WEBVTT - Listener Mail: Zeit 0:00:03.040 --> 0:00:06.120 Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of iHeartRadio. 0:00:09.920 --> 0:00:12.440 Hey you, welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind Listener mail. 0:00:12.560 --> 0:00:13.560 My name is Robert. 0:00:13.400 --> 0:00:16.880 Lamb and I am Joe McCormick. And it's Monday, the 0:00:16.960 --> 0:00:19.200 day of each week that we read back messages from 0:00:19.239 --> 0:00:22.239 the Stuff to Blow Your Mind email address. If you 0:00:22.280 --> 0:00:24.439 have never gotten in touch before and we'd like to 0:00:24.440 --> 0:00:27.159 give it a shot, this is the week right on in. 0:00:27.440 --> 0:00:32.200 It's contact at stuff to Blow your Mind dot com. 0:00:32.800 --> 0:00:35.440 Anything you want to write us about is fine. We appreciate, 0:00:35.560 --> 0:00:38.519 especially if you have something interesting to add to a 0:00:38.560 --> 0:00:41.640 topic we've recently talked about on the show. Let's see 0:00:41.640 --> 0:00:44.319 a little note at the beginning of today's episode. This 0:00:44.360 --> 0:00:46.400 is going to be running on the Monday of a 0:00:46.440 --> 0:00:49.800 week that will begin some vault episodes that we're running 0:00:49.960 --> 0:00:52.560 for a little summer break. Rob and I are doing 0:00:52.640 --> 0:00:55.240 for a couple of weeks here, and then we will 0:00:55.280 --> 0:00:59.000 be back with all new stuff for you the weeks 0:00:59.000 --> 0:01:00.120 following our out. 0:01:00.840 --> 0:01:03.400 That's right, and so keep the listener mails rolling in 0:01:03.440 --> 0:01:05.280 and yet respond to some of the cool stuff you 0:01:05.319 --> 0:01:07.560 hear about in the Vault episodes and the Weird House 0:01:07.640 --> 0:01:10.720 Cinema rewinds. We're going to include a few extra of 0:01:10.760 --> 0:01:13.080 those in there. They're also going to be some Monster 0:01:13.160 --> 0:01:16.160 Fact omnibus episodes for those of you who want to 0:01:16.800 --> 0:01:20.440 experience the short form episodes in like a longer format. 0:01:21.160 --> 0:01:23.039 All Right, I think I'm gonna kick things off with 0:01:23.160 --> 0:01:32.280 this message from Lauren about our episodes on the Parrotfish. 0:01:32.800 --> 0:01:36.360 Lauren says, Hi, Robin Joe. She begins by saying some 0:01:36.560 --> 0:01:39.480 very nice things about the podcast, says she's been listening 0:01:39.760 --> 0:01:42.400 in hopes that we keep it up for several more decades. 0:01:43.040 --> 0:01:47.920 We'll see if that's possible. We will try, Lauren says. Anyways, 0:01:47.960 --> 0:01:51.520 the following is a tale that is perhaps only interesting 0:01:51.600 --> 0:01:56.480 to me. I purchased this tropical fish shower curtain liner 0:01:56.600 --> 0:01:59.960 a few months ago. I always face the patterns inwards 0:02:00.160 --> 0:02:03.160 in order to enjoy them from the inside. At first, 0:02:03.160 --> 0:02:06.400 I was pleased, until very quickly I noticed this one 0:02:06.640 --> 0:02:10.720 outstanding fish that gave me the he begbis, so much 0:02:10.760 --> 0:02:14.840 so that I considered taking it down and hanging up another. Ultimately, 0:02:14.880 --> 0:02:17.240 I was too lazy to swap it out and simply 0:02:17.280 --> 0:02:19.680 lived with the fish in the corner, trying not to 0:02:19.720 --> 0:02:21.840 think too much about what it may or may not 0:02:21.960 --> 0:02:25.520 get up to in its free time. After listening to 0:02:25.520 --> 0:02:29.359 your episodes on Parrotfish, I thought, hold the phone, no way, 0:02:29.800 --> 0:02:31.720 what do you want to bet and lo and behold. 0:02:31.840 --> 0:02:35.000 After a quick investigation, I was able to identify the 0:02:35.040 --> 0:02:37.400 creep that had been weirding me out for months. Now, 0:02:37.880 --> 0:02:40.000 now I can put a name to it and know 0:02:40.080 --> 0:02:43.440 its habits, I feel much better about its continuous presence 0:02:43.480 --> 0:02:45.919 in my life. Thank you for helping me to better 0:02:46.000 --> 0:02:48.840 understand the world. I am of the general philosophy that 0:02:48.880 --> 0:02:51.280 the more we know and seek to understand, the less 0:02:51.280 --> 0:02:55.040 we fear. Thank you for being amazing kind regards Lauren. 