1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to tech Stuff, a production from I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 1: Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host 3 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:17,640 Speaker 1: job in Strickland. I'm an executive producer with iHeart Radio 4 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:20,360 Speaker 1: and held the tech are you? It is time for 5 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 1: a tech Stuff classic episode. This episode you're about to 6 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 1: hear originally published on April two thousand fifteen. It is 7 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:31,160 Speaker 1: also a part two. It's called a Series of Tubes 8 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:33,440 Speaker 1: Part two. So if you want to listen to part one, 9 00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:38,440 Speaker 1: check out last Friday's classic episode and then pick up here. 10 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:45,800 Speaker 1: It's okay, I'll wait now, let's listen in de Brown 11 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:50,280 Speaker 1: with patent the cash Carrier, which was in the United States, 12 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:53,360 Speaker 1: which was an in building system for sending money throughout 13 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:57,800 Speaker 1: department stores. UM. These suckers operated for decades. UM One 14 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:02,720 Speaker 1: Philadelphia retailer Wannamaker installed a really huge system in e 15 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 1: eighty that was just a year after they got electric lighting. 16 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:08,920 Speaker 1: I've actually seen these in department stores. Have you ever 17 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:12,240 Speaker 1: seen one of these? So there were some old department 18 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 1: stores in um in Georgia where they still use these. 19 00:01:16,319 --> 00:01:18,800 Speaker 1: And I'll talk more about, you know, the purpose of 20 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:21,640 Speaker 1: these in department stores, because I'm sure there's still quite 21 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:26,119 Speaker 1: a few that still have them um behind the scenes yea, 22 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:28,039 Speaker 1: or or it's one of those things that maybe it's 23 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:30,160 Speaker 1: just one of those that's only in older buildings, And 24 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:32,160 Speaker 1: you know, whether or not they're still in use is 25 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:34,840 Speaker 1: a question that you know, that's a different question. But 26 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:38,679 Speaker 1: I've actually seen them operated, and i remember wondering how 27 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:40,880 Speaker 1: they worked. And I'm pretty sure my dad made up 28 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:45,520 Speaker 1: a completely fictional like I'm sure there were like hobbits. 29 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 1: Ask science fiction writers to explain science. Kind of love 30 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:52,880 Speaker 1: my dad, but if he doesn't know the answer, he 31 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:55,560 Speaker 1: will be more than happy to make it up. And 32 00:01:55,720 --> 00:01:57,760 Speaker 1: here's the thing, you probably knew the answer too, So 33 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:03,080 Speaker 1: at any rate, yes, in um in by by by 34 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 1: e eighties six, the postal tube system in London stretched 35 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:11,799 Speaker 1: for thirty four miles that's about fifty four kilometers underneath 36 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:15,639 Speaker 1: the city and it was transmitting thirty two thousand messages 37 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 1: per day. It speeds up to fifty one miles per hour, 38 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:23,760 Speaker 1: that's about eighty two kilometers per hour fast. Uh. Yeah. 39 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:26,960 Speaker 1: The mail was carried by what they referred to at 40 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:29,720 Speaker 1: the time of street tubes, which were these like two 41 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 1: point five inch diameter tubes that were made of lead 42 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 1: and encased in iron ducks a couple of feet beneath 43 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:38,640 Speaker 1: the street. Um. Today, some of these, like I said 44 00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:41,160 Speaker 1: at the top of our previous episode, are still intact 45 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:45,120 Speaker 1: and are used to house telecom cables. Really is a 46 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 1: series of tubes before it really is? Uh. Then in 47 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:53,080 Speaker 1: two the US Congress would authorize an investigation into this 48 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:57,639 Speaker 1: crazy nomadic mail system thing. Um. This was headed up 49 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:02,320 Speaker 1: by Postmaster General John when a Maker who is totally 50 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:06,400 Speaker 1: the same dude who owns those lines of department stores. Uh. 51 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:09,920 Speaker 1: And yeah, he would too take charge of the project. Yeah, 52 00:03:09,919 --> 00:03:12,160 Speaker 1: pretty cool. He's a pretty rad dude, by the way, 53 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 1: if if I'm not sure if history mist in history 54 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:18,360 Speaker 1: has ever talked about him, but he basically created the 55 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 1: idea of the department store and is you know, went 56 00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:25,119 Speaker 1: on to be Postmaster General, did a bunch of stuff. So, 57 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: due to his influence in New York City would open 58 00:03:28,919 --> 00:03:32,440 Speaker 1: their own pneumatic mail system that would send letters and 59 00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 1: parcels on a loop under Manhattan at a about about 60 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:38,720 Speaker 1: thirty miles per hour forty kilometers per hour, not not 61 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 1: too shabby respectable speed. All of this was operated by 62 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:49,000 Speaker 1: the Tubular Dispatched Company. Fully were the totally tubular, totally tabulary. 63 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:53,520 Speaker 1: That would probably be the California right right, maybe maybe 64 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:57,680 Speaker 1: in l a um. According to the USPS, at peak productivity, 65 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 1: six million pieces of mail went through the system daily. 