have any ideas about the future of crazy 550 00:27:33,080 --> 00:27:35,880 Speaker 1: futuristic contact lenses, share them with us on Facebook where 551 00:27:35,880 --> 00:27:37,159 Speaker 1: we are stuff to blow your mind, and you can 552 00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:38,879 Speaker 1: find us on Twitter as blow the Mind and you 553 00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:41,120 Speaker 1: can always drop us a line at blow the Mind 554 00:27:41,160 --> 00:27:48,639 Speaker 1: at discovery dot com. Be sure to check out our 555 00:27:48,680 --> 00:27:52,240 Speaker 1: new video podcast, Stuff from the Future. Join how Stuffwork 556 00:27:52,320 --> 00:27:55,840 Speaker 1: staff as we explore the most promising and perplexing possibilities 557 00:27:55,880 --> 00:27:56,520 Speaker 1: of tomorrow.