1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,360 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: back to the show, Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always 3 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:34,479 Speaker 1: so much for tuning in. Let's give a big hand 4 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:39,800 Speaker 1: to our guest producer today, the one and only Tari Harrison. 5 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:44,159 Speaker 1: Uh no, uh oh, and I've been uh. You and 6 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:48,279 Speaker 1: I are big Tary fans. Right, you're the crowd going 7 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:51,560 Speaker 1: while I do. They're losing their minds man, and we 8 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:53,479 Speaker 1: you know I am part of the crowd, so I 9 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 1: am also losing my mind over all. Right to answer 10 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:58,760 Speaker 1: your previous question, yes, big big Tary Harrison fan. When 11 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:02,200 Speaker 1: Tar is not class seen up Ridiculous History, she is 12 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 1: working on one of our favorite shows in the Ridiculous Universe. 13 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:11,360 Speaker 1: That's ridiculous news. With our pals uh Mark and Bill. 14 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:15,360 Speaker 1: You may recognize them from a previous appearance on this show. 15 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:18,840 Speaker 1: That happened, right, yeah, no, that happened. We're in person. 16 00:01:18,959 --> 00:01:21,039 Speaker 1: I mean, the universe is pretty ridiculous. Who can keep 17 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 1: track of all the goings ons, the comings and goings 18 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: on of the Ridiculous Universe? But no, I do believe 19 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:29,440 Speaker 1: you are correct, So didn't happen in like a in 20 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:32,960 Speaker 1: then the Ridiculous Multiverse it was definitely in this ridiculous 21 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:37,680 Speaker 1: universe that we occupy currently. That's true. It's all true, folks. Uh. 22 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:40,280 Speaker 1: And you know, I like this statement about the universe 23 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:45,600 Speaker 1: like thinking metaphysically, because this is a true story. A 24 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:50,920 Speaker 1: few weeks ago, I had a dream where I was 25 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 1: talking to what I think was God, but I got 26 00:01:56,840 --> 00:02:00,880 Speaker 1: put on hold and I woke up convinced I had 27 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 1: heard this amazing music. And you know how it is 28 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:06,559 Speaker 1: when your mind creates something in a dream. I spent 29 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:11,000 Speaker 1: like twenty very blurry, not fully awake moments trying to 30 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:14,400 Speaker 1: record the two night I had heard. Uh, and I'm 31 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:17,160 Speaker 1: afraid to play it back, but just as uh, we 32 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:22,120 Speaker 1: were getting on to record today, Uh, you had when 33 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:24,920 Speaker 1: you came on, you were listening to real life, not 34 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:27,960 Speaker 1: dream hold music. Yeah, man, I hold music is interesting 35 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:30,320 Speaker 1: because it is a thing that's been around for a 36 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:33,920 Speaker 1: long time. So folks have, um have the opportunity to 37 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:37,040 Speaker 1: do a better job at it. Let's just say some 38 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 1: have taken that challenge and run with it. Uh and 39 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 1: and made you know, have very high fidelity hold music. 40 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:45,120 Speaker 1: I've been on hold in my car before and I 41 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:47,800 Speaker 1: literally heard like low end bumping, you know, on my 42 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 1: on my set, I don't even have like a fancy 43 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:51,080 Speaker 1: system or anything in my car. But you know, with 44 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:53,360 Speaker 1: the with the hands free, you know, connected, I was 45 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:56,240 Speaker 1: hearing all kinds of low end fidelity and crisp hies 46 00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:59,360 Speaker 1: and mids and in that music. Uh, not the case 47 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:02,720 Speaker 1: with the decay Have County Watershed, which is who I 48 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: was on hold with this morning. It's all staticky, uh 49 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:10,520 Speaker 1: really broken up, very harsh, you know highs. It's just 50 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: like very unpleasant to listen to. Also stylistically all over 51 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:16,720 Speaker 1: the place. I gotta say like it goes from like 52 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:18,720 Speaker 1: something that sounds sort of like a sound alike the 53 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:21,400 Speaker 1: Police song, like sort of a rock sand vibe, to 54 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 1: like Mendelssohn and then back again, all interspersed with a 55 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:28,840 Speaker 1: very kindly voice telling me that the rates are going 56 00:03:28,919 --> 00:03:32,280 Speaker 1: up six percent, so super helpful. Didn't actually get a person, 57 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: That's why I was sharing this with you. I was 58 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:37,240 Speaker 1: on hold for an hour, so uh, get your house 59 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:41,400 Speaker 1: together to cab County Watershed. Your hold game um is 60 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:45,200 Speaker 1: weak and your customer service is weaker. Yeah. I also 61 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:49,680 Speaker 1: want to give a very special thanks to a musician 62 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:54,440 Speaker 1: named Alex Cornell. I've i've mentioned this. I can't remember 63 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 1: it's on air off, but for many years, during one 64 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: iteration of our corporate overlords or another. Uh. This company 65 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:06,720 