WEBVTT - Listener Mail: Stormbringer 0:00:02.960 --> 0:00:05.280 Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of 0:00:05.360 --> 0:00:10.959 My Heart Radio. Hey, welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind. 0:00:11.200 --> 0:00:14.840 Listener mail. My name is Robert Land, and I'm Joe McCormick. 0:00:14.880 --> 0:00:16.919 And hey, you've written into us. Now we're going to 0:00:17.000 --> 0:00:19.279 share back with you. Are you ready to get started, rob, 0:00:19.600 --> 0:00:26.880 Let's jump in. Oh what is this you've got right 0:00:26.920 --> 0:00:29.320 here at the top? Oh? Well, I I threw some 0:00:29.360 --> 0:00:31.440 stuff in here. So a lot of the stuff we 0:00:31.480 --> 0:00:34.280 hear from from our listeners comes in via our email. 0:00:34.320 --> 0:00:38.320 I guess that's still the primary way we communicate. But 0:00:38.440 --> 0:00:42.279 we do have a discord channel, um, which well, it's 0:00:42.360 --> 0:00:44.199 kind of it's kind of hard to get to. I 0:00:44.200 --> 0:00:47.080 think you have had to have been in the Facebook 0:00:47.120 --> 0:00:49.279 group for Stuff to Blow your Mind, and that's where 0:00:49.280 --> 0:00:51.279 the invite for the discord is. I don't know. I 0:00:51.320 --> 0:00:54.360 barely understand how discord works, but I had to. Don't 0:00:54.400 --> 0:00:56.600 think I was even aware of this? Really? Oh I 0:00:56.920 --> 0:00:58.600 thought you were aware. Well, anyway, there is a Stuff 0:00:58.600 --> 0:01:00.639 to Blow your Mind discord channel. I wish I could 0:01:00.640 --> 0:01:03.080 tell you how you can access it. Um, maybe you 0:01:03.080 --> 0:01:05.360 should tell me if you want access to it, right 0:01:05.400 --> 0:01:07.360 in to our email address and I'll send you the 0:01:07.360 --> 0:01:09.920 link or whatever. Uh, But I heard from a couple 0:01:10.000 --> 0:01:14.400 of our listeners there about our episode on the Whispering 0:01:14.480 --> 0:01:18.840 Sword about sentient weapons and mythology and legend, and of 0:01:18.880 --> 0:01:22.280 course we we primarily looked at a few different, uh, 0:01:22.400 --> 0:01:27.440 mythological and folkloric examples, and we alluded to some fictional examples, 0:01:27.440 --> 0:01:28.800 but we didn't really spend a lot of time there, 0:01:28.800 --> 0:01:30.720 and we said, hey, let us know about some of 0:01:30.760 --> 0:01:33.760 your favorite fictional sentient weapons. And so I have a 0:01:33.800 --> 0:01:37.960 couple of good responses here. So matt on Discord shares 0:01:38.000 --> 0:01:40.880 the following quote love the cold open on whispers of 0:01:40.880 --> 0:01:43.480 the Speaking Sword episode, and honestly, the narrative readings and 0:01:43.520 --> 0:01:46.759 skits are always a highlight. Joe's comment on swords being 0:01:47.000 --> 0:01:49.720 entitled to the tribute of cleaning to keep them happy 0:01:50.000 --> 0:01:52.520 and that cleaning a sword is also important for maintaining 0:01:52.560 --> 0:01:54.920 it makes me wonder if irish myth is where the 0:01:54.960 --> 0:01:58.800 concept of the mechanicalsts belief. He's referring to something in 0:01:58.840 --> 0:02:02.680 Warhammer forty thousand and uh in machine spirits and the 0:02:02.800 --> 0:02:05.680 need to placate them was drawn from in the Warhammer 0:02:05.720 --> 0:02:09.280 forty thou universe upkeep of technology has become ritualized to 0:02:09.280 --> 0:02:13.160 the point that a firearms spirit must be placated by 0:02:13.200 --> 0:02:16.799 annoyting it with sacred oils lest it fail in combat, 0:02:17.080 --> 0:02:19.640 with no consideration given to the physical impact that the 0:02:19.639 --> 0:02:22.920 oil has in the weapons operation. The ritual of annointing 0:02:22.960 --> 0:02:26.080 the weapon has the desired effect, just not for the 0:02:26.160 --> 0:02:28.880 reasons they think. You know, it's funny. I can imagine 0:02:28.919 --> 0:02:32.120 things uh happening in the real world in a in 0:02:32.160 --> 0:02:35.800 a fashion like this, though not understanding the real reason 0:02:35.840 --> 0:02:38.640 you're