1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,720 Speaker 1: From UFOs to psychic powers and government conspiracies. History is 2 00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:09,119 Speaker 1: riddled with unexplained events. You can turn back now or 3 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:12,079 Speaker 1: learn the stuff they don't want you to know. A 4 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:25,239 Speaker 1: production of My Heart Radio Welcome back to the show. 5 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:28,360 Speaker 1: My name is Matt, my name is Nol. They called 6 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:31,120 Speaker 1: me Ben. We're joined as always with our super producer, 7 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:35,640 Speaker 1: all mission controlled decond Most importantly, you are you. You 8 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:39,159 Speaker 1: are here, and that makes this the stuff they don't 9 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:42,640 Speaker 1: want you to know. If you are listening in the 10 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:46,000 Speaker 1: United States, we hear the stuff they don't want you 11 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:50,879 Speaker 1: to know. Family, wish you a happy Thanksgiving, Gird yourself 12 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 1: for those strange conversations with your family. All of the best. 13 00:00:56,040 --> 00:00:58,880 Speaker 1: Remember you don't have to eat the turkey if you 14 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 1: don't want to. Don't let people make you feel obligated. 15 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 1: But there's there's some good in every interaction, virtually, So 16 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:14,039 Speaker 1: what we wanted to talk about today is to ring 17 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 1: in collectively surviving to another Thanksgiving by sharing some of 18 00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:24,400 Speaker 1: the messages from your fellow conspiracy realists. We're going to 19 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:29,720 Speaker 1: talk about the history of the US addiction to cars, 20 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:32,160 Speaker 1: and I do say that as a huge fan of 21 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:37,759 Speaker 1: all things automotive. We're going to have some fascinating thought 22 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:42,600 Speaker 1: experiments courtesy of the driver, and we're gonna kick off 23 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:46,319 Speaker 1: with with a great question. We always talk about the 24 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:49,360 Speaker 1: phenomenon of fingers on a hand, meaning that if you 25 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 1: see two fingers and the hand is out of frame, 26 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 1: they look like separate things, but if you zoom out 27 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:58,440 Speaker 1: you can see they are connected. And uh no, we 28 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 1: got a great piece of correspondence pretty recently regarding a 29 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:08,560 Speaker 1: a similar example of this phenomenon or allegation thereof we 30 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 1: should say, yeah, let's not let's not forget that. You know, 31 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 1: the middle finger is also part of the hand, So 32 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:17,799 Speaker 1: just putting that out there. This comes to us from 33 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:22,119 Speaker 1: Cynical Syndicate, which is a great nickname. I'm just gonna 34 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:25,440 Speaker 1: read the whole thing because it's great. Call me Cynical Syndicate. 35 00:02:25,639 --> 00:02:28,160 Speaker 1: Feel free to read me on air. There are big 36 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:31,480 Speaker 1: companies out there today that have near monopolies in their space. 37 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:35,240 Speaker 1: Google with online search, Amazon with online shopping. In fact, 38 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:39,359 Speaker 1: the US House Judiciary Committee brought forward an antitrust investigation 39 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 1: into several big tech companies back in twenty nineteen. However, 40 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 1: these monopolies extend beyond big tech. There is Lexotica with 41 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:50,880 Speaker 1: glasses and Monsanta with agriculture biotech. The list could go 42 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 1: on and on. Here's what I wonder. Google has paid 43 00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 1: Mozilla for being the default search engine and Firefox. But 44 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:02,560 Speaker 1: how much of that is actually because Google secretly wants 45 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:05,840 Speaker 1: Mozilla to limp along so Google can claim to not 46 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:08,959 Speaker 1: have a monopoly in the browser space. That is, rather 47 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:12,079 Speaker 1: to let a competitor eat a few percentages of market 48 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:15,440 Speaker 1: share than risk the government getting up in your business. 49 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:19,079 Speaker 1: I can find ads and being from Google. Does Google 50 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 1: buy ad space on being to make sure it keeps 51 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:25,240 Speaker 1: limping along? Or at the extreme, could these companies be 52 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:29,919 Speaker 1: in cahoots or coerce each other to underfund their competitive 53 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:33,400 Speaker 1: products so that no one of them can take government heat? 54 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:35,880 Speaker 1: What do you guys think? Can you think of any 55 00:03:35,880 --> 00:03:40,760 Speaker 1: interesting examples of companies actively propping up competitors just enough 56 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 1: to keep them limping along so their monopoly can keep chugging? 57 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:52,720 Speaker 1: Love love it? That is good stuff. Please? This is 58 00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:54,920 Speaker 1: This is for the group, y'all. This is for the table. 59 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:56,520 Speaker 1: I think I've got one, but I don't know if 60 00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:59,400 Speaker 1: it fully applies. Do you guys remember when we talked 61 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: about ticket Master? Of course, I feel like there's something 62 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:07,720 Speaker 1: like this happening there. I remember, I think it was 63 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 1: the Canadian Broadcasting Company did an undercover investigation a while 64 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:17,680 Speaker 1: back into ticket Masters. I don't know what they call. 65 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:23,159 Speaker 1: It was in exchange program basically to where I don't 66 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 1: want to call it legal scalping, but I think, I mean, 67 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:29,240 Speaker 1: that's what it feels like to me, where large order 68 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 1: purchasers can buy tickets in bulk through this system and 69 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:37,839 Speaker 1: then sell them back through ticket Master. So it's almost 70 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:42,960 Speaker 1: like propping up smaller ticket sales people in order for 71 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:45,719 Speaker 1: them to still get a cut, but there are allowing 72 00:04:45,760 --> 00:04:49,279 Speaker 1: the competition, but it is kind of under their umbrella still, 73 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:51,680 Speaker 1: So it's a bit weird. That's a good one. That's 74 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:55,280 Speaker 1: a good one. Like so cynical syndicate first off, bonus 75 00:04:55,560 --> 00:05:00,080 Speaker 1: arbitrary Internet points for your awesome moniker. Uh. The there 76 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:02,359 Speaker 1: are a lot of examples of this. One of the 77 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:05,839 Speaker 1: big ones, as a guy who skipped lunch today is 78 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:10,440 Speaker 1: fast food. You know, yum Brands owns a lot of 79 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:14,839 Speaker 1: fast food places, right, and uh, they're there. Examples in 80 00:05:14,839 --> 00:05:19,520 Speaker 1: the world of cars, Hyundai and Kia also are Like 81 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:24,400 Speaker 1: I think it was a nine seven Honda, I bought 82 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:31,320 Speaker 1: of Kia. Uh. The Expedia group owns Orbits, hot Wire, Travelocity. 83 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:34,880 Speaker 1: That's another thing. It's like the Luxotica model is not 84 00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:39,719 Speaker 1: unique to sunglasses. Look at cleaning products Procter and Gamble. 85 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:43,360 Speaker 1: They're selling you gain, They're selling you downey, They're selling 86 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:47,000 Speaker 1: you cheer, They're selling your bounce, they're selling you tied. Well, 87 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:50,560 Speaker 1: look at Disney, I mean all of the various studios, 88 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:53,720 Speaker 1: all roads kind of lead back to Disney when you 89 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:57,440 Speaker 1: you know, pay enough attention. Um. But somehow you know 90 00:05:57,560 --> 00:06:01,960 Speaker 1: that the legal for these giant companies are doing their 91 00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:04,400 Speaker 1: due diligence in such a way that they will not 92 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:08,120 Speaker 1: be accused of being a monopoly just barely, you know 93 00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:09,920 Speaker 1: what I mean. Like that's their goal is to get 94 00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:12,440 Speaker 1: as close to a monopoly as possible, a k a. 95 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:18,640 Speaker 1: Owning the largest market share without officially being considered a monopoly. 