WEBVTT - Listener Mail: Year End Wrap-Up, Part 2 0:00:03.000 --> 0:00:09.720 Welcome to Invention, a production of I Heart Radio. Hey, 0:00:09.800 --> 0:00:12.720 welcome to Invention. My name is Robert Lamb and I'm 0:00:12.800 --> 0:00:15.280 Joe McCormick, and we're closing out the year here with 0:00:15.520 --> 0:00:19.200 your own voices another episode of Invention. Listener mail, But 0:00:19.280 --> 0:00:22.320 I gotta say before we get into the emails, Robert 0:00:22.360 --> 0:00:24.560 and I were just talking about how we had to 0:00:24.640 --> 0:00:28.680 address probably the largest thread that's ever happened in our 0:00:29.120 --> 0:00:32.159 in our Facebook discussion group, which was people reacting to 0:00:32.240 --> 0:00:35.680 the idea of microwaving water and and saying like, why 0:00:35.720 --> 0:00:38.800 don't they have electric kettles in the United States. Yeah, So, 0:00:38.880 --> 0:00:40.839 you know, we have a lot of international listeners, and 0:00:41.159 --> 0:00:43.800 I think part of it is something is mundane and 0:00:43.840 --> 0:00:47.680 every day is heating water. Uh, it's something you don't 0:00:47.680 --> 0:00:49.120 think about. You don't think about how do they heat 0:00:49.120 --> 0:00:51.640 water in other countries. And then outside the United States, 0:00:51.640 --> 0:00:53.080 you might be listening to the show. You might hear 0:00:53.159 --> 0:00:55.880 us talking about the usefulness of microwaving water to heat 0:00:55.920 --> 0:00:58.880 it up for things, and they might think and apparently 0:00:58.880 --> 0:01:02.240 some people have interpreted this as being an admission that 0:01:02.280 --> 0:01:05.119 we do not have electric kettles. Now, a little known 0:01:05.160 --> 0:01:11.240 fact in Tennessee we only heat up water with a blowtorch. Um, incorrect, Uh, 0:01:11.440 --> 0:01:16.080 stop spreading misinformation show about American water heating practices. But 0:01:16.080 --> 0:01:18.320 but now the truth of the matter is, I know 0:01:18.480 --> 0:01:22.200 from my own standpoint, I use an electric kettle every day. Uh. 0:01:22.200 --> 0:01:25.080 It is just you know, a kettle with plugs into 0:01:25.120 --> 0:01:27.280 this little stand. The stand itself plugs into the wall 0:01:27.800 --> 0:01:30.479 and I instantly get hot water, which we use around 0:01:30.480 --> 0:01:34.040 the house to make tea, to make coffee, I make 0:01:34.080 --> 0:01:37.080 my coffee using an aero press, which, as far as 0:01:37.080 --> 0:01:40.960 inventions goes, is a fabulous coffee brewing invention. I've been 0:01:41.000 --> 0:01:43.840 begging us to get advertising from them from from that 0:01:43.880 --> 0:01:47.040 company for a while. I've also wanted to get coffee money. 0:01:47.480 --> 0:01:49.280 If we can get kim X as a sponsor, I 0:01:49.320 --> 0:01:52.240 think that'd be great. If you're listening coffee companies, Um, 0:01:52.280 --> 0:01:56.120 we're down. I just need to cash. But anyway, I 0:01:56.200 --> 0:01:58.160 use I use hot water for that and also for 0:01:58.280 --> 0:02:02.560 other incidental uses, such as adding a little hot water 0:02:02.720 --> 0:02:06.000 to the cat's food so that it is even wetter 0:02:06.040 --> 0:02:08.919 to try and keep this desert creature from drying out 0:02:08.960 --> 0:02:11.600 and dying on us. But weirdly enough, there are other 0:02:11.840 --> 0:02:14.600 times in places where I don't use the electric kettle 0:02:14.639 --> 0:02:17.359 even though it's there, Like if I need to heat up, 0:02:17.600 --> 0:02:20.320 say a honey syrup for a cocktail, for some reason, 0:02:20.360 --> 0:02:23.120 I never think to use the kettle. I always use 0:02:23.160 --> 0:02:26.359 the microwave for that. Uh. You know, I gotta say 0:02:26.400 --> 0:02:29.360 I don't have an electric kettle, and this has made 0:02:29.360 --> 0:02:31.520 me think maybe I need to get one. It seems 0:02:31.560 --> 0:02:33.720 like it's a it's a very fast way to heat 0:02:33.800 --> 0:02:37.360 up water, hopefully, very efficient to write, and it's also 0:02:37.440 --> 0:02:39.600 great for me if I'm making coffee of the house. 