performing maintenance on something and turning it into it 0:02:38.720 --> 0:02:42.720 like a religious ritual would certainly make the practice less adaptable, 0:02:42.840 --> 0:02:45.320 like you wouldn't you know understand as well, like how 0:02:45.360 --> 0:02:47.880 you need to change the practice to respond to changes 0:02:47.880 --> 0:02:51.240 in conditions. Yeah. Yeah, but but I think he may 0:02:51.240 --> 0:02:53.160 be into something here, because yeah, there's a lot in 0:02:53.520 --> 0:02:57.080 in that universe about you know, forgotten technology, technology that 0:02:57.120 --> 0:03:00.000 can no longer be replicated but can only be maintain 0:03:00.000 --> 0:03:02.400 aimed and is maybe the only half understood at best. 0:03:03.440 --> 0:03:07.440 Fletch on Discord Shairs the following that was a great episode, 0:03:07.440 --> 0:03:11.959 but no mention of Stormbringer lric of Melnibone's bloodthirsty demonic 0:03:12.000 --> 0:03:14.639 blade Uh, this is, of course, we're referencing the books 0:03:14.680 --> 0:03:18.640 by Michael Moorecock, um, which I think I've I've actually 0:03:18.639 --> 0:03:21.000 read one of them and I enjoyed it. And then 0:03:21.040 --> 0:03:24.760 Michael Moorecock also wrote the lyrics to Veteran of the 0:03:24.760 --> 0:03:29.480 Psychic Wars by Blue oysterc Cult, among as many other accomplishments. 0:03:29.560 --> 0:03:31.840 I know you've had that on your mind lately. Yeah, 0:03:31.840 --> 0:03:35.360 it's a solid jam um. Fletch continues. Also from the 0:03:35.400 --> 0:03:39.160 Odyssey quote the blade itself incites two deeds of violence 0:03:39.760 --> 0:03:42.960 um was used as the title of Joe Ambercrombie's first 0:03:42.960 --> 0:03:46.240 excellent fantasy novel, or an even better translation of the 0:03:46.280 --> 0:03:49.280 same phrase for iron by itself can draw a man 0:03:49.320 --> 0:03:52.640 to use It seems super relevant when Robert and Joe 0:03:52.640 --> 0:03:55.080 were talking about how tools can encourage you to see 0:03:55.120 --> 0:03:58.280 every problem in terms of their use. Oh yeah, of course. 0:03:58.280 --> 0:04:00.200 And you can realize this in a million different ways. 0:04:00.240 --> 0:04:02.200 I mean, I think, for example, if I'm remembering this right, 0:04:02.240 --> 0:04:04.720 I think Emmanuel Kand wrote about the idea that a 0:04:05.800 --> 0:04:08.960 a country that has a standing army will always be 0:04:09.200 --> 0:04:12.480 tempted to find uses for the army in the same 0:04:12.520 --> 0:04:14.680 way that a person who's holding a weapon will be 0:04:14.720 --> 0:04:17.360 more tempted to think of ways that a weapon should 0:04:17.360 --> 0:04:19.760 be used in a scenario where, you know, if they 0:04:19.760 --> 0:04:21.960 didn't have the weapon on their person, they might not 0:04:22.120 --> 0:04:26.360 think that it was so important to to to choose violence. Now, 0:04:26.360 --> 0:04:30.679 speaking of British sci fi and warfare science fiction, Fletch 0:04:30.760 --> 0:04:33.680 also shares, Oh, another one just sprang to mind. I'm 0:04:33.720 --> 0:04:36.239 not sure if it's a bit obscure, but Rogue Trooper, 0:04:36.320 --> 0:04:39.039 the genetically engineered super soldier from those two thousand a 0:04:39.120 --> 0:04:42.400 D comic strip had a rifle, helmet and backpack that 0:04:42.560 --> 0:04:45.520 had the personality chips of three of his dead comrades, 0:04:45.880 --> 0:04:49.920 Gunner Helm and Bagman or Bagman uh that would talk 0:04:49.960 --> 0:04:53.680 to him and could operate equipment by themselves. Interesting. Okay, 0:04:53.880 --> 0:04:56.279 I'm not familiar with this comic. I'm familiar with it, 0:04:56.279 --> 0:04:58.039 but I've never read it. I've when it comes to 0:04:58.040 --> 0:04:59.680 two thousand a D. I've read a lot of Judge 0:04:59.760 --> 0:05:03.840 Dress and um, I don't think i've read any Roade Trooper. Oh, 0:05:03.880 --> 0:05:08.080 that's okay. Judge Drey is two thousand yeah, okay, but 0:05:08.279 --> 0:05:10.840 there are several like he's probably the most well known. Yeah, 0:05:10.880 --> 0:05:13.280 he's definitely the most well known two thousand character and 0:05:13.560 --> 0:05:15.880 win world. But but there are various other settings and 0:05:15.960 --> 0:05:19.599 worlds that are popular underberneath that umbrella as well. I 0:05:19.680 --> 0:05:28.240 hear he is the law, Yes, yes, all right, So 0:05:28.360 --> 0:05:31.720 we've been getting tons of emails in response to queueing. 