WEBVTT - Listener Mail: Back to the Garden 0:00:02.960 --> 0:00:05.360 Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind production of My 0:00:05.480 --> 0:00:10.320 Heart Radio. Hey are you welcome to Stuff to Blow 0:00:10.360 --> 0:00:12.960 Your Mind? Listener mail. This is Robert Lamb and this 0:00:13.000 --> 0:00:15.520 is Joe McCormick. And it's Monday, the day of each 0:00:15.520 --> 0:00:17.599 week that we read back some messages you have sent 0:00:17.680 --> 0:00:21.919 into the show account, which is contact at stuff to 0:00:21.960 --> 0:00:23.960 Blow Your Mind dot com. If you ever want to 0:00:23.960 --> 0:00:26.680 get in touch, if you want to suggest a topic 0:00:26.720 --> 0:00:29.560 for a future show, to give feedback on an episode 0:00:29.560 --> 0:00:32.239 we've already released, or even just to say hello, or 0:00:32.280 --> 0:00:35.040 to share something interesting you learned. It's all fair game, 0:00:35.320 --> 0:00:42.440 absolutely all right. I think I'm going to kick us 0:00:42.440 --> 0:00:46.760 off here with this message about our episodes on asymmetry 0:00:46.800 --> 0:00:50.400 from Nathan. I think we have two different messages from 0:00:50.440 --> 0:00:53.319 somebody named Nathan today, but I think they're different. Nathan's so, 0:00:53.560 --> 0:00:57.400 Nathan number one says, Dear Joe and Robert, your recent 0:00:57.440 --> 0:01:01.520 podcast about asymmetry in nature minded me of an observation 0:01:01.600 --> 0:01:05.240 I made about the distribution of stems and leaves that 0:01:05.319 --> 0:01:08.640 branch out of a main stem in a plant. It's 0:01:08.640 --> 0:01:11.560 well known that this branching follows an angle of the 0:01:11.600 --> 0:01:15.640 golden ratio times three hundred and sixty degrees in many plants, 0:01:15.680 --> 0:01:20.039 which results in, for example, Fibonacci numbers appearing in pine 0:01:20.080 --> 0:01:24.039 cone and sunflower spirals. The golden branching angle is very 0:01:24.040 --> 0:01:27.399 easy to spot in small shrubs, and in observing these, 0:01:27.440 --> 0:01:30.760 I found that the direction the golden branching angle turns 0:01:30.800 --> 0:01:34.319 as the stem grows can be either clockwise or counterclockwise, 0:01:34.760 --> 0:01:38.360 but which direction the stem chooses cannot be predicted. I 0:01:38.400 --> 0:01:41.960 first found different branching angle directions among different plants of 0:01:42.000 --> 0:01:45.160 the same species, then noticed that both directions appear even 0:01:45.200 --> 0:01:49.200 on different branches of the same plants. There is nothing 0:01:49.240 --> 0:01:52.080 I've observed about the plants to tell me why the 0:01:52.120 --> 0:01:55.840 golden branching angle would occur either clockwise or counterclockwise. But 0:01:55.880 --> 0:01:59.160 there must be some molecular mechanism choosing for this, and 0:01:59.200 --> 0:02:02.080 I'm fascinated it by what it could be. I thought 0:02:02.120 --> 0:02:04.240 you might find that interesting. Thanks for all the work 0:02:04.280 --> 0:02:06.240 you put into the episodes. I know I'm always in 0:02:06.280 --> 0:02:08.720 for a full meal of knowledge when listening to YouTube 0:02:08.760 --> 0:02:13.480 regards Nathan. Thanks Nathan, Yeah, that's interesting to wonder about, 0:02:13.520 --> 0:02:16.560 and it ties into what we discussed, and I believe 0:02:16.600 --> 0:02:19.519 the last episode of the series on asymmetry, about how 0:02:19.560 --> 0:02:24.720 the about how the handedness of a bilaterally symmetrical body 0:02:24.840 --> 0:02:27.520 or the you know, the pattern of symmetry breaking would 0:02:27.520 --> 0:02:30.640 say the internal organs and a human body might have 0:02:30.720 --> 0:02:35.160 something to do with like the way the cilia, the 0:02:35.200 --> 0:02:39.200 little filament like hairs reaching out from the cell membrane 0:02:39.240 --> 0:02:42.440 on a developing embryo work. Uh. And it's kind of 0:02:42.480 --> 0:02:46.799 hard to imagine it, like that tiny, tiny mechanism on 0:02:46.840 --> 0:02:50.280 the outside of a cell making a difference, but apparently 0:02:50.320 --> 0:02:59.840 it does. Very interesting, very interesting. All right, here's another listener. 