1 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:17,920 Speaker 1: You're listening to Part Time Genius, the production of Kaleidoscope 2 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:20,680 Speaker 1: and iHeartRadio. 3 00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:24,640 Speaker 2: Guess What, Mango? What's that? 4 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 1: Will? 5 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:29,840 Speaker 3: On average, an episode of Part Time Genius contains nineteen. 6 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 2: Point four facts. 7 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 3: I bet you actually didn't know that. 8 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:33,559 Speaker 1: I did not know that. 9 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:35,680 Speaker 2: Is that true? I'll be honest, I just made it 10 00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:36,040 Speaker 2: up now. 11 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:38,080 Speaker 3: That is unlike the facts and stories we share on 12 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:41,920 Speaker 3: this show, which are carefully, some might say, obsessively researched. 13 00:00:42,159 --> 00:00:44,159 Speaker 1: Yeah, obviously, I mean that's part of the fun we 14 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:47,080 Speaker 1: have doing what we do, right, researching all this stuff. 15 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:48,400 Speaker 2: No, that's exactly right. 16 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:50,400 Speaker 3: But what a lot of people might not realize is 17 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:54,000 Speaker 3: that research often takes us down some very deep, twisty 18 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:57,240 Speaker 3: rabbit holes, and in the interest of not making, you know, 19 00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 3: a podcast episode that's three hours long, sometimes we have 20 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:03,160 Speaker 3: to cut stuff where sometimes there's a topic that's just 21 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:06,399 Speaker 3: so interesting we keep thinking about it even after the 22 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:07,480 Speaker 3: episode comes out. 23 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:08,160 Speaker 4: Yeah. 24 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 1: I mean there's also a thing that happens where we 25 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:12,640 Speaker 1: have an idea for an episode and we get super 26 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:14,640 Speaker 1: excited about it, but then it turns out there's like 27 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:17,400 Speaker 1: not quite enough to make it work, but it's still 28 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:19,440 Speaker 1: really fascinating and we have nowhere to share that stuff. 29 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:22,479 Speaker 3: Yep, that also happens. And so what all this means 30 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:24,840 Speaker 3: is that at any given moment, we've got a pile 31 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:27,959 Speaker 3: of stories that our listeners haven't heard. And I like 32 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:31,039 Speaker 3: to think of this as a strategic fact reserve. And 33 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:33,080 Speaker 3: so today we're going to give you a peek inside 34 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 3: that vault. So for this episode, Mango and I are 35 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:38,200 Speaker 3: kicking up our heels and we're turning things over to 36 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 3: Gabe and Mary, our producers who help us out with 37 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:44,120 Speaker 3: all of that research. They've got some bonus facts from 38 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:47,120 Speaker 3: earlier episodes, a few updates on some new things that 39 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:49,840 Speaker 3: we've learned, and if they're feeling generous, they might even 40 00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:52,200 Speaker 3: give you a little preview of some topics we're working 41 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:55,720 Speaker 3: on for later this year. So sit back, relax, Grab 42 00:01:55,720 --> 00:01:58,000 Speaker 3: a drink with a tiny umbrella in it. That's what 43 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:00,559 Speaker 3: Mango and I are doing right now, actually, and let's 44 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:01,000 Speaker 3: dive in. 45 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:25,520 Speaker 2: Hey there, podcast listeners, welcome to Part Time Genius. I 46 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:30,120 Speaker 2: am not Will Pearson, and I'm not here with Mangusha Ticketter. Instead, 47 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:33,000 Speaker 2: i'm producer Gabe and I'm here with producer Mary. 48 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 5: That's right, and over there in the booth wearing a 49 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 5: mask of his own face. It's our friend and fellow producer, 50 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 5: Dylan Fagan. 51 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:42,720 Speaker 2: Are you sure that's really Dylan under the mask? How 52 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:43,760 Speaker 2: can we tell? 53 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:46,040 Speaker 5: Well, he's also wearing a T shirt that says this 54 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:49,520 Speaker 5: really is Dylan, So yeah, a T shirt wouldn't lie. 55 00:02:49,919 --> 00:02:52,560 Speaker 2: Right right? Of course I always forget that. But anyway, 56 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 2: I'm pretty excited about today's episode. We have a bunch 57 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:58,240 Speaker 2: of great bonus facts that just didn't fit into an 58 00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:01,240 Speaker 2: episode for one reason or another. But before we get 59 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:03,200 Speaker 2: into that, I thought it might be fun to talk 60 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:06,560 Speaker 2: a little bit about some failed episode ideas. You know, 61 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:09,360 Speaker 2: we've made episodes about a lot of really niche and 62 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:12,680 Speaker 2: obscure topics, but sometimes we come up with an idea 63 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:15,520 Speaker 2: that just doesn't work. You know what I'm talking about? Oh? 64 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 5: I sure do, because a lot of them are mine. 65 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:21,200 Speaker 4: Okay, I can kick this one off. 66 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:23,480 Speaker 5: So last winter I thought it would be fun to 67 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:27,079 Speaker 5: do a festive Christmas episode, something you know, for the holidays, 68 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:30,360 Speaker 5: something heartwarming. And I found this amazing story about a 69 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:33,639 Speaker 5: guy in England who found a packet of eighty year 70 00:03:33,639 --> 00:03:36,320 Speaker 5: old love letters in his chimney that they had been 71 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 5: burnt a little bit, but he could still read them 72 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:41,440 Speaker 5: and it was like he could unfold this old love 73 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 5: story from decades ago. These people were long gone and 74 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:46,960 Speaker 5: it was just really heartwarming and touching. And that made 75 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 5: me think, what about an episode of the most unexpected 76 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:54,520 Speaker 5: Things people have found in chimneys? Right, because you know, 77 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:56,800 Speaker 5: Santa Claus comes down the chimney. I started to look 78 00:03:56,840 --> 00:03:59,360 Speaker 5: into it, and it turns out that the vast majority 79 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 5: of unexpected did things people find in their chimneys are corpses. 80 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:07,560 Speaker 5: I mean, you know, sometimes animals, but also sometimes people. 81 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 2: Okay, animal corpses, human corpses, but always corpses. 