Speaker 1: where where I have worked for more years than I 66 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:12,520 Speaker 1: care to announce. Uh, this company had a hold song 67 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:16,400 Speaker 1: that had lyrics and had a country vibe. It's called 68 00:04:16,520 --> 00:04:20,800 Speaker 1: I'm on Hold by Alex Cornell. I'm not gonna play it. 69 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:23,360 Speaker 1: I don't think we should, but if you want to 70 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 1: stare into the void, folks, then journey with me and 71 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:31,640 Speaker 1: Alex Cornell. There, Alex, I bear you no ill will. 72 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:34,320 Speaker 1: It is not your faults. But after having been on 73 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:37,359 Speaker 1: hold with your song for a number of years, for 74 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:41,359 Speaker 1: egregiously long times, uh, it did break my mind a 75 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:44,000 Speaker 1: little bit. If there is someone we need to thank 76 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 1: slash blame for this, well, it is not the water authorities. 77 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:52,760 Speaker 1: It is not Alex Cornell. It's not even an elevator 78 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:55,240 Speaker 1: operator back when those were a thing. It is a 79 00:04:55,279 --> 00:05:00,560 Speaker 1: man named Albert Levy, who in nineteen sixt you filed 80 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:06,440 Speaker 1: a patent for something called a telephone hold program system. 81 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:12,679 Speaker 1: Levy is the guy who invented the idea of listening 82 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:18,360 Speaker 1: to something other than silence when you are waiting on Uh. 83 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:21,800 Speaker 1: When you are waiting on a human to answer the 84 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:25,920 Speaker 1: other end of the telephone. Uh. This really was the 85 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:31,279 Speaker 1: idea of alleviating border I guess, or as he as 86 00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:35,680 Speaker 1: he puts it, occupying a collar. Yeah, it's neat. Um. 87 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:40,160 Speaker 1: It's certainly in the days of you know, switchboards and 88 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:45,000 Speaker 1: and um, you know of telef telefe telephone telephony being 89 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:47,680 Speaker 1: much more of an all encompassing thing. If you weren't 90 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:50,800 Speaker 1: on the telephone network, you weren't part of this world. Um. Now, 91 00:05:50,839 --> 00:05:53,400 Speaker 1: obviously with cell phones and computers and something like, it's 92 00:05:53,480 --> 00:05:55,840 Speaker 1: much less stress being put on that system and it's 93 00:05:55,839 --> 00:05:58,760 Speaker 1: almost becoming kind of a thing of the past. But yeah, 94 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:01,200 Speaker 1: I mean the idea of, like, I mean, to wait 95 00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:04,360 Speaker 1: for a human to help you with your problem. Um, 96 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:06,800 Speaker 1: why not give you a little something to occupy your 97 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:08,640 Speaker 1: time with, or at the very least, you know, keep 98 00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:10,240 Speaker 1: you from hanging up, to encourage you to kind of 99 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:13,120 Speaker 1: stick around. So what is the deal with the concept 100 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:15,640 Speaker 1: of holding? Right? This is the definitely like something that 101 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:17,640 Speaker 1: had to be kind of creative, the idea of being 102 00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:22,479 Speaker 1: put on hold. In twelve, the Sydney Morning Herald Um 103 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:26,680 Speaker 1: reported on a man in Adelaide who was kept on 104 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:31,440 Speaker 1: hold with an airline called Quantas for fifteen hours fifteen 105 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:34,960 Speaker 1: hours and and this was not necessarily due to the 106 00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:37,920 Speaker 1: soothing tones of whatever you know, hold music was being 107 00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 1: shows it, but it was apparently as a result of 108 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:43,640 Speaker 1: a recorded message that you know, this is again part 109 00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:45,240 Speaker 1: of the irony of being on hold, this sort of 110 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:49,080 Speaker 1: liminal kind of like um limbo space that we occupy. 111 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:52,600 Speaker 1: This voice assuring the gentleman that customer Service AGA would 112 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:55,599 Speaker 1: be with him quote soon. So you just stayed on. 113 00:06:56,600 --> 00:06:59,159 Speaker 1: I've been there, you know. Sometimes there there will be 114 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:01,080 Speaker 1: a message saying in the times are longer than usual, 115 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:03,279 Speaker 1: and so you can kind of mentally prepare, but you know, 116 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:06,240 Speaker 1: you can have it on speaker and just do other stuff. 117 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:08,280 Speaker 1: That's what he did. He was working and reading and 118 00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:11,720 Speaker 1: just waiting. And as he told the newspaper, quote I 119 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:14,440 Speaker 1: wanted to find out exactly what they meant when they 120 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:16,920 Speaker 1: said they would be with me as soon as possible. 