0:03:00.000 --> 0:03:03.440 All This one comes to us from Chris. Chris says, Hello, Robert, 0:03:03.520 --> 0:03:07.400 Joe and Seth. On your recent episode of The Skybridge 0:03:07.480 --> 0:03:10.560 Part two, you were discussing how urban planning and design 0:03:10.639 --> 0:03:14.160 of high rise living can impact social connections and overall 0:03:14.240 --> 0:03:17.959 health outcomes of the population. There was some discussion about 0:03:18.160 --> 0:03:22.000 future design for our increasing urban density and the need 0:03:22.080 --> 0:03:26.440 for green space or more connection with the natural world. 0:03:27.000 --> 0:03:30.360 This brought to mind the futuristic city imagined in the 0:03:30.400 --> 0:03:34.200 world of susin Lose three Body Problem. It's been a 0:03:34.200 --> 0:03:36.240 while since I've read the series, but I believe it 0:03:36.320 --> 0:03:38.640 is first described in the second book the Dark Forest, 0:03:38.960 --> 0:03:42.720 additionally featured in the final book, Death's End. In the books, 0:03:42.760 --> 0:03:46.320 eventually all of humanity is driven underground due to catastrophic events. 0:03:46.760 --> 0:03:49.640 Then eventually they enter kind of an enlightened age and 0:03:49.680 --> 0:03:53.520 build beautiful underground cities where all the high rises resemble 0:03:53.600 --> 0:03:56.760 large trees with trunks as the central columns, and then 0:03:56.800 --> 0:03:59.840 branches with leaves hanging off. Each of the leaves is 0:04:00.000 --> 0:04:03.480 in a living space for individuals and families. The books 0:04:03.520 --> 0:04:05.680 do a much better job describing the setting than I do, 0:04:05.880 --> 0:04:08.040 but when I was reading them, in my mind, I 0:04:08.080 --> 0:04:11.280 couldn't help but picture a densely packed urban space that 0:04:11.360 --> 0:04:14.040 didn't feel closed in. I think that a space like 0:04:14.080 --> 0:04:17.120 that would be amazing for future cities with plenty of 0:04:17.240 --> 0:04:20.159 room on the quote unquote forest floor so to speak, 0:04:20.200 --> 0:04:24.400 for commerce, parks, sporting facilities, bike lanes, etcetera. Thanks again 0:04:24.600 --> 0:04:28.400 for the interesting pair of episodes. Chris from Chicago. PS 0:04:28.600 --> 0:04:31.560 have tickets for the Boat Architecture Tour in a few weeks. 0:04:31.800 --> 0:04:34.560 I'll be on the lookout for the Wrigley Building. All right, 0:04:34.600 --> 0:04:36.120 Well that sounds great. Yeah you won't. You won't be 0:04:36.120 --> 0:04:39.320 able to miss it, that's for sure. Oh. Thanks Chris. Yeah, yeah, 0:04:39.360 --> 0:04:42.080 this is interesting and it comes back to something that 0:04:42.120 --> 0:04:44.719 we did talk about in in the Skybridge episodes, which 0:04:44.760 --> 0:04:49.719 is how to manage the the somewhat zero sum problem 0:04:49.800 --> 0:04:53.239 of if you're trying to pack more and more vertical 0:04:53.320 --> 0:04:58.080 density into a city, density of both infrastructure and living space, 0:04:58.880 --> 0:05:02.320 uh into a city, how to deal with the somewhat 0:05:02.480 --> 0:05:05.799 zero sum access to the sky or access to sunlight. 0:05:06.000 --> 0:05:09.360 Because obviously it would be good to have more parks 0:05:09.360 --> 0:05:11.760 and green space up at the top levels, especially if 0:05:11.760 --> 0:05:13.800 people are going to be spending more time up there 0:05:13.839 --> 0:05:17.400 without coming down. But of course, as you need more 0:05:17.480 --> 0:05:21.400 surface area up above, you are necessarily limiting the son's 0:05:21.440 --> 0:05:25.200 ability to reach what lies below. Yeah. Absolutely, Now when 0:05:25.240 --> 0:05:28.680 it comes to the three body problem. Um, I did 0:05:28.680 --> 0:05:30.919 not read the second two books, but I did the 0:05:30.960 --> 0:05:34.520 first book on on audio and it was it was 0:05:34.640 --> 0:05:38.080 very entertaining, especially since the narrator did kind of a 0:05:38.160 --> 0:05:46.400 voice like this for all the alien characters. All right, 0:05:46.440 --> 0:05:47.680 what do we have next? Do you want to take 0:05:47.720 --> 0:05:51.240 this one from Stacy? Sure? Stacy says, this is also 0:05:51.279 --> 0:05:54.520 about sky bridges. Hello Robert and Joe. First off, thank 0:05:54.600 --> 0:05:57.800 you for your help in dealing with isolation. I work 0:05:57.839 --> 0:06:01.000 in customer service and have been working on telephone or 0:06:01.080 --> 0:06:03.960 email based customer service rather than in person since the 0:06:04.000 --> 0:06:06.520 start of the pandemic. It's gotten to the point where 0:06:06.520 --> 0:06:09.080 we are all working in separate areas of the office. 0:06:09.160 --> 0:06:11.839 Your podcasts are informative and engaging in a great way 0:06:11.839 --> 0:06:14.919 to deal with loneliness. I just listened to your podcast 0:06:14.960 --> 0:06:17.599 on Skybridges and I couldn't help but think back to 0:06:17.640 --> 0:06:21.080 my college days. In my first English short literature class, 0:06:21.760 --> 0:06:24.360 one of the stories we read was The enforced Ers 0:06:24.720 --> 0:06:28.560 The Machine Stops. I'm surprised this story hasn't come up 0:06:28.600 --> 0:06:31.440 in some of your past podcasts, given how many times 0:06:31.440 --> 0:06:33.800 I think back to it while listening to your discussions. 0:06:34.080 --> 0:06:37.800 Granted I haven't listened to every podcast yet. I'm working 0:06:37.800 --> 0:06:40.760 on it, so if I am mistaken, I apologize. In 0:06:40.800 --> 0:06:44.040 the story, the character has become so reliant on technology 0:06:44.160 --> 0:06:46.640 in the form of a machine that sees all of 0:06:46.680 --> 0:06:50.159 their needs, that they turn their backs on the natural world. 0:06:50.440 --> 0:06:53.960 Then the day comes that the Machine Stops. Being a 0:06:54.000 --> 0:06:56.279 work of short fiction, it isn't a long read, but 0:06:56.360 --> 0:06:58.680 I think you would enjoy it. It's certainly left h 0:06:59.040 --> 0:07:01.080 such a mark on me. I can remember it despite 0:07:01.080 --> 0:07:03.159 reading it over ten years ago. Hope you both have 0:07:03.200 --> 0:07:07.880 a lovely day, Stacy. I don't think I have read 0:07:07.920 --> 0:07:10.800 this story, Stacy. What I've read by I. M. Forster 0:07:11.160 --> 0:07:14.480 is uh a very different kind. I read his book 0:07:14.880 --> 0:07:17.680 A Room with a View, which the main thing I 0:07:17.720 --> 0:07:21.240 remember about that it's sort of a modernist romantic novel. 0:07:21.560 --> 0:07:23.040 One of the one of the main things I remember 0:07:23.080 --> 0:07:25.160 about it as a scene where some characters are kind 0:07:25.160 --> 0:07:28.560 of frolicking in a garden in Italy and one tumbles 0:07:28.600 --> 0:07:32.400 into a bed of flowers or something, and then someone 0:07:32.440 --> 0:07:36.000 shouts down at them from the wall above courage and love. 0:07:36.480 --> 0:07:39.120 That's always in my head. Yeah, I I have not 0:07:39.240 --> 0:07:41.679 read this story either. I was just having to refresh 0:07:41.720 --> 0:07:45.560 myself with the the notable works of I. M. Forrester, 0:07:45.680 --> 0:07:47.200 and I think the only thing I've read is A 0:07:47.240 --> 0:07:49.400 Passage to India, and that was a long time ago, 0:07:49.440 --> 0:07:51.600 and I think I read it really quickly for a 0:07:51.640 --> 0:07:55.160 class I was taking, But I remember liking I remember 0:07:55.280 --> 0:07:57.320 liking it at the time. Yeah, we'll off to look 0:07:57.320 --> 0:08:01.880 this story up. Thanks. As always, nobody hurt themselves trying 0:08:01.920 --> 0:08:04.840 to listen to all the podcast episodes. There's no there's 0:08:04.840 --> 0:08:08.800 no special award for for listening to all of them. Um, 0:08:09.080 --> 0:08:11.440 there is a special award for watching all of the 0:08:11.480 --> 0:08:13.880 movies we cover on Weird House Cinema. But it's but 0:08:13.960 --> 0:08:16.320 that too, is not a physical reward that you hold 0:08:16.320 --> 0:08:18.320 in your hand. It's a reward that you hold in 0:08:18.360 --> 0:08:21.000 your heart. It's a reward based on courage and love. 0:08:21.400 --> 0:08:25.520 But we we we appreciate the kind words. Thank you, Stacy. 