66 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:05,000 Speaker 1: That's a rate of five carriers per minute, each with 67 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:07,840 Speaker 1: a maximum load of some five dred letters. Now keep 68 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 1: in mind this is and remember then eight that's when 69 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:16,120 Speaker 1: Mr Beach died. That's the guy who was going to 70 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:21,400 Speaker 1: build the pneumatic tube system. Uh So, so around around 71 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 1: that time, lots of cities started to uh to to 72 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:29,680 Speaker 1: have these crazy pneumatic tube things. Um, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, 73 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:34,599 Speaker 1: Satan Louis across the Pond, Paris, Berlin, Vienna. Italy even 74 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:38,560 Speaker 1: issued specialized stamps for sending mail through tubes. They're really 75 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:41,839 Speaker 1: pretty I'll have to take a look at those, yes. Uh. 76 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:45,839 Speaker 1: Then in nineteen eleven, pneumatic tubes started being used to 77 00:04:45,839 --> 00:04:50,800 Speaker 1: assist telephone systems. All right, how how do you mean? Um? 78 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:54,680 Speaker 1: This was over in in Britain and they were called 79 00:04:54,680 --> 00:04:58,600 Speaker 1: ticket tubes. They were used in telephone stations to help 80 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:02,920 Speaker 1: operators account for calls. So so when a call was completed, 81 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:05,400 Speaker 1: the operator would write up a docket on a on 82 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:08,120 Speaker 1: a stiff piece of paper that recorded the time of 83 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:11,599 Speaker 1: the call and then the duration and total charge that 84 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:17,640 Speaker 1: incurred by the customers. That then fold that stiff piece 85 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:20,719 Speaker 1: of paper into a sort of sale and just send 86 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:24,080 Speaker 1: it straight up to the accounting office. Interesting on, on 87 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:27,360 Speaker 1: the same system, error messages could also be sent from 88 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:30,360 Speaker 1: the switchboards to the machinery rooms. So this is different 89 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:32,720 Speaker 1: from what I thought when you said that pneumatic tubes 90 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:35,080 Speaker 1: were being were helping out with telephone systems. I just 91 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:37,280 Speaker 1: imagine that you just started screaming into a tube and 92 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:40,640 Speaker 1: I hope that someone somewhere down the line could hear you. 93 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:44,040 Speaker 1: They did. Actually, I believe that they did actually have 94 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:47,760 Speaker 1: some tubes like that in some buildings, like just shout 95 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:50,560 Speaker 1: into this tube, like some of the old old ships 96 00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:53,279 Speaker 1: had those right right. Yeah, they were really used in 97 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:57,039 Speaker 1: a in in naval naval capacities. But I also just 98 00:05:57,080 --> 00:05:59,200 Speaker 1: love the idea of the like original four or four 99 00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:01,960 Speaker 1: message being like sent on a stiff piece of paper 100 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:05,240 Speaker 1: that was just sailed along. I imagine Google will have 101 00:06:05,279 --> 00:06:08,240 Speaker 1: to bring that back for him for Full's Day sometime 102 00:06:08,279 --> 00:06:15,640 Speaker 1: in the future. Uh. Then in nineteen thirteen, one Waldemere Comfort, Yeah, 103 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:20,560 Speaker 1: I think Valdemar comfort excellent. I'm so bad at German. 104 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:22,359 Speaker 1: You think that over the years I would have gotten 105 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:25,960 Speaker 1: better anyway. Uh. He was then the managing editor of 106 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:30,400 Speaker 1: Scientific American, and he proposed that, like, really soon, we 107 00:06:30,440 --> 00:06:34,680 Speaker 1: should be delivering prepared meals to homes via pneumatic tubes. 108 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:37,200 Speaker 1: He was like, this is a direct quote. He was like, 109 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:40,559 Speaker 1: if a letter can be shot through a pneumatic tube 110 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:43,960 Speaker 1: from New York to Brooklyn, why not a five course dinner. Now, 111 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:46,599 Speaker 1: obviously you would want to enclose said meal and some 112 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:50,320 Speaker 1: sort of container. I'm just having like a turkey shoot 113 00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:53,520 Speaker 1: through the tube at top speed. I don't know, I 114 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:56,159 Speaker 1: kind of like that idea. You just imagine like like 115 00:06:56,520 --> 00:06:59,600 Speaker 1: I didn't get a full five course meal. I guess 116 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:02,679 Speaker 1: maybe I did. All I can tell is it's mush. Now. 117 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:05,799 Speaker 1: You would be kind of like having the Willy Wonka gum, 118 00:07:05,960 --> 00:07:08,360 Speaker 1: except that all the flavors of all the courses are 119 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 1: delivered simultaneously. It speeds of like thirty miles per hour. U. Yeah, 120 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:18,440 Speaker 1: that never took off, not surprisingly. Also, I mean obviously, 121 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:21,280 Speaker 1: in order to have that even work, first of all, 122 00:07:21,320 --> 00:07:24,280 Speaker 1: the tubes would have to be of a considerable size, right, 123 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:26,280 Speaker 1: and also you would have to make sure you had 124 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:29,880 Speaker 1: the appropriate breaking system to make certain that the food 125 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:33,920 Speaker 1: was not just converted into sludge by the time it arrived. Yes, 126 00:07:33,960 --> 00:07:36,120 Speaker 1: and I and I don't believe that those those air 127 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:40,400 Speaker 1: braking systems were really developed until like maybe the nineteen 128 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 1: thirties there um so so at any rate, in nineteen 129 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:49,920 Speaker 1: fourteen or by nineteen fourteen, rather some third of New 130 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:54,000 Speaker 1: York City's mail was being sent by pneumatic tube. Um. 131 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:56,200 Speaker 1: But oops, hey, that was the year that the World 132 00:07:56,280 --> 00:07:59,800 Speaker 1: War broke broke out, um, And so the US Post 133 00:07:59,880 --> 00:08:03,000 Speaker 1: off the suspended the pneumatic mail system on the basis 134 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:06,560 Speaker 1: of fuel preservation. Um. After the war the service would 135 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:09,600 Speaker 1: be restored, but only in New York City and Boston. 