121 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:20,520 Speaker 1: So obviously this guy's kind of taking a stand for 122 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:24,720 Speaker 1: the little guy. I appreciate that. Um. And and this 123 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:28,720 Speaker 1: is you mentioned Ben thinking metaphysically earlier. This is ultimately 124 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:32,760 Speaker 1: this idea of the whole space and what that occupies 125 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:35,840 Speaker 1: in our minds and our lives. Is kind of a 126 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 1: philosophical or metaphysical question. Yeah, I like to call it 127 00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:46,480 Speaker 1: audio purgatory. That's really what what whole being on hold is. Also, 128 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:49,960 Speaker 1: want to shout out Tom Vanderbilt over at Slate Rode 129 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:52,240 Speaker 1: a roade a great article. We're pulling a lot of 130 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:57,240 Speaker 1: this from called your Call is important to us. Uh. 131 00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:00,240 Speaker 1: What we may not know, especially if we're some of 132 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:04,400 Speaker 1: our younger, ridiculous historians in the crowd, is that back 133 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:08,240 Speaker 1: in the day, you had to be on hold just 134 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:14,600 Speaker 1: to make a call. The first transatlantic telephone call occurred 135 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:17,600 Speaker 1: from New York to Paris, and The New York Times 136 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:21,840 Speaker 1: wrote about it in describing it like this, For those 137 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:24,400 Speaker 1: who speak for the first time, there is no thrill 138 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:27,320 Speaker 1: comparable to that which comes with the first signal. You know, 139 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:30,280 Speaker 1: New York Hall is coming through. Hold the line, Wait 140 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:33,600 Speaker 1: a minute. That minute is a thing of every mixed emotions. 141 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:37,000 Speaker 1: One feels that something memorable should be spoken and can 142 00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 1: think of nothing to say. So for early callers, you know, 143 00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:44,360 Speaker 1: you don't quite know if it's gonna go through. Your 144 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:47,040 Speaker 1: sort of waiting in the wings to see if you're 145 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:52,360 Speaker 1: part of the play will actually commence. And one thing 146 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:55,720 Speaker 1: we didn't say about Levy. We'll put this in the 147 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:57,480 Speaker 1: title to make up for it, folks. But one thing 148 00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:00,520 Speaker 1: we didn't say about our buddy Andrew Andy to his 149 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:06,240 Speaker 1: friends is that he sort of accidentally invented this thing. 150 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:10,280 Speaker 1: Originally he owned a factory. And no, it wasn't a 151 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:14,679 Speaker 1: factory that made musac. It wasn't a factory that made telephones. 152 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:18,520 Speaker 1: It was a factory that had a problem with its 153 00:09:18,559 --> 00:09:23,720 Speaker 1: own phone service. And this is where Tom Vanderbilt notes 154 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:26,920 Speaker 1: over at Slate that a loose wire was touching a 155 00:09:27,040 --> 00:09:31,080 Speaker 1: steel girder, and the steel then was acting as an 156 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:35,160 Speaker 1: antenna and was picking up a signal from a radio 157 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:38,920 Speaker 1: station nearby. The wire tapped into the audio, and then 158 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:40,960 Speaker 1: all of a sudden, when you were on hold calling 159 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:47,000 Speaker 1: Levy's factory, instead of just hearing nothing but the hum 160 00:09:47,040 --> 00:09:50,480 Speaker 1: of the void, perhaps or some little clicks and audio ghost, 161 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:55,400 Speaker 1: you would you would hear the station's broadcast. And Levy 162 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:57,760 Speaker 1: didn't know about this until someone who had been on 163 00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:03,720 Speaker 1: hold told him, and he said, hey, uh, Andy, uh, 164 00:10:03,760 --> 00:10:06,880 Speaker 1: you know I'm calling about the Tuesday thing. I just 165 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:10,600 Speaker 1: want you to know. The radio was playing when I'm 166 00:10:10,640 --> 00:10:13,600 Speaker 1: when I'm on hold, and uh, that's brilliant. You're a 167 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:16,920 Speaker 1: smart guy. I'll order six more thinking about bobbers or 168 00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:20,080 Speaker 1: whatever it is you make at your factory widgets, you know, 169 00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:28,720 Speaker 1: do dads. So it's kind of interesting because you know, 170 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:32,160 Speaker 1: we we already had music as a brand, you know, 171 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:36,600 Speaker 1: kind of um getting trademarked in nineteen fifty four. Um, 172 00:10:36,720 --> 00:10:39,280 Speaker 1: and there I I guess that was sort of in 173 00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:41,120 Speaker 1: the zeitgeist. I mean, like you know, to your point, 174 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:44,200 Speaker 1: Pamis was kind of done by a mistake, you know, 175 00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:47,360 Speaker 1: I mean, when I hear a bare wire touching a 176 00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:51,320 Speaker 1: metal girder, I'm glad nobody was killed. Instead, they just 177 00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:55,000 Speaker 1: got some like pleasant lilting you know tunes piped in, 178 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:58,040 Speaker 1: you know, on the line. Um. But I do believe 179 00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:00,000 Speaker 1: there is some kind of parallel thinking going on here 180 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:04,199 Speaker 1: because music is also, of course, this concept designed around 181 00:11:04,559 --> 00:11:09,679 Speaker 1: filling boredom in like you know, kind of procedural interactions 182 00:11:09,760 --> 00:11:12,040 Speaker 1: with music with something that kind of like make you 183 00:11:12,080 --> 00:11:14,400 Speaker 1: feel like you're not actually in some sort of hellish 184 00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:17,959 Speaker 1: liminal space. You know, God knows what when you'll ever 185 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:19,560 Speaker 1: get out things like the d M V or or 186 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:21,560 Speaker 1: in an elevator or what or what have you. This 187 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:24,600 Speaker 1: was just taking it kind of into the virtual space. 