0:08:29.920 --> 0:08:32.600 All right, here's one that comes to us from Hannah. 0:08:33.000 --> 0:08:37.959 They write in regarding Weird House Cinema. Um, Hannah begins 0:08:38.040 --> 0:08:40.600 by saying some nice things about the show, but then 0:08:40.720 --> 0:08:42.800 they go on to discuss a couple of different things, 0:08:43.160 --> 0:08:45.160 at least one of which is not directly related to 0:08:45.160 --> 0:08:47.679 Weird how Cinema but is interesting thenetheless less. So I'm 0:08:47.679 --> 0:08:50.439 gonna read the whole email first and then we can 0:08:50.440 --> 0:08:54.360 sort of break it down. Hannah writes, I've been binging 0:08:54.440 --> 0:08:56.800 some really early episodes, so I can't remember if this 0:08:56.960 --> 0:08:59.480 is from the Cauldron series or something earlier. But you 0:08:59.520 --> 0:09:02.800 mentioned a Chinese myth about a hero who bursts in 0:09:02.960 --> 0:09:05.920 and eats the demons of despair and loneliness that are 0:09:05.960 --> 0:09:09.360 tormenting the Emperor. Maybe I'm misremembering this in a way 0:09:09.400 --> 0:09:11.599 that suits my interpretation, but let's roll with it for 0:09:11.640 --> 0:09:14.720 a second. I just started my clinical internship as a 0:09:14.720 --> 0:09:18.079 mental health counselor, and I've thought a lot about that character, 0:09:18.160 --> 0:09:20.800 because I think that's part of what we do, is therapists. 0:09:21.000 --> 0:09:23.600 We help people by eating their demons of loneliness and 0:09:23.600 --> 0:09:26.559 despair when we listen to what they share in session 0:09:26.600 --> 0:09:30.320 and digested with them. Anyway, thanks again. I have a 0:09:30.360 --> 0:09:33.000 weird how cinema suggestion that I think you guys would 0:09:33.000 --> 0:09:35.280 get a huge kick out of if you haven't seen 0:09:35.320 --> 0:09:39.079 it already, The Eyes of Laura Mars. It was based 0:09:39.080 --> 0:09:41.640 on a script treatment by John Carpenter and became the 0:09:41.679 --> 0:09:44.200 first of his stories to be made by a major studio, 0:09:44.440 --> 0:09:47.840 though he did not direct it. Despite the major studio production, 0:09:47.920 --> 0:09:53.280 it is deeply and ineffably weird. It stars Mia Pharaoh 0:09:53.280 --> 0:09:56.600 and a shockingly young Tommy Lee Jones. Involves naked photo shoots, 0:09:56.640 --> 0:09:59.280 a serial killer with mommy issues, cars on fire, big 0:09:59.320 --> 0:10:04.520 city glamor, doomed love, men in turtlenecks, psychic visions, all caps. 0:10:04.559 --> 0:10:07.160 This movie is such a mess. I almost forgot that 0:10:07.280 --> 0:10:12.760 part and enough Red herrings for a Midwest church fish fry. Basically, 0:10:12.840 --> 0:10:17.720 imagine deep Red. They're they're referring to the Dario Argento 0:10:17.840 --> 0:10:21.800 film here. Now, think about John Carpenter rewriting riffing. It 0:10:22.160 --> 0:10:24.960 sounds fun right now. Imagine that got taken away from 0:10:25.040 --> 0:10:27.760 John Carpenter and someone tried to make it a mainstream movie, 0:10:27.800 --> 0:10:30.040 but they forgot about the script until the weekend before 0:10:30.080 --> 0:10:32.840 they started shooting, and they had an intern do all 0:10:32.920 --> 0:10:36.480 the rewrites the night before. Oh. Also, Barbara Streisan was 0:10:36.559 --> 0:10:38.800 originally considered for the lead, but she thought the nudity 0:10:38.880 --> 0:10:40.920 and violence wasn't good for her brand, so instead of 0:10:40.960 --> 0:10:44.120 appearing in it, she just wrote the torch song for 0:10:44.280 --> 0:10:47.040 the movie. Whether you review it on Weird House or not, 0:10:47.280 --> 0:10:50.160 please just accept this movie into your life and let 0:10:50.240 --> 0:10:54.120 it enrich you. Thanks Hannah. Wow that I've never seen it. 0:10:54.280 --> 0:10:56.880 That sounds great. So I guess there's two main parts 0:10:56.960 --> 0:11:00.079 to address from this message. Well, let's keep rolling with 0:11:00.160 --> 0:11:02.920 the eyes of Laura Mars first, since since that's fresher here. 0:11:03.440 --> 0:11:05.880 