136 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:13,200 Speaker 1: The other cities of the US their pneumatic mail systems 137 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:16,320 Speaker 1: would remain dormant. Well, this does make sense. I mean, obviously, 138 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:20,080 Speaker 1: during the World War, you know, they're they're using motors 139 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 1: that are running on fuel, and that fuel was very 140 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:26,240 Speaker 1: necessary to the war effort. Yeah, or or some of 141 00:08:26,240 --> 00:08:29,000 Speaker 1: them were probably still running on steam engines. That's true. 142 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:33,080 Speaker 1: That's true. And I mean, even just from a labor perspective, 143 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:35,840 Speaker 1: I want to make certain that you are dedicating that 144 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:39,160 Speaker 1: labor to the efforts that are going to give you 145 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:43,200 Speaker 1: the most positive outcome from that advantage. Right. Um. Although 146 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:46,760 Speaker 1: in London those were the pneumatic mail tube systems were 147 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:49,800 Speaker 1: considered important enough to keep going. Um. They they kept 148 00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:53,480 Speaker 1: their tubes running through the war. Um, especially I think 149 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:58,040 Speaker 1: because they were tied to um uh telegraphy. Yeah, so 150 00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:02,400 Speaker 1: they were really useful for keeping secret messages secret during 151 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:05,440 Speaker 1: the war, especially because you know, other quick communication methods 152 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:10,160 Speaker 1: could be tapped right, right, So it's obviously tapping into 153 00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:12,920 Speaker 1: a pneumatic tube would be pretty difficult. You just break 154 00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:15,760 Speaker 1: the tube, right, Yeah, you have to dig under a 155 00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:18,920 Speaker 1: city street and break the tube and the people notice 156 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:21,200 Speaker 1: you do that. Yeah, be hard. It would be hard 157 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:23,160 Speaker 1: for you to be able to actually intercept a message 158 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:26,360 Speaker 1: at all. Just Yeah, I can understand why it would 159 00:09:26,400 --> 00:09:30,600 Speaker 1: remain to a a way of sending messages in secret. However, 160 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:33,480 Speaker 1: the fact that it's a way to send messages in 161 00:09:33,520 --> 00:09:38,319 Speaker 1: secret also creates a vulnerability. Yeah. Absolutely so. In the 162 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:44,160 Speaker 1: Luftwaffe specifically targeted London's pneumatic tube system. Uh. They successfully 163 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:47,000 Speaker 1: bombed out a bunch of it, and it would take 164 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:49,439 Speaker 1: about a year to recover the tube system at all, 165 00:09:49,679 --> 00:09:51,599 Speaker 1: and it would not be fully restored until after the 166 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:55,240 Speaker 1: war was over. Meanwhile, over in Germany, the Berlin system 167 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:59,400 Speaker 1: was also targeted, but had didn't didn't suffer enough damage 168 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:02,000 Speaker 1: for a lot of it to be taken offline. I mean, 169 00:10:02,040 --> 00:10:04,400 Speaker 1: there were parts that had to be repaired, but it 170 00:10:04,559 --> 00:10:09,680 Speaker 1: largely remained operational throughout the war. Yeah. Uh. In the 171 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:13,120 Speaker 1: New York City Post Office would shut down their mail tubes, 172 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:17,600 Speaker 1: those same mail tubes that had been proposed by Beach 173 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:21,600 Speaker 1: back in the day. Poor Beach, you just you just 174 00:10:21,679 --> 00:10:25,560 Speaker 1: didn't quite live long enough. I mean, granted, again, the 175 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:29,720 Speaker 1: electrical system ended up created being the future of the subway, 176 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:34,280 Speaker 1: but still that idea of using it for for freight 177 00:10:34,360 --> 00:10:38,120 Speaker 1: and for mail was something that he could have actually 178 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:41,000 Speaker 1: if he if he had lived just another year, he 179 00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:44,480 Speaker 1: would have seen it in operations. Although by this point 180 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:49,120 Speaker 1: the competitor for pneumatic tubes was really motor vehicles. Um, 181 00:10:49,320 --> 00:10:54,640 Speaker 1: the Post Office began in investing in trucks, which kind 182 00:10:54,679 --> 00:10:56,720 Speaker 1: of made all of these matic tubes a little bit 183 00:10:56,760 --> 00:10:59,400 Speaker 1: inefficient by comparison. You know, you put you can put 184 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:02,520 Speaker 1: heavier thing, more things in a truck and you can 185 00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:05,760 Speaker 1: drive it further distances to you more than one place, 186 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:11,319 Speaker 1: so yeah, um you could actually make multiple stops. Crazy. 187 00:11:12,280 --> 00:11:15,679 Speaker 1: But meanwhile, around the same time, the CIA was busy 188 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:19,320 Speaker 1: building a really hugematic tube system on their campus in Langley, 189 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:23,280 Speaker 1: Virginia that would wind up transmitting some seven thousand, five 190 00:11:23,400 --> 00:11:26,000 Speaker 1: hundred messages every day. Yeah, even the n s A 191 00:11:26,160 --> 00:11:30,800 Speaker 1: wasn't able to read all those. Oh we'll be right 192 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:34,200 Speaker 1: back with more of a series of tubes after these messages. 