0:02:39.680 --> 0:02:41.840 It's probably a day when I'm working from home. So 0:02:42.280 --> 0:02:44.120 I'll go through this ritual where I'm like, all right, 0:02:44.160 --> 0:02:46.160 I think I need some more coffee. Turn on the kettle, 0:02:46.440 --> 0:02:48.040 let it heat up. I'll work a little more while 0:02:48.040 --> 0:02:49.880 it's working, while it's heating up, and then I'll get 0:02:49.880 --> 0:02:51.960 carried away of what I'm working on. Now the water 0:02:52.080 --> 0:02:53.880 has heated up, and now it's getting cool again, so 0:02:53.919 --> 0:02:56.440 I have to turn it on again. So second or 0:02:56.520 --> 0:02:59.799 third time I actually remember to make coffee. If you're 0:03:00.240 --> 0:03:04.519 if you're heating up your kettle on the stove, uh, screaming, 0:03:04.560 --> 0:03:07.120 and you don't stop screaming at you and or forgetting 0:03:07.320 --> 0:03:12.320 that it's there can have disastrous effects. So all great 0:03:12.320 --> 0:03:14.280 reasons to have an electric kettle in your life in 0:03:14.320 --> 0:03:16.440 my opinion. Anyway, all that to say, we actually do 0:03:16.560 --> 0:03:19.320 have electric kettles here in the United States. They're they're 0:03:19.360 --> 0:03:21.640 not something that's hard to find, though I will say 0:03:21.680 --> 0:03:24.360 I don't know if they're extremely popular at least not 0:03:24.360 --> 0:03:26.360 in the way they seem to be in like England 0:03:26.480 --> 0:03:28.600 that or in the UK. Right, and well, one of 0:03:28.600 --> 0:03:31.839 our listeners on the discussion module the Stuff to blok 0:03:31.880 --> 0:03:34.640 my discussion moledule, they chimed in. Well, you know, coffee 0:03:34.680 --> 0:03:37.840 is more popular in the United States than tea is. Again, 0:03:37.840 --> 0:03:40.080 it's not to say that people don't drink tea. Lots 0:03:40.120 --> 0:03:42.520 of tea drinkers in the United States. Tea is very 0:03:42.920 --> 0:03:45.720 very popular. Um, but I don't know, maybe that is 0:03:45.760 --> 0:03:47.880 part of it. Like there's not not that there's not 0:03:47.960 --> 0:03:51.720 a tea culture, but tea culture is not as predominant 0:03:51.720 --> 0:03:54.640 and all encompassing as one would find, say in the 0:03:54.720 --> 0:03:58.920 United Kingdom. Okay, have we sufficiently beaten the electric kettle 0:03:59.200 --> 0:04:01.280 beating it to death? Well, and until we actually do 0:04:01.360 --> 0:04:03.520 an episode on the electric cattle and discuss where this 0:04:03.560 --> 0:04:06.640 invention came from. You know what's an actually I think 0:04:06.720 --> 0:04:09.240 very interesting electric cooking device we could come back to 0:04:09.360 --> 0:04:11.920 is the rice cooker. Oh yes, I'm a big chance. Yeah, 0:04:11.920 --> 0:04:14.720 I think we've discussed that that before as well. Uh 0:04:15.480 --> 0:04:19.080 we would you use one all the time? All right, 0:04:19.160 --> 0:04:22.280 maybe we should look at this first message from Melissa, 0:04:22.560 --> 0:04:26.200 Melissa says, hello, invention pod people on a recent Stuff 0:04:26.240 --> 0:04:28.560 to Blow your Mind listener mail special. Of course, that's 0:04:28.560 --> 0:04:30.480 our other podcast, Stuff to Blow your Mind. If you're 0:04:30.560 --> 0:04:34.159 not already listening, check it out, Melissa writes. Roberts seemed 0:04:34.160 --> 0:04:37.480 excited about the idea of an invention episode on knives. 0:04:37.800 --> 0:04:40.480 If somehow you find you don't have enough material already, 0:04:40.680 --> 0:04:43.200 you might be interested to mention the special knives used 0:04:43.200 --> 0:04:47.320 by medieval scribes to erase mistakes made on parchment by 0:04:47.360 --> 0:04:51.320 gently scraping it before the ink sets. In medieval illuminations 0:04:51.320 --> 0:04:53.720 of scribes always depict them holding a pin in their 0:04:53.800 --> 0:04:56.640 right hand and a knife in their left. The knife 0:04:56.720 --> 0:04:58.919 was multi functional, and the scribe could use it to 0:04:59.000 --> 0:05:02.440 sharpen their quill, hold down the parchment, or, as I said, 0:05:02.480 --> 0:05:06.120 erase errors. Thanks Melissa, Yeah, that's a good point. I 0:05:06.920 --> 0:05:09.280 think that, you know, scraping of manuscripts has definitely come 0:05:09.360 --> 0:05:11.279 up on stuff to about your mind in the past, 0:05:11.320 --> 0:05:15.400 talking about Grimore's and perhaps about you know, unfinished works. 