0:02:55.320 --> 0:02:58.840 And then Lauren attaches a picture of the shower curtain 0:02:58.880 --> 0:03:01.520 liner and how do you know, Yep, it's a coral reef. 0:03:01.600 --> 0:03:04.800 There's like a sea turtle swimming along their tropical fish 0:03:04.840 --> 0:03:07.320 all around, and then peeking right out from a little 0:03:07.400 --> 0:03:10.880 niche in the coral there is just the goofiest looking 0:03:10.960 --> 0:03:14.880 parrotfish with this big toothy grim like hey guys. 0:03:15.120 --> 0:03:17.520 Yeah, And it's accentuated by the fact that all the 0:03:17.520 --> 0:03:21.040 other sea creatures on this shower curtain are in pure 0:03:21.120 --> 0:03:24.120 side profile, but the parrotfish does appear to be like 0:03:24.400 --> 0:03:27.600 creeping in towards the bathe or gazing at the bathe 0:03:28.200 --> 0:03:32.240 and making this weird look. So it's understandable that this 0:03:32.280 --> 0:03:36.280 fish looks a little suss as they said, I. 0:03:36.200 --> 0:03:38.440 Would love to know the thinking of whoever designed this. 0:03:38.840 --> 0:03:41.400 Let's just put one creepy little parrot fish in there, 0:03:41.640 --> 0:03:43.680 just peeking out, saying, what's up? 0:03:44.080 --> 0:03:46.120 All right? This next one comes to us from Peter 0:03:46.440 --> 0:03:53.880 on the subject of dust Peter Wright, High, Robert and 0:03:53.920 --> 0:03:55.880 job and listen to your podcast for a number of years, 0:03:55.880 --> 0:03:58.600 but this, like it is for many who write, is 0:03:58.600 --> 0:04:01.280 my first time emailing you both. I was inspired by 0:04:01.320 --> 0:04:03.720 your listener Jenny, who wrote recently about the dust storm 0:04:03.800 --> 0:04:06.480 in Sydney in two thousand and nine. I too have 0:04:06.520 --> 0:04:08.880 a memory of another Australian dust storm. This one was 0:04:08.920 --> 0:04:13.000 in Melbourne in February nineteen eighty three. A quick search 0:04:13.160 --> 0:04:16.520 will bring up some videos pictures of news reports at 0:04:16.520 --> 0:04:18.560 the time. I was only three years and three months 0:04:18.600 --> 0:04:20.720 old at the time, but have a clear memory of this. 0:04:21.120 --> 0:04:23.480 It could well be my earliest memory, which ties in 0:04:23.640 --> 0:04:26.200 with one of your other episodes on early childhood memories. 0:04:26.320 --> 0:04:29.600 Thanks for all the entertainment you provide cheers, Peter, and 0:04:29.760 --> 0:04:30.640 there is the photo. 0:04:31.040 --> 0:04:33.120 Yeah, this is another one where if you look up 0:04:33.120 --> 0:04:36.840 the photos, it does look suitably apocalyptic because you can 0:04:36.880 --> 0:04:41.240 see in some of them like that. Because sometimes when 0:04:41.279 --> 0:04:45.240 you see photos of the front of an advancing dust storm, 0:04:45.240 --> 0:04:49.080 it's just against like you know, a plane, or like 0:04:49.160 --> 0:04:51.400 a or a desert kind of environment, so there's no 0:04:51.480 --> 0:04:54.880 real sense of scale. But this is over a crowded city, 0:04:55.000 --> 0:04:57.080 so you can see all these buildings and that gives 0:04:57.080 --> 0:04:59.599 you a real scale. It's just like a mountain is 0:04:59.640 --> 0:05:03.880 advanced sing on the range of mountains actually is advancing 0:05:03.960 --> 0:05:08.839 over the land. It's gigantic. And again, as we talked 0:05:08.880 --> 0:05:10.880 about with the dust storms in those episodes, I can't 0:05:10.920 --> 0:05:13.760 imagine what this would be like if you didn't know 0:05:13.800 --> 0:05:16.240 what it was like, if it surprised you and you 0:05:16.240 --> 0:05:18.560 didn't have the context of like, oh, yeah, this is 0:05:18.600 --> 0:05:20.200 a dust storm, I'm familiar with it. 0:05:21.560 --> 0:05:23.919 Well, Peter, thanks for writing in with your experience and 0:05:24.400 --> 0:05:26.680 this inspiring photo. 