188 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:26,679 Speaker 1: And I guess if you think about it, telephones are really, 189 00:11:27,240 --> 00:11:30,640 Speaker 1: in many ways the first form of virtual communication where 190 00:11:30,679 --> 00:11:34,679 Speaker 1: you're not actually occupying the same space. Um. So yeah, 191 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:39,439 Speaker 1: the the idea of the telephone hold program seems pretty um, 192 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:42,800 Speaker 1: pretty innocuous on its surface, but it has really you know, 193 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:47,360 Speaker 1: created an incredible legacy of of this thing and of 194 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:50,760 Speaker 1: various iterations um and uh. You know again, it was 195 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:54,400 Speaker 1: designed for a very specific purpose, and it all kind 196 00:11:54,400 --> 00:11:56,959 Speaker 1: of has its roots I guess the idea of being 197 00:11:56,960 --> 00:12:00,200 Speaker 1: put on hold in those earliest days of tele phone 198 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:02,959 Speaker 1: communication the switchboard, where you would you know, call the 199 00:12:03,400 --> 00:12:06,400 Speaker 1: switchboard operator and say I'd like to place my call 200 00:12:06,480 --> 00:12:09,480 Speaker 1: to like you know, WHICHITA to five three or whatever 201 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:10,920 Speaker 1: it would be, and I mean, like, ho, please, we'll 202 00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:13,240 Speaker 1: try the connection and you you could be on hold 203 00:12:13,280 --> 00:12:14,680 Speaker 1: for a while, and like you said, been this whole 204 00:12:14,679 --> 00:12:16,760 Speaker 1: idea of like what do I say when they come? 205 00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:20,440 Speaker 1: That's kind of where the idea of telephone etiquette came from, right, 206 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:24,000 Speaker 1: the idea of saying hello or ahoihoi or whatever it 207 00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:26,760 Speaker 1: might be. You know, Yeah, and this whole. This whole 208 00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:29,800 Speaker 1: idea of being on hold and needing to fill that 209 00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:34,000 Speaker 1: with something um to kind of keep people from getting anxious. 210 00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:38,079 Speaker 1: Maybe hanging up came from these earliest days of telephone communication. 211 00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:41,560 Speaker 1: M hmm, yeah, you have. May you may have called, 212 00:12:41,640 --> 00:12:46,520 Speaker 1: for instance, the doctor's office and had the receptionists say, uh, 213 00:12:46,760 --> 00:12:53,320 Speaker 1: you know, uh, Dr Crinkleberries medical facility and crinkles. Also 214 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:56,520 Speaker 1: we sell hold police because they're really busy and they 215 00:12:56,559 --> 00:12:59,680 Speaker 1: have to switch back and forth. This was happening with 216 00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:04,560 Speaker 1: literally every busy switchboard back in the day. And this 217 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:08,040 Speaker 1: was exasperating to Levy, at least if you believe the 218 00:13:08,120 --> 00:13:11,720 Speaker 1: language of his patent, and we're not going to read 219 00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:14,280 Speaker 1: you the whole thing because like many patents, it's quite long. 220 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:18,040 Speaker 1: But his entry to the patent office, which as he 221 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:21,960 Speaker 1: said Curse in nineteen sixty two in Spring, says in 222 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:25,600 Speaker 1: the course of receiving telephone calls, and it goes on 223 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:29,160 Speaker 1: to talk about the dead silence, the collar has to 224 00:13:29,400 --> 00:13:33,520 Speaker 1: endure while operators are trying to chase down their parties. 225 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:36,319 Speaker 1: And then you know what happens if an operator forgets 226 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:40,160 Speaker 1: to check in again, what if they get busy? Uh, 227 00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:43,200 Speaker 1: the application has a key line here. In any event, 228 00:13:43,880 --> 00:13:48,000 Speaker 1: listening to a completely unresponsive instrument is tedious, and calls 229 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:52,640 Speaker 1: are often abandoned altogether or remade, which leads to annoyance 230 00:13:52,640 --> 00:13:56,360 Speaker 1: and a waste of time and money. And so the 231 00:13:56,400 --> 00:14:00,079 Speaker 1: idea is that when you put them on hold, do 232 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:03,720 Speaker 1: you just hit some sort of button that puts the 233 00:14:03,800 --> 00:14:08,840 Speaker 1: callers line on a source of program material, often music, 234 00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:12,200 Speaker 1: but it could really be anything. It could be a lawnmower, 235 00:14:12,480 --> 00:14:14,679 Speaker 1: it could be a cat yelling if you know, if 236 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:17,720 Speaker 1: you are angry at the caller, uh. And the ideas 237 00:14:17,800 --> 00:14:20,840 Speaker 1: this would pacify them and maybe you know, now I 238 00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:23,200 Speaker 1: think about it in a time of high stress, the 239 00:14:23,280 --> 00:14:26,280 Speaker 1: idea was, maybe it'll give them a little chill room, 240 00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:28,800 Speaker 1: a little green room in the great performance of life. 241 00:14:29,240 --> 00:14:33,000 Speaker 1: And this idea, you know, it starts off with music, 242 00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:40,040 Speaker 1: but eventually someone realizes we can use this space, this 243 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:45,440 Speaker 1: literally captive audience as people to advertise to. And so 244 00:14:45,560 --> 00:14:50,480 Speaker 1: by the nineties, companies began mixing music with messages. There 245 00:14:50,560 --> 00:14:55,520 Speaker 1: was one company we found called American Telephone Tapes that 246 00:14:55,600 --> 00:15:01,680 Speaker 1: would purposely find announcers with sultry voices to break into 247 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:05,040 Speaker 1: the music every forty seconds or so, kind of like 248 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:09,600 Speaker 1: a higher a higher cadence of the DJs that you 249 00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:12,640 Speaker 1: hear on radio today. Yeah, it's interesting because I mean, 250 00:15:12,640 --> 00:15:15,000 Speaker 1: you know the idea of advertising on these uh these 251 00:15:15,040 --> 00:15:17,640 Speaker 1: whole spaces. I don't referring to it so like like 252 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:21,120 Speaker 1: uh mystically, but it really is kind of a space 253 00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:23,120 Speaker 1: you have to you have to kind of interact with it, 254 00:15:23,280 --> 00:15:25,840 Speaker 1: you know, like you know, you have to uh be 255 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:29,200 Speaker 1: aware of it, you have to occupy it to some degree. Um. 256 00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:30,960 Speaker 1: But I think I don't I don't know that I've 257 