0:05:15.440 --> 0:05:17.200 But certainly I don't think we don't. We did a 0:05:17.200 --> 0:05:19.840 deep dive into the tools that were used, and just 0:05:20.120 --> 0:05:23.360 to the extent that the knife would be in one 0:05:23.400 --> 0:05:25.960 hand and the uh, the writing apparatus would be in 0:05:25.960 --> 0:05:27.960 the other. I don't think I knew about this, so 0:05:28.520 --> 0:05:30.560 this is interesting. Yeah, it's also a great idea for 0:05:30.640 --> 0:05:32.640 dungeons and Dragon's character. You know, they could have the 0:05:33.400 --> 0:05:36.440 paint they're there, there's their their paintbrush or what have you. 0:05:36.480 --> 0:05:38.960 And on the other hand, they have their special um 0:05:39.440 --> 0:05:42.880 scraping knife which you can also be used to stab cobalts. 0:05:44.000 --> 0:05:46.320 All right, here's another one and uh, this one comes 0:05:46.360 --> 0:05:50.280 to us from Sam and also concerned sharp objects. Sam rights. 0:05:50.320 --> 0:05:52.640 I have to say your episode about scissors was one 0:05:52.640 --> 0:05:56.240 of my favorites. As a sower by trade, I have 0:05:56.360 --> 0:05:59.280 great appreciation for scissors. I gotta say sower here is 0:05:59.320 --> 0:06:02.440 spelled the same way sewer is. I assume that this 0:06:02.480 --> 0:06:06.120 means not a sewer, but that that was my impression 0:06:06.120 --> 0:06:09.599 as well. Anyway, Sam continues onto scissors as a weapon. 0:06:09.920 --> 0:06:12.839 You seem during your podcast to be stuck on somehow 0:06:12.960 --> 0:06:15.640 using the mechanical advantage of scissors when using them as 0:06:15.680 --> 0:06:18.599 a weapon, insisting that you would want the long handle 0:06:18.680 --> 0:06:21.280 short blade style to get more force out of them. 0:06:21.560 --> 0:06:24.880 This is nuts. How on earth are you going to 0:06:24.960 --> 0:06:28.400 actually use them like scissors as a weapon. Imagine someone 0:06:28.520 --> 0:06:30.520 coming at you trying to cut you with a pair 0:06:30.560 --> 0:06:33.560 of scissors like that. It would not work. The reason 0:06:33.600 --> 0:06:36.719 that long tailor sheer style scissors are used as movie 0:06:36.760 --> 0:06:40.040 weapons is because they are a great stabbing weapon other 0:06:40.080 --> 0:06:42.760 than throwing loose scissors like weird Ninja stars. This is 0:06:42.800 --> 0:06:47.320 my personal active shooter defense strategy dream. This seems like 0:06:47.360 --> 0:06:50.880 the only practical way to use scissors as a weapon. Anyways, 0:06:50.960 --> 0:06:53.480 keep it up. One item I would be super interested 0:06:53.480 --> 0:06:56.760 in hearing the history of is the Mighty seam Ripper. 0:06:57.120 --> 0:07:00.680 Thanks Sam, uh I gather your correct Sam, And now 0:07:00.839 --> 0:07:03.000 we I don't think we were dwelling much on like 0:07:03.160 --> 0:07:05.520 how to use scissors as a weapon. We were commenting 0:07:05.560 --> 0:07:08.080 on like use of scissors as a weapon in media, 0:07:08.200 --> 0:07:11.440 like in movies and stuff. Uh, and how they're always 0:07:11.480 --> 0:07:13.520 like those long blades, and yeah, I guess you know what. 0:07:13.560 --> 0:07:16.000 You're correct, they're pretty much always used for stabbing, not 0:07:16.120 --> 0:07:19.600 for sharing as a weapon, unless, let's see what would 0:07:19.640 --> 0:07:22.520 be an exception to that. I think the Exorcist three, 0:07:22.800 --> 0:07:25.040 that's true. Yeah, otherwise you just need to be a 0:07:25.040 --> 0:07:27.520 giant crab or something to really get your your your 0:07:27.560 --> 0:07:30.760 scissoring action on. You've clearly thought way more about using 0:07:30.760 --> 0:07:33.080 scissors as a weapon than we have, so we uh, 0:07:33.160 --> 0:07:35.640 we give you that one. But either way, thank you 0:07:35.760 --> 0:07:38.720 very much, Sam. Uh. Should we move on to we 0:07:38.800 --> 0:07:41.280 got a bunch of messages about the microwave. Maybe maybe 0:07:41.280 --> 0:07:43.680 we should do that next. Yeah, yeah, since we we stopped, 0:07:43.680 --> 0:07:45.560 we started the episode off by talking a little bit 0:07:45.560 --> 0:07:49.280 about it. Now. We specifically asked h if anybody out 0:07:49.280 --> 0:07:51.280 there had ever tried to cook a turkey in the 0:07:51.320 --> 0:07:55.560 microwave like those old horrible recipes, and boy what we 0:07:55.640 --> 0:07:57.480 heard from a few of you. So this first message 0:07:57.480 --> 0:08:00.600 comes from Sharon, subject line high mind ms Sharon, and 0:08:00.640 --> 0:08:03.680 I once cooked a turkey in a microwave oven. The 0:08:03.800 --> 0:08:07.480 year was seven. My husband, infant son, and I were 0:08:07.480 --> 0:08:10.080 going to be moving soon, and one of my jobs 0:08:10.160 --> 0:08:13.160 was preparing meals with the contents of the fridge and freezer. 0:08:13.480 --> 0:08:15.960 I hit a roadblock in the freezer as it contained 0:08:15.960 --> 0:08:18.960 a turkey, a gift from the recent holidays. With a 0:08:19.040 --> 0:08:22.360 non working oven, I was left with the stovetop or 0:08:22.360 --> 0:08:25.360 the microwave oven as options to cook the turkey. The 0:08:25.400 --> 0:08:28.800 microwave had been an extravagant gift from a former employer 0:08:28.840 --> 0:08:32.400 in nineteen eighty two and came with an extensive manual, 0:08:32.480 --> 0:08:35.959 which of course included directions for cooking a turkey. After 0:08:36.000 --> 0:08:39.040 an encouraging long distance call with my mom, I prepped 0:08:39.080 --> 0:08:41.600 that turkey for the microwave. I don't recall all of 0:08:41.640 --> 0:08:44.400 the details, but I do remember being pretty excited about 0:08:44.400 --> 0:08:47.360 actually using the temperature probe that was a standard issue 0:08:47.360 --> 0:08:50.640 with microwaves of the day. Per directions, the turkey was 0:08:50.679 --> 0:08:53.760 cut up and cooked in pieces temperature probe inserted. I 0:08:53.800 --> 0:08:55.560 think that's a good move instead of trying to cook 0:08:55.600 --> 0:08:59.319 a whole. The end product was very tasty, not of course, 0:08:59.360 --> 0:09:01.880 like an oven listed turkey with that yummy brown skin 0:09:01.960 --> 0:09:05.720 and drippings for gravy, but definitely edible. Thanks for jogging 0:09:05.720 --> 0:09:08.640 my memory on this culinary adventure from long ago, and 0:09:08.679 --> 0:09:11.080 I do wonder now why I didn't just move the 0:09:11.080 --> 0:09:14.440 turkey across town and roasted in an oven. Thank you 0:09:14.480 --> 0:09:16.680 for invention and stuff to blow your mind podcast which 0:09:16.720 --> 0:09:20.319 make my commute painless, Sharon, That is that is exactly 0:09:20.360 --> 0:09:22.280 the kind of story I wanted to hear about the 0:09:22.480 --> 0:09:24.560 cooking of the turkeys. Though it does raise the question 0:09:25.000 --> 0:09:27.839 who gives a whole turkey as a gift like this? 0:09:27.840 --> 0:09:30.800 It's a strange because it's a production to U to 0:09:30.880 --> 0:09:34.319 deal with this turkey. Uh, you're you're basically giving somebody 0:09:34.320 --> 0:09:37.679 a project and making demands on their freezer space. It's 0:09:37.720 --> 0:09:39.959 halfway there to my favorite kind of gift, which is 0:09:40.000 --> 0:09:45.959 a really unmanageable pet. Oh. Yes, yes, like Merry Christmas, 0:09:46.000 --> 0:09:49.520 here is your Komodo dragon? Yeah? Or just I mean 0:09:49.559 --> 0:09:51.960 you didn't even have to be exotic just to anytime 0:09:52.000 --> 0:09:54.960 you see somebody, especially if it's like a romantic situation 0:09:55.040 --> 0:09:59.480 where perhaps the the bond is not completely um uh, 0:09:59.520 --> 0:10:01.920 you know, gol together for two individuals, for one to 0:10:01.960 --> 0:10:08.000 give the other a puppy, That always just seems terribly inappropriate, uh, 0:10:08.160 --> 0:10:10.720 for all concerned, including the puppy. Now, we don't want 0:10:10.720 --> 0:10:12.800 