0:05:31.839 --> 0:05:33.320 This has got to be one of our one of 0:05:33.320 --> 0:05:37.400 our highest mail bag ratio episodes of all Definitely we've 0:05:37.400 --> 0:05:40.279 gotten the same way that probably still the most we 0:05:40.320 --> 0:05:43.120 ever got, I would guess was the one about school dreams. 0:05:44.320 --> 0:05:47.400 Those still trickle in. Yeah, yeah, those all the time. 0:05:47.520 --> 0:05:49.359 We've got so many of those, we couldn't even scratch 0:05:49.440 --> 0:05:51.239 the surface. But we've also got a lot about queuing, 0:05:51.279 --> 0:05:53.160 so we'll try to catch up reading some of these. 0:05:53.160 --> 0:05:55.840 Sorry if you were one of the many emailers on queuing, 0:05:55.880 --> 0:05:57.720 and sorry we we can't even come close to reading 0:05:57.720 --> 0:05:59.360 all of these, but I grabbed a few here and 0:05:59.600 --> 0:06:02.599 and I guess will dip in. So uh. This first 0:06:02.640 --> 0:06:06.640 message comes to us from Max. Max says Hi, Robert, 0:06:06.720 --> 0:06:10.440 Joe Seth and Carney. Longtime listener here from Sydney, Australia. 0:06:10.560 --> 0:06:12.719 I was talking about your episodes on queueing with my 0:06:12.800 --> 0:06:17.239 partner who lives in Singapore and has always said, Singaporeans 0:06:17.440 --> 0:06:20.400 love to cueue, and she reminded me of a cultural 0:06:20.480 --> 0:06:23.880 queuing experience that took me by surprise a few years 0:06:23.880 --> 0:06:27.159 ago Wilston, Singapore. She brought me to a reputable Michelin 0:06:27.279 --> 0:06:30.960 Star restaurant to eat chicken rice. Waiting for food was 0:06:31.000 --> 0:06:33.560 handled in an orderly manner by means of a ticketed 0:06:33.640 --> 0:06:38.160 queuing system. However, finding a table in the dedicated dining 0:06:38.200 --> 0:06:44.120 area required self governance. This manifested as unseated patrons analyzing 0:06:44.160 --> 0:06:47.440 people who were already seated to determine who would finish 0:06:47.520 --> 0:06:50.760 eating the fastest e g. Do they have a child, 0:06:51.120 --> 0:06:53.839 are they talking a lot? How full are their plates? 0:06:53.960 --> 0:06:56.480 Et cetera. A sweet spot in the room could then 0:06:56.520 --> 0:06:59.480 be selected for standing and waiting in until a nearby 0:06:59.520 --> 0:07:02.880 customer finished their meal and yielded their table. I must 0:07:02.920 --> 0:07:06.000 emphasize the nearby in this statement, as there were many 0:07:06.080 --> 0:07:09.320 other people doing the same thing in different areas. My 0:07:09.440 --> 0:07:11.920 partner assured me that this was common practice, yet I 0:07:11.960 --> 0:07:15.200 still felt uncomfortable with both waiting purposefully in order to 0:07:15.280 --> 0:07:18.360 encourage people to eat faster, and then later with the 0:07:18.400 --> 0:07:21.960 experience of others waiting for us queues for food court 0:07:21.960 --> 0:07:24.200 seating in general are a little bit lawless at the 0:07:24.200 --> 0:07:27.239 best of times. However, this was not a public food court. 0:07:27.720 --> 0:07:29.680 Thanks for your episodes over the years, and also for 0:07:29.760 --> 0:07:33.240 recommendations such as Blind Site and the Rifters series. Looking 0:07:33.280 --> 0:07:36.840 forward to that future Star Trek episode, Max, Yeah, we 0:07:36.880 --> 0:07:39.720 do need to do something Star Trek related eventually. I 0:07:39.760 --> 0:07:42.120 was just thinking about that the other day. Uh. Yeah, 0:07:42.400 --> 0:07:44.760 this is really interesting because of course you're talking about 0:07:44.800 --> 0:07:47.920 like pairing the different kinds of waiting experience is one 0:07:47.960 --> 0:07:50.680 that is like just opportunistic and self governed, and the 0:07:50.680 --> 0:07:53.760 other that's an orderly, first come, first serve q uh. 0:07:53.800 --> 0:07:55.960 And it's funny that the first come, first serve q 0:07:56.200 --> 0:07:58.200 is the first half of the experience. But then you 0:07:58.240 --> 0:08:00.600 have to find a place to sit. I've into places. 