82 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:12,720 Speaker 5: It was just so many corpses it started to not 83 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:13,680 Speaker 5: feel very festive. 84 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:17,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's that's not very Christmas y. Let's see, Yeah, 85 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:20,800 Speaker 2: I had a couple Nine things are usually where things 86 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:23,640 Speaker 2: kind of fall apart. Those nine things pitches. We come 87 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 2: up with a lot of them, and they sound good 88 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:28,360 Speaker 2: at first, but then you dig into it and it's like, no, no, no. 89 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:31,160 Speaker 2: I had nine things to do inside on a beautiful 90 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:33,680 Speaker 2: summer day. So the idea was just kind of like, 91 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 2: let's stick it to the sun and you know, have 92 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:37,200 Speaker 2: fun indoors. 93 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:40,200 Speaker 4: What is it just like playing video games, watching. 94 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:42,400 Speaker 2: That's really what it ended up being, was like just 95 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:45,560 Speaker 2: all the normal things you do inside, whether it's nice 96 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:49,240 Speaker 2: out or not. So that fell apart pretty fast. I 97 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:53,520 Speaker 2: also had one that was like nine single species islands, 98 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:57,800 Speaker 2: small islands that are inhabited by cats or only rabbits 99 00:04:57,880 --> 00:05:00,640 Speaker 2: or whatever, and you know, looking into it was just 100 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:02,919 Speaker 2: kind of the same story over and over again. Somebody 101 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 2: put a lot of cats on this little uninhabited island 102 00:05:05,560 --> 00:05:08,479 Speaker 2: turned it into a tourist attraction. Brinson repeat, It's. 103 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:10,239 Speaker 4: Just people putting animals where they don't. 104 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:12,000 Speaker 2: Belong, Yeah, and then making money off of it. 105 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:14,679 Speaker 5: It's not quite as depressing as finding corpses in your chimney, 106 00:05:14,680 --> 00:05:16,559 Speaker 5: but it's still not a feel good show. 107 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:20,440 Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, it was a little thin. But also one idea, 108 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:23,640 Speaker 2: this is going way back to part time Genius one 109 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:26,920 Speaker 2: point zero. We had this brainstorm dock running list of 110 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:30,800 Speaker 2: everybody suggesting topics, and they were never attributed to who 111 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:33,520 Speaker 2: came up with them, whether as Will or Mangesh or 112 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:36,440 Speaker 2: me or somebody else. There was this one that always 113 00:05:36,440 --> 00:05:39,280 Speaker 2: stuck out to me. It was just should I take 114 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:42,920 Speaker 2: a daily vitamin? Are you sure? 115 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:45,000 Speaker 5: This was on the Brainstorm and not someone trying to 116 00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:46,000 Speaker 5: message their doctor. 117 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:49,159 Speaker 2: Oh exactly. I was like, okay, this is one hundred 118 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:51,200 Speaker 2: percent Will and yeah. It was just sort of like, 119 00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:53,159 Speaker 2: all right, this is something he meant to ask Siri, 120 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:56,000 Speaker 2: and it just like got added to the Brainstorm doc. 121 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:57,560 Speaker 2: But we never did it. Maybe one day. 122 00:05:57,800 --> 00:05:59,960 Speaker 5: Well, speaking of things we've never done but might do one, 123 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:02,120 Speaker 5: I have brought this up a few times and I'll 124 00:06:02,160 --> 00:06:04,760 Speaker 5: keep bringing it up probably until someone tells me to stop. 125 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:08,800 Speaker 5: And that is a part time genius musical episode. 126 00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:10,320 Speaker 2: So we're singing, or it's about musicals. 127 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:12,440 Speaker 5: I mean, it could be about musicals. That actually would 128 00:06:12,480 --> 00:06:15,120 Speaker 5: be really fun. It could be a musical episode about musicals. See, 129 00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:17,200 Speaker 5: this is how our brainstorms work, right, one of us 130 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:19,719 Speaker 5: says a dumb thing and then someone makes it smart. No, 131 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:20,960 Speaker 5: I just think it would be fun. 132 00:06:21,279 --> 00:06:21,479 Speaker 4: You know. 133 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:24,679 Speaker 5: When we did the twenty five Greatest Science Ideas series, 134 00:06:25,240 --> 00:06:27,560 Speaker 5: we had our great friend David Nagler write a song 135 00:06:27,839 --> 00:06:30,840 Speaker 5: about the Ottaron particle that was discovered at the Large 136 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:33,200 Speaker 5: Hadron Particle Collider, and it was just so fun to 137 00:06:33,279 --> 00:06:38,120 Speaker 5: hear this incredibly complicated physics thing explained through song. And 138 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:39,760 Speaker 5: I thought, what if we did more of that. What 139 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:43,560 Speaker 5: if we had Will and Mangesh singing the information instead 140 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:45,760 Speaker 5: of just talking. Mongsh is not a fan of this, 141 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:48,000 Speaker 5: but I have heard, I have heard from a reliable 142 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:50,880 Speaker 5: source that Will has a very good singing voice. 143 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:52,800 Speaker 2: Really, I did not know that. 144 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:54,479 Speaker 4: That is what my sources tell me. 145 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:57,360 Speaker 5: So the dream of the part time Genius musical episode 146 00:06:57,400 --> 00:06:58,360 Speaker 5: may not be dead. 147 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:02,479 Speaker 2: Yeah, fingers crossed all right? Well, speaking of music, not 148 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 2: too long ago, we did an episode about novelty songs, 149 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:08,479 Speaker 2: but there is one story that was left on the 150 00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:13,280 Speaker 2: cutting room floor. It was mostly about NASA's Skylab and 151 00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:15,800 Speaker 2: how it crashed to the ground. Believe it or not, 152 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:20,280 Speaker 2: in Australian rock group made a novelty song about Skylab 153 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:23,480 Speaker 2: crashing and that's because it landed in Australia. Back in 154 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 2: nineteen seventy three, NASA had just launched the Skylab missions, 155 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:30,480 Speaker 2: which were kind of bridging the gap between the Apollo 156 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:34,440 Speaker 2: and Space Shuttle programs. They sent up this big space station. 