193 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:45,320 Speaker 1: By nineteen sixty two, London would also shut down its 194 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:50,480 Speaker 1: street tube system. Uh and in nineteen seventy six for 195 00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:53,400 Speaker 1: Lynn would shut theirs down as well. There's was pretty big. 196 00:11:54,559 --> 00:11:57,760 Speaker 1: If you lined up all the tubes into end, you 197 00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:00,320 Speaker 1: would have about two miles of them. That's about four 198 00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:03,959 Speaker 1: hundred kilometers. And like we said, you know, this one 199 00:12:04,120 --> 00:12:06,280 Speaker 1: was one that was built in sixty five, made it 200 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:09,559 Speaker 1: all the way through nineteen seventy six and even survived 201 00:12:09,559 --> 00:12:14,920 Speaker 1: those World Wars mostly intact. So that's pretty pretty impressive. 202 00:12:15,520 --> 00:12:20,240 Speaker 1: The Paris system would last until seven The pairs the 203 00:12:20,280 --> 00:12:22,640 Speaker 1: Pair system, by the way, it was named the carts 204 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:29,040 Speaker 1: Nemadiq a k A. The new Oh your French I 205 00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:34,480 Speaker 1: love you so so dearly. By nine, even the CIA 206 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:38,200 Speaker 1: would give up the pneumatic ghost as email began hitting 207 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:40,000 Speaker 1: the scene. And now with the n s A, I'm 208 00:12:40,040 --> 00:12:42,640 Speaker 1: sure they're regretting that decision. Well, yeah, that's the thing. 209 00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:46,480 Speaker 1: In the UK, the government may still be using pneumatic tubes. 210 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:49,520 Speaker 1: It's latest two thousand three. There's a written record of 211 00:12:49,520 --> 00:12:52,400 Speaker 1: messages being sent between ten Downing Street and then the 212 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:57,000 Speaker 1: Foreign Office by pneumatic tube, like like right alongside fancy 213 00:12:57,360 --> 00:12:59,959 Speaker 1: encrypted computer system. And I know it's still a new 214 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:04,320 Speaker 1: is in the Norwegian parliamentary buildings because I watched a 215 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:08,040 Speaker 1: really cool video. So there's a video on YouTube and 216 00:13:08,080 --> 00:13:13,160 Speaker 1: it's it is Norwegian. There speaking Norwegian, I cannot understand Norwegians, 217 00:13:13,679 --> 00:13:17,080 Speaker 1: so I do not know what the description is. I 218 00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:19,600 Speaker 1: assume it's an explanation of what is about to happen, 219 00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:22,600 Speaker 1: but probably not saying like this entire video is lies. 220 00:13:23,559 --> 00:13:26,880 Speaker 1: I'm guessing that's probably not the case. But in this 221 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:30,040 Speaker 1: in this video, they have a canister that's outfitted on 222 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:32,880 Speaker 1: one end with a go pro and a light. So 223 00:13:32,960 --> 00:13:36,000 Speaker 1: the light obviously is necessary because they want to capture 224 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:37,679 Speaker 1: what it looks like if you were to go through 225 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:40,360 Speaker 1: one of these neumatic tubes, but you need the light 226 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:43,200 Speaker 1: because it's gonna be dark in there. So they have 227 00:13:43,840 --> 00:13:48,280 Speaker 1: someone from Parliament I assume, set the canister into one 228 00:13:48,280 --> 00:13:51,360 Speaker 1: of the devices. They look like a T M S. 229 00:13:51,679 --> 00:13:54,560 Speaker 1: I'll talk more about that in just a second, But 230 00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:57,679 Speaker 1: they program where it needs to go, you know, they 231 00:13:57,720 --> 00:14:01,199 Speaker 1: select the destination, they hit the butt, and it gets 232 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:05,079 Speaker 1: pulled up into the pneumatic system and starts rocketing through 233 00:14:05,160 --> 00:14:08,000 Speaker 1: all those pipes. So you can actually watch the journey 234 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:10,400 Speaker 1: and it takes a you know, a minute or so 235 00:14:10,760 --> 00:14:12,840 Speaker 1: for it to get from where they sent it to 236 00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:16,440 Speaker 1: its destination. Uh. And I think they even said it 237 00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:18,960 Speaker 1: so that it hit a place and then had to 238 00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:22,080 Speaker 1: backtrack some because at least that's would It looked like 239 00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:24,800 Speaker 1: they definitely went through some sort of sorting system at 240 00:14:24,880 --> 00:14:27,360 Speaker 1: least once, which is kind of cool, Like it's not 241 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:29,560 Speaker 1: just a straight shot, which would have been you know, 242 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:34,640 Speaker 1: I've been like it looks tonnel. Yeah, this was a 243 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:38,000 Speaker 1: little more exciting. It also looks pretty rough, like there's 244 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:41,680 Speaker 1: a lot of clattering around you, which makes you think like, yeah, 245 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:44,360 Speaker 1: but based on this principle, might not have been the 246 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:49,200 Speaker 1: most gentle of rides um but still pretty awesome. And uh, 247 00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:52,440 Speaker 1: and keep an eye out on Facebook and Twitter probably 248 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:55,080 Speaker 1: and and tumbler. I'll send out a link to the 249 00:14:55,160 --> 00:14:57,760 Speaker 1: video because it is pretty interesting to watch, even if 250 00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:01,240 Speaker 1: you don't understand Norwegian. But that also leads us to 251 00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:04,520 Speaker 1: a discussion about how pneumatic tubes are being used today. 252 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:07,120 Speaker 1: You know, in the UK, may be used for government 253 00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:11,440 Speaker 1: purposes in Norway as well, maybe in the US government, 254 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:15,640 Speaker 1: particularly in more secretive circles. Kind of hard to say. 255 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:21,520 Speaker 1: They don't really advertise that so secret they do not. Yeah, no, 256 00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:24,400 Speaker 1: that part. They advertise that they are being secretive, just 257 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:29,240 Speaker 1: not how they're doing it. Um. So in order to 258 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:31,600 Speaker 1: really talk about this, one of the things I saw 259 00:15:31,880 --> 00:15:33,440 Speaker 1: and I thought I had to bring it up because 260 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:35,960 Speaker 1: you know, Lauren was on the show to talk about coffee. 