0:08:00.640 --> 0:08:02.560 In fact, there's even like a food court type place 0:08:02.600 --> 0:08:04.840 here in Atlanta that I've been several times that it 0:08:05.480 --> 0:08:07.480 is much like this. You know, you you wait in 0:08:07.520 --> 0:08:09.000 line to get your food, but then you've got to 0:08:09.040 --> 0:08:11.600 find a table, and that's actually the really stressful part 0:08:12.080 --> 0:08:14.080 um But because at that point you've got your food 0:08:14.880 --> 0:08:17.360 like on a tray in many cases, and then where, 0:08:17.360 --> 0:08:19.160 like where are you gonna go like that's the worst. 0:08:19.160 --> 0:08:21.640 It's like, oh man, uh, I'm not gonna have to 0:08:21.800 --> 0:08:26.120 like squat and gobble this this uh this this meal somewhere. Yeah, totally. 0:08:26.200 --> 0:08:28.280 And and then the other interesting thing about it was 0:08:28.680 --> 0:08:32.720 how it changes your mentality about queuing and ordering access 0:08:32.840 --> 0:08:36.280 when what you're trying to get access to is not 0:08:36.480 --> 0:08:39.560 like a good or service that you, you know, get 0:08:39.600 --> 0:08:42.120 done and then you can leave, but an experience, like 0:08:42.160 --> 0:08:43.959 if you're, you know, sitting down to have a meal, 0:08:44.120 --> 0:08:46.640 is you're you're paying to have a nice experience that 0:08:46.760 --> 0:08:50.480 is going to be pleasant. And obviously if that experience 0:08:50.600 --> 0:08:52.920 is tempered by the fact that you're aware of people 0:08:52.920 --> 0:08:55.920 are like looming over your shoulder hurrying you to get up, 0:08:56.400 --> 0:08:59.640 that doesn't think that I don't know, but it sounds like, 0:08:59.640 --> 0:09:01.200 you know, for people who are used to it, and 0:09:01.280 --> 0:09:04.160 this is a common way of ordering restaurants, uh uh, 0:09:04.360 --> 0:09:05.680 you know, if you're used to it, I guess it 0:09:05.679 --> 0:09:08.040 just doesn't bother you. I guess it's like and this 0:09:08.160 --> 0:09:10.920 I'm very much talking pre pandemic times here. It's it's 0:09:10.960 --> 0:09:12.800 like if you travel to somewhere like New York City 0:09:12.920 --> 0:09:15.200 and you realize, oh, if I go to eat at 0:09:15.160 --> 0:09:18.200 a restaurant, I'm going to be exceedingly close to everybody 0:09:18.200 --> 0:09:21.360 else in that restaurant, because that's just how dining spaces 0:09:21.400 --> 0:09:24.000 tend to work. In a city like this, like that 0:09:24.040 --> 0:09:26.400 can be shocking, Uh, if you're coming from a place 0:09:26.440 --> 0:09:28.920 where you tend to have like, uh, you know, more 0:09:28.960 --> 0:09:32.440 of a you know, spacious dining experience. But if you 0:09:32.640 --> 0:09:35.040 if you've experienced enough, if you've been in New York 0:09:35.040 --> 0:09:37.880 City long enough, then you would grow accustomed to that 0:09:37.960 --> 0:09:40.040 sort of environment, and it just makes sense that you're 0:09:40.040 --> 0:09:48.160 this close to other people. Yeah, Rob, I wondered if 0:09:48.160 --> 0:09:50.080 you might want to read this one from Matt because 0:09:50.080 --> 0:09:52.160 I wonder if you've had a similar experience to what 0:09:52.200 --> 0:09:56.120 Matt describes here with with air travel. Okay, uh yeah, 0:09:56.200 --> 0:09:58.600 Matt rides Hello, Robert and Joe. I love the show 0:09:58.600 --> 0:10:00.800 and really enjoy the deep ways you've think about topics. 