0:05:27.040 --> 0:05:29.920 All right, we got some responses to our Vault episodes 0:05:29.960 --> 0:05:40.440 on the Beaver. This is from someone who called themselves Lovecat. Hello, 0:05:41.080 --> 0:05:43.480 I really enjoyed this episode. You guys do so much 0:05:43.560 --> 0:05:46.200 quality research. I hope you know it's appreciated. Thanks for 0:05:46.240 --> 0:05:49.719 doing the hard work. I particularly liked the discussion about 0:05:49.720 --> 0:05:54.440 orange teeth and stick displays. I had no idea. I 0:05:54.480 --> 0:05:57.000 spent a few years in Houston, Texas at the end 0:05:57.000 --> 0:06:00.200 of the nineties and swore I saw a beaver hanging 0:06:00.240 --> 0:06:03.920 out under an overpass on brays by you. I mentioned 0:06:03.960 --> 0:06:05.919 it to a coworker who told me that the critter 0:06:06.080 --> 0:06:11.280 was actually a neutria or cooipu. Say what, I looked 0:06:11.360 --> 0:06:14.360 up this beast and what Indeed, if you haven't yet 0:06:14.480 --> 0:06:19.840 veered off course and discovered that myocastor kipus has grooved poop, 0:06:20.360 --> 0:06:23.320 well maybe you should. Thanks again for all you do. 0:06:23.960 --> 0:06:27.279 Love kat Rob. I found a picture of a nutria 0:06:27.400 --> 0:06:29.159 to attach to the outline here, and I could see 0:06:29.160 --> 0:06:30.960 how you could mix them up with the beaver because 0:06:30.960 --> 0:06:36.080 they're similarly large, large hairy rodents that can sometimes be 0:06:36.160 --> 0:06:39.280 quite wet. You know, they're both semi aquatic rodents, and 0:06:39.400 --> 0:06:42.560 I believe both have orange teeth. I think the nutria 0:06:42.640 --> 0:06:45.400 has orange teeth, or at least in some cases has 0:06:45.440 --> 0:06:46.920 orange teeth as well. Yeah. 0:06:47.000 --> 0:06:49.800 Yeah, And the time was you had to go to 0:06:50.000 --> 0:06:52.680 South America to see these, but they've been introduced to 0:06:52.720 --> 0:06:53.960 various other parts of the world. 0:06:54.440 --> 0:06:58.920 Yeah, They're invasive throughout many places. And I remember when 0:06:58.920 --> 0:07:02.800 I was in Louisiana people talking about the the plague 0:07:02.800 --> 0:07:05.960 of the nutria really because they would tear up landscapes. Essentially, 0:07:06.000 --> 0:07:09.679 they would cause erosion that messed with how water flowed. 0:07:09.720 --> 0:07:13.160 Like I think they eat up the roots of plants 0:07:13.160 --> 0:07:16.000 at the edges of water, and so they'll just cut 0:07:16.040 --> 0:07:18.880 through marshland, killing all the plants and just turn it 0:07:18.920 --> 0:07:20.360 into essentially open water. 0:07:21.160 --> 0:07:23.760 Yeah. Yeah, and we may have to come back and 0:07:23.800 --> 0:07:25.840 do a follow up to the beaver episode and cover 0:07:25.920 --> 0:07:27.800 some other rodents of unusual size. 0:07:28.160 --> 0:07:33.240 Yeah. I read something somewhere about people trying to create 0:07:33.320 --> 0:07:35.400 recipes for cooking with nutria meat. 0:07:35.880 --> 0:07:40.000 Well, yeah, that I mean Louisyannens could could figure it out, right. 0:07:40.040 --> 0:07:43.800 There are a number of culinary traditions there and in 0:07:43.920 --> 0:07:46.840 imported culinary traditions that I think you could make make 0:07:46.920 --> 0:07:49.240 some meat out of the nutrio for sure. Mm hmm. 0:07:49.680 --> 0:07:58.160 All right. This next one is a topic suggestion from Martin. Hey, guys, 0:07:58.240 --> 0:08:00.960 just recently I found myself in an interesting spot. I 0:08:01.000 --> 0:08:03.920 was thinking about the concept of improvisation, and at first 0:08:03.960 --> 0:08:05.600 I thought, oh, yeah, I know what that is. Of 0:08:05.640 --> 0:08:09.760 course everybody does, until I rhetorically asked myself to explain 0:08:09.840 --> 0:08:12.160 what it is and quickly realize that I can't and 0:08:12.200 --> 0:08:15.040 I mean not can't thoroughly explain more as in failed 0:08:15.080 --> 0:08:18.040 completely after mumbling three or four half big