But yeah, I've been eyeing this one for a bit 0:11:06.120 --> 0:11:08.720 and it does have a terrific cast. So you've got 0:11:08.800 --> 0:11:14.520 fade done away. Tommy Lee Jones, Brad Dorriff, Renee Auberzonwa 0:11:15.080 --> 0:11:19.719 and Rawle Julia and by Irvin Kirshner as well. So 0:11:19.920 --> 0:11:22.200 it's there's a lot of great names involved in this film. 0:11:22.280 --> 0:11:26.640 I have not seen it yet, but especially after this description, 0:11:26.960 --> 0:11:29.559 I'm I'm very interested. But yeah, can you believe we 0:11:29.600 --> 0:11:32.800 haven't watched a Rale Julia film yet? You had me 0:11:33.120 --> 0:11:36.559 at Rawl Julia. He's great and everything. Yeah, elevated everything 0:11:36.600 --> 0:11:38.640 he touched. We we should just do a whole like 0:11:38.880 --> 0:11:41.679 month of the show where we watch rale Julia's for 0:11:41.880 --> 0:11:44.920 weirdest movies. Yeah, I mean he he made so many 0:11:45.040 --> 0:11:48.640 things watchable. And you know, sometimes you have a you 0:11:48.760 --> 0:11:50.839 have actors who can say that they did that once 0:11:50.960 --> 0:11:56.920 or twice. Right, I elevated an otherwise low level film 0:11:57.400 --> 0:12:00.120 and it was memorable. But for Rale Julia, it was 0:12:00.160 --> 0:12:05.600 a Tuesday street Fighter reference there for everybody. Oh yes, 0:12:06.120 --> 0:12:08.280 I think it was a Tuesday I could be misquoting that, 0:12:08.440 --> 0:12:12.720 but it's a great thing in a great movie. As 0:12:12.800 --> 0:12:15.959 for the demon Eater, this would be zen Qua, the 0:12:16.080 --> 0:12:20.239 Demon Queller. We talked about this character in the episode 0:12:20.400 --> 0:12:23.599 of Demon Eaters and Possessed Tools, and this was I 0:12:23.640 --> 0:12:26.160 had to look back. This is January nineteen, which I 0:12:26.200 --> 0:12:28.720 guess in the grand scheme of things, wasn't that long ago, 0:12:28.800 --> 0:12:30.640 but it sure feels like a long time ago because 0:12:30.679 --> 0:12:33.719 this was back when we were recording in person U. 0:12:34.960 --> 0:12:36.360 But the basic story here, I'm not going to tell 0:12:36.360 --> 0:12:38.959 the whole thing because I think we gave a pretty 0:12:39.000 --> 0:12:42.720 good treatment of it in the episode. But basically, eighth century, Uh, 0:12:42.840 --> 0:12:46.480 the emperor has a fever one night and he's assailed 0:12:46.600 --> 0:12:50.760 by demons dressed in red hill a demon dressed in red, 0:12:50.840 --> 0:12:54.920 and the demon identifies itself as being emptiness and desolation, 0:12:55.600 --> 0:12:58.080 and the Emperor's powerless to stop it. But then incomes 0:12:58.200 --> 0:13:03.360 this ghost in rag and he just swallows the demon hole. Uh. 0:13:03.440 --> 0:13:05.720 And this is the This is the ghost of our 0:13:05.920 --> 0:13:08.400 our demon eller, a demon eat or our demon queller 0:13:08.880 --> 0:13:12.079 and uh, yeah, he's he is the immortal Exorcist and 0:13:12.320 --> 0:13:16.080 their various stories involving him, and there's at least one 0:13:16.320 --> 0:13:19.160 really cool piece of art. I think he's called the 0:13:19.440 --> 0:13:24.560 um uh the gong Kai scroll from the Late Song dynasty. 0:13:25.000 --> 0:13:28.040 And he's put the demons that he's quelled to work, 0:13:28.160 --> 0:13:30.760 and so they're carrying him around on a litter. They're 0:13:30.760 --> 0:13:33.240 carrying his sister around on a litter, and they're also 0:13:33.400 --> 0:13:37.640 carrying I think, um like a dog and possibly some packages. 