157 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:37,600 Speaker 2: It weighed more than eighty tons and it was built 158 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:40,760 Speaker 2: to sustain a three person crew for an extended period 159 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:43,600 Speaker 2: of time, and NASA wanted to use this for three 160 00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:48,080 Speaker 2: Skylab missions with three different crews of three astronauts each time. 161 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 2: So they did these three missions, and the station still 162 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:54,160 Speaker 2: had plenty of supplies left on board, and NASA had 163 00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:57,360 Speaker 2: already begun planning for a fourth mission. But that's not 164 00:07:57,520 --> 00:08:00,960 Speaker 2: really how things shook out. The space station orbit began 165 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 2: to decay much earlier than anticipated, and the increased amount 166 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:08,720 Speaker 2: of drag on Skylab caused it to lose altitude and 167 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:12,160 Speaker 2: it re entered or its atmosphere a full four years 168 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:14,960 Speaker 2: ahead of schedule. It ended up crashing into the Indian Ocean, 169 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:18,240 Speaker 2: and all this debris kind of rained down on this 170 00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:20,720 Speaker 2: rural part of Western Australia. 171 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:22,920 Speaker 4: How did that become a novelty song? 172 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:27,160 Speaker 2: There was a hotel in this tiny town called Balladonia. 173 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:31,680 Speaker 2: It was pelted with debris, and actually President Jimmy Carter 174 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:34,960 Speaker 2: called up and apologized to the hotel owners. He's like, 175 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:36,600 Speaker 2: I'm so sorry this happened. 176 00:08:36,920 --> 00:08:38,800 Speaker 4: Can you imagine getting that phone call? 177 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:41,559 Speaker 5: I know, right, mister President, you need to come over 178 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:43,720 Speaker 5: here and clean up your space debris right now. 179 00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:47,440 Speaker 2: Yeah. Well, well that's another funny thing is there was 180 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:50,920 Speaker 2: another small town called Esperance, and they were so like 181 00:08:50,960 --> 00:08:53,600 Speaker 2: put off by all this wreckage, like raining down in 182 00:08:53,640 --> 00:08:56,640 Speaker 2: their jurisdiction. That they actually hit the US State Department 183 00:08:56,679 --> 00:09:03,240 Speaker 2: with a four hundred dollars fine for literary awesome. The government, 184 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:05,640 Speaker 2: to its shane did not fit the bill. 185 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:08,840 Speaker 5: Wait, so we still owe Australia four hundred dollars for littering. 186 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:12,720 Speaker 2: Well, actually, in two thousand and nine, a California DJ 187 00:09:12,920 --> 00:09:16,800 Speaker 2: named Scott Barley he finally like righted this wrong by 188 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:19,560 Speaker 2: collecting donations from his listeners and then he cut the 189 00:09:19,559 --> 00:09:20,200 Speaker 2: town a check. 190 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:22,920 Speaker 4: Well, so it's all a musical. It was a DJ. 191 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:25,720 Speaker 5: This is all a musical story, okay, all right, So 192 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:27,720 Speaker 5: I got to know, how did this turn into a 193 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:28,600 Speaker 5: novelty song? 194 00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:32,520 Speaker 2: So after all this debris rains down on this hotel 195 00:09:32,559 --> 00:09:36,839 Speaker 2: in Balladonia and President Carter calls to apologize. Balladonia was 196 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:38,920 Speaker 2: kind of, you know, on the world stage after that, 197 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:42,360 Speaker 2: and it became a popular tourist destination. Of course, they 198 00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:44,800 Speaker 2: had collected the debris that fell there and kind of 199 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:48,000 Speaker 2: put it on display. This Australian rock group called Family 200 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:51,280 Speaker 2: capitalized on it wrote a song titled the Ballad of 201 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:55,680 Speaker 2: a Balladonia Night aka the Skylab Song, and it became 202 00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:58,160 Speaker 2: the year's summer anthem in Australia. 203 00:09:58,520 --> 00:10:00,520 Speaker 4: Do you happen to have a c of this that 204 00:10:00,559 --> 00:10:01,240 Speaker 4: we can listen to? 205 00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:04,200 Speaker 2: You know, Mary, I'm glad you brought that up because 206 00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:05,079 Speaker 2: I do. 207 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:29,960 Speaker 4: Nice Jamie Bam Oh the sky Wow. 208 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:33,280 Speaker 5: That was incredible. That may be my song of the 209 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:35,760 Speaker 5: summer here in twenty twenty five. I am so glad 210 00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:39,000 Speaker 5: I know about this. Now let's bring it back all right, Well, 211 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:41,720 Speaker 5: this is not music related, but it is art related. 212 00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:44,680 Speaker 5: A few weeks ago we had the author Cy Montgomery 213 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:46,679 Speaker 5: on the show to talk about her book What the 214 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:48,760 Speaker 5: Chicken Knows, really really great book. 215 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:50,040 Speaker 4: I had a lot of fun. 216 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:53,160 Speaker 5: I read it, did some research about chickens, and then 217 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:55,640 Speaker 5: I kind of kept doing research about chickens even after 218 00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:58,880 Speaker 5: we had finished preparing for the interview. I started wondering 219 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:02,600 Speaker 5: about chickens in art. And by that, Gabe, I do 220 00:11:02,679 --> 00:11:05,600 Speaker 5: not mean chickens who make art, although I'm sure that 221 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:06,800 Speaker 5: is a thing, and. 222 00:11:06,679 --> 00:11:08,120 Speaker 2: That's another episode, yep. 223 00:11:08,760 --> 00:11:11,800 Speaker 5: I was more interested in the idea of chickens represented 224 00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:14,839 Speaker 5: in art. Surely people have represented chickens in visual arts, 225 00:11:14,880 --> 00:11:18,720 Speaker 5: and guess what they have. There's a mural in Poland 226 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:21,240 Speaker 5: that is a picture of a woman holding a chicken, 227 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:24,200 Speaker 5: and it's apparently based on a famous Polish children's story 228 00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:26,880 Speaker 5: about a hen that tries to run away from home 229 00:11:27,240 --> 00:11:29,280 Speaker 5: and its owner who goes after it. I believe it's 230 00:11:29,320 --> 00:11:31,560 Speaker 5: called Madame Chicken is the name of the mural. But 231 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:35,960 Speaker 5: my favorite was a painting by the Filipino artist Anita 232 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:39,640 Speaker 5: Megsi Si Ho, and it's called Catching Chickens and this 233 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:44,480 Speaker 5: is beautiful. It is a picture of women with chickens 234 00:11:44,559 --> 00:11:47,280 Speaker 5: all around their feet and they're dancing, they're holding baskets, 235 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:49,800 Speaker 5: they're scooping up the chickens. It's just so joyous, and 236 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:52,640 Speaker 5: there's so much movement and light in the painting you 237 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:54,800 Speaker 5: just kind of want to climb into it. And so 238 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:56,839 Speaker 5: I'd never heard of this artist before, so I started 239 00:11:56,840 --> 00:11:59,720 Speaker 5: looking into her, and Anita MgSi Si Hoe was this 240 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:03,319 Speaker 5: credible pioneer of modern art in the Philippines. She was 241 00:12:03,360 --> 00:12:05,959 Speaker 5: a twentieth century painter at a time when there were 242 00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:08,959 Speaker 5: not a lot of prominent women painters working in the Philippines. 