thoughts. And 0:08:18.040 --> 0:08:19.880 that's when I wanted to ask you, would you be 0:08:19.880 --> 0:08:22.960 interested in doing that as a topic. I mean, what 0:08:23.080 --> 0:08:26.720 actually is improvisation? Is it really spontaneous or just always 0:08:26.800 --> 0:08:29.960 rooted in past experiences and therefore also a learned and 0:08:30.120 --> 0:08:34.080 prepared response. Just quicker? Do animals do that? Do we 0:08:34.360 --> 0:08:38.240 always improvise or never or something in between. Maybe this 0:08:38.320 --> 0:08:40.840 prompted you to question yourself as much as it threw 0:08:40.920 --> 0:08:43.720 me into a pit of uncertainty. I'd love to someday 0:08:43.800 --> 0:08:46.520 listen to you to tackle this thing. All the best 0:08:46.520 --> 0:08:50.040 in greetings from Germany, Martin. Well, Martin, I have to 0:08:50.040 --> 0:08:55.040 say yes and to that suggestion, we could easily do 0:08:55.679 --> 0:08:57.360 an episode of an improvisation. 0:08:58.040 --> 0:09:00.000 I think this is such a great suggestion. In fact, 0:09:00.160 --> 0:09:03.760 I've considered doing exactly the subject before. I guess we 0:09:03.840 --> 0:09:05.599 never quite got there yet, But it's been on my 0:09:05.720 --> 0:09:08.439 list for a while. I think about it a lot. 0:09:08.760 --> 0:09:12.000 When you know, when I play music, sometimes you improvise 0:09:12.080 --> 0:09:16.040 and it's hard to really understand what you're doing. Even 0:09:16.080 --> 0:09:19.160 when you're doing it. You're like, how is this coming 0:09:19.200 --> 0:09:21.959 out of me? What am I am? I? You know, 0:09:22.040 --> 0:09:25.000 there's some kind of sense I have that It does 0:09:25.160 --> 0:09:31.160 rely a lot on sort of subconsciously chaining together little 0:09:31.480 --> 0:09:37.200 bits of memorized phrases and stuff, things that already exist 0:09:36.360 --> 0:09:41.440 in little groupings in your mind and you sort of 0:09:41.480 --> 0:09:44.960 just chain them together and vacillate between them. But I 0:09:44.960 --> 0:09:46.719 don't know, really, I would love to look into the 0:09:46.760 --> 0:09:47.439 research on that. 0:09:48.120 --> 0:09:50.080 Yeah, Yeah, sounds good. We'll put it on the list. 0:09:50.120 --> 0:09:50.880 Thanks for writing in. 0:09:51.840 --> 0:09:55.120 Okay. This next message is from Chris and it's a 0:09:55.200 --> 0:10:03.920 suggestion for the Monster Fact Chris says, Hello, Robert, writing 0:10:03.920 --> 0:10:07.160 in with a suggestion for the short form Monster Fact series. 0:10:07.559 --> 0:10:09.199 I think there would be at least a few short 0:10:09.200 --> 0:10:12.680 form options when covering the Inder saga from Orson Scott 0:10:12.760 --> 0:10:16.360 Card from the for Mix the ant like hive mind 0:10:16.440 --> 0:10:19.439 that's already a threat in the original novel, and the 0:10:19.600 --> 0:10:22.400 history of them and Earth is explored in some of 0:10:22.440 --> 0:10:26.600 the prequel novels written later to the Peccininos. I think 0:10:26.679 --> 0:10:31.920 on Lusitania, whose life cycle involves an execution that ends 0:10:31.960 --> 0:10:36.360 in them becoming sentient trees, to the descolatavirus, which is 0:10:36.400 --> 0:10:38.880 ultimately found to be in every life form on a 0:10:38.920 --> 0:10:42.160 distant planet and is beneficial to their life cycle but 0:10:42.280 --> 0:10:45.760 lethal to humans. There's certainly more to be looked into 0:10:45.800 --> 0:10:48.400 in this series as well. This is one of my 0:10:48.440 --> 0:10:51.800 favorite series of books, having read all of roughly nineteen 0:10:51.840 --> 0:10:54.520 of them so far and starting to reshare them with 0:10:54.559 --> 0:10:59.280 my kids. Regards Chris, Thank you, Chris. I only ever 0:10:59.280 --> 0:11:02.360 read the first book of that series, but I do remember, 0:11:02.760 --> 0:11:04.560 and it's been a long time, but I remember being 0:11:04.640 --> 0:11:08.360 very interested in the aliens in it who there's kind 0:11:08.360 --> 0:11:11.079 of a twist that makes them more