0:10:00.840 --> 0:10:03.920 I have three thoughts about waiting in line. Firstly, at 0:10:03.920 --> 0:10:06.720 the airport gate, when they call my section to board 0:10:06.760 --> 0:10:08.920 a plane, a hundred or so people jump to their 0:10:08.960 --> 0:10:11.400 feet to make a long line, while I prefer to 0:10:11.440 --> 0:10:14.240 stay in my seat as long as possible. Being six 0:10:14.280 --> 0:10:16.840 too tall, I don't see the point of rushing to 0:10:16.960 --> 0:10:19.440 leave my chair with plenty of leg room to squeeze 0:10:19.440 --> 0:10:21.800 into the tiny and cramped coach seat on the plane, 0:10:22.240 --> 0:10:25.000 let alone stand in line a line that doesn't help 0:10:25.040 --> 0:10:27.240 me in any way to gain a better position on 0:10:27.280 --> 0:10:30.880 the plane. Secondly, I would like to point out the 0:10:31.000 --> 0:10:33.760 disappointing feeling that occurs when you join a line and 0:10:33.800 --> 0:10:37.160 nobody else joins the line for a long time or never. 0:10:37.760 --> 0:10:40.080 It makes the time spending the line feel like so 0:10:40.160 --> 0:10:42.320 much more of a waste when I could have done 0:10:42.360 --> 0:10:45.040 something else productive for all that time and not missed 0:10:45.080 --> 0:10:47.600 out on my place in line. And Lastly, when I 0:10:47.640 --> 0:10:50.480 was in elementary school in Australian in the nineties, kids 0:10:50.480 --> 0:10:55.240 would frequently ask for backage, being asked can I have backage? 0:10:55.480 --> 0:10:57.520 And it meant may I get in line behind you? 0:10:57.960 --> 0:11:01.720 The person would usually grant the backage if they liked you, 0:11:02.000 --> 0:11:04.600 and hence you'd only ask for backage from a friend 0:11:04.960 --> 0:11:09.040 because it was an unofficial law amongst the kids. Although 0:11:09.080 --> 0:11:11.640 the kids trailing in line were unhappy about it, they 0:11:11.640 --> 0:11:14.480 would never complain about the injustice. Thanks for all the 0:11:14.559 --> 0:11:17.240 learning I get, Matt Rob. I could be mistaken, but 0:11:17.280 --> 0:11:19.920 I feel like what Matt describes about the airport experience 0:11:20.160 --> 0:11:22.720 sounds like a rant you've given me before. Am I 0:11:22.720 --> 0:11:25.720 wrong about that? I don't know. Possibly. I mean airports 0:11:25.800 --> 0:11:28.839 make people rant, and I'm no exception to that rule. Um, 0:11:29.000 --> 0:11:33.040 I would say the only exception that I have to 0:11:33.040 --> 0:11:35.920 to Matt's statement here is that, yes, of all things 0:11:36.000 --> 0:11:38.880 were equal, I would prefer not to wait in line 0:11:39.160 --> 0:11:41.520 to then go get on a plane and be cramped 0:11:41.520 --> 0:11:46.600 in a seat. However, more often than not, part of 0:11:46.760 --> 0:11:48.960 wanting to get on the plane first is not so 0:11:49.080 --> 0:11:52.600 much about getting your seat, which is generally on most 0:11:52.600 --> 0:11:54.440 flights anyway. I mean, I think there's some airlines where 0:11:54.440 --> 0:11:56.080 it is kind of first come, first served, but for 0:11:56.080 --> 0:11:58.120 the most part, yeah, your seat is guaranteed, but not 0:11:58.200 --> 0:12:02.800 necessarily space for your bag in the overhead compartment. So boy, 0:12:02.840 --> 0:12:04.840 that is that is what makes ends up making me 0:12:04.960 --> 0:12:07.520 nervous because I'm like, oh, all these people are already 0:12:07.520 --> 0:12:08.880 on the plane, am I going to have a space 0:12:09.200 --> 0:12:11.599 to put this? Or in any cases, you get the 0:12:11.640 --> 0:12:13.640 chance to like go ahead and check your carry on, 0:12:13.720 --> 0:12:16.959 and sometimes I do that just to avoid that particular headache. 