243 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:11,920 Speaker 5: My favorite detail about her is that she had five children. 244 00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:15,280 Speaker 5: Her family moved around constantly because of her husband's job. 245 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:18,360 Speaker 5: In spite of that, wherever she went, she was sure 246 00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:20,400 Speaker 5: to set up a little work area where she could 247 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:24,200 Speaker 5: keep painting, and so she was incredibly prolific, and today 248 00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:26,600 Speaker 5: she's regarded as one of the giants of modern art 249 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:29,240 Speaker 5: in the Philippines. But here it gets even better. She 250 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:33,360 Speaker 5: was known for working in egg tempera. 251 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:34,640 Speaker 2: What what is that? 252 00:12:35,120 --> 00:12:38,120 Speaker 5: It's basically a pigment that is mixed with egg yolk 253 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:41,360 Speaker 5: as a binder. It's very very difficult to work with 254 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:44,040 Speaker 5: because it dries really quickly. You have to work in 255 00:12:44,160 --> 00:12:46,880 Speaker 5: very small sections, and it's much harder to control the 256 00:12:46,920 --> 00:12:50,160 Speaker 5: consistency compared to something like oil paint. But the big 257 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:53,440 Speaker 5: benefit of egg tempera is that it has this luminous, 258 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:56,520 Speaker 5: lifelike quality. A lot of Renaissance art actually was painted 259 00:12:56,840 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 5: in egg tempera, especially things on panels, like wooden things. 260 00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:02,520 Speaker 5: It sticks to the wood very well, kind of like glue, 261 00:13:02,559 --> 00:13:05,440 Speaker 5: and it gives this inner glow, this life to the image. 262 00:13:05,559 --> 00:13:08,800 Speaker 5: And unlike oil, egg tempera colors don't change over time. 263 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:09,920 Speaker 5: They're very color fast. 264 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:12,520 Speaker 2: That's amazing. Why don't all artists use that? 265 00:13:12,800 --> 00:13:14,960 Speaker 5: Like I said, it's very tricky to work with, but 266 00:13:15,040 --> 00:13:18,200 Speaker 5: I just I love that. This book about chickens sent 267 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:20,880 Speaker 5: me on this journey through chicken art, all the way 268 00:13:20,920 --> 00:13:23,440 Speaker 5: through this incredible artist who I'd never heard of and 269 00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:26,199 Speaker 5: is now probably one of my favorite artists. And now 270 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:28,880 Speaker 5: this paint Egg tempera that I had never heard of. 271 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:30,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, and I'm glad you got to share that. I'm 272 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:32,800 Speaker 2: glad we found an outlet for it because I'm going 273 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:34,679 Speaker 2: to look her up too, and I bet a lot 274 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:35,640 Speaker 2: of listeners will as well. 275 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:37,040 Speaker 4: Yeah, we'll put a link in the show notes. 276 00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:39,360 Speaker 5: Okay, have you got another fact for us that didn't 277 00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:40,479 Speaker 5: make it into an episode? 278 00:13:40,559 --> 00:13:44,959 Speaker 2: I do. Yeah. So we recently did an Inside Baseball episode. 279 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:47,440 Speaker 2: I am not a baseball fan, but I am a 280 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:50,840 Speaker 2: huge fan of all the baseball traditions, the lore, the 281 00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:53,640 Speaker 2: organ music, the snacks, all of that kind of stuff. 282 00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:57,640 Speaker 2: I'm also just a big fan of very strange baseball stories. 283 00:13:57,920 --> 00:13:59,920 Speaker 2: And there was one that we just didn't have room for, 284 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:01,960 Speaker 2: so it ended up on the cutting room floor. It 285 00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:04,560 Speaker 2: happened back in nineteen eighty three, and it was when 286 00:14:04,679 --> 00:14:10,720 Speaker 2: Yankees outfielder Dave Winfield was arrested for accidentally killing a seagull. 287 00:14:10,960 --> 00:14:14,400 Speaker 2: So this happened during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays, 288 00:14:14,600 --> 00:14:17,199 Speaker 2: and this was at the team's exhibition stadium in Canada. 289 00:14:17,800 --> 00:14:21,480 Speaker 2: And a little background here. Toronto's population of ring build 290 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:25,400 Speaker 2: seagulls had risen dramatically that year and had gone from 291 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:29,560 Speaker 2: ten thousand gulls to nearly two hundred thousand. Why and 292 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:32,680 Speaker 2: I don't know why I couldn't find that out. 293 00:14:32,920 --> 00:14:36,320 Speaker 5: If anyone in Toronto knows about this seagull population issue, 294 00:14:36,360 --> 00:14:37,760 Speaker 5: please please let us. 295 00:14:37,760 --> 00:14:40,320 Speaker 2: Know, please, what was going on that year. So anyway, 296 00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:44,440 Speaker 2: because the ballpark was located like just offshore of Lake Ontario, 297 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:48,560 Speaker 2: the birds would often flock there in droves, and occasionally 298 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:50,920 Speaker 2: one of the gulls would land like right on the field, 299 00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:53,760 Speaker 2: and fans would cheer and laugh, and the players would 300 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:56,080 Speaker 2: get a little annoyed. But you know, whatever, it happened. 301 00:14:56,440 --> 00:14:59,480 Speaker 2: But on this one night in August of nineteen eighty three, 302 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:02,320 Speaker 2: there was this particular seagull who landed on the field 303 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:05,800 Speaker 2: early in the game and he just stayed there. Some 304 00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:08,120 Speaker 2: people thought he might be sick. They said, he didn't 305 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:11,600 Speaker 2: really look very well, he looked a little shaky, and 306 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:14,240 Speaker 2: he just like didn't move an inch. So at the 307 00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:16,520 Speaker 2: top of the fifth inning he's sitting there right on 308 00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:19,520 Speaker 2: the field. The Yankees took the field. They started doing 309 00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:22,880 Speaker 2: their practice throws and that kind of stuff, and after 310 00:15:22,960 --> 00:15:26,440 Speaker 2: warming up in the outfield, Winfield threw the ball that 311 00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:29,920 Speaker 2: he had been using back towards the dugout and accidentally 312 00:15:29,960 --> 00:15:33,080 Speaker 2: struck the seagull in the neck and it died instantly. 