96 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:22,080 Speaker 1: But I would argue that the criteria for being a 97 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:26,239 Speaker 1: monopoly is pretty ephemeral. You know, I don't know what 98 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:30,240 Speaker 1: that is. Is there an actual formula Ben and Matt 99 00:06:30,279 --> 00:06:37,560 Speaker 1: for what a monopoly makes? Yes, so it depends on 100 00:06:37,640 --> 00:06:43,440 Speaker 1: the country or in to be completely fair. Also, uh, 101 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:49,000 Speaker 1: anti trust legislation is much stronger in places like the 102 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:53,320 Speaker 1: EU than it is in places like the United States, 103 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:57,760 Speaker 1: because the people who directly profit from a monopoly also 104 00:06:57,839 --> 00:07:01,160 Speaker 1: have the juice, the wherewithal the suction, as they say 105 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:04,760 Speaker 1: on the wire, to change the legal ecosystem such that 106 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:08,760 Speaker 1: they are not breaking the law. Right you want to 107 00:07:08,839 --> 00:07:11,080 Speaker 1: you want to make sure nothing you do as a crime, 108 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 1: then get your hooks on the people who decide what 109 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:18,880 Speaker 1: is and is not illegal. Uh. This like a legal monopoly, 110 00:07:19,480 --> 00:07:21,960 Speaker 1: I believe, is a firm that is protected in the 111 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:26,520 Speaker 1: legal system from competitors, a firm that gets a government 112 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:30,480 Speaker 1: mandate to operate as a monopoly. But you can also see, Oh, 113 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:34,240 Speaker 1: another great example cable companies. Right, if you live in 114 00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:40,960 Speaker 1: the US, your cable companies likely have already negotiated their 115 00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:45,840 Speaker 1: own turf with each other. Right, so that's why you 116 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:49,440 Speaker 1: moved to a place. And maybe you really want Google Fiber. 117 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:53,760 Speaker 1: Maybe for some reason, you really want Comcast or Exfinity 118 00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:57,120 Speaker 1: or whatever they're calling themselves in your neck of the woods. 119 00:07:57,760 --> 00:07:59,760 Speaker 1: You might not be able to do that because those 120 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:04,119 Speaker 1: come but he's have agreed already just on their own 121 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:08,840 Speaker 1: that they won't go past you know, or whatever, there 122 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:10,400 Speaker 1: was that whole thing too, And then he was m C. 123 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:12,680 Speaker 1: I was a company that was trying to offer a 124 00:08:12,760 --> 00:08:16,160 Speaker 1: long distance calling at a reduced rate, but A T 125 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:19,960 Speaker 1: and T literally controlled a lot of the equipment that 126 00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:22,680 Speaker 1: they would need to have in place in order to 127 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:25,520 Speaker 1: do that, and there was some internal memos from A 128 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:27,800 Speaker 1: T and T that lead where they were basically saying, 129 00:08:28,120 --> 00:08:30,720 Speaker 1: let's choke them out before they can get to market, 130 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:37,960 Speaker 1: you know. Um, so that's anti competitive at its finest um. 131 00:08:38,120 --> 00:08:42,040 Speaker 1: But also like, there's no rule that says you have 132 00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:46,560 Speaker 1: to be nice to your competitors to a point, right, 133 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:50,160 Speaker 1: Like that's my that's my whole thing is like, what 134 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:53,760 Speaker 1: is the actual line that you cross that at that 135 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:56,480 Speaker 1: point you are now a monopoly? And so many of 136 00:08:56,520 --> 00:08:59,120 Speaker 1: these legacy companies just have a leg up that no 137 00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:03,839 Speaker 1: new entrance into the space will ever have. So, who's 138 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:06,319 Speaker 1: that guy that's on TV that the stock guy that's 139 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:09,120 Speaker 1: kind of keyed up and crazy and has a button 140 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:13,520 Speaker 1: makes sound effects you know I'm talking about Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, uh. 141 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:16,160 Speaker 1: He's got some big energy, that big energy. I can't 142 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:18,880 Speaker 1: remember his name, but he's on MSNBC I think, And 143 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:20,719 Speaker 1: he said something to the effect. I think this was 144 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:24,559 Speaker 1: actually on John Oliver, where he's like, you know, yeah, 145 00:09:24,679 --> 00:09:27,040 Speaker 1: Google is is the best at what they do. Show 146 00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:29,720 Speaker 1: me another company that can do it better, and then 147 00:09:29,800 --> 00:09:32,600 Speaker 1: I'll be like, you know, okay, cool. They don't get 148 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:35,160 Speaker 1: a monopoly anymore. But the point that he was missing 149 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:39,120 Speaker 1: that John Oliver pointed out is that they're literally depriving 150 00:09:39,160 --> 00:09:42,480 Speaker 1: anybody else ever having that opportunity to even try to 151 00:09:42,520 --> 00:09:45,800 Speaker 1: even get into the space at a competitive level because 152 00:09:45,840 --> 00:09:50,439 Speaker 1: they own so much of the means of production I guess, 153 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:53,680 Speaker 1: for lack of a better term, or just the whole space, 154 00:09:53,800 --> 00:09:58,600 Speaker 1: they just own it so lockstock and barrel that, and 155 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:01,120 Speaker 1: it's hard for the ever meant to wrap their heads 156 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:04,640 Speaker 1: around and regulate it properly because it's happened so fast, 157 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:08,760 Speaker 1: and government stuff happened so slow. Look at Preston Tucker, right, 158 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:12,679 Speaker 1: the Tucker forty eight, uh, or the Tucker Torpedo. Preston 159 00:10:12,720 --> 00:10:16,040 Speaker 1: Tucker went up against the big three auto manufacturers and 160 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:19,720 Speaker 1: got waxed and Congress helped. You can call it a 161 00:10:19,760 --> 00:10:22,520 Speaker 1: conspiracy if it makes you feel better, folks. Uh, you 162 00:10:22,559 --> 00:10:25,079 Speaker 1: can call it a conspiracy theory rather, if it makes 163 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:28,600 Speaker 1: you feel better. But this is like, okay, to your example, 164 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:31,839 Speaker 1: think of let's think of things like Uni lever, right, 165 00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:35,480 Speaker 1: Uni lever is Disney all its own in terms of 166 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:38,520 Speaker 1: what it owns. Let's think of Johnson and Johnson. They're 167 00:10:38,559 --> 00:10:41,600 Speaker 1: selling you Thailand all, they're selling your motron, They're selling 168 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:45,120 Speaker 1: you a number of other like non name brand things 169 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:49,400 Speaker 1: that include similar ingredients. Fingers on a hand. To your 170 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:53,960 Speaker 1: earlier question about like what is anti trust or what 171 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:56,760 Speaker 1: what is an illegal monopoly in the US, it goes 172 00:10:56,800 --> 00:10:59,840 Speaker 1: back to something called the Sherman Act in a ten nine, 173 00:11:00,559 --> 00:11:05,720 Speaker 1: and that's still that's still technically the basis for most 174 00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:11,000 Speaker 1: anti trust laws, and it argues that, well, it bans 175 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:16,720 Speaker 1: any agreements and conspiracies that restrain trade and commerce. So 176 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:21,320 Speaker 1: that's stuff like price fixing, boycotts, rigging bids, you know, 177 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:24,240 Speaker 1: things of that nature, the kind of the kind of 178 00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:28,600 Speaker 1: crime that people wear white collars for. And it's also 179 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:31,880 Speaker 1: not you know, there are a lot of problems people 180 00:11:31,920 --> 00:11:35,400 Speaker 1: have with how it's enforced. Like think of, um, you know, 181 00:11:35,559 --> 00:11:41,320 Speaker 1: vertical versus horizontal integration. Right, how Henry Ford said, I 182 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:47,200 Speaker 1: want to own every piece of what eventually becomes a 183 00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:49,800 Speaker 1: Ford car. Right, that's why, well, that's the supply chain. 