0:13:38.360 --> 0:13:41.240 So it's it's really fun stuff. So if Hannah or 0:13:41.240 --> 0:13:43.640 any other listener wants to look this up, how is 0:13:43.840 --> 0:13:46.560 uh the name of this character usually spelled an English 0:13:46.640 --> 0:13:50.719 script um. Usually I'm seeing it as as z h 0:13:50.840 --> 0:13:54.160 O n G k U. I. There you go. That 0:13:54.440 --> 0:13:57.280 that's a good memory. Good memory, Hannah, and I guess 0:13:57.320 --> 0:14:02.080 the rest of that episode pertained to mostly Japanese traditions 0:14:02.360 --> 0:14:07.199 of tools that had been possessed so um I. I 0:14:07.280 --> 0:14:09.280 can't remember what was the bulk of that episode, but 0:14:10.280 --> 0:14:12.040 a lot of magic in that one. If anyone wants 0:14:12.080 --> 0:14:14.400 to to to look it up, well, I think a 0:14:14.480 --> 0:14:17.839 big part of it was the Japanese folk concept of 0:14:18.040 --> 0:14:22.760 the suku mogami um or the tool kami that were 0:14:22.800 --> 0:14:26.400 like the spirits that would um, I don't know, spirits 0:14:26.480 --> 0:14:30.280 that would inhabit disused tools, or maybe the tools would 0:14:30.840 --> 0:14:34.360 gain sentience or gain a soul. And it had something 0:14:34.480 --> 0:14:37.800 to do with tools that had been around for a 0:14:37.880 --> 0:14:41.400 long time, like a tool that's like a hundred years 0:14:41.440 --> 0:14:45.600 old or something without being thrown away sort of comes alive. Yeah, 0:14:45.600 --> 0:14:47.120 and then they go and there's like a parade of 0:14:47.240 --> 0:14:50.600 these things. Yeah. Technically a form of yokai, I think, 0:14:51.520 --> 0:14:53.560 or at least by some classifications. Anyway, I've seen it 0:14:53.720 --> 0:14:57.240 is discussed in yokai books before. I also seem to 0:14:57.320 --> 0:15:01.680 recall that there's a major story of Out the Possessed 0:15:01.720 --> 0:15:07.080 Tools that is used as as religious apologetics for a 0:15:07.200 --> 0:15:20.720 certain strain of Buddhism. Okay, that sounds familiar. Okay, anyway, Robert, 0:15:20.760 --> 0:15:23.360 you ready for the final message. Let's do it. The 0:15:23.400 --> 0:15:27.080 final message. The final message, This one actually comes from 0:15:27.200 --> 0:15:30.360 a different Nathan. Nathan had a lot to say about 0:15:30.360 --> 0:15:32.680 a bunch of different topics. This was a great email, 0:15:32.800 --> 0:15:34.520 but it's very long and there's no way we can 0:15:34.560 --> 0:15:37.040 read the whole thing, so I'm going to feature a 0:15:37.280 --> 0:15:41.920 few selections from it. Nathan says, greetings, gentlemen. First, during 0:15:42.040 --> 0:15:46.280 listener mail this week on July two, the d C 0:15:46.640 --> 0:15:51.040 character the question was mentioned. You probably know him better 0:15:51.160 --> 0:15:53.760 than you think, as he served as the model for 0:15:53.960 --> 0:15:57.840 Rorschach in The Watchman. The lore goes that Alan Moore 0:15:57.960 --> 0:16:02.000 pitched his gritty tale depicting the demise of lesser known characters. 0:16:02.320 --> 0:16:07.480 UH recently acquired by d C from the defunct Charlton Comics, 0:16:07.840 --> 0:16:11.520 and he was ultimately allowed to create analogs. Most, if 0:16:11.600 --> 0:16:14.840 not all, were Steve did co creations, the author best 0:16:14.880 --> 0:16:18.360 known for co creating Spider Man and Doctor Strange. For Marvel, 0:16:19.840 --> 0:16:23.280 Blue Beetle became the night Owl. I think Captain Adam 0:16:23.400 --> 0:16:26.960 became Dr Manhattan, and other details elude me, but it's 0:16:27.000 --> 0:16:29.200 interesting to trace the roots of what became one of 0:16:29.240 --> 0:16:32.640 the best selling comics of all time. I'll echo the 0:16:32.720 --> 0:16:37.760 other listeners sentiment and say, Jeffrey Combs makes that character remarkable. 0:16:37.880 --> 0:16:40.280 Jeffrey Combs did the voice of this character of the 0:16:40.360 --> 0:16:45.040 question on UM I think the animated Justice League. Nathan says, 0:16:45.360 --> 0:16:48.320 you can find Justice League Unlimited on HBO Max, and 0:16:48.400 --> 0:16:50.480 it would be worth your time to find the episodes 0:16:50.560 --> 0:16:53.000 that focus on him, such as season two episode six, 0:16:53.200 --> 0:16:57.120 Double Date, which is top notch. But he makes small 0:16:57.200 --> 0:17:00.680 appearances in a season long subplot involved in an actual 0:17:00.760 --> 0:17:05.119 conspiracy named for the god slaying mortal Cadmus, and it 0:17:05.240 --> 0:17:08.119 totally pays off. A couple of years ago, I was 0:17:08.240 --> 0:17:11.080 rewatching the quoted episode and this is referring to the 0:17:11.119 --> 0:17:14.720 episode quoted in the earlier