313 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:36,360 Speaker 2: Fans began booing Windfield, you know, assuming that he had 314 00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:38,280 Speaker 2: done this on purpose. They were, I guess it was 315 00:15:38,280 --> 00:15:40,640 Speaker 2: like rubber ball night at the stadium or something. They 316 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:43,360 Speaker 2: were throwing rubber balls at him, and so, you know, 317 00:15:43,400 --> 00:15:45,440 Speaker 2: a moment later, I think it was, the bat boy 318 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:48,920 Speaker 2: runs onto the field, covers the dead gull with a 319 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:51,800 Speaker 2: towel and like carries it off, you know, and every 320 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:54,800 Speaker 2: just really heartbreaking. Right in the middle of the game. 321 00:15:55,360 --> 00:15:58,040 Speaker 2: They continued to play, you know, as normal, and the 322 00:15:58,120 --> 00:16:00,680 Speaker 2: Yankees actually went on to win three to one. But 323 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:03,880 Speaker 2: once it was over, Winfield went back to the clubhouse 324 00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:07,760 Speaker 2: and was approached by Canadian police. They put him under 325 00:16:07,840 --> 00:16:10,440 Speaker 2: arrest for killing a ring builled seagull, which, as it 326 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:13,760 Speaker 2: turned out, was a protected bird under Canadian law. 327 00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:15,840 Speaker 4: It wasn't just any seagull, it. 328 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:19,840 Speaker 2: Was nationally protected species. They took him down to Toronto's 329 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:24,160 Speaker 2: police station. He was charged with causing the unnecessary suffering 330 00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:27,400 Speaker 2: of an animal that carried a five hundred dollars fine 331 00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:30,520 Speaker 2: and up to six months in prison. In a nice 332 00:16:30,560 --> 00:16:34,120 Speaker 2: show of goodwill, the Blue Jays general manager paid the 333 00:16:34,120 --> 00:16:37,480 Speaker 2: five hundred dollars bond to get Winfield released. So he 334 00:16:37,560 --> 00:16:39,200 Speaker 2: got out and was supposed to come back like a 335 00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:43,280 Speaker 2: week later to stand trial. But in the meantime a 336 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:45,400 Speaker 2: bird autopsy was conducted. 337 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:48,800 Speaker 5: They actually they kept the bird. They kept the body. 338 00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:52,760 Speaker 2: Yes, the police collected it from the Toronto Humane Society 339 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:56,800 Speaker 2: and sent it to the University of Golf in Ontario 340 00:16:56,880 --> 00:16:59,560 Speaker 2: for a full autopsy. While they're looking the bird over, 341 00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:03,360 Speaker 2: the charge were eventually dropped. Winfield had talked to the reporters. 342 00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:05,480 Speaker 2: He made it clear this was an accident. I did 343 00:17:05,480 --> 00:17:09,080 Speaker 2: not mean to kill the seagull. So they dropped the 344 00:17:09,160 --> 00:17:12,520 Speaker 2: charges and that ended up being the right decision because 345 00:17:12,560 --> 00:17:15,520 Speaker 2: once the autopsy report came back, it turned out that 346 00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:19,520 Speaker 2: everyone had been correct. The bird was quite unwell. The 347 00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:22,800 Speaker 2: report concluded that although the bird did die from blunt 348 00:17:22,840 --> 00:17:26,080 Speaker 2: force trauma, it almost certainly would have died anyway within 349 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:28,680 Speaker 2: like a week, so to show there were no hard feelings, 350 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:31,520 Speaker 2: Winfield returned to Toronto. He went back a few months later, 351 00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:34,040 Speaker 2: he did a charity dinner and he even brought a 352 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:36,760 Speaker 2: special painting that he had commissioned to be auctioned off. 353 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:40,040 Speaker 2: It depicted a seagull standing in front of a red 354 00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:42,840 Speaker 2: maple leaf, with two other goals flying over the shore 355 00:17:42,840 --> 00:17:44,919 Speaker 2: of a lake, and at the bottom there was an 356 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:47,960 Speaker 2: inscription that read to the Canadian people committed to the 357 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:50,000 Speaker 2: preservation of their values and resources. 358 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:53,920 Speaker 5: That is incredible, and again it goes back to. 359 00:17:53,840 --> 00:17:56,800 Speaker 2: Bird Art, Bird Art. There we go, all right, we need. 360 00:17:56,720 --> 00:17:58,480 Speaker 5: To take a quick break, but when we come back, 361 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:01,520 Speaker 5: we have more bonus facts, including a statue that's been 362 00:18:01,520 --> 00:18:03,760 Speaker 5: through a lot and some buildings that are getting cooler 363 00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:05,840 Speaker 5: thanks to a very old technology. 364 00:18:05,920 --> 00:18:06,640 Speaker 4: Don't go anywhere. 365 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:24,400 Speaker 2: Welcome back to Part Time Genius. I'm Gabe and I'm 366 00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:27,600 Speaker 2: here with Mary and we're opening the fact vault today 367 00:18:27,680 --> 00:18:29,639 Speaker 2: to share some of the things that didn't make it 368 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:32,879 Speaker 2: into our regular episodes. So, Mary, what's your next cutting 369 00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:33,760 Speaker 2: room floor fact? 370 00:18:33,920 --> 00:18:36,720 Speaker 5: Okay, so we have an episode about climate resilience, which 371 00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:38,960 Speaker 5: is of course the ways in which people around the 372 00:18:38,960 --> 00:18:43,960 Speaker 5: world are using technology, engineering and general ingenuity to protect 373 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:46,920 Speaker 5: themselves and their homes and their communities from climate change. 374 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:49,680 Speaker 5: And I found this fact that I think about all 375 00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:53,000 Speaker 5: the time because I have a plant pot in my apartment. 376 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:54,640 Speaker 4: Do you have a plant pot in your apartment? 377 00:18:54,920 --> 00:18:58,600 Speaker 2: I have pots with plants in them. Is that different? No? No? 378 00:18:58,600 --> 00:18:59,879 Speaker 4: No, A pot that you put a plant in? 379 00:19:00,160 --> 00:19:01,520 Speaker 2: Oh? Perfect, Yeah, I got them. 380 00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:02,040 Speaker 4: Okay. 381 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:04,680 Speaker 5: They're often made of terra cotta, which is that sort 382 00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:07,960 Speaker 5: of orangish beige material that is really good for plants. 383 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:09,520 Speaker 5: And one of the reasons it's good for plants is 384 00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:12,520 Speaker 5: that it's absorbent. It absorbs and holds water, and that's 385 00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:16,240 Speaker 5: also why it's great for cooling. Tarracotta has been used 386 00:19:16,240 --> 00:19:18,480 Speaker 5: for thousands of years in India to keep water cool 387 00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:21,119 Speaker 5: because when you fill up in terracotta jug with water, 388 00:19:21,520 --> 00:19:24,000 Speaker 5: a certain percentage of that water gets absorbed and then 389 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:27,000 Speaker 5: it evaporates. As it evaporates, it keeps the remaining water 390 00:19:27,160 --> 00:19:29,479 Speaker 5: in the jug cool. So people have been doing this 391 00:19:29,760 --> 00:19:32,720 Speaker 5: in lieu of refrigeration for a long time. Recently, an 392 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:35,400 Speaker 5: architecture studio in New Delhi came up with a way 393 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:39,240 Speaker 5: to use terracotta to cool buildings. They had a client 394 00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:43,600 Speaker 5: who was a manufacturer and they had these diesel generators 395 00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:45,719 Speaker 5: that were creating a lot of heat in the building, 396 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:48,000 Speaker 5: and it was making things too hot for the workers. 397 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:49,879 Speaker 5: And if we were just trying to combat that with 398 00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:52,480 Speaker 5: air conditioning, it would cost a ton of money and 399 00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:53,960 Speaker 5: be really bad for the environment. 400 00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:54,199 Speaker 1: Right. 