184 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:54,280 Speaker 1: That's also taking ownership of the supply chain, And can 185 00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:57,160 Speaker 1: you begrudge someone that laid the groundwork for that so 186 00:11:57,240 --> 00:12:00,160 Speaker 1: far back? Are they supposed to give pieces of out 187 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:02,760 Speaker 1: a way? Like like, I mean, I sound like I'm 188 00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:06,240 Speaker 1: being an apologist for this kind of iron fisted market 189 00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:09,280 Speaker 1: kind of you know, capitalism. But they were first to 190 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:12,760 Speaker 1: the market and they own all the pieces, so don't 191 00:12:12,760 --> 00:12:15,200 Speaker 1: you have to play ball with them? And uh, it 192 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:17,760 Speaker 1: just seems like a flawed system, I guess, is what 193 00:12:17,760 --> 00:12:19,800 Speaker 1: I'm getting at it. Yeah, it's stuff because of what 194 00:12:19,880 --> 00:12:24,719 Speaker 1: you pointed out earlier and uh cynical syndicate. We we 195 00:12:24,800 --> 00:12:28,720 Speaker 1: hope these examples are helpful and again love that you 196 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:33,439 Speaker 1: point out Monsanto, Luxotica and uh an Alphabet, the parent 197 00:12:33,559 --> 00:12:38,680 Speaker 1: company of Google. Uh. The the issue is if some 198 00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:43,040 Speaker 1: entity has that stranglehold, they get first to the post, right, 199 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:48,000 Speaker 1: and they now own the door. Right. If they own 200 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:52,400 Speaker 1: the door, then they get into this sort of cost 201 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:57,680 Speaker 1: benefit analysis. Is it more bang for your buck to 202 00:12:57,760 --> 00:13:01,840 Speaker 1: allow competition and improve of your products and services or 203 00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:04,960 Speaker 1: is it more bang for your buck too? Not so 204 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:08,200 Speaker 1: much worry about whether you're doing a good job and 205 00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:12,800 Speaker 1: focus on preventing other people from getting into that space, 206 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:14,880 Speaker 1: and it happens a lot. That's why a lot of 207 00:13:14,960 --> 00:13:19,360 Speaker 1: legacy technology and practices are around and sometimes you don't 208 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:22,480 Speaker 1: see it when you're bubbled. It's about optics here too. 209 00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:26,760 Speaker 1: I mean, what Cynical Syndicate is implying is that they're 210 00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:32,040 Speaker 1: propping up lesser competitors and allowing them, by their their 211 00:13:32,120 --> 00:13:35,840 Speaker 1: good graces to exist so that they can create the 212 00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:41,520 Speaker 1: illusion of competition where non actually exists because they still 213 00:13:41,559 --> 00:13:44,640 Speaker 1: have their you know, the glove analogy. They still it's 214 00:13:44,679 --> 00:13:48,000 Speaker 1: part of their glove, but they're just allowing that finger 215 00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:53,719 Speaker 1: to operate seemingly independently. But it's to the benefit of 216 00:13:53,760 --> 00:13:57,559 Speaker 1: like the regulatory optics of it all, you know. I mean, 217 00:13:57,640 --> 00:14:01,520 Speaker 1: Coca Cola wants PEPSI around PEPs she once Coca Cola route. 218 00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:03,760 Speaker 1: I want to talk about two things because we're talking 219 00:14:03,760 --> 00:14:08,359 Speaker 1: about browsers, right, we're talking about Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. 220 00:14:09,120 --> 00:14:12,360 Speaker 1: At least in in that middle paragraph of what Cynical 221 00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:15,760 Speaker 1: Syndicate sent to us, the reason why Microsoft got in 222 00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:18,160 Speaker 1: trouble as being a monopoly back in the day was 223 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:23,240 Speaker 1: because of Internet Explorer, right, because on their operating system, 224 00:14:23,280 --> 00:14:28,360 Speaker 1: they installed Internet Explorer. It just came with the system, 225 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:32,280 Speaker 1: so users found it really difficult. Where it made it 226 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:36,960 Speaker 1: it was disincentivizing anybody who had a Microsoft operating system 227 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:39,880 Speaker 1: from downloading a different browser and accessing the internet. Right, 228 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:42,760 Speaker 1: it's already there. Just use the one that's there. If 229 00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:44,320 Speaker 1: you want to download another one, you've got to use 230 00:14:44,360 --> 00:14:47,280 Speaker 1: Internet Explorer to get it. Anyway. Well, just to interject 231 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:50,080 Speaker 1: really quickly, UM, I was not aware, and I'm a 232 00:14:50,080 --> 00:14:54,440 Speaker 1: little confused as to why Google is paying Mozilla four 233 00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:57,720 Speaker 1: fifty million dollars a year to be the default search 234 00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:01,840 Speaker 1: engine on Firefox. Does Google o Firefox? I thought Google 235 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:07,520 Speaker 1: was Chrome? What is Google's interest in Firefox? And uh? Why? Yeah? 236 00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:11,120 Speaker 1: Because anytime you type into your bar, well, whatever browser 237 00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:13,560 Speaker 1: you use, you just type some stuff into there and 238 00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:17,000 Speaker 1: it searches. It's you have to tell your browser which 239 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:19,920 Speaker 1: search engine you want to use. I got that right, yeah, 240 00:15:20,040 --> 00:15:24,320 Speaker 1: And and and and typically people aren't going to customize, They're 241 00:15:24,320 --> 00:15:27,440 Speaker 1: gonna go with whatever the thing that's stuck because it's 242 00:15:27,440 --> 00:15:31,440 Speaker 1: the path of least resistance from someone's listening on Netscape 243 00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:36,280 Speaker 1: right now, Hello, how are you? Uh? The Mozilla was 244 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:39,160 Speaker 1: an escape, right, is at Mozilla the little monster that was. 245 00:15:39,520 --> 00:15:44,280 Speaker 1: Aren't they related Mozilla Netscape? We know there is definitely 246 00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:48,200 Speaker 1: a conflict of interest between Firefox and Google. Uh cynical. 247 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:51,960 Speaker 1: You may enjoy a c net article by Chris Sukhoyan 248 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:57,800 Speaker 1: in two thousand and seven which talks about how Google 249 00:15:58,240 --> 00:16:02,160 Speaker 1: is participating in this relationship. And for many years since 250 00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:05,680 Speaker 1: oh seven, Uh, it had been considered an open secret 251 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:08,680 Speaker 1: in the world of tech that Google calls the shots 252 00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:13,080 Speaker 1: for Mozilla Firefox. Although I believe to your point you well, 253 00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:17,000 Speaker 1: I believe Mozilla is a nonprofit. It was sort of 254 00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:21,720 Speaker 1: an open source thing. Like so, Netscape was the original browser, 255 00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:24,720 Speaker 1: as many of us remember from early early Internet days. 256 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:27,360 Speaker 1: It had like a sort of a nautical theme, right, 257 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:29,680 Speaker 1: didn't it kind of like a like a lighthouse sort 258 00:16:29,720 --> 00:16:33,400 Speaker 1: of vibe. So I just looked up Netscape. Mozilla. Mozilla, 259 00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:38,760 Speaker 1: which was once stylized as moz colon slash slash, as 260 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:42,960 Speaker 1: a free software community founded in by members of Netscape. 261 00:16:43,280 --> 00:16:47,360 Speaker 1: The Mozilla community uses developed spreads and supports Mozilla products, 262 00:16:47,400 --> 00:16:51,080 Speaker 1: there by promoting exclusively free software and open standards with 263 00:16:51,160 --> 00:16:56,960 Speaker 1: only minor exceptions. I may have um misspoke earlier. So essentially, 264 00:16:57,160 --> 00:17:02,160 Speaker 1: Google paid Mozilla a bunch of money to keep Google 265 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:05,680 Speaker 1: as the default search engine for Mozilla. Is that right? 266 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:09,760 Speaker 1: I don't think that's quite what our listener said. Our 267 00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:14,560 Speaker 1: listeners said, Google. Let's see our listeners said, Google paid Mozilla. Yep, sorry, 268 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:17,560 Speaker 1: that's correct. Google paid Mozilla for being the default search 269 00:17:17,560 --> 00:17:24,000 Speaker 1: engine and Firefox. So Firefox is a product. It's it's 270 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:28,760 Speaker 1: a web browser, but not a search it says. Yeah, 271 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:31,040 Speaker 1: So that's why I'm confused, Like, how does propping up 272 00:17:31,280 --> 00:17:34,840 Speaker 1: a browser protect them from being accused of having a 273 00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:40,000 Speaker 1: monopoly over search because it's It's what our listeners saying 274 00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:42,879 Speaker 1: is they're protecting themselves over being seen to have a 275 00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:46,720 Speaker 1: monopoly over browsers. But so if they pay the money 276 00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:49,640 Speaker 1: to be the default search engine within another browser, their 277 00:17:49,800 --> 00:17:52,240 Speaker 1: Google still getting what they need, you know, part of 278 00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:56,199 Speaker 1: their primary business through that search and the ads on 279 00:17:56,320 --> 00:18:00,880 Speaker 1: that search. By the way, um, and Mozilla still gets 280 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:04,240 Speaker 1: to have Firefox, and then you get to still have Chrome, 281 00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:07,920 Speaker 1: and nobody can say Chrome is trying to take over everything, right, 282 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:11,359 Speaker 1: And Firefox is also still a pretty popular browser because 283 00:18:11,359 --> 00:18:13,560 Speaker 1: it has a lot of extensions that you can use 284 00:18:13,720 --> 00:18:17,000 Speaker 1: that like allow it to interact with you know, um 285 00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:20,679 Speaker 1: crypto type stuff like I think Firefox is also considered 286 00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:24,600 Speaker 1: a little less bloated, like Google Chrome is a bit 287 00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:28,040 Speaker 1: of a hog, a CPU hog. So I do think 288 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:32,560 Speaker 1: there is a market for UM Firefox already, like it's 289 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:37,000 Speaker 1: sort of beloved to a degree anyway, UM, I think 290 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:39,800 Speaker 1: this is really good food for thought and something to 291 00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:42,960 Speaker 1: think about bigger picture in terms of like are their 292 00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:47,479 Speaker 1: companies that are secretly colluding with other companies to create 293 00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:50,879 Speaker 1: the illusion of competition. That is interesting to me and 294 00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:53,000 Speaker 1: I think to to all of us. So thank you 295 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:56,159 Speaker 1: Cynical Syndicate for your email, UM, and we will take 296 00:18:56,160 --> 00:18:58,000 Speaker 1: a quick break and then come back with more listenermail. 