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:34,880 Speaker 1: ever heard like advertisements for like outside products, because I 258 00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:38,480 Speaker 1: think companies to these days are so aware that being 259 00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:41,360 Speaker 1: on hold is just the last place anyone wants to be. 260 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:45,120 Speaker 1: And usually there are ways of of not having to 261 00:15:45,240 --> 00:15:47,560 Speaker 1: call and deal with a person, of of paying bills 262 00:15:47,680 --> 00:15:50,920 Speaker 1: or sorting out issues you know online. But I don't 263 00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:54,200 Speaker 1: know about you, Ben, but I sometimes for certain things 264 00:15:54,640 --> 00:15:57,560 Speaker 1: I really want to talk to a person. Um. Maybe 265 00:15:57,600 --> 00:16:00,640 Speaker 1: I'm old fashioned, but um what I will here if 266 00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:03,200 Speaker 1: not advertisements. I think people today maybe just wouldn't put 267 00:16:03,240 --> 00:16:05,600 Speaker 1: up with that on being on a really long hold 268 00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:08,920 Speaker 1: and then also feeling like you're being you know, shield 269 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:12,760 Speaker 1: to buy other products and companies that are unrelated to 270 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:17,400 Speaker 1: the the you know, service or or company that you're calling. Um, 271 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:21,680 Speaker 1: there will be internal messages, you know, things like UM E, 272 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:24,120 Speaker 1: T N D now has uh, you know, pay as 273 00:16:24,160 --> 00:16:25,960 Speaker 1: you go or whatever it might be, you know, and 274 00:16:26,040 --> 00:16:28,480 Speaker 1: that's gonna be a little more palatable. And if all 275 00:16:28,480 --> 00:16:30,800 Speaker 1: of a sudden, you know, you're hearing an advertisement for 276 00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:32,840 Speaker 1: some other thing, I think a lot of people would 277 00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:35,960 Speaker 1: be very cranky about that. Yeah, and it also could 278 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:39,640 Speaker 1: make your business look bad. I mean, it doesn't make 279 00:16:39,640 --> 00:16:43,040 Speaker 1: your bank look particularly awesome if all of a sudden 280 00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:48,200 Speaker 1: they're having ads for you know, uh, chiropractors or something 281 00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:52,680 Speaker 1: in your area. So yeah, there was definitely a diminishing return. 282 00:16:52,800 --> 00:16:56,880 Speaker 1: And I agree with you. The vast majority of messages 283 00:16:56,880 --> 00:16:59,920 Speaker 1: you're gonna hear while you're on hold nowadays are going 284 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:04,080 Speaker 1: to be internal advertisements, right, special offers from the company 285 00:17:04,119 --> 00:17:07,600 Speaker 1: that you are already calling. And that might be a 286 00:17:07,600 --> 00:17:10,720 Speaker 1: bit of a pickle for the folks who have to 287 00:17:10,840 --> 00:17:13,800 Speaker 1: answer the phone when they get through that phone queue. 288 00:17:14,320 --> 00:17:17,919 Speaker 1: Let me say this on behalf of everybody on the 289 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:20,880 Speaker 1: planet who has ever worked in a call center. If 290 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:23,440 Speaker 1: you have a problem with a company, if you are 291 00:17:23,600 --> 00:17:27,920 Speaker 1: very angry at a company. The person you are talking 292 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:32,040 Speaker 1: to is not in charge of that decision. They will 293 00:17:32,119 --> 00:17:34,439 Speaker 1: do their best to help you, but they take a 294 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:37,199 Speaker 1: lot of abuse from people who are just looking for 295 00:17:37,240 --> 00:17:40,280 Speaker 1: a punching bag. You don't have to be that person, folks. 296 00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:43,639 Speaker 1: You can be better than that. And I've had you know, 297 00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:47,080 Speaker 1: like anybody else, I've had a lot of conversations about 298 00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:51,560 Speaker 1: egregious or acrimonious things that a company has done. But 299 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:54,280 Speaker 1: I always try to remember that person on the front 300 00:17:54,359 --> 00:17:57,879 Speaker 1: lines is not the CEO. They're not the person in 301 00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:01,720 Speaker 1: charge of whatever went wrong. They are there to help you, 302 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:04,320 Speaker 1: and the best you can do to show that you 303 00:18:04,400 --> 00:18:08,600 Speaker 1: appreciate that help is not be an utter pill to them. 304 00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:13,840 Speaker 1: And uh, I hope getting some amends from people who 305 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:16,439 Speaker 1: work in call centers or have worked in call centers. 306 00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:20,040 Speaker 1: It is a very tough job. I was working at 307 00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:23,280 Speaker 1: an insurance call center once upon a time when Hurricane 308 00:18:23,320 --> 00:18:31,159 Speaker 1: Katrina hit and it was just a horrific situation all around. Also, 309 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:36,119 Speaker 1: if we could bring Levy back and tell him the 310 00:18:36,160 --> 00:18:38,960 Speaker 1: results of his invention, the results of his very forward 311 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:43,680 Speaker 1: thinking accidentally discovered patent, I would say that he might 312 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:48,000 Speaker 1: be surprised. A lot of people just don't like hold music. 313 00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:51,840 Speaker 1: Now they expect it, they don't like it, and just 314 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:56,280 Speaker 1: like our caller over there in quantas, you know, eventually 315 00:18:56,880 --> 00:18:59,920 Speaker 1: you have to start questioning the absurdity of that canvass 316 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:04,480 Speaker 1: bonds that's always like fifteen minutes, fifteen minutes as soon 317 00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:13,960 Speaker 1: as possible. I get the feeling most of the time 318 00:19:14,359 --> 00:19:16,960 Speaker 1: there isn't really a system in place that lets them 319 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:20,760 Speaker 1: gauge like call volume. So I think it's all pretty canned, 320 00:19:21,200 --> 00:19:24,160 Speaker 1: like like in terms of like the expectation and um, 321 00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:26,720 Speaker 1: you know, I think some whold systems maybe a little 322 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:29,159 Speaker 1: more robust than others, a little more like automated and 323 