401 00:19:54,720 --> 00:19:58,399 Speaker 5: So what they did was they manufactured eight hundred big 402 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:02,440 Speaker 5: tubes of terracotta that they arranged around a stainless steel framework, 403 00:20:02,800 --> 00:20:06,480 Speaker 5: and then they pumped recycled water over the terra cotta. 404 00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:10,359 Speaker 5: As the water evaporated out of this terracotta structure, it 405 00:20:10,520 --> 00:20:14,040 Speaker 5: sent cool air out and around the area and actually 406 00:20:14,080 --> 00:20:16,800 Speaker 5: brought the temperature down by several degrees, making it more 407 00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:19,920 Speaker 5: comfortable for people who are working there. So they've actually 408 00:20:19,960 --> 00:20:23,680 Speaker 5: been able to replicate this in dozens of buildings around India, 409 00:20:23,720 --> 00:20:27,240 Speaker 5: mostly commercial spaces, but also schools, even airports. 410 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:29,880 Speaker 2: So again I have to ask, just like with the 411 00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:32,439 Speaker 2: egg tempera, why doesn't everybody use this? 412 00:20:32,720 --> 00:20:34,600 Speaker 5: It takes up a lot of room, right, It's a 413 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:37,920 Speaker 5: larger installation. It's not like a compact little thing, and 414 00:20:38,119 --> 00:20:41,680 Speaker 5: you know, you need engineering techniques that maybe people aren't 415 00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:44,840 Speaker 5: willing to invest in everywhere. But I'm glad you asked, 416 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:47,680 Speaker 5: because some people have been experimenting with this idea. Even more, 417 00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:51,760 Speaker 5: some engineering students in India have built a terracotta air conditioner, 418 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:54,760 Speaker 5: which is a smaller unit where a fan sucks in 419 00:20:54,840 --> 00:20:58,440 Speaker 5: air and then blows that air over damp terracotta right, 420 00:20:58,480 --> 00:21:01,360 Speaker 5: because again, the evaporation is just like a cooling system, 421 00:21:01,720 --> 00:21:04,040 Speaker 5: and they've been able to bring air down in a 422 00:21:04,119 --> 00:21:06,840 Speaker 5: room by almost three degrees fahnheit, which isn't a lot, 423 00:21:07,119 --> 00:21:09,359 Speaker 5: but if it's really hot, that three degrees can make 424 00:21:09,359 --> 00:21:13,080 Speaker 5: a big difference. Absolutely, So, Gabe, you've got one more 425 00:21:13,119 --> 00:21:14,239 Speaker 5: extra fact, let's hear it. 426 00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:18,000 Speaker 2: So we did an episode not too long ago in 427 00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:22,280 Speaker 2: our travelogue series about the nation of Denmark, and that's 428 00:21:22,320 --> 00:21:24,640 Speaker 2: one of the places I actually have been able to visit. 429 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:27,080 Speaker 2: I got to go there a few years ago toward 430 00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:31,000 Speaker 2: Copenhagen myself, and there is one city attraction that I 431 00:21:31,119 --> 00:21:33,400 Speaker 2: just couldn't quite fit into the script, but I really 432 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:36,200 Speaker 2: wanted to talk about it. It is the Little Mermaid 433 00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:40,280 Speaker 2: statue that sits in Copenhagen Harbor. It's been there for 434 00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:43,920 Speaker 2: over a century at this point, and it has been 435 00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:45,960 Speaker 2: through a lot during that time. 436 00:21:46,640 --> 00:21:48,520 Speaker 4: The Little Mermaid, who is the author. 437 00:21:48,359 --> 00:21:52,439 Speaker 2: Hans Christian Anderson right, of course. Yeah, famous Danish writer 438 00:21:53,359 --> 00:21:57,800 Speaker 2: Little Mermaid, the Ugly duck Lane Thumbelina, Little match Girl. Yeah, 439 00:21:57,920 --> 00:22:01,080 Speaker 2: kind of a national treasure of Denmark. And so this 440 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:04,240 Speaker 2: statue was actually unveiled in nineteen thirteen. It was a 441 00:22:04,280 --> 00:22:07,600 Speaker 2: gift from a Danish brewer named Carl Jacobsen. He gave 442 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:10,080 Speaker 2: it to the city of Copenhagen after falling in love 443 00:22:10,119 --> 00:22:12,720 Speaker 2: with the character of the Little Mermaid after watching a 444 00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:16,159 Speaker 2: ballet performance at the Royal Danish Theater, and so he 445 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:20,280 Speaker 2: commissioned a sculptor named Edward Erickson to create this three 446 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:25,040 Speaker 2: hundred and eighty five pound bronze sculpture of the title character. 447 00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:29,000 Speaker 2: He wanted the ballet dancer who played the Little Mermaid 448 00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:31,280 Speaker 2: to pose for it, but she refused to pose in 449 00:22:31,359 --> 00:22:35,560 Speaker 2: the nude, and so instead the sculptor enlisted his wife, 450 00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:40,160 Speaker 2: and so they put this four hundred pound bronze sculpture 451 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:43,680 Speaker 2: on a granite rock in the Copenhagen Harbor and it's 452 00:22:43,680 --> 00:22:46,080 Speaker 2: been there ever since. And along the way it's been 453 00:22:46,119 --> 00:22:49,879 Speaker 2: a frequent target of vandalism by really like all sorts 454 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:53,320 Speaker 2: of different protest groups. So his poor Mermaid has been 455 00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:58,720 Speaker 2: decapitated twice, covered in paint and graffiti. Multiple times, she 456 00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:01,560 Speaker 2: had an arm sawn on off. At one point she 457 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:04,880 Speaker 2: was painted red as part of an anti whaling protest. 458 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:08,919 Speaker 2: She's been covered in graffiti with messages like in twenty 459 00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:12,639 Speaker 2: twenty somebody tagged her with a kind of confusing inscription, 460 00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:17,159 Speaker 2: dubbing her a racist fish. And people don't really know, 461 00:23:17,600 --> 00:23:19,080 Speaker 2: you know what any of this has to do with 462 00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:22,399 Speaker 2: the Little Mermaid or with Hans Christian Anderson. He hasn't 463 00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:25,159 Speaker 2: really been accused of racism or anything in his works. 464 00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:28,680 Speaker 5: Does Copenhagen just keep fixing the statue? Do they just 465 00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:31,119 Speaker 5: keep going out there and cleaning off the graffiti and 466 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:32,800 Speaker 5: replacing the head and all of this. 467 00:23:33,080 --> 00:23:36,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, again and again they've had the retrieve her body 468 00:23:36,359 --> 00:23:39,359 Speaker 2: parts from the water, scrub or clean. Actually, when I 469 00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:42,399 Speaker 2: was there, this was I think twenty twenty three, you 470 00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:45,560 Speaker 2: could still see the faded letters of racist fish. It's 471 00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:48,520 Speaker 2: all leaving a mark, unfortunately. But the thing that makes 472 00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:51,119 Speaker 2: it extra sad for me is if you are familiar 473 00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:53,959 Speaker 2: with Hans Christian Andersen's version of this story, and not 474 00:23:54,040 --> 00:23:56,080 Speaker 2: just the Disney one, you know that the Mermaid and 475 00:23:56,119 --> 00:23:58,760 Speaker 2: the story had a pretty rough time too, it's a 476 00:23:58,880 --> 00:24:02,880 Speaker 2: much darker tail. She has her tongue cut out. The 477 00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:06,360 Speaker 2: Prince does not choose her in the end. So it's 478 00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:09,040 Speaker 2: just a little extra tragic when you look at what 479 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:10,879 Speaker 2: the character has been through to see that sort of 480 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:15,080 Speaker 2: repeated on the statue. So if anyone's listening in Copenhagen, 481 00:24:15,119 --> 00:24:18,240 Speaker 2: please stop, please a little Mournee has been through enough. 