261 00:15:36,040 --> 00:15:37,440 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, the last time I was here, we were 262 00:15:37,480 --> 00:15:40,600 Speaker 1: talking about how coffee machines were. Yeah, and as it 263 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:44,880 Speaker 1: turns out, there was a pneumatic system that's very closely 264 00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:47,360 Speaker 1: tied to coffee, and I thought i'd bring that up. 265 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:49,560 Speaker 1: There's actually a video about this too, although it's not 266 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:53,040 Speaker 1: quite as harrowing as they journey through the pneumatic tube 267 00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:57,080 Speaker 1: bought the go pro. So there's a company, it's called 268 00:15:57,120 --> 00:15:59,720 Speaker 1: the Roasting Plant, and it's a coffee company that has 269 00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:02,640 Speaker 1: store wars in New York City. When I was the 270 00:16:02,760 --> 00:16:05,320 Speaker 1: video dated to a time when they only had a 271 00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:09,120 Speaker 1: store in Manhattan. But I've seen the plural used to 272 00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:13,240 Speaker 1: describe their stores now, so I've seen there more than one. Uh. 273 00:16:13,280 --> 00:16:17,200 Speaker 1: And they have something called the Java Bot. Yeah, so 274 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:20,080 Speaker 1: here's what the java bot does. You get? They actually 275 00:16:20,080 --> 00:16:24,760 Speaker 1: have green coffee beans, so they right, so these are 276 00:16:24,840 --> 00:16:28,600 Speaker 1: unrested trees exactly, and so you know, once you've dried 277 00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:30,200 Speaker 1: them in everything and then the whole thing. You can 278 00:16:30,280 --> 00:16:32,160 Speaker 1: learn more about that in our episode about how coffee 279 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:35,840 Speaker 1: machines were. Yeah, we go into the tail because there's 280 00:16:35,880 --> 00:16:41,080 Speaker 1: a subject we're passionate about. It's coffee. Uh. So you 281 00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:44,200 Speaker 1: take the these beans that have not yet been roasted, 282 00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:47,200 Speaker 1: and you put them into canisters that then are attached 283 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:51,280 Speaker 1: by tubes to a roaster. Now, whenever you need to 284 00:16:51,400 --> 00:16:55,520 Speaker 1: roast a specific type of coffee, it can automatically pull 285 00:16:55,560 --> 00:16:58,960 Speaker 1: the beans from those canisters through the tubes to the roaster. 286 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:02,120 Speaker 1: Once it's on roasting, it sends them through other tubes 287 00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:07,720 Speaker 1: to other storage canisters so that you have your different, 288 00:17:08,040 --> 00:17:11,639 Speaker 1: you know, different types of coffee being roasted side by side, 289 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:14,959 Speaker 1: and they're all sorted properly. And this way, when you 290 00:17:15,040 --> 00:17:17,399 Speaker 1: want a particular type of coffee. Let's say that you 291 00:17:17,440 --> 00:17:20,240 Speaker 1: go in and you're like, I want a mix of 292 00:17:20,320 --> 00:17:23,720 Speaker 1: Sumatran and Ethiopian coffee, you could totally do that and 293 00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:26,560 Speaker 1: the system will end up pulling exactly the right number 294 00:17:26,600 --> 00:17:31,960 Speaker 1: of beans from each It measures it automatically, and and yeah, 295 00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:35,480 Speaker 1: the whole thing is automatic. So it's pretty pretty cool 296 00:17:35,880 --> 00:17:38,120 Speaker 1: to look at. And from what I understand, the way 297 00:17:38,119 --> 00:17:41,800 Speaker 1: they describe their stores is that it's like walking into 298 00:17:41,880 --> 00:17:45,080 Speaker 1: a giant coffee machine, except it's a coffee machine that's 299 00:17:45,119 --> 00:17:48,560 Speaker 1: also a roaster, so it goes beyond what a normal 300 00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:51,400 Speaker 1: coffee machine does. So I'm pretty sure that they have 301 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:54,000 Speaker 1: to roast the beans ahead of time, because there's no 302 00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:57,119 Speaker 1: way you could roast them fast enough for someone waiting 303 00:17:57,160 --> 00:18:00,560 Speaker 1: for a cup of coffee to get their cop think. 304 00:18:00,760 --> 00:18:03,280 Speaker 1: I would think that roasting them that fast would have 305 00:18:03,359 --> 00:18:05,560 Speaker 1: to be at temperatures that you don't really want to 306 00:18:05,840 --> 00:18:08,879 Speaker 1: just burn the beans. So my guess is that they 307 00:18:09,040 --> 00:18:11,000 Speaker 1: roast them and then what happens is when you order 308 00:18:11,040 --> 00:18:14,040 Speaker 1: a cup of coffee for the first ones that had 309 00:18:14,040 --> 00:18:17,639 Speaker 1: gone through, that's that process are the ones served up 310 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:21,000 Speaker 1: to you. And from what I've heard about the company, 311 00:18:21,119 --> 00:18:24,000 Speaker 1: they don't keep any roasted beans longer than forty eight 312 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:26,639 Speaker 1: hours because after that they as well they should not 313 00:18:26,800 --> 00:18:30,320 Speaker 1: because now it's no longer as fresh. But they're also 314 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:34,880 Speaker 1: other uses. A lot of hospital systems are using pneumatic tubes. 315 00:18:35,119 --> 00:18:38,560 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah, it's uh, it's really convenient, as it 316 00:18:38,560 --> 00:18:42,960 Speaker 1: turns out, for transporting um thing things like like specimens 317 00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:47,760 Speaker 1: and documents that have an important time stampically across campuses. 