sympathetic in the end, 0:11:11.920 --> 0:11:14.000 even though most of the novel is about fighting a 0:11:14.040 --> 0:11:17.360 war with them. But if I recall correctly, yeah, the 0:11:18.320 --> 0:11:21.960 hive Mind conceit was that they were really difficult to 0:11:22.000 --> 0:11:25.800 fight in battle because they don't have the sort of 0:11:25.880 --> 0:11:30.200 informational coordination constraints that humans do that they can all 0:11:30.720 --> 0:11:33.600 sort of be on the same page about how tactics 0:11:33.640 --> 0:11:36.160 and strategy are shifting at the same time. 0:11:36.760 --> 0:11:38.920 Yeah, yeah, I'm kind of in the same boat with you. 0:11:38.960 --> 0:11:41.400 I've only ever read the first book, and I really 0:11:41.480 --> 0:11:44.000 enjoyed it, but for some reason I didn't press on 0:11:44.040 --> 0:11:47.520 and read the next few. I've heard especially great things 0:11:47.520 --> 0:11:51.000 about I think what two and three, And I think 0:11:51.280 --> 0:11:53.280 then there are also some things in like Ender Shadow 0:11:53.360 --> 0:11:55.160 and so forth that are maybe a little more for 0:11:55.240 --> 0:11:58.400 the devoted fan. But yeah, I've also been thinking about 0:11:58.400 --> 0:12:01.080 these recently because my son hasn't read them, so it 0:12:01.160 --> 0:12:03.360 might be something that we could re explore. And if 0:12:03.360 --> 0:12:05.520 I do re explore them, yeah, that could be something 0:12:05.559 --> 0:12:08.240 that could spill over into the Monster fact. I think 0:12:08.240 --> 0:12:10.120 the only other thing by Orson Scott Card that I 0:12:10.160 --> 0:12:13.520 read was the Worthing saga, which is a really I 0:12:13.559 --> 0:12:17.079 remember it as being a really entertaining far future space 0:12:17.160 --> 0:12:23.120 colonization saga involving hot sleep, where the the the the 0:12:23.120 --> 0:12:26.320 the form of cryogenic sleep that you undergo while traveling 0:12:27.280 --> 0:12:31.640 interstellar distances works, but it is like unpleasant. It is 0:12:31.679 --> 0:12:33.800 like it is a sleep, but it's like a hot sleep. 0:12:34.800 --> 0:12:36.960 And that's where the title came from, because I think 0:12:37.000 --> 0:12:39.440 at one point this or one of the stories in 0:12:39.480 --> 0:12:41.960 there was called a hot sleep. Anyway, hot sleep is 0:12:41.960 --> 0:12:44.599 always stuck with me every now and then. You know, 0:12:44.679 --> 0:12:47.800 all of us experience a little hot sleep. So anyway, Chris, 0:12:47.840 --> 0:12:49.280 thanks for writing you in the suggestions. 0:12:49.559 --> 0:12:52.960 Yeah, thank you, Chris. 0:12:58.440 --> 0:13:01.000 All right, this next one comes to us from Jeff writes. 0:13:01.000 --> 0:13:03.280 I recently enjoyed the Before You Could Remember of Vault 0:13:03.360 --> 0:13:05.559 episodes and they made me think of the twenty fifteen 0:13:05.600 --> 0:13:08.480 sci fi series Dark Matter, not to be confused with 0:13:08.480 --> 0:13:11.320 the new series of the same name currently on Apple. 0:13:11.480 --> 0:13:14.240 I just watched the first episode of that as Jennifer 0:13:14.280 --> 0:13:18.800 Connelly in it always terrific. Oh anyway, Jeff goes on 0:13:18.880 --> 0:13:22.480 the premise of this twenty fifteen Dark Matter is that 0:13:22.520 --> 0:13:24.920 six humans wait from cryos sleep on a spaceship with 0:13:24.960 --> 0:13:28.040 no experiential memories and no idea why they are there. 0:13:28.320 --> 0:13:30.760 Through the course of the series, the blank slates unlock 0:13:30.800 --> 0:13:33.200 the mysteries of their previous lives and have to decide 0:13:33.200 --> 0:13:35.960 what to do with that information in who they want 0:13:36.000 --> 0:13:38.880 to be in the present. The characters do retain language 0:13:38.880 --> 0:13:42.160 and skills, but are otherwise stripped of their operating systems. 