listener mail. The message was 0:17:14.800 --> 0:17:17.680 about the question having a sort of Dale Gribble style 0:17:17.800 --> 0:17:22.480 paranoid theory about the sinister implications of aglets, which are 0:17:22.680 --> 0:17:26.680 the little plastic tips on shoelaces. Nathan goes on, I'd 0:17:26.760 --> 0:17:29.520 heard the term before, I guess aglets and went to 0:17:29.600 --> 0:17:32.119 look it up, but wasn't sure how to spell what 0:17:32.240 --> 0:17:35.080 the question was calling the plastic tips on shoelaces. In 0:17:35.200 --> 0:17:39.320 searching for aglet, I ran across an Inuit mythical creature 0:17:39.400 --> 0:17:42.080 that might make for a good Monster Fact episode called 0:17:42.160 --> 0:17:45.040 an adlet. Check out here if you're not familiar, and 0:17:45.160 --> 0:17:49.639 Nathan provides a link. Also were referring to aglets. Nathan 0:17:49.680 --> 0:17:53.160 asks if we remember the Seinfeld hosted SNL from long 0:17:53.240 --> 0:17:56.720 ago with the Jeopardy parody where the parting gift was 0:17:56.920 --> 0:18:00.280 thousands of quote? What do you call those things? Nobody knows. 0:18:00.880 --> 0:18:03.000 I do not remember this, Rob, did you see this one? 0:18:03.400 --> 0:18:05.159 I had no memory of this one. There there are 0:18:05.240 --> 0:18:08.240 old episodes of SNL that that stand out of my mind, 0:18:08.400 --> 0:18:11.840 like Patrick Stewart hosting with with special musical guest Salt 0:18:11.920 --> 0:18:15.800 and Pepper, But I don't remember Seinfeld all Right after this, 0:18:16.040 --> 0:18:19.320 Nathan makes some good suggestions for core episode topics on 0:18:19.440 --> 0:18:23.399 things like space exploration and the biological evolution of sentience, 0:18:24.080 --> 0:18:26.840 but then to to come towards the end of Nathan's message, 0:18:27.320 --> 0:18:31.359 Nathan says, next Weird House. It's been a while, but 0:18:31.480 --> 0:18:34.879 I still laugh about Blood Beat often because I happened 0:18:34.880 --> 0:18:37.600 to reside near a fire station at the end of 0:18:37.680 --> 0:18:40.480 the scene in Blood Beat where the first body was discovered. 0:18:40.680 --> 0:18:43.879 I notice the sheriff turned on the sirens as he 0:18:44.080 --> 0:18:49.960 was leaving the crime scene. What's the rush? Sometimes, your sheriff, 0:18:50.040 --> 0:18:52.080 you just gotta you just gotta get to lunch. I 0:18:52.119 --> 0:18:54.520 don't know. I'm glad to hear from someone else who 0:18:54.560 --> 0:18:57.640 saw Blood Beat. It's it's it's worth worth checking out. 0:18:57.720 --> 0:19:01.000 There aren't aren't too many Christmas I geeks slasher films 0:19:01.359 --> 0:19:04.560 with animate Samurai armor in them. But this is this 0:19:04.760 --> 0:19:07.560 is the one, Okay. Nathan goes on with more recommendations 0:19:07.640 --> 0:19:11.720 such as brain Scan, underrated Edward Furlong flick that had 0:19:11.720 --> 0:19:13.600 a big impact on me and my buddies when it 0:19:13.680 --> 0:19:19.440 was okay, all smart speakers should be named Igor. Haven't 0:19:19.440 --> 0:19:21.119 seen it, so I don't know what that refers to 0:19:21.640 --> 0:19:25.240 another one. Nathan says, have you guys mentioned Oblivion? I 0:19:25.320 --> 0:19:28.480 feel like I remember someone saying not the tom Cruise one, 0:19:28.760 --> 0:19:31.240 but it didn't turn up when I searched the feed 0:19:31.760 --> 0:19:35.920 it's from. And the credits are unbelievable. Only Charles Band 0:19:36.000 --> 0:19:40.320 could bring together Catwoman, Lurch, the Gin, and Mr Sulu, 0:19:40.440 --> 0:19:43.640 among others on what looks like I set borrowed from 0:19:43.880 --> 0:19:47.960 Sliders Rob, I looked up the Oblivion cast. Okay, First 0:19:48.000 --> 0:19:50.560 of all, the plot summary on IMDb goes like this. 0:19:51.320 --> 0:19:54.960 On another planet which resembles the Old West, a die 0:19:55.040 --> 0:19:58.680 hard pacifist is forced to re examine his ways after 0:19:58.800 --> 0:20:01.480 an evil alien ba and It and his gang murder 0:20:01.600 --> 0:20:05.800 his estranged sheriff father, take over his hometown and threaten 0:20:05.960 --> 0:20:09.680 his friends. Planet West World, a man comes to embrace 0:20:09.800 --> 0:20:14.800 the way of violence. Oh and looking at the cast list, 0:20:15.359 --> 0:20:18.440 it is Divine. So uh. Nathan mentioned the Gin. I 0:20:18.520 --> 0:20:20.760 think that would be a reference to Andrew Divoff. Am 0:20:20.800 --> 0:20:24.639 I right about that? Uh? And then he also says Catwoman, 0:20:24.680 --> 0:20:27.040 I believe that's the fact that Julie Newmar is in 0:20:27.119 --> 0:20:30.919 this movie. Uh. He says Lurch, I think that's Carol. 