0:12:17.000 --> 0:12:20.280 So if you've ever had a checked bag lost. Then 0:12:20.440 --> 0:12:23.880 that probably makes you a lot more hesitant to uh, 0:12:24.480 --> 0:12:26.760 just like hand over your bag at the gate. It's 0:12:26.800 --> 0:12:29.679 not fun. But I don't know. I mean, I think 0:12:29.679 --> 0:12:31.560 I've been fortunately, I don't think I've had a bag 0:12:31.640 --> 0:12:35.040 ever lost like that. But I still I guess some 0:12:35.080 --> 0:12:38.360 of these unknowns right that ultimately make one nervous, like, Okay, 0:12:38.400 --> 0:12:40.360 there's gonna be a line, how's it gonna work? What 0:12:40.520 --> 0:12:42.199 section am I in? And then is there gonna be 0:12:42.240 --> 0:12:43.400 a room for my bag? And I need to pre 0:12:43.520 --> 0:12:46.120 check the bag? Now it's I'm you know, I'm just 0:12:46.200 --> 0:12:47.959 kind of all over the place mentally. At that point, 0:12:48.160 --> 0:12:49.959 I wondered if you were going to do an Australian 0:12:50.000 --> 0:12:57.760 accent for the Australian elementary schoolers think apologize for that. 0:12:58.000 --> 0:13:00.560 I don't. I don't think by Australia an accent was 0:13:00.559 --> 0:13:03.560 ever very good at it kind of falters and becomes 0:13:03.600 --> 0:13:12.559 a bad Irish accent later on. Alright, this next message 0:13:12.559 --> 0:13:15.480 comes from somebody who just identified themselves as the letter A. 0:13:15.760 --> 0:13:19.640 So uh that is just fine, A, says dear Robert 0:13:19.679 --> 0:13:22.680 and Joe. So many things to write about Q theory. 0:13:22.840 --> 0:13:26.320 I consider myself a good natured pedant with an appreciation 0:13:26.400 --> 0:13:30.160 for the categorical imperative. For decades, I have gleefully and 0:13:30.280 --> 0:13:34.640 cautiously zoomed past dutiful fellow Midwesterners who start lining up 0:13:34.679 --> 0:13:37.760 single file at the first notice of a lane closure. 0:13:38.200 --> 0:13:41.480 My conscience is clear, as I'm mentally broadcast. Actually, it 0:13:41.640 --> 0:13:44.160 is better for everybody to use all the available lane 0:13:44.200 --> 0:13:47.520 capacity upon merging at a late enough entry point to 0:13:47.559 --> 0:13:49.680 get a little bit of a thrill. I will gladly 0:13:49.760 --> 0:13:52.600 let somebody else in front of me, and at times 0:13:52.600 --> 0:13:55.520 when I'm caught waiting through the long backup, I'll still 0:13:55.600 --> 0:13:57.920 happily let in someone who is on their game and 0:13:57.960 --> 0:14:00.280 gets in at the last minute, saluting them for their 0:14:00.320 --> 0:14:03.280 good use of the road. I related something like this 0:14:03.320 --> 0:14:05.400 to my boss on the way to a job site, 0:14:05.640 --> 0:14:07.800 and he said that people who wait until the last 0:14:07.800 --> 0:14:10.120 minute to merge should be taken out of their cars 0:14:10.160 --> 0:14:14.040 and publicly executed. Fortunately, he's hard of hearing, so he 0:14:14.160 --> 0:14:16.800 just assumed I was complaining about those who use all 0:14:16.840 --> 0:14:19.840 of the road that the public has given. He's quite reasonable, 0:14:19.880 --> 0:14:22.320 and normally we would be up for a loud discussion 0:14:22.360 --> 0:14:24.760 about a traffic study, but I let the matter rest 0:14:25.360 --> 0:14:28.160 This reminds me of the thing about I think the 0:14:28.200 --> 0:14:30.800 conclusion I came to about the late merging thing is 0:14:30.840 --> 0:14:34.000 that obviously, yes, it is clearly logical that that everybody 0:14:34.040 --> 0:14:36.400 should use all the lanes and do the late merging thing. 0:14:36.440 --> 0:14:40.200 But the problem is not everybody knows this, and until 0:14:40.440 --> 0:14:43.560 it is widely known and everybody gets it, you still 0:14:43.600 --> 0:14:46.720 maybe like have disincentives from doing it just because like 0:14:47.040 --> 0:14:50.280 people freak out, yeah, or it's just not the cultural norm. 0:14:50.320 --> 0:14:53.119 It's kind of like, um, it's like like eating bananas. 0:14:53.520 --> 0:14:55.800 So if you were hanging out with some with some people, 0:14:55.880 --> 0:14:58.080 or you just in an environment where hey, everybody has 0:14:58.080 --> 0:15:00.440 a banana. Now everybody gets to eat a banana. Are 0:15:00.480 --> 0:15:02.680 you going to open your banana the human way? Or 0:15:02.760 --> 0:15:04.520 you're going to open it the way that I believe 0:15:04.720 --> 0:15:08.280 primates have been observed to open it other non human primates, uh, 0:15:08.320 --> 0:15:11.400 from the bottom of the banana. Which I've heard the argument, 0:15:11.440 --> 0:15:12.720 and I don't know if this is