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:32,439 Speaker 1: have computer you know, um intervention to some degree. I 324 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:35,000 Speaker 1: think for the most part, it's kind of like we'll 325 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:37,280 Speaker 1: get to you when we get to you here, enjoy this, 326 00:19:37,480 --> 00:19:40,720 Speaker 1: uh this little xylophone diddy and to to to get 327 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:43,040 Speaker 1: you through and keep you from going insane or make 328 00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:45,800 Speaker 1: you go insane, because that's the thing about hold music too. 329 00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:49,240 Speaker 1: You're not gonna hear top forty jams or like the 330 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:52,480 Speaker 1: radio because I imagine, um and then maybe maybe you 331 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:55,119 Speaker 1: know this specifically that this is a consist is a 332 00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:57,960 Speaker 1: form of broadcast kind of. I mean, it's it's a 333 00:19:58,119 --> 00:20:01,159 Speaker 1: broadcast of well and I guess directly to you, but 334 00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:04,719 Speaker 1: it's happening, you know, in a lot of different iterations, 335 00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:07,399 Speaker 1: So you would have to own the copyright to the music, 336 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:09,240 Speaker 1: which is why a lot of wold music it will 337 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:12,480 Speaker 1: be the same thing over and over and over again 338 00:20:12,480 --> 00:20:15,720 Speaker 1: because the company is either you know, licensed this for 339 00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:19,760 Speaker 1: use in this way or possibly even you know, hired 340 00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:23,360 Speaker 1: somebody to do it for them to create this whole music. Uh, 341 00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:26,800 Speaker 1: perhaps it's some iteration of their theme, you know, tune 342 00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:28,560 Speaker 1: or whatever it might be, if it's a brand that 343 00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:30,920 Speaker 1: has you know, an associated jingle or something like that. 344 00:20:31,400 --> 00:20:34,479 Speaker 1: Or it'll be classical music, public domain music, and all 345 00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:36,879 Speaker 1: I have to do is license the recording um and 346 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:39,760 Speaker 1: not and and pay any kind of any rights soldiers 347 00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:43,840 Speaker 1: for the actual compositions. Yeah. Yeah. It always reminds me 348 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:49,080 Speaker 1: of an amazing bit from an amazing show called thirty Rock, 349 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:55,359 Speaker 1: where wherein they want to make a biopic about Janice Joplin, 350 00:20:55,520 --> 00:20:58,720 Speaker 1: but they can't afford the rights, or they don't have 351 00:20:58,840 --> 00:21:02,879 Speaker 1: the rights to her, to her life story or or 352 00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:06,600 Speaker 1: her music, so they call her Janice Jorplin or something 353 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:12,520 Speaker 1: like that, and they do nothing but parody lyrics of 354 00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:16,800 Speaker 1: of of famous Jannis Chopolin and the Heartbreaker songs. It 355 00:21:17,119 --> 00:21:20,840 Speaker 1: is amazing. I am going to pull up a clip 356 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:24,280 Speaker 1: at some point if I get a break today. Uh, 357 00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:29,560 Speaker 1: you know it is true. Uh people also get this 358 00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:33,840 Speaker 1: sort of this weird relationship with Hold music. When you 359 00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:37,080 Speaker 1: hear it, often it becomes like a commercial jingle or 360 00:21:37,160 --> 00:21:40,080 Speaker 1: people start to love it at first ironically and then 361 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:45,720 Speaker 1: an ironically, like me with Alex's I'm on Hold song again, Alex, 362 00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:49,199 Speaker 1: I don't know what our legality is here, so I 363 00:21:49,240 --> 00:21:51,000 Speaker 1: wish I could play it. But if you're hearing this 364 00:21:51,119 --> 00:21:52,639 Speaker 1: right in and let me know if it's okay to 365 00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:54,840 Speaker 1: play it, We'll end an episode with it one day. 366 00:21:54,920 --> 00:21:56,960 Speaker 1: And I'm glad that you mentioned the idea of having 367 00:21:56,960 --> 00:22:00,800 Speaker 1: a relationship with this these bits of themera that are 368 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:03,560 Speaker 1: kind of meant to be pretty disposable. Um that there 369 00:22:03,600 --> 00:22:06,600 Speaker 1: are communities even that come up around like being obsessed 370 00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:09,400 Speaker 1: with a particular brand of Hold music, or say, like 371 00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:13,800 Speaker 1: you know, Walmart Music, you know from throughout the years, 372 00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:16,480 Speaker 1: like you can actually get tapes and recordings of like 373 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:18,600 Speaker 1: all of that stuff and people like remix them and 374 00:22:18,880 --> 00:22:21,240 Speaker 1: do all kinds of crazy stuff. But um, there is 375 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:24,960 Speaker 1: a really interesting story behind the generic hold music from 376 00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:28,920 Speaker 1: the tech company Cisco. UM. Cisco, who you know, installs 377 00:22:28,960 --> 00:22:34,879 Speaker 1: and maintains like corporate telephone systems, and apparently they're there 378 00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:37,720 Speaker 1: to this day, I believe, at least as of this article. 379 00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:40,920 Speaker 1: In so they may have changed it. I can't speak 380 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:43,720 Speaker 1: to I haven't been on holding on a Cisco system 381 00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:47,639 Speaker 1: UH in recent years, but there is a piece of 382 00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:50,119 Speaker 1: music that they have used. Um Ira Glass actually did 383 00:22:50,119 --> 00:22:52,360 Speaker 1: an episode of This American Life that was composed by 384 00:22:52,480 --> 00:22:55,720 Speaker 1: an I T guy UM that you probably haven't heard of, 385 00:22:55,760 --> 00:22:58,960 Speaker 1: by the name of Tim Carlton UM. This article from 386 00:22:58,960 --> 00:23:02,600 Speaker 1: The Atlantic by extas c Magical describes him as a 387 00:23:02,680 --> 00:23:07,320 Speaker 1: mostly unnoogle able UM I T guy Tim Carlton UH 388 00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:10,280 Speaker 1: And in fact, on the Atlantic article they posted a 389 00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:14,200 Speaker 1: YouTube clip of the piece of music, and it has 390 00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:18,400 Speaker 1: been removed due to a copyright claim by Tim Carlton. 