to smear puppies that were given that way. I know 0:10:12.880 --> 0:10:16.559 some great puppies that were exactly in that situation. But 0:10:16.559 --> 0:10:18.760 but you have to have doing it. Were these gifts 0:10:18.920 --> 0:10:21.839 entirely thought out? I don't know, But then again, it 0:10:22.040 --> 0:10:25.080 is the acquisition of a puppy, ever entirely thought out. 0:10:25.240 --> 0:10:27.680 I guess. I guess. It's a decision you make, you know, 0:10:27.720 --> 0:10:32.079 partially with your brain, but also with your heart. Okay, Now, strangely, 0:10:32.320 --> 0:10:35.280 we just read an email about somebody cooking a turkey 0:10:35.280 --> 0:10:38.439 in a microwave oven in nineteen seven. Guess what our 0:10:38.480 --> 0:10:41.600 next email is about from a totally different listener. Um, 0:10:41.720 --> 0:10:43.120 what has to do with the turkey? But what's the 0:10:43.200 --> 0:10:47.559 year seven? Something was in the air? Do you want 0:10:47.559 --> 0:10:51.120 to read Trish or Shire. Okay, hey, guys, I love 0:10:51.160 --> 0:10:52.760 the show as well as stuff to blow your mind. 0:10:52.880 --> 0:10:55.000 I just finished the Microwave series and I have a 0:10:55.120 --> 0:10:57.560 relevant story. When I was four, my mom and I 0:10:57.600 --> 0:11:00.440 moved across the country to a new city. Are apartment 0:11:00.480 --> 0:11:04.200 was older, complete with a totally probably haunted, claw footed 0:11:04.200 --> 0:11:07.800 tub and a hulking metal beast of a microwave. The 0:11:07.920 --> 0:11:11.080 safety of the aging gas stove was questionable, but Mom 0:11:11.160 --> 0:11:15.439 was totally comfortable with the microwave. So on Thanksgiving she 0:11:15.520 --> 0:11:18.880 cooked an entire turkey in that microwave. I called her 0:11:18.920 --> 0:11:21.800 to ask, and she recalls it taking about an hour 0:11:21.880 --> 0:11:24.320 to cook. I remember it being tasty, if a little 0:11:24.400 --> 0:11:27.360 less brown than subsequent oven turkeys. In all, it's a 0:11:27.440 --> 0:11:31.840 nice childhood memory. Just thought i'd share my anecdote. Cheers, Trish, 0:11:32.000 --> 0:11:35.000 Thanks Trish. Yeah, what was going on in seven? I 0:11:35.040 --> 0:11:36.800 don't know. I mean, maybe it goes deeper. You know, 0:11:36.840 --> 0:11:39.719 these are both tales two of people moving right. Uh, 0:11:39.760 --> 0:11:42.280 you know, maybe that was a year of new beginnings. 0:11:42.400 --> 0:11:45.920 I don't have to consult the astrological chart on that one, right, 0:11:46.720 --> 0:11:48.600 But but yeah, both of these cases where people were like, 0:11:48.640 --> 0:11:50.040 we have a turkey, we need to cook it, we 0:11:50.080 --> 0:11:53.280 have limited resources. We were kind of forced into the 0:11:53.320 --> 0:11:59.920 scenario that that microwave. Early microwave marketers anticipated the idea 0:12:00.040 --> 0:12:02.679 that this would be your go to cooking instrument, though 0:12:02.720 --> 0:12:06.280 instead of being by choice, it was by circumstance, and 0:12:06.360 --> 0:12:09.560 in both cases it seemed to have worked all right. 0:12:09.600 --> 0:12:13.200 This next message comes from Scott. Scott says, when I 0:12:13.280 --> 0:12:15.520 was a young marine back in the late seventies, I 0:12:15.559 --> 0:12:18.240 was assigned to the computer center at the Marine Corps 0:12:18.240 --> 0:12:21.840 Finance Center in Kansas City. This was the main administrative 0:12:21.880 --> 0:12:24.480 and financial hub for the entire Marine Corps, and we 0:12:24.559 --> 0:12:27.840 collected data from all units for reporting and record keeping. 0:12:28.200 --> 0:12:30.760 Given the state of computer tech at the time, much 0:12:30.760 --> 0:12:33.199 of that data arrived in the form of paper documents. 0:12:33.320 --> 0:12:36.440 We received boxes of paper forms daily which had to 0:12:36.440 --> 0:12:39.800 be entered into the computer system. This was achieved by 0:12:39.880 --> 0:12:44.280 scanning them via optical character recognition scanners. Whoa in seventies. 