297 00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:08,959 Speaker 1: And we have returned for any friends on Twitter. This 298 00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:14,840 Speaker 1: is why wire Pow was slaminized coffee. For the entirety 299 00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:19,000 Speaker 1: of the day, I'm wired, uh and uh. I wish 300 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:23,000 Speaker 1: cities were wired with public transit. So here we are 301 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:29,040 Speaker 1: hearing from Mologato. Mologato, thank you for including a photo 302 00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:33,880 Speaker 1: of your cat hanging out and reading the book. Much appreciated. 303 00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:37,720 Speaker 1: Always always a fan of pet pictures, Please feel free 304 00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:40,600 Speaker 1: to send your own. The weirder or more unusual your 305 00:19:40,640 --> 00:19:44,400 Speaker 1: pets are the better. We read every email we get. Uh, 306 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:49,440 Speaker 1: and here's what Mologato says. Greetings and salutations. Fair podcast 307 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:52,640 Speaker 1: host on a recent episode, I believe about the deep 308 00:19:52,680 --> 00:19:55,320 Speaker 1: dive into food deserts. One of you all made a 309 00:19:55,359 --> 00:20:00,000 Speaker 1: comment about Martha being only profitable on the Buford Highway 310 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:04,439 Speaker 1: root That was me. Now, I'm not from Atlanta, but 311 00:20:04,840 --> 00:20:07,600 Speaker 1: I've been listening to stuff you should know and stuff 312 00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:09,359 Speaker 1: they don't want you to know for a decade, so 313 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:12,119 Speaker 1: I have a vivid image of Atlanta in my mind. 314 00:20:12,760 --> 00:20:15,399 Speaker 1: Your public transit comment got me thinking about the GM 315 00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:20,160 Speaker 1: street car conspiracy, where GM and others monopolize the production 316 00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:24,240 Speaker 1: of parts sold to National city lines transit. I'm from 317 00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:28,239 Speaker 1: Metro Detroit. We don't really have public transportation. We have 318 00:20:28,359 --> 00:20:31,400 Speaker 1: smart busses that show up ten to twenty minutes late, 319 00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:34,800 Speaker 1: and if you need them as your primary form of transportation, 320 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:37,800 Speaker 1: it will take you several hours to get ten miles. 321 00:20:38,280 --> 00:20:40,840 Speaker 1: The Big Three those are that's the nickname for the 322 00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:43,800 Speaker 1: Big three car companies in the US. Historically, the Big 323 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:46,919 Speaker 1: Three have continuously stifled the growth of public transit in 324 00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:50,520 Speaker 1: the Metro Detroit area because it could hurt the sale 325 00:20:50,520 --> 00:20:54,399 Speaker 1: of cars. Last week, GM announced that all its employees 326 00:20:54,560 --> 00:20:56,639 Speaker 1: were going to have to return to the office. I 327 00:20:56,720 --> 00:21:00,520 Speaker 1: suspect remote workers means less car wear and air and 328 00:21:00,680 --> 00:21:04,720 Speaker 1: less car purchases from employees who I like it. The 329 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:07,600 Speaker 1: Big Three have long been in control of many aspects 330 00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:11,399 Speaker 1: of Michigander's lives. This is just the latest example of 331 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:13,679 Speaker 1: their overreach. I'd love to hear you guys do an 332 00:21:13,720 --> 00:21:16,520 Speaker 1: episode on why the US is so car centric when 333 00:21:16,560 --> 00:21:19,800 Speaker 1: so many other places have bike lanes and trains, we 334 00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:23,000 Speaker 1: lack the infrastructure. Is it poor planning or is it 335 00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:27,120 Speaker 1: something more? Feel free to read on air much love Molato. 336 00:21:28,320 --> 00:21:32,120 Speaker 1: Oh man, you guys know this is this is one 337 00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:34,080 Speaker 1: of those ones for me. As they say on the 338 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:39,760 Speaker 1: l A leakers. Uh, it's strange right, One of, if 339 00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:45,840 Speaker 1: not the most powerful country on the planet, the country 340 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:50,320 Speaker 1: that made the interstate happen, like as a matter of 341 00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:54,480 Speaker 1: national defense, The country that can pour billions of dollars 342 00:21:55,040 --> 00:22:00,520 Speaker 1: in descending weird autonomous ships into space. Can't it a 343 00:22:00,560 --> 00:22:04,320 Speaker 1: decent train system, can't get a bus line, you know 344 00:22:04,359 --> 00:22:08,880 Speaker 1: what I mean? If they just don't work so great 345 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:15,439 Speaker 1: right right right now. As folks may know, Matt, no, 346 00:22:15,680 --> 00:22:18,760 Speaker 1: you guys have been in all of us have been 347 00:22:18,960 --> 00:22:23,600 Speaker 1: in areas that do have better public transit than Atlanta. 348 00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:26,960 Speaker 1: What were the experiences did you feel like when you 349 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:29,359 Speaker 1: were there? Did you think this is a horrible idea 350 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:37,800 Speaker 1: everywhere that's literally the opposite of a good idea. I 351 00:22:37,800 --> 00:22:41,000 Speaker 1: mean I did find in Germany and Berlin in particular, 352 00:22:41,119 --> 00:22:44,639 Speaker 1: the public transit was very spot on in terms of 353 00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:47,440 Speaker 1: the arrival of these kind of street car type deals 354 00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:52,400 Speaker 1: and um, incredibly efficient. In New York, when you go 355 00:22:52,800 --> 00:22:55,040 Speaker 1: and you don't live there, you would maybe think the 356 00:22:55,080 --> 00:22:58,280 Speaker 1: same thing. People that live there might argue otherwise, Uh, 357 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:02,080 Speaker 1: there certainly are it an aged infrastructure, so there's a 358 00:23:02,119 --> 00:23:04,520 Speaker 1: lot of like maintenance and things that have to happen 359 00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:07,479 Speaker 1: over the weekend, which causes lines to be diverted. And 360 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:10,200 Speaker 1: you know, unless you're kind of familiar with it as 361 00:23:10,240 --> 00:23:12,520 Speaker 1: a tourist, you could easily get on the wrong train 362 00:23:12,760 --> 00:23:15,760 Speaker 1: on a weekend because the signs don't change and there's 363 00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:18,440 Speaker 1: like posted bills and stuff to tell you. But it 364 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:22,120 Speaker 1: can be a little bit of a cluster f um. 365 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:25,560 Speaker 1: But yeah, I mean, when it's done right, boy is it? Boy? 366 00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:27,639 Speaker 1: Is it better than the alternative? Here in Atlanta, we 367 00:23:27,680 --> 00:23:31,720 Speaker 1: have a very basic public transit system, same with l 368 00:23:31,800 --> 00:23:34,960 Speaker 1: a uh that only goes in kind of like an 369 00:23:35,160 --> 00:23:37,800 Speaker 1: X shape um and doesn't really you know, go to 370 00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:40,640 Speaker 1: outlying regions. And also once you have to start riding 371 00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:44,760 Speaker 1: the bus, that's less fun because the bus is slower 372 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:48,679 Speaker 1: and less predictable, and because it you know, it depends 373 00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:52,199 Speaker 1: on traffic, whereas you know, rails and underground things and 374 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:55,160 Speaker 1: elevated trains do not. And that's the part that makes 375 00:23:55,359 --> 00:23:59,800 Speaker 1: public transit very efficient. Yeah, I'm agreeing with the points 376 00:23:59,840 --> 00:24:02,800 Speaker 1: you guys are making, and that I have also in 377 00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:06,080 Speaker 1: a hurry, I've been using ubers and lits on work trips. 