0:13:42.720 --> 0:13:47.800 Who are you really? Without any knowledge of your habits, successes, regrets, relationships, drama, etc. 0:13:48.679 --> 0:13:51.280 What would it be like to be completely free of guilt, 0:13:51.320 --> 0:13:54.559 hard lessons learned and strategies for coping with the world 0:13:54.640 --> 0:13:58.680 and yourself would what have you forgot your religion or 0:13:58.760 --> 0:14:01.680 lack thereof, or that you're a vegetarian or what political 0:14:01.679 --> 0:14:05.120 team you're on. When the Hugh Lauri series House Not 0:14:05.320 --> 0:14:09.520 House was on, I became obsessed with determining if deep 0:14:09.600 --> 0:14:13.160 down House was a good person, not whether through his 0:14:13.280 --> 0:14:16.719 actions he was responsible for manufacturing a net goodness in 0:14:16.760 --> 0:14:18.920 the world, but whether he was a man in pain 0:14:19.040 --> 0:14:21.680 trying to do good in the only way he found palatable, 0:14:21.960 --> 0:14:24.200 or really was the mean spirited jerk he appeared to 0:14:24.200 --> 0:14:26.360 be on the surface and just found problem solving to 0:14:26.360 --> 0:14:29.280 be the most effective way to entertain himself. I had 0:14:29.320 --> 0:14:32.760 to unsatisfyingly conclude that it depended on who wrote a 0:14:32.800 --> 0:14:36.040 given episode as a fictional character that was the only 0:14:36.080 --> 0:14:38.840 true source of his motivations, and I don't believe all 0:14:38.880 --> 0:14:40.840 the writers agreed on the issue. 0:14:42.200 --> 0:14:45.680 That's kind of interesting in itself. I never really watched House, 0:14:45.760 --> 0:14:49.080 but I'm familiar with the premise. But yeah, I don't 0:14:49.080 --> 0:14:51.760 think I realized that there was this kind of tension 0:14:51.800 --> 0:14:54.200 in the different ways he was portrayed. But I guess 0:14:54.240 --> 0:14:56.960 that's often the case in a show that has one 0:14:57.080 --> 0:14:59.160 character being written by multiple writers. 0:14:59.760 --> 0:15:01.880 Yeah, yeah, yeah, I could see that being an issue. 0:15:01.880 --> 0:15:05.600 I know, I've seen it come up with shows like 0:15:06.000 --> 0:15:09.640 Weirdly Enough, like The Simpsons, Like would Lisa Simpson really 0:15:09.640 --> 0:15:11.240 say this or do this? You know, even in a 0:15:11.280 --> 0:15:14.560 comedy series like that, it's so long running, we grow 0:15:14.640 --> 0:15:17.400 so attached to the characters, even if they are ultimately 0:15:17.440 --> 0:15:21.480 there as joke delivery systems, that when they do step 0:15:21.680 --> 0:15:24.560 out of line with what we expect from them due 0:15:24.560 --> 0:15:28.040 to multiple writers, you know, ultimately like generations of writers 0:15:28.160 --> 0:15:30.720 using them, you know, we can have a strong emotional 0:15:30.720 --> 0:15:31.320 reaction to that. 0:15:31.600 --> 0:15:34.160 Well, it also gives you an even deeper appreciation for 0:15:34.280 --> 0:15:39.280 cases where there are stories created by multiple different writers 0:15:39.280 --> 0:15:42.440 who do manage to have what feels like a continuity 0:15:42.480 --> 0:15:44.960 of character in the end, like they all get the 0:15:45.040 --> 0:15:47.440 character well enough that it always feels like the same 0:15:47.480 --> 0:15:50.320 person despite different people writing. That's kind of makes that 0:15:50.360 --> 0:15:51.280 seem like a miracle. 0:15:51.680 --> 0:15:53.200 Yeah yeah, And of course people are going to have 0:15:53.200 --> 0:15:54.880 different outlooks, like you hear this all the time with 0:15:55.360 --> 0:15:58.760 like actors and original character creators, you know, who disagree 0:15:58.760 --> 0:16:01.960 on would this character have done that? The most recent 0:16:01.960 --> 0:16:05.320 what I was reading about was when Kirk kills the 0:16:05.320 --> 0:16:09.000 SETI worm in Wrath of Khan Like apparently, like Gene 0:16:09.040 --> 0:16:11.800 Roddenberry didn't like that that one moment. He was kind 0:16:11.800 --> 0:16:13.560 of picky about that. He's like, Kirk wouldn't have done this, 0:16:13.640 --> 0:16:15.280 you know. And I think I've read some of the 0:16:15.280 --> 0:16:19.200 things where where there were disagreements