0:12:44.280 --> 0:12:47.000 I didn't even know that that was around back then. Um. 0:12:47.200 --> 0:12:50.360 Each page was fed under a scanning head which read 0:12:50.559 --> 0:12:53.520 the typewritten reports and turned them into a text file. 0:12:53.880 --> 0:12:56.320 The achilles heel of any machine which has to move 0:12:56.360 --> 0:12:59.280 pieces of paper is the paper itself, and unless the 0:12:59.320 --> 0:13:02.040 paper is in ristine condition, it will jam and cause 0:13:02.080 --> 0:13:05.319 all manner of hate and discontent for the human operating 0:13:05.320 --> 0:13:08.600 the machine. Quite often the reports we got were definitely 0:13:08.640 --> 0:13:13.319 not in pristine condition, generally because they've absorbed humidity during transport. 0:13:13.520 --> 0:13:16.280 How is this related to the microwave episode. Well, The 0:13:16.320 --> 0:13:19.559 accepted solution for fixing feed problems was to dry out 0:13:19.600 --> 0:13:21.760 the forms by taking them down to the break room 0:13:21.960 --> 0:13:23.960 and nuking them for a few minutes in the same 0:13:24.000 --> 0:13:27.600 microwave machine everyone used for heating up their lunches. Thanks 0:13:27.600 --> 0:13:30.280 for the podcast, Scott, Well that that is that is interesting. 0:13:30.280 --> 0:13:32.160 I hadn't thought about that. We I think we touched 0:13:32.200 --> 0:13:37.120 briefly on the idea that there are industrial uses for microwaves. 0:13:37.160 --> 0:13:40.000 I think it was with lumber right right, Yeah, that 0:13:40.160 --> 0:13:42.959 was the example of the walk in microwave. Yes, yes, 0:13:43.000 --> 0:13:47.640 that that made the events of whatever that movie was 0:13:47.679 --> 0:13:51.440 possible with one of the kids, spy hard kick ass. 0:13:51.480 --> 0:13:56.160 That's it. The seth Are producer just told me, alright, 0:13:56.520 --> 0:13:59.760 we have another microwave missive here. This one comes to 0:13:59.840 --> 0:14:02.600 us from Evan. Hey, Robert and Joe. I wanted to 0:14:02.679 --> 0:14:05.480 let you know of a fascinating microwave application that you 0:14:05.520 --> 0:14:09.040 didn't mention on your recent microwave shows. It's called microwave 0:14:09.120 --> 0:14:12.520 induced centering and is being used in the production of 0:14:12.559 --> 0:14:16.880 metal parts using a three D printer that's centering s 0:14:16.920 --> 0:14:18.800 I N T E R I n G, which I 0:14:18.840 --> 0:14:21.000 believe that the word came up in our episode on 0:14:21.320 --> 0:14:24.840 the one ring on stuff to blow your mind. Anyway, 0:14:25.000 --> 0:14:28.960 it continues. These printers use a plastic binding agent to 0:14:29.000 --> 0:14:32.000 help shape metal powder into a specific part. Yes, we 0:14:32.040 --> 0:14:35.080 definitely talked about this, and um gosh, which metal was 0:14:35.120 --> 0:14:40.080 it that we were talking about? Tungstens, I don't know. 0:14:40.280 --> 0:14:41.840 Go back and check out that episode if you want 0:14:41.840 --> 0:14:45.160 more centering action anyway continues. The plastic is later burned 0:14:45.160 --> 0:14:48.040 off and the remaining metal powder is heated just enough 0:14:48.080 --> 0:14:51.040 for the metal to form metallic bonds, but not enough 0:14:51.080 --> 0:14:53.320 for the metal to become a liquid and lose its shape. 0:14:53.720 --> 0:14:56.440 This process is called centering and is currently being done 0:14:56.520 --> 0:14:59.480 with convection ovens. The downside is that centering can take 0:14:59.480 --> 0:15:02.680 over twelve hours to complete, but in recent years, companies 0:15:02.720 --> 0:15:05.520 are starting to come out with microwave based ovens that 0:15:05.560 --> 0:15:09.480 can center these metal powder parts in thirty minutes or less. 0:15:09.480 --> 0:15:13.680 This speed increase happens because microwaves induce an electric field 0:15:13.760 --> 0:15:16.920 on the surface of each metal particle. Current then flows 0:15:16.960 --> 0:15:20.280 between the metal particles quickly and efficiently, heating that region 0:15:20.600 --> 0:15:23.240 so that the metal bonds can form. This is the 0:15:23.320 --> 0:15:26.000 same effect that makes putting bulk metal objects in the 0:15:26.000 --> 0:15:29.000 