482 00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:19,600 Speaker 4: She's been through enough. 483 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:22,000 Speaker 5: All right, Well, I would like to turn now to 484 00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:24,640 Speaker 5: an update from an episode that came out not too 485 00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:28,880 Speaker 5: long ago, and it was nine extremely Valuable Facts about Pennies. 486 00:24:28,880 --> 00:24:29,800 Speaker 4: Do you remember that episode? 487 00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:29,960 Speaker 5: Oh? 488 00:24:30,040 --> 00:24:31,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, I love that one, Okay. 489 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:33,320 Speaker 5: In that episode, of course, we talked about the fact 490 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:35,879 Speaker 5: that there is a move to get rid of the 491 00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:38,320 Speaker 5: penny in the United States, and that's actually been going on. 492 00:24:38,720 --> 00:24:40,960 Speaker 5: Several presidents have brought that up. It's come up time 493 00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:43,560 Speaker 5: and time again. But now there is officially a bill 494 00:24:43,640 --> 00:24:45,879 Speaker 5: that has been introduced in the United States Senate to 495 00:24:46,040 --> 00:24:49,640 Speaker 5: formally eliminate the penny. And this is a bipartisan bill 496 00:24:49,960 --> 00:24:52,639 Speaker 5: brought by Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Mike Lee of 497 00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:57,000 Speaker 5: Utah and Gabe. They have called it the makes Sense 498 00:24:57,359 --> 00:25:01,560 Speaker 5: not Sense act o that's worse. In the press release 499 00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:05,119 Speaker 5: announcing this act, Merkley said, and I quote, it's the 500 00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:09,720 Speaker 5: opposite of common sense for taxpayers dollars to fund wasteful 501 00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:11,640 Speaker 5: spending like producing pennies. 502 00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:15,200 Speaker 2: Wow, they doubled down on that. They were so proud 503 00:25:15,240 --> 00:25:15,439 Speaker 2: of it. 504 00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:19,160 Speaker 5: I would like to introduce a bill to eliminate lazy 505 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:22,720 Speaker 5: punning by elected officials. It does not serve our country, 506 00:25:22,840 --> 00:25:24,719 Speaker 5: It does not send a good message to our children. 507 00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:27,159 Speaker 5: Puns are fine, but God put in a little more 508 00:25:27,160 --> 00:25:27,760 Speaker 5: effort than that. 509 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:30,720 Speaker 2: I second thought, with a brave stance, Mary. 510 00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:32,239 Speaker 5: If I ever run for office, that's going to be 511 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:34,159 Speaker 5: That's gonna be my one and only platform. 512 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:34,880 Speaker 4: All right? 513 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:37,399 Speaker 5: Should we tell people some teasers about some things that 514 00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:39,320 Speaker 5: we are working on right now that they can look 515 00:25:39,359 --> 00:25:39,760 Speaker 5: forward to. 516 00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:41,720 Speaker 4: Should we do that? Should we be that generous? 517 00:25:41,960 --> 00:25:44,720 Speaker 2: Yeah? Should we pull back the curtain a little bit? 518 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:47,560 Speaker 5: I think we should because Will and Mango are sipping 519 00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:50,760 Speaker 5: tropical drinks and a hammock, I believe, and we're here, 520 00:25:50,800 --> 00:25:52,800 Speaker 5: so let's do what we want. I know you're working 521 00:25:52,880 --> 00:25:54,840 Speaker 5: on an episode that we're very excited about. You want 522 00:25:54,840 --> 00:25:55,959 Speaker 5: to tell us a little bit about it. 523 00:25:56,280 --> 00:25:59,160 Speaker 2: We had a listener suggests that we do an episode 524 00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:02,440 Speaker 2: all about three D printing, and I'm happy to say 525 00:26:02,480 --> 00:26:04,359 Speaker 2: that is in the works. I think a lot of 526 00:26:04,359 --> 00:26:07,600 Speaker 2: people still treat it as a new emerging technology, but 527 00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:10,440 Speaker 2: really it came about back in the eighties and it's 528 00:26:10,480 --> 00:26:13,880 Speaker 2: not just a printing plastic anymore. We've moved on from 529 00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:16,600 Speaker 2: there and there's some fun historical connections that we're going 530 00:26:16,640 --> 00:26:19,320 Speaker 2: to get into in that episode. So definitely look forward 531 00:26:19,320 --> 00:26:19,800 Speaker 2: to that one. 532 00:26:19,920 --> 00:26:20,560 Speaker 4: Oh that's great. 533 00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:23,120 Speaker 5: Well, I can tell you I am really excited about 534 00:26:23,119 --> 00:26:25,719 Speaker 5: an episode we have coming up that's all about puppets. 535 00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:28,919 Speaker 5: Puppets have an incredible rich history. I mean, it's obviously 536 00:26:29,080 --> 00:26:30,959 Speaker 5: Sesame Street the Muppets, we all know them, we all 537 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:33,760 Speaker 5: love them, but puppets have a long history in many 538 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:38,920 Speaker 5: civilizations and cultures around the world, used for theater, for politics, 539 00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:40,880 Speaker 5: all kinds of things. It's a very I mean, it's 540 00:26:40,920 --> 00:26:43,120 Speaker 5: one of those episodes that I feel like could easily 541 00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:47,000 Speaker 5: become an hour long. It won't, don't worry. But there's 542 00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:50,359 Speaker 5: so much to talk about. And I'm particularly excited because 543 00:26:50,359 --> 00:26:53,040 Speaker 5: I do have a friend who is really passionate about puppetry, 544 00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:56,520 Speaker 5: and she builds and makes puppets for performances that are incredible, 545 00:26:57,200 --> 00:26:59,800 Speaker 5: and she's done them for science education, she's used them 546 00:26:59,800 --> 00:27:02,000 Speaker 5: for all all kinds of things. So just personally, I 547 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:03,560 Speaker 5: am excited to be able to send a friend an 548 00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:05,320 Speaker 5: episode that's going to be right up her alley. 549 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:06,960 Speaker 4: And I think that happens a lot with this show. 550 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:09,480 Speaker 5: People find a topic and they know someone who's really 551 00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:11,720 Speaker 5: into that one topic, and they send them that episode. 552 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:14,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, and I'm really looking forward to that one too, 553 00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:17,240 Speaker 2: really really interesting stuff. And I know normally we end 554 00:27:17,280 --> 00:27:20,159 Speaker 2: an episode with a fact off, but we've had a 555 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:22,720 Speaker 2: lot of facts today, So why don't we head down 556 00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:25,760 Speaker 2: to the rec center for some recommendations instead? What do 557 00:27:25,800 --> 00:27:26,080 Speaker 2: you say? 558 00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:27,040 Speaker 4: Sounds good. 559 00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:42,760 Speaker 2: That? So my recommendation for today is that listeners reacquaint 560 00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:45,880 Speaker 2: themselves with the Looney Tunes. A lot of people don't 561 00:27:45,920 --> 00:27:49,080 Speaker 2: know that in this year, twenty twenty five, there was 562 00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:52,320 Speaker 2: a new theatrical Looney Tunes movie. I did not know 563 00:27:52,359 --> 00:27:54,520 Speaker 2: that it already came and went from theaters. It was 564 00:27:54,560 --> 00:27:57,640 Speaker 2: called The Day the Earth Blew Up, starring Daffy Duck 565 00:27:57,680 --> 00:28:01,119 Speaker 2: and Porky Pig. This was a hand drawn, beach er 566 00:28:01,200 --> 00:28:03,720 Speaker 2: length film. It didn't have a lot of advertising. It 567 00:28:03,760 --> 00:28:07,439 Speaker 2: came and went, but critics loved it, animators love it, 568 00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:10,360 Speaker 2: and I believe it's available on streaming now, so people 569 00:28:10,400 --> 00:28:13,800 Speaker 2: should check that out. And also there's a new Blu 570 00:28:13,920 --> 00:28:17,040 Speaker 2: Ray collection, the Classic Looney Tunes. It's a collection of 571 00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:19,560 Speaker 2: I think about forty or so of the shorts that 572 00:28:19,640 --> 00:28:23,119 Speaker 2: have been newly restored, never released on Blu Ray before. 