with the actor on 0:16:19.240 --> 0:16:23.280 whether this is something Kirk would do. So is always 0:16:23.320 --> 0:16:26.320 fascinating to think about, all right, But the email continues, 0:16:26.440 --> 0:16:27.880 there's a lot to unpack in this since we had 0:16:28.040 --> 0:16:30.240 to pause and go through it a little bit. Okay, 0:16:30.760 --> 0:16:33.120 it continues. I don't think I'm built to be a 0:16:33.120 --> 0:16:36.080 particularly good person. My first instinct is rarely to do 0:16:36.120 --> 0:16:39.040 the brave or most compassionate thing, like forcing myself to 0:16:39.080 --> 0:16:41.240 jump into cold water, even though I know I will 0:16:41.320 --> 0:16:44.760 ultimately enjoy the swim. I have to fight my programming 0:16:44.920 --> 0:16:48.280 to do good, and not because it's intrinsic to my character, 0:16:48.360 --> 0:16:50.520 but because I intellectually believe that kindness is the most 0:16:50.760 --> 0:16:53.200 advantageous plan for all of us as a species, and frankly, 0:16:53.280 --> 0:16:56.560 I enjoyed the selfish blast of positive brain chemicals I 0:16:56.560 --> 0:16:59.360 get when I actually managed to present as a decent 0:16:59.480 --> 0:17:02.520 human being. Over the years, I've applied various patches and 0:17:02.520 --> 0:17:04.800 worked rounds to my operating system, which I hope have 0:17:04.920 --> 0:17:08.439 made me a somewhat less bad human. In context of 0:17:08.440 --> 0:17:11.159 the show, would I lose all my progress in the 0:17:11.200 --> 0:17:15.000 game save of my life? It seems implausible that simply 0:17:15.040 --> 0:17:18.159 wishing I were a better person has fundamentally altered my 0:17:18.280 --> 0:17:21.359 core systems. The series touches on some of the above, 0:17:21.400 --> 0:17:24.280 but it is mostly just an enjoyable sci fi action show. 0:17:24.359 --> 0:17:27.600 It has a distinctly unsettling, sorry rob Canadian feel to it. 0:17:27.680 --> 0:17:29.480 No I love I don't know what that means. I 0:17:29.520 --> 0:17:32.879 love an unsettling Canadian field of things. That's why I 0:17:32.880 --> 0:17:34.440 watched all those Outer Limits episodes. 0:17:35.320 --> 0:17:40.720 Maybe Jeff is apologizing for inadvertently impugning Canadian things as unsettling. 0:17:40.880 --> 0:17:46.600 Oh okay, well, fair enough, Key connities alien planets seem 0:17:46.640 --> 0:17:50.080 to be overrun with snow and suspiciously familiar conifers, and 0:17:50.119 --> 0:17:52.640 maybe the production value is not of the highest order. 0:17:52.960 --> 0:17:55.159 Not all of the characters are equally interesting but it 0:17:55.200 --> 0:17:57.639 is fascinating to watch which ones choose to seize the 0:17:57.680 --> 0:18:00.480 opportunity to actually think about who they were want to be, 0:18:00.800 --> 0:18:04.040 and which are happy to defer to their most primitive 0:18:04.200 --> 0:18:07.159 cranial machine language. My favorite character turned out to be 0:18:07.200 --> 0:18:09.639 one of those I initially found to be quite off putting. 0:18:09.960 --> 0:18:13.159 Watch it for the characters, occasional nuggets of philosophy, and 0:18:13.200 --> 0:18:15.080 the real page turner of a plot, and try to 0:18:15.119 --> 0:18:17.600 overlook the dodgy effects in some of the sets. A 0:18:17.640 --> 0:18:21.479 word of warning, the show wasiles mercilessly canceled after a 0:18:21.520 --> 0:18:25.440 season ending cliffhanger, so there is no resolution, although by 0:18:25.480 --> 0:18:27.639 that point I think the show had mostly run its course. 