378 00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:11,280 Speaker 1: It just it makes things faster, uh, depending on where 379 00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:14,240 Speaker 1: you are, because sometimes just being on a bike we'll 380 00:24:14,280 --> 00:24:16,080 Speaker 1: get you to where you need to go faster than 381 00:24:16,119 --> 00:24:20,080 Speaker 1: a car, especially in very dense areas like parts of 382 00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:24,880 Speaker 1: Chicago or New York, maybe not Los Angeles. Yeah, that's 383 00:24:24,920 --> 00:24:28,000 Speaker 1: the that's the point I wanted to make. I think 384 00:24:28,080 --> 00:24:32,200 Speaker 1: it's a tendency for our city centers to be pretty 385 00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:35,679 Speaker 1: spread out, and in order to have a really good 386 00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:39,159 Speaker 1: train system or even bus system, you have to have 387 00:24:39,359 --> 00:24:42,600 Speaker 1: so much infrastructure installed and all you're talking about the 388 00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:46,639 Speaker 1: age of the New York City subway system, and it 389 00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:48,680 Speaker 1: is aged, and it's been around for a long time, 390 00:24:48,760 --> 00:24:50,960 Speaker 1: and it's because it was necessary. I mean, it really 391 00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:54,040 Speaker 1: wasn't needed. Um. But then if you imagine it like 392 00:24:54,080 --> 00:24:57,240 Speaker 1: you're saying, l A a couple other places like Atlanta, 393 00:24:58,040 --> 00:25:02,359 Speaker 1: those systems are so expensive to install and many, many 394 00:25:02,359 --> 00:25:05,480 Speaker 1: people are coming into that more dense area from outside 395 00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:07,960 Speaker 1: of it in order to work. So just getting back 396 00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:10,520 Speaker 1: to that question of like, why so many cars, why 397 00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:13,720 Speaker 1: so car centric? That's a thing that's been happening for 398 00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:17,240 Speaker 1: a long time in this country. Yeah. Well, I'm glad 399 00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:19,760 Speaker 1: you point that out, Matt, because I do have a 400 00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:23,120 Speaker 1: few answers for this, and it won't go on a 401 00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:27,320 Speaker 1: dated Dennis Miller rants here. But there is a lot 402 00:25:27,400 --> 00:25:31,800 Speaker 1: of history here. We have to remember, mass motorization occurred 403 00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:35,919 Speaker 1: in the United States way earlier than Europe. This is 404 00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:38,920 Speaker 1: the home of Henry Ford in the assembly line, right, 405 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:42,640 Speaker 1: Henry Ford, famous anti semi also kind of into cars. 406 00:25:43,080 --> 00:25:48,080 Speaker 1: By the mid nineteen thirties, there was already one car 407 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:53,640 Speaker 1: for every two households, right, And at that same exact 408 00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:59,280 Speaker 1: time in history, owning a car in Europe was like 409 00:25:59,359 --> 00:26:03,680 Speaker 1: a tool of new money and aristocracy or a status mark, right. 410 00:26:04,280 --> 00:26:09,840 Speaker 1: And also US cities were the first to wide scale 411 00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:14,439 Speaker 1: adopt the car, adapt the car, and the powers that 412 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:19,840 Speaker 1: be in government and related industries really wanted this to happen. 413 00:26:20,240 --> 00:26:25,600 Speaker 1: They did things like lowering tax cost for car ownership 414 00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:29,280 Speaker 1: and use that's traditionally still higher in Europe, right, and 415 00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:31,640 Speaker 1: there are a lot of people who argue it should be. 416 00:26:31,880 --> 00:26:35,360 Speaker 1: And then of course we are already mentioned the interstate system, 417 00:26:35,359 --> 00:26:39,879 Speaker 1: which is objectively awesome. It's crazy that that happened. Uh. 418 00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:43,920 Speaker 1: And it also goes through cities. The interstate goes through 419 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:47,600 Speaker 1: cities in the US places like European highway systems, a 420 00:26:47,680 --> 00:26:49,960 Speaker 1: lot of them, like thinking the Auto Bonn in Germany, 421 00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:53,720 Speaker 1: they link cities, they don't cut through them. There are 422 00:26:53,760 --> 00:26:56,439 Speaker 1: also a ton of government subsidies because a lot of 423 00:26:56,800 --> 00:27:01,719 Speaker 1: members of various iterations of Congress had money on the 424 00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:07,000 Speaker 1: table in the grand casino of investment. And we know that, 425 00:27:08,720 --> 00:27:11,000 Speaker 1: we know that there was a huge focus there still 426 00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:17,960 Speaker 1: is a huge focus thematically on changing technology rather than 427 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:22,320 Speaker 1: attempting to incentivize and change behavior on a micro or 428 00:27:22,359 --> 00:27:27,920 Speaker 1: macroeconomic scale. Well, because changing technology also makes people money, right, 429 00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:32,600 Speaker 1: just so changing behavior really doesn't It just you know, 430 00:27:32,880 --> 00:27:35,239 Speaker 1: makes people's lives better, and it's harder to do. It 431 00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:41,240 Speaker 1: requires discipline and really messaging, like very distinct messaging. And 432 00:27:41,359 --> 00:27:45,120 Speaker 1: this okay. And there's another thing, technology versus legislation. We've 433 00:27:45,119 --> 00:27:49,800 Speaker 1: been saying it for years. Technology always outpaces legislation. That's 434 00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:53,080 Speaker 1: not a ding on lawmakers. It's just the fact it's 435 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:57,400 Speaker 1: kind of a ding. I admit, Okay, it's like a ding. 436 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:00,679 Speaker 1: So the US did have public train If you go 437 00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:06,040 Speaker 1: to places like them, that awesome Automotive Museum out in Hershey, Pennsylvania, 438 00:28:06,359 --> 00:28:11,160 Speaker 1: then you will see the golden era when buses were 439 00:28:11,320 --> 00:28:14,719 Speaker 1: used the way that people use airplanes now. Airplanes are 440 00:28:14,760 --> 00:28:19,159 Speaker 1: not the reason that public transit disappeared. What happened was 441 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:23,560 Speaker 1: that after World War Two, roughly a lot of these 442 00:28:23,560 --> 00:28:28,159 Speaker 1: transit systems there were a networker privately owned regional or 443 00:28:28,280 --> 00:28:34,520 Speaker 1: city entities, right, and they were increasing their fares, they 444 00:28:34,560 --> 00:28:38,400 Speaker 1: were cutting their service, they were losing riders, and so 445 00:28:38,520 --> 00:28:42,600 Speaker 1: they started going out of business. And the US government 446 00:28:42,800 --> 00:28:45,520 Speaker 1: Uncle Sam in some form, would try to come along 447 00:28:45,520 --> 00:28:49,360 Speaker 1: and help, but often too late. The big question about 448 00:28:49,400 --> 00:28:54,640 Speaker 1: the conspiracy, you just mentioned the most famous one Mologato, 449 00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:58,600 Speaker 1: which I believe is true, the idea that GM and 450 00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:03,680 Speaker 1: other big carman manufacturers laid a heavy hand on trolley 451 00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:08,560 Speaker 1: systems and cities that that were working to incentivize people 452 00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:12,800 Speaker 1: to get the car. Right, you see your trolley system 453 00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:16,680 Speaker 1: is getting crappier and crappier, and you see that cars 454 00:29:16,680 --> 00:29:20,840 Speaker 1: are appearing more and more desirable and affordable. Again, fingers 455 00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:26,760 Speaker 1: on a hand. Those two pressures likely came from some 456 00:29:26,800 --> 00:29:30,080 Speaker 1: of the same actors, and you can read all about 457 00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:34,520 Speaker 1: the GM streetcar conspiracy. They did go to court, they 458 00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:38,640 Speaker 1: did get found culpable of some of the charges, and 459 00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:42,440 Speaker 1: they paid a fine of one dollar. Around this time, 460 00:29:43,080 --> 00:29:45,880 Speaker 1: as as cars are becoming a thing, you run into 461 00:29:45,920 --> 00:29:52,840 Speaker 1: the problem of people, children, animals, buildings getting hit, getting 462 00:29:52,880 --> 00:29:57,520 Speaker 1: the snot smacked out of them fatally often because this 463 00:29:57,600 --> 00:29:59,880 Speaker 1: is it was still a country full of new drive 464 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:04,440 Speaker 1: verse early adopters, right, and just look at automotive safety technology. 465 00:30:04,480 --> 00:30:07,200 Speaker 1: There used to be steering I'm doing the rant, well, 466 00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:10,120 Speaker 1: there used to be steering wheels that straight up like 467 00:30:10,160 --> 00:30:14,840 Speaker 1: a torpedo looking thing facing the driver. Right seatbelts came 468 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:18,200 Speaker 1: after the car. Early adopters have always been guinea pigs. 469 00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:22,160 Speaker 1: Now it's like easier to not get maybe as mad 470 00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:24,880 Speaker 1: about it because it's more guinea pigs in terms of tech, 471 00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:28,040 Speaker 1: But back then it was guinea pigs in terms of safety, 472 00:30:28,320 --> 00:30:33,040 Speaker 1: bodily autonomy. You know, I'm glad you're bringing up autonomy too. 473 00:30:33,360 --> 00:30:37,160 Speaker 1: That's one of the reasons that I love cars personally 474 00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:42,880 Speaker 1: is the ability to wake up one evening one day 475 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:45,520 Speaker 1: and just go and you don't have to wait for 476 00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:49,600 Speaker 1: a trained schedule. Right there. It feeds into the idea 477 00:30:49,640 --> 00:30:52,960 Speaker 1: of individualism that is so culturally important in this part 478 00:30:52,960 --> 00:30:58,240 Speaker 1: of the world, land of the free. Well Asterix, But 479 00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:02,959 Speaker 1: I agree with you, is this this thing, though it's bonkers. 