0:20:30.960 --> 0:20:33.160 I'm not sure how to say his name, Carol Stroychan 0:20:33.400 --> 0:20:36.760 something like that. He's in there. Mr Sulu. Of course, 0:20:36.800 --> 0:20:39.160 George de kay is in the movie, but it also 0:20:39.359 --> 0:20:44.200 has Meg Foster and Isaac Hayes. What and what an assemblage? Yeah? Yeah, 0:20:44.240 --> 0:20:46.680 I love Meg Foster and I've I've looked around for 0:20:47.480 --> 0:20:50.480 reasons to to watch a Meg Foster movie. There are 0:20:50.480 --> 0:20:52.600 a few sort of I've been that I've been eyeing, 0:20:52.800 --> 0:20:55.440 But yeah, She's she always was a was a fun 0:20:55.520 --> 0:20:59.080 screen presence for sure, and this movie at least the 0:20:59.119 --> 0:21:03.040 first Oblivion him. I have seen this, but I watched 0:21:03.119 --> 0:21:06.720 it with some friends and it was the Riff Track's 0:21:06.840 --> 0:21:09.280 version of it, and so I remember it being, you know, funny, 0:21:09.400 --> 0:21:11.359 but also that's a very You've got like two layers 0:21:11.400 --> 0:21:13.840 of distraction there between you and the film, So I 0:21:13.960 --> 0:21:17.440 can't say that I've really gotten in there and appreciated 0:21:17.480 --> 0:21:20.399 it as a motion picture. Okay, a couple more thoughts 0:21:20.480 --> 0:21:23.560 from Nathan. First of all, he has a comment for Seth. 0:21:23.840 --> 0:21:27.840 He says, imagine Brainy Smurf's voice, saying, it depends on 0:21:27.960 --> 0:21:31.680 if you're talking about Mirage or Archie. I have no 0:21:31.920 --> 0:21:35.400 idea what that means, but Nathan says, okay, so here 0:21:35.400 --> 0:21:38.480 Brainy Smurf's voice saying that, and you'll know how fifty 0:21:38.560 --> 0:21:41.800 percent of my conversation started from fourth to seventh grade. 0:21:42.240 --> 0:21:45.320 I was given teenage mutant Ninja Turtles number one, fifth 0:21:45.400 --> 0:21:48.320 printing on my tenth birthday, and things have never been 0:21:48.359 --> 0:21:51.000 the same by the way. I began as a Mikey 0:21:51.160 --> 0:21:55.840 but rapidly turned Raphael alongside adolescence. This is referring back 0:21:55.880 --> 0:21:58.399 to our discussion of which turtle did you identify? With? 0:21:58.480 --> 0:22:01.159 Which one did you inevitably select act in the arcade? 0:22:01.160 --> 0:22:03.560 Beat him up? And you talked to you. We talked 0:22:03.560 --> 0:22:04.840 with you a little bit about this as well. I 0:22:04.880 --> 0:22:07.000 think we were what all Leonardo's or did you have 0:22:07.040 --> 0:22:09.359 a different pick? I thought we were all Donna tell O's. Oh, 0:22:09.400 --> 0:22:11.800 I'm sorry, we're all Donna Tellos with the staff. Yes, yes, 0:22:12.400 --> 0:22:15.200 somebody could read into that that we're just like boring nerds. 0:22:15.400 --> 0:22:18.000 But I think the real issue is that the bow 0:22:18.080 --> 0:22:20.840 staff is longer than the other weapons. We like our 0:22:20.880 --> 0:22:23.720 personal space and uh and then the staff helps to 0:22:24.160 --> 0:22:27.800 uh make sure that that personal state space is present 0:22:28.200 --> 0:22:30.920 both on either side of our body and also above 0:22:30.960 --> 0:22:34.600 our bodies. Finally, just to mention a few comments Nathan 0:22:34.640 --> 0:22:37.159 makes about dog names. First off, he says that he 0:22:37.280 --> 0:22:39.400 meant to right in after the Ark of the Covenant 0:22:39.400 --> 0:22:43.520 episodes because he has a dog named Ichabod. And apparently 0:22:43.640 --> 0:22:46.159 there is an origin story in the Hebrew Bible for 0:22:46.359 --> 0:22:49.200