0:18:28.040 --> 0:18:31.680 Thanks again for your time and the free therapy session. Also, 0:18:31.840 --> 0:18:34.920 I second the suggestion of Cherry two thousand for weird 0:18:34.920 --> 0:18:37.000 House treatment. That's a fun one, Jeff. 0:18:37.440 --> 0:18:39.879 That does sound interesting. Jeff, I don't know this show, 0:18:39.920 --> 0:18:44.359 but yeah, I mean that and your subsequent thinking about it, 0:18:44.440 --> 0:18:46.800 Like what you know if you're stripped, basically, if your 0:18:46.840 --> 0:18:51.160 memories and experiences, what kind of person does that leave you? 0:18:51.280 --> 0:18:56.000 Operating as a There's sort of an implication that, like, 0:18:56.040 --> 0:18:59.119 maybe that's the real you underneath the part of you 0:18:59.280 --> 0:19:03.040 that is without all of your memories and experiences. But 0:19:03.160 --> 0:19:05.200 I don't know if that is actually any more a 0:19:05.359 --> 0:19:08.199 real version of you than the version that has all 0:19:08.200 --> 0:19:09.840 the memories and experiences. 0:19:10.119 --> 0:19:13.240 Yeah, yeah, but it's it's food for thought. I'm gonna 0:19:13.240 --> 0:19:16.160 have to I'm gonna have to look this one up. 0:19:17.359 --> 0:19:20.399 I mean, I think I remember seeing the thumbnail art before, 0:19:20.800 --> 0:19:23.040 but just look glancing at the cast. Yeah, a number 0:19:23.080 --> 0:19:26.199 of familiar contemporary Canadian actors that I like her in it, 0:19:26.320 --> 0:19:30.720 so worth checking out. In fact, I'm noticing just right 0:19:30.760 --> 0:19:33.040 off the bat Amanda Brugel is in it, who I 0:19:33.119 --> 0:19:36.159 quite like. And she is also in the new series 0:19:36.200 --> 0:19:39.960 called Dark Matter. So a lot of you probably remember 0:19:40.000 --> 0:19:42.960 her as Pastor Nina on Kim's Convenience, but she's been 0:19:42.960 --> 0:19:45.720 in a lot of things like The Handmaid's Tale, Infinity 0:19:45.760 --> 0:19:46.760 Pool and so forth. 0:19:47.600 --> 0:19:50.919 Okay, well, again, thank you Jeff for letting us know 0:19:51.359 --> 0:19:54.200 sounds worth a look. Okay, this last message is from 0:19:54.320 --> 0:20:02.920 David da It says, Dear Robin Joe, longtime listener, first 0:20:02.920 --> 0:20:05.280 time writing in. I think I've been listening since the 0:20:05.440 --> 0:20:08.440 P versus n P episode whenever that was, uh, that 0:20:08.520 --> 0:20:12.199 was many years ago. In the recent Weird House Cinema. 0:20:12.240 --> 0:20:15.600 I was amazed that you dedicated two full episodes to 0:20:15.640 --> 0:20:19.760 a movie allegedly titled Highlander two. Part of my bafflement 0:20:19.920 --> 0:20:22.200 is that, while I've heard many rumors, I'm quite sure 0:20:22.200 --> 0:20:25.080 that no such movie was ever made. I saw Highlander 0:20:25.119 --> 0:20:27.560 when released in nineteen eighty six in the theaters with 0:20:27.640 --> 0:20:31.000 my friends in college. In the overall dismal quality of 0:20:31.119 --> 0:20:34.080 fantasy genre movies of the eighties, it was a relative gem. 0:20:34.560 --> 0:20:37.679 The supposed plot of Highlander two is that instead of 0:20:37.720 --> 0:20:41.080 being a mysterious immortal, the hero is an alien from 0:20:41.160 --> 0:20:44.200 the planet Zeist, and his friend whose head was cut 0:20:44.200 --> 0:20:47.480 off simply returns to life, only to be crushed pointlessly 0:20:47.520 --> 0:20:50.280 by a giant spinning fan blade. Of course, even a 0:20:50.320 --> 0:20:53.920 moment of introspection reveals this is completely ludicrous. No, the 0:20:54.000 --> 0:20:57.880 far simpler explanation is that you're experiencing a mass hallucination 0:20:58.400 --> 0:21:01.240 or subject to some kind of Mendel effect, as the 0:21:01.280 --> 0:21:05.520 movie itself said, there can be only one in any event. 0:21:05.680 --> 0:21:07.919 To the actual point of my email, which was my 0:21:07.960 --> 0:21:12.040 additional surprise that when discussing Sean Connery, you didn't mention 0:21:12.119 --> 0:21:16.359 his role in a movie that certainly qualifies for weird House. Zardawes, 0:21:17.080 --> 0:21:21.480 Sean Connery in a bikini, flying stoneheads, bored immortals, what's 0:21:21.560 --> 0:21:24.240 not to like. I don't think you've covered Zardas yet 0:21:24.280 --> 0:21:26.639 as part of weird House, so I'm proposing it to 0:21:26.680 --> 0:21:28.880 be added to your list. Thank you for the many 0:21:28.880 --> 0:21:34.200 hours of informative and entertaining podcasts, David, Oh, thank you, David. Yeah. 0:21:34.200 --> 0:21:36.000