microwave dangerous. The electric field on the surface of the 0:15:29.000 --> 0:15:32.000 objects can severely shock you or burn your food, but 0:15:32.080 --> 0:15:34.440 it can be an effective way to heat metal powders 0:15:34.560 --> 0:15:38.040 too high temperatures. The technology isn't perfect just yet and 0:15:38.080 --> 0:15:39.960 may take a few more years to really make an 0:15:39.960 --> 0:15:42.720 impact in manufacturing. By the way, I love both of 0:15:42.720 --> 0:15:44.720 your shows and look forward to hearing them every week. 0:15:44.840 --> 0:15:48.720 Keep up the good work, sincerely, Evan. Very interesting things absolutely. 0:15:48.800 --> 0:15:50.960 By the way, if you do end up possessing the 0:15:51.000 --> 0:15:56.360 one ring, do not put it in a microwave. Horrible effects. Alright, 0:15:56.680 --> 0:15:59.240 let's look at one last message about the microwave oven. 0:15:59.320 --> 0:16:03.040 This comes from Joseph. Joseph refers back to our discussion 0:16:03.160 --> 0:16:07.240 about the irradiation of food in the microwaves episode. You know, 0:16:07.280 --> 0:16:10.880 we talked about bombardment of food items with actual ionizing 0:16:11.000 --> 0:16:14.920 radiation unlike microwaves. Uh, and how you know that's regularly 0:16:14.960 --> 0:16:18.400 done and is considered safe. It's both done to image 0:16:18.440 --> 0:16:20.120 the food to make sure there are no like say, 0:16:20.160 --> 0:16:23.760 metal screws or other contaminants in it. But then it's 0:16:23.800 --> 0:16:26.960 also done to sterilize food in some cases, like irradiating 0:16:26.960 --> 0:16:31.280 spices to kill microorganisms or insects or whatever. So Joseph says, 0:16:31.440 --> 0:16:33.520 I love invention and stuff to blow your mind. I 0:16:33.640 --> 0:16:35.920 travel a lot for work, and these are two of 0:16:35.960 --> 0:16:38.600 my favorite podcasts to listen to on the road. There 0:16:38.680 --> 0:16:41.840 is a food purposely irradiated that I didn't here mentioned 0:16:41.880 --> 0:16:45.000 in part two of the Microwave episodes. At least for 0:16:45.040 --> 0:16:49.239 a while, you could purchase irradiated ground beef. The radiation 0:16:49.280 --> 0:16:52.960 would kill any living organisms, making the meat sterile. I 0:16:53.040 --> 0:16:56.320 miss being able to eat a juicy, rare hamburger safely. 0:16:56.440 --> 0:16:59.840 Oh that's interesting. Yeah. Um, I've not seen it in 0:16:59.880 --> 0:17:02.160 a store in years. I think people were afraid to 0:17:02.200 --> 0:17:04.240 eat the meat, or they were afraid the meat was 0:17:04.400 --> 0:17:08.080 radioactive and it didn't sell. Well, well, maybe that's going 0:17:08.119 --> 0:17:10.520 to change because enough people are playing the Fallout games 0:17:10.560 --> 0:17:13.560 to know that the glowing green meat is is ideal. 0:17:14.040 --> 0:17:16.200 Always pick the glowing green meat out of your kills. 0:17:17.320 --> 0:17:19.359 Uh though, actually did look this up and it looks 0:17:19.359 --> 0:17:21.840 like yeah, I think there are some efforts to bring 0:17:21.920 --> 0:17:25.440 back the radiation of of ground meats for food safety 0:17:25.440 --> 0:17:28.639 reasons and uh yeah, and they tried it before. I 0:17:28.680 --> 0:17:31.439 think there was just like some consumer hesitancy about it. 0:17:31.720 --> 0:17:34.040 They they need a new adjective. I think they need 0:17:34.040 --> 0:17:38.720 to branded slightly differently. Shiny meat. Shiny shined meat like 0:17:38.800 --> 0:17:42.480 sunshine is radiation it has been shined, it's it's been, 0:17:42.480 --> 0:17:46.760 it's undergone the shining um so u. Joseph continues. On 0:17:46.800 --> 0:17:49.879 a recent toy episode, you discussed why a Jack in 0:17:49.920 --> 0:17:52.879 the box would keep a child fascinated. I think, at 0:17:52.920 --> 0:17:55.200 least in my own case, I used it to learn 0:17:55.280 --> 0:17:58.959 to control my startle reflex. I tried not to react 0:17:59.000 --> 0:18:01.040 when it popped. I still do a similar thing as 0:18:01.080 --> 0:18:03.880 an adult. Interesting, Please tell me I'm not the only 0:18:03.920 --> 0:18:06.280 person who stares down at the toaster and tries not 0:18:06.400 --> 0:18:09.600 to flinch when the toast is ready. Plus watching the 0:18:09.720 --> 0:18:13.080 nichrome wire glow and watching and smelling the myard reactions 0:18:13.119 --> 0:18:15.879 occur our bonuses to my grown up Jack in the box, 0:18:15.960 --> 0:18:20.040 I guess that's the toaster. Keep those shows coming, sincerely, Joseph. 