573 00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:26,440 Speaker 2: The Looney Tunes are fun for people really of all ages. 574 00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:28,640 Speaker 2: That's something I think a lot of people forget. They 575 00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:31,520 Speaker 2: were shown in front of movies back in the day. 576 00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:34,080 Speaker 2: Looney Tunes laid in front of everything, whether you were seeing, 577 00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:37,360 Speaker 2: you know, a romantic comedy or a horror movie or whatever, 578 00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:40,520 Speaker 2: and everybody in the audience laughed. Maybe recreate those pre 579 00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:43,440 Speaker 2: shows at home. Watch a Looney Tunes before you start 580 00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:45,920 Speaker 2: a movie. You know you're watching a movie from nineteen 581 00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:48,240 Speaker 2: thirty nine, Watch a Looney Tunes it was made that 582 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:50,680 Speaker 2: same year. Or you can go about its thematically too. 583 00:28:50,720 --> 00:28:53,560 Speaker 2: If you're watching a Western, watch something with Yosemite Sam 584 00:28:53,640 --> 00:28:57,600 Speaker 2: or Wiley Coyote or something like that. Yeah, it sounds storky, 585 00:28:57,800 --> 00:28:59,880 Speaker 2: sounds nerdy, and it is, but it's also a lot of. 586 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:02,120 Speaker 5: I mean this is part time genius. I think everyone 587 00:29:02,160 --> 00:29:03,080 Speaker 5: is okay with nerdy. 588 00:29:03,360 --> 00:29:04,240 Speaker 2: A lot of who things here? 589 00:29:04,480 --> 00:29:06,600 Speaker 5: Help me if they're not, they're not listening at this point. 590 00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:08,880 Speaker 5: I love that, Gabe, Thank you for that recommendation. We 591 00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:10,560 Speaker 5: watch a lot of movies in my house, so that's 592 00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:11,480 Speaker 5: a really great idea. 593 00:29:11,640 --> 00:29:13,760 Speaker 2: All right, Mary, what did you want to recommend? 594 00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:16,600 Speaker 5: This did come up in the Novelty Songs episode that 595 00:29:16,640 --> 00:29:19,520 Speaker 5: you mentioned earlier, which is a study showing that our 596 00:29:19,560 --> 00:29:23,040 Speaker 5: brains crave novelty. It's not good for us to be 597 00:29:23,080 --> 00:29:26,360 Speaker 5: doing and hearing and seeing the same thing over and 598 00:29:26,400 --> 00:29:28,760 Speaker 5: over and over. So some way to shake that up 599 00:29:28,800 --> 00:29:31,000 Speaker 5: is actually really good for us. So I'm going to 600 00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:33,840 Speaker 5: recommend It's not a product, it's not a service. It's 601 00:29:33,840 --> 00:29:35,760 Speaker 5: just a thing you can do, and that is taking 602 00:29:35,840 --> 00:29:39,520 Speaker 5: a different route to your destination every time. So we 603 00:29:39,560 --> 00:29:41,480 Speaker 5: all have places that we go on a regular basis. 604 00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:44,320 Speaker 5: You go to the grocery store, you go to your gym, 605 00:29:44,360 --> 00:29:46,800 Speaker 5: you go to your kid's school, you go to your workplace, 606 00:29:46,840 --> 00:29:49,880 Speaker 5: whatever it is, if possible, take a different route there 607 00:29:50,200 --> 00:29:52,040 Speaker 5: every time. So I live in New York City. I 608 00:29:52,080 --> 00:29:54,120 Speaker 5: walk everywhere, and there are places that I have to 609 00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:56,920 Speaker 5: walk all the time. And my plan is when I 610 00:29:56,960 --> 00:29:59,240 Speaker 5: am leaving my apartment, I know where I have to go, 611 00:29:59,520 --> 00:30:01,720 Speaker 5: and instead of going the same way, I'll go down 612 00:30:01,760 --> 00:30:03,640 Speaker 5: one block and then over another, and then kind of 613 00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:05,920 Speaker 5: down a few more blocks and then over and then 614 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:06,760 Speaker 5: down and over. 615 00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:08,520 Speaker 4: I'll zigzag around the grid. 616 00:30:08,920 --> 00:30:11,800 Speaker 5: The reason I do it is because it makes you 617 00:30:11,920 --> 00:30:13,720 Speaker 5: more aware of what's going on. 618 00:30:13,880 --> 00:30:14,640 Speaker 4: You notice things. 619 00:30:14,680 --> 00:30:16,880 Speaker 5: You see a plant in a window that you never 620 00:30:16,920 --> 00:30:19,760 Speaker 5: noticed before, You noticed a business that you hadn't seen. 621 00:30:20,120 --> 00:30:22,960 Speaker 5: And even when I'm not consciously aware that I am 622 00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:26,840 Speaker 5: seeing different things, I often feel more alert when I'm 623 00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:28,880 Speaker 5: doing it, you know, because you can just go on autopilot. 624 00:30:28,920 --> 00:30:31,240 Speaker 5: It's very easy to go on autopilot. And I find 625 00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:33,320 Speaker 5: that when I am making an effort to go a 626 00:30:33,360 --> 00:30:37,040 Speaker 5: different way every time, I actually feel more in tune 627 00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:38,000 Speaker 5: with my own brain. 628 00:30:38,160 --> 00:30:40,040 Speaker 2: I love that mix it up a little bit, boost 629 00:30:40,040 --> 00:30:40,440 Speaker 2: your brain. 630 00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:42,040 Speaker 5: I mean, obviously, if you're in a rush and you 631 00:30:42,080 --> 00:30:44,040 Speaker 5: know you got the shortest route, do that. But if 632 00:30:44,120 --> 00:30:46,200 Speaker 5: you have a little time and you have the ability, 633 00:30:46,240 --> 00:30:48,360 Speaker 5: given your commute, pick a different route. You know, at 634 00:30:48,360 --> 00:30:50,840 Speaker 5: the end of the fact off someone usually gets a trophy. 635 00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:53,160 Speaker 5: But the great thing about the rec center is we're 636 00:30:53,400 --> 00:30:54,960 Speaker 5: all winners here, right. 637 00:30:55,360 --> 00:31:00,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right, So congratulations everybody that's going to do 638 00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:03,120 Speaker 2: it for today's episode. Be sure to subscribe on your 639 00:31:03,160 --> 00:31:06,640 Speaker 2: favorite podcast platform and follow us on Instagram at part 640 00:31:06,640 --> 00:31:09,480 Speaker 2: Time Genius, Will and Mango will be back next week 641 00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:12,640 Speaker 2: with a brand new episode, and in the meantime, from Mary, 642 00:31:12,800 --> 00:31:15,480 Speaker 2: Dylan and Me, thank you so much for listening. 643 00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:32,200 Speaker 1: Part Time Genius is a production of Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio. 644 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:36,640 Speaker 1: This show is hosted by Will Pearson and Me Mongaschatikler 645 00:31:37,040 --> 00:31:41,040 Speaker 1: and research by our good pal Mary Philip Sandy. Today's 646 00:31:41,040 --> 00:31:43,960 Speaker 1: episode was engineered and produced by the Wonderful of Dylan 647 00:31:44,040 --> 00:31:47,720 Speaker 1: Fagan with support from Tyler Klang. The show is executive 648 00:31:47,720 --> 00:31:51,280 Speaker 1: produced for iHeart by Katrina Norvell and Ali Perry, with 649 00:31:51,360 --> 00:31:55,120 Speaker 1: social media support from Sasha Gay, trustee Dara Potts and 650 00:31:55,240 --> 00:31:59,880 Speaker 1: Viney Shorey. For more podcasts from Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio, visit 651 00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:03,920 Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 652 00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:04,760 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.