391 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:21,200 Speaker 1: So he's got skin in the game when it comes 392 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:23,520 Speaker 1: to this. But he had a buddy named Derek Deal 393 00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:26,280 Speaker 1: who went to work for Cisco, and he heard one 394 00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:27,800 Speaker 1: of his little ditties that he had recorded on a 395 00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:30,359 Speaker 1: four track and was like, this is it, this is 396 00:23:30,359 --> 00:23:32,080 Speaker 1: the one, this is this is gonna this has got 397 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:35,400 Speaker 1: to be the the cisco Hold music. Um. And eventually 398 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:38,160 Speaker 1: it did go on to become the cisco Hold music 399 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:41,960 Speaker 1: and um, you know, was heard by millions. Not exactly 400 00:23:42,119 --> 00:23:46,040 Speaker 1: the way I would consider people thinking about breaking into 401 00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:49,399 Speaker 1: the industry or becoming a star, but you can't deny 402 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:52,919 Speaker 1: that this dude's tune has been heard by millions of people. 403 00:23:53,240 --> 00:23:55,239 Speaker 1: And there has been almost a little community that has 404 00:23:55,240 --> 00:23:58,720 Speaker 1: developed around it, with people remixing it, recording their own versions, 405 00:23:59,119 --> 00:24:01,919 Speaker 1: posting things on you Tube, and all of that stuff. 406 00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:07,879 Speaker 1: It's fascinating. Yeah, And speaking of fascinating and gratitude, iowa 407 00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:13,399 Speaker 1: big thanks to Sophie Hagney. I just found this MPR article, 408 00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:16,159 Speaker 1: Like I just found it as we were as we 409 00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:19,040 Speaker 1: were recording, I was thinking about that relationship too, and 410 00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:22,480 Speaker 1: I was thinking about you, Alex Cornell, my favorite paras 411 00:24:22,480 --> 00:24:26,679 Speaker 1: social relationship that I have. There's an MPR article about 412 00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:31,000 Speaker 1: Alex and about the I'm on Hold song. It was 413 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:34,320 Speaker 1: for Uber conference. It's selected by nine out of ten 414 00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:37,760 Speaker 1: call organizers, or at least it was as of it 415 00:24:37,840 --> 00:24:41,400 Speaker 1: plays a million times a month. And this comes directly 416 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:45,120 Speaker 1: from Craig Walker, the CEO of dial Pad, the company 417 00:24:45,160 --> 00:24:48,000 Speaker 1: that owns uber Conference, which was a phone line that 418 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:49,920 Speaker 1: we used a lot for work back in the day. 419 00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:54,240 Speaker 1: Alex Cornell is not a working musician, man. This is 420 00:24:54,320 --> 00:24:57,480 Speaker 1: I'm on Hold is the only song he's ever written 421 00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:02,120 Speaker 1: because he was a co founder of uber Conference and 422 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:08,720 Speaker 1: he wanted to have better hold music. Holy smokes, hold 423 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:12,880 Speaker 1: e smokes. I should say uh this yeah, right, Nope, 424 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:17,040 Speaker 1: on left behind. So we see that there is an 425 00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:20,280 Speaker 1: entire You could rightly call this a genre, right if 426 00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:22,719 Speaker 1: you think about how many people listen to it on 427 00:25:22,760 --> 00:25:27,840 Speaker 1: a daily basis, then hold music hits a lot of ears. 428 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:32,879 Speaker 1: And I didn't know this either, man, but apparently there 429 00:25:33,119 --> 00:25:38,080 Speaker 1: is a thing called a comfort tone that companies might 430 00:25:38,119 --> 00:25:40,960 Speaker 1: transmit even when you think you're just silently on hold 431 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:44,720 Speaker 1: for a moment, which is when the maybe the person 432 00:25:44,760 --> 00:25:47,359 Speaker 1: at the call center hits the mute button and you 433 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:49,640 Speaker 1: think you're on hold. They can still hear you if 434 00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:52,240 Speaker 1: you're you know, like cursing to yourself or having another 435 00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:56,399 Speaker 1: conversation anyway. A comfort tone is a barely audible synthetic 436 00:25:56,520 --> 00:26:00,600 Speaker 1: noise that signals a connection is still there, very like 437 00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:04,040 Speaker 1: a hug from a ghost for your ears. It's a 438 00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:08,040 Speaker 1: weird way to put it, but hold music itself is 439 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:11,360 Speaker 1: a weird thing. And uh, you know, no, this might 440 00:26:11,400 --> 00:26:14,320 Speaker 1: be a shorter one for us today, but I remain 441 00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:22,040 Speaker 1: astounded that the guy who patented telephone holds music did 442 00:26:22,080 --> 00:26:26,760 Speaker 1: it because of an accident. You know, the history of 443 00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:32,320 Speaker 1: communications and technology, they're often happy accidents, you know. I 444 00:26:32,600 --> 00:26:35,520 Speaker 1: talked about this um with folks that I record music with. 445 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:39,040 Speaker 1: For example, like a lot of studio equipment and things 446 00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:41,800 Speaker 1: that that have have grown to become used in a 447 00:26:41,840 --> 00:26:45,440 Speaker 1: certain way, we're not really designed for that use, Like 448 00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:48,080 Speaker 1: like things like compressors, which is like a really you know, 449 00:26:48,160 --> 00:26:50,320 Speaker 1: in the old days, a big old piece of studio 450 00:26:50,359 --> 00:26:55,000 Speaker 1: equipment that was designed to even out the the loudness 451 00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:58,760 Speaker 1: of different things that were going over a broadcast signal. 