0:18:20.240 --> 0:18:23.080 Oh wow, Yeah, I don't know that I stare a 0:18:23.080 --> 0:18:24.960 lot and do a toaster. Now, I don't. I don't 0:18:24.960 --> 0:18:27.600 actually have a pop up toaster, but I do remember 0:18:27.640 --> 0:18:29.880 having a similar experience as a kid, like you really 0:18:29.920 --> 0:18:31.600 want to see what's going on in there, and there's 0:18:31.600 --> 0:18:36.240 all sorts of cool glowing that's happened. I I know 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:38.560 what you're talking about, Joseph. I have stared at the 0:18:38.560 --> 0:18:41.719 heating element. I mean, like a resistance based heating element 0:18:41.800 --> 0:18:45.120 is beautiful. I think so at least. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 0:18:45.119 --> 0:18:47.040 I think I was. I was talking with my mom 0:18:47.119 --> 0:18:50.280 actually about early memories, like what SMI earliest memories, And 0:18:50.320 --> 0:18:54.240 she was talking about staring at a like an electric 0:18:54.280 --> 0:18:57.639 heater that has some sort of a heating element, and 0:18:57.680 --> 0:18:59.760 you know, it's like it's yours, irresistible to the hold. 0:19:00.240 --> 0:19:02.560 But she was also told like, don't you dare touch it. 0:19:02.560 --> 0:19:04.679 It's the most dangerous thing in the world. So that 0:19:04.720 --> 0:19:08.920 also helped the memory like really take holds in her mind. 0:19:09.119 --> 0:19:11.240 All right, Uh, should we take a quick break and 0:19:11.240 --> 0:19:13.560 then come back for more. It sounds good. Let's do it. 0:19:13.600 --> 0:19:16.120 Let's shut the door in the microwave and then come back. 0:19:21.320 --> 0:19:24.160 All right, we're back, and uh, let's talk a little 0:19:24.160 --> 0:19:28.120 bit about bubble wrap, which comes to us from Matthew. 0:19:28.480 --> 0:19:30.520 Matthew says, we love your show. You were talking about 0:19:30.560 --> 0:19:33.120 bubble wrap. I was in the Marine Corps returning from 0:19:33.160 --> 0:19:36.760 a deployment in nine. Again we're in the eighties here 0:19:36.800 --> 0:19:39.679 and again we have another marine writing in uh. And 0:19:39.760 --> 0:19:42.280 at the and at the welcome back ceremony, all the 0:19:42.320 --> 0:19:46.000 families were their spouses, kids, et cetera. In a rare 0:19:46.080 --> 0:19:49.520 moment of brilliance, they had rolled out large rolls of 0:19:49.520 --> 0:19:52.040 bubble wrap and sheets on the floor of the hangar 0:19:52.119 --> 0:19:54.720 to keep the kids busy. My son was only three 0:19:54.920 --> 0:19:57.520 and that is all he remembers of the day topping 0:19:57.560 --> 0:19:59.920 the bubbles. He's thirty three now and has been in 0:20:00.000 --> 0:20:02.800 the Marine Corps himself and returned from a deployment. I 0:20:02.840 --> 0:20:05.080 was there, and the bubble wrap is still the main 0:20:05.200 --> 0:20:08.040 feature for the kids. That's so great. So much changes 0:20:08.080 --> 0:20:11.280 while the basics never do. Oh, that's wonderful. Thank you 0:20:11.320 --> 0:20:15.160 so much, Matthew. Alright, this next message comes to us 0:20:15.200 --> 0:20:17.800 from Olivia, also about bubble wrap. I think this is 0:20:17.840 --> 0:20:20.000 in response to us talking about why it is so 0:20:20.040 --> 0:20:23.359 fun to pop the bubbles? Uh, and so Olivia says, Hello, 0:20:23.480 --> 0:20:26.720 Robert and Joe. In the most recent Invention episode, in 0:20:26.760 --> 0:20:30.880 the last five minutes or so, you'll discussed squeezeballs, fidget spinners, 0:20:31.160 --> 0:20:34.000 and just the human inclination to be messing with stuff. 0:20:34.400 --> 0:20:36.359 I'm not aware of any research at the moment that 0:20:36.400 --> 0:20:38.000