480 00:31:03,160 --> 00:31:07,840 Speaker 1: Is there was a modification of behavior. But it didn't 481 00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:11,920 Speaker 1: come from uh, the ground up. It didn't come from 482 00:31:11,960 --> 00:31:16,200 Speaker 1: the public. Uh. It came in a Bernese style series 483 00:31:16,200 --> 00:31:20,880 Speaker 1: of p s a s. To combat the growing number, 484 00:31:20,960 --> 00:31:25,560 Speaker 1: the exploding number of automobile related deaths, the powers that 485 00:31:25,600 --> 00:31:29,080 Speaker 1: be decided to blame the victims. These are not human 486 00:31:29,120 --> 00:31:33,880 Speaker 1: beings who got hit by an arrant driver. They're pedestrians. 487 00:31:33,920 --> 00:31:40,640 Speaker 1: They're jaywalking and from yea. Even the term pedestrian, though, 488 00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:43,960 Speaker 1: is taken on a negative connotation. If something's pedestrian, it 489 00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:47,239 Speaker 1: means it's sort of like you know, basic, you know, 490 00:31:47,320 --> 00:31:50,040 Speaker 1: I mean, they're not the same thing. But yes, jaywalking 491 00:31:50,080 --> 00:31:53,160 Speaker 1: bend that that whole concept. It was like a marketing 492 00:31:53,320 --> 00:31:57,920 Speaker 1: smear campaign. Yeah. So imagine a lot of people are 493 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:01,560 Speaker 1: dying because they're being a hit by these crazy machines 494 00:32:01,640 --> 00:32:04,680 Speaker 1: that goes super fast, where the and and the folks 495 00:32:04,680 --> 00:32:09,400 Speaker 1: in charge of these machines don't ah know what they're doing, 496 00:32:09,680 --> 00:32:12,000 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. It's not like a pilot license. 497 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:14,240 Speaker 1: You didn't have to log a bunch of hours with 498 00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:18,800 Speaker 1: someone sitting in the shotgun seat. So JA the reason 499 00:32:19,080 --> 00:32:23,600 Speaker 1: jay walking came about as it came from the idea 500 00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:27,280 Speaker 1: of JA drivers back in the day, J meant being 501 00:32:27,400 --> 00:32:31,080 Speaker 1: like a newbie, a rookie, a rube like J V. Junior. 502 00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:37,680 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, yeah, I like that, h J. Jay Walking 503 00:32:38,160 --> 00:32:40,520 Speaker 1: comes about in the days when cars were still being 504 00:32:40,560 --> 00:32:46,680 Speaker 1: called horseless carriages. So people are dying, and your decision 505 00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:51,440 Speaker 1: is not immediately to make laws tighter around automobiles. You 506 00:32:51,480 --> 00:32:55,240 Speaker 1: want to incentivize people chase that individualism, chase that dream. 507 00:32:55,560 --> 00:32:59,800 Speaker 1: So instead you say, you know, these dead people, they're 508 00:32:59,840 --> 00:33:03,680 Speaker 1: kind of rubes. Let's be honest, they're just walking out 509 00:33:03,680 --> 00:33:06,640 Speaker 1: there free as a jay bird. They're not paying attention. 510 00:33:07,200 --> 00:33:10,240 Speaker 1: It's on them, which is a lot like saying those 511 00:33:10,280 --> 00:33:13,400 Speaker 1: people should stop standing in front of guns. That'll solve it, 512 00:33:14,720 --> 00:33:21,280 Speaker 1: which I know the torpedoes theory wheel. Oh my god, 513 00:33:21,320 --> 00:33:24,440 Speaker 1: I want one of those cars. Wrong place, wrong time. 514 00:33:25,320 --> 00:33:28,040 Speaker 1: It was on you. You should have known better. And 515 00:33:28,280 --> 00:33:32,360 Speaker 1: this now leads us to without making this full episode, 516 00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:35,240 Speaker 1: you can hear me in our pal Scott Benjamin uh 517 00:33:35,320 --> 00:33:39,320 Speaker 1: talking about this on our old show Car stuff. Um. 518 00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:42,520 Speaker 1: What this leads to in the next step is something 519 00:33:42,600 --> 00:33:48,520 Speaker 1: called path dependence. Path dependence is essentially the argument that 520 00:33:49,160 --> 00:33:52,920 Speaker 1: once a large group of people or entity decides to 521 00:33:52,960 --> 00:33:55,640 Speaker 1: go one way, they reach a decision point right a 522 00:33:55,720 --> 00:33:57,880 Speaker 1: fork in the woods, to be Robert Frost about it, 523 00:33:58,200 --> 00:34:02,680 Speaker 1: and they go one way. It becomes increasingly difficult for 524 00:34:02,720 --> 00:34:06,120 Speaker 1: them to turn back the clock and go in another direction. 525 00:34:06,880 --> 00:34:08,759 Speaker 1: You you get to a point where you can only 526 00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:11,680 Speaker 1: sort of branch out based in some part of what 527 00:34:11,760 --> 00:34:15,879 Speaker 1: you have already built, unless there's a catastrophe, unless there's 528 00:34:15,920 --> 00:34:20,640 Speaker 1: a extinction level event or your entire infrastructure gets wiped out. 529 00:34:21,160 --> 00:34:23,840 Speaker 1: So there is a great argument that the US is 530 00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:28,560 Speaker 1: in a path dependent state. This does not mean that 531 00:34:28,800 --> 00:34:31,960 Speaker 1: everybody who works on the auto line is a super villain. 532 00:34:32,120 --> 00:34:35,080 Speaker 1: This doesn't mean that every member of Congress is some 533 00:34:35,280 --> 00:34:40,040 Speaker 1: Monty Burns esque you know, uh, James Bond villain. What 534 00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:44,800 Speaker 1: it does mean is that over time people made decisions 535 00:34:44,840 --> 00:34:50,200 Speaker 1: that reinforced the path they were already on. And that's 536 00:34:50,600 --> 00:34:52,680 Speaker 1: I mean, it's a huge stumbling block. We can talk 537 00:34:52,719 --> 00:34:56,080 Speaker 1: about for hours. It's like confirmation bias as an individual, 538 00:34:56,360 --> 00:34:59,439 Speaker 1: where you you look at things and choose to pay 539 00:34:59,600 --> 00:35:02,120 Speaker 1: to spend time with sources that make you feel good 540 00:35:02,120 --> 00:35:04,920 Speaker 1: about how you already feel. But this is on a 541 00:35:05,040 --> 00:35:10,400 Speaker 1: much larger scale when it comes to like corporations and technology, 542 00:35:10,440 --> 00:35:14,239 Speaker 1: and like you know, it's it's a lot has more consequences, 543 00:35:14,360 --> 00:35:18,879 Speaker 1: has much further reaching consequences, and this situation may not 544 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:22,120 Speaker 1: be um may not be long for the world in 545 00:35:22,160 --> 00:35:26,239 Speaker 1: the US. As the rise of autonomous vehicles grows, so 546 00:35:26,400 --> 00:35:31,399 Speaker 1: does the rise for infrastructure for increased control from an 547 00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:34,319 Speaker 1: outside party over the vehicle that you are writing in 548 00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:40,520 Speaker 1: and driving. Right. So it's again I'm conflicted about it 549 00:35:40,800 --> 00:35:47,640 Speaker 1: on on a personal level because I know all trust me, folks. 550 00:35:47,719 --> 00:35:50,200 Speaker 1: I know all the problems, all four of us know 551 00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:55,920 Speaker 1: all the problems with internal combustion, with footprints, with sprawl 552 00:35:56,000 --> 00:35:59,200 Speaker 1: and traffic jams. And still, probably because I spent so 553 00:35:59,239 --> 00:36:02,960 Speaker 1: many formative years here, I still love cars. There's nothing 554 00:36:03,080 --> 00:36:05,840 Speaker 1: quite like waking up one day and saying I'm just 555 00:36:05,880 --> 00:36:08,720 Speaker 1: gonna drive. I'm gonna pick a direction. I'm gonna drive 556 00:36:08,880 --> 00:36:11,640 Speaker 1: until I hit the ocean. That is so cool. Very 557 00:36:11,680 --> 00:36:15,279 Speaker 1: few people in history have ever been able to do that. So, 558 00:36:15,840 --> 00:36:19,120 Speaker 1: with that very conflicted answer that we hope, we hope 559 00:36:19,120 --> 00:36:22,719 Speaker 1: breaks down the highlights of why the US remains so 560 00:36:22,800 --> 00:36:26,439 Speaker 1: car centric, I propose we pause for word from our 561 00:36:26,440 --> 00:36:38,040 Speaker 1: sponsor and return with a message from you. And we're back, 562 00:36:39,239 --> 00:36:41,200 Speaker 1: and guess what we're going to the phone lines. We're 563 00:36:41,200 --> 00:36:44,840 Speaker 1: gonna hear a message from the driver. Feels like a 564 00:36:44,880 --> 00:36:49,840 Speaker 1: really nice segue from the car segment. So here we go. Hey, guys, 565 00:36:50,560 --> 00:36:53,279 Speaker 1: you can call me the driver. I just wanted to 566 00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:57,840 Speaker 1: relate a quick story that my father told me. I 567 00:36:57,920 --> 00:37:01,120 Speaker 1: was regarding his brother who was in via know, and 568 00:37:01,239 --> 00:37:03,480 Speaker 1: one day they were sitting around after his brother had 569 00:37:03,480 --> 00:37:08,000 Speaker 1: gotten back, and his brother they were having some drinks. 570 00:37:08,880 --> 00:37:13,080 Speaker 1: His brother related a story where they were him and 571 00:37:13,160 --> 00:37:16,799 Speaker 1: his men were taken into a room and shown a 572 00:37:16,960 --> 00:37:23,320 Speaker 1: video or a film I suppose of what he claimed 573 00:37:23,440 --> 00:37:27,960 Speaker 1: was a some sort of laser weapon that was literally 574 00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:33,560 Speaker 1: cutting po W's I don't know as other enemy soldiers 575 00:37:33,560 --> 00:37:37,359 Speaker 1: in half. I assume it was some sort of test. Uh. 576 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:41,480 Speaker 1: And that's really all he said. My dad that he 577 00:37:41,560 --> 00:37:44,719 Speaker 1: didn't his brother didn't really like talking about it. But 578 00:37:45,800 --> 00:37:48,760 Speaker 1: I would be fascinated to know if there's any truth 579 00:37:48,840 --> 00:37:52,399 Speaker 1: to that. I know laser weapons even today need to 580 00:37:52,480 --> 00:37:56,719 Speaker 1: be the size of a truck to do any damage. Um. 581 00:37:56,840 --> 00:37:59,880 Speaker 1: I intentionally haven't looked into it. I'd love to hear 582 00:38:00,040 --> 00:38:02,520 Speaker 1: guy's opinion. Love the show, UH, and you could use 583 00:38:02,560 --> 00:38:05,400 Speaker 1: my voice on the air if you wish. Thanks guys, 584 00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:10,480 Speaker 1: thank you very much the driver for sharing that information 585 00:38:10,520 --> 00:38:12,919 Speaker 1: with us. Can wait to talk about this with you, Ben. 586 00:38:13,880 --> 00:38:16,960 Speaker 1: I've got a lot of questions. I think that I 587 00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:18,600 Speaker 1: haven't spoken with the driver, by the way, we have 588 00:38:18,600 --> 00:38:21,359 Speaker 1: a lot of questions or like maybe additions that I'd 589 00:38:21,400 --> 00:38:25,040 Speaker 1: love to get from the driver to that story. But 590 00:38:25,280 --> 00:38:27,359 Speaker 1: I guess let's let's jump right in. What are your 591 00:38:27,360 --> 00:38:36,839 Speaker 1: thoughts in terms of uh sketchy