actually the case, 0:15:12.720 --> 0:15:14.800 but I've heard the argument being made that this is 0:15:14.840 --> 0:15:17.920 the better way to open the banana. But if everyone 0:15:17.960 --> 0:15:20.560 else is doing it the other way, you're gonna feel 0:15:20.640 --> 0:15:24.960 social pressure to uh to to follow their suit right. Well, yeah, 0:15:25.000 --> 0:15:28.160 but also I mean there is a there is more 0:15:28.160 --> 0:15:30.960 of an illusion of a competition for resources in the 0:15:30.960 --> 0:15:34.480 traffic situation. Whereas a few people would want to shoot 0:15:34.520 --> 0:15:36.640 you in the face for the way you open a banana, 0:15:36.800 --> 0:15:39.600 people actually would say they want to do that about traffic. 0:15:39.680 --> 0:15:42.800 But of course, please nobody never engage in violence over 0:15:42.880 --> 0:15:45.480 even if somebody is actually genuinely very rude in traffic, 0:15:45.520 --> 0:15:48.240 Come on, it's not worth it and let people eat 0:15:48.240 --> 0:15:49.920 bananas how they want to eat bananas. Don't be a 0:15:50.000 --> 0:15:52.160 jerk about that either. I'm just gonna put that out there, 0:15:52.520 --> 0:15:55.160 So A goes on. I believe Q theory has some 0:15:55.240 --> 0:15:58.760 interesting applications in other dynamic road settings. When I'm on 0:15:58.920 --> 0:16:01.320 foot and need to cross street, I would much rather 0:16:01.400 --> 0:16:05.360 a multi ton vehicle keep its momentum rather than stop 0:16:05.520 --> 0:16:09.080 for me to cross and have to accelerate again. Um, 0:16:09.160 --> 0:16:15.080 that is really admirable global energy conservation thinking. A my 0:16:15.160 --> 0:16:18.440 hat is off to you, uh goes on, particularly when 0:16:18.480 --> 0:16:20.840 there are no other cars and everyone would be on 0:16:20.880 --> 0:16:23.320 their way more quickly if I only had to wait 0:16:23.320 --> 0:16:25.840 for them to cruise past my crossing point rather than 0:16:25.880 --> 0:16:28.040 waiting for them to come to a full stop before 0:16:28.080 --> 0:16:31.000 I cross in front of their deadly vehicle. I would 0:16:31.040 --> 0:16:34.080 consider this to be a good example of a parado improvement. 0:16:34.440 --> 0:16:38.080 I will typically conceal my intention to cross in order 0:16:38.080 --> 0:16:41.480 to facilitate this. Also, I'd much rather wait for a 0:16:41.520 --> 0:16:43.760 slug of traffic to clear the road than to make 0:16:43.840 --> 0:16:46.680 multiple cars stop just for me and mess up the flow. 0:16:47.160 --> 0:16:49.800 Where I live, people seem to fall all over themselves 0:16:49.800 --> 0:16:52.960 to stop their car for pedestrians waiting to cross. I 0:16:53.000 --> 0:16:55.479 believe this is the law, and there are obvious situations 0:16:55.480 --> 0:16:57.440 where it is the right thing to do, but it's 0:16:57.440 --> 0:17:00.400 clear that the system is flawed. Oh. I've certainly been 0:17:00.400 --> 0:17:04.280 in situations where clearly the pedestrian has the right away 0:17:04.280 --> 0:17:08.159 and there is a crosswalk, but traffic is terrifying, and 0:17:08.200 --> 0:17:10.679 therefore I might wait for, yeah, for there to be 0:17:10.720 --> 0:17:13.560 like a slight clearance, Like I'm not gonna be the 0:17:13.600 --> 0:17:15.360 one to like. I mean, my right of way only 0:17:15.359 --> 0:17:17.800 goes so far if a car actually hits me. Um, 0:17:17.920 --> 0:17:20.840 And sometimes I'll wait and for another person to want 0:17:20.840 --> 0:17:23.800 to cross as well, and we realize that their strength 0:17:23.800 --> 0:17:26.840 in numbers, surely they won't run over two or three 0:17:26.880 --> 0:17:29.600 of us. Or do you ever wait for a cyclist who, 0:17:29.880 --> 0:17:32.120 at least in my experience, for some reason, just seem 0:17:32.200 --> 0:17:34.080 to be more fearless. Maybe the fact that people on 0:17:34.119 --> 0:17:37.879 bicycles are just so constantly threatened and menaced by people 0:17:37.880 --> 0:17:41.960 in cars that like they become immune to it. Uh. Yeah, 0:17:42.160 --> 0:17:46.000 I always try and be very careful around uh bicyclists. 