318 00:18:47,800 --> 00:18:51,399 Speaker 1: And this one really again, after watching that video of 319 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:54,680 Speaker 1: the pneumatic tube, like the journey through it, it surprised 320 00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:56,520 Speaker 1: me to think of, you know, things like specimens and 321 00:18:56,600 --> 00:19:00,600 Speaker 1: drugs being delivered this way because typically you consider those 322 00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:02,920 Speaker 1: to be really you know, delicate, delicate, you know, you're 323 00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:06,320 Speaker 1: usually in like glass containers and stuff. So I looked 324 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:09,880 Speaker 1: at a company that does this called Swiss log. It's 325 00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:13,280 Speaker 1: just one company that does pneumatic systems for hospitals. That's 326 00:19:13,320 --> 00:19:17,440 Speaker 1: one of the things they offer. And the pictures explained 327 00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:21,879 Speaker 1: a lot. So the canisters Uh, were not just big 328 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:25,320 Speaker 1: plastic containers that you would put stuff in. They were 329 00:19:25,320 --> 00:19:29,639 Speaker 1: actually they had a foam in them with openings that 330 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:31,240 Speaker 1: were just large enough to put in things like a 331 00:19:31,359 --> 00:19:35,480 Speaker 1: vial of blood. So it holds it steady and it's 332 00:19:35,480 --> 00:19:38,360 Speaker 1: padded all around, and then you can close it up. 333 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:42,160 Speaker 1: And obviously, if you're talking about things like healthcare, talking 334 00:19:42,200 --> 00:19:46,120 Speaker 1: about patient privacy, you're talking about delivery of drugs, there's 335 00:19:46,160 --> 00:19:49,160 Speaker 1: a high need for security with these systems. Sure, yeah, 336 00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:51,560 Speaker 1: you don't want just anyone walking off the street and 337 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:54,639 Speaker 1: opening up a canister, right yeah. Whether that's because that 338 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:57,359 Speaker 1: has you know, drugs that would be illegal for you 339 00:19:57,400 --> 00:20:00,320 Speaker 1: to obtain without a prescription, or it could take some 340 00:20:00,480 --> 00:20:03,119 Speaker 1: sensitive information about a particular person, whatever the reason, you 341 00:20:03,119 --> 00:20:05,480 Speaker 1: would not want that to happen. So a lot of 342 00:20:05,480 --> 00:20:09,080 Speaker 1: these systems also have security measures in place so that 343 00:20:09,160 --> 00:20:12,920 Speaker 1: you cannot retrieve the canister unless you do something else first, 344 00:20:12,960 --> 00:20:15,680 Speaker 1: like insert a pen, So you would have to know 345 00:20:15,840 --> 00:20:18,879 Speaker 1: what the pen was. To retrieve that particular canister. You 346 00:20:18,880 --> 00:20:20,800 Speaker 1: would have a little notification. Again, it looks like an 347 00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:22,720 Speaker 1: a t M. You would walk up to it and 348 00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:27,280 Speaker 1: it would say like a secure carrier. Um. Uh, you 349 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:30,200 Speaker 1: know is in the system, and to retrieve it you 350 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:32,320 Speaker 1: would have to put in the pen or you might 351 00:20:32,359 --> 00:20:35,439 Speaker 1: have to scan like a badge. So let's say that 352 00:20:35,480 --> 00:20:37,760 Speaker 1: Lauren and I work in the same hospital, and I 353 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:40,840 Speaker 1: want to send Lauren some some information. I could make 354 00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:43,919 Speaker 1: sure to pick her from a list specifically to to 355 00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:48,399 Speaker 1: me exactly. You would swipe your badge and you'd be 356 00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:53,920 Speaker 1: the only person capable of retrieving that particular uh whatever 357 00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:58,679 Speaker 1: canister and in in a hospital. Obviously, cutting down on 358 00:20:58,760 --> 00:21:01,920 Speaker 1: the amount of time it takes to deal with this 359 00:21:02,040 --> 00:21:05,119 Speaker 1: sort of stuff is a huge benefit both to the 360 00:21:05,200 --> 00:21:09,800 Speaker 1: patient and to the hospital itself. So you can understand 361 00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:13,160 Speaker 1: why this sort of system would be put in place. Um, 362 00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:15,840 Speaker 1: they're they're usually these days so complex that they have 363 00:21:15,960 --> 00:21:19,840 Speaker 1: to be controlled by computers because, uh, you know, human 364 00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:23,360 Speaker 1: button pushing is not as ideal, especially once you get 365 00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:27,440 Speaker 1: into the really complex systems. I was reading about Stanford Hospitals, 366 00:21:27,600 --> 00:21:32,080 Speaker 1: which started installing this huge numatic system. Before then, a 367 00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:34,800 Speaker 1: team of like twenty people had the job of running 368 00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:39,400 Speaker 1: important samples and results around the expanding Stanford Hospital campus. 369 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:43,840 Speaker 1: Um some eight million samples and results per year. And 370 00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:45,439 Speaker 1: and and even with that team of twenty people. They 371 00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:47,960 Speaker 1: were frequently short staffed, which is, you know, really bad 372 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:50,600 Speaker 1: news when the freshness of the samples um or the 373 00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:54,360 Speaker 1: immediacy of the results are are important to a patient's 374 00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:57,879 Speaker 1: health and welfare. According to Stanford, the system as of 375 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:01,680 Speaker 1: now ish hosts a hundred in twenty four stations. Every 376 00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:06,240 Speaker 1: nursing unit has its own. There are onety one transfer units, 377 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:11,480 Speaker 1: nine nine interzone connectors, and twenty nine blowers um to 378 00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:14,879 Speaker 1: alert employees to the arrival of the containers. The system 379 00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:20,359 Speaker 1: has more than three dozen different combinations of chimes. I 380 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:23,960 Speaker 1: can only imagine what it's like learning what each chime 381 00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:26,520 Speaker 1: is signifying. You're like, oh no, no, no, honey, that 382 00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:31,080 Speaker 1: was beat beat boop, bet boop boop. Right, yeah, that's 383 00:22:31,119 --> 00:22:35,200 Speaker 1: not for you. If you are hearing two boops, don't 384 00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:38,560 Speaker 1: even bother. Yeah that was highway to hell you're looking 385 00:22:38,560 --> 00:22:43,960 Speaker 1: for staywad close to totally unrelated. One one is much 386 00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:47,680 Speaker 1: faster to a very undesirable location. The other one takes 387 00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:49,879 Speaker 1: a lot more effort, but you love being there. Just 388 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:52,919 Speaker 1: think of it in those sense you'll be fine. But 389 00:22:53,200 --> 00:22:55,560 Speaker 1: these these canistries that they use can can go up 390 00:22:55,560 --> 00:22:58,360 Speaker 1: to eighteen miles per hour which means that even at 391 