experimentation yeah, well, specifically 592 00:38:36,920 --> 00:38:40,160 Speaker 1: during the Vietnam War and with the lasers. I think 593 00:38:40,200 --> 00:38:42,640 Speaker 1: that so a lot of my questioning comes from that, 594 00:38:43,440 --> 00:38:46,200 Speaker 1: because if you look at the timelines or at least 595 00:38:46,239 --> 00:38:51,080 Speaker 1: the official timelines of lasers and masers, the thing that 596 00:38:51,120 --> 00:38:57,120 Speaker 1: they were before they were lasers basically directed energy devices UM. 597 00:38:57,520 --> 00:39:01,960 Speaker 1: Lasers were officially invented at least in the public sphere 598 00:39:02,040 --> 00:39:04,880 Speaker 1: that we know of, and patented in the nineteen sixties, 599 00:39:04,880 --> 00:39:10,200 Speaker 1: and we're talking nineteen sixty and only what gosh, maybe 600 00:39:10,239 --> 00:39:13,600 Speaker 1: six years before that. That's when masers were a thing 601 00:39:14,160 --> 00:39:17,399 Speaker 1: and they were directing different types of energy. Lasers are 602 00:39:17,440 --> 00:39:21,799 Speaker 1: specifically directed energy in the light spectrum, which is an 603 00:39:21,800 --> 00:39:25,040 Speaker 1: important thing UM. And then the end of the Vietnam 604 00:39:25,080 --> 00:39:30,600 Speaker 1: War is nineteen so there's not much time for that overlap, 605 00:39:30,680 --> 00:39:34,000 Speaker 1: but it would be a pretty good time for experimentation 606 00:39:34,560 --> 00:39:37,080 Speaker 1: if you're thinking, maybe we could weaponize this thing right 607 00:39:37,080 --> 00:39:41,000 Speaker 1: after it gets invented. Yeah, yeah, man, I love that 608 00:39:41,040 --> 00:39:45,040 Speaker 1: you're pointing out the timeline, because laser guided bombs were 609 00:39:45,080 --> 00:39:49,120 Speaker 1: invented or developed we should say, by Uncle Sam during 610 00:39:49,160 --> 00:39:54,319 Speaker 1: the Vietnam War, and they were precise, they worked. We 611 00:39:54,400 --> 00:40:02,000 Speaker 1: have to remember war drives, UM, innovation concurrently with human misery. Right, 612 00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:07,120 Speaker 1: So so the driver you're you're correct, like the story 613 00:40:07,200 --> 00:40:12,400 Speaker 1: you heard does have does have some solid evidence to it. 614 00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:17,279 Speaker 1: The idea of miniaturization comes up, like you were saying 615 00:40:17,320 --> 00:40:19,799 Speaker 1: that you look at the early lasers and those are 616 00:40:19,840 --> 00:40:23,239 Speaker 1: some big boys. Those are some chokers, right, Yeah, those 617 00:40:23,280 --> 00:40:27,000 Speaker 1: are definitely some chokers. Uh if you wanted well, I 618 00:40:27,080 --> 00:40:31,920 Speaker 1: mean even right now, because there are directed energy lasers 619 00:40:32,040 --> 00:40:35,960 Speaker 1: that are meant to do harm to my knowledge, I 620 00:40:36,040 --> 00:40:39,280 Speaker 1: do apologize. And my dogs barking in the background. She's 621 00:40:39,360 --> 00:40:42,319 Speaker 1: upset there. She loves lasers. She's super hype about there 622 00:40:42,480 --> 00:40:44,680 Speaker 1: some some fellows working on my h v a C 623 00:40:44,840 --> 00:40:51,480 Speaker 1: system right now. She's really excited. Okay, so a laser 624 00:40:51,600 --> 00:40:55,279 Speaker 1: right now that would be considered a laser weapon that 625 00:40:55,400 --> 00:40:57,440 Speaker 1: because they do exist to an extent, but they're not 626 00:40:57,560 --> 00:41:00,000 Speaker 1: the type that are going to cut anybody in half, 627 00:41:00,040 --> 00:41:03,400 Speaker 1: at least that's not acknowledged anywhere. Those things are the 628 00:41:03,440 --> 00:41:08,799 Speaker 1: size of a truck. I'd love to hear from maybe 629 00:41:08,880 --> 00:41:11,400 Speaker 1: scientists out there are people who do work in optics, 630 00:41:11,440 --> 00:41:15,919 Speaker 1: people who work in this type of energy field. I'd 631 00:41:15,960 --> 00:41:18,720 Speaker 1: love to know, like, what are what is the actual 632 00:41:18,800 --> 00:41:22,640 Speaker 1: state of laser weaponry because I'm looking online and trying 633 00:41:22,680 --> 00:41:25,719 Speaker 1: to find just what the US government would state about 634 00:41:25,760 --> 00:41:29,719 Speaker 1: a laser weapon and the actual capabilities, and I'm having 635 00:41:29,760 --> 00:41:32,759 Speaker 1: a hard time unders finding first of all, and then 636 00:41:32,880 --> 00:41:36,040 Speaker 1: understanding what I'm reading. Yeah, yeah, it's a bit of 637 00:41:36,160 --> 00:41:41,840 Speaker 1: rarefied air. Sometimes there's the focus on the past stuff 638 00:41:41,960 --> 00:41:45,080 Speaker 1: that we can do with a little bit more accuracy. Right, 639 00:41:45,160 --> 00:41:48,880 Speaker 1: not quite laser guided, but there have been things declassified 640 00:41:49,040 --> 00:41:54,080 Speaker 1: that are now publicly available information. There's a great article, 641 00:41:54,480 --> 00:41:57,600 Speaker 1: uh in. You can find it on j store and 642 00:41:57,680 --> 00:42:02,360 Speaker 1: it's free to read. It's called Vietnam War by a 643 00:42:02,360 --> 00:42:07,560 Speaker 1: guy named Donald blackwelder In and it's all about the 644 00:42:08,360 --> 00:42:14,400 Speaker 1: development of precision guided bombs and it starts with laser 645 00:42:14,840 --> 00:42:21,000 Speaker 1: and infrared guided munitions in Southeast Asia during that conflict. 646 00:42:21,760 --> 00:42:24,600 Speaker 1: Uh Matt. I would further add a little bit of 647 00:42:24,640 --> 00:42:27,760 Speaker 1: fuel to the fire by pointing out that at this juncture, 648 00:42:29,239 --> 00:42:37,600 Speaker 1: we can conclusively say that technological suppression exists and technology 649 00:42:37,640 --> 00:42:40,399 Speaker 1: Like for anybody wondering, who's wondering why we're vibing so 650 00:42:40,480 --> 00:42:43,520 Speaker 1: hard on I don't know, I can't find it, it's 651 00:42:43,560 --> 00:42:47,279 Speaker 1: because we do know that it is completely possible for 652 00:42:47,320 --> 00:42:52,560 Speaker 1: these things to exist well before they are revealed publicly. Right, 653 00:42:53,480 --> 00:42:57,640 Speaker 1: come on with the Department of Defense. Thirty five years 654 00:42:57,680 --> 00:43:01,120 Speaker 1: after the end of the Calm Flict in Vietnam, least 655 00:43:01,160 --> 00:43:03,920 Speaker 1: America is part of it. In nineteen sixty four, five 656 00:43:03,960 --> 00:43:09,239 Speaker 1: years after that, the US government officially declared lasers as 657 00:43:09,480 --> 00:43:14,080 Speaker 1: future weapons. It's like, these are these are future weapons, 658 00:43:14,080 --> 00:43:18,280 Speaker 1: but that doesn't mean they weren't attempting to develop lasers 659 00:43:18,360 --> 00:43:25,120 Speaker 1: into weapons, like throughout the late sixties to the late nineties. Um, 660 00:43:25,440 --> 00:43:27,600 Speaker 1: it's really interesting. There's this thing, the last name. This 661 00:43:27,600 --> 00:43:31,280 Speaker 1: thing called the Joint Technology Office of High Energy Lasers 662 00:43:31,880 --> 00:43:34,319 Speaker 1: is a thing that was created for the government in 663 00:43:34,360 --> 00:43:38,800 Speaker 1: the year two thousand to develop laser weapons and developed 664 00:43:38,840 --> 00:43:43,600 Speaker 1: not events. Also shout out of Vegan Secrecy Act. Check 665 00:43:43,640 --> 00:43:48,800 Speaker 1: it out. There's a page on Lockheed Martin's website devoted 666 00:43:48,880 --> 00:43:52,759 Speaker 1: to lasers harnessing the power of lasers. So, I mean, 667 00:43:52,920 --> 00:43:58,040 Speaker 1: it's definitely what. It doesn't have anything about weaponry though, Yeah, 668 00:43:58,120 --> 00:44:00,719 Speaker 1: I mean it's got a video direct and energy the 669 00:44:00,760 --> 00:44:04,200 Speaker 1: time for laser weapons systems has come. I'll put it. 670 00:44:04,400 --> 00:44:06,640 Speaker 1: I'll put it in the chat. Yeah, it's pretty wild 671 00:44:06,960 --> 00:44:09,880 Speaker 1: because I mean, we know lasers can do cool stuff, 672 00:44:09,920 --> 00:44:12,640 Speaker 1: we know, but they have to be close range usually, 673 00:44:12,840 --> 00:44:16,800 Speaker 1: I think, right, and to use them for long range 674 00:44:16,840 --> 00:44:21,440 Speaker 1: would require more energy than an autonomous you know, plane 675 00:44:21,640 --> 00:44:25,480 Speaker 1: or vehicle could maybe have on board. Perhaps is the issue. 676 00:44:26,719 --> 00:44:28,520 Speaker 1: But yeah, look at this, Look at this thing. Laser 677 00:44:28,520 --> 00:44:34,000 Speaker 1: weapons systems like harnessing. It's literally at sea, in the air, 678 00:44:34,040 --> 00:44:36,840 Speaker 1: and on the ground. Lockheed Martin is developing laser weapons 679 00:44:36,840 --> 00:44:40,560 Speaker 1: systems to protect war fighters on the battlefield. Combined with 680 00:44:40,680 --> 00:44:44,120 Speaker 1: expert platform integration, these systems are designed to defeat a 681 00:44:44,160 --> 00:44:48,560 Speaker 1: growing range of threats to military forces and infrastructure. Yeah. 682 00:44:48,640 --> 00:44:52,759 Speaker 1: I would also go back further to back to the 683 00:44:52,840 --> 00:44:57,960 Speaker 1: seventies and sixties. We know that nineteen seventy one, collectively, 684 00:44:58,320 --> 00:45:02,279 Speaker 1: like the US government and it's defense contractor Lattice, we're 685 00:45:02,320 --> 00:45:07,640 Speaker 1: spending six point three billion dollars on advanced laser weaponry. 686 00:45:07,920 --> 00:45:12,480 Speaker 1: Like not to sound all conspiratorial and black Monday murders 687 00:45:12,480 --> 00:45:16,120 Speaker 1: about it, but the money moves, you know, and they're 688 00:45:16,160 --> 00:45:20,240 Speaker 1: making money moves. Yes, Yeah, Just so there are field 689 00:45:20,239 --> 00:45:23,960 Speaker 1: test of this, and we know that not everybody was impressed, 690 00:45:24,000 --> 00:45:26,640 Speaker 1: but we also know that a lot of people were 691 00:45:26,800 --> 00:45:30,880 Speaker 1: frightened by the potential of what they saw. You know 692 00:45:31,000 --> 00:45:34,479 Speaker 1: this they gave it would be. This is not like 693 00:45:35,800 --> 00:45:40,359 Speaker 1: investigation into psychic powers, right, or the creation of Manchurian candidates. 