0:17:46.000 --> 0:17:47.600 You know that they say share the road, but I 0:17:48.080 --> 0:17:50.520 feel like yield the road is a little a little 0:17:50.560 --> 0:17:54.320 more accurate. Um, And I'm fine with it. I would 0:17:54.400 --> 0:17:57.320 rather I would. Yeah. I mean it's difficult because a 0:17:57.320 --> 0:17:59.760 lot of roads in modern cities and places are just 0:17:59.800 --> 0:18:02.080 not designed with cyclists in mind. I mean it's quae 0:18:02.119 --> 0:18:04.320 if they are like bike lanes or protected bike lanes 0:18:04.400 --> 0:18:06.439 or whatever. A lot of roads just like this is 0:18:06.480 --> 0:18:11.040 clearly this was not built to accommodate bicycles. Yeah, and 0:18:11.160 --> 0:18:13.199 um yeah, I mean I have friends who have have 0:18:13.280 --> 0:18:17.320 been in some some rough um scrape ups between their 0:18:17.400 --> 0:18:20.120 their bicycles and other cars. So I mean I always 0:18:20.240 --> 0:18:24.000 always be careful around bicyclists. A goes on. While I 0:18:24.080 --> 0:18:26.600 was visiting South Korea a while back. It was the 0:18:26.680 --> 0:18:29.800 norm for drivers to blow through red lights when no 0:18:29.880 --> 0:18:33.080 other vehicles were in sight quite rightly, in my opinion, 0:18:33.440 --> 0:18:36.679 it makes sense to reject the one vehicle queue. Also, 0:18:36.760 --> 0:18:39.720 they definitely didn't treat pedestrians waiting to cross with the 0:18:39.760 --> 0:18:42.840 same indulgence they get over here. I'm no expert, but 0:18:42.880 --> 0:18:46.119 it seems like widespread modern traffic is maybe more recent 0:18:46.240 --> 0:18:48.960 and even a developed country like South Korea, and that 0:18:49.080 --> 0:18:52.600 perhaps a country's general approach to traffic queuing situations will 0:18:52.680 --> 0:18:57.199 change as more generations go by widespread automobile use. I 0:18:57.240 --> 0:18:59.520 believe this was the case in the US as cars 0:18:59.560 --> 0:19:02.880 became more common, although that is obviously a bit different. 0:19:03.280 --> 0:19:05.439 Why do we wait at red lights at three am 0:19:05.480 --> 0:19:07.600 when no one else is on the road. When did 0:19:07.600 --> 0:19:10.159 we start doing this? Is this from our culture or 0:19:10.200 --> 0:19:13.439 because vehicular travel has reached a level of maturity or 0:19:13.520 --> 0:19:16.600 more abundity in our society. It seems counter to the 0:19:16.640 --> 0:19:20.800 American ideal of individualism. I mean, I guess in my 0:19:21.400 --> 0:19:24.080 perspective on that it would depend on you would want 0:19:24.080 --> 0:19:26.520 to be really sure that you were actually able to 0:19:26.600 --> 0:19:29.320 see clearly in every direction and make sure that you 0:19:29.600 --> 0:19:32.080 weren't mistaken about the fact that somebody wasn't coming. Though 0:19:32.080 --> 0:19:34.920 I guess that's also true of just to stop sign Yeah, 0:19:34.920 --> 0:19:37.080 our our turn signals, you know. I mean, that's always 0:19:37.080 --> 0:19:40.720 a situation where the turn signal lets people know what 0:19:40.800 --> 0:19:44.240 you're going to do, including people that you might not see, 0:19:44.320 --> 0:19:47.080 someone who might be in your blind spot, etcetera. Finally, 0:19:47.160 --> 0:19:50.639 a truly egregious cue violation is when a car intending 0:19:50.680 --> 0:19:53.560 to travel straight through an intersection stops in order to 0:19:53.640 --> 0:19:57.080 yield to a vehicle queued up to turn left, waving 0:19:57.119 --> 0:19:59.560 them through the intersection and into the path of other 0:19:59.600 --> 0:20:02.560 cars that are still following the natural queuing order and 0:20:02.640 --> 0:20:05.720 may not be able to react to this apostasy. This 0:20:05.800 --> 0:20:08.919 mock politeness is nothing more than a thoughtless, self serving 0:20:08.960 --> 0:20:12.159 grab for warm feelings and can be deadly. However, I 0:20:12.200 --> 0:20:15.440 do not believe it warrants public execution. Love the show 0:20:15.680 --> 0:20:18.320