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:00,800 Speaker 1: peak use of the system, which can which can get 392 00:23:00,880 --> 00:23:03,240 Speaker 1: very busy, it only takes about three minutes for a 393 00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:06,440 Speaker 1: package to transfer the longest route in the system, which 394 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:08,399 Speaker 1: is pretty cool. I mean, if you've ever been in 395 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:11,520 Speaker 1: one of these huge hospitals, you have to realize that 396 00:23:11,600 --> 00:23:15,199 Speaker 1: if you were to physically give this to someone and 397 00:23:15,320 --> 00:23:18,440 Speaker 1: have them running across a campus, yeah, and and take 398 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:22,159 Speaker 1: elevators or stairs. I mean these these buildings can be 399 00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:26,680 Speaker 1: gargantu like if you ever go to um like here's 400 00:23:26,680 --> 00:23:30,280 Speaker 1: an example in Atlanta, Great Memorial Hospital is an enormous 401 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:34,120 Speaker 1: beast of a building. Hey, I've always wanted to do this. 402 00:23:34,480 --> 00:23:39,919 Speaker 1: It's Jonathan, and uh after these messages will be right back. 403 00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:50,960 Speaker 1: So clearly, if you have a system of getting this 404 00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:54,560 Speaker 1: through much faster again, it could be a huge benefit 405 00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:57,840 Speaker 1: both to the hospital and to the patient. So I 406 00:23:57,880 --> 00:24:00,440 Speaker 1: love this next one you have because it tear defies me. 407 00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:05,919 Speaker 1: Uh yeah. Pneumatic systems are also being used in industrial 408 00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:09,760 Speaker 1: plants and factories, and have been since about the nineteen seventies. 409 00:24:10,359 --> 00:24:14,280 Speaker 1: Really powerful tube systems began to to see use as 410 00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:18,760 Speaker 1: transporters of like heavy machine parts and gravel and stuff. 411 00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:22,800 Speaker 1: Like that with within factories. I mean, I can't even 412 00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:26,600 Speaker 1: fathom how terrifying. Yeah. I didn't read any numbers on 413 00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:30,640 Speaker 1: like exactly the horsepower required for this kind of thing. Uh. 414 00:24:31,359 --> 00:24:34,240 Speaker 1: You know, again we're talking air pressure as the thing 415 00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:38,880 Speaker 1: that moves this stuff. As that's a lot of air pressure. 416 00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:42,320 Speaker 1: That's scary business. Yeah. I can only imagine the size 417 00:24:42,359 --> 00:24:43,879 Speaker 1: of the canisters too. I mean, you have to have 418 00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:46,680 Speaker 1: something that's going to be creating that seal like this. 419 00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:50,080 Speaker 1: Just don just loose machine parts rattling through tubes. I 420 00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:53,600 Speaker 1: would hope not that would be even more terrifying. Um. 421 00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:56,520 Speaker 1: But I mean I'm sure it's not like a like 422 00:24:56,560 --> 00:24:59,280 Speaker 1: a civic worth of gravel that you're sending at the 423 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:04,200 Speaker 1: station you Yeah, And and it's probably on wheeld system 424 00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:07,159 Speaker 1: similar to what the dispatch system in London was that 425 00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:10,080 Speaker 1: wasn't you know, those weren't just giant canisters either. Those 426 00:25:10,119 --> 00:25:14,920 Speaker 1: were the wheeled carts that were still pushed pneumatically. But um, 427 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:18,560 Speaker 1: we're running along on rails. Uh. So. Also, we talked 428 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:21,159 Speaker 1: earlier and in the first episode we talked about the 429 00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:25,400 Speaker 1: department stores using these two um to transport money, and 430 00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:26,880 Speaker 1: so I was going to talk a little bit more 431 00:25:26,920 --> 00:25:29,880 Speaker 1: about that and the way I saw it. So there 432 00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:32,840 Speaker 1: were two things I saw them used for. I saw 433 00:25:32,880 --> 00:25:35,320 Speaker 1: them used when someone would write a check at a 434 00:25:35,359 --> 00:25:39,120 Speaker 1: department store. Instead of storing the check at the cashier's desk, 435 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:40,840 Speaker 1: they would go ahead and put it into one of 436 00:25:40,880 --> 00:25:43,679 Speaker 1: these canisters put through the numatic tube system to be 437 00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:46,919 Speaker 1: put to the processing center inside inside the same store, 438 00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:49,960 Speaker 1: but on a level that customers never went to because 439 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:52,200 Speaker 1: it was the office level. And then there were also 440 00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:56,359 Speaker 1: times whenever you were using really um large bills that 441 00:25:56,560 --> 00:25:59,000 Speaker 1: you know, the cashier would not want to have that 442 00:25:59,240 --> 00:26:02,959 Speaker 1: at his or her station. Yeah, you don't want to 443 00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:06,200 Speaker 1: have a lot of high bills at a point where 444 00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:08,600 Speaker 1: you're going to be interacting with customers a lot, especially 445 00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:10,800 Speaker 1: a point where you might have to leave the desk, 446 00:26:11,359 --> 00:26:14,080 Speaker 1: you know. The responsible thing. The thing that department stores 447 00:26:14,119 --> 00:26:17,480 Speaker 1: wanted was to get that that big, big money away 448 00:26:17,480 --> 00:26:20,080 Speaker 1: from the point of contact with customers and into the 449 00:26:20,119 --> 00:26:23,159 Speaker 1: central processing area, which you can do by shooting it 450 00:26:23,200 --> 00:26:25,840 Speaker 1: through p neumatic too. And then occasionally you would have 451 00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:29,719 Speaker 1: the people over at the central unit create change. So 452 00:26:29,760 --> 00:26:32,080 Speaker 1: if it was something like you're using a hundred dollar 453 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:35,680 Speaker 1: bill to buy a three dollar item. Then they might 454 00:26:35,880 --> 00:26:38,560 Speaker 1: they might not have the change at the cashier, but 455 00:26:38,840 --> 00:26:40,800 Speaker 1: they would end up being able to do that over 456 00:26:40,800 --> 00:26:42,480 Speaker 1: in the central area and then put it back in 457 00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:46,520 Speaker 1: another caster, send it back down and there you go. So, 458 00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:49,720 Speaker 1: like I said, I used to see this department stores. Um, 459 00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:52,840 Speaker 1: there are a couple of big ones that we would 460 00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:55,720 Speaker 1: go to when I was a kid. Uh some some 461 00:26:55,840 --> 00:26:59,280 Speaker 1: in actual Atlanta and some of them over closer to Gainesville, 462 00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:02,200 Speaker 1: which is where I grew up, Gainsville, Georgia, not Florida. 