694 00:45:41,040 --> 00:45:44,120 Speaker 1: This is not Yeah, this is not Hey, what if 695 00:45:44,440 --> 00:45:47,480 Speaker 1: blah blah blah the Soviets are doing it to uh 696 00:45:47,640 --> 00:45:50,840 Speaker 1: kind of lollygagging. They knew that the Soviet Union was 697 00:45:50,880 --> 00:45:55,960 Speaker 1: working on laser technology, right, and so they were able 698 00:45:56,040 --> 00:46:02,600 Speaker 1: to prove consistent, reproducible results. They knew, they knew something 699 00:46:02,760 --> 00:46:04,799 Speaker 1: was up, and they were still working on it. It 700 00:46:04,800 --> 00:46:08,000 Speaker 1: would be naive to assume otherwise. It's just more in 701 00:46:08,040 --> 00:46:10,920 Speaker 1: public now. Well in kudos to the graphics department of 702 00:46:11,000 --> 00:46:14,480 Speaker 1: Lockheed Martin. The header image on this page that I 703 00:46:14,520 --> 00:46:17,560 Speaker 1: was talking about has like a battleship at sea with 704 00:46:17,600 --> 00:46:22,319 Speaker 1: a tiny laser cannon with a purple beam of light 705 00:46:22,480 --> 00:46:28,200 Speaker 1: shooting up into the sky and uh blowing up a plane. Yeah. Yeah. 706 00:46:28,440 --> 00:46:30,560 Speaker 1: I want to point something out that they that Lockeed 707 00:46:30,560 --> 00:46:33,800 Speaker 1: Martin has written on their website here quote as fiber 708 00:46:33,960 --> 00:46:37,279 Speaker 1: laser power levels increase, our systems will be able to 709 00:46:37,680 --> 00:46:42,960 Speaker 1: disable larger threats and do so across greater distances. When 710 00:46:43,000 --> 00:46:47,319 Speaker 1: operated in conjunction with kinetic energy weapons. These systems can 711 00:46:47,360 --> 00:46:50,440 Speaker 1: serve as a force multiplier. So what they're saying is 712 00:46:51,120 --> 00:46:54,839 Speaker 1: these well, at least that's exactly what you're talking about, Ben, 713 00:46:54,880 --> 00:46:57,120 Speaker 1: They're not saying it out loud, but they are not 714 00:46:57,320 --> 00:47:01,600 Speaker 1: saying that these lasers are disintegrating or are destroying any 715 00:47:01,719 --> 00:47:05,920 Speaker 1: enemy weapons systems. They are disabling them, which is a 716 00:47:06,000 --> 00:47:12,000 Speaker 1: huge difference, right, because we're talking about potentially well, no, no, 717 00:47:12,080 --> 00:47:15,040 Speaker 1: it's it's regarding this voicemail that we got. It's a 718 00:47:15,080 --> 00:47:18,720 Speaker 1: story about an uncle who is engaged in the Vietnam 719 00:47:18,760 --> 00:47:23,200 Speaker 1: War being shown a film of lasers back then cutting 720 00:47:23,320 --> 00:47:28,319 Speaker 1: through enemy soldiers, like cutting them in half, which we're 721 00:47:28,360 --> 00:47:31,080 Speaker 1: we're just trying to discuss. Would a laser ever have 722 00:47:31,200 --> 00:47:33,840 Speaker 1: the power to do that? Could it even it? I 723 00:47:33,880 --> 00:47:38,080 Speaker 1: mean I think if we're using the word could, then 724 00:47:38,160 --> 00:47:43,520 Speaker 1: absolutely it could write the questions when does humanity right 725 00:47:43,680 --> 00:47:47,360 Speaker 1: arrive at this at this ability. We also have to 726 00:47:47,360 --> 00:47:50,799 Speaker 1: remember the US was up to all sorts of mad 727 00:47:50,840 --> 00:47:55,520 Speaker 1: science during the Vietnam War. Agent orange is real, cloud 728 00:47:55,600 --> 00:47:59,960 Speaker 1: seeding is real. They change the movements of the sky. 729 00:48:00,080 --> 00:48:03,160 Speaker 1: You know, this is this is like some you got 730 00:48:03,200 --> 00:48:05,560 Speaker 1: so involved in whether you could do it that you 731 00:48:05,600 --> 00:48:08,280 Speaker 1: did ask whether you should kind of kind of stuff. 732 00:48:08,360 --> 00:48:12,200 Speaker 1: That's the part of the equation, because should implies responsibility. 733 00:48:12,640 --> 00:48:16,560 Speaker 1: Should implies some sort of moral you know, calculation that 734 00:48:16,760 --> 00:48:20,680 Speaker 1: doesn't typically come into play in these scenarios. Um. You 735 00:48:20,680 --> 00:48:22,600 Speaker 1: know what it makes me think of is that that 736 00:48:22,719 --> 00:48:26,799 Speaker 1: show an amazing comic series, The Boys, where they use 737 00:48:26,880 --> 00:48:31,520 Speaker 1: superheroes in Vietnam as weapons, and you know, laser eyes 738 00:48:31,600 --> 00:48:34,919 Speaker 1: are like slicing through you know, enemies, and they also 739 00:48:34,920 --> 00:48:37,680 Speaker 1: have like a big debacle where they accidentally blow up 740 00:48:37,719 --> 00:48:39,920 Speaker 1: the wrong thing and create like an international you know 741 00:48:40,560 --> 00:48:43,480 Speaker 1: event of some sort. Um. The last thing I want 742 00:48:43,520 --> 00:48:46,239 Speaker 1: to read from this site is, uh, a quote from 743 00:48:46,840 --> 00:48:51,960 Speaker 1: Paul Shattuck, the director of Directed Energy Systems. He says, quote, 744 00:48:52,000 --> 00:48:56,359 Speaker 1: our beam control technology enables precision equivalent to shooting a 745 00:48:56,400 --> 00:48:59,080 Speaker 1: beach ball off the top of the Empire State Building 746 00:48:59,360 --> 00:49:03,200 Speaker 1: from the sand and Cisco Bay Bridge. So that's the 747 00:49:03,320 --> 00:49:09,080 Speaker 1: kind of big picture future stuff, doomsday type stuff that 748 00:49:09,160 --> 00:49:11,720 Speaker 1: I think, you know, science fiction has taught us to fear. 749 00:49:12,160 --> 00:49:15,960 Speaker 1: Uh you know what, Okay, Yeah, that makes sense. I 750 00:49:16,040 --> 00:49:19,040 Speaker 1: just I got a sound bite from that same website. 751 00:49:19,040 --> 00:49:23,319 Speaker 1: You guys, they use the phrase a surgical scalpel when 752 00:49:23,400 --> 00:49:26,560 Speaker 1: talking about one of their tactical lasers, and then they 753 00:49:26,560 --> 00:49:30,280 Speaker 1: can also argue that's going to reduce collateral damage because 754 00:49:30,280 --> 00:49:34,399 Speaker 1: they can literally laser focus on targets and you know, 755 00:49:34,560 --> 00:49:38,560 Speaker 1: like from a far distance take out one target or 756 00:49:38,760 --> 00:49:42,280 Speaker 1: or one you know, as opposed to broad stroke drone 757 00:49:42,320 --> 00:49:45,719 Speaker 1: attacks that you know, kill lots of people, and even 758 00:49:45,800 --> 00:49:49,799 Speaker 1: drones are are a more focused version of that. You know, 759 00:49:50,000 --> 00:49:52,880 Speaker 1: it's definitely better than like dropping a nuke, you know what. 760 00:49:52,920 --> 00:49:55,400 Speaker 1: Could use one of these laser systems. Ben, what's that 761 00:49:56,000 --> 00:49:59,840 Speaker 1: d X thirty seven b oh god, yeah, yeah, totally, 762 00:50:00,040 --> 00:50:02,399 Speaker 1: you know, get a little like, uh, get a case 763 00:50:02,440 --> 00:50:05,400 Speaker 1: a d M maker on there just in case someone 764 00:50:05,440 --> 00:50:10,839 Speaker 1: someone really out there. Yeah. Uh, maybe they will use 765 00:50:10,920 --> 00:50:14,759 Speaker 1: the Helios system which has been delivered to the U. S. 766 00:50:14,840 --> 00:50:19,080 Speaker 1: Navy sixty kill a lot high energy laser, right, that's 767 00:50:19,080 --> 00:50:26,160 Speaker 1: the that's the solution. Yeah, funny words. Solution though, is 768 00:50:26,200 --> 00:50:28,920 Speaker 1: weird because it makes me think of the final solution, 769 00:50:29,200 --> 00:50:33,160 Speaker 1: you know. Uh. The Air Force also got something from Lockheed, 770 00:50:33,280 --> 00:50:38,440 Speaker 1: the Lance Laser Advancements for Next Generation Compact Environments Smallest 771 00:50:38,480 --> 00:50:43,279 Speaker 1: Airborne Laser Weapons System publicly admitted today that that was 772 00:50:43,320 --> 00:50:48,759 Speaker 1: as of September nine this year. Wow, oh here here's 773 00:50:48,760 --> 00:50:50,839 Speaker 1: the other thing. We're gonna learn the driver and maybe 774 00:50:50,880 --> 00:50:53,799 Speaker 1: you can just write to us conspiracy at I heeart 775 00:50:53,880 --> 00:50:57,440 Speaker 1: radio dot com. We'd love to know what branch of 776 00:50:57,520 --> 00:51:03,279 Speaker 1: military your uncle was in and at what level he 777 00:51:03,360 --> 00:51:07,239 Speaker 1: was operating, right, so, like what's the rank? Like, well, 778 00:51:07,280 --> 00:51:10,480 Speaker 1: what was he doing? Because that might inform how we 779 00:51:10,520 --> 00:51:15,120 Speaker 1: feel about the the story of the film, because maybe 780 00:51:15,120 --> 00:51:20,400 Speaker 1: he was right onto something. M yeah, just so quite possibly. 781 00:51:20,480 --> 00:51:24,160 Speaker 1: And you know, maybe it's unfair logically to say, well, 782 00:51:24,239 --> 00:51:26,200 Speaker 1: the US was getting up to a bunch of bad 783 00:51:26,320 --> 00:51:31,880 Speaker 1: science during that conflict, because war drives mad science. And 784 00:51:31,960 --> 00:51:35,960 Speaker 1: just because it was experimentation of one unorthodox approach doesn't 785 00:51:36,080 --> 00:51:39,040 Speaker 1: necessarily mean that all the stories about the other stuff 786 00:51:39,080 --> 00:51:41,960 Speaker 1: are true. We just have to say that. But also again, 787 00:51:42,400 --> 00:51:48,120 Speaker 1: technological suppression is real. It is real. National Invention Secrecy Act. 788 00:51:48,520 --> 00:51:51,279 Speaker 1: Please please please, you've heard us mentioned it before. Look 789 00:51:51,320 --> 00:51:55,360 Speaker 1: it up right, start asking why there's not more about 790 00:51:55,400 --> 00:51:59,160 Speaker 1: it in the public sphere. And that's I don't know, man. 791 00:51:59,280 --> 00:52:02,640 Speaker 1: Is that where we leave it today? Before we get lasered? 792 00:52:03,200 --> 00:52:05,960 Speaker 1: We drop it right now because I'm you know, I'm 793 00:52:06,000 --> 00:52:08,320 Speaker 1: getting my heat fixed right now, so I'm not feeling 794 00:52:08,360 --> 00:52:11,360 Speaker 1: particularly warm yet, but if I heat up real fast 795 00:52:11,640 --> 00:52:15,600 Speaker 1: all of a sudden, I'll let you all know there 796 00:52:15,840 --> 00:52:18,440 Speaker 1: is and and let us know what you think. Folks. 797 00:52:18,520 --> 00:52:22,040 Speaker 1: As always, thanks for tuning in. We hope this finds you. 798 00:52:22,600 --> 00:52:25,279 Speaker 1: If you're a US resident, we hope this finds you 799 00:52:25,520 --> 00:52:29,480 Speaker 1: amid a wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends and family. If 800 00:52:29,480 --> 00:52:31,560 Speaker 1: you're not in the US, we hope you are having 801 00:52:31,640 --> 00:52:36,760 Speaker 1: an amazing day or evening as well. Most importantly, we'd 802 00:52:36,760 --> 00:52:40,440 Speaker 1: like to invite you over to our house digitally. We 803 00:52:40,560 --> 00:52:43,000 Speaker 1: can't wait to hear stories from you. We try to 804 00:52:43,000 --> 00:52:47,200 Speaker 1: be easy to find online. Send your tails to us 805 00:52:47,440 --> 00:52:53,000 Speaker 1: online at Conspiracy Stuff on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube Conspiracy 806 00:52:53,000 --> 00:52:56,160 Speaker 1: Stuff Show on Instagram. That's right. We also have a 807 00:52:56,160 --> 00:53:00,320 Speaker 1: phone number one eight three three st d w y 808 00:53:00,440 --> 00:53:03,640 Speaker 1: t K. When you call in, you've got three minutes, 809 00:53:03,719 --> 00:53:05,759 Speaker 1: give yourself a nickname. Let us know if we can 810 00:53:05,840 --> 00:53:08,839 Speaker 1: use your voice and message on the air. Those are 811 00:53:08,880 --> 00:53:13,880 Speaker 1: the only rules I think right. Jokes are fun. Personal 812 00:53:13,960 --> 00:53:16,839 Speaker 1: stories like the one the driver just sent in are 813 00:53:16,880 --> 00:53:19,560 Speaker 1: really great. I don't know about you, guys, I very 814 00:53:19,600 --> 00:53:23,759 Speaker 1: much enjoy just talking with you all about those kinds 815 00:53:23,760 --> 00:53:27,080 Speaker 1: of stories and evaluating them in a way. We love 816 00:53:27,160 --> 00:53:29,879 Speaker 1: personal stories like that. Please send them our way. If 817 00:53:29,880 --> 00:53:32,200 Speaker 1: you've got something that can't fit in three minutes in 818 00:53:32,239 --> 00:53:34,880 Speaker 1: that voicemail system, why not instead send us an email. 819 00:53:35,080 --> 00:53:57,280 Speaker 1: We are conspiracy at i heart radio dot com. Stuff 820 00:53:57,320 --> 00:53:59,200 Speaker 1: they don't want you to know is a production of 821 00:53:59,239 --> 00:54:02,240 Speaker 1: I heart raad Dio. 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