452 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:01,119 Speaker 1: But then some and figure out, oh, well, if I 453 00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:03,720 Speaker 1: use it wrong, or what if I crank this, you know, 454 00:27:03,760 --> 00:27:06,280 Speaker 1: the threshold up on or the peak reduction or whatever, 455 00:27:06,520 --> 00:27:08,360 Speaker 1: all of a sudden, then you're getting these really kind 456 00:27:08,359 --> 00:27:11,600 Speaker 1: of pumpy smashy sounds out of these things are like, 457 00:27:11,800 --> 00:27:14,760 Speaker 1: you know, the idea of delay that would be a 458 00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:17,200 Speaker 1: thing that in broadcast would be used so that things 459 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:19,080 Speaker 1: could be happening on a delay. So if there's some 460 00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:22,240 Speaker 1: swear that goes out, you can pull it back um 461 00:27:22,520 --> 00:27:25,159 Speaker 1: or echo or whatever. Like there are these are artifacts 462 00:27:25,160 --> 00:27:28,040 Speaker 1: that that would have been at one point considered undesirable, 463 00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:30,760 Speaker 1: but then if you harness them and use them again 464 00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:33,320 Speaker 1: quote unquote wrong, you can get all kinds of new 465 00:27:33,359 --> 00:27:34,879 Speaker 1: things out of it. So I think this like kind 466 00:27:34,880 --> 00:27:37,359 Speaker 1: of falls in that category. Um, not exactly the same 467 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:41,159 Speaker 1: because it wasn't intentional, uh misuse or intentional. It was 468 00:27:41,160 --> 00:27:44,080 Speaker 1: just sort of like capturing this like this happy accident. 469 00:27:44,119 --> 00:27:45,920 Speaker 1: And then you know, obviously do you think the guy 470 00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:48,960 Speaker 1: got paid? I like, like, uh, is this the same 471 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:53,560 Speaker 1: as copyrighting a podcast? I wonder if the patentrols would 472 00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:57,600 Speaker 1: go after this guy because it seems pretty broad, like 473 00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:01,480 Speaker 1: like like the patent for podcasts was like a serialized 474 00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:05,359 Speaker 1: audio thing on a on a feed on on an 475 00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:08,680 Speaker 1: on demand feed. So the idea of like transmitting music 476 00:28:08,880 --> 00:28:13,960 Speaker 1: over the telephone. Surely this guy didn't just have own 477 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:17,280 Speaker 1: own that concept, you know, lock Stock and Barrel. Well 478 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:20,800 Speaker 1: he did for a while. Because tech patents are a 479 00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:23,359 Speaker 1: little bit of a different beast often, you know, like 480 00:28:23,440 --> 00:28:27,119 Speaker 1: the idea of clicking or a mouse or hitting an escape. Uh. 481 00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:32,080 Speaker 1: His patent was standing the test of time, just like 482 00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:37,760 Speaker 1: hopefully ridiculous history. Uh. This is this is the story. 483 00:28:37,840 --> 00:28:42,320 Speaker 1: I can't wait to hear. Everybody's favorite old music, ridiculous history. 484 00:28:42,360 --> 00:28:45,520 Speaker 1: It's your favorite hold music, the weirdest hold music, the 485 00:28:45,600 --> 00:28:48,000 Speaker 1: stuff you hate. Let us know. You can find us 486 00:28:48,040 --> 00:28:52,840 Speaker 1: on Facebook, where we are ridiculous Historians. We've also heard 487 00:28:52,880 --> 00:28:55,800 Speaker 1: you about the social media stuff, trying to get back 488 00:28:55,920 --> 00:28:59,600 Speaker 1: that back up and running. But in the meantime, we're 489 00:28:59,640 --> 00:29:03,240 Speaker 1: going to call it a day and we'll be back 490 00:29:03,680 --> 00:29:07,760 Speaker 1: later this week with another new piece, new to us, 491 00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:11,400 Speaker 1: piece of ridiculous history. In the meantime, I think our 492 00:29:11,520 --> 00:29:16,680 Speaker 1: very first and uh, very specialist thanks goes to our 493 00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:21,280 Speaker 1: audio specialist guest super producer for today, Torii Harris and 494 00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:25,680 Speaker 1: try Thank you so so much, tiny crowd, tiny crowd, 495 00:29:26,280 --> 00:29:29,440 Speaker 1: Uh yeah, yeah, huge, thanks for keeping the trains running 496 00:29:29,440 --> 00:29:32,920 Speaker 1: on time and pointing out the lawnmowers and leaf blowers 497 00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:36,560 Speaker 1: of the world where we're sorry in advance Monday morning thing. 498 00:29:37,160 --> 00:29:39,760 Speaker 1: Who are these people? I guess they Yeah, they gotta 499 00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:42,640 Speaker 1: feed their families do I hold no grudge against you 500 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:45,920 Speaker 1: lawn mower and or a leafblower. Huge thanks also to 501 00:29:45,960 --> 00:29:50,800 Speaker 1: Alex Williams, who composed our theme. Uh super producer in absentia, 502 00:29:51,040 --> 00:29:54,440 Speaker 1: uh Max Williams, who I hope is enjoying a lovely 503 00:29:54,760 --> 00:29:57,960 Speaker 1: vacation right now, and Christopher Aciota is here in spirit. 504 00:29:58,320 --> 00:30:02,120 Speaker 1: And thanks of course to our own audio hold music 505 00:30:02,560 --> 00:30:06,920 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland, a k a. The Quister. Uh No, it 506 00:30:06,960 --> 00:30:10,200 Speaker 1: looks like we both got to make some calls. Good luck, 507 00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:14,040 Speaker 1: may fortune and the dial pad be ever in your favor. 508 00:30:14,840 --> 00:30:17,520 Speaker 1: Thank you so much, Ben, I appreciate it. Hopefully I 509 00:30:17,520 --> 00:30:21,080 Speaker 1: won't take another hour this time. I feel like i've already. 510 00:30:21,120 --> 00:30:23,880 Speaker 1: Is there sunk cost fallacy and staying on hold? You 511 00:30:23,920 --> 00:30:26,760 Speaker 1: know what I mean? Like exactly, Yeah, I think there 512 00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:28,520 Speaker 1: can be. It depends on what you're after, because there's 513 00:30:28,520 --> 00:30:30,200 Speaker 1: really no other way to get it. I've done it. 514 00:30:30,320 --> 00:30:32,200 Speaker 1: Uh yeah, I've done it a couple of times. But 515 00:30:32,280 --> 00:30:34,760 Speaker 1: I I have a great time if I if I 516 00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:39,600 Speaker 1: know I'm on hold, it's just a cognitive road trip basically. 517 00:30:39,720 --> 00:30:42,000 Speaker 1: So I'll pick up a book, I'll do some chores 518 00:30:42,040 --> 00:30:44,280 Speaker 1: I've been putting off. I might go and take a walk. 519 00:30:44,680 --> 00:30:47,840 Speaker 1: There are other worlds than these. We'll see you next time. 520 00:30:47,840 --> 00:30:57,840 Speaker 1: Fix For more podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the 521 00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:00,400 Speaker 1: i heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or where ever you 522 00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:01,840 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.