463 00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:07,360 Speaker 1: And yep, there was you know, people are like, oh, Gainsville, 464 00:27:07,359 --> 00:27:12,000 Speaker 1: Florida's no smaller than that little city in in uh 465 00:27:12,040 --> 00:27:14,639 Speaker 1: in Georgia are we were the poultry capital of the 466 00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:17,159 Speaker 1: world and had a statue of a chicken in town square. 467 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:20,959 Speaker 1: That's not a joke. I didn't think you were joking. 468 00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:24,399 Speaker 1: You can look up images on Google image search if 469 00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:26,200 Speaker 1: you want to and make fun of me in my 470 00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:28,600 Speaker 1: childhood at any rate. But no, it was really neat 471 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:30,240 Speaker 1: to see those because the only other time I ever 472 00:27:30,240 --> 00:27:32,399 Speaker 1: saw them was whenever my parents were going to a 473 00:27:32,440 --> 00:27:37,760 Speaker 1: bank to deposit money or to and so you know 474 00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:41,359 Speaker 1: the banks, like if you were right up there adjacent 475 00:27:41,440 --> 00:27:44,760 Speaker 1: to the bank wall. You don't need a pneumatic system that. Yeah, 476 00:27:44,760 --> 00:27:47,920 Speaker 1: there's there's just a little shelf that you can kind 477 00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:50,240 Speaker 1: of push stuff through, right right, Yeah, and then you 478 00:27:50,240 --> 00:27:53,040 Speaker 1: know they'll they'll use their their grabbing stick or whatever 479 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:55,280 Speaker 1: to get it on their side. And then if you 480 00:27:55,320 --> 00:27:58,840 Speaker 1: were like one over or two over, obviously, then you 481 00:27:58,840 --> 00:28:01,639 Speaker 1: would need to have some sort of delivery system to 482 00:28:01,720 --> 00:28:06,399 Speaker 1: get either like deposit slips or retrieve things whatever, and 483 00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:09,359 Speaker 1: that's where the pneumatic tube system would come in. So 484 00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:13,240 Speaker 1: those would be the places where I've seen them in action. Uh, 485 00:28:13,280 --> 00:28:15,440 Speaker 1: And of course I've heard about them in other places, 486 00:28:15,440 --> 00:28:18,320 Speaker 1: but like I want them to be here, Like I 487 00:28:18,320 --> 00:28:20,800 Speaker 1: think we need to have pneumatic tubes. Oh oh here. 488 00:28:20,800 --> 00:28:25,160 Speaker 1: It has to work. Yeah, absolutely, I mean, honestly, once 489 00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:27,199 Speaker 1: the construction in this building is done, we're going to 490 00:28:27,240 --> 00:28:31,080 Speaker 1: have a real absence of irritating, loud, rattling noises. And 491 00:28:31,119 --> 00:28:32,960 Speaker 1: I think that that that is a niche that can 492 00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:36,320 Speaker 1: be filled absolutely by pneumatic tubes. I mean, our HVAC 493 00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:39,440 Speaker 1: system does a pretty good job. I get so tired 494 00:28:39,480 --> 00:28:42,520 Speaker 1: of sending emails, you know, Yeah, and I'm really trying 495 00:28:42,520 --> 00:28:44,240 Speaker 1: to work on my handwriting. I think it could be 496 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:47,320 Speaker 1: a lot of fun. I have a feeling we would 497 00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:50,720 Speaker 1: uninstall it after a day, But I am totally in 498 00:28:50,840 --> 00:28:55,520 Speaker 1: favor of saying, let's install pneumatic tube system. Maybe whoever 499 00:28:55,560 --> 00:28:57,840 Speaker 1: sits next to the blower would have a different opinion 500 00:28:57,880 --> 00:29:00,520 Speaker 1: than I do. I suspect so. But at any rate, 501 00:29:00,600 --> 00:29:03,280 Speaker 1: So this has been a really interesting topic. I mean, 502 00:29:03,360 --> 00:29:08,920 Speaker 1: just again, this technology that is so you know, so 503 00:29:09,120 --> 00:29:12,239 Speaker 1: it's it's old, but it's also kind of I don't know, 504 00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:13,960 Speaker 1: there's something about it. I think it has that same 505 00:29:14,040 --> 00:29:19,440 Speaker 1: kind of appeal as steampunk. Yeah. And I have no idea, 506 00:29:19,680 --> 00:29:23,360 Speaker 1: no idea that these systems were so widespread. Yeah, yeah, 507 00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:27,000 Speaker 1: beyond something like you know, the limited use of the 508 00:29:27,040 --> 00:29:29,440 Speaker 1: bank like inside of a single building. I had no 509 00:29:29,520 --> 00:29:32,680 Speaker 1: idea that they spread throughout cities. Yeah, it's such a 510 00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:36,200 Speaker 1: such an interesting engineering way to get around the problem 511 00:29:36,320 --> 00:29:39,560 Speaker 1: of how do you deliver mail in a dense urban 512 00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:44,680 Speaker 1: environment in a timely manner um relatively timely at any rate. 513 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:47,400 Speaker 1: So I mean we could still make that argument today. 514 00:29:47,680 --> 00:29:49,800 Speaker 1: So yeah, it was really cool. And Lauren, thank you 515 00:29:49,880 --> 00:29:51,960 Speaker 1: so much for joining me on this pair of episodes. 516 00:29:52,480 --> 00:29:54,400 Speaker 1: Great having you here again. Thank you, Thank you for 517 00:29:54,480 --> 00:29:57,640 Speaker 1: having me, Thanks for thanks for agreeing when I said, hey, 518 00:29:57,720 --> 00:30:00,040 Speaker 1: let's do this thing. On the end, it was so 519 00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:04,080 Speaker 1: much fun. That wraps up a series of tubes, a 520 00:30:04,240 --> 00:30:08,080 Speaker 1: pair of classic tech Stuff episodes from Hope you enjoyed. 521 00:30:08,440 --> 00:30:11,080 Speaker 1: If you have suggestions for topics I should cover, or 522 00:30:11,160 --> 00:30:14,520 Speaker 1: maybe updates I need to do on certain older episodes, 523 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:16,959 Speaker 1: feel free to get in touch with me on Twitter 524 00:30:17,200 --> 00:30:20,400 Speaker 1: handle for the show is tech Stuff hs W and 525 00:30:20,440 --> 00:30:29,720 Speaker 1: I'll talk to you again really soon. Text Stuff is 526 00:30:29,720 --> 00:30:32,880 Speaker 1: an I Heart Radio production. For more podcasts from my 527 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:36,600 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, visit the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 528 00:30:36,720 --> 00:30:38,720 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.